Vol. 2, Issue 4

CHARIOT THE

TROY HIGH SCHOOL

TROY, MI.

VOL. 2 ISSUE 4

FEB. 10, 2017

E H T E S I R E H T F O L O O H C S

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The Chariot

The official student newspaper of Troy High School Website troychariot.org Twitter thechariot_news Instagram thechariotnews Snapchat thsTHE_CHARIOT

Staff

Leah Graham, editor-in-chief Jenny Boudon, cartoonist Bianca Bucholtz, copy editor Sarah Semon, design editor Annie Smuts, entertainment editor Sarah Funk, co-feature editor Natalie Suh, co-feature editor Elizabeth Graham, graphics editor Kendyl Gatzemeyer, marketing editor Liam Clancy, news editor Skyla Jewell-Hammie, opinion editor Elisabeth Andrews, co-photo editor Silvia Hoxha, co-photo editor Tracy Cabej, profile editor Katie Bogdanovich, source editor Gabrielle Francois, web editor Priya Bandstra, staff writer Patti Kubota, staff writer Sara Lewandowski, staff writer Morgan MacDonald, staff writer Kaitlyn Piggott, staff writer Stella Spagnuolo, staff writer Jack Stromberg, staff writer Megan Wallace, staff writer Maddie Young, staff writer Jayna Rumble, adviser

The Chariot Staff Policy The Chariot is a student-produced news publication that publishes information relevant to the times as well as material that is essential to the overall well-being of its readers. It is The Chariot’s responsibility to cover school, city, state, national and international events and issues that affect the concerns of the campus, its students or its readers.

The Chariot operates as a designated public forum for student expression. The Editorial Board consisting of student editors is the sole decision-making and policy-setting body of The Chariot and has final say over all content decisions. The adviser and administration have a non-review role and may offer advice on sensitive issues and will offer criticisms as warranted but the Editorial Board reserves all rights to determine what material shall be published.

Editorials represent the collective opinion of The Chariot staff.

Opinions expressed by individuals and in letters to the editor represent those of the author. Letters to the editor should be typed, double-spaced and must include the author’s name, signature and class or position. Names of individuals may be withheld upon request, pending a vote of the Editorial Board.

Letters may be submitted in hard copy to room 204 at Troy High School or via email at troynewspaper@gmail.com. All letters are subject to review by the Editorial Board. Letters will not be edited except to fix space limitations. Should the Editorial Board deem a letter to be potentially libelous or containing content inappropriate for publication it will return the letter to the author with an opportunity for corrections. The Editorial Board is solely responsible for these decisions. Letters must be received one week prior to print publication to be included in print.

Trumpdate

News The Trump administration takes action following up on core promises made during the election.

BY LIAM CLANCY // NEWS EDITOR On Jan. 20, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president.

Trump, who has criticized many policies of the Obama administration, has begun creating new policies while repealing those of former President Barack Obama.

Following up on central campaign promises, Trump issued two executive orders attempting to promote American businesses.

Claiming that regulations interfere with small business and American industries, the president ordered a decrease in federal regulations and withdrew the United States from the Obama administration’s Trans-Pacific Partnership, citing it as a job killer in a 2016 op-ed in USA Today.

“I imagine China is smiling right now because they get to be the big boys in that part of the world,” economics teacher Dave Aldinger said. “Free trade leads to lower prices, and getting rid of the agreement will reduce free trade. The Trump campaign was all about returning power to the consumer, but with this he chose the manufacturers over the consumers.”

Trump also signed an executive order for the advancement of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines, which drew criticism from the left wing as well as many members of the Native American population.

Additonally, Trump approved of the construction of a southern border wall with Mexico in an effort to strengthen border security. The wall, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell estimated would cost between $12 billion and $15 billion, is the key component in Trump’s larger plan to curb illegal immigration, which includes increasing border patrol agents and decreasing federal funding for sanctuary cities, places like Chicago that have policies designed to limit involvement in immigration enforcement.

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, the electorate has reservations about the wall, with 31 percent of adults surveyed saying they are in favor of it.

“It’s going to be extremely expensive, but it will strengthen our borders,” sophomore Greg

PHOTO COuRTESY OF THE WHITE HOuSE

Trump announces Neil Gorsuch as his pick for the Supreme Court.

Mayernik said. “Stronger borders would be nice because with undocumented immigrants, we don’t know who they are, and some of them are coming here and taking our jobs.”

The order to construct the wall was seen by some as a signal of Trump’s trustworthiness, including junior Anya Welborn.

“I think one of the best things he’s done so far is that he’s really starting to enact the promises he

“I think it’s just disguised discrimination.”

-senior Kaila Tu, on Trump’s travel ban

made to people on the campaign trail,” Welborn said. “He said he would build the wall, and he’s actively seeking it out.”

Trump also signed an executive order last week that blocked refugees from entering the country for 120 days and blocked those from Syria indefinitely, and barred immigrants from the predominantly Muslim countries of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

“I’m not excited about the ban,” senior Kaila Tu said. “I’m pretty disappointed in it. It violates the ideals of our country because our country is all about diversity.”

This had an immediate effect as immigrants who had been approved for entry were detained at airports upon landing. ProCOVER PHOTO BY LEAH GRAHAM

testers, including junior Farhaan Khan, staged demonstrations at airports across the country.

“It was inspirational and amazing to see people of all types of colors, races and genders come together to fight for our rights as American citizens,” Khan, who attended a protest at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, said. “It gave me a sense of relief to know that people have the same morals and views despite our differences. The protest proved that the people of America keep us united although the president is trying to divide us.”

A Department of Justice attorney revealed during a federal court hearing that the number of visas that have been revoked as a result of the travel ban thus far is more than 100,000.

“I’m personally against it,” junior Osman Azharuddin said. “I have a green card, and I was shocked by it. I was born in Canada, and the policy is that if you have a green card, they have the authority to keep you from coming back inside. So even though I’m not from one of the seven countries, I could still be affected by that.”

The ban was temporarily blocked by U.S. District Judge James Robart. Robart, an appointee of President George W. Bush, approved a lawsuit by the state of Washington that would permanently nullify the order.

“Countries where a lot of terrorists have come from are not banned, so I don’t think that’s the true reason behind it,” Tu said. “I think it’s just disguised discrimination.”

3

News

Documentary to be Filmed on Campus

The Council of Asian Pacific Americans will host a community dialogue focusing on the experiences of Asian Americans.

BY ANNIE SMuTS // ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR TRACY CABEJ // PROFILE EDITOR The first person to come to America in sophomore Sunny Lee’s family was his father.

“He went to university here for a year, but the government said that my father couldn’t stay in America,” Lee said. “So then me and my mom came to America, and she went to university for English. She had to work very hard to keep the visa. When I first came here I was nervous.

It was hard to get used to the American lifestyle.”

These stories are PHOTO BY LEAH GRAHAM Senior Ricky Young address CAPA members. common in Troy, and

senior Ricky Young, senior Tiffany Nogoy and sophomore Marvin Jiang are trying to draw attention to them.

