The Huron Emery Volume 9 Issue 1 September 2024

On Aug. 7, the Ann Arbor School Board passed two motions at the meeting towards removing superintendent Jeanice Swift. One motion sent Swift a required pre-termination letter which created a two-week period where the board cannot take action against Swift. The other allowed AAPS’ attorney to discuss the superintendent’s employment with Swift for 30 days.

ANNA ESPER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“We have spoken, you have not listened. This is troubling. We’re concerned there has been no transparency from the board,” Ann Arbor Education Association president Fred Klien said. “We ask for transparency, and you continue to rush the process through holding previously unscheduled board meetings. It appears that there is a hidden timeline that the board is not communicating with the pub-

briefs NEWS

INNO: A 2023 RECAP ANJALI NADARAJAH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Inno Education, the student founded, led, and ran non-profit summer program just completed its sixth year of teaching SE Michigan middle schoolers skills and knowledge they won’t find at school. With the new school year starting, Inno counselors will soon be creating their curriculums, which they develop over the next 10 months in preparation for camp.

Lucy Paliani, a Huron junior as well as an Inno

counselor and board member had an amazing experience at this year’s camp. Paliani taught the cinematography course at camp, “Lights, Camera, Action!” where they completed activities where they had campers recreate famous movie scenes, presenting them at their own film festival. Other courses at camp soon became a new interest for her.

“Camp included a plethora of activities,” Paliani said. “In our Animal Science course the campers had the opportunity to pet chickens and learn about their relation to dinosaurs. In our Fashion 101

lic. We have not seen any process. Again, we demand that you resend the previous motions and provide the answers to our concerns and questions, all while seeking community input if we’re continuing down this road, as Nelson Mandela taught us, ‘It’s never too late to do the right thing.”

On Aug. 30, 2023, the “Voluntary settlement and resignation agreement” the board passed to remove Superintendent Jeanice Swift. After the closed meeting with their attorney the board meeting met at a 3-3 vote, push-

ing back the decision to the next meeting, Sept. 13, 2023.

“I’m hoping that moving forward, we can work at mending the relationships that have been impacted over these past few weeks,” vice president Krystle DuPree said.

Trustee Jeff Gaynor was not present for the meeting due to personal reasons, which caused the board to make the decision of when to vote on the motion.

“This is probably one of the most important decisions this board can make,” Trustee Susan Ward Schmidt

said. “I believe every board member needs to be present.”

The original motion to pause voting and resume at the next meeting, tied at a 3-3 vote, forcing the board to make a decision, which ultimately was pushed back anyways. How did we get here?

The Skyline High School parking lot looked like a normal school day one week before school started on Aug. 23, 2023. The Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education moved their regularly

From tears to triumph: Huron student publishes first book

SATVIKA RAMANATHAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

course campers designed outfits for their counselor models to show off on the catwalk at the end of the two weeks.”

If you’re looking to join the Inno Education team, visit educationinno. org for more information. The 2023-24 interest form is in the link in their Instagram bio, @educationinno.

with your own ideas,” Fu, now a junior at Huron, said. “So a lot of writers just start [there.]”

When she got older, Fu started thinking that she should write something of her own, so she started writing short stories.

Then, in eighth grade, she started writing something, that became much bigger.

“When you’re young, it’s kind of hard to come up

“It’s hard to imagine, when you haven’t written a book, just how many hours it takes,” Fu said. She wrote the first draft of her book, “A Crown in the Dark,” over quarantine. During the

“Black Men Read” STOYTELLING SPREAD:

SPORTS

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@THEHURONEMERY HURON HIGH SCHOOL, 2727 FULLER RD., ANN ARBOR MI 48105

VOL. 9

PHOTO BY ZAIN CHARANIA

See SWIFT, PAGE 2

It was a gloomy day. Then eighth grader Maya Fu stormed to her garage, upset over an argument she had just had with her mom. She plopped down on a bench and watched the sky cry. She stayed there for an hour. And during that hour, even the dark clouds of the fight revealed a silver lining. The inspiration for a book. When Fu was young, she used to write retellings.

