December 2022

THE COURIER
Volume 15
December 2022 Issue 3

2840 E Orange Rd, Lewis Center, OH 43035

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2 | december Design | Shreya Arunkumar

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EDITORS IN CHIEF EDITORS STAFF ADVISER

design - makenna shrager business manager - shreya writers: kari phillips
writing - aryan bommena arunkumar & natalia favila inacua darius agbotui
& kendall cadegan columnist - rachel lehman rebekah richter
sports columnist - justin blevins adam welch
copy editors - zion clifon, luna ava valentik
perez delgado, & molly sullivan nathan staten
design & photo editors - teresa designers:
christian & lily clark nathan chow
digital editor - rachel lehman wyatt downey
feature editor - achintya perumal lincoln hake
lifestyle editor - taylor goudie mackenna miller
news editor - shreya arunkumar hiya patel
projects editor - taylor goudie sophie rogers
sports & opinion editors - nick audrey selsor
woolard & gabby raney lilly wood

Check out e Courier’s online
site! All your favorite writers and
designers go digital. Scan the code

with your camera to be taken
directly there!

REDRAWING THE LINES................................p.6

SNOWY SPORTS......................................................p.9

DISCOVER COLUMBUS...................................p.19

SANTA’S SLEIGH STOPS...............................p.23

TOC & COVER DESIGN MAKENNA SHRAGER | COVER PHOTO ARYAN BOMMENA DECEMBER | 3

staff editorial | conspiracies

staff editorial
gen z’s conspiracies

writing editorial board | design lily clark

It’s 2019, and many people are highly was true. Even if people didn’t think it was caught up in it all and blindly follow theories.
anticipating the newest video in YouTuber true, they continued to add to the discourse Gen Z commonly falls victim to
Shane Dawson’s conspiracy theories and spread this theory wide across the internet,
series. Diving deeper into the mysteries of impacting Chuck E. Cheese’s business. Many misinformation, and sometimes people will
varying conspiracy theories in videos over people even went to Chuck E. Cheese after know something is likely fake and continue
an hour and a half long, Dawson explored the the video and would post about their own to talk about it anyway. Gen Z also typically
truths and lies for himself. findings there. seems to like making elaborate jokes, and
spreading a conspiracy theory that birds work
Prior to his own controversies, Dawson Dawson’s videos led to a huge conspiracy for the bourgeoisie as a joke was an example of
had a huge following on social media, and he theory boom on YouTube, creating massive such. Teens made various videos on YouTube
made conspiracy theory videos on YouTube conversation surrounding conspiracy theories. and TikTok playing into the joke that birds
that garnered much attention. These videos were drones or worked for the bourgeoisie,
amassed millions of views and created mass The conversation didn’t just stay on YouTube, leading to public confusion.
hysteria, especially surrounding theories though, and it jumped to other social media
behind companies such as Chuck E. Cheese sites such as Twitter and TikTok as well. Overall, YouTube is a large source of
and Mattress Firm. These theories may not entertainment and news for us but also a
originally have been serious, but the dark, The videos also raised the question of how source for conspiracy theories to become
ominous tone Dawson utilized in his videos far is too far when discussing theories on real widespread. Did Disney create the movie
made viewers react in strong force. events, people, and companies. For example, “Frozen” to distract the public from the theory
there are various theories surrounding 9/11 that Walt Disney froze himself after he passed
In a video titled “Investigating and assassinations that many people believe away? Did Avril Lavigne die and become
Conspiracies with Shane Dawson”, Dawson in or share on the internet. Additionally, with cloned? Is Mattress Firm secretly laundering
discussed the idea that Chuck E. Cheese was so much misinformation, it’s easy to get money?
recycling their pizza slices customers left
behind and giving them to new customers. These questions may sound ludicrous, but
Dawson pointed out the strange shapes of there are people believing in these theories
slices not fitting together, and even went to
Chuck E. Cheese to check it out for himself. .and hoping to spread their ideas with others.

This small portion of the larger video It’s important when we hear about theories
caused a huge frenzy of people thinking this that we seek out facts and avoid becoming
the next victim of misinformation, and also be
able to separate entertainment from truths.

EDITORIAL STATEMENT

e Courier is the o cial student-produced medium of news and information published by the Advanced Newspaper
Journalism students of Olentangy Orange High School. e Courier has been established as a designated public forum
for student journalists to inform, educate and entertain readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their
audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school o cials, adults or sources prior to publication.

e content of e Courier is determined by and re ects only the views of the student sta and not school o cials
or the school itself. e Courier will not publish any material, determined by the sta or adviser, that is libelous,
obscene or disruptive to the school day.

e adviser is Kari Phillips. Readers may respond to e Courier through Letters to the Editor. Letters may be
mailed, e-mailed to thecouriersta @gmail.com or dropped o to room 2213. e sta asks that submissions be 300
words or less and contain the author’s name and signature. Editors reserve the right to edit or withhold publication of
letters.

e Courier strives to uphold the Canons of Professional Journalism, which includes accuracy, impartiality, etc.
erefore, major errors will be corrected in the next issue. Distinction will be marked between news and opinion
stories.
4 | december

consumerism | op ed

holidays consumerism

overconsumption for gift giving

writing kendall cadegan | design lily clark

Walking through the mall looks The growth in the sales and money spent does. These plastics will eventually be in a
different at each time of year. In shows that people are spending more and dump, and will sit there or end up someplace
late November, one will be able to getting more than they have in the past. And like a river or in the ocean where it can kill
see the large banners broadcasting the stores’ while good deals are important to saving wildlife and pollute the water.
70 percent off sale, and going into the holiday money, it is important to keep in mind what is
season, the signs will have switched to gift needed and what does one want just because According to National Geographic, about
guides for loved ones. of the deal. eight million tons of plastic end up in the
ocean from coastal nations annually, and the
Different times of the year are associated Whether one is looking to buy a toy, a plastics kill millions of animals each year as
with different events and activities for new game, or some clothes for themselves well.
everyone. Buying gifts for oneself and others or someone else, not much thought is being
is one of these that the vast majority of people put into what it took to make the product. Nevertheless, it isn’t practical to give up
partake in at the end of each year. Many resources like plastic go into the gift giving; it has been a tradition for a long
production of these products and increased time for many. And no one is going to stop
The holiday season sends everyone into consumerism causes an increase in the use of buying gifts and shopping when deals are
a frenzy trying to find the perfect gift for the these resources. good. I wouldn’t either.
people in their lives. The days of deals such as
Black Friday or Cyber Monday only heighten Whether a new toy is bought for a kid, or However, it is necessary to think about
the anticipation of getting and giving gifts it’s simply the packaging of the online orders what and how much we buy. Increasing rates
since so much is on sale. people have placed, plastic is very prominent of consumption not only bring us more goods,
with the consumption of goods. In a year, the but it does more damage to the environment
However, because of the massive sales toy may be broken, or irrelevant to the child as well.
that take place at nearly every store, many who initially wanted it, and the packaging
buy much more than they would at any other that contains the other goods are ripped off in Shopping through sustainable brands or
time which leads to overconsumption of seconds of the package’s arrival. buying what is truly necessary for oneself and
goods and materials. This brings the question for others are good ways to combat the issue.
of how much is too much? These plastics will end up being dumped
as they no longer serve a purpose. What kid .Ultimately, we can all do little things to help
According to Adobe Analytics, online wants to play with a broken toy, and who
sales have increased by 2.3 percent from last decides to keep the plastic coverings of their the problem, but most importantly as we shop
year’s Black Friday to this year. $9.12 billion orders? this holiday season, being mindful of what we
was spent purely online, and much more was are purchasing is the best way to go about the
also spent in stores. The unfortunate reality is that no one holiday season.

