The Huron Emery Volume 8 Issue 2

KEREKES STAFF WRITER

Every year in Febru ary, an epic gathering of schools across Ann Arbor forms to debate the differ ent perspectives of various puzzling ethical and phil osophical dilemmas. This Ethics Bowl is the reward of several months of hard work by Huron’s Ethics Club. “We look at certain cases, ethical dilemmas ba sically,” junior Teyin Kim said. “We consider what all the aspects of them are,

HURON EMERY THE

The new extension to sports: Name, Image, Likeness

ANNA ESPER ZACH PHELPS WEBSITE EIC AND STAFF WRITER

Any student-athlete can make money through Name, Image, Likeness, from the stars to walk-ons, and there is no limit as to how much athletes can make under NIL.

“It gave me opportu nities to do deals with differ ent companies, which could help me later in life after my athletic career ends,” senior and kicker for Huron’s foot ball team, Adam Samaha said.

Samaha is a five

star student athlete commit ted to University of Mich igan, where he will attend school in the fall of 2023.

“I found out about NIL when I was getting re cruited by colleges,” Sama ha said. “They told me that I could be earning money based on my performance.”

Nowadays, the profes sion of “athlete” — even just at the college level — extends far beyond the act of the sport itself. It encompasses the ath lete’s image and how they per petuate that presence on social media. In fact, being on cam

era before, during, and after games is not an odd appearance for today’s athletes. Through Instagram reels, photoshoots, hype videos and more, ath letes now have the ability to make a name for them selves. It’s as easy as a post.

As of July 1, 2021, col lege athletes have the oppor tunity to make money off of their name, image and likeness (NIL). With many new athletes beginning to build their brands and this lucrative sector of sports rapidly expanding, there are increasingly more people to help them along the way.

An example is former Michigan State University linebacker, Darien Harris, who works with the football pro gram in Servant Leadership for recurrent student-athletes and Director of Player Relations and Program Advancement.

Harris guides stu dent-athletes in the football program through the NIL programs. This includes so cial media branding, reaching out, talking to businesses and podcasting. He wants to make student-athletes’ lives bet ter than he experienced, and NIL provides a new addition

Huron Players take on Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”

RIDHIMA KODALI ANNABELLE YE PRINT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & DESIGN EDITOR

how ethical each option is.”

The group studies a wide range of ethics and phi losophy spanning thousands of years of teachings, from the greatest philosophers of old, up until the ideas of the present day. There are plenty of reasons the club is alluring to its members.

“The idea of, you know, it’s not a debate club, but at the same time, there’s a debate element to it,” Kim said. “Public speaking too, I wanted to improve at.”

The classwork exam ines famous ethical dilemmas

and theories, different phil osophical modes of thought, and prepares the team for the Bowl. Last year’s Bowl has made expectations high for this year’s, and the group is excited to participate.

“The bowl itself is super fun,” Kim said. “All the studying with the cas es leading up to it, you get to know everybody.”

On Oct. 27, the Hu ron Players (HP) gathered their brightly colored dress es and wheeled out their hand-crafted pianoforte in Huron’s Ingram theater for their fall show’s opening night.

Jane Austen’s typi cal narrative of ‘falling victim to love’ was challenged by the players in their fall show: “Sense and Sensibility.”

“It’s put a bit of a feminist spin on it in that we’re empowering the female characters to make some de cisions and choices for them

selves,” Huron Players Direc tor Claire Federhofer said. “As the title suggests, some times we need to be more sensible and other times we need to be a little less cau tious and have some fun.”

The two month pro cess began with auditions

The Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) of athletes is profitable, creating many new possibilities for athletes.

PHOTO AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SANDRA FU

PHOTO BY SANDRA FU

SAMUEL

Ethics Bowl members, junior Anita Gaenko and senior Sarah Kim, pres ent to and persuade prospective members to join the club. PHOTO BY RIDHIMA KODALI

How Michigan’s Gubernatorial Election could affect Ann Arbor

SAMUEL KEREKES STAFF WRITER

On Nov. 8, citizens of Michigan gathered in polling locations to vote for their next governor. Their options are incumbent Democrat candidate Gretchen Whitmer, and Whitmer’s challenger, Republican candidate Tudor Dixon.

Many are looking forward to seeing the results of the election, here in Michigan and abroad in other states. Junior Terrance Springer, who is trained to work at the polls this coming November, explained the situation, “I know Gretchen Whitmer is the Democratic candidate and Tudor Dixon is the Republican candidate,” Springer said. “Gretchen Whitmer will win, probably. She has more popular standpoints than her opponent.”

According to poll prediction website fivethirtyeight.com, Whitmer is predicted to have a 89 percent chance of winning, while Dixon is predicted to

have a 12 percent chance. These numbers could change after the primary debates happening before the election, which will outline each candidates’ political plans in more detail.

Each of the candidates’ websites show what their plans are for Michigan. Whitmer emphasizes her funding accomplishments in economic and educational areas.

Dixon focuses on parental rights in educational settings, as well as economic reform.

State funding for schools affects Huron in the most basic way possible, by deciding how much money we receive.

Whitmer plans to support programs offering tuition-free community college, as well as all around investment in k-12 education.

Dixon is focusing on funding one-on-one reading and math tutoring for children affected by Covid lockdowns that closed schools. Both candidates have school funding in mind, but their ideas on what should be taught differ greatly.

Whitmer has overseen increases in school funding, and has not focused too

deeply on school policy and curriculum. Dixon, on the other hand, is proposing several changes in these areas.

She is pushing for easier parental observation of school curricula, as she fears kindergarten through third graders are being taught “sex and gender theory” secretly behind their parents’ backs. Dixon also envisions a civics curriculum which would focus more on America’s founding principles, and the responsibilities of the government, as envisioned by the founding fathers.

Dixon has also made her opinions clear regarding transgender students competing in school sports. Outlined by her website, she wishes to protect young girls from being forced to compete with biologically affiliated males in school-sanctioned, gender specific sports.

The most important issue of the election is undoubtedly the debate on abortion, which could effect the people of Ann Arbor greatly depending on if it is restricted or banned. Whoever becomes the governor will be able to make big decisions regarding abortion’s legality, with Whitmer trying to keep abortion legal, and Dixon being staunchly pro-life.

“On abortion, I know Gretchen wants to protect that right for women. It’s not so for Dixon. She wants

to outlaw it,” Springer said. Whitmer has stated that she will protect the right to abortion in Michigan, and has filed a preliminary injunction to halt Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban. Dixon has declared in person and on her website that she is pro life, and she wants to make Michigan a “life affirming” state. After the election controversies of 2020 and the capitol riots of 2021, some poll workers are on edge.

“I guess there’s always the possibility of people getting out of hand there,” Springer said. “But we have a bunch of procedures to go

about that if it were to happen.”

Intimidation or violence is not likely in a place such as Ann Arbor.

Overall, the outcome of this election will decide the fate of where school funding is sent, and how school curricula is presented to students and teachers alike. It will also have a major impact on abortion protections and the future of school sports.

to the world of college sports.

“Just seeing all these opportunities that these young folks are get ting that I didn’t have, it’s exciting for me,” Harris said.

Another member of the Huron community who has partaken in NIL is Se nior Torrence Greene, a re ceiver and defensive back for the Huron football team.

“[NIL] is pretty help ful for high school recruits that go to big schools like Michi gan, Michigan State, or Ohio State,” said Green, who com mitted to Wayne State Univer sity for the fall of 2023. “They usually automatically make money once they go there.”

Although there are pressures around deals and image, for Samaha there are additional pressures for play ing at the collegiate level.

“There’s a whole bunch of fans screaming your name, and when you go to other stadiums and they’re all booing you, and then zon ing in through that, that’s the biggest challenge,” he said.

