Features Archive

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, technology has advanced in many ways. Now, gaining knowledge is easier than ever because of smartphones and, now, AI. 

But what even is AI? Well, it stands for artificial intelligence, and is a technology that is capable of processing like humans and being able to simulate human-like intelligence along with great problem-solving skills; in simple terms, making machines that can think like humans, like Alexa and Siri.

The first AI was published by Alan Turning in 1956. He proposed a test of machine intelligence. Over time, AI has advanced and now uses GPT, which is a model that can solve problems, create poetry, image recognition, correct and reduce errors, debate and decision making, etc

The first modern virtual AI assistant was Siri, created by Adam Cheyer in 2011. Siri was used for things like voice messaging, alarms, and timers, app shortcuts, reminders, math... the list goes on. Siri is beneficial for certain situations, where your hands are busy. You can shout “Hey Siri,” and Siri is ready to assist you. She can even help with more stressful situations, like finding items with Apple tags, translating languages, and calling an emergency contact. Many older people are hesitant to use any voice assistant, since they believe they are "always listening." There have been times in classrooms or at home when there would be a casual conversation taking place, and she would start speaking about the topic of conversation, or if a question was asked aloud, she may answer it.

There's a reason for that, though. Have you noticed when you bring up a certain object or place, it may appear as an advertisement on your device? That may be because many people push “Always Allow” when downloaded apps ask “Allow Microphone?” 

ChatGPT was invented in November of 2022 by a research company called “Open AI,” and was designed to replicate and hold human conversations. Chat GPT can even assist with writing articles, poetry, essays, and brainstorming, it seems like almost anything. Chat GPT can be very useful for high school students, although many teachers dislike it since they can receive answers for school work.

There are 6 models of AI: AI machine and learning fundamentals, AI business strategy, Chat GPT prompt and engineering, AI for design, AI for productivity, and AI-powered predictive insight. Many students use AI as a form of studying or gaining more knowledge on a topic. AI can answer complex questions most of the time. Chat GPT, for example, can create interactive lessons, assist educators, give valuable support, create content, and more. 

Besides all the benefits AI and Chat GPT give us, parents and teachers are worried students might take advantage of these bots while working, claiming the chatbot writing as their own. Many students at Brown say AI and Chat GPT are helpful, but most of the time it is inaccurate, and that AI can spread misinformation and that is why you should not rely on them for everything. Students have said they use AI and Chat when they don't understand an assignment, are unsure of what a word means and needs a definition, are not sure of an answer, or need assistance/guidance. Another student said it can be a useful tool like Google if used correctly. To avoid getting in trouble with teachers, students rephrase words to make them sound like their own work.

“Our theme is undercurrents,” Andrew Hankins, a Brown School junior, said when asked about the theme of this year’s literary magazine. “We were thinking about the undercurrents of emotions, events, and certain situations which we thought would be a lot of fun to investigate.”

This year, a new edition of the Brown School literary magazine will be released by Jason Linden’s Advanced Creative Writing class. Together, they decide on a theme, put together writing and art from all across the school, and display all of the talent at the Brown School in one magazine. However, this year was different than previous ones, as this was the first time every member of the literary magazine staff was new. All staff members last year were seniors, which meant the five new staff members had a large task in front of them.

Hankins explained how different this experience has been, saying, “It’s been pretty chaotic. We did get instructions from the previous class on how to handle it but it wasn’t particularly helpful and it wasn’t a comprehensive guide on how to do it so we have been kind of stumbling our way into figuring things out. But overall, I think we’ve been doing pretty good.”

The magazine staff’s first decision to make was what the theme would be, as Hankins explained. However, he went on to say, “But getting to that point was very bumpy.”

Don Bibb, a sophomore and another member of the staff, agreed, saying, “We ended up choosing Undercurrents, but I remember another one was Duality. We decided against that one though because undercurrents sounded better.”

Next, the staff had to find the writing and art to put in the magazine. Shayla Reynolds, another staff member and fellow junior with Hankins explained, “We accept both prose, poetry, and any kind of art form like photography and also physical or traditional art as well as digital art.” Any Brown School student is welcome to submit a piece of their own by using the QR codes on posters for the magazine throughout the school. Submissions will be open until around the end of March, and everyone is encouraged to submit something.

