The Lion's Roar 38-4

VOL. 38 ISSue 4

As schools across the country reopen, many face shortages of support staff, causing workers to face new hardships

Newton South High School · Newton, MA Est. 1984 · November 4, 2021

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Working Under Pressure

The Future of Education

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Behind the Screen

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Working Under Pressure

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Waning Worries with Wags

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The Unspoken Truth of Sports Injuries

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By Ahona Dam and Julian Phillips Photo by Mia D'Souza

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November 4, 2021

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Volume 38, Issue 4

Women in Education Struggles in Afghanistan for equality in education highlight continuous patterns of discrimation worldwide

By Sarah Wei The Taliban's Aug. 15 takeover has jeapordized Afghani women's education

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fter the Taliban’s successful conquest of Afghanistan, many wondered what lasting effects this political shift would have on women’s education, which had been improving since the Taliban lost power in 2001.

According to a 2021 report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), education enrollment of girls in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021 increased from 0 to 2.5 million, and the female literacy rate doubled from 17% to 30%.

Concerns surrounding the Taliban's strict interpretation of Sharia law have sparked a global outcry of support for women.

The Taliban have indicated that their new rules will be more lenient than those of their previous reign. In a Sept. 12 ceremony, the newly-appointed Minister of Higher Education Abdul Baqi Haqqani said that women would be allowed to receive a form of education, as well as continue onto collegiate and graduate programs under strict guidelines: all classes, including their respective teachers, must be segregated by gender, and all girls must wear hijabs.

However, the administration has been unclear on the specifics of what education girls will receive. According to the New York Times, the Taliban have been vague in their intentions and displayed troubling signs, indicating that women’s right to education could be oppressed; on Sept. 17, the Taliban instructed only boys in the grades between seven and 12 to return to schools, ignoring girls in the same age group.

Since then, only middle- and high school-aged girls in the north of the country have been allowed back into classrooms.

In addition, the new 33-seat government is entirely male, and the previous Ministry of Women’s Affairs has been converted into centers for Sharia law enforcement.

The same UNESCO report stated that the new gender segregation rules further complicate the future of women’s education, as they exacerbate an already severe teacher shortage.

The report cited the lack of teachers, difficulties in paying their salaries and a decrease in international aid as possible factors that could lead to the oppression of education for girls.

photo courtesy of South China Morning Post

Such headlines force people worldwide to reckon with the reality of education for women The crisis in Afghanistan is just an example of the worldwide struggle for female education. Across the globe, there are 129 million girls out of school.

UNICEF club co-president senior Kara Wong said that restrictive gender roles prevent many girls from going to school.

“We’ve all heard the sexist phrase‘women belong in the kitchen,’ and this stereotype is especially common in many developing countries,” she said. “These communities dictate girls to be the household caretakers, pulling girls out of school to instead dedicate time to domestic tasks such as water retrieval and cooking.”

Wong said that general safety concerns are another substantial barrier to education.

Education allows access to power — power to influence others, power to make a difference and power to dismantle the very systems that are designed to keep women down.

Jenny Robertson English teacher

“In many developing countries, [schools] don’t offer functional, private restrooms to girls,” she said.“Open defecation, or public bathroom use, leaves girls susceptible to sexual assault and gender-based violence.”

This deficiency of education is especially pressing due to the adversity that many women around the world face, Molly Estrada, science teacher and co-director of the Curriculum Committee for the South Human Rights Council, said.

“If you're not educated, you don't know how life could be or should be. Typically if you're not educated, you're isolated [and stuck where you are]. You probably have been told lies your whole life.” she said. “If you're educated, you can better understand why something is unfair, why something doesn't make sense, and then you can articulate that and fight your way out.”

Junior and Feminist Empowerment Movement (FEM) club co-president Soleil McAneny said that education builds confidence and shapes the foundation for one’s future.

Wong said that education not only benefits current students, but also their posterity.

“Education allows women to contribute to forward progress for future generations,” she said. “Education offers women economic and social support to not only improve their own living standards, but also pave the way for future women to, ideally, abolish all inequitable institutions entirely.”

Although girls in Newton do not face the same kind of adversity in pursuing an education, patterns of inequality and discrimination are still prevalent.

Junior Shay Weissman, FEM club copresident, said that they have experienced instances of sexism in the classroom.

“It happened three times in one day, where I raised my hand, and then a boy sitting next to me just started talking after the teacher called on me, and no one acknowledged it or anything,” they said.

English teacher Jenny Robertson wrote in an Oct. 7 email that South must do better to combat these patterns. “[We must] acknowledge, meaningfully address and remedy the sexism that still exists in male-dominated fields and how that plays out in the classroom, like coding, shop classes [and] STEM,” she said.

Science teacher and Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) advisor Ashley Vollaro said that including representation of women in the classroom is a key first step to solving the issue.

“Something that we are talking about as teachers is having more representation in the curriculum. That's a common theme, not with just women, but all races [and] all faces,” she said. “It’s an easy starting point. Then we can start to have deeper conversations like, ‘Why, in your textbook, do you only see white men

during this time period? Why is this the way it is, and what are we doing now?’”

To further these efforts, Estrada said that the Curriculum Committee is developing a more diverse curriculum.

“We've been trying to make sure that we're not just showing the one woman or the one Black person or one Chinese person who made it because we know that's not the case,” she said.“How do we make it more obvious that we're celebrating all the wonderful women and people of color in the science fields so that it's not just that one person that we're highlighting that one time in the year?”

Representation in education is necessary because, as Robertson said, education is a fundamental right for women to not only learn and grow, but to also enact change in their lives.

“We live in a time when we actually have to remind people why it's important for women to receive an education. [It’s] because we are human. Because we deserve to live and thrive and dream and access those dreams. Because controlling what girls and women can do, where they can go, who they can talk to, what they can do with their bodies, is dehumanizing in every possible way. Because education is the key to independence and freedom of thought.

Education allows access to power — power to influence others, power to make a difference and power to dismantle the very systems that are designed to keep women down.”

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Newton Turkey Trot Newton's eighth annual Turkey Trot will be held in person on Nov. 20, following last year's virtual race

South Spots

By Grace Dempsey, Ella Hurwitz and Bella Ishanyan "All for One and One for All"

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early a thousand people crowded the playground at Zervas Elementary School in the early hours of Nov. 23, 2019 to run, support and volunteer at the sixth annual Newton Turkey Trot. The race was a success, raising over $10,000 for the Newton Food Pantry and the Travis Roy Foundation.

But a year later, no excited volunteers, spectators or runners gathered by the Zervas playground; the race was just a website.

After six years of spirited races, COVID-19 lockdowns forced the Turkey Trot to go completely virtual, with participants running on their own and recording their times online.

As we transition back to our pre-pandemic lives though, the usual 5K (3.1-mile) course will begin at Zervas once again on Nov. 20.

Runners will then continue through Commonwealth Avenue to City Hall and wind back to finish at Zervas.

Freya Hurwitz, a resident who has run in both the in-person and virtual Turkey Trot, said that the in-person environment is encouraging.

“In person, it feels a lot more like you're part of the community because you're running with so many other people, you see everyone else running together and we can all celebrate,” she said. “When you run virtually, it's a little bit of a letdown.”

Despite the independent races last year, the Turkey Trot was able to raise money for two non-profits.

Event organizer Liz Bloodworth said that the race was initially created as a fundraising event.

“When we started the Turkey Trot, the idea was that we would raise funds for the Newton Food Pantry for families in Newton, particularly around Thanksgiving, so it would give them help during the holiday,” she said.

Newton Food Pantry Board member Colleen Nolan said that the partnership between the Food Pantry and the Turkey Trot is mutually beneficial.

“Each year, [the race] pledge[s] that they're hoping to give back to the pantry $10,000, which is an amazing donation. In turn, we help staff the race,” she said.“They get our volunteer base to be able to help them and then they raise funds on our behalf to be able to give back to people in need regarding food insecurity.”

Previously, the race raised money for both the Newton Food Pantry and the Travis Roy Foundation. After the latter organization’s announcement of shutting down operations after Roy’s death in October 2020, the race will donate to the Food Pantry and Journey Forward, a non-profit organization based in Canton, MA, that provides rehabilitative exercise

treatments for people with spinal cord injuries or disabilities.

President and Founder of Journey Forward Dan Cummings said that he is excited to partner with the Turkey Trot and to continue working with the Newton community.

“I don’t really know what to expect. I’ve never attended [the Turkey Trot],” he said.“I’ve been a part of the Newton community for over 10 years, and I speak in the community for the Understanding Our Differences program, so I’m excited to come and see what it's all about.”

The Turkey Trot aligns with Journey Forward’s values and goals to promote health and wellness for all residents of Newton, Nolan said. “[The Turkey Trot] raises awareness for youth fitness, wellness and health. It's to get the message out there and get the kids started in doing some physical activity,” she said. “It's a fun, family-friendly event for a good cause.”

Bloodworth said that the communityoriented aspects of the event have allowed her to create fond memories.

“You have an event that you're looking forward to, [that] you take part in with your friends, with your family [and] with people you've never met before,” she said. “You make friends because … you're standing next to them,

chatting [and] cheering people on, and you say, ‘Hey, I want to do this next year.’”

Fundraising Chair for the Newton Food Pantry Jen Abbot said that the Turkey Trot welcomes people of all ages. “[The Turkey Trot] makes it very familyfriendly especially, and you definitely get not just school aged families but people of all ages, which is exciting.”

Hurwtiz said that she appreciates the purpose and sentiment behind the race and encourages others to participate.

“The Turkey Trot is one of many races in the community that benefits the community, and I'm glad they're there and I'm glad it's an annual race,” she said. “I encourage people to either run the Turkey Trot or another race that suits them better for whatever reason.”

As organizer Priya Wagner prepares for this year’s Turkey Trot, she said that community Turkey Trots are special to participants because of the unity they bring.

“The reason we all enjoy a local race is because you're running in your town, you're raising money for something important in your town and people are supporting it because they live and work in this town,” she said.

“That's what makes everyone's Turkey Trot an important one.”

D i re c t e d b y t h e a t e r t e a c h e r Pa i g e Perkinson, " The Three Musketeers" was South Stage’s first production this school year. Rehearsals began in late August and the show premiered from Oct. 21-23.

photo contributed by Jeff Knoedler

New Homework Policy A new schoolwide homework policy, enforced by department chairs and house deans, expects CP, ACP and honors teachers to assign approximately 20 minutes of homework per class, creating an upper limit of 60 minutes per week. AP teachers are still working with department chairs to determine an appropriate amount of homework to assign. This homework policy is expected to change as the year progresses and the effects of last year continue to wear off.

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Booster Shots For individuals who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, the following groups are eligible for a booster shot at 6 months or more after their initial series: ages 65 years and older and those who are 18+ and live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions or work or live in high-risk settings. For the nearly 15 million people who received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago.

Commuter Rail Improvements The MBTA and Mayor Fuller began a project to improve commuter rail stations i n Aub u r n d a l e, We s t Ne w t o n a n d Newtonville. The project became public on Oct. 13 and will work to help improve the train’s reliability by implementing track and railway signal upgrades. The project will also enhance accessibility for those with disabilities, creating sloped walkways, ramps, elevators and stair connections.

the lion's roar

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South reacts to mixed level classes Taban Malihi, Risha Sindha & Lily Zarr News Reporters, News Editor

This year, students in different academic levels are learning together in mixed level classes, which have been implemented across all subjects to increase equity.

The decision was initially made by Superintendent David Fleishman, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools Toby Romer, and the principals and department heads of both North and South. Science department head Gerard Gagnon said that the district’s focus on anti-racism was the key reason for the change.

“One way that we are committed to being an active anti-racist district is to examine the policies and procedures that we've used in the past,” he said. “As a district, both North and South recognize that the way we had been doing levels had some bias associated with it.”

South’s Global Communities, New Media Communities and Da Vinci programs have been mixed level, and set a positive example for new mixed level classes this year, guidance counselor and former Interim Vice Principal Christopher Hardiman said.

“Students benefit from learning from other students who may have different abilities,” he said. “The teachers in those programs are very positive about [mixed level classes].”

Math teacher Karen Kinel said that mixed level classes could give more students the ability to engage with learning material and peers.

“If it's done correctly and students put the right effort in and utilize the right resources, [for] the students who might not have been in a higher level, having access to that could give them new opportunities,” she said.

Freshman and member of a mixed level math class Maya Goldberger said mixed level

classes will encourage more students to succeed.

“It would be good for each student to get what they need,” Goldberger said.“If lower-level students are placed with higher-level students, the higher-level students can help the lowerlevel students to learn.”

However, freshman Yonatan TevetMarkelevich said his math class being mixed level makes it difficult to get help.

“There are people in different levels in the same class, which makes it harder to receive support on your level,” he said.“If someone who struggles at a specific subject is in a class with people who are at higher levels than them, it could be hard to not compare yourself to them.”

Given their recent mass integration, mixed level classes have unresolved conflicts, Grace Jones, a sophomore taking a mixed level history class, said.

“It creates a really competitive classroom environment where people aren't necessarily encouraged to share what they're thinking or their thoughts during class because they're scared of being considered wrong for the level that they're in,” she said.

