Edition 16.6

Vol. 16, Issue 6 | William Mason High School | 6100 Mason Montgomery Road Mason, OH | 2.22.19

CHRONICLE

Got Milk?

PG. 8

Sophomore Ava Scherocman, photo by Tanner Pearson, Ryan D’Souza

2 News February 22, 2019

Government shutdown impacts local families

Leah Lorenz, junior Lily Geiser | Staff Writer that were impacted, in my life, my parents, the entire
Rachel Kearney, freshman Good news: The government is open for business. family. Things like hanging out with my friends, (or)
The longest government shutdown in history -- last- if I wanted to go out to dinner, because we had no idea
Mandy Harper, senior ing 35 days -- is over. On February 16, just hours before how long it was going to last or when it was going to
the government was due to shut down again if a deal be over, and we needed to save in case it could last.
was not reached, President Trump signed a spend- It was just uncertainty, it was almost kind of fear,
ing bill providing just $1.375 billion for a border wall, because you have no idea what’s going on.”
the result of a series of compromises between House
Democrats and Republicans. But while the shutdown Even after the government reopened, there was a
is now well behind us, its impacts are still being felt. period when it was unclear whether it would remain
The government lost billions of dollars, the Nation- open after the continuing resolution (which lasted
al Parks will need years to recover from damages done only three weeks) expired. Frank Kearney, Rachel’s
by unchecked tourists, and the immigration system father, said his family made sure to plan ahead in case
has become more backlogged as tens of thousands of he was off work again.
cases were rescheduled or cancelled.
Local families employed by the government also “We definitely look at the upcoming bills and make
faced consequences due to the government shutdown, sure we’re not spending anything that we don’t need
which lead to approximately 800,000 federal workers to,” Frank said. “Our mortgage payments, car pay-
nationwide to be furloughed or asked to work without ments, those get paid first. We weren’t one of the real
pay. Junior Leah Lorenz, whose father works at the horror stories, (but) we made sure we weren’t doing
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, said she worried any excess spending. During the shutdown, there
about her father’s job as soon as she heard that the were some people who would joke to me that I was
government would shut down. on a paid vacation, but really, there was no frivolous
“He told me that the Air Force wasn’t touched by spending.”
it, luckily,” Lorenz said. “We didn’t get hit by this one,
but we got hit by the last one, under Obama. But it’s Even after the shutdown ended and any chance of it
kind of freaky, because as soon as I heard there was a happening again soon was over, the impacts were still
government shutdown, in my head, I was like ‘oh my being felt by the families. Harper said that even after
gosh, my dad’s not going to be able to work.’” the government funded again, the transition back to
Senior Mandy Harper’s mother works for the Envi- work for her mother was not entirely flawless.
ronmental Protection Agency, which faced significant
cuts during the shutdown. Her mother was deemed “She couldn’t turn on her computer, she was having
a nonessential employee, and so was not allowed to problems with that, because it had been sitting there
come into work until the shutdown ended. for so long,” Harper said. “They didn’t have any food
“We just had to be more conscious of how we were because no one had been there on Friday to order
spending, because we were losing money that we were food. And this was at the same time the polar vortex
expecting,” Harper said. “We knew we were getting it was going on, so she ended up having to bring food
back, but we didn’t know how long the shutdown was from home so she wouldn’t have to go out.”
going to last, so we could have been without her in-
come for a long time. We weren’t going out to dinner Harper said she found it frustrating that politicians
as much, or doing anything excessive.” put their own political agendas ahead of what was best
Many of the families impacted by the shutdown felt for their constituents.
the uncertainty of it in their lives. Freshman Rachel
Kearney, whose father works for the Treasury Depart- “In the past few years, people have been saying that
ment, said that the temporary loss of income put a our government is really divided, and sometimes I’ve
strain on the whole family. been rolling my eyes, because I’ve been seeing we’ve
“My dad, he wasn’t being paid, he wasn’t working,” been politically divided since the beginning of our
Rachel said. “So there were just a lot of little things history,” Harper said. “But I think the fact that we can’t
pass a budget is very discouraging because no matter
how you feel about the wall, we should be able to
work to come to some sort of consensus. Both left and
right, we shouldn’t be holding people back from their
jobs. This shutdown has directly affected the lives of
American citizens. It hurts a lot of people.”

Human Cost of a Government Shutdown

Commerce Interior Agriculture Justice Homeland Treasury H.U.D*
Security

86% 76% 67% 16% 15% 84% 95%

of employees furloughed of employees furloughed of employees furloughed of employees furloughed of employees furloughed of employees furloughed of employees furloughed

Graphic by Ryan D’Souza *Housing and Urban Development

February 22, 2019 News 3

Substitute teacher finishes work on new novel

Kaelyn Rodrigues | Staff Writer publish it,” Robinson said. “First you have to have

The next time you read a book in class, it might be other people read it and give you feedback. Once
one written by your substitute teacher.
you feel like it’s good, you have to write a query
Author and long-term substitute teacher Tara
Robinson, who publishes novels under the name Tara letter and get your entire story into a couple of
Tyler, is releasing a new novel. “Windy Hollow” is the
third book in her series Beast World, which follows paragraphs without boring them. They don’t want
the story of a young goblin named Gabe and his fan-
tasy creature friends. Robinson has published almost to read the whole thing, they just want the gist. I Author
a dozen books so far including the Beast World series,
her science fiction series Pop Travel, her self-pub- had to write about 25 query letters (before) I found Tara Tyler
lished short story series Unconventional Princesses. my publisher.”

Robinson said she first got into writing and the Although Robinson is a published author, she is
idea of writing novels around 2009, with her first
novel being published in 2013. She said being the first certified to teach math. When sophomore Lauren
novel she wrote, Pop Travel was the most difficult be-
cause she had no prior experience in writing novels. Ulsh was in eighth grade, she brought Pop Travel

“My first took the longest because it had such a big to her math class, unaware that she was reading a
learning curve, but once I had the process down I put
out about a book a year for the last six years,” Robin- book written by her long term substitute teacher.
son said. “Things are changing with my publisher so
that’s not going to happen this quickly anymore.” “I actually found out about her novels before Photo by Kaelyn Rodrigues

Robinson has worked with Curiosity Quills Press she was my sub, I think I found it in the library,”
since the beginning of her career. Although her
experiences with the publishing company have been Ulsh said. “I was like, ‘ok, this looks cool’, so I
positive so far, she said the decreasing trend in read-
ing novels could potentially cause issues in the rate checked it out and a couple weeks later she was
and process of publishing.
my sub. She saw me reading the book and said,
“Working with a small press can be risky; I’ve been
with this publisher for six years and they’ve been ‘Hey, that’s my book!’”
great,” Robinson said. “They edit, produce a nice
cover by great artists, and handle all the publish- Robinson is also looking into other means of
ing, formatting, and technical stuff, but small press
publishers don’t make a ton of money. The whole storytelling. One of these projects in particular
industry has been in flux for years with e-books and
people reading less in general. Things change and that she faces difficulty with is turning her debut
we have to adjust.”
novel into a movie.
Though writing the book itself may seem like it
would be the hardest part of the process, Robinson “I’m constantly writing one thing or another;
said she found more difficulty in finding a publisher
for her first novel. This took her about a year, from I have all kinds of ideas going on all the time,”
revising and writing query letters to being contracted
by her publisher’s acquisitions editor. Robinson said. “I look at all kinds of media; I’ve

“Writing the book is the fun part; the toughest written some screenplays, like for the first book I
thing to do is to book an agent or a publisher, and
get them so interested in your story that they want to wrote, Pop Travel. It’s very difficult to turn a book

into a screenplay; you have to cut so much. I’ve

submitted it to contests and stuff. It’s really hard

to make movies from books if they’re not auto-

matic bestsellers.”

Robinson said one of the most memorable mo-

ments of her career was getting to see her first

book in print and on a shelf available for purchase

for the first time. This was after around two years

of editing, writing query letters, and getting con-

tracted with her publisher.

“There were many incredible firsts with the

first book,” Robinson said. “After so many rejec-

tions, just having someone request to read my

manuscript was very exciting. Then they offered

me a contract, and I fell in love with my first

cover. When I held that first book in my hands,

it made my heart swell. And seeing it on a book

store shelf, I almost shouted right there in Barnes An early cover sketch of Tyler’s upcoming novel “Windy Hollow”.

& Noble.”