However, not everything submitted will be put in the magazine. Reynolds explained the process of how they choose what goes into the magazine like this: “When choosing what poetry to include we normally go off of how well it fits the theme. All five of us read it and discuss whether we think it fits the theme or not and that’s how we choose whether it should go in. We’ve all also written something and discussed whether or not we think it should go in, in the same way we do with others' writing.”

Once that is completed, all that’s left to do is take everything they’ve chosen and put it all together. Hankins summed up the whole process well by saying, “Our timeline has been kind of jumpy, but we’re hoping to get it done pretty much as soon as we can at this point. We mostly just read over it all and then kind of all got together and talked about what we wanted in and what we didn’t, and then we did that again to decide what order they would be put in. That’s where we are right now, and at this point, we’re adding the stories into the format and deciding where we want to put specific works.”

So, when will this magazine be coming out? Aiden Parry, a sophomore and the fourth member of the staff, clarified, “We don’t have an exact date yet, but all we really need to do now that we have most of the submissions that are going to go in is format them and print them.” It normally takes two weeks for the magazines to make it back after being sent to print, so they should be available to buy soon. Be on the lookout for Undercurrents, the Brown School’s new literary magazine, this year.

Did you know that by 2030, climate change could be irreversible? In our society, climate change is of high prevalence and causes a lot of issues for the environment, such as rising sea levels, less water, droughts, increased temperatures, loss of species, and much more. 

This is happening due to things humans have done to the earth. For example, large causes of climate change are things like power plants, deforestation, landfills, and vehicles. These are all very big issues that would be hard for one single person to fix, but there are smaller things that you can easily do to help out.

Trash is a big issue for the environment. It causes air pollution and contaminates the water and soil. People throw out so much trash, and it has caused many issues for the environment. Not only does it affect climate change, but it also harms wildlife, the ocean, and many other things. 

One easy way to help is to clean up your environment. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and pick up trash, even though you could, but if you’re out doing something and you see a piece of litter on the ground, throw it away. Some things might be unsafe to touch, but if you see something like a plastic bottle, throwing it away could help.

You could also attend events like clean-ups, where people go to pick up trash in local areas. It might sound unenjoyable, but if you go with a friend, family member, or someone else you’d like to invite, it could be fun. 

Another way that you can help is by planting things. A big issue with climate change is things polluting the air. Plants help with the air quality, especially trees, which provide oxygen. You can also plant native species, which provide a food source to animals. Non-native plants are usually eaten by insects, which means that the food source is taken away from other animals, harming biodiversity.

Saving energy is another way to help that is super easy. Simple things like turning off lights in rooms you aren’t in, doing your laundry with cold water, hanging things to dry instead of using a dryer, and using natural light are ways you can easily conserve energy. You can also do things like switching to LED light bulbs or changing the energy sources in your home to more energy-efficient options. 

Saving energy reduces water and air pollution, which is a large factor in climate change. It also conserves natural resources, which is important because with the growth of climate change, natural resources are becoming less available.

Changing your form of transportation is another great way to fight against climate change. One way you could do this is by walking/biking to places you would normally drive to. Not only does this prevent pollutants from entering the air, but it also saves money and is a great way to get exercise. Taking public transportation is also a great way to help, because it limits the number of vehicles being used.

A larger way to change this is by switching to an electric vehicle. Electric cars reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses and reduce air pollution. They are becoming much more affordable, and are a great way to limit the amount of air pollution that you contribute to. 

One of the biggest ways that you can make a change is by speaking up. Do you believe that climate change needs to be put to an end? If so, make sure that your voice is heard; this can be done in so many ways. Telling people you know about the impacts of climate change, posting about it online, or doing anything else to let people know what’s going on and what they can do are all great ways to speak up. 

Climate change is a serious issue, and it’s important to try and make a change. Even if you don’t think you can do much, it is possible to make a difference if enough people make small changes to their lives for the sake of the environment.

   Prom is the culminating event in every teen movie; the night when upperclassmen students dress their best and get together to celebrate the end of the school year. At Brown, the Prom Committee and Class Officers have been putting in serious effort to make this year’s prom night our best one yet.

The Prom Committee has been meeting on Advisory Fridays to figure out all of the moving pieces that come with planning prom. Everything, down to the crowns that our prom royals will wear and the music that we’ll listen to, is determined in Norah’s classroom by a huge group of the junior & senior class officers, as well as several students who are interested in making sure the big night looks absolutely perfect. Scattered around the room, students research different aspects of the prom to make sure we’re using our budget wisely while still designing a beautiful event.

