The Highlights of the School Trip to Spain
By Chloe Rizk |StaffWriterOver spring break, a group of sixteen Anderson students took a trip to Spain! This trip was an exchange program organized by the Spanish teachers at Anderson and two English teachers from Spain. The Spanish students came toTexasinSeptemberandstayedwiththefamilies of the Anderson students. The Anderson students then visited Spain in March and stayed with their exchange students’ families. They got to experience everyday life in Spain and see the logistics of school in Spain while also going on sightseeingexcursions.Thistrip'sgoalwastogain adeeperknowledgeofSpanishcultureandfurther their Spanish-speaking skills. This trip was an amazing experience for all the students, including me!
Ilearnedsomuchonthistrip.WhileIam still not the best Spanish speaker, my comprehension improved greatly, and I learned about Spanish culture. Going to school, while somewhat boring, was very interesting. School in Spainismuchlesscompetitivethanhighschoolin America. They did not get much homework, and their teachers acted almost like the students' friends. Another difference was that the students stayed in the same classroom all day while the teachers switched classes. The hardest thing to becomeaccustomedtowasthetimetheyatetheir
Battle of the Books
By Allie Meachum |StaffWriter
On March 30, Anderson participated in and won the Austin ISD Battle of the Books. Held at Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, Battle of the Books was hosted by Ann Richards’ own retired ‘Magical Ninja Librarian,’ Ms.Mauser.ThecompetitionsawtheTrojansface ten strong schools from Austin ISD and Pflugerville ISD, including LASA, Austin High, and Bowie. As each team is only allowed five playersperround,theAndersonteamconsistedof seven different competitors and a predetermined rotation. Elizabeth, Margo, Saaya, Nick, Isabelle, Sophie, and (yours truly) Allie had to read ten books from different genres and be ready to answer varying trivia questions about each. While the entire team doesn’t need to read all ten, at least one member needs substantial knowledge of eachbook.
Asforthecompetitionitself,thetriviawas essentially three different rounds. Round one was a Kahoot, and each team received different point amounts determined by their performance. At the conclusion of round one, Anderson was second to only LASA, and only by a couple of points. After that, the next round consisted of the host reading out a statement pertaining to one of the books, with the teams holding up the title of the
meals.Athome,Iamsousedtoeatingsnacksand early lunch and dinner, but in Spain, they barely snack and they do not eat lunch until they get home from school at 2:30. They also don’t eat dinneruntilaround10:30or11.WhilelifeinSpain is generally similar to life in America, it's the little thingsthataresodifferent.
For most of the trip, we stayed in Valladolid –a city in northwest Spain– with our exchange families. But we were able to go on excursionstodifferentplacesinSpain.Wewentto Segovia,asmallcitynorthofMadrid,andsawthe beautiful aqueducts. Segovia was a gorgeous city with stunning architecture. While in Segovia, we gottotakeatourofaformerroyalpalace.Wealso gottogotoSalamanca,acitywithahistorydating back to the Celtic era. Salamanca was a bit larger than Segovia. Salamanca is known for the UniversidaddeSalamanca–foundedinthe1100s. We got to tour another palace in Salamanca. During this tour, we climbed to the top of the tower,whichhadabeautifulviewofthecityatthe top, but the stairs were so steep, which was terrifying for many of us. Our final excursion in Valladolid was to a winery. While many of the students thought this was going to be boring, we were all pleasantly surprised as the tour of the winery was characterized by a story of Greek
‘matching’ book. This round was a breeze for the Trojans, scoring perfectly, but they still trailed LASA at its conclusion as every other team receivedfullpointsaswell.
While not as important as the main rounds,therewerealsotwodifferent‘minirounds’ to give teams an extra boost. These ‘mini rounds’ tookplaceafterroundsoneandtwo,andconsisted of a short Gimkit where players had to match a book and its corresponding author. While not as consequentialastheotherrounds,theystillplayed animportantpartintheTrojans'victory,although after each the Trojans still remained stagnant in second.