4 News February 22, 2019

GSA to hold first ever ‘Pride Night Dance’

Henri Robbins | Staff Writer

Mason High School’s newest dance is encouraging Photo by Tanner Pearson
students to take pride in who they are. Senior Calista Busch straightens out an LGBT pride flag, one of the various flags that will be displayed at the dance.

The Pride Night Dance, hosted by Mason’s Gender Photo by Savannah Quach
Sexuality Alliance (GSA), is on Saturday, March 9.
The dance was created to show their support for the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club members handcraft decorations and pride flags for the dance.
LGBT community and create awareness for the issues
it faces. The dance is intended to provide a safe space
for students of all identities and allow them to express
themselves freely.

The first of its kind to be hosted at Mason High
School, the dance is open to students from Mason,
Kings, Lebanon, Sycamore, and Lakota West. Senior
Savannah Quach said she hopes it helps students feel
more accepted and understood.

“We’re trying to have a safe space where everyone
feels comfortable expressing themselves and bringing
who they want,” Quach said, “Because we know that at
dances like homecoming or prom they may feel too
scared--they don’t want to be discriminated against or
bullied.”

To promote acceptance, decorations are going to be
thematic to the gay rights movement. The decorations,
according to GSA Advisor Maria Mueller, will consist of
flags and patterns that represent the movement’s his-
tory and different aspects of the community.

“Oftentimes, the gay rights movement has used
rainbow flags as a part of the imagery one might associ-
ate with the movement,” Mueller said, “So there will be
rainbow colors, there will be flags that represent not
just that classic imagery, but flags that represent the
importance of inclusion for not only gay and lesbian
people but for transgender and nonbinary people, so
there will be a multitude of flags as well, representing
all the ways that we are.”

Along with decorations, the dance will also have both
a DJ and live music, a photo booth, professional pho-
tographers and karaoke. Senior Calista Busch said all of
this is not just meant to make the dance more enjoy-
able, but to help bring together students from multiple
areas and bridge the communities together.

“We wanted to help get students from all around to
come together to a dance like this that will be a safe
space for everyone,” Busch said. “Since it’s the LGBT
community, we wanted to get that community aspect
into our club here at Mason and into the school in
general.”

Even though the event has just begun this year,
Quach said she wanted it to happen for a long time, and
is glad to see that the school is willing to accomodate.

“I feel like we’ve always had this need, but as the
years go on we’re more comfortable actually taking
action,” Quach said. “We’re getting more support from
the school. Right now, we honestly were surprised that
the school allowed us to do this, and they’ve supported
us the whole time.”

With this event, the GSA is aiming to help students
feel safer and more included, but Busch said they are
also hoping to start more discussions about LGBT issues
in the school and create a more accepting environment.

“In general, it’s a pretty accepting place at Mason,”
Busch said, “But I do think that there needs to be more
of a discussion about LGBT topics, especially in health
classes and stuff where it’s barely ever talked about.”

February 22, 2019 News 5

‘Ignite Your Vision’ ideas advance to judging committee

Ria Parikh | Staff Writer the environment and I definitely wanted Big Theme Idea Description
to improve that. It’s less about making our Leave after testing blocks
Twenty one have moved on, but only lives easier, and more about just helping Brain Health No final exam if maintaining an A
three will be chosen. the environment.” for You &
Stress-free rooms
On Friday, February 22 and Friday Freshman Kyndall Kilgore focused on Your Friends Ungraded homework
March 8, the 21 students who were selected the academic aspect of the school and
by the administrative team will present proposed class additions that catered to Indoor soccer
their Ignite Your Vision ideas to an expert students’ actual interests. Kilgore said she
committee, with the hopes that their ideas specifically wanted to see more opportuni- Positive Feminine hygeine products in restrooms
will be executed. ties for younger students.
Community Decorate senior parking spots
Ignite Your Vision is a movement initi- “I wanted the take the more creative
ated this year by the Mason High School classes in a different direction,” Kilgore Culture & Carpool parking passes
administrative team to make changes to said. “I’m actually interested in getting
the school that directly fit the demands of into whittling, but I haven’t started yet, Inclusiveness More gender neutral bathrooms
students. Students submitted their ideas and I thought to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be
through a public online space where ideas cool to have a class (offered to my grade) Your Reduce plastic containers
could be voted on and seen by the whole that specializes in that so it would be easier Learning Install microwaves in cafeteria
school. From there, the administration to get into that, instead of going up to my Environment
chose a handful of projects to move on to parents and saying “Hey, can I have some & Experience School coffee shop
the next round. tools and some wood?”’ Classes for trades/hobbies
Comfort-zones in bubble
One idea, submitted by junior Nicholas Kilgore said she wants to implement
Flood, was to make the cafeteria more more hobby-based classes to reignite rooms/computer labs
environmentally friendly. As someone who the imagination and creativity that high Minimal homework
takes an active part in improving the envi- schoolers tend to lose. Hallway murals
ronment with practices such as vegetarian-
ism, Flood said he saw areas for massive “With the school system and how it’s Sample classes for upcoming year
improvement in the school’s environmen- set up, people go to school, go straight to Scrolling newsfeed
tal awareness. college, and usually students have this
idea of ‘I’m going to either be a doctor, Building doors opening earlier
“One thing that’s always bothered me surgeon, engineer, lawyer’, stuff that gets
about this school is the amount of plastic you money,” Kilgore said. “People don’t Photo by Tanner Pearson
waste that I saw. In the market area in really focus on things they enjoy all that Junior Judi Hu received a golden ticket for her proposal of relaxation rooms to Ignite Your Vision.
the cafeteria, there were just a lot of much. It’s kind of putting the creative back
apples wrapped up in plastic, and oranges into school--especially high school, when
wrapped up in plastic, and just a bunch people are graduating, and starting to go
things wrapped up in plastic that seemed into those careers. It’s kind of to bring dif-
useless to me. My idea was to reduce the ferent options into their head.”
use of plastic in the cafeteria just to Mason
a greener school. We have the money Junior Judi Hu is one of many students
for it, and we pride ourselves on being a who suggested the idea of relaxation
school that’s forward in the future, but I rooms, rooms that students can go to
feel like we could definitely improve our decompress or take a mental break. Hu,
recycling strategies a lot more.” inspired by the Hope Squad, said she
specifically wants to decorate unused com-
In the future, Flood said he will use the puter labs and bubble rooms to promote
money seek out technology to improve the relaxation.
way the food is served. Flood hopes that in
the long run, his idea will make serving “I get really stressed in school some-
food cheaper for the school. times, and it’s nice to know that in school,
we have a place where we can feel more
“There are so many ways to make the relaxed and destress,” Hu said. “I have Mrs.
school more environmentally friendly. Roth for Comp, and whenever I go in the
Maybe a self-serve thing where the fruit is room it’s always very quiet, super aesthetic,
already cut up and you just scoop it onto and very cute. It makes you feel better just
a plate or something. Just something like sitting in there.”
that, and the money would go towards
maybe a stand that would hold that or Hu said she wants to decorate computer
different packaging for the fruits and labs to try and imitate the environment
vegetables.” and comfort of a home, to balance the
stress levels of students in school.
Flood said the selflessness of his projects
is what makes it a high contender that will “Sometimes when I come to school, I
hopefully be chosen to put into action. don’t really want to come to school, and
I know that school can be a very stress-
“I was thinking more about the future of ful place for a lot of people,” Hu said. “At
the school and not just the students them- home you feel very (comfortable), and I
selves and making their experience here was thinking that there should be a spot
the most comfortable. Of course, I want in school where people could feel at home
them to have a good experience, but I was or very comfortable, so they wouldn’t have
just thinking about the school’s impact on that stress, so they can somewhat look
forward to going to school.”

