April 8, 2022 by RHS ECHO

The other day I was browsing the local Goodwill's fine selection of previously owned DVDs (as everyone does), when I came across the film "Bridesmaids" starring Melissa McCarthy. It was a movie that I had been interested in viewing for a while but wasn't on any of the streaming services that I have. Previously, I had looked it up on Vudu to see how much it would cost to rent the movie and was surprised to find out that it cost $3.99! And, after the rental period, the movie just goes away. But, the price of the DVD was $3.00, so I bought the DVD knowing that I was saving a dollar. Then, I went home and watched the movie and disliked it. It definitely was not the worst movie I have ever seen, but it is one I probably wouldn't watch again. So now what do I do with the DVD? This got me thinking about the DVDs in my own personal collection. What is the point of holding on to DVDs when I have access to a large amount of movies through streaming services like Netflix and Hulu? Personally, I like to own the DVD versions of some of my favorite movies and TV shows. My reasoning behind this is that streaming services have taken certain episodes of shows off their services or edited scenes in movies to make them more appropriate. An example of this is Lilo and Stitch, where edits were made to the film shortly after its DVD release. In the original film, Lilo and her sister Nani get into a fight, and Lilo hides in a dryer. In the edited version, Lilo hides behind a pizza box. This edit was made so that kids would not be encouraged to climb into a dryer because that could cause them to get injured. This version was released on later DVDs and is on Disney Plus. While this may seem like a small and maybe even good change to make to a film, there are many other examples of changes such as whole episodes of shows like The Simpsons and The Suite life of Zack and Cody being removed from later DVD releases or not being on Disney Plus. There have even been edits to movies as big as Star Wars. Another reason I like to hold on to DVDs is that you never know when companies are going to take something off of a streaming service. Remember that dreary day when they took "Legally Blonde" off of Netflix? I was left in the miserable state of not being able to watch my favorite movie about Harvard law school at any time I wanted. Thank goodness I was able to buy the DVD off of Amazon, so that would never happen again. Also, I personally have a lot of nostalgia for DVDs. As a kid who grew up on Disney DVDs, it doesn't feel right to start a Disney movie without hearing the words, "This Disney DVD is enhanced with Disney's FastPlay." Going back and watching the old DVDs reminds me of how it felt

to watch them as a kid, and how excited I was to watch the movie. Being a fan of pop culture memorabilia, I also hold on to my DVDs to display them. I have a shelf in my basement with DVDs of all my favorite movies and TV shows on it, and I think they complement the video games that I have beside them. Even though I feel strongly that collecting DVDs is a worthy hobby, as a good journalist I must inform you of some of the cons. Buying new DVDs can be more expensive than renting them on streaming services. This is why I only buy DVDs when they are on sale or are secondhand. DVDs are really easy to break. If they get a scratch they may quit working, which is quite sad. Also, if the box is broken, then the DVD might move around in the box, which causes scratches. This has happened to me several times. DVDs take up space. Some people might not be willing to dedicate shelves of their house to just DVDs, especially if they don't watch them very often, or if they don't even like the movies they have. This brings me back to my original question, What do I do with my DVD of the movie Bridesmaids? After giving it way more thought than I should have, I decided to donate it back to Goodwill. Although I love DVDs, I think that I will only stick to collecting the movies I enjoy or feel nostalgia for.

The unedited versions of the original Star Wars trilogy were not released on DVDs; they were released on VHS tapes in 1995 for the last time. The first release that added significant changes to the original theatrical version of the films was in 1997. This version added visual effects and other changes. Every other version of the films (even the one on Disney plus) released since has not been the theatrical version and includes some edits. The only way to see the original version of this popular film is to own the tapes, so maybe consider adding some VHS tapes to your DVD collection.

When was the last time RHS students read a physical newspaper or magazine? 45.7%

44.7%

9.5%

Within the last year

Within the last month

Within the last day

Are you jamming out to songs like "We Don't Talk About Bruno" by Lin Manuel Miranda or "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals? Artists like Eminem, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Glass Animals and more are all very well known in our generation. However, there are artists like Phil Collins, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Clash, The Who, and many others that remain popular with older generations. Some of these artists, both from then and now, just have a one-hit-wonder and then drop off the charts. However, all of these artists, no matter the trajectory of their career, leave an imprint on their listeners.

"I will cycle through different genres every few months. I will say currently my favorite genre is 2010s to 2000s like rock. That's the music cycle for the next few months. I listened to a lot of foreign songs, songs that aren't in English. Many of them, even though I don't understand them, I get the feeling that it gives off, and I think most people should listen to these sorts of songs because you may not understand them, but you can feel them." Elijah Jackosalem, senior.

"I consider my youth to be the 80s and so a song that sticks with me [is] 'Just Don't Lose My Number' by Phil Collins. I pretty much listen to the same stuff now that I did in my youth, but definitely Phil Collins when he was with the group Genesis. I enjoy listening to the Bangles, and listening to Rock Set, which is a group out of Sweden. I freely admit that I'm stuck in my decade. I know that songs in my day could be crude, so I'm not going to say that the music of my youth was all innocent because it wasn't. I feel like a lot of today's music, they're just that much more out there. [The songs are] blatant and straightforward, the sexuality, the violence, some of it talks about violence against police, and I know that's not all today's music. It has its place, but I am stuck in my decade. [Modern music] doesn't do much for me." Travis Yoakum, English teacher.