Finally, the last round functioned as a parodyof“Jeopardy!”withslightmodificationsso that no team could monopolize the round. With thegreatestamountofpointstobewon,theround was essential for the Trojans if they wished to overtake the Raptors. Fortunately, with outstanding performances on the bonus questions throughout the round, the Trojans won the round andtheentirecompetition,endingthemorningas Battle of the Books champions. Meanwhile, the Bowie Bulldogs also scored phenomenally in the last round, overtaking LASA and placing second overall.
At the conclusion of the competition, every player walked away with a free book and a fullstomach,aslunch(anddessert)wasprovided.
mythology.Notonlydidwelearnaboutthehistory of the winery, but also about how the grapes are grownandthewineismade.
While our day trips were extraordinary, my favorite trip was to Madrid. We stayed in Madrid for the last two nights of the trip and had two full days to explore the large city. The day we got to Madrid, we went on a long tour of the city and the Palace of Madrid. This Palace was incredible. The architecture and decor were unbelievable.Eachroomwasdifferentandfancier thanthenext.Afterourtour,wehadtherestofthe day to ourselves. We were able to explore the city on our own. The next day we went to The Prado and the Reina Sofia, two famous art museums in Spain. In Reina Sofia, we got to see Guernica by Pablo Picasso. These museums were fascinating and had so many art pieces. We had our final dinner in Spain with everyone on the trip, including the teachers! The food was delicious, and it was lovely to be with everyone for our last meal.
Going to Spain was a life-changing experience.Igainedsomuchknowledgeaboutthe world, and the trip allowed me to reflect on our cultural differences. This trip was so fun and eye-opening.IamsogratefulthatIgottogo!
As for the Trojans, the team walked away with a trophy. A parody of a regular library book, the trophy is “checked out” by the winning team to be returned the following year when the next competitiontakesplace.
With Anderson ending this year victorious, they are now tied with the LASA Raptors, both teams having won the competition twice.TheTrojanshavesettheirsightsonmaking sure that they check out that trophy once again, althoughtheyhaveatoughroadaheadwithstellar seniors Margo, Sophie, and Elizabeth graduating. With the Raptors out for revenge, the Trojans definitely have their work cut out for them. Only timewilltellwhethertheTrojanscomeoutontop, yet they are confident in their ability, with one of the members even having said, “Losing is not an option.”
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Big Win for Students at the Student-Staff Basketball Game
By Maren Weinstein |StaffWriter
On Friday, April 14, Key Club held its annual student-staff basketball tournament to raise money for charity. Each ticket cost $5, and there were upwards of $3,000 in total sales. This year, there was a change in the rules to make the game fairer: both the students and staff had a squadoffiveguysandfivegirls,andthegamewas played girls versus girls and guys versus guys. Eachquarterlastedforeightminutes,andhalfway through each quarter, the teams would switch fromguystogirlsorviceversa.Thiswasachange fromlastyearwhentheplayersonthecourtatthe same time were co-ed. However, the girls did not get as much time with the ball previously, so this adjustment to single-gender teams allowed them to have more playing time. For the guys’, only seniors were allowed to play, however, for the women’s squads, anyone was allowed to participate. The game concluded with a student victoryoverthestaff40-39.
On the coaches’ side, Coach Oliphant recorded the first two buckets, leading the students 4-0. By the time the teams switched mid-quarter,thestudentshadtieditup6-6before wideningtheirleadto16-10bytheendofthefirst. The students maintained that lead until halftime, wheretheywereupby10points,28-18.
Halftime featured a game of knockout, where students jumped at the opportunity to participate.SophomoreEdSmallwasthefirstone outearlyintheround,butthegamewentonfora while afterward. Karsten Fidler and Brandon Gonzalezwerethefinaltwoleft,battlingitoutfor several minutes before Gonzalez was declared the winner.