“This documentary is called ‘Our Stories, Our Voices,’ and it’s about first-generation immigrants from, in particular, Asia,” Young said. “We’re trying to make this documentary to bridge that gap between people.”

The Council of Asian-Pacific Americans is an organization whose goal is to unite Asian Pacific Americans and the community at large through culture, education and community service. Along with the Multi-Ethnic Student Association at the University of Michigan, CAPA received a $25,000 grant from the Michigan Humanities Council to make this documentary. Filmmakers hope to highlight how different generations adapted their native cultures to American society. Young is a chairperson and board member at

CAPA. Additionally, he has gotten other students involved with the organization.

“I want to support him and get this club and group more solidified at this school,” Nogoy said.

On Feb. 23, CAPA will hold a dialogue at Troy High. Students and parents will be asked about their experiences emigrating from Asia and coming to the U.S. Footage from this session will be used in the documentary.

“This documentary is about their transition and how the cultures adapt and mix and change,” Jiang said. “It’s also really interesting because immigrants have lost so much culture. A documentary like this brings us back to our roots.”

Filming for “Our Stories, Our Voices” began in May 2016, and Young said he hopes that it helps relieve some racial tension caused by the recent election. The Southern

Poverty Law Center counted 867 cases of harassment or intimidation in the 10 days after the Nov. 9 election. Anti-immigrant sentiments were the most pervasive, with 280 counts listed.

“For me the most important thing in understanding people’s differences is to learn about the other side and to really understand people, see what it’s like for other people,” Young said. “When you look at someone face-value, you can’t always tell the things that they believe in.”

According to the latest census figures, Troy has the second highest percentage of foreign-born residents in the state at 27.7 percent. Of the school’s study body, 33.7 percent are of Asian descent.

“Not too many people talk about these things and there are a lot of pent up feelings,” Young said. “Those are the things we really wanted to really explore and see.”

Superintendent to Make District ‘World Class’ by 2020 Dr. Richard Machesky seeks input from the faculty across the district about how to improve Troy schools; he has set a time frame of three years to achieve this goal.

BY SARAH SEMON // DESIGN EDITOR Instead of a final exam consisting of a term paper or written test, students taking Innovation Learning had the opportunity to share their thoughts on what they thought a “world class school” would look like.

“Our superintendent, Rich Machesky, has a vision for our district that by 2020 [we would become] a world class school district,” Innovation Learning teacher Heather Kelly said. “He’s really interested in getting feedback from the teachers, administrators and learning community on what that would look like.”

Although the project is still in the process of accumulating research, there is a plan in place.

“It’s our plan to gather and

synthesize all the information to determine what themes emerge that makes sense for the Troy School District,” Machesky said.

The developmental project is still in its early stages. The district has met with its faculty, as well as other districts and schools across the nation and Canada. Troy faculty can sign up for a time slot to meet with Machesky. These meetings offer them a platform to share their ideas on how to transform Troy schools. While there are not yet dates for student meetings, Machesky said student input is encouraged.

“I would welcome any student to share information via email or invite me in for a conversa-

PHOTO BY SARAH SEMON

Troy schools are recognized for their academic excellence, exceeding many national benchmarks.

tion around this topic,” Machesky said.

The need for student input inspired Kelly to create her final exam. She plans to compile the various student responses and share them with Machesky.

“We often don’t take [student] voice into consideration,” Kelly said. “I thought it would be a unique opportunity to open it up to [student] ideas, and when I read through them, they were really interesting.”

Some students used the final to help define what they believed

to be characteristics of a world class school and district.

“When I think ‘world class,’ I think of interacting with other schools around the world and sharing the same curriculum,” senior Maxine Toukhanian said.

“I feel like there would be lots of emphasis on social skills and learning different languages.”

Other students used the final to express what they wanted to see change specifically at the high school level.

“I wrote that [more should be done] to make students more

comfortable and put them in a happier state because we have to be [at school] for so long,” senior Skylar Esuchanko said.

Because the project is still in its infancy and maintains its abstract status, students outside of the Innovation Learning curriculum are -unaware of this potential change in the schools.

“If more [students] knew about it, I think we’d have more of a common idea of [what it could be],” Toukhanian said. “It would help create more ideas and have a bigger voice.”

News

4

String of Thefts Hits Media Center

Plaque and decades-old university flags taken from the library.

By Silvia HoxHa // co-PHoto Editor

When the Battle of the Books plaque disappeared, media center specialist Toni Isaac did not expect theft. Then the college flags hanging over the bookshelves of the media center representing different schools in Michigan vanished after the holiday break.

“It was within a two week period because I didn’t notice when they were gone the first day,” Isaac said. “I don’t know for sure how long they had been gone before I noticed.”

Isaac said that she is heartbroken over the loss of the flags, as they had been in the library since it first opened 20 years ago.

“I felt like they belonged to the school. Whoever took them stole them from the whole school,” Isaac said.

Isaac’s media center aides also noticed the disappearance of the

plaque and the flag. Senior Jenelle Cholagh said she doesn’t know how it was possible for anyone to steal them, and that the library feels different without the flags hanging.

“What made somebody come in here and take the flags?” Cholagh said. “The flags were always there.

Not seeing them is weird.”

Senior James Claypool said that he doesn’t find the situation funny and that the library now feels empty.

“If it was a prank, it wasn’t a really good one,” Claypool said.

Despite campus security looking through security footage, there are no leads as to who could have stolen either the plaque or the flags.

“The plaque is especially disheartening to me because I had promised the students who were

PHoto By Silvia HoxHa

The flags hung above the bookshelves before they were stolen.

in that plaque that it would be kept in the media center forever and that people would remember they had been part of the Battle of the Books team,” Isaac said. “That was something that was going

to be part of the legacy of our library that we were going to leave for generations to come. I was able to recreate the plaque with another picture. It’s a little bit different than the original plaque. It really

saddens me that someone would take that. Why would it mean anything to anybody?”

Senior Hannah Cimpeanu said she was both shocked and disappointed after finding out about the stolen property.

“We have had those flags for a really long time, and to just take them like that is disrespectful,” Cimpeanu said.

Isaac said that despite the flags themselves not being very valuable when they were first brought in, replacing them now could cost up to $400.

“It’s money that I could be spending on more books, food for events and paying authors to visit with us,” Isaac said. “There are so many other things I could use it for. I look at these open spots, and I feel like something should be there. And now my broom is missing too.”

Cervical Cancer Death Rates Higher than Anticipated

Amid Republican calls to defund Planned Parenthood, the American Cancer Association released a study showing cervical cancer death rates rising.

By NataliE SuH // co-FEaturE Editor Cervical cancer death rates are higher than expected, according to a recent report released by the American Cancer Association. The new study accounts for women who have had their cervix or uterus removed in medical procedures and are no longer at risk for cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer death rates for both white and black women were higher, but black women are still more likely to die from cervical cancer in comparison to white women.

The main cause of cervical cancer is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection (STI), that can be prevented through the gardasil vaccine at a young age; however, just because someone has the vaccine does not mean they are immune from getting cervical cancer.

