Whittier May 2022

The Whittier

Miscellany

May 2022 • Wilmington Friends School’s Community Newspaper • Wilmington, DE

Rebuilding With Hope Molly Dolan ‘26 8th Grade Writer A tragedy, a wreck. Whirling winds. Gushing water. Bursting fires. Shaking grounds. Even on tranquil, breezy days, nature can turn upside down.

These natural disasters are all different, and seem impossible to solve. Before they strike, there needs to be logical strategies in order to be prepared. There is no way to stop the disasters from coming. However, working together as a team, we can find solutions to these problems.

Natural Disasters can demolish welcoming communities. From aggressive storms, to forceful floods and tsunamis it is hard to rebuild. In 2010, an earthquake located in Haiti killed 140,000 people.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) claimed that in the past 3 years, our country lost $329.9 billion and 3,318 innocent lives from natural disasters.

Communities are significantly impacted. Families lost their loved ones, and even their homes. It involves hard work to get back to their old lives, their safe lives. This is why rebuilding communities is a hard step to take.

Zoe Rohrich, a journalist from pbs.org states, “Fourteen years after Hurricane Katrina, the neighborhood of Gentilly, New Orleans, is still in the process of rebuilding.” The journey to rebuilding may be long, but it is worth it. But how are the people impacted? What are the challenges? What are the solutions? It is a challenge, but communities can overcome it.

Innocent lives lose many prized possessions during a natural disaster.

In some cases, people do not want to go back to their destroyed communities. They have lost so many different things. From homes, to even loved ones. The couch where they would binge watch their favorite show is now gone. The kitchen island filled with calming scented candles, gone. Around the world, more than thirty million people were forced out of their homes because of natural disasters. Jennifer Hazelton (WFS 89’), a resident of Houston, Texas, provided information about Hurricane Harvey. She experienced Hurricane Harvey in August, 2017. “I had friends who literally lost everything” she exclaims. Depending on the natural disaster, it could take days, months, and up to years for their homes to be rebuilt. Even if a disaster does not impact an individual, it can impact their friends and family.

While there are many challenges that come with

a recovery from a natural disaster, the economic ones are the most intense. The speed of the economic recovery depends on the area where the natural disaster occurs. Over the past 40 years, 3.3 million disaster deaths have taken place in poor countries.

Many countries already have problems before a natural disaster hits. For example, in 2008, Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, which caused many families to lose their homes from wind and flooding. This was due to the storms and their impact on poorly built structures.

The sad thing is, these problems often start to flood in after a natural disaster hits. “What happens in a natural disaster is that a lot of vulnerabilities are magnified during a storm” Johanna Lawton exclaims, from Rebuild By Design. The problems also appear in wealthy countries. It is not just the poor countries.

Each economic recovery after a natural disaster is

different, depending on location.

While the economic challenges crash in during the recovery, another problem, climate change, continues. It has caused these weather events to be more extreme by the day. “It affects everyone tremendously” Johanna Lawton points out. Climate change also makes the rebuilding process more challenging after a natural disaster.

Now, climate change is forcing communities to take a step back, and think about how to rebuild in a better way. In San Rafael, California, the sea levels are starting to rise, which stirs up a threat to their community. The company Rebuild By Design offers solutions that benefit the community, rather than waiting for the natural disaster to occur. They have services that include building bike lane levees that double as flood protection, and they also offer

highway improvements. “Our efforts are not to try to avoid putting Band Aids on things, or building back what was there before” Johanna Lawton adds.

If communities do not plan to build back in a 4more proactive way from a natural disaster, the problems will continue.

One solution to rebuilding a community is rapid rebuilding. It helps communities restore their daily routines. People want to return back to their community safely after a natural disaster, but they want their old homes. Rebuilding, repairing, and refurbishing homes quickly after a monster storm can bring communities hope. It also helps them believe they can overcome the difficult challenges. It is important to listen to the people of the community, and hear their positive input.

However, building back a community does involve background knowledge of the natural disaster that has just hit. The perspective of building back is not about creating new, modern, and astounding homes. It is more about building back proactively.

It is important to understand how the storm struck a community, and what needs to be done to prevent it from happening again. If there is a tornado, will there need to be more storm shelters? If there is a flood, will the houses need to be higher off the ground? The big question is, how do communities prepare and plan better for future storms?

This hard work to rebuild is never done by one individual. It is a group effort. Hurricane Harvey impacted the Houston community significantly.

With all of the homes lost, there needed to be a big group effort. For example, during Hurricane Harvey, people used boats to help each other out after the flooding. “It was unbelievable to kinda see the city and everybody together” Jennifer Hazelton adds. Even if someone was not personally impacted, people still wanted to help out.

Following a harsh storm, communities all around the world have to go through the rebuilding process.

It is hard work to rebuild, and even harder to face the challenges. From money, to climate change, the problems with rebuilding vary. After the whirling winds, gushing water, bursting fires, shaking grounds, it is important for communities to work together to rebuild. Whether it is building back rapidly, better, or with more resilience, there isn’t always a clear answer.

But the most important thing is to work together as a community. As Johanna Lawton states, “Alright now let’s all work together to figure out how we can overcome this.”

News

The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

The Origins of the Russo-Ukrainian War Jack Hebert ‘23 Staff Reporter

On February 24th, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full scale invasion into Ukraine, the largest act of war in Europe since World War Two. Millions of Ukrainians are fleeing the country, while others stay behind to defend it. But what caused this conflict? Was war unavoidable, or did we just miss the warning signs?

On December 1st, 1991, Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union. While Russia was divided between Soviet supporters and Russian leaders, represented by Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin respectively, both sides were opposed to its independence, although neither party pursued the topic, instead focusing on gaining control of Moscow. In order to gain complete control, Yeltsin was forced to dissolve the 1922 Union Treaty, ending the Soviet Union and allowing Ukraine to gain independence. This deal was not accepted by Russian leaders, but was instead viewed as a temporary concession in order to get Gorbachev out of office and gain political control over Russia. After this, Russia began contesting Ukrainian independence through their membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and through military disputes.

A major question after Ukrainian independence centered around the stockpile of Soviet nuclear weapons

The Whittier Miscellany Editors-in-Chief: Lily Rashkind, Sameer Vidwans Junior Editors: Tess Wolf, Ava Steinberger News Editor: Kai Heister Arts & Culture Editor: Zac Antao Features Editor: Emma Larsen Science & Technology Editor: Kendall Law Sports Editor: Molly Lavelle Faculty Advisor: Daniel Scott Staff Reporters: Tauson Biggs, Mitchell Brenner, Katie Bryan, Lucy Cericola, Jamie Feldman, Jack Hebert, Temi Lufadeju, Anna Maansson, Jemima Smith, Ava Steinberger, Collier Zug The Whittier Miscellany is published six times during the school year, and welcomes responses in the form of letters to the articles, editorials, and features of this paper.

Contact: dscott@wilmingtonfriends.org.

To access the Whittier Online: www.wfswhittier.net

within Ukraine. After its declaration, Ukraine found itself in control of the third largest nuclear stockpile in the world, behind the United States and Russia.

Other new countries, such as Belarus and Kazakhstan, found themselves in a similar situation, raising the number of nuclear powers from seven to ten.

This panicked Western powers, and resulted in the United States taking on a more proactive role in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. To resolve this issue, the Budapest Memorandum was held, in which Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States recognized Ukrainian independence, with Russia promising that no military action would be taken against Ukraine. In exchange, Ukraine returned all of their nuclear weapons to Russia.

While progress was being made, there was one major complication to the Ukrainian and Russian relations. The Black Sea Fleet anchored in Sevastopol, Crimea, contained 300 naval vessels that once belonged to the Soviet Union. However, as President Yeltsin claimed, it still belonged to Russia.

Yeltsin also had his eyes set on all of Crimea, arguing that it is historically, ethnically and militarily Russian. An agreement was reached to give Ukraine Crimea in exchange for half of the Black Sea Fleet. Crimea was gained, but a deal to exchange the vessels was never finalized.

Conflict between Ukrainians and Russians persisted past the 1990s, however. In 2004, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine overturned an election from a pro Russian candidate to a pro Western candidate.

In 2008, Russia combated Ukraine’s application to NATO. In 2014, another candidate in Ukraine was replaced with a pro Western one, this time resulting in violent protests and forcing the pro Russian politician to flee the country. That same year, Russia annexed Crimea, causing international outrage. In 2019, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy won against a pro Russian candidate, before cracking down on pro Russian oligarchs in 2021. This resulted in Russian President Vladimir Putin countering by moving thousands of soldiers to the Ukrainian border, before launching his invasion months later.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been brewing for decades, and has finally erupted. As battles are waged and the war rages on, many countries continue to stand with Ukraine, placing sanctions on Russia and crippling their economy. However, this has not deterred Putin, and he continues to push into Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine has showed its strength, and if Russia manages to take the country, it is unlikely to stop the Ukrainian people.

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New Supreme Court Justice Confirmed Anna Maansson ‘25 Staff Reporter On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court. She was later confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice on April 7, 2022 and will later replace Justice Stephen Breyer when he retires after the end of the summer term. Judge Jackson will be the first black woman to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Justice Stephen Breyer announced his intention to retire from the Supreme Court earlier this year. The White House has been trying to find a replacement since then. It was a long, tedious process Jackson is a Harvard University and a Harvard Law School graduate. While attending Harvard Law School, she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. After Jackson graduated, she held three clerkships with federal judges, one of them being a clerk to Justice Breyer in 1999. From 2005-2007, she served as a public defender. Jackson will be the only judge on the bench to have experience as a public defender. She is one of the most qualified candidates to be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

She was confirmed with a majority of 53-47. The vote itself was along party lines with democrats voting for and republicans voting against. Senators Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only people to cross party lines and vote for Judge Jackson.

