Edition 14.4

Vol. 14, Issue 4 | William Mason High School | 6100 Mason Montgomery Road Mason, OH | 12.16.16
[See cover story, page 2]

Photographic by Ryan D’Souza

cover story ‘BREAKING’ NEWS

Fake media outlets propagate misinformation

2 Alekya Raghavan | Staff Writer A 2016 study by Stanford researchers tested 5 tips to identify fake news
the ability of students at the middle school, high
Bad news travels fast; fake news travels faster. school, and college levels to distinguish between 1. Reputable news sites
Fake news websites are intentionally fraudulent legitimate and fake sources. In one instance, 30 per- aren’t carrying the story
websites that release untrue stories and claim they cent of students argued that the fake news site was
are true. Although fake news has existed for years, more trustworthy. The study said researchers were If you can’t find a major news organi-
the issue has gained attention after the 2016 presi- “taken aback by students’ lack of preparation” to zation corroborating the story, there’s
dential election. analyze credibility. a good chance that it is fake.
Facebook has been accused of allowing for the
propagation of fake news, and though it allegedly Bross said Media Influence, the final unit of Hon- 2. The website has an
has the tools to shut down these sites, it has not ors English I, teaches students these skills. unusual domain name
used them. A 2016 report by the Pew Research Cen- (It’s a .co)
ter said 66 percent of American adults get their “We look at the way the media reported (cur-
news from Facebook, the algorithms of which are rent events) through articles, editorials, editorial Many times sites will feature the
designed to produce more related misinformation cartoons,” Bross said. “We also talk about how you name of a popular organization, with
once a false headline has been clicked. need to synthesize information from these differ- slight changes (ex. abcnews.go.co).
English teacher Amanda Bross said fake news ap- ent sources and to check credibility in order to for-
plies to what freshmen learn with “Fahrenheit 451.” mulate your own opinion. We recognized that there 3. Unrelenting click-trap
“We talked a lot with ‘Fahrenheit 451’ about how was a need for students to be able to sift through all advertising
the citizens (of the book) are only given informa- of these sources because of reasons like fake news
tion that the government wants them to have,” or just the abundance of information that they If questionable advertisements are
Bross said. “These people are not educated and have access to.” constantly popping up, it is a warning.
wouldn’t know how to think through things, how
to spot news if it was fake. They don’t know if what These skills are also taught in AP Language and 4. Beware of confirmation
they’re being fed is real or not.” Composition through a weekly “News You Can Use bias
Fake news earns money from advertising – as a (NYCU)” assignment. Its purpose is for students to
well known name in the fake news industry, Paul develop “an informed citizenship,” according to the People are often swayed by a source
Horner makes approximately $10,000 a month – as 2016 syllabus. confirms their beliefs; don’t let con-
it is shared through hyper-partisan social media. firmation bias change the way you
Freshman Laura Roman, currently enrolled in AP Language and Composition teacher Lori analyze credibility.
Bross’ class, said that she researches authors and Roth said the College Board sees this as essential.
websites to determine credibility. 5. Who is the author? What
“If I’ve never heard of (of the source) before, I’ll “We all live really busy lives and it’s really easy links/sources are used?
research it online and see what other people have to push being informed to the backburner,” Roth
to say before using it,” Roman said. “I am very said. “NYCU is a quick, easy way to find out what’s Take the time to research the author
aware that there are some places that not only have going on in the world. Plus, as part of AP, they ask and sources in order to determine
false information, but also viruses and clickbait. for us to be ‘citizen rhetoricians.’” credibility. If the links are suspicious,
You can also research the person who is creating the story may be fake.
(the source). If when researching them and looking Bross said she hopes students become more cog-
at their history, they are known for giving fake in- nizant of what they read online.
formation, then I know what they’re saying is most
likely not true.” “I’m hoping this is making (students) more
aware and more critical viewers,” Bross said. “When
they see something, especially on Facebook or on
Twitter, not to just retweet or to pass it on and say
‘Look at what I just saw’ but to be able to say ‘This
might not be real, and I’m going to use these skills
to discern whether or not it is.’”

12.16.16 Graphic by Ryan D’Souza

Mason grads raise $1.2 million for new medical tool news

Former students
create device to
minimize invasive
surgery

Juliana Discher | Staff Writer

By senior year, most students are Photo contributed by Vineet Erasala 3
preoccupied with college applica- Pictured from left to right: Vineet Erasala, Manny Setegn, Peeyush Shrivastava and Chandan Srivastava with their generation
tions and the notorious ‘senioritis’,
not beginning their own company. prototype of an investigational device.

Three Mason graduates formulat- After conducting labs, contacting “43 North is the world’s largest business start-up succeed is to not
ed their own medical company dur- those in the research field, and read- business idea competition and is lo- have a back-up plan.
ing this time. Class of 2013 graduate ing up about measuring electrical cated in Buffalo, New York,” Shriv-
Peeyush Shrivastava and class of 2014 currents, the boys decided to build a astava said. “That’s what pushed “I feel like the majority of compa-
graduates Manny Setegn and Vineet product to correct this issue and were us up. We participated in 2015 and nies that fail happen when everyone
Erasala are co-founders of Genetesis. eventually able to create a prototype. we won the People’s Choice Award has a backup plan, saying ‘I can just
This three–year–old company has and a $250,000 award. As a team, we fall back on this and I will be fine,’”
built a tool, known as CardioFlux, “It was a lot of learning in the be- moved to Buffalo and worked out of Setegn said. “It’s like a subliminal
that allows doctors to see the electri- ginning and understanding how the there for a year. The ability to work thing–you are more inclined to put
cal circuitry of a beating heart. Re- scientific field worked and how we full time on Genetesis got us ready all your time and effort into making
cently, Genetesis raised $1.2 million could adapt the science to a com- to present ourselves to partners and your business work if you have to
in seed money during its first round mercial clinical product,” Erasala investors.” make it work.”
of financing, led by billionaire inves- said. “The technology had to be
tor Mark Cuban and CincyTech. user–friendly and work well for the Starting a company in high school Erasala said he sees Genetesis help-
patient. We were able to attract the taught Erasala to follow his dreams. ing to expand the concept of non-in-
Shrivastava said the CardioFlux right kind of talent, and to feel out vasive medical imaging to different
medical tool works by measuring a minimal viable core functionality “It showed me a lot about what it parts of the body like the brain and
electrical fields from the heart. of the software. Then we were able means to be self–taught and how to organs.
to get to a point financially where we pursue something if you’re really
“The medical device images the could attract people who were as pas- passionate about it,” Erasala said. “Be- “There are a lot of different uses
electrical currents of the heart,” sionate about the cause as we were.” ing an entrepreneur is about being for this technology,” Erasala said.
Shrivastava said. “It does so by mea- able to learn on the fly and learn “We wanted to build platform tech-
suring the electric field emitting off The trio competed in business very quickly. It’s definitely taught me nology. I think it’s something that
the body. Those magnetic fields are competitions to prepare them for a lot more than school has in terms can be impactful because this means
generated by electricity moving in- the enterprise sphere. Shrivastava of how the business entrepreneurial for the first time you are able to track
side of the heart. It’s cool because the said participating in 43 North helped world works.” the underlying physiology, the cel-
medical fields are unperturbed by them launch their company. lular activity, in a completely non-in-
the lungs and conductive tissues. It’s Setegn said the key to having a vasive way that has never been done
a pure signal and we leveraged that
fact.”

The trio hatched a plan for the
company at a barbeque, Erasala said.

“We met up one day in the summer
at a friend’s barbeque and were talk-
ing about the healthcare space,” Eras-
ala said. “We all identified that there
was a huge deficiency in tracking and
mapping the electrical properties of
the heart. At the time, the only way
for physicians to do that was very
invasive. Doctors would have to use
some type of catheter or some sort of
injection, but there was no way to do
it non-invasively and efficiently.”