“Education is key, getting females to understand that if they are choosing to be sexually active, they need to be under the care of a gynecologist,” health teacher Lisa Danhoff said. “Usually they recommend the age of 21 when the Pap smear test will look for abnormal tissue. Early detection is key. When it’s too late the treatment then is much more invasive and detrimental to the human.”

Pap smear tests are imperative when trying to recognize cervical

cancer, but they can be expensive.

Organizations like the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program as well as Planned Parenthood offer lowpriced and sometimes free Pap smear tests. According to the National Public Radio, 79 percent of people getting services from Planned Parenthood were at or below the federal poverty level.

“It’s just great that they offer so

“Planned Parenthood gives easier access to critical health care, and if we take that away, we harm those in poverty” -senior Emily Endres

many things,” senior McKayla Coplen said. “If people can get healthcare provided for them, its a great idea. If you defund them, you get rid of all that healthcare.”

Planned Parenthood is a sensitive topic due to its place in the political world. The debate surrounding a woman’s right to abortion has persisted through Barack Obama’s presidency and lingers now in President Donald Trump’s term. In January,

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said that Republicans plan to take away federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

“I personally would support that,” junior Emmanuel Dannug said.

“I’m not saying abortion is right or wrong, but that’s facilitating something I don’t agree with. I think there should be more restrictions with funding and accessibility to it.”

Abortions are only 3 percent of the procedures conducted, according to the 2013-2014 Planned Parenthood annual report. The majority of procedures offered are for STD/ STI testing and treatment, as well as contraception for men and women.

They receive $500 million from the federal government, and under the Hyde Amendment, federal funds can only be used for abortions to save a woman’s life or if the pregnancy was a result of incest or rape. According to the Guttmacher Institute, publicly funded clinics like Planned Parenthood prevented both 570,000 abortions and 1.7 million unwanted pregnancies.

“Abortion is taboo,” senior Emily Endres said. “No one wants to talk about it. No one wants to fund it. Planned Parenthood gives easier access to critical health care, and if we take that away, we harm those in poverty.”

According to the American Cancer Association and Planned Parenthood...

Black women are dying from cervical cancer at a rate 77 percent higher than previously thought, and white women are dying at a rate 47 percent higher.

270,000 Pap smear tests and more than 360,000 breast exams are provided in a single year.

If Planned Parenthood were shut down, 2,500,000 patients would lose access to health care.

GraPHicS By ElizaBEtH GraHam

News

Students Attend Women’s March

5

Men and women in every state in America and on every continent in the world gather and march to protest for women’s rights on Jan. 21.

By Patti KuBota // StaFF WritEr On Saturday, Jan. 21, one day after President Trump was sworn into office, more than four million people gathered in more than 600 cities across the country for the Women’s March, according to data collected by Erica Chenoweth at the University of Denver and Jeremy Pressman at the University of Connecticut.

Signs with messages were held up and chants were called out. The official platform of the Women’s March, released in advance of the event, stated that the objective of the demonstrations was bringing attention to violence toward women, reproductive rights, LGBT rights, worker’s rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights and environmental justice. Many students attended various sister marches around Michigan and in other states.

Sophomores Olivia Simone and Olivia Tu went to the Women’s March at Wayne State University in Detroit together.

“I thought it was a really cool experience, but I was also thinking, ‘Why are we still protesting something that should have been changed a long time ago?’” Simone said.

She held up a sign with the phrase “Women’s Rights are Human Rights.” She said she hopes that the protests all around America will make an impression on the new president.

“I felt very empowered. It was really cool to be with many people that cared about the same thing as me,” she said.

“I thought it was a really cool experience, but I was also thinking, ‘Why are we still protesting something that should have been changed a long time ago?’”

-sophomore olivia Simone Tu’s sign read “Get Your Laws Off My Body.”

“In this day and age, bodies are such an important part of ourselves,” she said. “We need to make sure we’re being respected, especially women.”

Tu said she came back from the march feeling a sense of unity.

“Going away from it, I felt amazing and I felt like I could do anything. It doesn’t matter that I’m a woman because we all should have equal opportunities,” Tu said.

According to the Detroit News, thousands of protesters attended the demonstration.

Freshman Francesca McBride went to the Women’s March in Cleveland, Ohio. After finishing her volleyball tournament in the Cleveland Convention Center, she saw marchers outside and decided to join in with her mom.

“I wanted to go because I’ve never been in a march or a protest before,” she said. “I’ve been really taking an interest in being a part of certain things like that because I have certain opinions. I like to stand up for what I believe in.”

Cleveland.com reported that 15,000 people gathered throughout the city to march from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“I want equality for different races, genders and ethnic groups. We still have separation between that,” McBride said.

Protests continued with the March for Life on Jan. 27, a prolife demonstration held on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Protesters hold up signs at a rally on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.

PHotoS By lEaH GraHam

6

Sports

Just ReLAX

Members of the boys varsity lacrosse team say they are ready for the new season and a fresh start after coaching staff leaves the program.

Cradling the ball, senior varsity lacrosse player Michael Flynn runs by a defender from Holt High School during a home game in the 2016 season.

BY GABRIELLE FRANCOIS // STAFF WRITER MORGAN MACDONALD // STAFF WRITER With the spring season just around the corner, the captains of the boys lacrosse team recently told their teammates that their varsity coaches had resigned.

“I’m happy for them if they have a better opportunity somewhere else,” senior captain Justin Parry said. “I’m not going to be mad at them for getting a step ahead in life.”

The coaches, Nate Reynolds, Nick Stenson and Greg Urbin, had been working with the team for four years. “[I feel] a little bit upset; there are kids like me and Justin Parry who have been playing for and working hard for that coaching staff to make sure the program is where it needs to be, especially after losing lots of seniors after my

sophomore year,” senior cap- While the coaches were at Troy fore the game they would break tain Jordan Coval said. “People High, the players said they pro- down what to do and what not were distressed that we weren’t vided essential training and to do.” going to have that coaching skills.

Without coaches, the captains staff that we knew are stepping in to so well and trustprepare the team ed.” for the season by “We are a really determined Other members organizing and group and we want to go of the team said running pre-seaout and beat teams and they were unhappy son workouts. with the news as “We have weight show that we can win without well. room times on our ex-coaching staff.

“At first I Mondays and thought it was a Thursdays along I think that we’re hungry, joke and was realwith games on and it won’t affect us at all.” ly upset. I didn’t Sunday,” junior think they would Ryan Selzer said.

-senior captain do that,” sopho“We have offJordan Coval more Will Flynn site practices on said.

Wednesdays, too.”

All three of the coaches re“They would give us lots of Despite the coaches switchcently resigned to take over the helpful tips just to help with ing schools, members of the coaching staff for the Birming- little things like footwork and team said they still had high ham United lacrosse team. stick skills,” Parry said. “Be- expectations for the upcoming

PHOTO BY LEAH GRAHAM

season. The team’s record for the 2016 season was 10 wins and nine losses.

“I really don’t think it will affect the team this year,” Coval said. “We are a really determined group and we want to go out and beat teams and show that we can win without our ex-coaching staff. I think that we’re hungry, and it won’t affect us at all.”

Athletic director Dan House and some parents are currently in the process of choosing a new coaching staff for the program.