The Supreme Court is going to continue being more conservative, even with the additional liberal judge due to the fact that Judge Jackson will be replacing a liberal judge herself.

“In the 233-year history of the Supreme Court, never, never has a Black woman held the title of Justice,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first, and I believe the first of more to come.”

Celebrities have taken to social media to add their congratulations.

“I was so moved to see Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed this afternoon,” wrote Michelle Obama in an Instagram post. “So many women of color now have a new role model to look up to as she serves on the highest court of the land. Thank you, Justice Jackson, for giving Black girls and women everywhere—including my daughters—a new dream to dream, a new path to forge, and a future we can all be hopeful for.

Judge Jackson gave her thanks to all who helped support her along the way at an event on the White House South Lawn on Friday, April 8. She said, “It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we’ve made it! We’ve

see Jackson continued on page 12

The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

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Community

How does Incyte Contribute to a Greener Community?

Emma Larsen ‘25 Features Editor

taken for a better future.

Becoming more environmentally friendly includes It has finally come to the world’s attention that cliprotecting the surrounding environment while inmate change is real. Communities, big and small, all creasing the stakeholders within Incyte. “When conover the world have started to take action. One right structing the expanded headquarters in Wilmington, outside of the Wilmington Friends community has Delaware, for example, the team needed to remove recognized and addressed climate change by enviapproximately 160 trees but then planted over 400 ronmental awareness. This community is Incyte. new trees once construction was completed, more For Incyte to have a better environmental impact, than doubling the original number of trees on-site,” more time and effort has to be taken into considersaid Loveman. Trees are an important feature of the ation by the employees. This gives a lot of open space earth, and losing too many would not be beneficial for the employee’s to suggest improvements. The imfor anyone. When Incyte creates new buildings enviprovements and adjustments Incyte employees make ronmental responsibility is the top priority. Incyte is can affect their community and those around them. currently working with Green Globes to achieve the “In my role, I have the privilege of helping to decide Green Globes Certification on the particular buildwhat is best for Incyte, as well as what is best for the ing. environment. It is very rewarding to take part in such Incyte respects and notices the natural world on important decisions, including those that may affect and around the property. All operations through my colleagues, the communities in which we operate, biodiversity are checked to be able to comply with inand the health of our environment” says Kevin Davis, ternational, national, and local regulations regarding Director of Facilities. Incyte takes employee sugthe preservation of natural places, promoting open gestions and feedback into consideration every day. spaces, and assessing land use compliance. Incyte The Greencyte Team is a global team that searches considers this thought through these plans: a stormfor ways to improve and adjust the environmental water pollution prevention plan, hazardous chemical impact Incyte makes on the community constantly, spill response procedures, and a waste disposable one small step at a time. program.

Small steps lead to bigger goals. All the individHazardous waste is not easy to dispose of, but ual’s offices and buildings have waste/recycling bins easy to reuse. Incyte Corporation Headquarters, here and reusable cutlery. On the outside, electric car in Delaware, has complied with EPA regulations in charging stations are provided in all garages and regards to hazardous waste. “All hazardous waste parking lots. As Incyte works to become more susis recycled, reused, fuel-blended or disposed of at tainable, the small, nearly unnoticeable things make an EPA approved disposal facility,” said Loveman. a difference. “We comply with the Resource ConserSince being environmentally aware is one of Incyte’s vation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which establishes priority goals, over 95% of hazardous waste has been a cradle-to-grave regulatory system for solid waste fuel blended with energy recoverability over the past and emphasizes control of waste after generation,” years. describes Catalina Loveman, Executive Director of Weather is normally predictable, but Incyte has Public Affairs. To become greener, smaller steps are incorporated different types of stormwater manage-

ment facilities for when it’s not. This includes bio-retention ponds, porous asphalt and pavers, underground detention ponds, and a green roof. “Water presence sensors have been installed in high water usage areas to quickly detect leaks and reduce water usage,” said Loveman.

Incyte’s main goal for the future is to be carbon neutral by 2025. This includes the global Scopes 1 and 2. These are the direct and indirect emissions from Incyte owned facilities, as well as other admissions. Additional goals for Incyte are to, “Achieve Green Globes Certification for a newly constructed building at U.S. Headquarters after completion, include reporting under the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Framework by 2023, and complete the transition of the Field Fleet to hybrid and electric vehicles by 2025,” said Loveman.

Step by step, communities will inspire other communities, and eventually, there will be a better outlook on environmental awareness caused by climate change. “As an innovative company, Incyte aims to utilize the latest technology and ideas to reduce its impact on the environment,” said Davis. Incyte, and many more communities around Wilmington Friends, have started to take their role on environmental awareness lately. “I think it would be better for us and the environment around us if we could become more environmentally aware with what we do. It’s also important to recognize what other communities do and incorporate that into our daily lives,” said Anya Agarwal, a freshman at Friends.

Incyte has become more environmentally aware over the past few years, this has helped the environment greatly. How can other communities, like Wilmington Friends, take better care of the environment with the actions of the community?

Hide the Spine: a WFS controversy Bella Adjei Owusu ‘22 Staff Reporter

The Wilmington Friends School History department accomplishes the task of reminding students why learning from historical events is essential. Yet, the WFS community may raise the question of whether censoring controversial parts of history should be allowed. Certain members of the community think so, as they are anonymously hiding the spines of the Nazi books in the library of Mr. Ergueta’s classroom, preventing other students and staff from recognizing the books through their swastika symbol. As many may know, Mr. Ergueta is one of the history teachers at WFS and teaches delicate historical events such as the Holocaust. As a result, he has many books in his classroom he references and even allows students to borrow, some of them written by Nazis and others, concerning the Holocaust. As controversial as discussing the events of the Holocaust and the Nazis’ impact might be, having access to

the works regarding those times could be significant. These texts provide a learning experience and direct support for students to utilize. Still, these factors do not always stop pieces of literature from getting canceled, as this culture does not look over even the most unsuspecting works.

A similar circumstance of censorship found within a library is not one that many would commonly assume; it happened with Dr. Seuss, beloved children’s author. The cancellation of Dr. Suess has sparked attention across several generations, impacting the youth and all ages who grew up with some association with this author. The New York Times took note of this sudden dissociation with an opinion article titled, “Do Liberals Care if Books Disappear?” highlighting Dr. Suess’s association with the cancellation of his books. In this article, the author drew a clear connection between Dr. Suess’s discriminatory works and their impact on his more popular books. When Kaylyn Freeman ‘22 was asked about her opinion of the

circumstances regarding the revocation of some of Dr. Suess’s books, she responded that she “separates the art from the artist.”

It is clear Dr. Suess’s books cannot be compared to Nazi ones, yet they are both in similar circumstances regarding their cancellation. Each book had been “censored” due to the actions or circumstances of the authors, dismissing the learning opportunities that could be drawn by people who may come across the works of these authors. When relating this issue back to the WFS community, suppose censoring certain works could be considered the right solution to maintaining a harmonious community. How may this decision impact the upcoming student body? Could younger classes struggle to find a strong connection to the material when learning about sensitive topics? It is up to the student body whether keeping those spines covered is the best idea to maintain a calm and informed community.

Community

The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

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Mind the Generational Gap: Gen Z and Music Consumption in 2022 Jemima Smith ‘24 Staff Reporter

people can write and produce a song than in past decades. Being an artist is no longer an unattainable dream; these days, if you can make something and convince people to listen to it, you’re set. Supporting an artist is also a more deliberate choice now; if someone wants to support a musician, they can go out of their way to buy a physical copy of their music rather than just streaming it. There wasn’t really a choice when the music industry was primarily physical.

To see Gen Z music tastes in the age of streaming, some data was collected from the students here at WFS. A poll found that music is considered ‘super important’ or ‘pretty important’ to the vast majority of our students. Most of our students attest that they listen to music all the time and consider the music they listen to as part of their personality.

It seems that even without the physical value of a cassette or vinyl, teens still consider music to be essential. So has music consumption changed at all? In terms of the actual nature of the music, Mateo Niiler ‘24 argues that songwriting has changed because of the fast-paced nature of consumerism. “I feel like due to the “on demand” nature of all of the music, artists are pushed to write songs with more catchy beginnings and push further into the I-IV-V-vI chord progression realm and themes of heartbreak and not truly express their creativity… music is kind of treated as dispensable. People listen to music to distract themselves -- that’s what pop music has always been for -- but I feel like a lot of the art inside of music has been lost.” Donald Morton, history teacher at WFS, agrees. “[The fact that] more people have access to publishing is great. In my opinion though, the quality of music has suffered without professionals -- A&R’s, professional studio folks, etc.-- present to vet the music.”

The nature of listening has also changed. Waiting for your favorite song to come on the radio or going

out to buy a cassette or vinyl used to be a much bigger commitment. Some might argue that spending the extra time to access the music made it more valuable. Oftentimes, it can feel like we take the content at our disposal for granted. “I think that the concept of an ‘album’ definitely loses its value when it is available in the streaming service format,” said Scott Clothier, also a WFS history teacher. “If this current format remains in power then bands today won’t make full albums, they will want to focus on tracks.”

Niiler expressed the same sentiment. “I feel that albums have lost a lot of their meaning— it used to be that albums told stories, or really had a consistent theme, and a lot of that has vanished with songs on albums being written so that they can be played on shuffle,” he said. “I also don’t think this is a bad thing because it’s leading to a lot of new interesting music, but I think calling them albums is a little bit disingenuous.” Because listening to music isn’t as much of an event anymore, Gen Z often utilizes it as an amplifier rather than a standalone activity. “People used to listen to music and music alone as entertainment, and now it often is used to amplify other experiences, and accompany other activities, like cleaning, exercising, and studying. Due to this, music is far more integrated into the lives of our generation than any generation before,” said Esther Adebi ‘24. “Individual songs probably don’t hold the same sanctity to us as they might have in generations before… Though individual songs might hold more significance to previous generations, music as a whole is far more integral to our lives than ever before.”

