Uncaged March 2022 by [Uncaged.]

freedom high school newsmagazine | January/February/March 2022 | volume 7 | issue 1

STAFF the

from the editors Hello again, free birds! Long time no see :) We are so excited to release our first print edition since the COVID shutdown! It’s been exactly two years since our last release. For those of you who don’t know, Uncaged is Freedom High School’s official news platform and this magazine marks the return of our print editions! It’s been an exciting return back to school and an overall successful first semester. Though it was tough at times, you’ve all adjusted and faced every challenge that stood in your way. To the freshmen, you have done a great job settling into the Freedom community despite the circumstances. For sophomores, it’s been exciting to watch you find your place here and branch out as you prepare to transition into upperclassmen. For juniors, finish the year strong as you get ready for an exciting senior year! Finally for the class of 2022, we know that senioritis is starting to hit, but keep pushing through you’re almost there! We hope you enjoy this magazine, and we wish you the best as you continue this semester! Be sure to tune into our weekly broadcasts and check out our website uncagedfhs.org! Stay tuned for upcoming content!

Adviser Dana Baker

Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Cherian Online Editor Pratha Ravani Sports & Photo Editor Michael Baker III News Editor Hazel Nguyen Features Editor Rebecca Cherian Culture Editor Pratha Ravani Opinions Editor Pratha Ravani Sports Editors Jackie Buktaw Staff Writers Addy Welz Aidan Kruk Amogha Chetla Anya Smith Brianna Campos Cecelia Harmon Emily Marohn Emily Ruith Hazel Nguyen Hope Nguyen Jackie Buktaw Julia Buktaw Lyndsay Lemmerman Max Villegas Olivia Johnson Tyler Byrd Uncaged is the newsmagazine of Freedom High School. The attitudes, opinions, views, and ideas expressed in Uncaged do not necessarily reflect those of this staff, the faculty adviser, Freedom High School, or the Loudoun County Public School system. Uncaged follows the county and state guidelines established for student high school publications, and disclaims any liability with respect thereto the use or reliance on any such information contained in this publication. The Uncaged staff welcomes contributions and encourages the expression of students, faculty, staff, and members of the Freedom High School community.

letter from the editors

Cover photo by Michael Baker III Back Cover Illustration by Emmie Duong

table of contents news

features

sports

18 28

opinion

culture

10 18

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The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.

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Awareness and Prevention:

Racism in Public Schools [Story by Jackie Buktaw] [Photos provided]

acism has always been seen in schools throughout history, however, since things like social media and the internet have become popular, racism has become more prominent. Freedom High School is aware of this and has been working to promote prevention as well as taking actions against it. However, no matter the amount of work done to prevent these things, students can still be affected by the unseen racism that they face. Articles have shown that racist acts such as biased discipline, unfair staffing, and verbal harassment between students, can be seen in almost every public school. Public Schools are taking action to spread awareness about racism in schools, students are sharing their stories and how it can be reduced and what we can do as a community. “I think that no matter where you are, there will always be someone who tries to put you down. Not only are students affected mentally by pressure and school work, they also have to deal with things such as racism starting at such a young age,” said Cheyenne Tongue, a sophomore at Freedom High School. She continues by saying that students who are facing racism from peers or teachers, can change someone’s mentality and social life. Tongue also said that she hopes that not only the county board, but students and administrators can help by promoting being educated and respectful towards

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everyone. “At school, I have seen people being punished by teachers and administrators for bullying and being racist to other students and staff. I think that as we get older, students are getting better at handling these things and being more mature,” said Elana Leichty, a

sophomore at Freedom High school. She continues by saying that she had experienced anti-semitism and racism many times in middle school. She said that these things were normalized and made jokes. She also states that she had seen a change in racist comments ever since COVID

Posters in Montgomery County Public Schools were one method the county implimented to counter racism.

started, noticing that asian students were verbally harassed and mistreated. “Personally, I haven’t experienced racism to the point where it has affected my mental health, however this can be different for everyone and can impact them on a higher scale,” said Victoria Sim, a sophomore at Freedom

High School. She continues by saying that she knew people around her that were affected emotionally and mentally by racism. She says that it can have an enormous impact on a young person’s mind and that it is not okay for students to experience these things. Sim adds, “I think that in order to stop racism and inequality, we need to work together as a school to educate and learn to be kind towards everyone.” Sim goes on by saying that all schools, especially elementary and middle schools, should educate students about racism and encourage them to treat all students with

kindness and respect. She says that by doing this, we can prevent future students from growing up and experiencing racism and bullying. Public schools are working to create a better learning environment for all students by spreading awareness and promoting prevention.

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School SchoolShootings: Shootings: An estimated 3 million children in the US are exposed to shootings each year.

According to EverytownResearch.org

The majority of individuals with diagnosed mental illness do not engage in violence against others. - According to EverytownResearch.org

In almost every documented case of active shooters, warning signs were given. - According to SandyHookPromise.org

Freedom High School is tak students feel safer with off [Story by Amogha Chetla] Editor’s Note: Students quoted in this article requested to remain anonymous, and therefore have not been named.

n 2021, there were at least 202 incidents of gunfire on school grounds nationwide. It’s a frightening fact to wonder about for students, parents and teachers alike. In these times, it is not uncommon to wonder if there’s enough being done to ensure students’ safety. Students cannot help but think about the dangers of school shootings and the reality that they are becoming more common by every passing year. Parents see the threat of shootings on the news. “Schools in general are just a place full of vulnerability and everybody is just out there. There’s nothing protecting them - just the school walls. And the fact that Freedom, Liberty and PVI

are so close together, it’s just scary to think [about],” said FHS student #1. In Loudoun County specifically, many changes are occurring while administrators are attempting to prevent these disasters from happening as much as possible. “They are flipping the library with the main office so that every person that comes through our doors doesn’t have a hallway to walk down to the main office. They actually check in right away as they step in the front doors,” said Kenneth Christopher, FHS Director of Counseling. But, why do people commit these acts of violence? It’s a question everyone everywhere is wondering about. There might never be a “catch-all” answer though. It may be a mix of depression and paranoia, according to an NPR article from 2019. There could’ve been multiple failures and abuse in early

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They are flipping the library with the main office so that every person that comes through our doors doesn’t have a hallway to walk down to the main office. - Kenneth Christopher FHS Director of Counseling

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Horrors of Education

aking steps to help office location change childhood that the student harbors until they finally burst. It is a web of possibilities that are investigated for a long time. “But, it also makes me angry, because I don’t know who in their right mind thinks it’s okay to just hurt people like that. Real lives are being taken, real lives are being cut short. So it makes me anxious, but more than anxious it makes me angry,” said FHS student #2. Nonetheless, mental health is known to have a significant role in student’s behavior and acts. “No one talks about how these threats can emerge. To be honest, a lot of school shootings happen from students in the school, and I think that if teachers and administrators paid more attention to talking to students it would make a big difference,” said Student #1 about the mental health of students in schools.

