The Lion's Roar 40-5

R AR

VOL. 40 ISSue 5

the LION'S

Israel-Palestine Amidst the on-going war between Hamas and Israel, South grapples with the divide between prominent diaspora communities and the devastation of a war misunderstood

By Bella Ishanyan & Risha Sinha

Newton South High School · Newton, MA Est. 1984 · December 22, 2023

Amidst the on-going war between Hamas and Israel, South grapples with the divide between prominent diaspora communities and the devastation of a war misunderstood

Pages 12-13

MBTA closes Green Line stops for repairs

03

Is social media activism effective?

08

Season of waste

14-15

Powderpuff: a controversial culture

19

World Cup unpacks cricket's long history

23

page 2

December 22 , 2023

NEWS issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 40, Issue 5

December in Review photo courtesy of Coastline College

By Irene González de las Casas

Senior Scholarships Open On Nov. 30, local scholarships opportunities were announced for South seniors. These scholarships come from a variety of sources including individual and business donors, community organizations and memorial funds. Awards range from $100 and up to a student’s full college tuition. The deadlines for the scholarships also vary, the earliest being Dec 15, and the latest being June 7. All seniors interested in pursuing higher education are encouraged to apply.

Overall, Newton will be a better, more welcoming and more economically vibrant city thanks to the hard work and advocacy of many.

Greg Reibman Charles River Regional Chamber President via statement

Local Scholarships are a really good opportunity because a lot of people don’t have the resources or the knowledge to know what scholarships are available, and everyone needs help paying for college.

Catie Corkery class of '24

Compromise Zoning Plan On Dec. 4, after intense debate and a municipal election cycle, the Newton City Council reached a compromise for new zoning regulations. The MBTA Communities Act requires Newton to allow for the development of multi-family housing within a half-mile of four of Newton’s Green Line T-stops and three commuter rail stations. City Councils across the state were required by law to approve a plan to implement these zoning changes before Dec. 31.

photo courtesy of The Berkshire Eagle

Tarik Lucas Ward 2 At-Large Councilor

College and career counselor

photo courtesy of Fig City News

I'm happy Newton is going to comply with the landmark MBTA Communities Housing Act. This has been a long and arduous process by city staff and my colleagues.

There are two types of aid in these scholarships, need and merit based aid, so it really allows for every student to have scholarship opportunities.

Kathleen Sabet

graphics by Emily Cheng

Our administration recognizes the severe threats these dams pose to our cities and towns, and we are taking swift action to remove these obsolete structures.

Maura Healy Governer via press release

MA Funds Dam Removal On Dec. 1, Governor Maura Healy announced a $25 million initiative to remove eight dams in central and western Massachusetts in an effort to restore wildlife habitat, increase biodiversity, improve water quality, encourage resilience to climate change and enhance community safety. The project is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and of the $25 million, $20 million will go to the removal of the Bel Air Dam in Pittsfield, with the remaining $5 million planned to go to the remaining seven dams.

We are proud to support municipalities with this funding and ease the strain on their local budgets.

Kim Driscoll Lieutenant Governor via press release

issuu.com/thelionsroar

news | page 3

Native American Heritage Month passes Suvi Talvitie

News Reporter In 1990, the federal government declared November as Native American Heritage Month to honor Indigenous people across the country and answer demands for national recognition.

Today, Newton sits on the former village of Nonantum, which was once inhabited by the Massachusett tribe. Despite Newton’s indigenous history, South did not host any Native American Heritage Month events this November.

South history teacher Michael Kozuch said that examining the U.S. from an Indigenous perspective in schools is necessary.

“We have a responsibility in this country to understand and teach about the genocide that was perpetrated by European settlers here towards Native Americans, and we have to own up to that history,” he said.

Junior Natalie Alexander said that Indigenous people are integral to our nation’s history and minimizing their impact and existence creates an incomplete understanding of the nation.

“Native Americans were around for a long time before colonizers, but we focus a lot more on after European colonizers arrived,” she said. “It's not fair to erase a whole people from the narrative who were here first. If you just think about things from the colonizer’s point of view, you're missing a whole side of the story.”

Although the South Human Rights

Council (SHRC) recognizes the importance of highlighting Indigenous history, they did not schedule any Native American Heritage Month events this year, a decision made to respect the Indigenous community at South.

SHRC co-chair Paige Perkinson said that she does not want to plan a cultural event at South without input from students who identify with that culture.

“One of [the SHRC]’s mottos is‘nothing about us without us,’” she said. “Since there's no affinity group and the student population of indigenous or Native students haven’t reached out, I don't want to plan an event about them without them,” she said.

“So I'm wondering if we still want that type of cultural awareness and cultural exposure, even if indigenous students aren't asking for it.”

Kozuch said that South could offer a more comprehensive education about indigenous peoples by creating specialized classes to focus on minority perspectives in history.

“If I had my ideal, I would have area studies as senior electives,” he said. “Like Native Americans, and you can also do Asian American history or African American history.

If you had all those options, then we could do [Native American history] more justice in terms of coverage.”

As an alternate way to recognize the heritage month, many South community members said that Native American subjects could be further incorporated into existing classes and programs.

graphic by Lynn Kim

South English teacher Deborah Bernhard said that reading fictional stories with indigenous characters and authors can be a great way to give students a deeper understanding.

“Fiction can be more relatable, can be more human, [and] can create more empathy, as opposed to history [which] can be more distant and can feel more like numbers,” she said.

Bernhard said that other classes could integrate relevant Native American material into their curricula.

“Native American ecology and medicine are just coexisting with the earth and using resources in a more friendly way. You could definitely take a lot from indigenous knowledge in science courses,” she said.

South Senator and senior Max Harthorne said that his AP Spanish class has used the cultural focus of the class to incorporate aspects of modern indigenous culture.

“We’re watching several movies and documentaries about Native American traditions and the struggles that they’ve had,” he

said. “A lot of the Spanish curriculum is based on culture.”

Clubs and affinity groups can also be an effective way to increase visibility, but South’s small indigenous population of 0.2 percent may discourage students from participating in these spaces.

South Spanish teacher Cynthia Manthei said that it is still important to have an organized affinity group.

“The population might be small, but that might be all the more reason to have support and ways to get together and get to know each other,” she said.

Perkinson said she wants to ensure that every student has the opportunity to be seen and heard at South.

“Just because a cultural group is small doesn't mean they deserve to be erased,” she said.“I see you. I acknowledge you. I appreciate you. I want to work with you.”

MBTA closes Green Line stops for repairs Andrew Feinberg & Irene González de las Casas News Editors On Dec. 11, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) closed the Green Line’s D line for nine days between Riverside and Kenmore Square. This followed a series of Green Line closures that began on Nov. 28.

In lieu of the trains, riders were provided with a patchwork of shuttles and bus alternatives between regular train stops.

The closures occurred to allow repairs to tunnels and rails to eliminate speed restrictions.

In an official statement, the MBTA said that it expects Green Line passengers to see immediate results after the closings conclude.

Sophomore Oliver Weiss, who rides the T to get home from school occasionally, said that the T is not his main source of transportation because of its inconsistency.

“The last time I used the T I noticed that the wait time

was a little bit longer than usual,” he said.“The T is pretty unreliable. Once the train broke down, and I wasn’t able to get home easily.”

Math and physics teacher Ryan Normandin said the T’s issues stem from a variety of problems, but the root issue is its unpredictability.

“The biggest issues are almost always related to the T’s inconsistency because it's really hard to make predictions about when you're going to get to where you're going,” he said. “The second is that the closures are bad, and are hard to manage. The third issue is more recent, and it’s the T’s slowdowns.”

In contrast, senior Matthew Krintzman said that he thinks the T is a reliable source of transportation.

“I usually go on the T for fun, I like going into Boston with friends on the T. And I've never had any issues with it,” he said.

Amidst the recent Green Line renovations and closings, Normandin, who uses the T to get to and from South daily, said that despite the MBTA’s effective communication, the shuttle system remains ineffective.

“I think they usually do a good job of letting you know about what's going to happen but it doesn't stop the shuttles from being terrible,” he said.“So for this week of shuttles, I'm not even using public transportation because I can't rely on it.”

Sophomore

Owen Halberstadt, who rides the T frequently, said that it is understandable why these upgrades are in place, but they have caused difficulties for him and others in regards to reliability and safety.

“Even though it is a major inconvenience for many people, including myself, it's mandatory to have this construction,” he said. “I want to know that the tracks are safe and there are no stoppages in trains.”

Junior Alessia Ellmore said that she thinks repairs of the T are necessary, but shouldn’t be done during the winter.

“In the city, I feel like it's a great means of transportation and they should be repaired,” she said.

“I don’t think right now is the best time though, it's cold and some people don't have cars, so having to force a lot of people to walk instead of taking the T seems unfair.”

However, junior Ally Chen said that despite the inessential repairs, having an efficient mode of public transportation will be a welcome change for commuters.

“It’s not really necessary because you still get to and from one point, but it will definitely be faster, which I think will be nice for people who use the T to and from their job every day,” she said.

Meanwhile, Krintzman said the repairs are not imperative as the T is a

dependable source of transportation.

“The repairs seem like a quality of life improvement rather than a necessary upgrade,” he said. “Currently, when it's up and running, the T is not the fastest thing in the world, but when it works it is reliable, and will get you places when it says it will.”

With the Green Line shutdowns, both the Orange and Red Line experienced closures for renovations and for slow zone eliminations, respectively. Similar to the Green Line, shuttles and buses were made available for passengers between stops.

Despite such closures, Normandin said that these routes are still considered more efficient than the Green Line.

“It's been a while since I've traveled on the Red Line consistently, but when I used it frequently, I thought it was faster than the other lines,” he said.

While some lines are considered better than others, Normandin said that Massachusetts politicians ought to improve the MBTA as a more holistic undertaking, rather than passive repairs. “ That I wish that some governor or the legislature would make it a main focus and spend the next four years really trying to work on the MBTA,” he said. “I just wish it were better. Because we can build better trains.

It's not that hard.” graphics by Izzy Gimmelfarb

page 4 | news

the lion's roar

Three new faces join City Council For the first time in Newton's history, three incumbents in City Council were ousted, leaving questions for the newcomers

By Ben Nusinzon & Ellie Shinchuk

O

n Nov. 7, Newton held City Council municipal elections with 24 seats available. Three new Ward Councilors were elected while three incumbents, Deb Crossley of Ward 5, Alicia Bowman of Ward 6 and Holly Ryan of Ward 8, were ousted.

In Ward 2, David Micley was elected with 1,782 votes while in Ward 4, Randall Steven Block earned a seat with 1,229 votes and in Ward 6, Marth Bixby was elected with 1,305 votes.

Incoming Ward 6 Councilor Bixby has worked in politics and nonprofit leadership for most of her career, and said that her main priority is to improve road safety in her district.

“We need to look at making it possible to get around safely by foot and bike and make our roads safe for all users: drivers, pedestrians and cyclists alike,” she said.

Meanwhile, incoming Ward 2 Councilor Micley said that he wants to focus on making sure the school system is a supportive environment for all students and teachers, in contrast to prior years of limited financial and mental health support.

“I want to ensure that we have strong schools that provide a quality education and a great learning environment for all students and a place where we can attract and retain the best teachers,” he said. “To me, teachers are the most important ingredient that goes into a quality education and we need to make sure that we are paying teachers fairly, supporting them through a range of measures and having adequate mental health staff support in schools.”

Incoming Ward 4 City Councilor Randall Block said that although many candidates agree that the schools need more funds, the Newton zoning plan is a topic that he believes should be prioritized.

“Everybody who was running, to varying degrees, thinks that we've probably got to spend more money on our school system,” he said. “The contentious issue was development and zoning.”

A new plan for zoning, which has been a hot topic amongst City Councilors, would allow for taller buildings in areas of Newton where only one story building are currently allowed and for more housing units to be built in six of Newton's Villages. Amidst the controversy around zoning, Junior Seamus Langan said that discussions around zoning need to be resolved.

“Zoning in our city is a mess - it’s like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces, making it hard to understand what’s allowed where, and it just complicates things for everyone,” he said.

Bixby said that she wants to ensure that housing opportunities are available to everyone in Newton, no matter the outcome of the zoning proposals.

“A variety of housing opportunities are a value that Ward 6 residents seem to share, whether it's creating chances for people to downsize or for families just starting out," she said. “We can monitor what's in front of us and see if that's serving the needs of our community going forward.”

Senior Nora Linssen who helped Bixby with her campaign before the election by door knocking and attending council meetings said that the ousting of three incumbents shows how quickly the city is changing.

“It's an example of just how fast change can occur on what seems like a small basis. If it's happening at the City Council level, it could also be happening at other levels of government,” she said. “It’s an example of greater ups and downs within our political systems here in Newton.”

Reflecting on the election, Block said that he was impressed by the high voter turnout, which is unusual for a city council election.

“One thing to keep in mind about this election is that this is a non-mayoral year for the City Council. Go back two years ago, when the mayor was on the ballot, the turnout was about 32%. This year the turnout was 27.5%, which is actually an above

average turnout for a non-mayoral election,” he said. “You go back four years ago, the last time there was a non-mayoral City Council election. The turnout was 25%. This year was 27.5%.”

Linssen said that it was encouraging to see a lot of people take civic action around Newton.

“Seeing people go to polls was really inspiring because it was really cool to see that a lot of people really care about politics,” she said.

English teacher Alan Reinstein said that he hopes to see an improvement in the relations between the Newton City Council, the Newton School Committee and the teachers in Newton schools.

“This contract dispute that's going on right now, even once it's resolved, there's still damage that needs to be repaired,” he said. “There's been a break of trust and goodwill and that's not something that gets resolved within the result in the contract.

There's a lot of work to do and I'm hopeful that the leaders can do that.”

“It's an example of just how fast change can occur on what seems like a small basis. If it's happening at the City Council level, it could also be happening at other levels of government,” Nora Linssen class of '24

photos courtesy of Fig City News

Incoming Ward 2 Councilor David Micley

Incoming Ward 4 Councilor Richard Block

Incoming Ward 6 City Councilor Martha Bixby

issuu.com/thelionsroar

news | page 5

Replacement of turf sparks controversy Clara Borus, Aria Chitty & Anya Nezafat News Contributors During July and August this summer, the Winkler Stadium and Brandeis Road fields were re-turfed. In 2024, the city of Newton is planning to replace the turf at Newton North and install a new turf field at Albemarle Field.

The previous turf fields at North and South were installed in 2010 and 2009 respectively, making them 13 and 14 years old. Simple repairs were no longer an option since the life expectancy of turf is 10 to 12 years.

Freshman soccer coach Matt Briggs said that replacing the turf was a necessary improvement that students will benefit from.

“The old turf was in small pieces. It was coming up, it was old and it was definitely dangerous,” he said. “There was some unevenness to it, so I think the kids really appreciate having a flat surface, so the ball doesn’t go flying all over the place.”

Briggs said that turf fields are an essential part of the athletic program at South.

“I remember when we only had grass fields around, and I have photos where we have the varsity team basically playing on big chunks of dirt. There was no grass,” he said.

“It’s very difficult when you don’t have a turf field. The beauty of turf is that during driving rain you can play, whereas on grass everything gets canceled.”

However, freshman field hockey player Abby Stuchins said that heat can be a major downside to playing on turf fields.