After an eventful halftime, the game resumed with the girls' teams taking the court first. Throughout the third quarter, the students’ leadshranktojustone.Goingintothefourth,the score was 35-34, and in the final two minutes of the game, the staff was up by three (37-34) with their first lead since the first quarter. With a minute nineteen to go, the students knotted it up at 37, but a quick two from the staff established their lead once again. The final minute was exciting, although the staff could not block the game-winning three-pointer from the students, nor could they hit any shots in the final fifteen seconds. After a back-and-forth second half, the studentstookthevictoryinthe2023student-staff basketballgame,40-39.
Impact players for the students included GabiFloresforthegirlsandCooperBayneforthe guys.Floresrecordedeightpointsforthestudents while Bayne added another eleven, including a swish from half-court. Coaches Oliphant and Jones were critical for the staff, but their efforts did not prove to be enough. Football and basketball coach, Coach Oliphant, tallied the first four points for the staff, finishing with eight in total. However, he was topped by girls' basketball coach Coach Jones, who managed two twos and two three for a total of ten points. Overall it was an exciting game this year with a good turnout and lots of support. The matchup also raised thousandsofdollarsforcharityandgaveKeyClub some well-deserved recognition. This April tradition is fun for students, staff, and spectators alikeandwillhopefullycontinueformanyyearsto come.
Anderson Students’ Spring Break Experience
By Abby Marloh |SchoolFunctionsChairA Success at State
By Kelsey Lind |SecretaryThe Anderson Speech and Debate team went and competed at the Texas Forensic Association yearly tournament for competitors in speechanddebateeventsthispastMarch.Around twenty-two students went, and after a quick stop at Buc-ee’s, they got ready to compete with some ofthebestspeakersanddebatersinthestate.Star Public Forum debate team Coleman and Benavi made it to the PF finals and placed second in the state overall. LD debater Nate Watkins made it to double octo-finals of Lincoln-Douglas debate and Baden Russell made it to the semi-finals of Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking. Furthermore, the talented duo of Cantu and Steinhauser made it to the Duet Acting quarter-finals and Henry Dieringer and Logan Marcum made it to the quarter-finals of ImpromptuSpeaking.Allinall,itwasasuccessful state tournament for the L.C. Anderson Speech and Debate team and they can’t wait to do it again!
Anderson Takes on
Every year, some Anderson students in a handful of specific classes, like choir or some of the language classes, have the opportunity to participateinschooltrips.Dependingontheclass, students may stay at a hotel or stay with a host family and go to school in a new region. Students reportthattravelingopenstheireyestohowother people live and makes them more open-minded, especially when traveling outside of the United States.
Sophia Lifshitz, a junior, went to Spain overspringbreakthroughtheSpanishprogramat Anderson. Her highlights were “going to Segovia orSalamancabecauseofallofthehistoryinthese places, and all the beautiful architecture.” Lily Hunter, a junior as well, went on the same trip and loved “getting to experience a different culture by living like them.” Violet Greenall Nettleton, a sophomore, liked the “castles, cathedrals, and monuments we saw.” Simone Frey,afreshman,wenttoNewYorkCitywithher choir group. She loved meeting the actors from Little Shop of Horrors, which is a show her group attended. Hunter thought that it was “really incredible to experience an entirely new way of life.” Lifshitz would “definitely recommend this trip to other students who want to elevate their SpanishproficiencyandbeimmersedinSpanish
culturefortwoweeks.”GreenallNettletonsays,“it was really interesting to learn about their culture andgotoschoolthere.”Freysaysthat she would “definitely recommend going on a schooltripbecauseit'sagreatbondingexperience and just a lot of fun!” Rosa Bowen, one of the Spanish teachers who went with the students to Spain,says, “Travel changes you. You experience different cultures.Youseehowotherpeopleliveand experience their lives.” Bowen also says, “It gets kidsoutoftheircomfortzone.Forthistrip, students had to host a student from Spain. They openedtheirhomestokidstheydidn’tknow.”