The U.S. has had 1,316 school shootings since 1970.

The most fatal high school shooting in U.S. history was at Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland Flordia in 2018. Former Stoneman Douglas student Nikolas Cruz opened gunfire and killed 17 people. Police and prosecutors discovered a trail of disciplinary issues and worrying behavior after he was arrested. Notably, the heroic efforts of JROTC student Peter Wang were commemorated after the shooting. Wang died of bullet wounds while he was trying to help fellow students flee the classrooms to safety. Wang was buried with full military honors and was awarded the JROTC medal of heroism. “I think when you start thinking about it, ‘Could it happen here?’ That can be scary. And depending on students’ prior history, and social emotional history, it can trigger certain feelings, thoughts from prior trauma,” said Christopher.

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Schools in general are just a place full of vulnerability and everybody is just out there. There’s nothing protecting them just the school walls.

- According to SandyHookPromise.org

In 4 out of 5 school shootings, at least one other person had knowledge of the attacker’s plan but failed to report it. - According to SandyHookPromise.org

17 states have enacted Extreme Risk Laws, the majority being implemented following the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. - According to SandyHookPromise.org

- FHS Student

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Fossil Fuels Exceeding Dangerous Limits and Affecting Climate Change [Story by Emily Marohn]

ecently, news came out that countries are producing an extra amount of fossil fuels that are surpassing dangerous limits. Reports have been released showing that the world’s largest fossil fuel producers are planning to ramp up production in the upcoming years. As the reports are continuing to discuss how this will affect climate change and global warming overall, students at Freedom High School, South Riding, VA, added their input regarding this topic. Recognizing that climate change may be negatively affecting the world can be an eye opening experience for people. Students at Freedom have opened up and shared some of their situations regarding climate change. “Recently, I went to Las Vegas for a trip and as soon as I walked out of the airport, it just reeked of awful aromas that came from car exhaust, cigarettes, and marijuana,” said Nina Cabrera, an FHS senior. “Due to this, I actually got a notification on my phone regarding an air quality warning, meaning that it was bad and unsafe. At this point, I knew bad air pollution was a common notion in Las Vegas.” Pollution has seemed to be an increasing problem throughout the United States. Some students at Freedom are recognizing the dangers of climate change. “Some steps I have personally taken are becoming more aware of my carbon footprint and where I place my discarded items,” said Sofia Hamidzada, an FHS senior. “I really make sure to recycle, and because of climate

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Photo provided by Enviormental Club

Senior Emily Taylor sorts through trash during environmental club clean up.

change, I’ve actually become really interested in gardening and flowers. Because of this, in my backyard my family and I began planting our own vegetables.” Not only is Hamidzada getting involved in wanting a cleaner environment, but she also has a strong message regarding climate change. She takes the role of a leader with her

messages. “I definitely believe that we must come together to save our ‘mother’. We all live on the same planet, we all breathe the same air, so we must as human beings protect ourselves and our futures,” Hamidzada said. “It will be impossible for us to live and accomplish our dreams if our planet is dying off. We survive from this planet,

so if our planet becomes unfit for us to live, what do we do then? We must put aside our differences and for once, we must come together and figure this out. No good will come if we continue to ignore this problem. The time is now or never, and for some of us, we don’t have forever.” As the year 2030 approaches and fossil fuels rise, the risk of damaging the Earth increases with a higher amount of fossil fuels going into the atmosphere. Class of 2022 graduate, Naz Behrouzi, has shared her opinions on the impact of climate change and how she is making choices regarding her own actions. “I believe that climate change is negatively impacting our planet because the increase of higher temperatures and lower temperatures are what’s causes shrinking ice glaciers and more intense and aggressive natural disasters,” Behrouzi said. “The extinction of many animals also shows how climate change is negatively affecting animals and their ecosystems.” Not only is Naz discussing how

she will be adjusting to help reduce pollution, but other students have talked about what they would like to do to help out. “Some steps that I have taken to reduce pollution is using less plastic bags and recycling. In the future to help reduce pollution I will be using more public transportation and also saving more energy,” said an FHS junior, who asked to remain anonymous. Keeping the Earth clean and with reduced pollution can be difficult, but as citizens, it’s important to try and take action. Students at high schools may not be able to be in control over reducing fossil fuels, but they can take little steps that’ll add up if enough people participate. Climate change is a growing issue and is why there are limits as to what the dangerous zone is. Extreme temperatures, more floods, and threatening natural disasters may be controlled if people are able to say what’s right and make a difference in their community.

15 countries will produce 110% more coal, oil, and gas in 2030 than what would be necessary to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Scientists say that every fraction of a degree past 1.5 will trigger more severe and frequent climate extremes, such as record setting wildfires, heat waves, and deadly floods. Scientists say it’s critical to limit warming to avoid these worst consequences. The latest analysis found that the government’s production plan is to produce 240% more coal, 57% more oil, and 71% more natural gas than what’s in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement includes more than 190 countries pledging to limit the global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial levels. China and the US (the world’s largest coal producers), are bringing down their production of fossil fuels, but this shift.

Environmental Club hosts local clean up.