Tryouts for the team are scheduled to take place in midMarch.

“We are still the same group of guys that’s going to go out and really compete,” Coval said.

Sports

7

Student signs on to Play D1 Hockey After being offered a scholarship to Robert Morris University in Philadelphia, sophomore Anna Fairman commits to play for the women’s ice hockey team.

BY STELLA SPAGNUOLO // STAFF WRITER Before games, Anna Fairman sits with her headphones in or listens to music with her team.

She prepares herself for what she considers the most exciting part of the game: the beginning.

“I don’t really get nervous,” she said.

Fairman started playing ice hockey at eight years old after she switched over from figure skating. She said her ultimate goal was to play in college, and she was recently scouted to play at Robert Morris University, a D1 school in Philadelphia.

The scouting process started at the beginning of Fairman’s freshman year. She began emailing colleges before big tournaments and showcases with information and updates on herself and her team. She eventually set up phone calls with colleges that showed interest in her. However, National Collegiate Athletic Association rules for recruiting state that college coaches are not allowed to contact student athletes until September of their junior year of high school. Fairman had to

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNA FAIRMAN

Sophomore Anna Fairman chases the puck across the ice.

go through her coach in order to set up calls and unofficial visits to the schools where she was able to tour the campus, locker rooms

and ice rink.

Fairman made the 12U Chicago Young Americans girls AAA team, and, after not being able to

play as much as she wanted on her 14U team, she said she began to work harder.

Although hockey is a predom-

inantly male sport, it is gaining popularity among women. According to the International Ice Hockey Federation, in 1990 there were 6,336 registered females playing hockey in the United States. By 2015, there were more than 73,000.

Fairman said she is inspired by her older sister.

“I’ve always looked up to my older sister, but she doesn’t play,” Fairman said. “She always works hard.”

Although multiple schools showed interest in her, Fairman verbally committed to play at Robert Morris University after being offered a scholarship.

“I like the coaches there a lot, and I like the campus, and it was also the closest one to Michigan that I was looking at,” Fairman said.

Fairman said committing to Robert Morris University was the high point in her career.

“Playing makes me extremely happy,” Fairman said. “I can’t imagine not playing anymore or wanting to quit.”

Boys Dive Holds Winning Record Team makes its way through the season competing with a roster made up of four divers.

BY JACk STROMBERG // STAFF WRITER Although lacking in numbers, the boys dive team has still maintained a winning record this season. So far, they have managed to end up with four wins, two ties and no losses. Despite having just four divers, members of the team have tried not to let it set them back.

“At meets, only three divers are allowed to dive for points,” sophomore Owen Larson said.

Larson explained this was why having four divers doesn’t make much of a difference for them. Because of these rules, Larson said the team was not at much of a disadvantage due to their numbers.

“We’ve been doing pretty good with only four divers, because our divers are pretty good,” freshman JP Geraghty said.

Diving is part of the swim team.

It’s the fifth out of the 12 events during a swim meet. The season begins in November and usually ends during mid-February.

“During a competition, there are five dives a diver must do,” coach Robert Schurig said. “Forward dives, backward dives, inward dives, reverse dives and twisting dives.”

Divers perform each of these dives when competing. In dual meets, a diver does six dives. The first comes from a predetermined group and the others must come from four of the five groups. Each dive is rated with a certain degree of difficulty. The three judges then give it a score of 1-10. The three scores are added and multiplied by the degree of difficulty to get the total score.

“I joined the team after the sea-

son had already started,” Geraghty said. “When I was younger, I did diving, and it was pretty fun, but then I quit for two years and I was like, ‘I wanna do diving again,’ so I joined the team.”

Geraghty also said he is pleased with the way that he has progressed individually as a diver this season.

“I think I’ve improved a lot,” Geraghty said. “There are dives I used to be afraid to do that I’m not afraid to do anymore. Plus, we have great coaches.”

With their recent success, Schurig said he has high hopes for the team in years to come.

“The underclassmen on our team have great potential,” Schurig said. “We’ve had a pretty good history of divers and look forward to continuing that in the future.”

PHOTO BY MOLLY MYERS

Senior Luke Thomas climbs out of the pool after a dive.

8

In-Depth

SPATIAL AWARENESS Safe spaces are becoming more prominent as students seek out peers who share their beliefs.

BY KENDYL GATZEMEYER // MARKETING EDITOR LEAH GRAHAM // EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The only harsh thing about eighth grader Red Scanlon is the double piercing at the edge of his left eyebrow. A soft-spoken, androgynous kid, he stood in a science classroom at Smith Middle School, surveying the dozen or so members of Diversity Club. Several were stretched out on their stomachs making posters while others sat a desk nearby using iPads to put together a slideshow. Their project focused on LGBT inclusion, and the group would later present it to school faculty.

Science teacher Teresa McCormick helped Scanlon establish the club. For him, it is what’s known as a safe space, a place for marginalized individuals and their allies - people who offer support and acceptance but do not identify with a minority - to communicate their experiences and feel confident they will not encounter discrimination or harassment.

“I don’t have any self-hatred as to why I didn’t find out that I was transgender earlier,” Scanlon said. “I just didn’t know then. I questioned my gender and I went through different pronouns. I went from she/her to they/them to he/him over the course of a year.”

Transgender is an “umbrella term” for people whose gender identity doesn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth, according to the Human Rights Campaign. In 2016, the Williams Institute reported that approximately 0.6 percent of the U.S. population identifies as transgender.

“When I was in elementary school, I would only shop in the boys’ section,” Scanlon said. “A lot of people said I looked like a boy or thought I was a boy, but I didn’t mind that at all. I don’t know if that was just me not caring or that I liked it. But I didn’t mind it.”

In her book “Mapping Gay L.A.,” scholar and activist Moira

Kenney traces the concept of the safe space to LGBT bars in the mid-1960s. The term has since become synonymous with an ongoing debate at schools across the country about the scope of freedom of speech when it comes to language that can be considered hurtful or hateful.

According to a 2016 Gallup poll, 78 percent of college students believed their campuses should work to create an intellectual atmosphere in which they would be exposed to a range of ideas and points of view. However, 69 percent said they supported limits on freedom of speech when what was said purposefully insulted people of certain backgrounds. Nearly a quarter of respondents noted that

“colleges should prohibit biased or offensive speech in the furtherance of a positive learning environment.”

The Gay Straight Alliance at Troy High is another example of a safe space. “‘Safe space’ has a lot of stigma around it,” senior Lois Hwang, one of the leaders of the Gay Straight Alliance, said. “It’s a word that has a lot of negative connotations to it, but it’s actually a great concept. It’s a place you can go when you don’t have anywhere else to go. Safe spaces can accommodate you both physically and mentally.”

According to a 2011 study by the National Center of Transgender Equality, 82 percent of transgender youth said they feel unsafe at

“‘Safe space’ has a lot of stigma around it. It’s a word that has a lot of negative connotations to it, but it’s actually a great concept. It’s a place you can go when you don’t have anywhere else to go.”