Further, sophomore Dolev Zilberstein said that he doesn’t like the changes his mixed level classes have made to the type of work he is assigned.

“I don't say [honors] should be the same amount of work, but it should not just be more questions added on to your regular homework,” he said. “Honors should [have] more challenging work.”

In addition to students’ workloads changing due to mixed level classes, the definition of honors classes has shifted, junior Ella Meirav said.

“Honors classes don’t have the same meaning anymore,” she said. “It's like you're in an ACP class and ... you just have extra credit work.”

Although she doesn’t like certain aspects

of her mixed level classes, sophomore Sara Thomas said she views the change positively and appreciates the opportunities they have given her.

“Despite it being frustrating, it’s good because it gives people opportunities and chances,” Thomas said.“I wouldn't have gone up when I was in certain classes if I hadn't already been there and had a chance to try it out safely.”

To make this new system effective, senior Enya Kamadolli said that teachers should be adequately prepared to accommodate the needs of all students.

“If it is to become a permanent fixture, teachers need to receive training on how to teach multi-level classes and change their curriculum … to better suit people who learn at different paces,” she said.

As South becomes more familiar with mixed level classes, Gagnon said that there will be improvement.

“We're not going to be as good at it this month as next month,” he said. “I'm quite confident that the longer we persist at it the better we'll get at it, and the easier it will be for the teachers and the students to be able to figure it all out.”

Although the change to mixed level classes is a big adjustment, English teacher Alan Reinstein said that he is confident that students will remain supported, regardless of level.

“Every class is really mixed level in principle, so I don't see the great damage in opening up,” he said. “It challenges teachers to be better teachers and to really try to meet the needs of all students.”

graphic by Dongyuan Fu

The history behind your turkey and gravy Michael Sun, Lily Zarr

News Reporter, News Editor As students and faculty prepare for Thanksgiving this year, images from the traditional Thanksgiving origin story come to mind: icons of Pilgrims with buckles on their hats and Native Americans dressed in feather headdresses. However, the story of Thanksgiving has been heavily mythologized, and there is much more to it than the lighthearted hand-turkeys we were taught was the spirit of Thanksgiving.

When the Pilgrims first arrived at Plymouth in 1620, they were underprepared and struggled to survive. Although they were aided by food stores they found in an abandoned Native American village, over half of them died during the harsh winter. In the spring, they met with Native Americans for the first time, and a Patuxet named Tisquantum, also known as Squanto, taught them how to farm and survive off the land.

In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims celebrated their first harvest along with the Wampanoag people, who joined them for three days. Not many details of this gathering are known as the primary sources are sparse, but this celebration is considered to be the original Thanksgiving. Although this was a peaceful gathering, the relationship between British colonists and Native Americans was strained. As the colonial presence increased, violent conflict emerged, ultimately leading to

colonists taking over Native American land.

In the following years, the Pilgrims began to celebrate a day of harvest each fall or early winter, which was a common practice in many communities in colonial America. Days of thanks continued to be held in many areas of the country, but Thanksgiving did not become an official holiday until 1863. Some presidents had proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving in the past, but it was Abraham Lincoln who made

graphic by Lauren Ramos

the holiday official to promote reflection and stability during the Civil War. As the years progressed, new traditions were added, and Thanksgiving is now one of the most celebrated holidays. Events — from football games to national parades — fall on or close to Thanksgiving; the president even pardons a turkey each year. Today, Thanksgiving is associated with large sales, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday falling shortly after it.

History and psychology teacher Paul Estin said that although Thanksgiving was originally a harvest holiday, he doesn’t associate it with its historical meaning.

“If it were really a harvest holiday, it should come earlier [because] late November in New England is long past harvest time,” he said. “So I've never really managed to connect it so much with its traditional roots.”

History teacher Julie Masi said that to her, Thanksgiving is a time to spend time with her family and be grateful. Regardless, when thinking of the historical context, she said there should be a focus on the oftentimes unacknowledged relationship between Indigenous peoples and settlers.

“We should remember the contributions that Indigenous tribes made and [what they] did for the early settlers in New England and across the colonies,” she said. “We should also remember the many violent conflicts and clashes and efforts to really wipe out Indigenous populations that happened later.”

English teacher Alan Reinstein said that although he enjoys the holiday, he realizes that it is important to acknowledge Thanksgiving’s history.

“It's a celebration of coming to this place and not a celebration of the land itself,” he said.

“Since it, in principle, ignores the Native people, I'm a part of that problem because I've always enjoyed Thanksgiving. It's a lovely time to bring forth some gratitude.”

Fresh Year, Fresh Faces

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The Roar spoke to several elected class officers and senators about their hopes for the new year

By Bella Patel and Alex Zakuta Class Officers

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Sophomore class president Kevin Yang says that he will work to bring back various social activities that were canceled due to the pandemic, including the ice skating social and the ice cream social.

He said the biggest event he hopes to plan will be a sophomore cruise.

“In our freshman year, we were supposed to have a cruise where everyone hops on a yacht in the middle of the harbor,” he said. “I hope to have an ice skating social in December before winter break. We will rent out an ice skating rink in Newton and have a fun time skating around.”

Aside from organizing class bonding activities,Yang said he also hopes to reinvigorate class merchandise to raise funds and inspire a stronger sense of school spirit.

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Freshman class president Michael Shen said that this year, he is excited to both connect with his classmates and organize various class events.

“I really want to have this class bond because the past year and a half, we haven't really been able to talk in class because of COVID-19,” he said.“I'm really excited for the freshmen cruise … honestly, I want to do class picnics somewhere, or it’ll be fun to possibly go on class hikes.”

Shen said that one of his main goals is to foster a friendly environment for his classmates through sharing everyday bonding experiences with his peers.

“I want to make South a better and more welcoming place, and make sure everyone has someone to talk to,” he said.

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Junior class officer Ella Ezrin hopes to organize a successful semi-formal to make up for the previous years’ lost events due to COVID-19 cancellations.

“Over the past two years, we've missed out on things like the freshmen cruise and the sophomore dance. So this year, hopefully, we can do a lot of fundraising and have enough funds to make the junior semi really fun,” she said.

Ezrin said she will do her best to advocate for her entire grade’s best interests.

“One thing I'm looking forward to is talking with classmates and involving the student body [with] their ideas and brainstorming with them,” she said. “Instead of one group who decides everything, [students] should feel like they're involved and have a voice in what we do as a class.”

Senior class vice president Sydney Finklestein said that especially after COVID-19's effects on opportunities for in-person activities, she hopes to plan a fun senior year for her classmates.

“I want to have a really fun spirit week leading up to a big pep rally soon, so that's one thing I'm excited about and also prom, of course. I'm really excited to plan that and see that happen,” she said.

For those looking to become more involved in school and further connect with peers, Finkklestein said that becoming a class officer is an excellent opportunity.

“Student government is a really great way to get involved at South, and if you didn't run this year, it's definitely a great thing to do and you should.”

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Junior senator Chris Mundanchery said that in addition to working with feedback from classmates, he hopes to find solutions for the spacing problems that could arise from restrictions on where students can eat lunch. “[The administration] announced that we won’t have the chance to eat lunch in Gym B which isn't really much of an issue right now because people are able to go outside,” he said.

“During the wintertime when everyone comes indoors, it's going to be pretty cramped.”

Mundanchery said another of his priorities is to reach out and get his peers involved after almost a year and a half of online learning.

“Last year, the best that I could do was put out a survey to see what people thought, but now I can talk with everyone in person,” he said.

“It feels better than seeing them on a screen.”

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Sophomore senator Taban Malihi said that to combat the lack of student engagement with the Senate, she will work to effectively communicate with the South community to build authentic connections.

“There's an issue of communication that I think needs to be addressed,” she said.“[By] using mediums like the Senate's Instagram more, [we are] able to communicate with students as well as teachers, [about] what bills we pass and what we're in the process of doing.”

Ultimately, Malihi said that she hopes to see more involvement in student government.

“By the end of the year, a personal goal is to be able to survey all the students and for at least 50 percent of them to respond to the survey, to see [that] they're engaged in what the Senate is doing,” she said.

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Navaa Malihi said that as a senator for the class of ‘25, she’ll focus on making South an eco-conscious community.

“If funds allow, [I’ll] install trash cans and [make them] more easily accessible," she said. "[I'll] create scheduled blocks to educate kids on these different topics.”

Besides working to keep South clean, Malihi said that she hopes to increase representation of student opinions.

“Our issues aren’t being taken into account as much as they should be,” she said.

“We're almost 2,000 kids. It's important that we have a measurable voice in our school.”

Malihi said that she looks forward to getting to know her classmates better.

“I want to get in touch with them more and build strong relationships," she said.

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As one of the longest-serving South senators, senior Brendan Weissel said he will lead the Senate through new beginnings. Equipped with years of leadership experience in the Senate, Weissel plans to pass his knowledge onto underclassmen senators to help them adjust to the many responsibilities that come.

“My biggest goal is for the Senate to look to the future with the new principal,” he said.“I plan to teach the younger senators the ways of the administration and of the school to help set them up for success.”

Looking to the most immediate future though, Weissel said that he has set his sights on boosting schoolwide unity. “[I hope] to boost South spirit by getting people to appreciate the school and those around them,” he said.

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November 4, 2021

EDITORIALS issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 38, Issue 4

The Facebook hearing: A wake up call Last month, former Facebook (now Meta) employee Frances Haugen exposed the company’s inaction to the Senate after internal research revealed that Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, had harmful effects on teenagers, specifically girls.

Facebook’s research, which included various surveys of its users leaked to the Wall Street Journal by Haugen, showed that Instagram was responsible for exacerbating body issues, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts by 32%, 17% and 13.5% in teenage girls, respectively. The Senate hearings also touched on algorithmic biases, dangerous content and the spread of misinformation, according to NPR. As the majority female staff of a student newspaper, we felt we needed to examine our place as the supposed victims of social media companies.

As the generation that has grown up amid various social media platforms’ rises and downfalls, we are the guinea pigs of technology and its influences on our teenage years, a time when we’re supposed to be figuring out who we want to be and what we want to contribute to the world.

We have all had the experience of seeing something you wish you hadn’t on social

media and feeling scarred afterwards. Many of us have felt unsafe when using these platforms, for example, feeling like you’re being listened to for ad targeting.

This begs the question of regulation, which feels like a double-edged sword in and of itself. On one end of the spectrum, allowing social media companies full autonomy over regulation of their platforms puts responsibility for censorship largely in individuals’ hands, whereas placing responsibility in the hands of the government could incite censorship.

Ultimately though, we believe that the government should be responsible for monitoring and regulating the ever-growing landscape of social media. We cannot let private companies persist in subtle attacks on our mental health, which will build up and undoubtedly leave a notable impact on our generation.

We spend so many hours of our lives scrolling, liking and judging from behind the blue screen. Social media is a paradox; it is the best of the world and also the worst of the world. It both invites comparison and anxiety over the way you’ll be seen by others and can open up your universe to everything beyond your immediate surroundings. As adolescents

Editorial Policy The Lion’s Roar, founded in 1984, is the student newspaper of Newton South High School, acting as a public forum for student views and attitudes.

The Lion’s Roar’s right to freedom of expression is protected by the Massachusetts Student Free Expression Law (Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, Section 82). All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Lion’s Roar in no way reflects the official policy of Newton South, its faculty, or its administration.

Editorials are the official opinion of The Lion’s Roar, while opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lion’s Roar. The Lion’s Roar reserves the right to edit all submitted content, to reject advertising copy for resubmission of new copy that is deemed acceptable by student editors, and to make decisions regarding the submission of letters to the editors, which are welcomed.

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In-school distribution of The Lion’s Roar is free, but each copy of the paper shall cost one dollar for each copy more than ten (10) that is taken by any individual or by many individuals on behalf of a single individual. Violation of this policy shall constitute theft.

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and children, we have been trained to filter through obvious misinformation and scams, but we cannot be expected to know how to protect ourselves from being targeted.

The basic internet safety classes from elementary school are not cutting it.

Technology is constantly changing, and it’s impossible to learn about and respond to all the new algorithms that companies subtly develop. It’s impossible to understand, just by looking at a profile picture, that there’s a real person behind the username. It is impossible to foresee how innocently downloading an app will make your free time dissipate into nothing.

It cannot be up to us to adjust to every new development that billionaires behind the app spend their and hundreds of their workers’ days developing. It is not our responsibility.

If private companies don’t step up, the government must take steps to protect the youngest and most vulnerable populations who are exposed to such dangerous subtle attacks on their mental health.

The Senate hearing was a step in the right direction, and through it, we witnessed senators from both sides of the aisle step up and speak out against social media’s taking

advantage of youth.

We saw Twitter step up through temporarily suspending Trump’s Twitter account in the final months of his administration, when his tweets incited riots. We saw a newfound effort by social media companies to curb the spread of misinformation during the 2020 elections, by marking content factually inaccurate.

But why does it take physical violence like the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol and a ravaging pandemic for companies to feign efforts to protect us? Companies have made it clear that they cannot do their job well when left to their own devices, especially in the aftermath of this very hearing.