Inno campers learn how to use a blood pressure pump in “The Science of Sports” course. PHOTO BY INNO EDUCATION

COURTESY OF FU See BOOK, PAGE 2

“Black Men Read” promotes representation for young readers

ZAIN CHARANIA PHOTO EDITOR

1. Storytime Corner Reader Dana Green reading to kids at Booksweet on Aug. 11 in Ann Arbor for “Black Men Read.” Green is reading a book named “Kicks” by Van G. Garret. “Shoes have always played a big part in the youth of our community,” Green said.

2. Green reads as kids and parents look on, whilst Green read, parents engaged with Green and with their kids through the book, as for some of the attendees, it could have been one of their first reading experiences.

“Having a black man be out in front of that would be one of the most important things to me,” Green said.

3. Green displays the illustration in the book “Kicks.”

4. “It is important to break the racial stereotypes imposed on Black men, and I am trying to help remove those stereotypical ideas,” Green said. “There is no grandiose goal, sparking fire in the parents to read to their kids or start another organization, I think allowing people to see you and the kids to really see us. The event ended up lasting for about an hour, with Green being the only reader. “Kids to really see us,” Green said.

scheduled board meeting to a different location to accommodate what was going to be a larger than normal audience which consisted of administrators, teachers, community members, educators, and parents. At the front of the auditorium were different educational groups, including The Ann Arbor Education Association, Ann Arbor Administrators Association, Ann Arbor Educations Association Office Professionals, The Ann Arbor Education Association Paraeducators, Association of School and Community Service Administrators, and American federation of state county municipal employees. The members were dressed in black to show solidarity, with signs that said “Due Process,” “Transparency,” and “#Respecttheprocess.”

AAEA president Fred Klien was there to speak.

“Our concerns are about the recent actions that the board took on the seventh,” Klein said. “Our concern is that it lacked any kind of process and transparency.” The crowd was in response to the previous board meeting held on Aug. 7, 2023 where the board voted on two potential paths to part

ways with Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jeanice K. Swift following both motions were approved by the board in 4-3 votes. The first option was to send Swift a without cause “contractually-required pretermination notice,” MLive said. The letter will create a two-week time period where the Board cannot take any action to remove Swift. The letter also gives Swift five days to decide whether she wants a hearing with the Board before any decision is made on her job status. The other option approved allows AAPS’ attorney to have other discussions on the superintendent’s employment with Swift for 30 days.

The meeting prior

On Aug. 7, the BOE held a special (non-scheduled) meeting at their Domino’s Farm location. The meeting was posted, and then taken down, and later posted again.

There were 14 total speakers during public commentary, all consisting of parents of special education students as well as former Board of Education trustees. The meeting was in response to a Aug. 5, letter signed by 97 AAPS parents asking for a “change of leadership” to

move the district forward.

The lawsuit about the matter

On July 26, Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) parent Jamie-Nelson Molnar filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that AAPS bus aide Roshanda Jefferson physically and verbally assaulted her seven year old autistic son in 2021. Bus surveillance footage was not reviewed for five weeks after the incident.

“We take these kinds of situations very seriously,”

Swift said on Aug. 7. “We absolutely understand and share the concerns of the reporting of this incident that we hear from our parents and our staff. It is concerning for all of us in this Ann Arbor Public Schools community.”

Jefferson was convicted of fourth-degree assault on June 28, 2023. “It is also important to clarify that the details at this point in time, details such as the timeline for the school or district response and other informational details will be sorted through in a process of discovery following the rules of procedure of

online year, she would go to her Zoom classes, do her homework, practice her instruments, and the only other thing she did was write. She would stay up until at least 2:30 a.m each night, writing.

“Writing is the perfect way to express yourself,” Fu said. “And I was writing without the intention of ever publishing. So it was really genuine.”

For Fu, writing her book came relatively easily. The hard part for her was the editing. After submitting her manuscript, it took her editors at Fifth Avenue Press, the publishing branch of the Ann Arbor District Library, a few months to get back to her. By the time they had finished editing it, it was more than a year after she had originally written her draft.

“People change a lot in a year,” Fu said. “I hated what I’d written so much. It was so hard for me to read what I’d written and then this constructive criticism about it. I’d grown up, I’d gotten older, and this didn’t really feel like it was a representation of who I was anymore. It was a personal struggle.”

So she combed through it and edited it in depth, tweaking and tweaking until it felt

right. She went through many rounds of editing until the beginning of this summer, when Fifth Avenue Press began getting it ready for publication.