december | 5

NEWS | REDISTRICTING

REDRAWING THE LINES

overview of olentangy’s growth

OWRITING ARYAN BOMMENA | DESIGN & GRAPHIC WYATT DOWNEY e actual process of changing
lentangy Local School District is buildings led to another problem for the district boundaries can be di cult. Many
the h largest in the state with school district—attendance boundaries. di erent factors have to be considered.
28 separate schools including the Districts such as Olentangy are forced to
addition of a new middle school currently update their attendance boundaries with “State law gives the superintendent
in the process of being built. the completion of each subsequent school the authority to assign sta and students
e area surrounding the district has building. in our district. I choose to use a process
grown immensely in the last 10 years. that gathers input and feedback from
Delaware County is currently the fastest many community members. We have a
growing county in the state of Ohio, “Redistricting typically consultant who helps manage the data that
according to usa.com. occurs when we open a shows where every student lives and how
moving students impacts the current and
“Delaware County is seen as a desirable new building which is future enrollment at each school. We have
place to raise a family in a suburban setting a community committee that develops
with a relatively a ordable housing market. currently happening in our and analyzes a number of scenarios,
gathers feedback from the community and
e county has outstanding schools and district as we plan to open makes a recommendation on potential
an appealing rural environment with easy boundaries. I ultimately make the nal
access to major retail and entertainment Berlin Middle School next decision on the boundaries,” Rai said.
venues as well as a signi cant amount of year.”
green space and great system of public Olentangy Local School District is
parks. e population of Delaware County “We are also going to adjust some currently the h largest school district
has grown from 174,214 in 2010 to 214,124 elementary boundaries as we have a couple in the state following the large urban
based on the 2020 census, a 23 percent of buildings that are signi cantly over school districts of Columbus, Cleveland,
increase from the 2010 census,” Delaware capacity,” Olentangy Local School District Cincinnati, and Toledo, and is still
County Auditor George Kaitsa said. Superintendent Mark Rai said. growing at a very quick pace.

is growth has created the need for Redistricting can also be done “While the current growth may level
a large school district to support the ever- periodically in between the construction o due to rising interest rates that a ect the
growing population. of new school buildings when there are cost of nancing the purchase of a home.
buildings in the district that are substantially I do not expect to see any decrease in the
“ e population growth has resulted over-capacity. near future. In addition, the Intel facility
in the need for the construction of new in Licking County will create additional
school buildings, particularly within the Rai mentioned the need to redo demand for housing in Delaware County
Olentangy Local School District. e need boundaries when a school has too many as the Intel facility ramps up production,”
for new school buildings has resulted in the students; he also explained that Olentangy
need for a bond levy and several current has a capacity of 1100 for their middle .Kaitsa said.
expense levies to support the growth of the schools and 750 for their elementary As long as the district keeps getting
school district. Other school districts in schools. With the current growth of the larger, the need to redistrict school
the county have had the same experience,” surrounding area, projections show the attendance boundaries will always be
Kaitsa said. need for another middle school and three there.
more elementary schools within the next
e building of these new school 10 years.

according to Niche.com

delaware county
has experienced
a 23% increase
from 2010 to 2020

6 | DECEMBER

NEWS BRIEFS | NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS

december 2022

WRITING MOLLY SULLIVAN | DESIGN LINCOLN HAKE

WINTER BREAK PLANS MIDTERMS IMPORTANT DATES:

Semester Exams starts

During the last week of the semes- 12/14
ter and the second quarter, many
The second quarter ends on Dec. 16, classes have important midterm last day of semester / Q1
meaning winter break will begin the exams and projects. is can be a very
day a er. Classes restart on Jan. 3. 12/16
Many students have already started
planning their winter break. While some stressful time for many students.
are looking forward to catching up on ese exams will begin at 7:20 a.m., Hanukkah Starts
sleep, others have a packed schedule ahead and each class has a one hour and 30 min-
of them. ute time block to allow their students to 12/18
take the tests. ere are three exam periods
“I want to catch up on sleep during win- per day on Dec. 14-16, and most students
ter break. It is so nice being able to just relax get to go home early. Christmas
and not have to set my alarm for the next
morning,” sophomore Emma Bass said. Some teachers issue projects for their 12/25
midterms rather than full tests. While some
Some people also utilize this special students prefer testing, others like the free-
time to travel, whether it’s just for fun or to dom of midterm projects. Hanukkah ends
visit family that lives far away. Many travel “You read a choice book and then these
south during the winter to get away from standards she made and we made a rubric 12/26
Ohio’s bitter cold weather. based o of them. You pick your standard
you want to focus on, and analyze it,” soph-
“For winter break, I’m going to Disney omore Alicia Owusu-Ansah said, “I don’t new years eve
World with my family to celebrate Christ-
mas. We are staying on the resort and plan- nd myself to be very stressed about this 12/31
ning on visiting a di erent park each day,” project.”
sophomore Taylor Boyd said, “I’m really Some students start to wonder what
looking forward to all of the Star Wars rides these exams are really for, and if they are new years
as well as some of the iconic disney stu , worth all the stress. At the end of the se-
also buying souvenirs and spending time mester, exams are worth about 20 percent 1/1
with my family.” of students’ grades.
“Midterms are important in my opin-
Occasionally, families travel overseas ion because it’s a checkpoint to see what Beginning of 2nd Semester / Q3
to visit loved ones. Most airports become
incredibly busy during these few weeks of you’ve been learning and can help you see 1/2
the holidays. what areas of a unit you need to relearn,”
sophomore Emilee Ludwig said.
“I’m traveling to England. I’m most ex- Di erent students have personal strat- Club group photo day
cited to see my family and the city because egies for studying for midterms and nal
I’m going to London. I rarely get to visit En- exams. 1/6
gland so when I do go it’s really exciting to “I’m planning on breaking up studying
see my family and friends,” sophomore Jess days (ex. On Mondays would be period 1,
Hodgkiss said. Tuesdays would be for period 2, then so on) MLK Day

During breaks from school, it is im- A er reviewing those I would go over top- 1/16
portant to spend more time with loved ics that I struggle with,” Ludwig said.
ones. Whether it’s your immediate family, .Several teachers from every subject
friends, or distant relatives, many people
have a variety of ways they go about making
.have work and school o during these cou- their exams. Students must make sure to be
prepared for everything that may come at
ple of weeks and are available to celebrate. the end of the rst semester.