As adolescents, we have unlimited potential for growth that is easily imprintable. The threat of constant exposure to misinformation can seriously harm the way we think, make decisions as adults, and affect others. While social media is a vast landscape that offers insight into the lives of people thousands of miles away from us, the detrimental effects are staggering. Haugen’s testimony must serve as a starting point to face the social media giants advancing their platforms while leaving us behind as collateral damage.

Volume XXXVIII The Lion’s Roar Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper 140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com

Editor-in-Chief Ellyssa Jeong

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editorials | page 7

LETTER from the

EDITOR Eva Shimkus Managing Editor Since moving to America two years ago, I’ve had a fear that I’d end up like one of those quirky teenage angst movie protagonists — alone at lunch.

The beginning of freshman year was rough. While everyone came equipped with a perfect big friend group from middle school and an unspoken understanding of how everything was supposed to work, I was almost always lost (in every sense of the word).

On my first day, I hadn’t been informed that nobody uses the seatbelts on the classic Yellow American High School Buses™, so I dutifully buckled up.

When the bus arrived at school, all the other kids stood up to leave … except for me.

I was trapped in the seat by my buckle, which got jammed (this was probably its first time being used). No matter how hard I tugged on the belt, it wouldn’t budge, and I felt a panic rise in my stomach. Luckily, I was still small enough as a scrawny 14-year-old freshman to slide underneath the belt and escape before the bus started off again. Still, the experience stuck with me as a reminder that once again, I was an outsider.

The prospect of American High School Lunch™ was equally as daunting. I’ve seen Mean Girls enough times to consider myself well-versed in the rules; I made it my mission

The Hoodie

to somehow make friends materialize out of thin air.

To me, sitting alone meant a public display of my lack of assimilation — like I was Hester Prynne wearing the scarlet letter in front of all the townspeople. I dreaded the pitying stares and whispers I assumed I would get.

I should make a disclaimer here. This isn’t to say that people who sit alone are unhappy

area, alone.

The weird thing is, as I was laying down my favorite green hoodie to use as a picnic blanket, I felt none of the shame I'd been expecting.

Nothing.

All I worried about was the prospect of my hoodie being dirty afterwards. I could see all the groups of people around me in their little protective penguin huddles, and for one

I've come to realize that the image of eating lunch surrounded by a group of friends is really just a high school facade and most people are busy with their own lives and couldn't care less if you are caught eating your lunch alone. by default. I know plenty of people who are perfectly happy eating their lunch alone and prefer their moment of peace, but I am not one of those people.

A few weeks ago, I was coming out of a block fully prepared that this would be one of those lunches where I would have no one to sit with. Of course, I started procrastinating my fate by walking as slowly as I could in the hallways and examining the plastic forks in the cafeteria like they were some sort of archeological relic. All around me, I saw swarms of people on their way to get lunch, each doing their own thing.

So I started heading towards the outdoor

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of the first times in my life, it didn’t bother me that I was alone.

I turned off the self-conscious part of my brain and decided to be content in my own company.

I calmly took out my phone and started scrolling through Instagram. I hadn’t even unzipped my lunch bag yet when I heard a voice say, “Hey Eva, can I sit with you?”

I looked up and saw a girl from class standing in front of me and my makeshift picnic blanket. I told her yes, of course.

The two of us moved to one of those outside tables, and this time, my already muddy hoodie came to use again for wiping off the

raindrops from the seats. We sat together and had a chat.

Then, out of nowhere, a group of girls approached us and asked if they could sit with us too. I nodded, passing on my hoodie — now turned rag cloth — for them to wipe off their seats. Then, another girl I know walked by and I turned to wave at her. She asked if she could sit with us too, so we made room.

Eventually, lunch ended, the group split up and we returned to the drudgery of school.

Walking to class, crammed like a sardine between the other kids in the 2000s stairwell, I thought about the effect of my mentality on reality; by approaching this solo lunch experience with a sense of calm resolution and solitude, I somehow left with more friends.

It was as if accepting the fact that it’s okay to be alone sometimes and be comfortable and confident allowed me to open myself up to making new friends. I’ve come to realize that the image of eating lunch surrounded by a group of your friends is really just a high school facade, and most people are busy with their own lives and couldn't care less if you are caught eating your lunch alone.

I don’t think this is exclusive to my lunch experience; if you are set on having something, you need to be willing to live without it. Nonchalance is key, and if things don’t turn out as planned, you may leave the experience with something new, even if that means ruining your favorite hoodie in the process.

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November 4, 2021

OPINIONS issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 38, Issue 4

The Revival of Thrifting Thrifting is good for the environment and your wallet, so we've compiled a list of thrift shops around Boston to help you find the best second-hand fits

By Briana Butera and Yana Kane graphic by Julie Wang

I

f you asked me what I thought about thrifting a year ago, I wouldn’t have known what to tell you. Over the past few months, however, I visited thrift shops

in and around Boston and experienced what the world of thrifting has to offer. Recently, second-hand clothing has experienced a revival, especially among teens. Some may

attribute the comeback to our generation’s increased awareness of fast fashion’s effects on our planet. Trends on social media have helped as well; on TikTok, tags such as

Garment District

Plato's closet

Goodwill Boston

West Roxbury

The Garment District is a well-known store located in Cambridge, about 25 minutes from Newton. The store has an ‘80s theme with bright pink walls and tiled floors: perfect for taking photos with friends.

Aside from the interior design though, the clothing selection isn’t great: the first floor is dedicated to costumes and trinkets of a particular taste while the second floor offers a narrow selection of clothes. There is a corner for shoes, but most were extremely worn down, much like the clothes. The jewelry selection was great, but there were few accessories other than that. On top of everything, I found it difficult to navigate through the store since clothes were scattered all over the place. The Garment District definitely needs to work on reorganizing their items.

After reading online reviews and hearing the complaints from friends, I realized that my experience with the Garment District isn’t unique. I made the mistake of trying to find trendy clothes at the Garment District, but I now realize the shop is better suited for people looking for retro items and novelties.

Plato’s Closet is a chain consignment store but unique because you can make some money by selling your clothes. Just a 10-minute drive from Newton Centre, Plato’s Closet in Waltham is another place to consider to get a taste of thrifting, and not a bad one either.

Before going to the store, I had read many negative reviews, which turned out to be far from the truth. I was pleasantly surprised to see a larger variety of clothes than I had expected.

The staff was nice and the changing rooms were open, which made me feel confident about the items I was buying.

However, the store’s prices were disappointing. On average, a thin sweater costs $12, a high price when considering the material and prior use, and most pairs of jeans were priced as high as $50. One reason for thrifting’s rise in popularity among our generation is because of its cheaper price tags, since many students don’t have a lot of money to spare on clothing.

Regardless, Plato’s Closet is a nearby second-hand store for those who want to try thrifting or selling, and I’m glad I went despite the negative reviews.

Goodwill is a large chain of thrift stores, renowned for its high quality of products throughout almost all of their locations. The Boston location is my personal favorite as it is both close to South (14 minutes from Newton Centre), and it carries unique items and decorations.

Goodwills sell a wide selection of clothing, home decor and kitchenware, a key difference from other thrift stores on this list. While places like Plato’s Closet and Savers might be almost entirely centered around clothing, almost half of what Goodwill offers can most likely be seen in your kitchen or living room.

The number of times I’ve found cute cups, lamps and figurines makes going there a guaranteed adventure.

The only problem I’ve had shopping at Goodwill was with customer service. It really depends when you go — the staff can be great some days and difficult to get help from on other days.

Overall though, Goodwill is a perfect store for students who are looking to shop for good quality items for less.

Out of all of the thrift stores on this list, Savers is the most severely underrated.

It’s not talked about much but is a thrifter's gem, particularly for beginners.

Located in West Roxbury, Savers is a 10-minute drive from South, which made it an instant go-to thrift store for when I don’t feel like driving far.

The store offers a range of different clothing, shoes and accessories. There are at least eight racks of clothing, organized from t-shirts to jackets. The shoes are all lined up on shelves, categorized seasonally, with boots on one end and sandals on the other.

My favorite part about Savers is that they have a specific spot for bags and a glass case with jewelry, unlike other stores, which have items scattered everywhere.

Everything is affordable, varying from $3 to $7 depending on the item’s quality and brand.

The store has a satisfactory amount of good quality outfits and is definitely worth a try for people who want an easy and effective thrifting experience.

Out of the four stores, I’d ultimately recommend Goodwill and Savers. These stores are often overlooked because they aren’t as “trendy,” despite being cheaper and offering clothes of better quality than Plato's Closet and Garment District do. With the clout that

stores like Plato's Closet and the Garment District have, they can raise their prices, while Goodwill and Savers realize both the continued and new values of thrifting: affordability, efficiency and battling the prominent problem of overconsumption.

Unfortunately, the resurgence of thrifting has also resulted in negative impacts. Many rely on second-hand stores for clothes out of necessity, not merely out of an attempt to be trendy. While we may take thrifting for a vintage pair of jeans as fun weekend plans,

people of low income may need these lower costs to get the clothes that so many of us take for granted. That's not to say those who don’t need to thrift shouldn’t, but it is important to stay conscious of our consumerism habits and who we may be harming by over-thrifting.

Cambridge

Waltham

#ThriftHaul and #ThriftTok, have racked up over 800 million views. While fast fashion dumps clothing into landfills, thrifting has given these clothes a second chance.

Saver's

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CAMPUS CHATTER

opinions | page 9

The Lion's Roar asked...

What is your favorite food combination and why?

Frank Liu class of '22

Claire Hooper class of '23

Abby Shin class of '24

Aran Chakraborty class of '25

My favorite combo is definitely bagels and cream cheese.

Cream cheese adds flavor and moisture, and the bagels add texture. I especially like cinnamon and raisin bagels.

My favorite food combo is grapes and cheddar cheese because it tastes good. I like to have it as an after-school snack because it has cheese, and cheese is healthy.

Cereal and air because I am lactose intolerant and hate milk. I particularly like Kix because Kix is parent-approved and kid-tested, which means it is #certified.

I like chocolate and strawberries as a dessert because they just go together. Both are sweet. Different kinds of sweet. Chocolate is sugary, and strawberries are natural.

Squid Game: A lesson in excellence

By Paul Hong Just as the Korean movies “Parasite” and “Minari” stood in the spotlight in 2019 and 2020, respectively, the nine-episode South Korean Netflix show “Squid Game” has made waves with its debut on Sept. 17. In just over a week, it went from being a relatively unknown series to the most-watched one in Netflix history. As a Korean drama lover, I was thrilled to hear news of the new thriller-drama release.

“Squid Game” begins by foreshadowing the main character’s journey as Gi-Hun’s childhood-self is depicted playing “Squid Game,” a traditional Korean children’s game.

Later, we meet Gi-Hun in the present day as an adult facing massive debt, and we see him meeting a lender who forces him to write a body renunciation letter to pay off his debts.

As Gi-Hun’s depressing day draws to a close, he meets a man in a subway station while heading to home. He offers him a 100,000 won ($100) reward for winning a game of Ddakji, another classic Korean game. Gi-Hun eagerly accepts the man’s proposition, and upon his first success, he receives a small dose of what his life could look like if he had more money.

I enjoyed this scene because it ironically shows that humans will do anything to make money depending on their situation, losing their minds in the process.

After the game ends, the man invites Gi-Hun to take part in more children's games to win more money, a decision that will change his life forever.

Throughout the show,“Squid Game” informs its audience of the dirty and cruel human

nature. When 456 contestants step into their first game, they learn that the true cost of the game is their lives, as the players that lose are brutally shot to death — a fact none of them had been informed of when initially recruited.

Witnessing their crewmates' deaths, the characters grow desperate. The remaining people choose to sabotage each other in order to win the cash prize, which would save them from their debt, instead of uniting against the moderators of the game, who never reveal their identities. The result is that the contestants fracture, with the central antagonist expanding from just the gamemasters to an ever-shifting array of factions.

The game scene from the first episode, in which they play Red Light, Green Light, reminded me of our own lives: though not as extreme, we compete with each other constantly to get ahead instead of working together.

Beyond the intricate plot, the diverse character elements of “Squid Game” also uplift the series. Nowhere is this seen better than in Ali, a Pakistani worker played by Indian actor Anupam Tripathi. Since most K-drama actors are Korean, I was pleasantly surprised to see an Indian actor. Additionally, I was amazed by how well the show utilized Ali’s storyline to criticize the poor treatment of foreign workers in Korea.

In addition to the well-developed characters, I loved the actors behind them. I was particularly impressed by Ho-Yeon Jung. Even though“Squid Game” was her acting debut, her performance was incredible. She even mastered a North Korean accent, which was one of the

photo courtesy of Netflix

parts of her character that stood out most to me. According to director Dong-Hyuk Hwang, it was difficult to find the right actress for the role of Sae-Byeok, but after watching Jung’s audition video, he said that “it felt like God [chose] her for this character,” and he cast the actress right away.

Despite the series’ popularity, Hwang has yet to announce the second season. He said that further brainstorming will be required for its development. As I wait for an official second season, I will be rewatching the nine incredible episodes that have brought the phenomenal six games into my life.

page 10 | opinions

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Scars to Your Beautiful

Director in Focus: Martin Scorsese

Jacob Lewis Film Columnist

Plastic surgery's prominence in the media convinces high schoolers to consider altering their bodies, but are teens mature enough to be making such a life-changing decision?