The Anderson website says that for the Spaintrip,thehighlightoftheexchangeis“the homestay, which not only makes the trip very affordablebutalsogivesstudentstheopportunity togettoknowaSpanishfamilyonaverypersonal level.”Studentscanlearnhowotherfamilies interact with each other or how school is portrayed and thought of, and how that differs fromus, inAmerica.
For more information about potential school trips, you can check with your teacher or theschooladministration.
On April 15th the Anderson MUN team attended the Central Texas Model United Nations Spring Conference hosted by the University of Texas. This day-long conference centered around Crisis committees which test how well delegates can adapt to new problems. In Crisis committees, each delegate takes the position of a political figure within a country rather than the entirety of acountry’sgovernment.Atdifferentpointswithin a committee ‘crisis’ will occur to diverge the storyline and create chaotic situations for the delegates to address. These committees covered a diverserangeoftopicsincludingtheWarsawPact, thePigWar,andtheSuezCrisis.
Two Anderson students, Ava Rener and Baden Russell, were honored at the conference. Ava Rener was awarded Outstanding Delegate, the equivalent of second place, and Baden Russell was awarded Honorable Mention, the equivalent of third place. Reflecting on her experience Junior, Ava Rener, said that “The spring CTMUN conference was just as wild and funasIhopeditwouldbe.Comingtogetherwitha bunch of creative, well-researched, and well-spoken individuals always gives me a chance tolearnaboutthehighlystrategicandunitingside of politics and government. Besides the imminent threat of nuclear warfare hanging over the Russia committee, the experience was invigorating and intellectual.Ididgetexecutedattheend…”
It is important to acknowledge Model UN officersNatalieHolmsten,ZoeNagro,MaiaOlsen, and Byrne Santos for making it possible for the team to attend the conference. Overall, Anderson Model United Nations is making a name for itself withitsthirdyearasaclubcomingtoasuccessful conclusion.
School Functions 1 Trojan Record May 10th, 2023
Credit: Violet Greenall Nettleton
Credit: Lily Hunter
Ava Rener and Baden Russell after award ceremony
Finland Joins NATO - But What Does This Really Mean?
By Julia Hirschman |StaffWriter
a tool to encourage political integration in Europe andagainstSovietExpansion.
military action or preparations taken against RussiaorthewarinUkraine.
On July 5, 2022, Finland signed the accession protocol in order to join the supranationalorganization,NATO.Thismonth,on April 4, 2023, Finland officially became NATO’s 31st and newest member. This addition to NATO’s growing membership achieves an important feat, especially regarding the nature of Russian PresidentVladimirPutin’sinvasionofUkrainethat beganlastspring.
But firstly, what is NATO? NATO standsfortheNorthAtlanticTreatyOrganization-founded in 1949, it is a multi-national alliance organization meant to provide mutual aid and military security to all 31 of its members. The organizationupholdsastrictidealthatifyouattack one member, you attack all other members. NATO wasoriginallyfoundedtodeterthethreatposedby theSovietUnionfollowingWorldWarIIduringthe ColdWar.TheUnitedStates,oneofthe12original founding nations, saw the organization as an important asset to prevent nationalistic governmentuprisingsinarecoveringEurope,and
Initially, Russia’s decision to invade Ukrainewasamongstmanydifferentreasons,buta veryprominentreasonwasUkraine’sappealtojoin NATO. Because of Russia’s powerful influence duringandfollowingtheSovietUnion’scollapsein 1991 over numerous satellite states, like Ukraine and Belarus for example, Ukraine joining NATO would mean a loss of one of the original “buffer” states -- the nations that, although were aligned with Russia for the most part, served as a border between East and West Europe, preventing any potential hostilities. Therefore, if Russia were to invade Ukraine after its appeal to join NATO was accepted, NATO would have an incentive to completely involve itself in a conflict with Russia directly.
Because of NATO’s original mission and purpose as an organization, even today, Russia feels a certain threat surrounding NATO’s presence in Europe. President Vladimir Putin of Russia has reportedly, according to Al Jazeera, condemned NATO’s “imperial ambitions” inordertoassert“supremacy”utilizingtheUkraine conflictasasteppingstoolofsorts.