"I vary between some Christian music and some older rock and roll. The genre doesn't bother me. It's the tempo. I like rhythm and speed. I like Go Fish, Def Leppard. I like some jazz, bluegrass. I kind of like that acapella harmony stuff. I'll let the kids kind of determine [the music in weights] as long as we are school appropriate. Typically just something that's got rhythm and upbeat and that really kind of sets the tone for the kids, you know, you guys are pretty stimulated by that. You'd like to have that music in the background. If it's quiet, it's just dead." Jon Franks, coach.

"I honestly like most [music], just not metal. I like rap, from then and now, and older rock from the 70s to 2010. I dislike that 80s era of rock, like The Motley Crue and Kiss, but 90s rock is really good, because my mom listens to that music and she just kind of passed it [on] through me. I also like most of the pop music from 2000 from when I was born until like 2015. I've always depended on my [music] library for everything, I don't even think about the music [when I pick a song]. I just look through [my library]. I also listen to a whole bunch of old folk songs and myths songs. Those are always fun. Really old music from the 30s until the 60s also have really good music honestly, and the lyrics are kind of corny. They're a lot more default, like I can expect what they're singing." Nathaniel Jackson, senior.

"My very most favorite song is Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time,' but I like country. Country plus Cyndi Lauper. That's it. [An underrated artist is] Eminem, and I think people misunderstand him. I do not like his rap songs where he cusses and talks about vulgar stuff. One of my favorite songs that he sings about is the monsters under his bed, the one where there is a young lady in the background [Love the Way You Lie ft. Rihanna], but there's still cussing and inappropriate stuff. I feel like he's had a really hard life and he's trying to tell his story, to empathize with others, so other people that are having a hard life, they can look at him and say, 'Okay, he faced adversity and made it through. So therefore, if Eminem faced this level of adversity, then I can make it through that as well.' He's not my favorite, but I just think he's underrated because a lot of people assume that it's just rap.They make all these generalizations or assumptions about it. I have a lot of respect for him, and more importantly, the message behind his music." Cyndi Kinder, math teacher.

Over the past few years, TikTok has become one of the most used social media apps, with around 700 million active users. While many people use the app to scroll through videos for entertainment, others must do the work of creating that content for others to see. However, with the rapid spread of ideas and people itching to hop on popular trends, it begs the question of how original the average TikTok is, and if trends and original content can be measured equally. Freshman Makayla Voight makes TikToks almost everyday, with her content usually following the latest trends. "It depends on what the trends are. Some people make dances and then others follow them. Others just say something that's relatable. That's how things blow up, because others relate to it," said Voight. "With the content that I make, I prefer the dancing ones. I think they're just more fun to do. Although, I definitely like watching the relatable ones, [but] I don't make as many of them." Relatedness, nevertheless, is an important part of Voight's TikTok experience both when making and consuming videos. To her, this aspect helps give videos a personal touch. "When people post TikToks about things that have happened to them, you don't feel as alone. Other people feel the same way you do. Content that I can feel personally, those are original," said Voight. "For example, they might be talking about Algebra homework, and maybe I can relate to that because math is hard for me." Senior Abby Harrison used to make TikToks on a regular basis but has recently taken a step back from creating them. Her videos used trends as a starting point for her to explore different forms of comedy. "I think I was going more for humor rather than a certain niche. I probably did a few dances, but I did a lot of jokes. There's so many different ways you can take a joke, so many aspects of a situation that you can misconstrue or take out of context." Harrison believes all videos have some original aspects, and that it's especially necessary to be inventive when producing humor-based TikToks. "I mean, even trends need to have some basis of originality," said Harrison. "There's a lot of pressure to be like, 'Oh, I have to think of something super original that's still really funny,' and it is really difficult. There's so many people on TikTok that, if you try to think of something original, someone's probably already done it. Senior Ramona Giddens also believes that creativity is integral when making TikToks. "Creativity is important, especially on a social media app, where you're meant just to put out content, or even if we're talking about art in general. But I feel like with TikTok it's kind of like flipped that on its head. Everyone's just doing these trends, not original or creative in any way, making those aspects less important." Giddens makes content that has special meaning to her. However, not all of her videos get posted to the public. "I make a lot of videos - a few times a week, probably but I don't post them all the time because I'm afraid of what people would think about me or what people would say. But if it's a trend, I'm not really afraid to post it, because everyone else is doing it," said Giddens. "If the video is just something I find funny, or me doing stupid stuff, then I'll keep it to myself." The TikToks Giddens does post are both trendy and sentimental, and they connect her to memories of the people close to her. "I do year-recap videos a lot, where it's like a whole bunch of videos of me and Wyatt, my boyfriend. That stuff's pretty important to me," said Giddens. "There are a few videos that