“I like playing on the natural grass field

a bit more because usually in the beginning of the season it’s still really hot out, and the turf absorbs all the heat,” she said.

Freshman soccer player Idahlia Brown said that replacing old turf fields is a valuable investment for athletes because it allows for a safer and more enjoyable playing experience “Other turf fields I’ve played on have been hard to play on because the field is really bumpy and uneven, but our turf is pretty even, so I’d say replacing the turf is beneficial at least for athletes,” she said.

However, concerns regarding the environmental and health effects of turf fields have been raised in response to turf expansion.

During South's turf replacement process, videos of rubber infill spilling into a parking lot near uncovered storm drains were posted online, causing controversy over the safety of turf fields.

South’s athletic director Patricia Gonzalez said that South’s turf has been switched to a new material that reduces environmental and health effects.

“We changed the field to a new turf product that is a ceramic compound. It’s not rubber-based. It’s safer, cleaner and cooler and it’s used in much of the city,” she said.

“The other thing that most people don’t realize is that you need to use fertilizers and weed killers [for grass fields] to keep the quality of the field, and all of those eventually go into the watershed.”

South chemistry teacher James Vance said that this change in turf material could be an effective way to decrease temperatures on the turf.

“The difference is in how much heat is absorbed versus reflected, and there have been

measurements done when turf is installed to see the ambient temperature [how much heat is being absorbed], so it should decrease,” he said. “I do know that there were tests on our fields after the new compound was installed and [the temperatures] were lower than what they were in the past.”

As our nation is rapidly urbanizing, natural green space is growing increasingly uncommon, and in the suburbs these natural areas are being replaced by artificial green spaces that negatively affect our environment.

South physics teacher Kristin Stirling said that with rising climate temperatures and a decline in natural space in the community, playing on turf fields raises both health and urban development concerns.

“In an age of climate change, where we have more extreme and rising temperatures, it can be unsafe to even play on turf,” she said.

“In terms of limited green space in the city, right now that space is artificially green and really hot.”

In an age of climate change where we have more extreme and rising temperatures, it can be unsafe to even play on turf.

Rolls of replacement turf stored near Winkler Stadium.

photo courtesy of Fig Ctiy News

Kristen Stirling South Physics Teacher

MA reaches drug distribution settlement Seeyon Byun, Penney Fang, Hana Futai & Allison Sam News Contributors On July 9, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts reached a settlement with Johnson and Johnson, Walmart, Teva, Allergen, CVS and Walgreens, large drug distributors that were charged with irresponsibly manufacturing and distributing opioids. These companies will provide funds for treatment and education programs to help reverse the effects of the opioid crisis.

Massachusetts will receive $900 million from this agreement, and the city of Newton may receive up to $3.8 million between 2022 and 2039, with installments reaching cities yearly. Newton City Hall will spend their portion on programs and services for people with substance use disorders, aid-

My hope is that young people will learn more about the addictive nature of these opioids and that they learn that it isn't just a pain reliever... I hope every generation learns to avoid the mistakes of the previous generation.

Linda Walsh Commissioner of Health & Human Services

ing in establishing new drug education and prevention initiatives for residents of all ages.

Newton Commissioner of Health and Human Services Linda Walsh said that she hopes these funds will create better access to care and help break down the barriers around the opioid crisis.

“There's a large and growing segment of our population who [don’t] have that equal access to health care,” she said. “Equitable access to care is always something this department is focusing on learning about.”

Sophomore Rory McGovern said that it’s good that there are programs for everyone that spread awareness on difficult topics because everyone in our community, not just students, should stay educated on current issues.

“It sounds promising,” she said.“Continuing education is important especially on issues that not many people know about. It shouldn’t stop when you graduate high school. It's always important for people to know as much as they can no matter what age you are.”

Through Newton’s improvements to education surrounding opioids, Walsh said that she wants

graphic by Ellen Wu

the younger generation to learn ways to prevent themselves from getting trapped in an addiction.

“My hope is that young people will learn more about the addictive nature of these opioids and that they learn that it isn't just a pain reliever, it's an addictive substance that can actually change the way your brain functions.” she said. “I hope every generation learns to avoid the mistakes of the previous generation.”

Suin Lee, a registered nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that the money would be more useful in towns that are less privileged than Newton.

“Newton is one of the top cities well known for its wealth and education. I'm not urgently worried about educating Newton’s community,” she said. “Other communities that are underdeveloped such as Dorchester, Southern Boston and Quincy should receive more aid.”

South health teacher Patrick Jordan-Quern said that he hopes the changes to opioid education will benefit students for the long run.

“I'm hoping that the funds go to different preventative education aspects for students to have a larger impact on their lifelong health,” he said.

However, JordanQuern said that these edu-

cation changes would be more beneficial if students had more time to dive deeper into these subjects.

“With how dense our curriculum is, sometimes it feels like we're kind of brushing over it,” he said. “It still has a positive impact, but if we had more time with each other, it would have a more lasting impact.”

School nurse Karleen Kiritsy said that she praises the Commonwealth’s efforts to address substance abuse issues.

“It’s important to use that money for what it’s allocated for. Drug education, prevention, and helping people get into the right treatment programs. It might not even be enough,” she said.

Furthermore, school nurse Gail Kramer said that she particularly supports Newton’s health department’s work towards administering Narcan, a brand of naloxone that can reverse opioid overdose, throughout the city.

“The nurses have had Narcan in our emergency bags for a couple of years now, but we’re trying to get it available throughout the city, for anyone who asks,” she said. “It’s important for people to have access to overdose reversal drugs, and I think it would be incredibly beneficial for our community.”

Lee says that people must go beyond discussing the matter and that the government needs to take immediate action towards solving our community’s opioid issue.

“I watched a YouTube clip that shows a truck giving out methadone, a substance used to treat people with opioid use disorder. This is one way that help is given actively,” she said.

“We can talk nonstop about this issue with the governors and our community, but there is a slim chance the government will take the most compelling action it can. That's an issue.”

page 6 December 22, 2023

EDITORIALS issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 40, Issue 5

Use the feminist power of Taylor & Travis It’s been a long time coming, but here it is: the obligatory editorial on the person of the year, queen of our hearts, Miss Americana herself, T Swizzle.

As the media tends to do, we’re going to focus on Ms Swift’s relationship status, but more importantly, what her relationship says about feminism.

To be clear, Taylor Swift is not the paragon of feminism herself. However, she is arguably the most famous woman in the world with one of the largest female fan-bases, so her treatment can be indicative of how society treats women at large.

For our readers that have been living under a rock, Swift is dating Travis Kelce, a two-time Super Bowl winning tight-end for the Kansas City Chiefs. And since it hit the news a few weeks ago, the pair have catapulted to the forefront of American minds.

Kelce, whose Instagram followers have increased by over 1 million since “Swelce” went public, has received the brunt of the scrutiny.

From digging through his tweets from ten years ago to overtly sexualizing his photos, a majority of new Kelce fans seem to be focused on everything but his identity as a football player. Swelce marks one of the first times we see a man in the public sphere be reduced to whomever he was dating. Forget being the 5th greatest football player in the league, Kelce is Swift’s boyfriend.

“Taylor put Travis on the map.”

Normally, it’s the other way around. Any given checkout line magazine stand exhibits Jennifer Aniston’s supposed reunion with Brad Pitt, Olivia Rodrigo’s inability to get over Joshua Basset or that Selena Gomez is casually dating an enigmatic “mystery man”.

Seldom do female-led business ventures, film projects or philanthropic endeavors make the front page.

So is reducing a venerated athlete and commentator to a sexualized piece of arm candy just comeuppance for thousands of years of objectifying women and minimizing their achievements? Feminist discourse is divided here, as was our editorial meeting.

We speculate that Swift also may not be a fan of the hullabaloo around the relationship, especially if it overshadows the craft of her songwriting and performances.

But if the media focusing on celebrity relationships is bad, why have we (The Roar) published roughly 900 words doing exactly that? Quite frankly, Swelce is popular and celebo-relationships generate clicks. But why do they generate so much attention?

Perhaps this is the voyeuristic nature of society, but more hopefully, fluffy teenage-romcom-esque stories are a needed reprieve within the constant onslaught of tragedy in our reality.

But The Roar is not alone. The National Football League (NFL) is also certainly taking advantage of the increased eyes that follow

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Swift. They played Swift’s songs in stadiums, boasted her picture on their Twitter (X) page, slipped her lyrics into commentary and even compared Kelce’s performance with and without Swift’s attendance during live game broadcast.

Many football fans are just irritated by Swift-icization overshadowing gameplay, while others have gone so far as to denigrate and disparage the new, predominantly feminine, energy Swift and the fans that come with her have brought to the traditionally ubermasculine NFL. Belittling feminine interests is not a new phenomenon, as evidenced by Swift herself.

Like any musician, Swift makes music about love, heartbreak and everything in between.

But until recently, her music had been written off as childish or vindictive break-up songs, nothing more.

It’s the "Legally Blonde" sensation: stereotypical girly images are not taken seriously or are written off as simple, flighty and dumb.

Femininity is rarely associated with success or strength. How many female publicly-facing doctors, politicians or engineers wear their hair long, don flowy dresses, colorful nails or makeup?

Presenting oneself in a feminine way can and does imply a series of behaviors and attributes that run completely counter to our idea of a good professional: with modesty, kind-

ness, self-effacing generosity and an emphasis on home, family, looks or other stereotypes.

We have no definition of femininity that isn’t antithetical to the qualities we associate with serious work — because, of course, the qualities that we associate with serious work have long been defined by masculinity.

So in the hyper-masculine world of the NFL, how do you make space for female success? Or from the more capitalist lens: how should the sports industry tap into the female demographic?

The answer is not showcasing Swift or other famous partners of players. Swift is not the only successful woman to enter the sports arena — roughly 2000 female professional athletes do so everyday.

These female athletes are beyond deserving of the boost in attention, and now's as good a time as any. After his relationship became public, Kelce’s jersey sales went up by 400%.

Ms. Swift and the NFL could create the same swell in attention and revenue for the nation’s hard working female teams.

They wouldn’t have to look far! Brittany Mahomes, often seen cheering alongside Swift at Chief 's games, is a former professional soccer player and the co-owner of the Kansas City Current women’s soccer team.

With just a slight shift of the spotlight, the NFL could do so much good — and as Swift has shown, make bank in the process.

Volume XL The Lion’s Roar Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper 140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 ss.lionsroar@gmail.com

Editors-in-Chief Bella Ishanyan

Emma Zhang

Managing Editors Grace Dempsey

Risha Sinha

Section Editors

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.

The Lion’s Roar is printed by Gannett Newspapers and published every six weeks by Newton South students. All funding comes from advertisers and subscriptions.

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.

The Lion's Roar reserves the right to publish all content on its website (nshslionsroar.com), social media channels and online viewer, Issuu.

News

Andrew Feinberg Irene Gonzalez de las Casas Jenny Lee Alex Zakuta

Features

Opinions

Eden Levitt-Horne Jacob Lewis Angela Tao

Centerfold Grace Sousa John Timko

Sports Joey Giragos Julia Lee Sarah Schwartz

Alyssa Chen Ava Ransbotham Theo Younkin

Media Managers Social Media Levin Brenner Tate Slater

Pawdcast

Renee Lu Ashish Ullhman

Graphics Denise Chan Lynn Kim Adrienne Lirio

Faculty Advisor Ashley Chapman

Photos Evan Ng

issuu.com/thelionsroar

editorials | page 7

LETTER from the

EDITOR Bella Ishanyan Editor-in-Chief Our editorial series “From the Editor’s Desk” allows us on senior staff to tell a story.

A story, oftentimes about the beauty of human connection, and almost always, personal.

But I don’t want to tell you a story.

Because, ultimately, I don’t want to form a connection with you. Instead, I want to emphasize the true beauty of human connection, and I will begin with this: the most important connection you need to form is the one within yourself.

And as trite as it sounds, it is what I have learned to be the hardest connection of all. And no, I will not tell you about how my life fell apart. I will not tell you about how I lost myself. But I hope it would be sufficient in this “non-narrative” for me to simply establish that I am, indeed, broken beyond repair. As are you.

So why did I title this editorial as “How to take your life back,”? You’re broken. No amount of superglue or kintsugi can hide the cracks of your personal tragedies.

The process of taking your life back is complex. Before you can even begin to put the pieces of yourself back together, you first need to find the fragments of your narrative, and I’ll tell you now, you will never find all of them.

Not because you aren’t looking hard enough, but because impact affects the pieces of your identity differently. Imagine dropping a glass cup on the floor and cleaning up the shards.

In the same way that you will inevitably lodge

How to take your life back

a tiny shard of glass into your foot yards away from the point of impact, you will inevitably find unseen fragments of your narrative long after you put yourself back together.

Sometimes, you don’t even find those fragments. They remain tucked away in the many dark corners of your mind, sometimes for long enough that if you find them again, they are unrecognizable.

But to grow is to learn that you will lose yourself. You are not the same child that your parents cherish so dearly, you are not the same lover your ex entered the relationship

You're broken. No amount of superglue or kintsugi can hide the cracks of your personal tragedies. with, you are not even the same person you thought you were last night, this morning, an hour, minute ago.

Because to grow is to endure pain. To grow is to realize that life will not only tear you down, but it will keep you down, press its heel against your cheek and maybe even spit in your face.

Oftentimes, core memories are defined as the happy moments in the development of our lives, but, realistically, the painful ones are what actually stick with us. Which is a shame, because then it begins to hurt to remember…

And to remember is to feel the pain again. To remember is to gash open the cuts

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you thought you had successfully healed. To try to think about where the fragments might have scattered off to, why they went so far and how the hell you’re gonna find them again…

To let go of the rope and begin to fall again, to feel the familiarity of gravity’s embrace.

The depths are familiar, maybe it would be easier to just stay here a while. Maybe rest my eyes, just for a bit, and allow myself to fall…

Wait. I got off track. Hold on, let me start again.

Taking back your life means to regain control. A common misconception is that heal-

Writing

Conduct interviews, report on compelling topics or write about your own opinions.

Graphics

Use traditional digital techniques to create pieces that accompany print articles.

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SUBMIT

a letter to the editor to ss.lionsroar@gmail.com

The Lion's Roar welcomes the opinions of our readers in the form of letters to the editor.

The Lion's Roar reserves sole discretion to decide whether or not a reader submission will be published.

The Lion's Roar will not publish anonymous submissions or letters containing personal attacks.

The Lion's Roar reserves the right to edit or refuse all letters. The authors of such pieces are not members of The Lion's Roar staff, nor do they necessarily reflect the views of The Lion's Roar staff.

If a submission is selected, it will be run on a single occasion, and the author agrees to give us the right to publish it in print and digital form.

Letters should not exceed 300 words.

ing is the pursuit of becoming a better person.

In reality, healing is a restorative undertaking meant to grant you peace of mind.

Because oftentimes, you will not end up stronger after a traumatic event. In fact, you will end up weaker, and weaker, and finally, when you think you can’t possibly become more broken, you will shatter once more, and it will surprise you with how quickly you will break.

But that is where humans and glass differentiate: humans don’t actually break.

Technically, we do, but in the interest of my motif, there is really very little stopping us from putting ourselves back together again.