“It’s the deepest level of editing,” Fu said. “And it’s hard if you take things personally.”

Before writing this book, Fu had never shown her fiction writing to anyone. And starting to share what she’d written wasn’t easy.

“It was really, really hard for me,” she said. “Writing is so personal. And I have a thing where I constantly have to be presenting the very best version of myself, and that’s just not possible when you’re writing because it is such a long journey. So you’re going to grow through the journey.”

That was one of the biggest lessons she learned while working on her book.

“There’s no way that every part of the book is the best writing you’ve ever written in your life,” Fu said. “And you just have to accept that. You have to learn to take the constructive criticism and not let it get to you.”

“A Crown in the Dark’s” press event will be Sept. 10 at the Downtown Branch of the Ann Arbor District Library, and 11 copies will be put in the library circulation.

A Glimpse of Interlochen Summer Camp 2023

1. Seniors Keshav Patchek, Sam Bertcher, Varun Yalavarthi, Tai Karir, Joaquin Moore, Terrance Springer, Yeonho Choi, Sarah Conley, Samuel Kerekes, and juniors Irene Wang and Julia Brinker take time to pose for a selfie in the Chapel before Recital night, a time where students and staff show off their musical abilities.

2. Enjoying a final sunrise at Green Lake before the concert are seniors Natalie Bohnsack, Toby Peters, Claire Leone, Terrance Springer, Tai Karir, Yeonho Choi, Joaquin Moore, and Liam Ridenour

3. Orchestra conductor Timothy Krohn leads the Huron Choir and Orchestra to perform the Alma Mater in honor of the history at Interlochen that is tied to Ann Arbor Public Schools.

4. Bonding activities take place each evening at Interlochen. During Variety Night, students get free roam in the compound to play games, including cards, volleyball, basketball, and can also hang out with friends in the cabins. Pictured are Huron Band seniors playing cards in a practice cabin on a rainy activity night.

5. Director Rob Ash prepares the band to set positions for the pregame show, which is when the band parades down the field to play the Battle Hymn, Go Huron, and The Star-Spangled Banner. This takes 4 days to set, as there are moves to focus on while also focusing on playing well.

6. Seniors and staff compete in the traditional seniors vs staff volleyball game. Every year, seniors attempt to take down the camp staff, but to this day, the staff are undefeated.

Siqing Zheng: Living, not just surviving, with cancer

Her smile was just as brilliant as the sun, which illuminated the home with a lovely glow through windows flung wide open. A little white dog happily followed her every footstep, and flowers seemed to be everywhere: stitched into the curtains, printed on her flowy blue dress, bundled in a crystal vase on the dining room table. Siqing Zheng was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in 2013 – which later spread to her brain – but given the brightness with which she lived life, it was impossible to tell.

“The thing was, I was not afraid,” she said. “I’m a Christian – God prepared for this day to come.”

Zheng knew this mindset was an unusual one, compared to the entirely understandable fear and panic that most cancer patients feel, but believes that ultimately, it was what saved her.

“I never thought I was going to die,” Zhang said. “If my husband and two children were happy in this world, it’d be okay.”

Soon, however, Zhang’s physically exhausting surgeries and chemotherapy forced her to come to a painful realization.

“After my diagnosis, I realized that I didn’t know how long I would be in this world,” Zhang said. “If I didn’t do things now, I might never have a chance to. So I decided

to learn piano.” She had adored music and dancing as a little girl, but had never gotten the chance to learn an instrument. However, at the end of 2014, she began piano lessons and instantly fell in love with music.

For two brief years, there was calm; the cancer seemed to subside. But then, it returned with even greater ferocity.

The tumors had spread to both of Zhang’s lungs – and even her brain – becoming stage four advanced cancer.

“The number of tumors wasn’t just two or three – it was uncountable.”

Zhang began radiation therapy and targeted medicine, the latter of which stole all her energy, made her gain weight, and turned all of her skin – from her forehead to her toes – red and unbearably itchy. It was near impossible to even just go through life’s daily motions. The cancer was unpredictable too, offering a heartening CT scan one day,

and a dismaying one the next. Despite it all, Zhang battled on; in 2018, she also began to play the guzheng, a Chinese plucked string instrument. Ballroom dancing, Chinese dancing, ballet, and participating in beauty pageants followed closely.