What's the rage?

In 1978, Martin Scorsese produced a movie that bombed at the box office. After a period of hospitalization from depression and substance abuse, anyone would have forgiven him for stepping back from filmmaking. Instead, the beloved director committed to a project that turned into “Raging Bull,” one of the greatest films ever made.

After his poorly received film, “New York, New York,” Scorsese had an epiphany.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, he explained,“I was lost … so I had to start all over again.” He reevaluated his entire approach to filmmaking and realized that he needed to create something new. This creation was“Raging Bull”, which made Scorsese realize that it is not popularity that determines one’s worth, but the level of satisfaction that one experiences in creating their own art.

This 1980 film follows the true story about the life of boxer Jake LaMotta. He is known for being ruthless in the ring, often seriously injuring his opponents during a match.

The film is a character study, juxtaposing his personal life with his profession.

When I saw “Raging Bull”, Scorsese’s dedication and attention to detail was immediately apparent. Each scene is immaculately filmed, with cinematography that is at times visually stunning and deeply personal when it needs to be. Yet the film is a brutal experience.

LaMotta is not a sympathetic protagonist. His insecurity and destructive nature, both in and out of the ring, sets a path that leaves him in a much worse state.

Watching the life of a human being collapse in such a way is excruciating. Scorsese’s film writing and Robert De Niro’s flawless portrayal of LaMotta are appropriately unflinching, refusing to let the story shift into a more classic, easygoing Hollywood tale. I found this to be the most powerful aspect of “Raging Bull”: its ability to let the audience look into the soul of this character and get a front row seat to his tragic life.

After learning about Scorsese’s personal life, it becomes clear that he felt a connection to LaMotta; both were promising in their field and ended up falling farther than they thought they could. By telling a story that spoke to him, Scorsese took pride in his work and lifted himself out of depression.

Scorsese’s personal story is a testament to the power of this film. “Raging Bull” is about humans, our violent nature and the nightmarish possibility that any of us could lose everything at any time. It is a true and memorable achievement, as long as people continue to watch and take in the harsh beauty of its art.

photo courtesy of IMDb

photo by Eva Shimkus

By Annika Engelbrecht and Noa Kelm

S

crolling through Instagram, I see a recurring theme: gorgeous girls — friends and strangers alike — sitting perfectly on the beach or not so casually accentuating their sharpened jawline. It’s a struggle to avoid these cookie-cutter pictures. The monotonous experience is overwhelming, to say the least.

After seeing so many of these photos, it’s hard not to compare yourself to the person shown. I’m definitely guilty of doing this and often, I end up feeling inadequate. Social media isn’t the only place where I’m exposed to “perfect bodies.” Television shows and movies are rife with stereotypically beautiful people — someone with no blemishes, exact features and a thin body — which perpetuates an unspoken pressure to conform.

Constant exposure to edited and posed photos creates unrealistic body expectations, prompting teenagers, especially girls, to selfdeprecate themselves and long to change their appearance through plastic surgery. Despite the normalization of this desire, high schoolers should not give into the temptation of fitting the mold.

The most salient reason is that teenagers’ brains haven’t fully developed. While most associate 18, the age of adulthood, with responsibility and maturity, scientists suggest otherwise. According to National Public Radio, the human brain isn’t finished developing until the age of 25. As a 14-yearold just beginning high school, I was under a false impression of maturity. I was in no shape to be making life-altering decisions like plastic surgery, and neither would any other 14-year-old.

Even now as a junior, I still constantly make rash choices without thinking them through. This lack of understanding that comes with an underdeveloped brain can lead to reckless decisions, which is why high

schoolers should not make the life-altering decision to have plastic surgery done, especially with the health risks tied to it.

According to the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, there is little research on the long-term effects of teenage plastic surgery. In 2017, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons calculated that roughly 229,000 patients aged 13-17 underwent cosmetic procedures. Despite this staggering number, further research found that the medical field has very few guidelines to ensure that surgeons both properly and safely perform adolescent surgery.

While a few surgeries, like rhinoplasties and most ear surgeries, can be done safely by a board-certified surgeon, other procedures, like botox and liposuction, have no evidence of being safe for teenagers. Even though select surgeries can be done generally without harm, having plastic surgery can cause serious complications to one’s long-term health such as infection and scarring. Choosing to commit to plastic surgery could lead to injury, and beauty doesn't have to come with pain.

As a kid, I watched “Clueless”, a movie set in a rich high school, and I remember seeing many of the background characters sporting a post-surgery bandage on their noses. Although I didn’t think much of it at the time, the association of plastic surgery with wealth and social status stuck with me.

Cinema continues to enforce the idea that people need to have the“perfect body” no matter what it takes. Women especially receive an unfair share of this spotlight. Movies that feature plastic surgery seem to focus predominantly on teenage girls. The constant, unrelenting exposure drives the need for physical perfection deep into impressionable children. With this message constantly presented, children and adults alike might feel the need to look as perfect as the

stars do on television and undergo physically altering surgeries at a young age. Change needs to come from the media instead of teenagers; high schoolers shouldn’t be expected to alter their bodies to fit the media’s idea of what a perfect body is.

Some teens do decide to undergo plastic surgery to fit the mold or perhaps to blend in; however, the decision to do so should come from them alone. Not being 100% confident about plastic surgery can lead to regret.

Although a few plastic surgery procedures can be undone — like injectables and fillers — reversing surgeries come with risks.

According to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, an enzyme called hyaluronidase can remove hyaluronic acid fillers; however, since the enzyme is derived from animals, a possible allergic reaction can occur.

People should never have plastic surgery to please others, but, unfortunately, high school is the prime creator of peer pressure and the want to fit in. So much of a teenager’s life is devoted to comparing themselves to others; are they wearing the right brand of clothing, are they thin enough, do they look good, so all teens want is to blend in through any means, making high school one of the worst times to consider cosmetic augmentation.

Plastic surgery should not be taken lightly. Even if they believe they are responsible, high school students are too young to make such a drastic decision. Beyond high schoolers’ own lack of a fully developed brain, science and medicine lack the basic research behind the long-term effects of teenage plastic surgery.

More often than not, the risks will outweigh the benefits, and the motive for augmentation is flawed. Most importantly, plastic surgery should never be used solely to fit into the notion of an ideal body. After all, teenagers aren’t meant to be perfect.

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An insight into the not-so-hidden culture of sexism in the world of video games

By Mads Traxler and Ishwar Madhusuda

graphic by Denise Chan

“S

o, when’s our date?” is something you wouldn’t expect to hear as soon as you join a video game voice chat. Unfortunately, it’s an extremely common occurrence for girls who game. Although the outside world is slowly evolving to accommodate for people other than straight, white and cisgender men, the world of video games has been extremely stubborn to change. The video game world despises women. In professional gaming, according to Forbes magazine, “the problem is so bad that many female gamers disguise their identities, change profiles and characters to appear neutral or masculine and daren’t use their microphones.” Some people might try to brush this off and say that men in video games like to give each other a hard time so they do the same towards women; however, this is far from the truth, as women are disproportionately harassed for a myriad of ludicrous reasons.

A large part of this virtual harassment occurs in video game lobbies when girls are called names or picked on for no reason. Sometimes, if I’m not playing my best, my teammates will chalk it up to me being a “girl gamer.” My voice is distinctly feminine, so as soon as I use my mic to give my teammates callouts (in-game instructions or directions), it is immediately obvious that I am a girl. Due to this dead giveaway, many of my female friends choose to stay silent during games because they are afraid of harassment. This leads to a poorer in-game experience and overall gameplay because they

cannot communicate with their teammates.

Some of my friends have also intentionally chosen to pick gender-neutral usernames so as not to reveal their female gender. My ingame username is “Mads” which often leads to probing questions such as “Are you a girl?” or “Is there a female in this voice chat?” It doesn’t just stop there; as guys become even more inappropriate, the darker side of being a girl who plays games reveals itself. Girls frequently encounter situations where they are hit on and even sexually harassed. I have been asked for my phone number, Snapchat username and Discord tag. I have been asked on dates. I have been asked if I’m single. I have even had rape jokes made about me. I would definitely consider myself vocal, but somehow, many male gamers translate this to mean that they are entitled to something from me. This is an absolutely toxic and disgusting mindset and is only made worse because many of these men are older and used to harassing people online.

Harassment doesn’t only make it difficult to play the game emotionally but tactically as well. Once, I was playing a character in-game who can build walls of ice. I was genuinely trying to find out where I could place a wall to be most beneficial to my team, but the response I got from my teammate was simply: “wherever you want, honey.” Not only did I feel deeply uncomfortable, but I still had no idea what to do. I was still a beginning gamer at this point, so this interaction thoroughly disturbed me.

Looking back, I realize that a boy would never

be told the same thing by their teammate, demonstrating how intense the double-standard is.

Finally, people assume the skill of a gamer is based on their gender alone. Sometimes, male teammates will immediately assume that I have no skill simply because I’m a girl. This leads them to intentionally throw (lose the game on purpose) because they believe that their female teammate will make them lose anyways.

Once, my male friend and I switched usernames. He began getting all of the harassment I regularly received because the username he was playing under was obviously feminine.

When he spoke in voice chat, he was asked if he was playing on his girlfriend’s account because there was “no way a girl could play this well.” In fact, a common “compliment” is: “You’re good for a girl.” It’s common for girls to be asked “Who carried you to this rank?” or “Are you on your boyfriend's account?” Such simple questions carry heavy misogynistic undertones and must be stopped.

The gaming environment for girls right now is degrading, toxic and discouraging for women worldwide. This is an issue that has gone unnoticed for too long, and it is actively seeping into our current generation. We must take action if we are to stop the complete normalization of such discourse. Gaming should be a relaxing, enjoyable experience for all. It is an escape to another reality where problems can be solved with magic and quick thinking, and in the words of Cyndi Lauper, “girls just wanna have fun.”

Daniel Marshak Opinions Columnist

The Stock Market What is investing? A common question among teenagers, especially following the GameStop saga, is a good question to be asking yourself. While investing sounds confusing, it’s simpler than you think. Finance professionals often use complicated words to scare the public, but anyone can learn how to invest.

First of all, let’s clear up some common misconceptions. You do not need to be 18 or older to start investing in the stock market.

In fact, there is no minimum age of investing as long your parents are on board. The stock market isn’t gambling, and an abundance of money is not necessary to begin investing.

So, how can you secure your financial freedom? First, you need to ask yourself a few questions. Do I understand the stock market and the risk associated with participating in it? Do I understand the stock market is not a casino table, nor is it a “get-rich” scheme? These questions are crucial to understand before you begin investing.

You’ll also need to make a custodial brokerage account; simply your own brokerage account — an account where you can trade securities — just like the ones your parents have, but with your own money. While you will need permission from your parents to actually open an account, any and all transactions will be your own. Also, keep in mind that all selling of stocks is subject to taxes.

Beyond simple mechanics, two things should be cleared up: why and what should you invest in? Think back to freshman year math, when your teacher was grilling you with the compound interest formula. The average percent return or gain in value in the S&P (Standard & Poor’s) 500, a combination of the 500 largest companies in America, is around 10%. It is possible for years of negative return, but in the long term, it will increase. Buying a piece of the S&P 500 is the same as buying a piece of the American economy; as the United States economy grows, so will the S&P 500 and the size of your investment.

Although some may advise you to choose individual stocks to invest in, this approach is a higher risk to take, especially for a beginner.

Let’s say we put $20 a month into an index fund such as the S&P 500 at a 10% annual return for 50 years. You will make $279,338.05, and if we jump this to an 11% annual return, your profit will increase to around $400,000. If you stay longer in the stock market and make larger monthly contributions, your returns will multiply. That's not to say there aren't risks associated with the stock market; take the 2008 recession or the past year when the pandemic sent major indexes crashing. But even with the unexpected pandemic, you still would have yielded yourself around 30% return up to today.

Above all, remember that buying a piece of America, no matter the date, will still return you a fair amount if you believe in the growth of the U.S. economy. As long as you don’t panic sell, you are bound to profit in the long term as the American economy gets stronger.

graphic by Emily Cheng

BEHIND THE SCREEN

opinions | page 11

Working Under Pressure As schools across the country fully reopen, many face shortages of support staff including bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodians, causing workers to face new hardships

By Ahona Dam and Julian Phillips photos by Ines Koci and Eva Shimkus

W

hen lunch ends around 1:20 p.m every day, a rare moment of serenity follows, as crowds of students head to their next classes. The tables are mostly cleared of trash, with the exception of an occasional wrinkled brown bag or empty milk carton.

This time of peace and quiet proves to be fleeting for kitchen manager Maria Meade. Despite the bell’s indication of lunch block ending, a student lingers in the cafeteria and approaches Meade to request a sunbutter and jelly sandwich.

Meade recalls that the cafeteria had run out of sandwiches after lunch period had ended. After Meade asks the student why they were late and did not get lunch during lunch time, the student ignores her question, then asks for a “government-made sandwich.”

“What you need to understand is that yes, the government reimburses us for this meal, but the government is not here making this meal for you,” Meade said. “You should appreciate that and appreciate that we are making this for you, but a lot of the students don’t understand.”