DECEMBER | 7

sports | girls soccer

outstanding oogs

girls soccer reaches final four

writing shreya arunkumar | design hiya patel | permission to print teresa christian
minutes to the end of the game,
the girls soccer team was still games and working together.” but each team will have new captains.”
As the team was also OCC, district and e captains, Kaitlyn Colvert, Jadia
15down by one at the state semi
nals, and the audience was at the edge of regional champions, as well as state semi- Kershaw and Kaelyn Valleau were also
their seats. But nally, the ball soared into nalists, individual players and the team an integral part of the team’s winning
the net, bringing the game to a tie when the streak, as they helped build a community
buzzer rang and throughout over-time, the started to break almost all of the school within the team. e captains had various
team remained dedicated to the game. records. e team set records for most goals responsibilities to take on and were
and wins in a season and best record, while committed to helping the team improve.
is season was one of many rsts for Kershaw had most shoot-outs in a season,
the girls soccer team, commonly known as senior Kaelyn Valleau had most goals in a “As a captain, I helped lead the team on
OOGS. game and most individual goals in a season the eld by communicating o en and sorting
and Valleau and junior Lauryn Barringer out players,” Kershaw said. “O the eld, I
As the team kickstarted its season with shared most assists in a season. helped create a positive team culture and a
conditioning, it was not projected to do as closely knit group between the girls.”
well as it did. Even though there were several “We had a great season this year and
key players on the team, many seniors went further than any OOGS team has ever In the end, the bond between the players
graduated from the team last year, leaving gone,” senior center forward Haylee Prime was what made the team a erce competitor
the team to nd its rhythm again. said. “We made it all the way to the state for the other schools, and what contributed
semi nals and played to the last minute in to its many wins.
“From the outside looking in, most double overtime.”
people in the high school soccer community “I contribute the majority of our success
may have felt it was a rebuilding year for e players also faced many challenges to the great team atmosphere we had all year
us,” Head Coach Tim Lawrence said. “We and tough competitors, but they remained as we created a family and worked for each
graduated ve senior starters this past spring dedicated to the game throughout the season. other every day,” Prime said. “Not many
who started for three years.” teams can say they made it as far as we did
“We play a challenging schedule, and this year, but even fewer can say they had as
e team did not have its eyes set on the the girls have to be ready to play at a peak dedicated players to their team on and o the
trophies and titles at the beginning, but a er performance level weekly,” Lawrence said.
winning games, the players realized that “ e toughest teams we faced this past eld as we had.”
they had the potential to have a successful season in Central Ohio were: Dublin Jerome, As this season has come to an end for
post-season. Dublin Co man, Berlin and New Albany.”
OOGS, players hope to take this success into
“At the beginning of the season, our e success this new season brought the the next season.
hope was to build a very close group and girls soccer program was a direct result of the
have that start to help our outcomes on e ort the players put in during practices and “Our goals will be similar next season,”
the eld,” senior captain and goalie Jadia the dedication they brought to the the eld. Lawrence said. “We strive to have strong
team chemistry, the players to give 100
.Kershaw said. “Once we realized we had a “We set similar goals and use similar percent e ort daily, win OCC and district,
coaching methods each year, but the make- and have fun!”
decent team, we started to focus on winning up of each team is di erent,” Lawrence said.

“Obviously, there are returning players,

Sophmore Sydney Schwade throwing in Junior Lauryn Barringer kicking the ball
soccer ball on the field. away from the opponent.

8 | december

unconventional sports | sports

snowy sports

skiing and bobsledding in winter

writing ava valentik | design hiya patel | permission to print audrey selsor

While some people play basketball, competition. A speed of 80 to 100 miles also need to have good coordination. When
and some play hockey, very per hour must be reached in the rst 250 going over jumps or more challenging runs,
few people bobsled or ski. Due meters. you need to know how to stay safe and listen
to this, these two sports are considered to your body,” sophomore Sophia Kulesa said.
unconventional, meaning they aren’t as well- In this sport, either two or four players She has been skiing for ve years.
known or popular. drive the sleigh on the ice track and
complete the race by providing the initial Skiing can be done both for competition,
Since these sports aren’t as popular, not boost and then maintaining the speed as or for fun. When skiing for competition, the
many people know how they are played or well as balancing the sleigh on the icy track goal is to run down the course and cross the
how points are scored. But, just like any other according to TutorialsPoint. gate line in the fastest time possible to win,
sport, some rules and regulations go along compared to skiing for fun, where speed is
with them. “I compete in two-man and four- not as important.
man teams. But a er the rst run, only
Bobsledding is one of the most the top 20 get a second run. In the World “I don’t ski for competition. I prefer to go
underrated and unknown sports, it is a very Championships and Olympics, there’s an at my own pace. It could be fun, but for now,
rare occurrence to run into someone who opportunity for four runs, judged by the I enjoy just going with my friends,” Kulesa
bobsleds. fastest time down the track,” Adams said. said. “It's so much fun to just be out there
with friends and enjoy the snow!”
“Bobsledding is like NASCAR on ice, but In the two-man event, the sled is pushed
you get two runs for each race,” Olympian and ridden by one man and the other is the e two closest ski resorts to ski in
Adrian Adams said through an Instagram brakeman. In the four-man event, there is Columbus are Snow Trails in Mans eld and
conversation. one driver, two pushers, and one brakeman Mad River Mountain in Zanes eld. Both
who work together to control the sled, these resorts are rated four out of ve stars,
Bobsledding was rst introduced according to NBC Washington. according to Tripadvisor.
in the 1800s in upstate New York. Mens
bobsledding has been an Olympic sport “I fell in love with this sport, I get to “I ski at Snow Trails, along with many
since 1924, with womens racing being represent my country, I love to compete of my friends. It's pretty big, for a resort in
implemented in 2002, according to at a high level that the sport provides, and Ohio. ey have multiple big runs ranging
Britannica. I just love everything about it, such as from green circles to black diamonds,” Kulesa
the teamwork, and the brotherhood and said. “Although, I’ve been skiing a couple
To understand the sport of bobsledding, friendships,” Adams said. of times out West and it will always be my
one must rst understand the format of a favorite.”
One other unconventional sport is skiing.
Standing on the mountain Although this sport is a little more popular, it .Support is always appreciated from
sophmore Sophie Rogers, is still not as widespread.
laying on the mountain athletes, and it’s very easy to achieve. A few
sophmore Audrey Selsor. Just like any other sport, skiing requires ways to do this are tuning into the Winter
much practice and skill. “Not only do you Olympics, following athletes on social media,
need good balance and core strength, but you and sending them positive messages.

From right to left Sophmores Ava Valentik, Rebekah Ritcher, Molly
Sullivan and Luna Perez Delgado.

december | 9

SPORTS COLUMN | BASKETBALL

from the sidelines
central ohio basketball

TWRITING JUSTIN BLEVINS | DESIGN WYATT DOWNEY | PERMISSION TO PRINT ARYAN BOMMENA
he basketball season has arrived. Central last year.
e rst o cial boys basketball Reynoldsburg’s sophomore duo of

game was on Nov. 29 against Saint Toby Nwokolo and Jordan Fisher is going
Charles. e basketball season to be a gi to watch ourish these next
should be a lot more anticipated than the couple years. Jordan had 24 points on 10/11
football season. When it comes to Central shooting in a district semi- nal win over
Ohio, OCC basketball will never disappoint Groveport-Madison last year. Additionally,
fans. guard Jordan Bowens will be the freshman
A er snapping the reigning state- star for the Raiders this year. Bowens has
champ Centerville’s 44-game winning gentry vision varied with exceptional IQ for
streak Pickerington Central is led by Ohio the game.
State commit Devin Royal. Point guard Whitehall’s Reggie Bagley has a game
Juwan Turner is one of the most underrated in the nature of Brandon Ingram. If he uses
in the state. Turner is a pass rst oor his strength, Bagley will be a gi to watch in
general with ne vision and ball handling. the time ahead.
On the other side of town, Pickerington Columbus South’s junior duo of
North has a gem in Arness Lawson. e Maurice McCall and LJ Washington will
sophomore guard is poised for a breakout be causing issues on both ends of the court
year. this year. Damon Gri n will also be a name ABOUT THE COLUMNIST
It is almost a guarantee at this point to watch out for, as he led the Bulldogs to an
that one of the Pickerington schools will 8-2 record this year in football. Gri n had
win a state championship in football or 2000 all-purpose yards with 31 touchdowns My name is Justin Blevins, I have been
watching and playing sports for as long
basketball once every ve years. Like and ve interceptions this year. as I can remember. is is my rst year is
usual, fans will have Akron St. Vincent St. Jesse Burris from Delaware Hayes is an
Mary, Centerville, Pickerington Central elite shot creator with limitless range. journalism but I am excited to share my
sports opinions with everyone.
and the powerhouses, but what teams are I’ve believed for years that if Ohio State
going to surprise people this year? What just recruited basketball kids from Central
teams will possibly make a run deep in the Ohio the team would be more than ne,
tournament? but for some reason they don’t take shots
e OCC-Buckeye division is stacked on kids like this. Central Ohio has had stars
with talent this year as almost every such as Dane Goodwin, Ben Roderick,
team has plenty of young upside. Central Kaleb & Andre Wesson, Ja’sean Tate.
Crossing is led by sophomore Kent Not in Central Ohio, but rising
Hairston who is hoping to give the Comets sophomores like RJ Greer, Jagger Hutchins,
a winning record for the rst time in their .Damon Friery, and Kingston Land all have
school history.
the potential to be at Ohio State. It’s going to
Newark has a couple returning seniors, be a blessing watching them blossom these
and not to mention it was one of three next few years, but even more it would be
teams to beat state champion Pickerington seeing them in a Buckeye uniform.

