The Arrow December 2021

the

Arrow 100 Lakeview Canyon Rd. Westlake Village, CA 91362 Volume XLIV | Issue 3 | December 15, 2021

Effects of climate change

Administer finals before break

Find Taylor Swift’s scarves

Page 5

Page 10

Hidden in this issue

2

EDITORIAL

3

Plight of WHS parking crisis

Science building

WHS students have suffered from the student lot parking crisis for years, but now, the fearsome rush hours and near–accidents will finally be addressed. by angela ling & soumya monga the editor team

Shipping crisis

6–7

Sleigh this winter break

Forum: schedule change

11

4

9

Athlete vaccinations

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Cover design by Angela Ling & Soumya Monga

www.westlakearrow.net westlakearrow@gmail.com @westlakearrow @whsarrow 100 N. Lakeview Canyon Road Westlake Village, CA 91362 (805) 497–6711 ext. 4225 The Arrow is written, designed and run by the students of the Advanced Journalism and Journalism 1CP classes at Westlake High School. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the Conejo Valley Unified School District, Westlake High School administration, faculty or student body. We welcome feedback. Letters must be signed by the writer.

ARTWORK COURTESY OF PUBLIC DOMAIN

Arrow holiday staff picks

It’s no surprise that the student parking lot is a source of frustration for many students. The first problem that may come to mind is traffic; however, the WHS parking lot crisis entails so much more.

During the morning and afternoon rush hour, the road is congested, which is made worse when cars stop in the middle of the steep, curving downhill to drop off students. Not just a cause for annoyance, these sudden stops can be quite dangerous as the cars following have little to no notice, increasing the possibility of a crash.

Unlike on Lakeview Canyon Rd., the student lot does not have a designated drop–off lane where cars can be expected to start and stop frequently. This can cause student drivers to swerve which creates even more of a hazard for other drivers, pedestrians and parked cars.

Now, it is no secret that Lakeview’s traffic is bad, so it is understandable that many students choose the student lot to be dropped off at. However, these dangerous maneuvers student drivers perform in order to avoid stopped cars have much worse consequences than sitting in traffic on Lakeview.

Part of the safety hazard is the limited space, but the issue is also the parking etiquette, or should we say, the lack of it.

Students should be mindful of parking lot safety and etiquette during high–traffic times. According to CBS, 20% of car accidents occur in parking lots or garages.

Perhaps the most important safety tip for students to avoid dangerous collisions is to always be aware of the surrounding area when backing out of a parking spot. Reversing slowly and carefully watching the rear– view mirror for other cars or walking students is of the utmost importance, especially at the beginning of lunch or after sixth period when the lot is full of people.

According to nsc.org, other parking lot safety tips include signaling before pulling into a parking spot, minimizing distractions when reversing and driving at an appropriate speed of no more than 15 miles per hour, the posted speed limit.

Students should also be considerate when allowing others to back out. If they notice a car trying to reverse, they should slowly come to a stop so that the other car can join the exit line. Although you may be in a rush to

leave, keep in mind that many others are in the same position.

Parking lot etiquette also applies to pedestrians.

Students being dropped off need to be efficient in order to maintain a steady flow of traffic.

The less time a car is stopped in the middle of the road, the less likely it will force other drivers to swerve around it.

This brings us to the most important point: the solution. WHS can solve its parking crisis with more supervision.

It’s imperative that more parking attendants or staff members be present during rush hours to facilitate traffic flow and maintain safety. One of the biggest problems for student drivers is the disorder in the lot.

Some may say that adding more parking spaces will help reduce the chaos during rush hours, but this solution simply isn’t realistic.

For example, during the 40–minute or shorter lunch break, there’s a large line of cars, leaving no room to reverse for those who got to the student lot a bit later. After somehow managing to escape the traffic, there’s just not enough time to enjoy off–campus lunch privileges that upperclassmen earned. This is not due to the lack of parking spots but rather the consequence of not having a controlled environment.

The best way to combat this problem is to have adults present to help students leave the parking lot in an orderly fashion. This way, instead of having to navigate the rush hour by themselves, students can feel relieved knowing there’s someone there who is able to help.

Another option is to prohibit drop–off at the student parking lot or create a designated area to do so for a safer driving environment. Though this only targets one aspect of the WHS parking crisis, it’s still a solution worth considering.

So the next time you find yourself in the peak of rush hour at the student lot, blasting “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault),” keep in mind the various ways you can make yours and others’ parking experience a little bit safer.

theArrow Staff editors–in–chief

arts & entertainment editors angela ling & soumya monga

co–web editors–in–chief

shane douglas, tommy kackert & andy lynch

opinion section editor

makenna norman & vivian stein

alyssa rice

opinion editors

business manager

alyssa joo & ella marcum

allison tieu

sports editor

news section editor

julie rendon

allan tieu

news editor

graphics editor grace hefner

feature section editor

alyssa rice

photo editor makenna norman

alyssa joo

social media editors

feature editor

andy lynch, ella marcum & julie rendon

allison tieu

arts & entertainment section editor

adviser vivian stein

karie lynch

3

NEWS

School day to start later in 2022 by allan tieu news section editor WHS must implement a new bell schedule starting in the 2022–23­school year due to the passing of Senate Bill 328, with the earliest starting time being 8:30 a.m.

In October 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB–328, prohibiting most middle schools from starting earlier than 8 a.m. and most high schools from starting earlier than 8:30 a.m. The bill goes into full effect on July 1, 2022.

The implementation of this new law was heavily driven by the lack of sleep among students and the effects it may have on adolescents’ development. A later start time allows students to get more sleep each night.

“The science behind it is clear,” said Kirsta Andrew–Fischer, AP and Honors Biology and Honors Biomimicry teacher. “[Students] aren’t supposed to be awake this early. They should be getting eight to 10 hours of sleep, and I know a lot of people aren’t getting that.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sleep is important for students to maintain their overall physical and mental health. It is necessary to help students stay focused and concentrated in class.

“People are more awake at 8:30 [a.m.],” said Fischer. “During first period, it seems like most of the class is only half awake. I think it would improve scores overall and how much people are able to articulate. Science says sleep is important for memory and learning, along with a lot of other things.”

However, this later start time has brought up multiple challenges concerning transportation, sports and other afterschool activities.

Senate Bill 328 fast facts School districts must change middle school and high school start times by July 1, 2022; rural school districts are exempt.

Middle schools cannot begin earlier than 8 a.m., and high schools cannot begin earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Schools can still offer classes or activities to a limited number of students before the start of the school day as long as it does not affect the calculation of state funding for the average daily attendence.

