As a new school year starts, many new freshman students learn how to navigate high school. As many older students may remember, it can be very challenging to learn how to adjust to a much different learning environment and community. Here are some pieces of advice from seniors at Andrew to help guide underclassmen as they learn and grow into their new roles as T-Bolts! 

Elena Aviles:

“Your grades during freshman year matter! Use this time to learn how to study and do work effectively and efficiently. Create strong habits now that will build a strong work ethic for the future!”

David Herman:

“My word of advice would be to explore all the options Andrew has to offer as electives. Students should explore classes- things like Art, Woods, Electronics, Culinary, things like that. Andrew has a lot of very good programs ran by amazing teachers that can help you learn important life skills or get into a new hobby you wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s a good idea to take advantage of that because it’s all free.”

Sarah Escalona: 

“Do everything at least once… high school is where a lot of memories and friendships are forged.” 

Ashton Zopf: 

“Find something you enjoy about every class, even if it’s a subject you otherwise hate. A lot of school is about mindset, so choose to enjoy your time instead of dreading it.”

Natalie Orbon: 

“Join things YOU are interested in, ESPECIALLY if you don’t know anyone, like clubs, sports, shows, etc.. These will be the places where you create some of the best friendships and connections with possibly future teachers. Besides extracurriculars, I would say that it’s valuable to build a good work ethic too! But if you let your grades define you, they will hold you back. If you can find a balance between doing your best and having fun, that’s the best combo!”

Emma Andrews: 

“Don't let worry stop you, whether that’s stopping you from taking a different class, joining a different club, or just putting yourself out there. Sometimes the new, slightly scary things can be the most exciting and the most rewarding and can lead to lasting relationships with others.”

Claire Carney:

“Get involved in as many things as you can. You will meet so many new people and it will be fun!”

Ellie Conneely: 

“My advice would be to take advantage of the resources the school provides: such as going to the center or signing up for T-Bolt time when you need help. Also, never be afraid to ask questions.”

Marek Szklanecki:

“Don’t be afraid to talk to new people and try new things.”

Album Analysis: Fountain Baby

By James Abraham

Editor-in-Chief

Child of God, showered in blessings, that’s what a fountain baby means to Amaraae, as stated in a 2023 interview. Despite an explosively popular debut, specifically with the hit SAD GIRLZ LUV MONEY which garnered a Kali Uchis collaboration, Amaraae never broke out into the mainstream. Fountain Baby changed it all. When she was previously viewed as a one-hit underground artist, she showed it up and concocted one of the best albums of 2023. An album so good that her fans were scared that her future albums could never match it. It can’t be overstated how impactful this album is; Fountain Baby left my jaw hanging when I first listened. The recently released Amaraae album, Black Star, inspired me to highlight one of the greatest and most unique albums in the 21st century.

Track 1: All My Love

With a beautifully plucked harp taking turns in the spotlight with an orchestral quartet, this track is serene and unassuming, a devious misdirection to the rest of the album. And almost emerging through the web of strings, you faintly hear Amaraae’s voice mumbling some sort of melody before fading out. Although there’s never much to say about sub-one-minute instrumental intros, she’s already packed in so much style and personality. It’s done its job and set off this firecracker of an album, alluding that the best is yet to come. 

Track 2: Angels in Tibet

Tibetan chanting initiates the song and foreshadows Amaraae’s introduction. Uncompromising, she comes in blazing: she likes money, she likes glamour, she likes girls, and she won’t settle for anything. She’s proud, romantic, and rich, and loves to talk about it. She goes as far as to compare herself to that of a god: “Pay homage… to the god… come on home to God.” Through melding afro-beats and orchestral strings, she flawlessly moves from rapping bridges to breathily sung choruses. The African and Asian percussion scattered throughout and trailing off the song keep you moving even when Amaraae has nothing more to say. 

Track 3: Co-Star

Co-Star is one of the most lyrically creative songs Amaraae and her team have ever written. With immense influence from astrology culture, references burst through every line of this song. “Fire how you move your body / Down to earth but way too high / The water on my neck, come make it warm, it’s warm / Air, I need some air.” Amaraae takes a much more shallow look at her love interests, riffing off the obsession with zodiacs but more so aligning herself with it rather than scrutinizing it. She pigeon holes her potential partners through their zodiac signs. Some, like Cancer, are ideal for their compassion while others, such as Sagittarius, are written off as nagging and nasty. Once again, the song leads off with harp chords, which immediately segue into afro-pop and synths. The harp chords remain throughout the song and direct it, adding a transcendent touch, and the chorus is sung with the most addictively springy melody. She set out to make a fun flirty anthem, and she did it.

