Vol 27, Issue 5

The Roar News

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1801 HARVEY MITCHELL PKWY. S., COLLEGE STATION, TX 77840 | FRIDAY, MARCH. 25, 2022 | VOL. 27 NO. 5 | THEROARNEWS.COM

Read about censorship in the classroom in the latest issue of The Catamount at CSHS!

Controlling censorship

The Narrative Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

Press freedom

New Voices

First amendment

Attempted censorship of The Battalion indicative of nationwide problem ian curtis sports editor On February 10, Texas A&M University officials approached the leadership of the school’s student newspaper, The Battalion, with an ultimatum: Immediately cease all print operations, come under the authority of a new Department of Journalism, and subsequently lose their editorial independence, or be stripped of all university-provided resources.

“There is still a fight to be had,” The Battalion wrote in a front-page editorial titled “Print is not dead.”

“And a fight we will make if A&M’s administration continues to ignore us.”

University president M. Katherine Banks later delayed the ultimatum until the end of the semester and added two of The Battalion’s writers to the working group meant to help establish the new journalism department, though the future of the

inthisissue

news pages 1,3,4

newspaper remains unknown.

While the situation at The Battalion is one of the more blatant examples of student press censorship, it is a single instance of growing negative nationwide attitudes toward student journalists. Those attitudes have resulted in various forms of censorship at both the collegiate level and in high schools across Texas and the nation, where schools have legal power over their student newspapers.

THE BATTALION The decision on The Battalion sparked a fierce response from a wide range of sources. As plenty of other journalists and A&M alumni spoke out against the university’s choice, members of the student body otherwise unaffiliated with The Battalion created the #SaveTheBatt movement, dedicated to allowing the newspaper to maintain their independence.

CSHS alum Mabel Dorta is one of the Texas A&M students involved with the #SaveTheBatt movement

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Dorta moved to College Station from Venezuela in 2010, something she says has influenced her opinion on the issue.

“One big problem is journalists being silenced and even being thrown in jail for simply speaking out about what's going on,” Dorta said. "I moved away from all that stuff. [But] whenever you have an entity that's overlooking [press freedom] and getting to say ‘No, you cannot say something,’ that makes me feel afraid that I'm not going to be allowed to have a say on something. I should have the right to say ‘Hey, this is messed up.’ That’s important to me.”

The Battalion, along with other journalism outlets, plays an important role in the lives of future A&M graduates, says The Battalion Editor-in-Chief Myranda Campenella.

“If you're going to be involved in a campus, you

“censorship” continued on page 3

sports pages 15-16

comics page 18-19

reviews page 17

brief | the roar

UPCOMING

2 | in

April 5 April 7 April 20 April 23 April 28 May 2-12 May 10

NEWS

friday, march 25, 2022

English I EOC English II EOC Senior Wellness Camp Prom Tiger Awards AP Exams Senior Salute

IN THE

Tiger swimming finishes third at UIL state

Tiger swim team members freshmen Annie Dent, Ian Lindenberg, Katherine Rasmussen, sophomores Garrett Gammill, Samantha Poole, Mackenzie O’Donnell, Samita Shankar, juniors Ally Duan, Carston Johnson, Brendan Owens, Claire Riley, Grace Yeh, and seniors Hailey Buenemann, Andrew Larsen, and Michael Peng competed at the Texas state UIL competition on February 18-19. The team finished at third place overall. Students competed in Relays, as well as Individual Swim events.

VASE students qualify for state, will be held April 29-30

More than a 100 students participated in the Visual Arts Scholastic Education competition, of which 4 students, sophomores Kendall McKinney, Caitlin Parkey, Junior Dorthia Jones, and senior Rebecca Rowan qualified for state. The state competition will be held on April 29-30.

Sophomore Kailey Sze and junior Ally Duan attend a leadership conference at the BPA State Conference at Fortworth from March 2-5.

PHOTO BY EMILY CHEN

Wintergaurd advances to state, finishes first at TCGC Area

Wintergaurd students freshmen Kirsten Bonds, Morgan Inbody, Faith Leyland, juniors Caylin Darnell, Rossmaire Marden, Alexandria Naumann, Kelsey Quiram, seniors Courtney Browder, Robyn Stouffer, and Kyleigh Taylor finished first place at the Texas Colorguard Circuit Area Contest qualifying to the state competition. The team competed against thirteen groups from the area. The state competition will be held on the March 26 weekend at Reed Arena.

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Guest speaker Judge Celina Vasquez speaks to students about her experiences at a Girl Up meeting on March 23.

PHOTO BY MYLA CATHEY

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Lack of professional recognition, legal protections impact student publications “censorship“ continued from page 1 need to know what’s going on in your community,” Campenella said. “A&M is all about preparing the leaders of the world. Being able to embody our core values means you need to be reading the news and figuring out what’s going on in your community around you.”

More than just a newspaper, The Battalion has served as a source of campus records throughout its 129-year history, with nearly every copy of the paper since its founding residing in the Cushing Library archives. That’s a role that would disappear if it was no longer able to publish a print edition.

“We are literally documenting history on A&M’s campus,” Campenella said.

“News is history. Like any student publication on any university or high school campus, [our] job is to report what is going on, on a daily basis, and that source is an artifact. It would just be really detrimental to see that go.”

The decision has the potential to affect far more than just the newspaper itself and change the very identity of the university as a whole.

“That’s the first step into losing our values and losing who we really are,” The Battalion Design Chief Cori Eckert said.

“A&M is so rooted in tradition, if we start cutting corners that’s going to reflect into our student life and our student body.

We’re going to start looking like every other university. That’s exactly what A&M does not want to do. It really is about the students.”

PRODUCT OF THE ENVIRONMENT As a whole, student media outlets such as The Battalion have few differences between themselves and professional outlets.

“We follow the same standards,” Campenella said. “We write in AP style and we have the same ethics training as people in real newsrooms. We’re being trained in the classroom by professional

journalists.”

Even still, legitimacy is often not given to student journalists both by the general public and the leadership of their respective institutions.

“You’re viewed as a semi-pro,” BryanCollege Station Eagle reporter and former Battalion writer Alex Miller said.

“You’re doing real work, but you don’t always have the credibility that people should give you. Student journalists ask the same questions at a press conference and are there at the same events [as professional outlets]. Yet there’s this disconnect between what’s perceived as a professional paper versus a student newspaper. It’s an even playing field.”

That lack of respect towards student journalists is felt in newsrooms across the country. When Aidan Bea was serving as the sports editor of Texas State’s newspaper The University Star, that disrespect manifested itself repeatedly in the form of an uncooperative athletic department.