Especially during the pandemic, which brought shortages of staff and new safety protocols, workers like Meade said that disrespect and stress are still deeply-rooted parts of an essential worker’s workplace.

While pandemic-related school closures have ended, Tom Hamilton, executive director of the School Transportation Association of Massachusetts, said that the long-lasting effects of the closures remain in the form of worker shortages. He said that many bus drivers had to

quit in order to take care of their families, and haven’t come back, leaving schools without the drivers they now need.

“The drivers were not working, and they have to put food on the table like everybody else,” he said. “A lot of them went and found other jobs because they needed the income. You can't blame anybody for doing that. All the bus drivers love what they do, and they love seeing the kids in the morning and in the afternoon. A lot of them see it as this second family.”

The Final Straw Custodian Joe Arseneault spent yet another afternoon cleaning up lunches in the cafeteria, long after the rush of students had passed. The mess left behind by students prevented him from returning to his main job of cleaning the 3000s. Arseneault said that it is the students’ responsibility to help to maintain a clean space to respect custodians and cafeteria workers.

“People throw food and they walk all over it, and it’s sad when there’s a barrel right there and they don’t throw food into the barrel,” he said. “If kids cleaned up after themselves, everything would be going a lot smoother.”

Meade said that while she enjoys working with students, their disregard for rules is disheartening and makes her job harder, as the more meals students take, the more she has to make with an already short-handed staff.

Although beneficial, some conveniences, such as

this year’s implementation of free lunches, enable some students to take multiple meals instead of the one meal per student that the cafeteria plans for.

“They try to hide [the lunches], and it’s just like whatever you want, what can I do?’” she said.“I’m not here to be a police officer. I’m here to be making those meals.

But then again, how many can I make? We only have a handful of people, and we are trying to hire people, but nobody tries to apply for jobs.”

The growing need for Meade's work coming out of the pandemic has outpaced worker availability, leading to a widening gap that has added new stressors to the workplace.

To match the 1,800 student body, seven cafeteria workers prepare lunches everyday. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after holding steady for four years, food service contractor employment in Middlesex County dropped 50% this past January. While enrollment at South dropped 5% over the pandemic, it is projected to grow in the coming years.

In addition to concerns over shortages, disrespect continues to be a major cause in workplace stress.

After coming close to losing his job during the pandemic, bus driver Abraham, who preferred to only be referred to by his first name, said that he wishes students would understand the difficulty of his job before treating him with disrespect.

“We wake up early, we control the route, we control all cars on the way and we control students, especially

There are currently seven cafeteria workers making 1,100 meals every day for South's student body

the ones who have bad behavior,” he said. “[South] can understand the bus driver situation by doing some hours of education in the classroom to teach students how to respect bus drivers.”

Despite the augmented demand for cafeteria workers, bus drivers and custodians, students’ lack of respect for these essential workers has created a difficult environment fraught with student entitlement. In littering, taking too much food and disregarding bus drivers, students interfere with the processes designed to help them.

Student Situations Riding a bus to and from school and buying lunch from the cafeteria has always been a crucial part of the student routine. From adapting to district policies and ensuring the safety of students, support staff like Abraham continue to play an essential part in the everyday function of the school.

“A lot of students may not be able to come to school without a school bus or a school bus driver,” Abraham said.

“There are many parents who cannot buy a car, so with the school bus and driver, they can save money.”

Junior Andrew Hsu said that he appreciates the work that support staff do. He said that other students may not be aware of the experiences and challenges that support staff face.

“I am so privileged to not need to know exactly what

A lot of students may not be able to come to school without a school bus or school bus driver ... If you promote school, you need to promote bus drivers too, because there is no school without bus drivers.

Abraham Bus Driver

they go through,” he said. “They just do things to help us as students, and we often take that for granted.”

With a busy work schedule and around 1,800 students to feed, Meade said that when students take extra lunches, it increases the workload for her and the rest of the kitchen staff, who still have to make lunches for students who need just one.

She said she tries to confront students about this but there’s only so much she can do when managing the kitchen.

“They keep taking more meals off the table,” she said.

“Those are meals that another child doesn’t get to have later from first to the third lunch. I am trying to address this to them and it seems like they don’t understand.”

Junior Franklin Gu said that he takes extra lunches because the meals don’t sustain him. He said that being on the cross country team, the extra lunches help to fuel him throughout the day.

“I take extra lunches because they're not nutritious enough for my athletic needs,” he said. “Mr. Williams says ‘don't take extra lunches,’ but I'm an athlete. What am I supposed to do?”

Senior Jessie Traxler said that the support staff, despite challenges brought by the pandemic, are compassionate towards students and consistently work to cater to the school’s needs.

“The people who are staying are the people who really care about the kids in the community,” she said.

“It's those human connections that are a reason to stay.”

Student lunches are prepared in the kitchen before every lunch block

Help Wanted While the pandemic has left a new landscape for workers and students to navigate, a general sense of appreciation for one another pervades. However, some students have made support staff like Abraham feel underappreciated for the work they do for Newton Public Schools.

“They can do better, and they should do better because schools are open and bus drivers are very important,” he said. “If you promote school, you need to promote bus drivers, too, because there is no school without bus drivers.”

Math and physics teacher Ryan Normandin said that opposition to increased benefits for school workers can be harmful to schools.

“There's this claim that unemployment is making people lazy and that they don't want to work, which I really don't buy,” he said. “If you want people to work for you, then pay them reasonable wages. We need to pay them.”

While the specifics of combatting the shortage and easing workers’ situations may be challenging, Hsu said that basic respect is what counts.

“As you're going around the school and you see a janitor or a lunch lady or someone else, it might be nice to just take the time out of your day to thank them because they, behind the scenes, do so much for our school and are the backbone of the function of our school,” he said. “We would not have this quality of an education at Newton South without them and the amazing work that they do.”

Remembering

Zach

(2003-2020) In honor of the day that would have been Zachary

photos contributed by Julie Mandel

Mandel's 18th birthday, family and friends gathered at Zach's grave on Oct. 24 to remember and celebrate a life taken too soon

Zach's grandmother adorns his grave Surrounded by friends and family, Zach's mother Julie reads a poem in honor of her son Friends light lanterns containing messages for Zach

photos by Eva Shimkus

Scan the QR code to be directed to a GoFundMe page to support non-profit organizations in honor of Zach's memory.

page 15

November 4, 2021

FEATURES Waning Worries with Wags issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 38, Issue 4

Nurse Bailey, South's emotional support dog, provides mental health support for students graphic by Emily Cheng

By Alyssa Chen, Sarah Feinberg and Lynn Kim

photo by Eva Shimkus

Emotional support dog Bailey enjoys students' pets

T

eaching assistant Julie Kaplan said that it was only by chance that her dog, Bailey, became South’s beloved emotional therapy dog; nonetheless, it was meant to be.

When Newton South suddenly shut down due to the pandemic in March 2020, she had run into school with Bailey to grab a few items, passing the nurse’s office. After meeting Bailey, the nurses immediately proposed the idea of an emotional support dog. Now, merely 18 months later, the two-year-old cockapoo is a “sophomore” at Newton South and certified by Canine Good Citizen, a dog training program.

Kaplan said that after only a few days of working at South last year, Nurse Bailey quickly adjusted to his new job in the nurse’s office and began looking forward to his interactions with students.

“He was very nervous when he first came.

He waited for me to come, and he cried several times,” she said.“Now, he loves his job. When I come into the building and let go of the leash, he dashes into the nurse's office.”

Nurse Karleen Kiritsy, who frequently walks Bailey, said that even though he was not originally trained as an emotional support dog, his compassion and kindness around students, particularly when they are anxious, comes naturally.

“He just has this innate ability to come up and comfort them. He sits with them as they pet him,” she said. “He just instinctively knows how he can help people.”

After an isolated sophomore year during the pandemic, junior Naomi Metcalf said that visiting Bailey during breaks in her day has eased the stress that came along with returning to a high-strung academic environment.

“Being back in the building, it's scary to try to take a break because you know there's people everywhere,” she said.“I really like going to the nurse's office and hanging out with Bailey … He really calms me down.”

Ninth grade physics teacher Zoe Hasham said that she has noticed a rise in students’ mental health issues as many people, including teens, faced a lot of stress during the pandemic.

“This past year or two has been the time when I've heard about the most deaths [and] community turmoil that people have been dealing with,” Hasham said. “It's a lot.”

Guidance counselor Ariel Kenyon said that access to stress relievers, like Bailey, is vital to help students to feel safe in their environments and to do their best.

“When we're anxious, we get into this fight, flight or freeze mode … which certainly makes it harder to engage with whatever is

in front of you and take in other contextual information,” she said. “If you're feeling better and less stressed, you're able to focus more and be more fully present in class, which then helps you be more efficient with your time, and so there's a domino effect.”

While South’s intense school culture can be anxiety-provoking, Metcalf said that when she feels overwhelmed, stopping by the nurse’s office to visit Bailey helps her feel ready for class again.

“He is genuinely the sweetest dog I've ever met. He doesn't bark [or] growl and he just hangs out, plays with his ball and likes belly rubs,” she said. “He's just a nice presence that isn't another person perceiving or judging you for being stressed, and that can be really calming.”

Hasham said that mental health is slowly becoming more of a priority in classroom settings.

Once you cover [feeling comfortable and not anxious in the classroom], then you can start learning,” she said. “I am more worried about my students having good mental health than learning the equation for velocity.”

Like Metcalf, senior Simon Barr said that after taking a break from class, he feels ready to return to the classroom and be engaged.

“Visiting Bailey makes my five-minute break feel like a 20-minute break. It really improves my mood,” he said.

Kenyon said that Bailey is a unique addition to South’s team of mental health supporters for students as South furthers its efforts to create a more emotionally-aware environment.

While he isn’t the key to mental health issues at South, she said that he is certainly a place to start.

“[Having an emotional support dog] is a good, what I would call, ‘tier one support,’ meaning everyone can access the therapy dog, which is a beautiful thing,” she said. “It can definitely help reduce anxiety and stress, but I don't know if it would resolve it, like talk therapy would and such.”

Metcalf said that as South continues to increase its attention to mental health in a stressful environment, it is important to continue implementing additional actions to address the rising issue at the school.

“Bailey should be seen as a step in the right direction to continue having more mental health resources and options at the school,” she said.“Having an emotional therapy dog is a great option and it really works for some students.”

photo by Eva Shimkus

Nurse Kiristy pets Bailey in their shared work space

Understanding stress and relief methods Chris Mundanchery, Rohit Paradkar Neuroscience Club Columnists

chronic stress effects, however, more cortisol is created than can be used. This excess shrinks the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for memory and learning. Even worse is the expansion of the amygdala, which makes us even more stress-prone.

So, what can we do to relieve stress?

The most successful chronic stress-relief method is taking a break. Watch some TV, hang out with friends, or better yet, do some yoga or breathing exercises. Removing ourselves from work slows the cortisol buildup, calming us down. So the next time you feel overburdened, stay positive and remember that the best thing you can do is move to a more relaxing environment. If we all adopt these habits, South can become a stress-free community.

graphic by Julie Wang

We all know that feeling: there’s a dreaded test coming up, so we procrastinate on homework, which, in addition to other classwork, quickly piles up. It all continues in a vicious cycle that increases stress but doesn’t decrease workload.

So, what exactly are the neurological underpinnings behind stress? Well, there are two stress categories: short-term and chronic. Stress is known for having a bad reputation, but shortterm stress actually confers positive benefits.

Thinking back to cavemen times, our ancestors used fight-or-flight responses to react to daily threats. The same intuition applies today. Upon

facing the threat of upcoming due dates, our “primal instincts'' kick in. Threat mode enables quicker memorization. More specifically, the amygdala — the “fear center” — initiates a stress response. Our brain regulates cortisol, a stress hormone, and speeds up heart rate for increased blood flow, allowing for effective response. After the danger subsides, hormone levels revert to normal. So the next time you zip through an assignment the morning it’s due, thank your evolutionary ancestors.

Now let’s talk about chronic stress —“the bad one.” We already established that stress is not intrinsically a bad thing, so what makes chronic stress so severe? It comes down to cortisol amounts released in the brain. Short-term stress triggers infrequent cortisol release, allowing for easily regulated stress responses. Under

page 16 | features

the lion's roar

Scenes from Hoco After a tumultuous junior year, seniors partake in a classic high school tradition for the first time

By Sanjana Deshpande and Mia Dror

H

omecoming, though a staple in many high schools across the country, hasn’t been a reality for South until this year. After a long history of hosting a semiformal for juniors and a senior prom in the spring, what broke the tradition was COVID-19’s effect on the semi-formal for the class of 2022. To make up for last year’s cancellation, this year’s senior class office planned an Oct. 16 homecoming dance.

The process of planning the dance was spearheaded at the beginning of the school year. Senior class officer and organizer Caroline Hoban said that she felt personal disappointment after the semi-formal was cancelled and wanted to make up for it with another dance before prom.

“It was a perfect opportunity to start a tradition this fall by having a fall dance. A lot of other schools in the U.S. have a homecoming, and even though ours didn't necessarily surround a football game, include alumni and [have] all of the normal traditions, it was still really fun,” Hoban said.