So the industry has changed, as has its consumption. But it’s overwhelmingly clear: music is still important to teens. Though it may be bought or used in a different way, Gen Z uses music to process their feelings and the world around them. Some things never change.

lifted. But for others, it’s the opposite. Some people are still cautious about COVID, such as Gracie Gaskell ‘24. When the mandate was lifted, she said that On Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022, students walked “It felt weird. I think it was a bit early. I still wear a mask because my family is at high risk.” into school and saw that something was drastically Greer Marvel ‘23 thought that “The mask lift different. The previous day, Governor John Carney terminated the mask mandate for schools in the state was shocking at first,” but when she saw that cases of Delaware. Wilmington Friends School decided to were not going up, she “then saw it as a good stride towards normalcy.” Liam Sullivan ‘24 expressed the follow this updated timeline. Starting that Wednessame opinion, saying, “It’s fine as long as the numday, many students decided to take off their masks. bers stay down. If the numbers go back up we need This was a big change, as mask-wearing had been to be ready to go back to masking.” As always there strictly enforced at WFS since September 2020. On the day masks were no longer required, Rebecca Zug, are contrasting opinions; Miller remarked that even Head of Upper School, sent an email to all of the up- if cases rise that she, “think[s] it should keep being per schoolers, reminding them that it was “very im- optional.”

From an educational perspective, Brady Bulk, Upportant that everyone respect the decisions of others per School French teacher and Head of the Language regarding masking. Everyone must feel comfortable Department, found the end of the mask mandate to making the choice that is best for them.”

“Well, I’m over it. I don’t wear a mask. They make be very beneficial. “Friends uses an immersion teaching method to teach languages. I have to rely on my you get more nasally and nasty,” Maddie Miller, a tenth grader at Friends. Some students at the school face and my students’ faces to communicate messages and help with pronunciation. The masks prevented feel as though it’s time for COVID to be over and that.” Others agreed with this, including Sullivan, were extremely elated when the mask mandate was

who expressed that “I guess it makes French easier because I can understand the pronunciation.”

Miller talked about how special it was to be able to see her baby niece without wearing a mask, as “It’s easier for her to learn the language; she’s learned much faster being able to see our faces.” From another social perspective, Marvel talked about how different it was to socialize without masks, stating, “I can see entire faces. It really improves connection.”

Students were so used to only seeing half of people’s faces because that was the norm for a year and a half.

Bulk mentioned, “There are so many people I don’t recognize. I have to adjust how I recognize people now. I’m glad that people aren’t required to be covered up.”

When the mask mandate was lifted, one of the school’s worries was that there would be a clear divide between those who chose to continue wearing masks and those who took them off. Gaskell stated, “The majority of my friends don’t wear masks, but I trust their judgments. They respect me and want

Music has always been important to younger generations. It’s how people process and explore their emotions, express themselves, and connect with each other. But in the digital age, has music and its consumption changed?

With lightning-fast streaming services and wide arrays of experimental genres, music consumption has gone from hearing something catchy on the radio to having the world at your fingertips. The natural instinct to be the first to find something cool or be into underground music has expanded tenfold when there are artists making new content every day.

TikTok has made it so a few seconds of a song can be famous for a day, and then disappear forever.

Let’s go through a brief history of music consumption. When CDs became widely available around 1995, they immediately grew in popularity because you were able to directly skip to the song you wanted to play, which was different from cassettes. When the Apple iPod launched in 2001, consumers were able to download hundreds of songs and skip back and forth between them as they pleased. Downloading was the main way to access music before streaming services became the enterprise they are today. Pandora came into being in 2005, followed by SoundCloud and Spotify (2008 and 2009, respectively). Apple was still the most profitable music marketer in the United States at this point, but soon streaming became more and more popular. After being in the downloaded music business for decades, Apple launched Apple Music in 2015, making the switch to streaming for easy listener access. Vinyl, which is older than CDs and cassettes, lives on thanks to its artsy appeal and indie following. The ‘industry’ is also much more accessible to up-and-coming artists. With such advanced technology at our disposal, so many more

To Mask, or not to Mask?

Katie Bryan ‘24 Staff Reporter

see Mask continued on page 12

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The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

Community

Eating Disorders and Social Media Rose Mulveny ‘26 8th Grade Writer

In the world there are estimated to be over 28 million people at risk of an eating disorder. That is about nine percent of the world’s population. Eating disorders are one of the leading causes of death, and about 10,200 people die from them each year. Anyone could have an eating disorder, but 95% of eating disorders occur during teenage years. Unfortunately, 26% of affected individuals try to end their lives.

Eating disorders are the second most dangerous mental illness. “I’m still trying to find happiness. It’s a struggle,”says Griffin Henry, an eating disorder survivor. More than 100 million people have developed an eating disorder by age 20. People worldwide are struggling, and we are beginning to see how social media can affect an eating disorder and how it can help eating disorders.

What is an eating disorder? It is a really sensitive topic. There are three main types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. These are very serious mental illnesses and it takes many years to recover. Some never do.

The most common eating disorder is Binge-eating disorder. Eight percent of adult Americans have binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder can be attributed to habitually restricting the body of certain food groups. This restriction can only be maintained for so long, and after a point an individual with binge eating disorder will “binge” or consume foods uncontrollably for a short period of time.. The human body cannot just quit consuming the nutrients necessary to maintain a healthy and happy lifestyle. All eating disorders are very influential; anyone could be at risk of developing one. This has become especially apparent with the rise of social media.

Social media and eating disorders have a very interesting relationship. Workouts, diets, and the “skinny girl” body type plague social media pages. This content promotes a restrictive lifestyle, which can be a slippery slope to developing an eating disorder.

So, does social media cause eating disorders? Chelsea Kronengold, a representative from the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), says “Social media in general does not cause an eating disorder.

However, it can contribute to one.” Eating Disorders don’t just pop up—they can be genetic, a product of anxiety, or a result of past trauma. These traits make someone particularly vulnerable to the grasp of toxic social media content and the allure of an eating disorder or a restrictive lifestyle. A restrictive lifestyle is when someone is not experiencing an eating disorder but is still having restrictions on what they can eat and activities. Doctors have said that access to social media makes eating disorders harder to treat because those affected are able to learn how to hide disorders from parents. Social media trends exist that do not directly reference sensitive content, but still promote it by zooming in on and idolizing extremely thin or fit bodies.

Popular apps today continue to discreetly advertise a restrictive lifestyle to teens and anyone who might just go on social media. Content on social media platforms can have a negative impact on viewers even if the type of media is not negative towards

bodies or eating sensitivity. “Seeing people live the style and life you want makes you feel insecure,” says Molly Dolan ‘26 . When people forget their selfworth then they become more at risk of an eating disorder because of compromised mental health. A study done by the Australian Rotary Health shows that in a middle school community, 45% of boys and 52% of girls had engaged in eating disorder behaviors, with most relating back to the students having social media. During an interview with binge eating disorder expert Isabel Foxen Duke, she explains how one thing she wishes would change about social media is the exaggerated lifestyles and “highlights” of other’s lives. When we stop comparing ourselves to other bodies and others’ lives, then we will have a better self image.

Boys can have eating disorders too. Pediatric wards are seeing more male patients with eating disorders. Experts explain that, male eating disorders can be more intense than cases with girls because their disorders are more likely to be unnoticed.

There is a misunderstanding that only girls have eating disorders. At the start of the pandemic, 1% of patients at the Mercy Hospital in Kansas City were male. Now 6% are male. Griffin Henry was a boy who was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, and whose life was put on hold from an eating disorder.

Griffin wanted to be a big-time baseball player and started trying to lose weight to be faster. Mr. Henry got most of his workouts off of Instagram and went on a high protein, low carb diet. Griffin Henry’s disorder would continue to become harmful to a point where he weighed 152lbs. Social media presents a skewed picture of the idealistic male body. Men who are more muscular and thinner receive more praise than those who have different body types. This causes boys to be pressured to lose weight in order to fit standards today.

How are we able to help social media be a positive space? As more and more news sources are spreading awareness about how eating disorders are spreading among teens who use social media, apps are starting to create policies and adjust their algorithms to prevent negative content towards bodies and eating.

Teens have learned how to hide chats/discussions by titling them cleverly and using discrete hashtags to prevent detection from the company. TikTok has put time and effort into controlling the flow of content on the app by blocking content that plainly states eating disorders and hashtags that are connected to the topic. A director of TikTok explains, “We aim to foster a supportive environment for people who share their recovery journey… While also safeguarding our community by removing content that normalizes and glorifies eating disorders.” Apps have been taking a lot of steps to keep the community safe.

“Youtube, Snapchat, TikTok, and Twitter have

policies prohibiting content that encourages eating disorders. These companies should improve their algorithms that can surface such content,” Chelsea Kronengold states. Companies have begun to revise their algorithms in order to filter through all content referencing eating disorders and negative body image content. Many social media users are upset because they were seeing videos and images that made them feel bad and that they didn’t want to see. Most trends feature thin bodies, instead of being inclusive to different body types, so people who don’t want to see videos like these are often left feeling bad about their self image. Twitter and most media apps allow you to report comments that are sensitive or offensive. This allows some individuals to block sensitive videos, but not all videos are taken down. Some companies have installed further methods to protect viewers. For example, all social media apps have installed filters for content that directly glorifies eating disorders. Social media platforms still have a long way to go but we are seeing gradual improvements in content control designed to create a safe space and encourage those who have had eating disorders to share their recovery journey.