Source: leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

With a later start, morning traffic will increase. Currently, the entire student body is split between starting first period and second period. Because of the new start time, the majority of students will arrive at the same time, increasing congestion in the student parking lot and in front of the school.

Sports schedules are also being adjusted so that games and practices do not interfere with class.

Sports that take place in the gym and in the stadium have more scheduling flexibility.

However, some sports, like baseball and softball, have little flexibility due to the lack of lighting on the fields as it gets darker in the day.

“We have a committee,” said WHS principal Jason Branham. “[We have] teacher representatives from every department, representatives from maintenance [and] every view of the school to say what’s the best schedule that we can do. We’re really looking into it. There are plenty of nuts and bolts that go into it.”

GRAPHIC BY ALLISON TIEU

Another challenge is trying to create a schedule that still allows juniors and seniors to leave at lunch. Traditionally, upperclassmen have off–campus lunch privileges, but the later start time will make that difficult.

“One of the things that we have realized is that our seniors like to start early, get out by lunch and be done so that they can go to their jobs or go to other things they have going on in their lives,” said Branham. “We don’t want lunch to take place at 1:30 [p.m.], but we also realize that we want to get enough periods in before lunch so that our seniors can still be done.”

Branham plans on hosting webinars for parents and student lunch meetings to keep everyone updated and informed on the new schedule as well as receive feedback and potential ideas.

“I think having students sleep in and start later is a great thing,” said Branham. “It is a state law, so we have to follow it to the best of our abilities while still figuring everything out.”

In brief Dance winter showcase The WHS Dance Winter Showcase will be on Thursday, Dec. 16 and Friday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Carpenter Family Theater.

Tickets can be purchased online through GoFan or in the theater.

The show consists of a variety of student– choreographed routines and holiday–themed dances that will be performed by the WHS dance team.

Finals week Finals will take place the second week after winter break from Tuesday, Jan. 11 through Thursday, Jan. 13.

Periods 1, 2 and 7 will be on Tuesday starting at 7:25 a.m. Periods 3 and 5 will be on Wednesday, and periods 4 and 6 will be on Thursday, with both days beginning at 8:22 a.m.

Wildlife crossing Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation, is expected to begin construction on an $87 million wildlife crossing on the 101 Freeway in Liberty Canyon, Agoura Hills starting early 2022.

This will be the largest wildlife bridge in the world at 200 feet long and 165 feet wide to allow for endangered species, such as mountain lions and other wildlife to safely cross the freeway.

Compiled by Allan Tieu

Students and teachers transition into STEM building by alyssa joo opinion & photo editor

PHOTO BY ELLA MARCUM

On Nov. 8, students filed into the long– awaited science building’s updated classrooms, complete with improved equipment and more space for labs, learning and collaboration. The new STEM building finished construction in the fall, and teachers began to move into the three–story building.

Up until Dec. 10, only three classrooms were occupied on the ground level. Since then, teachers have finally made the official move onto the second and third floors. The process was slow but rewarding for most science teachers who made the migration to the new building.

“It took a lot of time to just pack everything,” said Jennifer Rogstad, Honors Physiology, CP Anatomy and Physiology and AP Environmental Science teacher. “We cleaned out stuff in that building that’s been there since 1978 ... It took a lot of time to get here but we’re very excited to get in the new building.”

In addition to teachers enjoying the upgrade, students are benefitting from the change in environment for their classes at the new building.

“I feel like I’m focusing better, honestly, with how the tables are set up,” said Sierra Weiler ‘22, CP Anatomy and Physiology and AP Environmental Science student. “It’s way more open, so I’m not crammed in a corner like the old building.”

With more space to move around, students can collaborate more often and be more flexible with the type of work they do. Students are offered

a variety of equipment such as sliding whiteboards, ceiling extension cords and movable desks.

“I feel like it’s a lot more interactive and we get to do more stuff together,” said Honors Environmental Field Science student Giselle Negret ‘22. “We get to go outside, [and] I feel like we get to do more labs.”

The upgrade in students’ learning environments improve their education by providing a more open, enriching environment to encourage students in their educational endeavors.

“I feel like everybody wants to learn,” said Negret. “We really like the class, we like the environment and we like the teacher, so there’s more of a want to learn.”

Students are not the only ones who are happier with the new building. Teachers also enjoy their new classrooms and the potential they bring.

“I love my new room,” said Rogstad. “It has a lot more [space] to move around. [It is easier] to get to the sinks during labs and to check in on students to see how they’re doing.”

During the move into the second floor, the elevator did not pass both of its prior inspections which delayed the migration. The American Disabilities Act requires the elevator to be present as an accessible method of moving between floors. “[The teachers] and our students [were] not allowed to be in there, so all of my stuff [was] in the other building while I [was] in this building with none of my stuff,” said Honors Chemistry teacher Lori Cord.

Before Dec. 10, the elevator was not approved despite teachers moving their materials into their designated classes weeks

MOVING IN AND MOVING ON: After weeks of anticipation and hardwork to move into the science building, Jennifer Rogstad’s students settle into the new building in 61B for AP Environmental Science.

before. Teachers like Cord continued to teach their classes in their original classrooms without the majority, if any, of their necessary supplies.

“I’ve had to do four different labs now where I’ve had to go into the sixth building, pack up my labs, and either carry them down myself or have the custodians carry them down for me so that we can actually do the labs,” said Cord. “I don’t have a sticky note to my name in this room … It’s been very frustrating because I don’t have my materials in here.”

After all classes settled into their respective

rooms, a general sense of gratitude is felt by staff and students alike for the new building and for the possibilities it creates for the future of WHS’s science program.

“I’m very thankful, and I feel very humble,” said Rogstad. “The community felt that this was important enough to spend tax money on because it’s really all the people of Conejo Valley who voted to spend tax money towards this. It’s very humbling, and I’m just very thankful to see that they think it’s important to have a building that’s conducive to our science needs.”

4

NEWS

Shipping crisis impacts holidays

by allison tieu feature editor With shopping at its peak, shipping companies and ports are working overtime in order to move shipments, but they continue to suffer from a backlog.

Since 2020, online shopping has become the primary source of shopping due to the COVID–19 pandemic. According to Adobe Analytics, online holiday season revenue exceeded $188.2 billion, and online shopping grew 32.2% from 2019.

“I think [online shopping is] popular because it provides a bigger variety of options, and you can do it from home instead of having to go and drive somewhere,” said Emma Naftzger ‘24.

