VOLUME TWO ISSUE TWO DECEMBER 2019
submissions policy The Warrior Apollo accepts all art, literature, music, fashion and photography submissions by all current Westside students and publishes them in a magazine format. Students and staff may submit as much work as desired. If you wish to submit your work by paper, stop by the journalism hallway, rooms 251-253, and give your work to either the Editors-in-Chief, Vinny Nelson and Elliot Evans, or journalism advisers Jerred Zegelis and Timothy Kaldahl. The Warrior Apollo does not accept any work that may be considered offensive and reserves the right to reject and edit content for any reason. Please direct any questions to the Editors-in-Chief. Submit digitally at thewarriorapollo.com.
staff
Vinny Nelson, Editor-in-Chief Elliot Evans, Editor-in-Chief Natalie Gill, Managing Editor Isabel Headlee, Staff Rachel Tonniges, Staff Reese Pike, Copy Editor
table of contents Letter from the Editors..................................................04 Graphic by Paul Nelson, Design by Vinny Nelson
“Equality”.......................................................................06 Essay by Malik Gillespie, Graphic by Isabel Headlee, Design by Vinny Nelson
“Home”...........................................................................08 Poem by Christopher Rys, Art by Kylie Ketelsen, Design by Vinny Nelson
Portfolio: Sadie Battleson.............................................10 Art by Saddie Battleson, Story and Design by Elliot Evans
“Stranger Danger”.........................................................14 Poem by Avery Olmstead, Art by Emily Garcia, Design by Natalie Gill
Graphite Gallery.............................................................16 Art by Art Foundation Students, Design by Natalie Gill
Retrospectre: In Hinde Sight........................................18 Story by Will Eikenbary, Design by Elliot Evans
Portfolio: Dana Rose.....................................................20 Art by Dana Rose, Design By Elliot Evans
Horoscopes...................................................................22 Story by Rachel Tonniges, Graphics by Elliot Evans, Design By Vinny Nelson
elcome to the second issue of The Warrior Apollo, volume two! The Apollo was created to act as a creative platform for Westside students to share their art and opinions. Since Apollo is new, our staff has received many questions about what makes us different from other publications, especially The Lance. The Lance provides informative, news-based stories that take in-depth looks at the Westside community. At the Apollo, we publish artwork and writing by students, as well as content from our staff that we believe adds to our message. Westside’s art hallway has always produced high-quality pieces, but in the past, there has been no platform for them to be consistently published in. The Apollo’s goal is to become that outlet for artists, and also for writers or photographers. However, our goal cannot be accomplished without contributions from the student body, so we ask you to consider submitting your art or written pieces. This can be done at thewarriorapollo.com. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at nelson409@westside66. net and evans549@westside66.net. If you have any physical submissions, drop them off in room 251. Thanks for reading this issue!
Your Editors, Vinny Nelson and Elliot Evans
A PERSONAL ESSAY BY MALIK GILLESPIE
rom the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, the death of Matthew Shepard in 1998 to modern-day equality issues, queer people have fought for the right to be seen and treated as equal in the eyes of society. On June 26, 2015, the gay community achieved a major step towards equality in gaining the right to marry whom we love in the U.S. It was a significant moment for how it displays the attainment of success for a fighting community, the triumph of justice and proof that love will eventually prevail over hate and bigotry. However, it’s important to keep in mind that while we have obtained the right to marry those we love, the fight for equality is not over. In more than 30 states, the use of conversion therapy on minors is legal, a practice that has been proven to be torturous and has negative long-term effects on mental health in the fruitless pursuit of forcibly changing one’s sexuality; eight states currently restrict school administrators in talking about the issues facing the LGBT+ community and its people; 42 states allow for the gay or trans panic defense in the court of law. These are only a handful of the issues that queer people are currently fighting against. More than simple statistics showing the importance and urgency of addressing these bigoted policies, I can confirm through my own experience
that more steps need to be taken to ensure the protection of queer people’s unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a gay man, I think it would be counterintuitive to not advocate for the rights of LGBT+ people and do what I can to advance queer acceptance, even if it isn’t necessarily on a grand scale. As a young person, I have been affected by growing up in a time where the validity of this part of my identity has been scrutinized in the public eye of
both my home country and the world as a whole. Even as acceptance for that part of my identity has increased, it has changed me as a person and my entire worldview. Between my empathetic nature and coming of age in a world that’s divided on the status of queerness, I have learned three things that I plan to hold close to me for the foreseeable future. The first: do not stop fighting. The second: do not stop loving. The third and most important: do not stop hoping.
