Edition 15.4

Vol. 15, Issue 4 | William Mason High School | 6100 Mason Montgomery Road Mason, OH | 12.19.17

thechronicle

On The

Rise

Comets focused on
return trip to Columbus

SEE STORY PAGE 20

Photo by Yogesh Patel

2 News December 19, 2017

Board taps Cooper to take over
for retiring Kist-Kline

Nathalie Schickendantz | Staff Writer “When you’re trying to move a dis- Photo by Nathalie Schickendantz
trict forward, you look at what you have
The phrase ‘right man at the right accomplished, and you question are Jonathan Cooper and Dr. Gail Kist-Kline will continue to work closely together as Cooper enters
time’ rang true at the monthly school you the right person to continue that
board meeting as board members ap- work or is there someone that might his six month transition period before assuming the superintendent position in July 2018.
pointed a new superintendent. be ready to take it to the next level,”
Kist-Kline said. “Personally, I feel like stronger leader. Steele said he and the Three years ago, Cooper filmed a
After 30 years in public education I’ve done what I can do to move Mason
Superintendent Dr. Gail Kist-Kline is forward by bringing some innovative remainder of the board believe Cooper segment predicting the growth Mason
retiring. For seven of those 30, Kist- practices and some unique experi-
Kline dedicated her time to the Mason ences for students. Now it’s time to pass has the qualities necessary to be a dedi- would see after more heavily incor-
community in hopes of encouraging that baton to the next person. ”
student leadership. Kist-Kline said cated leader to a large district. porating technology into a student’s
this push made finding a new super- On December 14 at the monthly
intendent in Chief Innovation Officer school board meeting, Cooper was of- “There’s an energy that surrounds school experience. Having made notice-
Jonathan Cooper possible. ficially tapped to take over the position
of superintendent effective July of 2018. Jonathan wherever he goes, so I’m able strides towards this goal, Cooper
“One of the things (for which) I’m Cooper grew up in a family devoted
most proud of us is growing leadership to the education system, both of his looking forward to that orbit of energy has turned his eyes towards a new
capacity among not just the adults but parents being teachers. Cooper went on
trying to grow leadership among our to become a teacher in the Centerville expanding across our district in a way vision for the district, one that values
students as well as putting programs City Schools District and then a prin-
in place that will allow that,” Kist-Kline cipal at Kettering. He was then hired that’s even deeper than it is in his role diversity in the community.
said. “I’m happy that we grew leader- by Kist-Kline as the Chief Innovation
ship capacity so that the next superin- Officer for Mason City Schools. right now,” Steele said. “More impor- “We’ve got that eco-system built; now
tendent was right here in our district.”
School Board President Matthew tantly, I’m looking forward to him we can focus on mindset,” Cooper said.
Reflecting on her tenure as superin- Steele said choosing Cooper as the
tendent, Kist-Kline said she can see the new superintendent was an easy deci- developing even deeper relationships “Looking forward, as of now, I’m really
improvements she has helped bring to sion. Cooper has been shadowing and
the district but views Cooper as the best performing under mentor Kist-Kline, here in the district and in the communi- focused on diversity plus cultural intel-
person to continue to push Mason down helping him to develop into an even
the path of innovation. ty sitting in the seat of superintendent ligence and how that leads to innova-

because it’s clear that he’s a relationship tion. I’m thinking of the diversity of

person and that’s just going to take us thought, diversity of experiences, and

to even bigger heights.” cultures brought to make it better.”

Students call for political change through Indivisible program

Lauren Serge | Staff Writer back,” Doerflein said.
Through an effort to facilitate change, in April of
Photo Contributed by Madelyn Rayford In January 2017, a national organization localized,
Junior Madelyn Rayford (center) participates in the Women’s March in forming Cincinnati Indivisible. last year, the group raised funds to create a commercial
Washington D.C. with Cincinnati Invisible that aired on TV, urging Senator Portman to initiate a
The group established after the controversial town hall meeting to openly discuss their ideas. Port-
2016 election and it consists of high school students man did not fulfill their request, but Doerflein said this
throughout Cincinnati, aiming to enforce change and does not minimize the success of the project.
voice opinions during a heated political climate.
“Even though not everything we do will change
After attending the Women’s March in Washington, something, it’s about having the potential to,” Doerflein
D.C., Junior Madelyn Rayford joined the group and said. “If we managed to get the money to do that com-
found it to be an educational platform where she could mercial, it shows that we can do so much more.”
express her outlooks, enabling her to address politics in
a manner she had not been exposed to in school. These future plans for raising awareness are cur-
rently in effect through a new project the group has
Though the group consists of widely liberal individu- manufactured. The members are writing postcards to
als, Rayford said the purpose of the group is to address Portman detailing their wishes to help push the De-
social injustices from governmental actions. velopment, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act.
Junior Nika Umnov said such plans substantiate the
“Our focus has never been to destroy Trump; it’s how capabilities the teenagers manifest.
to help the people that have been brought down by his
presidency,” Rayford said. “The group is more about “It’s really important for people our age to get
standing up for people that aren’t being heard.” educated about the state of our current government,”
Umnov said. “The fact that we each have opinions, and
Junior Myra Doerflein said she felt the group’s no- that we aren’t neutral, is already a big step because
tion to represent people who have been silenced is a otherwise, you’re awarding someone else with complete
significant advancement toward equality. and total power. It’s important to have teenagers who
have begun to realize that we’re the next generation of
“The group was stemmed from one person wanting voices for our country.”
to make a change, and now our voices of kindness are
overshadowing the ones that are trying to push them

December 19, 2017 News 3

To Exempt or Not to Exempt

Paul Reedy, Lori Toerner, Debbie Perry, Debbie Gentene, Ivan Mercado,
AP Psychology Honors Accounting Spanish II Honors Accounting senior