“We had to contact sources through the Sports Information directors who would then set up interviews,” Bea said. “They would only [help] if they thought it was worth a story. A lot of times I wouldn’t even get a response.”

According to Miller, the situation at The Battalion reflects a larger trend of a lack of media literacy across the nation.

“People think that US media outlets have these agendas that they have to meet,” Miller said. “They think they’re injecting their biases. Most people read a headline and they might read like the first couple paragraphs of a story. And that’s it. And that’s a problem.”

A lack of respect and understanding of journalism has led to many seeing a supposed need for censorship. But at the high school level, students have few of the legal protections that their collegiate and professional peers possess.

The 1988 Supreme Court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier states that school administrators can exercise editorial control over student speech in cases “reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns.” What that truly means in practice has never been defined

by the court. “[School] administrations can pretty much censor anything,” Hebron Hawkeye news editor Kate Knauff said.

“If schools feel like [a story] is going to hurt the school or anything like that or if they just don’t want it to go up, they can censor it.”

NEW VOICES Knauff also serves as the North Texas Regional Organizer for New Voices TX, the state’s chapter of a national studentled organization dedicated to passing legislation that would protect student journalists from the censorship they experience and overturn the Hazelwood decision.

“Journalism can only function properly when there is no censorship,” Knauff said. “ If you have something to share about your school, you should be able to share that information. As journalists, we should have the right to free press.”

New Voices has helped pass legislation protecting student journalists in 15 states, with Texas not yet being one of them. Even without the state legislature in session, the organization is working to raise awareness of the issue, South and Central Texas Regional Organizer and Westwood Horizon Campus News Editor Amoli Agarwal says “We’re aiming to gather support for a movement,” Agarwal said. “We’ve gotten a bit far in past legislative sessions, but we haven’t been able to actually change the situation. We’re just trying to get a sponsor and make more headway in the next legislative session.”

A 2016 study from the University of Kansas reported that 38% of student journalists had been told by a staff member to not publish a story or cover a topic. While it may be a minority, the results of the study become more concerning after considering the implications of the situation.

“It’s almost a direct violation of the First Amendment,” Agarwal said. “If student press freedoms are limited, then what’s to say that other freedoms can’t be in the future? Everyone should care about this, because it has larger

implications than just the student press.

If we can be limited, why can’t you be limited in the future?”

According to that same 2016 study, an even higher percentage of those polled had pulled stories or avoided covering certain issues out of fear of a negative reaction from school administration.

“They feel scared about publishing certain things,” Agarwal said. “They’re worried about whether they’re allowed to [publish a piece] going against their school. They don’t want to be controversial and be the person who gets in trouble.”

Student journalists fill an important niche within the landscape of many communities, and censoring them can affect more than just the school community.

“By censoring students, they’re also censoring the public,” Knauff said. “A lot of the information that student journalists are covering is the information that local newspapers might not be covering. It’s important that student journalists are able to share these stories, because if they’re silenced and they are not shared, nobody else knows about them.”

This is true at the collegiate level as well.

“People that live in San Marcos that weren’t involved with the university would read our stuff,” Bea said. “We covered the city as a whole as well. We were able to provide them with a lot of useful information [and] entertaining content.”

At every outlet, from The Battalion’s newsroom in the Memorial Student Center to the smallest high school paper, the demands of student journalists are simple: They want the same rights that are guaranteed to all members of the press by the Constitution.

“As journalists, we should have the right to free press.” Knauff said. “It’s one of our rights under the Bill of Rights.

We should have the same rights as professional journalists.”

4 | news | the roar

friday, march 25, 2022

who runs the world?

Local women, students discuss perception of female leadership positions, expectations emily chen & aliza jacob section editor & staff reporter Over recent decades, there have been great strides to have more women in power in both industry and elected positions. Despite men taking predominant roles in these positions, women have shown that they have the strength, knowledge, and skill to lead as a human being.

The school’s student body vice president is no easy role. It needs proper assertiveness, as well as leadership. However, for junior Trinity Pitman, displaying those qualities comes with difficulties.

“People think that because I’m a woman, I can’t be authoritative, and I’m being too aggressive,” Pitman said. “[But men] are praised for being aggressive. I think that they are praised for a lot of things that women do better.”

As senior class president, Mary Maltsburger’s experiences with double standards while leading in school are similar.

“People will call you bossy but it’s just leadership skills,” Maltsburger said. “You wouldn’t call a man bossy, you would just say he has great leadership skills.”

People’s perception is important under the public eye. “[I tend] to dress more masculine when I’m trying to be taken seriously,” sophomore Amy Chae said. “Unfortunately, that is how people perceive me.”

The amount of women in leadership roles is disproportionate to the overall populations that they represent, school board member Kimberly McAdams says.

“I would like the faces of those in positions of power to look more like the people they represent,” McAdams said.

In some experiences for city council member Elizabeth Cunha, professionalism is withheld simply because of gender.

“They would talk business with the mayor and they just wanted to be polite to me,” Cunha said.

“Is that because I’m a woman?”

All young women should know what they are capable of and by standing strong and

independently, women should not yield to men, Pitman says.

“I think it’s really important that people in high school [and] young women know that they can

be empowered and never think to let a man take the lead,” Pitman said.

Maltsburger believes that the first step in being a female in power is simply staying true to yourself.

“You will never be happy if you’re caught up in how you are perceived by others,” Maltsburger said. “You should not apologize for who you are.”

Cuhna says an increase in the representation of women in leadership positions would allow more women to participate in similar roles “Even if you just raise your awareness, then you can get an informed opinion and you can express it and you can share it,” Cunha said. “If you really want it to represent you, you’ve got to be there.”

Women should be accepted in the positions that they obtain, McAdams says.

“Women deserve to be in the boardrooms and in positions of power, and we should expect acceptance in these situations,” McAdams said.

For Cunha, there is more strength when power is shared and equal. Diversity matters, and it is important to value it.

“Having some diversity on your council gives people that are coming to you a place of connection,” Cunha said. “I think it would be weaker if it were all male.”

In the end, Chae stresses women are just as capable as men.