NIL deals can be pre sented differently depending on where athletes play and what sport they play. The help that athletes get can go from none to a huge amount.

In fact, the more mon ey a program or team brings in, the more money their players will get in deals. This makes it so bigger programs athletes make more than smaller programs athletes.

“But it also comes with consequences for these kids fresh out of high school,” Harris said. “These schools make promises for deals that they can’t necessarily keep. The kids fall helplessly into it.”

Samaha admits that NIL can be a dis traction to athletes.

“It can make them be

come selfish,” Samaha said. “Luckily for me, my prior ities are to get a good edu cation and degree, and do whatever it takes to help the team win. If NIL presents itself, I have a team of peo ple to support me and help me make the best decisions.”

Whitmer will win probably. She has more popular standpoints than her opponent.”

TERRANCE SPRINGER

the race with 49.9 percent and Dixon with 45.0 percent from polls and surveys. (left)”Gretchen Whitmer” by University of Michigan’s Ford School is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. (right) “Tudor Dixon on Wayne Dupree Podcast” by Wayne Dupree Podcast is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

GRAPHIC BY SANDRA FU

William Epps: Student representation on the rise

JAMIE TANG STAFF WRITER

While most students join school clubs or sports, sophomore William Epps had something else in mind.

Starting last May, Epps has served as the stu dent representative of the Ann Arbor Huron Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO), responsible for raising funds and bolstering engagement in the school community.

At the time, Epps was the only student representa tive to serve on the PTSO. His commitment to communicat ing the student body to the PTSO has helped adjust the school lunches, receiving pos

itive feedback from students.

“In terms of represen tation, students are enemies to themselves,” Epps said. “We like to talk about things we want to change, but we do not take the time to take action.”

Although Epps is one of the few student rep resentatives of the PTSO, he is optimistic about see ing more student represen tatives. Epps encourages interested students to see him or Principal Che Carter.

“Student representa tives are the voice for many students,” Epps said. “Stu dents must run the school, so we can get the things we need as young people.”

First but not last: An unforgettable drag race victory

MELINDA MEI STAFF WRITER

After the race, junior Gabriella, “Gabby,” Mayrend was asked if her first place drag race trophy was bigger than auto teacher Vincent Snyder’s second place one. She responded with “No, but mine says winner on it.”

On Saturday, Oct. 1, Mayrend competed in her first ever drag race — the Washtenaw County Battle of the Schools race at Mi lan Dragway.

“I had a little bit of interest in [drag racing] but I didn’t really know how to do it or how to get involved,” Mayrend said. That is, until she heard Sny der mention it in fourth hour auto class.

At the Milan Drag way race, competitors race against their own time rather than directly against others in speed. They practice beforehand to come up with an aver age time, and give that average to the judges.

This time becomes

their goal for the actual race. When racing, competitors try to get as close as possi ble to the goal time. People are also disqualified if they go faster than that time.

“Drag racing is about consistency,” Mayrend said. “For me, it was about press ing the gas all the way down, making sure the car was go ing smooth and straight, and focusing on getting as fast of a straight shot as I can.”

There were three age groups in the race: instruc tors, college students and high school stu dents. Mayrend competed in bracket two, the “slower” but biggest brack et, which con sisted of people driving street cars, which were not spe cifically tuned up for drag racing.

“Peo ple bring in their

trucks, people bring in their dodges and their jeeps,” said Mayrend, who brought in her neighbor’s 2002 Mer cury Sable. “People race [in] everything, because it doesn’t matter what you race, as long as you’re able to get that consistency.”

To prepare Mayrend referred to Youtube videos, Snyder and the neighbor whom she had borrowed the black Mercury Sable from.

In fact, the morn ing of the race, Mayrend beat Snyder when coming up with her average time. “So I was already over ly confident,” Mayrend said. “I was like ‘oh yeah, I’m smoking everybody.’

Despite her morn ing success, Mayrend was a little nervous when it was time for the race. Since it was her first race, she didn’t have high hopes for her placement.

“I came in expecting to flat out lose and just get the experience of learning how

to drag race because not only was I inexperienced, I was literally driving a 30-yearold car,” Mayrend said.

Though she wasn’t optimistic about placing, Mayrend came into the race knowing she would have a good time, especially when Snyder mentioned that he would grill food for the Huron students who showed up therace.

Each race, two people race, and one car is eliminated from

the bracket. Throughout the day, Mayrend successfully completed about eight runs, winning the first place title.

“It was pretty exciting to keep winning,” Mayrend said. “When it got down to me and the last two people, I ran over to all the other Hu ron students and was like, ‘Oh my God guys, no matter what, we’re taking home at least third’ and then they were like ‘No, no that’s not acceptable. You gotta take home the gold.’”

And she did.

Photo of William Epps. Epps is the student representative for the PTSO (left) and PTSO Co-Treasurer Smita Malpani and President Margaret Baker discuss upcoming plans they have in store (Top) COURTESY OF WILLIAM EPPS

Mayrend prepares herself as the drag race for her bracket be gins. PHOTO BY COURTESY OF TAMMY MAYREND

Mercury Sable 2002 Mayrend drove during the drag race.

PHOTO BY CAITY HEFFERNAN

Watch Gabby Mayrend’s winning race

ALLISON MI PRINT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sophomore Audrey Hargett admits could get an email tonight saying she needs to be in Chicago in less than 24 hours.

“It’s very fastpaced,” Hargett said. “It’s very chaotic. You never know what you’re going to do.”

For Hargett, who delved into the modeling industry a year ago, this is the new normal.

In August of 2021, Hargett was scouted through social media by her now mother agency, DMM Management, which helps her get signed as a model. After a meeting with her agent at Starbucks, they learned

they lived just five minutes away from each other.

“It’s fate,” Hargett amusingly thought. She started doing photoshoots to build her book, a model’s portfolio. Then, in March 2022, she signed with Select Models, a wellknown agency in Chicago.

When it comes to her job, Hargett loves the diverse people she gets to meet, and when in front of the camera, she loves how she can become anyone, depending on her outfit.

“One day I could be a ‘90s dance and the next I could be something completely different,” Hargett said.

“The feeling being in front of a camera, it’s my favorite

Audrey Hargett: Huron sophomore and emerging model Sri Jayakumar: Miss Teen India Pageant Queen

MAYA FU WEBSITE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

In her free time, Sri Tharika Jothipuram Jayakumar casually wins beauty pageants. Recently, she was named Miss Teen India Michigan 2nd Runner-Up in the Miss India Michigan Pageant, which she discovered through the Detroit Indian Women’s Association.

“Funny story - I registered for the pageant exactly five minutes before the deadline, at 11:54 PM,” said Jayakumar.

There are three categories - Miss Teen India Michigan (which is the one Jayakumar participated in), Miss India Michigan, and Mrs. India Michigan. Miss Teen India Michigan consisted of the talent round, evening gown and introduction round. Delegates introduce themselves in less than two minutes, and each contestant’s personality is judged. Finally, the

Indian outfit round and final Q&A is where the contestants have the

physical appearance matters,”Jayakumar said. According to Jayakumar, confidence, poise, your personality, your goals in life, and philanthropic background are all factors that go into judging a pageant.

“No one I know from my family or family friends has even considered participating in a pageant before, so this was all new for me,” said Jayakumar. “I didn’t really know what to expect and I didn’t know anyone there. I remember I kept praying to try to calm down, but it didn’t really help.” Luckily for Jayakumar, her nerves relaxed over time.

“After the

first two rounds, I kind of knew what was going on and what I was doing,” she said.

“We were just all talking to each other and it was fun.”

But balancing schoolwork, other extracurriculars, and her pageants proved to be no easy feat for Jayakumar.

“I was hesitant to participate at first because this particular pageant was a month before my SAT,” said Jayakumar. “I knew deep down that I wanted to do it, so I would practice at 12 AM after I finished everything else. It all boils down to how well you manage your time. I’ve actually had to quit a couple of extracurriculars in order to continue doing what I enjoy.”