Area districts lead the way in exam exemptions

Kaitlin Lewis | Staff Writer have a common goal. I think that (it) shows that final exams, we feel that those assessments we
While Mason students cram for the next three we’ve all taught, not to the test, but to that com- capture along the way show their learning. When
mon goal.” we get to the end, sometimes that one final exam
days, some nearby high schoolers are escaping isn’t a good indicator of the learning. It’s just
the chaos that is Finals Week. Opposition to this argument includes students what they have crammed for the night before.”
and teachers who claim having exam exemptions
With tomorrow being the start of the end of would give students another push in their classes Assistant Principal Shanna Bumiller said senior
first semester, many students at Mason High to work harder throughout the semester. Senior exams next semester are currently a big topic
School feel the pressure of studying for poten- Ivan Mercado said exam exemptions not only are for teachers and administrators. Because the AP
tially seven upcoming tests. Other high schools a great incentive to do well and attend class all testing schedule in May 2018 starts later into the
in the area, however, have exam exemption poli- semester, but also provide students who struggle month, seniors could potentially be taking AP
cies, allowing students to get out of some, or all, with test taking a way to still finish strong in a tests even after their official last day at the high
of their exams. course. school. This could cause overlap with days that
seniors would typically be taking their final ex-
Lebanon High School uses exam exemptions “I know plenty of people who have 4.0, and ams, meaning the chance for seniors to exempt
as a Perfect Attendance Incentive and allows they get (lower scores) on their ACT,” Mercado final exams in their classes could help counter
students to dismiss one final exam of their choice said. “It’s all to their own strengths. Some people the crammed scheduling.
per quarter they receive perfect attendance or all are just better at tests.”
of their second semester finals if the student has “The decision has to be made collectively,”
perfect attendance for the full school year. Advanced Placement Psychology teacher Paul Bumiller said. “Teachers, our view as administra-
Reedy agrees that exam exemptions can be an tors, the AP test coordinators, all those different
Springboro’s exam exemption policy differs extra incentive for students to do well all semes- components are a factor. We will come to a deci-
between all four grades at the high school and ter long, but, similar to the policies at Colerain sion in the next three weeks about senior exams.”
is based off of students’ attendance and grades. and Kings, Reedy said exemptions should be
Both Colerain High School and Kings High offered exclusively to seniors and only second se- As far as underclassmen exams, the discussion
School offer a way for seniors to exempt their fi- mester. The chance to avoid tests could be a way of creating an exemption policy is not as high
nals second semester, provided the student has a to motivate seniors who start to lose momentum of a priority. Coming to a conclusion on senior
high enough grade as determined by the teacher towards the end of their last year. exams must be done by the first day of second se-
and/or administration. mester, January 8. Similar to other schools’ poli-
“My philosophy is that would be a way to cies, Bumiller said that some criteria for exam
While Finals Week may strike fear in many counter Senioritis,” said Reedy. “I’ve worked at exemptions should be in place for seniors as a
students at MHS, exams allow teachers to assess two other school districts prior to Mason where way to make students hold accountability to the
if students are retaining the material they have they had some sort of senior exam exemption. I end of the year. Final exams or not, teachers and
been learning all semester. In classes where felt like it was a nice incentive to offer students administrators are here to help students to learn,
information builds over years of school, some in their final year.” even all the way to the end of their senior year.
teachers argue it is important to make sure that
students are gaining all necessary information Honors Accounting co-teachers Debbie Gen- “I came from a high school that had ex-
before they move onto a higher level course. tene and Lori Toerner offer a way students can emptions for seniors, (but) there were some
Spanish II teacher Debbie Perry said that for her exempt their final exams. If students complete parameters on that,” Bumiller said. “From my
department of teachers, final exams allow them all homework assignments during the semester, perspective, that worked. There was still some
all to make sure the students are learning the they do not have to take the final test. Gentene accountability, because ‘Senioritis’ does set in. We
same information throughout all the different said offering an exam exemption is a great incen- like to hold onto you for as long as we can. You
classes. tive throughout the semester and that the tests are still a member of our culture and our build-
students take during the course, versus one final ing. We are here to educate you and help you
“We have to take all our children and put them exam, better indicate the students’ learning. grow as a person, and in the end, we are going to
to the next level,” Perry said. “We have worked do that.”
hard to (use) common assessments so that we “We are trying to prepare them for college,”
Gentene said. “Even though college will have

4 December 19, 2017

December 19, 2017 Feature 5

Holiday Q&A’s

Q: What do you hope to find under Q: What is your favorite holiday
your Christmas tree this year? movie?

A: Kim Kardashian. FoAen: reEr-ellfilnlbaeenrcsda. utshee ofuf nWnyill

Marteris Smith, freshman Damir Gyant, sophomore

Q: What is your favorite Q: What is your favorite holiday movie?
holiday tradition?
JP Sponseller, junior A: The Polar Express because
A: We have an ornament of a according to my brother it
pickle that we hide every year, and picked him up when he was a
the first person to find it gets to kid.
open up the first gift on Christmas.
Q: What is your favorite holiday movie?
John Stretch, sophomore
A: Olive the Other
Q: What do you hope to Reindeer because we
find under your Christmas named our dog after
the character.
A: A Kevin De Bruyne jersey.
Hope Conrad, sophomore
Ryan Hummel, junior

Graphic by Ryan D’Souza
Information and photos compiled by Freddie Wilhelm

6 Feature December 19, 2017

Korean pop group ‘BTS’ obtains international fanbase

Luke Hutchinson | Online Editor rean.” Seniors (left to right) Diya Kargod, Lauren Hauschildt and Sahaja Ampolu pose in their BTS
Senior Sahaja Ampolu said after she merchandise.
Millions are turning up the interna-
tional Korean sensation BTS (Beyond was introduced to BTS, she found out Photos by Luke Hutchinson
The Scene). that groups of international fans im- Seniors Diya Kargod Sahaja Ampolu’s BTS gear featured on their phone cases.
mediately translate songs after they are
K-Pop (Korean Pop) is a genre of released. members do not look much like Ameri- Kargod encourages others to listen to
music consisting of electronic, hip-hop, can male singers. Kargod said gender BTS or other K-Pop groups like BLACK-
pop, rock, and R&B music that origi- “One of my closest friends is Korean stereotypes are much less strict in South PINK or Exo, but she said it takes com-
nated in South Korea. Senior fan Diya and gave me some local Korean songs Korea. mitment.
Kargod said it took her some time to to listen to around three years ago, and
get used to, but BTS is actually similar a BTS song popped up that changed my “People have a ton of harsh stereo- “Either you are all in or you are not,”
to American pop. life forever,” Ampolu said. “BTS fan- types about K-Pop, like I get all of them Kargod said. “I love BTS so much, that
doms are called ‘ARMYS, and the ones time that ‘They look like girls,’” Kargod at this point, I do not care what people
“I heard about BTS when they won centralized in Korea translate songs to said. “They do wear makeup, but it is think. They are planning on doing a
the Billboard Music Award back in May, English as soon as they come out. This just a different culture with different world tour in 2018, and they will defi-
but I was not hooked just yet,” Kargod way, fans can understand the message expectations; just because they wear nitely come to America, and my goal in
said. “They started popping up every- behind the lyrics.” makeup does not mean they are gay. ” life is to see them live.”
where on social media, and so I started
watching their music videos and I fell Considering their international fan-
in love with them. It’s a lot like Ameri- base, Ampolu said RM is the delegated
can pop, just with Korean lyrics.” member that can speak fluent English
during interviews on American televi-
The seven male members of BTS sion.
have reached 3.7 million subscribers on
their group YouTube channel. Senior “The leader can speak English fluent-
Lauren Hauschildt said their dedication ly, so when they recently came on Ellen
to their music is what inspires her to and Jimmy Kimmel they had someone
keep listening. to speak,” Ampolu said. “The rest of the
members mostly just speak Korean, but
“What’s inspirational to me person- I get to know them more personally
ally is that all the members of BTS because of the translators.”
write their own music; they have writ-
ten 73 of their own songs,” Hauschildt One difference that fans distinguish
said. “Their new album, ‘Love Yourself’ between K-pop and American pop is
is amazing because they incorporate music video production. Where many
many different genres into one album. American pop music videos aim to
Some songs have more of an R&B feel, establish status and glamour, Ampolu
some have more of a hip-hop feel, it can said K-pop does it differently.
be pop, it really appeals to everyone.”
“The music videos are so good be-
Critics of K-Pop in general do not cause they dance while singing, and the
understand how it can be enjoyed by concepts are really abstract,” Ampolu
those who do not exclusively speak or said. “BTS specifically has a running
understand Korean, but Hauschildt said theme for each music video. There is
language is besides the point. a story and a main character, and that
character develops throughout the
“K-Pop is popular all around the video.”
world because it is so universal,” Haus-
childt said. “The leader of BTS, RM, al- BTS started as a band back in 2013,
ways says ‘music transcends language’. and was primarily focused on heavy rap
That is a heartfelt message that means music. As a fan who just started listen-
a lot to me because no matter what ing in May, Kargod said she had an
country you are from, what language excessive amount of content to catch up
you speak, the lyrics and the music con- on and then rewatch.
nect. No matter what K-Pop group you
like, we all come together.” “I have learned a lot of Korean, and
that is honestly because I have watched
After listening to BTS songs, Korean two hours of BTS videos every single
pronunciation starts to come naturally day since May,” Kargod said. “In the
to Hauschildt. She said she can memo- beginning, it was like seven or eight
rize complete songs in Korean. hours, but now it has come down to two.
I stream them live in class. Just recently
“At concerts, fans from all around the they won ‘Artist of the Year’ at the Mnet
world that speak different languages Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong, and
will remember entire songs in Korean I openly cried during their performance
and sing along,” Hauschildt said. “I’m in third bell.”
really bad at learning other languages,
but I can remember full songs in Ko- Despite the popularity of BTS, many
students still point out that the male