“The motivation to do all of it came from myself,” Zheng said. “If today is my last day, I want to enjoy it.”

Zheng’s worst fear was wasting time. The second she wanted to learn something, she vowed that she would.

“When I play, I set up my mind to focus only on the music and not think about cancer,” Zheng said. “Us cancer patients think about a lot: what about my treatments? What if I die? What about my children?”

After that, the cancer remained relatively stable again for several years, but in November of 2022, Zheng’s doctors found a new tumor in her brain, and in June of 2023, another growth was found in her lungs.

“Right now, we don’t know if the nodule in my lungs is cancer or not,” Zheng said. “The cancer will probably stay for the rest of my life, but even though the cancer has been trying to survive in my body all these years, I am still fighting.”

Since her initial diagnosis in 2013, Zheng has passed the Level 8 Piano Student Achievement Test (SAT), won third place in her first ballroom dancing championship, and won the title of Miss Chinese Michigan in the MCM Scholarship Pageant. She also won the gold medal in Guzheng performance, the gold medal in piano performance, and the silver medal in ballet performance, all from the fifth Singapore International Arts Festival.

“I have a ton of people who support me,” Zheng said. “I have a huge email list with almost 100 people, and a WeChat group with over 200 people. I have church, my siblings, and my friends. I share my test results with all of them. I share my life, my dancing, and my music.”

These days, many newly cancer-diagnosed patients come to Zheng, seeking her advice. They see her glowing eyes, kind soul and iron-strong will. And after talking to her once or twice, their fear of the future slowly begins to dissipate.

“I hope I can reach more people, and I hope they can get encouragement from my story,” Zheng said. “That’s the reason I accepted this interview.”

Q: Tell me about the work of the Board of Education.

A: Our primary focus is to review, revise, and set policy. We review and approve the school budget and if there’s any big curriculum, changes, or higher administration position approvals. We listen to the community and provide feedback to the superintendent.

Q: Tell me about your role on the Board of Education.

A: My role right now is the president of the board. I’m usually the first person to make statements for the board and communicate with the media and community. I also work together with the board and the superintendent.

Q: What did the process look like to become president?

A: Becoming president was a transitional move. I ran for being elected to the school board in november. The past president stepped down, so as vice president, I filled her role. Don’t want to comment on any of the changes going on.

Q: How does this president role differ from your previous vice president role?

A: There is a lot, especially [because I’m] leading the board, especially in any kind of major decision. I can’t make a single action, the board together has to make an action. As the president, I’m trying to listen to all the trustees, hear their thoughts, and really coordinate this team of trustees to work with one goal... help the district.

Q: What are some goals you’re working toward this school year?

A: [There are] three big goals that I’m hoping to address this school year. A big thing that I feel really strongly about is the equity plan, [so I want to] get a solid plan in place. [I’m also] looking at the achievement gaps we’re seeing, especially in the underrepresented populations. Also mental health. I’m a health care worker – a pharmacist – so I understand there is a crisis in mental health and I would love to continue looking at how we can improve services and address the crisis.

Zheng posing with the sash and crown from the MSM scholarship pageant.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZHENG

“The Eras Tour” through the eyes of Hurons students

JULYA MAE JONES SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On Nov. 1, 2022, it was announced that Taylor Swift would be going on tour. “The Eras Tour” was something Swift’s fans had anticipated since her last tour, the Reputation Tour. Eras would include Swift playing one or more songs from

each of her albums ranging from her debut album to “Midnights”. Some Huron students were able to attend her concert when she came to Detroit. Juniors Olli Dey and Savannah Dunman share their experinces.

Q: What was your favorite part of the concert?

A: “My favorite part of the concert would probably be the beginning when she first came on stage.”

- Olli Dey

Q: What’s your favorite era?

A: “My favorite era would probably be ‘Debut’ or ‘Lover’”.

- Savannah Dunman

Q: How did you feel about the surprise songs?

A: “I didn’t have a huge reaction to the surprise songs because both of them I didn’t know.”

- Olli Dey

Q: What was your favorite part of the concert?

A: ”My favorite part about the concert was just being around all these people that were filled with such kindness and love. Trading friendship bracelets was one of those moments where you felt a part of this huge community and you weren’t judged for being you.”

Q: How did you feel about the surprise songs?