are very personal and sentimental that I would want to save if I ever deleted TikTok." Overall, Giddens is conflicted as to whether trends help or harm creators. "It's such a double-edged sword. I feel like it gives people like me who are scared to post things an opportunity to make fun videos. But at the same time, trends are the same thing, over and over and over again, and everyone's making the exact same video," said Giddens. "Obviously I post trends, so I can't rag on them too hard, but I do think they get old pretty quick. Some are the same every time, with people just plugging their own pictures in. I like watching those if they're by people I know because you get to see everything going on, but if instead it's some random person, I scroll right on past. It's repetitive." However, Voight believes originality can also be found within individuals' videos even if they follow trends. "If you're doing a dance and you don't like a certain part, maybe you change it and put in your own idea. Or, if you're seeing relatable content, you kind of use the same thing, but you switch up the words a little bit to make it more connected to you," said Voight. As to which type of content TikTok promotes more, Voight believes that trendy videos win over original content; however, it is not very clear-cut. "People that don't make original content follow the trends, and I think that's an ongoing chain. But there's also big creators that are creative with the trends, and there's some people that aren't even TikTok famous, but they're very creative, so their content blows up," said Voight. Giddens enjoys watching such unique videos on her feed and finding different creators. "If I'm into a certain show, I'll see lots of little clips that people edit together, which I think is a creative thing for people to do," said Giddens. "TikTok also has a feature now where you can make three-minute videos, and some people do these three-minute short films or nature videos that are super cool." TikTok contains a multitude of videos and genres that can fit the interests of almost anyone, and it allows users to find communities where they can share their interests with others. Whether the videos people watch are inspired by a trend or sprang into existence from a blank slate, they all help form an overall experience of the platform.

In 2021, Pew Research Center polled 1500 U.S. adults about social media. When asked about their social media use more broadly rather than their use of specific platforms, 72% of Americans say they use social media sites. Many people find it hard to stay away from it, but what about the people who do stay away from social media? How is life without it? What about the first generation to use social media? How did life change when social media became the new thing? Millennials born in the early 80s were in their teens and early adulthood during the rise of social media. "I actually first remember Myspace... Myspace, if you look it up, is another social media platform, and people did the same things you would do on Facebook," said English teacher Janice Webb. Myspace was founded August 1, 2003. It was the most visited website in the world from 2005 to 2009, and it even surpassed Google in 2006. Since then, social media has expanded to be redirected for different purposes. "Facebook, in the very beginning, was just people connecting with each other and putting status updates... Then as Facebook progressed, it is now what you know it to be... but there's also a ton of ads and videos and marketing campaigns now," said Webb. Social media has been constantly changing, so much that new social media platforms are coming to light, the newest one being

TikTok. With so much social media around the world, people can find it hard to get off of media. Some ways to get off of media are deleting the platforms, turning off notifications or setting a time limit. Even with social media so accessible, a lot of young people are not engaging with it. Their limits could be their own choice or simply a family boundary. "My parents just don't allow me to have [social media], otherwise I would have it," said sophomore Madelyn Pense. Leading a social-media-free life works for some. Many teenagers are finding that social media takes away their time or happiness, so they set up their own boundaries. "I just don't find myself using Snapchat very often, or Instagram, because I find it boring and don't find time to use it," said sophomore Devin Salter. Salter has these social media apps but rarely uses them. Others get social media for one reason and then get sucked in. "I actually got Twitter to follow the 6th man [the student section rally group] and what themes were for basketball, and then off-season came and I started following celebrities," said senior Cailyn Myers. Eventually, Myers found the Twitter drama was having a negative impact on her and she deleted the app. "I'd be scrolling through and people would just be fighting in the comments of something someone had tweeted, and I just would get sucked in for like an hour, and then it would ruin my day and I needed to quit," said Myers. Even for the first generation of social media users, stepping away from these platforms can offer more personal connection. "I think that there is a lot of good that can come from social media, but I think that it has also become consuming for a lot of people. So, I see the benefit of taking a step back to what you might consider the 'good old days' and just connect with people face-to-face rather than through a screen," said Webb.

Have you ever viewed media that has negatively impacted your mental health? 40%

NO YES

60%

Have you filtered/blocked/avoided similar media for any length of time? YES

52.9% 17.9%

NO N/A

29.7%

Athena Keys is a photographer who tells stories through pictures. "A lot of my photos tend to follow one subject as it moves around. So I will focus and follow one bug for an hour because it looks so cool on the grass. It's really nice because I can show people something that they wouldn't normally see." Keys started taking pictures in 2017. "I actually got started with photography around the time the [solar] eclipse was, because I had my phone and I wanted to take pictures of the eclipse, but I wasn't sure how to do that. I went ahead and just started messing around and taking photos outside. I got beautiful pictures of the eclipse itself, and I got some beautiful pictures of the animals around there. I was like 'This is amazing,' because not many people can see such an event. I could take pictures and preserve it, and that's what actually got me started," said Keys. Keys has grown as a photographer over the past few years. "I actually have developed my craft quite a bit. I used to just take pictures with my phone. Then I bought a camera because I love taking pictures so much. I printed out a few minor things and shared [them] with people, and they thought they were good. So I've started to pile them back and save them for whenever I will be able to share them. I've changed different types of cameras and I've learned different skills, like I learned that you want to keep it in the rule of thirds, and a bunch of other things." Photography is a serious hobby for Keys, and she has also participated in many competitions. "It's more for me. I enjoy it, but it also helps me with some money making. I got paid to take pictures for my cousin's wedding and edit them. But it's more of a hobby," said Keys. "I entered a conservational magazine competition when I was younger. I didn't win, but they sent me a letter recommending how I could improve, which was very useful. They told me to keep in mind the lighting and color angles, but that was when I first started out." Photography is also a way for Keys to cope with her emotions in a healthy way. "It is a great stress reliever because I just get so angry with something and then it's like, I'm gonna go take a walk, and I take my camera and I take pictures. It's a great stress reliever, even if you don't share [the photos]. I'd recommend it." Athena's Instagram: @a.l.o.k._photography