December 19, 2017 7

8 Feature December 19, 2017

Roller girl not afraid to jam on the track

Andrea Hefferan | Staff Writer little much sometimes with homework, Sophomore Trinity Erickson practices in roller derby gear, including a helmet, roller skates and
but our team has a grade policy where a mouthguard. The star on her helmet is indicative of her role in that round as a jammer.
Sophomore Trinity Erickson can roll if you’re failing, you can’t skate until
with the punches, and she can throw your grades make it up because school Erickson’s team begins a jam during their practice for an upcoming roller derby tournament.
them too. always comes first. That’s just a policy
they’ve had for a really long time just to
Erickson has been playing roller make sure that everybody stays where
derby for the Cincinnati Junior Roller they need to stay.”
Girls since 2011.
Along with practices once a week,
Roller derby is played with two teams Erickson’s team also goes to many com-
of 14, each with five players on the track petitions throughout the year.
at a time, all skating counterclockwise.
Each team has a ‘jammer,’ the only per- “We go to a lot (of competitions)
son who can score points for the team. for where we are,” Erickson said. “Our
The rest of the team are blockers: they little region actually has some of the
stop the opposing team’s jammer from hardest teams to play, and we go after
getting around the track. The more laps all of them. We have a regionals every
a jammer completes, the more points year, and then there is a nationals. We
that team gets. Each round, or “jam,” could’ve qualified to go last year, but we
lasts two minutes or less. After that, the couldn’t get the money together to go.”
five players are rotated out, and a new
jam begins. Having a derby name is a tradition
that is an integral part of roller derby.
Erickson has competed in the sport Erickson said this is an exciting compo-
for as long as the juniors team has been nent of the sport.
around. She first heard about it from
her babysitter, and after going to a “The story behind it was that roller
game to support her, Erickson realized derby was considered a show,” Erickson
she wanted more than just to cheer said. “It’s the same way as wrestling
from the sidelines. on TV. Wrestlers all have their stage
names, and so that’s how it started.
“I’d never been interested in a lot of Now it’s just kind of a fun tradition for
sports, and I was so amazed (watching everybody, and it’s a really nice thing
the game), and I told my parents that’s where it’s like, if a girl can’t think of a
what I wanted to play,” Erickson said. name, the team sits there, and we can
“We went down after the game to get help them build a name for themselves.
our program signed by the skaters, and I’ve had two names. My first name was
saw my babysitter, and I told her this ‘TriniTNT,’ and my second one is ‘Har-
was what I wanted to play, and she told ley Trinn’.”
us that they were starting up a juniors
team. I went to the boot camp that People outside the team see the sport
summer and joined the team for that as a little strange at first. However, al-
season.” most all of her friends end up support-
ing Erickson’s endeavors.
Roller derby can be an intense sport.
Minor injuries are common, but the “My friends at school think I’m crazy,
rules help prevent the players from sus- and they’re a little bit right,” Erickson
taining more serious wounds, according said. “You’ve got to have a little bit of
to Erickson. crazy to be able to play this. I can show
them videos, and I think it looks more
“You have to be ready for pretty like a dancing style in a way, because
much anything,” Erickson said. “Be- you have to move your feet so quickly
cause I’ve been playing it since I was so in such an intricate pattern to be able to
young, I’ve basically been conditioned do half the things you need to do. “
to expect some of the worst. It happens
all the time; most of (our injuries) aren’t Erickson is not going to stop skating
severe. If you play by the rules, you’ll be anytime soon. As soon as she turns 18,
relatively safe, but you’ve got to expect she plans to join the adult team, the
some minor injuries.” Cincinnati Rollergirls.

Erickson participates in many other “I’m looking forward to my ten-year
activities besides roller derby, making anniversary, which will be during my
her schedule extremely busy. Her team, senior year, and then I can try out for
however, ensures that school is her top the adult team and have ten years of
priority. experience,” Erickson said. “That hasn’t
happened yet, so I’m looking forward to
“I do other things: I am in marching try and be the first one.”
band, I dance, and of course, academics
and all that,” Erickson said. “It gets a Photos by Andrea Hefferan
Trinity Erickson is pushed by another roller derby athlete during a practice.

December 19, 2017 9

10 Feature November 17, 2017

trending now Manuela Capiello, freshman

Kaleab Jegol, senior “I had a fun time ice skating
with my family, even though
“Everyone there is falling it was freezing,” Capiello said.
and everyone is getting used to “They have a nice, heating
it,” Jegol said. “People are help- room open to all-that helped
ing each other out. When you me cope with the cold. I would
trip someone’s there picking go on the ice and then run
you up and you’re like thank back to the room, overall a
you. It’s really fun and the set- great experience.”
ting and music adds to it.”

Fountain Square ice skating hotspot during the holiday season

Nathalie Schickendantz | weather and allows the community to When Santa is not around, the lights
Staff Writer come together in an exciting tradition. and Christmas tree put on a show of
The plaza hosts special events to enjoy their own. A 50-foot tree captivates the
Fountain Square has redecorated for throughout the season. Every Friday southwest corner with a string of mul-
the holidays. night pop music thunders in the square tiple colored lights and a large red star
for ‘Radio Skates Night.’ On occasion, resting on the top. The fountain statue
Fountain Square in downtown Cincin- the large LED Video board plays a switches colors periodically accompa-
nati celebrates winter early by adding movie, such as ‘Frozen’ whilst skaters nied by the Fifth/Third bank building
an ice rink to the plaza. On November glide on the ice. The ‘Watch It & Wear’ whose windows flash with flamboyant
24, O’Keeffe’s Ice rink began its season inspires children to dress to impress colors. The atmosphere is festive and
with an elaborate grand opening. whilst meeting their favorite characters embellished with harmonious lights in
from the movie. Santa Claus also makes every tree.
People gather in the square for a a weekly appearance on Saturday’s
countdown to the christmas tree light- throughout the season. Freshman Manuela Capiello said the
ing as they listen to a live performance square is gorgeous at night when beau-
by the second wind band. The rink Senior Paige Riegert said when Santa tified with bold lights.
continues its long season with special made his appearance, children's faces lit
events until late February. All ages can up with joy as they cheered for the man “It’s funny because when you first
enjoy ice skating under the lights in the in the red suit. enter the rink, you’re really unstable
heart of downtown. and embarrassed, but you look up and
“My favorite part was watching a man see adults falling and you enjoy the
More than 600 people come daily to dressed as Santa Claus propel down the embarrassment together,” Capiello said.
enjoy ice skating and refreshing snacks side of the building.” Riegert said. “He “Once you get the hang of it, you look
served at the rink’s refreshment bar, the came on the ice and performed tricks, at the atmosphere and see the lights
‘Cincideutsch Christkindlmarkt.’ like spinning in circles and yelling ‘Ho, sparkle in the tree and the statue chang-
Ho, Ho.’” ing color.”
Instead of spending the winter inside,
ice skating makes the best of the cold