Track 4: Princess Going Digital

Electropop and African rhythm have never sounded so good together. Coming off a revelation she’s come to, Amaraae questions her worth and purpose. She has everything she could want abundantly – money, women, cars – but is it enough? Although she wants to swim in cash, she also wants real romance. Two things often not paired. “Take me off the streets” she begs, befuddling even herself with what she really wants. Similar in genre to her previous two songs, but abandoning the strings for a more modern vibe, Amaraae is still introducing herself. She isn’t two-dimensional or basic, she’s complex. The song emphasizes her indecisiveness as another voice echoes “It’s whatever you want” in the chorus. Amaraae prides herself on her power; she knows what she wants and gets it. But, is what she’s been getting really what she wants?

Track 5: Big Steppa

Muffled guitars murmur as if they’re being recorded underwater in the song’s intro. Amaraae’s wavering voice imitates fear, matching her nervousness with her love interest. A “big steppa” is someone who makes big moves, and does things people aren’t afraid to do. She’s scared of them, they make her break rules when she doesn’t want to. So how can they make her do anything just by asking? Simple: Amaraae is just like them, and she thinks she can change them. Soft electric guitar, drumset, and trumpets draw out the ballroom vibes of this track. Your mind sketches an image of wading through a deep pool, a feeling that surfaces with the ebb and flow of her voice coupled with tropical instrumentation. 

Track 6: Reckless & Sweet

Amaraae is proof that you can hold yourself up to the level of a god while worshipping one too. She doesn’t let her piety come in the way of being herself. She’ll pray with one hand and wave her wads of cash with the other. It will be reiterated until the end of time: she is not someone you can put in a pretty box. Life is ironic and seldom makes sense. Amaraae will switch from kowtowing in reverence (“Glory to God of mercies”) to flaunting her beloved wealth (“Call me when the money come, come, come…” ) faster than you can say “fountain baby”. This song’s influences and instruments, shockingly, aren’t very unique compared to the rest of the album. But, all that means is it fits in perfectly. 

Track 7: Wasted Eyes

Asian influences reenter through the Chinese guzheng, and keep the forefront with the stripped-down nature of this song. Diversity and breaking boundaries have always been Amaraae’s strong suits. From the clear Chinese influences, to the afro-pop that’s never left, and even introducing European sounds through lutes and bagpipes. Time and time again, she takes all our expectations about the music industry and blows them all up. The song itself speaks of the burdens it takes to love. As painful as it is, Amaraae isn’t one to make euphemisms, going as far as saying she’s wasted her eyes on her old partner. If there’s one thing you should know about Amaraae by now, it’s that she knows her worth, and won’t waste her time to make you feel better.

Track 8: Counterfeit

Autotune is the unsung hero of the song, working overtime on the bridges. This is one of the most boisterous songs she has on here. No hesitation, no breaks, all she talks about is girls and money. To any other artist besides Amaraae, this would be horribly repetitive and shallow. But Amaraae can’t allow that, and makes each time more exciting than the last. Her sudden shifts and relaxed instrumental interlude following up the maelstrom of energy show us that there’s still so much to expect. To the excitement of many hip hop fans, a Clipse “Wamp Wamp” sample runs throughout. And, as you hear the Middle Eastern bubuk along with ululation somehow mixing so perfectly, it begins to dawn that Fountain Baby is really the album for all groups of people.

Track 9: Disguise

Self-reference after self-reference, this album ties itself together perfectly in a bow. If I sat here and listed all the times her songs reference one another, the article would have quadrupled in size, but it’s so unavoidable here. Amaraae is a sonical and lyrical wizard, to put it simply. You have the vocalizing and shout intro similar to “Angels in Tibet”, the motif of truth-telling eyes from “Wasted Eyes”, Middle Eastern representation from “Counterfeit”, the dichotomy of love and selfishness in “Princess Going Digital”, and of course: the afropop, money, and women that string all the songs together. On its own, “Disguise” is a wonderful song that tackles the insecurities of relationships. No matter how confident you can be, there are never enough times your partner can tell you they love you. In even more of an important development: the money, the bragging, the flaunting, these are the ways Amaraae copes with the insecurities. To pull herself out of the spiralling thoughts, she has to jump right back into the fact that she has a lot of cars and extravagance. This song alone adds so much more depth and cohesion to the entire album. 

Track 10: [Omitted Title]

Oh boy. This track is nothing like anything else she’s ever made. Harps and muffled electric guitar guide the transition from rambunctious pop to a somber, sensitive song that resembles waves rippling. “I couldn’t live life without you, nothing’s right without you...” This song could be the longest time she’s gone without talking about money; it’s far more serious. It’s far more extreme. It’s devout. The fun and games are over; she can't keep avoiding the elephant in the room. She doesn’t want all the money, other people, and cars in the world. She only wants the one girl she can’t live without, the one she just can’t get out of her brain, the big steppa that seems to be out of her grasp no matter what she does, yet she’s found dependence on her. It's a very one-sided dependence. She’s been burned time and time again after loving so much but getting nothing in return. Amaraae is vulnerable, somber, and hurting. “When the angels call / I need you wide awake.”