Despite this, participating in pageants has opened a whole new world of opportunities in Jayakumar’s life.

“From modeling to giving presentations on menstrual health at various schools, this experience has allowed me to connect

with organizations that have the same vision as me, which is to advocate for menstrual equity,” she said. According to Jayakumar, the pageant as a whole was an incredibly memorable experience.

“It was something that had been on my bucket list for a very long time,” she said. “So it was shocking to hear my name being announced as the second runner up. When I got there for the first time, I felt like a stranger. But now I’m close to everyone. I can go to them for advice at any time.”

This experience offered her many personal takeaways.

“It’s important to step out of your comfort zone and explore new things and make sure you don’t have any regrets in life. Pageantry is not just about an elegant crown and a sparkly sash; it’s a platform that enables you to use your voice to make a difference.”

PHOTO BY SANDRA FU

PHOTO COURTESY OF AUDREY HARGETT

PHOTO COURTESY OF SRI JAYAKUMAR

which then led to a sequence of rehearsals. While actors polished their lines individually, the majority of the rehearsals consisted of “blocking,” an operation that only involves the actors. Without the finished scenes, props and other technical factors, the focus was mostly on the different bodies moving in the space and playing with the interactions between characters.

Meanwhile, the buzz of the power tools and

frame the actors’ performance. After a key individual in the tech sphere had retired, the players had to start fresh, from reorganizing costumes to designing sets.

Filling in for the former tech supervisor Pete Goodman is Ty Santos, Scarlett Middle School’s co-band director.

“It's big shoes to fill for sure,” Santos said. “We're finding ways to work more efficiently and we're getting there. A lot of people have stepped up to fill those shoes, so we're really thankful

Santos has been working with HP since “The Addams Family” play in February 2020. In fact, he has been involved in theater since high school, playing in the pit orchestra as a trombone player and building sets during college.

“Theater tends to be a place where anybody can find a home,” Santos said. “It's kind of like the Island of Misfit Toys, but for everybody.”

With Goodman’s retirement, this was his first time designing a set alone.

“So far it's going really well,” Santos said three weeks prior to the show's opening. “But it takes a little bit longer when you're teaching yourself how to do it as you go. That’s been a challenge but not an unwelcome one.”

Santos said that the main difficulty he encountered with Goodman’s departure was the organization, in terms of where things are and what materials they have.

“In show business, we have what I call “white knuckle shows” where we work really hard all the way up to the end and then somehow we make it, and this is feeling like one of those,” Santos said during the preparation of the show.“There's a lot to do and we don't have a lot of time, but things are going really well. It's really funny, there’s subtle humor in it, but it is truly an enjoyable experience.”

And a truly enjoyable experience was delivered, according to senior Audrey Zhao, who watched the play on Oct. 28.

“It was really fun to watch them bring the characters to life,” Zhao said. “The cast did a fantastic job with this show.”

Junior Marisa Randall, who played Marianne Dashwood, one of the leads, felt “pretty good” about her performance.

“Opening night for actors and the tech

crew in general is very exciting,” Randall said. “The environment there is like nothing else. We’re all feeling the anxiety of the first show together and it just really brings us together.”

For Federhofer, doing these shows is about sparking thoughtful conversations.

“Theatre is such an important way for us to influence the way in which people think about things,” Federhofer said. “So we have those conversations in HP, like when I choose a show, the students will often ask me “why?” And we'll have conversations about that. But I think we need to figure out how we make that a broader community conversation.”

Behind the sewing machine

The backstage bustled with high school talents for The Huron Player’s performance of Sense and Sensibility. The crew head worked on fitting measurements and selecting costumes. Meanwhile, Twig Brecken and Ella Yip, two dedicated freshmen, altered dozens of costumes to suit the Georgian Period (1714-1830). Brecken and Yip share a love for Georgian Period

fashion, admiring the high waist, small puffed sleeves, flowing silk and light-weighted cotton that replaced the elaborate hoop skirts and ruffles before the French Revolution (1789-1799).

“The modern art community can learn from how simplicity is all about elegance,” Brecken said. “Fashion is not about sharp edges, weird shapes and fabrics to make it look like someone put a lot of thought into their work.”

Brecken and Yip also see connections between the costumes and the mood of Sense and Sensibility. Both of their favorite costumes — the velvet-green dress worn by one of the Gossips — sheds light on the character.

“[The dress] is kind of elaborate,” Yip said. “The green shows her untrustworthy nature, and the velvet radiates her elegance.” Brecken and Yip have a long history of honing their craft. Currently, people commission

1. A member of the ensemble cheers with glee 2. The characters gather around the ever so talkative Mrs. Jennings, played by sophomore Audrey Hargett 3. Edward Ferrars (left), played by junior Alex Harris, and Marianne Dashwood (right), played by junior Marisa Randall 4. Marianne Dashwood, played by junior Marisa Randall, grieves her lost love, John Willoughby, af ter learning about his scandalous entanglements 5. Colonel Brandon (left), played by senior Jacob Wing and Mrs. Jennings (right), played by sopho more Audrey Hargett 6. The Gossips listen in on the scandalous lives of the Dashwood sisters PHOTOS BY SANDRA FU

THEATER

JAMIE TANG STAFF WRITER

(Bottom left) Elinor Dashwood, played by senior Sofia Piper, writes a letter. (Top right) The Gossips peek through the Dashwoods' window to witness the drama unfold

The fact and fiction about birth order sterotypes

GINA KO & MAYA FU FEATURE EDITOR & WEBSITE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Oldest

Many people think that the oldest should always be second parents for younger siblings. Sarah Wroblewski, world language teacher, agrees with the responsibility that she has to take from a young age for her three younger siblings.

“[When I tell people I’m the oldest] sometimes people say, ‘Oh, that’s why you’re so responsible or conscientious,’” Wroblewski said. “That’s probably the biggest reaction because there’s a stereotype toward the oldest that they have to be responsible and hardworking.”

However, these stereotypical characteristics of the oldest child are not

always the determinant factor in shaping one’s personality. According to the research by Northern Michigan University, participants’ evaluations of children were not affected by the implied birth order of the child. Rather, the interaction and relationship between younger siblings is what Wroblewski thinks heavily influences an individual’s personality.

“It’s nice to have younger siblings because you always have somebody that you can reach out to for help as a companion,” Wroblewski said. “You are also able to support them. It’s always nice to be able to spend time together as a family.”

When it comes to the middle children, the stereotype known as “middle child syndrome” depicts them as often forgotten, ignored or excluded by the younger and older siblings. Senior Ava Chinnukroh, who has an older and younger brother, agrees with some aspects of this stereotype.

“I feel like my younger brother gets more attention and compliments,” Chinnukroh said. “If I got an award in middle school, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”

As a middle child and the only girl surrounded by two brothers, Chinnukroh is a peacemaker among her siblings. “When my siblings were fighting, my grandparents used to tell me that I’m supposed to keep peace and everything.”

MiddleThroughout these relationships and experiences as a middle child, Chinnukroh has developed her own way to take care of herself. “I think being a middle child definitely has shaped my personality,” Chinnukroh said.

“I’m being more independent. I try to take care of myself first before anything or anyone.”

Chinnukroh still thinks the relationship and interactions with her siblings is a big part of who she is.

“Having an older brother is good because I can get some advice or help for homework,” Chinnukroh said.

“Having a younger brother is iffy. Sometimes he annoys me but he’s nice. I can also help him with most stuff.”

Only Child

Sophomore Liv Kalikin, an only child, describes a much different childhood.

“I’ve gotten sympathetic reactions when I tell people I’m an only child, as though I need siblings to have a good childhood,” Kalikin said.