The Chronicle’s Policy The Chronicle Staff
Editor-in-Chief
The Chronicle is the official student The Chronicle is published monthly. The Chronicle is a member of The Jessica Sommerville Online Editor Staff Writers Eric Michael
newspaper of William Mason High Call 398-5025 ext. 33103 for infor- Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Managing Editor Asia Porter Calista Busch Ria Parikh
School. mation regarding advertising in The The National Scholastic Press Asso- India Kirssin Multimedia Editor Joey Deaton Meghan Pottle
Chronicle. The Chronicle reserves the ciation, Quill and Scroll International Associate Editor Alyssa Brooks Juliana Discher Asia Porter
The Chronicle promises to report the right to refuse advertising it deems in- Honorary Society for High School Jour- Arnav Damodhar Business Manager Jacob Fulton Alekya Raghavan
truth and adhere to the journalistic appropriate for a high school publica- nalists and the Ohio Scholastic Media Sports Editor Ashton Nichols Bryan Hudnell Lauren Thomas
code of ethics through online and print tion. Association. Eric Miller Graphic Designers Luke Hutchinson Joann Tsai
mediums. Ryan D’Souza Alexandra Lisa Delaney Turner
As an open forum for students, let- Contact Information Dalton Craven Charlie MacKenzie Freddie Wilhelm
The Chronicle is produced by students ters to the editor are welcome, but are The Chronicle Duncan MacKenzie
enrolled in Journalism I, II and III. subject to be edited for length, libel, ob- William Mason High School Isabel Marotta Adviser
scenity, clarity and poor taste. Letters to 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Rd. Jonathan McCollough Dale Conner
Editorials reflect the staff ’s opinion the editor may be dropped off in room Mason, Ohio 45040
but do not necessarily reflect the opin- C103 and must be signed. (513) 398-5025 12.16.16
ions of the school administration or the
Mason City School District.

news ‘It can happen anywhere’

National debates resurface following attack on Ohio State

Asia Porter | Online Editor

Within two minutes, 11 were injured and a com-

munity was shaken with terror after an attack at

Ohio State.

On November 28, reports flew in around the

country of a suspect armed with a knife attacking

pedestrians at Ohio State University. At 9:52 a.m,

suspect Abdul Razak Ali Artan reportedly drove

his car into pedestrians and charged at bystanders

with a butcher knife, leaving 11 individuals hospi-

talized but none with fatal injuries. Artan was shot

down by Officer Alan Horujko at 9:53 a.m.

The incident took place outside of Watts Hall on

the corner of 19th and College Street. Class of 2016

Mason graduate Clara Ortega walks these streets

every day on her way to class, but on the morn-

ing of November 28, she overslept. After receiving

word of the incident, Clara said she was in shock.

“My roommate and I both looked at each other,

and we were both freaked out and were like ‘Is

this real?’” Clara said. “Everyone was very on edge

because a bunch of weird things were happening, Photos Contributed by The Lantern
and there was a general feeling of not being safe.” Columbus police patrol the Ohio State campus after fatally shooting suspect Abdul Razak Ali Artan.

4 Throughout the day, Buckeyes notified their had been inspired by ISIS propaganda. Still, inves- Life’s precious, and it just reminds you of that.”
loved ones of their status via a new Facebook fea- tigators say there is no evidence suggesting Artan At 9:55 a.m, OSU Emergency Management
12.16.16 ture called Safety Check that allowed those in the was a part of a terrorist group.
Columbus area to mark themselves as safe. While tweeted out a Buckeye Alert, briefing students on
none of the victims were fatally injured, the at- The rising acts of terror around the world have the attack. The alert told students to “Run, Hide,
tacks sparked doubt regarding safety on campus. always been a concern but have never hit this Fight.” In former school attacks such as in the 1999
close to home. Intervention teacher Danny Mul- Columbine shootings, individuals locked them-
The suspect, an 18 year-old OSU student, was lins’ daughter is a graduate student at OSU. Mul- selves inside and hid. In recent safety training,
of Somali descent and lived in Pakistan for seven lins said the incident reminded him of this. however, researchers have advised against this.
years prior to moving to the United States in 2014.
Months prior to carrying out the attacks, Artan ex- “It just reminds you that it can happen any- Mason has implicated Alert Lockdown Inform
pressed his anger on Facebook regarding Ameri- where,” Mullins said. “It gets your attention be- Counter Evacuate training as its system of defense.
can presence in the Middle East and the potrayal cause it was Ohio State. It was so close to home– The system ephasizes evacuation and only hiding
of Muslims in the media, writing he was “sick and just the reality of a couple minutes of not knowing as a last resort.
tired” of them getting “killed and tortured.” and the inevitability of letting your kids grow up.
When you send your kid away to school to go Additionally, school attacks have sparked con-
OSU President Michael V. Drake advised peo- somewhere else – that’s obviously tough for any versation regarding potential weapon regula-
ple against immediately jumping to conclusions parent just knowing that there are so many things tion. Junior Millie Ortega, whose sister Clara is a
about possible terrorist organization affiliation. that you can’t control and you still have to let your freshman at OSU, said after the incident, she has
On November 29, reports claimed Artan’s actions kid live the experience. It’s tough; it’s very tough. thought about the debate even more.

“With security, I wish we could push to have

weapon-free zones on college campuses,” Millie

said. “It’s just frustrating that even though people

have died in situations like this, we still aren’t

implementing ways to help it. Having something

like this happen to someone so close to me really

makes me push weapon control further.”

Prior to the attacks, the Ohio senate was sched-

uled to hear a bill that would lessen the penalty for

carrying a weapon on campuses. District 62 repre-

sentative Ron Maag sponsored the bill, saying it

would make citizens less vulnerable to crime, but

the bill is still being debated in the House where

the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association and

Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police are skeptical.

In addition to the questions the attacks raised,

Millie said the event put the world’s susceptibility

to terror into perspective.

“You don’t think it’s ever going to happen to

someone you know until it actually happens,” Mil-

lie said. “You gotta hug people a little tighter every

Columbus police run towards Watts Hall, the scene of crime, after OSU attack. time you talk to them and just hold people closer.”

feature

Sophomore uses baking to
recover from head injury,
leads to business opportunity

Meghan Pottle | Staff Writer two restaurants, Raymond’s Pizza and 5
Kidd Coffee, with the brand name of
A confectionery cure is just what Harper House of Sweets. Kennedy’s Photo by Meghan Pottle
the doctor prescribed. marshmallows are also going to be
sold at a few new restaurants starting Kennedy Harper makes marshmallow treats for Harper House of Sweets.
Sophomore Kennedy Harper suf- in December.
fered a severe concussion last year to use the marshmallows to do fund- “I’ve learned that when you go
when her head slammed against a Sophomore Julia Barker has been
window during a bus accident. Ken- best friends with Kennedy since sev- raisers. Because she takes it extreme- through hard times, it is easy to look
nedy spent days in the hospital and enth grade and witnessed what she
went through rehabilitation for sev- went through after getting concus- ly seriously, we take it seriously.” through it in a lens like ‘It is not go-
eral months before going back to sion.
school again full-time. Next year, Kennedy plans to go to ing to get better’ or ‘Look at all the
“After the bus accident, she was
Kennedy’s mother, Natasha Harp- totally determined to get back into Scarlet Oaks culinary program for things I am missing or not getting’
er, said that her daughter seemed work and try as hard as she could she
fine after the accident, but when she keep up with her grades and the stuff two years. After that, she will either because through that, I missed my
got home, she was very lethargic and she missed in class,” Barker said.
sick. After brain scans and x-rays at “She went through it, she persevered, go to culinary school or college to friends, going to homecoming, and
the hospital, it was clear Kennedy and she did awesome. I think that be-
had more than a bump on her head. cause she loves baking so much, it is obtain a degree in business, so she stuff like that,” Kennedy said. “It
great for her that she has an activity
“She missed a lot of school, we like that.” can open her own storefront. was a really hard freshman year, but
lived like bats, we could not have the
lights on in the house, and she was Kennedy typically makes six main Kennedy said that through her when you try to look at it with a dif-
vomiting profusely,” Natasha said. flavors: cookies ‘n cream, samoa,
“It was just a really bad situation. At dark chocolate mint, s’mores, turtle experiences, she learned to be more ferent lens or perspective, you see
some point, when she started to get a and pretzel plus an additional sea-
little better, she started working with sonal flavor for her customers. positive because she knows that her that out of this darkness can come
her brain to get it back to normalcy.”
Kennedy caters her gourmet situation could always be worse. something great.”
Kennedy said that when she could marshmallows for events each week-
not do any activities, like watch tele- end, while also making the treats fo
vision or study, because of her con- restaurants at which her product is
cussion, she turned to baking. sold.