That took me years to realize, and to be hon-

est, I still don’t think I’ve fully come to terms with that.

Because it feels good to remain broken and unfixable. There is a particular solace that comes with self pity: comfortably accepting that you’re broken, and that you aren’t interested in making the effort toward putting yourself back together. That is just so much work.

But this is your glass cup. This is your life.

The cracks, bumps and strange glue taste will stay with you no matter what, but the cracks of your personal tragedies are what define your humanity and not only tell the unique story of your weakness, but of your strength.

I guess my title is misleading, because I won’t actually tell you how to take your life back, because that is your journey alone, and you must endure it in solitude. But I will pose the question: why not try?

Effort is not finite. If you decide against utilizing the infinite amount of effort we as humans possess, you are only limiting yourself from enjoying what life wants to give you. You are the only person stopping yourself from determining just how much of this life you can use to your own advantage.

For me, my story of struggle is personal, but it is how I was able to create a connection with myself and help me determine how and why I want to live my life. It has helped me form a better connection with the people around me, and now, it is how I am able to make a connection to you.

So, I guess, in the end, I did tell you my story.

page 8 December 22, 2023

OPINIONS issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 40, Issue 5

IS SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISM EFFECTIVE? YES

NO

By Anya Kopinja

I

t starts junior year of high school: the flurry of students creating “passion projects” as a last-ditch effort to change the world get into college.

Passion projects are usually activismbased organizations that students create to show their leadership and initiative in an attempt to make themselves a more competitive applicant when applying to colleges. They’re called passion projects for a reason, and teenagers know that there has to be a true passion driving it.

With catchy names and charming logos, the projects are often social-media-based, using platforms such as Instagram or TikTok to spread awareness, organize events and advertise themselves.

While seemingly public-serving, these projects create an ethical dilemma, as they are often made with the sole self-interest of making the creator seem more appealing to colleges.

However, the good that these projects produce outweighs the often poor objectives behind them: the intent doesn’t negate the outcomes.

I’ve seen parties that organize groups to go to women’s rights marches, help out at local trash cleanups and host food drives for homeless shelters.

These organizations often yield success and can round up large numbers of people to support the cause because they are accessible to classmates and friends.

Additionally, social media is an effective platform for spreading a message. Teenagers have been colloquially given the nickname “screenagers” for spending too much time online, but passion projects and general social media activism interrupt the mindless scrolling through platforms.

They create an opportunity for youth to contribute to the conversation and educate others their age on societal issues in a digestible and relevant manner created for them.

With all the problems facing our world, we as adolescents often feel powerless to actually make a difference. Passion projects are an opportunity for teens to learn about activism, as involvement in social action is a crucial part of being an active member of a community. When even a few of us manage to incite that change, it inspires a chain reaction of others doing the same, and it fosters a changemaking community.

Here's the dilemma.

This form of social media activism begs the question of genuinity. Are teens just doing it for the sake of getting into college?

If so, do they deserve to benefit from questionable morals? At the end of the day, their intentions don’t really matter as the good they create is making a difference.

Students do it to earn the opportunities that getting a college degree provides. That doesn’t make them bad people, they’re simply the product of a broken system.

Instead of calling these teens selfcentered or selfish for working towards societal

change, we need to look at the root of the problem: the competitiveness of college culture. In general, but also specifically at South, college culture is harsh and cutthroat.

With admission rates plummeting and tuition costs soaring, teens are doing whatever they can to make themselves stand out amidst the huge pool of applicants.

Students are pushed to sacrifice their mental health, morals, social life and hobbies in order to make themselves appealing to schools.

I personally gave up a sport I love in order to make time for activities that are known to look better on applications.

Passion projects, however, create an opportunity for students to continue their work on something they enjoy, on their own terms, and in a way that universities appreciate. They allow students to do something they enjoy with the added benefit of bolstering their applications.

Some teens and their families go to desperately drastic measures to get into good schools. We all remember the 2019 scandal where celebrities Lori Laughlin and Mossimo Giannulli (amongst others) ended up in hot water with the FBI for committing fraud to get

By Elad Levy

A

ctivism has the potential to topple governments, revolutionize society and change millions — if not billions — of lives, which is exactly why it should never occur on social media. As the accessible platform comes with a limited capacity for information, social media activism oversimplifies complex issues and can spread false information.

On top of that, the gratification achieved through simply using a hashtag or adding a post to their story causes people to feel accomplished without making tangible change. It depletes the potential influence of movements when people don’t feel they need to do anything further to help a cause.

Furthermore, many people pursue activism to look appealing, especially to colleges. Acknowledging Instagram activism as acceptable causes people to select unimpactful forms of activism and can ultimately decrease the potential influence of a movement.

Instead of social media, alternative forms of activism like volunteering, protesting and meeting with local government officials to advocate should be pursued to truly make an impact on a cause.

graphic by Izzy Gimmelfarb

their children into their desired universities.

We should appreciate the intent of amelioration that these student-led passion projects bring to our society.There are worse deeds to commit for the sake of college than social media activism that might’ve started as resume padder.

To be as effective as possible, social media activism strives to change as many minds as possible in an extremely short time, creating a breeding ground for misinformation. Posts are usually a couple of slides, each confined to a relatively small area, making it so little information can be presented with one post.

Because of this, multi-dimensional issues get simplified to a few statistics and buzzwords, leaving out important details in favor of appeals to emotion. This inevitably leads viewers to form an opinion of a cause without an adequate understanding of it.

Many celebrities engage in this activism over social media, and their posts are no different. Since their followers, who idolize these personalities, are much more inclined to construct their viewpoints based on the virtue of the poster, critical and independent thinking becomes disincentivized as these people are not forming opinions on their own.

Outright lies are commonly spread on social media, leaving people with an outright incorrect understanding of a conflict. Since it is often exaggerated, this mass of disinformation further carries the danger that can overly anger people about a conflict. In extreme cases, this anger leads to hatred of an entire group. Luckily, this information is usually ignored and doesn't motivate people to act.

People feel the need to participate in movements because of a deep desire within them, fueled by an anxiety that tells them they aren’t doing enough. Once people participate in helping the cause – or perceive themselves as doing so – they feel satisfied.

Activism of all kinds, including over social media, is (or at least feels) extremely rewarding, leading people who take part on social media to feel accomplished without actually doing much. This ironically leads to the reduction of movements’ potential impact when people, after posting something online, see further involvement as undue.

I can not remember a single time my opinion on a topic was changed because of a post I saw online. Although effective to a small number of people, posts are small, easily ignored and untrustworthy, yet people still feel accomplished when they post something to help a cause, and this satisfaction decreases the likelihood of their further participation.

Social media’s inability to completely represent topics makes it an unbelievable source for activism. When activism takes place on social media, the effect of the misinformation may actually lead to a net negative.

Instead of conducting activism online, people should put their efforts into concrete acts of organization. Rather than urging others to do something about an issue, find ways to do something about it yourself. Volunteer for an organization you care about, attend protests, petition for changes and organize in your local government.

Doing this causes people to tangibly help a movement because in the grand scheme of things, simply sitting on a couch and scrolling on social media won’t change anything.

Next time you see an activism post on social media, don’t think about what it says, but rather what it does not say. Undertake not what feels rewarding, but what truly helps. Only then does activism carry power.

page 10 | opinions issuu.com/thelionsroar

the lion's roar opinions | page 9

CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER:

Holiday Party

The guests attending the most chaotic dinner party of the year

By Katy Krintzman, Forest Lanciloti & Kiril Zhdanov

"

!

K

eep a wide berth around the elusive sibling who just returned from their first year of college. They’re probably brimming with new experiences, friends and woke-ness, but it’s unlikely they’ll ever talk to you about it.

In fact, the only times they’ll speak all day are to argue with grandpa or to complain about the fact that there’s no vegan option while holding their #meatismurder tote bag.

Hopefully, they’ll become normal soon, but until then … beware.

I

f your family was famous, we all know the first one to get canceled would be him. In fact, racist grandpa might be a misnomer because he hates all minorities. Your parents try to tell you that he was just raised in a different era, but that doesn’t stop what he says from shocking you.

I wouldn’t even be able to put in a quote here without getting completely censored. And that’s not even mentioning his constant interruptions — especially of the women and girls. If you so much as talk about your friend named Joe, Trader Joe’s or a cup of joe, he’ll spiral into one of his long rants again. Be careful not to argue with him though, or he might have a fourth heart attack.

N

o, stop picking your nose and then sticking it in the mashed potatoes. No, stop playing on your iPad during dinner. No, stop chasing me around the house. It seems like every time you see this cousin, you can only say, “No, stop that!”

5-10 years old. Quantity ranges from one to three per extended family. Somewhat addicted to their iPad. Actually, definitely addicted to their iPad. If you’re unfortunate enough to stay in the same house as them, they will undoubtedly prevent you from going to sleep until at least midnight and wake you up at the crack of dawn. At least you don’t have to see them until next year! graphics by Denise Chan

"

S

he is single and ready to mingle! She has TikTok, so let's just say she knows who the rizzler is sticking out his gyat for. The first thing she’ll tell you is that you ate that outfit up, yeah you heard that right — she knows all the most recent slang. She is hip with the kids, and you better believe she wants to know who you’re snipping, sniping, snooping? Whatever you are doing on that little ghost app. She already has you trapped on the couch telling you about her three ex-husbands and how they have wronged her. This is her third (tenth) glass of red wine, but she swears she’s FINE.

S

mell that? That's the aromatic scent of a turkey roasting slowly in an oven, with freshly baked rolls and a pumpkin pie sitting on the counter. This perfect scene, however, is soon interrupted by the hurried and self-proclaimed Master Chef flying by with a trail of flour puffing behind her.

She is likely to be seen yelling at all civilians to evacuate the war zone — or, as most know it, the kitchen.

Eventually, she will hunch over the counter and murmur to herself, reviewing which temperatures everything cooks at, and if she is interrupted… seek cover.

T

here is always one overly interested Grandma, and you all definitely know her. Grandma starts out acting normal, deploying the average arsenal of questions, but then ends up in a completely different place.

Does the “any boyfriends or girlfriends yet?” sound familiar?

Her answer ranges from a relieved sigh that you’re still single to a raging lecture on using protection if you’re not. Either way, this question will just spring out of nowhere, no matter what precedes it. It will likely take you by surprise, so be warned. The best way to respond is by using the good old, “I'll let you know if there’s anything to know,” and then asking how her many cats are.

issuu.com/thelionsroar page 10 | opinions

opinions pageroar 9 the|lion's

Girl Dinner: dinner: Yet yet another anothertrend trendgone goneawry awry

By Leah LeahGreiner Greiner&&Ethan EthanPeller Peller by This past summer,“For You” pages across social media were filled with video after video of wacky food and beverage smorgasbords, accompanied by the audio, “This is my meal; I call this ‘Girl Dinner.’”

The Girl Dinner trend began on July 5, when Tiktok user Karma Carr posted a video of herself with a half-eaten ice cream bar accompanied by an original song consisting of the repeated phrase “Girl Dinner.”

It stuck. From then on, many others followed suit with their own “Girl Dinners,” sometimes referred to as “adult Lunchables.”

As a way to make light of times when they didn’t feel like cooking, people could eat “Girl Dinner,” a smorgasbord of their favorite foods, snacks or drinks in place of a conventional dinner.

Originally, both the dietitians and weight-loss gurus praised the trend as a way to promote healthy eating habits by allowing users of the trend to create balanced and satiating meals with very low effort.

But as time went on and the definition of “Girl Dinner” evolved, the low effort began to translate into low nutritional value and even lower caloric intake. Some began posting Carr’s audio alongside meager portions, consisting of only a small snack or drink. Tiktok filters were created under names such as “My Girl Dinner,” which suggested food items that users of the filter should eat.

A vape pen with ketchup. Two hardboiled eggs, some fruit. A brightly-colored canned energy drink, cheese and crackers.

More alarmingly, some creators began using the sound to promote vaping as a substitute for eating, depicting a single e-cigarette as their “Girl Dinner.” The only thing these substances can fuel is addiction, and while they

ing nothing but coffee until noon.

The trend quickly attracted criticism from the public for at best, promoting, and at worst, glamorizing, eating disorders and substance abuse, which already plague an estimated 8 and

20 milare danlion Amerigerous on cans respectively, according photo by Risha Sinha their own, presenting them to the South Carolina Department as an alternative to food increases their risk of Mental Health and John Hopkins Medicine. exponentially.

Further, in consideration of the trend’s This turn of events calls back to the gendered title, “Girl Dinner” perpetuates the practice of substituting meals with alcohol or issues of forgoing meals, disordered eating and caffeine, a trend that has been promoted since substance abuse, which already disproportionthe 20th century, spanning from the egg and ately affect its target audience of young women wine diet spawned in the 1950s and revived and adolescent girls. on social media in 2018, to Gwyneth Paltrow’s By highlighting the archaic and uninfamous diet which allegedly includes consum- healthy notion that girls should limit their

food consumption to tiny, dainty portions, creators continue to propel the many unrealistic beauty standards that women have historically struggled with. What began as a harmless joke has metastasized into a normalization of dangerous and sexist rhetoric.

But the problem neither starts nor ends with “Girl Dinner”: TikTok and other social media platforms have a deep history of promoting unsafe trends, spanning from encouraging the consumption of Tide Pods to boosting unrealistic beauty standards, and in the process, leaving wounds on the ever growing community of social media users.

This tendency to normalize and glorify supposedly relatable yet unhealthy behaviors affects us especially as teenagers; so many of us are already navigating school and social turbulences, and our generation’s dependence on social media presents us with glamorized images of stigmatized issues that we might already struggle with. Or worse, social media can introduce us to new, dangerous behaviors that are normalized through the lens of likes, comments and shares.

“Girl Dinner” began as a lighthearted way to poke fun at the incongruous mish-mash of leftovers and snacks often eaten to avoid cooking and the dishes that come with it. But with the constant elevation of stakes that are required to gain popularity on social media, the nuance of jokes like “Girl Dinner” is lost.

With a lack of proper mediation, there is nothing preventing safe trends from becoming misconstrued and going awry.

The futility of the Supreme Court ethics code

By Sofia Telio & Joya Tendulkar Supreme Court justices are facing considerable scrutiny for their unethical conduct, enabled by a lack of sufficient regulations within the Court itself to outline the limitations placed upon each individual.

On Nov. 13, the Supreme Court adopted a new ethics code — the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal and Transparency Act — which was drafted by the Senate Judiciary Committee in early July.

This code claimed to rectify concerns regarding past oversight issues — to enforce better-defined rules.

However, the new code appeared phrased for the sole purpose of dispelling previous accusations of justices’ wrongdoing, primarily mentioning each common allegation against them. A notable example of past misconduct is Justice Clarence Thomas, who was accused of not disclosing gifts and trips from wealthy conservative donors.

Not only are they defensive, these guidelines on “good behavior” are nebulous and subject to judicial discretion, raising concern and suspicions in the public about the efficacy of what is fundamentally an honor system. An honor system paired with untrustworthy justices does not create the stable governmental system we need.

Also regarding bribery risks, the absence of strict gift regulations for SCOTUS is a stark contrast to the stringent limits imposed on lower-level courts,

whose members can be gifted no more than $50 lest they risk being fired.