They explained how there were both positives and negatives to their upbringing, similarly to other interviewees.

“I never had to share anything, whether it be time or toys,” Kalikin said. “I could do what I wanted whenever I wanted without having to be concerned about how a sibling felt about doing that activity.”

However, there were downsides.

“I got very good at entertaining myself but I still felt sad when friends with siblings would describe

the fun activity they did with their siblings over the weekend,” Kalikin said. “There was nothing to hide behind. I had to do all the chores, and if I did anything wrong, it was all on me.”

Being an only child has also tremendously shaped Kalikin’s personality.

“I am also very good at being alone and being enthused with being alone, because my mom was very busy,” they said.

To go along with this, Kalikin has to deal with the many false stereotypes that go along with being an only child.

“A lot of people think that only children are selfish and only think about themselves,” they said. “But that is wholly untrue because they have had to think about themselves for most of their lives, and are very happy to talk to others.”

Youngest

Then there’s the youngest child — commonly the most stereotyped sibling. They’re often believed to be coddled, lazy and babied. But sophomore Wilhelmine Guenther believes the very opposite.

“My parents never really ‘babied’ me all that much in comparison to my siblings, and I was always expected to have good behavior along with the rest of them,” said Guenther, youngest of four older sisters. “In my family, being the youngest always meant I had to do all the annoying tasks and menial labor because of the ‘hierarchy’ that was in place.”

Guenther then went on to describe how she does feel pressure

from her parents and older siblings.

“I feel as though a lot of my accomplishments were just expectations that they already had in place,” Guenther said.

“And I know that my siblings just want me to be as successful as possible, but sometimes it feels like they are expecting me to do a lot with myself that I just am not capable of.”

Through her interactions with her sisters, Guenther became observational in nature.

“Being the youngest child has caused me to become much more of an observer than a participant,” Guenther said. “Seeing how my siblings were always succeeding motivated me a lot to work hard as well.”

Wroblewski (second to right) is oldest amongst one younger sister and two younger brothers COURTESY OF WRO BLEWSKI

The oldest is responsible, the middle is a peacemaker, the youngest is outgoing, and the only child is selfish. Although the famous Adler’s theory claims that the order in which a child is born shapes their development and personality, there is more than just birth order that influenc es an individual’s character, according to Huron students and staff.

Guenther (right) with her four older sisters COURTESY OF GUENTHER

Chinnukroh (right) with her older brother and younger brother COURTESY OF CHINNUKROH

Kalikin with their mom COURTESY OF KALIKIN

Extra time on testsImmoral or imperative?

ANJALI NADARAJAH STAFF WRITER

You walk into your math class, ready for today’s test. You’ve been studying every day for the past week, and you know the material like the back of your hand.

The teacher hands out tests, and you start solving. After finishing the first question, your teacher makes an alarming announcement- “10 minutes left, class!” There’s no way you spent that long on the first question, right? But there’s no time to dwell on this fact. You scramble to finish the rest of the questions, but it’s no use. The teacher collects your test while your fingers are still scribbling the arbitrary answers you wrote.

Does this nightmare sound familiar to you? It happened to me just last Friday, and I was left with feelings of regret, frustration, but mostly the dread of finding out my grade. Extra test time given to all students doesn’t harm anyone. If anything, it alleviates pressure on students who are finishedknowing they have even more time to review or finish other classwork. I can’t be the only person who feels this way, right? Is it even my fault? Shouldn’t we all just get extra test time?

Allison Schwartz from the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity saw an improvement from extra test time. “Extra time wasn’t the entire solution, but with it I saw my confidence improve, and with that, so did my grades.”

But should only students who have a learning disability get extra time, or would all students show improved grades with it?

“Research has found that having more time can raise scores for students who

have a decent grasp of the test material, whether or not they have a disability,” The New York Times reported. “Some experts called into question the assumption that speed is an important element of intelligence or ability and have argued that admissions tests would be fairer if all students were given the option of more time.”

Yet, timed tests are so common — why do teachers continue to bother with them? Some may say that a student’s testing speed reflects their intelligence, and that it’s not a teacher’s job to care if a student can eventually finish a test.

I believe that is simply not true. Teachers teach all kinds of students, each with different learning speeds. Should they not attempt to understand their students’ abilities?

“Typically, in less supportive circumstances (anxiety over a high-stakes test, being asked to tackle an unfamiliar problem), the skill collapses (regresses) and must be rebuilt,” Education Week said.

The reality of tests is that students face a lot more than just the questions.

With more time, I could have finished every question with time and care. Instead, I landed with a grade similar to that of a someone who was not in my class doing a calculus test. Many students have the potential to excel, but are restricted by inadequate time limits.

If you’re a teacher who’s collecting unfinished tests, I urge you to understand your students’ capabilities, and consider allocating more time for tests. Whether that be after school, before school or during lunch, students should at least have the opportunity to finish their tests.

LUNCH

MORE LIKE NO TIME

RACHEL OVERGAARD STAFF WRITER

When the bell rings after the last class and before lunch, students can be seen speed walking and pushing through people to get to the lunchroom. I definitely do this everyday, but why is this happening?

Students at Huron are simply not given enough time to eat, socialize, and take a break from learning during the lunch period. According to the CDC, students should have about minutes to eat lunch, with a 20 minute seated time. Huron definitely does not meet that standard.

Students are given twenty-six minutes to eat. The problem is though, we don’t actually have that much time. By the time I get down to the lunchroom from the third floor and get my lunch out, it’s already five minutes into lunch. Now my time is cut down to 21 minutes. Still not too bad though, right? Wrong. My friends and I eat and talk, and all of sudden we’re being told to pack up and head to class. You’d think that we’d be told to pack up at the end of lunch, but that’s not the case. Early lunch ends

at 11:11 a.m., yet we’re told everyday like clockwork to leave at 11:06 a.m. Why do we have to leave five minutes early? After factoring in that lost time, students have about 16 minutes for lunch.

Lunch isn’t just important for eating. It gives us a break from thinking, staring at computer screens, writing, reading, and more academic activities. If we had a longer lunch period, we might be more focused on our afternoon classes since we wouldn’t be thinking about the things we didn’t have time to talk about or do.

The issue doesn’t stop there. Students might get 16 minutes when bringing a lunch to school, but what about students who buy school lunch? The lunch line takes way too long to get through. Last week, I got school lunch and I didn’t sit down to eat until we were already ten minutes into lunch, meaning I only had about 11 minutes to eat.

Some think we have enough time to eat, but the fact of the matter is that we don’t — especially

when we have to leave five minutes before lunch actually ends.

At the end of the day, Huron’s students would benefit from a longer lunch period and I, along with a bunch of other students, think that change needs to happen.

A few ideas for how this could happen is to first, shorten the amount of time it takes to get lunch from the school. We could add an extra line to pay for our food or find a more efficient way to actually receive the food so it isn’t backed up. Another thing the school could do is simply extend the lunch period. This could be done by extending the school day by a few minutes. If that isn’t an option then a possible solution is to get rid of the seven class schedule and switch to six or even a block schedule. We could take that time and add it to lunch and use the other part for an advisory class of sorts. A final idea if we can’t change the time for lunch is to make sure we do have the full 26 minutes to eat. It’s important to let students take inthe allotted amount of time to make sure our lunch is fully consumed.

Drew Harding: Meet Huron’s quarterback

ZAIN CHARANIA SPORTS EDITOR

“I felt like there was an expectation, be ing a transfer as well as the starting quarterback,” ju nior Andrew Harding said.

Harding was a for mer backup quarterback for the cross-conference ri val Saline Hornets, headed by nationally ranked No tre Dame commit CJ Carr.

“CJ had nothing to do with me transferring,” Hard ing said. “I just had to move and felt like Ann Arbor Huron

was the right place for me.”