10 | DECEMBER

ADS

MACKENNA MILLER | DESIGN DECEMBER | 11

cover | conspiracies UNCOVERING CONSP

?? understanding the impact

writing aryan bommena, taylor goudie, nick woolard | design teresa chritian
Whether it be thinking the Earth is
at, the United States’ government make it t into something we do know,” feeling, we only look for information that will
is hiding aliens, or celebrities have AP Psychology teacher Jamie Paoloni said. prove us right and validate our thoughts.”
“Generally, conspiracy theories tend to
Once people start to think something
died and been cloned, conspiracy theories are develop around things we don’t know. is could possibly be true, they seek out ways to
signi cant in creating discussion in society. could be an event we are unclear as to what con rm their beliefs, instead of listening to
Conspiracy theories are huge within happened (JFK assassination, what happened facts that could disprove it. People o en don’t
society and social media. ese theories, to Atlantis, etc.), or even groups of people like being wrong, and that goes for conspiracy
whether true or false, are believed by typically that we don’t know and are strange to us theories as well.
large groups of people. (Republican vs. Democrat).” “ is is what contributes to conspiracy
“A conspiracy theory is an alleged plot by People believe in a plethora of conspiracy theories - an individual will only seek out
a group of people acting in secret to achieve theories for di erent reasons, but there is information that proves the conspiracy true,
a sinister goal,” University of Kent Social psychology to back up why this may be. even though there might be mountains of
Psychology professor Karen Douglas said. One psychological e ect that can in uence evidence for the contrary,” Elizaga said.
“Conspiracy theories have always been with people to believe in conspiracy theories is As people try to piece together the
us, and some scholars argue that we are even con rmation bias. unknown, in which they form conspiracy
hard-wired to believe in conspiracy theories.” “Con rmation bias is the tendency we theories, they are attempting to ful ll their
With so much unknown in the world, all have to only seek out information that psychological needs. ere are two di erent
people will o en search for answers to ll in con rms our beliefs, while conveniently types of psychological needs.
any gaps of unknown information in their ignoring any information that will prove us “Research suggests that people are
brains, which is where people can sometimes wrong. Con rmation bias is one of those attracted to conspiracy theories when one
nd themselves lling it with conspiracy tricks that we use on ourselves to make us feel or more psychological needs are frustrated,”
theories. better,” Columbus State Psychology professor Douglas said. “ e rst of these needs are
“Our brains can’t really handle the Ron Elizaga said. “Speci cally, we don’t like epistemic, related to the need to know the
unknown, so when we see, hear, or feel feeling wrong. So, in order to avoid that truth and have clarity and certainty. e
something we are unsure of, we tend to

12 | december

PIRACY THEORIES conspiracies | cover

t of theories on society ??

other needs are existential, which are related With echo chambers, people in them theories.”
to the need to feel safe and to have some only surround themselves with people who It’s important to note and acknowledge all
control over things that are happening around agree with what they believe in, therefore
us, and social, which are related to the need not hearing any other sides to their theories of the dangers of conspiracy theories because
to maintain our self-esteem and feel positive and ideas. is can push people deeper into it can be easy for some people to slip into a
about the groups that we belong to.” their belief, and again con rm that what they strong belief in a theory.
believe is “true”.
One example of a theory commonly “Anyone can fall prey to conspiracy
brought up when discussing conspiracy “When other people agree with our false theories if they have psychological needs that
theories is the idea that the earth is at. is beliefs, that creates something else called the are not being met at any particular time,”
is an example of a conspiracy theory that has overcon dence phenomena, which makes us Douglas said.
been proven wrong in science because the convinced we can’t be wrong,” Paoloni said.
earth is in fact not at, but a spherical shape. While it can be said that some conspiracy
Still, believers, called Flat Earthers, ignore that Holding a belief in conspiracy theories theories, such as the theory of Bigfoot, do not
and remain still in their belief. can be linked to psychological e ects on a have any impact on the lives of all Americans,
person. Conspiracy theories can shape the there are other conspiracies that will have an
Another psychological e ect that impacts behavior of people once they believe in them. everlasting e ect on American society.
people’s beliefs in conspiracy theories is echo
chambers. “Conspiracy theories can a ect people’s Governmental conspiracy theories have
attitudes, intentions, and behaviors,” Douglas recently been a lot more prevalent in society.
According to Elizaga, echo chambers are said. “Conspiracy theories historically have Ranging from theories such as QAnon to one
“an environment where you only encounter been linked with prejudice, genocide, risky of the most well-known theories, the election
beliefs that coincide with your own. is health behavior, climate denial, and more of 2020 was stolen, there are many groups
is especially easy with social media where recently some quite disturbing behavior who believe in these di erent theories.
anyone could put out information (true or related to QAnon and COVID-19 conspiracy
false) without any vetting.” One of the most prevalent theories in
society today is the theory of QAnon, which

is that the Democratic
Party secretly has a mission

december | 13

covtehre | DcoemnsopcriartaicciePsarty secretly has a which is more mainstream media.” o cers were assaulted, with $1.5 million
mission to exploit children and use them in According to CNN, many well-known caused in damages, according to the United
a sex tra cking ring out of a pizza parlor in States Department of Justice. ere was even
New York, according to Government Teacher celebrities, such as Elon Musk and Dinesh a noose outside the building, with rioters
John Carmichael. D’Souza, have been pushing the rhetoric that chanting “hang Mike Pence”, according to
the man who attacked Paul Pelosi on Oct. 28 CNBC.
As well as the theories of QAnon and the was a lover of Nancy Pelosi, who attacked him
stolen election of 2020, Carmichael said there a er the two got into a ght. It is said that To this day, people still believe that the
are also some smaller conspiracies to exist, there is no evidence to show that these two 2020 election was illegitimate. Polls run by
such as the theory that Je rey Epstein was had any relation to each other. Poynter before July 22, show that 70 percent of
murdered by political elites and the theories republican voters don’t believe that President
of John F. While some of these extremely prominent

Was the moon
landing a hoax?

Kennedy’s assassination. theories may not seem to have an e ect Joe Biden legitimately won the election.
And in recent times, it has seemed a lot on society, some of them pose danger to During a Twitter conversation with an
communities, and even the government as a
easier for these ideas to spread. With the whole. anonymous user, the user stated that voting
evolution of modern media, these gureheads machines were found as malfunctioning,
and conspiracists have had an extremely easy On Jan. 6, 2021, former President Trump and republican votes got switched over to
way of pushing their platforms all over the gave a speech to thousands of his supporters, democratic. As well as this, it was found that
media. stating that “all of us here today do not want to dead people were voting, crates of republican
see our election victory stolen by emboldened votes were thrown in ditches, and illegal
“He [Trump] transcends alternative radical-le Democrats, which is what they’re immigrants were voting.
media, mainstream media, and he is an doing. And stolen by the fake news media.
incredibly powerful bully pulpit,” Carmichael “ e problem is, you have legitimate
said. “At the high point of his Twitter use, at’s what they’ve done and what they’re people claiming the election was fraudulent,
about 20 percent of people who were on doing. We will never give up,” according to even the most high-pro le people, like Trump,
Twitter followed him.” NPR. without proof,” Carmichael said.