A: “I was so happy when she played “Haunted” because I was just starting to really get into the “Speak Now” album and it was one of my favorite songs from it. I don’t really know “I Almost Do,” but it was still an amazing performance.”

Q: What was the process of getting tickets like for you?

A: “The process of getting tickets wasn’t too bad because my sister did it. She said that it moved quickly for her.”

Q: What was the process of getting tickets like for you?

A: “I remember being in line for the tickets on my phone and having my mom, aunt, and uncle all on theirs doing the same thing. After the long wait I remember getting out of basketball practice one night and my mom surprised me by saying that we got VIP tickets because my uncle got them last minute with a capital one card.”

- Savannah Dunman

Q: What night did you go to?

A: I went to night two.

- Olli Dey

- Savannah Dunman

- Savannah Dunman

- Olli Dey

PHOTO CREDIT: CREATIVE COMMONS

Womenpower: A glance at Girlhood

The first time I heard Ari Nagel’s voice was when we first met through Instagram. We were simply talking on the phone and even then I thought that it was gorgeous. At the time, I didn’t know her background in music, but still, I thought that she would be an amazing singer. A few months later, she announced her upcoming album titled “Senseless” and I got the chance to talk to her about her life, and more importantly, her music.

Nagel currently lives in Ypsi but has a deep connection to the Ann Arbor area. Though she is currently homeschooled, she went to both elementary and middle school in AAPS.

“Growing up in Ann Arbor was really inspirational for me,” Nagel says. “I started making music when I was eight years old in my old apartment

in Ann Arbor with my friends–just for fun, not really taking it seriously, and then in fifth grade, I joined a band and we did little tours around Michigan. It was really cute.” Getting into music was really easy for Nagel, mainly because of her parents.

“My parents were big influences,” she said. “They don’t make music, but they just have always been super interested in listening to music and they’ve shown me some pretty cool things.”

Her parents aren’t the only people who have given her inspiration on her musical journey–she is consistently surrounded by mentors and friends who are passionate about music.

“They’ve all taught me something, and I feel like it really inspired me,” she said regarding the people in her life.

“Just being around people like that is a big influence on you.” With the help of those

“77 percent of [female musicians] felt they had been treated differently in the music industry because of their gender”

- Variety News

Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” Repaints the Dream House

ANNA ESPER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

around her, Nagel began the process of making the album which was both painful and therapeutic. She shared what pushed her to make the album saying, “Recently I’ve been {keeping} to myself and not really doing things that make me happy and I was like, ‘Well what really makes me happy at the end of the day? Music!’” Like many teenagers, she has gone through her own personal issues. Instead of letting it fester, she outsources this pain into her music.

“Honestly, I’ve been going through a lot of things like a pretty bad heartbreak, some friendships that were big losses in my life and some family issues, and I just thought that I should write about it…I’m hurting so badly–how else do I express it?”

Although she is putting her heart out there and being vulnerable to the world, she has received criticism and

on her age and gender.

Nagel disagrees with what they say saying “I don’t think that age matters in any sort of way…it’s just a matter of time, effort, work, and dedication,” she says. “Also, a lot of artists are guys and in the music industry, it’s a lot of men handling everything. I felt very insecure and didn’t want to share with people that I made music.”

The album itself will be released in late fall and will be available on Apple Music. It will feature five songs sung in a pop/ alternative style and covers the intricacies of interpersonal relationships and how being ungenuine can affect them.

“I’ve personally dealt with a lot of [fake friendships]. There’s this one song that talks about that as the main topic. Some of the other things would be about letting people go…it just talks about a lot of friendships in

general and relationships.”

Being a young woman in the music industry puts a lot of weight on your shoulders–being a young woman in general does the same thing. Even with the roadblocks that Nagel has experienced, she has been able to get through it because of her love of music and the confidence she has in herself.

“Honestly, I don’t let it affect me and I just came to terms with the fact that I am a woman and I am powerful so I’m going to make the best music I can.”