Consumers have already spent about 20% more this year, even while dealing with the concerns about the supply chain and product inflation, according to Taylor Schreiner, director of Adobe Digital Insights.

In September, many companies encouraged customers to start their holiday shopping before the holiday season began due to fear of store shelves being emptier than usual.

These concerns rose from the lack of trucks and drivers to transport goods from the ports.

“The American consumers’ buying strength is so strong and epic that we can’t absorb all this cargo into the domestic supply chain,” said Port of Los Angeles director Gene Seroka to CBS News. “That means

GRAPHIC BY ANDY LYNCH

you’re not going to find the product you want as quickly as normal. If you’re shopping for the holidays, start now.”

According to data provided by Marine Exchange, a record number of 111 cargo ships were waiting at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports to unload in early November. These two ports account for 40% of all cargo containers entering the United States.

As a result, the ports worked with supply chain stakeholders and the White House Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to find

a solution. The outcome was the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach expanding their operating hours to 24 hours a day and seven days a week, compared to the traditional closing time on nights and weekends.

“This is [an] across–the–board commitment to going 24/7,” said President Joe Biden in a White House Briefing Room interview. “This is a big first step in speeding up the movement of materials and goods through our supply chain. But now, we need the rest of the private sector chain to step up as well.”

Return to normalcy expected in new year

by grace hefner news editor

Order with us today (805)–444–9525 ubatubaacaithousandoaks.com 1655 Thousand Oaks Blvd.

Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, has decided to move their products from the ports to stores nationwide 24/7. Other companies, such as FedEx, UPS, Target, Home Depot and Samsung, are able to move more goods off freights and out of port due to the new extended hours.

“With the escalating backlog of ships off the coast, we must take immediate action to prompt the rapid removal of containers from our marine terminals,” said Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach.

“The terminals are running out of space, and this will make room for the containers sitting on those ships at anchor.”

On Oct. 25, the twin ports announced a deadline of nine days where carriers would have to move their containers off the terminal. For each unmoved container, the carriers will be charged $100 per day. This rule, dubbed the “Container Dweller Fee,” was made to keep the supply chain moving and took effect on Dec. 13 after being delayed multiple times.

According to portoflosangeles.org, the two ports have witnessed a combined 37% decrease in cargo on their docks following the announcement of the fees.

“My administration will continue to work with federal, state, labor and industry partners on innovative solutions to tackle immediate challenges while also bringing our distribution processes into the 21st century,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom.

As 2021 nears its end, many COVID–19 officials are hopeful that daily life will become somewhat normal again in the new year.

In August, chief White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that if Americans continued to get vaccinated, normalcy could possibly be achieved by spring of 2022.

“Dr. Anthony Fauci [stated] that the crisis won’t be under control until spring of next year — and even then, it will need most American vaccine skeptics to change their minds,” according to CNN. WHS has followed Ventura County guidelines since the return to campus in March 2021, and many students are anxious for more aspects of their daily life to return to normal.

“I’m ready to get back to normal just because I am yearning for ... no more masks, not that I am against masks or anything, but just for a little bit of normalcy again,” said Avery Tokuyama ‘23. “But I don’t think that I’d be 100% comfortable going back to what it was pre– pandemic, no masks and big crowds, without knowing that more people are vaccinated.”

While people may be looking forward to the return to normalcy in the upcoming year, they are still concerned about what the future holds with COVID–19.

“I don’t think by January things will be back to normal, especially when coupled with flu season,” said Tokuyama. “I think that it’s going to

be really hard for people to differentiate between [COVID–19] symptoms and flu symptoms.”

In October, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California students must be vaccinated starting 2022 in order to attend school in–person. As such, L.A. County students were required to be vaccinated by Nov. 22. Ventura County, however, does not have a definitive date yet.

“I’m hopeful that if people continue to get vaccinated with the vaccine mandate that Newsom proposed for schools that cases will continue to drop,” said Tokuyama.

In addition to the vaccine, COVID–19 booster shots are now available for all adults.

Officials are encouraging eligible people to receive the booster before traveling during the holidays.

In terms of upcoming holiday travel, international travel has spiked significantly after President Joe Biden announced on Nov. 8 that fully–vaccinated foreign tourists would be allowed to enter the United States.

“In the week after the administration confirmed the date travelers could arrive, Expedia, the online booking site, saw a 28% increase in searches for U.S. hotels from Britain and a 24% increase from France,” according to The NY Times.

While future plans for the upcoming year are still quite uncertain, officials are starting to create an outline of what can be done for normalcy to return as soon as possible.

“I think just finding the perfect time to lift [these] restrictions is probably going to be the most difficult thing,” said Tokuyama.

5

FEATURE

Growing impact of climate change by makenna norman feature section editor It can sometimes be easy to ignore the growing threat of climate change since its impacts on the world are not always recognizable. But as time passes, the effects of climate change will have an increasing impact on daily life.

Climate change refers to the complex shifts that Earth’s climate experiences, including extreme weather patterns and, most notably, rising temperatures. It is caused by emissions of greenhouse gases, which trap radiation from the sun in the atmosphere and warm the earth’s surface.

“If we don’t start doing things now, [climate change] could get worse, and things could actually end up worse than what [scientists] are expecting and predicting,” said Jennifer Boyd, AP Environmental Science and Honors Environmental Field Studies teacher. “There are so many ways that climate change will affect society, and it’s going to be things like lack of clean water to drink, lack of food to eat, and with the rising sea levels it’s even going to lead to certain island nations no longer existing.”

The effects of climate change have not yet reached the level of severity that can be expected in the near future, but there have been recent impacts seen across the globe.

Heat waves, droughts, floods, fires and the decrease in wildlife populations are results of global warming.

“The impacts of climate change on different sectors of society are interrelated,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Droughts can harm food production and human health.

Source: Jennifer Boyd, AP Environmental Science teacher

Flooding can lead to disease spread and damages to ecosystems and infrastructure.

Human health issues can increase mortality, impact food availability and limit worker productivity. Climate change impacts are seen throughout every aspect of the world we live in.”

To avoid the severe consequences of climate change, it has been recommended that action be taken sooner rather than later. The most notable causes of the climate crisis is the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and raising livestock. While large corporations are mostly

GRAPHIC BY ANDY LYNCH

responsible for these, individuals can still play an important role in decreasing emissions. “[One way people can help is by] changing your diet so that you’re not eating meat everyday,” said Boyd. “Cows produce a lot of methane gas, and methane is a stronger greenhouse gas than [carbon dioxide], so it traps even more heat.