-senior Lois Hwang

PHOTO BY SOMYA AMIN

Junior Mohammed Ali plays “Heads Up!” at a meeting of the Muslim Student Association.

school. When Scanlon first passed out Diversity Club flyers, he said he “was prepared for hate.”

“I was really careful about who I handed them out to, so I didn’t hand it out to people I don’t trust,” he said. “Then people were just taking it off my desk and ripping it up, right in front of me. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, and it’s like, if they don’t understand it, then why immediately go to hating it?”

Some critics of safe spaces say that a reprieve from disagreeable or distressing dialogue minimizes open-mindedness and prioritizes liberal ideology.

“I think they’re unneeded,” senior Alec Mayer said. “They’re very common in college and by that age you should be able to handle yourself in conversations. There’s really no need for safe space. If you disagree with something, I think you should probably talk it out instead of hiding from it.”

Different iterations of safe spaces exist, such as the Muslim Student Association.

“We have one common factor,

which is religion, and it’s surprising how much it bonds us together,” sophomore Huzaifa Rabbani said. “It’s almost like a safe haven for all the Muslim people in the school. We’re here to support each other. There’s everything going on in the media, but there’s a safe place for you here at Troy High.”

In one year, anti-Muslim hate crimes in the United States rose 67 percent, from 154 incidents in 2014 to 257 in 2015, according to the FBI’s latest Hate Crime Statistics report.

“There’s a very misused word in our language, Allahu akbar, which means ‘God is greatest,’ but it’s been used so disgustingly by these people that want to instill terror into our country,” Rabbani said.

“People say it to scare other people, which is kind of sad because it’s saying ‘I believe in God,’ then everyone gets scared.”

After President Donald Trump was elected in November, many universities began offering safe spaces. During a five-hour span on Nov. 9, students at the University of Michigan-Flint received

In-Depth

9

Eighth grader Red Scanlon works on developing a presentation on LGBT inclusion in the classroom during a Diversity Club meeting.

several emails about “Post Election Support, Safe Spaces and Counseling Services.” In Ann Arbor, the organization Students4Justice staged a walk-out protest on Nov. 16, calling for the campus to “be a place of sanctuary” and asking the school to “double its commitment to rejecting racial harassment and protecting its students of color,” according the list of demands released by the group.

In response, some conservative students began to request safe spaces of their own. A recent article in the New York Times featured Amanda Delekta, a sophomore at the University of Michigan and political director of the College Republicans, who wrote an open letter entitled #NotMyCampus and circulated an online petition condemning the post-election protests. She accused Mark Schlissel, the univer-

sity’s president, of favoring liberal students by implying that “their ideology was superior to the ideology of their peers,” according to Delekta. She was later invited to meet with Schlissel in his office.

“I think everyone needs to have that spot where they can get away from it all for sure,” senior Neil Vaishampayan said. “One of the great things about our country is that we have so many various opinions. I personally don’t think it’s necessary because at some point we have to accept the results of the election and move on together as a country. If you completely isolate yourself from everything then you won’t be able to appreciate the other side or actually make an educated decision on what you truly believe.”

Back at Smith, members of Diversity Club squabbled a bit about who would do the talking

during their presentation to administration- public speaking can be nerve-racking, and most of them had minimal to nonexistant

experience with it. Eventually, it was decided that Scanlon and another eighth grader would handle the oratory. One younger student

“If you completely isolate yourself from everything then you won’t be able to appreciate the other side or actually make an educated decision on what you truly believe.”

-senior Neil Vaishampayan

PHOTO BY LEAH GRAHAM

looked particularly relieved.

“I figured it out,” Scanlon said.

“I didn’t like dolls. I caught spiders. That was my thing. When I was younger I never really liked dresses, but I’ll look at pictures and say, ‘Oh, I look cute in that dress.’ It’s not embarrassing or anything because I’m just me now.”

As a freshman, Scanlon plans on joining the GSA next year.

Hwang had advice for him.

“A lot of people are going to stop you from being you, but you’ve just gotta find the community where people accept you for who you are,” Hwang said.

“Be proud of who you are. It’s great that you’re finding out who you are, [but] you’ve gotta be smart about it because you can spend the rest of your years here trapped. We’re not completely out of the woods yet, you know?”

10

Features

A Day in the Life of a Peer Mediator

Peer mediators describe their role in students’ lives and the benefit of having a student-run system to solve problems before they reach administration.

BY SARA LEWANDOWSKI // STAFF WRITER Everyone has a role in students’ lives, whether it’s a teacher, a friend or a parent. A specific group of students devote their time to solving conflicts and making school a safe environment: peer mediators. They attend trainings, set up showcases, raise money for charities and establish ground rules in a dispute. They practice keeping things confidential and professional while achieving what is considered a successful mediation. They try to model mature ways to solve disagreements by negotiating solutions.

“Our main goal is to stop a problem before it gets to administration, before it gets physical or violent and before it hurts someone else,” senior peer mediator Megan Durell said.

Business and Personal Law teacher Gail Yax oversees the program.

“On a regular day we would go in and talk to Ms. Yax,” senior peer mediator Will Johansson said.

“Normally she gives us assignments to do. We will typically have a couple mediators walk through the lunches and make sure that nobody is sitting alone and that there

aren’t any issues.”

Mediators also run annual fundraisers throughout the school year, most prominently during the holidays.

“Even if it may not look like it, we make MLK videos, set up the showcase, go around to teachers,” Johansson said. “Teachers come to us if they need help with anything, and we just do odd jobs that wouldn’t get done if we weren’t there.”

Every mediator needs to fill out a form in order to accomplish a successful mediation.

“The form says if the mediation was satisfactory or if it wasn’t,” Durell said “I would probably say 95 percent to 100 percent of the mediations were satisfactory.”

Mediators are offered four different periods during the day to take peer mediation as a class.

“Ms. Yax does a really good job of giving us mediations by making sure it gets solved that hour; she just cuts to the chase,” Durell said.

“She wants to know the problem and then we solve it.”

Peer mediators also go on retreats and take trips.

PHOTO BY SARA LEWANDOWSKI

Seniors Julia Calnen and Leah Kossak work through a mediation with students.

She’s the First Raises Money for Girls’ Education Abroad Students start club to benefit charity.

BY KAITLYN PIGGOTT // STAFF WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY MOORE

Junior Katie Ferriby, freshman Lauren Monaghan and junior Megan Monaghan bake food for a fundraiser.

A YouTube video published in November 2009 and a post on Facebook turned into 2,216 scholarships that has helped young women in 11 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The video talks about the girls’ lives and how important their education is to them. In certain countries, once girls get past a certain age, public schooling is no longer supplied, and the education they were provided isn’t enough to bring them above the poverty line. Tammy Tibbetts uploaded the video and published the Facebook post while Christen Brandt put the idea into motion.

That was the origin of She’s the First.

The new school club supports the organization and its goal.

“It is to promote education for women in underdeveloped nations,” club member junior Elise Xia said.

She’s the First raises money

for the charity through fundraisers like bake sales. As their first fundraiser, the club made tie-dye cupcakes and sold them at the Troy Public Library during finals week. During the school year they discuss ideas for additional fundraisers.