Recovery from an eating disorder is a very hard and long process, and it depends on the severity of the disorder and the type. Many don’t make it to recovery. Expert Isabel Foxen Duke claims, “It depends on the person.” Ms. Foxen Duke talks about how those dealing with major fatphobia might be facing large social standards to the point where dieting is a major part of their life. Those who have anxiety or OCD towards food will have a different experience than others. People who experience severe disorders have to go to a facility where they can receive treatment. These patients are not allowed to use their phones due to the risks of social media usage. Griffin Henry (an eating disorder survivor) reveals, “The best part of treatment was not being on my phone.”

He says that it took months for workouts, diets, and disorder related content to get off of his explore page on Instagram.

The recovery journey is something that everybody shares. Family members and communities on Social Media all work to help the recovery process. TikTok, Youtube, and Instagram have created policies so that creators are allowed to share their stories online.

Some communities on social media are made to support others who are struggling with eating disorders, or provide a sense of humor by making lighthearted jokes about eating disorders. The individual diagnosed with the eating disorder is not the only one affected, but family and friends are impacted as

see Beauty continued on page 12

Columns

The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

Page 6

You Can’t Police Trans Bodies

address the 40% of transgender youth who have attempted to take their own lives. If legislators cared Jace Boland ‘23 about trans kids, they would know that the only efweightlifting medals in the 2012 London Olympics, fective way to lower trans suicide rates is to increase Columnist were stripped due to doping. Not the transgender access to healthcare and community support. agenda seeking to infiltrate and demolish traditional, The American Association of Pediatrics emphaThe United States of America has sent the message gendered society, just cis women doing drugs. Even sizes the importance of acknowledging and properly loud and clear: transgender people are not welcome the Women’s Sports Foundation has condemned the treating transgender youth. They released a statein this country. Recently, 33 states have been workbanning of trans athletes from sports, officially statment in 2018 as a guide for healthcare providers on ing on violently anti-transgender legislation that ing: “As the preeminent ally and advocate of girls and how to implement a “gender affirming care model,” would undoubtedly lead to a skyrocket in suicide women in sport, the Women’s Sports Foundation is the main points being in favor of supporting and rates, especially in trans teens. Many of these states, gravely concerned when parties attempt to use sport affirming trangender youth at any age. They also including Alaska, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, participation as a weapon against some of the most state, rather bluntly, that the concept of “watchful and Arizona, are close to passing bills that would marginalized members of our society… All girls. All waiting,” or withholding treatment and affirmation ban transgender women from womens’ sports teams. women. All sports. Society wins when our humanity from a transgender child until an arbitrary age where The skill that these politicians have in order to invent prevails. We implore legislators to stop using girls’ it is believed gender identity becomes solidified, is a problems that don’t exist while ignoring the crises in and women’s sports as a vehicle to discriminate.” harmful and outdated approach to healthcare. their own jurisdictions astounds me.

On top of attempting to bar trans girls and women State legislation is currently mounting an attack Much of the recent uproar about transgender from playing sports, there is more legislation all over on the transgender population of the US. While it women playing sports was sparked by the Olympics. the country trying to restrict healthcare for trans sounds far away, this legislation would directly affect What they won’t tell you is that the International people. Many of the anti-transgender bills in the trans people across the country. Imagine working Olympic Committee has had an explicitly stated set works involve illegalizing gender affirming treatment your entire life to become a top athlete, giving your of guidelines for transfeminine athletes since 2015. In for trans youth, under the guise of “protecting chilheart and soul to the sport, only to be told you’re these guidelines, it declares an athlete’s testosterone dren.” If legislators were concerned about protecting now banned permanently. Imagine being sick and in must be below 10 nanomoles for 12 months prior to transgender youth, maybe they would do something desperate need of treatment but your doctor could go competing. Trans women playing sports has never about the fact that 82% of them have considered sui- to prison for treating you. It sounds horrific and dysbeen a real issue. According to NBC Sports, women’s cide. They would address the fact that 54% of trans topian, but this is the reality trans people are facing athletics has much bigger, real problems to worry people face domestic violence at some point in their right now. Stay informed, stay aware, and stay angry. about. Eleven out of twenty-one, or 52% of women’s lives, and 47% are sexually assaulted. They would

“Make America Green Again” - A Complaint Pablo Charriez ‘24 Columnist

radicalization of the Republican Party.

Back to Theodore Roosevelt, he was sworn in as President of the United States on September 14th, 1901, as a member of the Republican Party. Through President Donald Trump was elected as the 45th his terms, President Roosevelt became the face of President in 2016, under the motto, “ Make America conservation, founding 150 national forests, 51 Great Again”. This mantra is arguably the most politfederal bird reserves, four national game preserves, ically polarizing phrase in modern US history, over five national parks and 18 national monuments on phrases like “Black Lives Matter” and the subsequent over 230 million acres of public land. According to “All Lives Matter”. The “MAGA” phrase has found the Wilderness Society, President Trump has put 461 its spot on all types of paraphernalia, ranging from million acres of federal land up for rent, 9.9 million flags to tattoos, and everything in between. It’s also a staple of political parody, with Democrats exchanging acres of which have been rented by energy companies.

Same party, however two distinctly separate realities. the “Great” in MAGA with words like smart, literate, Richard Nixon, a polarizing Republican President, healthy, etc etc. On April 14th, 2022, I attended the was regarded by Greenpeace as “our Greenest PresiYES! Climate Summit, a student led summit around dent ever” for his creation of the EPA, signing of the Climate Change, and found a sticker reading, “Make America Green Again”. It made me irrationally angry, Clean Air Act, and his formation of the Council on Environmental Quality. In 2012, senior Republican and this is why.

Senator James M. Inhofe penned the book, “The On May 28th, 1892, the Sierra Club was founded Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy

by John Muir, a distinctly non-partisan figure, who Threatens Your Future”. While more disparities can happens to be one of two major faces in the early be drawn between the “old” Republican Party and the 1900’s conservation scene. The other major player “new” Republican Party, you probably get the gist. In is Theodore Roosevelt, but more on that later. Fast the eyes of post-Trump Republicans, Environmental forward to 2022 and now the Sierra Club is the most conservation takes place behind fiscal conservation, to influential grassroots environmental organization in the obvious detriment of our nation’s natural resourcthe United States. They’re also the same organization es and the longevity of our global society. And that’s that’s printing these stupid stickers. And they’re not when politicians choose to believe man-made climate stupid because the idea is bad. Obviously, a greener United States is a fantastic thing, and something worth change exists.

All this being said, Democrats also shoulder some fighting for. However, by using a political phrase to of the blame. Highlighted by the dumb green parody promote this message, it polarizes the Republican sticker this article is based on, Liberals can somehow Party and makes climate change and de-carbonizacomplain about political polarization in the US while tion a partisan issue, which is exactly the opposite of also antagonizing the Republican Party. Yes, the Rewhat should be done. This wasn’t always the case, as publicans are responsible for putting Donald Trump highlighted by Theodore Roosevelt, but is merely the product of polarization by the Democratic Party, and a in office, the effects of which are still prominent today.

However, Democrats have put both Kyrsten Sinema (D- AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) in Senate seats, to disastrous effect for climate policies. These Senators highlight an ideology central to the Democratic Party, called Neoliberalism.

While its exact definition is highly contested, neoliberalism essentially is the idea that, “a society’s political and economic institutions should be robustly liberal and capitalist, but supplemented by a constitutionally limited democracy and a modest welfare state”, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. At its core, neoliberal ideology and capitalist viewpoints are closely linked, which offers a clear path towards a greener United States. De-incentivize fossil fuels, incentivise growth in renewable energy, and provide jobs within the green energy sector to Americans.

Or better yet, use the current Ukraine-Russia War to ramp up domestic production of renewable energy.

Reconsider releasing roughly 180 million gallons of oil over a period of six months. Acknowledge the legitimacy of climate science. And really, really, really don’t create a dumb parody sticker to further polarize the United States.

It’s’ worth stating that Democrats and Republicans “hugging it out’’ will probably never happen, nor will they ever see eye to eye on how to address every single issue. Because that’s not what democracy represents, nor has it ever. But our current democracy represents a historically politically polarized nation, caused by a deeply rooted clash of cultures festering since the industrial revolution. And every now and then, a symbol of this divide shows itself in the form of a symbolic little green sticker. But something does need to be done to “Make America Green Again.” A profitable, non-partisan, and greener future can and must be achieved. By any and all means possible.

Page 7

Winning Ways Zac Antao ‘24 Arts & Culture Editor Scottie Scheffler is on top of the golf world ,and it seems like we are only seeing the start of him. The 25 year old star of the PGA tour has already won four out of six events in the start of the 2022 season including the Arnold Palmer invitational, the WGC Dell Match Play, and the Masters.

Scheffler earned his first PGA tour win this February by taking down reigning FedEx Cup champion, Patrick Cantlay after regulation, in a three hole playoff. When asked about how he imagined his first win to come, Scheffler replied, “I don’t really think about it too often. For me I like trying to improve. I like trying to get better. I like playing golf out here.

It is fun for me. I feel like this is where I meant to be so for me I am just trying to prepare and get ready.”

Scheffler’s head down attitude exemplified his modest personality and allowed his work ethic to speak for him.

Following his win at the Pheonix Open, Scheffler continued his winning ways at the tough scoring Bay Hill. He took home his second win in just three weeks at the Arnold Palmer Invitational but most impressively spoke like a seasoned veteran at the winner’s press conference. When questioned about how his recent win would change his goals for the season Scheffler replied, “I wouldn’t say too much. I don’t really look too far ahead as it is. For me, I like being out here. I like competing and I am just going to keep doing what I’m doing, just keep my head down and try to hit good golf shots and have some fun out here.” Sheffler’s successes resulted in his rapidly growing fanbase and he continued to give them something to celebrate.