Paige Reigert, senior “I went with a group of Sidney Bohanon, junior “I usually go every year

friends,” Reigert said. “It’s a re- with my family as a tradition,”
ally fun, inviting environment. Bohanon said. “My sister comes
They have snack stands and home for the holidays and we
after skating in the cold a cup go around opening time. The
of hot chocolate was delicious. big christmas tree lights up,
It’s a gorgeous place to skate, which just adds to the fun. We
it’s not your typical atmosphere get to spend a day in Cincin-
which just adds to the fun.” nati and enjoy everything sur-
rounding the Fountain Square.”

Photos by Tanner Pearson

December 19, 2017 Feature 11

Aftermath of Hurricanes Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestras
Harvey, Irma felt miles away earn highest honors at state

Series tackles heavy topics, Protestors flood streets to
receives criticism and praise make voices heard following
upon release Trump inauguration

Mason Boys Basketball
wins first Division 1
District Championship
in program history over
Centerville 44-38

OPINION: National PHOTO GALLERY:
Anthem protests are Great American Eclipse 2017
ineffective

STAFF EDITORIAL:

Society perpetuates sexual abuse by
invalidating victims’ accusations

12 Arts

Elegant Holiday brings community

Pictured: Senior Joesph Paul Dugger steals the spotlight during
Men’s Choir’s performanc.
Pictured: Una Voca White takes to the stage to perform in front of
Mason friends and families.
Pictured: Men’s choir sings Good King Wenceslas

and Entertainment 13

together in song and celebration

On December 8
and 9, choirs of
all levels gath-
ered to perform
for the Mason
community at the
annual Elegant
Holiday. The
set list included
classics such as
Dance of the
Sugar Plum Fairy
but also allowed
more unfamiliar
tunes to be ap-
preciated.
Pictured:
NoteOrious
sings acapella
renditions of
holiday songs.

Pictured: Choir
director Jason
McKee con-
ducts Honors
Concert Choir
during their
performance.

Pictured: Women’s choir performs
Merry Christmas, Darling
Pictured: Freshman Blake Mahoney
wtaches, enjoys performers.

Photos by Tanner Pearson

VIBE
Compiled by Chronicle
staff writers
Millie Ortega
Kaitlin Lewis
Lauren Serge
Nathalie Schickendantz
Lauren Thomas

December 19, 2017 Arts and Entertainment 15

Photo by Yogesh Patel Streetwear
Junior Kip Roe poses with his Supreme
backpack while wearing a Supreme tee A new definiton of style
and a camo jacket.
Latest fashion trend has students
sporting designer clothing

Yogesh Patel | Staff Writer on designer jackets so appealing
to streetwear fanatics. Clifford
Distressed denim and over- Roe says that the fashion indus-
sized jackets have taken the try has had heavy influences
streets. from music all the way to sports
and various other activities.
Streetwear is the fashion
cultural development of skate- “A lot of what we have now
board, surf, hip hop and retro is based on the past,” Roe said.
80s and 90s trends. Juniors Nick “People were getting experimen-
Collier and Clifford Roe believe tal because of the music and the
the clothing style is an artform media culture around it. These
and that the clothes he wears days bombers and military
make a statement. inspired clothing because of the
trends in Japan where clothing
Collier is passionate about the was not only fashionable but
streetwear culture. The aesthetic also utilitarian.”
surrounding it is what drives
him to invest in higher quality Roe said there are people who
brands. Collier takes the initia- represent a brand, and they wear
tive to be a beacon of clothing the clothes because they think
culture by expressing himself that brand represents that cul-
amongst the masses. He finds ture whether it be skate, surf, or
buying streetwear and high end aesthetic clothing, and there are
merchandise to be a valuable people who do it for their status.
hobby.
“I wear everything for internal
“Painting can be somebody’s satisfaction,” Roe said. “Some
hobby and painting supplies can wear this stuff to impress others,
be very expensive,” Collier said. and I feel like you should wear
“That in my sense is that I can what you want to make you
spend that money on clothing, happy, not because it’s going to
so I can express myself in a way make everyone else like you.”
no one else can.”
The beauty of streetwear
Collier says streetwear is the lies in its availability. It can be
bridge between high and low any combination of flannels,
tier fashion. Raf Simons, Rick distressed wear, and designer
Owens, and St. Laurent Paris are branding. Although streetwear
designer brands that are con- is the pinnacle of style for the
sidered to be father-like to the younger generation, older
streetwear era because of their people generally tend to stereo-
high-end influence over smaller type people who wear streetwear
brands. inspired clothing.

“People are trying to be some- Senior Kayla Blumberg be-
one,” Collier said. “You can wear lieves that even the stereotypes
something fashionable, and it’ll are not able to separate people
make you stand out in a crowd.” from fashion.

A generation of subcultures “They are not able to separate
categorized under one casual styles and personalities,” Blum-
clothing style is what makes the berg said. “People kind of just
gashes in jeans and paint splatter mash them together.”

16 Arts and Entertainment December 19, 2017

OPINION Last Jedi praised by critics, exceeds
Preview Day expectations at Box Office
Force Awakens one of few films to