Beckham Armstrong is a sophomore photographer who captures scenes through photography. Armstrong considers photography as more of a hobby. "I say [I take photos] weekly, and right now it's more of a hobby." Armstrong began his digital art career with photos. "I just started taking pictures because my family goes on vacation a lot and I just see the sunsets all the time. So I like taking pictures of them." Armstrong has improved since he began. "This year [I've improved my photography skills] with my advanced digital art, and Mrs. Myers helping me. So in the beginning, I'd kind of just take a picture and just leave it like that. But Mrs. Myers is showing me how to edit them and make them look better." Armstrong prefers certain conditions for taking photographs "For me, I mainly make sure camera's clean. I normally use my phone and then make sure there's nothing in the background that will mess with it. You have to show someone first and see if they think it's good." Armstrong likes taking two kinds of photos most. "I like the sunset. It's what I want to photograph the most because it just makes a cool picture, and to me sunsets just look like happiness."

On January 9, 2022, the popular HBO Max series "Euphoria" debuted its premier of season two, receiving around 6.6 million viewers that day. What started out as a potentially new and addictive streaming series turned into HBO's second most viewed series since 2004 just behind "Game of Thrones." While the show and streaming service gained more publicity and viewership, certain viewers began to unravel triggers from their lives brought out by the raw and uncensored plot of "Euphoria"; these storylines followed a drug addict and her increasing problems throughout high school, along with her friends and peers who struggled with their own obstacles. As television and streaming services have gained more popularity, viewers are faced with the fact that these shows reveal real world problems that many struggle with on a daily basis. One question emerges: Is it safe to stream and watch shows like "Euphoria" that are completely uncensored? Idolizing the use of drugs in television is no surprise, especially when the point of view of a whole show revolves around a drug addict. Other shows, including "Shameless" and "Breaking Bad" also fall into this criteria, establishing its characters and the problems that surround them with drug and alcohol abuse. While yes, bringing in viewership is one of the main goals of streaming platforms and companies, what ends up happening is a mixture of both positive and negative effects. Many mental health professionals conclude that watching TV stimulates the brain into more anxious states, and when shows have constant references to drugs and depression, that can trigger someone with more personal experience into a relapse. In a March ECHO survey, 120 out of 200 high schoolers confirmed feeling like media had negatively impacted their mental health, with 102 students saying they blocked, avoided, or filtered similar media for a length of time. When asked if media should be censored for minors, 148 students said that media should be filtered for those 12 and under. Ben Lesser, a staff writer for "Dual Diagnosis," stated, "Triggering television programs are healthy in the sense that they won't really cause harm to our mental health. However, their harmful effects may cause us to act in self-harming ways." This means that while watching a character go through their journey of depression may not cause each and every viewer to become instantly depressed, it can cause them to relapse back into old and harmful habits. Many viewers who watched "Euphoria" claimed that the show had an intensity that left them on edge for the entirety of each and every episode (with most episodes ranging around 5065 minutes). More claimed that taking breaks in between episodes and refraining from any substances that might result in an increase in anxiousness helped to get through each episode. What was even more interesting, however, was not only the way viewers felt watching it, but how the actors themselves felt while filming the show. Specifically, season two, episode five. One of the most emotional episodes of the series, Rue's mom finds out she is back on drugs, and is betrayed by her girlfriend and bestfriend Jules and Elliot. She eventually runs away and turns to all of her compan-

ions in the process. She slowly crushes every relationship she has with those around her as she begs for places to stay, for more drugs, and steals from people she doesn't even know. A specific scene showcases Rue and her mom fighting and getting physical resulting in pictures and doors breaking and Rue's family crying out for her to stop. The episode takes an even darker turn when Rue is drugged by her newfound drug dealer and wakes up after thinking she died. "My brain can say 'ok I'm pretending'," Zendaya stated in an interview with BuzzFeed news. "But when I'm [acting] it, my body and my heart don't know that it's not real. It can be exhausting in that way and it can make you feel bad because [Rue] does things that I don't want her to do and say, but here I am." What's ironic is that while the show may be called "Euphoria," meaning a state of intense excitement and happiness, it deals a lot with very depressing and troubling content and never shies away from showing very raw scenes. Does this mean we are the ones to blame for relapsing or revisiting old and unhealthy habits because we choose to watch these shows? Should shows like "Euphoria" be held accountable regardless if it's real or not? We all have choices, it's something we learn from a very early stage in our youth. We choose whether we want vanilla ice cream or chocolate or if we want to go right or left. We are the ones who get to choose what we consume in our everyday life. Shows like Euphoria present us with the idea of something we can sit down on the couch and choose to turn on and watch. They present us the stories of fictional characters with real world problems that maybe someone watching can relate to. However, it's on us to choose how we view programs like these, how we process it, and how we continue on with our everyday lives. Simply turning a show off or pausing it to take some time to process content can make a big difference. Choosing to take a break from a show or other streaming services is okay. Our mental health should always come first and everybody views and goes through things differently from everybody else. At the end of the day, It's up to us to take care of ourselves.