“We are thinking about doing a can drive in the spring and fundraisers around the school,” club president junior Katie Ferriby said.

English teacher Megan Foster supervises the club.

“I want to help girls and women in other countries realize their power and intentions, and the path toward that is education,” Foster said. “Any way to become involved in helping women around the world is a calling to which I’ll always answer.”

The club meets in room 212 after school.

“We are very open to new members because we want to get

as many people involved as possible,” Xia said.

During meetings members discuss the details of upcoming fundraisers. They plan when and where future fundraisers will take place.

“We either watch a presentation on what the girls are going through or one of their stories,” Ferriby said. “Then we talk about the fundraisers we could hold and how we could organize them.”

The club provides many different opportunities for students.

Club members raise money to help supply the girls’ tuition, as well as funding empowerment programs and boarding where available.

“People will join the clubs here just to put them on their college application, but this is actually making a difference for these girls,” said Ferriby. “It makes me feel like I’m actually doing something with my life.”

Features

11

Sophomore Trinh Pafford, junior Marisa Drinkwater, freshman Marina Sun, freshman Madison Essebaggers, sophomore Ana Klein and junior Madison Howe rehearse their roles as Hot Box Girls.

Springing Into ‘Guys and Dolls’

PHOTO BY LEAH GRAHAM

Troy Theatre Ensemble prepares for the upcoming spring musical.

BY SARAH FUNK // CO-FEATURE EDITOR With the spring musical approaching fast, the actors and actresses in Troy High’s production of “Guys and Dolls” have been rehearsing since December. The show will premiere Friday, March 3. Additional performances will be on March 4 and 5 along with March 10-12. There will also be an in-school performance on March 13.

“Guys and Dolls” is set in the 1920s and 30s, the era of gangsters and gamblers. The story consists of love, humor and action-- something for everyone. It features the popular song “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” and other music

by Frank Loesser. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1950 and has won Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Revival.

After record-breaking sales and back-to-back sold out shows at last year’s show, “Shrek The Musical,” some actors feel that there is pressure to live up to “Shrek.”

“Guys and Dolls”, will be a new experience for audience members expecting to see another show like “Shrek.” Though “Guys and Dolls” is widely recognized in the Broadway community, “Shrek” is far more popularly recognized among young people. For senior Annie Rowbal, who will be performing in her last high school show competing with the legacy of “Shrek” is not something to focus on. “I’m very excited, I mean, it’s my senior show so I feel like I should be excited,” Rowbal said. “At first I was a little like ‘okay…’ because I didn’t know what it was, but now that I’ve learned the storyline, I’ve learned the music and that kind of stuff I’m really excited for it.” Rowbal will play Sarah Brown, one of the principal leads in “Guys and Dolls.”

Freshman Chloe Teodoridis-Clarke is taking part in her first high school show after a theatre career at Boulan Park Middle School. Teodoridis-Clarke is one

of many freshmen participating in this spring musical. She feels that high school theatre is different than middle school. “[Theatre] is a lot more intense in high school,” Teodoridis-Clarke said. “Mr. Bodick and Mrs. Covian and all the other instructors are really handson and they really want to get a lot from you.”

Along with new freshman girls, there is an unusually large number of freshman boys in contrast to the amount of upperclassmen participating in the musical. Sophomore Nick Cupelli, who will be in his third show at Troy High, is one of almost 20 boys in “Guys and Dolls.” “[Having so many boys] is kind of the same but it kind of changes it,” Cupelli said. “People in the audience will be like, ‘oh there’s guys in it, theatre’s not a girl thing.’”

With large numbers of students coming in from middle schools, TTE is continuously building their

program, especially after catching the community’s attention with “Shrek.” Some freshmen also come to high school having already appeared in a Troy High show. The amount of underclassmen help contribute to the diversity of the group and gives the students a chance to build upon their skills throughout high school and learn from their more experienced peers.

Freshman Sean Hodges was cast in a leading role for his first Troy High production. Hodges has performed in multiple other productions in the past and says musical theatre is one of his passions.. “I’ve had the experience of enjoying musical theatre before high school so stepping into a different high school and aura was a bit difficult,” Hodges said. “But that’s the kind of challenges I like when it comes to this stuff.” Being involved in the theatre program has helped Hodges and other freshmen adjust to

high school life by helping them meet students in other grades they wouldn’t have normally met.

Not only do freshmen benefit from theatre, but upperclassmen can benefit from freshmen, too.

“I think that [the introduction of underclassmen] opens up a lot of chances for the upperclassmen to become leaders and teach the new people the fundamentals,” Hodges said. Bringing in new and fresh talent to the program is very helpful, especially when losing talented seniors every year.

“I feel like everyone says this, but [theatre] does help you make friends. You’re forced to spend hours with these people, you have to talk to them to learn dances, you go out after with them, you have sleepover parties with them during the show, you meet a lot of people and it’s just a lot of fun, too,” said Rowbal. “I didn’t start my freshman year, and I really wish that I had.”

12

Entertainment

Get the Elephant Out of the Room

Environmentally-friendly brands gain popularity; the Ringling Bros. “Greatest Show on Earth” shuts down after outcry from animal rights groups about the mistreatment of elephants.

BY KATIE BoGDANovICh // SouRCE EDIToR

PhoTo BY LEAh GRAhAM

PhoTo CouRTSEY oF ABC FAMILY

Nick Viall returns to ABC’s “The Bachelor” for season 21.

‘The Bachelor’ Bash Get-togethers serve as viewing parties of the hit ABC show.

BY PRIYA BANDSTRA // STAFF WRITER MEGAN WALLACE // STAFF WRITER

BY A

NNIE

SMu

TS

Alex and Ani uses recycled materials made entirely in the United States to make ecofriendly jewelry.

Pho To

Ivory Ella donates 10 percent of its net profits to Save the Elephants and other charities.

The well-known circus show Ringling Bros. “Greatest Show on Earth” is getting its curtain call after more than 100 years in operation. The news was broken to the cast on Jan. 14. Two main reasons for the closure are high operation costs and a decline in ticket sales, believed to be tied to the treatment of their famous elephants. Their own employees have come out and reported about the trainers beating the animals with bullhooks and whips. While for some it is hard to see a group that has been around for decades come to an end, other organizations, such as PETA, celebrated the ending of what they called the “saddest show on earth.”

The elephants were retired in May 2016, but Ringling Bros. still has multiple animals in their shows. However, the abuse of the elephants is what caused the most backlash. The group was previously the center of lawsuits and protests for its mistreatment of elephants and tigers. While the company never admitted to any wrongdoing, they paid a fine of $270,000 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act. The elephants now roam in a conservation center in Florida, and when the show comes to an end in May, the rest of the animals will go to “suitable homes.”

Many brands, such as Ivory Ella, IKEA and Adobe, have worked together to eliminate harm to animals and the environment.

Troy High students are also doing all they can to make a difference. Some are trying to help out by only buying from eco-friendly or cruelty-free brands.

“I only buy products that are cruelty-free and I don’t wear clothing or accessories made with animal skin or fur,” senior Sabrina Gonzales said.