Photo provided by Enviormental Club

In fact, in 2020, David Paylor signed the final Virginia Carbon Rule in 2020, clearing the way for the Commonwealth to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The RGGI is a program that reduces climate pollution from fossil fuel power plants. News

ZZZ Students struggle to get enough sleep [Story by Max Villegas]

ow that the excitement of the school year has settled down, Freedom students have been feeling fatigued from the school year. Everyone is tired. Students are consistently staying up late to complete assignments and tend to other obligations, which eats into their sleep time. As a result, students are sleeping below the recommended amount of eight hours. “I honestly wish I could get more and I feel like it’s not a healthy amount. I feel like with so many outside pressures, it just stresses me out and causes me to lose my sleep,” said senior Ritwik Rangu, who gets roughly five to six hours of sleep per week. School assignments, extracurriculars, family commitments, and relationships are all stressors that prevent students from getting an adequate amount of sleep. The amount of sleep a student gets is also dependent on the time of the school year. “It’s because of homework, especially near the end of the quarter and there’s a lot of assignments that pile up and I’m up until like 3 or 4 in the morning,” said Aayushma Pradhan, another senior at Freedom who mainly stays up to complete school work. Choosing to stay up to complete

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“ Sometimes I feel it’s much easier to put something on the TV to help me fall asleep. Even though I know it’s bad for me, it is just something that I’ve been doing for a long time and it just comes naturally.

- Ritwik Rangu FHS Senior assignments is necessary to maintain good grades, and positive relationships with teachers. Freedom students are prioritizing their reputation over their wellbeing. Since students are staying up late to complete school work, they are staring at screens right before they fall asleep, which can negatively affect the quality of their sleep. “When I look at screens close to the time I’m aiming to go to sleep, it takes me longer to fall asleep,” said freshman Madison Lowe. Once students are done completing their work for the night, they resort

to looking at their phone or watching TV, which still affects their sleep time and quality. Blue light is common in phone and computer screens, but can actually prevent people from falling asleep easily. “Sometimes I feel it’s much easier to put something on the TV to help me fall asleep. Even though I know it’s bad for me, it is just something that I’ve been doing for a long time and it just comes naturally,” Rangu explained. So how can students improve their sleep time, and quality of sleep? Time management and a little less procrastination could possibly help students go to bed earlier and get a healthier amount of sleep. “I wouldn’t say a fix in schedule would help them, but just being efficient with their time is the best way to do it. Getting things done without having to get everything done at the last minute, I mean” Rangu stated. Whether students choose to spread out their work time or wake up earlier to be productive in the morning, there are ways to open up time for sleep. It can be overwhelming to juggle so many commitments, but even more challenging when there is a lack of sleep to rest and recharge to be successful each day. Freedom students have hectic schedules, but adequate sleep will help maintain student’s lives.

Tricks To Make Tips [Story by Emily Ruith]

uch of the student body juggle part time jobs on top of their already strenuous school work. How do students balance school and work, as well as their extracurriculars? “It’s very hard, especially when you get home late and then you have assignments and you’re very tired and end up passing out,” said Cara Muller, a senior at Freedom High School. Students work different hours depending on the day of the week. Muller works approximately six hours at a time during the week. FHS sophomores, Megan Aldorisio and Lizzie Ruith, only work on weekends. When students have afternoons or weekends taken away due to a job, it can create issues with time management, especially regarding homework. Students need to find a balance. “I create a schedule,” Aldorisio said. “When I get home from work, I try to have an hour set aside for me to recharge from the day. After that, I spend about an hour and a half primarily working on homework.”

Lots of planning and scheduling can be effective for balancing a person’s life without making it more stressful than it needs to be. A good way to schedule homework is listing the assignments first in order of priority, and then take those with a high priority and sort them into from hardest to easiest. By doing this, a student can get the harder assignments out of the way. Despite the stress of working, there are lots of pros to having a part-time job. “It’s good work experience and good practice for the real world,” said Ruith. “It’s a good opportunity to make friends and a good way to stay busy, especially on long breaks where you don’t have a lot of plans.” Having a part time job as a teenager provides important lessons for the workplace such as dealing with tough customers, responsibility, punctuality and more. Jobs can be very time consuming and stressful, which can lead to being overworked and exhausted. “When you do have plans, it’s hard

to get out of work and it can be tiring and it can be boring,” said Ruith. Especially with the current need for employees, companies have make the hiring process easy. “The hiring process for me was very simple,” Aldorisio said. “I filled out an application online, and scheduled a time to go in for an interview. During the interview, I got to know other applicants, and played a couple games with them. Then, we each got called separately for the actual interview.” During the interview, it’s best to stay calm. “Honestly, just kind of like be yourself and answer the questions like truefully,” Muller said. “Try your best to be sociable and friendly. Employers like seeing how you interact with people,” Aldorisios said. “Know your strengths and weaknesses and come prepared,” Ruith said. Part-time jobs can be very difficult for students with lots of schoolwork to complete, but the life lessons learned can easily top the cons.

Photo provided by Aya Fakir

Makenzie Austin and Scarlett Fox work part time at Dunkin Donuts.

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Spreading Hope, Creating Unity

[Story by Lyndsay Lemmerman]

reedom High School offers a wide range of extracurricular activities, catered to the interests of its diverse student body. Though, no club embodies the school’s motto, “Where there is unity there is Freedom”, quite like Hope Club. The club promotes inclusiveness and strives to build bonds between all students, with a focus on the special needs community. “We have such an incredible group

of people who truly want to be in Hope Club and genuinely care about integrating our Special Education class into our school community. Everyone is so caring and dedicated,” said junior Chloe Collins. The club puts on events every third Wednesday of the month, such as a game/movie night and a scavenger hunt, which include both the members and the special needs students

at Freedom. Although, no event is looked forward to more than the Hope Dance. The Hope Dance brings together the special needs students and Hope members from all Loudoun County High Schools for a Valentine’s day themed dance that takes place in February. Students dress up, traditionally in Valentine’s day colors like pink, red and white, and dance to music in the school gym.