Most teenagers nowadays are on some form of social media, but for many of us, our digital footprints started years before we became social media users. Our parents had already documented our development on platforms like Facebook. Everything from our first days of school to losing our teeth was put online. As we grew up, we became more aware of our online presence, but it wasn t until we entered middle school that we started to choose what and how we were portrayed on social media. As children, we knew what technology was and how to use it. Many of us had our own tablets or phones, and some of us made our first social media accounts before we even started middle school. We all eventually ventured onto our parents Facebook accounts and saw the pictures of us as we grew up. We saw our first day of kindergarten and our last day of middle school. We remembered our elementary school choir concerts and Little Tykes soccer uniforms. Though my parents did post a good share of my childhood, they made an effort to preserve the privacy I would want later in life. As a teen, I can look back on the memories I have forgotten and relive them over and over again. While my generation didn t choose to have these photos of ourselves posted online, most parents were not trying to cause discomfort. Our parents chose how we were portrayed for our first few years, and now we can define our own online identity. Over the past 10 years, as different media-sharing sites have become popular, family vlogging has become more common. Family vloggers film day-to-day to allow access to the many different aspects of their lives. They primarily stay on YouTube, but they have branched out to other media sharing sites such as TikTok and Instagram. Most family vloggers share lighthearted and happy moments with their families, but some also post meltdowns or tantrums online for the world to judge their children s actions, as a way of discipline. Many viewers of family vlogging channels have begun to notice that many famous vloggers exploit their childrens privacy. There are many indicators of parents crossing the line of privacy for their children, such as showing their children having tantrums or mental breakdowns. These children should have the preserved privacy of not having the world judge their actions. Family vlogging is not completely bad, but social media companies need to have a way to protect childrens privacy. Some have started to change their platform when involving minors. Youtube, in particular, has made family vlog channels comment sections blocked due to inappropriate comments. It should be the parent s responsibility to understand what moments are safe and morally right to post online, especially when the children are too young to defend themselves. Social media has always been a part of our lives. In general, it is not a bad thing; it can actually be very useful and positive. When the parents make an immoral decision about what they post about their children, social media companies need to be counted on to protect the privacy of the children. Adolescents should have a choice to decide what gets posted, whether it be by themselves or by their family. Some platforms have started to protect minors, and others should follow.

In 1940, Hattie McDaniel was the first African American woman to win an Oscar for best supporting actress, for her role of Mammy in the Civil War epic, "Gone with the Wind". Due to the segregation laws at that time, McDaniel was forced to sit at a segregated table at the Academy Awards, and was not allowed to sit with her fellow co-stars. She was also not allowed to attend the premiere of "Gone with the Wind" because it was shown in a whites-only theater. Despite all of this, McDaniel was extremely proud of her role and went on to star in several more films. She was one of the most groundbreaking actresses of her time.

In 1961, Sophia Loren made history by becoming the first woman to win an Academy Award for a foreign film. Loren had starred in the movie, "Two Women", in 1960, which was a film entirely spoken in Italian. After having a difficult childhood of living in poverty with her mother in Rome, Italy, Loren rose to fame and became a star of her time, leading her to act in over fifty-five films. Having to leave Italy due to her rising fame, Loren missed her country terribly, and often spoke of her beloved Italy throughout her long career.

Starring in forty-four films, eight television shows, and thirty-three plays, Katharine Hepburn was a major actress during the years of 1928 to 1994, leaving her as one of the greatest actresses of all time. After winning four Academy Awards for starring in a variety of films, Hepburn became the highest-Oscar winning woman of all time. Hepburn began starring in films after she was spotted by RKO Radio Productions, offering her a chance to audition for the 1932 film, "A Bill of Divorcement". After her groundbreaking performance, Hepburn became a star, leading her to perform in many films. As of 2022, she still holds the record for the most Oscar wins for a woman.

Last month, the Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, celebrated 94 years of awarding celebrities, directors, and a variety of different off-screen production workers in film. Women's History Month, also last month, celebrates women in different fields, such as film, S.T.E.M, politics, etc. Here is a look at some of the top awarded women in Oscar and film history:

Fashion has always been an influential part of the Oscars, which is known as the top event to wear different designer brands and looks. Not only had Audrey Hepburn become famous for her acting between the years 1948 and 1989, she had also been labeled as a fashion icon. In 1954, Hepburn debuted an ivory Givenchy dress at the Academy Awards, later winning best actress for Roman Holiday. Many of the movies she starred in showcased her classy dresses and ensembles designed for her. To this day, Hepburn is known as a fashion icon, as well as starring in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and a variety of other films.

Kathryn Bigelow, best known for being the first woman to win an Oscar for directing, started her career as a filmmaker in the 1970s. In college, she created her first short film, "The Set Up", in 1978, leading her to next co-direct and co-write, "The Loveless", in 1982 after graduating from Columbia University. After creating a variety of films, Bigelow was nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards in 2010 for "The Hurt Locker". Her win was the first director award for a female in film history. Bigelow continues to direct with her most recent film being "Triple Frontier" in 2019.

After 92 years since the Oscars began, a woman has yet to win an award for Best Cinematographer. Women are becoming groundbreakers in the field, with recent news sharing the tragic story of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. Hutchins' talent had begun to rise in 2015 after graduating from the AFI conservatory. Hutchins passed away tragically when a prop gun accidentally fired during the filming of the movie, Rust. Hutchins had produced a variety of different films, and was rising to great fame with her cinematography.

