Chronicle 20.6

An aerial view of Shadow Lake Mobile Home Village, the neighborhood Emerik Moser lives in. Volume 20 Issue 6 | William Mason High School | 6100 Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, OH | 2.16.23 Artwork by Anna Matu “Amplifying Voices” See page 2 Photo by Chris Riva. Cover design by Becca Hunter

Students share their voice through podcasts Josie Lorenz | The Chronicle As they gear up their microphones and sound boards, Mason High School (MHS) students get ready to cast. Freshman Elle Riva started her podcast Write That Down in May of 2020. The cast consists of Riva interviewing teachers and authors and discussing everything from relevant authors to new reads. Riva said she found her start in the podcasting realm after experimenting with some news equipment that her dad brought home. “My dad is a news anchor, and one day he brought home a soundboard, microphones and everything you need to create a podcast,” Riva said. “I had so much fun with it.” Riva has been writing her entire life, and the desire to share her words with others has developed her love of podcasting. Currently, she is writing her own novel and co-writing a dystopian novel. Riva is not only putting her words on the page, but on any podcast streaming platform she can, including Spotify and Apple Podcast. “I love words, and I always have,” Riva said. “That interest has always kept the podcast going, and I’m glad I get to share my voice with the world.” In the future, Riva dreams of becoming an author and owning a bookstore. Recently, she interviewed JM Clark, a budding science fiction author based in Cincinnati. Riva said she uses these interviews as motivation and inspiration to help her accomplish her goals. “I have so many authors that I would love to interview and get to know,” Riva said. “I want to be able to inspire people and have other people look at me and see that I can do it [so] they can too.” Although she is proud of her podcast, Riva does not try to advertise it. Instead, she knows she is reaching people through her work when they discover her podcast on their own. “I don’t tell a whole lot of people [or] go around screaming ‘Hey, I have a podcast!’” Riva said. “When people figure it out, they seem to be in shock that I’ve been able to accomplish so much [and] put my voice out there.” Similar to the conception of Riva’s podcast, the idea of a podcast came quickly to Freshman Daniel Pennetti. His podcast Queen City Cast is run with his partner Andrew Little and covers all things National Football League (NFL). “One random day in English, I thought ‘I might as well just start this little thing [and] try something new,’” Pennetti said. Before starting the podcast, the duo utilized social media to gain momentum. They both had time to get a hold of the ropes of podcasting and ease their way into the unfamiliar situation. “We’ve been [utilizing] social media like Tiktok and Instagram,” Pennetti said. “Before we started the podcast, we built a following so that we wouldn’t have to start from the ground up.” Podcasting has given Pennetti a newfound confidence. He hopes his experience with podcasting and the growth it has given him can help guide him in the future, perhaps giving him opportunities in internships within his desired field. “I want to go into sports media after high school, and I believe this podcast will be a strong tool for my future,” Pennetti said. “I am an awkward person, but I can talk in front of a camera and be myself [which] is pretty special.” Freshman Blaire Blomeke started her podcast Sincerely, Blaire in January 2023, however, the idea came to her long before she started recording. Fearing backlash from her peers, Blomeke waited two years before uploading her first episode to Spotify. “I was scared of what other people would say or think,” Blomeke said. “But I stopped caring [and] decided that I wanted to do it.” Blomeke’s podcast targets teenage issues because she believes raw conversations about these topics are scarce. By addressing difficult topics such as mental health and eating disorders, Blomeke hopes to reach her peers and create a community of support. “I talk about things teenagers go through,” Blomeke said. “I want people to know that they’re not alone, that they aren’t the only ones going through what they’re going through. It’s nice to give that a voice.” While she loves to reach and converse with others through Sincerely, Blaire, she holds her enjoyment above all else. She said she does not care about fame, but hopes to find herself through the podcast while helping others find themselves. “I really do it for myself,” Blomeke said. “I love doing it and trying to help other people grow as I did.” Photo by Chris Riva Freshman Elle Riva edits her podcast, Write That Down, after finishing a recording session in her studio. 2 February 16, 2023

Students choose to pause social media usage Laurel Wang | The Chronicle Mason High School (MHS) students are unplugging to recharge. From Schoology assignments to pre-bedtime scrolling, the digital age has permeated almost all aspects of students’ lives. A 2022 report from Pew Research Center found that 95% of teenagers use at least one social media platform and 46% report being online almost constantly. However, some MHS students have decided to press pause on their scrolling. Senior Catherine Fitzpatrick elected to take a break from TikTok towards the end of November in order to be more productive. Fitzpatrick realized she spent three or more hours scrolling through the app every day, and wanted to make better use of her time, but said she worried about missing out. “A big worry I had was feeling like I wouldn’t be connected with people,” Fitzpatrick said. “Especially since social media is used to talk to people, [I was worried about] keeping up with trends.” Junior Jillian Wu first deleted TikTok during a church retreat in an effort to disconnect from social media. She planned to be off the platform for only the week of the retreat but ended up not redownloading it for six months. Like Fitzpatrick, Wu worried that being off social media would cause her to disconnect from her peers, as social media was her primary source of news and trends. However, she realized her worries were unfounded. “I thought I was gonna turn into a millennial because I wouldn’t have the same humor anymore,” Wu said. “I wasn’t up to the day-by-day trends, but I still caught up with things and [realized] I wasn’t really missing out on much.” Wu recently redownloaded TikTok to keep up with the World Cup but feels she has fallen back into her old patterns of high usage. Still, she feels the time she spent off the platform helped her better manage her time. “I think taking a break was really beneficial, especially if you find yourself wasting a lot of time on TikTok,” Wu said. “Once you just get it off of your phone, it’s so much easier to not distract yourself with it.” While some students elect to delete platforms that take up the most time and attention, others choose not to use social media at all. Senior Ahan Datta holds no social media accounts outside of a professional Twitter account he uses to connect with the eSports world. Datta prefers to socialize with others face-to-face and feels he gets more out of an individual in-person connection, rather than projecting to the internet. Although Datta feels comfortable with being off social media at the moment, he acknowledges there is pressure for teenagers to have social media accounts. “Connecting with people is harder if you don’t have [social media], but it’s not impossible,” Datta said. “Often [I] get into a class with someone and they’re like ‘What’s your Instagram? What’s your Snapchat?’ and I don’t have one to give. It’s a little bit awkward, but we can always just text.” Fitzpatrick believes that stepping away from social media has allowed her to reflect on herself and find new hobbies. As graduation nears, not being on social media can make it harder to keep in contact with friends. However, Fitzpatrick said staying away from it emphasizes putting effort into maintaining real relationships rather than relying on online connections. “Now I feel like I’m actually doing something to actively continue out the relationship rather than just passively keeping that contact,” Fitzpatrick said. Datta believes that everyone should be more accepting of others’ social media usage, deeming it ultimately a personal choice. “I don’t think people should be judged if they have social media or not,” Datta said. “People should be free to use their time and talk to whoever they want. I don’t think there can be an argument that social media is objectively good or bad, because you’ve got people from both sides.” For now, Fitzpatrick believes that although she has chosen not to be on social media due to her personal experience with its adverse effects, there are still positive aspects to these platforms. “I do think social media can be used for good,” Fitzpatrick said. “You can bring awareness to social issues or even light to voices that might not be heard, but it’s all [in] how you use it.” February 16, 2023 3 what age should kids start using social media? U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said he believes 13 is too young for children to be on social media platforms. Here is what students at MHS believe: Infographic by Becca Hunter