So if you can reduce how often you eat meat, especially red meat, that can actually help with climate change.”

Raising cows as a food source plays a huge role in global warming. Not only do cows produce methane gas, but energy

is used in the process of raising cattle and transporting meat, and forests are cut down to make room for them. According to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, cattle has caused about 80% of the Amazon rainforest’s deforestation.

“What’s probably even worse than eating meat is wasting it,” said Boyd. “[When you] throw away food that has meat in it, [it] probably goes to a landfill, and when it’s decomposing under the ground, it creates more methane.”

There are many more ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint, such as driving less, whether it means carpooling or traveling by foot or bike.

Many environmentally–friendly actions can also save money, such as investing in electric cars or solar panels as well as reducing the amount of energy used on a daily basis by turning off the lights or using less air conditioning.

“I don’t think students realize how easily they can reduce carbon emissions by doing things like walking and biking to close locations instead of driving,” said AP Environmental Science student Gracyn Manley ‘23. “Even leveraging carpools and public transportation can be really helpful.”

To save the planet from the more dramatic and harmful consequences of climate change, many agree that rapid changes need to be made to how people use the earth’s natural resources.

“Carbon dioxide is the largest contributor to climate change, and anything we can do to help reduce our carbon footprint will create a better future for us and our planet,” said Manley.

“Our generation is already feeling the effects of climate change, so we really need to work together to do something about it.”

Let’s talk about pros, cons of TikTok

by andy lynch a&e editor Today’s society digests a vast amount of online media on a daily basis. As such, the mass majority of people’s social lives are spent on social media, video call apps and other messaging platforms.

A large aspect feeding this media craze is TikTok, a social media platform released in 2016 by the internet technology company ByteDance, which allows its users to create and watch original content up to three minutes in length.

Occupying many hours of teens’ lives, TikTok is a platform with endless content, entertaining users with dancing, comedy and many more genres of videos. TikTok has been a great help in keeping people entertained during quarantine, but it has also sparked controversy on the platform and in the lives of its consumers.

TikTok is a large communication platform used to share content made by people from all over the world and connect with friends by sharing videos.

“I’ve been on TikTok since it started,” said Annie Finemel ‘24. “I use it a lot. It’s a big distraction I think from my social life, but I also incorporate it a lot into my social life.

All my friends ... make [videos] together, so I think it’s a good thing but a bad thing at the same time.”

With TikTok being such a large social media platform, many communities have

been formed from specific genres and interests, creating niches of people who can get to know similar individuals.

“I was using it almost daily, and I think it had a positive effect,” said Jack Conrath ‘24. “I found a really good Star Wars community on TikTok … It is a lot different from the other communities outside of TikTok. I think one thing about TikTok that’s good is that it matches you to people you can connect with.”

Music has been a large aspect of TikTok’s initial growth in popularity. A large percentage of the content is dancing, singing or overlaying videos with different music and artists, which has created a platform full of new and fresh music to discover.

“I totally have [discovered music artists],” said Finemel. “Ashe ... had a song that blew up on there. She has so many good songs, and I never knew about her before, and through TikTok I was able to find that I love her music.”

Because people have the opportunity to create a variety of content with little to no limitations, negative or hurtful trends are bound to arise. For instance, devious licks was a recent viral trend where students would steal items from their schools.

“They’re funny the first time, [but] they’re taken way too far,” said Ahva Sayahan ‘23. “[Stealing] a sink off the wall is going to take money and time to repair, and isn’t the best decision.”

Along with the harmful trends encouraging people to commit dangerous actions, TikTok also impacts teenagers’ school lives as it

Percent of teenagers ages 12–17 that use top social media apps TikTok

63%

Instagram

57% 72% 54% Sources: cnbc.com & forrester.com

interferes with sleep patterns and students’ ability to focus in class.

“When I get home, instead of doing homework, I’ll go on TikTok, and then I’ll be up late and tired the next day,” said Sayahan. “[Because of that], I do worse in school.”

TikTok is widespread with 1.3 billion users and clearly has an effect on its audience whether it be positive, with community– building and connecting with others, or negative, with promoting unhealthy sleeping patterns and dangerous social trends. For

YouTube Snapchat GRAPHIC BY ALLISON TIEU

example, according to sleep disorders specialist Dr. Harneet Walia, MD, research has shown that exposure to the blue light emitted by phones disrupts the body’s internal clock, mimicking daylight and making the body more alert when it should be the opposite. “[TikTok can be] negative because it shows bad things that are creating trends that shouldn’t be popular like the devious licks,” said Finemel. “But there’s also so many positive trends and so many things bringing people together.”

8

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Taylor Swift “begins again” with re–recordings

by ella marcum

“M

Swift’s fanbase, started theorizing what the next re–recorded album will be. Swift has kept fans on their toes by dropping hints in her music videos and social media posts.

“One of the easter eggs I noticed is in the party scene of the ‘All Too Well’ short film,” said Jocelyn Glick ‘25. “When she’s blowing out her candles, we see that there’s three blue objects and three red objects that represent her third album that has a purple cover. This hints that her next release will be Speak Now because red and blue make purple.”

The “All Too Well” short film has also left fans theorizing about Swift’s real– life relationships. Her 2010 relationship with actor Jake Gyllenhal lines up with the release of the album Red, pointing to a possible connection between him and the lyrics.

“I recently heard that she wrote the song about Jake Gyllenhal, who she dated for a little while,” said Sydney Rominger ‘25. “There was a big age gap between him and Taylor that was referenced many times in the film.”

Despite hinting at who the song is about, Swift leaves the question unanswered in an interview with journalist Chelsie Kryst.

“That’s one of the interesting questions that people ask me all the time about songs, and what I think is important to note is that these songs were mine years ago when they were written,” said Swift in the interview. “Now, they’re ours and they’re shared.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PUBLIC DOMAIN

in parentheses ‘Taylor’s Version,’ that means I own it, which is exciting.” opinion editor Fans have shown abundant support for Swift’s decision to re–record her albums. Not Taylor Swift has been the queen of pop and only are they excited to hear new versions of a feminist icon in the music industry for over their favorite songs, but they also see Swift’s a decade. With many accomplishments already decision as an inspiring move in her journey as under her belt, Swift foreshadows more to come. an artist.