There was no cor relation between Harding’s backup position at Saline and his transfer but you could feel the animosity between Harding and Sa line during their Week 1 matchup at Huron on Sep. 1.

In the defining game, Harding did not shy away from the spotlight. He threw and rushed for 212 combined yards with two passing touchdowns and only one interception against Saline’s strong defense.

The Huron quar

terback room has been be yond helpful in fa cilitating Drew’s growth as a player.

“The [oth er QBs] have helped me learn the playbook and pick up the Huron culture,” he said. “Ev erybody has welcomed me though, made me feel part of something more than me.”

Although the start of the season was a little shaky the Huron football team -starting out 0-2 with a de flating loss to Lapeer and the close nail-biter between

THE FINAL TIMEOUT:

Saline CRUSHES THE RATS’ PLAYOFF DREAMS

commanding 57-0 win over crosstown rival Pioneer, for over 200 cumulative yards and three passing touch downs. Harding and the Riv er Rats then came back to River Bank Stadium to win against Temperance Bed ford. The football team hopes to play at the Ford Field for the state championship.

“I feel loved and appreciated by the coach ing staff and my team mates,” Harding said. “I think we can do something special with this team.”

LUIS GOMEZ:

past two or three years. So it lights a fire under the boys to match those accomplish ments and go out there and do their best.”

PHELPS STAFF WRITER

Huron’s football season ended Friday night at Hornet Stadium, losing to Saline 10-7 and exiting the playoffs in the first round for the second year in a row. The Rats fought hard in this lowscoring affair, with the defense playing stelar all night. The offense didn’t however, only putting up seven points and having few productive drives.

RECAP: Saline got out to an early 7-0 lead after a pass interference penalty on fourth and 13 put them in position for a 16 yard CJ Carr touchdown pass. The Huron defense got Saline to a fourth and 8, and after a false start penalty made it fourth and 13 the crucial penalty led directly to Saline’s only touchdown on the night. Similar mistakes at inopportune times played a huge role throughout the rest of the game, as penalties could very well be looked at as a culprit for this loss.

It didn’t take long for Huron to strike back with its best offensive drive of the night, 90 percent of which can be credited to Sophomore Star Kameron Flowers.

Flowers took a slant route over the middle and showed

off his combo agility and burner speed as he weaved through the Saline defense taking it 70 yards inside the Hornet 10 yard line. Although it took the rats four plays, they did cash in and tied the game at seven with a two yard touchdown run.

Notably, Huron had to use back to back timeouts before the touchdown run.

Senior lineman Camerone Brown’s helmet came off on third down, causing him to have to sit out the fourth down play. Huron called a timeout before the ensuing fourth down attempt, but coming out of the timeout the Rats were confused whether or not Brown could be in the game. Huron couldn’t get the proper personnel in as a result, and they had to use their second straight timeout without running a play.

Huron put together another solid drive right before halftime, and the rats converted a 4th and 2 opportunity from the Saline 36 with 50 seconds to go in the half.

After Huron used its final timeout, a Donel Green catch seemingly got the rats deeper into field goal range, but a 15 yard personal foul penalty on Huron pushed them back close midfield.

Huron got the ball into position for a field goal attempt, but Senior Kicker Adam Samaha missed the

54 yarder to keep the game tied at seven. The penalty combined with the earlier mix up that left Huron with only one timeout prevented a more makeable field goal attempt.

After forcing a Saline punt on their first drive of the second half, Huron got the ball on its own nine yard line. The rats’ offense put together a nice drive with a combination of two Andrew Harding passes as he was dragged to the ground and a 4th and one pickup on their own 40.

After two Donel Green runs for a total of 20 more yards, he got another carry and put the ball on the ground. Saline recovered to put an end to the drive.

After the teams traded punts in the late third and early fourth quarters, Saline drove the ball down inside the Huron 40 yard line with eight minutes to go. The first of two decisive penalties was a facemask by the Huron defense on a third down that moved Saline down to the Huron 24.

Three plays later the Huron defense forced a 4th and one attempt for the Hornets, which the rats jumped offsides on, giving away yet another first down.

Even though Huron

got a red zone stop, Saline made a 24 yard field goal, which proved to be the game winning kick after the Rat’s offense couldn’t put anything together on its final possession.

TURNING POINT:

Senior Running Back Donel Green’s fumble in the third quarter. Aside from the earlier touchdown drive, this was Huron’s best offensive possession of the game. The defense had a great series and forced a punt to get the ball back, and to have the offense put together a nice drive, getting the ball inside the Saline 40 and fumbling it was crushing. The offense couldn’t get anything going after that and this proved to be a huge momentum shifting play even though Saline didn’t score on the ensuing possession.

WHY HURON LOST:

Ill-timed penalties–some of them questionable calls– and a lack of productive drives on offense were the biggest reasons for the season ending loss. Multiple offside

and neutral zone infraction penalties on third and fourth downs, more than one questionable defensive pass interference call and the biggest penalty being the personal foul near the end of the first half that ultimately resulted in a long field goal attempt. This coupled with the fact that the offense just wasn’t productive enough, is why Huron’s season is over.

Huron was also missing key players across the offensive line was definitely a factor in the offense’s struggles.

Starters, senior Laith Samaha and junior Sam Mungar were both out due to injuries in this game, and were sorely missed on the offensive line.

Because of these injuries, the Rats had to play musical chairs along the line. Camerone Brown and Bruce Williams both played snaps at guard and because of Mungar’s absence,

READ THE FULL STORY ON THEHURONEMERY.COM

Pioneer High School alum, Luis Gomez, is a River Rat — through and through.

“I joke with my play ers that I’ve been at Huron almost twice as long as I was at Pioneer,” the men’s soccer coach said. “So I really do feel like a River Rat.”

Gomez immigrated from Mexico City at the age of nine and began playing soccer in high school after a friend introduced it to him.

“The great thing about it is that even if I didn’t know the language, I was able to make friends because I could play and I wanted to play,” Gomez said.

He even went on to play as a semi-pro for a sea son and a half, after attend ing Madonna University and has been a coach at Huron for seven years so far.

“I enjoy the compet itive aspect,” Gomez said. “It’s a great outlet. I work a full-time job and coaching is a fun activity that I get to do with my staff and the players that we work with. The cool thing is, we are all on the same boat, working towards the same goal.”

That goal is winning the district championship.

“The women’s pro gram has done an awesome job showing us that winning the district championship is possible,” he said. “The boys have wanted it for the

Each season, Gomez lays out a team plan and en sures that the players under stand the rules and reactions to specific situations.

Currently, the var sity team practices six days a week and has two to three games on top of that.

On a day to day ba sis, the players work on their weaknesses.

“At the moment we’re pressuring the ball, making sure we get the ball back as soon as possible,” Gomez said. “As a first-year or second-year varsity coach, I was focusing more on the X’s and O’s, but I started to change my mentality where personal relationships and interactions off the field mat ter as much as what we’re do ing on the field, supporting each other.”

When it comes to coaching, becoming a father 16 months ago changed Go mez’s mindset towards his players. He also saw a change in perspective that came with the pandemic.

“I see the players differently,” Gomez said. “I think of my daughter and little things like how I would want her to be treated, how I would want somebody to try to coach her and relate to her. A big shift when it came to my mentality and my phi losophy as a coach was caring more about the person first

more than a coach

and then dealing with the player afterward.”

Gomez had met some of the players on his team when they visited Hu ron as eighth grade students.

“I still remember meeting them for the first time and seeing them grow from little freshmen who come up to my shoulder to kids being taller than me,” he said. “It is really special and I care for them. We have a very good relationship where if they need to improve in something they know I’m go ing to tell them exactly what they need to do to get more playing time.”

Gomez enjoys seeing the upperclassmen embrac ing the underclassmen, such as how the older kids make sure the younger kids have rides to activities or having kids tutor each other.