Student vision of the district guides new designs Drew Hoffmaster | The Chronicle The learners of today are jumping at the opportunity to help the learners of tomorrow. Mason City Schools (MCS) challenged students to create a graphic called a Portrait of a Learner representing their interpretation of the values of the district. On January 25, 2023, three student-created designs were selected by MCS administration, each student was awarded $100 and the winners explained their designs at a community panel. Deputy Superintendent Amy Brennan said that MCS administration wants to set the district’s vision and goals directly from the students, so the administration can serve the schools better and help prepare students for after high school. “If we are going to meet our goals of serving our learners and our school community, then we need to be continuously setting a vision and making sure we are on the right course,” Brennan said. The Portrait of a Learner design project started production when MCS partnered with the professional learning company Battelle for Kids. The company calls the graphic a Portrait of a Graduate but Mason decided to reroute the focus by changing its name. “We wanted to make it about a learner because learning is not something that ends,” Carson said. “Everyone in the district is a learner. I am still a learner.” Their designs will be combined to create a final portrait reflecting the future values that the school district will follow. Brennan said the district opened submissions to the rest of the student body to make sure the design embodies the values students see in the district. “We had a feeling that we would have a lot of students who would be interested in sharing designs,” Brennan said. “So the idea emerged, let’s put [the challenge] out to them and see what they could come up with.” Senior Charles Wen decided to enter the challenge because it was a good opportunity to help the school, earn money and test his design skills. Wen said he appreciated being able to test his design skills in a real-world situation. “This design is important to me because it allowed me to make something for the school,” Wen said. “It’s the first real design opportunity with people seriously reviewing [our designs] and considering it as a potential future idea.” For sophomore Daria Tsyliuryk, the Portrait of a Learner has let her capture her experience moving from another country. Tsyliurk moved from Ukraine at the beginning of the school year and said that she was surprised by how quickly the community accepted her. To demonstrate this, she drew five people of different nationalities hugging in her design. “[My portrait] shows how big, large and colorful the community of Mason is,” Tsyliuryk said. “Originally, I was worried about finding friends, but Mason’s community appreciated me.” Mason City Schools Public Information Officer, Tracey Carson, said that the school district will utilize the final graphic as a reference to make sure the decisions they make will fit the community’s values and provide students with the skills they need after high school. “[The Portrait of a Learner] is a little bit of a North Star for us,” Carson said. “It is important when [students] are entering the workforce, making a decision about college or enlisting into the military that they have the necessary skills to be successful.” MCS plans to incorporate the design into physical spaces around the school district. Carson said that she wants the portrait to be more than just a reference, hoping to see the community living by the Portrait of a Learner’s values. “[The community] does not just want this to be something that is stuck up on a wall and people don’t live it,” Carson said. “We think there is a power in having a visual that brings people together and a touch point that lets people see and feel it.” When senior Aashna Bhargava started creating her design, she wanted to capture five values that she felt were necessary for students to succeed in school. In her portrait, she chose to surround a North Star with these values. “I went with the five words: confident, adaptable, kind, mindful and honest,” Bhargava said. “I think that those were pretty important because to learn, you have those to better yourself and others.” Bhargava said that she enjoyed the challenge and is glad to be able to help define the values of the school. “This challenge has been really interesting since the start,” Bhargava said. “I am really looking forward to seeing how my design will impact the district.” 4 February 16, 2023 Graphics by Alisha Verma

Ahlers determined to pursue beatboxing in his future Aimee Liu | The Chronicle Beatboxing is not just boots and cats. A form of vocal percussion, beatboxing is the art of simulating the sounds and rhythms of percussion instruments or a drum machine using the mouth, lips, tongue and voice. Beginners are often taught to repeat the phrase “boots and cats” to create the base sound for beatboxing. Junior Tyler Ahlers has been beatboxing since the age of six. He said that he began by learning basic drum patterns and then finding different crevices in his mouth to make different sounds. “I was watching this a cappella band and my dad noticed I made a lot of strange sounds so he said [I] should check out beatboxing,” Ahlers said. “I was hooked immediately so I just kept watching it and eventually I started learning.” A drum pattern is a rhythmic pattern, usually played on a drum set, that consists of a minimum of the hi-hat, kick and snare. Ahlers said different combinations of sounds can be used to create different styles. “As long as you get the sounds to develop properly, you can just mess around with it,” Ahlers said. To begin, Ahlers said he watched tutorials of beatboxing basics online and slowed down videos of professional beatbox rounds to break down and try to copy them. He said he then increased the speed until he could mimic the professionals. “It’s just a whole lot of repetition,” Ahlers said. “Everyone knows the phrase ‘practice makes perfect,’ so I just did that for hours. You just have to keep trying; beatboxing is a lot of experimenting.” Although the beginning stages of learning beatboxing were challenging and it took some time to fall in love with the art, Ahlers said that he is now practicing constantly, making as many different noises as possible to improve his beatboxing abilities. “Once you get past the point where [you are] just trying to make the sound and you can actually start arranging stuff, then it’s amazing,” Ahlers said. “I can [beatbox] at any time because there’s no instruments, so you can do it whenever and it’s very accessible.” Ahlers has also had several opportunities for performances and mentorship, including recording music in a professional studio to publish on Spotify, speaking with professional beatboxers, performing local gigs at parties for family friends and performing on stages at Mason High School’s A Cappella concerts and talent shows. He said that even after many shows, performing is still nerve-wracking, but seeing the impact of his music is extremely rewarding as an artist. “I’ve had moments where I’d just look around as I’m performing and I’ve seen so many people with their jaws wide open, freaking out,” Ahlers said. “It’s exhilarating, some of the best moments of my life.” Ahlers said that his dream for the future is to become a professional beatboxer, despite the difficulties associated with the profession. He said he hopes to just continue performing and make his name known. “It’s rigorous,” Ahlers said. “There’s problems with making money, and every professional beatboxer has a social media following of a pretty good amount. It takes time, and some people just happen to go viral and make it big.” Despite the unconventional nature of the career path, Ahlers said that the payoff of becoming a professional beatboxer and getting to travel the world for tournaments and competitions would be worth overcoming the challenges. “I don’t care [about the money],” Ahlers said. “I just want to be able to sustain my life by making music, putting it out and seeing people enjoy it. I really want that to be my future. It’s such a good feeling, and I live for it.” Ahlers said he is often approached by people who believe beatboxing is “impossible,” but that his ability is not as special as most people think it is. He said that all of his results come from hard work and a lot of practice. “It’s all about perseverance,” Ahlers said. “It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, just keep doing it. Do what makes you happy. This is what makes me happy, and now it makes other people happy too.” February 16, 2023 5 Photo by Aimee Liu Junior Tyler Ahlers holds the microphone close to his mouth to create the optimal sounds as he rehearses one of his beatboxing sets on stage.

MHS students take advantage of College Credit Plus Program Elina Bishoyi | The Chronicle Some Mason High school (MHS) students are earning credit where credit is due. Numerous MHS students opt for taking classes over the summer and school year through the College Credit Plus (CCP) program. CCP courses allow students to acquire college credits in high school, and the credits earned transfer to colleges that accept them. Colleges like Sinclair Community College, University of Cincinnati (UC), and The Ohio State University (OSU) offer CCP classes to high school students. Students often have the option of taking the courses online or asynchronously, unlike in-person education at high school. Junior Imran Faridi said that he found CCP courses to be a beneficial alternative to taking classes in school, as they provided him the opportunity to further his education in a college-level environment instead of a high school classroom. “Junior year, I realized I wanted to push myself more. I wanted to take harder classes and get a higher GPA for college, especially on that 5.0 scale,” Faridi said. “ It allows students to take the extra step without having to go crazy.” Along with the benefits of a higher GPA, Faridi said CCP courses help him to effectively manage his schedule. With his time consumed by extracurriculars, he said that CCP gave him the option to lighten his workload during the regular school year. “The biggest factor [in choosing CCP] I would say is fencing. I train around 30 hours a week so it takes up a lot of my time,” Faridi said. “I wanted to do as much as I could to alleviate some stress. Taking a couple classes over the summer is way more manageable because it allowed me to have two extra bells.” Senior Chloe Chien has taken both core classes and electives through Sinclair Community College and UC. Chien took Government, English and Composition I and II, and Medical Terminology. “[CCP] felt easier,” said Chien. “If I want to finish [credits] but don’t want to take the AP exam, it does such wonders to my GPA.” A common dilemma for juniors during the scheduling season is the choice between taking CCP English IV and AP Literature. English IV, a non-honors class, offers up to 4.0 credits while taking an English course through the CCP program offers students up to 5.0 credits upon completion. Junior Angela Chan said she wants to pursue business law, a career that demands a background in English. Chan said she believes her desired career requires a thorough background and education in English, which can only be gained from a high school curriculum. “Law definitely requires reading and writing skills,” said Chan. “I think it’s better to take the class with a teacher who can probably teach you better than taking it through a CCP course.” Although Chan decided not to replace her senior year English course with a CCP course due to her preference for inperson instruction, she acknowledged the benefits that make it a popular option for students. “It really just depends on what major you want to go into and what classes actually are specifically beneficial for you to CCP,” Chan said. “ If you’re going to major in something that would make you take the class again in college, it might not be the smartest thing to do.” On the other hand, Chien said she is looking to pursue a career in STEM, a path that does not require as much of a thorough background in English or Government compared to law. “[If you want to enter] a STEM field you want to get the credit, so you take more STEM classes,” Chien said. “That freed up my schedule to take the actual classes because English and Government aren’t that important [for me].” AP Government teacher Maria Mueller said she understands why students may choose to take CCP courses, but prefers to have students in the classroom. The human interaction between peers is different in an online college-level classroom compared to a high school class. “The computer takes away that human connection, and to me, that takes away a bit of the application concept,” Mueller said. “The essence of democracy is interacting with your fellow citizens. In a classroom, you can have meaningful discourse with your peers, as you prepare to engage [with] the rest of the world.” Because students have the option to learn asynchronously, they do not have to interact with their professor to complete the course. Mueller said she believes that the high school conditions allow students to have a one-of-a-kind type of education that is drastically different from college. “While you’re in high school, those are your greatest opportunities to have rich learning experiences,” Mueller said. “The [CCP] classroom is like mass production: you’re one of many. I know my students and therefore the learning experience is hopefully more meaningful.” Mueller said she believes students retain more information in classroom environments where the teachers can have direct connections with their students. “It’s about priorities,” Mueller said. “Is that number [GPA] important or is the learning experience and retention of the content important? People need to make those choices for themselves.” Although the GPA boost is a significant incentive for students to choose to take CCP courses, Mueller said she believes students should also take other factors into consideration. “I like to think that students know that, whatever their GPA is, they are more than a number,” Mueller said. “I hope that students are making a fully reflective decision where they are pondering [taking CCP] and not just putting themselves on a path because they think that’s what they are supposed to do.” 6 February 16, 2023 Infographic by Becca Hunter