6 Feature February 22, 2019

Horseback riders form deep connections with animals

Andrea Hefferan | Online Editor “But when I finally got Polly and we Photo contributed by Sarah King
developed a bond, you could really feel
Horseback riding is more than just that we take care of each other. If one Sophomore Sarah King has developed a bond with her horse, Polly, which helps in their success.
an enjoyable pasttime for sophomores of us is out of it that day, the other one
Brooke Harris and Sarah King. will pick up the slack and they’ll carry
us through it.”
The girls each have their own horse calm him down. For every horse I’m “People say riding isn’t a sport or that
with whom they have formed a special King was initially doubtful about
connection through training for count- getting Polly, as female horses, called around, I try to be very calm and have the horse does all of the work,” King
less hours. For Harris, horseback riding mares, have a reputation for being dif-
allows her to take a break from every- ficult when collaborating. confidence for them and myself.” said. “I think what people don’t under-
thing going on in her life. She goes
riding at least twice a week and she said “In the horse world, a lot of people While Ace is the horse Harris is used stand is if the horse did all the work and
it always helps her to relax. don’t buy girl horses because they’re
ten times more stubborn,” King said.
“I like having a place away from the “When we first got her, we were scared
rest of the world,” Harris said. “My fam- of that because that’s all we heard. She
ily knows that when I’m at the barn, I’m is really stubborn sometimes and it’s
in my little zone. I like having a place frustrating, but the moment you get it
to get away and be focused on some- right, it’s all worth it.”
thing that doesn’t stress me out.”
When looking for a horse, Harris said
King started taking horseback riding the rider needs to ensure their person-
lessons when she was five years old. alities are compatible. In Harris’s case,
After settling on her own horse, Polly, her horse, Ace, prefers someone laid-
King said she learned to work with the back and accepting.
animal to reach her goals.
“I think Ace wants a quiet rider and
“When I used to do lessons, you’re on someone that’s a little bit more patient
a different horse every time and I didn’t with him,” Harris said. “He gets nervous
get to learn or know them,” King said. and he needs someone to be there to

to riding, he has been injured for about the human didn’t do anything, then the

six months and unable to train. As a horse would just stand there or walk

result, Harris has been riding another away and start eating grass somewhere.

horse, Happy, while Ace recovers. Har- I think that people don’t really get how

ris does not have the same attachment how much work you have to do when

with Happy as she does with Ace, how- you’re riding and how much you have

ever, Harris said their bond strengthens to communicate with an animal that

every day. doesn’t understand words.”

“Happy is the first mare horse that Despite the connections humans may

I’ve ever actually liked,” Harris said. have with household pets like a cat or

“I’m still working on connecting with a dog, the bond one has with a horse is

her, but her owner, Jane, has given me vastly different, according to King.

time with her to get to know her. When “I have dogs and I love them, but I

Jane goes out of town, I take care of don’t put my life in their hands like I do

Happy, and I find the time I have her to with a horse,” King said. “Every second

myself is really helpful for me to get to you get on a horse you risk your life; it’s

know her and get her routine down.” one of the most dangerous sports. You

When King first got Polly, her foot have a bond with your dog, but it’s pret-

got caught in the trailer, which ripped ty much you caring for the dog. There’s

out part of her hoof. The long wait for never a point where the dog is caring

her to recover was frustrating for King, for you unless it’s an extreme situation.

but she said the time allowed them to You really have more of a bond with a

connect before they even began train- horse because it’s you working together

ing. at something that you’re both trying to

“In the moment, we had been search- accomplish.”

ing forever and ever, and our goal was King sees Polly as her teammate, but

to be able to ride a horse,” King said. “So the inability to speak to her adds a level

when we got her and we realized that it of difficulty to the sport of horseback

was going to be months of medical bills riding. The stronger the bond between

and just work to keep the hoof clean the two, the easier it is for them to work

and healthy, we were really put down. together and succeed.

We thought maybe we should just start “For a football team or volleyball

over and just send her back, but I think team or swim team, if the match doesn’t

being persistent and feeling a bond go like you wanted, afterwards you can

from the start really helped.” have a team meeting and talk about

Riding is a collaborative effort be- it,” King said. “In horseback riding, you

tween human and horse, according to can’t talk to the horse, so you really

Photo contributed by Sarah King King. She said communication between have to have a connection. You need a

Sophomore Sarah King has formed a connection with her horse, Polly, during their time training. them is key in order to do well. bond that’s out of this world.”

February 22, 2019 7

Correction

The Chronicle staff would like to apologize for misin-
formation that was present in our last printed issue on
February 1, 2019. The story on page four, regarding free
feminine products being placed in womens restrooms,
was in fact not the direct workings of The Hope Squad.

While numerous sources in the story were indeed
members of The Hope Squad, their membership was
only meant to be used as clarification. Although we had
the ability to change certain wording in the online story,
including the headline, we unfortunately could not alter
what had already been physically distributed.

Sincerely,
The Chronicle Staff

8 Feature February 22, 2019

GOT MILK?

Students can’t resist milk consumption despite intolerance

Alex Lisa | Staff Writer but this took less than twenty minutes “Every time I go too far,
Most students would not flirt with the before I felt it, and that was when I I tell myself ‘this is it, I’m
knew I was in trouble. I posted some of going to start watching
line of food intolerance, and yet others it on Snapchat, I was just on the floor,
prefer to milk it for all it’s worth. crying, couldn’t move, it was really aw- how much dairy I eat,’
ful, a really bad decision. I’ve only done and then I don’t.”
Many students-- in fact many people it twice since then though.” AVA SCHEROCMAN
--with lactose intolerance make the
decision to have dairy products anyway. Sometimes lactose intolerance can 90%lpoinafoctCoptohluesilrneaatani’ostn is Clabinikraeteeoullalytcechrarteaaoscnlsieeetaa. tnsots 65%ataooftfredehrdiugiunmecfsaeatnndlacsacyhbt. aoilvsiteey
Lactose intolerance is not an allergy, be outgrown, so some people believe
like people who are allergic to the pro- if they test themselves they’ll be able Graphic by Ryan D’Souza
teins in milk, but rather an inability to to see if they can have dairy again.
digest lactose. This means consuming Scherocman, however, said this practice
lactose products is is not life threaten- is ridiculous.
ing in any way. It can, however, cause
discomfort ,such as from stomach aches “That’s just an excuse, one that I’ve
to intense pain. Despite that result, used before,” Scherocman said. “When
lactose intolerant students like Melissa [lactose intolerant people] eat dairy, it’s
Beckman often ignore their pain in because they wanted to, not to see if
favor of in-the-moment satisfaction. they outgrew it. It’s just that afterwards,
to avoid looking stupid, we try to come
“Every morning, I have a cream up with a reason. It does happen to
cheese bagel for breakfast, and I mean I some people, they just outgrow it. But if
have pizza all the time,” Beckman said. they do, they discovered it by accident,
“It’s not too bad, unless I’m out with not because they were checking.”
friends and they’re all having pizza and
ice cream, and in the moment I’m just Though Scherocman deliberately
like ‘why not?’ And then later I remem- chooses to have dairy out of momen-
ber why not.” tary satisfaction, there are times when
she said she eats it accidentally as well.
When it comes to dairy intake, there
is a definite line between an amount “My mom will sometimes make me
of dairy intake that makes someone coffee the way she makes hers, just out
uncomfortable and an renders them of habit,” Scherocman said. “Sometimes
immobile for a few hours.Beckman we catch it, and sometimes we don’t.
said she has yet to perfect finding that And ice cream is worth the pain, but
balance. creamer-filled coffee is not.”

“I know there’s a limit to how much Sophomore Maddie Polto said she has
I can have without really bad pain,” been served dairy products a number of
Beckman said. “But I can never tell how times, as well.
close I’m getting. I just kind of hope for
the best and wing it, for the most part.” “One time, right before my finals
freshman year, I had a brownie,” Polto
Beckman said that one reason she ig- said. “I thought it was dairy free, I’m
nores her intolerance is to avoid being pretty sure I was told it was, but it
seen as needy. definitely wasn’t. That final didn’t go
well. Between the stress and the pain, I
“I don’t necessarily think anyone couldn’t focus, it was just bad.”
would judge me,” Beckman said. “But I
also don’t want to be that person. Like, I Polto said these kinds of incidents
don’t want [having] to replace milk with have also happened at restaurants in
almond milk [to get in the way or get the past.
annoying], so I’ll kind of go with it.”
“Either places won’t have a dairy-free
Sophomore Ava Scherocman, on option, or they’ll mess up sometimes
the other hand, said even though she and give me something with milk in
knows refusing dairy products would it anyway,” Polto said. “I don’t think
not bother anyone, she does not want anyone has ever done it intentionally,
to do so. but that doesn’t exactly help me in that
situation. Sometimes I have to say it’s
“I’ve eaten like half a thing of ice an allergy, because when people hear
cream in the past three days, and that word then they kind of take it
mac and cheese is my favorite food,” more seriously.”
Scherocman said. “Every time I go too
far, I tell myself ‘this is it, I’m going to Scherocman said that, whether by
start watching how much dairy I eat,’ accident or intentionally, she fully ex-
and then I don’t.” pects to eat dairy products in the future.