POEM BY CHRISTOPHER RYS, ART BY KYLIE KETELSEN
The earth drifts around our star, witnessing the births and deaths of stars and galaxies. This world houses us and asks for nothing more in return, and yet we pollute our shores, we burn our forests and slaughter the most magnificent of our worlds creatures. And as our earth screams, no one does anything to quell the pain. The earth cries, its tears overflowing the ocean. I suppose the most important question is if we stand now and try to heal our world, will it work? Or have we truly manufactured our own destruction?
Interview and Portfolio ophomore Sadie Battleson sat down with The Apollo to talk about her experience in Digital Art. We discussed Battleson’s beginning in art, inspirations and artistic identity. “I first started to get into art in eighth grade because I got a sketchbook and started painting,” Battleson said, “but I didn’t get obsessed with it until last year. It got to where I wouldn’t do my schoolwork, just paint and do Digital Art.” Battleson said that on her first day of class, what hooked her was the positive reinforcement of her teacher, Chadwick Crouch and her friends. “I drew an apple on my own because I [understood] it. At the end of the day in the art room, this girl Rebecca said, ‘omg that’s amazing!’ Then Mr. Crouch came over and said, ‘That’s great. You don’t have to do the practice, you’re done.’ That’s when I decided to buy the tablet,” Battleson said. Battleson said this appreciation was fun, but not new. “I’ve done well in art before,” Battleson said. “I did pastel, which sent to Scholastic. I got an honorable mention the first time I ever did it. That made me love pastels. If I win something, I’ll do it five more times then drop it, so it was really surprising that Digital Art stuck.” The ease of creating digital art is why Battleson thinks she continued to create it. “It’s so easy. With other things, like pastels, you need a whole [setup],” Battleson said. “For [Digital Art] you just need one tablet and your computer, and you’re set. You can do so much on it, too.”
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with Sadie Battleson! he inspiration for Battleson’s work “isn’t deep.” Often, her perception of objects and how they look decides what she draws. “I’ll doodle in class and if I like it, I take a picture of it and make it digital,” Battleson said. “Or I’ll think of a random idea or detail that I write down and then come back to.” Battleson also said she finds inspiration through the work of other artists. “I saw someone on Instagram do more of a line [drawing] with a white [background] and then only one color without shading,” Battleson said. “When I tried it [in my style], I liked it a lot. Sometimes I decide to put dots of color to fill the space so that it looks better. I kind of got off course with the girl [sketches] because I hadn’t done faces before, but I [also enjoy making those]. It’s was more fun to play around with [random colors] than to draw realistically.” Trying out a style that someone else has used is an important part of Battleson’s process. “I add words to my drawings sometimes because it fills the white space. I saw someone else do that once so I tried it and liked it. That’s how art usually goes [for me],” Battleson said. “I liked how… seeing the handwriting connects you more to that person. You get a piece of [the artist].” Battleson draws objects that aren’t often paid attention to from an artistic perspective. “I like to [also] draw random things, stuff you don’t even think about,” Battleson said. “When you draw [things that you normally don’t notice], it puts more meaning into it, I find that interesting. I think that would be so fun if I actually had the influence [to change someone’s perspective]. It would be everything.”
rt has made a large impact on Battleson’s life. “It took up a lot of my free time,” Battleson said, “but [doing art] definitely made me feel more confident in something. I feel like art is something that I excel in. Art is a solid foundation for me. I know I’m good at it. It’s a confidence booster.”
“Seeing the handwriting connects you more to that person. You get a piece of [the artist].”
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Battleson said that art has helped her find herself through defining her style. “It’s all from my head. The sketches that I’ve done recently, I adore,” Battleson said. “I find them more ‘me,’ and they show more of who I am than the copied, realistic sketches. Now, it comes from my head, so it’s mine, no one can take that away from me.”
“Now, [my art] comes from my head, so it’s mine. No one can take that away from me.”