“Basically, that did not leave a lot Kennedy’s father, William Harper,
to do,” Kennedy said. “My grandma said that baking is not just a hobby
used to be a pastry chef, so I decid- for Kennedy anymore because of the
ed to start making recipes and start resources and time put in.
cooking. I tried making marshmal-
lows, and that’s a pretty easy thing to “She has turned it into a bonafide
do, and I could do it really well.” business,” William said. “I can’t tell
you the number of units that are
From there, Kennedy began doing moved every week, but it is a fairly
parties and food events to sell her high number where it is no longer
treats: gourmet marshmallows. Now, a hobby. She wants to build a brand.
Kennedy’s baked goods are sold at She wants to be in hotels. She wants

12.16.16

feature

Armed forces diversify through STEM recruits

Freddie Wilhelm | Staff Writer

The United States military is more than just men

and women serving on the battlefield.

Recently the government has moved towards

the specialization of STEM roles to better serve the

country. Recruits diversify the role of the armed

forces by building specializations: particularly in

science, technology, and engineering roles.

While the military has decreased spending by 15

percent since 2011, the Department of Defense said

that the government has raised fundings for re-

search and development programs by 28.5 percent

in order to have the best trained personnel possi-

ble. Under President Barack Obama, the U.S. has in-

creased spending solely on special operations from

8.9 billion to 10.5 billion dollars.

Braine said computer science plays a huge role

in protecting the United States.

“I’m interested in Incident Response for the

United States’ Cybersecurity, which is where you

6 already have an attack taking place, and it’s what
happens next: shutting down network infrastruc-
ture and identifying where the leak came from,”
Braine said. “The United States experiences thou-

sands upon thousands of cyber attacks every day

from Russia, China, and Middle Eastern countries.

Enemies are after trade secrets and other things Photo by Freddie Wilhelm
Senior Sydney Braine, who aspires to work in Incident Response for United States Cybersecurity, practices coding.
that would backfire in the wrong hands.”

Senior Amy Huang said she also looks to pursue the military. that she combined her passion for others with her
“The way the process works is the young man passion for computer science to find her dream ca-
a STEM career in the military. She will be getting reer in the military.
or woman will take the ASVAB test,” Rhodes said.
engineering training from the Naval Academy. “Based on that score is what job they qualify for. “I have always found myself as a person who
You can’t earn a six (out of 100) on the test and be was very invested in the outcome of the future,
“I think that engineering at the Naval Academy military intelligence; the score difference there is and I wanted to make a difference,” Braine said. “I
astronomical. Based on your score and what’s avail- thought the only way to do that was through poli-
is just as good as most other four-year colleges, if able at the time is what you choose.” tics. Then, my freshman year I took a computer
science course, and I fell in love with it. I then
not better,” Huang said. “If I’m going to pursue a Rhodes said the path to earning a specialized po- thought about how I could combine these two pas-
sition can be long and difficult. sions. I thought of cyber security. Instead of just
career, I might as well serve my country as well, working for the people, I am the people working
“For future soldier training, we need to get for the people.”
which is also a big factor into going to the Army, these young men and women mentally and physi-
cally fit for Basic Combat Training,” Rhodes said.
Navy, or Airforce. They heavily emphasize in what “You can be an
infantryman,
you’re majoring, and it’s a very rigorous program.” military intelli-
gence or medi-
Senior Andy Braun, who aspires to be a medic, cal specialist,
you’re going to
said that being in a support role on the battlefield go to the same
basic training,
is complicated and different from all other roles. which is nine
weeks and four
“(As) a typical soldier, you’re face to face with the days long. You
then go to AIT
enemy; you have very simple objectives: ‘Search (Advanced Indi-
vidual Training)
and Destroy’ or ‘Defend,’” Braun said. “When you’re which is where
you learn your
a medic, you have to be there in the moment, pay- specialized job
skills.”
ing attention to everything going on around you,
Braine said
and making sure the mission is accomplished.”

In order to be considered for a specialized posi-

tion, students can qualify through programs like

Reserve Officer Training Corp program or mili-

tary academies such as the United States Military

Academy, the United States Naval Academy, or the

United States Air Force Academy.

Alternatively, students may also take the Armed

Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), a

military aptitude and response test, scored based

on percentile. All three approaches indicate wheth-

er a student qualifies for a specialized military role.

Staff Sergeant Timothy Rhodes, former engineer

12.16.16 and a recruiter at the Lebanon Recruitment Cen-
ter, said students may attain a multitude of jobs in

Poetry slam thrives as local creative outlet feature

Alexandra Lisa | Staff Writer the event help make the experience had about a dozen members. Over away from society’s standards. 7
unpredictable. the years it has grown, something “I think a lot of people that come to
Aspiring poets are well–versed in Stoddard said she has loved watch-
self–expression. “Some pieces are light-hearted, but ing. Uncensored (Society) face the same
there are also a good amount of peo- things I did,” Stoddard said. “For me,
Uncensored Society, a group of au- ple who share deep, personal stories,” “It’s crazy to see how people have I never had a place to be myself be-
thors who share their work at a poet- Tangi said. “People pour their lives consistently been coming,” Stoddard sides my bedroom. You’re at school,
ry slam at Kidd Coffee, celebrated its out in front of you. I’ve heard work said. “People change, and they get or you’re at work, and life takes time
second anniversary on December 8. about sexual abuse, broken hearts, better, and it’s cool to see their prog- away from developing who you are.
Made up of high school students and having your best friend die. It’s hard, ress. It’s also great when people are Social media has made it easier, but
adults, the group takes pride in its but self-expression is a thousand new, and you have no idea who they society has stigmas and stereotypes.
inclusive atmosphere. As the name times better than bottling everything are; you’ve never heard their stuff be- Everyone should have at least one
suggests, no individual has to censor up.” fore, and you don’t know who they’re place where they aren’t labeled.”
language, content, or ideas. The so- going to turn into.”
ciety meets twice a month and every Amanda Stoddard, who runs Un- Though Uncensored Society start-
event has a theme. censored Society with Drew Himes, Junior Kaileigh Strobel is an at- ed out as a way to share poetry, its
said that self-expression is a necessity tendee of Uncensored Society and members and founders have turned
Junior Matthew Slusser is a newer and a huge reason why she started President of Mason High School’s it into a community. Stoddard said
member of the group, having only the poetry slam. Poetry Club. Strobel said that poetry she continues to learn and that she
attended for a few months, but said does not just allow you to pursue takes something different away from
the welcoming environment has him “In high school, I went through a your identity, it encourages it. every show.
hooked. lot of stuff, and poetry was there for
me,” Stoddard said. “That was how I “Poetry is such a unique form of “For a while, I would cry after-
“I look forward to it every month, became comfortable with who I am.” writing,” Strobel said. “When writing wards,” Stoddard said. “I’ve had peo-
because I like the people who go a longer piece, you have so many fac- ple come and tell me how this has
there, and the poetry is on a whole Stoddard and Himes discussed the tors to consider, but when you write impacted their lives. There could be
other level,” Slusser said. “I think it’s idea of starting a local poetry slam poetry, you are able to get straight five people who come, and as long as
great, all of the emotion they put into after attendeding a similar event at to the point. In my opinion, a story is one of them gets something out of it,
it. You can tell it’s not just (what’s on Grocery Cafe in Clifton. Stoddard meant to entertain the reader, but po- it’s worth it.”
the) surface–they go so much deeper wanted to start something closer, and etry is meant to portray the author.”
than that.” Himes had the contact information To watch poets perform
for Kidd Coffee. When Uncensored Stoddard said that Uncensored So-
Junior Jazmin Tangi said the differ- Society was started, word spread by ciety gives people a chance to slow check out thecspn.com
ent types of people who participate in word of mouth, and the group only down and connect with themselves,
for video.