Scherocman said the worst experi- “I just don’t want to cut it out of life,”
ence she ever went through was when Scherocman said. “There’s no serious
she ate an entire box of mac and cheese reason for it, but I don’t think I need
in one sitting. one. I just eat dairy for the sake of eat-
ing dairy, and yeah that might sound
“There was no one in the house, so stupid but honestly if I don’t care about
there was no one to stop me,” Scheroc- being in pain why would I care about
man said. “Normally it takes like an what other people think?”
hour before I can tell it’s affecting me,

February 22, 2019 9

10 Feature February 22, 2018

Ethnic beauty standards present in cosmetic practices

Anusha Vadlamani | Staff Writer

For decades now, the beauty industry has been ac- Junior Grace Tang uses foundation to lighten up her face in order to fit Chinese beauty standards. Photos by Anusha Vadlamani
cused of marketing exclusively to a white audience.
those expectations. It’s about the straight black hair “Whenever we went out,
In the 1940s, makeup lines were introduced for and pale skin that everyone else sees.”
persons of color, but they mainly consisted of skin- the minute we got back,
lightening lotions rather than actual makeup. While some people may change the way they my mom would hand us
present themselves to people to fit a standard defini- lotions and be like ‘put this
Now over 50 years later, mainstream drug store tion of beauty, Junior Josephine Sim said that some on so you can get lighter!'
brands, such as Maybelline and Revlon, still haven’t people present themselves differently to disprove
been able to introduce long-lasting campaigns to common misconceptions. Cara Baah-Binney, junior
offer makeup to people of all skin types. Junior Cara
Baah-Binney said it was not till the release of singer “The kind of stigma around (eye surgery) is not “
Rihanna’s makeup line, Fenty, that she was finally because people do it to look more European, but be-
able to find makeup suited to her skin color. cause, especially East Asians have very small eyes,”
Sim said. “It makes them look unapproachable, and
“When I started getting into makeup, we had to so they might get surgery to have double eyelids so
search everywhere to find a foundation that would they look more approachable, so they look nicer; to
fit my skin tone,” Baah-Binney said. “I started off show [that] they’re not as scary as they look.”
with drugstore brands but the darker your skin tone
got, the more orange the drug store brand makeup While trying to follow the beauty expectations of
got. It didn’t look like actual skin color. When Ri- two cultures can be difficult, Sim believes that she
hanna came out with her beauty line, that’s when I has found a balance in expressing her East Asian
finally found a foundation and that’s when I started heritage while still staying in tune with Western
to become comfortable with being black.” trends.

Baah-Binney was born in Ghana, which was “I’ve always really had the intention of going
colonized by Europeans in the 1900s. The coloniza- more towards East Asian makeup,” Sim said. “Mine
tion played a substantial role in determining beauty is a little bit more prominent, and westernized - it’s
standards in the country. Ghanaian culture presumes East Asian with a twist of western. I knew that the
the Gods to be white, so when the Europeans arrived, western style makeup doesn’t suit my face, and spe-
they were hailed as the Gods. Baah-Binney said the cifically eye shape, so I never really bothered with
expectation to be as light as possible is derived from only it.”
Ghanaians wanting to be like the gods that they
worshipped. Although progress has been made, such as
Rihanna’s Fenty beauty line, Baah-Binney said that
“If you looked as close as you could to the Euro- there is still a long way to go for the beauty industry
peans, then you were beautiful,” Baah-Binney said. to become fully accepting. In the meanwhile, she
“It was a really big thing to get as light as you could, encourages younger girls of color to never lose sight
which was kind of hard in Ghana because of how of themselves.
much time we spend in the sun. Whenever we went
out, the minute we got back, my mom would hand “Don’t place your self worth in other people,”
us lotions and be like ‘put this on so you can get Baah-Binney said. “Find someone to look up to. The
lighter!’” world isn’t on your side so you have to be on your
own side; don’t let what other people tell you change
Standards of beauty vary around the world. While how you feel about yourself.”
the Eurocentric standards of Ghana emphasize white-
ness, countries such as China have their own defini-
tion of beauty. Junior Grace Tang has been influ-
enced by the beauty standards of China, her parents’
country of origin, ever since she was a child.

“In China, there’s a certain expectation of how
women should look; they have to have straight black
hair, pale skin, and double eyelids and you have to
be really skinny,” Tang said. “I think the one that
I’ve struggled with is trying to be skinnier. Growing
up I knew that I was skinnier than most people, but
compared to my friends, who at the time were still
mostly Chinese, I was bigger than them. My parents
always pointed out ‘oh you should do this so you can
be more like this friend.’ Even now I’m still kind of
worried about that.”

Traditional cultural expectations aren’t the only
things that impact beauty standards. Tang said that
she feels pressure to look a particular way due to
mainstream pop culture figures and the trends that
they set.

“Since K-pop is more popular now, there’s a certain
type of look that they maintain,” Tang said. “As an
East Asian myself, I’ve been pressured to follow

Februrary 22, 2019 Feature 11

Polto's gene mutation causes extreme lack of sleep

Sophia Johnson | Staff Writer have been nights where I’ll binge watch seasons of like, Maddie Polto's Schedule
The Office -- I did that a lot sophomore and junior year
Most people aim for eight hours a night; senior Mad- -- and it got bad for my mental state.”
die Polto, however, gets eight hours every two weeks.
Many teenagers have a reliance on sleep, and it took
DEC2 is a gene that regulates levels of orexin, Polto time to acknowledge her inability to depend on
hormones that manage the body’s wakefulness. Polto’s sleep like everybody else. When students around her
DEC2 gene has a mutation that allows her to function started to appreciate naps and falling asleep, Polto said
off of a few hours of sleep a week. she would try to sleep more.

The genetic mutation Polto lives with was unknown “At this point, I’ve just stopped trying to fall asleep;
to her parents at first. Polto said it was not until they In middle school, I would realize other kids’ stress
took her to the doctor, concerned about her inability to relief was sleeping, and so I’d always try it, and I never
sleep, that she was diagnosed with the gene mutation. could fall asleep,” Polto said. “It made it worse for me
because I would sit there trying to fall asleep, but then
“My parents were like, ‘hey, my daughter is not I would just constantly be overthinking and stressing.”
sleeping,’ so then they did blood testing,” Polto said.
“I was young and don’t fully remember the doctor For the last four years, Polto’s nightly routine has
coming in, but he just said your daughter has a genetic consisted of babysitting from 10 P.M. to 6 A.M. Watch-
mutation of a gene. So I have a mutation of a gene that ing her family's friends kids, she said most of her
does not allow me to sleep because I don’t need the nights she will spend helping the family.
same amount of sleep as everybody else.”
“I get to the house I nanny between 8 P.M. and 10
While the National Sleep Foundation states that P.M. and stay there until about 6 A.M.,” Polto said. “I’ll
most teenagers need to get between eight and ten take care of the kids until they fall asleep, then it’s like
hours of sleep for the following day, Polto said she ‘okay, no more technology.’ So, I’ll read a book until
functions well on about four hours of sleep for an about three or four -- I read a ton. Then I’ll cook a lot
entire week. in the middle of the night; I’ll premake meals for the
mom, I’ll make dinner, and make lunches for the kids.
“I usually don’t sleep in a night, I just get about four Then I will premake my family meals and dinners, and
hours in a week,“ Polto said. “After like a week and that usually lasts until six in the morning.”
a half of not sleeping, I feel tired, so I’ll sleep a little
more that night. I usually just get mentally tired if Polto said people often assume she benefits with the
a lot has happened in the school day or at work. My mutation because she does not have to worry about
four hours in a week is equivalent to like eight hours a procrastination due to the extra waking hours. While
night.” sleep is not a daily necessity, she said she still tries to
stay methodical.
Though she does not physically get tired often, Polto
said mental exhaustion has been hard to handle in the “I’m fine talking about it because It’s just what I do
past. By limiting her mental and physical activity, she every day, but when I tell other people they’re like ‘oh
has found ways to be productive with the extra time my gosh you could get so much done in the day, that
while still staying healthy. would be so amazing, and so good for finals,’” Polto
said. “I think if anybody were to study for six hours in a
“I try not to do school work or be on my phone or day though, It is not good. I have to put limitations on
computer past 11 P.M. because I still do get mentally what and when I do certain things because I do stuff 24
tired,” Polto said. “I get burnt out a lot if I’m just con- hours a day constantly.”
stantly going, so I try to give my mind a break. There

Photo by Sophia Johnson Graphic by Ryan D'Souza
Senior Maddie Polto utilizes her abundant free time due to her gene mutation that affects her sleeping schedule.