Over the past few years, there have been strides to take care of and protect the environment for wildlife. Schools in Colorado have installed solar panels, Switzerland is working to stop using plastic bags and China announced it will end the ivory trade and crack down on those involved.

“I definitely think that more needs to be done to protect animals,” senior Melissa Smith said.

“With the increasing effects of climate change poshAM GRA LEAh Y B ing such a threat to the habitats of many species, it’s more To o h P important now than ever to take action and make it a priority to protect the creatures that we share the planet with.”

Some people go vegan to support animal welfare.

“I became vegan about eight months ago,” Smith said. “I felt a new sense of compassion for animals and I was very excited about the impact I could make on the earth and other living things.”

Companies like Patagonia donate profits to different organizations that help protect the wilderness.

“I love how Patagonia supports our national parks and wants to protect the land,” freshman Molly Myers said. “That is another big reason why I wear the brand so much.”

The fight for animal rights continues to be a controversial one, but big strides have been made for the community. Animal Activists continue to fight against SeaWorld, circuses and animal testing in hopes that one day animals can live peacefully in their natural habitat.

“I think that places like SeaWorld and circuses should not be allowed to exploit animals for profit,” Gonzales said.“They are known for keeping the animals in small enclosures and using abusive tactics to get them to perform.”

Patagonia uses only recycled polyester and organic cotton when making clothing.

When watching the hit ABC wrong message to the young peoshow “The Bachelor,” viewers can ple who watch it. find all the scandal, romance and “For some people there is love heartbreak they need. The series at first sight, but the idea of having has been on television for 15 years a game show to find love is pretty and a total of 21 seasons. Each ridiculous,” Noble said. season features one bachelor or Although many people enbachelorette who is given the op- joy the friendship that the show portunity to date 30 different peo- brings, some people feel that the ple and, through the process of theme of the show is not approelimination, will ultimately find priate. his or her one true love. In the For sophomore Kate Wyniemcurrent season, the women are ko, the entire idea is “stupid.” Afcompeting for the heart of bach- ter watching it just once, she has elor Nick Viall through group and strong feelings against the morals one-on-one dates. that the show sends to people.

Sophomore Faith Keating has “The show oppresses women,” enjoyed watching Wyniemko said.

“The last few “Love should come “The Bachelor” since eighth grade. seasons have naturally, not on a Each week she and TV show.” been really her neighbors take Wyniemko said turns hosting a par- good, but Nick she will not let her ty solely dedicated kids watch is just horrible.” future to watching the “The Bachelor” and -sophomore Faith show. feels the show is Keating “I love ‘The teaching the youngBachelor,’ but this season is hor- er generation the wrong values rible,” Keating said. “The last few about love. However, with peoseasons have been really good, but ple’s busy lives, “The Bachelor” Nick is just horrible.” and similar shows can serve as a Health teacher Lindsay Noble break from everyday stress. also loves watching “The Bach“School and volleyball just take elor.” She also gets together with over my life and I don’t get much ten of her closest friends for girls’ time to socialize, but when I’m off nights to watch the show every on Mondays I love being with the week. group,” Keating said. “It’s what I “For me, it’s not just about the look forward to.” reality TV show, it’s also about To some people,“The Bachegetting together with all my lor” is a very entertaining show. friends,” Noble said.

But when it comes to the younger Despite the fact that Noble generation, the idea that looks are loves watching the show, she the only factor that attracts other said she believes that it sends the people may have a negative affect.

Entertainment

13

Saturday Night Revived

Ratings for weekly broadcasts of ‘Saturday Night Live’ approach an all-time high due to the popularity of the election season coverage and parodies.

BY SKYLA JEWELL-hAMMIE // oPINIoN EDIToR “Saturday Night Live” was a show that for years was flipped on every Saturday at 11:30 p.m..

Ratings were through the roof as favorites such as Tina Fey and Amy Poehler channeled their inner Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. Recently, the ratings have not been the best after fan-favorite cast members left and lesser known people filled their places.

SNL is trying to obtain and create as much material as they can to produce better ratings.

Combined with live shows and DVR, the show’s ratings have risen partially due to Alec Baldwin reprising his role as President Donald Trump. SNL has been getting more attention with about 11.3 million in live and seven-day viewership. That is an increase of 26 percent from last year’s ratings. Although President Trump may not be pleased with how SNL showcases him, a number of viewers disagree.

“In a way, it is used to get a voice out of people,” junior Anthony Amalfitano said. “It is more used for entertainment and for the use to make it less confrontational.”

Some, like Amalfitano, see

the humor in the show but others may have different opinions. The viewership consists of young adults to adults who may enjoy at times dry political humor.

A portion of viewership stopped watching due to the ongoing political jokes that were a part of every show.

When asked about the skits SNL was using to produce more viewership, some people did not go anywhere near the skits due to the depiction of their favored presidential candidates.

“I try not to watch because I hear they can be offensive to somebody of my political beliefs,”

For example, Michael Che, who controls most of the lines in “The Weekend Update,” spends more time on the negative headlines regarding President Trump rather than voicing the same negative opinions for Clinton.

Other students, like sophomore Daniel David, have a different look into why and how SNL incorpoGRAPhIC BY ELIzABETh GRAhAM rates its more heavily political material. junior Matt Dooley said.

“I used to like ‘Saturday Night Although SNL portrays both parties in an embarrassing light, Live’ due to the original cast, but the show tends to attract the I cannot even stomach how the more liberal side of viewership show is presented as now,” David due to more biased opinions of said. “It is not even the political related skits, it is just the same Hillary Clinton.

2017 Oscars Diversified

thing over and over again.”

The increase in ratings during the peak of the election helped the show, but after they started using the same overused political material, the ratings decreased as competition increased. But, “Saturday Night Live” is not the only show that experienced this spike in ratings due to their political beliefs. Hosts like Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien spoke extensively about their political views, drawing on a liberal audience. Jimmy Fallon and James Corden were on top when it came to ratings, but now Stephen Colbert has jumped to the top spot with a 2.4 million rating two nights in a row during the first week of February. This put him high above his late night competitors.

“Saturday Night Live” may be back for the time being, but what kind of ratings it will accrue with upcoming shows is unknown.

SNL is all about comedy to ease the tension in the world. Due to the events of the inauguration and election, some need as much comic relief as they can get, regardless of party affiliation.

The Academy Awards will be held on Feb. 26, 2017 and will include a more diverse group of nominees.

BY ELISABETh ANDREWS // Co-PhoTo EDIToR On Feb. 26, the 89th Academy Aw a r d s will air, and you may want to consider tuning in for a chance to see history in the making.

GRAPhIC BY ELIzABETh GRAhAM

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the award-winning Broadway musical “Hamilton” could be the winner of another award.

“He did an amazing job with ‘Hamilton,’ and I’m so happy for him,” junior Delayne Richie said.

Miranda previously won the Pulitzer Prize for his work on “Hamilton,” a Tony and a Grammy for both “In The Heights” and “Hamilton” and Emmy for the music for the 67th Tony Awards, and he is currently nominated for Best Original Song for “How Far I’ll Go” from the movie “Moana.” Another nominee for this award includes “City of

Stars” from “La La Land.”