Growing up, Barbies weren’t my first choice. I always preferred princesses or stuffed animals. But even though Barbie wasn’t the first thing I went to during playtime, Barbie surrounded me. I have memories with my cousin playing with Barbies in the purple painted playroom at my grandparents house, when all I knew was just my small family. As my family grew and I started to try to understand the world, I watched my baby cousins get a Barbie Dream House for Christmas. Now, I am 17 and the Barbie movie has taken over. The world has turned pink, like my pink bedroom walls before they became gray. Greta Gerwig has created something on screen that is incredibly specific, that can resonate with everyone from age one to 90. Girlhood. The Barbie movie has broken the box office, recently reaching one billion dollars 17 days after release, being the first movie with a female director to do so. The film has everything from beautiful handmade sets, an incredible soundtrack, and a cast starring Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and other names like America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Kate McMinnon, and Michael Cera. We are taken into a different world. The theater becomes pink,

“56 percent [of female musicians] believed their gender had affected their employment in the industry”

- Variety News

“57 percent of [female musicians] respondents have two or more jobs, 24 percent are working between 40-51 hours per week”

-Variety News

The Four Waves of Feminism

1st Wave: 1848-1920

- Focus on women’s suffrage movement

- Largely focused on white women

- Ended when white women gained the right to vote

2nd Wave: 1963-1980s

- Reevaluation of traditional gender roles

- Called for an end to sexist discrimination

- Still excluded women of color

where women, or “Barbies” run the world, and all the men are “just Ken,” background characters who chase after the independent Barbies. Gerwig takes us to a place where “every night is girls night.” Showing the mindset of life just being you and your girls. Before you are old enough to realize that every woman will have to work harder to just almost compare to men.

Then, we watch Robbie’s Barbie as her heels touch the ground, and begin to have thoughts of death. To solve this, she is told by “Weird Barbie” to meet the person who is playing with her doll in the real world. So, Ken and Barbie set out to find her. This is when the movie transitions from being lighthearted to giving us a harsh

through Ryan Gosling. When we watch the Ken’s start to take over, we get to laugh at jokes about men loving “The Godfather,” beer, man-caves or “Mojo Dojo Casa Houses” and a Barbie version of Mount Rushmore which gets turned into carvings of horses. Although we are watching the Kens beginning to treat the women like they are worthless, Gosling forces us to laugh.

It isn’t just humor that

to “I’m Just Ken” sung by Ryan Gosling, we have no help but connecting with Ken. Through Gosling’s fun dancing and over exaggerated emotions, he connects with the audience. He makes us understand him, because at some point we all are “Just Ken.”

My favorite part of the movie, though, is the end.

Throughout Barbie’s journey in realizing that she wants her life to go back to how it was before her heels hit the ground, we hear the small distant tune of “What was I made For?” by Billie Eilish. We watch Barbie’s first tears, first breakdown, first time feeling like she has hit

means to her. Wanting so bad for everything to stop changing, and be perfect for the people around you. “Take my hands, close your eyes, and now feel,” says Ruth while the background goes all white, and takes a hold of Barbie’s hands. As Eilish begins singing, we watch a montage of women, young and old fill the screen. We watch as memories fill the screen, women being women. People being people. It is impossible to not walk out of the theater without crying. This is why we need Barbie. Gerwig creates connections to the audience, giving respect to each woman in the audience. Barbie is proof that we are all just always going to be little girls, hitting the ground over and over and over again. We try to get through the day being the idea of “perfect” that society puts into our heads. We will never be enough. Even Barbie knows that. The Barbies are just like us. Barbie represents just a tiny portion of who we are, because even if you never played with Barbie growing up, we all have one thing in common: our ability to feel.

3rd Wave: 1990s

- Encouraged women’s sexuality and individuality

- Called for more women in positions of power

- Fought to distance from second wave by embracing femininity

- Sought to be more inclusive of race, introduction of intersectionality

4TH Wave: Present Day

- Similar to third wave and fueled by the internet and social media

- Associated with #MeToo, a push against sexual assault/ harrassment

- Continues the concept of intersectionality

Ypsi-based teenage musician takes a step forward

GRAPHIC BY BRODY TURNER

Designed by Anjali Nadarajah

Freshly Popped: Girl Summer!

GRAPHIC BY ANITA GAENKO

Oppenheimer: a contemplative yet epic whirlwind

ANNA ESPER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

summer yet.

Barbie

Directed by Greta Gerwig, the “Barbie” Movie has turned into the highlight of the summer. People of all ages have been turning movie theaters into their Met Gala. The theaters have turned pink, along with the box office. Barbie has reached over one billion dollars, and is continuing to go up. Barbie has created a phenomenon around connecting with our female role models as well as reminding ourselves that “girlhood” isn’t over until we tell

Swift is arguably the most famous person in the whole world.