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S D T R A N G E RD A N G E R
o you know what it’s like to be broken? to have your heart smashed like glass into a million pieces
to feel worthless and alone like somehow, gravity can’t bind you to this Earth anymore probably not, you are an average person who hasn’t had the pleasure of feeling like you were drifting right into a black hole unfortunately, the universe decided that I need to suffer to understand others’ pain that led me to you a stranger that somehow wasn’t a danger like everyone said it all made sense when you explained except I wasn’t ready to walk without saying why me? Why did you decide I wasn’t good enough that I wasn’t strong enough to handle it that suddenly after you became weak and fell that I should too that knowing that we would both be weak would make the pain less painful that somehow we would be equals after all this time, you hid from the world, the lies, the pain, from me as though that would make it all better I guess the label is stronger than the truth maybe you really are the ‘stranger danger’ everyone claimed you were ART BY EMILY GARCIA POEM BY AVERY OLMSTEAD
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Rose Padios Grade 9
Samantha Stephens Grade 9
G R A P G A L L
Delaney Davis Grade 9
Olivia Joyce Grade 9
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Galen Ward Grade 11
Permission for use of student artwork granted by Dana Rose, Erin Lunsford, and Amanda DeFazio
Mark Appel Grade 9
H I T E E R Y
Jessica Austin Grade 9
Kensington TeKrony Grade 9
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elcome to Retrospectre, a podcast where I talk to guests about stories, life advice, or anything they’re willing to tell me. I’m your host, Will Eikenbary, and today I’ll be talking with the Westside faculty member who has done her fair share of work in the realms of math, science, engineering and oceanography. You might know her as ‘the lady who works at the Math IMC desk,’ but to others, she’s known by one name: Michelle Hinde. “My name is Michelle Hinde and I’m an educational assistant for the math department at Westside High School.” Hinde hasn’t always worked at Westside. The first direction she went in with her career was oceanography, although things didn’t quite work out. “When I first started college, I had started as an oceanography student because I love marine life. I did a lot of diving. But I found out that oceanography doesn’t pay you anything, so I changed my major within my freshman year and decided to go [with] ocean engineering. Then I learned that ocean engineering not only encompasses boats, but it encompasses offshore structures, research facilities that are under the sea, and docks. It encompasses anything that has to do with the ocean. “When I graduated, I got a job through Electric Boat, and I started as an acoustics engineer, so we did all the sound testing. Then, we had to do rotations, so I went into structural engineering, and I decided I really liked structural modeling of different
areas of the boat and I thought that was a blast.” According to Hinde, her extensive work ethic was an aspect that helped her land her first job with Electric Boat. “I interviewed with them in college. It was interesting because when I interviewed with them, at the time, I was working three different jobs. I was working as a Resident Assistant in the dormitories, I was working as a research assistant and I was also working as a lifeguard during all of my breaks. I had worked at McDonald’s at the time, too. He looked at all my jobs and said, ‘How are you still in engineering?’ So, I said, ‘I made it work. I manage my time as best as I can.’ And he said, ‘Well, you’re the person I want.’ So, I ended up getting hired by the department head, who had interviewed many students at the school, so I was very lucky.
I worked there for seven years, because then my husband got his doctorate in chemical engineering, and that’s when he got hired by Los Alamos [National Lab], and I followed him there. “When I worked in Los Alamos, it was kind of the opposite of what I did [before]. When I worked at Electric Boat, we were trying to keep everything quiet and contained. When I worked at Los Alamos, I got to do a currents investigation, which was a lot of prevention. We had to investigate any accidents that happened there and then report it. So, that was always interesting because I got to go to all the areas of the lab. I got to travel to other national labs, like Oakridge in Tennessee, to see how they do things there, and that was a lot of fun.” Hinde said she made the switch from engineering to education-related jobs after finding a new love of education through teaching her own children. “After becoming a mom and working with my kids, [who both] have special needs, I had to learn the curriculums in-depth in order to adapt things for my kids, because they don’t learn the way everybody else learns. I found that being a mom is the hardest thing compared to anything else I’ve done. I’ve been a nuclear physicist. That’s nothing
“So, I said, ‘I made it work. I manage my time as best as I can.’ And he said, ‘Well, you’re the person I want.’”