But of course that doesn’t last long. Electric guitar riffs rip through the song at about the halfway point, and Amaraae takes her power back. This isn’t the vulnerable side that we thought the song would follow through with. Have we learned nothing? She’ll never be the one to just sit and mope around. This is Amaraae coming back with more fuel and more rage. Positioning herself more aptly with the punk genre the song became, Amaraae is done feeling bad about herself, and she knows who she needs to be mad at. She wants answers, and it’s everyone’s problem. Above all, she is not going to let anyone make her feel this torn and vulnerable again. 

Track 11: Sociopathic Dance Queen

The most intimate of her songs just happens to be the most dance-heavy song on the album. Amaraae is trying to slither her way back into an ex-partner’s life, promising that just after one night they’ll go back to being enemies, and even trying to persuade them by telling them all they used to have together. Biblical imagery, such as the garden of fruit, deepens our understanding of her connection and desire for her love from the past. Drumset, soundboard, low-pass filter synths, and light percussion keep up the grooviness in a disco-esque style. 

Track 12: [Omitted Title]

How many times can Amaraae keep learning the same lessons? I lost count. If you haven’t understood by now, she really, really, wants her lover. Like an addict in withdrawal, the lover is like a drug to Amaraae. One that she holds so near and dear to her that she can’t be without. While unassuming, this track is the cathartic moment for Amaraae. Instead of facing an internal battle of material goods vs. the less tangible things, or fighting a toxic relationship, Amaraae found someone who matches her devotion. The song maintains a very lo-fi pop vibe, but immaculately transitions into psychedelic through dreamy synths and Germanic roots. It’s about time that Amaraae cleanses herself from all she’s been through, and starts appreciating love for what it is, instead of the drastic all-or-nothing she’s made it out to be. “Love is beautiful… / Water from wine / Fountain baby.”

Track 13: Water From Wine

Getting used to vulnerability and complete trust is never the easiest thing and Amaraae is aware of it. She needs to start slow and keep it slow. Taking it too fast is how she’s been hurt time after time after time, and she’s finally learned from her mistakes. Even if you start slow, just like turning water into wine, you can make nothing into something with just a little faith. In the song, Amaraae lets her Ghanaian accent take the spotlight through the bridge and chorus. In conjunction with French interjections, Amaraae proves that she can elevate romanticism in every little thing. 

Track 14: Come Home To God

Whispering voices and acoustic guitar lead the album finale. She’s reached the culmination of the battles, feelings, and relationships she’s overcome. And if you think the experiences would change all her ways, you’d be sorely mistaken. Louis Vuitton, a 2000 Chevrolet Impala, and her vanity only take three lines to make their debut. Has she softened up, deciding to let things go out of her control? Not at all. As she emphasizes repeatedly in the song: when she wants something, she’s going to get it. Has she at least compromised her unwavering ego, the one that’s pushed her into and out of the toughest positions she’s been in? Never. She tells her lover that after a long day of work, she’s expected to come home to God, or in other words, come home to her. But, for every characteristic she stubbornly refuses to change, there is just as much of her that silently does so. Instead of feeling suffocated when she’s told she’s loved, she loves right back. Instead of being hung up over her past, she cuts everything off with her exes. Even the line “Money on the floor / Come on home to God”  holds a double meaning. Despite comparing herself to a god while still seeking money, tossing the money on the floor is symbolic of the growth she’s had. Compared to her lover, all the money is nothing to them. It’s on the floor and losing the power it once had. She’s been anointed by the fountain. Reborn. Similar to that of a movie ending, the rock instrumentals and choral shouts make the song feel more epic, feel more crowning, and feel more whole. 

Dance pop albums are never meant to be the most complex albums. They’re typically not the type where you ponder how raw and personal the lyrics are. Fountain Baby is nothing like an ordinary pop album. It’s personal yet shallow, beautiful yet harsh, and oozes personality and talent. Fountain Baby knows what it is, and doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It’s something you’ve never heard before but all the sounds you’re familiar with. It’s a cross-cultural connection with seamless transitions, a celebration of living just for the joy of it, and a representation of all the different things that make life fun – from a night of dancing to a love too deep. Global production and music set the scene. Her babyish voice and genre-bending tell the story. Amaraae is the fountain baby, and her blessings don’t plan on stopping.

Get Your Scare On!

October is the month where we venture out of our everyday lives and invite in the fright. Amongst other fall activities that include all things pumpkin, attending a haunted house or event can get your blood pumping and be a lot of fun. Here are some haunted places for you to try this season!