As well as former President Donald Shortly a er, Trump gave these remarks While election deniers are still prevalent
Trump spreading theories, other prominent on Capitol Hill, he told the crowd that they in our society, recent voting trends, especially
faces in society spread false information and will “ ght. We ght like hell. And if you don’t a er the 2022 midterm elections, show that
conspiracies. these election denying candidates may be
ght like hell, you’re not going to have a trending downward on popularity.
“But it [QAnon] has reached mainstream,” country anymore,” according to NPR.
Carmichael said. “Tucker Carlson has been up “If you look at these election deniers that
on Fox News talking quite a bit about QAnon. A er those words, rioters went to the Trump put forward and supported, out of
And he gets three million viewers a night, Capitol building during the counting of around 280 people, only a handful of them
14 | december electoral votes. On that day, around 140 police

won,” Carmichael said. “It’s a good signal of e problem arises when information news source or storcyo. nOsnpeircaanciaelsso| sctoicvketro
the health of our voting system.” seen on social media is taken for truth with trusted media publications or use free online
no further research or fact-checking done. tools such as factcheck.org.
In recent years, it has become increasingly
common to see far-fetched theories and is can create a false narrative and cause Many politicians and celebrities
ideas circulating in the media consumers many people to form opinions on a topic that utilize social media such as Twitter as a quick
digest. Social media has created the perfect are based on misinformation. way to reach their base. is has changed how
environment for large swathes of people to information is relayed to the people.
communicate about their opinions or ideas, Social media is also very e ective at
whether the ideas are accurate or not. organizing large gatherings or events. In Due to how prevalent this has become;
2019, a user created an event on Facebook to social media companies have a lot of power on
Joseph Uscinski, professor at the storm the Area 51 base in Nevada. e event what and who they allow on their platforms.
University of Miami and author of American eventually spiraled into a multi-day music In early 2021, Twitter banned then-president
Conspiracy eories, a book that examines festival as well and saw a turnout of more than Donald Trump’s personal account. ey cited
why people believe in conspiracies, explained 1,000 people, according to Vox. his tweets leading up to the Jan. 6 protests and
that social media does not necessarily lead to claimed he was inciting violence. While some
more conspiracy theories but instead leads to Limiting one’s use of social media is believed this was an essential decision, others
more people believing them. usually not viable, and social media platforms criticized Twitter for creating a platform with
have become incredibly popular as a way to a lack of free speech, according to CNBC.
ese ideas spreading throughout a large receive news.
part of the population can be incredibly Recently, business magnate Elon Musk
harmful and can lead to problems. is “I use social media to receive news. I make purchased Twitter for $44 billion, according
was evident in the Jan. 6, 2021 protests that an e ort to use other sources, but with how to e New York Times. Musk has made his
occurred in Washington D.C.; many of the much I already use platforms like Instagram, intentions to decrease censorship and allow
people present believed the 2020 U.S. election using social media is really convenient,” anything on the platform clear.
was stolen due to misinformation spread Hariths said.
through social media platforms. On Nov. 19, 2022, Musk reinstated former
Although it may seem overwhelming President Trump’s personal twitter. Musk
“I read false information on social media trying to sort between what is accurate and
all the time, but when I see an alarming or what is ctitious, there are some simple rst posted a poll to his account asking users
interesting headline, I always look it up and steps one can take to avoid believing
do research, which helps solve a lot of issues. misinformation. .whether the 45th president’s account should be
It’s really easy to see misinformation and even
easier to believe it,” senior Neil Hariths said. Uscinski recommends proceeding with restored, citing the results of the poll he made
caution when reading news on social media his decision, according to Politico. Allowing
sites and to not speci cally seek out a speci c users to post anything on the platform will
allow misinformation to spread more easily.
INTERESTING CONSPIRACY THEORIES

? ? ??THE BIRDS
WORK FOR THE

ELSA AND BOURGEOISIE...

ANNA ARE REPTILIANS

ACTUALLY RUN THE U.S

COUSINS... Pages 12-13 identification GOVERNMENT...
From left to right:

former President John F. Kennedy,
former President Donald J. Trump,

President Joe Biden, former U.S
Attorney Jeff Berman.

december | 15

THE SCENE | SENIOR THANKSGIVING
16 | DECEMBER

SENIOR THANKSGIVING | THE SCENE

THE SCENE

SENIORS GWENDOLYN ACHEAMPONG, EMALEE DE
PENA, AND EMERY COURSEY FILL THEIR PLATES AT
SENIOR THANKSGIVING, WHICH OCCURED ON NOV. 18.
DER DUTCHMAN CATERED THE EVENT AND SENIORS

.EXPRESSED WHAT THEY WERE GREATEFUL FOR.

PERISSION TO PRINT- ELLIE LEY
DESIGN- MACKENNA MILLER

DECEMBER | 17

trending | gifts

courier gift list

best gifts to buy this season

writing and design natalia favila inacua

. TAYLOR SWIFT TICKETS COD MW2

A DOG mountain bike

AIRPODS DYSON AIRWRAP

18 | december

discover columbus | feature

the rooster

dublin’s north market

writing nick woolard | design natalia favila inacua | permission to print nick woolard

The North Market, located in downtown Once someone starts walking around, a desserts are imported from Italy.”
Columbus, has been a must-go spot large variety of shops and vendors will start With all of these options for food and
in the city for years. But now, the to appear. Meals, drinks, bakery items, and
North Market experience can also be found many more can be found to purchase. drinks, there is also a prideful and committed
in Dublin with the new North Market Bridge set of employees there to prepare the food
Park. “I love the food options. I got and make the North Market what it is
Mediterranean food today, but there are so
North Market Bridge Park opened in many other options to pick from,” customer “Service was great. My food came out
early November 2020, located in the Bridge Amelia Cameron said. fast, but it was also super yummy,” Cameron
Park of Dublin. This new location is designed said.
to model the original North Market but All of the options found at the North
with a modern and more refreshed design, Market are very diverse. Options range from North Market Bridge Park offers 19
according to The Columbus Dispatch. Vietnamese to classic barbeque. vendors when all are open, and all of them
had at least one person staffing the store at
The whole Bridge Park area offers a lot of “Some of this food is stuff I have never all times.
options for parking and accessibility. There tried before, and it is very cultural,” customer
is a free parking garage located right by the and junior Bobby Drexel said. “If you are “It’s really cool that a community was
building as well as street parking options all looking to try new things, I recommend developed here. We have a lot of regulars
throughout Bridge Park. With all of these coming here!” here, and some of us are friends at each
different parking options, there are also other’s restaurants,” Lan Viet worker Lance
multiple different entrances located across Lan Viet is one restaurant found in said. “Everyone is really nice, which is what
the building, allowing visitors to enter from both North Markets. It offers traditional I like about it.”
many different starting points. Vietnamese dining options, ranging from
pho, a hot noodle soup, to banh mi, a type Another essential part of any type of
The exterior design of the building would of crispy sandwich, according to The North market would be the seating options offered.
remind anyone of what the North Market is. Market. At the North Market Bridge Park, there are
When walking past or driving by, the first multiple different seating options, ranging
thing that catches the eye is the red paint and “The pho was very flavorful. I tried the from picnic tables to high-tops, and even
a giant statue of the iconic rooster. shrimp, but they offered much more. Overall, an actual bar located on the far side of the
it was really good,” Drexel said. building.
The inside of the store also grabs people’s
attention. The sleek and modern design Taking a trip to the opposite side of the With no shortage of options and a
shows off how fresh the location is, but the building, one will find Pasta Ditoni’s, an
inside would also remind someone of an authentic Italian bakery and pasta shop. .welcoming environment, North Market
authentic market and shop feeling.
“We are the only ones here that sell fresh Bridge Park is a must-visit place in Dublin.
pasta and sauces,” Pasta Ditoni’s worker Whether it’s a barbeque chicken sandwich, a
Rachel D. said. “As well as that, all of our bowl of pho. or a cup of bubble tea, the North
Market will have it all.