Once again, just three weeks after his win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Scheffler took home his first World Golf Championships event at the Dell Technologies Match Play boosting him to #1 in the World Golf Rankings. Scheffler showed that his match play success at the Ryder Cup was no fluke by defeating past champions: Ian Poulter, Matt Fitzpatrick, Billy Horschel, Seamus Power, past champion, Dustin Johnson, and, past champion, Kevin Kisner.

When asked if Scottie feels more prepared to win a major after his recent achievments, Scheffler replied, “I will say that, yeah, I always felt like I could do it but I think once you actually accomplish that goal it is a little bit different. I definitely felt a little bit different on the course at Bay Hill on that final round. You know whether it was the mistakes I made earlier in the round. Those definitely did not weigh on me as much as they had in the past and I used my experience from Phoenix (WM Open) where I did make a lot of mistakes on Sunday and I was still able to get the job done with a good finish.”

Most recently, Scheffler constructed an inspiring Masters tournament utilizing his recent pressure situations to take control over the field and lead the

The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

tournament in three of the four rounds.

When asked if Scheffler ever expected to be in the position of a masters winner, Scheffler replied, “I never expected it. I never expected to be sitting where I am now. You know, you don’t expect things to come to you in this life, you just do the best that you can with the hand you’re dealt, and just go from there.” Scheffler’s humble mindset is enviable. The twenty-five year old continues to show the press and fans across the world what it means to have a winning mentality.

A dream start of the season for Scottie Scheffler emerged the young Texan into a dominant force to reckon with.

Scheffler’s great form paired with his calm, stay in the moment, accept whatever happens mentality appears to be leading him in the right direction and time will tell if the leader of golf ’s next generation can continue his winning ways.

Let’s Talk Ball Temi Lufadeju ‘25 Staff Reporter

The 76ers hold a story of great tradition. The atmosphere of the games and the way Phillies fans from all over the world come together to see their favorite team play is why they’re most known for their tradition. The Philadelphia basketball team holds a season record of 51-31. In the Eastern Conference, the Sixers rank 4th right behind the Milwaukee Bucks and right above the Toronto Raptors.

Starting on April 16th, 2022, the 76ers start fresh 0-0 playing in the 1st round of playoffs against the #5 ranked team, the Raptors. Although the Raptors have a record of 48-34 and are ranked under the sixers, this team has just found some luck. Due to Canadian federal policy, players who aren’t fully vaccinated are ineligible to play in Canada. Matisse Thybulle is an Australian-American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers. He was selected in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft with the 20th overall pick. In 2021, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. Thybulle is a very important player for the 76ers. Thybulle is known to be the “defensive force” for the Sixers, and for the games in Toronto, the Sixers lose their defensive force. The 25-year-old from Australia is barred from entering Toronto due to his covid vaccination status.

This devastating news for the Sixers could cost them the first-round Eastern conference against Toronto.

Thybulle is ineligible to play in games 3 & 4 out of 6 which will be held in Toronto. In a press conference interview, Thybulle had some words of his own about the attention-seeking situation. Thybulle said, “I’ve thought a lot about what I’m gonna say here”.

In a low voice and slow phrases, Thybulle broke his silence and said “I’ve made this choice and I thought I could keep it to myself, I could keep it quiet but people are always gonna wonder why”. According to Thybulle, he grew up in a “holistic household” and to him, that was a big part of his decision to not get fully vaccinated. Ryann Smith, a freshman at Friends, loves the game of basketball. The devastating news that Thybulle shared was hard for her to hear. Smith

Sports said “In the press conference interview Mattise mentioned something about growing up in a holistic household. I too have grown up in a holistic household and honestly, I think everyone should respect Mattises decision. Even though I am fully vaccinated, I respect his decision even if it might cost us to lose to Toronto” Lulu Cochran, has her mindset on the situation. “I don’t watch much basketball but I think he should just get vaccinated if it will risk the whole team. Sue Kampert said “My opinion is he knew what was coming and knew that he had to make a decision”. “What I’m saying is that being a part of a team and being paid as a professional athlete means you have decisions to make that affect the team and not just you as an individual’’. I respect his choices as far as being an individual, however the fans just have to understand that”. Ultimately, Sixers fans and non Sixers fans have their opinion set on whether Thybulle should be allowed to play. Since Covid has struck there has been a debacle on how we as a society should handle these types of situations. Should athletes be allowed to participate in sports regardless of their vaccination status? How can we as a society guarantee safety without being at risk. At Wilmington Friends our athletic community has gone through harsh conditions given such harsh circumstances regarding covid. As the school year comes to an end, this calls for a time to reflect back on the year that our community has gone through, not just our athletes but everyone.

From Zero to 1,947 Yards Mitchell Brenner ‘24 Staff Reporter

If you are a fan of the NFL, you probably know the name Cooper Kupp. The Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver who helped lead them to their first Super Bowl win in twenty two years, and the winner of the 2022 Offensive player of the year award. Kupp sits atop the NFL’s wide receiver hierarchy with the likeness of Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson and other premier wideouts, but his career accolades surpass all of his peers. His career has been very impressive, but not as impressive as the path he took to get where he is.

Cooper Kupp attended Davis high school in his home town of Yakima, Washington. Despite putting up 1,126 receiving yards, 22 touchdowns, and an average of 93.8 receiving yards per game, Kupp received zero offers to play college football during his senior year. However, three weeks after his graduation he received a call from Eastern Washington University. With no other choices, Cooper Kupp committed to Eastern Washington as a walk-on.

Being a walk-on meant that Kupp was not under any scholarship, and had to pay for his own college tuition while also managing school and football.

Kupp would not have been able to focus on football without the support of his girlfriend, now wife, Anna Croskrey. Croskrey worked full time to monetarily support herself and Cooper Kupp, so that he could put all of his energy into football. Kupp explained the importance of his wife’s support in an ESPN interview: “​​I really believe I may not be in this -- I may not be in the NFL if it wasn’t for her and what she has

see Football continued on page 12

Arts & Culture

The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

How women in TV have shaped our lives Lucy Cericola ‘25 Staff Reporter Though it may sound cliché, Shows like Hannah Montana, That’s So Raven, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Kim Possible had an ample impact on those who watched them growing up. Other than being shows beloved by viewers of the early 2000s, each of these shows featured at least one positively portrayed female protagonist who welcomed young viewers to look up to them.

“Growing up, I watched a lot of Disney Channel, so characters like Raven and Hannah Montana were my favorite, and Chyna from Ant Farm. Because, they were three girls that were really devoted to being themselves and they lived out their dreams,” says Hannah Carter ‘22.

Since the early 2000s, the percentage of women in the Hollywood industry has only increased, with recent data revealing that two-fifths of films in 2019 had female protagonists. Additionally, the percentage of women working behind the scenes in Hollywood rose to a record high of 25% as of 2021.

So if we’ve made progress and seem to be continuing that momentum, what’s the issue? The answer to that question, though a seemingly simple one, has been buried under the iceberg of distorted progressiveness. In short, the answer is gender stereotypes.

Media representation can have a jarring impact on how young girls view themselves and how they are perceived by others. So, even if you’re growing up watching strong female figures on television, that representation does little to boost your self-esteem if all of the women you see are objectified and valued solely for the way they display themselves.

In addition to being immensely underrepresented in Hollywood with only 32% of actors being women, let alone 10.6% of directors, women are also vastly misrepresented. Not only are women targeted and made to feel insecure to support corporations’ hopes of generating revenue, but oftentimes young girls aren’t even aware of the influence that TV and media have on their upbringing. It seems as if to gain major recognition in a movie or TV show, a woman has to do one of three things: achieve something unheard of, have a plot revolving around her love life, or wear alluring clothing.

A study made by Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, a professor of film and television at San Diego State University found that “nearly three-quarters of male characters had an identifiable occupation.” Compare this to the fewer than two-thirds of female characters, and you might be able to spot the recurring pattern. Male protagonists were much more likely to be shown at work, and only just over 25% of the characters who were leaders in television and movies were women.

“Audiences were almost twice as likely to see male than female characters in the top 100 films,” says Lauzen. Additional studies highlight this pattern, over a third of television shows airing from 2011 to present day included women portrayed in a manner of objectification.

“I think it’s extremely damaging to young men and women worldwide. It brings the idea that if a woman isn’t constantly showing off her body, she’s not interesting, or she’s not smart or strong.” says Hannah ‘22.

“And for boys, I think it sends the message that it doesn’t really matter what a girl’s skills are if she’s got a “good body”.

And that that should be prioritized over everything else, which is totally not true.”

“We need more women in movies who can be positive role models for girls without being objectified.” says Ali Sanfrancesco ‘25.

So although as a whole it appears as if the gender gap in media between men and women is commencing it’s close, change is still needed if we want to protect our next generations.

Page 8

Fast Fashion Quickly Harming Our Planet Emma Lavelle ‘26 8th Grade Writer

A 15-year-old girl is scrolling through social media. She sees that everyone on Tiktok is wearing a grey plaid detective’s jacket. The girl searches for “grey plaid jacket, small” on google and does some digging. On a website that she has never seen before, she finds a $12 jacket. There are two reviews on the website. She decides that it is worth the risk, puts the item in her cart and clicks check-out. Next, she puts in all of her shipping information. She sees that shipping is $4, and if she wants to get it in the next week, it would be $30, so she chooses standard shipping and checks out. A few weeks later, a package arrives at her doorstep. In the bag is a small plaid jacket. This item is now out of style. There is no way to return it, so she brings the coat to Goodwill and donates it.