Following Finland’s acceptance into the alliance,PutinstatedthatFinlandandNATO“must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind,”, according to Al-Jazeera. This statement clearly showsPutin’sviewsonboththedetrimentaleffects that this alliance will have on Moscow-Helsinki relations,aswellashisclearcontemptforany
Additionally, the Kremlin itself has reportedly said that Russia will begin to take countermeasures because of this new addition to NATO, both tactically and strategically, the BBC reports. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Russia had begun to move short-range ballistic missile systems into neighboring nation Belarus, capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons. This presents a clear growth of militarytensionbetweenNATOandRussia.
Finland shares an almost 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) eastern border with Russia, meaning that NATO’s border with Russia has basically “doubled”, according to the BBC. “President Putin had a declared goal of the invasion of Ukraine to get less NATO along its borders, and no more membership in Europe--” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg states, “-- [but] he’s getting the exact opposite.” Although, according to the BBC, Finland’s large border presents a challenge for NATO in terms of keeping it secure from potential Russian invasion, there have already been safety and defense plans taken in order to keep this bordersecureandFinland’sallianceclose.
Although the increase in Russian military mobilization in response to Finland joining NATO poses concerning possibilities, this new addition to thesupranationaldefenseorganizationallowsfora more clear incentive for involvement in case of further conflict. With Finland’s new allegiance and Sweden’s potential acceptance in the upcoming months, NATO’s strength in national alliances growslargerstill.
The Implications of Judicial Interference with Mifepristone
In a society where many readily throw aside their morals for the sake of profit, it is imperative to have an unbiased and impartial institution that is making sure companies aren’t compromising the safety of their products for the sake of increased production, or even knowingly releasingunsafeproductsforthesakeofprofit.Itis also important to make sure that those involved in this process are qualified to make unbiased, scientific decisions, and that decisions are fueled solelybytheintentiontokeepthepublicsaferather than to receive money from lobbyists or to push a personal agenda or belief. Finally, if a decision by thisgroupisbelievedtobeincorrect,overturningit should require scientifically sound evidence proving that the decision made was incorrect. Otherwise, we open the factors behind these decisions to the world of greed, and ultimately place the validity of these decisions in jeopardy. Unfortunately, this seems to be happening in the caseofmifepristone.
In the year 2000, scientists at the FDA (a federal agency not dissimilar from the one described above) conducted a 6-month review on mifepristone, a drug used widely across the US to safely terminate a pregnancy, ultimately determining it safe to use. Their decision is backed up by two decades of consistent, safe performance. However, earlier this month, Texas federal judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, a man with no degree in any scientific field and no experience testing the safety of drugs, invalidated the FDA’s approval. UnliketheFDA’sdecision,whichwasbackedupby months of rigorous tests and various studies, Kacsmaryk’s decision was “backed up” by extreme rhetoric and noncredible sources. This decision is beingraisedtotheSupremeCourt,wheretheentire scientificcommunitywillbefightingtooth
By Brandon Choyce |Politics&WorldChair and nail to protect the
integrity of the scientific industry.
If this decision is allowed to stand, it could carry horrible implications for the scientific industry as a whole. Allowing judges to overturn rulingsbytheFDAbecausetheydisagreewiththem opens the door for the return of scenarios parallel to that of lead-lined gasoline or radium-filled toothpaste. How would people know that the products they buy are actually safe when decisions are made by any politician with an opinion rather than credible scientists? Why should opinion be valued over fact? If the Supreme Court chooses to uphold Kacsmaryk’s decision, it could ultimately spell unprecedented doom for the scientific community as a whole. Who’s to say politicians would stop at mifepristone? There’s already so much political pressure against vaccines, anti-depressants, and other various drugs. What would happen if politicians against vaccines were suddenly given the power to stop anyone from receivingthembyblockingtheFDAfromapproving them?Imagineif,atthebeginningoftheCOVID-19 pandemic, politicians were able to prevent anyone from receiving a COVID vaccine instead of just whining about them. The scientific fact would be readilydiscardedforopinion,assometimesopinion is more profitable. Facts don’t care about your feelings? No, my feelings don’t care about your facts. The entire FDA would be pointless as if they rulethatacompany’sproductisunsafetoconsume, a judge funded by that company could simply overturn the decision, allowing unsafe products to runrampant.