Miranda has the potential to be a PEGOT winner: someone who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, as well as the Pulitzer Prize. Miranda, at 37, would be the youngest person in history to win the award in the shortest amount of time, winning all five awards in only nine years.

“I don’t think [Miranda] will win,” theatre teacher Rick Bodick said. “I got a feeling that one of the songs from ‘La La Land’ will win, not his song. It’d be very interesting if he did. If not, he’ll win the PEGOT award one of these days.”

At the Academy Awards this year, Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting for the first time.

Last year, there was controversy because there were no African-American actors nominated for an Oscar. People were so angry, they created a hashtag on Twitter called #OscarsSoWhite.

“I feel like the movie industry should do a good job making it diverse; it was a little saddening to see that [it wasn’t],” Richie said.

This year there are more African-American Oscar nominees than last year, including Ruth Negga from “Loving” for Best

Actress and Barry Jenkins for Best Director for “Moonlight.”

Jenkins could also be the first LGBT winner for Best Picture.

“I feel like ‘Moonlight’ should definitely win,” Richie said.

“With this election, I feel like everyone is kind of in the dumps.

I think that ‘Moonlight’ possibly winning and all the black actors sets a good image for our country right now.”

“Moonlight” is up against movies like “La La Land” and “Manchester by the Sea” for Best Picture.

Not all the drama happens in the movies. Tune in later this month to see the winners.

Opinion

14

Senior Kiersten Akins reads about President Donald Trump on Twitter.

PHOTO BY SILVIA HOXHA

Social Media Sways Millennials

Media influences and biased appeals are making it more acceptable among teenagers and young adults to be a Democrat rather than a Republican.

BY MADDIE YOUNG // STAFF WRITER The 2016 presidential election will be remembered not only for the polarizing candidates and tumultuous campaigns, but also for the large role that social media played in it. People across the nation used Twitter, Instagram and other sites to voice opinions, exposing both adults and teens to information that was not always factual.

Twitter has 200 million more users than during the 2012 election. Facebook has 1.6 billion active users. According to a study done by the Pew Research Center, two thirds of 18 to 29- year-olds in America said that social media is the most helpful and frequently used way to learn about politics.

The atmosphere on social media and in many schools captured large groups of Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters. Although Donald Trump won, adult liberals have high hopes for the upcoming generations, as they are expected to lean to the left. Polls taken by

Pew Research Center revealed that only 34 percent of millennials identify as conservative, and even they are still found to be less conservative than previous generations.

Prevalent social issues attract the attention of many young people. Liberal candidates tend to support rights for groups like the LGBT community and immigrants, which appeals to many teens. Redistribution of wealth and universal health care are more accepted by younger people as they are usually more willing to allow a higher level of government involvement. For example, students appreciated Sanders’s goal of free college education, one which brought him many followers. Some people failed to consider where this money would come from, as nothing is ever for free.

Celebrities today are also held in high esteem by many young people. Consequently, those with millions of followers on social

media have immense power.

However, celebrities cannot always be trusted to give an educated political opinion due to their separation from the problems the majority of the working class faces. The circulation of loving support for Clinton by A-listers can give readers false impressions, just as long messages bashing Trump for petty comments might encourage people to take one side without researching any further.

Comical memes, tweets and videos that are posted can sway people using ethical and emotional appeals, which can easily be exaggerated and loosely fact-based.

People tend to read things that support what they already believe.

Studies conducted at the University of Southern California found that people will seek out others to confirm their opinions. Instead of searching for the truth and trying to find the best person to run our country, people are more con-

cerned with their own opinions being right.

Many Republicans face harsh stereotypes based on some of Trump’s more questionable acts, as it is more socially acceptable to be a liberal. His supporters are categorized as racist, closed-minded and oppressive. Many liberals are outspoken when it comes to protecting the rights of minorities, but some of these same people categorize and degrade Republicans. When I discuss the election with my peers they are shocked that I support Trump. People will brush off my opinions and act like I have no idea what I’m talking about.

“I felt personally victimized by people on Twitter and in school,” junior Will Myers said. “While I was wearing a hat in support of our current president I was getting some very nasty looks from students and staff. It was degrading. I feel like one of the few people that supports Trump.”

Senior Jessica Hart supported Clinton in this election, but she recognized some of the bias on social media.

“After the election there were a lot of liberal memes and things making fun of Trump and his speeches,” Hart said. “There is a lot of negativity towards him and what he said, even things like his hand gestures and facial expressions.”

People who are angry at Trump display unnecessary and pointless acts of disrespect. These crude comments and rants only create tension and result in social media fights.

The results of our democracy should be accepted. It is fair that Trump won because the people elected him. Some will argue that we should now get rid of the electoral college, but Trump is not the first president to win this way.

People dwelling on Clinton’s loss will continue to only see Trump’s failures instead of his successes.

Opinion

15

Safe Spaces Are Important.

So is Dialogue.

The two are not mutually exclusive; more accurately, they enhance and heighten each other’s value.

A STAFF EDITORIAL Despite the stigma surrounding the name, safe spaces are important. That students have places they can go to feel accepted and comfortable encourages, rather than inhibits, personal growth.

Someone who feels alone, unheard and invalidated will not contribute to his environment in a cohesive or productive way.

In 2016, University of Chicago Dean of Students John Ellison warned incoming freshmen that safe spaces would have no place on the campus in a welcome letter.

“Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called ‘trigger warnings,’ we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own,” his letter said.

On the other side of the political-correctness spectrum, riots broke out at the University of California, Berkeley in response to Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos being invited to speak on campus.

The planned talk was canceled when protests turned violent, causing an estimated $100,000 in property damage. The students had every right to protest- peacefully. Yiannopoulos is an inflammatory conservative, precisely the type of person the student body at a liberal-majority school like UC Berkeley would be expected to oppose.

This is where the notion of the safe space overextends its usefulness. Cultivating an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of all students, particularly those of minority backgrounds, will not be accomplished by breaking the law. Too often, the most radical voices are the loudest. There is

PHOTO BY LEAH GRAHAM

Looking past hateful rhetoric to understand different points of view is necessary to have productive discussions across various schools of thought.

no healthy middle in which debate and discussion can take place when people too readily object to different ideas.

The militant refusal to allow certain perspectives to be shared, regardless of how offensive or discriminatory they may be, is more counterproductive than anything else. Protest peacefully, articulately define and declare why such a point of view is unacceptable, acknowledge the flaws or slights in

the other side’s argument.

Yes, certain spaces must be made available for people who feel marginalized to communicate regarding their experiences, but forums for public discourse must also be created. High-flung rhetoric about reaching across the aisle is mere fallacy without the means to foster dialogue between polarized schools of thought.

Utterly rejecting and denying adverse opinions is not progres-

sive. Ignoring the existence of different beliefs is not effective in furthering understanding or promoting a given set of values.

An education tempered by diverse perspectives and systems of belief is an essential factor in intellectual development. An academic environment that includes people of different backgrounds and ideologies catalyzes individuals to consider what they value themselves.

The Chariot

Boudon’s Blueprint

16

BY JENNY BOUDON // STAFF CARTOONIST