Believe it or not, this is a common scenario around the world. This is called fast fashion. Fast fashion is inexpensive and poorly-constructed clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. Many of these items are produced in countries outside the U.S where labor is cheaper and there are fewer labor laws. Fast fashion is quite controversial and is extremely harmful to the environment. Many people do not realize that fast fashion harms our atmosphere with the co2 and greenhouse gasses that the production of the clothes emits into the air. So, how did fast fashion come about?

Fast fashion has been around since the 1980s.

However, it did not become popular until the late 1990s and early 2000s. Fast fashion is inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. Social media, particularly TikTok and Instagram, fuel this problem. The brands’ idea is to get the newest fashion trends on the market as quickly as possible, so shoppers can get them while the items are still popular. “I think fast fashion is centered around impulse. One loves a piece for a little bit, and then it is completely useless. It is kind of like a ‘live fast, die young’ situation,” Tyler Hack, a student at Tower, said. Fast fashion clothing is sometimes said to be “disposable.” As Tyler said, you wear it once and never wear it again.

Zara, Shein, H&M, and Forever 21 are just some of the most popular fast fashion brands. There are so many different ways you can spot fast fashion. Usually, fast fashion clothing is cheap. On Shein, shirts can be bought at prices as low as one dollar. Apparel from these brands is produced rapidly, the clothing material is usually low quality. They are made with materials like polyester, which causes clothes to degrade after just a few wears and get thrown away.

You might notice that after a fashion item becomes trendy, these fast fashion stores will have that item up the next day or in a short period of time. This is because they have workers working hard at work all day, in harsh conditions.

Fast fashion is incredibly harmful to the environ-

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Arts & Culture

Fashion continued from page 8 ment and animals. Because these brands are trying to get clothes, materials, and other items needed to produce this clothing, they spend a vast amount of money on shipping. They emit greenhouse gasses into the air, and planes and trucks release an extensive amount of co2 emissions into the air. Not only that, but the ships, the fast fashion brands use, also release carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide and co2 play a considerable role in global warming. Jeans, a trendy fashion item, are awful for the environment. The water, dye, and other materials that construct jeans are harmful to the climate and the people making them.

What about animals? Animals can be skinned to use their fur for various purposes. “I love a good leather jacket or fur coat, but skinning animals alive and emitting a considerable sum of greenhouse gasses to make it just does not sit right for me.“ Joey Mayer 2024 states. Many large brands such as Hermes and Gucci use animal skin for their world-famous bags. Also, a large number of brands do not admit to this. People buy from these shops, not knowing they do this to innocent animals.

Not only are the brands hurting animals, but they are hurting people too. The ILO, International Labour Office, estimates that 170 million children

are a part of child labor in the fashion industry. Fast fashion has historically been related to child labor and highly unsafe working conditions. Many factories in countries that do not have strict labor laws usually find their way around the rules to cut the cost of producing these items. In countries such as Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, there is no guarantee of workers’ labor rights. Usually, these factories have an impoverished working environment. Because of this, it can cause long and short-term injuries such as slowly-developing respiratory problems because of the toxic fumes breathed in each day.

As if getting hurt is not enough, the children barely get paid. In 2016, it was reported that workers in Bangladesh were paid a mere $67 a month, aggravated by extremely deplorable working conditions.

Children as young as six can work up to 110 hours a week, and on average, the children make less than $2 a day.

While getting rid of fast fashion may not happen for a while, there are many sustainable and ethical brands you can shop from. Some of the most wellknown include Patagonia, Eileen Fisher, and Levi’s.

“Patagonia’s self-imposed Earth tax, 1% for the Planet, provides support to environmental nonprofits

Class of ‘26 Imazine Project Molly Lavelle ‘24 Sports Editor Like any class, students cycle through numerous topics during the school year.

However, in English class in 8th grade, there is one unit that lasts longer than any. In the middle of the eighth grade school year, Mr. Kerrane’s students undertake the “vignettes” unit. This unit starts by reading “The House On Mango Street,” a novel constructed of numerous vignettes by Sandra Cisneros. A vignette is a short passage that uses imagery to describe a subject in greater detail. Students read many other short stories and vignettes to get a sense of how different authors write.

It is then time for students to start preparing their own vignettes. The process solely for writing and research can take weeks depending on the class. Molly Dolan ’26 explains, “The most difficult part of this process was figuring out what to write about. Vignettes help you express emotions, stories, favorite things, and so much more.” Though this may seem frightening to some people, many of the eighth-grade students loved the writing process and the ability to share their ideas.

These eighth-grade students worked long and hard on their vignettes, and once they turned them in, the stress was off their shoulders. However, some students took their writing a step further and decided to submit one of their writing pieces to Imazine, a local Delaware newspaper that allows all types of people to submit their writings for a chance

to be featured in one of the printed copies.

Eight students decided to take the chance and submit their pieces.

However, getting your piece approved to be published is not the only exciting part of this process either. Once the issue of the magazine has been published, there is a final ceremony that students are invited to. Not only do the students of WFS attend, but numerous other writers of different ages and professions attend. Though not all students could take part in the ceremony due to their busy schedules, the ones who are able to remember it as a great experience. When asked about his favorite part of the ceremony, Arlo Nekoukar ’26 says, “It was really cool being able to watch other authors present their work and meeting other students my age.”

Mr. Kerrane, an eighth-grade English teacher at WFS, shares his love for this project in many ways. He has been teaching this unit and encouraging his students to submit their work since the magazine opened in 2011. Mr. Kerrane gives incredible insight about his favorite part of the project, and why he continues to give these students the opportunity year after year. “What I love about doing this vignette project is that what the students choose to write about is so sometimes personal but often there is something that is very relatable and there’s an empathy piece where you can be with the person.” This opportunity is one that many of Mr. Kerrane’s past students remember and cherish. Hopefully, future eighth-grade English classes will have the same wonderful opportunity!

working to defend our air, land and water around the globe.” Patagonia implies. Another great way to be sustainable is thrifting! “Shopping at thrift shops is a great way to get clothing for cheap that you love.

Shopping at thrift shops reduces the amount of clothing that ends up in the landfill, which saves a lot of co2 emissions and water,“ Joey Mayer explains. To find a thrift store, search for “thrift stores near me”, and many different stores will come up. Can’t find exactly what you’re looking for? Sewing is a great alternative. You can reuse old material to remake something perfect for you. As long as you’re making sure your fabric comes from an ethical source, there’s nothing wrong with sewing the ideal clothes. There are plenty of alternatives to fast fashion and child laboring.

The next time this problem arose for the girl, she did some research and found a sustainable brand to order from. It ended up coming in a couple of days and she was stylish and protecting the planet at the same time. This time, the jacket lasted her almost 6 months and she was able to wear it again and again.

While this may not change your mind about shopping for these brands, at least this can open your eyes to the ongoing situation.

Our Comfort Molly Dolan ‘26

They have the softest skin, with hairs peeking out from the sides.

Their big eyes. Their cold noses. A wagging tail. Left, right. Never stops. Even their ears are bigger than the world. But, their heart is bigger than their ears. Big love. It is what defines them. They just want attention. When the sun goes to sleep, it’s time for them to rest. They make their way to the most comfortable spot. They seem to like the pillows that feel like clouds. What do they dream about? If only we knew. But, they don’t like to be alone. They want company. Their surroundings are more important than tennis balls. Up the creaky stairs, they go. They lay on the new set of pillows. Except, they aren’t pillows.

It is us. When their head touches their surroundings, they smile. Even when we do not know it. When we stare into their eyes, we can feel their expression. How do we know? How can we tell? Their eyes tell the story. Maybe they are hungry, sleepy, or energetic. But, there is more to their stories. They may have their pasts, however, they also have a goal. Not only for them to feel safe, but for the others around them to feel safe. When we don’t have those protectors around us, our hearts feel empty. We need that extra love, even in the happiest times.

Walking into a house, with no sounds of paws hitting the ground, it does not feel right. The loneliness we feel only goes higher. When they are around us, we feel right. You can hear the footsteps, batting the ground. The necklace around them includes the tiniest charm, stating who they are, where they are, where their people are. It is small, yet it makes the loudest noise. They know when others are in desperate need of comfort. They especially know when we need it. The thing is, they do not know that they are our protectors. They do not know that they are guardian angels. They may never find out. But, they are all so different, yet the same. No matter size, texture, looks, they are the ones who can understand us. Having these fur balls around us can make life comforting. Their shadow, the mood they give off. They could be out of energy, or full of it. But they are always ours, and will never stop being ours. We want to know what they see. What they hear. What they say. They want to know what we say. They are special.

They are like our four leaf clovers. They have those special places in our hearts that cannot go away. A special place that will forever be locked. They love us. But we will love them forever.

The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

Science and Tech

The Truth Behind Our Beef Cora Lohkamp ‘26 8th Grade Writer A red barn. A pasture filled with grass and flowers, cows grazing on them all. A farmer in overalls moving hay from a truck to the ground, getting the cows ready for slaughter. Birds fly by as dogs run around chasing cats.

Everything is serene. This is the fairytale version of the farm. Unfortunately, today’s farms look much different. A sea of black and white. What has to be a million cows all together. The corn mill runs all day to feed the cows. Their stomachs hurt from the corn they aren’t supposed to eat.

These cows spend their lives standing, eating, and laying in their own manure until the inevitable slaughter day.

This is the ugly truth of how we get our meat. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there are close to 1,300,000 livestock farms in America and less than 85,000 are small farms. Even fewer sustainable farms and desirable places exist. There are not many farms where farming is actually done correctly. Greed has taken over agriculture which leads to many bad things for the environment. If you buy cow meat, you probably buy it from one of these farms.

Growing cow meat is worse for the environment than growing vegetables and most other meats. Our food system affects water use, land, and greenhouse gasses. Cows require more land and water than plants. Vegetables can be stacked together fairly close, while cattle cannot.