The event was a large undertaking with preparations beginning during the summer, senior class officer Sydney Finkelstein said. “[The principal and vice principal] were on board with everything because they understood that COVID-19 last year took away a lot, so it was nice that they helped us and were on our side,” she said.

Senior Jocelyn Canton, an attendee of homecoming, said

that the dance made up for the lost semi-formal and gave her a chance to reconnect with friends.

“Missing semi meant that our grade hadn’t had a gradewide event since the freshman cruise. That was freshman year and now we’re seniors,” she said. “It was a good way to bring us together.”

For others, the dance was not all that they had hoped for it to be. Many seniors came to homecoming expecting to have fun with their friends, but other factors of the dance led to a feeling of disappointment.

“The bad parts wouldn’t have mattered as much if the music was better and there were more food options,” senior Annie Ganem said. “There honestly just wasn't a lot that was going on.”

Ganem said that she was also upset that some of her classmates brought dates from other grades and schools, disobeying the no outsiders rule.

“Kids were sneaking in outsiders anyway, so there was no reason to not let seniors bring them,” she said. “It would have been more fun because I know a lot of people had friends or significant others that were outsiders that they weren't allowed to bring, which was really disappointing.”

Finkelstein said that while she understands the concerns and letdowns of the dance, she hopes that students recognize the class office’s efforts.

“It didn't feel like kids were understanding how much we’ve put into this,” she said.“We've worked on it for two months, since before school started. It just kind of sucked to see people trashing on it when we put so much work into it.”

At the end of the day, though, Canton said that she believed the majority of the people who attended had a good time despite the backlash.

“It was just a fun way to bring the whole grade together for the first time in a while and to take a little break from school and college applications,” she said.“It definitely was a fun night.”

It was a fun way to bring the whole grade together for the first time in a while and to take a little break from school and college applications. It was definitely a fun night.

Jocelyn Canton class of '22

graphics by Julie Wang, photos by Maureen Caulfield, Mia D'Souza

issuu.com/thelionsroar

features | page 17

Third Grade Memories Alan Reinstein English Teacher

Jeff Van de Berg and The Red Balloon

Weird

photos by Marty Basaria

Autumn

Scan here to see Weird Autumn's Instagram!

An alternative rock band composed of four juniors takes on South

By Ariana Bhargava, Feiya Wang and Emma Zhang

S

tarting as a group of middle school students jamming out in their garage to now taking the stage at Boston festivals, Weird Autumn is an alternative rock band consisting of juniors Willa Foster, the lead singer, bassist and guitarist Jude Seiner, drummer Liam Connolly and guitarist Edward Park.

Foster said that part of her inspiration for starting the band stemmed from growing up in a musical environment, raised by her father, a drummer, and her mother, a singer.

“It started when I was young, and my family would play ‘Rock Band,’ the video game, as a family,” she said. “I've just always loved to sing.”

In seventh-grade, she said she began wanting to take this passion further, which led to her taking a leap and founding the band with Seiner.

“I really wanted to be in a band, and Jude also really wanted to be in a band,” she said.

“We weren't really close friends at the time, but we just decided to do it together.”

Seiner said that he wanted to co-found the band due to his love for music and songwriting.

“One of the beauties of being in a band where you get to write your own music is you can take everything you liked about all your different influences and put them into

one place,” he said. “For me, I liked a bunch of modern rock and emo bands, but I also listened to a lot of jazz.”

Through mutual connections, later members like Connolly joined, who said that the band felt like a strong community.

“I wanted to join mainly because my friends were part of it,” he said. “I felt like I was a part of something, so I stepped in and played drums.”

What started as a hobby quickly flourished into something bigger, Connolly said.

The band recently played at the 2019 AIDS Walk in Boston’s Hatch Shell, a prestigious opportunity.

“Back in eighth-grade, we started it as just a fun little get-together,” he said.“After our first gig at the AIDS Walk, it got bigger than we expected, so we started making more songs.”

Sophomore Leah Vashesko said she was impressed by the group’s stage presence after seeing one of their first sets at the 2019 AIDS Walk.

“They all looked super excited, and they were rocking out,” she said. “The guitarist at the time was head-bobbing so hard that his beanie fell off.”

Vashevko said that the band makes an impact on its listeners through both their style and execution.

Foster, Seiner and Connolly performing at Passing Time on Oct. 19

photo by Marty Basaria

“They have managed to pinpoint what makes that kind of rock music so great, and they can execute it well because they're all really talented musicians,” she said.

Although many high school students may shudder at the thought of a group project or the idea of collaborating with others, the members of Weird Autumn have found a collaborative dynamic that Seiner said is one of the best parts of being in a band.

“It's cool to see what happens when I add something in and then the rest of the band just runs with it and makes it into something a little bit different,” he said. “You can rely on your other bandmates with creativity. You don't have to do everything yourself, and that way, you can come up with a wider variety of things.”

On Oct. 19, Weird Autumn participated in Passing Time, a South tradition where students perform in the hallways. After watching the band perform, theater and public speaking teacher Paige Perkinson said the band had an excellent grasp on the fusion of skills that make up artistic strength.

“The performing arts, music, theater and dance all go hand in hand. Performers who are comfortable stepping back and forth into those worlds are the strongest all-around performers,” she said. “That’s exactly what [Weird Autumn] has.”

Park said that he is looking forward to the band’s future performances.

“It’s exciting to share the things I’ve made, and that’s exactly what people want from me.

New ideas,” he said.

Seiner said that the band has plans to expand past school events and put their music out on larger platforms other than Instagram and YouTube.

“We're planning on recording soon and we want to write a couple more songs so that we have more to choose from,” he said. “We'll also try to come out with an EP, so [our] Instagram will keep everyone updated.”

Perkinson said that given their strong foundation, Weird Autumn has a bright future ahead of them.

“Getting started in high school in a band is a rite of passage for a musician,” she said.

“I’m super proud of them for not caring what anyone else thinks and enjoying themselves.”

In 1972, I was in third grade, and there are two things (among others, for sure) that have stayed with me since then. One is not a thing, but a kid, and the other is a movie that our teacher, Ms. Friedenberg showed us. The kid’s name was Jeff Van de Berg: he had polio (a central nervous system disease that causes weak muscles) and walked unevenly with metal crutches that he would now and again swing at kids who were mean to him. The movie, which was shown from a reel-to-reel projector while we sat cross-legged on the hard carpeted floor, was called“The Red Balloon,” about a tormented but ultimately victorious boy named Pascal.

Jeff Van de Berg was teased by lots of classmates, ostensibly because he was always irritable and unfriendly (he brandished those metal crutches like they were sabers), but mostly because he was different and also had a peculiar odor around him that kids said was pee. Times haven’t changed much: smelling like pee is about the worst reputation you can have. As for me, I don’t remember interacting very much with Jeff Van de Berg. I was neither kind nor unkind to him, although I’m sure that to him, I was just as nasty as the other kids who excluded him. I contributed to the status quo of his alienation simply by not making any effort to improve things. I left him alone, stayed out of the way.

I would have ignored Pascal, too, I’m sure, if I had been in “The Red Balloon.” It was a French movie, with old-fashioned cobblestone streets and tall stucco apartment houses with shutters. Pascal, the protagonist, wore brown sandals, which was the giveaway that this was Europe.

In the movie, Pascal has a perfectly round red helium balloon that other kids in his school are apparently jealous of. The balloon is magical and intelligent and stays near Pascal even when he is not holding it. In an early scene, it waits for him while he buys a baguette and then follows him to school. Near the end of the movie, after school lets out, mean kids chase him down through narrow city streets and up to the top of a hill somewhere, where they cruelly puncture the red balloon with a stone from a slingshot.

Then you see a mean kid’s foot stomp on the dying balloon like an evil exclamation point.

Pascal is disconsolate until little by little, others of this race of magical and smart balloons, all different colors, come from everywhere in Paris to comfort the pitiable young boy. He grabs on to each of the balloon strings, and eventually, there are so many balloons that they lift him up into the air. This is how the movie ends, with the indelible image of this jubilant six-year-old boy carried high above the city by a hundred loving balloons.

When Jeff Van de Berg saw this movie, sitting on the same carpet as the rest of us, I’m sure that he saw himself as Pascal. I can see myself there in the movie as well, as some extra on a playground on that hill, playing kickball with some chums, while from the corner of my eye, I see the red balloon pop and don’t think twice about it. Am I still capable of such indifference?

graphics by pngfind

THE COMMON APPLICATION

page 18 | features

the lion's roar

The Roar follows four seniors with different interests as they navigate the college application process and will reveal their identities and college plans as they make their decisions

By Sarah Feinberg

A

fter submitting more than 15 applications to theater programs, Zoe* passed prescreens at both University of Miami and Pace University, and is now preparing for auditions in January, which involve singing, dancing and performing monologues.

Zoe said that while live auditions can be intimidating, she is excited.

“It's easy to get stuck in that cycle of judgment and jealousy, but I'm used to doing that kind of audition,” she said. “I've been preparing for this for months, so I'm ready to go out there and do my thing.”

Zoe said that she is looking for a school with a specialized theater program.

“Michigan’s program and the alumni network [are phenomenal],” she said. “Coming out of these top schools, you're set in the professional world because you've already made so many connections.”

Zoe said that starting early is essential to prevent the application process from becoming overwhelming.

“Take it day by day, and just start as early as possible to get everything done on time without being stressed,” she said.

E

van*, who is interested in studying design, said he completed his common applications portions of early action applications, which required an art portfolio of approximately 20 pieces and essays for the Nov. 1 deadline.

Although the art portfolio can be time consuming, Evan said that he enjoyed compiling his pieces.

“It's something that I'm passionate about and can show my genuine self through,” he said.

Evan said that it is important to rely on a support system and manage time well during the stressful application process.

“I remind myself that I am doing the best I can, so even if it is not what I imagined, I can only do what I can do,” he said.

Evan has applied early to Northeastern University, Syracuse University and University of Michigan. He said that he feels relieved to have finished this stage of the process, as he begins to prepare applications for the regular decision cycle for schools including Carnegie Mellon University and Occidental College.

“It feels less stressful once you see the finish line and once it gets closer to that deadline.”

H

eidi* said that she has decided on a school to apply early decision to after she’s been in contact with recruitment coaches for Division III running programs. She is also planning to apply early action to University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Heidi said that once she brainstormed moments that were personally significant, the essay writing finally came naturally.

“If you don't have an idea at first, don't be worried because one will come to you, and it will be worth it,” she said. “It's a better story now and it's the most ‘me.’”

To narrow down her top choices, Heidi said that visiting schools both in-person and virtually helped give her a sense of the schools’ environments.

“I want to run in college and being on a team is important for me, so visiting was important [since] I could really get a sense of the vibe of the teams and imagine if I could see myself here,” she said.

She said that she is looking forward to pressing submit on her applications.

“After that I'll be more chilled out because everything is out of my hands at that point.”

I

graphics by Emily Zhang

nterested in studying mechanical engineering, Jared* applied early action to Georgia Institute of Technology, Purdue University, University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of Michigan.

When looking at schools, Jared said that he was drawn to Georgia Tech’s facilities.

“It has a huge innovation studio and machine shop, and I really want to be able to take what I’ve learned and apply it,” he said.

He said that keeping in mind that first essay drafts can be imperfect helps manage stress.

“When I started my essays, I just threw words out and tried to connect them without really worrying about grammar, and then I came back to edit them,” he said. “Getting the ideas out there to start is key.”

Jared said that a balanced schedule and setting boundaries between work and enjoyable activities can help with productivity.

“You don’t have to take every single AP class, so find the balance that works for you.

I'm interested in physics and math, and I am also taking music classes that I enjoy,” he said.

“You'll enjoy the relaxation time and get a lot of work done during the work time.” *names changed to protect students' identities

1 in 2000: Faye Cassell, "A Bank of Knowledge" Molly Johnson, Belinda Yan & Emma Zhang Features Reporters, Features Editor

While managing and designing schedules for over 1800 students sounds nearly impossible, South’s scheduler and data analyst Faye Cassell has achieved just that through her work behind the scenes.

“To me, the schedule is one giant puzzle.

How can we have as many students as possible [get the] classes that they want? [How can we] make sure that teachers are getting a schedule that's manageable for them?” she said. “Being able to bring it all together is what I really like about it.”

Before taking up her job as a scheduler, Cassell was a world history teacher mentored by fellow history teacher Jamie Rinaldi; he said he noticed her passion for history and teaching right away.

“From the first time I walked into her classroom, she was just an absolute master of her craft,” he said. “She knew the content well, she was incredibly confident in front of her students and she had such a skillful understanding of how to make history accessible to young people.”

Records secretary Lisa Mix said that Cassell’s teaching background equipped her well for her current job, despite the incomparable responsibilities that come with each.

“She can run a room and keep structure to a meeting very well,” she said.“I can definitely see her teaching side come out, especially when she’s helping me and my fellow colleagues learn

graphic by Julie Wang, photo by Becky Dozortsev

new programs.”

On top of everything, the past two years have been abnormal, especially for a scheduler.