Meanwhile, a Supreme Court justice has a limitless ceiling. This lack of specificity and regulations is unjust given this group is deciding the constitutionality of laws for the entire country, yet they do not have to fear repercussions for tipping the so-called “impartial” scales. If trust is already spread thin, this obscurity deepens the preexisti n g cynicism.

Ad d i tionally, unsettling reports of justices being mysteriously absolved of debt cast a shadow on the Supreme

photo-graphic by Risha Sinha

C o u r t ’s integrity. Notably, Justice Brett

Kavanaugh had $100,000 of debt vanish before his confirmation, fueling suspicions of impropriety and adding to the list of evercontinuing misdeeds that taints the institution’s decision-making.

This misconduct surrounding money exists — and persists — despite the justices’ generous $300,000 annual salary and unparalleled job security; they have the option of lifetime tenure in this position. In theory, this security is supposed to allow the justices to rule justly without fear about reelection and gaining a “popular vote.”

However, in reality, the justices are abusing this power. Merely meeting the expectations that every lower court justice has to should not be difficult, yet instead of utilizing their job security to enhance their performance, most SCOTUS justices use it as a safety net, falling back on it as an insurance measure whenever they engage in misconduct.

Moreover, there have been countless instances where justices have refused recusal in cases concerning their families, such as when former justice Stephen Breyer partook in a case despite his wife’s heavy involvement in the altercation.

The extensive media coverage on bombshell cases like this sparks widespread debate across social media; as the ever-accessible internet provides anonymity and thus the ability to say anything, impassioned opinions and misinformation spread like wildfire, further stirring

the pot on the topic of justices’ misconduct.

In response to rising criticism, the Supreme Court had introduced the ethics code to define and reinforce good behavior. The top lines state that “A Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States should maintain and observe high standards of conduct in order to preserve the integrity and independence of the federal judiciary.”

The ambiguity inherent in these guidelines, which notably used the term “should” instead of the more decisive “will” or “shall” commonly found in judicial directives, do not take strong enough action to regulate the Court.

Moreover, no concrete consequences are mentioned throughout the code, further adding fuel to an already roaring fire. How are we meant to trust that the justices will act by the guidelines if no repercussions exist? This leniency can even encourage misdemeanors, as there is no reason for them to behave if they are not going to be punished.

Within these specifications, justices further claimed their previous actions were permissible, indicating a continuing refusal to control themselves. They do not care to practice on higher moral standards — they are implementing these negligent guidelines merely to appease the public and evade future criticism.

It’s completely performative.

Absent targeted and enforced regulations, these violations will persist. Stronger advocacy, and more critically, action, are necessities, because no one, not even Supreme Court justices, are above the scrutiny of the law.

issuu.com/thelionsroar

opinions | page 11

Elvis: a legendary star or vile abuser?

By Bomi Woo & Grace Yang Elvis Presley’s rise from humble Tennessean to worldwide phenomenon is pop culture’s most enviable tale, even if the King of Rock lost his sense of self along the way.

Enshrouded with glitz and glamor, Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic“Elvis” depicts the rocky relationship between its namesake and his notorious manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

The two were inextricably linked from the beginning of Elvis’s career: Parker took Elvis’s raw talent and transformed it into something palpable and easily lovable. He transformed Elvis into America’s heartthrob by plastering him on newspapers’ frontpages, promoting his music non-stop, and being complicit with what people demanded of Elvis. Yet, although Parker could be seen as a father figure to Elvis by the latter and outsiders, he ultimately worked harder to exploit Elvis than to support him by means of capitalizing on his grief and overworking him.

The film revolves around the burdens of fame on Elvis’s life and his inability to deal with them. He originally relishes the stardom and thrives, but this popularity eventually strips away his sense of self.

“Elvis” subsequently attempts to preserve Elvis’s legacy and glorify him — while watching the film, the audience can’t help but root for Elvis, in the same manner as one might for

a humble hero.

Yet, believing this rhetoric would mean ignoring Elvis’s contentious actions, such as his relationship with Priscilla Presley, which Sofia Coppola’s latest film explores in great detail.

“Priscilla” is Sofia Coppola’s latest film based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir, “Elvis and Me.” It stars Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley

and Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley in a biopic that explores the famous couple’s relationship.

A testament to Coppola’s signature style, the film is shot with a hazy color scheme and is told subtly. Its quiet, muted aesthetic conveys Priscilla’s loneliness and how her life was always in Elvis’s shadow.

Very early on, Coppola reveals that

photo by Flixchatter Film Blog

photo by Legião dos Heróis

Priscilla is fourteen while Elvis is significantly older than her at twenty-four; the height difference between Elordi (Elvis) and Spaeny (Priscilla) highlights not only this age difference but also physically represents the power imbalance between the two. Many times in the film, Elvis physically abuses Priscilla, such as in the infamous scene where he throws a chair at Priscilla’s head after she hesitatingly voices her dislike for one of his demos.

In “Elvis,” Priscilla is a mere vehicle, existing only to advance Elvis’s story and character by portraying him as human. The film neglects to mention Priscilla’s age, the circumstances of their encounter, or the challenges of their relationship. Their love is boiled down to nothing but joy during a period when Elvis is overcome with sorrow for his mother. Priscilla’s screen time is limited, and she’s not necessary for anything except for highlighting Elvis’s humanization.

Elvis is falsely purified into a man who innocently falls in love with his muse rather than as a predatory groomer — only “Priscilla” suggests the latter.

Despite Coppola’s depiction of Elvis’s abuse, she captures Elvis’s love for Priscilla, twisted as it may be. Elvis is more nuanced and multi-dimensional in this film, not portrayed solely as one archetype: Coppola showcases both his humanity and his faults.

page 12 | breaking news

the lion's roar

Israel-Palest

Amidst the on-going war between Hamas and Israel, South grapples with the divide b

By Bella Ishanyan

Photo by Ma

W

hile other foreign conflicts have come and gone through the psyche of our student body, personal connection within large diaspora populations and the divisive regional history have muddled both sides of the narrative and created a tension seldom seen before.

Truths Since Oct. 7, the world has become a different place—one embroiled in yet another tragic conflict. For many at South, this war is simply another headline in the news. For others, the world has completely turned upside down.

At 10 a.m. on Oct. 7, senior and Jewish Student Union ( JSU) co-president Zoe Zalkind said her mother called informing her about the attack.

“I could tell immediately something serious was going on,” she said.“She said [that] Hamas invaded Israel, and I didn't even know what she meant by that at the time. Then she told me that my cousin was shot, and I started bawling my eyes out.”

Senior Alon Mileguir said that the war is especially real for him and his family because he knows many who are actively part of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).

“I have one cousin who just joined the military, and one who just completed his mandatory service, so it hits close to home,” he said.

“My brother's girlfriend, who he started dating at South, is a soldier in Israel, and her base was one of the ones that was overtaken on October 7, but luckily she wasn't there.”

However, the Israeli Jewish narrative is not the only one of pain at South.

Freshman Judy Othman has family in Palestine, and she said that she is grateful they are okay, but still feels the devastation of the fighting.

“I’m from Palestine. My family is okay, but I know a lot of people have been harmed or killed,” she said.

But like Mileguir, senior and JSU copresident Mia Dror said that she is greatly connected to the region, and that her passion for the war comes from a place of pride.

“Every single person in my family except for my parents lives in Israel,” she said. “I'm proud of them for fighting for saving Israel and for standing up for themselves, so I'm very intense about this.”

But this chasm is not limited to just those with an immediate connection to the conflict.

As someone who has experienced other forms of war within the Middle East, senior Darya Rostami said that she relates the events of Oct. 7 to the rest of the region.

“I’m a refugee from Iran, and when anything happens to the Middle East, it affects all of us. It affects us as a region,” she said.

Although senior Ben Perman does not have family in Israel, he said that community expectations about his Jewish identity require him to stay informed on the war in Gaza and Israel.

“As a Jew, I feel like whenever anything happens in the conflict, everyone expects me to have an opinion,” he said. “I feel connected to the conflict just by the fact that I need to have something to say whenever someone will ask me ‘what are your thoughts on X event?.’”

Junior Remaz Kaaber said that being visibly Muslim associates her with the war because of its basis in religion and has compromised her sense of safety at school.

“There's been a big rise in Islamophobia at school. I'm the only person I'm aware of who wears the hijab, so it feels weird,” she said.“I feel like I will get attacked for it. I feel vulnerable because you can clearly distinguish me between other students.”

Tension This fear and connection to the war is extreme and has fostered a divisive and tense relationship among students.

Perman said that tension between opposing groups can create problems that interfere with understanding the other perspective.

“When people are firmly behind one side solely and can't even take into account what other people are saying, it leads to a lot of hatred [and] bigotry,” he said.

Similarly, Mileguir said he recognizes that he is likely unable to change people’s minds through discussion, even if he disagrees with them.

“When tens of thousands of people are dying in Gaza, I'm not going to come and attack you,” he said. “I think you said something terrible, but you are clearly having strong emotions, and it's not my job to try and change your opinion, especially when I know I can't.”

Meanwhile, Dror said that her relationships with those of differing opinions are compromised — the only exception being if their argument is not supported.

“I have a pro-Palestinian coworker, and we get along really well,” she said. “The only reason we get along well is because it is very clear that she knows absolutely nothing [about the conflict], and I feel bad. I think she's a great person, [but] I think she's stupid.”

Legally, hate speech is defined as offensive discourse targeting a group or an individual based on inherent characteristics or their membership in a protected class.

In recent months, an uptick in antisemitic incidents, such as the drawing of swastikas in public locations, have been reported and addressed by South administrators.

Zalkind said that the uptick in antisemi-

tism has been wrongly justified by the war and compromises her comfort at school.

“People have been using this conflict as an excuse for their antisemitism,” she said.“I do feel attention when I walk through the hallway.

Sometimes I hear people talk about it.”

Meanwhile, Othman said that Palestinian support is often viewed as antisemitism; however, that is not where her support stems from.

“If you stand with Palestine, a lot of people think that means you're antisemitic.

That's not how that works at all,” she said. “No one should be labeling you as antisemitic when you stand with what you believe in.”

Rostami said that the grief of non-Jewish Middle Eastern students has been silenced.

“We are also grieving, but I feel like we aren't allowed to talk about it because it can be seen as criticizing Israel, which can be seen as antisemitic,” she said. “It’s dehumanizing because you feel like you always have to constantly prove that your life is just as important as the white person.”

Kaaber said that the association of Palestinian support with antisemitism has branched off into the labeling of Muslims as terrorists since Hamas is a radical Islamic group.

“A guy in front of me said, ‘I'm not Muslim, so I'm not a terrorist,’” she said. “I'm tired of people throwing around words without understanding how much it could hurt somebody else.”

Beyond verbal expression, Rostami said the severity of incidents has been escalating in the form of Islamophobia.

“There have been violent issues within the school,” she said. “Aside from verbal, there have been multiple physical ones.”

History department head Jennifer Morrill said that vilifying opposing views is a hallmark of war and the trauma that comes with it.

“Wars encourage demonizing whole groups of people,” she said.“We studied that in 10th grade. You need to demonize the people you're fighting in order to justify killing them.”

Zalkind said that she sees this coping mechanism employed on a smaller scale at South.

“When you're going through something that's so divisive and so polarizing, you want to just be angry at the other person who's going through something from the other perspective,” she said.“It's like an oppression Olympics right now.”

Demonstration Following the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion and subsequent warfare in Gaza, students showed their support for a side by wearing Israeli flags or a keffiyeh, a headdress often worn within the Arab Middle East.

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breaking news | page 13

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Dror said that while she sees no outright animosity, the relationship between Palestinian or Muslim students and Israeli Jewish students is strained, especially following demonstrations of support.

“There's not a good relationship between the Palestinians walking around wearing keffiyehs right now, and the Israelis walking around with Israeli flags right now,” she said.

Othman, who wore a keffiyeh to school to express solidarity with the people of Gaza, said that wearing it has created a sense of discomfort not applied to Israeli shows of support.

“There's some hoodies that have the Israeli flag on them. We don't say anything,” she said.“But when we wear the keffiyeh, everyone just looks at us like we're weird, or like we're terrorists, but it's just to represent the people that have passed.”

More prominently, in the age of technology, teenagers are taking to social media to express their opinions.

After constantly being bombarded with information of various levels of credibility on social media, available at their fingertips twentyfour seven, Perman said that in combination with the lack of information from teachers, social media misinformation is especially harmful.

“The radio silence from teachers on the issue gave rise to this social media-dominated news source,” she said. “It allowed for people who speak loud and have big social media followings to take the reins as the know-it-alls on the topic when in reality, what they're spreading is just propaganda fear-mongering.”

Dror said she is not greatly impacted by what she sees on social media, though she recognizes its destructive capabilities.

“No one's influencing me,” she said. “I have influenced other people, which I try not to do because I've had people text me on Instagram being like, ‘I'm getting all of my information from you and your Instagram page.’”

However, Othman said that when she posts content in favor of Palestine, the response has been jarring.

“I just post statistics and awareness things,” she said. “‘You're no better than any terrorists.’ That's what I've had people tell me, and it's not just by one person. And I've reported it [to admin], but there’s not much they can really do because it's on social media.”

Although a large portion of negative discourse between groups is occurring on social media, Stras said that there is little she and other administrators can do about it, even though it involves students at South.

“It is really, really hard for us to suss out exactly what's going on on social media,” she said. “The line in the sand that we draw is when something happens outside of school and it comes into school. And when it happens at

school, we address it” Stras said that because of the constant access to social media, sometimes the best thing one can do is log off.

“With cell phones and social media and everything, if someone is being mean to you in school, that person continues to have access to you [outside of school],” she said. “ Sometimes the answer is just to get off social media. Give yourself a break. Give other people a break.”

Response Wars don’t stop between 9 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Mileguir said that the stress of the war bleeds into every aspect of his life, including classes.

“It's scary when you're sitting in the middle of a class and you're getting messages every few days where my dad asks‘Are you okay’ to the family group chat,” he said.“That's when I know that there's rockets in the cities that my grandparents or cousins live in.”

For Dror, advocating for leniency from teachers was important. Dror said she talked to Morrill who directed history teachers in addressing the issue. “[Morrill] took a lot of what I said and gave it to the history teachers,” she said. “It was very important to me that teachers should be saying, ‘If you need it, I'm here to give you accommodations’.”

Along with providing accommodations for students, Dror and Morrill said that they worked together to ensure the way the war was being addressed in the classroom more sensitive to affected students.

“I sent out language to the department and asked them to use that language,” Morrill said.“We're not a school where we give teachers scripts, but the teachers appreciate some clarity about what we hope they'll say.”

In the past few years, the history of Israel and Palestine has been noticeably absent from the modern Middle East unit of the World History curriculum.

Ethics and world history teacher Brian Murray said that he doesn’t know if his classes are emotionally ready to have a conversation on such a current topic. “ We get some really extreme internal reactions with some students, so it's damned if you do, damned if you don't, sort of thing,” he said. “You need to prioritize kids’ mental health first. You need to know that you're not going to cause a panic attack.”

Morrill said that at the end of the day, making sure students are comfortable in class and able to learn is her priority, especially because South is a public school.

“When you have a war that is traumatic and is personally impacting students, it is very delicate what we do in class because if we [teach]

something that makes a student unable to be there, we are denying that student the right to an education,” she said.