12.16.16

feature '

Your guide to gearing up for holiday celebrations

Luke Hutchinson | Staff Writer Sophomore Navya Koppusetty

Diwali – October 30 “My family gets together and bursts crackers, which
are like explosive fireworks that make a lot of noise
Diwali is the festival of lights where Hindus celebrate the and light. We also dress in traditional clothing which
victory of good over bad, and light over darkness. It includes can be very beautiful and perform puja (worship).”
millions of lights shining on streets and buildings; the festival
preparations and rituals extend over a five day period. Sophomore Tamara Montes

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – “My family has strong ties with the Catholic church,
Dec. 12 so we cook special meals as a large family on the day
that Mary came to Mexico. The food depends on the
This feast is an exclusively Catholic tradition that started in family, but mine just has traditional Mexican food.”
Mexico, but it has grown popular in cities like Los Angeles. It
serves as a tribute to beliefs in Jesus’ mother Mary. Junior Hallie Burke

8 Hanukkah – Dec. 24 to January 1 “My family lights our candles together. We also eat
latkes, which are like fried potato pancakes, and we
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that represents hope for the play dreidel which is a fun game you play to get gelt,
Jewish people. Hanukkah lasts for eight nights and days and which are chocolate coins.”
occurs from late November to late December.
Sophomore Ryan Kneipp
Christmas – December 25
“It’s my family tradition to go to U.S. Bank Arena
Christmas is a popular holiday among Christians that be- and listen to Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I’m an only
lieve the Virgin Mary gave birth to the child of Christ, Jesus. child so I put the angel on top of the tree, and usually
The holiday has absorbed many traditions like the Swedish-born open one present on Christmas Eve. ”
Christmas tree, the location where presents are delivered to the
children. Sophomore Marta Fernandez

Three Kings Day – January 6 “My family leaves food and makes lists for the three
kings on the night of January 5, because they bring
A Christian holiday celebrated on the 12th day of Christmas, gifts for the children the next day. The next morning
it is known as the day of the Three Kings: Caspar, Melchior and there are gifts on the couch rather than under the
Balthasar. According to the Christian Bible, the three kings saw Christmas tree. The family gets together to have a big
a bright star and followed it to Bethlehem. They found newly feast with expensive food and usually fish.”
born Jesus there and gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The holiday is most prominent in Spain. Sophomore Nikky Soni

Lohri – January 13 “(My family) considers it to be the ‘New Harvest’,
and so we eat a lot of food, but there’s also a giant
Lohri is a Hindu festival celebrated in Punjab, the agricultur- bonfire that you throw certain types of food in. My fa-
ally centralized northern region of India. The holiday was origi- vorite part is dressing up and dancing at the festival.”
nally supposed to take place on the day of the winter solstice
because the festival signifies the return of longer days. Senior Shirley Yang

Chinese New Year – January 28 “It’s harder for my family because most of (our ex-
tended family) live in China, but if you were to go
The first day of the Chinese New Year falls on the new moon there, it’s just days upon days of eating. You can par-
between January and February. Celebrations run from the night ticipate in a dragon festival and lion dances, where
of the first day, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first there are performers and fire catchers. There’s also
calendar month. Each year the Chinese celebrate the next zodiac; excitement with the money in red envelopes.”
in 2017 it is the Rooster. The festival was traditionally a time to
honor ancestors. Photos by Luke Hutchinson, Graphics by Dalton Craven

12.16.16

9

Photos by Juliana Discher Senior Naz Erdeger models a fall makeup look. 12.16.16
Graphic design by Ryan D’Souza

feature YOGA

Exercises linked to stress relief and relaxation

10 Ria Parikh | Staff Writer mind to only focus on one thing. player Josh Stewart said the foot- the muscle,” Joest said. “We always
In doing that, it can help you be ball team uses yoga to properly describe it as dirty water--we want
Yoga is more than trees and sun more mindful in the future in oth- recover after games. to get it out. By stretching and
salutations. er things you’re doing.” gaining flexibility helps get that
“With the football team, we use back into the system so then it can
A study done at the Ohio State Madani said students can use yoga to our advantage for recovery be flushed out from your body.”
University and later published in yoga to counteract daily chaos and after games,” Stewart said. “After
the Journal of Clinical Oncology stresses. games, we get in there Saturday Madani said it’s advantageous
said that yoga reduces inflamma- mornings and we do our lift and for beginners to start simple.
tion and fatigue, as well as the risk “Especially for students, I know we do yoga. It’s just to stretch us
of diseases such as heart disease that there’s so much stress because out and get all the lactic acid out “I would definitely say to start
and arthritis. of school and AP classes and stan- of our muscles so that way we can with beginner classes and move
dardized tests, as well as life in recover faster.” up,” Madani said. “There are so
Senior and Yoga Club founder general,” Madani said. “It’s a great many opportunities for yoga. Start
Nealofar Madani said that yoga way to release stress in a healthy There has been a significant re- easy; don’t push yourself. It’s really
has been beneficial to her in mul- way and stay positive.” duction in muscle soreness after cool to build--you’ll eventually be
tiple ways. starting yoga, Stewart said. able to do poses you never thought
Walouke said physical contact you could do.”
“I’m noticing more flexibility athletes participate in yoga to safe- “I definitely see benefits just
(and) more balance,” Madani said. ly recover from an injury. with the amount of soreness after Students should make their
“I feel like (I have) more control games,” Stewart said. “We didn’t do health more of a priority and take
and more awareness of my body, “In my experience, a lot of yoga last season and I was sore all action to maintain it, Walouke said.
mind, and thoughts.” people start coming to yoga be- the time. This season we started
cause they have some sort of pain,” doing it Saturdays and it’s made a “A lot of students put their
Senior and former Drishtiq Yoga Walouke said. “They’re athletes, big difference in my level of sore- health as secondary, when your
employee Maddy Walouke said they have some sort of injury that ness.” health is so important,” Walkouke
taking up yoga can help students is not allowing them to do what said. “Students should be investing
practice concentrating their focus they need to do, and yoga is a re- Bethesda Certified Athletic more time than they already are in
on a single task. ally good tool for healing and ex- Trainer Kim Joest said that things like yoga. That is going to
ercising those injuries in a really make your mind work more effi-
“It’s getting harder and harder safe and healthy way instead of yoga is beneficial to ath- ciently as well.”
for teenagers to focus on one thing getting back on their feet and letes because it creates
mindfully,” Walouke more flexible muscles
said. “I feel like yoga continuing because that that can easily re-
is a really good way would make the injury move lactic acid.
to practice and worse.” “Lactic acid
to exercise your builds up in
Senior football