South experienced significant schedule changes from last winter’s hybrid cohort learning model to this year’s implementation of a WIN Block system. Cassell has seamlessly responded to the constant adjustments that come with these inevitable hitches.

"What’s hard is when you are working with a bunch of different groups who have competing interests,” Cassell said. “Balancing all of those different opinions at the same time can sometimes be challenging, and not everyone is going to get what they want."

Rinaldi said that despite scheduling being a challenging job, Cassell gives it her all.

“There are certain things about running a school that are just difficult, and scheduling is one of them. In a school where you have almost 2000 students, that’s 2000 moving pieces across seven blocks,” he said. “She’s not going to rest until she finds a solution or has exhausted all possibilities.”

Although she is fully invested in her role as a scheduler, Cassell has continued to stay connected to other parts of the South community; she serves as the faculty advisor to South Senate.

“She’s still so involved with her students,” Mix said.“That’s a great balance for her because obviously she loved her students when she was a teacher, but somehow the role that she’s in now fits her better, and she still wants to be involved.”

Senate president Eve Cohen said that the South Senate is grateful to have an advisor who has insight into the administration.

“She is the advisor that we really need in Senate right now,” she said.“The past two years have been the most active we've ever been, and she's able to provide us with the information and guidance that we need.”

Further beyond her extensive expertise in history and scheduling, Mix said that she can go to Cassell for anything.

“She is a bank of knowledge. I know that if I have a question, she’ll most likely know it, and if not, she knows the people that will.”

Math department head Alex Kraus works on scheduling with Cassell, and said that he sees her dedication and hard work firsthand.

“I am in constant awe of Faye’s ability to manage the sheer volume of data and information that is associated with running an institution of this size,” he said. “I am still waiting for Faye to be nominated for sainthood.”

I am in constant awe of Faye's ability to manage the sheer volume of data and information that is associated with running an institution of this size.

Alex Kraus math department head

page 19

November 4, 2021

SPORTS issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 38, Issue 4

Let There Be Light Athletes and spectators finally experience night games at Winkler Stadium as the new stadium lights shine after more than 15 years of negotiation

By Emily Schwartz and John Timko

S

ophomore Lucy Marcus’s first football game was electric. Students and spectators packed the stands on Oct. 1 at the football team’s second Friday Night Lights game of the season. Marcus said she enjoyed the supportive atmosphere, an aspect of high school distinctly lacking in last year’s online format.

After COVID-19 plagued last fall’s inaugural season for the permanent stadium lights, the years of fundraising and negotiation finally came to fruition this fall as South has hosted night games almost every weekend.

The hallways buzz during the day before games, which girls soccer player junior Lily Paltrowitz said can be felt just by walking through the halls.

“You see people dressing in pink or blorange, and everybody's like, ‘Oh, are you going to the game?’” she said. “I'm on the girls soccer team, and it feels great to have your school classmates supporting you when you're on the field.”

This fall, dance team member junior Sunny Tian performed at four home football games; before the permanent lights, South brought in portable lights for one weekend in the fall, so each team played just one regular season home game under the lights.

“It's an honor,” Tian said. “We feel like it's a big spotlight, so it makes the experience more real and alive.”

For the field hockey team, which had not previously played in the stadium under the lights, Friday Night Lights games have been special, junior Laura Frothingham said.

“It makes us feel more important, because in past years, field hockey wasn't very prioritized,” she said. “Playing under the lights, it's definitely a different experience.”

Football captain senior Harry Capodi-

photo contributed by Nicole Tandetnitskiy

lupo said that the additional fans cheering the team on have helped his team’s performance.

His coach, Ted Dalicandro, said he has noticed the lights’ positive effects on his team.

“I try to get the kids to focus on just the game, but I'd be silly not to say that it definitely helps to have Friday Night Lights and the kids [to] feel a part of something bigger than just football,” Dalicandro said.

Likewise, performing under the lights has helped motivate Tian to give it her all for the bigger crowds.

“We feel more excited and hyped up to perform at home games because we know there are more people from our school watching,” she said.

However, girls soccer captain senior Ertel said that with the bigger crowds comes added pressure to play well.

“The games are more intense. We'll work really hard on the field because you can feel that your peers are watching you,” she said.

“Being under the lights and having a lot of people watching you can be really distracting for your performance.”

Ultimately, though, Ertel said she's grateful for all the support her team has felt from the student body.

“It makes you feel really good being like, ‘Oh wow, my peers are making an effort to watch me and my team play,’” she said. “From the athlete’s perspective, [it] feels like my sport is getting the attention that it deserves.”

For non-athletes, night games serve as opportunities to get involved with the community, athletic director Patricia Gonzalez said.

“You don't need to be an athlete to enjoy your nights like this, and you can come to the stands from a different perspective and a different experience and enjoy the team aspect of

photo by Maureen Caulfield

participating in sport as a fan,” she said.

The atmosphere carries over to the parents’ section of the bleachers, where Pedro Quissanga and his family watch his son Everson play quarterback for South.

“He's excited [and] motivated. We’re here. Our whole family’s here, so it’s good to go,” he said.

Dance team parent and South alumnus Adam Weitzman said that he also felt the spirit and enthusiasm in the stands.

“I don’t recall there being a huge amount of spirit years prior, so seeing this is heartwarming,” he said.

Weitzman said that the lights have enabled him to come watch his daughter perform.

“If these games were happening during the day, I would not be able to attend. There are a lot of working parents in Newton, and being able to attend at night is good,” he said.

Gonzalez said the night games have also been more convenient for her Council of Athletes, a group of students whom she gathered last year as the schedule underwent significant changes.

"They are able to finish school and then go eat something and come back to be at games,” she said.

The permanent lights have also given the athletic department more flexibility when scheduling team practices. Gonzalez said teams used to overlap more before the permanent lights were installed, but now each squad can have their own space; however, these additional night games have augmented the workload for the staff who work the games.

“For a soccer player, [they play] maybe only Saturday night or a Friday night. For my staff, it's every Friday [and] Saturday night, so it is impactful on the workload,” she said.

Night games have also impacted neighbors, like Paul Melman, who said that the sound can be bothersome.

Others, like Anna Stavropoulos, a former South parent, said that the lights haven’t bothered her.

In order to install the lights, neighbors, school officials and city officials collaborated over 15 years during a public process in order to discuss logistics and address concerns. A similar process will begin again as Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced on Oct. 4 that a new lights project at South’s Brandeis Field will be included in her Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a“road map” of projects prioritized in the next five years. The project has yet to be proposed and approved, but it will be publicly debated.

“That was news to everybody, and I've already heard that my other councillors from the ward have heard from residents, and they're concerned,” Ward 8 City Councilor-at-Large David Kalis said. “There's going to be a public process, and a lot of discussion and debate.”

For now though, Gonzalez said that the new lights have been worth the long process, because it brought the community together, especially during the pandemic, a time where students felt isolated.

“This group of students are very aware of what they lost and what they missed,” she said. “The biggest lesson that we learned over the last 20 months is how important it is to be there for each other and to value the little things in our life. People never thought of coming to a game on a Friday night because they have other things to do, but then suddenly my friend is there, he needs me, I'm there for him or her, and that's very important. It's a very important shift that I hope carries over.”

photo courtesy of NSHS Athletics Instagram

From left: The stadium lights, the boys soccer goalie plays under the lights, students filled the bleachers at the Sept. 24 football game against Wayland High School

page 20 | sports

the lion's roar

Superwomen of South Sports

Meet four female coaches who support student athletes both on and off the field, all while championing the success and strength of girls sports teams

By Marisa MacDonald

ashley vollaro

Jennifer dirga

photo contributed by Ashley Vollaro

photo contributed by Jennifer Dirga

photo courtesy of Raw Artists photo contributed by Britney Wuorio

BritneY Wuorio

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ccording to the Newton South website, of the 36 sports programs offered at South, only eight are coached by women; moreover, while nine of the 16 girls teams have a male head coach, none of the 12 boys teams have any female coaches.

Head coach of the girls lacrosse team Britney Wuorio said that particularly since coaching is a male-dominated field, she encourages her girls to make their voices heard.

“There are so many male coaches at South, and they’re really nice, but the women definitely stand our ground in meetings,” she said. “It's really powerful for our girls to understand that even in places with mostly men, they can still do anything guys can do.”

For varsity field hockey coach Jennifer Dirga, female athleticism has always been uplifted. Growing up in a family of female field hockey players, Dirga said that she was inspired by her mother’s leadership on the field.

“She was truly a phenomenal player, and went on to have great success in college and professionally,” she said.

“She went on to have an incredible coaching career, and I really only hope to be half the coach that she was.”

Michelle Cueroni, head coach of the dance team, joined the program because she works as a teacher at a local studio, so coaching came easily. Cueroni said that she loves to see the team embrace the chance to showcase

michelle cueroni their abilities.

“It’s rare they get to compete, so when they get the opportunity, it's really exciting because they get super amped up, and you can feel the energy and the excitement,” she said.

Dirga said that in addition to witnessing group synergy, there is a similar thrill in watching her high school athletes’ careers blossom.

“The same girls who didn’t know what end of the stick to hit with as freshmen, if they choose to continue, end up getting really good and reaching varsity,” she said. “Seeing their hard work pay off over the years is really special.”

Since becoming a coach fresh out of college, girls soccer assistant coach and science teacher Ashley Vollaro said that integrating into the school community has been encouraged by being a part of a sports team’s dynamic environment.

“Becoming an educator came with being a studentathlete. When I became a teacher, it made sense to keep coaching,” Vollaro said. “I love it because it connects me to the school.”

Just as their backgrounds in athletics allow coaches to understand the student-athlete experience, Wuorio said that she values her role as a mentor during such a formative time for teenagers.

“It’s really important, especially for girls in high

school, to be able to have an adult figure who is someone they look up to, respect and feel comfortable with,” she said.

“I still talk to a lot of the girls who were there my first year and are now seniors in college. I love seeing them as players and people grow.”

The connections made between a female coach and a female athlete can be made on a deeper level than with their male counterparts, Wuorio said.

“I can understand more about what girls are going through, especially in high school,” she said.“Female coaches have been there, and the men haven’t.”

Cross country captain Amanda Gordon said that she feels more connected to her female coach regarding shared experiences.

“It's easier to connect with female coaches on things like cramps,” she said. “Obviously Steve, the head coach, is great, but sometimes people only feel comfortable talking about things like that with a female coach.”

As her athletes move on from high school, Wuorio said that she is confident with how they have grown outside of having a faster mile time or better ball skills.

“The one really big thing that is important about coaching is just teaching the girls how to be better people,” she said. “I’m just as interested in life lessons than I am about winning.”

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sports | page 21

No false starts for the football team Grace Grabowski Sports Reporter

High school football games across the country are oftentimes schoolwide, or even townwide events: stands are packed full, cheerleaders on the sidelines, a band playing in the stands and everyone cheering as loud as they can in support of their school’s team. Movies and shows like “Friday Night Lights” or “All American” celebrate this energy and spirit that many high schools have at their football games.

Despite the sport’s nationwide popularity as a symbol of high school, enthusiasm for football hasn’t always been reflected at South, boys football head coach Ted Dalicandro said.

He said that during his 16 years coaching at South, the attendance at home football games has been lower than that of other teams in the Dual County League (DCL).

“What's happened in the past is we’ve gone to away games when there's Friday night games and [the players] see the excitement,” he said. “[If ] you go to anybody in our league, the energy, the excitement [and] the community build-up is so great.”

Dalicandro said that South’s notable low attendance could be attributed to the way that football is viewed in the community. “ The biggest thing lacking here at Newton South is that sports are looked at as a subculture. It's not really part of the fabric of the school,” he said. “That's too bad because almost every other high school has that, and

that's a disadvantage for our athletes.”

On top of South’s general lack of enthusiasm for sports, football, in particular, has a reputation for fostering a dangerous nature that can cause injuries, especially concussions.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, high school football players experience more concussions than many other contact sports. However, Dalicandro said that the risk of injury does not affect the community aspect of his team.

“Football is a small group of individuals who know the risk, just like the risk of anything else, and they're willing to put that risk aside,” he said. “I always say, courage isn't the absence of fear, it's acknowledging your fear and doing it anyway.”

Junior quarterback Everson Quissanga said that the team is aware and ready to face any consequences that may come as a result of playing football.

“We all just want to work, and we know that the injuries come with it,” Quissanga said.

“We stay prepared and stay ready.”

This year, the future of the football team is looking bright. Since the finalized addition of the field lights, a 15-year undertaking, there has been a rise in student attendance at the additional Friday night football games.

Captain senior Roberto Figuereo said that the new spectators bring an irreplaceable energy to the stands.

“When I was an [underclassman] on the Newton South team, [students] didn't really come for football, only Friday Night Lights,”

photo by Olivia Wong

The football team runs onto the field during a game against Waltham on Sept. 24 Figuereo said. “Now, South spirit has become bigger, and people are showing up to all of the games. We’re really thankful for the football fans here.”

At home night games, the booster club sells concessions, and the dance team performs at halftime, which has also helped increase attendance at games.

“Friday night football is becoming a part of the culture here, and I'm hoping that could spur a change of making sports a bigger part of the South community,” Dalicandro said.“It's an event, it's a place to go and it's fun. High school sports are fun to watch at night.”