At a community level, Stras said that sending out emails addressing the war was difficult and that she faced significant pressure to write a second, more strongly worded, email.

“The first email was sent, and it didn't land well with people. I got slammed, I got called every name in the book, I got personally attacked, and it was hurtful because I'm still a person,” she said.

However, Kaaber said they wish incidents of Islamophobia were addressed on a larger scale to show support for South’s Muslim and Arab communities.

“No emails have been sent out for Islamophobic incidents, which we understand because we've talked with the principal about this, but still, people aren't aware that there's an issue,” she said.

However, Stras said that the administration is doing its best to make every student feel safe, no matter their affiliation or background.

“I'm here to support all of my students,” she said.“Yes, one population is larger than the other. But if an injustice is done to Muslim student or an injustice is done to a Jewish student, it's still an injustice. It would be treated as an injustice, no matter what the precipitating factors are.”

Reconciliation?

With the student body hurting and divided, is there any way to reconcile?

For Perman, silence and kindness are the most powerful.

“If you're uninformed, it can be near impossible to say anything of substance. Silence is, more often than not, the right answer,” he said.“I know people who are firmly behind one side for personal reasons, and it's a valid thing to do, but also you have to be understanding of other sides because in this conflict, realistically, there are way more victims than there are perpetrators.”

Counseling department head Dan Rubin said his counseling background and role as mediator allow him to see what seemingly opposite groups have in common.

“The overwhelming majority of people want the same things, which is to live lives of dignity and peace and have empathy and compassion for innocent people who are suffering as collateral damage to conflicts that aren't actually about individual people,” he said.

Morrill says that empathy is the way to move forward — to move forward together.

“Right now, we have to be kind to each other, and we have to keep talking,” she said.

“War makes people demonize others. We can't do that in school.”

page 14 | centerfold

Season of Waste

the lion's roar

The increase in consumption during the most wonderful time of the year has unintended consequences on the environment

By Grace Sousa and John Timko Graphics by Lynn Kim

W

hether it’s spending time with family, buying gifts, or sharing meals at the dinner table, the holiday season brings people together. But it’s not all twinkling lights and jingle bells — here’s the hidden truth: Every holiday season, the world uses 8,000 tons of wrapping paper, equivalent to 50,000 trees, and the United States (U.S.) alone accounts for 2.65 billion holiday cards, another 312,000 trees, according to the Clean Air Partnership. In 2022, the research staff of Brightly, an eco-friendly store for sustainable goods, reported that the average American produces 35 pounds of trash per week. During the holidays, that number skyrockets to 43.75 pounds per week. Waste from food and gift packaging accounts for an additional 1 million tons of trash in landfills per week and between 25-30 million Christmas trees are sold during the holidays.

The Stockholm Environment Institute says that a single person produces

1,400 pounds of additional carbon dioxide emissions du ri ng the holidays, and the excess food and packaging accumulated during the holiday season often end up back in the environment. According to The Clean Air Partnership, household waste increases by 25% from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, making the holiday season a chief cause for larger carbon footprints.

Even when disposed

of properly, holiday waste is a lot for the environment to handle. Despite this, the holiday spirit conceals the detriments of indulgence and excessive consumption on the environment.

Underneath a season of festivities lies a need to confront the environmental consequences of consumption by combining holiday cheer with a sense of consciousness about the waste we create during the holidays. The planet is calling for help, and it would be irresponsible for our generation to ignore this wake-up call from the environment.

'Tis the Season for Consumerism While the gift-giving culture is specific to the overconsumption of the gift-giving season, it makes up only a small part of a consumption-driven lifestyle that persists year-round.

Excessive spending creates additional waste and an increase in carbon footprints in the US, a trend set to continue as the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports that despite inflation, consumerism in the U.S. is up 5% since 2022.

From Black Friday deals to Cyber Monday discounts, a mass-consumption is the bedrock of our economy and society.

Trend cycles and efforts toward expediency increase the production, transportation, and disposal of single-use goods which transitively increases emissions.

Senior and South’s Sus-

tainability Squad member Haley Kim said that advertisement makes consumption fast, cheap, and easily accessible.

“America has a particularly high need for consumerism because of the access to advertising or fast fashion. A lot of the products that are sold are made out of synthetics or not ethically sourced, and it creates waste,” they said.“People keep buying because that’s what’s most easily accessible. We’ve made sustainability hard to achieve, not everyone can afford the nicest or cleanest options”.

Especially during the holidays, giftgiving is the traditional demonstration of appreciation for loved ones. Environmental science and biology teacher David Beutel said that the gift-giving norm contributes to excessive waste.

“There’s so much consumption available and it’s expected of us to give gifts to everyone.

Even if they don’t want the gift, we buy it and give it to them and then they throw it away,” he said.“Gift-giving is very pervasive, it’s expected, and it’s cultural norms that feed into the idea of creating so much trash.”

Senior and Sustainability Squad president Max Harthorne said that the more temporary an item is, the more harm it does to the environment.

“Stockings used to be filled with chocolate, but now it’s trinkets and little plastic toys that don’t usually mean much and they’re gonna get thrown away, and they’re going to get wasted,” he said.

Harthorne said overconsumption is a result of the portrayal of gift-giving as irreplaceable, defining the meaning of the season itself.

“Marketing has been so effective that gift-giving has become a social tradition,” he said.“It wasn’t always like that, marketing made the ideal image of how holidays should be done, from all of the movies and media that we consume, and we accepted it.”

There’s so much consumption available and it’s expected of us to give gifts to everyone.

Even if they don’t want the gift, we buy it and give it to them.

Max Harthorne Sustainability Squad

White Christmas?

Waking up on the 25th to see snow on the ground is a Christmas dream but an infrequent occurrence. The last time the Boston area had a “White Christmas” was 14 years ago, a distant memory for most high schoolers.

Harthorne said he is concerned about the next generation’s dwindling opportunities to witness snowfall.

“I worry that in the future there will be kids that have never really seen snow before,” he said. “Imagine trying to explain what snow was like.

According to CBS News, the average yearly snowfall in Boston is 49 inches, but last winter, Boston saw only 12.4 inches of snow; however, just 8 years ago, massive snowstorms pelted New England throughout the winter, and Boston received 110 inches.

Sustainability teacher and Massachusetts Teacher Association Climate Action Network member Michael Kozuch says the variability between extreme and minimal amounts of snow in such a short period reflects the changing environment.

“New England is changing faster than almost any other part of the country except for Alaska,” he said. “So it is shocking to see what’s happening.”

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People should reframe what the holidays are about. They should be about family, community, friends and spending time with each other. That’s the most valuable thing we have, because our lives are so busy.

Michael Kozuch Sustainability Teacher

Harthorne said that personal experiences with a change in our winters and the disappearance of snow are just as effective as scientific research in getting people to take an interest in climate change.

“There’s a lot of problems with the CO2 in the air and climate change and all of that, but this sounds very theoretical,” Harthorne said.“I believe the scientists when they say it, but it’s hard to actually feel an impact from that. But when there’s less and less and less snow every year, it makes me more and more angry and frustrated about it.”

A Greener Holiday Amidst the sea of advertisements and gift-giving expectations, it can be challenging to make the green choice. But protecting the environment doesn’t have to be a hassle: the most straightforward way to help the environment during the holidays starts at an individual level.

Marcia Cooper, President of Green Newton, a non-profit dedicated to creating a more sustainable community, said that residents should arm themselves with the understanding of how they cause climate change when trying to mitigate its effects.

“I believe that families can take steps to reduce their carbon footprints,” she said. “For example, about 60% of Newton’s greenhouse gas emissions come from how families use energy in their homes and how they get around.”

Cooper also said that there are many opportunities available for individuals to make an effort toward sustainability. Green Newton’s website provides resources like apps that calculate food waste and tips like limiting the consumption of holiday cards and wrapping paper,making eco-friendly habits broadly accessible.

Those simple activities can show up as small changes during the holidays. Alan Gordon of the Newton Sustainable Materials Management Commission said that an environmentally conscious approach to gift-giving doesn’t have to minimize holiday traditions.

“No one wants to take the fun out of the holidays. There is excitement and fun in unwrapping a gift and pulling apart the wrapping paper. I would never tell someone not to do any of this,” he said.“It’s more about awareness, making people aware that there are alternatives and opportunities to make small changes. Some people are willing to make big changes, but not everyone, but every small change matters.”

While these small steps have a compounding impact on the environment, on a broader scale, the companies we purchase from have the largest impact on emissions.

Companies like Amazon make purchasing gifts convenient, but consequently, the planet pays the price through the volume of packaging and shipping involved in their business. According to Amazon, the company produced 71.27 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in 2022.

Twenty companies are responsible for

centerfold | page 15 producing more than half of all the single-use plastic waste in the world, according to The Guardian. And, since 1988, just 100 companies have combined to be the source of more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Forest Protection Coordinator for Massachusetts’ Sierra Club, Celeste Venolia, said that joining others to form unified groups working toward reducing corporations’ carbon footprints is the way to hold them accountable..

“I totally agree with the premise that individual humans create a lot of waste during the holidays. So individual action, like giving experiences instead of buying new gifts, can be great to reduce waste on an individual level,” she said.“But if I were to say one of the biggest ways folks could make a difference during the holiday season around the environment, it would be to organize and get involved with other groups that are trying to tackle big societal problems.”

Kozuch said that through his involvement in environmental organizations, he hopes to inspire others to care about pressing climate issues.

“The activist groups that I’m part of are trying to push all the levers I know, trying to get statewide attention for our union, teach about global warming in schools, raise awareness and put it in people’s faces with protests,” he said.

Climate Concious Celebrations Altering daily habits, making lifestyle changes or joining organizations are valuable ways to get involved to reduce waste during the holidays; however, it’s equally as impactful to realign our core values of the holiday season.

Kozuch said that the most important thing is to ensure that the abundance of material items doesn’t cause us to lose sight of the true meaning of the holidays: connecting with loved ones.

“People should reframe what the holidays are about. They should be about family, community, friends, and spending time with each other. That’s the most valuable thing we have, because our lives are so busy, and there’s only a certain amount of time that we have on this earth, and spending quality time with friends and family is the most powerful thing you can do,” he said.“We should reframe the holidays from being related to gift giving to creating experiences where you’re spending time with each other rather than giving another material item.”

As the new year approaches, committing to a mindset change is the best place to start. Cooper said that a good resolution to make this year could be to focus on the impact you can make on your environment.

“During holiday celebrations, you might be reflecting on how you can make this holiday an actual commitment to making changes in our community using our resources. It’s up to each of us to consider how we handle the holidays, are you buying more stuff that you don’t need?” she said.“Have a heart-toheart conversation with people in your family and say, ‘I’m realizing that we can each make a difference and it would make me happy if for this Christmas we can consider gift giving in a way that will give back to our planet.’ ” Sunwoo Kahng, another member of the Sustainable Materials Management Commission,

says that as current and modern environmental problems continue to evolve, it requires a new generation of leaders, specifically Gen Z and beyond, to be willing to take action and find solutions.

“Our generation and the generation before created all these problems that we’re just starting to learn about,” she said. “But unfortunately, it’s [the next] generation that’s going to have to think a lot more about these issues and really take a strong stance on what [they] want to do about it. And so, even thinking about something like Christmas, which seems so innocuous, it’s wise to think about the impact of all the various decisions that you make going into it.”

Kozuch said that he is encouraged by the available opportunities for young people to be involved in the climate issue and to get others on board as well, so they can have an overall positive impact on the environment.

“What gives me hope is there are more tools to stop [global warming] than we’ve ever had before with the Inflation Reduction Act passed and the Inflation and Infrastructure bill passed,” he said. “The United States is doing more than ever before, so what’s given me hope is that there are tools for young people to raise the alarm about [the environment] in ways that I’ve never seen before.Young people are giving me hope.”

page 16 December 22, 2023

FEATURES issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 40, Issue 5

Holiday Hodgepodge Students share their family's celebrations during the holiday season

By Anyssa Lin, Andrew Petrilla & Bethesda Yeh

Hanukkah

S

enior Mia ShahalSchiffer’s Hanukkah is always centered around having fun and spending time with family and friends. “[Being] together is so important,” she said. “In times when we're seeing a lot more anti semitism, just to remember that strength and to channel that strength into what we do on a day-to-day basis.”

Hanukkah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees and the rededication of the Second Temple.

Shahal-Schiffer said her family’s festivities include lighting the menorah candles, eating fried foods like sufganiyot jelly donuts and latke potato pancakes and playing games such as dreidel.

“It also depends on

where your family originates from,” she said. “My family [is] a mix of Mizrahim and Ashkenazim, so we've got all sorts of different foods.”

For Shahal-Schiffer, the holiday also represents Jewish resilience and survival. Although traditions remain largely the same, she said that the intention behind them has shifted over the years for her.

“When I go and I light those candles in times like these, [it] means a bit more,” she said, “I got older and started to see a lot more meaning in things.”

Shahal-Schiffer said that finding joy, strength and unity in challenging times is imperative.

“Even when we're in times of celebration, I remember why we're celebrating is because they couldn't kill us,” she said.“We're not going to let them bring us down. Now we're in scary times. It is hard to celebrate, [but] it's important to celebrate.”

Lunar New Year

S

ince moving from China to giving children red envelopes containing the U.S. with her family in money.

With most relatives overseas in 2016, math teacher Lijia Li said she strives to continue her China, Li said her family has no choice Lunar New Year traditions and raise but to adapt.

“We will celebrate Lunar New Year awareness about the holiday in her with our Chinese friends instead, but we community.

“Every year, I volunteer at my kids’ will video chat with our grandma in China,” schools to introduce the Lunar New Year she said. “My kids’ grandparents will give to the young kids,” she said. “We do a lot them red envelopes remotely.”

Freshman Angel Liu, who moved of activities, like paper cutting, [and] they from China at the age of six, finds it more really enjoy it.”

In China and countries with a large challenging to keep the holiday alive.

“In America, I feel a bit sad [because] Chinese population such as it's mainly my mom and my dad,” she said.

South Korea “We didn't keep up the tradition because and Vietnam, there weren’t many family members.”

Preparing for celebrations takes Lunar New Year cel- time, so Liu said that a day off from school ebration s would be ideal to facilitate Lunar New g e n e r a l l y Year festivities.

“Even though not a lot of people include a large family gathering, celebrate it, if we had a day off, people a full-fledged feast and would be more willing to learn that it exho e C other traditions such as ists,” she said. r la g

ics ph ra

C by

KWanzaa

K

wanzaa celebrations have “When people mention Kwanzaa, not always been a yearly they just say ‘Happy Kwanzaa,’” she said. staple for senior Aniyah “[But] it's seven days long, [with] so many Vega-Hines, co-president of the Black different things to talk about.”

Student Union. Now, Vega-Hines said Although African heritage is crucial that Kwanzaa has also become an octo Kwanzaa, Vega-Hines says that anyone casion for her family get-togethers. can commemorate Black culture, regard“When I was younger, we were less of background. just starting to understand,” she said. “[It] causes misrepresentation [to “We didn't really get it. We missed a say] you're only able to celebrate if you are few days. But now we've really gotten African or Black,” she said. into it and been able to keep on track.”