Photo by Suzanne Burch

Members of the Hope Club after an event. Pictured (L-R) Eisabel Zamora, Caitlin Aldorisio, Nicholas Nguyen, Maddie Mosely, Maddie Thompson, Tristan Hale, Kanav Sudi, Michael Baker III, Michael Gioe, Luigi Aguirre, Diana Vo, Grace Hattery, Sanjay Raghavan, Allison Burch, Suha Siraj, Sahana Anand, Isabella Lombardi, TK Nguyen, Lyndsay Lemmerman, Ellie Blodgett, Tasmine Nguyen, Ella Freed, Lauren Keffer, Sara Robertson, Coroline Thompson, Hannah Lutz, Ava Olguin.

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“Seeing students from other schools, I really feel like [the special needs students] let their guard down and I just see true happiness and a sense of belonging,” said Patrica Lodi, a Hope club sponsor and teacher at Freedom. All students need to feel like they have a community, a place to belong, and Hope club helps create that space for students who need it most. “I think the most important thing is that for a lot of our buddies, they just want to feel like everyone else, and have these opportunities where they’re doing [the same things] as their peers. I think that’s really important for them because they do like all the same things; they like the Tik Toks, the games, and they like to be silly and make jokes with their friends, and talk about sports and all, so when those opportunities happen I think that just makes them feel part of the school community,” said another Freedom Hope club sponsor and teacher Suzanne Burch. Many of the special needs students cannot participate in many of the clubs that Freedom provides. Through Hope Club the students can have a club of their own, one where they can have fun and participate in. “I think that they really like interacting with other people, so having something that’s just for them is very exciting,” said Lodi. Many students involved in Hope Club also find joy and meaning through the program, as it has enabled them to make new friends and learn valuable life skills. “I’ve learned to be a lot more patient with people, not just the special needs community, but everyone,” said senior Maddie Mosely, president of Hope club. “I think if anyone’s interested in spreading kindness and just helping other people that are different from you, I definitely recommend joining the club.

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THE FUTURE OF FIREFIGHTING [Story and Photos by Michael Baker III]

onroe Advanced Technical Academy (MATA), located within Academies of Loudoun, provides students with the opportunity to explore and learn skills that will prepare them for a career outside of high school. MATA offers a variety of hands-on learning and field work. One course focuses on firefighter training and teaches the Virginia Department of Fire Programs curriculum. Three Freedom High School juniors have been attending MATA and volunteering at Sterling Volunteer Fire Company. “I would 100% recommend this course for anyone that is interested in

Above: Eli Edelman, FHS junior, puts on all gear to succesfully complete a two minute drill. Right: Junior Eric Wilfong, FHS junior, carries out ladder during training exercises.

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a career in the fire service being a possibility,” said Eli Edelman. “This course allows you to learn everything that is required for you to know to become a released member of any fire company and gives you a great foundation for you to work off of in terms of a fire career.” The program is broken into two semester courses Firefighter I and Firefighter II. During the first semester, students learn the proper use of personal protective equipment, techniques and equipment for fighting fires, fire behavior and use of ladders, hoses and nozzles. “My favorite part about fire school

is being able to do something fun and cool with kids my age,” Eric Wilfong said. “My favorite part of being at the station is just learning the stories from all of the guys and all their experience and gaining knowledge from it. I think it’s fun.” Alden Olguin, Wilfong and Edelman attend MATA classes on B-days and FHS on A-days. They are also required to volunteer at a fire station. While volunteering, students become familiar with procedures and equipment used by fire departments, and they are under the direct supervision of an officer and experienced firefighter. “I go to [MATA] every other day

and learn as much as I can about the fire service,” Edelman said. “If I have any lingering questions or I want to further my knowledge on tools, I can ask any of the experienced firefighters on my crew and/or watch them utilize the tool on a specific call and break down the purpose and applications of the tool afterwards.” The second semester builds on knowledge and skills allowing the students to respond to simulated hazardous-material incidents, conduct rescue operations, and react to complicated situations such as accidents or natural disasters. The course is challenging, and it meets the standards of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). “So far from my personal experiences, fire school in MATA is an amazing opportunity,” Alden Olguin said. “It has so much to offer and it puts you one step closer to being a fully released volunteer firefighter in Loudoun County.” The training and experiences students receive at MATA give them an advantage if they decide to pursue a career as a firefighter after high school. “After high school I intend to continue to volunteer and be a part of SVFC and possibly even try to pursue a career in the fire service in the NOVA area or even the military,” Olguin said. “I plan on the fire service being my career and my current long term goal is to become a firefighter/paramedic and a member of an Urban Search and Rescue team in one of the neighboring counties,” Edelman said. “I became a volunteer firefighter so that I could get the certificates that are required to do so before I join the force.” Attending the fire school at MATA isn’t the only way for a person to volunteer. Anyone interested can volunteer at a local fire station. For the Sterling location, go to http://sterlingfire.org/ for more information. “If you have the opportunity to be a part of any sort of volunteer fire or rescue company, I would 100% recommend that you take up that opportunity because you won’t regret it,” Olguin said. “You end up learning so many skills that could help you even outside of the fire service, and it’s like having a second family.”

Above: FHS junior Eric Wilfong responds to a call. Below: FHS junior Eli Edelman completes a routine equipment check.

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2 YEARS

[Story by Rebecca Cherian]

s the world approached the two year mark since the infamous COVID shutdown, Freedom students reflect on how far they’ve come. From months spent learning at home, to a steady transition back into the building, the past two years have been a roller coaster of change. “It has been a crazy two years. I think about all the things we used to do before COVID and how we haven’t gotten a chance to do some of that since. Personally, my family has grown closer these past couple years. Now, I think that things are slowly becoming the ‘new normal’ and we will get to do more things that have been limited over the past two years,” said senior Annabelle Perry. Though, even with all that’s happened, many students will never forget the day schools closed. “I remember the night before [the shutdown] I had a soccer game and a track banquet, so it was a really fun night, but then the next day I was so shocked and confused because even my parents didn’t really know what

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Two years from now, I think we all will still not be able to completely readjust to our normal living practices as before since we’ve spent so much time in these past two years adjusting to COVID-19 and its variants. Many of us struggled with adapting to our “new” lives during the pandemic and returning back to school this year. Although, COVID-19 has certainly allowed us to improve self-care, which we now use more everyday in our daily lives. It also helped us view the world in a multitude of ways, and became a sense of unification.