MHS culture a shock to foreign exchange students Shrija Shandilya | The Chronicle Popular teen TV shows do not quite accurately represent American high school life. Junior Stella Polsler is originally from Brazil but is staying in Mason for the year as part of the Education Travel and Culture (ETC) foreign exchange student program. Polsler said that she grew up watching shows about American high schools and wanted to experience the real culture. “I used to love watching High School Musical and Mean Girls,” Polsler said. “I wanted to experience [American high school], but it’s not like what I expected.” Polsler said she felt many culture shocks upon moving to Mason; one of the biggest was how people interacted with each other in school. At Polsler’s old school, the teacher-student relationship was very informal and students stayed together throughout the school day, creating a very tight-knit school community. In Mason, she said that the size of the school made it more difficult to form that same community. “In Brazil, we would be friends with the teacher, gossip and tell them what’s happening in our lives,” Polsler said. “Everyone knows everyone, [but] at Mason, I see a new face in the hallway every day.” Polsler said that she also struggled to relate to American pop culture, especially music, due to the language barrier. Mainstream music in Brazil includes genres such as Pagode, funk and Brazilian trap. Polsler said she misses having friends who understand the same music. “I don’t listen to the same music my friends here listen to,” Polsler said. “It’s harder for me to understand the songs.” In 2022, Qatar hosted the 22nd FIFA World Cup. Soccer, or football, is a large part of Brazilian culture. On game day in Brazil, people paint the streets and Brazilian flags are placed everywhere. Polser said it is hard to miss the game in Brazil, but soccer is not as relevant in America. “In Brazil, the energy is different,” Polsler said. “You’re walking on the street and you hear people screaming about it. We stop school to watch it sometimes.” Polsler said that she appreciates the opportunity to experience a different culture but misses her family, especially her younger sister. “I’ve always been an example to my sister,” Polser said, “I’m wondering how she’s doing back home without someone to look up to.” While Polsler is a part of the ETC program, sophomore Amina Tasbukat and her family moved from Kazakhstan to Mason permanently by earning a grant from her school to move. Tasbulat said she will always have a connection to her home country but is grateful for the opportunity to move. “I grew up [in Kazakhstan]; I had my childhood and my friends and family there,” Tasbukat said. “[But] Kazakhstan is still a developing country, so that’s why I think that it was good we left.” Similar to Polsler, Tasbulat noticed many cultural differences, especially in school. She said that there was less reliance on technology and online platforms for learning in Kazakhstan. Tasbulat also said there was a major cultural difference in people’s overall behavior. “In my culture, we respect each other, we love each other, but we don’t show a lot of emotions,” Tasbulat said. “Here, people are emotional and that’s really good.” Tasbulat said she saw this emotion through how her teachers communicate with students about both school and their personal lives. “I like the teachers here because they are kind, well-minded and understanding,” Tasbulat said. “They are always ready to help students with any problems in and out of school.” Junior Yago Toledano is part of Rotary International, an organization that sponsors exchange students in more than 100 countries and seeks to help students learn new languages and cultures. Toledano decided to participate in this program in order to learn about a different culture and improve his English language skills. He arrived in early August 2022 from Spain and will be spending a year at MHS. He said that he sees American culture as a mix of many traditions and people from different places, leading to much more diversity than in Spain. “There’s a much greater variety of people here from all different places,” Toledano said. Toledano said he has been trying to live as an American teen and that experience is very different from being a Spanish teen. He said that in Mason, many extracurricular activities are affiliated with the school, which not many schools in Spain have. “You would only find school clubs and sports in very, very nice schools in Spain,” Toledano said, “But generally, in order to do something like theater, you would have to find an organization outside of school.” Toledano said that a difficult part of being away from home was having to leave his friends and family. He said that seeing his friends on social media made him miss them more. “My friends are now in their junior year and they’re having lots of fun,” Toledano said. “I would love to be there with them doing whatever they’re doing.” With a wide variety of professional sports leagues in America, Toledano said that he thinks Americans are lucky to be able to experience all of these different events, as Spain’s major professional sports leagues are mainly in soccer. “I love sports and I was able to experience an NBA and NFL game,” Toledano said. “That [was] one of the most exciting parts of being here.” Tasbulat said it is a very big change to move to a different country and adjust to a different culture, but she is glad to gain the experience that Mason provides. “It’s not easy because it’s another country, culture and people, but I really like it [here] and my future at this school,” Tasbulat said. February 16, 2023 7 Graphics by Alisha Verma

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Seeking acceptance into selective programs causes scheduling stress Megan Lee | The Chronicle Mason High School (MHS) students have some big decisions to make and the high school teaching staff is feeling the pressure. The week of January 30 through February 3, students were provided with the information needed to fill out the course selector sheet for the 2023-24 school year. While some students may be ready to get scheduling out of the way, many of MHS’s selective classes, like The Comet Zone, Comet Savings and Loan, Cold Case, Wind Symphony, Chamber Orchestra, and Advanced Video Production are feeling the pressure to add new members in such a short amount of time. According to Associate Principal of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Robyn Jordan, students must schedule in early February because the master scheduling process is long and complicated. Because MHS provides a variety of different courses, the master schedule is made from scratch depending on the course selections of students. Classes at MHS are not first come, first serve, so MHS staff try their best to accommodate each student’s selection. Comet Savings and Loan advisor Cindy Donnelly said that she and her bank staff are at a crucial point in the year where they strive to add new staff members. In early February, members of the bank talked to the Banking and Investments class at MHS about each department and their role, in hopes to urge students to apply. With limited time to make staffing decisions, Donnelly has made it a point to involve her current bank leaders and other staff members in the interview process. Donnelly said she is pushing her students to step up and vocalize their opinions of each of the candidates. “They’re in a position that they know what kind of person it takes actually to be a part of the bank,” Donnelly said. “And on top of that, our current juniors will have to be working with the students.” While senior leaders are helping manage applications, Donnelly said the junior leaders of the bank are being pushed to help her make crucial decisions about next year’s staff. “It is a student-run bank, so they are the ones running and operating and managing these students,” Donnelly said. “So I do feel like we need their truthful, honest opinion.” Despite the stress of making good decisions for the upcoming year, Comet Savings and Loan staff members are still creating content and campaigns for the bank. Donnelly said it is empowering to see her students so passionate about the future of the banking program. “They’re all still running the business, the class is still happening, despite going through loads of applications,” Donnelly said. “You’re doing it in such a short amount of time you know, we use up every day we can get.” For under-classmen, scheduling can present other issues, especially when a class requires approval of admission. This means students must apply, interview, and be accepted before the scheduling process can occur. Sophomore Hannah Knuth said the past few weeks have been stressful as she prepares to submit her Wind Symphony band auditions. Knuth said that although students are given their audition months in advance, the busy finals schedule and winter break, caused a loss of focus. “The school needs to know each student’s band assignment before scheduling,” Knuth said. “So our directors give us till the end of January to submit our auditions, so they have plenty of time.” While students in the band are aware their directors must make decisions about placement early, Knuth said it is easy to become stressed with the limited time between her audition and scheduling. “At the beginning when we first got our music, It felt like so much time,” Knuth said. “But with the new semester starting, I guess it just snuck up on me.” Available only for seniors, Cold Case is a class with a select group of students who work closely with law enforcement to solve unsolved cases. Due to the amount of police and student communication, students must be interviewed to prove they have all the necessary skills. Junior Maddie Hunt said she felt pressure when applying to the Cold Case program. “Even though the application process was easy, it was extensive and thorough, and it happened so quickly,” Hunt said. With the deadline to schedule classes quickly approaching, students like Hunt who have just gone through the interview process are left with an unclear schedule. Hunt said she hopes to find out her results as soon as possible. “Although it can be stressful, it’s not super bad,” Hunt said “I’d rather get it done now and have the interview done rather than have to deal with it postscheduling.” Some students that are already involved in these classes and productions are being asked to provide their own feedback about the students who are looking to join each program. Junior Gabby Affatato, a member of Students Involving & Befriending Students (SIBS), The Comet Zone, and Mason Broadcast Crew (MBC), said she has been keeping her eye out for students with strong charismatic traits to work with her next school year. “We all work collectively to talk about the applicants and who is going to boost our program,” Affatato said. Affatato said that as she prepares for her senior year she realizes the importance of student opinion and ownership especially when it comes to giving more students the opportunity to grow personally and contribute to the collective work done by students in programs like the school store and MBC production team. The in-person interaction between MBC staff and other multi-media students is vital to production each month. Allowing experienced students like Affatato the opportunity to sit down and talk with potential new members allows her to make her own connections with the candidates. “We all work so closely as a team and we are student-run,” Affatato said. “It’s important for students to feel a connection and desire to work with one another.” February 16, 2023 9 Comet Savings & Loan application due February 2nd Graphic by Alisha Verma