12.16.16 Seniors Nelofar Madani and Maddie Walouke perform the boat pose. Photo by Ria Parikh

11

12.16.16

feature

Teachers pay high price for high

Duncan MacKenzie | Staff Writer icy Institute, America’s teacher attrition rate has remained at number of formal lab reports
Jonathan McCollough | Staff Writer roughly eight percent since 2005, a rate nearly twice as high and they write them together
as other high-performing countries such as Singapore and
T HEY COME TO SCHOOL EARLY, STAY LATE, and Finland. Personal Responsi
have hours of homework every night – but they’re not
students, they’re teachers. Many challenges comprise today’s teaching environment. With so much work and so
often has to choose between h
A 2016 research brief from Pennsylvania State University Increased class sizes
“This year I had a conversa
found that 46 percent of teachers responded “yes” to having One job demand occurred three years ago when the school didn’t want to come back as a
transitioned from semesters to trimesters and teachers saw an years have been absolutely dr
high daily stress levels, a rate tied with nurses for the highest increase in number of students. DeeDee Messer, who teaches 40 percent more kids, so the t
six bells of AP Physics and advises the National Honor Society, done in class has been cut. I g
among all occupational groups. It concluded that these high said that the hardest part of seeing more than 170 students tion with myself about, ‘Do I d
every day is personalizing learning. do I do stuff for the 170 kids I
levels of stress are affecting teacher health and well-being, because I always feel like I’m
“The biggest struggle with the number of students that we
teacher burnout, lack of engagement, have is giving feedback,” Messer said. “Being able to talk to This increased workload is
every individual student and giving feedback on what I think spend hours outside the class
job dissatisfaction, poor student their improvements are and what their strengths and weak- Paul Reedy, who teaches six b
nesses are, so they know what to work on becomes almost an coaches the varsity soccer tea
performance, and some impossible task because there’s not enough time in one bell.” school and on the field, he wo

of the high- est Messer said that class sizes have af- “There is always more that
fected her lesson plans. balance because it’s not just sc
turnover rates ever. “I had to adjust the have a family and a personal
assignments because that to be fair to myself and t
According to I can’t have 170 factors into how much time y
kids turn in like all the coaches here are v
a 2016 study individual doing the bare minimum. We
lab reports minimum.”
from the and have
me read Technological developmen
Learning them and force students and teachers to
be able uncertainty over these chang
Pol- to give
feedback,” “I think that there are so m
12 Messer education now year to year th
said. “I’ve the mix on top of our workloa
reduced Reedy said. “You have to keep
the and next year, how will it cha
student walks into our class e
laptop?”

Another outside time inves
is writing college letters of re
graduating seniors applying t
hours of additional work. For
teacher Stephanie Nally, writi

take days.
“It can take 45 minute
letter of recommenda
everybody’s, but ther
hours outside of sch
dation, so I limited.
sure what I’m doing

Teacher Eval

The number of respon
also grown due to the O

(OTES). Ohio began ev
when the Ohio House
framework for a bill
on teacher performa

12.16.16 Illustrations by Emma Morrissey

feature

h achievement

s that the kids have had to write and alternative components such as student 13
r as a group.” surveys or peer review evaluations. Based on
their performance on these standards, teach- 12.16.16
ibilities ers are assigned a rating of accomplished,
skilled, developing, or ineffective.
little time, Messer said that she
her family and students. Teachers rated accomplished or skilled
ation with my husband that I may choose to be evaluated biennially, but
a teacher because the last two teachers receiving lower ratings of develop-
raining,” Messer said. “I have ing or ineffective must be evaluated annu-
time I have to just get things ally. Although the bill forbids districts from
go home and I have a conversa- using the state evaluations to make decisions
do stuff for my own children or regarding dismissal, retention, tenure or com-
I see the next day?’ That’s hard pensation for teachers, a teacher undergoing
m letting someone down.” evaluation must have numerous conferences
exacerbated when teachers with their evaluator complete performance
sroom advising and coaching. rubrics, write a written report, and have their
bells of AP Psychology and classroom observed.
am, said that between his hours at
orks to find balance. Nally said that while the evaluation does
you can do, but I try to find place pressure on teachers, this comes with high
chool and soccer,” Reedy said. “I achievement.
life, so I have to make time for
to the family that I have. That all “I think anybody who wants to be good at
you’re willing to invest. But I feel their job, sport, or activity is going to place pres-
very dedicated and we’re not just sure on themselves and (that causes) stress,”
e’re going way beyond the bare Nally said. “You want to do well, and I want to
do well. I’m just like a student who wants to
nts and changes in the classroom get an A in class and I want to get an A on my
o adapt every year. Reedy said evaluation and I want my students to get A’s.
ges adds stress to his job. There is a lot of pressure in terms of the ex-
many changes that take place in pectations I set for myself and stress in terms
hat when you throw that into of trying to achieve that.”
ad, that just adds to the stress,”
p up with a new grading platform The Impact of Stress
ange our instruction as every
every day with their own personal Stress in high doses can severly impact
health. School psychologist Jeff Schlaeger said
stment that many teachers face that while the right amount of stress can be highly
ecommendation. With nearly 900 beneficial, too much can quickly spiral out of control.
to college, this task can equate to
“There is a positive stress known as eustress that
AP Language and Composition motivates people,” Schlaeger said. “It can be a positive
ing letters for her students can thing, but it’s when you’re either taking on too much
or your make-up is just not structed to take all of
es to an hour to write a single that on, stress can be pretty bad. Lack of sleep, so
ation,” Nally said. “I used to take then we have health factors. They’re not really
re was one year where I spent 60 alert.”
hool writing letters of recommen-
It’s because I just want to make Nally said that while she often feels over-
g is authentic.” whelmed, stress is an inescapable part of her job.

luation Requirements “I would be impressed if somebody never felt
overwhelmed,” Nally said. “I’m certainly
nsibilities facing teachers has always buried in papers and always
Ohio Teacher Evaluation System running from one meeting to
valuating its teachers in 2012 another, from one person to an-
e of Representatives adopted other. Fortunately, I think I’m
a person that needs some-
that assesses teachers based thing to do, so maybe my
ance, student growth measures, bar is set a little lower in
terms of what overwhelms
me. But absolutely, I get
overwhelmed.”

Editor’s Note: This is the first story in our two part series, “The Cost of
Greatness,” in which we investigate how the pressures of high performance
affect MHS. Next we will focus on administration and the school board.





a&e

Festival of Lights brightens Cincy holiday season

Isabel Marotta | Staff Writer event. is not your average zoo experi- works all year round to prepare
“We deck out the entire zoo ence, Denzler said. for the winter festivities.
The Cincinnati Zoo embraces
the meaning of ‘Tis the Season in Christmas lights, and Christ- “I think it’s different from a “We’re working kind of all
to be Jolly.’ mas displays, and we also have regular zoo experience because year,” Denzler said. “We have
walking entertainment, and lots you get to come at night,” Den- maintenance that works on it all
Every year the zoo transforms of interactive things,” Denzler zler said. “We still have a lot of year and we order the lights all
into an array of colors and lights said. “You can come to the post animals out on exhibit. It’s really year round. Seeing it all come
during the annual PNC Festi- office or come and see Santa. cool to see the zoo at night and together, and walking through
val of Lights. The festival runs There’s lots of things to do. We how it’s all lit up. It’s not some- the areas, is awesome to see
November 19 through January also have reindeer here. It’s re- thing that a lot of other places because it doesn’t look like that
1. Kim Denzler, Cincinnati Zoo ally pretty cool.” can do.” all year round and then all of the
Events Coordinator, said there sudden one day it looks beauti-
are many interactive parts to the The PNC Festival of Lights Denzler said the festival isn’t ful. It’s really cool.”
may take place at the zoo, but it just a one day event. The zoo

16 Ben Wendell Alice Marron Dillon Davis Gabi Baumann

“The light shows are “The lights were “There were a lot “It’s really pretty
pretty great. The really pretty, they of families walking because there’s a
lights are always changed a lot and around and it was ton of lights and
beautiful. It’s everyone is happy.
awesome being at had a lot of crowded, which
the zoo with all the movement. On the made it more fun.” It’s nice to see
animals and the lake they had lights everyone coming
nocturnal exhibits to go with songs.”
to one area
and the arctic exhibits to celebrate.”
are really fun.”