“I’ve been a nuclear physicist. That’s nothing compared to being a mom.” compared to being a mom. I’ve been a Boy and Girl Scout leader for both of my kids, where I taught kids all kinds of skills. When my kids hit high school, I thought, ‘Maybe it’s time to go back to work.’ And I can work part-time here, which is awesome. They’re pretty nice with flexing my schedule as my kids need it, which I think is a huge bonus. I love working with the math teachers. I think they are extremely talented and have a tremendous background. I came from Howard County in Maryland, which is a high-level school district, but the talent is nothing like here.” Finally, Hinde said that if she had any advice for students, it would be to explore the world around them. “I’ve always enjoyed what I do. I think there’s something to learn in every field, wherever you go. One of the things we’ve always done wherever we lived was to explore the area. Explore the places you live, and explore the places you go. I knew of every little teeny tiny museum. I’d walk the city area, because you learn a lot by walking or biking an area versus driving. When we were in Los Alamos, we knew every hole in the wall there, and we got to know the area. I did search and rescue there, which was a blast. We got to learn how to track people and learned the whole state!” I’ve been your host, Will Eikenbary, and thanks for [reading] Retrospectre! 19
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Art by Westside art teacher Dana Rose
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D E C E M B E R H O R O S C O P E S his is a time that will be very reflective of how you have been acting and engaging with others. If you have been positive and helpful, life is about to reward you. But, if you have been struggling with something, those problems will bubble to the surface. If you know you have been angry, irritated or stressed, take some time to work through that so you can lead a happier and healthier life.
TAURUS
his next chapter in your life will be the ideal time for you to set new goals and really work to achieve them. If there is a relationship that you have always wanted to have, this is the time to reach out and make it a reality. Don’t be afraid to try again if these new endeavors don’t work out the way that you had imagined them working out. Ask for help. The people around you want to be closer to you.
GEMINI
uring the next phase of your life, things are going to be calm and simple. Use this stability to appreciate compliments when they are given to you. Review any plans you have set for yourself, like a budget or a fitness goal, see how close you are to achieving that goal, then make any adjustments.
CANCER
he next month will be a trying one for the Cancer. You will find yourself frustrated, because this is a time in your life when you will feel like you should be overachieving. You probably start to tussle with an attitude. You too should take this time to appreciate the success you are having and push out the negativity, because otherwise you will be taking on a burden that you cannot handle the weight of alone.
LEO
ou are going to turn your focus outward. You will start to rebuild old relationships and strengthen the ones that you have been working on. You may also want to bury yourself in these relationships, in work or your home life, because the plans and decisions you made months ago will be catching up with you. Don’t do this. Attack these problems with the same care and focus that you give to these relationships. Remember that asking for help can be freeing.
VIRGO
his is the end of the year. It’s time to stay focused on what worked for you in the past and replicate those successes. You will be at peace with your past. If troubles do arise, you will have sharp intuition to guide you through them, so listen to your gut. Speak up and hold your own because people will be extra attentive during this time.
LIBRA
is the season of giving. Give others your time and energy and you will be rewarded. You will find strength and power in your relationships. Make sure to check in with your loved ones and help those people. Don’t get caught up in the rush of the season and lose sight of what matters to you. If there is something you have always wanted to try, use this time to do it and include someone you care about in this new experience. Remember to be flexible and listen to those around you!
SCORPIO
ou will find yourself diving headfirst into a project. Focus a healthy amount of energy on this project, as it will have lasting positive effects on you and your lifestyle. You may notice that, in the thick of this project, you have pulled away from family and friends, but don’t be concerned, instead communicate with them. Life may become more stressful, but if you are considerate you will find that much of the tension building in your life is at ease.
SAGITTARIUS
ith the fall of the year and the rise of the new one, you will need to consider what matters most to you. Make these decisions independently, because this time in your life should be inwardly focused. Make the decisions that work best for you because indecisiveness will negatively affect your relationship with others. Speak up for yourself. Tell others how you feel, but keep these conversations professional.
CAPRICORN
ver the next month, you will fight to keep the balance of your personal life and work life in check. This time of year is often very busy for many people. It will be tempting to overwhelm yourself with this fast pace. If you do anything this month, it should be to listen to others’ opinions and take into account why they are giving you this opinion. Harmony will be key to supporting your life.
AQUARIUS
ife is about to pick up the pace. Work and relationships will start moving quickly, but this is going to be a positive shift. With this change of pace, it’s important to focus on what’s staying constant, and consider how those things are affecting your life. Focus on the benefits of having rapid life and keep that spark of productivity alive.
PISCES
ife is going to fly by over the next couple of months. You are going to be on the move. You will find happiness in some unexpected places. Learning new skills will come with ease. You will meet new people and build life-long relationships. Work with patience as life may be throwing curveballs at you if you don’t pay attention.
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Here at Apollo we pledge allegiance to artistic freedom, To giving students a creative outlet, To thinking outside the box, To expressing emotion through art, Because what makes Apollo special is Its contributors and staff, The content within And the love each issue is made of.
COVER ART BY NATALIE GILL