Mason robotics teams qualify for state championship Sean Speidel | The Chronicle For the third year in a row, three different Mason community robotics teams have advanced to the Ohio For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Technology Challenge state championship competition. Teams Quantum Leap, Sub-Zero and Parallax Robotics all qualified for the state championship competition, part of their journey to compete in the world championship. In September, the beginning of the robotics season, teams are given the tasks that their robot must be able to complete at competitions. Once they have the year’s prompt, they immediately go into the brainstorming and prototyping stage where the teams work to design their robot to be able to complete the tasks as efficiently as possible. Mason High School (MHS) Senior and captain of Sub-Zero Adithya Deepak said that his team spends a lot of time brainstorming and planning out the design of their robot before they begin the manufacturing process. “For the first two months it’s a lot of brainstorming,” Deepak said. “You have to figure out your initial designs and what the meta of the game is.” The teams use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software to design the parts for their robot and utilize the Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machine at MHS to manufacture their machine. Once their robot is built, they compete at championships where four robots are placed into a playing field and have to compete to complete more tasks than the other team can in the allotted amount of time. Senior co-captain of team Parallax robotics Prathik Iyengar said that not only does the team want to win each competition, but they also want to build their network. “Having a good robot that competes well is important,” Iyengar said. “But reaching out to the community about STEM and gaining engineering connections is also.” For the past two years, the state championship tournament has been online due to COVID-19 restrictions, but this season, teams will compete in person at Hobart arena in Troy, Ohio. MHS senior and team captain of Quantum Leap Eashan Vytla said that he was on the team when they went to state in 2019 and is looking forward to having the in-person experience again. “We are excited about going back to the state championship in person again for the first time since 2019,” Vytla said. Although Quantum Leap, SubZero and Parallax Robotics compete against each other, the teams try to work together as much as possible to improve. Deepak said that despite the rivalry, he enjoys helping the other teams improve their product. “There is an inherent rivalry between the Mason teams,” Deepak said. “But it’s fun because we also try and help each other out to make each other better.” The top two finishers at the state championship advance to the international FIRST Championship in Houston, Texas in April 2023. Team Quantum Leap Qualified for both the Kentucky state championship and the Ohio state championship. Vytla said that the team is hoping to qualify for the international competition via the Kentucky state championship so that all three Mason-based teams can compete in Houston come April. “We’re really hoping that we can make it through Kentucky,” Vytla said. “That way, Parallax and SubZero can hopefully both make it through Ohio and we can all be at the world championships.” Following three consecutive years of qualifying for the state championship, MHS Senior and co-captain of Parallax Robotics Lakshmi Avanthsa said that she hopes the tradition of teambuilding and success will carry on to the future generations of team Parallax Robotics. “Having all of my mentors graduate and seeing the team still be a success and having the legacy carry on is definitely reassuring,” Avanthsa said. “Hopefully when we graduate, our team members will continue that.” After finishing fourth in the state two years ago, Deepak said that he hopes to close out his high school career with a championship win and help build a winning legacy with team Sub-Zero. “As we age out of the program, we would love to finish our last season with a huge win and potentially represent Ohio at the world championship,” Deepak said. Photo by Izzy Gaspar’raj Graduating senior Rachel Molnar decided to wear a green cap and gown. 10 February 16, 2023 Photo by Vyom Vidwans Team Parallax members Lakshmi Avanthsa, Vindhya Ganti and Prathik Iyengar compete at Walnut Hills State Qualifier.

February 16, 2023 11 Class of 2023 513-573-351 0 L R P S e ni o rs

12 Illustrations by Becca Hunter. Page Design by Izzy Gaspar’raj What would be your id “I feel like it would be fun to go to a park or something, and walk around and have a picnic. That would be really cute.” Elliot Pearce, Freshman “We grab Taco Bell and then we drive to VOA and we sit in [the gazebo] and you eat your Taco Bell out there.” Vandan Mistry, Sophomore “I would go window shopping.” Lily Samuel, Junior “Probably a picnic, with a lookout somewhere with a mountain.” Kaylin Bolen, Junior “I would go to the store and have a [randomized] spinner thing where you can choose the snacks, the entree, and the drinks, like that TikTok thing.” Alex Chamberlain, Freshman “The best date would probably be going to a bookstore and picking out your favorite book for the other person to read and then just getting coffee and reading together.” Ramona Mahadeshwar, Senior Taylor Murray | T

13 deal date for under $20? “Going to a drive-in movie with a summer sunset.” Brooklyn Rossetti, Sophomore “Go to the Community Center cafe.” Ryan Peppard, Sophomore “Chipotle for lunch, then you go bowling, because bowling is also pretty cheap. Then, go back to someone’s house and watch The Muppet Movie.” Cole Scheidler, Senior “An ice cream date because it’s cheap and it’s yummy. Also, who doesn’t love ice cream?” Mariah Jackson, Sophomore “An ideal date for me would be a picnic with Mcdonald’s.” Maddy McCaster, Freshman “Pick you up with flowers and then go to a picnic under the sunset.” Jillian Meyer, Sophomore The Chronicle

14 February 16, 2023 Student Opinion: What is your opinion on standardized testing? Cereal 17.6% Oatmeal 5.9% Results taken from Google Form poll with a sample of 17 responses. Graphics by Allison Droege. Page design by Izzy Gaspar’raj. In Conversation With: Junior Daud Malik Student Opinion: What is your favorite breakfast food? When did you first start learning how to solve Rubik’s Cubes and when did you start competing? I started learning how to solve [a Rubik’s Cube] when I was in fourth grade, but I got into competitions when I was in sixth grade because of YouTubers that I used to watch, who would do all these Rubik’s Cube challenges. I waited until there was [a competition] in the area and the first one I went to was in Louisville. Seeing everyone in that environment and that speedsolving community, I got [hooked]. And so, I strive to improve my time as much as I can. Why is solving Rubik’s Cubes a passion for you? My brain was really math-heavy growing up, so solving puzzles was not only something that I did with my family growing up but then something that I could competitively get better at. Staying on that puzzle aspect was something that really intrigued me. I got addicted to getting faster. I think that was the main thing, seeing your time drop consistently, just as you’re practicing and learning new algorithms and new sequences to solve different parts of the cube. That’s what motivated me to keep going. What are the different competitions and events that you have competed in? I’ve competed in four by four, five by five, pyramix [and] skewb. Two by two is my main event. Other than qualifying for the Nationals and Worlds, you’re beating your personal best and then you’re getting ranked in the state. For the past six years, I have been consistently top 50 in Ohio [in my event]. The next [competition] I’m going to is in mid to late April at [Ohio State University] (OSU) because OSU has a Rubik’s Cube club where they do competitions. After that is Nationals which is in Pittsburgh in July. Besides competitions, what other activities are you involved in with Rubik’s Cubes? In sixth, seventh and eighth grade I taught after-school enrichment at Mason Intermediate (MI). It was a Rubik’s Cube program so I would do that throughout the month. Each day, I would take [the kids] through [and it] would be a different step to solve the cube. By the end, all the kids would have their cubes completely solved and the method exposed so that they could take them home and practice themselves. I went to OSU last November [for a competition] and the kid sitting next to me before I competed was one of the same kids that was in my MI program. It’s really cool that not only seeing the passion of my skills but also seeing that I was able to instill that in other people so long ago and then that continuing on is obviously something that was really cool. Compiled by Alisha Soni Pancakes 41.2% Waffles 35.3% It is biased towards people with higher incomes and more opportunities. - Senior Ellie Rogan It’s more equitable compared to several other parts of the college application process, but it too has a lot of flaws, especially for neurodiverse individuals. It may not be the best marker of success or potential to do well in the future, but I guess it’s somewhat quantitatively comparable. - Junior Sri Valathappan I think that standardized testing doesn’t show the true potential of a student’s knowledge and shouldn’t be used to show how “smart” they are and determine what they can be capable of. - Junior Mikaila Andre I absolutely despise it - Junior Yumna Hamdan Scan this QR code to have a chance to be featured in next edition’s Student Spotlights!