As a teenager, Swift signed with Big “Taylor re–recording her albums is very Machine Records in 2005 and produced her first symbolic of her taking back the power from six albums with them. men in the industry who After her contract ended, usically and have controlled her for so Swift couldn’t purchase long,” said Lesser. lyrically, Red the rights to her music According to Vogue, when it was sold to record resembled a the Red album was what executive Scooter Braun heartbroken person. Happy, launched Swift to the without her permission. world stage, acting as free, confused, lonely, a turning point in her “[Big Machine Records] had control devastated, euphoric, wild career. It also provided over her,” said Mia Lesser and tortured by memories insight into Swift’s ‘24. “It was like a power heartbreak period. past.” struggle between her “Musically and and the label, with them –Taylor Swift lyrically, Red resembled selling her work.” a heartbroken person,” Ultimately, Swift wrote Swift in her Twitter turned the loss into an announcement for the Red re–recording. opportunity to regain the rights to her music by “Happy, free, confused, lonely, devastated, re–recording the albums as “Taylor’s Version.” euphoric, wild and tortured by memories Her demand for control serves as an iconic past … And I’m not sure if it was pouring my moment for feminism. thoughts into this album, hearing thousands “I just figured [since] I was the one who of your voices sing the lyrics back to me in made this music first, I can just make it again, passionate solidarity or if it was simply time, but so that’s what we’re doing,” said Swift on Late something was healed along the way.”

Night with Seth Meyers. “When something says After Red’s release on Nov. 19, Swifties,

Listen to Swift on Spotify:

Walking in WHS’s winter art show wonderland

by vivian stein

a&e section editor

PHOTO BY ALYSSA JOO

On Dec. 17, the WHS art department will hold a winter art show in the library to display student artwork completed throughout the first semester in all the arts classes.

“It’s going to feature art from a lot of our visual arts classes,” said Art Media and Printmaking teacher Julia Bush. “It should [have] at least one piece from every kid in a visual arts class, so we’ve got Art Media, Life Drawing, Printmaking [and] AP Studio Art. We’re going to have some digital stuff in there too from digital classes, [as well as] some ceramics stuff, so it should be really cool to see all the different art.”

Each art student selects a piece of work from the semester, and the artwork will be displayed by class, along with the accompanying student names in order to properly credit the work from all classes.

“I will be displaying a pencil still life,” said Life Drawing student Halle Kessler ‘24. “The assignment was to create a poster behind a still life photo, and the medium was pencil.”

In the Life Drawing classes at WHS, students take photos every few weeks and use a medium, such as pencils or colored pencils, in order to create a finished product.

“The art show is exciting [for me] because I will be able to view the work that other students have created in the past few months from all the different classes,” said Kessler.

Another class displaying work in the show is Printmaking, another unique form of art taught at WHS. “We get a big sheet, we carve designs in it and we print it on paper with ink, so the final

DECK THE WALLS: Students create original pieces of artwork to display at the Winter Art Show using a variety of subjects, mediums and methods.

result is a piece of paper with prints on it,” said Staton Murray ‘22.

The students take on multiple projects throughout the year, working on a rubber surface called linoleum, carving into it and printing it with various inks.

“I’ve been making a print, and it’s been taking forever,” said Murray. “But [once] it all comes together, [I’ll be] excited to show [it]

because I’ve been working on it a lot. [It’s] a giant picture of L.A. at night — all the different lines of the city and the lights.”

The show will take place over the course of the school day from periods one through seven.

Teachers can choose to take their classes to see the show, or students can visit on their own time.

Although the show is usually held in a classroom, it will take place in the library.

“This year, since we have a lot of new, great art teachers, and our department is a lot bigger, I’m actually moving [the show] to the library,” said Bush. “We have our lovely librarians who are totally willing [to help] and excited about it because they’re art supporters.”

The show gives art students the opportunity to display their work, but also for other students and staff to view what the department has accomplished throughout first semester.

“I did the winter art show two out of three years I was in an art class, [since] I missed junior year because of COVID–19,” said Emma Fong ‘22. “I showed some pieces from my AP concentration when I was a sophomore, which were focused on the theme of ethics and human rights. I remember being able to show four different pieces, my favorite [being] a watercolor painting depicting the Armenian Genocide.”

Although student art also hangs on the second floor of Building 3 throughout the year, displaying the variety of art pieces during the show allows students to collectively see work from all art classes.

“My favorite part [of the show] is showing my friends my paintings that I usually kept locked inside my portfolio case,” said Fong. “I usually kept my paintings on shelves in Mrs. Bush’s darkroom or in my portfolio to keep them from getting damaged, so the art show was an opportunity for me to display my art to all my friends and classmates.”

The winter art show at WHS is a fun and gratifying event across the department for both the students and staff involved across all art classes.

“I get most excited about seeing students proud of their work,” said Bush. “I like to see what they pick [because] sometimes it surprises me.”

9

OPINION

Is an 8:30 a.m. high school start time a beneficial change for students?

Opposing On Jan. 1, 2020, Senate Bill 328 was enacted and is set to be in effect

by July 1, 2022. This change in start times for schools across California has Opinions received both support and opposition considering the issues it may create for student commutes, extracurriculars, sleep and more.

AGAINST by alyssa rice opinion section & graphics editor Senate Bill 328, the bill that would force California high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., has been causing heated debates since its approval. Now, as the deadline to make the switch nears, tensions are rising.

The cons of this bill vastly outweigh the pros due to the problems it will cause for families during drop–offs before school and the stress it will put on students.

WHS’s infamous traffic backup was the reason the school originally adopted a staggered start time schedule. Despite the passing of the new bill, many students and parents would still appreciate maintaining the split start time.

The later start time does not take into account working parents and students who cannot drive themselves to school.

“While it may be easy enough for some families with flexible schedules to adjust, in some communities, parents who are working just to make ends meet don’t have the luxury of delaying the start of their workday,” wrote Al Mijares, superintendent of schools in Orange County, according to The NY Times.

There are multiple schedules being considered. According to Stephanie Koenig, science department lead for the new schedule

creation, the earliest proposed dismissal time for seventh period is 3:18 p.m., with two out of the three proposed schedules having a dismissal time closer to 4 p.m. Sixth period would be dismissed between 2:15 and 3 p.m., respectively.

This change cuts an hour out of students’ afterschool time, leaving less time for extracurriculars and homework. Some WHS sports, such as cross country or soccer, begin practice at 3 p.m. These practices will have to be moved later by at least an hour causing students to return home at a later time.

Additionally, most team sports have multiple levels that each need their own practice slots. By pushing back frosh/soph practice, varsity practice may not end until 9 p.m. or later.