12 Feat

:sneaker

Culture: MORE THAN JUST SHOES

Graphic by Ryan D’Souza

ture 13

the kicks

ADIDAS ULTRA BOOST BAPE Photos by Ryan D’Souza
Junior Adarsh Ponaka shows off a few of his favorite shoes.

YEEZY BOOST 350 V2

Anusha Vadlamani | Staff Writer 90 pairs of shoes right now,” Bohanon limited now.” great lengths to buy a pair of shoes
Until the 1980s, the prospect of said. “When I was younger, my uncle While newer collaborations are pav- that he wants for his collection.
sneaker culture and collecting sneak- used to collect sneakers for my sister
ers was an idea that had never really and I. We’ve sat in line for 12 hours in ing the way for future sneaker trends, “A good shoe isn’t necessarily just
taken off. It wasn’t until the momen- Chicago outside of the Jordan store. Aquilia believes that his greatest find, about the price,” Ponaka said. “It’s
tous release of Michael Jordan’s line of We’ve camped out in lines before; my a pair of retro Michael Jordan basket- about collaborations and shoes that are
basketball shoes in 1985 and the thriv- sister lives in Chicago so I’m always ball shoes, are true classics. in style. There are release calendars for
ing of the hip-hop industry, that the traveling back and forth here and when the shoes come out; on Twit-
obsession with sneakers truly started there.” “One time I went to a thrift store ter, companies tweet when their stuff
to bloom. and I found these pretty-good condi- will be released. One time last year,
The sneaker enthusiasts that In today’s world, it’s not uncommon tion Jordans for an insanely low price,” I stayed up till three o’clock in the
emerged, commonly referred to as for celebrities to have a signature style Aquilia said. “It was crazy because morning because of California timings.
‘sneakerheads,’ are able to see beyond of sneaker that they wear, including some Jordans have better leather qual- Most shoes drop at 10 a.m., so I’ll be in
just the rubber and leather of shoes. Wiz Khalifa who shows off Chuck ity than others and these were great. school buying shoes.”
To them, sneakers are a culture worth Taylors by Converse; Kendrick Lamar I also look for durability; I don’t want
following. For Junior Logan Aquilia, who always wears the Ventilator line my shoes to just fall apart on me and While owning a certain pair of
buying his first pair of shoes took a lot of Puma shoes when performing; these won’t.” sneakers may enhance outfits, ulti-
of time and dedication that he had to and Kanye West, who sports his own mately Bohanon, like many other
be willing to put forth. collaboration with Adidas, the Adidas While collecting shoes has always sneakerheads, believes that sneakers
“The summer of my freshman year, Yeezy Boosts. been a part of the game for sneaker- are meant to be an outlet that allows
when I was first started working at heads, selling shoes have become a re- people to truly express themselves,
Kroger, I put in over 40 weeks to buy Junior Adarsh Ponaka, who has been cent development. Ponaka first started regardless of their personalities.
my first pair of Ultra Boosts,” Aquilia collecting shoes since his sophomore selling his shoes during his sophomore
said. “Ever since then, the feeling of year, said that these collaborations, year, on apps such as Grailed and “Collecting sneakers is something
new shoes has stuck with me and that’s among other things, are what make StockX. I love; I love fashion so I’m definitely
why I keep collecting; it’s great.” some shoes more valuable than others. going to keep up with this in years to
While sneakerheads like Aquilia are “I bought my first pair of shoes and come,” Bohanon said. “I think a lot
relatively new to collecting sneakers, “To make a shoe truly limited, it’s could have sold them as ‘used’ and still of people see collecting sneakers as
for senior Sidney Bohanon, collecting all about the color, collaborations, the made 50 or 60 dollars off of them,” ‘why would you do that?’ There’s a
sneakers has always been a family number of stock that will be released Ponaka said. “I was like ‘this is kind of different way for everyone to express
tradition. and whether or not they have endorse- cool.’ I think I first used my parent’s themselves. I don’t always wear all the
“I believe that I have about 80 to ments behind them,” Ponaka said. “For credit card and then I made a quite a sneakers that I collect but having them
example, there’s this basketball player, bit of money, and then I started on my with you just gives you a different way
Paul George and he collaborated with own. On these apps, I’m a verified shoe to express yourself. Sneakers change
PlayStation and made a shoe, and it’s seller, and you kind of have to build the way that people present them-
like ‘PlayStation? That’s not a shoe something like that up.” selves and the way they behave.”
company.’ That kind of shoe’s super
Even though selling shoes has been
an added bonus, Ponaka still goes to

14 February 22, 2019

February 22, 2019 Culture 15

BITE OF Junior
CULTURE
Hibah Adhami

KHeer “Kheer is a (Pakistani)
rice pudding,” Adhami
said. “Usually my family
will eat it during holdiays
when we have a bunch of
family over. We have this
one long month of fasting,
and usually at dinner par-
ties afterwards this is one
of the desserts you will
always see.”

Compiled by Ryan D’Souza, Tanner Pearson, Luke Hutchinson
Inside the base of the pudding, which is milk, Adhami mixes sugar, rice, saffron and cardamom. She also crushes almonds and pistachios and adds them on top of the dish.

16 Entertainment February 22, 2019

MOVIE REVIEW MONTHLY

The lego movie 2 MUSIC

REVIEW BY JAKE SAPP

RELEASED FEBRUARY 8 8.6/10
DIRECTED BY MIKE MITCHELL
STARRING CHRIS PRATT

Verdict BLUEFACE
ARTIST FEATURE
After the critical and commercial success that was the original Lego Movie, many fans
were nervous about how the second entry in the series would hold up. Surprisingly, Los Angeles native Jonathan Porter,
the film turned out to be just as clever and funny as the original, while bringing to the AKA Blueface’s rise in clout can be
table many new themes and ideas that work as a natural extension of the lessons that attributed to his goofy, at times even
the first tried to teach. Chris Pratt and and Elizabeth Banks reprise their roles as Em- cringy flow on and off beat, full of
met and Wildstyle and do a wonderful job of capturing the chemistry between the two. voice cracks along the way. Porter’s
Will Arnett returns as Batman and delivers easily the funniest portrayal of the charac- biggest hit “Thotiana” is played more
ter seen yet, and many of the newer characters such as Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi bring
even more energy to the table. The film plays out like a musical in some regards, with for jokes than anything, but
a few of the sequences being pretty good, but with others being somewhat hit or miss. nevertheless he is topping charts.
The tracks never really reach the same level that the first one did with things like “Ev-
erything is Awesome”, which may come as a relief to some people who don’t want to ALBUMREVIEW
have to deal with their kid brother singing yet another song for the next three months.
The animation is once again outstanding, with a few sequences in particular feeling CZARFACE MEETS BLUEFACE
like the were ripped straight out of a child’s stop-motion movie project. The film can
feel a bit hamfisted at times with the themes it is trying to convey to its audience, but it BY Wu Tang Clan
never becomes too overbearing to the point of it being annoying. The movie once again REVIEW BY Ryan D’Souza
revisits the real world to tell an incredibly heartfelt story about a boy and his sister,
that harkens back to the original’s father-son relationship, and it executes it exceed- 10/10
ingly well. The Lego Movie 2 offers a fulfilling sequel to an already outstanding film,
and reminds us that everything is still awesome, no matter what age we are. With Wu Tang’s Ghostface Killah and Inspectah
Deck joined with underground hip hop legends
UP NEXT 7L and MC Esoteric, ‘CZARFACE MEETS GHOST-
FACE’ is a star studded album that refuses to
CAPTAIN WANT TO disappoint. Ghostface’s effortless flows com-
MARVEL SEE IT? bined with the trio that makes up CZARFACE,
provide nonstop entertainment full of witty bars,
IN THEATRES FEBRUARY 8TH via Instagram Poll @MHSchronicle
insane beats, and endless superhero refer-
Marvel Studios has built 77% 23% ences. The chemistry between rappers carries
the most succesful movie the album, really showcasing why these artists
franchise of all time, with YES NO are so respected in the hip hop community. An
consistently solid films. absolutely incredible listen from start to finish.
After Avengers Infinity War
had the most succesful Page compiled by Jacob Brase
opening weekend in box
office history, ‘Captain Mar-
vel’ will undoubdetly have no
trouble putting butts in seats.
What fans are hoping for
though, is a unique Marvel
experience that gives us yet
another powerful super-
hero to stack alongside the
already famous Avengers.