“The general atmo sphere [in the Huron soccer program] is very good com pared to some of the other atmospheres,” Gomez said.

The community as pect of the sport is very valu able to the team and Gomez, even though they haven’t had much success in the playoffs.

“Seeing how the players take that last mo ment is very memorable,” Gomez said. “You see how much they care for the pro gram, how much they love the sport. Their last game at the end of the season is emotional and they really put in their best effort. Some of those games are the most memorable because a lot of

times those are the last mo ments that we as a group are ever together.”

But Gomez still feels a connection to each and ev ery player, no matter what because he is a River Rat through and through.

“You get a special ex perience going to Huron be cause you get to meet people from different backgrounds and different cultures,” Go mez said. “That’s a great thing about living in Ann Ar bor. We have that diversity and it enriches the players’ experience. And whether they go to a big school or a small school, it does them

Right now the pro gram boasts four teams: freshman, two JV squads and varsity. Gomez wants ev eryone to have an opportuni ty to grow in the program. He encourages more students to come and watch the games.

“We have a very fun team that attacks a lot,” Go mez said. “We try to make soccer look fun and cool. It’d be awesome to get more stu dents out there to see what the soccer team is doing on the field. Most team sports are focused on just winning and we want to win but we also want to do it together.”

RIDHIMA KODALI & SATVIKA RAMANATHAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & WEBSITE MANAGING EDITOR

ZACH

PHOTO COUR TESY OF LUIS GOMEZ

PHOTO BY ZAIN CHARANIA

Why space travel matters

ANITA GAENKO OPINION EDITOR

Ever since NASA took its baby steps into the public eye in the middle of the 20th century, space travel has been heavily scrutinized by a skeptical populace.

Reactions range from gushing over the beautiful images and captivating discoveries to complaining fiercely about a “waste of money.” But space exploration is more than just discovery for the sake of discovery. There are real, practical reasons why it matters.

While war has been credited with “breeding innovation,” the same can be said for human advancement into space. Without the space program, we couldn’t have GPS or weather forecasting. Every time you open up Maps, you’re connected to a satellite that can pinpoint your location within a meter and measure time within ten nanoseconds. And, unlike war, exploration into space actually fosters connections between nations. The International Space Station

(ISS) is one of the greatest international collaborative efforts in history -- NASA calls it “the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.” While the USA and Russia have the biggest presence, Japan, Canada, and several countries in Europe are also involved in the program. Even while tensions rise between countries, the collaboration and camaraderie on the ISS remains strong. Shared innovation may be the closest shot we have towards world peace.

Meanwhile, NASA is working towards saving Earth from an asteroid impact. It may seem like a figment of science fiction, but in truth, it’s not a question of if another large asteroid hits Earth -- it’s when. Most recently, NASA’s

Asteroid-Deflection Test successfully redirected the path of the asteroid Dimorphos. Once an asteroid is actually detected to be moving towards Earth, it will be obvious how crucial the space program is to public safety -- but these programs are expensive, and unfortunately, it’s hard to recognize their benefits before a catastrophe actually happens.

Right now, mass space travel could be hundreds of years

away. The colonization of space is not an endeavor for the near future, and we don’t yet quite have a “backup planet” if something happens to the Earth. However, space exploration can actually release some of the strain on our natural resources. Mining of precious metals on the Earth has led to extreme environmental damage and often involves human exploitation.

But beyond our atmosphere lies a wealth of valuable minerals in asteroids. Many companies want to mine these asteroids instead of damaging the Earth, something that could take some of the weight off our planet as the population grows.

The study of space is expensive. People who work in the programs have to be incredibly specialized. Spaceships crash and satellites fail. But ultimately, there is a wealth of knowledge, collaboration, and materials to be found if we just look up to the stars.

Lateness over learning

Staff Editorial: The lack of enforcement on tardiness leads to more tardiness

Every morning around 8 a.m. at Huron, a crowd of students run franti cally through the arch, trying to catch the side doors from closing. Luckily, students catch the closing door at 8:02 a.m., in relief of being on time.

However, did the students really arrive at school on time?

Many students be lieve that they are not late if they enter the school build ing by 8 a.m. when the class bell rings.

The tardy policy at

Huron states that students have to be “in their first hour class” by 8 a.m., not just in the school building, in order to be marked on-time.

Aside from the students that are not aware of the policy, part of the problem belongs to the en forcement posed on regulat ing tardiness from students. From late busses, to traffic, to long lunch lines, how can tardiness be properly excused and defined?

While most students who arrive at school around 8 a.m. tend to get to class

minutes after the bell rings, they are not always marked as tardy when they look at their attendance from that day.

In effect, students start to realize that arriving a couple minutes late to class is essentially arriving on time, which leads them to think of the tardy policy as ignorable.

In the following classes after the first hour, there are many more occa sions where students tend to arrive late to class.

By the time lunch

ends, students in the library are expected to head to their fourth or fifth hour right away. However, it is not difficult to spot a number of students who stay in the library until the class bell rings, knowing that classes after lunch tend to be more lenient towards tardiness. This tolerance towards tardiness not only allows late students to con tinue arriving late, but also encourages other students who were on time to forget the need to get to class on time.

School policies at Huron are equally applied for every student. Policies against tardiness should be enforced properly all throughout the day in order for every student to receive the same treatment. And stu dents need to respect that.

In high school, time is an obligated commitment for every student. As the loose regulation against tardiness continues and students take advantage of it, it is not far to see teach ers taking attendance in an empty classroom.

SpaceX launches a rocket during testing. Photo courtesy of RawPixel. CC0 1.0

Media’s glorification of historically horrible people needs to stop

TARIK FERMIN PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

With just a lit tle research, anyone can educate themselves on the true atrocities that Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer commit ted against predominantly Black gay men throughout the late 1900s. Yet, Netflix’s newly produced biopic on Dahmer’s life, “Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” has taken both the Netflix queues of the world and the internet by storm.

Netflix often roman ticizes and badly frames hor rible figures in history such as Dahmer, and it needs to stop.

One could expect a TV show about a monstrous serial killer to bring more in sight into the court cases, or how Dahmer was brought to justice, or even or even how Dahmer managed to evade being caught for so long.

Instead, Dahmer is over-sexualized through var ious scenes of him exercising shirtless. Additionally, while showing Dahmer’s child hood, the show emphasizes how Dahmer was picked on by his peers and verbal ly abused by his parents.

Dahmer’s crimes are rarely shown after the first episode of the show, subtly weaken ing the idea that Dahmer is the villain of the show.

Portraying over ly-sexualized shirtless work out scenes, Netflix roman ticizes a man who even they admit in their title was a monster. Netflix also con tributes to the notion that Dahmer’s crimes were due to his adverse childhood through the show’s framing of his relationship with his parents and his peers—tak ing away accountability from the terrible acts he committed against the Black community. This isn’t the only time where a popular Netflix show romanticized a

historically terrible person. “Narcos” ran three seasons and was about the rise of the infamous Co lombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, and how the U.S. government managed to stop him.

The show’s general storyline frames Escobar as a “rags to riches” story of a poor Colombian kid who became the world’s most feared cartel leader, but also a compassionate man who loved his family and com munity; while the FBI agent assigned to catch him is outdone time and time again by this drug lord’s creativity and quick thinking.

In reality, Pablo Escobar was a monster with little to no conscience who ravaged, killed, and dev astated countless innocent Colombian lives. But the way Netflix chose to portray Pablo Escobar casts him as a daring and clever crimi nal who escapes the police countless times.