February 16, 2023 15 Even if you’ve never heard the name John Cale, his fingerprints can be found everywhere, from the scrappy beginnings of punk rock to modern R&B. Cale has cemented himself as musical vagabond, a title that persists with the release of his new album, MERCY. The album opens with the title track, presenting a sort of thesis for the album as Cale declares he’s “looking for mercy.” Cale’s bleak lyrics reflect a society in shambles, with “so many left for dead,” and warnings of gun violence. For all the gloominess, the track is bathed in ethereal synths, violins chiming as Cale chants for mercy to “lift [him] up,” a shred of optimism during troubled times. “MOONSTRUCK (Nico’s Song)” is a standout track, evidently an ode to the late German singer-songwriter Nico, whom Cale worked with from their early days in the Velvet Underground and beyond. The lyrics paint a portrait of an effervescent, yet troubled woman, bright strings chug along as Cale calls out to his late friend “Please console me / I have come to make my peace.” Cale has never been an artist concerned with sticking to any particular successful formula, evident in the disparate genres that make up the sound of MERCY. Cale finds inspiration from trip-hop, psychedelia, and electronic music, blending elements from each to create something equally dreamy as it is gothic. Never does it feel like an old-timer trying to appeal to a younger generation, a trap many of Cale’s peers have fallen into with their contemporary work. “THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE” is the most overtly political track on the album. Featuring indie rock band Fat White Family, it’s an unnerving seven-and-a-half minutes of fiery guitar and harsh percussion. Yet, despite the lengthy runtime, the song never overstays its welcome. “I KNOW YOU’RE HAPPY” featuring ColombianCanadian singer Tei Shi is a brilliantly layered, dreamy track with a catchy chorus. Cale’s deep drawl and Shi’s crystalline pipes work in great harmony, coming to a climax with a searing guitar solo. MERCY is a sultry exploration of a society at a crossroads. More so, it’s a portrait of a musical vagabond, always on the search for new sounds to experiment with. It’s evident that Cale, for all his years in music, hasn’t been bogged down by his legend status. Over sixty years later, he’s still going strong. ALBUM REVIEW Mercy by John Cale Let’s Start Here by Lil Yachty ALBUM REVIEW by Shrija Shandilya 4/5 entertainment On first listen, Samia’s sophomore album, Honey, recalls Rupi Kaur, the thousand dying gasps of teen Tumblr blogs, and confessional poetry. But the album’s haunting introspection ultimately reveals little beyond a hollow sound, as if the twenty-six-year-old singer isn’t quite sure of what ghosts she’s running from, either. In an interview, Samia described observing the romanticization of the small moments in life as the inspiration for the album: “They zoom all the way out on these huge concepts and then all the way back in at these tiny little personal relationships, but they make them carry the same weight.” But Samia takes us out too far, resulting in an unrecognizable whole with few discernable qualities. The listening experience is like looking for your neighborhood on a map of the cosmos: vast, inducing a certain sense of existential doom, yet ultimately uninterpretable for most of us. The album’s eleven songs lean heavily on personal anecdotes to do the heavy lifting of songwriting. But where a confessional touch would have drawn listeners in, this storytelling pushes them out, with eight separate name-drops obscuring each hyper-specific narrative of “late-night bonding”. The stories feel pulled from a stranger’s 3am notes-app entry, threading a distant voyeuristic wrongness throughout. Samia is the strongest when her storytelling is clear, like on the interconnected “Breathing Song” and “Honey”. On “Breathing Song”, Samia wanders through fragmented memories of a sexual assault in an autotuned haze, only breaking into a barely contained, pitchy howl at the very end in the one real moment of reassociation. The dissociation is resumed immediately in, “Honey”, although the momentary break in Samia’s facade makes the gooey, feel-good track feel sickeningly sweet. “Honey” relieves our concerns until the final lines reveal it as just another face of the same coin: “All you can do in this hotel room is fantasize / All you can do when he needs you is close your eyes”. But for all its strengths, the inconsistent quality of the album as a whole diminishes its shine. Tracks feel sporadically experimental without apparent meaning. “Sea Lions”, the longest track on the album, features a game of robotic word association that reads off “Fist bump, gesture, friendly helping, Friends/ Psycho, drama queen, King, Joker, why so serious?”. Honey’s dissonant themes and constant tonal whiplash suggest a muddled, ill-defined vision for the album. The album’s standout tracks are clever and catchy, but as a whole, hindered by its inconsistency. Samia seems unable to avoid getting caught in her honey. Honey by Samia ALBUM REVIEW by Laurel Wang Page Design by Izzy Gaspar’raj by Alisha Verma 4/5 2/5 Lil Yachty’s fifth studio album, Let’s Start Here, is indicative of his reform. He incorporates a more alternative and psychedelic rock sound while retaining some of his own vocal style. The album starts with “The Black Seminole,” a standout track that effectively sets the tone for the album. With synth and distorted vocals, it highlights the exploration into alternative and the rising culmination of rock and hip hop that Yachty embraces throughout this album. The ‘60s and ‘80s influence throughout the album is clear, especially in tracks like “The Ride,” which feature a rock-like drumline, reminiscent of Tame Impala. This is continued in “Running Out of Time,” which marries elements of funk, psychedelic rock, and Lil Yachty’s classic distorted vocals. Yachty’s influences for the album are incredibly varied. He utilizes synth, bass, and drum lines that are evocative of classic Pink Floyd. To contrast this, he also pulls influence from modern indie in “drive ME crazy,” an upbeat pop-like track. This album never fails to surprise, transitioning from more calm and serene songs such as “pRETTy” to “The Alchemist” offering an upbeat listening experience. “The Alchemist’’ features a dramatic shift from grunge to slow funk. It is through tracks like this that Lil Yachty creates an incredibly diverse album. Although Let’s Start Here brings much-needed variety to Yachty’s discography, he sometimes missed the mark when it comes to delivery. This is seen best in “Reach the Sunshine,” where Daniel Caesar’s features fit better with the production. However, this is a minor issue because of how successfully Yachty launched himself into a completely new genre. At first, his vocals seem jarring, but throughout the album, they progressively build to fit the overall style of the album. “Let’s Start Here” epitomizes what an experimental album should be. He is able to combine his old warbly vocals and soft rapping with ‘60s progressive rock and funk to create an eclectic and varied listening experience. Overall, the exploration into a new era of rock and rap culmination is enjoyable. Though he did tread slightly astray at times, he’s proved his confidence and range as an artist. It will be interesting to see if he makes the switch to rock permanently.