- Preet Othee FHS Junior

was going on,” said junior Finley Gray. Thankfully, with the pick up of sports, clubs, and school activities, students have started regaining a sense of normalcy and belonging. The underclassmen have also started to find their place in the school community. “The first semester has gone really well for me. I’ve been doing well in school and I’ve been getting involved in Freedom’s theater program in both Photo by Michael Baker III

The junior class cheers on their team for the first pep rally.

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musical and technical aspects,” said freshman Ash Barger Cornelison. As students continue adjusting to an ever-changing environment, they only hope to continue moving forward and making progress in this fight against COVID. “I hope we’ll be through it all soon and I look forward to getting back on track with a normal high school experience,” said sophomore Wyatt Philips.

LATER “

I would say that quarantine allowed me to grow a lot on my own and I will say it was a big adjustment coming back to school in-person because I hadn’t been around that many people all at once since March 2020. Though I would say the time spent in isolation helped me further appreciate everyone I’ve reconnected with, continued to talk to, and even just met. Photo by Michael Baker III

Isaac George celebrates senior night with his family.

- Devon Caulk FHS Senior

Photo by Michael Baker III

Above: Freedom dance team performs at first pep rally.

Photo by Courtney Davis

Left: Sophomores race against other classes to wrap a volunteer in toliet paper.

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[Story by Hazel Nguyen]

Fa st

e d e s N to G n o i h o: s a F

&M, Forever 21, and many other stores are part of the rapidly-growing trend: Fast Fashion. Fast Fashion is the new Fast Food: The production rate of clothing (or food) is fast, but it is not the best choice to make. If Fast Fashion is so harmful, why do people buy it? “I choose to shop [at fast fashion brands] because they’re relatively cheap. Also, I can get more stuff, since you can’t do that at expensive stores. [At expensive stores], I probably get one or two items of clothing, whereas [at fast fashion stores] I can get five or six items at around the same price,” said Tanvi Talusani, a freshman at Freedom. Fast Fashion products are often listed at a reasonable price, which entices many of their consumers to shop at these places. Although the price might be friendly, these products are unfriendly to the workers and the environment. The demand for more workers to produce low-priced products has put a strain on the fair treatment and safety of workers. Also, Fast Fashion produces clothes at a very fast rate, and they focus on producing mass quantities rather than prioritizing the quality of their products. As a result, the products that remain unbought are eventually thrown away. “What I don’t understand is, are all the girls going to wear crop tops for the rest of their lives? I mean, being considerate of which products you purchase helps with the making of these clothes, because those crop tops are only five bucks [to] seven bucks, but then they make millions of those because that’s what’s selling,” said Hyun Yim, an AP Biology teacher at Freedom. Frequently-bought clothing items

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Photo by Michael Baker III

are considered trendy, such as crop tops, so workers spend months, even years, to keep up with the demand of trendy clothes; then, a customer can simply buy their hard work for as little as a dollar, while the rest of their hard work ends up in the trash. If consumers continue to buy such products, this cycle of turmoil will only continue. Speaking of cycles, there are other alternatives to fast fashion: one can recycle, upcycle, and even thrift! To those who are not familiar with upcycling, clothes do not have to be clothes; its materials can be used to make other items, such as blankets, bags, and other useful items. There is also the option of thrifting clothes, which reuses previously-owned clothes and helps clothes from being thrown away! “I personally don’t think it’s as bad because it seems like a bunch of

people use them and find themselves wearing them every day. So, at least it’s being put to good use,” said Ngan Huynh, a sophomore with a passion for fashion. Nevertheless, nothing is ever truly bad, and there are some great products from Fast Fashion brands. If one really loves a product of Fast Fashion, it is okay to buy it. However, Fast Fashion’s sudden rise in popularity remains an alarming concern, and this issue should not be neglected. Fast Fashion needs to slow down, but rather than completely avoiding these products, just remember: Buy smarter not harder. If people choose to shop more wisely and reasonably, it can lower the demand for such harmful products; thus, the hard workers of Fast Fashion and the environment will greatly benefit from these changes!

Fitness Testing Impacts Students’ Self-Esteem E

[Story by Olivia Johnson]

very year, during students Health and P.E. classes, physical fitness tests are conducted in order to assess and monitor students’ fitness levels and scores. These fitness tests are designed to benefit students and their physical needs. However, they also have a major negative impact on students and can cause them to feel insecure if they do not meet the required standards of fitness. There are multiple tests given such as the “pacer test”, which helps evaluate students’ cardiorespiratory endurance levels. Fitness testing is typically conducted in front of the whole class, meaning that students have to participate in these in front of their whole class. The big question that has been spiraling for many years now is whether or not students are negatively impacted while they are being assessed. “The purpose of fitness testing is for students to monitor their fitness over a long period of time, [but we also] try to use them to help teach students how to set goals for themselves,” said 10th grade P.E. teacher, Michele Gibbons. “[We] also teach them the process of creating plans,

and if they have a [plan], how they can achieve [it] because that’s also a part of our health curriculum.” Although fitness is a way to assess and monitor students’ physical health, there are other reasons as to why these tests are conducted. “Fitness testing is a mandated thing [that] comes from the state and the federal government. They all have different grants in place and then we complete these tests in the schools as [a way] to get the grant money,” said Gibbons. She believes that fitness testing is a positive thing and is extremely beneficial for students so that they are able to start practicing now how to maintain and continue a healthy lifestyle. Unlike Gibbons, students at FHS believe that fitness testing is indeed an improper way to help students with their physical health. “[Fitness tests are not important] because a test does not accurately depict how active or physical a person may be and some people might be more athletic for their age, or they may be less active but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t physically active at all,” said sophomore Myra Sheikh. Not only do students think physical tests do not properly measure the true ability of what a student can do

physically, but some also think that the scores are irrelevant and have no purpose in being tracked. “I have never even used my scores to benefit me because most of the time I can’t even remember what they were,” said sophomore Angelina Qreitem. “I also feel like it’s unnecessary for the P.E. teachers to score us because I don’t really think that they use it to help us improve.” But what if there was an easy fix to this problem and to making these assessments more appropriate and favorable? According to Gibbons, in previous years, the P.E. department decided to split up during fitness testing so that not every single student would be testing at the same time. FHS students also agree that dividing the class into groups is less self-degrading and a more reasonable approach to fitness evaluations since they are enforced and have to be done. “Maybe groups consisting of 4-5 or 3-4 people just so that people don’t feel pressured and so that they can feel comfortable with the people around them,” Sheikh said. [These groups can be made] with your friends so that no one feels insecure and so that everyone feels like they’re doing it together safely so that there is no judgement.”