The North Market in Dublin, Ohio.

december | 19

FEATURE | BIPOC PLAY

OUT LOUD ON THE STAGE

theater features bipoc students

WRITING ZION CLIFTON | DESIGN NATHAN CHOW | PERMISSION TO PRINT TERESA CHRISTIAN
“ That’s all anyone wants you know…
to be seen and loved. It’s so simple eater Collective. said.
really.” And with sigh just as she’d e BIPOC performance ensemble e Out Loud collective is lead and

specializes in the storytelling of people of directed by community performer and all-
entered, Caira exits the stage trailed by a color by students of color. around artist, Alexis Wilson. Wilson has
beaming spotlight as the crowd roars. e “Our goal was to create a safe space written all three of the annual Out Loud
2022 B.I.P.O.C. production had sadly come on the theatre stage that would allow the eater Productions in order to cater
to an end, leaving the crowd reminiscing on voices of our students of color to be heard,” speci cally to the unique groups who were
the hour-long emotion lled ride they’d just eater Teacher Cathy Swain-Abrams said. casted each year.
taken. “We want to be able to perform the stories “It de nitely introduces the stories of
is past month the high school’s Out of people of color written by people of color, BIPOC to people around the school. It also
Loud eater successfully held its annual performed by people of color and directed gives people of color a place to go express
performance of “the Out Loud Cafe”. e by people of color.” themselves through the arts, which I think is
performance featured the stories of a group of Although the ensemble has only been really great,” Fisher-Rogers said.
people of color all of whom were emotionally at the high school for three years and is e rst production of the Out Loud
tied to the ctional “Out Loud Cafe”. Among currently at a much lower capacity than collective took place in 2020 and was written
the cast of this production was junior Caira the other Orange eater ensembles, it’s to suit speci cally the pandemic and all other
Fischer-Rogers who played Cleo, a widowed beginning to grow as more and more obstacles that would have normally gotten
children’s book illustrator, who’d lost her wife students of color are welcomed to the school. into the way of the production. e 2021 Out
to cancer. With more new students of color joining, Loud production was “Summer House”, which
“At rst, I felt very uncomfortable playing Swain-Abrams hopes to put on larger shows was also written by Wilson was also a success
the role of Cleo because I didn’t want to that are predominantly POC roles. though there were many di erences between
o end anyone, but it helped me to gain new “What we are hoping to become is a the previous year.
perspectives and to grow as an actress,” Fisher- place where we can choose both known As the group begins to grow, more
Rogers said. plays and known musicals that meet the .opportunities for larger predominantly
BIPOC is an acronym that stands for criteria of being written by POC performed
by POC and directed by POC, and also just POC casted and created productions will be
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. And be able to choose whatever predominantly possible. But, for now the group is continually
at the high school, the theater department POC production we want,” Swain-Abrams growing and represents lots of the hidden
uses this acronym to represent the Out Loud talent at the high school.

Right: Kyra Fisher

Top: Alyssa Wilson

Bottom: Salin Myers and
Jaylen Smith

20 | DECEMBER

AP VS CCP | FEATURE

AP VS CCP COURSES

getting ahead with college credit

WRITING ADAM WELCH | DESIGN NATHAN CHOW
In recent years, students, who are aiming
to achieve academic excellence, have Junior Karan Grewal thinks the complete SCHEDULING DATES
debated what scheduling path to take for opposite though. Grewal, who takes CCP FOR 23-24 YEAR
their college credit, and what will look the Government, said that he prefers the CCP
most appealing on a college resume is truly the course over the AP class from experience with
best. Students in the Olentangy Local Schools both.
“I prefer CCP because there is no big
district typically pick between AP (Advanced exam at the end of the year like AP, and you
Placement) courses or CCP (College Credit get college credit as long as you have a C,” Freshmen: Jan. 31
Plus) classes provided through Columbus Grewal said. Feb. 1-2
State.
ere are pros and cons to each course Sophomores: Feb. 7-9
According to the College Board, the AP though. e Ohio School Boards Association
program o ers college-level courses and Journal listed some drawbacks from taking Juniors: Feb. 14 -16

exams that are available to take in high school. each. Because in-person CCP classes usually
ey also list that some of the advantages of take place at community colleges, high school
taking the AP courses include earning college students might be near non-traditional college
credit, standing out to colleges on applications students who are older than the typical one, SCHEDULING DATES
and transcripts, and opening up time on which the board said could be uncomfortable FOR CCP SPRING
students’ schedules to even graduate early to students used to classmates their age. SEMESTER
with credits. One of the downsides of the AP class
Columbus State, which is Ohio’s largest is that even though the course itself is free
provider of College Credit Plus classes in students usually have to pay over $100 for the Columbus State: Jan. 16
130 schools, de ned the program as a way to nal exam. And, with students taking multiple Ohio State: Jan. 10
earn college credit and to ful ll high school AP classes, these expenses can really add up.
graduation requirements at the same time, .Whether it be Lin taking AP classes, or
according to cscc.org.
Grewal choosing the CCP route, students can
Sophomore Alain Lin, who is taking AP take advantage of college credit opportunities
Bio and AP United States History, said that through either course and can be more
even though he takes AP courses, he thinks attractive to universities when they apply.
CCP is more bene cial.
“I’d probably choose CCPs. ey’re
semester classes, and if you pass the classes
you’re guaranteed the college credit instead of
having to pass the AP exam to be rewarded
the credit,” Lin said.
However, Lin did say that he found
having a teacher in front of him teaching at
his own school instead of somewhere else was CCP - College AP
better for him. Credit

“Ap classes go - Semester - Difficult - Year Long
slower than ccps, Long Classwork - Big Exam
since they are the - Usually not
In-Person

whole year while ccp

is a whole class in

one semester”

DECEMBER | 21

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22 | DECEMBER Design | Shreya Arunkumar

SANTA AROUND THE WORLD | CULTURE

santa’s sleigh stops
santa in different cultures

WRITING LUNA PEREZ DELGADO | DESIGN AUDREY SELSOR

Sarah woke up in her matching reindeer commonly used to refer to Father Christmas
pajamas with the rest of her family or Saint Nicholas. However, this is not
and a stack of presents waiting for her the only variation of Santa that exists in

under the tree. She jumped off her bed to Germany.

admire the fresh blanket of snow she would “They also have Das Christkind,

make a snowman in later on. which is the Christ Child,” German teacher

As she quickly threw on her slippers, Kelly Jessup said. “In Germany, it’s Das

Sarah rushed down her stairs to the fireplace Christkind who brings the presents.”

to gather all her little stocking stuffers. It can be a bit hard to picture another

Her house was a total winter wonderland, figure similar to Santa being the primary

decorated from top to bottom in ornaments Christmas figure. Sophomore Emily

and mistletoe. Rodenberg, also an avid Christmas fan,

Her family was waiting for her as she cannot picture anyone except Santa

finally arrived to open presents, but there was bringing kids presents.

one gift in particular that had been plaguing “I’ve always imagined this guy with a

Sarah’s mind: Santa’s gift. She found a box long white beard and jolly red suit jumping

wrapped in gold paper with a cute little bow, in and out of chimneys to give kids

and immediately recognized it as Santa’s gift presents,” Rodenberg said.

to her. Kids in the United States get their

In the United States, when most people presents from Santa under their tree along

think of Christmas, they think of Santa, the with all their other presents from friends

jolly old man in the red suit who brings all and family. This is not the case in France

the children their presents. Santa and his and Germany.

famous reindeer are the stars of the Christmas “The kids will put their shoes out,

season. However, this is not what it’s like in outside their doors and Saint Nick will

other parts of the world. bring them candy and things like that,”

French Teacher Larissa Sauder teaches Jessup said.

her students all about Christmas and Santa in Another difference between Saint

France and other French speaking countries. Nicholas and Santa is their unique

She experienced French Christmas firsthand punishments for naughty children. While

while she lived in France. Santa merely gives children coal if they’re

The man who is known as Santa in the American Santa’s signature red outfit is on his bad list, Saint Nicholas brings

United States is known as “Père Noël but how he’s recognized by children within the Krampus.

sometimes he is replaced by Saint Nicolas” United States. But Saint Nicholas’ outfit is Krampus is like “Saint Nick’s alter

who is the more religious figure of Santa, not the red suit most people picture as they ego,” Jessup said. “The tale is that he whips

Sauder said. do with Santa. children when they’re bad and puts them in

According to GermanHolidayMarket. Saint Nicolas “is dressed more like a a bag to take them to the underworld.”

org, in Germany, Weihnachtsmann is religious figure. In robes and the tall hat, In France, the people who believe in

more like a saint,” Sauder said. Saint Nicholas also believe in Krampus.