Returning to the topic of serial killers, Netflix casted Zac Efron in a biopic on Ted Bundy’s court case in their 2019 film, “The Extremely Wicked, Shock ingly Evil and Vile.” Netflix not only cast an actor who was widely regarded as conventionally attractive to play a deranged serial killer, but also, unlike Jeffrey Dahmer’s TV series, never showed Bundy committing any crimes until the last five minutes of the movie — when he had already been proven guilty in the film. In fact, most of the movie puts Bundy on display as a man, falsely accused of his crimes and just trying to free himself to return to his girl friend. A movie with a plot framed towards the possibil ity of a psychopathic murder being innocent and casting a generally handsome male lead as that said murderer, is an easy way to give viewers the wrong impression of the film’s plot.

Though the events that Netflix displays in their shows may be true, the messages behind them, how the stories are told, how the scripts are written, and how the sequences unfold, glori fies these objectively horrible people one way or another.

Among the 17 counts of first degree murder, and the numerous other counts of sexual assault and harrassment of young men that Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted for, it’s disgusting to even attempt to bring sexual appeal to him or his image; there’s no reason to glorify the legacy of a mon ster. Netflix and other media outlets need to acknowledge how impressionable their viewers are when producing media about historically aw ful people and stop romanti cizing and glorifying the true monsters of history through dramatic reenactments.

Midnights: THE ALBUM REVIEW

ANITA GAENKO & ANNA ESPER OPINION EDITOR & WEBSITE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With the release of “Midnights”, Taylor Swift has officially returned to the pop music scene. Swift refers to the periods of time around her album releases as her “eras”-- and from the opening beats of “Lavender Haze”, it’s clear that the “Midnights” era is going to be different from “Folklore” and “Evermore”.

As a whole, though, it’s hard to pinpoint the mood of “Midnights.” There are lively, upbeat songs such as “Karma,” “Bejeweled” and “Lavender Haze.” But Swift shines the most on the songs about her insecurities as a public figure, a woman and a person in love.

The era started off with the lead single “An ti-Hero”, the third track off

the album. The song starts off with a simple beat and Swift’s vulnerable lyrics: “I have this thing where I get older, but just never wis er.” Swift then continues on sharing her insecurities throughout the rest of the song.

Each verse starts with a broad insecurity that is analyzed as the verse con tinues. By the end, we essen tially get a look into Swift’s brain — a clear demonstra tion that this is one of Swift’s strongest leading singles in her career.

“You’re On Your Own, Kid” shines as an instant favorite from the album. It’s a relatable song with lyrics that a younger Swift’s insecurities about her goals: “I search the party who’ve better bodies/Just to learn that my dreams aren’t rare.” She then ends with an uplifting message to her young fanbase: “You’re on

your own, kid/Yeah, you can face this/You’re on your own, kid/You always have been.”

However, not every song on the album has met the high expectations set by the extensive promotion campaign.

The highly-antici pated fourth track collabo ration with Lana Del Rey, “Snow on the Beach,” has Del Rey singing less than 20 words. Instead of having a full verse, Del Rey sings backing vocals for Swift at several points throughout the song.

As a surprise, Swift released seven extra songs titled “Midnights (3am Edition).” Two of the standout songs include “The Great War” and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve.” The seven vulnerable songs reflect on love, heartbreak, and general emotions from Swift’s past.

“Mid nights” is a huge success, breaking records and topping charts. It’s clear to see that Taylor Swift put everything she could into this album, her tenth studio album, espe cially after she’s previously expressed that she believed “Lover” would be her last commercial hit. Jack An tonoff’s production on the

album is a blend of Swift’s previous hits, “1989” and “Reputation,” combined with her expert lyricism, “Mid nights” is a solid 9/10. You can listen to it on Spotify, Apple Music, and anywhere else you get your music.

GRAPHICS BY SANDRA FU

GRAPHIC BY TARIK FERMIN

Ryan Coogler: Changing the film industry one movie at a time

JACKSON POLLARD

PHOTO EDITOR

Ryan Coogler is a director, pro ducer, and screenwriter who has tallied four NAACP Image Awards, four Black Reel Awards, an Academy Award nom ination, and was a runner-up for Time Magazine’s Person of the Year Award in 2018. What’s even more important than the awards he’s won is his capability to tell stories about black life. Whether it’s a fictional, comic-based story or a re al-life story of social and racial injustice,

wanted to better his life because of how it affected those around him, just like so many other black men across the country. This personification is so important because of how desensitized we’ve become in the general public when it comes to these highly reported police shooting cases. We hear names, not people. We hear situations, not experiences. Fruit vale Station shows a personality and forces the closest thing to a personal experiecne between you and Grant

nections that can be made to these mov ies and “Black Panther” is that instead of showing realistic examples of Black life, it showcases Black representation through a lens of power and royalty-something black people in America aren’t used to seeing or typically able to show their children. Coogler’s all Black cast in “Black Panther” finally gave every black child a chance to idolize a superhero that looks like them.

As I watched my own little sister’s eyes light up as a black woman saved King T’Challa, I felt an im

“Luckiest Girl Alive”: A disappointment

RIDHIMA KODALI PRINT-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“Luckiest Girl Alive,” based on a book by Jessica Knoll, follows TifAni “Ani” Fanelli (Mila Kunis), who has a picture perfect life, a-- rich-fiance, well-settled job as New York Magazine editor, but just as everything starts to set in place, a filmmaker approach es her about the devastating events she was involved in high school. Ani cannot escape the past, from the very first scene of the film to the ending, and the fil cannot escape from falling flat.

Chiara

Whether it’s a fiction al, comic-based story

GRAPHICS BY SAMANTHA GOLDSTEIN

Huron’s Multi-Cultural performance returns

DANIEL LEE NEWS EDITOR

Every year, right be fore winter break, all students and families are invited to the grand cultural celebration at Huron. The multicultur al show, referred to as “Multi Culti,” is an annual cultural performance that showcases the talent and cultural back grounds of individual students and clubs at Huron.

This year, the show will take place on Dec.22 in the Meyers auditorium, and try outs for clubs to qualify for the Multi Culti production were held on Oct.18.

While Multi Culti has been passed down as one of the most beloved traditions at Huron, the show has not been held for over two years since the out break of COVID-19.

“I was actual ly really upset when I heard we were not go ing to have Multi Culti the past two years,” junior and Co-Cap tain of the Indian Stu dent Association (ISA) Sri Jayakumar said. “Multi Culti is ISA’s main event and even though I have been part of the club since ninth grade, I actually never got to see Multi Culti myself.”

Though Jayakumar has not yet gotten to experi ence Multi Culti, she is more than excited to be a part of it.

“I can’t believe we are actually performing this year,” Jayakumar said. “I watched so many YouTube videos of the previous performances from ISA and they looked re ally cool, so I am really happy that we get to be on stage and perform in front of the whole school.”

The Indian Student Association primarily focuses on learning and practicing the traditional dances and songs from various parts of India like Bhangra (Punjabi dance), South Indian songs, and Hin di film music, which are their main performances at Multi Culti.

“It is very important that students are experienc ing all the different cultures around the world and educat ing themselves on learning the diver sity within our stu dent body,” Jaya kumar said.

As much as the ISA is delighted to perform at Multi Culti, APEX, one of the biggest cultur al clubs at Huron, is also working hard towards preparing their performances.

Senior and President of APEX, Nicholas “Nick” Ji ang hopes all the four branches of APEX, hip hop dance, yoyo, glowsticking and staffing, will perform this year.

The four branches in APEX often work as four sep

arate teams. While they all work together preparing for the show, most of their prac tices and activities are done within their own branch.

“Within our club, we do not really get to see what other branches are working on most of the time,” Jiang said. “As much as we are excited to see other clubs perform, we are also excited to see what other branches in our club will come up with their performance.”

Online school and the pandemic has not only inter

SAV Club says cheers to soymilk

JAMIE TANG STAFF WRITER

The Sustainability and Veg an Club (SAV): Rooting for Soymilk in School Lunches

Vegan lifestyles are associat ed with reduced heart diseas es, high blood pressure, and lower cholesterol levels while offering environmental bene fits.