“A man can be smarter than a woman but that doesn’t mean he’s gonna work as hard as a woman,” Chae said. “She’s gonna work just as hard. It’s not a matter of biological sex. It’s a matter of who is willing to do the job.”

friday, march 25, 2022

the roar | news | 5

Legal Issues § a citation is issued § consuming alcohol underage is a class C misdemeanor § 8-40 hours of community service is assigned § can receive up to a $500 fine § could potentially affect getting jobs in the future § license could be suspended 30-180 days § you must attend a mandatory alcoholawareness class

information provided by resource officer Keith Williams and www.txdot.gov. com

Psychological Effects

emmeline duhon & ace gentry feature editor & staff reporter

§ increases anxiety and depression § poses are higher risk for suicide § dependence on alcohol can start earlier in teens § causes brain development issues to the underdeveloped brain of a teenager § contributes to low self esteem § conduct disorders § antisocial

Recovery § 1-800-622-4357

Wasted Dreams Consequences of alcohol abuse often have lasting impacts on future, health

friday, march 25, 2022

6 | opinions | the roar

a way with words

freshman acknowledges the value of poetry and writing

aliza jacob

staff reporter

Poetry has always sat on the tips of my fingers. I sit them down, and they itch and crave for the need to write.

Growing up, I never knew how to express myself. I kept myself hidden within the guarded barrier of my mouth. I was known as the quiet, timid girl from kindergarten onwards.

And that never bothered me, until everything I suppressed within myself urged to leap out of me, some way.

And the “way” I found was this.

Spewing my words out on a page that would never know me- because it was simply a blank canvas without human judgment- became the most intimate relationship in my life. These pages heard my softest whispers and my frustrated screams, all the same, and listened when my silence turned cruel.

Twisting my thoughts and inspirations into endless metaphors. Boundless words carved a gateway through which I could channel my soul.

My writing is the doorway from my emotions to the world’s physicality.

I can write in the morning, and write in the night. I could write until my life is spent- and spelt. On page, after page, my legacy in words. If the body is only a vessel, then my words are the surviving proof of the mind and the life and the who that I am and the voice that is inside. Of the soul that is taken in death while the body withers.

My words will stay, in harmony and peace.

So for me, poetry is breath. Poetry I can feel, and see, and hear. I watch it

come alive in song, in creation, in art.

There lies the idea that the essence of the world- Life itself, is poetry. Life is poetry, and humans exist in the midst of the chaos and love, the soaring of words. We are the making of the poem of Life. The poem goes on, forever flying, and we are allowed to leave our line.

While I live, and think, my creating of poetry has allowed me to witness the world in beautiful ways.

I have fallen in love with the curve of the moon, the dance of leaves on a Fall morning, the vibrant green of Spring herself. I am in love with the ocean’s anger, the sky’s freedom, and the quiet venom of the night. Likewise, I have come to appreciate the people around me as well. My friends’ love, my brothers’ softness, my mom’s care.

There is beauty in life, and words for it all.

When I thought my voice was stuck somewhere and caged, writing gave me strength, bravery, and a voice louder than I could ever think I had inside of me. And while I still struggle with speaking up for myself and fighting the anxiety inside of me, I am learning little by little that who I am is not defined by what troubles me.

While my passion turns my blood to flames everyday, I write to grow the flames into a defiant, unashamed pillar of fire splashed onto a page.

This is the line I contribute to the poem of Life.

So when I am asked the universal question: Who are you? I will answer with what I am, what I was, and what I will be- a writer.

When I feel weak, writing helps me realize that I do have power- and if it is power that stings like lightning at the tips of my fingers and materializes in flowing words through the black ink of a pen and the tight grip of my hand, then so be it. That is how I have found my worth.

High schoolers are really dumb.

I mean, our only job is to go to school and get good grades. Seems simple enough, right? But when you think about your typical modern high school, that isn’t what comes to mind is it? No, you think of your friends, what clothes are trending, or what that cute boy from your math class said that day. This is what I mean when I say high schoolers are stupid.

We often forget about the one thing we are here for because there are so many other things we prioritize in our lives.

I feel like there’s no point in opening my mouth if I don’t have some scandalous drama to tell. The entirety of the high school population only wants to hear about the ins and outs of other people’s lives. Not about how you’re struggling in history or how the weight of your school work is too much to bear. No one wants to hear about your problems. Because other high school students are having the exact same problems . They want to hear about who broke up with, who to ask who to homecoming. It’s all very superficial and shallow. Yet, no matter how much we want to escape it, there’s no getting away from it.

This is what makes creating genuine connections with our peers so difficult. Because no matter how little we want to involve ourselves with drama, it prevails in most conversations. When you feel like there is so much weighing on your

chest that you desperately need to get off, doubt creeps in. Suddenly you’ll find yourself thinking that what you have to say isn’t important enough or they won’t want to hear it. All because one on-again-off-again couple is back together again.

Oftentimes we twist the events of our lives just to seem more interesting.

Like if our own lives are drama, someone might want to listen. This isn’t how connections are built among friends. When you develop the habit of exaggerating your life, it can lead to the concept that the reality of your life is boring. That, in turn, leads to self image issues which already dominates the mind of your average American high schooler. So I guess the clichés were right when they said just be yourself. You will struggle to find yourself and end up so much more unhappy when you don’t remember who you are.

And the people who will comment on self expression are the most lost themselves. Don’t let the opinion of others define you. Those who criticize you desire change in their own life but have no idea how to go about it. Next time someone makes a snide remark about you, just remember that you know how to be yourself and it doesn’t matter if they can’t grasp that. They are hypocrites who should be focused on fixing themselves.

That’s why teens are so moody.

Because despite our efforts, nothing really seems to have much of a lasting impact. We can’t change ourselves to fit in, and we can’t be ourselves for the risk of being criticized. But it’s also our own fault because we’re the ones who’ve developed the construct.

Remember how I said we were stupid?

Go study for your math test. Stop worrying about who is going to ask you to prom.

study buddy dottie marvin staff reporter

junior contemplates advantages of focusing one’s priorities on school work

the roar | opinions | 7

friday, march 25, 2022

eye of the beholder freshman recognizes the value of seeing the beauty of life

I genuinely think that there isn’t a single thing in this world without beauty. Things as simple as walking, talking, sitting, or laying still to things that are more complex like emotions, actions, opinions, and elena alaniz knowledge. Physical things, like the human body, to natural things such as mother nature. In my mind, staff reporter all of these things are the finest crafted pieces of art.

Ever since I was younger I found I was drawn to a variety of things all because I thought they were pretty. I would find myself staring at these things, including people, in fascination to a point they would sometimes notice. I’d watch their reactions down to the slightest motion and look at their features in awe. Even if they didn’t think so, I found them to be beautiful. I was reminded people see themselves differently when I complimented my friend while she was sitting and scrolling on her phone. I said “You look so pretty right now.” and she looked up at me in confusion. “Oh, really? Thank you! I was worried I had a double chin.” When I heard this it baffled me. Whether or not she did was irrelevant, I just felt awful that she was worried about something like that. Things like double chins, loose skin, and a few healthy pounds shouldn’t be something that we are scared of having or seeing when these things are just part of the list that makes each of us up.