When searching for a new pet, an important choice that one has to make is between adopting from a shelter or buying from a breeder. The Tri-Company Humane Society, run by shelter director Rhonda Strong and located in St. James, provides aspiring pet-owners with a reliable and well-maintained opportunity to adopt. "We are a nonprofit, so we are run by a board. I'm the Vice President and the treasurer," said Strong. "We opened a year ago in November." One benefit of adopting through this facility is that all profit goes into improving the care and living conditions of the animals. "We are all volunteers; none of us take a paycheck. Every dime we get in goes back into the animals," explained Strong. When it comes to finding volunteers, the shelter has had some struggles. "We have a hard time finding volunteers that want to come in and work," Strong said. "We have lots of people that want to come in and play with the animals, but we don't have people that want to actually come in in the mornings and do the actual work and care for them." On the flip side, many people turn to puppy mills when purchasing a dog. This may seem like an easy option, but many mills have been found to treat their animals in cruel and unethical ways. "Puppy mills, also called backyard breeders, are where they take a dog, and they force it to have a litter of puppies. They sell the puppies, then they instantly get that dog pregnant again, and then once the dogs are no longer able to have puppies for whatever reason, they get rid of the dog," said Strong According to the Puppy Mill Project, an educational and advocacy organization dedicated to fighting puppy mill cruelty, Missouri has the largest number of puppy mills in the United States. "Around here, any purebred dog has probably been born in a puppy mill, so the parents probably have not been taken care of

and properly vaccinated, whereas if you're getting an adopted dog, they are fully vaccinated, spayed and neutered, tested for heartworms, and on flea prevention, so your chances of getting a healthier animal are better through adoption," explained Strong. Breeding parents in mills are typically confined to wire cages for 24 hours or longer, live in unsanitary conditions, and receive little to no veterinary care. "A lot of the animals that are being bred normally are not taken care of. A dog that lives its whole life just producing puppies is not loved, and not cared for. They're in a cage, they're brought out to be bred, they go back in that cage to have puppies and then they start the cycle over," Strong said. Another issue that arises with puppy mills is overbreeding, which leads to the use of euthanasia in many animal shelters. Over 2 million puppies are bred in mills, and an estimated 1.2 million dogs are euthanized in shelters every year. Something that sets the Tri-Company Humane Society apart is that they don't use euthanasia, and instead have a lowered intake of animals. "Some shelters have no options. If you're a city pound, you have to have an open kennel. You can't say "I'm sorry, I'm not taking it," like we can, so I understand why they have to use euthanasia," said Strong. "Every shelter that I've spoken to is just completely, totally full right now. Our long term goal is a bigger facility, and once we have the bigger facility, then we'll be able to intake more." With so many different options available, it can be hard for one to find which method of adoption is best for them, but adopting from local shelters is an easy way to make a small difference in the community. "Society seems to think that a full shelter is a good thing, but a full shelter is not a good thing because that means there's unwanted animals," said Strong.

Prom is coming up, and you've picked out the best dress or tuxedo (or cowboy hat). You've asked out the date of your dreams or planned out the perfect group of friends. Nothing could go wrong for the big night. Until you try on your shoes. Unlike Cinderella, the glass slipper (or Hey Dude) doesn't quite fit. While realistically, this is unlikely to happen, the idea of shoes not fitting serves as a metaphor for the school dance not fitting the expectations media has placed on it. A classic coming of age movie scene is the pinnacle prom scene. For example, in The 10 Things I Hate About You, Kat discovers Patrick was paid to ask her out, and Bianca gets revenge on Joey. Or in Carrie, the titular character is crowned prom queen only to be drowned in pig blood seconds after. I've only been to one prom and a few other dances, but I can confirm that nothing very exciting has happened at them. The idea that dances, specifically senior prom, is the climax of your high school career (if not life) plagues media. This leaves students with unrealistic expectations for school dances, and I believe contributes to the dissatisfaction students feel after attending. So, how can students gain a meaningful experience from a school dance, specifically those more inclined to stay home watching Netflix all night? This is where I must step down from my high and mighty journalist pedestal and admit I'm not quite sure. I've been to five school dances, which, if you do the math, means I've skipped quite a few myself. At my first few dances, I played a variety of parts such as the awkward high school freshman not dancing, the princess candidate who didn't really want to be there, and the girl who ditched her date (but we were just friends) to play chess. While I didn't come home crying after any of these, I also can admit the best part was before the dance, hanging out with my friends. Despite these less than ideal experiences, I was determined to have fun at my senior Homecoming. I was going to dance, and I was not going to care what people thought. I did dance, and the experience was moderately fun, yet I could not change the fact that I'm not a fan of big crowds or dancing in public, and I cannot force myself to let loose and not care what people think. After Homecoming, I realized, after many years of denial, that it's okay that I don't like school dances. This statement is the main reason I'm writing this opinion piece: to tell you that it's okay if you don't like school dances. Of course, if you do, go on living your life and having fun at school dances, but if you don't, know that you are seen. Because of the idealization of school dances in media, I always felt like I was missing out on this quintessential high school experience, but the media is not a full representation of the entire experience of a school dance. Your experience at a school dance, whether pleasant or unpleasant, is completely valid and makes you no less human than anyone else. Of course, to include everyone in the human experience, I must remember the group I have yet to discuss: those who have never been to a school dance. There are many reasons to not attend a school dance (if not being able to afford nice clothes is one, talk to the Counseling Center about the Bulldog Closet), but I strongly urge every student to attend at least one school dance. Yes, I said I don't like school dances, but how would I have known that if I had never attended? This is where Hayden Kissinger comes in. I was at my senior year