Despite these find ings, only six percent of Amer ican consumers are vegan. The Sustainability and Vegan Club (SAV), founded in 2020 by

junior Zoe Zhang, is on a mis sion to uproot this reality.

This year, the SAV Club is excited to collaborate with Mike Devries, the Chart wells Assistant Manager, to introduce soy milk into Ann Arbor Public School lunch es, which would also support lactose-intolerant students.

“We can’t change ev erything, so we want to change one small thing,” Zhang said.

Besides expanding vegan options in lunches, the SAV Club strives to raise $800 to fund a vertical garden and

other sustainable projects.

The SAV Club meets after school every other Friday from 3-3:45 p.m. in the Huron library.

“One of the biggest benefits is knowing your im pact on the planet and envi ronment,” Zhang said. “Before I became vegan, I never con sidered the process — I used to love meat — but now I real ize I could directly impact the environment and animals.”

rupted students’ social lives but also the school spirit. In fact, current seniors at Huron are the only students who have experienced Multi Culti.

“I am excited that we are passing that down to the underclassmen because they have not experienced one yet,” Jiang said.

Along with the stun ning performances that APEX is preparing for Multi Culti, Jiang also hopes that their performance encourages un

ticipation for the show in the future.

For Jayakumar, Jiang, and many others, Multi Culti is more than just a performance. It allows them to represent and showcase a portion of their culture to their peers and community, and to reflect and strengthen their own personal connection to their culture.

“It is that time of the year when everyone comes to gether,” Jayakumar said.

Trick or treat on the river - an Ann Arbor Halloween tradition

ANJALI NADARAJAH STAFF WRITER

Last Sunday, Gallup Pond was packed with families lining up to participate in the annual Trick or Treat on the River. Parents and children rented canoes and traveled all across the water, stopping at about 20 different stations. Each station was set on a dock, with volun teers dressed in costume and handed out candy. Freshman Emma Schneidewind, at Hu ron High School, volunteered to hand out candy dressed as a swamp monster. The only difference between normal volunteers and her, was that she was stationed in the water.

“It was really fun,” Schnei dewind said. “I’ve loved doing this since I was little. It was pretty cold by the end, but it was really rewarding to see all of the happy kids.”

Schneidewind has been attending the event every year since she was a toddler, but back then, she was the one in the canoe. Now being old er, Schneidewind’s volunteer ing evokes a lot of nostalgia.

“It’s weird, really,” she said. “My favorite part was seeing the swamp monster costumes, and now I get to be one.”

Huron’s Indian Student Association began practices and preparing for auditions on Sept. 18. RIDHIMA KODALI

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Senior Lucy Schneidewind hands out candy to a group of trick-or-treaters canoeing in Gallup PHOTO BY ANJALI NADARAJAH

(Left)The SAV Club volunteered at Starry Skies, a non-profit organization in Washtenaw Coun ty that rescues horses from slaughter. The SAV Club helped refill water, cleaned horse stalls, scooped poop, and fed snacks to the rescued horses. (Right) Mike Devries visits the SAV Club in the library to discuss plans to improve the labeling of plant-based options and introduce vegan options in AAPS lunches. From left to right, Arav Bhojani, Mike Devries, Max Samaha, Zoe Zhang, and Serena Chang. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAV CLUB

It’s time to BeReal.

In REAL time

The notification goes off..she has two minutes to post the best BeReal she could think of. Senior Rachel Overgaard posts herself and sophomore Jaya Shah at the Steve Lacy concert in Detroit. “It was a little bit of a wait, but it was worth it because the concert was super upbeat and super exciting.,” Overgaard said. “This guy was crying nect to me. I think he realy

liked the concert or something.” The BeReal went off at perfect timing as Lacy took the stage, “I promise I didn’t wait to take it,” fortunately for Overgaard, she got the notification on time and was able to capture this exhilirating experience for all of her friends on BeReal to see!

1. Seniors Royce Smith and Emily Ma pose together at The Weeknd concert. 2. Seniors Rebecca Carlson and Abigail Meggison prepring for a UofM kickoff. 3. Seniors Sonora Manthey, Abigail Cullen, Hannah Glover, Aashna Nadajarah, Teresa Moyer, and Kimarah Orr cheer in the football student section. 4. Seniors Emily Ma and Sonora Manthey 5. Sophomores Ethan Lyu, Aditya Muli, Sunny Kernahan, Toby Mayo, and Aidan Dooley.

“BeReal”,

Sophia Fatchett, Aashna Nadarajah, Lauren Dubin, Robert Lynn, Connor Chiddick, Alex Sabel, Samantha Ket slakh, Peter Fazekas, Sylana Campbell, La’Nia Wells, Joyia Keith, Zyrah Ruff, Sheri Hor witz, Kendall Stacy, Natalie Scarlett, Maryam Fasina, Sonora Manthey, Hannah Glover, Julia Gray, Cody Delp, Lacy Delp,,, Kylie Gibbs, Ava Michaels, Nora Hagan, Leela Rama, Emily Ma, Mia Solomon, Sara Beth-Badala mente, Anna Esper, Catherine Li, Jackson, Daniel Lee, Robert Ash and Huron Band

After the sudden rise of popular app

students share their most spon taneous moments

Make sure you don’t post too late

Design by Natalie Scarlett and Lauren Dubin

Ann Arbor Farmers Market

While walking through the Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning, the scent of the pumpkins and bakery attracted me to the delicious pastries arranged on the Proven’s Pastry table. Proven Pastry is a locally-owned bakery. I ordered the Pumpkin Pecan muffin, and although it was not warm, the inside of the muffin was so moist and soft that it easily cracked. Inside the muffin was filled with pecans and pumpkin bread, giving a great fall flavor. The outside layer of muffin is crunchy, and sugar icing on the top of the muffin adds a unique texture and sweet flavor. Proven Pastry’s Pumpkin Pecan Muffin was a great way to have a little taste of fall. Visit the farmer market and find Proven Pastry to try amazing local-made pastries - Gina Ko

Dixboro General store, located in the heart of the Dixboro Village, has been my longstanding go-to place for all things pretty, creatively dainty, and festive. They have everything: antique couches, door decor, jewelry, hand soap, shelf figurines — all thoughtfully curated to the current season. In the spirit of autumn and October, the store had well-balanced and prolific goods from fall rustic core, pumpkin spice everything to spooky Halloween decor and funky mini witches. The cozy feel of decor packed into the house-store keeps me coming back - Allison Mi

Sweetwaters

Sweetwaters is offering two seasonal drinks this year: the Great Pumpkin Latte and Spiced Caramel Apple. I tried the latter one, which is a unique combination of hot apple cider and chai tea. As someone who’s pretty sensitive to caffeine, I would highly recommend this drink. It was served at the perfect temperature to drink immediately, and even before I tasted it, it smelled warm and com forting and perfect for fall. The apple cider flavor is quite strong, and the chai spices on top of it fit perfectly. While there is supposed to be caramel in the drink as well, it’s barely noticeable compared to those main notes. Howev er, the caramel on top of the optional whipped cream adds extra flavor and sweetness as you sip. I would definitely recommend getting whipped cream on this drink, as it makes the flavor milder and sweeter. While I was unsure about how cider and cream might clash, the combined flavors reminded me of milk tea, especially with the famil iar chai spices. The only issue with this drink is the price, which runs a little high - I paid $5.45 for the smallest size. Overall, if you’re searching for a soothing, fall-themed drink that won’t give you insomnia, you need look no fur ther than your favorite Sweetwaters location this season - Anita Gaenko

Dixboro General Store

GINA KO, ALLISON MI, ANITA GAENKO FEATURE EDITOR, PRINT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, OPINION EDITOR