Divy Bose | The Chronicle Two Mason High School seniors have made the decision to not only continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level, but also serve their country. Every senior struggles through the decision of what to do after their high school career. Athletes face added pressure of deciding whether or not to continue playing their sport at the next level and deal with the recruitment process. On February 1st, 2023, Aaron Spears signed with the United States Naval Academy to throw for their division one track and field team. Spears said that his plans of studying and training in the Navy have been a part of his future outlook since the end of his junior year. “I have always wanted to be part of such a hard-working and amazing program,” Spears said. “To be able to not only grow in my education but in strength is really rewarding.” Playing on the Mason football team consecutively through high school has built a foundation of discipline and strength that has prepared players for their future. Spears said that Mason High School Football Coach Brian Castner has influenced the importance of brotherhood and instruction. “Getting to be a part of a team that prioritizes what I will continue to aspire to do is a privilege,” Spears said. “Having my voice be heard by my teammates that I consider brothers is really rewarding.” Being a part of the Navy means that training starts right away in order to be well prepared. Spears said that swimming and running seven days a week as well as conditioning in the gym four times a week is the only option in order to improve. “I didn’t want to join the Navy at first because of how difficult the conditioning and workouts were,” Spears said. “Being disciplined to myself starting now is going to really pay off in the program itself.” Spears comes from a military family. His father served several years in the navy, enlisting straight out of high school. His brother is currently at the Naval Academy on the men’s gymnastics team. Spears said and his brother were held to high standards growing up, ultimately shaping his character and preparing him for his future. “My dad always makes me and my brother follow his famous acronym of A-H-O-P which ultimately molded our morals,” Spears said. “A stands for accountability, H stands for honesty, O stands for ownership, and the P is perseverance.” Along with the Navy, the United States Military Academy at West Point is an option for students to further their education and serve their country after high school. Senior Caden Davis signed to the Army football team on February 1, 2023. Davis said that the Army stood out amongst his offers that included Navy and Columbia because of its unique culture and atmosphere. “I have always loved the army, but never saw myself being a part of it let alone the football team until I really looked into it,” Davis said. “It was a no brainer choice for me after one visit and I really saw myself as a part of the team.” Committing to a routine has also been a priority, considering that for the first six weeks of both the Army and Naval Academy, both Spears and Davis will not have any source of technology. Enrolling in such rigorous and dedicated programs, the typical college lifestyle is thrown away. Being an athlete at the West Point and Naval Academy includesa rigorous academics as well as athletics. Spears said it is very important to him to stay disciplined both for his sport and to uphold the reputation of a midshipman.. “Athletes have to maintain a healthy balance between rigorous academics and their own sport,” Spears said. “It takes a lot more persistence and time management to succeed in both.” Spears’ brother’s enrollment in the Navy has led him to be sure of his commitment so early on. Spears said that seeing his brother grow through the program, as well as being an athlete has made him want to do the same. “I asked him what his reason was for going to the academy since I have so much respect for him,” Spears said. “The switch flipped for me when he told me it was the best decision of his life.” Maintaining a competitive attitude as an athlete in the Navy and Army is what will also excel in the athletic department. The Navy vs Army game is one of the most historical rivalries to ever go down, dating back to 1890. Davis said that playing football for four years at Mason has consistently made him strive for more, as well as follow up the traditional feud between the Navy and Army. “I have always been so competitive and ready to fight for a win,” Davis said. “It’ll be so fun to see where Spears ends up since he has been a longtime teammate of mine, but even better to see him now as my rival.” 16 February 16, 2023 sports Comet athletes elect to continue careers at military academies Graphics by Alisha Verma

February 16, 2023 17 PARRISH'S NUMBERS MADIE PARRISH 2 game-winning shots 2 4th 23 against Princeton and Bolingbrook 23 points in win over Lakota East to clinch GMC Championship 4th in the GMC in points per game Andrew Little | Sports Editor Sophomore Madie Parrish has stepped into a leading role for the Mason girl’s basketball team this year. Her 13.7 points per game lead the team and are fourth-most in the Greater Miami Conference. Her game-high 27 points against Lakota East in the regular season finale helped lead the Comets to another GMC Championship. Parrish’s clutch scoring has been a major factor in the Comets’ success all season long. She scored a career-high 28 points in a 63-62 win at Princeton, including a gamewinning field goal at the buzzer. She also scored the go-ahead basket to defeat Bolingbrook, a top Illinois team, at the Classic in the Country tournament in January. She also leads the Comets in assists with 2.9 per game, sixth-best in the conference, and is second on the team with 2.6 steals per game. Parrish has also been one of the top three-point shooters in the GMC this season. Her 42 made triples are tied for second in the conference. Her threat behind the arc will be counted on in the state tournament, as the Comets prepare for another playoff run. ‘s ofthe STUDENT ATHLETE MONTH Comet Zone’s Student Athlete of the Month selected by The Chronicle Sports Staff. Photo by Preena Mehta. Graphic by Allison Droege. Page Design by Izzy Gaspar’raj

Libby on target to reach 100 career wins Camden Paeltz | The Chronicle After battling through a torn labrum and shortened season due to global pandemic, senior Sam Libby is on the cusp of the major wrestling milestone of 100 career wins. Libby has overcome many obstacles that have hindered his progression to reach 100 career wrestling wins, a major milestone that not many people reach. In the middle of Libby’s junior year, he tore his labrum and could only compete in 14 matches, which is even lower than the number of matches he played his sophomore year, the year Coronavirus shut down all the schools in Ohio. Libby said that he has used those setbacks to motivate him to still reach his goals. “My sophomore year was the COVID year.” Libby said. “I might have even been able to hit 150 If I had both those years back, but I just go in and I try to train as hard as I can every single day and try to make my team better.” All of the wins Libby has been gaining have not come easy for him, he makes sure to run before school almost every day, After school, Libby goes to his normal practice, and he then goes home to get some of his school work done and take time to just relax, this is normally about two hours for him. Once Libby is done with all of his work, he goes to the gym, lifts weights, and does about thirty minutes of intense cardio. Libby does all of this work so that he can be the best he can ever be and perfect this craft he has been working on ever since he was five years old. Libby is hoping with all of the work that he has put in will give him a chance to make it to the state meet, where he hopes to end his High School career with a good ending and redeem himself from prior years where he has made it to blood round. The blood round takes place during one of the final rounds of a tournament, it has gotten his name from the number of blood times that are normally called. Libby said his success during his senior season is a testement to the experience he gained during his first three seasons in the Greater Miami Conference. “I’ve always made it to the blood round where I’d be right on the edge and I wouldn’t place so this year it’s a really big deal that I do place,” Libby said, “ It’s like I’m finally closing the book” Reaching 100 wins is an impressive achievement anywhere, but even more school at a large division one school like Mason. The Comets consistently compete against top teams in the region, while a dominant small school wrestler may only face high-level opponents during the postseason. This season Libby has faced multiple wrestlers ranked in the top ten of their weight class in the state. Libby said that the stiff competition he faces has allowed him to continue to improve throughout his entire career. “One hundred wins for another school is not that big of a deal because they don’t compete at the same level we compete at,” Libby said. “We wrestle a lot of better schools, and Maffey makes sure that there’s a lot of better teams in our schedule.” Head Coach Nicholas Maffey has been with Libby throughout his High school career. Maffey has been with Libby when he tore his labrum, and when he could not even wrestle because of the pain he felt every time he moved. Maffey said that he never gives up and does not go out that easily, so when he had to leave wrestling for a few weeks, Maffey saw his determination and his non-stop perseverance. “As soon as he was hurt last year, he immediately got to work strengthening himself,” Maffey said. “He went from being 157 pounds to 175 pounds. He spent a lot of time in the weight room, and also spent a lot of time doing yoga three times a week to strengthen the muscles around the labrum.” Libby currently sits at 97 wins for his high school career and is likely to reach 100 wins on February 18 at the GMC Championship meet. Libby has not decided if he still wants to continue his wrestling career in college, but if he does decide that he wants to end it, he wants to end it off on a good note. “I’m not 100% sure if I’m going to pursue this route because I’ve been doing it for so long,” Libby said. “It might just be nice to finally let it go, place at the state, and walk off, and be done on a good note.” 18 February 16, 2023 Photo by Camden Paeltz Sam Libby battles in a match at the Mason Invitational where he finished in second place in the 175 pound weight class. Photo by Camden Paeltz Sam Libby fighting for an escape to earn himself a point after starting on the ground.