These things that are considered bad by social media or modeling agencies are things that we have for a reason, the human body doesn’t purposefully poison itself.

Besides physical beauty, I also have a love for mental beauty. The way people present themselves and the emotions they feel is something that I would listen to all day. Emotions are like works of art, they each have their own details, colors, textures, and layers. This includes negative emotions too. Negative emotions are so interesting to me. They’re like a whirlwind of everything combined. They can be sad, rageful, jealous, fast paced, slow, buildable, and impactful and they all come crashing down like the heaviest weight in the world. The beauty here is very raw and real, it’s something sad but relatable.

It’s a work of art that you can find melancholy comfort in. I feel privileged when I wake up that I get to view a world as pretty as this one.

To the people that struggle with the same stress I do…The balance between the things people deal with every day can be a struggle.

Personally between school, my bands, and something as simple as getting sleep can be enough to keep someone on edge. So a fault I’ve struggled with for far too long clouds judgment, and feels like an infinite pitfall. I believe organization is a key point to surviving the journey of highschool.

However you find it whether it be binders, folders, lockers, ect, it can help with a plethora of things. The main benefit of organization to me is the reduction of anxiety. It has been scientifically proven that the more clutter and work creates a claustrophobic feeling and creates anxiety. Now, if you’re like me and have Hyperactive Deficit Attentive Disorder, it can be hard to relieve stress. Although I’ve found ways to help.

If you have ADHD, Just being awake and active can cause stress, so what to do to avoid it? First thing I always do is move myself to a non-stress environment. A cafe or a library can be a start because, for me personally, home is too stressful. Despite misconceptions, absolute quiet is not necessarily the best thing for an environment. Background noise can help quite a bit. Dead silence can cause spacing out or lack of comprehension, but too much noise can distract or take away from the objective. Whether doing an assignment or trying to relax, a noise balanced surrounding is the key to success in an objective.

Another thing is to narrow the number of things you bring with you. Less things is more space and more space is less anxiety, less depression, and more focus. If you think like I do, you probably don’t want to give anything up, but the thing you should do first is get rid of anything you know you don’t need. Just from personal experience, I can say it is majorly freeing. However, mental clutter also exists,so don’t think you’ll be fine and dandy just from tossing the trash.

The first step to freeing yourself from mental clutter is freeing yourself from toxic people. No matter who it is or how close they seem, you should always be careful when choosing who you surround yourself with..

Surround yourself with positive energy. Look out for negative comments, because they can alter mental abilities and be physically harmful. Simply buying and hearing positive things can change your attitude towards things and make you a happier person. Also, watch out for judgment. If someone doesn’t accept you for you, it can be morally detrimental. You should surround yourself with the people you like and people who like you. The people around you can be the difference between if you practice good or bad habits. Choose what you think is best for you.

That leads me to the final thing to be aware of. Your environment can control who you are, so your job is to control your surroundings.

Environment can influence habits and change emotion, so learn what type of environment is best for you. Surrounding yourself with intoxicating and harmful substances can lead to devastating habits and long term consequences, and could hurt yourself or other people. So make sure to surround yourself with who you want to be, what you want to hear, and what you want to feel.

zoning in

ace gentry staff reporter

freshman notes the importance of good focus habits, gives advice

8 | viewpoints | the roar

friday, march 25, 2022

Should menstrual products be provided in school bathrooms?

The Roar is produced by the Advanced Journalism class at A&M Consolidated High School, 1801 Harvey Mitchell Parkway S., College Station, Texas, 77840. The opinions expressed are those of the writers and are not reflective of the administrators, faculty or staff of the College Station Independent School District.

Submissions to the editors are welcomed but must be signed and should not exceed 300 words.

The editor reserves the right to edit submissions in the interest of clarity and length or to not print a letter at all. Letters containing obscene or libelous material will not be considered. The Editorial Board consists of the editor-in-chief, managing editor and opinions editor.

The Roar is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference (ILPC), the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA).

The Roar is a winner of the CSPA Gold Crown, the 1997, 1998, 2000-2016 ILPC Award of Distinguished Merit, the CSPA Gold Medal Award, the NSPA All-American distinction and 2005, 2014,2016 ILPC Bronze Star and 2007-2013, 2015, and 2018 Silver Star.

College Station Independent School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex or handicap in providing education services. Monica Jones, Director of Human Resources, 1812 Welsh, College Station, Texas 77840 (979-764-5412) has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Title IX. Molley Perry, Executive Director of Special Services, 1812 Welsh, Suite 120, College Station, Texas 77840 (979-764-5433) has been designated to coordinate compliance with the nondiscrimination requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

In 2017, the state of California passed a law requiring free sanitary products to be provided in low-income schools.

This law was expanded in 2021 for the 2022-2023 school to require all 6th-12th grade schools, state and community colleges, to provide free sanitary products in the restrooms.

In a survey done with 1000 menstruating teens in the United States, it was found that one in five struggled to afford period products, and one in four teens have missed class because of a lack of access to period products.

Our schools need to do more for their students. Even if students were provided the most basic of period products, this would do wonders for their comfort, safety and education.

For one, period products can be very expensive, and are not covered by government programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, making period products into a luxury rather than a necessity. This can become a safety issue; in the same study of 1000 students as mentioned above, 61% have indicated that they have worn a tampon for more than four hours because of a lack of access to more products, leaving them susceptible to Toxic Shock Syndrome, a dangerous bacterial infection.

More than just the materialistic benefits, making period products commonplace for students would help alleviate the

“[Menstrual products] are included in many other public places and should be included in schools” -senior Genna Guerra “ No because people will use [menstrual products] immaturely and be used to destroy the restrooms which is not what they are for.”

The Roar 2021-2022 Staff Claire Grace Franklin Medha Sarin Piper Hitchcock Ellie Hague Emmeline Duhon Allison Segers Ian Curtis Myla Cathey Emily Chen Elena Alaniz Debkonya Banerjee Alex Gentry Evelyn Hairell Aliza Jacob Atticus Johnson Dorothy Marvin Comic Artist Mo Rye Faculty Adviser Michael Williams Assistant Adviser Chauncey Lindner

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Executive Editor Opinions Editor Feature Editor Entertainment Editor Sports Editor News Editor Section Editor Staff Reporters

The Roar Editorial Board Claire Grace Franklin • Ellie Hague Medha Sarin

stigma around periods, making people feel more comfortable and eliminate stress and worry. Seeing pads and tampons being provided in a bathroom should be as normal as seeing toilet paper and soap. Products being provided in school bathrooms also opens up other businesses, workplaces and world-wide governments to follow suit and also provide products as well.