“California Teachers Association, the Association of California School Administrators and the school boards association said that SB–328 would negatively affect before and after school programs and sports,” according to edsource.org.

This problem feeds into a larger issue: students will most likely receive even less sleep than they currently do.

In order to receive more sleep with a later school start time, students would need to push back their bedtime only slightly. With extracurriculars and homework taking up that time, this expectation is simply unrealistic.

Later sports practices means students will be staying up later to finish homework, which only worsens the issue of a lack of sleep students already have to deal with.

“Well–intentioned proposals to mandate

school start times fail to take into account the complexity of the issue and perpetuate the illusion that adolescent sleep deprivation has a simple fix,” wrote Superintendent Nancy Albarrán of San Jose Unified School District and Superintendent Chris Funk of East Side Union High School District, according to edsource.org.

Students will also most likely engage in “revenge bedtime procrastination,” which is defined by sleepfoundation.org as “the decision to sacrifice sleep for leisure time that is driven by a daily schedule lacking in freetime.” According to sleepfoundation.org, students are one of the most susceptible groups to this harmful practice.

Less freetime after school will only increase the tendency for revenge bedtime procrastination as students desperately try to maintain some sort of control over their busy schedules and end up carving out more time for leisure, ultimately decreasing the amount of sleep they receive each night.

“Those of us working in school systems will tell you that setting school start and end times requires balancing many factors, including the needs of students, parents and staff as well as the financial impact on school districts,” wrote Albarrán and Funk.

California lawmakers need to rethink the impact this bill will have on schools, students and families as the problems of before school drop–off, less time after school and less sleep each night for students will drastically outweigh any positives of the change to school start times.

RT KE

Students wake up with eye bags from minimal sleep and drag themselves out of bed before the sun rises. After scarfing down a quick breakfast, or none at all, they leave home to be welcomed with cold weather, traffic jams and crowded halls all before 7:25 a.m.

Senate Bill 328, the bill that takes effect in July 2022, changes the mandatory high school start time to 8:30 a.m., allowing students to get more sleep and improve their attendance.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teenagers ages 13–18 should receive eight to 10 hours of sleep a night.

However, high school students also have an average of three hours of homework per night, according to a report from NBC in 2019.

Based on WHS’s current schedule with classes ending at 2:48 p.m., students’ afternoons consist of three hours of homework, two hours of afterschool activities and if they are lucky, two hours to themselves before the recommended 10 p.m. bedtime.

Two hours of freetime is next to nothing.

As a result of having so little time to themselves, teenagers spend their time staying up late, getting less than the ideal amount of sleep in

Not the Norm

KA C

by alyssa joo opinion & photo editor

dropped off and picked up by parents who often go to work right after and cannot accommodate a later start time without creating more issues and problems in their own lives.

In addition, the greater number of students arriving at first period compared to second period would cause traffic to increase. Between an increased morning rush and constricted family schedules, students will have difficulty finding a reasonable middle ground between their conflicting schedules.

As a solution, schools are offering alternatives to the later start like “zero periods” that begin earlier than 8:30 a.m. If WHS were to offer a zero period, students could still have their staggered arrival schedule. This would solve the problem of overcrowding and traffic in the morning by distributing student start times between three periods instead of two, remaining in complicance with the new law.

While a disproportionate amount of students will most likely stick to the first period start, including two alternative start times gives students with general scheduling issues more options in rearranging their schedules for next school year.

Changing schedules to fit the new bill is difficult. However, it is possible that these concerns about start times clashing with daily sleep may raise the right questions about how the government can help all people improve their productivity in the day without sacrificing sleep at night.

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FOR

order to catch up on work and relax from their hectic daily lives.

High school students end up getting around seven hours of sleep, according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This can cause exhaustion, burn out, lack of motivation and decreased attention, which can negatively affect their performance in school and sports.

According to Scientific American, the new start time will better fit students’ circadian rhythms, the natural times people feel sleepy or awake. In teenagers, the circadian cycle causes them to feel sleepy at around 10 p.m. and wake up at around 7 a.m.

Adjusting the school schedule around this cycle helps students remain well–rested, which can lead to improvements in students’ grades and graduation rates.

The change to an 8:30 a.m. start time will also result in better attendance, benefitting both students and schools. On average, a U.S. school earns $65.34 for every student present at school, according to CleanLink.

With increased amounts of sleep, students are less likely to skip school in exchange for more rest, and as a result, school revenue would increase. Schools would be able to afford better education, amenities and materials to help students improve their learning environment and educational experience.

However, there is a great amount of opposition to the bill due to the issue of daily commutes. Many students cannot drive and are

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All I want for Christmas by makenna norman featured columnist A few weeks ago, I read a column expressing some strong opinions, to say the least, on Mariah Carey’s new Christmas song “Fall in Love at Christmas” with Khalid and Kirk Franklin. I don’t even have the words to describe how brutally hateful it was, but I can say that some of its lines nearly brought me to tears.

It referred to the song as “a crime against humanity” and said the track “should be reserved for the flaming bowels of Hell.” It even went so far as to insult Carey’s Christmas masterpiece “All I Want For Christmas is You.” I was completely and utterly devastated. How could someone so passionately despise the song that I’ve been waiting to hear for months, the song that announces the beginning of the holiday season, the song that has motivated me to get up every morning?

But then I remembered when I, too, hated our queen and her iconic Christmas classic. It’s hard for me to admit, but I thought that “All I Want For Christmas is You” was annoying and overrated, and I would leave the room when people listened to it. I hated hearing it before December, as I was a firm believer at the time that Christmas music should only be played after Thanksgiving.

I’m not sure when or why my views changed. All I know is that I was tired of waiting until late November to start celebrating Christmas, and when I heard the chimes of those 13 opening notes on Nov. 1, all my stress went away, even if just for a few minutes.

Instead of being one of those people who demand the music be stopped because “Halloween was yesterday,” I was singing along. Of course I couldn’t hit most of the notes because I don’t share Carey’s fiveoctave range, but the passion was there.

I have listened to her new song. I don’t agree with the other columnist’s description of it, because it’s certainly not “torture for all species of this world,” but I will admit that it does not make me tear up with excitement for the upcoming holidays like her other songs do. The music video does feature a cute dog though, so I recommend checking it out.

If you are anything like the old version of me, and you cringe whenever “All I Want For Christmas is You” is played, no matter what time of year, I understand and completely respect your opinion. You should probably keep a distance from me, though, because I will be singing the chorus at the top of my lungs throughout the rest of December and probably January too, and I will start all over again next year on the first of November.