Courtwarming, despite my desire to be on my couch watching the Olympics, because I was a queen candidate. As I wandered around the dance taking in the sights, I saw Hayden dancing his heart out. He looked like he was genuinely having fun. The night continued with Hayden being the clear star, leading a successful conga line, and even becoming the center of a dance circle made famous by Snapchat stories. This was the first time Hayden had attended a school dance. I interviewed Hayden a few weeks after to understand how he was able to enjoy the school dance in his own way, and start the conga line. "There is this secret. I didn't actually start the conga line. It was actually my friend Xavier Viesca. He called me over to lead it," said Hayden. "[I had] no fear at all." Hayden also shared advice for people wanting to have fun at school dances even if they're not inclined to lead conga lines. "I think they just need to find the fun kids who are trying to lead the conga line and just be their sidekick at the dance. Just follow their moves at the dance and have a good time." said Hayden. When asked to elaborate on school dances, Hayden had quite a confession. "I'm probably never going back to one," said Hayden. "I was a little too hyper at the dance. That's not who I am. I'm not a conga line leader." Hayden believes anyone can lead the conga line. "I accessed my inner conga line leader from pure boredom," said Hayden. "All of my friends were sitting around being boring, so I decided to just dance, and that led to the conga." Upon further consideration, Hayden took back his earlier statement about never attending a school dance. "I might," said Hayden. "But, it will never be the same. I will never be able to summon my true form that I had that night." So, while you may not be able to summon your true form like Hayden, I encourage you to try the school dance. It probably won't be the climax of your high school career, like the media portrays, but by attending school dances I have learned important things, like self acceptance. Who knows, you could be the next conga line leader. And, if you're not, don't worry, I'm bringing Uno to prom, so come play a round with me.

Video games have been around for about fifty years now, and as long as they have existed, people have used them to compete. Whether that be by directly playing against someone in a multiplayer game, or indirectly through methods like speedrunning, competition has always been an important part of the gaming experience. Recently, these types of engagements have been collected and organized under the term "esports," giving them a legitimate platform to run through. Esports, short for electronic sports, is being recognized internationally as a valid way for people to compete with each other in tests of teamwork, skill, and strategy. Not only are there professional esports organizations across the world, but many colleges in the U.S. are creating their own esports teams and creating scholarships for students who join them. At Rolla High School, esports is alive and well, albeit a bit hidden. Students engage in all aspects of the field, from team management to top-tier level competing. For senior Isaac Guffey, a sense of competition is one of the most important aspects he looks for in an activity. It's something Guffey will continue to seek after he graduates, likely in the form of esports. "In high school I played football, it was the main thing I committed to, and I put a lot of effort into training for it. That training paying off during actual competitions felt great," said Guffey. "In college, I'm probably not going to play football, so I'm not going to have anything physically competitive to work with other than maybe weight training. And so if I never get to play a sport again, what am I going to do that's competitive, other than maybe competitively working for a job--and why would I ever want to do that?" Guffey uses esports as an alternative, easier way to compete separate from physical sports. "For football, you need eleven people, you need gear, you need some organization to control the events and you need to find another team that has all those other requirements. For an esport you can just find some friends online or at school, and then you can go up against random people online," said Guffey. "Esports can be treated like any other sport; it's a competition with a set of rules. Sometimes there's a team, sometimes not," said Guffey. "A lot of people think that esports are the top of the top players, but I personally don't think that's true. I don't think that you have to be good at a game to be considered a person who plays esports." Guffey has participated in esports since a young age, including some online tournaments. "I first started off with a website called Pokemon Showdown in which there is a ranking system where you go against better people the more you win. At the age of 12, I got invited to a Pokemon tournament that was sponsored. I didn't sign up for any sort of

rewards, although I actually could have earned some money, but I just played for the game," said Guffey. "Now, I also speedrun some games, like Mario games, and I like to play Overwatch, mostly with my friends from Rolla." Guffey finds that esports can teach people many useful skills, since players must often work together with friends or strangers to win a game. "A lot of esports are team-based, and a lot of these require some sort of leadership to go on. In Overwatch, there are certain roles in which you're the one that has to be telling everyone what to do. You're the one that has to be telling people 'Go over there, push there.' Learning basic leadership roles, no matter the context, is important," said Guffey. While sophomore Cameron Erickson does play games competitively, he's also involved in another, less known aspect of esports: team oversight. "I have been in a Clash Royale minor esports organization as an accountant, a manager and a community/practice manager," said Erickson. "As a community manager, I would set up weekly practices for EU (Europe) and NA (North America) teams. I set up practice clans, I recorded win rates, and I was generally just one of the most involved people in the server." Erickson mostly engages online with his team's Discord server, an online space where people can meet and communicate with each other. Players then represent this server during competitions. "There are Discord servers for different organizations, and there are also ones for different leagues. Your organization or your team will join leagues and try to compete--the better the league, the more money you can make. Upwards it can be a couple hundred dollars, lower more like thirty to a hundred dollars," said Erickson. Erickson's involvement in the server is relatively recent, as he joined in January 2020. Throughout the pandemic, he was able to use the space as a way to connect with others. "I needed a way to socialize outside of school because I was only there for two days a week. I became decent friends with a bunch of the people in that server. I would join video calls every day," said Erickson. His experience even included people from other countries. "My best friend on there so far, his name is Bjorn, and he lives in Albania. I have him on SnapChat. He's the same age as me," said Erickson. One of Erickson's main motivations for playing games, or any activity in general, is to see himself get better. "I love being able to do one thing and see myself progress at it over time. Knowing that I'm not stuck at a certain level or skill range, or stuck always losing against the same people, is the best feeling--that feeling of growing," said Erickson.