Sports17 February 22, 2019

Tucker returns from injury
to get back on the court
for the Comets

Rahul Parikh | Sports Editor Senior guard Sade Tucker battled back from an
ACL injury to return to the court for the Comets.
Sade Tucker is back. (Photo by Tanner Pearson)
Tucker, a senior guard for the Mason girls basketball team, completely tore
her left ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) in April of 2018, during an Amatuer
Athletic Union (AAU) game, and now is healthy and playing with the team .
Tucker said that when the injury initially happened, she was devastated, but
sought for a way to continue to play.
“I was very distraught at first, an ACL injury is one of the last things I could’ve
wanted,” Tucker said. “But I’m an optimist, and I knew that God would help me
through this, and I could keep pushing. I kept researching on ways to play with-
out my ACL and if it was even possible.”
Instead of surgery, Tucker opted to continue to play without her ACL through
a rare mechanism in which ‘copers’, or other muscles around the area, compen-
sate for where the ACL was located.
“My injury was a contact injury, which is very rare for an ACL injury,” Tucker
said. “Only a small percentage of people are in this category who have the abil-
ity to work through this injury without surgery, because my muscles could take
the place of the ACL.”
Tucker’s decision to come back without surgery comes with benefits, but in-
evitable risks as well. Tucker said her choice of returning to basketball, was
contingent on knowing her work ethic and her future in basketball.
“If I would have had surgery, I wouldn’t have healed until almost a year.
Working with our trainer, Kathy Bernard, 2-3 times a day was what I wanted to
do, because I was able to return just 2 months after bursting my ACL,” Tucker
said. “ I still work with Kathy everyday on just getting stronger, but ultimately
what went into my decision was that I wanted to get my college paid for, which
has always been my objective from basketball.”
For Tucker, this decision was not an easy one, and not one she could make
without others input. Tucker said she seeked her mom’s opinion, and was sur-
prised by her response.
“My mom Rachel was actually extremely supportive when I brought her this
idea of playing without surgery,” Tucker said. “I was very thankful in that she
supported my decision and let me play through it, even though she knew it was
uncommon for someone to play without an ACL.”
Tucker’s hard work has not gone unnoticed. Teammate Megan Wagner, who
is the starting point guard for the Girls basketball team, said that she has been
nothing short of amazed by the progress and dedication that Tucker has main-
tained throughout this process.
“The one word that comes to my mind is just ‘fight’,” Wagner said. “ We all
thought she wasn’t going to be able to come back at the beginning of the sea-
son, so to see her continuously work and sacrifice for us has been incredible.”
Before Tucker’s injury, her game was known to be very quick, frequently
getting to the basket and always putting pressure on defenders. An ACL injury
inevitably affects her lateral quickness and explosiveness. Tucker said that the
injury does not change her game much, but she’s been working on other as-
pects of her game to make up for it.
“It hasn’t really changed my game drastically, but my lateral movement
has slowed a little bit,” Tucker said. “I’ve developed a midrange game which is
easier on my knees, and a better jump shot will make me be more effective.”
Wagner said that watching Tucker adjust her game and develop her jump
shot has been an awesome process to watch. Even though results haven’t been
immediate, Wagner said that Tucker’s work ethic will continue to push her and
eventually see success.
“Obviously with her injury her shot has been a little off and she’s been work-
ing on fixing that a lot, “ Wagner said. “Her drive to continue and constant
dedication of getting better will show her all the results that she wants, it’s truly
remarkable.”

18 Sports February 22, 2019

beast MODE

Leanna Wall

GMC LEADER IN THE 200 AND 500 YARD
FREESTYLE

STATE QUALIFIER IN 200 AND 100 YARD
FREESTYLE

TOP 10 IN 100 BUTTERFLY AND 200 I.M.

3 TIME ALL CONFERENCE SWIMMER

MAKING SOME NOISE WHAT TO WATCH FOR PRE-GAME PLAYLIST

Chris Donathan 02/26- Boys basketball Stats and ranks as of February 18, 2019
STATS - state tournament game
@7:30 @ Lakota West
145 pound GMC
Champion

02/23 - Boys and Girls

Carl Bloebau swimming state finals
@Branin Natatorium
STATS -

Top 5 in the GMC for 200 and 500
freestyle, 100 butterfly

THE DIGITS

58.0 points per game by the Mason boys
basketball team, leading the GMC
84 percent on free throws by senior forward
Sammie Puisis
32 points by senior gaurd Landen Long
against Princeton

19 Sports February 22, 2019

Photo by Tanner Pearson
Junior Wrestler Sam Glassco takes down an opponent during GMC championships on Saturday, February 16. Glassco captured an individual GMC title in the 132 pound weight class.

Comets streak ends at nine, focus turns to postseason

Fairfield dethrones “It was a big battle between us and can affect a team’s suc- “Coming into the year I wanted to
Mason as GMC Fairfield,” Glassco said. “We knew com- cess. Adewumi said that after getting place try to compete and do really well
champion, Comets ing in it was going to a tough fight. injured, he has become more focused at our big tournaments, like Dvorak,”
now turn attention Unfortunately we did lose, and that on his leadership to help his team in said Glassco. “Those tournaments have
to state run definitely hurts our morale.” any way he can. really prepared me for the end of the
season and the tough competition in
Matthew Smith | Staff Writer The team had previously won nine “Since I went down with my injury, the postseason.”
consecutive GMC titles, which has led I’ve focused on being more vocal at
It’s not what they wanted, but it’s not to the target on their backs getting practices and with my teammates to Not only has a tough schedule pre-
bothering them. larger. Senior Kamal Adewumi said be the best leader I can be,” Adewumi pared the team, but practices as well.
this year, Mason has been “that” team said. “Being in the room with everyone Glassco said that the competition in
The Mason Boys Wrestling team has in the GMC everyone wanted to take and helping the younger guys, I feel practice has made each wrestler better.
traveled across the nation this year, down. like that’s been really important for the
competing with the best competition team.” “Going against my teammates every
in the country. With this year’s major “We’ve definitely had a target on our day has been great,” Glassco said. “It
traveling behind them, the team feels back for the last couple years,” Ad- The team has had big goals ever gives me different looks against guys
they have prepared themselves for a ewumi said. “Coming into the (GMC) since the season started in November. of different heights, weights, and
successful finish; but it has not gone tournament, we knew it would be a Glassco said that the wrestlers expect to strength. That does nothing but help
exactly as planned. big challenge with every other school be competing deep into the postseason, me and everyone else on the team.”
wanting to beat us.” and they are eyeing a state tournament
On Saturday, Mason lost their first run. Looking to next year, the team will
GMC title in ten years, however the Now, fresh off of the GMC tourna- be losing a lot of seniors, including last
team knows there is still plenty of ment, the team’s next meet is section- “The ultimate goal is state,” Glassco year’s state runner-up Chris Donathan.
season left. als.Glassco said that with the regular said. That’s our goal as a team, and Despite that, Adewumi feels the team
season over, it is time to turn the focus that’s been my own goal ever since I he is leaving behind should have a lot
Senior wrestler Sam Glassco said that onto the postseason. was a freshman. Now I’m a senior and of optimism for next year.
the team knew it would be a difficult that hasn’t changed. I want to win, and
meet, but the loss still certainly hurts. “All of our wrestling this year has if not then place as high as possible (at “I think the underclassmen have
been for the postseason,” Glassco said. state). learned a lot (from the seniors),” Ad-
“We are going to give everything we ewumi said. “Helping them with their
have and leave it all on the mat. We With big expectations and goals, technique, doing the small things right,
know we are prepared and ready, there’s Glassco said that the grueling schedule and showing them how to work hard
no excuse to hold back.” the team faced this year has prepared will certainly help (the underclassmen)
them for the postseason. next year.”
Just like any other team, leadership