Yes, the mifepristone case is, at the surface level, an abortion issue. But it can’t be stressed enough how big of an impact this case could carry, anditrunsmuchdeeperthanabortionrights.
What’s so important about science is that it’s just that:science.Therearenoopinionsintruescience, only facts. When you mix opinions with science, you end up with eugenics, flat earthers, climate change deniers, and other dangerous ‘fields’ of pseudoscience.Thereinliesthedanger:byallowing personal belief and opinion to judge the decisions of the FDA, we risk turning food safety, a
Politics & World 2 Trojan Record May 10th, 2023
Finland’s flag being raised during a ceremony at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Oscars Recap: Number 95
In a historic Oscars ceremony on March 12, 2023, a number of films took home awards amongst a variety of celebrities at the Dolby TheatreinLosAngeles,California.Theceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and notable attendeesincludedMalalaYousafzai,Elizabeth Olsen, Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, and decidedlynotTomCruise,whodecidedtostay home despite Top Gun: Maverick garnering six nominations.
Thenightstartedoffwiththepresentation of the Best Animated film award by Emily Blunt and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which was critically acclaimed after its release. The next award to be presented wastheSupportingActoraward,whichwenttoKe Huy Quan from Everything Everywhere All At Once (EEAAO), a fan and critic favorite. He thankedhismotherrightoffthebatandwentonto detail how thankful he was A24 and the directors of EEAAO, in addition to his wife and brother, in anemotionalspeechthathadeveryonetearingup.
The award for Supporting Actress created a little bit more of a controversy when Jamie Lee CurtiswonforEEAAOinsteadofAngelaBassettor Stephanie Hsu. Many fans of the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie thought Bassett should win instead, as her performance was incredibly moving and this was Bassett’s second Academy Award nomination. Similar feelings were expressed towards Hsu’s performance, which was also for Everything Everywhere All At Once, althoughherrolewasdecidedlybiggerthanCurtis’ and more relatable towards audiences who felt their mother-daughter experiences were reflected inhercharacter.
There was a quick break where Cara DelevingneintroducedSofiaCarsontosing “Applause” from the 2022 release, Tell It Like A Woman. After this, Best Documentary Feature Film was announced and the award went to the documentary Navalny
By Kelsey Lind |SecretaryDuring this time, Jimmy Kimmel also amused himself by making numerous slap jokes referencing the Oscars last year when Will Smith went up on stage and slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith, Will’s wife.
After Navalny, the Best Live Action Short Film was presented to the film An Irish Goodbye, with a teaser for Disney’s Live Action version of The Little Mermaid airing afterwards. Michael B. Jordan and Johnathan Majors then presented the Best Cinematography award to All Quiet on the Western Front,whichwentontosweepcategories Best International Feature Film, Best Production Design, and Best Score. In between those presentations, Stephanie Hsu performed her musical number “This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Whale won Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Jenny the Donkey from Banshees of Inisherin, who was shot to Twitter fameaftershestoletheshowinascenewithColin Farrell, also appeared on stage, much to Farrell’s delight, although it was later revealed that it was not Jenny the Donkey who shot with Farrell, and the Oscars just wanted to capitalize on a relevant popculturejoke.
Best Costuming was presented to Ruth E. Carterfor BlackPanther:WakandaForever, whichwashersecondBestCostumingwinwiththe franchise.Afterthis,thesong“NaatuNaatu” and dance number from the movie RRR, was performed, much to delight of the audience members. The Academy plugged their movie museum,atacademymuseum.organd The Elephant Whisperers went on to win Best DocumentaryShortFilm.Thenextawardtobe presented was Best Animated Short Film, which wentto TheBoy,TheMole,TheFox,andThe Horse.
