Self Expression

The Leaflet 2.24.17 | Vol. 3 Issue 7

SELF EXPRESSION

EXPRESS YOURSELF

eXPRESSION issue Everyone expresses themselves in a different way. The smallest thing that someone does can tell the world so much about them.

Everyone’s idea of how they express themselves is different in an unique way. That is what makes us all human and different.

Being different is a great thing. Without it, excitement and adventure in our world would not exist. Without it, life

would be bland and boring.

For this reason we decided to do our issue on self expression.

Highlighting different students and how they feel that they are able to show the world who they are.

Some students wear interesting clothing to show their personality, others play music, and some take photos.

No matter what they are doing, if it helps them to express themselves it is important.

staff members

Hannah May Benjamin Ruskin Amy Deng Jenna Bao Taylor Close Sarah Horne Lauren Kurtzer Eshika Kohli David Wertheim Natalie Brinkman Adhiti Chundur Sydney Evans Sydney Weiss Caroline Bruns Harsimran Makkad Hannah Frey

Emily Chien Eshika Kohli Sydney Weiss Anne Marsh Yasmine Guedira Max Torem William Coleman Caroline Veraldo Allyson Bonhaus Taylor Close Alexander Karev Joshua Patterson Samuel Ruskin Meghan DiGiovanna Hannah Loftspring Abigail Bastin

Leaflet Editors-in-Chief Hannah Frey Executive Editor in Chief Hannah May, Benjamin Ruskin Managing Editor Amy Deng Print Co-Editors Natalie Brinkman, Adhiti Chundur,Sydney Evans Web Master Caroline Bruns

Mark Huffer Jessica Lu Lydia Masset Jason Merkel Jacob Wittenbaum Lexi Fritzhand Jacqueline Grega Abigail Lefton Sara Margolis Yvanna Reyes Maddie Saunders Jessica Schaad Madie Shewbridge David Sung Kirsten Thomas Edward Wade

Web Editor-in-Chief Harsimran Makkad Associate Editors Jenna Bao Business Managers David Wertheim, Eshika Kohli Social Media Director Sydney Weiss Creative Projects Director Jenna Bao, Taylor Close, Lauren Kurtzer,Sarah Horne

hannah frey

This issue p2: Stephanie Mather p4: Matthew Isakson p6: Kelley Kossanyi p9: Becca Holdren p12: Drew Lawrence p14: Kiri Wang p18: Melinda Looney p22: Eli Cohen The Leaflet, the official digital newsmagazine of Sycamore High School, serves as an educational tool in the training of student journalists. We provide information and editorial leadership concerning school, national and world issues. We also provide a public forum for the exchange of ideas and viewpoints and give coverage to newsworthy events directly related to our diverse school population. These viewpoints are purely from the staff of The Leaflet, and not the administration.

Sycamore High School 7400 Cornell Road Cincinnati, OH 45242

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Stephanie Mather

“I had been growing my hair out indefinitely for years and I just got bored of looking relatively the same for my whole life. I have changed a lot throughout high school but my appearance did not reflect that at all. So I chopped off a foot of my hair and dyed the rest pink. I think changing up my look a little is fun and can be a really good way to express who you are at a certain time in your life,” said Stephanie Mather, 12.

by Leaflet staff 2 Information Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

“Self expression means something different to each person, but I think it is super important for everyone to find their passion and explore their individuality.

For me, art is a good outlet. I am currently really into photography, sculptures and ceramics. I also do some embroidery, and writing. I love to create things that mean something to me and get inspiration from other people expressing themselves as well,” said Mather.

Elissa Allen “Cosplay [costume play] allows me be different people, and it allows me to express my love for the characters. Creating the costumes is so much fun and when I do events for little kids the best part is seeing their faces light up,” said Elissa Allen, 11.

“I want to take on a career as a costume designer, because it is so fun to express myself with my outfits, hair and, makeup,” said Allen.

Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

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Matthew Isakson “I express myself through running; I can put everything into a race and let go of my problems to focus on beating my own times. I push myself to do better and create goals for each race, and every time I meet those goals I create new ones,” said Matthew Isakson, 11.

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Information by Leaflet staff Photos courtesy of McDaniels photography

“I also express myself by the effort I put in. I kind of make my emotions into what I do.

If I’m angry, I run angry. If I am happy, I run like life is good,” said Isakson.

Connor Close

“I express myself through my music and marching band because I feel like it is my escape from the world around me. I can step onto the field before a performance and forget everything around me except for my instrument and the music. I love it because you could be having the worst day, and then when you step on the field, or pick up your instrument, it is like you can channel those emotions into making that performance your best one yet. It’s calming to me because once you start playing, you don’t really have much time or effort to think about anything other than playing the next note and finding your next drill spot,” said Connor Close, 9.

Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

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Kelley Kossanyi “My photos represent how I see the world one hundred percent. I try and make sure that with the click of my shutter I’m capturing not only the angles and colors, but the emotion that can only be seen if looked at deeply. I feel like my images are real this way, on the surface they all present themselves well but if thoroughly considered you can find the journey behind each one,” said Kelley Kossanyi, 9.

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Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

Max Hill

“I wear fun socks to express myself and it adds happiness to everyone who sees them in a subtle way,” said Max Hill, 12.

“I’ve been trying to get more people to participate in Fun Sock Friday and spread the joy throughout the high school. Luckily, I’ve got a lot of the track guys involved in it. We wear funny socks to practice on Fridays and basically whenever else possible,” said Hill.

Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

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Zach Milliken

“I feel like being able to express yourself is really hard sometimes, and for me, all the different sounds and tones and energies you can produce with a guitar makes it so much easier to articulate my feelings and to create some kind of atmosphere that helps people understand me. The ability to just be so intentional with it is really remarkable,� said Zach Milliken, 11.

by Leaflet staff 8 Information Photos courtesy of McDaniels photography

Becca Holdren “I began writing as a child.

Every time we visited my grandparents, I was typing away on their old desktop computer to write short stories.

I finished my first one at the age of ten. As years got harder, family life became stressful and my life began to rapidly change, writing became the only way to cope. I have sealed envelopes containing over a hundred letters in my closet. I have poems, prose, and short journals stuffed into

every corner of my room. I am not the best at saying what I feel but when I have a pencil and a paper I have the ability to say exactly what I mean and get out all of my pent up emotions that way. People are not always going to be there to listen but there’s always a blank piece of paper that would be just as happy to learn your words,” said Becca Holdren, 12.

Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

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Mason Taylor and Lydia Taylor “When I play music I feel like I am giving a part of myself, it sounds so cliche but it is true. I cannot imagine not being able to play music.

But what a simple song can do to a person is the true magic. Being able to share this part of my life with my sister is absolutely incredible.

We are already close, this just gives us a second language that we both speak,� said Mason Taylor, 12.

by Leaflet staff 10 Information Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

“Music shows a side of me that is personal. It makes a connection between me and an audience that I would not connect with otherwise. When I sing I feel like it is opening up another part of my personality,� said Lydia Taylor, 10.

Information by Leaflet staff Photos courtesy of McDaniels photography

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Drew Lawrence “Flying is an extraordinary act, it is an extraordinary action, it is an extraordinary motion, made up entirely of ordinary things. When I am flying at 150 mph across the endless sky I can express myself in a way that I can in no other place on Earth. That being pure freedom. When I’m in the sky I let go of all the worries, problems and concerns I have in my life; that's all left on the ground. It’s just me, the clouds, the spurring of the engine, and the airplane up there. I can be who I want to be and no one can tell me otherwise. Try it.

Take a flight,” said Drew Lawrence, 10.

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“You will be surprised to learn that regardless of the situation or of the problems you have happening on the ground, you can be at complete and utter peace with yourself and with the world as you soar through open sky,� said Lawrence.

Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

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Kiri Wang

“Playing the cello and expressing myself through music is usually dependent on what kind of mood the piece I am playing has. For some reason, I often feel and imagine different colors and that usually helps me convey the emotion too.

Cello is a really good way to release any frustrations that I might be feeling regarding other things and it provides a more organic and creative distraction to other aspects of my life,� said Kiri Wang, 11.

by Leaflet staff 14 Information Photos courtesy of McDaniels photography

Sushobith Vadrevu “Playing the guitar helps me express myself through music.

I’ve been playing the guitar for a while now and I can play a variety of techniques.

I love mastering these techniques because it allows me to make more music and dive into harder songs. I haven’t had the skills to compete

before. Playing the guitar is my way of relieving stress and really expressing myself,” said Sushobith Vadrevu, 10.

Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

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Benjamin Swart “I express myself through dance and theatre by showing the hard work that goes into a show by putting on a good performance.

I think of it as just another opportunity to do the best I can do and practice my craft. It’s not about showing off or anything like that, it’s about doing all that you can do so that by the end of the day, no matter what happens, you’re proud of what you’ve done. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a ‘good performance’, it’s just a matter of not saying ‘should’ve...’, ‘would’ve...’, ‘could’ve...’ statements when it’s all said and done,” said Benjamin Swart, 11.

by Leaflet staff 16 Information Photos courtesy of McDaniels photography

Paige Weitz “Bowling for me is not just something to do for fun, this sport is my future. Most people think I am crazy getting so into bowling but as far as I know I have been more successful just as a sophomore than most people in the senior year of their current sport,” said Paige Weitz, 10.

“I have always struggled with my confidence level. Recently I have made a lot of progress as a bowler, this has made me so much more confident as an entire person. It has helped me in every aspect of my life because I have gained confidence in myself. It also has become a great outlet for me,” said Weitz.

Fun Fact: Weitz bowled a 300 for the first time on February 16th, 2017.

Information by Leaflet staff Photos courtesy of McDaniels photography

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Melinda Looney “Everybody develops a certain style. I have been told that my style is very sketchy and has very light lines. I like to sketch because it’s something that calms me down, like the flow stage in psych. I’ll just draw for hours.

I like having a prompt and doing my own take on that prompt. But I believe that everyone has a different style and does a different take on a prompt. So when you do a critique in art it is very interesting to compare everyone’s style side by side. They show a different emotion and it shows their strengths and weaknesses.

They are all so unique in their own way which really conveys the person behind the art. Even drawing in color or black and white conveys different sides of your personality,” said Melinda Looney, 11.

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A class with Melinda.

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Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

Michael Samways “Playing soccer is not just something I do. It is a way of reinventing myself every time I step on the pitch. It is more than just a game; for me it influences my passion, dedication and work rate so that I can apply it to life itself,� said Michael Samways, 11.

20 Photos courtesy of McDaniels photography Information by Leaflet staff

Allison Kossen

“I got my bike because when the weather is nice outside I’d rather enjoy it on a motorcycle than from inside a car. It’s also a good conversation starter, most people are pretty surprised when they hear I know how to drive it”, said Allison Kossen, 12.

“I want to go on a road trip this summer with my bike and just camp and hike. I just really love being outdoors. I’ve already gone skiing a few times this year. I went once with a group of friends and a couple times with my family but a biking trip would be a cool, new kind of vacation,” said Kossen.

Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

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Eli Cohen

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“I got into photography because of my friend Casey, my dad, and sister. They are all into photography and videography so that really helped me. I started taking photos around last September. I have grown through taking pictures and I have learned how to take the same picture in different ways. I have learned that anything, when seen from the right angle, can be good. It is my motto to life,� said Eli Cohen, 9.

Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

Amelie Vermoesen

“I express myself through fashion by not listening to what other people think about the clothes I wear. I wear the clothes that I feel comfortable and confident in.

I also do not like wearing clothes that everybody else has, I would rather wear something unique,� said Amelie Vermoesen, 11.

Information by Leaflet staff Photo courtesy of Leaflet staff

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