10

OPINION

Administer finals before winter break

by andy lynch a&e editor After 18 grueling weeks of school, hours of homework each night and endless assessments, students rejoice at the blessed arrival of winter break. These two weeks give students ample time to rest, relax and celebrate the holiday season with friends and family.

But to many students’ horror, they find that the nightmare of finals awaits them the moment school begins again.

Rather than taking a well–earned two– week break from the stress of school life, many students spend their break frantically studying, locked away in their rooms, carrying flashcards to family events or even sneaking Quizlet tests into their schedule.

Rather than prioritizing their mental health, these two weeks cause stress and anxiety for students as they prepare for finals.

In addition, students often do not utilize this two–week break, as these days are filled with family time and holiday activities with friends. These students often must risk their final grade as they prioritize their families over studying or doing homework.

Students rely on classwork or homework to retain information in preparation for upcoming finals. Consequently, a long break without consistent homework or class time can cause students to lose up to 75% of their understanding of a concept according to edutopia.org.

“When we learn something new — when

a teacher delivers a fresh lesson to a student, for example — the material is encoded across these neural networks, converting the experience into a memory. Information is quickly forgotten — roughly 56% in one hour, 66% after a day and 75% after six days,” wrote Edutopia researcher Youki Terada according to edutopia.org.

With large portions of information going untouched in students’ cognitive memories, the holiday season provides 16 days for students to forget what they have learned.

“When finals are before break, students have the material fresher in their minds though, which helps drastically,” stated Cutlass reporter Tiffany Steigerwald.

Realistically, teachers are not setting students up for success by having finals after break. Some teachers choose to administer the exams before winter break, which lessens students’ study load during their time off.

However, WHS’s final schedule needs to be changed so that all finals occur earlier.

“Holidays give families an opportunity to spend time together and celebrate,” wrote author Pamela Rivers according to theclassroom. com. “The focus for students moves away from school and onto family and culture. Longer breaks such as the winter holidays allow families an opportunity to reconnect.”

After all of the hard work students have put in to school and stress they have endured, they deserve a time to relax, which is exactly what winter break should offer.

According to Fung Kai secondary school student Jenny Chen in the article “Talking

Create a study group

Studying with peers helps all participants retain information better.

Make a study schedule

Creating a schedule will allow you to set aside enough time to study while also enjoying time off.

Download study apps

Apps like Quizlet provide many learning tools to help students study.

Take short breaks

When studying independently, make sure to take small breaks to prevent burnout.

Sources: oxfordlearning.com & studyusa.com

points: Should the final exam be held before or after the Christmas break?”, from a student perspective, the benefits of having finals take place before winter break heavily outweigh having finals after break.

“It is very hard to enjoy the holidays when

GRAPHIC BY JULIE RENDON

[students] have a stressful exam looming ahead of [them],” wrote Chen. “It would be better to get it over with beforehand, rather than leaving everything until winter break. It would be better for them to do the exam before they forget everything they’ve learned.”

11

SPORTS

Vaccines impact basketball Winter sports stat box

by shane douglas

a&e editor

(as of Dec. 14)

tests, so that hopefully we don’t have to wear a mask while we sprint down the court and back.”

Similar to the NBA, Ventura County athletes are not required to receive the COVID–19 vaccine, and Ventura County does not plan on making it mandatory; however, student–athletes in L.A. County are required to get the vaccine. Student– athletes in L.A. County had to get their second shot

by Oct. 31 or be benched from playing.

“Because L.A. county is such a big district, I think it’s good that they’re enforcing this because they have one of the highest populations for counties,” said Jamal. “The best way we can move on from this pandemic is to get everyone vaccinated.”

Women face sexism in sports

by julie rendon

Women’s Sports Foundation

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Throughout history, women in sports have been discriminated against for nothing other than their gender. They can face sexist actions and discrimination in the industry which affects their livelihood as athletes.

In May 2019, 28 members of the U.S. National Women’s Soccer League filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. Women’s soccer has drastically lower pay in comparison to men’s soccer even though the women’s teams have more titles.

“I feel like it is absolutely unfair,” said Taylor Brown ‘23. “The women’s team has proven time and time again that they are just as good, if not better than the men’s team.”

A year after the lawsuit was filed, Federal Judge Robert Gary Klausner rejected the claims of the 28 players and argued that the women’s team did not deserve equal pay because they had “earned more on both a cumulative and an average per–game basis” than the men’s team.

“Anyone who knows this team knows that we do not give up until we win,” said Angel City Football Club forward Christen Press in a statement.

More than a year later, the women’s team is still fighting for their rights. They filed their opening brief in July to appeal Klausner’s decision and have stated that they will not stop until they get what they deserve.

OMAIN

sports editor

O PHOT Source: womenssportsfoundation.com

SY TE UR O C

The WSF is a nonprofit charity focused on female involvement in sports founded by Billie Jean King in 1974.

Join The Equity Project, a movement powered by WSF that aims to impact participation, policy, representation and leadership in sports and create meaningful change so that all girls and women have equitable access to physical activity and sports.

Donate to support equitable access to sports for girls and women. For more information, visit womenssportsfoundation.com.

“We believe in our case and know our value,” said OL Reign forward Megan Rapinoe in a statement. “It’s time the USSF does too.”

Another incident of sexism occured on Sept. 8, 2018, at the U.S. Open final. Serena Williams was given three code violations, the third being a game penalty for verbally abusing the umpire, Carlos Ramos. After Williams smashed her racket, Ramos gave her a point violation to which she responded by dubbing him a “thief,” and this cost her the game. She claims this was an act of sexism.

“I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality,” said Williams in a press conference after her loss. “For me to say ‘thief ’ and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark.”

GRAPHIC BY JULIE RENDON

Billie Jean King, former world No. 1 tennis player, who was also a victim of sexism, spoke out after the match on Twitter.

“When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical,’ and she’s penalized for it,” said King. “When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken,’ and there are no repercussions.

Thank you, Serena Williams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.”

King is an advocate for gender equality and co–founded World TeamTennis, the only professional co–ed team sports league.

“Whatever you care about, you can make a difference,” said King in an interview with writer Marianne Schnall. “You really can. Don’t ever underestimate yourself.”

girls boys

Basketball

Record: 6W–2L Next game: Dec. 18

vs. Granada Hills Location: CLU

girls

don’t receive pay for games they miss in vaccine– mandated cities and must be constantly tested.