The football team had a strong start to

their season with a record of 3-0, and team manager and senior Annie Podufaly said that the team's success is, in part, because of the team's chemistry on and off the field.

“Our record has been better than last year, and we’re having more fun. The team is working better together,” she said.

Approaching the end of the season, Dalicandro said that he looks forward to a solid finish and to the journey left ahead of them.

Although the spirit for football at South may not be a parallel to the movies, the increasing attendance at games is slowly bridging South's vibrant community through its shared spirit.

Are cuts from sports too extreme?

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Taking all of these factors into account, I believe that implementing cuts uphold South's healthiest student-athlete environment. In addition, having athletes on a team with similar skill levels can help with overall coordination and personal improvements.

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“Players that do not earn enough playing-time tend to create challenges in the social dynamics of the squad. More specifically, players can grow disgruntled and start to sow the seeds of negativity that can infest the rest of the team.”

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Approaching the field for my first South sports tryout two months ago, I had no idea what to expect. Not only have I never played on a team with upperclassmen, but South was a new school with high standards for their players.

I remember walking onto the field the first day of tryouts, immediately intimidated by the sea of unfamiliar faces. How could I compete with these girls who did “Maradonas” around their opponents and ran six-minute miles?

Little did I know at the time, playing on the JV girls soccer team with sophomores would be a point of growth for me: not only did I advance my skills as an athlete and perpetually challenge myself, but the environment I was engulfed in helped me gain confidence and fostered healthy ambition.

From field hockey in the fall to tennis in the spring, South offers a diverse range for students looking to get involved with team athletics. There are three levels to every sport — varsity, junior varsity ( JV) and freshmen — with all freshmen guaranteed a spot on the freshman team.

I tried out for soccer this fall, and knowing that I would make a team no matter what boosted my confidence and encouraged me to try out. I gave it my all, intrigued by the possibility of earning a spot on a team with upperclassmen. When I made the JV team, I started to notice my increasing desire to improve and to work more intensely as the season went on.

However, looking to the coming years, I’m worried by the possibility that I might get cut, thus being excluded from playing a sport I love.

Despite the brutality of the cut system though, I believe maintaining this policy ultimately sustains South’s competitive spirit and is a necessary component given the number of athletes who try out every season.

Cuts provide an incentive for athletes to not only fight to make the team, but also to work to earn a starting position. Boys varsity soccer coach Floyd Butler said that this policy promotes accountability and higher standards during practices.

“It's a vehicle for teaching students life skills, [whether it be] learning how to deal with disappointment, learning how to move on with your life and manage those things or to take it and use it as fuel for the next time,” he said.

Likewise, sophomore June Kim, a player on the girls freshman soccer team last year, who did not make it into this year’s program, said she sees the merits of having cuts.

“At some point, you have to come to realize that you can't get into everything you want and you have to see what you're best at and make something out of that,” she said.

South’s policy on cuts is not uniform; some sports, such as cross country or alpine skiing, do not make cuts, but others, like soccer or volleyball, do not have the budget or facilities to provide all athletes the opportunity to participate; further, there is often a trade-off between the number of players on a team and the amount of playing time each gets, Butler said.

“Students may look forward to a new season, for any multitude of reasons, and despite making the team, they could earn limited or zero playing time,” he said. “Anywhere from seven to nine players may never see the pitch depending upon our situational needs.”

Butler said that the lack of playing-time can affect student-athletes’ mindsets.

grap

Julia Lee

Sports Reporter

page 22 | sports

the lion's roar

Unified program earns national award Clare Tourtelotte Sports Editor

Senior Kira Freilich is on the Unified basketball, cheerleading and track and field teams. They said that the Unified teams put in their best foot forward the entire year, and their hard work has finally been recognized.

Last year, South’s Unified Sports program earned National Banner recognition, which reflects the team’s commitment to fostering a supportive community among athletes

with and without disabilities. South’s Unified program runs throughout the typical sports seasons with basketball in the fall, cheerleading in the winter and track and field in the spring.

Unified Sports are run by a global organization, the Special Olympics, which was designed to promote inclusion, Unified basketball and track and field coach Alex Strongin said. After the journey the South chapter of the Unified program has been on, Strongin said that earning the National Banner recognition was a high honor for South.

photo by Maureen Caulfield

Current and graduated members of the Unified Team hold up their banner on Oct. 16

“The award means that South meets all the national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy and respect,” he said. “This banner will be hung in South as a permanent reminder of their dedication for the past four years [of their high school experience].”

Due to COVID-19, the Unified team was unable to showcase their banner last year.

At South’s home football game on Oct. 16, they revealed the banner for the first time. Graduated and current Unified athletes were invited to South to receive their overdue recognition.

Freilich said that the Unified team puts in a lot of time and energy, and earning National Banner Recognition reflected that.

“Earning the banner last year was such an amazing feeling,” they said. “We all worked hard as a team to accomplish such excellence.”

Senior Peter Shea has been on the Unified basketball team since his sophomore year.

He said that being a part of Unified basketball has helped him grow into a more confident player.

“My favorite part about participating in Unified sports at South is that it gives me a lot of good opportunities to practice my skills and get even better,” he said.

Sophomore and member of the Unified basketball and track and field teams Mark Khrapunovich said that earning National Bannger recognition is a reward for all the hardwork, progress and dedication of the Unified Team.

Beyond the recognition, Strongin said that the Unified program at South is a respon-

The team atmosphere is unmatchable and I look forward to it everyday.

Katy Blansua class of '22

sible community that works to uplift people.

“The students who join Unified are some of the kindest, most motivated and clever individuals you will ever meet,” he said.

Senior Katy Blansua has been on the Unified basketball team since her freshman year and said that playing on a Unified team has become an important part of her time at South.

“Unified sports has been one of my best experiences at South. The team atmosphere is unmatchable, and I look forward to it everyday,” she said. “I love gameday and when the whole team gets involved in playing and cheering.”

Without the team’s continued hard work, receiving a National Banner wouldn’t have been possible, and Blanusa said that she is grateful to have witnessed the Unified program’s growth.

“Unified basketball began my freshman year, and to see how much it has grown since then is amazing,” Blansua said. “It has been a process in the making and it’s nice to know that all the work to grow Unified basketball over the years has gotten recognized.”

The unspoken truth about sports injuries Grace Sousa Sports Reporter

Injuries stink. What stinks even more are all the remarks. There’s nothing worse than hearing “Aw, I’m so sorry,” “Feel better!” and “We miss playing with you,” shadowing your footsteps as you walk off of the field. I know people say it to be sympathetic, but it's those seemingly-encouraging remarks that make you feel even worse sometimes.

The trainers, doctors and time off may help physically, but no one mentions how difficult it is to mentally recover when all you can do is watch your teammates devoured by the game while you sit on the bleachers.

As a sophomore on the girls varsity soccer team, injury was the last thing on my mind on Sept. 19. It was the perfect weather to play, and my teammates hyped each other up on the way to Boston Latin, where we were headed for an away game. While coaches shouted at players, parents argued with the referee and players cheered on in the sidelines, I stepped forward to win the ball in the air. What I didn’t see was an opponent pushing me onto my back.

My head slammed into the ground.

Sharp pain and confusion immediately followed, and everything momentarily went hazy.

Knowing that the MIAA guidelines would force me to step off of the field since I hit my head, I tried to disregard the pain. After a visit to the trainer, I was given news of a concussion and was told I needed a full week before playing again.

The week I spent off the field had mental health effects I failed to anticipate. Despite having suffered greater injuries that have kept me out for six to nine months, this singular week greatly affected me.

My trainer outlined a series of steps

for me to safely return to playing, the first day being that I rest completely. I was restricted from all physical activity, and to avoid tension headaches, which caused pain all over my body.

I could not participate in anything that required concentration.

I went to my team's practice during this first day of rest because I thought it was my duty to be there for my teammates and friends.

Watching people play the sport I loved but couldn’t participate in was extremely hard for me. All I wanted to do was run onto the field.

The second and third days of my recovery schedule were similar, but this time, I was allowed to run a couple of laps around the track.

On the following day, I was authorized to participate in low intensity soccer drills. For those couple of days, I was not allowed to be involved with contact. Although the entire process was difficult, I was excited to finally interact with the ball again. I still tried my best to let go of the solitude and reminded myself to be grateful for getting back on the turf.

As I completed the week of recovery, a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders: I could return to the team again. I was excited, but a little nervous. The loneliness that I felt still lingered, and it didn’t help when I realized that returning to play was just as hard as not being able to play.

Being a part of any high school sports team can be challenging. With the already formed cliques and my brief time off, I couldn’t help but feel left out. When you're not playing, you don't actually feel like you're on the team; of course, you cheer for the team's successes and comfort them for their losses, but when your team wins those tough games, you don't feel like you contributed.

Particularly when your teammates look

through photos from the game and play back videos from the game, you don’t feel like you’re a part of it. This not only affects your mood at games, practices and get-togethers, but it can impact your frame of mind towards everything.

Suddenly getting back into the full swing of things can also be detrimental to your mental health. Once you're back on your feet and cleared to play, you're full of excitement and relief. Except, being ready to play means having to work even harder since you missed so many practices and games.

The nerves start to kick in when you have the urge to prove to your coach that you deserve playing time, and you’re stuck in this mindset that you need to work even harder and play even better than anyone else on the field.

With all of these emotions swirling around, it

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can feel discouraging.

All athletes know that keeping a positive mentality is crucial; you're taught how to fuel your body, stretch and do the proper procedures to obtain a certain fitness level for your sport.

But what about your mental strength? Coaches always make sure that you get a full practice in and do the dreaded fitness tests, but they rarely do anything to help your mental game.

Mental toughness is just as important as your skills on the playing field; in fact, inner strength can help you play even better. A good headspace helps you pick yourself up from mistakes, pushes you through tough games and practices and helps to manage emotions.

Setbacks like injuries impact your mental well being, and this topic isn’t talked about enough.

There are so many reasons why athletes' mental health isn't discussed as much as it should be. In my 13 years of being an athlete, I’ve come to realize that the lack of discourse is due to the negative stigma around mental health issues. There is a societal expectation for athletes to be mentally strong people, which has further discouraged the pursuit of such conversations.

We all have a part to play, and we must start prioritizing players' mental health in sports.

The team, coaches and even athletes need to foster an environment that always encourages open discussions from mental health to team dynamics.

issuu.com/thelionsroar

fun| page 23

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Answers: tired, Brandeis, turkey, Bailey, hummus, Autumn, Musketeers, squid, Thanksgiving, homecoming, Goodwill, football

A speckling of sundries for the end of a term and the start of a season

DOWN

•

ACROSS

1) Adjective to describe the current state of the senior editors of the Roar. Synonyms: Worn out, fatigued, exhausted 2) Street with the closest parallel parking to school 4) The furry reason why so many of us have started frequenting the nurse’s office 5) A chickpea-based ingredient found in the school lunch wraps 6) All-junior band featured on page 17.

Weird ____ 8) Netflix’s most watched show, ____ Game.

An aquatic mammal with the scientific name Teuthida 10) A bonus dance for seniors which usually celebrates a football game 11) Popular thrift store chain and a characteristic of a kindhearted person

3) 5 kilometer (3 mile) race taking place Nov. 20. ____ Trot 7) South Stage’s play adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel, The Three ____ 9) A November holiday celebrating the harvest 12) A classic American game involving quarterbacks and “pigskins”

photos by Eva Shimkus

scenes

a few snapshots into the many late night facetime calls, endless edits and lots of bonding that made this issue

Dana and Noa prepare for an ops photoshoot while Joyce (back) contacts interviewees

behind the

From left: Emily, Ellyssa, Bella, Annika, Matan, Jaesuh and Sanjana attempt to fit all of their computers on the same table during a pasteup

From left: Eva, Siya, Ellyssa and JPhill attempt a selfie while feasting on Dunkins and Milanos at a Sunday pasteup

Today's Roaroscopes Look to the stars!

k l a b

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): Beware, the curve won’t always help. You actually have to study sometimes.

Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20): Today is a great day to stop drawing eyes in the margins of your notebooks.

Aries (March 21 - April 19): Leo has been looking a little suspicious lately… If they invite you to anything, say no — it’s a trap!

Taurus (April 20 - May 20): Feeling down? Visit any girls bathroom and you'll find a myriad of inspirational quotes helpfully carved into the stall walls.

c d e j

g f i h

Gemini (May 21 - June 20): Pro driving tip: it’s best not to hit the car in front of you when you’re parallel parking.

Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22): Binge-watching “Emily in Paris” won’t help you pass AP French.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22): This month will bring you lots of new friends.

Come to room 1201 during Blue Lion Blocks to meet them.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21): Be kind to your things — give your math textbook a little kiss goodnight before putting it back on the shelf.

Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22): Aries seems to be a bit down lately… maybe you should invite them out sometime? Mercury is in retrograde or whatever so this is the perfect time to make a new bestie.

Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): If you’re looking to get in shape, try lasting a minute plank with a history textbook on your back (works for all grades).

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21): Sometimes you just need to take a break from the stress of social media — we know it’s really hard to have to wake up to Denebola spamming their Instagram story every morning.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19): Sorry bestie, no one wants to know your SAT score.