Even though appearance is a big However, his name is bit a different.

difference between Santa in the United “In France there’s also Père Fouettard

States and Saint Nicholas in France and which is Father Whipping,” Sauder said.

Germany, it’s not the biggest difference. Saint Nicholas and Santa are most

Believe it or not the way that these two certainly two very different figures. But

figures deliver presents is radically one thing they will always have in common

different. is their ability to bring the Christmas spirit

.“I was always told that Santa came to people all around the world.

down through the chimney, ate the cookies “My favorite part about the Christmas
that were left out for him, and placed my season is seeing everyone’s happiness and
presents under the tree while I slept for me excitement about the holidays,” Rodenberg
to find the next morning,” Rodenberg said. said.
DECEMBER | 23

OPINION | BANNED BOOKS

READING RESTRICTIONS

censorship of books in school

BWRITING TAYLOR GOUDIE | DESIGN SOPHIE ROGERS | SOURCE SMITHSONIAN
ooks are an essential part of education, containing characters of color. ese statistics access to the internet may become children’s
yet many people, and especially beg the question of what really is the reason new source to learn. e issue here is that the
parents, are working to have certain behind people wanting to ban certain books internet is not always the safest and healthiest
books banned in schools, libraries, and and is a clear indicator of ignorance. form of education, with pornographic content
bookstores. is type of attempted censorship Books mentioning race and sexuality are as an example of this.
would result in negative e ects if they were highly important for people to be able to read
actually successful in banning books. about. It gives a voice and outlet, and it can Even sillier books for younger kids are
e process of banning books impacts help readers identify with something in the targeted by upset people wanting them
schools all around the country, and even books in which they read. banned. For example, “Captain Underpants”
within our own school district. According Another theme commonly found within by Dav Pilkey “was challenged because it
to Library Media Specialist Glenn Nunn, books some people want to ban is sexual was perceived as encouraging disruptive
“We have one book that went through the content. People wanting these books banned behavior,” according to the American Library
challenge process last year that was a middle fear that readers of these books, especially Association. It’s quite shocking that this
school reference book about gender identity. children, could get “bad ideas’’ by reading illustrated book for kids could be an issue for
e book was not o cially banned, but a them. e issue with this is if it isn’t in many adults, yet there are people wanting it
decision was made to replace the book with a literature, it becomes a very hush hush topic. away from kids.
better book on the same topic.” People wanting to ban books are o en
Since the late 1800s, numerous books trying to stray people, especially children, Many parents are trying to limit kids’
have been challenged in people’s hopes of away from certain themes or aspects of life. access to books, yet they supply their kids
getting them o shelves and out of the hands e problem with this is that kids need that with nearly unlimited access to the internet.
of readers. According to the American Library access to education. It can help kids learn It is hypocritical to want to limit kids’ access
Association, some of the most commonly maybe not just about themselves, but also to books, yet not limiting kids’ access to the
challenged books include “ e Hate U Give’’ about the people around them too. Trying internet and social media, especially with how
by Angie omas, “ irteen Reasons Why” by to hide people away from reading about much more harmful the internet can be.
Jay Asher, and “Drama” by Raina Telgemeier. other subjects is stripping them of so many
According to pen.org, 41 percent of book resources to learn about varying topics. e idea of banning books raises the
banned titles contain LGBTQ+ characters Additionally, if children aren’t able to question on whether the ban of books violates
and/or themes, and 40 percent are books learn about these topics in books, the easy the First Amendment or not. is question
was brought to the Supreme Court in the case
LGBTQ+ Around 40 % of books are of Island Trees School District v. Pico in 1982.
banned regarding the
LGBTQ+ community. In this case, the Island Trees Union Free
School District’s Board of Education had
Sexual Content Around 22% of books are books taken o shelves and banned from the
banned regarding sexual libraries of the junior highs and high schools
in its district, according to oyez.org. Steven
conetent. Pico sued and claimed it violated the First
Amendment’s freedom of speech and press,
Racism Around 21% of books are bringing the case all the way to the Supreme
banned regarding racism Court. ere, the Supreme Court ruled that
banning books would indeed be in violation
remarks or actions of the First Amendment. erefore, libraries
aren’t allowed to ban books just because some
Other Around 12% of books are may dislike the content in them.
banned regarding other
Taking away accessibility to books and
topics. censoring authors isn’t right. As long as the
book isn’t harmful, there is no reason that they
Why Books Get Banned shouldn’t be in school libraries or bookstores.

Censoring books just for one’s own idea

.of what people should be allowed to be read

about isn’t fair. People should be allowed to
read whatever they may choose, and these
books should remain on shelves for future
kids to read too.

24 | DECEMBER

ALBUM REVIEW | OPINION

TICKETMASTER TRAGEDY

praying for the downfall of ticketmaster

WWRITING ACHINTYA PERUMAL | DESIGN SOPHIE ROGERS Ticketmaster lied.
e can all agree that gures such as AOC condemning e only goal of the approach is to
Ticketmaster sucks. Sadly, it Ticketmaster’s economic dominance through
also happens to be the only Twitter. According to Rolling Stone, multiple increase ticket prices for more popular shows,
place to get tickets for the biggest concerts class-action lawsuits have also arisen in thus forcing customers to take more out of
and athletic events. Recently, multiple retaliation to the company’s unfair market their pocket. Admissions to large concerts
controversies have challenged the validity values. and athletic events become extremely more
of the company’s reign over entertainment At the business’ core, Ticketmaster is di cult, and there’s very little anyone can do
admission. Ticketmaster has nally come a monopoly. According to e New York to change that.
under re a er large groups have taken Times, Ticketmaster is merged with the
charge against the company, and I can’t parent company LiveNation, contributing to Another problematic aspect comes with
wait for its downfall. the corporation’s chokehold on ticket sales. the unreasonably large service fees associated
e latest controversy surrounding While a perfect story of American capitalism, with tickets. When buying my tickets for
the billion-dollar company has to do with the authority Ticketmaster has is harmful Swi ’s upcoming tour, I paid almost $50
Taylor Swi ’s Eras Tour in which millions to the individual; Ticketmaster can employ fees—about a third of the ticket price. is
of fans failed to obtain tickets. While I rules and price changes at its own will with is a er waiting in a queue for hours only to
happily acquired mine, it’s no doubt that little ability for customers to request changes. be able to purchase seats in the back of the
the more than two million tickets allowed is system is dangerous, and policies must stadium.
to be sold during the presale were a large be put in place to prevent this structure from
reason for the complete cancellation of continuing. Tickets for the now-irrelevant Stevie Nicks
general admission tickets, according to Just one of the controversial policies in and Billy Joel forced fees of almost $100. For
CNN. While mistakes can happen, it’s place is dynamic pricing. According to USA such extremely poor-quality service, it makes
completely unjusti able for a company as Today, the technique adjusts the pricing of little sense why I would be paying so much for
large as Ticketmaster to fail in their one tickets based on demand, causing massive a corporation’s pro t.
job—selling tickets. price spikes for popular events. e point of
Many people have nally this implementation is to increase accessibility Resellers pose an additional complication
acknowledged this issue with political to tickets for customers. ough as usual, in ticket purchasing. rough Ticketmaster,
one can buy multiple tickets at retail prices
and then later sell them for prices as high
as desired. A er the presale for Swi ’s tour,
tickets originally priced less than $500 were
put back for sale at thousands of dollars
according to the Ticketmaster website.