20 Feature February 22, 2019

Kids can cash in playing their favorite video games

Jake Sapp | Staff Writer Photo by Jake Sapp
Last year, being the best video game
Junior Weston fox sits down to play one of his favorite video games, Rocket League.
player at your school got you bragging
rights. This year it can get you $2,000. rounding them. Photo by Jake Sapp
“I’ve been a big fan of video
In recent years, the concept of Junior Weston Fox plays video games on his Xbox console.
Esports has become an increasingly games for most of my life,” Gruen-
popular pastime among gaming en- wald said. “Back in the second grade it’s still a lot of fun. The competitive in particular in order to popularize
thusiasts, and even more recently, the my dad bought me a PlayStation 2 aspects of [Esports] really heighten a Esports and their team as a whole.
culture of Esports has made its way to and I’ve been hooked ever since. I lot of the desire to get better, and it’s
Mason High School in the form of a think it’s really cool thing that there a good way to connect with friends as “High School students will help
scouting program for Mount St. Joseph are now people who are scouting well.” make this program grow and become
University. The school is offering for professional Esports teams now, known,” David said. “We want this
$2,000 scholarships to students inter- especially since just ten years ago Much like how other collegiate opportunity to be known in Cincin-
ested in their Esports program. the idea of that would have been sports teams scout for High Schools nati, and it starts with students who
laughed at.” to give offers to for their programs, are interested and want to compete in
Head Coach and supervisor of the MSJ is reaching out to High Schoolers Esports.”
team, Tim David, explained the pro- Sophomore Abel Yemaneab is
gram as a recruitment process more an avid player of League of Leg-
than an after-school club, and an op- ends, an online multiplayer battle
portunity for students to display their arena game that has become the
skill to collegiate-level coaches. centerpiece for Esports as a whole.
She saidthe opportunity to earn a
“The program coming to Mount St. scholarship playing video games is
Joseph University, will have students enticing.
compete in League of Legends, Fort-
nite, and Rocket League,” David said. “It’s not something you see ev-
“We will be offering Esports scholar- eryday,” Yemeneab said. “I certainly
ships to a select few individuals who would have to get a lot better at the
prove themselves to be capable of game if I wanted to get onto the
bringing skill to the team.” team, but two-thousand dollars is
two-thousand dollars the way I see
The team isn’t just something that it.”
anyone with mild skill can walk onto,
David said. Applicants will be evalu- A number of students around MHS
ated on a number of factors that will share the sentiment that Esports
determine their eligibility for the shouldn’t be considered as a legitimate
team. sporting event. Junior Weston Fox says
that he agrees with said individuals,
“A lot of the games can measure but still thinks that there are positive
your in-game metrics, so it is a valu- experiences to be had within the realm
able recruitment tool,” David said. of competitive gaming.
“However, you can’t take it at face
value and still need to interact with the “I don’t really think of it as much
players. I want players who are open of a sport either,” Fox said. “I see it
to criticism, looking to lead, and work more as an activity than anything, but
hard at the game.”

David is no outsider to the realm
of Esports himself, and said that his
experience with the culture has helped
to determine what games the program
will be covering in its first year.

“League of Legends has been a
game I have been involved in since
2012,” David said.

“It’s also most popular collegiate
Esports and continues to be the main
Esport for a lot of universities. Fortnite
and Rocket League have also made a
huge impact on the Esports team, and
have drawn a lot of attention to them-
selves from University teams.”

There are a number of students at
MHS who have voiced their interest in
the program because of their passion
for competitive gaming. Sophomore
Alec Gruenwald said the opportunity
is intriguing considering the inclusion
of Rocket League, a competitive online
soccer game where you drive super-
charged race cars in order to knock a
ball into the opposing team’s goal.

“It’s something that I am definitely
considering trying out for,” Gruen-
wald said. “I’m pretty good at Rocket
League so I think I’d have a good shot
at making the team if I practice.”

Gruenwald believes that his history
with the hobby has contributed to his
interest in Esports and the culture sur-

February 22, 2019 Opinion 21

Change is Staff Editorial
coming
Go beyond appearance
Anusha Vadlamani |
Staff Writer Two sides that can’t seem to play nice, and a country Donald Trump so much he refused to compromise on
stuck in the middle of them -- welcome to the United spending for a border wall, well, they’re all the more
I’m really excited to be a senior. States. likely to vote for him in the 2020 election.
Not just because I get to blame everything I don’t finish on
senioritis (which is pretty much what I do now anyway), but We grew up in this time of extreme political polariza- And, of course, there’s Donald Trump. Mr. MAGA him-
because things are starting to change at Mason, all in time for tion -- most of us didn’t know what was happening with self. What did Trump want out of all of this? Was it really
when I’m about to walk across the stage, diploma in hand. politics before the 2016 election cycle (and some of us his wall? Probably. He certainly seems to want it. After
Next year, school is finally - finally - going to start 30 weren’t even paying attention then). So it’s hard for us all, no one has ever approached a wall, laden with drugs
minutes later. Which is awesome news because that’s 30 extra to say definitively if bipartisan cooperation is that much and anti-American sentiment, and thought to try climb-
minutes I get to stay up studying and reading. (Or you know, more difficult to achieve nowadays. ing over it. But it’s more than that. This wall was one of
watching an extra episode of ‘The Office.’) I know that 30 the primary -- certainly more memorable -- campaign
minutes seems insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but Or at least, until the government shut down. promises he made. It’s something his base believes in. It’s
it is definitely a stepping stone in the right direction. I think Thirty-five days of no government -- a new record. Two something they want. And Trump is all about his base.
the biggest, and most crucial, change, however, is the possible weeks longer than the previous titleholder. Nine federal His approval levels are so abysmal, they’re all he’s got
implementation of block scheduling. departments were impacted, employing 800,000 people left (because no one feels ‘iffy’ about Trump -- you love
When I first saw the potential schedule next year, I was in total. These people missed two pay periods during this him or you hate him). And so he’s going to do what he
miffed. I’m about to become a senior; I don’t want things to time. Most of them will get back pay -- some workers will needs to keep them happy.
change up on me right as I finally get to become the highest not. It will take years for the national parks to recover
of upperclassmen. Instead of knowing and mastering the art from damage done by tourists, unchecked by the usual You may have noticed that each of these groups has
of Mason High School, I’m going to have to learn it all over park employees. And the government lost billions of something in common: The base. That golden goose, the
again with the incoming freshmen. Which in prospect, isn’t the dollars in revenue -- billions. Why, again, did we shut it people who have your back. That’s what this shutdown
worst way to spend my last year at the high school. I guess I’m all down? was about. While the country as a whole was unhappy
just opposed to change. Over a wall. with it, we have to ask ourselves: Who were we angry
Instead of going to every single one of your seven classes a Firstly, let’s be clear: This was an ideological battle for with? If you’re liberal, the answer is probably Donald
day, the block schedule means that you only go to a couple of the Democrats. Five billion is nothing at all in the face of Trump and the Republican Party. If you’re conservative,
longer classes a day instead. I understand that people might be a nearly four trillion federal budget, and it would have the House Democrats. We don’t like to point fingers at
upset because that means sitting through your least favorite only provided enough to build about 300 miles of a wall our own team. But still, we expect results from them.
class for 20 extra minutes, but I believe it’s a small price to pay. -- while the US-Mexico border is nearly 2,000 miles long. And our politicians are sure to make sure that we feel
Instead of learning about seven different subjects a day, we They didn’t care about the money. They cared about what like we did.
get to focus on a couple and truly retain the knowledge from the wall represented. They cared about not appearing to
those subjects before moving on to the next class. give in to Trump. Their base doesn’t want a border wall. What did we get out of this shutdown? A difference of
According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need So the Democrats had to come out of this with a win. less than four billion on wall money. A national emer-
between eight and ten hours of sleep each night. But only 15 No one really talks about what the Republicans were gency. But most importantly, a re-affirmation of our own
percent are even getting close to the needed amount. Part of doing during this time. It’s all about the House Demo- views. How dare those Democrats refuse to sign poor
the reason for the lack of sleep is homework. The block sched- crats and President Trump now. But they were, in fact, President Trump’s bill! He just wants to protect Ameri-
ule though, I think, is going to help increase that percentage. doing something very important -- enabling Trump. cans -- why do they like illegal immigrants more than
Having homework from only three or four classes a day is so Our own Representative Steve Chabot opposed the most their own citizens! And how dare Trump promote his im-
much better than having homework from all seven of your recent spending bill that prevented a second shutdown migration policy! Does he think he can just do whatever
classes. You wouldn’t have to stay up till ungodly hours just to from occurring, joining only a quarter of Ohio’s rep- he wants? Does he think we won’t notice? We won’t care?
finish a group project by yourself (I’m hoping those days are resentatives in refusing to endorse a compromise that
behind us.) prevented our country from plunging back into chaos, Really, that may be the root of our problem: We
The block schedule is also introducing time on Wednesdays despite claiming in a blog post on January 30 that he don’t really care. We like to get angry, sure, but we
to just sit down, relax and decompress. Mental health aware- hoped “real negotiations take place.” don’t like to do much about it. Maybe Steve Chabot
ness has been a focus for the district this year, and this time on On his blog, he advocated for compromise (although was trying to appeal to his base in voting against that
Wednesday is a reflection of that. I think this time could possi- his definition of compromise seems to be restoring spending bill, but he hardly needed to try -- he’s held
bly be the most important thing that the district is introducing DACA protections Trump had taken away and calling his office for a staggering 23 years. Maybe Donald
next year. A break from the routine of the school day to focus the wall “Medicare for All”). But if he supported a com- Trump wanted to show his base that he was working
on yourself for a while? Yes, please. promise so much, why didn’t he support the bill? Our to get them what he promised, but how many of his
Change is coming next year, and I don’t know if I’m ready best guess is that he didn’t refuse to sign it because he promises has he already broken? We don’t care about
for it. At least we’re all going to be learning together. opposed it -- he did it because he thought it would make what our politicians do for us, as much as what they
him look good. If he can tell his base that he supports appear to be doing.