Kwanzaa celebrations culminate in Celebrated from Dec. 26 to the Karamu feast on Dec. 31, when friends Jan.1, Kwanzaa was started in 1966 by and family gather to celebrate.

Black activists who saw the need for a “We get together for our big feast,” holiday to commemorate their African she said. “Anyone can come together on heritage. Each of the seven days is de- that day before the year ends and all be voted to a principle. For example, the unified.” first day celebrates umoja, or unity.

While some students at South acknowledge Kwanzaa, Vega-Hines said that most do not understand the true meaning behind it.

Christmas

C

hristmas with history teacher Jon Greiner entails no deprivation of decorations and talk of Santa. Greiner said his household buzzes with anticipation each holiday season.

“Having kids means that you take it much more seriously,” he said. “The excitement for Christmas builds.”

Greiner, who grew up within the Christian tradition and identifies as culturally Christian, said he considers his family’s observance to be more non-religious.

“With kids, it's all centered around them, their experiences and their happiness and joy,” he said.

However, for sophomore Samantha Chen, president of the Christians In Action club, Christmas festivities involve a strong religious aspect. In addition to the more widespread tree-decorating and gift-giving rituals, she said that for her, attending church is an integral part of commemorating the holiday.

“It has more sig-

nificance because we're celebrating Jesus' birthday,” she said.“It means something different than if it was just a secular holiday.”

Chen said that Christmas’ importance lies in the story behind the holiday.

“It's the starting point of [Christianity],” she said. “Jesus was born as the son of God. It's very significant [because] he came to save everyone.”

Whatever the reason for celebration, Greiner said he finds the Christmas season rejuvenating.

“It feels like a big reset. Everyone’s stressed out late December,” he said.

“We get to have these joyous moments with our family, [and] when we all come back, it really feels like half the kids are tan.”

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features | page 19 17

Sugary Showstoppers: First Annual Gingerbread House Contest

By Jordyn Clark, Maya Gerard & Leila Mostaghimi

and the art department promotes the arts, so it seemed like a really terrific fit for us.”

Having always admired Portsmouth’s Features Contributors annual gingerbread house contest, New This year, the classic December tradition Hampshire resident and contestant Marey of building gingerbread houses is taking center Carey was the one to first introduce Rucinski stage at Newton City Hall in the Newton Cul- to the competition.

Carey said that building gingerbread tural Department’s first annual Gingerbread houses is a unique activity that connects people House Contest.

Newton Cultural Department program of all ages and abilities.

“There's a wide range of fun gingerbread manager Lisa Rucinski said that her previous visit to a similar competition in Portsmouth, houses that people can do at any level. It can be New Hampshire, inspired her to organize fun, and it can be pretty,” she said. “I love the idea of families doing it together. My family did the event.

“I was excited to bring it to Newton be- it one year when there were a lot of little kids.”

Carey said that as she’d never participated cause I think it's a great opportunity for people to be very creative,” she said. “It's an art form, in a competitive gingerbread house-building event before this contest, the process of creating her dream gingerbread house involved a lot of trial and error.

“Things got burnt. My stove stopped working … I had to get an electrician. It was a saga, there were obstacles,” she said. “But if other people can figure this out, I can too.”

Director of Newton Cultural Development Paula Gannon said that in addition to fostering connections within families, the event also caters to Newton’s wide student population.

“One of my goals as director of the department this year has been to connect with students,” she said.

“We have such a vibrant student community in Newton, and our student populations are photos courtesy of Fig City News so talented when regarding the Contestants' creations are showcased at City Hall arts. So many things that we've

done this year have been focused on all ages to try to engage them more.”

South freshman Ella Jane Metters said that friendly competitions foster a sense of community throughout the holiday season. Her dream gingerbread house would include a variety of frosting and candy elements.

“I really like frosting when it’s lined with the gumdrops. I also really like detailed icing on the roof, and when there's a little snow family in front of it,” she said. “It's a nice activity you can do to get into the holiday spirit.”

South Spanish teacher Jennifer Hee said that it’s in the city’s interest to organize events like Mary Carey's entry is shown at Newton City Hall these to bring people from a variety of different backgrounds together through a istrative process difficult for other contestants like him. shared interest.

“When we got there, there was a lot of “I absolutely think [the city] should sponsor these events,” she said.“You can respect confusion. We got really quickly called out for diversity and people's different religions and cheating when we didn’t,” he said. “We used beliefs and still have these secular moments edible markers, and one of the rules was that everything had to be edible, so they assumed of fun to celebrate a season.”

However, Rucinski said that coordinat- that it was cheating, but it was fine and edible.”

Despite the challenges, Gannon said that ing publicity and outreach for the event has seeing the event’s final impact has been magical. proved challenging.

“To see all ages just light up with joy and “Announcing a new event that some people have never seen, they really don't have amazement at what folks are able to create, it's any idea what it is,” she said. “It's been tricky that joy that you see when people see something so unexpected,” she said. to get the word out.”

“Hopefully that helps to bring the South junior and contestant Yonatan Tevet-Marklevich said that communication community together, to have folks realize the errors surrounding the event made the admin- creativity that we have here and to enjoy it.”

1 in 2000: Rory McGovern, "contagious kindness"

[AURORA] Olivia Middien & Eli Scharf Features Reporters

cs phi gra

“She seems to know what she wants, and she goes about things in the right way, which I respect a lot,” she said.

McGovern’s passion for medicine extends outside of school. Over the summer, she volunteered at NewtonWellesley Hospital through a program for high schoolers.

“It let me learn how a en guy

JN

A by

From running for South Senate to running a club to running on the track and field team, sophomore Rory McGovern does a little bit of everything, all while leaving a positive impact on everyone around her.

McGovern said she has found her place in Senate, although she was initially interested in becoming a class officer in her freshman year.

“I had a few friends who did [Senate] freshman year and they seemed like they were doing so much great stuff to help the community,” she said. “The more my friends told me [about Senate], the more I realized that it really was what I was looking for, a place to implement good change in the school.”

McGovern is also vice-president of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) club, advised by wellness teacher Patrick Jordan-Quern. Jordan-Quern said that McGovern has played a crucial role in reviving the club.

“With our schedule changes and people graduating out, [the club] lost momentum, and Rory wanted to keep it going,” he said.“HOSA is fortunate that she did a lot of the work as a ninth grader in the spring to keep it going for this year.”

Revitalizing the club took a lot of effort,

but McGovern said that the HOSA community makes it worth it.

“I just kept going to meetings and learning more about the organization and feeling more and more inspired, but fewer and fewer people started showing up until it was just me,” she said. “I really wanted to be part of such a great organization, so I worked a lot [to rebuild it], and we had a few people join at the end of the year.”

Sophomore Maya Gerard, who has been friends with McGovern since first grade, said that McGovern’s initiative is something truly unique to her personality.

hospital actually works from the inside,” she said. “It was amazing and I met some of the best people there.”

Another childhood friend, sophomore Rebecca Gonzalez, said that McGovern’s ambition is inspiring for those around her.

“I really admired how she went after [the hospital internship] and tried it out,” she said “That's a really good quality to have.”

After coaching McGovern on the junior varsity field hockey team, wellness teacher Alan Rotatori said her positive attitude and commitment to the team stood out on and off the field.

“She's so good-natured, she's very caring and is i n

tune w i t h what's going on,” he said. “Whatever the situation was, if it didn't necessarily go our way, she bounced back.”

M c G o v e r n’s personality carries over to HOSA, where Jordan-Quern said that her attitude brightens the atmosphere.

“The quality that stands out to me the most is just her genuine kindness. I know a lot of people in the building have it, but they tend to be more reserved,” he said.“She's willing to put

herself out there and share that kindness, and it's contagious.”

McGovern expertly balances her extracurriculars with her academics. Russian and Spanish teacher Jill Christensen, said that McGovern is a thoughtful and grounded presence in her Russian classroom.

“It's nice to have students who are kind and calm and have intellectual curiosity,” she said. “If you know the expression ‘salt of the earth,’ she's that kind of person.”

Jordan-Quern said that a school full of McGoverns would be a great thing, as her ability to stay grounded while remaining ambitious has made a mark on South in less than two years.

“We need more of that in the building,” he said.“It's there, people just need to be willing to take that additional risk and put themselves out there and make each other's lives better.”

issuu.com/thelionsroar page 18 | features

featuresthe| lion's pageroar 17

THE COMMON APPLICATION The Roar follows four seniors with different interests as they navigate the college application process. Their identities will be revealed as they make their decisions.

By Theo Younkin

A

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oping to attend art school, Rose* is finalizing her portfolio and the rest of her other Regular Decision applications.

She applied Early Action to six schools, including the Pratt Institute and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Rose said that when she’s putting together her portfolio, it’s important for her to consider the unique capacity each piece has to showcase her abilities.

“A lot of times, there's a limit to how many pieces you can include,” she said. “ I really want each one to either bring in a new skill, characteristics of my style or just something new instead of repeating what another

fter getting accepted to Berklee School of Music in October, Ben* shifted his focus to preparing his remaining applications and portfolio recordings for fast-approaching January Regular Decision application deadlines.

Ben said that his greatest struggle with the application process so far has been time management, especially as application deadlines start to near.

“There were parts of [the application] that I started super early, but then there were lots of parts that I also left until really recently, which was a huge mistake,” he said. “That bumped the stress up a little bit more.”

Ben plans to apply to UMass Amherst, the Manhattan School of Music, New York University, McGill University and The New School.

He said that it’s always best to begin the process early, especially considering the logistical struggles he’s experienced with his portfolio recordings.

“For the portfolio recordings, it's been a challenge to coordinate with other people because I need to hire someone to record it and someone to play with,” he said. “If I were to offer a piece of advice, it would be to start things as soon as possible.”

As the application process starts to draw

piece already added.”

Rose said that the most stressful aspect of the application process has been realizing that once she submits an application, her future is completely outside of her control. “[There’s a] final click in the Common App where they just show you a PDF and they’re like, ‘does this look good?’ That’s all the school is going to see of me. I’m just a PDF to them,” she said. “It's a bit stressful knowing that that's all you are to a person that decides where you're going to school.”

Rose said that as admissions decisions start to come in, it’s important to remember that college acceptances don’t define who you

are, either as a student or a person.

“I'm very much an ‘if it works out, it works out’ kind of person,” she said. “If I’m not getting into a school, I wasn’t meant to be there. But again, if I get into a school, that’s cool too.”

Rose said that she’s looking forward to the next chapter in her life — one where she can finally start to take control of her education.

“I'm excited to start hearing back from schools and excited for college,” she said. “I'm excited to start taking classes that actually contribute towards a career that I'm passionate [about] and what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

T

H

aving submitted Early Action applications to Babson College and Emerson College, Lila* is in the process of finalizing the rest of her Regular Decision applications.

An aspiring college softball player, she said she’d be guaranteed a spot on the Emerson softball team if her Early Action application was accepted.

Lila said that overall, the most nervewracking part of sports recruiting has been the constant uncertainty surrounding the whole process.

“The past two years have just been one

om*, who aims to play football in college, has yet to submit any applications but is in contact with college coaches.

He said that he’s been waiting to apply because he wants to make sure each school would be a good fit for him.

“Where you want to go to college mainly depends on where coaches want you, and they don't usually make up their mind until a little bit later,” he said. “I want to apply to a school that wants me, so I’m waiting for that opportunity. It really depends on what I see from them and how interested I feel they are.”

Tom had a few more coaches reach out to him at the end of the football season, which forced him to reconsider the schools he is interested in.

At the moment, he is assembling applications for a variety of colleges, including the American International College, Assumption University, Franklin Pierce University and Springfield College.

Tom said that the uncertainty of the admissions process makes it stressful for him to think about his own future.

“I have no idea where I’m going,” he said. “It can be stressful sometimes, thinking

long waiting game. You’re talking to coaches, you're waiting for them to reply, or you're waiting for the game that they're going to come to,” she said. “That's probably the most stressful because you don't know what's going to happen.”

While many find it difficult to decide the direction they want their post-high school life to take, Lila said that the sports recruiting process helped her find clarity in what she is looking for.

“I was reaching out to [coaches] the summer before my junior year. Starting the process early helps you figure out what you want to do for a major. You can tour schools

earlier,” she said. “Even if you don't do a lot at the beginning, you're still doing something.”

Of the six schools she’s planning to apply Regular Decision to, Lila’s top choice at the moment is Brandeis University.

She said that as the application process continues and decisions start to arrive, she’s looking forward to knowing for certain where her future lies.

“The unknown is probably the scariest,” she said.“I'm excited to be done with everything and know where I'm going to be next year.” *Names changed to protect students' identities

to a close, Ben said that he’s looking forward to having more time to himself.

“Something that's been super beneficial for me [has been] sneaking little pockets of time throughout the day,” he said. “I’m hoping to have more of that.”

While it’s required a lot of work, Ben said he’s enjoyed the opportunity for introspection that comes with putting together his applications.

“I don't usually think about every single detail of my day or every single detail about what I'm looking for in life,” he said. “Writing the essays has definitely given me a better insight into who I am and what I want to do.”

about your future, how different your future is going to look even in six months.”

Tom said that while the sports recruiting process can be stressful, it’s important for him and others in his position to remain patient and avoid comparison to other student-athletes.

“There’s so many people that you see that are already figured out. They know where they want to go to college. They’ve already been accepted to their dream college,” he said. “You see things like that and you’re worried about where your future is going to be.”

graphics by Emily Zhang

issuu.com/thelionsroar

features | page 19

Powderpuff: A controversial culture Boston Bulis & Emily Wang Features Contributors

Immense spirit. Immense divide. Which event could produce such differing opinions?

None other than Powderpuff.

Pre-2013, when South sanctioned the legendary American high school flag football game, teachers would volunteer to coach the junior and senior girls who participated in the event, both preparing them for the game and supervising their safety. The event, promoted throughout the school, accumulated a larger student turnout than any other fall sport event.

In the 2013-14 school year, however, South made headlines for canceling the Powderpuff game in response to bullying, allegations of violence, and criticism that the event mocked female athletes. Since then, the game has made a comeback as a student-run event hosted outside of school, yet the same points of contention continue to ignite controversy.

Most who oppose the game argue its sexist undertones eclipse its value. History teacher Lillian Robinson, who teaches a history of sports senior elective, said she is uncomfortable with how the game demeans female athletes.

“It's going to be for entertainment value at the expense of the women who are playing.

As a woman who loves sports, I don't like that idea,” she said.

Despite these concerns, senior Sasha Vorobyov, who played for Powderpuff ’s senior team this year, said that the excitement for the event at South should be enough to outweigh these concerns.

“Powderpuff has been a tradition at South for so long and at every other school that I don't think we should think too deeply into what it's representing. It’s just a fun game,”

she said.

Similarly, junior and Powderpuff participant Bela Marrano* said that the game actually subverts sexist connotations. “[Powderpuff ] is a time for girls to show what they're made of, and the boys were respecting these girls [who participated],” she said.

Beyond the controversy around sexism, concerns were raised about the safety of participants during the event. English teacher and South alumnus Deborah Bernhard participated in Powderpuff as a student back when the event was still school-sanctioned, and she said the current student-organized version of Powderpuff lacks necessary supervision.

wear your rings,” she said.“The whole‘older girls going against you’ thing is kind of terrifying.”