Prabhakar passes on love of chess to next generation Ali Sami | The Chronicle Nikil Prabhakar is using his chess skills to pass on his passion to younger Mason Comets. Prabhakar, a senior at Mason High School, plays for the Mason Chess Team and teaches chess to Mason middle schoolers through the afterschool enrichment program (ASEP). Prabhakar, who started playing chess at the age of five, says that he wants to pay back Chess for making his entire childhood. “I was once in their shoes and seeing them succeed when I teach younger kids is a cool feeling for me.” Prabhakar started doing ASEP as a sophomore and has been doing it since. The chess course that is offered is meant for all levels of chess players, from beginners to experts. Jack Loucks, one of the kids that Prabhakar teaches, said that it’s a positive experience whether you are trying to learn the sport of chess, or are an expert. “It’s good for starters, and it’s good for really good players,” Loucks said. “It’s good for any level you are.” Prabhakar tries to match specific students with other students to adapt to their own skill levels and hopes that with students with the same skillset learn from each other. “There are some kids who are more advanced than others,” Prabhakar said. “There are some kids who don’t even know how to play chess and have to start teaching them what each move is and what each piece is.” Although Prabhakar is the teacher, he says that he learns from young kids how they play and sees a new perspective on skill sets and tactics. “A lot of these kids sometimes have different tactics and skills that even I don’t know,” Prabhakar said. So it’s always unique to see their aspect of the game because they could make any single move that I might not have thought of. So we both learn in the process.” Many of the kids Prabhakar teaches are interested in joining the high school chess team, so he tries to carve kids best as possible for the challenges they may face at a higher level. Prabhakar, who said has been participating in chess tournaments for over ten years, looks for tournaments that some of the more competitive chess players in his class could enter. “Our high school team is pretty competitive so you need to have some sort of starter base when you’re in middle school or younger,” Prabhakar said. “So what I do is I offer them tournaments in the local area that they can go to after practice.” Prabhakar said that it means a lot to him that many kids are dedicated to playing and learning chess with him after school. “Many of them are in middle school, and they come here on their Friday afternoon, spend time here at the school to play chess,” Prabhakar said. “They could be doing other things, so it really means a lot to me.” After three years of teaching chess, Prabhakar is heading off to college and will no longer teach the younger Comets. “You have to enjoy yourself and I want to be the person that can make them enjoy the game on their own and make it fun for them,” Prabhakar said. “I’m there to kickstart and ignite the spark they have for chess, and I hope I did that.” February 16, 2023 19 Photo by Ali Sami Nikhil Prabhakar works with Mason Middle School student Jack Loucks as he competes against a classmate in a chess match.

20 February 16, 2023 Comets repeat GMC Champs Photos by Preena Mehta Mason head coach Rob Matula pleads his case with the official. Carly Prows goes up for a shot. Madie Parrish poured in 23 points in the win. Anna Habra recorded her first varsity double-double with a 10 point and 11 rebound performance. Gabby Razzano at the freethrow line. The Black Hole was out in full force with a blackout theme. Amanda Barnes, Madie Parrish, Anna Habra and the Comets celebrate their win over Lakota East and another GMC Championship. The Mason Comets avenged an early season loss to Lakota East by defeating the visiting Thunderhawks on Saturday, February 4 to clinch the Greater Miami Conference title. Through the Lens:

Students and staff united by Bengals playoff run Ellie Saylor | The Chronicle “Who-Dey” took on a new meaning for Bengals fans during their playoff run. Throughout the Bengal’s regular season and playoff run some students and staff members took to celebrating the team’s triumphs. However, after the AFC championship loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, a 2023 Super Bowl win was not in the future for the Bengals team. Students and staff alike had high hopes for another Bengals trip to the Super Bowl. The conversation surrounding the big game and the season dominated lunchroom conversations. Senior Drew Vaughn said he felt that the Bengal nation was proudly represented throughout the school, creating an exciting environment. “I think a lot of people just get excited about the team,” Vaughn said. “It was great to see the camaraderie of the school because everyone was talking about [the Bengal’s season] together.” Vaughn said that seeing other people wearing Bengals shirts and jerseys created a sense of unification and common ground for students and staff. “I think when people see each other’s jerseys they’re like, ‘Sweet!’ [merchandise] is such a big icebreaker because you know who you can talk to,” Vaughn said. The AFC game came down to a field goal made by the Kansas City Chiefs in the final seconds of the game securing the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory by only three points. Vaughn said that the game was most impactful not only for the school but for Cincinnati. “You watch that final play and it’s disappointing,” Vaughn said. “The whole city was very together about the Bengals, and when that play happened, and the game ended it was just like ‘that was it?’” Sophomore Zak Bassini had some doubts about whether or not the Bengals’ offensive line could protect star quarterback Joe Burrow, but as the season progressed Bassini was confident that his Bengals could get back to the Super Bowl. “When the season started I was a little bit doubtful because I didn’t know how well their team was going to perform,” Bassini continued. “But as the season went on I started to gain a little bit more confidence.” Unfortunately, Bassini’s confidence in the team was not enough to help the Bengals win. Bassini said that watching the game was extremely hard to watch as a Bengals fan. “I kind of felt like I was going to have a heart attack,” Bassini said. “I was really nervous during the game because those games are nail-biters. They just go down to the wire.” The loss of the AFC championship halted the discussions and excitement that fans had prior to their loss. Bassini said that coming back on that Monday was hard on the entire school. “[On] Friday, the last day of school before the game, everybody kept talking about it,” Bassini said. “Then on Monday the vibe was dead and nobody was talking about [the game] anymore.” Like Bassini, Sophomore Kayla Thammart often thought about how the game could have been played differently. Thammart said that certain parts of the game repeated in her head. “It was rough. I just kept replaying that last two minutes in my head. I was just speechless,” Thammart said. The effect of the Bengals’ season went further than the student body, as educators and MHS staff members also enjoyed, and grieved the football season. MHS film-making teacher Allen Young, a self-proclaimed Bengals fan, was excited to see students and faculty supporting the team. “I [wore] Bengals gear every day since the playoffs,” Young said. “So everybody participating was nice to see.” Being a die-hard fan, the AFC game had a strong impact on Young. He said that watching the game was tough, but he remains optimistic about the future of the team. “I just laid in bed [that night] and I [thought], ‘So close, so close’,” Young said. “I really can’t complain as a fan because they had such a nice long run that led to a great season, probably the best season that the Bengals have ever had. This is probably the best time in my life to be a Bengals fan.” Photo by Ellie Saylor Senior Drew Vaughn and MHS Film Making teacher Allen Young reminisce over the Bengals 2023 playoff run. February 16, 2023 21