Lady Gaga went on to perform a stripped versionofhersongfrom TopGun:Maverick, “HoldMyHand,”and remindedeveryoneathome ofherpreviousOscarsperformanceof “Shallow”
withBradleyCooperforAStarisBorn. went on to win Best Visual Effects, to no one, including James Cameron’s surprise. Danai Gurira introduced Rhiannatosing“LiftMeUp,”from BlackPanther: Wakanda Forever, which then led into the Best OriginalandAdaptedScreenplaycategories,which went to Everything Everywhere All At Once and WomenTalking,respectively. TopGun: Maverick won Best Sound and RRR won for Best Original Song, especially deserved after their performanceattheceremonyitself. Next, the Oscars’ “In Memoriam” section was presentedbyJohnTravolta,whogavea teary tribute to Olivia Newton-John, before the rest of the dedications commenced. While many iconicactorslikeJamesCaanandAngelaLansbury were mentioned, others, like Paul Sorvino and CharlbiDean,werenot.
The awards that everyone was waiting for werepresentedattheendofthenight.Fan andcriticsfavoriteMichelleYeohwonBestActress for Everything Everywhere All At Once and gave an emotional speech encouraging young Asian-Americanstonevergiveupontheirdreams. Brendan Fraser won Best Actor for The Whale, detailingtheextentofhiscomebackafterhispause from acting that started in the late 2000s. Harrison Ford presented the Best Picture Award, ultimately went to Everything Everywhere All At Once. EEAAO sweeped at the Oscars, winning a total of seven awards after being nominated for eleven (Best Film Editing went unmentioned earlier), and garnering even more praise for its headway towards Asian and Asian-American representationinHollywood.
While the 95th Oscars may not have been asexcitingasthe94th,itsimultaneously provided viewers at home with a “return to normal” for movies, while showcasing the strides Hollywood has made in recent years in becoming less white and male focused, towards more diversityinbothgenderandethnicity.
There Is Not Safety In Numbers
By: Ava Rener |Co-EditorInChiefTime Magazine announces: there have been 199 mass shootingsintheUnitedStatesasofMay6th,2023.These shootings have resulted in the death of 578 teens and children.
These startling statistics have sunk into the consciences of millions of Americans who woke up on Saturday, May 6th to the news that yet another mass shootingoccurredinTexasthatday.Saturdaymarkedthe dayin2023whenthenumberofshootingssurpassedthe number of days in the year. Not a day has gone by where someonearoundtheUnitedStateshaslostalovedoneto gunrelatedviolence.Thesheeramountofshootingshave made it impossible for the media to keep up with, and many stories and incidents have not found their way into thenewscycle.Despitethis,thecountryisfacinganissue thatisyettobedealtwithinanyway,andkillsmoreteens in the state of Texas than vehicle accidents, according to CNN.Tothesestatistics,itisimportanttoquestion,have we had enough? When will the number of deaths and incidents become high enough for immediate change to be enacted by our lawmakers? To these statistics, it is important to make these statements; we are angry. We are legally powerless. There is no change happening. Somethingneedstogive.
Living in a state that has some of the most unrestricted gun laws poses a threat to not only school agedchildren,butevenmorenow,people
just spending their day at an outlet mall or in public spaces. Our generation, despite our inability to vote, needs to be the one to make significant noise about the issue, because unfortunately we are the ones it affects. This happens due to the fact that our lawmakers are too busy fighting a ivory-castle protected ideologicalwarintheHousethatdoesnothingbut turn a blind eye to the violence permeating throughout the country’s daily lives. Our lawmakers often make the argument that gun violence is next on the agenda of “problems to solve”, right after they attempt to criminalize the existence of minorities. Their opinionated to-do list should not be dictating the importance of someofthemostpressingdisruptionsinthestate. Thepolarizedrealityofourpoliticshaverisentoa dangerous level, where issues that should not fall on “party-lines” do, and cause legislation to come to a stand still, where the ideological warfare continues.Thisis not anewidea.Ithasexistedfor decades, but has reached a point where sides become radicalized to an extent where nothing gets done. However, as long as we keep arming 18-year-old mentally unwell individuals and our lawmakers continue to meddle in useless politics, kids will keep dying. This is what our country has become;aviolent
countrywherefranklyout-of-touchpoliticiansdecidethe worthofourlives,basedonhowyoulabelyourself.Here is someone who does not see blue or red: an intruder in yourschoolwithanautomaticrifle.