Junior Lani Vargas, who participated in Powderpuff, said that although the game is about football, participants often harbor personal grievances toward other players and channel that when they play.

“There's a lot of competition,” she said.

“Last year, there was a fight that broke out during Powderpuff, and I think Powderpuff is mostly about people playing football who have beef with each other.”

Vorobyov said that ultimately, the rivalry between upp e rc l a s s men is superficial.

“ I'd say the seniors don't really “Right now, t have anything Powderpuff is a reis hr Gilc kayla a M to fight the juniors [about],” she ally dangerous thing y hic b grap said. “It felt like everything we were doing was that kids do outside of school property and hours. It's not monitored by just because it was tradition and not because people who care about safety,” she said “We we needed to break up a real fight."

After playing in the game this school year, should reclaim this event as a school event [and provide] proper supervision [because] it's really Vorobyov said that in actuality, the opinions fun, and it also was one of the most anticipated of spectators do not accurately represent the spirit of the game. days of the year.”

“Watching and playing feel so different,” Marrano* said the stigma around the game emphasizes physical aggression, and the she said. “You think everything is so much standard Powderpuff rivalry among juniors and worse than it is. On the field, nothing really felt serious.” seniors has always been intense.

Junior Amelie Hirst, a Powderpuff par“Someone says don't wear your earrings,

ticipant, said that players had a different vision for the event this year, and they attempted to improve sportsmanship and safety.

“This year, they’re making it a lot less aggressive and [with] less fighting, focusing more on playing and having fun and keeping the long-standing tradition going,” she said.

Hirst said that while there is potential for players to take the game too far, most are aware of the boundaries.

“There's always a line that can be crossed,” she said. “We all know that we still like each other deep down and that we're doing it for the tradition.”

As the Powderpuff teams are organized by grade, Marrano* said the game has strengthened junior class unity.

“This is a time where we come together,” she said. “[For the] junior girls, there's a bunch of different friend groups that we all combined into one to become the junior class.”

Despite her belief that the game is premised on sexism, Robinson said that Powderpuff could address the prominent issue of school spirit at South.

“This school is completely lacking in spirit,” she said“When you have the seniors who are united and the juniors who are united, it does promote this sense of unity within the class.”

In an effort to preserve the spirit of the game, Vorobyov said that future Powderpuff participants should take into consideration the conditions of the game.

“For the younger grades that will be juniors and seniors soon, just be safe,” she said “As much as Powderpuff is such an exciting game, and you'd want to go really crazy, just know if something is really wrong, don't be afraid to say stop.” *Name changed to protect student's identity

Accounts o f Aurora, the seniors' winter dance

This will be a great opportunity for the seniors to get together and have a chance to relax after the first wave of college apps. And as we prep for the second set for regular decision college apps, [the dance] gives my classmates breathing room for senior year to unwind a little.

Kevin Yang class of '24, class president

DJ Boof at the sound board.

Attendees react to Mobarak.

I'm a senior, I have five months left in high school. I just want to have a good time, and I think that [DJ-ing] is a cool way to have a good time.

Diego Mobarak class of '24, DJ

The dance was fun, energetic, and put together. I'm glad they did it, and I knew there was a big struggle to get it to happen.

Elliot Heywood class of '24, attendee

We wanted to have a dance because our class didn't necessarily get to bond as much when we came to Newton South because we were all in Zoom, and now we are in a time in our lives when we especially need this connection [since] we're all stressed with senior fall.

Raina Bornstein class of '24, class officer

Interviews by Alina Ertekin, Izzy Monaghan & Sienna Zarkower Photos by Tate Slater

page 20 December 22, 2023

SPORTS issuu.com/thelionsroar

Volume 40, Issue 5

FALL TEAMS FALTER With several fall teams trying to rediscover their identities, this past postseason brought many hard-fought exits from the M.I.A.A. playoffs

By Charlie Bluestein & Mitchell Lookner tying goal to knot the score at 1-1. The game would go into double overtime; however, South fell short in the end, losing in a round of penalty kicks.

While some teams lacked a vibrant cheering section this fall, the girls volleyball team stood out as a strong team who students rallied behind.

The team’s 15-3 record made it one of South’s most successful fall teams, but the team fell short in the second round of playoffs.

Still, Senior Captain Ainoa Nashat was extremely proud of her team’s accomplishments and how the group really came together.

“Overall the volleyball season was a huge success and we all grew a lot; not only as individual players but as a full unit,” she said.

Head coach Lucas Coffeen said the team’s mindset was to take each game at a time and focus on improving and learning from each game.

“We won a lot of games and lost very few games, but the players were very good at thinking about more than wins and losses and just thinking about themselves as a cohesive team and a group of people coming together to play good volleyball,” he said.

In an intense match against Franklin, losing two sets to three, Nashat said she finds solace in the team’s positive mindset and relentless effort.

“Even though we did not make it as far into the playoffs as we hoped, we went

into each game with our best foot forward and ended the season on a very good game where everyone played their hardest and gave it their all.”

Out on the pitch, the boys soccer team reached a regular season record of nine wins, five ties and five losses, staying competitive in every game.

But looking back on the season, Senior Captain Kai van Beever said that there were consistency issues that were masked by the team’s solid record and that this lingering issue ultimately haunted the team during the playoffs.

“On paper, as exemplified by some stellar p e r fo r m a n ce s

tan graphic by Aleeza Ami

P

acked shoulder-to-shoulder in the stands and synchronizing chants to the thunderous stomps of their feet, students excitedly cheered on as last year’s girls volleyball and girls and boys soccer teams fought through the state tournament.

For those teams, last year’s exciting fall season and deep playoff runs made this fall season’s abrupt end all the more jarring. Finding familiarity with a newer group of players and dealing with a slew of unpredictable injuries, each team endured a roller coaster of a season as many players were forced to step up and lead the team.

For the girls soccer team, this past season was one of many changes. After the loss of 13 seniors and their first year with new Head Coach Angie Sutherland, junior Jacquie Ginsburg said the players encountered some uncertainties.

“We all thought that the transition would be a little rough, even though we thought that it was time to get a new coach,” she said. “We all were a little worried at first when we met our coach during tryouts, but everybody ended up liking her a lot. She had a good impact on our team.”

However, the team got off on the wrong foot to start as they were riddled with injuries.

Players were tasked to step up to these vacant roles and Ginsburg said it was a challenge the team was able to rise to.

“We had to fit people in that weren't as comfortable, but it ended up working in the end and people had to take on new positions and people had to be flexible,” she said.“It ended up working even though we took that loss. We ended up working together and filling in that hole.”

Come playoffs, South was able to sneak in as the 28th seed, a feat Senior captain Hai- l e y Smith said the team was excited and grateful for.

“We were really excited to be in the playoffs because we thought for a minute that we might not qualify,” she said.

“We were definitely the underdogs going into it.

We knew it was going to be a tough game no matter what.”

The playoff game was neckand-neck the whole way, with South scoring the game-

[we] had this year, we are one of the better teams in the state,” he said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t always show up the same.”

Junior Jack Moran also said that the team struggled to repeatedly reach the high-level play and standards the group held themselves to against opponents.

“One of our team’s main challenges this year was keeping our level of play consistent,” he said. “We would often play down to teams that were worse than us and it put us in situations where we lost or barely beat teams that we were much better than.”

Tying against the top two ranked teams in the state and then watching an early 2-0 lead slip away to a lower-seeded Beverly team in a tough 2-3 playoff loss epitomizes the team’s struggles.

Meanwhile, the boys cross country team thrived. The boys exploded near the top of not only the state rankings, but quickly to the fifth ranked team in New England.

Led by captains Nate Hamilton and Alon Mileguir, the boys were pushed much harder than previous years, but that work paid off.

The boys placed second in the prestigious Ocean State Race in Rhode Island, second only to Union Catholic, a top 20 program in the country.

Next, the boys took on the Division 1A state meet, following a Dual County League (DCL) victory. Outscoring BC High and Cambridge, the boys took home the regional championship plaque.

Stronger than ever before, they placed a close second to a deep Brookline team in the state championship meet a few weeks ago, ending their season.

“Our fall season went great, we won our first ever divisional championship and placed second at state, our highest placement ever,” Hamilton said.

Looking to the future of the program, Hamilton believes the team can build on this season’s success and by taking away important lessons for the coming years. “ We c a n learn that there’s always more to be had and you can always give more effort no matter how much you think you’ve put into the sport.”

issuu.com/thelionsroar

sports | page 21

The Newton Crush searches for a new goalie Olivia Whitaker & Angela Zhao Sports Reporter & Sports Contributor

The Newton Crush is Newton’s high school girl’s hockey team, which consists of five girls from South and 11 from North.

This season, the team is struggling to replace their goalie, who was a senior captain last year.

Without a goalie, it's unlikely the team will match the success of their previous seasons, where they qualified for states.

Senior captain Danielle Morrill said that it is difficult to find a goalie because of how dangerous hockey can be.

“It's a hard position,” she said. “Getting pucks shot at you, it’s scary. We’re looking for goalies from other sports such as lacrosse and field hockey.”

Senior captain Maggie Buckton said that due to the lack of experienced goalies, the team is looking for anyone open to giving it a shot.

“There's just not anyone at North who plays goalie, so we have to look for someone willing to try it, and there's not many of those people,” she said.

Newton Crush’s assistant coach Kevin Flynn said that the team is looking for someone who wants to be part of the team.

“We're trying to find a girl who would like to try out and be a part of, what I feel, is a great group of kids," he said. "We have a really good community."

Sophomore Ollie Rice said that the lack of a goalie doesn’t affect the team environment, but will affect game performance.

“It [the lack of a goalie] doesn't affect the bonds between people because we're close, but I think it would be really difficult to play without a goalie,” she said.

Rice said that while there are players on the team who have the skills to play goalie, most players want to continue playing their current positions.

“There are people who could play, but would be more valuable in other positions,” she said.

The girls on the hockey team get up early almost every day during the season to attend morning practices, which start around 7 in the morning.

Flynn says that an issue with being a joint team is the fact that practices have to be scheduled at convenient times for both schools.

“They have to get up early in the morning and come home late from games, ” he said.

Junior Mady Daley says that another struggle is that there is no junior varsity ( JV) team, so new players don’t get much time on the ice.

“In my freshman year, there was a JV team and the girls who weren't as experienced got to play in scrimmage games,” she said.

“There weren't many, but at least they were getting to play and we don't really have that anymore. Girls who are newer to hockey and who can't play at the varsity level don’t really get to play.”

Although ice hockey is a difficult sport, Morrill said being on the team makes the challenges worth it.

“I wouldn't give it up for the world. I love spending time with my teammates,” she said.

Even though the girls on the team are from different schools, they cultivate a positive and encouraging environment that uplifts every player. Morrill said that the team helped her gain more confidence.

“Before I joined the team I was definitely

shy and less confident in my abilities, but the seniors and captains who had higher leadership roles really got me out of my shell and encouraged me to be myself,” she said.

Sophomore Ava Barrett said that her teammates were motivating when she first joined the team.

“People were very welcoming,” she said.

“Even though I'm not the best player, they were still welcoming and encouraged me.”

Buckton also said that playing hockey has helped her better thrive in team environ-

ments, and meet new people.

“It’s made me better at being a teammate, and I’ve spent a lot of time with the people on the team,” she said.“I‘ve made new friends, and I’m a better teammate.”

Buckton said that those potentially interested in joining the team should give it a chance, as it's an experience that they may not have the chance to do elsewhere.

“Try it out and see if you like it. A lot of rinks have open free skates,” she said. “Even [if ] you've never skated before it could be fun,”

graphic by Denise Chan

DCL recognizes South's sideline savants Owen Halberstadt, Sid Khanduja & Cooper McFarland Sports Reporter & Sports Contributors This fall, two exemplary coaches went from standing on the sidelines to steering their teams toward success. For their remarkable efforts and leadership, on Nov. 14, coaches Lucas Coffeen and Ted Norton were honored with the Dual County League (DCL) Coach of the Year award.

Currently in his fifth year coaching, Coffeen led the girl’s varsity volleyball team to the round of 16 in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) playoffs. In the regular season, the team put up a record of 15 wins and three losses.

Heading into the season, the volleyball team was already facing adversity. With injuries and players graduating, the team lost seven starters from last season’s team that reached the state semi-finals, leaving Coffeen to make

adjustments to fill the deficit.

“It was a season of experimentation early on and discovery of who was going to play what position and where our strengths were and we tried different things,” he said.

“As a coach, it's fun to have questions and to try to answer them during the year. From there, we figure out what our lineup is going to be, and we just practice and try to optimize and get really good.”

Despite significant losses in the starting rotation, the team showed little signs of decline as they repeated as DCL champions, and Coffeen led the group to the playoffs as the seventh ranked team in the state.

Coffeen said he attributes much of his individual recognition to his team’s performance this season.

“It's definitely bigger than just me,” he said. “I feel like there are no coaches that are separated from their team and having success, so it's really just an acknowledgement of the photo by Neil Martin

With Coach Norton's guidance, the cross country team raced to second place at States.

whole program.”

Coffeen’s intense coaching style and the way he prepares his team has helped players like junior Sophie Livingston feel more comfortable stepping into their roles.

“He challenges you, but he has you work to a position where you're very confident, and he has that strict coaching skill,” she said. “It's all so worth it in the end.”

In addition to the team’s on-court success, Coffeen has cultivated a positive and supportive environment. Sophomore Natalie Huang said that the team is a fun community to be a part of.

“He finds this balance between hard work, training, practice and time to just have fun as a team,” she said. “He makes us laugh a lot and while we have fun, he's also a good coach because he's always giving helpful feedback and ways we can get better at volleyball.”

On the cross country course, boy’s varsity head coach Ted Norton was also recognized as DCL coach of the year. His team experienced great success winning the DCL, coming in first at the Division 1A meet and taking second place at All-States.

With an All-State title in mind, the boys cross country team came into the season with a deep hunger for victory. Norton said his job was to encourage and strengthen the team’s drive.

“I just reinforced their ethics of hard training. I pushed them a little bit because they were at that level, and they accepted it,” he said.

“They knew they had to really work at it, and they continued to work hard through the season and they accomplished what they had to do.”

Sophomore Gavin MacDonald said the confidence and support the team had for one another was exemplified by Norton’s dedication to each runner.

photo by Tate Slater

Coach Coffeen looks on as the volleyball team earns a 3-0 win over Cambridge.

“He cares a lot about each and every person on the team, no matter the level. He really has a passion for the sport. You can tell with everything he does,” he said. “He's able to work with us in a way that no other coach has. He works with us, makes workouts with us, makes our mileage with us. It's not just him doing it all day. He incorporates us a lot which is very nice.”

Norton’s quiet demeanor and his unassuming approach to the sport is considered unorthodox, but effective nonetheless. Junior Alex Friedman said that Norton has developed a deep trust and relationship with all of his runners.

“He takes a sort of a very unique style of coaching that you'd never really see in a coach before, but once you get used to it, it's brilliant.”

page 22 | sports

A dynasty's demise: the fall of the Patriots

By Jonny Giragos & Ronen Heimlich Sports Contributors

On Feb. 3rd, 2019, the New England Patriots lifted their sixth Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. Clinching another Super Bowl victory, the Patriots played trademark football, shutting down the Los Angeles Rams’ high-powered offense.