Although most nurses’ offices stock sanitary products for students, this is not a solution to the problem at hand.

Not only does this take up the nurses’ time to give a student a product, but also it takes up a student’s time to ask for a pass, go to the nurses’ office, and then go to the bathroom rather than have sanitary products when products could be easily located inside the bathrooms for use. Additionally, the nurses’ supply of sanitary products are often only for dire emergencies only. Having to ask a nurse may make students who are financially unable to purchase such products may induce feelings of shame or embarrassment.

Period insecurity, the lack of access to period products, is a widespread issue that many teens face. But schools have a chance to do their part and provide free and easy to access period products in their bathrooms for the free use of students.

-senior Mason Morgan

Fast Facts about Period Poverty (the inability to access menstrual hygiene products)

•

• • •

Period products are not covered by government programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) 61% of teens have worn a tampon for more than four hours because of a lack of access to more products, putting them at risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome* 1 in 5 teens struggle to afford period products* 1 in 4 teens have missed class because of a lack of access to period products*

*In a study conducted by Harris Insights & Analytics from 1,000 teens ages 13 to 19

friday, march 25, 2022

the roar| snapshots | 9

More Than Skin Deep Students, staff reflect on redeeming qualities of tattoos, tattoo culture “Tattoos show self-expression because you get to decide where they go, you get to decide if people see them or don’t see them, you get to put different designs from different artists on your body-- a living canvas,” art teacher Lindsey Gough said.

“Tattoos are the ultimate artistic expression.”

“All of my tattoos have meaning behind them, and if someone asks about it, I’ll tell them the meaning, senior Nico Duran said. “I know some people get tattoos just to get them, but I get them because they tell a story about me and my life.”

“Tattoos make you more like you on the inside, and allow you to show that off to people,” junior Fiona Whitmire said. “Instantly if I see someone with tattoos, I think they’re cool because it shows that they’re able to express themselves, and you can express yourself with them.”

piper hitchcock & elena alaniz executive editor & staff reporter

“I want to tattoo anyone who feels they need it as a form of self-expression or self-love,” senior Devon Horn said. “There are people I know who have self-harm scars that treat it like a form of healing to cover them up. For a lot of people, going in and finding a way to hide their traumas helps them in the long run.”

“I think a major misconception about tattoos is that they are a ‘screw you’ to your parents, social normalities, or the way in which you were raised,” senior Christopher Holder said.

“But most people get tattoos because they want to tell people about themselves without having to express it verbally. For me, I got a flower on fire to show my hopeless romantic side. For something stigmatized as a sign of danger to allow people to actually be more vulnerable is a beautiful idea.”

LEFT AND MIDDLE PHOTO PROVIDED BY LINDSEY. RIGHT PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHRISTOPHER HOLDER.

friday, march 25, 2022

10 | centerspread | the roar

Vote Here

Remember to Register

how to guide: voting

How to Register to Vote:

Complete a voter registration application and You are eligible to register to vote if you are: return it to your county election office (at • A United States citizen least 30 days before the election date). You can • A resident of the county in which you submit the register via a paper application, online, or using application your driver’s license. After you submit your voter • 18 years of age on Election Day registration application, a voter registration • Not a convicted felon unless you have you have certificate (your proof of registration) will be completed your sentence, probation, and parole mailed to you within 30 days.

ellie hague & debkoyna banerjee opinion editor & staff reporter

Pull up to the polls

Visit a voting location in your precinct. Your precinct can be seen on your registration certificate. When you go to the polls to vote, present one of the seven acceptable forms of photo ID • Driver License • Election Identification Certificate • Texas Personal Identification Card • Texas Handgun License • Military Identification Card • Citizenship Certificate • United States Passport • Voter registration Certificate

the roar | centerspread | 11

Consider the Candidates Read up on the various positions and candidates on candidate websites and https://ballotpedia.org. Don’t forget to read up on what each position does, especially local ones. Sample ballots with all of the candidates and their positions, can be found at http://www.brazosvotes.org/

Due Dates

I Voted

Voting locations Brazos County:

• Brazos County Election Administrator Office (McLeod Training Room) • College Station Utilities Meeting & Training Facility • Memorial Student Center (MSC) A full list of places to vote can be found at: http://www.brazosvotes.org/

• Last Day to Register to Vote: Tuesday, October 11, 2022 • First Day of Early Voting by Personal Appearance: Monday, October 24, 2022 • Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail: Friday, October 28, 2022 • Last day to Receive Ballot by Mail: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 7am-7pm

friday, march 25, 2022

11 | feature | the roar

lights, camera, action!

AVP creates student hero based televison show to unite student body claire grace franklin & dhitri kolar editor in chief & staff reporter

Blue and purple spandex suits, yellow vested hall monitors, scrambling students, a notorious Villain Villian, and a Hero Hero to save them all.

The Audio Visual Production program created Tigerland with the goal of uniting Consol through school spirit.

“Mr. Gade and I wanted a TV show that brought Consol together,” senior Elaine Castro said. “With COVID, we lost our indoor pep rallies where we used to be able to show hype videos. We felt that the school spirit of Consol kind of declined. The school spirit, we felt, was lacking. So we wanted to create a show that brought everyone together.”

In an effort to bring together the student body, AVP created a show similar to a limited series about the school.

“Tigerland is an anthology series about an average day in the life of a Consol student, although a little bit more interesting,” Taylor Gade said.

The story of Hero Hero is an ongoing story adapted from an original idea introduced four years ago to promote the Hero app.

“So in the past AVP has done yearly projects, but not really something that has continued throughout the whole year,” senior Austin Comte said. “And that’s something they were trying to do this year, kind of do a Netflix style TV show with new releases every six weeks.”

For students to feel connected to the storyline, the scenes are filmed in familiar locations.

“Tigerland is a TV show that takes place at Consol and it’s all about the students who go there and the school superhero, herohero, and we have created a villainvillain,’’ Castro said.

To add a sense of familiarity, the directors cast normal students to play the superhero and supervillain.

“It’s a fictional show, we’re using real people,” senior Marissa Hurtado said. “And you want to make it about school life about normal stuff that happens every day, but it has like a hero element to it.”

AVP has had series productions in the past, but are planning on continuing Tigerland in the upcoming years.

“We came up with the idea to make Tigerland about the school, it was how can we get these other clubs involved,” Gade said.

To involve more students in production, the directors reached out to many areas of the school “You’ve got football players, baseball players, volleyball players, band, orchestra and all sorts of different organizations,” Comte said. “I think it was a way to combine all these different organizations into one project that everyone’s included rather than just being AVP.” After bringing in various groups, the AV II and AV III students began the process of creating the show.