12.16.16 Photos by Isabel Marotta, Alyssa Brooks

“Making it Official” sports

Pictures obtained via Twitter screen shots and from #GAMEDAY
respective athletes
Pictured left to right, top to bottom are: Matt King, Mason vs. Oak Hills
Michael Hall, Elle Buffenbarger, Ellie Brush, Mason
Baseball signees, Brooke Rice, Michaela Loveless, The Mason Comets play host to the Oak
Ashley Volpenhein, Cameron Wissel, Will MacLean Hills Highlanders in a pivotal early season
and Joey Bowlin
matchup between two of the top
Unbinding verbal commitments a first step teams in the city of Cincinnati.
in the college search for athletes, ink on the
This match up could
dotted line makes it official play a major role in who
is crowned
Charlie MacKenzie | Staff Writer ers. Although it is non-binding, arships on hold, UC baseball champions in the
When it comes to collegiate MacLean said that UC treated head coach Ty Neal said that he Greater Miami
his verbal commitment as if it doesn’t revoke verbal commit- Conference. The
commitments, nothing is final were set in stone. ments or cut any existing players Highlanders still have a
until it’s signed, sealed, and de- if they get seriously injured. bad taste in their
livered. “They basically treated it like I mouth after losing
was going to go there,” Maclean “If it’s a career ending injury, to the Comets last
Each year, thousands of high said. “It isn’t just ‘Oh, I think I’m that takes care of itself,” Neal
school athletes sign a National going to go there.’ When you said. “We have a freshman with 17season when Cameron
Letter of Intent (NLI), solidifying commit, they honor it. Unless us right now who signed his Na-
their college commitments by you get hurt then they might tional Letter of Intent last fall Schreiter banked in
singing on the dotted line. Many take it away. I know Matt Bock- and had shoulder surgery in his a fall away jumper
of them, however, verbally com- horst, a kid who is (playing foot- throwing shoulder right after at the buzzer to give
mit long before national signing ball) at Clemson from St. X, tore he signed. I think he was a little the Comets the 35-33
day. Verbal commitments are his ACL, but Clemson still stuck panicked to tell us because he win. The Highlanders
non-binding announcements with him even though he verbal- was afraid of the outcome. Ob- are led by Ashland
that an athlete can make at any ly committed. It depends on the viously, it’s not a good situation University signee Ryan
time stating where they plan on coach.” for him most importantly and Batte.
attending college. his baseball career, but it’s not a
Sophomore Aliyah El-Naggar good situation for us either. We Carlos Lewis
Senior Will Maclean verbally verbally committed to play soc- don’t like to hear that but we’ll Sr., Guard
committed to play baseball at cer at Ohio State University in stick with you and work your
the University of Cincinnati on August, giving her more than rear end off and try to get you FAST FACTS
August 27 of this year. Maclean two years until she will officially back on the field.”
recently signed his NLI as part put her commitment on paper. Match Up: Mason Comets 3-0, Oak Hills 2-0
of a Mason baseball early sign- The possibility of injury is always Neal said that while he Mason Key Players: Eddie Puisis (26.7 PPG, 57.9 3P%,
ing day. Prior to verbally com- at factor in the world of sports, wouldn’t revoke a verbal due to 7.0 RPG ) Matt King (11.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.0 APG), Tan-
mitting, Maclean said that he and El-Naggar said that a serious injury, he may revoke one if the ner Knue (15.3 PPG, 1.3 APG, 51.6% FG%)
had a meeting with the UC base- injury could affect the status of recruit displayed poor character Oak Hills Key Players: Ryan Batte (21.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG,
ball staff to discuss his verbal her verbal commitment. or got into legal trouble. 77.8 FG%), Luke Rudy (18.0 PPG, 1.5 BPG, 56.3 3P%),
commit. Interesting Note: Mason head coach Greg Richards
“One person on my club team “We try and be as thorough as and Oak Hills head coach Mike Price are the two longest
“They sit you down at a meet- committed to Ohio State before we can on the front end so that tenured head basketball coaches in the GMC.
ing and tell you financially how I did and about a month ago she we don’t run into a situation
much you will get academically tore her ACL,” El-Naggar said. “I where we say ‘Oh my goodness, CORRECTION
and athletically,” Maclean. “They don’t think they would take (the this guy isn’t for us,’’’ Neal said.
go through everything so that verbal commitment) away right “Because we are so thorough, Mason football play-off appear-
you know if it’s four years, one when you tore it, but they would we know what we are getting. I ances in 2003 and 2004
year, or a walk on.” want to see what would happen can’t say I would never (revoke a
in a year after that because if you verbal commitment) because he In the November 18 edition of The Chronicle
During his time as a verbal aren’t performing to what they could all of a sudden start mak-
commit, Maclean attended UC want, then it’s a problem.” ing bad decisions and get busted we incorrectly identified the Mason High School
football games, watched the for drugs or get kicked off his
baseball team practice, and spent While injuries put some ath- high school team.” football program as only making the Division I
time with the coaches and play- lete’s commitments and schol-
play-offs in 2011.

The Comets first qualified for the Division I

football play-offs first in 1999 under former head

coach Tim Lichtenberg when Mason was still

members of the Fort Ancient Valley Conference.

The Comets lost to the Centerville Elks 35-31.

The Comets also qualified for the playoffs in

2003 under Gary Popovich. The Comets lost to

the Northmont Thunderbolts 52-35

Mason also qualified in 2004, also under

Popovich, where they traveled to Centerville to

take on the second seeded Elks. The Comets fell

to Centerville 34-7.

Before making the move to Division I Mason

played in Division II where they qualified for the

play-offs in 1996 and 1997.

The Chronicle sports staff regrets any confusion

this may have caused. 12.16.16

sports BEAST MODE THAT’S
JUST SICK
Senior Eddie Puisis got off
to a scorching start to open Tanner Cibula
the 2016-17 season. Puisis
opened the year with back to “Other people see wrestling as
back 28 point games against a bunch of guys rolling around
Cooper and Loveland. Through sweating. We see it as guys who
the Comets’ first three games; push each other to work hard
Puisis was shooting 68 per- enough to get to that point. There
cent from the floor, 64.3 per- is no way to get around what
cent from behind the three other people see us as because
point line and made 13 con- you can’t cheat the grind, espe-
secutive free throws. Puisis cially in this sport.”
also averaged 7.5 rebounds, -Junior wrestler Tanner Cibula
2.5 steals and 2.5 assists per
game through three games.

18 DIGITS GETTIN’ SCHOOLED FUNNY FACE
Senior Saylor Norton throws a pass against Oak Hills.
25 “The best strategy for bowling is to put a side
spin on the bowling ball which makes the Photo by Jonathan McCollough
As of December 12, the Ma- ball hit the pins at an angle. Hitting the pins
son Academic Team has at an angle allows the ball to maintain more WHO’S HOT
reeled off 25 consecutive
wins. The streak started momentum than a head on The girls’ basketball team
with a 47-32 win over Mid- collision would allow. If the ball opened the season with a pair
dletown on January 21, 2015 hits the pins straight on, the ball of high profile wins. Led by
and has included back to can get deflected into the gutter. 21 points from senior Samari
back GMC championships. Meanwhile, if the ball hits the Mowbray, the Comets beat na-
pins at an angle, it loses a frac- tional powerhouse Forest Trail
tion of its momentum so it is able Academy (NC) 55-44. Junior Ti
to continue in a fairly consistent Fulton scored five points in the
direction.” final minute to lead the Com-
ets to a 44-42 win over Lakota
Megan Kappers, West, ending the Firebirds 39
Physics Teacher describing how
the spin on a bowling works to game GMC winning streak.
knock down pins



THEY SAID IT
“Every program’s goal is to reach the
pinnacle, and the pinnacle would be a
state championship. We try to expect that
every year. Obviously we want to win our
conference and get ourselves prepared
for the end of the year to make that run in
the tournament, which means we have to
get better and be peaking at that time.”