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Photos by Michael Baker III

Senior Donovan Schroeder measures vegetable broth in Gourmet Foods, a CTE elective at FHS.

Electives Pave The Way

[Story by Julia Buktaw]

reedom has many electives to choose from: Business/Marketing, Project Management, Cybersecurity, Early Childhood, Culinary Arts, Teacher Cadet, Journalism, and more, with these options, students can get help with finding a job in the future. These electives are also extremely important because they teach students life skills that are needed in the real world. These classes offer many options and opportunities that appeal to students, whereas in core classes, students usually do not have the same interest. Students get to pick which classes they want to take as an elective which is a great way to choose something they are passionate about or interested in. “[In intro to business and marketing…] we essentially overview all the different types of business courses and you may find that that extracts your passion for business, and maybe that’s something you want to go on and do

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Julia Buktaw, Hazel Nguyen and Jackie Buktaw use InDesign to create pages for the “Uncaged” magazine. when you’re in college” said Patricia Hawes, a CTE teacher at Freedom. Business and Marketing teaches

how to make a resume and how to manage a workplace. Intro to Culinary Arts teaches students how to be safe

when cooking and learn sanitation regulations in the workplace and at home. Most CTE classes will teach workplace readiness to help prepare students for the future. These kinds of CTE classes can also help students prepare or help them find their passion and pursue their dream job. “I learned some helpful things in my Intro to Business and Marketing class last year like how to write a resume, how to write a follow-up email, and how to prepare for an interview,” said Guinevere Vu, a sophomore at Freedom. Electives can also help students find a hobby or use it as a class to destress from all the work in other classes. There are also art classes like Photography, Sculpture, Ceramics, Graphic Design, and Art 1, 2 ,3, and 4. Students who want to pursue their career in the artistic field have those options to choose from. “I think it’s never a bad idea to explore different avenues because you may find a passion for something that you never really knew,” said Hawes. Even with someone who still does not know what kind of career to pursue yet, they can explore all kinds of

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I think it’s never a bad idea to explore different avenues because you may find a passion for something that you never really knew. - Patricia Hawes FHS CTE Teacher

possibilities by taking different varieties of electives throughout highschool. Freedom has a few options, but many think they should have more variety to their classes to expose the students to more opportunities at a younger age. “We’ve probably touched on a tiny amount of the classes that CTE can do,” Hawes said.

Freshmen Will Bivin learns how to use power tools in Materials and Processing class.

Aside from CTE classes, Freedom has many clubs and extracurricular activities to choose from. Some examples of clubs are the Mock Trial, Programming Club, FBLA, DECA, Educators Rising, and many more. These kinds of clubs can help students set an idea for their future and gain experience. “There are a ton of clubs that students can join to grow in their area of expertise” said Maadhavan Iyer, a Freshman at Freedom. Outside of Freedom they also have the Academies of Loudoun, in which they have the MATA program, AOS, and AET. In MATA, there are many classes to choose from including Administration of Justice, Biotechnology, Veterinary Science, and more. These classes go into certain fields for students who have a more solid idea on their career choice. In some of the classes like Pharmacy, students can get a job as a technician from the class, which provides them a job by the end of their senior year. “One of the schools apart from the Academies of Loudoun, MATA, has a bunch of programs related to desired career paths that students can apply to.” Vu said.

Juniors Smrithi Ramesh and Diana Vo sell school spirit wear at the Perch as part of their Advanced Marketing class.

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Theater, Tunes, & Touchdowns [Story by Cecelia Harmon]

s teenagers in high school, there is a lot that the average students have to balance, and at Freedom High School, these teens have got it together. At Freedom there is such a multitude of electives to choose from that allows each student to express themselves and take part in fun activities. Whether it’s sports, art or the musical arts, students love to participate. But how do students balance their school work and extracurricular activities? Emma Kim, a sophomore at Free-

dom High School, takes part in the school’s band, playing percussion. She has been in the marching band for two years and done percussion since sixth grade. She explained that keeping a balanced schedule is somewhat easy. She keeps focused by blocking out certain times that are more important and spacing the activities apart. “I try to stay focused on the things that are more important than other activities,” Kim said. “I’ll block out an hour or so for homework or studying and any other work I might have to do. I tried to use my instrument as a de-stressor from all the work.” Freedom’s biggest extracurricular

activity is sports. Most students who play sports say that they tend to feel focused, and can pay more attention to their academics. Kendall George, a sophomore, is on the junior varsity volleyball team. She explains further that volleyball is an escape from all the stress of school, and allows her to have fun with her friends. George usually has a busy schedule and on days when she knows she has a lot on her plate, she restricts any time spent on her phone, or staying up late. Doing things that make her happy and less stressed, like volleyball, helps her not to feel the burnout most students do. “I’ve gotten better at writing things

Photo by Ella Walters

Freedom theater students rehearse for fall play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

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Freedom Marching Band performs during Senior Night. in my agenda and finishing as much work as I can in school before practice. Also paying attention in class helps so I don’t have to relearn everything when I go home,” George adds. Jane Hansen, a sophomore, is in Art 2 and is the only art class she takes. Like other students their activities are a way to express themselves or feel better, and the same goes with Hansen. She explains that while art is her escape from reality, it is still hard to keep a balance, or have any balance at all. Hansen adds that her schedule is always changing and the only times she has to do art is when she’s bored or has inspiration. “I’ve always enjoyed writing and when I took the class I really enjoyed it. It helped me learn new techniques. Since class I just stuck to it and continued to enjoy it,” said Hansen. As students at Freedom enter their most preformative years into highschool, the most important thing is time management and remaining focused yet calm. The way they organize their lives can shape the rest of their lives, in their future career or path, and the students at Freedom are ready.