“Our practicum students who are seniors,

especially Elaine Castro, Nathan Smith, and Marissa Hurtado run the show,” Gade said. “For episode one, we all kind of came together. And then it’s expanded [from] there. [I]t’s really become their personal project for the year.

Being a part of AVP is one of many ways to be involved at Consol, and it is open to all.

“We are trying to build more engagement from the underclassmen because the entire cast is seniors, except for a few people that we know, ‘’ Castro said.

“So definitely if you’re an underclassmen definitely DM me,” The process of scripting begins with brainstorming.

The AV students conceptualize and discuss creative script ideas incorporating important plot points.

“We brainstorm major plot points that we want in each episode,” Castro said. “We make a timeline. And then we mark off that timeline, and then figure out how we can link these big plot points.”

After brainstorming, and script writing, AV students begin filming. Scenes are then shot, edited, and merged with audios.

“We try to break it down into scenes,” senior Sheranga Jayasinghe said. “So we might do one scene.

We’re gonna edit that, do all the voiceovers, try to find music. And try to line those up into a whole full movie.

Before beginning filming, the students make sure everything is on schedule, including actors, filming team and equipment, scripts, props, are available and ready for filming.

“We’re gonna set lights, get our actors run through before filming everything,” Jayasinghe said. “[T]hen we start rolling. After everything’s done, we’re gonna break down equipment, put all the footage onto the computer. We [edit], the next day or after, [or] the weekend.

AVP releases a new episode almost every six weeks. The show started off as an AVP class project, but now engages the entire student body, keeping up the school spirit.

“Everything that AVP does, and everything that we’ve done, the mission is to improve the campus culture,” Gade said.

the roar | feature | 13

friday, march 25, 2022

a course for curiosity Motivated students pursue their STEM passion through SRD program myla cathey & evy hairell news editor & staff reporter Students in the Scientific Research and Design (SRD) program get the opportunity to explore fields they are passionate about in a process that could lead them to become published authors and even compete internationally. SRD is a completely research based class that teaches students research skills and how to carry out an experiment.

Several successful former students have expressed to SRD mentor and physics teacher Michelle Jedlicka how beneficial the program has been for them.

“It’s one of those things that is not available to many high school students,” Jedlicka said.

“It stands out that they want to go above and beyond the traditional high school curriculum. It’s definitely a resume builder.”

Currently, the research students lack a traditional classroom experience. However, next year, the program will be offered as a class itself rather than students sitting in on one of Jedlicka’s regular classes.

“Next year, I get to actually have it as a class period,” Jedlicka said. “They would have it on their schedule either first period, fourth period, or seventh period, and they would go to A&M and do

research. Some of them would do research on the computers in my room.”

In the SRD program, students can choose to do a six month or full year research project on a subject of their choosing. For instance, senior Zach Wang constructed a project over predicting the behavior of proteins.

“You had to make a poster, and, since it was virtual, our poster was just one slide,” Wang said. “[Then] you had to talk about it in front of a panel of judges.”

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, junior Micheal Yang conducted a research project to find new treatments for the virus, winning ‘Best of Fair’ and first place in the biochemistry category.

“I followed a simple process for the experiment,” Yang said. “I had to develop a method of seeing whether or not a certain molecule actually had a potential to fight the COVID-19 virus, but once this method was developed, I was able to finish the project easily and gather the results into a paper or presentation.”

The research class can take the place of an end course in any agricultural science pathway offered at the school, giving students either a fourth CTE or science credit.

“We do have a lot of offerings for science elective senior year, but there’s usually students for whom none of them really fit what they really want to do,” Jedlicka said. “This is a way that students

can, if they have something that they’re passionate about, learn more about that.”

Wang says this experience helped by surrounding him with academically inclined people while also learning the scientific process which he might use for a future career in coding. “[My favorite part was] working with the people at [Texas A&M] because they’re so dedicated,” Wang said. “It’s really inspiring.”

Jedlicka takes pride in the fact that many of her research students have not only presented their work to other scientists, but have become published writers due to the program.

“They start by researching what we call a literature review, where they research other people’s research to see what we already know and where they can build on that knowledge,” Jedlicka said. “Then we design their experiment from there.”

Yang will compete in the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair May 7 through May 13 in Atlanta, Georgia, which will showcase research students’ projects that have creative solutions to societal problems.

“Honestly, anyone can do a research project if they are motivated enough to learn the nuances of the process.” Yang said. “For me, the goal of a project is ultimately to change or fix a problem that is persistent in the world.”

Seven A&M Consolidated students competed in the Austin Regional Science Festival on Feb. 8 - 22.

Michael Yang - Best of Fair and 1st place Biochemistry Kyler Larsen - CSISD Superintendent Award, Texas State University Master of Arts in Technical Communication Science Writing Award, 4th Place Computer Science: Systems Software Zachary Wang - 4th place Computer Science: Embedded Systems/Hardware Maison Morgan - 5th place Earth and Environmental Sciences Keeley Loyd - 3rd Place Plant Sciences Abby Garrett - 4th Place Plant Sciences

14 | feature | the roar

hello, hallo, ciao

friday, march 25, 2022

Foreign exchange students reflect on attending school in new country medha sarin & dottie marvin managing editor & staff reporter Online vlogs are a great way to showcase life in other countries. But for sophomore Kira Schmidt, the Internet took her a step further, inspiring a move halfway across the world.

“I saw a lot of YouTube videos of exchange students, and I kept on watching and I began to get more interested in the culture,” sophomore Kira Schmidt said.

Sophomore Ella Stegemann had a similar online breakthrough, finding the Instagram account of a schoolmate who’d done a foreign exchange program. It seemed fun, like in the movies, so she took a leap of faith.

“I was just fascinated. I didn’t know you could do that,” Stegemann said. “So then I decided to do it. I was overthinking it, to be honest, but in the end I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just gonna go for it.’”

With all his friends deciding to enter the foreign exchange program, junior Gennaro Amodio came to America for the experience.

“I’ve been picked by a family here. They are like your real parents,” Amodio said. “They will give you all the love you need. I’m really happy with my host family.”

Struggling with English, Schmidt was afraid to talk when she got off the plane and met her host family. But in the judgment-free environment, her skills improved. “ T h e y introduced me to people and just [talked] to me, [asked] me questions.” Schmidt said. “Then I got more free and didn’t think about my pronunciation. [My English is] getting better.

No one will judge you.”

Q u i c k l y welcomed into the College Station community by his newfound family, Amodio now had to conquer a new and bigger school.