Appearances are everything.

The Chronicle’s Policy
The Chronicle is the official student The Chronicle is published monthly. The Chronicle is a member of The
newspaper of William Mason High Call 398-5025 ext. 33103 for infor- Columbia Scholastic Press Association, The Chronicle Staff Staff Writers
School. mation regarding advertising in The The National Scholastic Press Asso- Editor-in-Chief Visual Design Editor Evelina Gaivoronskaia Adviser
Chronicle. The Chronicle reserves the ciation, Quill and Scroll International Luke Hutchinson Ryan D’Souza Lily Geiser Dale Conner
The Chronicle promises to report the right to refuse advertising it deems in- Honorary Society for High School Jour- Managing Editor Riley Johansen
truth and adhere to the journalistic appropriate for a high school publica- nalists and the Ohio Scholastic Media Lauren Serge Online Editor Della Johnson Connect with
code of ethics through online and print tion. Association. Executive Editor Andrea Hefferan Sophia Johnson the Chronicle:
mediums. Jacob Brase Alexandra Lisa
As an open forum for students, let- Contact Information Sports Editor Business Manager Ria Parikh @mhschronicle
The Chronicle is produced by students ters to the editor are welcome, but are The Chronicle Rahul Parikh Nathalie Schickendantz Henri Robbins facebook.com/
enrolled in Journalism I, II and III. subject to be edited for length, libel, ob- William Mason High School Kaelyn Rodrigues mhschronicle
scenity, clarity and poor taste. Letters to 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Rd. Jake Sapp @mhschronicle
Editorials reflect the staff ’s opinion the editor may be dropped off in room Mason, Ohio 45040 Staff Photographer Matthew Smith
but do not necessarily reflect the opin- C103 and must be signed. (513) 398-5025 Tanner Pearson Anusha Vadlamani
ions of the school administration or the
Mason City School District.

22 Opinion February 22, 2019

Bring back Editorial Cartoon
respect
Not worth it
Ria Parikh |
Staff Writer

Only in 2019 would a funeral be confused with a Here’s your Several days a week. I scared my friend’s mom off
meet-and-greet. And, only in 2019, would there be once.
written instructions that urge fans to stay away. wake-up call
Next, please know that while you get an annoying
Ethan and Grayson Dolan -- known on YouTube as Lily Geiser | call maybe once or twice a week, that person has called
the Dolan Twins -- have nearly 9 million subscribers Staff Writer hundreds of people that day alone. They’ve seen it
to their channel. Recently, their father Sean Dolan all. They already had a horribly awkward call where
passed away from cancer and his funeral was few Telemarketers are annoying, aren’t they? they asked for Charlotte and then waited two painful
days later. They always seem to call at the most inconvenient minutes for whoever actually answered the phone to
times -- can’t we just have a nice peaceful family din- track her down. They were on a call where they had to
Common sense would tell us that fans are not ner? And who even talks on the phone anymore? And repeat themselves seven times to be heard by someone
welcome at a private funeral and that the best way to I’m sure half of them are scams anyways. Or bots. Or with either really bad reception or really bad hearing.
pay respects is to give the twins some time and space scam bots. They learned a new insult that day too. Or several.
to heal. Apparently, common sense isn’t so com- Well, fun fact: Some of them are people too. But mostly, they sat there as the phone rang, and then
mon, because as soon as news broke of their father’s From June through November last year, I interned went to voicemail, and then they quietly hung up and
passing, fans created social media accounts to party for a political campaign (cue the gasp of dismay). And dialled the next number, praying that no one would
plan his funeral. This sounds like an exaggeration, I made a lot of calls. Like, an ungodly number of calls. pick up.
but hashtags such as #SeanDolanMeetUpParty and Somedays I nearly lost my voice. So, having been on
#SeanDolanFuneralParty surfaced on Twitter. Meet the other side, I can tell you that however much you And what is this person being paid for this mind-
up party. Funeral party. Not only that, but there was hate getting our calls, we hate giving them even more. numbing work, you may ask? In my case, it was noth-
even an Instagram account that was dedicated to ral- Firstly, know that the person who called you prob- ing. In many others, it’s minimum wage. These brave
lying fans to go to the funeral together, with agenda ably isn’t using a smartphone. Can you even imagine? souls, who only want to sell you incredibly overpriced
items such as “meet up at McDonald’s all together” We’re back to the dark ages of flip phones and those phone books or help you refinance the house you
and even “please cry”. weird, bulky desk phones with swirly cords that you don’t own, are working for next to nothing. They are
have to plug in. So while you’re at home living the enduring the abuse of complete strangers, angry that
I know that not all fans would do this, and, in fact, high life scrolling through Instagram, your caller is they had to pause their movie for thirty seconds, for
a large number of the Dolan Twins’ fan base was sitting in some dusty corner of an even dustier office, scraps. I could tell you some of the things I’ve been
disgusted with what happened, but enough people staring at a spreadsheet of names they don’t know called, but it would almost certainly be censored by
were actually thinking about going to the funeral and using a phone that hasn’t been acceptable since the school’s filters.
that multiple YouTube news channels reported on it the early 2000s. And if they are using a phone that
and the twins had to involve themselves while they didn’t have to be obtained through time travel or dark I’ve heard many people say that everyone should
were grieving. magic, it’s probably their personal phone. And that work as a waiter at least once, just so they know what
means they get calls back. it’s like. Well, I think that everyone should work as
This is absurd for reasons I hope I don’t have to Yeah, you thought you were the only one who got a telemarketer. Because there’s something strangely
explain, but what is equally disturbing is that this unwanted calls? Imagine the sinking feeling we get dehumanizing about a disembodied voice hundreds
isn’t the first time fans have violated basic privacy when we see an unknown number appear on our of miles away. Working even one hour on the other
rights. Fans of Colleen Ballinger, James Charles, phone at eight in the evening from some poor unwit- end of the line will certainly bring the humanity of
and the ACE Family have all shown up at the cre- ting soul. I started automatically answering calls by that voice forcefully into your mind. But most of you
ators’ houses or hotel rooms, hoping for a picture. saying “Hello, did I call you earlier today?” and then won’t do that, so I only ask you this: The next time you
I understand that these people have chosen their launching into a speech that had been ingrained in get a call from an unknown number, pick it up. Ask
professions to be in the public eye, but that doesn’t my memory from repeating it for three hours straight. the person on the other end how their day is going. I
mean that they should subject themselves to the fear can promise you, it will absolutely blow their mind --
of constantly being watched and stalked. Like any they’ll remember you for the rest of the day as a hero.
other person, they very carefully choose the portions
they want to publicize, their decision to take that to a And then politely decline when they ask for your
much larger degree does not make their entire lives Social Security number.
open books.

Obviously, any time fans violate someone’s pri-
vacy is disturbing, but this time hit a new low. The
possibility of fans showing up at the funeral was so
real, that both creators were forced to tweet out state-
ments shutting it down.

This needs to change. YouTube personalities were
popularized with the idea that they would be able
to interact with their fans on a more personal level
than would mainstream celebrities, and everyone
expected that it would come with a price, but no per-
son, celebrity or not, YouTuber or not, should have
to tell people they never met not to come to their
father’s funeral. Period.

At this rate, the social media platforms that foster
personal connection and communication will turn
into avenues for disturbance and danger right before
our eyes. We as a society need to reestablish basic
respect and boundaries, and we need to do it fast.

February 22, 2019 23