Besides announcing and releasing two rerecordings, “Speak Now” and “1989,” my two favorite albums, she has the song of the summer and the tour of the year. Whether you’re screaming “Cruel Summer” in your car with the windows down or in the sold out stadium with Swift, our summer is soundtracked to Swift.

Beyonce

Besides The Eras Tour, Beyonce has been selling out stadiums. With dance cameos featuring her daughter

says, “It should cost a billion to look this good.”

Olivia is Back

On June 30, Olivia Rodrigo announced her lead single off of her album “Guts” titled “Vampire.” The singer reflects on what her life was like at 19 and 20. Additionally, the second single “Bad Idea, Right?” released on Aug, 11 leans into something more mature for the star, the perspective of getting back together with an ex. With Rodrigo being my favorite pop punk star, I cannot wait for her sophomore album.

ANITA GAENKO COVERAGE EDITOR

One of the main complaints against Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is its refusal to take a stance— was the atomic bomb truly worth the end of World War II? Was the titular character to blame for the death and destruction that followed his creation? But ultimately, “Oppenheimer” shines in its ambiguity, its refusal to answer these questions. Instead, multiple facets are explored and dissected, and it is left up to the audience to consider their own stances on the complex relationship between science and politics. The resulting film is a whirlwind, somehow managing to strike a nearly perfect balance between thoughtful and epic.

To distinguish between his two major timelines, Nolan makes the bold choice of putting nearly half of his film in black-and-white. These scenes represent the timeline from the point of view of Robert Downey Jr. ‘s Lewis Strauss, the closest thing the movie has to an antagonist. The scenes in color are from the point of view of Cillian Murphy’s titular character.

Murphy, in addition to his incredible resemblance to the real J. Robert Oppenheimer, delivers his lines

People’s voices should be heard right Staff Editorial: Public commentary needs to change

It is very important to have your voice heard. Whether you are an employee, student, in a relationship, or just a member of a community, everyone should have a say. But even though everyone wants to be heard, there is a line that needs to be drawn between when the information is needed, and when facts need to be shared. After attending school board meetings, it is easy to see that public commentary can go too far very fast.

The idea of public commentary is very beneficial. It gives community members the opportunity to voice their opinions on whatever they feel is important and needs change. Whether it is in-person or being read off of a submitted document, if you feel you have something to share, you have the space to speak.

But there are specific rules that can give room for misinformation.

One of the rules being

the time limit. Setting a time limit for every speaker makes the meetings go quicker, but it forces cramming in ideas without the time to calmly tell the story. With the added rush, it is hard to tell the facts between the rumors. If someone runs out of time, the idea is not completed. Additionally, if the statement is being read by a board member, there is a lack of connection between the board and the speaker. This

perfectly, but he shines in his character’s quietest moments. Murphy’s expressions manage to convey the complex emotions implied in his role; a combination of guilt, pride, and wonder at his own creation. Downey is incredible as Strauss, and his obsession with revenge over feeling slighted by Oppenheimer is perfectly portrayed in every scene, a clear underlying motive to every action Strauss takes. Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer and Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock also stand out in their roles, despite the relatively short amount of time they appear on screen. While the movie is ultimately centered around a man and has no hopes of passing the Bechdel test, the women in “Oppenheimer” are fascinating, multi-faceted characters, with their own distinct personalities. The bonds between Oppenheimer and Kitty, as well as with Tatlock, play a key role in understanding Oppenheimer and his inner battles and motivations, as well as his connection to the Communist Party. His relationship with the Party is also a major conflict in the movie, but Nolan manages to make even the political debates full of tension and gravity.

One of the

all makes it very difficult to see what needs to be changed. As members of the community, we should be able to learn the facts at board meetings. Public commentary just gives room for misinterpretation and misinformation.

By reviewing statements beforehand, and fact checking statistics shared, public commentary could turn from rushed or rumored stories to in depth change.

GRAPHIC BY SATVIKA RAMANATHAN

Field Hockey Starts With A Win

The Ann Arbor Huron field hockey team played their first game of the season against z on Aug. 21. The River Rats took the win with an ending score of 6-0. Besides their first win, the team has created a sense of community.