achieve monetary and critical success Lauren Serge | Staff Writer knowledge. After seeing the movie, Wy-
att said there were a handful of hapless
Jacob Brase | Staff Writer box office. This amount easily trumps The reviews are in. flaws throughout, but the associations
‘Blade Runner 2049’ earnings of $90 On December 14, Star Wars: The Last to the previous films paid a silent nod to
Movie studios million. Jedi premiered, and groups of people the franchise that started it all.
have one goal in decided to see it on opening night. With
mind when creat- Huge box office hits like the ‘Trans- a new director, and the unfortunate “They tried to tie in small connections
ing films: make a formers’ series tend to rely on extrava- death of actress Carrie Fisher, the film to the other movies which was great for
lot of money. gant Computer Generated Images received wide criticism across the spec- a Star Wars nerd like me,” Wyatt said. “I
(CGI) and tell lackluster stories that trum, even prior to its release. love watching them with a little bit of a
When this goal are only meant to entertain, yet these After her father rented out an entire different spin and better effects. It’s just
is achieved, that films continue to get made, and are theater for his Star Wars fan club, Soph- really fun to watch these movies with
movie is deemed considered ‘successful’ only because of omore Trinity Erickson said she has the same story but a different look.”
a success by most audiences and the box office performance. not read any reviews in order to have
movies studios alike. Recently, Hol- a fresh perspective whilst viewing the Senior Jacob Zinnecker purchased the
lywood has begun searching for the When deciding whether or not to movie. Erickson said that while many tickets a month ago, and drove to Bea-
next box office hit at the expense of continue a franchise, it seems this recent films have catered to promoting vercreek to claim seats early. Zinnecker
a well thought out plot and character is the only thing Hollywood studios a fanbase over quality, an alternative had high hopes for the success of the
development. The quality of a movie consider. angle will be presented. film due to the technological advances
should always define its success, even “Even if it does become a huge Box pairing with the vintage genre; how-
if it does not excel at the box office. Impactful movies like ‘Blade Runner Office hit, it’ll still be really enjoyable ever, after the film, Zinnecker felt the
Critics deem ‘Blade Runner 2049’ 2049’ are timeless. These films still and there’s always something new to director was a fault for a majority of the
(2017) “terrific,” “visually stunning,” hold up decades after they premiere, look for and be excited about,” Erickson indiscretion.
and movie goers tend to agree. The leaving a lasting and significant said.
film will compete for many Academy impact on the audience. It is films like Advanced Placement Literature “It was a great movie, but it’s my least
awards in March and features multiple these Hollywood must strive for and teacher Nicole Wilson was a Star Wars favorite of the last three,” Zinnecker
incredible performances. But, one celebrate as successes. fanatic as a young child and through said. “I feel the script of the characters
problem remains: you probably have her interest in the series, Wilson has made the movies confusing, because
not seen it. Few films are able to obtain this true developed a connection to the character with some characters, you didn’t know
The sequel to the 1982 classic pro- success, and even fewer are able to development within the production. exactly what they were trying to repre-
duced very little income, letting down perform well at the box office on top “What I liked about the last Star Wars, sent.”
Sony Pictures, the studio that invested of this. is sort of a return to George Lucas’
more than $155 million on the project. original focus, which dealt with the Zinnecker said the attempts at comic
Regardless, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ re- While the galaxy may never achieve archetypal hero’s journey,” Wilson said. relief presents obstacles for the produc-
turned with only $60 million of its in- a balance in the force, the Star Wars “The components of that psychological tions of future films, but that the overall
vestment after 10 days in theaters. This movie franchise has most definitely and physical struggle and the complex concept of the movie was enjoyable.
undoubtedly puts it in the category of achieved the perfect combination of interplay between the characters is
Hollywood’s ‘Box Office Bombs’. good reception and good income on something I hope to see in this film.” “They tried to be way too funny in
After it failed at the box office, their films, a rare and remarkable feat. Math teacher Mark Wyatt exercised this movie, which I enjoy the comedy,
many considered ‘Blade Runner 2049’ In 2015, Lucasfilm released ‘Star Wars: the same technique by going into the but I feel like if Star Wars keeps going
to be a failure, ignoring the extremely The Force Awakens’ (2017), which film with a minute amount of prior this way, you’re going to go see it just
positive reception it received from was loved by all audiences and critics to watch it, it’s not going to have that
audiences. alike and also earned a whopping $1 meaning of Star Wars behind it, Zin-
‘Blade Runner 2049’ is a success. You billion at the box office, easily placing necker said. “It was good, but it didn’t
can ask no more of a director than to it as the highest grossing film of the capture the original feel.”
make a good movie. That is exactly year. Success like this that has caused
what Denis Villeneuve did, yet studios Hollywood studios to invest in the pro-
may reconsider hiring him for another duction of over 10 films in ‘Star Wars’
film due to the lack of profit the film universe to date.
made.
‘Transformers 5,’ which received This franchise is a rare example of
extremely poor reviews and nowhere a film series that is praised by its view-
close to the praise of ‘Blade Runner ers, and seemingly always performs
2049,’ pocketed over $130 million at the well at the box office. With ‘Star Wars:
the Last Jedi’ set to become yet another
critical and box office hit, Lucasfilm
has no plans on slowing down.

Graphics by Ryan D’Souza

Chess TeamDecember 19,2017 Record 2012Sp-o2rts018 17

sports 15201-81: CHECKMATE
12501-71:
Comet chess team making all the right
142-0116-: 1 moves under new coach
1820-150:
1620-140: Bryan Hudnell | Staff Writer
1620-130:
The winningest team at Ma-
1820-120: son High School is the one you
have never heard of.
Since 2012 the Mason chess
team has dominated the Greater
Miami Conference (GMC), go-
ing 112-3-1, including a 69-game
winning streak from the start
of the 2012 season and ending
in the second game of the 2016
season.
Junior Anagh Kulkarni credits
the success to the strong sense Photo by Bryan Hudnell
of unity present within the team.
“I think the really important Junior Anagh Kulkarni is a key
player on the Mason Chess Team

thing is that every member of the
team is a team player,” Kulkarni we do,” Breckenridge said. “The
said. “They care about the team’s main difference however between
result more their individual a match vs. Sycamore and a
results. Obviously, everyone is try- match against other GMC schools
ing to do their best and win each is that it takes our best game, on
game, but if they feel like they each board, to win. In some other
have to make a sacrifice in order matches, we can sometimes get
to further the team’s potential as away with a few mistakes.”
a whole, everyone is willing to do The Comets finished the 2017-
that. That’s a big part why a record 18 season with a 15-1 record and
like that happens.” secured their sixth GMC cham-
pionship in seven years. After
Kulkarni said the new coach-
ing style brought by Head Coach earning GMC Athlete of the Year
Keith Breckenridge has also in in 2016-17, Kulkarni backed
helped the team in their success. up his performance by winning
“The coaching has been really the award again for the 2017-18
season and was given the highest
good for us,” Kulkarni said. “For rating by the U. S. Chess Federa-
example, this year Coach Breck-
enridge brought a different style. tion (USCF) in the history of the
He treats it like a lot like a Mason GMC. Breckenridge emphasized
sport; he schedules mandatory Kulkarni’s unique skillset.
“Anagh is a tremendous asset
practices and made jerseys and to the team,” Breckenridge said.
things like that. That kind of
atmosphere really helps the team “He has the highest USCF rating
move forward.” of any player in the history of the
Mason’s main competition in the league. He just won Player of the
the GMC is the Sycamore Avia- Year again without a vote; he was
the only nominee, which tells you
tors. The Comets and Aviators something about what the other
have finished first and second
every year since 2013 and is a coaches think.”
matchup Kulkarni and the Comets Breckenridge and the Comets
highly anticipate each season. have greater aspirations going
forward as they have they have
“We always look forward to
Sycamore,” Kulkarni said. “Not to the opportunity to compete with
discredit other teams, but Syca- the best teams in the country in
April at the The USCF National
more is definitely the one team
that we actually have a big threat High School Chess Championship
of losing to, so we always prepare in Columbus.
hard for them and make sure “I hope to have our team com-
pete at the National level,” Breck-
we’re ready.”
Breckenridge coached at Syca- enridge said. “The USCF National
more for 20 years before coaching High School Chess Championship
his first season at Mason this year is coming to Columbus, April 27th
and believes his players have to be - 29th. All my players currently
at the top of their game in order have an application to attend in
to defeat the Aviators. their hands; I’m just waiting to see
how many of them are willing to
“As the former coach at Syca- commit to go.”
more, I know that they have the
same advantages in the GMC that