While esports is accessible to everyone, only a few can make it to the top levels of a game. One such person is senior Jarek Swearingen who plays Overwatch, a multiplayer first-person shooter game, at an extremely high competitive level. "I'm in the top rank, Grandmaster, not to toot my own horn. So, I can understand how top-level gameplay works and stuff like that," said Swearingen. "I started [playing] around late 2017 in October. It's kind of crazy to think about, like I've been playing since eighth grade, and I'm about to graduate high school." In order to reach such a high level, Swearingen, as well as other top players, had to prepare both physically and mentally. "You literally have to train for it. It's a lot like physical sports, because you have to be fit and be in the right mindset. You have to eat healthy, sleep well, and do everything like that to play well. I definitely know, because I struggled with that. And it does show, because people will destroy you if you don't know your stuff," said Swearingen. "I like to play to win. So, I put a lot of my time and a lot of my efforts, especially mentally, into improving and becoming a smarter player." This process of preparation, alongside playing the game for countless hours, comes with its own advantages. "This all sounds really corny, but I would not be as confident talking to other people without years of playing on teams with random people and telling them what to do. I learned things like teamwork, leadership, and friendship," said Swearingen. "If you want to perform well you have to be in a higher mental state, and when I really realized that, my life improved by 20%. Life just got better once I started motivating myself to be a little more healthy with a lot more things. Part of this was definitely to gain a competitive advantage. It sounds a little stupid, but making good decisions in order to elevate your performance is gonna have good side effects in your life. [Playing] does take a little bit of free time away, but if you enjoy what you're doing, work feels like a hobby, right?" Out of a poll of 200 people, almost half of them said that they played video games, and a third said they would be interested in having an esports club at RHS. However, despite all this apparent talent and interest in esports, there is almost no representation to be found within student organizations. David Schatz, a teacher with some experience in competitive multiplayer games from his bygone youth, believes having an esports club would allow interested students to receive proper guidance and coaching. "Kids are already [playing games] anyway. They're going home and they're doing it on their own. How great would it be [for them] to have a teacher and adult sponsors who have been through that process? We could even have professional esports people come in and teach people what you should do and what you shouldn't do. There's so many elements to it, and I don't have that expertise, but I would love to see that offered to students," said Schatz. Schatz also believes such a club could open students' eyes to the prospective jobs involving esports. "People can get degrees, and you can go into the military for esports. There's a lot of opportunities in the career field," said Schatz. "[The military is] recruiting people to be able to drive drones and tanks and whatever, because we don't want to put humans out there in the frontlines. We want to send you know,

virtual stuff." For Erickson, an esports club would allow him to find other people who share his enthusiasm for particular games. "I think the only game that I can really share my knowledge and enthusiasm with is Rocket League," said Erickson. "I've probably only met one or two people in Rolla around my area of ranking, because I'm super sweaty [skilled at the game]. I have 3000 hours on my account, but most of that's just idle time." Meanwhile, Swearingen would take the opportunity to share his expertise with others. "I am actually coaching a couple people right now. Like yesterday, I sat in a group with one girl online for about probably two hours, and I went over a lot of mechanics, a lot of game knowledge. I'm just full of it, and I actually really like to help people. I feel like a big resource, and sometimes I just wish people would use me," said Swearingen. "If we had an Overwatch team, I would be so happy to coach. That would be awesome, that would make me so happy." Swearingen also believes an esports team would allow people with similar interests to meet with each other. "It's kind of like the anime club. I'm not really involved in it, but I thought it was really cool that RHS just came out with an anime club, because five years ago, anime was not mainstream at all. I would imagine there's a lot of people in there and they're all enjoying anime. That's actually really cool," said Swearingen. So, why isn't there an esports club, or even a video game club in general? Schatz wonders about this. "I'm surprised kids don't even have the opportunity to choose [to go to an esports club]...There's so many students in the student body, yet nobody's taking the initiative [to create the club]," said Schatz. There are many possible reasons for this lack of organization. For example, students may simply not have the need to meet with others. "If students are really involved with a game, they'll either find people on Discord online, or they'll just hang out with friends and do it. I don't think a lot of students feel the need to have a club in order to get enough engagement from other people in a game," said Erickson. There may also be a lack of people willing to set up such a club. "I feel like a lack of leadership is one reason, since older students are more busy with school stuff. Plus, adults are less aware of video games and how important they can be to some people," said Guffey. The general mistrust and negative connotations surrounding video games may also be a factor. "There's a big stereotype around video games that it's just terrible for your kid or something like that. But I mean, if we were to actually explore games in a healthy way, we'd see they are really not that bad," said Swearingen. Even a club with little adult interest can be made, however, as long as there is student initiative for its creation and management. "It's gonna have to be faculty sponsored," said Schatz, "but everything should be student driven, right? In school, for example, I teach band, but if no one wanted to be in my band program, then we wouldn't have a band program."