ese pro ts go straight to the reseller and
Ticketmaster. e tickets that were supposed
to be given to “veri ed fans” are now in the
hands of old, single men living in their mom’s
basement.

e apology put out by Ticketmaster
following the Swi controversy is fake and
unapologetic. I can sympathize with someone
working for a check—I get the hustle. But
what I won’t do is forgive a company that
takes advantage of the world’s super fans.

e schemes set by the company are simply
classist, procuring tickets for only those that
can a ord the obscurely in ated prices.

is precedent of creating a monopoly
out of a business is dangerous and is at risk

.of ooding into more necessary markets.

We need to attack the contentious practices
employed by Ticketmaster and initiate
political reform to tackle future economic
proprietaries.

DECEMBER | 25

opinion | school lunches

free the food

the real cost of school lunches

writing rebekah richter | design lilly wood

Astudent came to school one day upset about the financial some families who are struggling. Students should be able to be provided
troubles going on at home. There was no food at home food at school because food is a necessity. People should never have to
and therefore he had nothing to eat for lunch. With no wonder where their next meal will come from.
money in his account, he went the entire day wondering what he
would do for lunch, and when it eventually came that time he didn’t There is a National School Breakfast and Lunch Program that
eat and went home starving. He puts rules in place set by the USDA that helps schools receive a small
didn’t eat at all that day.
percentage of money per
School lunches should be meal sold. This is the main
accessible and free to all students source of revenue and helps
so that no child goes hungry operate the food department
throughout the day. In order to for Olentangy Food Service
help the cafeteria make money to according to Café Manager
have varieties of foods, the entree Christine Swenson.
of the day should be given for
free with a fruit and a vegetable. The school district is
Everything else should cost money obliged to have a price on
when students are in middle and lunches if they want to
high schools. continue participating in the
National School Breakfast
According to 1808 Delaware, and Lunch Program. This
a news page for Delaware County, program hasn’t been
the price of breakfast is the same updated since 2019.
all throughout Olentangy schools,
yet as a student moves through According to Policy
elementary school all the way to Matters Ohio, a source that
high school the price of school explains Ohio’s economy,
lunches increases 25-30 cents a 85 percent of jobs lost
meal. during COVID-19 have
been recovered. However,
The increased prices of school inflation is still very high
lunches could ultimately cause throughout the stores and
a student to be unable to afford services provided in Ohio.
lunch anymore. These prices
might decide how many days School lunches were
students have enough money to free during the school years
pay for food. of 2022 and 2021 because
schools’ food departments
The variety of food in school lunches that is included in a were getting money from
regular entree does not drastically change throughout the years. The the state government to help fund foods needed. Now, the state is no
most drastic change in food variety is from elementary school to longer funding school lunches, yet schools are continuing to buy the
middle school. same foods they did during this period. The need to charge families for
lunches arose according to Christine Swenson.
The little difference in the varieties of food should not have an Americans should not be going back to an old way of living that
increase on the costs from different levels of school. They should be doesn’t fit people’s lives anymore. As a country, Americans have changed
the same price so parents do not have to worry about adding more and the school lunch costs should follow this. Inflation has gone up for
money to their students’ card just to buy them less amounts of food. families which gives them little room to spend money on lunch every day
for their child due to buying other necessities. The lunch system should
According to 1808 Delaware, there are ways that parents can change with the times or at least be updated.
get a decrease in the amount of money paid for a school lunch.
They can take off 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch. .Americans should at least push for a change in school lunch prices.
Parents can apply for a reduced cost of school lunches by filling out
an application and meeting all the requirements on that same form. Not everything has to be completely free but there should be options that
are. School food services need to be accommodating to every student
Even with this decrease in the price, this is still too much for and the only way that happens is if schools have some sort of free lunch
offered for those who can’t afford to pay for a regular priced lunch.

26 | december

self-care | column

radiant rachel

how to take care of your mental health

writing rachel lehman | design lilly wood

During the wintertime, I notice that I It’s important for me to remind myself ABOUT THE AUTHOR
tend to be more depressed and have to create a balance between work and Hi, my name is Rachel Lehman
a serious lack of motivation. Part of play. Having the mindset of working and I’ve been doing journalism
the reason is probably the fact that it gets dark all the time has led me to nothing other since I was a freshman and I am
extremely early. Over the summer, it used than lots of tears and bad performance a senior this year. Next year is
to get dark around 10 p.m., but during the during school. I notice I do a lot worse my third year writing for WEB
winter months the sun starts setting around 5 on a test that I stay all night studying for and my rst year writing for e
p.m.. By the time I get home from practice or rather than spreading out my studying Courier. My hobbies consist of
whatever activities I have after school, I have throughout the day. For example, say I get scrapbooking, painting and doing
no desire to do any homework. I just relax and one assignment done, I’ll reward myself
go to bed. by doing something fun before moving fun makeup and nail art.
on. This could be watching an episode of
Another reason is that my winter season is my favorite TV show, going to the gym, RESOURCES
busy. I play a winter sport, work, and still try or painting my nails. Ohio Health Care
to make time for clubs after school. Although
there is Thanksgiving break and winter I know how annoying it is to do Line
break, which is nice, teachers have to crunch 1-800-720-9616
due dates and tests, and it can be extremely 3Cleaning
overwhelming. If I fall behind, it can be really Cari Lotko
difficult to catch up on old and new material chores around the house or clean your School Psycologist
while also preparing for semester exams. room. However, if my room looks like
a tornado ran through it, not matter how Room 5143
Luckily, there are ways to manage much I don't want to, I know I will feel
these symptoms and try to stay motivated. I much better being able to see the floor december | 27
included a list of some of my favorite ways and not dirty clothes from weeks ago. For
to practice self-care when things get stressful. me, the status of my room is the reflection of
how I’m feeling mentally, I try to dedicate my
1Sleep Schedule Sundays to cleaning so I can have a fresh start
Monday.
I notice that my sleeping schedule and
attendance in the winter time gets significantly 4Staying Organized
worse than it is in the spring and summer. The As a student who’s very busy, it’s very
best way to fix a sleeping schedule is to set a important for me to stay as organized as
time that is a goal bedtime, just like as a kid. possible. I have a whiteboard calendar in my
Like a lot of people, I like to scroll though room which I mark the days I work, days I
my phone before I go to bed and can be on have practice, days I have important events,
TikTok for a concerningly long time without and days I have tests/projects. I do this so I
realizing. By simply deciding a specific time can visually see what days I have free and
to turn off all electronics at a certain time plan accordingly. I also have a planner where
every day and going to bed, I notice my mood I write in my homework every day which also
improves, the process of getting up for school makes it very easy to see what I need to do
isn’t as grueling, and my attendance isn’t over the weekend. To be able to physically
nearly as terrible. cross off an assignment I completed is very
satisfying.
2 Doing things You Enjoy

Especially during the months of November
and December, I get really caught up in my
schoolwork to the point that I get burnt out.

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OVERPOPULATIONM

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joe burrow
conspiracies courier hamburger holidays the scene

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DESIGN | MAKENNA SHRAGER