Food, in general, is liable for 26% of the greenhouse gas emissions, and 31% of that is from livestock according to Our World in Data. Cows also produce methane, which is bad for our environment.

The cows are adding to the greenhouse gasses. Fruits and vegetables photosynthesize taking away greenhouse gases. This makes cow meat so much worse. Karen Hori-

may produce more methane, hurting the environment, the grass they are on absorbs methane and carbon dioxide helping it. There really isn’t a good way to know if corn-fed kawa, a middle school science or grass-fed cows are better. teacher at Wilmington Friends Corn-fed is better for business, School says, “The environmengrass-fed is better for the cows, tal costs of having beef are so and they are both better for the high. It just doesn’t seem to environment in different ways. make sense.”

Due to the fact that there are Corn-fed and grass-fed so many intricate arguments, it are the two main ways to feed is debatable which way to feed cows. There are many pros and cows is better to use overall. cons to both of these ways. In To save our climate, we the feedlot way, cows are cornhave to increase biodiversity. fed. Corn is extremely cheap, Cattle impacts biodiversity for makes the cows fatter when one major reason: cows and they are younger compared to corn need land. It is becoming grass-fed, they don’t produce increasingly more obvious how as much methane with their much land cows need. Lohshort lives, and is better for kamp says, “There are about business. Corn-fed cows save 400 acres, 300 is pasture land land because they need less and there are usually 80-90 land to graze. Steve Lohkamp, cows on it”. In order to have who owns land for a grass-fed this space, many people cut farm in Missouri says, “If it down the ecosystem that was was a different type of operation you could fit a whole bunch more cows.” The corn they eat is usually processed in a corn mill. Most of these cows follow a cycle where they graze for the beginning of their life, are taken to a feedlot to eat high-energy corn, previously there to accomand finally, are killed. These modate a new one of grass are the pros of the feedlot way, and cows. These ecosystems but it is not without cons. For have life in them. All speexample, corn has to be grown cies depend on biodiversity somewhere, which is often not to survive. Cows, grass, and on the same farm, requiring corn are not biodiverse. Once transportation that causes carbiodiversity fades, species in bon emissions. Growing corn that area start to vanish with it takes up the land the corn-fed from fewer places to live. It is cows were saving in the first estimated that the planet loses place. Also, corn is not very 137 species of plants, animals, healthy for the environment. It and insects every day due to grows with nothing around it deforestation according to the decreasing biodiversity.

World Animal Foundation.

Grass-fed cows also have Whether we use corn-fed or pros and cons. While grass-fed grass-fed, we still use a lot of is better for the cows themland. selves and better for us, it is Cows are not supposed to not always better for business. eat corn. In many places, they They also take up a lot of space do not eat corn. Many farms which causes deforestation and feed their cows grass which is more water use. Lohkamp says so much better for the cows about his land, “There could themselves. Corn hurts the be more [cows] but part of cow’s rumen which is a part the land is used for hay.” This of their stomach that receives means that he needs more food and digests it with the aid land for fewer cows in order of bacteria. It is supposed to to grow hay. And while cows

Page 10 be grass they are disgusting, it is what the bacteria was made for. Once the corn is introduced into their diet, which becomes earlier and earlier as the need for meat grows, they can get sick very quickly.

This introduces antibiotics into their diet. When cows eat corn, their rumen starts to bloat and expand, filling with gas. This can cause the rumen to push on the heart and lungs of the cows leading to suffocation. The way to fix this is to get the cows off corn feed for a little bit and open up the cow’s rumen to release the gas that has built up. When the farmers open up the cow’s stomach, there is quite literally a hole in their body leading to their rumen. With all these issues corn creates, it is easy to support grass-fed cows, but there is no way to get around the fact that corn-fed cows are better for business.

There are ways to do things correctly in agriculture. There are ways to be environmentally friendly and get what our bodies demand. But what we need and what we want are very different things. The Earth has evolved over time for cows to eat grass, move to find other grass, then their manure fertilizes the old grass so it grows back. It is a never-ending process with no waste, making it sustainable.

If we want waste-free cattle farms, we need to go back to this regenerative process.

However, this is much easier said than done. Going back to this process, which some farms already do, requires a lot more land. This would limit the number of cattle by millions and in order to end deforestation, we can’t make more space for the cattle. Instead, humans as a species would need to consume much less beef.

Companies would have to transform their ways, meaning less business. Horikawa says, “Sometimes people have just a slab of meat - steak, pork, or chicken breast or something… maybe if meat could be more like a condiment or

an ingredient that would start to cut things down and maybe even lead to going on meatless Mondays.” Consuming less meat can be done. Many people have already done it. But in order to make an impact, more people have to practice consuming less meat.

There are improvements to our system that our country and the farmers can do but what can consumers do?

Consumers can buy locally and from farms they know farm correctly. This would support the local economy and the environment. Some farms around Wilmington that use regenerative farming methods are Coverdale Farms, Second Chances Farm, and Grand View Farms. There are also many websites dedicated to finding a good farm near you like Eat Wild. The big companies losing money would hurt the economy but buying locally could make up for it. Many other eco-friendly options exist also, such as buying local fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. If people buy locally more, this would cut carbon emissions from transportation and if the farms are environmentally friendly, it would cut down all the other waste that agriculture produces. Although our diet would be more limited to local foods, our diet would be completely sustainable. Food that is grown locally and without chemicals is superior and fresher than big company food, which is similar to eating fruit straight off the plant compared to one that was harvested a month earlier.

The fairytale farm with the pasture and happy animals can happen. The cows and environment can be as happy as the farmer in overalls. To achieve this, we have to farm properly by rotating the pastures. We have to buy our meat locally and from farms that rotate cows. Finally, we have to cut down our meat consumption to reduce deforestation.

In order to move forward, we have to set aside our happy meals and start eating meals that will benefit the environment.

The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

Page 11

Science and Tech

Nuclear Power Supply Shrinks as Demand Surges Luke Buckley ‘26 8th Grade Writer Chernobyl, 1986. An error in shutting down the nuclear reactor caused the reactor core to melt. The resulting leakage released lethal amounts of radiation into the atmosphere for nine days, killing an estimated four thousand people. The radiation was so dangerous that a 60km wide exclusion zone and over a hundred thousand people had to be evacuated. Chernobyl is still completely uninhabitable to this day.

The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 is what most people think of when they hear about nuclear meltdowns. After all, the meltdown was the most devastating one ever recorded. Meltdowns like these are one of the biggest reasons why over 10% of nuclear plants in the US have shut down since 2010. A great example of this is the Indian Point nuclear power plant just 25 miles north of New York City. After 59 years of providing over a quarter of New York City’s electricity, Indian Point fully shut down on April 30th, 2021.

There are several reasons why nuclear plants are shutting down. One reason is the looming danger of nuclear meltdown. Nuclear meltdowns occur when the reactor core melts or is damaged.

This causes leakage of radioactive material resulting in the surrounding area becoming uninhabitable for hundreds

of thousands of years.

Somewhat related to meltdowns, terrorism is another reason nuclear plants are closing. A terrorist attack on a nuclear power plant would be just as bad, if not worse, than a nuclear meltdown.

“Twenty million people live within 50 miles of this plant. You can’t afford an accident here,” says John Lipscomb, an important member of the Riverkeeper environmental group. In fact, one of the planes that crashed into the twin towers during 9/11 flew right past the Indian Point nuclear power plant just 25 miles north of New York City, and the nuclear plant could’ve easily been a target of the attacks.

Spent nuclear fuel, commonly referred to as nuclear waste, is a massive problem with nuclear power. We have no way to store it for as long as it is hazardous. “It creates radioactive material that is toxic for tens of thousands of years and even hundreds of thousands of years. That’s a long time,” says Matt Cauchy, a physics teacher at Wilmington Friends School.

Another big reason why nuclear plants are shutting down is the cost of build-

ing and maintaining a nuclear power plant. Plummeting costs of renewable energy sources and increased regulations on nuclear power have made nuclear the most expensive energy source since 2014.

Though there are many downsides to nuclear plants, there are also many reasons to keep them. Firstly, nuclear power plants put out tons of power.

Even with all that power generation, it produces no greenhouse gasses. On top of that, it takes up much less space than other green energy sources.

Building on that, nuclear power is firm power, unlike most other clean energy.

Firm power is energy that generates power consistently. In contrast, solar and wind power are only on when it’s sunny or windy, respectively.

Nuclear energy is the only option for clean, firm power other than geothermal energy.

Another huge reason why we shouldn’t shut down nuclear plants is the power production would have to be replaced by fossil fuels. “​​If you shut the nuclear plant down, today, most likely, you’re going to get a bunch of natural

gas to replace it,” says David Roberts, a longtime energy reporter for vox. The problem is, these fossil fuels are much more dangerous than nuclear plants.

“So if you’re choosing between nuclear and fossil fuels purely on a safety basis, there’s no comparison,” says David Roberts. Though we are getting rid of something potentially dangerous, the alternative is a much greater threat.

On top of that, we can’t just replace the lost energy production with renewables instead of fossil fuels. As David Roberts says, “Even if you replace that gigawatt of lost power with renewables, that’s a gigawatt of renewables that isn’t going to replace fossil fuel plants, right?” We simply don’t have enough renewables yet to be picky about which green energy source we use.

Though Indian Point already closed 11 months ago, 52 nuclear plants across the USA are still producing 20% of our country’s power. If these plants were to shut down, fossil fuels in the USA would grow by 25%. We would also lose half of our green energy production, but the risks of nuclear plants would be gone. But if we kept nuclear power, it could stay an extremely useful power source despite all the risks. Just like every other energy source, there are many downsides to nuclear. There is no perfect solution to this problem, but we need to weigh all the options when we decide which way to go.