BOYS & GIRLS BASKETBALL
PREVIEWS ON PAGES 19 & 20

18 Sports December 19, 2017

BEAST MODE NUMBERS

EVAN 3 POINTS ALLOWED BY THE
GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM
HAAS AGAINST COLERAIN
AVERAGE SCORE
OF 241.9 69.2 SHOOTING PERCENTAGE OF
LEAD BOYS SENIOR GUARD TYREE MIZELL
BOWLING TEAM
TO WINS OVER 2:03.5 200 YARD FREESTYLE
HAMILTON AND TIME OF SOPHOMORE MIA
ELDER THATCHER
COMMITED TO
WRIGHT STATE

PREGAME PLAYLIST CHRONICLE MAKING SOME NOISE
CAMERA
CAUGHT YA ! SAM

You never know when a GLASSCO
Chronicle photographer
might be around ! STATS

5-0 Record, 2 pins

COLE

PETERSON

STATS

1st in GMC in 500 yard
freestyle, 2nd in 200

Staff Photographer Tanner LANDEN
Pearson captured senior
cheerleader Cagnie France LONG
looking into the crowd
against Lakota East. STATS

12 points per game, 51.4%
shooting

NEWSWORTHY Stats and ranks as of December 13.

On Wednesday, December 13, Girls Basketball Head Coach Rob Matula earned his 300th overall win as a head coach, with
a win over Lakota East. The Comets defeated Thunderhawks 46-21 before at packed house at Mason High School. Prior to
coaching at Mason, Matula was the boys basketball head coach at Sycamore and Talawanda High School. As boys head coach
at Sycamore, Matula led the Aviators to their only district basketball championship.

December 19, 2017 Sports 19

New faces, Same goal
Boys Basketball looks
to reload after historic
2016-17 season

Rahul Parikh | Staff Writer Photo by Tanner Pearson
The Mason boys basketball team has
big shoes to fill. In 2016-17, led by one of Senior point guard tanner Knue directs the Mason offense during the Comets 61-58 win over Lakota East on December 12. Knue is the
the most successful senior classes in pro- only returning starter from the Comets 21-3 District championship team in 2016-17.
gram history, the Comets earned their
first District championship since 1994 the younger guys out.” ing the little things to help the team out. class will be able to lead a young team
and finished 21-3. A key to success this season for the “I think if us new guys do the small through their grueling GMC schedule.
The only returning starter is senior
Tanner Knue. As a junior, Knue aver- Comets will be how new members of things to help out, we can make a big “These seniors are great leaders and
aged 9.6 points, and shot 40% from the the team can mesh with returnees. Ju- difference.” Howard said. “Whether it’s role models, and they will help us
field. Knue knows he will be a focal nior guard Ethan Howard is a new ad- grabbing a rebound, getting a steal, throughout the year in continuing to
point for the program this season. dition to the varsity squad who will look knocking down a shot, or anything else, improve as a team,” Howard said. “Hope-
“There is lots of inexperience on our to make an immediate impact. Howard if we can get that done I feel like we fully we can achieve our goal of reach-
team this year,” Knue said. “Me and said the keys to replacing the maturity have a great chance to win games.” ing the District finals and maybe even a
Noah have to step up as leaders, being and discipline of last years team are do- State championship.”
the seniors in the locker room.” Howard believes that the senior
Knue wants to be much more than a
one dimensional player.
“I’m putting pressure on myself to get
everyone involved, and be a leader de-
fensively,” Knue said. “I want to be the
best defender in the Greater Miami con-
conference (GMC) throughout the year,
and I hope to do it all, not just score.”
Senior Noah Pedelty is the only other
returning player that appeared in all
24 games in ‘16-17. While averaging 8.7
points per game as a junior, Pedelty was
in more of a supplementary role, but
knows he has to take a leadership role to
be successful this year.
“Coach has been telling Tanner and I
to be a lot more vocal this year, which
I’ve been doing,” Pedelty said. “It’s a big
deal to me to be able to help out the
guys who haven’t stepped into a varsity
game yet, and get them into a groove.”
Pedelty is prepared to step into a more
vocal leadership role.
“I feel like I have been stepping my
game up through AAU (Amateur Ath-
letic Union) before this year started, and
a lot of other guys such as Landen and
Ethan have been great as well,” Pedelty
said. “Losing those seniors obviously
hurts a lot, but this year we have great
potential, and everyone on the court can
score at all times.”
Assistant coach Kyle Peters said that
he believes the team has the capability
to effectively replace the strong senior
class of last year and should be able to
compete and win games.
“We fully expect these guys to com-
pete for a GMC and a district champion-
ship this year,” Peter said. “Like Coach
Richards always says, it’s not like we
lose guys year in and year out, we just
reload.”
Peters said Knue and Pedelty have
stepped up as leaders early on.
“I feel like they are doing a great job
on the floor,” Peters said. “Not just scor-
ing, but doing all the little things to help