Enough debate, and enough with the fearful statements. Here is what we, despite our legal position, can do. We can decide that this issue is one that affects every person, and that we have a responsibility to solve it,becauseourgovernmentisslowlybeginningtofailus. After making this decision, we can become activists for the cause. Here is a list of resources that allow us to shareourvoices.
1. MarchForOurLives-Policywebpage
2. SandyHookPromise-TakeActionwebpage
3. Giffords-Lobbyingwebpage
4. Change.org-Consistentlyhaspetitionstosign
5. ActionNetwork-Petitions
6. You!Writealettertoyourdistrictrepresentative or any lawmaker. Make known the vast number ofstudentsatAndersonthatsupportchange.
Becausewhatourstatisticshavemadeclearisthatthere is unsafety in these numbers. With the youth’s collective action,therecanbeasingle,unifiedvoiceinnumbers,if wetakeaction.
Popular Culture & Commentary 3 Trojan Record May 5th, 2023
Foreword: This article contains sensitive topics and discussions surrounding gun violence.
Not Everyone is Buzzed About These Haircuts
By Beatrice Hull |OpinionsandCommentaryChairAs summer is rapidly approaching, a guys’ hair trend has been cropping up: buzz cuts. This begs the question which hairstyle is worse,mulletsorbuzzcuts.
Mullets were popular in the 1980s and 90s and have been making a comeback. Predominantly in baseball, guys have been rockingthe“businessinthefront,partyinthe back” look for a few years now. Recently though, we are seeing buzz cuts becoming more trendy, with many guys walking into school with hair on their head one day and barely any the next. There are conflicting opinions on whether the buzzed look is better than the mullet, but I am here with the hot take that mullets are better. They are by no means the best hairstyle, but they pale in comparison to buzz cuts. Although guys look like quarterback Quinn Ewers and AC Slater from Saved by the Bell, it’s better than being compared to Eleven from Stranger Things or Buzz Lightyear. Especially since mullets have become shorter in the back than they used to be, they are far more visually appealing than thebuzz.
Additionally, mullets are better because they are an easy fix. If the hair-do isn’t looking so great, it’s a quick trip to the barber to clean it up or cut it off. A buzz cut however is irreversible, and guys must wait until their hair grows back to fix it. Even though boys’ hair grows much faster than girls’,itcantakethreetofourmonthstogrow out to get back to the original style. They also havetogothroughthephasewherethebuzzis an odd length and grows out unevenly, somethingmanywishtheycouldavoid.
Finally mullets are better because they are far less jarring. Growing a mullet is a long process that can take months to complete. People at least know the guy is planning to growouthishair.However,abuzzcanappear with no notice whatsoever, which makes it all theworsewhennooneisexpectingit.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying mullets are for everyone. Like every hairstyle, they have their instances when they do not suit the person that has one. Ultimately though, buzzcuts don’t suit anyone, which is whatmakesamulletthelesseroftwoevils.
All around school, guys are asking their friends “should I get a buzz cut?” For some reason, the resounding answer is yes, and every day, boys are walking into school with a drastically different hairstyle than the day before. Girls whole-heartedly agree that this trend is a downgrade, but boys find humor in the short cropped style, especially because they do it themselves. Many of them have picked up a cheap pair of clippers from the store and have taken it to their friends’ hair, shaving it to the short, short length of halfaninch.
Summertime Adventure
Word Search 4 Trojan Record May 10th, 2023