The decisive victory during the zenith of the Belichick-Brady dynasty cemented their collaboration as the greatest of all time.

Fast-forward to the present, and this once dominant dynasty has faltered: The Patriots, with a dreadful 3-10 record, sit at the bottom of the American Football Conference (AFC) East and are widely regarded as one of the worst teams in football.

There have been several pressing issues that have led the Patriots to this new low, most notably their poor drafting in recent years, a trend long swept under the rug by the dominance of Tom Brady.

Since the legendary quarterback’s retirement, the Patriots' first-round draft choices have been, at best, inconsistent, and at worst, unplayable.

First-rounders Cole Strange and Christian Gonzalez have been limited this season with injuries, and the dreadful Mac Jones has proved he can’t be a long-term option at quarterback, as his stats have taken a sharp drop-off since a solid rookie season in 2021.

Considering the decade-long list of subpar first-round picks, it isn’t surprising that the Patriots roster has been in constant need of a talent influx; since 2014, the eight Patriots first-round picks have combined for only a single Pro Bowl selection.

To put the self-inflicted talent drought into perspective, the eight Patriots first-round picks from 2007-2013 combined for 12 Pro Bowl appearances.

The team has found little success in free agency as well. This past off-season, Belichick chose to sign Juju Smith-Schuster to replace Jakobi Meyers instead of going after DeAndre Hopkins, which was a terrible choice that contributed to their AFC-worst record.

Currently, Pro Football Reference ranks the team second to last in offense and 21st out of 30 in defense. Through week 13, the Patriots have put together the 28th worst offense in the National Football League’s (NFL) history and the worst in team history.

Despite a poor roster, one would assume that Bill Belichick, arguably the greatest coach of all time, would be able to work his magic to salvage this Patriots season.

Alas, the team has looked even worse in recent weeks, and the failures are adding up on Belichick’s resume since Brady’s departure.

With another disappointing season, the end to Bill Belichick’s 23-year tenure looks inevitable, leaving fans to wonder what’s next for this decorated franchise that has dominated the NFL for most of the 21st century.

photo courtesy of Getty Images

the lion's roar

Holiday Hurdles Finding the perfect gift for the athlete in your life

By Tyler German & Sam McFarland

graphic by Aleeza Amitan

W

ith the holiday season upon us, families, friends and unsuspecting Secret Santa partners grapple with the ever-stressing process of gift-giving.

For those involved or interested in sports, a gift related to the game they love is always a great idea, so we’ve created a comprehensive list of trinkets, tokens and tchotchkes that will bring any athlete more endorphins than a runner’s high.

While the cross country season might be over, indoor track is going strong, so you might be on the lookout for a gift for the running enthusiast in your life.

Some uncomfortably short shorts will always excite a runner and, accompanied by some tight leggings, they will create the perfect look for cold winter runs. If you want to splurge a bit, massage guns are great for muscle recovery and relaxation after a particularly difficult hill workout; although, there’s no recovering from watching a runner (try to) hit the weight room.

Many runners could benefit from a Social Skills Starter Kit™. Too many solo runs have made it difficult to have non-solo conversations.

Although the soccer season recently ended, there are many options for related gifts this holiday season. Some new cleats or a zipup from their favorite club are classic choices.

If you’re looking for something easily wrapped, a tissue box makes for a great present — it’ll come in handy when they start crying for penalties. Being able to draw a foul is an underrated skill in soccer, and your player must get acquainted with that part of the game.

A gift specific for South and North soccer

players is a collection of beanies — the playoff mullets and bleached hair aren’t quite as cool when you lose so early in the state tournament.

We’re in the thick of the NFL season, and football players are brimming with excitement as we head into the playoffs. For resident Pats fans, a large paper bag to put over their heads at Gillette should fare well.

We’re sure it’s quite embarrassing to show your face right now. For any other fan, football-themed ugly sweaters are a popular choice, and can make those stilted family holiday photos a bit more interesting.

Basketball players don’t need a lot of gear, so they are probably bored with getting new shoes or a new ball every year. A good gift idea for those vertically-challenged hoopers is a trampoline. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to throw down a dunk now and again?

Ice hockey is a classic winter sport, and as the season peaks, hockey fervor will be flourishing. One of the best parts about hockey is that it doubles as a martial art.

It’s not uncommon to see a tooth gliding across the ice after a mean right hook, and those hockey players who see the tooth fairy one too many times might need some replacements.

This holiday season, we encourage you to take a page out of George Washington’s book: wooden teeth. Mass-produced and budget-friendly, wooden teeth are a great way to fix that precious smile.

Baseball off-season is in full swing, so it’s still important to acknowledge baseball players close to you. Baseball players looking to get some real cardio in after the game could

benefit from a treadmill since they’ve managed to elevate their heart rate absolutely zero times during the game.

For baseball fans, a pillow will work wonders for their watching experience. Wake them up when something exciting happens, but you’ll usually be able to let them sleep the whole game!

Swimmers spend so much time alone with their thoughts in the water that they too could probably benefit from a Social Skills Starter Kit™.

However, if you don't want to be repeating gifts, a hair transplant or a wig would be a great gift for any swimmer, as their poor hair has been long-damaged by chlorine.

If you're running out of time, just grab them yet another uncomfortably-small speedo, because they can never have too many of those for their meets.

Volleyball players have followed the same theme as the rest of South's fall sports: suffering a crushing defeat far too early in the state playoffs. Give your volleyball friend a big hug this holiday season.

Everyone was very emotional at the end of the season, and they could use it. Get basketball shoes for any tall setters as well; the varisty team could use them!

We hope this guide helps you pick a gift for athletes close to you, although we understand that the greatest present you can give a loved athlete is the gift of your presence.

From The Roar, our gift to you is some fun, cheer and potential fireplace kindling this giving season. Happy Holidays!

issuu.com/thelionsroar

sports | page 23

World Cup unpacks cricket's long history James Garrett & Lukas Shrethsa Sports Contributors

Sweaters. Snack break. Corruption. The threat of nuclear war. Cricket has a long and sordid history, relatively unknown in the U.S. The Cricket World cup, and it's popularity on Social Media, is beginning to change that.

On Nov. 19, the 2023 International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup came to a dramatic finish with Australia gaining their 6th title after defeating India in the final match.

India was first to bat, and after only scoring 240 runs, Australia surpassed India’s threshold with 42 balls left.

At the end of the match, player of the tournament, Virat Kohli, broke down in tears on the field, while Australia celebrated their victory among the nearly 100,000 spectators.

The host nation, India secured its spot in the final after winning every game and scoring a perfect record, so the result came as a devastating shock to the millions of Indian fans watching.

But where does the passion for this sport come from? Cricket was invented in England in the early 1600s and was established as a leading sport in London in the 1800s. As England colonized the world, cricket was popularized on a global arena.

Often described as a cross between baseball and chess, cricket involves athleticism as well as a deep understanding of game mechanics and strategy.

Scoring depends on the number of runs each team gets and by number of wickets taken, which are essentially outs. Innings in cricket are structured the same way as in baseball; however, that’s where the similarities end.

Instead of four bases, there are two wickets that batters must run between to score

points. Depending on how far or high batters hit the ball, different amounts of points are scored.

Outfield players try to knock down the wickets by throwing a hard cork ball at them, and if they successfully knock over the wicket, it is an out.

The game ends when one team has scored more runs than the other team, and all the innings of the team with fewer runs have been completed.

First hosted in 1975, the Cricket World Cup is organized by the ICC every four years.

After the three-year-long qualifying process, 10 teams of the 104 member nations of the ICC are sent to the World Cup. These teams play in a round-robin format (where each team plays everyone once) before the top four teams transition to the semi-finals.

This year, the 10 qualified teams: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka, played in 10 different cricket stadiums across India.

Beyond the points (runs) scored, cricket match results have enormous socio and geopolitical implications. Matches between England and one of His Majesty’s previous colonies are often said to be particularly feisty, as teams seek retribution for hundreds of years of imperial oppression on the field.

One of the fiercest sports rivalries in history is the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry, which can be traced back to the past 70 years of a bloody ongoing political conflict: the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan. Pakistan, a majority Muslim country, and India, a majority Hindu country, have been at odds politically and socially since, and that animosity spills into the sport.

Conflicts between the two still have repercussions to this day. Many Pakistanis are

not able to receive visas to attend the matches in India even after they purchased tickets.

In fact, when India and Pakistan faced each other on Oct. 14, Pakistani attendance was heavily dwarfed by Indian attendance even though the stadium is actually closer to Karachi than Delhi.

Although the sport is relatively unknown in the United States, the Cricket World Cup is

the second most-viewed sporting event in the world with 2.5 billion total viewers.

To put this fanbase into perspective, the 2023 Super Bowl only had 115.1 million viewers.

Cricket has its differences from the major sports in the U.S., but maybe that’s a good thing.

If you get sick of watching the Patriots lose every weekend, you can tune in to a Gujarat Titans game instead.

photo courtesy Sky Sports(top) and Medium(bottom)

2023 Cricket World Cup leaves Australia(top) with glory and India(bottom) in tears

Meet Corey Lowe, boys basketball coach

Q&A Joey Giragos Sports Editor

Newton North graduate and former Division I basketball player at Boston University, new boy's varsity basketball coach Corey Lowe combines his expertise and experience in the game with a unique sense of familiarity with Newton.

What should the athletes at South know about you?

“Generally, as a person, I'm pretty easy going. I'm all about working hard, fun, as long as you're doing the things you need to do. Basketball should be fun. Life should be fun, as long as you're taking care of business. That's how I try to operate.

photos courtesy of Earn Ya Rep & The Boston Herald

South had a rough experience with the last varsity coach. How are you preparing to embrace the challenge of this job?

“Being a Newton kid myself I understand the city and how people operate and the pressures on students and student athletes. Having that background allows me to understand the intricacies of Newton"

You are now coaching a former rival.

Did you ever expect this role?

“I most certainly did not envision being in this role. I've always thought South has had really great athletes and, in ways, underachieved for whatever reason. I'm hoping to maybe be that ingredient to help bring things over the top. It happens to be that I'm from the North side, but it's everyone coming together and trying to make Newton a successful place."

What are some goals you have for yourself and the team this year?

How has your experience playing basketball at the Division I level helped you develop as a coach?

“From a player's perspective, I know a lot of players want to play college basketball. I know what it takes on a daily basis to accomplish that goal and put them in a place to be successful.

From a coach's perspective, I've had a lot of coaches in my life, some good, some bad.

I've tried to take the best parts of every coach I’ve had and mold them into my own way. I consider myself as a player's coach because that's the coach I've always liked, and that made the most sense. I try to be easy going, and I am demanding, but I can be yelling one second and laughing the next."

You already knew a lot of the team before the season. Will familiarity create success?

“We've built that kind of trust. So if I ask them to do something that's difficult, they're more willing to do it because they know my intent is for the best of their success."

“It sounds cliché, but I've done everything I wanted to do as a player. It's really just being a bridge for the next generation of kids who want to have success in the game of basketball, so that's kind of my role. I think the team has a lot of talent and young good leadership, so it's how we can clean up the little things, like finishing games, finishing drills, just getting over the finish line.

I think we can do better than they can even imagine.

[The team], for better or for worse, doesn't really know what real success or winning is. I do, fortunately. They're right there, but they just have to pick up the habits." photo by Tate Slater

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page 24 | fun page

CROSSWORD!

the lion's roar

So challenging, it'll give you chills!

ANSWERS:

Swelce, Fork, Kintsugi, Coppola, Carey, Carol, Powderpuff, Glizzy, Comet, Two, Broccoli, Mouse, Norton, Authority, Australia, Dinner, Sleigh, Fifteen

DOWN

ACROSS

1) Travis and Taylor’s ship-name; this issue’s editorial topic

3) Japanese art form that repairs broken pottery by embracing its flaws 4) Acclaimed directors Francis Ford and Sofia 5) What Mariah and Jim have in common 7) Cosmetic pouf and/or football game 8) Hot dog; nickname for guns originating in 1980s Washington DC metro area 10) Just 0._% of South’s population is Native American 12) You move this by using your trackpad 17) Yassified Santa’s favorite compliment

2) How the TV show “The Good Place” censors f**k.

6) Lesbian icon or a song that brings holiday cheer 9) Which of Santa's reindeer are dinosaurs afraid of?

11) What do you call a cauliflower that’s green with jealously?

13) Coach of the Year that led his team to a DCL championship 14) The A in MBTA 15) 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup champion 16) Girl ___ TikTok Trend, seen two weeks later by Reels users 18) Day in Dec. when Hannukah ends and many EDs are announced

Across

Down

2. How the TV show “The Good Place” censors f**k.

1. Travis and Taylor’s shipname; this issue’s editorial topic

6. Lesbian icon or a song that brings holiday cheer 9. Which of Santa's reindeer are dinosaurs afraid of?

11. What do you call a cauliflower that’s green with jealously?

Love,

The 3. Japanese art form that Lion's repairs broken pottery by Roar embracing its flaws 4. Acclaimed directors Francis Ford and Sofia

5. What Mariah and Jim have in common

Today's Roaroscope

Aquarius (Jan. Gemini (May 21- June (Sept. 23- Oct. 22): 7. 20): Cosmetic poufLibra and/or football 13. Coach of20-Feb. the18):Year that led Your holiday card this year is a work of art. By You constantly straddle the line between naughty Reality rarely includes perfect snowfall, sponart, we mean it looks a toddler'schampionship fingerand nice. Poor Santa is getting whiplash! taneous musical numbers and charming hunks game his team to alikeDCL painting project. It's the thought that counts! under mistletoe. I’m sorry, Hallmark lied to you.

c k 14. The A in MBTA d l a e j b Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): Though you hope for a mistletoe-induced romance this winter, the only sparks flying will be from Uncle Bob's attempt at Christmas tree pyrotechnics.

Aries (March 21-April 19): KWWSV FURVVZRUGODEV FRP YLHZ Your gift wrapping skills are as precise as Santa's aim after a few too many glasses of eggnog.

Thankfully, your ability to read people’s mental wishlists will make up for it.

Taurus (April 20-May 20): Your holiday spirit is shining bright this year, much like the glitter on your DIY ornaments that will be haunting your carpet until July.

g 8. Hot dog; nickname for guns originating f in 1980s Washington i h

Cancer (June 21- July 22): Tone down the tears during holiday movie marathons – it's "Home Alone," not "The Notebook."

Kevin will be reunited with his family, don’t fret!

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 21): Your holiday playlist is as intense as your personality. Just be careful not to scare away the carolers with your metal rendition of "Dreidel."

Leo (July 23- Aug. 22): Not everyone wants to hear your rendition of Mariah Carey classics at 3 AM. Share the spotlight, or risk being left out in the cold.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22- Dec. 21): Remember: holiday decorations aren't certified for acrobatics. Keep your escapades grounded, or you might be unwrapping a hospital bill come New Year’s.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22): Our go-to holiday party planner. If you get invited to a holiday party, remember that some things are better left unsaid. No one will notice if the tinsel isn't perfectly aligned—except you.

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 19): You will spend ~10 hours explaining the science behind Santa's sleigh, arguing that it’s good physics practice. Honestly? You're better off just studying for the test or begging for extra credit.

Follow @nshslionsroar for 10 years of good luck – it’s your cosmic destiny!