Photo by Michael Baker III

Varsity quarterback and junior Kevin Barton warms up for a football game.

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S C H O O L SCHOOL

How How Much Much [Story by Hope Nguyen]

Photo provided by Ryleigh Leonard

Senior class officers Cal Wyman, Jillian Morse, Sami Fuleihan, Ryleigh Leonard and Sumu Vadrevu celebrate winning the spirit stick.

Photo by Michael Baker III

The student section shows school spirit as they cheer at the Freedom vs Valley game.

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student’s school life is different for many people. It can depend on many things. Most common factors would be depending on their age, gender, social circle, grade level, clubs, sports and various other elements. Outside factors can also affect how students view school, such as pressure from themselves or others to get good grades, their family, their friends or whomever they interact with. Clubs in particular affect a student’s school life, because it is one of the only times he/ she can hangout with each other freely aside from time in class and at lunch. On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed how students experience school life, what with all the masks, restrictions and the two years of online learning that strictly prohibited any sort of school get-togethers or special events. Depending on all of these components, many people have vastly different amounts of school spirit. The 2021-2022 year particularly is an interesting one because of all the grades joining together after not meeting in person for a whole two years. This could either bring out a bunch of school spirit to make up for the years they were lacking in the students, or it could completely shut them out. “It gives me an excuse to wear different clothing I usually wouldn’t wear or do different things,” said Carmen Cruz, an FHS sophomore. “It can definitely boost up morale and make people want to learn more.” Most people would describe school spirit as connecting, identifying

SSPPI IRRI ITT Is Is Too Too Much? Much? and being in community with members of your school or where you go to learn, whether it be by celebrating academic achievements together, such as your school’s team winning a sports game, or just being proud or enthusiastic about what school you attend. “To me, school spirit means participating in school activities and taking pride in the school you attend,” said Veronica Farowez, an FHS freshman. “I think school spirit is something a student should have, but I understand that it’s hard for some [people] sometimes.” Some students may find it hard to take pride in their school if they don’t personally feel united in the things it stands for, but situations such as

that can also bring voices together to make the learning environment a better place. The most recent example of unified school spirit at FHS would be the walkout that happened in November. “I don’t think you need to overdo it, but being involved in some way[s] is the best,” said Ryan Vu, an FHS senior. “I feel like school spirit-wise, most schools can handle it well by letting students opt in or out of school activities.” Freedom will hopefully continue its journey on becoming the best high school it can be, and raising forth unity between it’s students and school administrators to partake in eagle pride.

Photo by Michael Baker III

Juniors Callie Nielson and Briana Maggio create signs to show school spirit at the Freedom vs Colgan game.

Photo by Michael Baker III

Freedom students decked out in tropical clothes for the Colgan game.

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How Beneficial are Retakes? [Story by Brianna Campos] Taking reassessments at Freedom High School is one thing, but actually understanding the possible benefits of these reassessments is another. The retake policy states that students who score below an 80% on any major summative are eligible for retakes as long as they have completed all formatives and retest within ten school days. This reinstates the question, is taking reassessments with this policy beneficial? “I think it depends on the student. And it depends on the situation. I think teachers are hoping that students are prepared the first time they take an assessment, right, that they’ve done all the formatives, you know, assessments and formative work, in order to be prepared for that summative. So then, when they’re offering that a student can retake it, it really is only for the student who’s really done really

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poorly, right?” Said Cristi Golderg, A school counselor at FHS. With this reassessment policy, students have a safety net in case they aren’t well prepared the first time. “I think it’s helpful towards grades because let’s say you get a bad grade on a test that makes you do a retake and you get an 80%, you can get a good grade and it’s really helpful then,” said Preetal Kiran, a freshman at FHS. Reassessments can help students improve grades in classes that they were originally very worried about. This prevents students from getting too stressed about any given test and its impact on their final grade. “I think it’s really helpful. It helps me, and so other students can relearn the material and use it in the future,” said Eric Jones, a sophomore at FHS. However, some teachers have a different view. They don’t necessarily consider retakes to be helpful, but in

fact an additional source of stress. “I’m against retakes. I think telling students who get lower than an 80% that they should retake something sends the message that they’re a failure. Ever since the retake policy has been implemented, I've seen student anxiety creep up and I think the constant scrambling to do retakes while we push on with the curriculum is part of the reason why,” said Susan Nigro, an English teacher here at Freedom. It can be difficult for a student to focus on one assessment especially if that student has multiple assessments in one week including reassessments. It can also be quite difficult for a student to schedule a reassessment with a teacher especially near the end of a quarter, when teachers have a very busy schedule. Although, at the end of the day, reassessments are beneficial as they can help students learn the material better and prepare them for future assessments.

Uncaged

COVID MEETS STUDENT ATHLETES [Story by Addy Welz]

Photo by Michael Baker III

Junior Sierra Pratzner attacking Gainesville’s defense.

Photo by Julia Burktaw

Photo by Courtney Davis

Senior Matt Carter running at meet.

Sports

Freedom JV boys basketball team takes on Potomac Falls Panthers.