The Chronicle’s Policy The Chronicle Staff Editor-in-Chief Bradyn Johnson Managing Editors Risha Chada Tanya Keskar Sports Editor Andrew Little Technical Editor Izzy Gaspar’raj Business Manager Alexa Crociata Staff Designers Becca Hunter Nishka Mishra Alisha Verma Staff Writers Elina Bishoyi Divy Bose Drew Hoffmaster Megan Lee Aimee Liu Josie Lorenz Taylor Murray Camden Paeltz Ali Sami Ellie Saylor Shrija Shandilya Alisha Soni Sean Speidel Laurel Wang Ava Yungbluth Advisor Dale Conner The Chronicle is the official student newspaper of William Mason High School. The Chronicle promises to report the truth and adhere to the journalistic code of ethics through online and print mediums. The Chronicle is produced by students enrolled in Journalism I, II and III. Editorials reflect the staff ’s opinion but do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the school administration or the Mason City School District. The Chronicle is published monthly. Call 398-5025 ext. 33103 for information regarding advertising in The Chronicle. The Chronicle reserves the right to refuse advertising it deems inappropriate for a high school publication. As an open forum for students, letters to the editor are welcome, but are subject to be edited for length, libel, obscenity, clarity and poor taste. Letters to the editor may be dropped off in room C103 and must be signed. The Chronicle is a member of The Columbia Scholastic Press Association, The National Scholastic Press Association, Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists and the Ohio Scholastic Media Association. Contact Information The Chronicle William Mason High School 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Rd. Mason, Ohio 45040 (513) 398-5025 Connect with the Chronicle: @mhschronicle facebook.com/ mhschronicle @mhschronicle Speculations about a mysterious balloon have taken U.S. media outlets by storm. From January 28 to February 4, 2023, the sudden appearance of a high-altitude balloon in the U.S. airspace created much paranoia throughout the country. The first reported sighting was when the balloon was 6o,000 feet over Billings, Montana, on Februrary 1. The U.S. Department of Defense announced the next day that they were aware of the balloon and had been tracking it for multiple days. There has been no confirmation of the actual purpose of the balloon, but after it was suspected of being a “Chinese spy balloon,” it was shot down by a U.S. Air Force fighter jet. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement to CNN that it was simply a weather balloon, and that the U.S. is being irresponsible in its response. Many conspiracy theories about the real purpose of the balloon have been floating around the Internet – some based off of evidence and prior knowledge, and some simply fabricated from the imagination of social media users. When it comes to China, American politicians and media are in a constant state of paranoia. With news outlets and social media platforms, this type of news – conspiracies and all – spreads like wildfire. With news becoming more easily accessible through social media and other outlets, it is now too normal for us to take the first headline we see and assume we have all of the information. We as a country are prone to trusting everything that we read on the internet, without fact-checking or reading the opposite side of the story. Many news sites nowadays are overrun with bias, even if they appear or claim to be non-partisan. This trusting mindset often leads us to put too much focus on issues that may not deserve attention. In the case of the balloon, warnings and predictions of World War III or a new Cold War swarmed TikTok within days of the first sighting. Within that time frame, there had only been videos of the balloon and a statement issued by the Pentagon Press Secretary, stating that the U.S. government is actively tracking the balloon and is aware of it. For all we know, it could have been a weather balloon as China claimed. However, instead of waiting for the facts, many Americans jumped to conclusions, arguing that it could’ve had radar scanners to study our missile arrangements. If this is the only information that we see, it causes us to have dangerously misleading ideas about both our government and the Chinese government. We use speculation to target American citizens who are a part of specific minorities. The second that there is a sense of fear, news outlets explode with misinformation and bias. News headlines fuel our opinions on ethnicity, leading to biased racism and discrimination within our country. ChineseAmericans have been common victims of unfounded accusations for years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. and devastated the country. We took the same prejudiced action 82 years ago when the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in 1941. A wave of fear spread across the country, we turned on our fellow citizens just because they had Japanese ancestors, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered all Japanese-Americans to leave their homes to live in internment camps for the duration of the war. Over 127,000 innocent citizens of the United States lived in these camps for nearly three years, due to American paranoia and prejudice. It is imperative that we keep our history in mind as we move forward as a country, because we are bound to make the same mistakes again if we ignore our past. We have been taught through events like COVID-19 and Pearl Harbor that jumping to conclusions can be dangerous, and taking our anger, fear and suspicion out on citizens is almost always immoral and wrong. If we just remember to get all of the facts before making accusations and spreading information, we can avoid so much discrimination and pain. Balloon sighting paranoia furthers a fear of differences Staff Editorial I genuinely fear for the day my 15-year-old brother gets his driver’s license. I imagine him in the car listening to music, singing along to his favorite songs – being independent. Once he leaves, he’s all alone; it’s only him and the road. Every time there is another victim of excessive police force, I become an insomniac for weeks at a time. The thoughts scare me as I think of all the ways my brother’s driving experience could go wrong. Red and blue lights flash, and the reflection of the rearview mirror tells him that he’s being pulled over. My heart sinks, as images of people that have fallen victim to police violence insert themselves into my head. Sickened, I try to stop the visions. My parents have had the talk with my brother about the do’s and don’ts of police encounters, and quite frankly, it’s unsettling to sit and watch while my parents explain a harsh reality to a 9th grader. “Put your hands on the steering wheel where they can see them. Do not talk back. Sit up straight. Tread lightly,” my Dad says. As my brother’s eyes widen, I wonder, why it is that we must take these precautions in order to save us from a police officer, a person who is supposed to protect and serve us? As a black person living in America, you have to learn when to have your guard up, and when to take it down. My dad, like my brother, had “The Talk” with his parents as well. It is upsetting to hear that almost four decades later, my father had the same talk as my brother and I’m sure the same talk has been going on for generations. Although my brother has yet to start driving, my father has been for the past four decades. He has been pulled over. He has seen the videos, the news articles and the pictures. I cannot imagine the fear and the anxiety that comes over him as he is asked for his license and registration, hoping that the cop has had a good day. It is inevitable that one day, my brother may have to go through the same thing my father has. My mother has been counting down the days until he gets his license, praying that he stays safe at all times. It is crazy to think that while some fathers and mothers have conversations about the birds and the bees, my brother gets the talk about what to do and what not to do when it comes to police encounters. I cannot lie, I am super nervous for next year when I am away at college. I will not be able to know where he is all the time or drive him places. Although I know he will do no wrong, the thought of him being on the road by himself scares me. Bradyn Johnson | The Chronicle Why I’ll always worry about my little brother 22 February 16, 2023

A few years ago, a cry went out by Mason High School (MHS) students that our school was in need of a program to help support students struggling with emotional and mental health. In 2018, the Hope Squad was introduced at the high school. The MHS Hope Squad has been instrumental in breaking down the stigma around mental health. Now, five years later, we are accustomed to conversations and initiatives powered by our Hope Squad. Hope Squad makes their own mark on the community by encouraging students to learn about mental health. Mason High School students on the team dedicate a period of their day in order to be trained to use different techniques to approach multiple mental health disorders. This allows them to work with students who are struggling and give them healthy coping mechanisms. Hope Squad also uses campaigns such as Hope Week to spread positive messages about misconceptions regarding mental health. For that, we are grateful and thankful for this tremendous group of students who have bonded together to make it their mission to create safe spaces and help raise awareness around this extremely sensitive topic. This past week, the Hope Squad continued their mission to help with the Day of Hope. On February 16, the Hope Squad students, advisor Alex Beurkett, and even Hibbs, their loveable black lab hit the halls, hoping to help their peers reflect on their own idea of hope, self-care and to intervene when a student is in need. Recently the concept of Hope Squad in the school setting was criticized in a local school district. The claim was made that groups aimed at helping students with emotional wellness actually cause more stress and anxiety, but in fact, it is these small changes that start to make a difference. We have students who focus on furthering mental health awareness. We are creating a culture where student well-being is prioritized. While I do believe that mental health will never be truly normalized, it eases me to know that teenagers are helping one another become connected to their own struggles. As students, we need to continue amplifying Hope Squad’s work and continue to deepen our understanding of the importance of mental health. It is easy to disassociate ourselves from our history. We are all humans living in 2023, a world with a different social and political structure than even a few decades ago. We trudge through history classes, a complicated pile of historical dates and people, and then hastily toss them to the side. But the reality is, our ancestors’ actions have built the world we are currently living in, and are crucial in understanding how to move forward. There has been violence. There has been conflict. From 1933 to 1945, the systematic murder of six million Jewish people occurred – the Holocaust. The American government established Japanese internment camps to forcibly incarcerate innocent people of Japanese descent after the bombing of the American military base, Pearl Harbor. As part of a federally funded US program, Native American children were routinely removed from their homes and put into boarding schools to assimilate them – preventing them from speaking their native language, giving them Anglo-American names and military-style clothing, forcing them to convert to Christianity, etc – a program that was in place until 1969. People are not just statistics. We cannot forget that these actions directly affected real people, with real lives, some of whom are still alive today. But we are not our ancestors. Our ancestor’s actions are not ours; we are not blamed for them, but we must learn about them and change, or the old adage becomes true: history is doomed to repeat itself. Just two weeks ago, hundreds of residents in Atlanta, Georgia found antisemitic flyers on their driveways and in mailboxes. According to the Indigenous Language Institute, only 175 out of the 300 Native languages that once existed remain in use today, and without measures to preserve these languages, estimates show that as little as 20 could be left by 2050. In their most recent release, the FBI reported 8,673 hate crime offenses occurring in the US in 2021, and this only includes reported offenses. We are not over hate, bias or discrimination. History is repeating itself, furthered by a lack of awareness of history by many Americans. Learning about some historical events can be scary and sad, but history is not perfect. We need the unfiltered truth. At the same time, we do not have to dishonor or stop looking up to historical figures when we learn about something that disappoints us, but we do have to learn that it exists and acknowledge it. Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company and known for revolutionizing the auto industry, also began publishing a weekly series in The Dearborn Independent that focused on furthering an antisemitic and now debunked hoax, claiming that there was a global Jewish conspiracy for money and power. He required immigrant employees to go through an English language school with a graduation ceremony that would have them dress up in the stereotypical attire from their native country and change into a suit and tie, to be assimilated into American society. He denied workers their full wages if home inspections did not meet his standards, opposed unions and let violence respond to protests, among other things. With all of this knowledge, should we delete mentions of Henry Ford’s contributions from our history textbooks? No. The answer is not to have less knowledge, but more. We can appreciate Ford’s contributions to society while still acknowledging and understanding the rest of his past. In the future, so many of the things we do today are hopefully going to be very wrong. Many of us exist as passive bystanders to atrocities, due to our disassociation from the things we purchase and consume. The fast fashion industry hides labor exploitation and heavy carbon emissions with greenwashing and colorful packaging, and we are either gullible enough to fall for it, or we just ignore it out of convenience. It is easy to turn away from poverty in our community by being wrapped up in the stresses of our day-to-day lives. But we cannot ignore today’s problems because we do not want to stand up to them. We cannot ignore history because we do not want to acknowledge it, as it is that closed mindset that prevents us from focusing on standing up to today’s problems. Every small step is a step in the right direction. And it starts with learning all of our history, even the difficult parts. We need to stop hiding from our history Tanya Keskar | The Chronicle Editorial Cartoon A thank you to Hope Squad Megan Lee | The Chronicle February 16, 2023 23

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