- Head Girls Basketball coach Rob Matula speaking
about his team’s goals for the 2016-17 season

12.16.16 Complied by The Chronicle Sports Staff Photos by Jonathan McCollough and Joey Deaton

Dy! naTmreincdPinugisNioswduo lighting it up for the Comets sports

Eric Michael | Staff Writer from behind the arc in 2016, which was good for court, it’s their character that their parents are
Lauren Thomas | Staff Writer the title of top three point shooter in the Greater most proud of. Their father said although they
Miami Conference (GMC). Her brother said that have had lucrative careers as athletes, the quality
Serena and Venus, Eli and Peyton, and now Sam- versatility is a key to Sammie’s success on the he treasures most has less to do with them being
mie and Eddie. basketball court. great athletes, and more to do with them being
great people.
Having two siblings in the same sport is not un- “Sammie can knock down a three whenever she
common but rarely do both excel like the Puisis’. wants, but she’s also good inside the post,” Eddie “They’ve both had very successful careers, but
For brother-sister duo Sammie and Eddie Puisis, said. “She can get rebounds, she can block shots, when it comes down to it, in all of their success in
their intertwined basketball careers mirror success. she’s really good all over the floor, whereas I’m everything they do, the thing that makes me the
The rigor that builds such success has brought the more of a wing-type player.” proudest is that they’re two good kids,” Puisis said.
pair even closer growing up. “They’re really truly wonderful people. That’s prob-
Sammie sees her older brother as a role model in ably what makes me proudest. In all of the work
“Basketball is pretty much our entire lives,” the sport, taking notice of his skill at his games and and and accomplishments they’re getting, they’re
Eddie said. “I mean, other than school, we come during the film the family watches together. She
home, do our homework, and any spare time we said his mindset regarding the sport is encouraging still just genuinely good
have is either going to the gym and getting shots and something she works towards incorporating people.”
up, watching ourselves on film, or just talking into her own game.
about it at home.”
“He has a really good attitude,” Sammie said.
Growing up under the wing of her older brother, “He never gets down on himself. I’ve learned
Sammie has always looked up to Eddie to learn the to always keep going. He’ll have bad games
game of basketball. She said she uses his drive to but he keeps going and so it shows me I
fuel her own motivation to get better every day. have to keep going, keep playing and
keep working hard.”
“He’s definitely a role model to me,” Sammie
said. “Watching him play motivates me to go to the Despite all of the
gym, and he always pushes me. I think he has an awards, achieve-
impact on how good of a player I am.” ments, and
successes the
As well as each other, the pair of siblings ac- Puisis siblings
knowledges that their parents play a key role in have seen
their success as athletes and as individuals. Not during their
only did their father, Ed Puisis, play collegiate time on
basketball, but also their mother, Kelly. Their the
experience allows them to coach and groom their
children in basketball specifically. Career Stats 19
Points Per Game
“Both of my parents played college basketball,” Eddie- 12.93 PPG
Eddie said. “They have a huge influence on my
career. My dad’s the one who kind of guides Sammie- 10.4 PPG
us through it all. He’s the one that takes
us to the gym, he’s the one that always Rebounds Per Game
comes to our games, as well as my mom.” Eddie- 3.1 RPG

Their parents agree the commitment they Sammie- 4.03 RPG
both exert feeds into their similar drive to be the
best. Their father, Ed Puisis, said that their similar Steals Per Game
commitment to be the best hasn’t just shape their Eddie- 1.34 SPG
own careers, but has helped mold each other’s.
Sammie- 2.17 SPG
“They both drive each other really hard to work
harder,” Ed said. “One works hard, the other one Three Point Percentage
works even harder, and then the other one works Eddie- 40.9 3P%
harder, and they kind of feed off each other, push-
ing each other to get better and better. Sammie- 48.59 3P%

After only one season at the varsity level, Sam- Free Throws Percentage
mie is attracting the attention of college coaches Eddie- 81.2 FT%
across the country early in her career as a Comet.
Entering her sophomore season with fourteen Divi- Sammie- 82.14 FT%
sion One offers already on the table, she will be
faced with even more options as she matures. Highest Scoring Game
Eddie- 31 points vs. Trot-
Factors such as scholarship, location, program, wood-Madison 12/27/14
coaching staff, and academics are all factors that Sammie- 21 points vs.
influence where an athlete chooses to attend a Solon 3/11/16
college. For Sammie, finding a school close to
her older brother is also playing an important Biggest Moment
role on where she will sign the dotted line to Eddie- Game winning
play at the next level. 3-pointer against Princeton
to preserve undefeated
“I would love to stay close to him so I record as a sophomore.
could go and watch his games and he Sammie- Scoring a game and
could watch me,” Sammie said. “Playing career high 21 points against
basketball and being in high school with Solon in the 2016 OHSAA State
him, I’ve gotten so close to him. I’ve Semi-Finals as a freshman.
seen all of his games and he’s seen
most of mine. It’d be hard not to be 12.16.16Photo by Jonathan McCollough, Graphic editing by Annabella Collins
close to each other.”

Although they often train togeth-
er, their playing styles differ. While
Eddie remains up top at guard,
Sammie plays all over the court. She
displays a wide skillset, with an ability to
post up and a knack for knocking down
threes; shooting more than 50 percent

opinion Staff Editorial

to the editor Fake news emphasizes need

20 for vigiliant media consumers

12.16.16 Editor’s Note: This editorial corresponds to our in-depth
coverage of fake news. For a look how fake news spreads
and how to combat it, visit page 2.

Fake news has derailed the internet, and we have been all too glad to follow it
off the tracks. When the FBI began investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email serv-
ers, @DavidGoldbergNY tweeted her emails “point to a pedophelia ring,” said
the Washington Post. We retweeted this more than 6,000 times.

Enter the rumor mill, powered by Reddit, in which the “pedophilia ring” ex-
tended to Clinton’s chairman John Podesta practicing satanism. Twitter discov-
ered Podesta occasionally ate at Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria in Washington D.C.,
which sparked #pizzagate. Tweets and YouTube videos now insisted that the piz-
zeria was the center of the pedophilia ring.

This faux news inspired Edgar Welch to fire an assault rifle inside Comet Ping
Pong on December 4 as he searched the restaurant for his own evidence of its
criminal underbelly.

We may read only the headline, think it’s humorous, then “Share,” but fake
news has real consequences. #Pizzagate may be entertaining, but it’s a terrifying
example of the real repercussions of our inability to discern hoaxes. While we
will all gladly repost, so few of us take the time to fact-check.

We may search exclusively for articles that align with our own views – that
Hillary is a sex criminal or that Trump crashed his Mercedes outside U.S. Bank
arena – and look no further. The credibility of the source becomes secondary to
our own agendas.

As if our digital habits are not embarrassing enough, Melissa Zimdars, an as-
sistant professor of communication at Merrimack College, had created a list
called “False, Misleading, Clickbait-y and/or Satirical ‘News’ Sources” to help
students in her media classes differentiate between credible and noncredible
sources online. When she released the list as a Google document, however, it
went viral – and not as a helpful guide but as a target of enough “threats and
harassment” that Zimdars removed the list, said the Los Angeles Times.

While we should be skeptical of all the media we consume, including self-
labeled how-to lists, we were so quick to antagonize the list and its balance – or
lack thereof – between conservative and liberal fake news sites that we ignored
any tips that might have helped us to distinguish even scraps of truth.

In our paranoia, we even turn away from long-reliable news sources. We mis-
take opinion columns, though labeled clearly, as indicative of an entire publica-
tion’s viewpoint rather than solely that writer’s. We dismiss any of the column’s
cited facts, and often the entire publication’s news articles, as subversive when
the only way for us to be informed is to read across perspectives and across
publications.

For even the facts wear different faces – the effectiveness of a cancer-fighting
drug studied by the drug company and by the Food and Drug Administration
may yield asymmetrical results – but that does not mean either study is entirely
fallacious. Only by reading can we cultivate the healthy skepticism necessary to
seek the truth but reconcile with the knowledge that no truth is the whole truth.

In a digital stratosphere reliant on deceit and hilarity, it is all about the fine
print. Who participated in that study? Who wrote this column? What do other
sources have to say? We must even extend our caution to satirical news sites,
which use current events to create humorous articles, when not popularized on
famous platforms such as the Onion.