“When I got here, I couldn’t speak any English. You don’t know anyone, and you feel alone,” Amodio said. “Now I feel more comfortable with my language. People are really kind and gentle with me. I’m really happy to be here.”

With Schmidt’s shy personality, being five thousand miles from home, and facing a jigsaw puzzle campus, the decision wasn’t easy.

“When I came here, I was an introvert. It was all new to me,” Schmidt said. “The school was so big and confusing, and I [thought I] would never find my rooms. I was very homesick and I regret my decisions. But after time, it [got] better.”

Contrary to Amodio and Schmidt, Stegemann fell in love with Consol at first sight.

Within the first few days, she’d fully adapted.

“It was very easy for me.

I know that other people may [get] this culture shock,” Stegemann said.

“My friends in Germany actually told me I look more American now.”

More worksheets than essays, more school spirit and involvement -- life in her new school was a stark

Junior Gennaro Amodio poses with a soccer ball.

change from in her home country.

“I feel like here students are more attached to the school than in Germany,” Stegemann said. “In Germany, you just come there to study. We don’t have colors. We don’t have everything decorated. School just looks more beautiful [in America].”

Amodio soon took a liking to Consol and the programs that weren’t available to him in Italy.

“My school in Italy is very small.

Italy doesn’t provide sports at school,” Amodio said. “[Here] teenagers can grow their passions.

I’m really happy to have more options.”

Aa a star on the field, Amodio was especially excited about Consol’s soccer team. It even inspired a change in his future career plan.

“My plan was to go back to Italy and then go to the university in Spain to be [a] trainer for soccer,” Amodio said. “But now I’m not sure because I really like [it] here and if I can, I will come back.”

Drawn by the open mindedness of Americans, Schmidt was able to experience for herself what she had seen in the YouTube videos that had inspired her arrival.

“I think [it] was a good decision to do this,” Schmidt said. “You are the person in the videos you just saw. You’re living their life. You can always go Sophomores Ella Stegemann back home, but you’ll only get this chance once in (left) and Kira Schmidt (right) your life. Just do it and it will be great. Then it’s like a dream.” pose together hugging.

PHOTOS BY MYLA CATHEY

friday, march 25, 2022

more than a memory

On July 10, 2013, A&M Consolidated soccer player Sydney Jeter passed away in a car accident. The response from her teammates was immediate. A vigil was held. Her number eight jersey was permanently retired. And the first Play for Jeter game was held.

“We made the decision pretty early on and knew we were going to do something to honor Sydney,” thenConsol girls soccer coach Stuart Koegh told The Eagle before the first Play for Jeter game in 2014. “We wanted to make sure we preserved her memory and did something to celebrate her. She always played with a lot of passion and a lot of heart. We wanted to celebrate that.”

Eight years later, Jeter’s friends and teammates have graduated. The team has had two coaches since Koegh left.

Nobody on the team ever met her.

And yet, the “Play for Jeter” game has continued.

“It’s amazing,” Sydney’s mother Michelle Jeter said. “This is a very rare thing. We all know that the game is about winning and losing. But these girls have learned so much more about life than winning and losing. They’ve learned to love, have compassion, empathy, and carry [on] a teammate that they don’t even know. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Head girls soccer coach Caleb Blakely is the third coach to lead the team during the Play for Jeter era. But after he was hired, he had to make an important decision.

“I was faced with task of ‘do I keep doing this thing that I inherited that I don’t understand, or do I move on and stop the Play for Jeter game?’” Blakley

the roar | sports | 15

Nearly a decade later, girls soccer reflects on legacy of honorary game

ian curtis and atticus johnson sports editor and staff reporter

said. “The more I learned about it I [realized] ‘No, this is this is huge, this is a tangible reality of teaching these young ladies what it is to be appreciative for something, and to fight for something you believe in.’”

Although none of the current players ever met Sydney, they still feel the impact of the memorial game.

“It’s very emotional,” senior Meghan Moore said. “We remember why we play and we play for her and her memory. It lets people really be thankful for what they have in life.”

The tradition provides an opportunity for the team to be grateful for what they have been given.

“We live in a world where it’s okay to just constantly be discontent and to live in an ungrateful fashion,” Blakley said. “This gives us a moment every single season to pause, and to have the gratitude of what it means to be able to continue to play soccer and be a part of this family and to have the harsh realization that things can be taken from you in an instant.”

Even without knowing them, the team has welcomed both Sydney and her mother as a part of their family.

“Family matters to us,” Moore said. “I did not know her. My freshman year was the last group of senior girls that knew her.

[But] we are her family.”

Playing for Jeter may have started with a team wanting to remember their teammate and friend, but over the years it has grown to be more than just a memorial.

“I didn’t make this happen,” Jeter said.

“These girls made this happen, and they continue to make it happen. It’s theirs. I want it to benefit them, and them to learn and grow from it. Because if it doesn’t, This year’s Play for Jeter game ended in a 3-0 win over the Katy Paetow Panthers. then there’s really no reason to do it.”

Michelle Jeter spoke to players at a team dinner before the game.

PHOTOS BY IAN CURTIS

16 | sports | the roar

friday, march 25, 2022

from the bott om up State champion speaks on unique experience as wrestler

allison segers and emily chen entertainment editor and section editor At a height of four ten, junior Sydney Perez doesn’t expect to see over many people in the hallways. But on the wrestling mat, the 95 lb weight class member is a towering figure, and a state champion.

“Trying to find someone [in your weight class] to workout with is sometimes easy, especially if you have a lot of people around your size,” Sydney Perez said. “But for me, I don’t have a ton of people. So I always have to wrestle people heavier than me. So that return is difficult.”

Perez didn’t let the challenge keep her from fighting.

“Physical preparation is a starting point,” wrestling coach David Salyer said. “The main preparation comes in bringing out the toughness to compete and not get pinned. It’s easy to fight when you’re the person on top and feel close to winning.

We prepare to fight through the tough moments when our back is against the wall.”

In wrestling there are three different starting positions. It’s useful to be familiar with all positions, which is a weakness of Sydney’s that she’s been striving to work on.

“Wrestlers usually choose to start a round from the bottom position,” Sydney’s father, Bob Perez said.

“Because of Sydney’s background in judo, she’s more comfortable starting from a standing position. She’s still working to improve at starting from the bottom position. We think this has been one of the hardest parts for her.”

However, Sydney Perez has seen improvement in that area.

Sydney Perez wrestled in a dual meet at Caney Creek (LEFT) and at district (RIGHT) last year.

“I’ve gotten a lot better at all three of [the positions] since my freshman year,” Sydney Perez said. “Especially on the ground. That’s where my weak point was. Now, I’m a lot better, still not great at it, but much better than when I started.”