“I think it definitely impacts each team because I think one of the most important things to having a successful basketball team is chemistry; it’s not only just [in] the locker room, [but at] the team meetings [and] dinners,” said Jamal.

Along with NBA basketball, WHS basketball also has to follow mandates to limit the spread of COVID–19. One of these regulations requires all players to wear a mask when playing indoors.

“People don’t like [having to wear a mask while playing],” said Coccioli. “[As a program,] we are hoping to push for the weekly [COVID–19]

Record: 5W–3L Next game: Dec. 18–22 Nike Tournament of Champions Location: Phoenix, AZ

Soccer

Record: 5W–0L Next game: Jan. 4

vs. Calabasas Location: WHS

Soccer

boys

RETURN TO NORMAL: Due to COVID­–19 procedures, the 2020–21 NBA season and post–season had a limited capacity of fans allowed in the stadium. However, that didn’t stop fans from showing their support outside of the stadium for the NBA finals. This 2021–22 season, teams are increasing their arena capacity due to higher vaccination rates.

Basketball

Record: 4W–2L Next game: Jan. 4

vs. Calabasas Location: Calabasas High School

Wrestling

Record: N/A Next match: Dec. 16

vs. Thousand Oaks Location: WHS

Water polo

girls

PHOTO COURTESY OF PUBLIC DOMAIN

For the last few games of the NBA’s 2020–21 season, to help combat COVID–19 and keep players safe, teams were isolated in a facility known as “the Bubble.” However, with vaccines made available to the general public, players are able to travel again and have a semi–normal season.

COVID–19 mandates and city–enforced vaccine requirements are in place to keep players, coaches and fans safe, and players no longer have to isolate in the Bubble. However, not all players agree with these requirements.

“I think that keeping a vaccination mandate might keep others safe, including the fans that want to go to the arena, so I think the standard should be held to the players,” said JV boys basketball player Niccolo Coccioli ‘24. “If they get the vaccine, [that’s] good. If they don’t, I’m sure there’s limitations to what they can do.”

NBA teams located in New York and California are required by city laws to receive at least one dose of the COVID–19 vaccine in order to play at their home stadiums. Unvaccinated players in California and New York are not permitted to play at home, but they can play in away games as long as the games are not in a vaccine–mandated city.

“The NBA has to protect its players, and I think it’s doing that,” said frosh/soph boys basketball player Elias Jamal ‘24. “By … doing this and enforcing these in California and New York, [the NBA] helps show that [it’s] pro–player, and it shows that [it] wants to take a step forward and have the best experience possible.”

According to the NBA, non–vaccinated players have different privileges than those who are vaccinated. Non–vaccinated players must stay six feet away from others and remain masked during meetings. They can’t travel with the team,

Record: 7W–6L Next game: Jan. 4

vs. Newbury Park Location: NPHS

For the latest sports updates, stories and scores, visit the WHS athletics website at westlakeathletics.com.

Compiled by Grace Hefner

12

STAFF PICKS

eu

I was on top of a mountain with my friends Alla

on the Fourth of July, listening to 2000s throwback songs as the night sky lit up with fireworks. Everyone was smiling and having a good time. I wanted to capture that beautiful moment, but instead of pulling out my phone, I reached for my disposable camera.

If you are struggling to come up with something to give your friends for the holidays, consider a disposable camera as they are versatile and can be used in quite literally any situation.

The limited amount of exposure for each camera prompts the user to not waste any film. Every photo is a unique moment with no chances for redos. The camera is perfect for capturing the most candid moments between you and your friends, taking away the pressure to get the perfect photo and focusing on the moment itself.

Part of the fun is not knowing how the photos will turn out. The anticipation as the number of exposures left on the camera slowly goes down fuels your excitement and eagerness to get the film developed and view your photos. Seeing your photos for the first time allows you to relive those special moments and memories from the past.

Disposable cameras are the perfect gift for someone special so that they can continue to capture the precious moments you make together. i nT

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Arrow staff holiday picks

In terms of holiday films, it is impossible to look over the beauty, humor and timelessness of the classics. The vintage glossiness and glamour of old Hollywood instill excitement and joy in the audience, getting them in the holiday spirit.

Starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, White Christmas revolves around two army soldiers turned duo–performers, Bob Wallace (Crosby) and Phil Davis (Kaye), as they help their former general Dean Jagger, save his dying inn with a spectacular Christmas performance. As they search for a new act for their show, Wallace and Davis encounter and fall in love with two talented and witty sisters, Judy and Betty Hanes, played by Vera Allen and Rosemary Clooney, who sing and dance in the show that saves the general’s inn.

Although the movie is cheesy and a little unrealistic, the music and overall glamour create the fantasy–like atmosphere that the holidays are known for. This movie contains dancing and singing performances that are over–the–top and extremely camp– like. With Kaye’s impeccable comedic timing, the chemistry between the four lead actors, Crosby’s rendition of “White Christmas” and the elaborate costumes and sets, this movie delivers just what is neeeded to get in the holiday spirit. Check

out the movie on Netflix.

e Grac

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glas ‘24

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PU BL I C DOMAIN

D ne Sha Every year, Marvel Comics releases festive, holiday–themed comic issues. The most notable is the 2005 Marvel Holiday Special, which consists of three short stories. Out of the three, “Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santron” is the most suitable for a feel–good read next to the fireplace.

Since it is focused on superheroes, it’s not a typical holiday must–read for most; however, it is action packed, full of humor and demonstrates an important holiday theme, ultimately making it an impactful holiday read.

Along with the skillfulness of the writing, SY E T UR the art and page design are at the same high–quality CO S O PHOT Marvel standard, with attention to detail surrounding the winter setting. The comic takes place at Doctor Strange’s sanctum sanctorum, where he hosts a holiday party with fellow members of the Avengers as guests, but the party doesn’t go as planned.

At the beginning of the tale, Virginia Hanlon, a young genius, loses her faith in Santa, so she makes a synthezoid (human–like robot) of Santa to replicate him and take his place by fulfilling his duty to deliver presents. However, the synthezoid gets taken over by Ultron, redirecting “Santa’s” job to now trying to kill the Avengers.

Despite not being a traditional holiday–themed piece of literature, since it’s focused around superheroes, the series still highlights a holiday theme — believing in Santa. For readers who are looking for an action–packed read with magnificent artwork, while still portraying a holiday theme, this Marvel short story is for them.

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GRAPHIC BY ANDY LYNCH

Compiled by Andy Lynch