OVID-19 has affected the freedom athletics department in many different ways, but one of the major effects that COVID-19 left was how it affected the number of student athletes. One of the major things that has helped prevent the spread of COVID-19 is the use of masks. But when exercising and participating in sports masks can be very distracting and uncomfortable to players and coaches. “Athletes being around each other without masks stresses me out a little bit. I am not so worried about what would happen if I got it, I am more worried that I am going to pass it on to a family member or friend,” said Madison Tavares, a senior here at Freedom who is on the dance team. Every person who participates within the sports programs here at Freedom has a different view on COVID-19. Some people are very lenient with how they treat COVID-19 while others are not. Some other people that are involved here at Freedom have to think about their families and the people around them safety before committing to participate in sports here at Freedom. “There were probably about, off the top of my head, five to ten kids that we had before COVID-19 that decided not to play whatever reason it might be whether it was their own beliefs or their parents or maybe they just didn’t decide to play,” said Nick Schwarz, a varsity and JV football coach here at Freedom. The Loudoun county rules about COVID-19 have also been periodically changing during the pandemic. These were put into place to ensure the

Freedom Football defense getting ready to attack Battlefield’s offense. safety of all of student athletes within Loudoun county. “I see how we can see it in other programs such as college programs and professional programs and we as a society want to do everything that we can to prevent that spread. So either getting vaccinated or making sure that you’re not testing positive is the way that we have to and so I do think it is important,” Schwarz said. There were also rules within Loudoun county stating that students do not need to have their masks on while exercising for PE, but athletes have to be vaccinated or tested every week to participate. However, currently the mask mandate has been lifted for everyone. “I do not feel that it should be crucial to play the sport especially because some sports are outside, but I do understand why they did it,” said Caitlin Wagner, a sophomore here at Freedom who is a part of the JV softball team. COVID-19 has also made the sports programs change the way that they were run, while being in quarantine. “We had to find ways to adapt and change how we’re doing so we had like a whole technology based workout system that kids could do at home but definitely wasn’t the same

Photo by Michael Baker III

Photo by Julia Burktaw

Sophomore Noah Kim about to pass the ball. as having everybody in the weight room and training that way so I do think especially for a sport like football COVID had a big influence on offseason training and getting ready for the next season,” Schwartz said. Many different sports teams here

at freedom struggled to stay together, but they found different ways to stay together as friends.

Sports

Getting Into The Game LCPS discusses adding sports programs to middle schools [Story by Anya Smith]

he main concern for this to happen is who is going to coach it? What’s the cost going to be? What would the transportation cost? Recently, LCPS has been talking about making sports available for middle schoolers, specifically 8th graders. All the graders that are of age before the sports season comes and want to participate in the upcoming sports season can try out. This doesn’t mean that they’re going to get an automatic spot on the JV team. Bringing this opportunity to the 8th graders could bring its ups and downs. Letting those that are skilled enough play JV sports would be a great experience for most. The opportunities to grow as a player, college scouts, and so much more. “I think it may give opportunities to people to try sports or try different sports that may have a hard time going to practices that are they need transportation for or they need to, to

Sports

pay a lot of membership fees for so I think the community impact could be a positive one,” said Brian Szabos, Cross Country coach. Although there are two sides to the coin of letting them play, getting better and improving on the skills, or them getting benched and not improving at all, there’s a choice to be made that’s bigger than just eighth graders playing sports. To some people, these sports will dramatically help students with school work and overall physical health. This idea becoming a reality would be a great feeder program for Freedom specifically. “This would be good for the 8th graders playing up against and playing with people that are better than them,” said Christine Koeneke, girls lacrosse coach. Getting students adjusted to how JV sports work and preparing them for the sports school balance along with getting them ready to potentially play Varsity. This could improve our sports teams by a lot, assuming that everything goes right and they get to improve and play with our teams.

“So I think it could help Loudoun teams to be more competitive possibly. I think also, the net benefit to the community also would come from possibly getting more kids to be active.” Brian Szabos, Cross Country coach. Extending sports past more popular sports like football and basketball would expand interest and bring attention to sports like golf or field hockey. This could also fill in where there are needed people. And could potentially be a cheaper option for students to get their feet wet. The major downside to letting this happen is that there’s already a major shortage of coaches in Loudoun County. Who would help coach these 8th graders? Along with the shortages of bus drivers in the country. There would be no way to ensure that all the eighth graders have practices where everyone would need to be there. These and many other reasons are why it’s been benched multiple times by the school board, there are so many things to think about so this program wouldn’t fall through.

The Insanity of the Internet [Opinion by Tyler Byrd]

n the year 2021, interconnectivity reigns supreme. Never before has all so much data been accumulated in such an easily accessible place. The Internet has become more than just a tool, it has become a way of life, it is the wild west of the modern world. No one owns the internet, no one can fully regulate the internet, and no one can control radical new trends that may come next. The nature of the Internet is organized insanity, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. The trends that have been seen by humanity on the internet have always been wacky, weird, and at times, even dangerous, though these trends always appear due to human nature. Everyone wants to populer, and the trends help to make that so. A trend can be anything, from the Ice Bucket Challenge and planking, to guys in suits and afros closing a pool, and who can forget the actual felonies of the most devious of licks. Trends can appear from Twitter and Tiktok, to Reddit and the chaotic boards of 4chan. One thing stays consistent though, they are all based

in pure insanity. Social media tends to work on a very simple principle, you post something that people would like, and they will tend to like, comment, and follow. The more people like it, the more followers it will get. Taking this simple principle now, trends were a natural evolution, why would someone not follow along with what could get them more clout after all? So, the internet trends were born, and just as quickly as they were born, did they become insane. I personally never want to click on a simple video of someone living their life, I want to see something unusual. Drop a molten hot ball of metal into styrofoam, show me cats causing a timeout in a NFL game because they ran on the field. Jump out of a plane and pull a parachute over a huge event and land in the middle of the action. Now, obviously most of us cannot do these expensive stunts for internet clicks, so those seeking fame have to settle for something a bit more unconventional, and that leads to dangerous trends. Some of the most dangerous trends I have seen have occured in

more recent years, with acts such as running across unstable milk crates becoming a fun activity despite multiple counts of individuals getting injured. Additionally the before mentioned Devious Licks have also been cause for concern among people. With vandalism being filmed, shared, and liked, the situation became so chaotic that bathrooms across the country were closed because of this crime rooted trend. Even Freedom High School males had to deal with the cruel fate of only being allowed to use one bathroom. How could we forget the tide pod challenges, where teens would consume laundry detergent for fun. This resulted in people actually being hospitalized. Despite all of these negatives, I have observed that trends can bring people together on the internet, inspire a shared community, and allow for people from all walks of life to get along. The internet has always been a wonderful yet wacky place, and though it has clearly been observed that the times are changing, the internet is evolving, I think the internet trends will forever continue to be wacky.

Opinion