A New Age of Cyber Protectors Mikey Bohner ‘26 8th Grade Writer

It’s taken months of probing, scanning, and attacking, but he’s finally found it. A crack in the wall.

A small leak in what is otherwise a fortress. Now all that’s left is expanding that leak into a hole. He gets to work. Slowly but surely the weakness expands. And as it grows, so does the confidence of the attacker. Until eventually, a hole is formed and he can step through it, into Google’s internal computer systems.

The man above is a bug bounty hunter. Bug bounty hunters are participants in bug bounty programs that companies will set up to gather more information about their level of cyber security. The bounty hunters are given free rein on the company’s websites and when they eventually do find a bug, they get paid by the company based on the severity of the bug. For example, breaking into Google’s internal computer systems would be considered a high-severity bug.

For the uninitiated, Bug Bounty Hunting might seem like a side hustle at best or a glorified hobby at worst. But in reality, many people can make a living off of it. Since companies pay off how severe a vulnerability is, high-severity bugs can earn a couple of thousand dollars. Bug bounty hunting also offers a way for young people to become interested in com-

puters and more specifically, ethical hacking. “There will be teenagers who will be curious and if you don’t give them away to report it, bad things can happen,” says former bug bounty hunter Ezequiel Pereira.

There can be some real benefits to bug bounty hunting and of course some drawbacks. According to Mr. Pereira, boredom and frustration are the number one enemies of a bug bounty hunter. A hunter may poke and prod at a server for months and still not get anything. And of course, there is always the risk that when you do find a bug, it’s not high enough severity to get a decent payout. However, the benefits can sometimes be enough for a tired hunter to push forward.

Companies also have a lot to gain from these programs. All the money in the world won’t buy a perfect system and creative hackers with time on their hands will almost always find a way in. “Companies can hire security and invest a lot of money into security, but it’s impossible to get it right,” explains Mr. Pereira.

Companies also get the advantage of having lots of different people working on their systems all at once in order to cover more vulnerabilities in a shorter amount of time. As they say, many hands make light

work.

Many hands do make light work, but some of those hands get paid a lot more than the others, and for good reason. For example, 21-year-old ethical hacker Santiago Lopez became the first bug bounty hunter to reach one million dollars in bounties. He started hacking when he was 16 years old learning from Youtube and others in the hacker community. Another example is Ezequiel Pereira who earned 36,000 dollars after finding a remote code execution bug in Google’s Cloud Platform console.

The future of cyber security is bright. Through creative thinking, perseverance, and Youtube, young hackers could one day be famous penetration testers or bug bounty hunters. And in an age where everything is digital, including currency, cybercrime will be on the rise. A need will grow for men and women who can operate and protect the virtual landscape.

Programs like bug bounty programs will continue to provide an outlet for computer-savvy teenagers to practice in a way that helps rather than harms others. Hopefully leading to a generation of benevolent hackers.

Page 12

The Whittier Miscellany May 2022

After Delays, Courtyard Finally Opens

Community

and seniors to be able to study outside of our normal spaces.” Since there already is one courtyard that students can study in, having even more outdoor space Ava Steinberger ‘23 used for the garden would seep through the windows to utilize for studying and socializing is an added Staff Reporter and flood the cafeteria. Because of this, that idea was benefit. Even those who were not fully aware of the courtyard’s newfound use were able to appreciate the never implemented.

On Tuesday, March 22, Hannah Carter ‘22 sent The major turning point for “operation open it up” new opportunity. Sarah Levenson ‘24 commented out a message declaring that “students with their free was when it was suggested that the area be used as a that “To be honest, I don’t know much about the courtyard or even that it’s opened up, period privileges may utilize the Center Courtyard quiet space for studying. This way for quiet studying and socializing.” While this may but I think it’s great that more people no classrooms with open winnot have been monumental news to everyone in the dows would be disturbed, and no are now able to study outside when the weather gets warm.” Quinn Green Wilmington Friends community, to some, it signified hose water would cause Hurri‘24 supported Sarah’s statement with a big accomplishment. cane Katrina 2.0 in the cafeteria.

Biology teacher Ellen Johnson noted that the a subtle, “W courtyard.” The response Johnson added, “I’m very pleased, courtyard’s opening was “a long time coming.” Some as many people worked towards to the courtyard’s opening is overwhelmingly positive, and it sounds major obstacles prevented the courtyard from open- getting this done. This year, we ing up sooner—most of which centered around what managed to finally put all of the like it will definitely be in use during to do with the space. One problem was that, when the warmer months. pieces from history together and the school did not yet have air conditioning, teachSo, what is next for the Center get through the last steps.”

Courtyard? Furniture. Ronnie Petrucers would have to open their classrooms’ windows.

Some members of the comSince the courtyard rests in the middle of many ci ‘22 explained that the proposed munity shared their thoughts on senior gift for the class of 2022 is to classrooms, the sound from it would reverberate into the exciting news. Greta Munch the rooms with opened windows, making it difficult ‘25 remarked, “It’s really nice furnish the courtyard with a bench, for students and teachers to focus. Thankfully, when because it allows students to or some type of seating, so those who the school installed an air conditioning system bechoose to study there do not have to get some fresh air throughout bring out camp chairs. With the help of the senior’s tween 2010 and 2011, the community came one step the day.” Others shared similar opinions with Beck closer to getting the courtyard opened. One idea for Hartwick pointing out that “The courtyard is a very parting gift, in addition to everyone who has contributilizing the space was to make it into a community pretty space, so it’s nice to be able to appreciate more uted to the courtyard’s opening, all future Quakers will have the opportunity to engage in their studies garden. However, since the cafeteria’s windows look parts of our school.” Alex Brennan ‘23 added on, out into the courtyard, there was a fear that the water stating that “It is a great opportunity for the juniors while admiring a different part of the school.

Jackson continued from page 2

made it — all of us.”

Layla Baynes ‘25 echoed Obama’s excitement of having Judge Jackson and added, “As a country I think we still have a lot more work we need to do. We have a lot farther to go and this is another step forward for black women. The American governement still has a long way to go before it is diverse.”

standards we can expect that more people will feel more comfortable in their own bodies. With a lot of progress being done to transform this large issue we can look forward positively.

Football continued from page 7

inspired in me and pushed me to do.”

With the help of his wife and his own work ethic, Mask continued from page 4 Cooper Kupp was able to set multiple college footto make me feel comfortable.” She also clarified that ball records. In his four seasons attending Eastern there is a difference between people who don’t wear Washington, Kupp put up 6,464 receiving yards, masks and people who don’t take precautions. “I be- which is more than any other receiver in college lieve that there is a divide between people who take football history, at any level. Kupp also holds 7 restrictions and those who have a complete disregard Football Championship Subdivision records, with for covid being a real and scary thing. There’s not a the most impressive being his 73 career touchdowns, divide between the maskers and the non-maskers but 428 career receptions and 124.3 average receiving there is between people’s ideologies and manners.” yards per game. Due to combine results and the fact No matter their political opinion, their decision that he played at a lesser known D1 school, Cooper whether to wear a mask, or their position in the Kupp fell to the 69th pick in the third round of the school, every interviewee felt as though their deci2017 NFL draft. “He’s not the most athletic receiver sion was respected and that they were valued. in the NFL, but he just has a really high motor and a lot of grit.” Drew Huneycutt ‘24. Although Kupp was Beauty continued from page 5 a later round pick, he would turn out to be the steal well. Griffin Henry’s Mom created support groups for parents who have children with eating disorders. of the draft as what he lacked in eye popping speed he made up for in route running and knowledge of Many families have to learn to reconnect with their children and support groups like this work to rebuild the game.

Cooper Kupp started out his NFL career with a relationships and help families through recovery. strong rookie year. He posted 62 receptions for 869 Ten years from now, how will social media have receiving yards and 5 touchdown receptions. Kupp adapted? Will we see more positive change? Will was on pace to have a breakout year in his sopheating disorders no longer be so prevalent amongst omore season, but a torn ACL in week 10 against the youth? In the future, will 28 million people have the Seattle Seahawks ended his season. In 2019, eating disorders? How can we make a difference?

Social media changes just like we do. We have a large Kupp came back from his injury and had a career year with 94 receptions for 1,161 yards and 10 opportunity to change the content on social media. touchdowns. That year Kupp finished 7th in voting We are seeing many brands representing plus size for Comeback Player of the Year award, given to models and clothes. As we see the shift in beauty

players that play well coming back from injury, usually season ending injuries. 2020 was another great year for Kupp while he had a slightly worse year than the last, it still very productive. The 2021 season is where Cooper Kupp cemented himself in NFL history. With veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, a better player to throw the ball, Kupp showed out with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards, and 16 touchdowns. He was just 17 yards short of Calvin Johnson’s receiving record of 1,964 yards in a single season, which was in 2012 with Matthew Stafford as his quarterback. Kupp became the 4th wide receiver to win the triple crown in the Superbowl era (since 1966). The triple crown is awarded to receivers that lead the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. The only other players to be awarded this honor are Jerry Rice in 1990, Sterling Sharpe in 1992 and Steve Smith Sr. in 2005. Cooper Kupp went on to lead the charge of the Los Angeles Rams’ Superbowl run, with the second most receiving yards in a single playoff run ever with 478 yards.

In Superbowl LVI, the Rams matched up against the Bengals, and Cooper Kupp caught 2 touchdown passes, including a game winning touchdown over Bengals cornerback Eli Apple. To end his historic year, Cooper Kupp was awarded the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year award and the Superbowl MVP. Cooper Kupp is only 28 years old and has proved on the field why he deserves to have his name up there with the greatest to ever play the position.

His work off the field and path he took to achieve this level of greatness is something that is even more impressive than his on field play. Kupp is very young and has many years of football left in him, so the only thing that fans can do is sit back and watch history in the making.