December 19, 2017 Sports 20

Comets have all the pieces for another tournament run

Eric Miller | Sports Editor ing to develop that bench is to get them house Lakota West. The non-league
The Mason Girls basketball program is ready for the intensity level of a varsity lineup for the Comets includes 2016-17
game. I really like what we have coming Division III state semi-finalist Colum-
consistently recognized as one of the elite off the bench.” bus Africentric, a trip to Florida for the
programs in the state of Ohio as well as prestigious Naples Holiday Shootout
the entire country for good reason. After dropping their season opener to as well as a trip to the Classic in the
Columbus Africentric, Matula’s Comets Country in Berlin, Ohio to play Urbana
Since the start of the 2015-16 season, the have reeled off five straight victories in (IL) and 2015-16 Division I state semi-
Comets have won 52 games and lost just impressive fashion. The Comets forced finalist Solon. Matula said he does not
eight. Head coach Rob Matula’s team is 39 turnovers in a resounding 70-3 win shy away from high level competition
looking to build off a 23-4 campaign in over Colerain and outrebounded Middle- because of the way it prepares his team
2016-17 that ended with a 41-35 loss to town 45-12 in an 80-38 victory. for postseason play.
eventual Division I State Champion Mt. “Ultimately it puts you in positions of
Notre Dame in the Regional Final. While Matula said that while it’s dif- high quality opponents that are going
ficult to try to develop young players in to make it a lot like, hopefully if you
Junior Sammie Puisis is back as the these blowout environments, he and his get to, a district championship game or
featured player for Matula’s Comets. staff have tried to challenge their players a regional game or a state game,” Mat-
After averaging 16.6 points per game, by bringing in an all-boys practice squad. ula said. “That way you’re not looking
six rebounds per game and shooting 50 at it going, ‘We haven’t played this cali-
percent from the 3-point point line as a “Middletown pushed us a little bit at the ber team’ or ‘we haven’t done it as many
sophomore, Puisis earned Greater Miami beginning and competed,” Matula said. times as We possibly can.’ So, whenever
Conference (GMC) player of the year and “We got some kids in some situations. we’re asked to go to this place or that
made a verbal commitment to Florida We’ve been bringing in what we call ‘the place, I always tell whoever is directing
State. Seniors Ti Fulton and Anna Brink- dude squad,’ they come in Mondays and it, ‘Whoever the best is, we’ll play them.”
mann bring the Comets experience in Fridays that help speed us up and put us Matula believes his Mason Comets
the paint as both return for their fourth in positions where we can see of the kids are good enough to win the program’s
and final campaign. Sophomore Megan that would come off the bench, how are second state championship. But he is
Wagner will man the backcourt along they going to react in those situations also aware that there is a lot that has to
with junior Sade Tucker, who averaged and how they react against our top five happen in order to be in that position
4.9 points and 2.0 steals per game as a or six kids.” in March.
sophomore at Walnut Hills. With such an “We’ve got enough talent,” Matula Photo by Tanner Pearson
experienced lineup back from the Elite Outside of conference play, Matula’s
Eight run a year ago, Matula said estab- teams are known for playing some of Junior guard Sammie Puisis takes a shot
lishing the Comets reserve players can the most grueling schedules around. said. “We’re hopefully going to be able over the Oak Hills’ defender.
be what takes them to the next level. In 2016-17 Mason’s four losses were to to develop depth, in the end you’ve got
Homestead (Indiana 4A State Cham- to hope that you’re lucky enough to win selves in a position to win it. We do have
“I think that we are starting to develop pion), Lakota West (OHSAA Regional one or two that you had to skate through experience in big games, and we have
that (depth),” Matula said. “I feel confi- Semi-Finalist), Kettering Alter (Division and that your injuries are minimal. some talented younger kids coming off
dent that we have enough kids that know II State Champion) and Mt. Notre Dame There’s a lot that goes into it. I’m not say- the bench. So, I like our chances just as
how to play the game. I think what we (Division I State Champion). ing that we are going to win it, I’m say- much as anybody else and know that it’s
are trying to look at now is are they ready ing we should have a chance to put our- a difficult road.”
for that intensity. That’s the part of try- The Comets face another demanding
non-conference slate in addition to their
two matchups with fellow GMC power-

1st Team all state for
Comet running back

Defense Lineman Hamdan earns second team

Joey Deaton | Staff Writer Head coach Brian Castner magnified Photo by Tanner Pearson
Only two Division I running backs in the fact that Sora was the first to do it in Senior running back Matt Sora started 35 games and ran for 3,148 yards in his career.
program history.
the state of Ohio are awarded the honor don’t pay a lot of attention to. I wouldn’t of player he hopes represents his team.
of first team all-state status. One is Eu- “In Mason all these years, we have not have been able to do it without everyone “He is everything that I want, as the
clid running back Ronald Lee, the other had a first team all-state football player,” on my team helping me everyday get-
is Mason High School senior Matt Sora. Castner said. “He’s a first. Better yet, we ting better and the grind of practices. It’s head football coach, to represent Mason
had a first and a second team, with Zaid not only me, but it’s just us working to- Football,” Castner said. “And that will
Sora is the first player ever to achieve (Hamdan) being second team. There’s gether as a team to help me to get this. go on forever. He is going to be in the
first team all-state while wearing the only two running backs: the Euclid kid, It’s kind of surprising. I didn’t know I (Mason) Hall of Fame. He is going to be
green and white of Mason. Sora started and him. It’s a huge honor. It’s well was the first one. I’m very grateful to be a young man that will epitomize what
all 35 games he played in throughout his earned, well-deserved, and I can’t say the first one to ever do it, and it means a you want in a Mason Football player.
varsity high school career. enough about him.” lot to me.” The Long Green Line just got a heck of
lot brighter, on top of what it already is.”
Over those 35 games, he racked up 518 Sora said he is surprised to hear that Castner said Sora exemplified the kind
carries for 3148 yards and 39 touchdowns. he is the first and that it was not an
In his senior year, Sora rushed the ball individual effort.
for 1327 yards and 17 touchdowns, aver-
aging 6.3 yards per carry over the entire “To be named first team all-
season. state is just a huge honor to me,”
Sora said. “Usually it’s something I

December 19, 2017 Opinion 21

Staff Editorial

to the editor FCC shows complete disregard of American
opinion with repeal of Net Neutrality

Enacted in 2015, Net Neutrality prohibited service The FCC, however, could not seem to care less.
providers from slowing down or charging more Following the vote, the chairman, Ajit Pai, made a
for usage of popular websites such as social media statement, refuting American’s concerns with the
platforms, Netflix and Google. The ensured every repeal. In this address, he dismissed consumers’
American could binge on countless episodes of The concerns, minimizing their disapproval of the vote.
Office and send as many snaps as they so desired This is not how our government is supposed to
without being penalized. work. If 83 percent of Americans of all backgrounds,
political affiliation and socioeconomic status have
On December 14, the Federal Communications all come to the conclusion that a piece of legislation
Commission too this security blanket away, voting should not be repealed, then do not repeal it.
to repeal Net Neutrality with a party line 3-2 vote.
Although the vote was made by the FCC to end
While the result of the vote has not yet taken Net Neutrality, congress can still act to override
effect, by repealing Net Neutrality, internet service this decision, due to the congressional review act
providers (ISPs) will be allowed to charge compa- Congress has 60 days to overturn this appeal with
nies fees in order to get internet speeds, giving large senator Ed Markey looking to lead a bill to overrule
names like Amazon and Google “fast lanes,” by the decision made by the FCC, however this even if
allowing these sites to be easily navigated as well as this happens President Trump will have veto power
get their content out with ease. over any bill passed by congress.

The one thing, however, that seems to enrage Additionally, state attorneys have wasted no time
Americans more than the FCC’s vote to repeal Net organizing lawsuits against the FC, specifically chal-
Neutrality is how they voted to repeal it. Despite 83 lenging the conditions in which they casted their
percent of Americans voicing their opposition to votes. On December 13, two million comments were
the repeal of the bill, the committee did it anyway, made fraudulently, using stolen identities. Upon
undermining what is suppose to be the source of discovery, several states called for the FCC to push
power in the nation, the people. back their vote on the bill, but once again, the FCC
ignored this wish and casted votes anyway. Now, the
This law, when enacted will impact the chances FCC will face the courts and Congress in order to
of small businesses to make an online presence and enact their decision.
damage the United States economy. The ISP will
charge fees only the largest, most wealthy websites The FCC’s decision previewed what could become
will be able to afford in order to get their content a dangerous future if followed. Policy makers and
out in the quickest way possible, not only this, but those in a position to make national change must
they can also choose what their consumers consume taken into consideration the voices from which
at this point. The smaller companies will be forced their power is supposed to be derived. Too often our
to live with lower internet speeds and less control of political leaders forget this little but crucial fact and
how their content is portrayed to their consumer. act upon their own political agendas rather than on
the will of the American people.
Net Neutrality also impedes on freedom of ex-
pression on the internet, with the idea of the bigger There is still a chance Net Neutrality will remain
pockets on the internet being able to afford the fast- intact, but unless our nation’s’ leaders begin to lis-
est speeds and paying the ISP so that they can all ten to us, a slow and costly internet experience will
but guarantee that their content is seen, taking over be the least of our worries.
the internet waves, not allowing for those without
the means to afford the ISP fees to get their ideas
out on the internet, meaning they will have a small
if not nonexistent voice on the internet.