“I got an email from the field hockey coach, Lauren Hall asking if I was going to come to practice since my dad accidentally signed me up,” Julya Mae Jones said. “Then I started going to practices and really felt welcomed.” to the sport, she has learned what the sport is all about.

The voice behind the game: Dan Dickerson

“At the beginning of practice we get our running shoes on and start to jog and do stretches,” Jones said.

The team does different kinds of runs including a mile around Gallup Park and 20 minute “jog and sprints” to build stamina.

“Before my first game I was in the zone. We had no subs and nine people on the field when there are supposed to be 11.” Jones said.

Jones likes how the JV and Varsity teams work together, creating a bond.

“It’s been an inter

ZAIN

Ernie Harwell, a legend in Detroit sports broadcasting, once received a letter from a young broadcaster, asking if Harwell could help him with his broadcast skills. Later, Harwell took the young broadcaster under his wing and worked with him for the Tigers, at the end of Harwell’s career the then not so young broadcaster turned out to be the successor. That is the story of Dan Dickerson.

“Well, How many people have ever played baseball?” Dickerson’s son said, “22,000 or 23,000, but when he asked that I thought okay, instead of just saying he’s the 29th to ever hit 500 home runs, I’m gonna say ‘out of 23,000 players Miggy (Miguel Cabrera) is the 29th ever to hit 500 home runs.” Dickerson said.

Although Dickerson in his first job was only making $160 dollars a week, he felt as though sports broadcasting was for him. “I’ve always listened to sports on the radio,” Dickerson said. “It is just fun, I mean, I get paid to watch baseball for a living.”

Dickerson has already

spent 24 years doing broad cast for the Tigers, Dickerson still finds the fun in it, and the uniqueness of each and every game, and every year. “You know, when you get those players like an Ohtani(Shohei) or a Trout (Mike) you are always excited to see how your team will do,” said Dickerson. “My preparation before every game obviously changes from game to game, but especially when you get one of those exciting to watch

players you prepare extra.”

Dickerson, in totality, has spent over 40 years doing broadcast sports, but it is the future that is important to him.

“Streaming of course is taking over the world,” Dickerson said. “So I would encourage all of those that are interested in print to look into broadcast, even at the micro level, whether that be independently or at your school.”

CHARANIA SPORTS EDITOR

DAN DICKERSON TEACHING A SPORTS BROAD CAST CLASS TO INSPIRING SPORTS JOURNANLISTS

PHOTO BY JAMES WOERHLE

ANNA ESPER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The field hockey huddles up during a break in their game against St. Catherine of Siena Academy. The Rats won 6-0. PHOTO BY HAILEY SELL

Spartan territory: MSU athletics tour

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1. MSU basketball’s facility inside of the Breslin Student Event Center, contains a beautiful rotunda. Designed by Jack Porter, the rotunda contains some of the most historic Michigan State basketball players, also whilst holding

some of their most prestigious awards and decorations. As well, the life size replica Spartan helmet.

2. In front of the Breslin Student Event Cetner is a statue of Michigan State basketball and NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Johnson played in 62 games as a Spartan as well as winning a national champion-

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ship in 1978-79 with MSU.

3. Spartan Stadium is unique as it and 1/3 of all DI schools use grass fields, whilst most other schools use Astro or Fieldturf. The stadium sits 75,000 fans. And entirely cost $24 million in total to construct.

4. In 2017 Munn Ice Arena which is the home to Michigan

A look at the new men’s soccer jerseys

State’s hockey team underwent a $2 million renovation, introducing training centers and all around improvements.

5. Within Spartan Stadium the video board which was built in 2012, at the time, was the fifth biggest video board in the country. Sporting a 47 by 114 LED Screen, Spartan fans can enjoy videos made by

As a throwback, the away uniforms have a colar.

The sleeves have the SEC logo on them to represent the conference the team plays in.

Spartanvision. Spartanvision is the organization that creates videos for B1GTEN+ and plays those same videos on the screens of all the athletic facilities, whilst also doing live production.

According to MHSAA rules, all away uniforms must be solid white with no design on them.

ZAIN CHARANIA PHOTO EDITOR

This year’s home uniforms feature the torch of knowledge.

ROWAN GRENIER SPORTS EDITOR

The players number is featured on the teams shorts for the first time.