For satire is only funny if the reader gets the joke, and we cannot afford to
laugh at ourselves nor our media when we are so easily influenced. As we tackle
that next English essay and one day, the voting booth, we must realize that while
we may have all the information in the world at our iPhone screens, we also have
all the misinformation.

So the next time we scroll through our Facebook or Twitter feeds and “ALIEN
REMAINS WERE DISCOVERED IN CORWIN NIXON PARK,” we must think
before we share.

Rated R Editorial Cartoon opinion
for reality
Holiday gift giving a one-click tradition
Asia Porter | Online Editor

Dear parents, Look it up “xenophobia” had an increase in look-ups of 21
938 percent. It defines “xenophobia” as “fear or
We, your children, are not too young nor our minds Dictionaries lament hatred of foreigners, people from different cul-
too innocent to face the realities of the real world. 2016 through Words tures, or strangers.”
of the Year
Too often we are sheltered from the ugly truth of 3) Merriam Webster: Fascism
society. In a world where terrorism, racial discrimina- Jessica Sommerville | Merriam Webster chooses its word with the
tion, sexism and crime fills the entire programming Editor in Chief
schedule, us youth are often only exposed to the PG-13 highest number of look-ups. Though users still
broadcast. The broadcast where we are notified of the I wish I could take it back.
attacks but not showed the gory graphics that come Enter the common plea for the misspoken have time to look up new words, as of Decem-
as a result. The broadcast where we are notified of the word, but what about the words we cannot take
major disputes regarding gender wage gaps but not back, the ones that have becomes so culturally ber 2, its winner is “fascism,” which it defines as
the continual incidents of women being subjected to ingrained they caption 2016?
abuse, drug rapes or sexual harassment. Dictionaries have long chosen “Words of the “a way of organizing a society in which a gov-
Year,” and though many may bemoan the dic-
The idea is embedded into society that watering- tionary’s irrelevance, these words function as ernment ruled by a dictator controls the lives
down these harsh realities will improve our well- cultural heart monitors, keeping track of our
being, that allowing us to be oblivious will make us pulse through the words we speak as well as of the people and in which the people are not
happier. This is a dangerous misconception. From the our measured interests.
time we first learned to read, we were given books What sends us to the dictionary is none other allowed to disagree with the government” or
that told of the good guys always prevailing and the than the most pressing issues of the day, and
villain being defeated time and time again. though the internet has lamented the issues “very harsh control or authority.”
of 2016 – one Twitter user hypothesized Quen-
As we grew older, the conflicts within the plot be- tin Tarantino is directing this year – nothing Ouch. So if we were to in fact caption 2016, we
came more intense, but there was always a happy plagues the logophile so much as these words
ending, yet for too many people, such an ending is of the year. may say “Post-truth politics appealed to xeno-
impossible.
1) Oxford dictionary: Post-truth phobia to support fascism,” but that sentence is
In the Middle East, civilians are beaten and bat- The Oxford dictionary studies new words
tered to death unable to escape the terror that has and usages before debating among its team so horrendous, I refuse to entertain it. We have
taken over their home. Bombs and shouts of fear are which word best represents the year. It defines
their daily reality. “post-truth” as “relating to or denoting circum- become so divided that even the most basic
stances in which objective facts are less influ-
On August 28, 71 decomposing bodies were found ential in shaping public opinion than appeals units of ourselves – the words we speak – re-
locked in a semi-truck after they were abandoned to emotion and personal belief.” Frequent us-
while attempting to migrate into European countries. age includes “post-truth politics.” flect it. Compare this to 2015, when the Oxford
Evidence suggests the victims struggled strenuously
to break free but ultimately died of thirst or suffoca- 2) Dictionary.com: Xenophobia dictionary championed the tears of joy emoji
tion. Dictionary.com chooses a word that reflects
a cultural theme. The site said it identifies as its word of the year, or 2013, when it picked
In 2013, a Missouri couple pleaded guilty to violat- “trends in its look-up data,” and on June 24,
ing their neighbors’ civil rights after setting their “selfie.”
house on fire and drawing swastikas and other racial-
ly demeaning signs on their driveway. I can applaud a society that does not take it-

These stories come with 18 or older only restric- self so seriously, that knows how to laugh at
tions, for they ruin the image of a perfect world that
our elders try so hard to depict. While it may be ap- itself, even if that laugh is twinged with selfie-
propriate to spare the graphic language for a five
year old child, your twelve year old – and certainly ish-ness. At this point, I would be grateful even
your senior in high school – is not too pure to hear
these things. for an Urban Dictionary Word of the Year, for

Supposedly protecting us from these realities is do- this nationwide depression that has settled on
ing us no good. We have seen the bad guys are more
than capable of traveling to our schools and theatres top of us needs to be lifted.
and churches and recreational facilities. The attack
on the Ohio State University campus marked the Perhaps together we can propose a new word
closest major attack to the Mason community, and its
effects are easily recognized. for 2016 – “blatherskite,” foolish talk or non-

I beg you to not sugarcoat the bad. We need to get sense – and dismiss this year as simply that.
to know the real world and not the fictional one de-
scribed in our childhood books. To my fellow peers, While it is never that easy, perhaps enough
try to read about the events making headlines. Take
a break from Buzzfeed, and check out an article on hope exists in us that 2017, at least, need not
the news.
be the year of the post-truth-politics-practicing,
Get to know the ugly truth, because it will not be
too long until we are out on our own living in it. xenophobic fascist.

Let us forgive ourselves for 2016, and

above all, let us move on. 12.16.16

PARTING SHOTS

Finstagrams You Tell Us Compiled by Staff Writer Jacob Fulton

Good What is your favorite winter activity? Junior Kaleab Jegol has started Educa-
tion for Ethiopia, a nonprofit organization
1. Humorous posts Stay inside benefiting Ethiopian children.
2. Less stressed about likes
3. People can post what they with hot Q: How did your nonprofit or-
want without fear of being judged cocoa ganization start?
4. Finstagrams portray reality
and not idealized images Full results: A: I was born in Ethiopia, and
5. Users find other my parents came to America to
Finstagrams to bond with Results from the 129 voters on the Chronicle twitter poll. Follow give me a chance at a better edu-
@mhschronicle to find out when our next poll will go live. cation. The literacy rate in Ethio-
Not so Good pia is 39 percent, so a lot of children
don’t get a good education, and I
1. Obnoxious postings
2. Inside jokes that exclude oth- realized I wanted to give
ers from the punchline back. There are a lot
3. Inappropriate posts can get of kids there that are
people in trouble just as able as we are
4. Users spend more time on to learn, but they
their phones and the app don’t get the same
5. Private accounts do not allow opportunities. So
people outside of their circle of I wanted to give
friends to follow their accounts them that chance.

Compiled by Meghan Pottle Q: What does
Education for
Word for Word Ethiopia do?

22 “After all our hard work throughout the A: We do fund-
season, Mason’s best came together for ing – right now
a GMC victory. It was a really amazing we’re working
way to end the year.” with Roots Ethio-
– Anagh Kulkarni, pia, another orga-
sophomore and chess team member on the team’s nization, and we’re
17-1 victory over rival Sycamore working towards
building a science
See thecspn.com for full coverage of the Chess GMC tournament. lab in Gedelao, an
Ethiopian town. We
Photo Bomb also want to start do-
ing supply drives here
at school.

Q: What are some
goals you have
achieved?

A: We just finished rais-
ing $1500, which was huge.
We also completed our first
event, which was a talk night
at a high school in Wyoming,
Ohio; we brought in a lot of
like-minded people to talk to
the Wyoming community.

Q: Where do you
hope to take the orga-
nization in the future?

Photo by Juliana Discher Kaleab Jegol, A: In college, I hope that
junior there will be more oppor-
12.16.16 Santa greets children at Christmas in Mason tree lighting ceremony on December 2. tunities for me to expand it.
Someday, I’m hoping to work
with the United Nations and
expand it from Ethiopia to all
of Africa.

23

12.16.16