The Chronicle’s Policy

The Chronicle is the official student The Chronicle is published monthly. The Chronicle is a member of The The Chronicle Staff Online Editor Bryan Hudnell Adviser
newspaper of William Mason High Call 398-5025 ext. 33103 for infor- Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Editor-in-Chief Luke Hutchinson Luke Hutchinson Dale Conner
School. mation regarding advertising in The The National Scholastic Press Asso- Asia Porter Business Manager Kaitlin Lewis
Chronicle. The Chronicle reserves the ciation, Quill and Scroll International Managing Editor Aniya Longmire Alexandra Lisa
The Chronicle promises to report the right to refuse advertising it deems in- Honorary Society for High School Jour- Delaney Turner Staff Photographer Millie Ortega
truth and adhere to the journalistic appropriate for a high school publica- nalists and the Ohio Scholastic Media Sports Editor Tanner Pearson Rahul Parikh
code of ethics through online and print tion. Association. Eric Miller Staff Writers Ria Parikh Connect with
mediums. Visual Design Editor Jacob Brase Yogesh Patel the Chronicle:
As an open forum for students, let- Contact Information Ryan D’Souza Joey Deaton
The Chronicle is produced by students ters to the editor are welcome, but are The Chronicle Andrea Hefferan Alekya Raghavan @mhschronicle
enrolled in Journalism I, II and III. subject to be edited for length, libel, ob- William Mason High School Nathalie Schickendantz
scenity, clarity and poor taste. Letters to 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Rd. Lauren Serge
Editorials reflect the staff ’s opinion the editor may be dropped off in room Mason, Ohio 45040 facebook.com/
but do not necessarily reflect the opin- C103 and must be signed. (513) 398-5025 Lauren Thomas mhschronicle
ions of the school administration or the
Mason City School District. Freddie Wilhelm @mhschronicle

22 Opinion December 19, 2017

Colbert, Kimmel’s Editorial Cartoon
political commentary
welcome and Repeal of Net Neutrality spells costly internet experience
necessary
Lack of diversity and secured an American Athletic Conference (AAC)
Ria Parikh | Championship against #22 Temple. The Cougars also
Staff Writer in college football defeated Louisville, Memphis, Navy, and most impor-
tantly, Florida State in the Peach Bowl. This is a quality
Public figures have recently been under fire for playoffs major resume that the Committee straight up ignored. The
heavily expressing their political views, despite Cougars were never ranked in the top 15 until after
the large platform their have and their power to problem they upset FSU and they finished the season eighth.
evoke change. A very significant group to experi-
ence this is comedians. Comedians have the rare Bryan Hudnell | Staff Writer In 2016, Houston stunned #3 Oklahoma to begin the
ability to talk about serious topics and hold an au- season and received a lot of national attention. They
dience’s attention by making them want to listen. When the College Football Playoff system was were ranked as high as sixth, which is the highest rank-
And, as public figures, comedians have the power announced at the start of the 2014-15 season, College ing ever given to a non power five conference team.
to use their voice to speak for a larger group of Football fans were ecstatic. The outdated Bowl Cham- The Cougars’ hot start came to end after falling to
people whose voices are not as powerful. pionship Series (BCS) system was finally abolished and Navy and Southern Methodist University.
teams were given the chance to prove themselves in
That is why it surprises me to read or hear that pursuit of a national championship. The other team is Central Florida (UCF). The Golden
some people want comedians to turn away from Knights closed this year with an undefeated regular
talking about politics or other serious topics. This year, the teams selected by the Playoff Commit- season and won their conference. A question all college
Recently, Jimmy Kimmel was criticized by fans tee were Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama. football fans should be asking themselves is what if
for speaking about gun and control law and the All four are deserving and are quality programs, but a UCF comes out victorious against Auburn in their bowl
Las Vegas shooting because they felt it was “too major problem emerges for College Football: there is game? What would those implications be? Auburn was
soon.” The monologue Kimmel delivered was almost no diversity in these selections year to year. ranked #2 before the Southeastern Conference (SEC)
not comedic--in fact, it was described as “tearful” Championship game and here is UCF knocking off an
by multiple news sources. He was just using his Georgia is the only team in this year’s playoffs SEC powerhouse. Even if they lose by a few points, they
comedy show as a platform to speak his mind. making their first appearance. In the four years of the would join Houston in proving that these teams can
playoff system, Alabama has been selected every year compete with the best that college football has to offer.
Here is the thing: If an event meant something and has appeared in every top 10 ranking the Playoff
to someone, they have the right to speak about Committee has put out. Clemson is another mainstay Now, I am not saying that UCF can beat Alabama;
it, especially to a platform they built with their and has made it three times. This will be the third those odds are slim. But what more do these teams
career. There are times when it does not mat- straight year where an Alabama-Clemson matchup is need to do? They need a rigorous out of conference
ter what your job is, you are impacted greatly present as well. Lastly, Ohio State and Oklahoma both schedule and must win their conference champion-
by something at least once. Kimmel was visibly have made it twice. ship to even be looked at. These teams do not have
scarred by the events that have been taking place the luxury of scheduling Mercer or The Citadel like
lately, and he had every right to talk about it. Now, the argument can be made that these teams Alabama and Clemson can. They have to be perfect
Criticizing him for speaking out about something are consistently putting the best product out on the and have no weaknesses on their resume, which is an
that impacted him extremely emotionally is dis- field every year, and it should not be a huge shock that unrealistic expectation for any team to meet.
gusting and should be reevaluated. these teams are in the conversation every year. College
Football has always been this way. But, at least in the Whether it is expanding the playoffs to six or eight
Even those comedians who do not have emo- BCS system, non power five conferences had the shot teams or being more lenient to teams in weaker confer-
tional connections to recent events are just is vital of breaking this trend. There has been close to zero ences, College Football needs to take a hard look at
in the process of communicating them through indication of that in the playoff system. how they are evaluating teams to give more teams a
the means of comedy. Before starting Late Night shot. If not, we will get stuck with the same matchups
Stephen Colbert used to be a master satirist on Two teams have come close. The first team, and per- and the same teams every year.
his show, The Colbert Report, where it was his job haps the team that had the best chance, was Houston.
to criticize commonly accepted ideas in society, In 2015, they finished with a 12-1 regular season record
and expose the flaws in these ideas through hu-
mor. The Colbert Report was extremely popular
because people wanted to hear what was flawed
in the society they live in through the medium of
comedy, rather than through a lecture or scold-
ing.

Today, the concept is the exact same with Col-
bert: the political commentary needs to be made
evoking change, but it should be a made in a way
that does not belittle the audience, yet he receives
more criticism than ever before. All of a sudden,
people do not like comedians “going political”
and expanding their purpose when delivering
their lines. The irony is, this is when we need it
most.

It is time we let the comedians and public fig-
ures do their job and speak about politics so more
people know what is going on. It is also time we
let comedians be people. Funny or not, they see
things happen just as we do. It is only fair to allow
them to react.

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24 December 19, 2017