Her father agrees, saying that despite the challenges that wrestling has presented, Sydney Perez continued to better herself.

“With practice, she is improving in being able to start from different positions,” Bob Perez said. “She knows her strengths and weaknesses, which helps her in competition.”

The wrestling state championship was held on February 18 and 19 at the Barry Center.

At the competition, sixteen of the best wrestlers in the state competed for a championship title.

“The coaches and the teammates put in a lot of time at practice, meets, and duals all year,” Bob Perez said.

“She wrestled some pretty tough girls from across the state. That’s a great experience and opportunity for any athlete.”

Her family are not the only people proud of what she accomplished at state. Her wrestling coach states that the work she has put into his class led to her recent accomplishments.

“Sydney has a work ethic above all others around her,” Salyer said. “The continued growth she has shown physically and mentally has propelled her to the level she is at today.”

Throughout her wrestling journey, Sydney has received support from her family, close friends, and teammates.

“They help tell me to do my best to help me to

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SYDNEY PEREZ

be the best,” Sydney Perez said. “Whenever I lose, they don’t criticize me, they’re trying to help me get better.”

That support is an important part of promoting Sydney Perez’s improvement, her father says.

“We encourage her but she has to prepare herself,” Bob Perez said. “We’ll continue to encourage her and try to be at her meets to support her and her team. We are thankful for all the friends, family, and wrestling parents that encourage all the kids.”

PORTRAIT

BY MYLA CATHEY

friday, march 25, 2022

the roar | reviews | 17

emily chen | section editor Tweek is a minimalistic to-do list app. It is strictly black and white, and is simple with an easy to understand structure. It works like a weekly planner. As you add your daily tasks and any future plans, you can then cross them off with a small tap. One feature I find very useful is the “someday” section, where you can add any to-do tasks that don’t have a specific day assigned, which is perfect for any of y’all procrastinators out there. When you find a day to do a “someday” task, all you need to do is drag and drop the task into the right date. Another one of my favorite features is that you can create multiple different calendars to separate and organize your school and personal life. It is accessible for both IOS and Android users, so thank god because this is a great upgrade from the ugly yellow notes app.

gettin’ to it the roar reviews: productivity apps

myla cathey | news editor An app that serves as a note keeper, a mood tracker, and a goal planner is the perfect combination of helpful assistance for anybody, especially busy high school students in multiple extracurriculars. The app, Finch, is exactly that. I downloaded the app a few months ago at a time during my junior year that was very stressful, and it provided short, yet vital, breaks throughout my day to document how I was feeling and quickly write down any thoughts or reminders I would need later. The whole idea of the app is that the user nurtures a pet finch by participating in self-care. As the user experiences personal growth through the activities given by the app, the virtual finch gains energy points to advance through the stages of life. You start by personalizing a baby finch, then you do journaling, meditating, and other self-care tasks to watch him grow. This app has enhanced my confidence and lowered my anxiety by rewarding me for such simple accomplishments as getting through the day and even taking a minute to breathe. Not only has it helped me relax, but it has aided me in organization of intentions and recording my mood to notice patterns. Finch is a wholesome and cute friend in the form of an app that guides users through busy times and emotional inconsistencies.

18 | comics | the roar

friday, march 25, 2022

friday, march 25, 2022

the roar | comics | 19

20 | etc. | the roar

friday, march 25, 2022

not a misteak

Dietary changes lead to improved health, social consciousness emmeline duhon & atticus johnson feature editor & staff reporter In recent years storefronts and coffee shops have been overcome by substitutions for milk such as almond and oat. Restaurant chains, such as Chipotle and Burger King have begun to offer plant-based alternatives to meat. There are many reasons for a person to alter their diet, and with more available options, it has become far easier.

Senior Evelyn Torres switched to being vegetarian last year due to health concerns.

“I never was into meat, it always grossed me out,” Torres said. “And I’ve had less stomach issues, my stomach is never hurting.”

Torres’ friend, senior Katherine Hughes, greatly influenced her decision to change her diet.

“Katherine and I support each other, she gave me the recommendation for my now favorite plant based burgers,” Torres said.

For Hughes, the decision to be vegetarian came from fear due to a TV show, Hannibal.

“I would watch that TV show before I went to sleep and get so scared that I would be force fed humans without knowing,” Hughes said. “I stopped eating meat for like three weeks.”

After those three weeks, it felt natural.

Switching diets was easier for Hughes who has experienced dietary needs similar to being vegetarian in the past.

“I have a sister who is allergic to gluten,” Hughes said. “Growing up my mom had to deal with that allergy, what she could and couldn’t cook. Me going vegetarian was like a version of that.”

Getting used to a different diet was the hardest part to get used to for Torres.

“The transition was hard at first,” Torres said. “Before I was like ‘oh I’ll just stop and get a burger somewhere’ now I have to think about what I need to eat.”

Making the decision to change a diet isn’t simple. Senior Elana Kiser was met with various opinions when she made the decision to go plant based.

“What bothered me was when I told people I was plant based, they weren’t the nicest,” Kiser said. “They’d be like ‘You’re torturing yourself ’ or ‘Meat is good for you, get that protein’. I was outcasted a little bit.”

A handful of people look down upon and have a negative view on the meatless lifestyle.

“I definitely got made fun of,” Kiser said. “It’s weird because I’m not doing this because I want the perfect body, that’s what most people think, I’m doing it to have better health.”

Kiser followed her mom’s diet and the want for bettering her pre-existing health issues.

“When I started it was mostly because I had health issues,” Kiser said.

“Eating better helped with that, and it helped with volleyball, I wasn’t wheezing all the time anymore either.”

One of the biggest concerns for going meatless is finding protein.

“So it goes, sun, plants, animals, and then we eat the animals,” Kiser said. “So we’re just skipping the animals, and going straight to what the animals get their protein from, plants.”

For those not going plant based, the process of getting protein differs, explains Hughes.

“To get protein I have to eat a lot of eggs,” Hughes said. “I also eat a lot of nuts, just for snacks. A granola bar with nuts in it, or just almonds themselves.”

Having a restricted diet comes with restricted options for when trying to find something to cook.

“It’s hard to find what to eat sometimes,” Torres said. “When going into restaurants people are usually like, ‘Oh I’ll just get a burger, or chicken tenders’. I have to find vegetarian options, which are very limited.”

Although there are limitations to diet, the rewards outweigh in the long-run.

“I’m more mindful of what I eat now,” Hughes said. “Before I had just eaten whatever when I was hungry, now I have to think about what I’m eating.”