This year’s prom will take place at 7 pm, April 13, in the Monet Room at Mellwood Art Center. “[Mellwood] was affordable, and it had availability,” said Hyde. “And it’s a really pretty space, too.”

Tickets will be available for $40 on March 25th, but the planning process doesn’t stop there. The Prom Committee has posted SignUpGenius forms to the Class of 2024 and 2025 Google Classrooms asking for donations of decorations and food. If you’re interested in helping with set-up, you can fill out a form to let the Prom Committee know. Interested students should plan to gather at Mellwood Art Center at 9 am on the 13th, and spend about three hours making everything picture-perfect for the event that night. You can even indicate what you’d prefer to do during the set-up process, choosing from a list that includes “setting up tables and chairs,” “food area,” and, most excitingly, “decorations.”

The decorations this year are sure to be a gorgeous sight. Although the prom is overarchingly Royalty-themed, the Prom Committee also plans to add elements of the runner-up themes, Masquerade and April Showers. Nguyen and Hyde, as members of the Decorations Committee, were a fount of information about the way prom will look this year.  “On Jessica’s account, I created a Pinterest board,” said Hyde. “It’s very beautiful.”

“We compromised both our styles,” added Nguyen.

“Yeah, I think it’s good that we’re both on the Decorations Committee, because we’re kind of polar opposites, style-wise, but we know that if we both like it, maybe it’ll be pleasing to the general public. It’s gonna be pretty though, we think,” said Hyde. “I was thinking, like, Phantom of the Opera.”

That reminded Nguyen of an important detail: “You should come in wearing a mask. And, also, the vibe is like blue and navy blue, with roses.”

“We stuck to a very limited color scheme, so it should match people’s dresses.”

“And we went with a 360 camera instead of a photo booth.”

Prom logistics go beyond decorations and set-up, though. Helping to clean up Brown’s space at the venue is also a viable option for students who want to have a slow morning and take their time getting ready. Some students plan to get dinner one-on-one with their date and take their time getting to Mellwood, while others will travel to prom in a big group. “We’re so excited to have a good prom that our friends are even planning to rent a party bus so we can all get hyped up together,” said senior Janelle Pitmon. “What other time are we going to have an excuse to buy a party bus?”

Upperclassmen should continue to check their Google Classrooms for more information and opportunities to serve the school community-- especially if you’re an NHS or Beta Club member looking for volunteer hours!

Right now, the Prom Committee’s biggest question is that of prom royalty. Two lucky seniors will be elected Prom King and Queen, but there’s been a lot of debate on how that election should work. Luckily, the Prom Committee has just come to a conclusion. “So, we’re not allowed to vote in couples, but this is what I’ll say,” said Hyde. “If you want a couple to win, then vote for a couple, if it’s that important.”

“We hope everyone loves prom,” concluded Nguyen. “We got as many opinions as possible, more than last year, so hopefully everyone feels like their ideas are valued and have a great time.”

This year’s junior-senior prom is sure to be a night to remember, filled with laughter, good food, and beautiful decorations. Don’t forget to get your tickets, secure your outfit, and get ready to dance the night away!

When I was a kid, my mom introduced me to the film she grew up on. I spent my entire childhood watching Winona Ryder flicks until I could recite them all by heart. I still remember the first time I watched Mermaids, the 1990 movie in which Ryder starred as a neurotic fifteen-year-old who shared my name. As I watched Cher, Ryder, and Christina Ricci dance around their very 60s kitchen, I thought, “Yes, this is cinema.” So, when my brothers made fun of me for not wanting to sit through the newest 3-hour biopic blockbuster, I was content with the fact that I knew what real film was. 

As I’ve grown up, I’ve gained an appreciation for all types of movies. My watchlist is full of Oscar nominees and foreign films that I never would have considered watching seven years ago. I’ve enjoyed those movies and learned things from them-- but there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the cheesy movies that dominated my childhood.

In my Winona Ryder phase, I heard the term “cult classic film” bounced around a lot-- most often in reference to Heathers, which quickly became one of my favorite movies of all time. It’s a crime comedy film starring Ryder and Christian Slater, two outsiders who murder the most popular girl in school, Heather, and cause chaos between Heather’s two best friends, who are both also named Heather. To me, it was the perfect film.

However, audiences in the ‘80s seemed to disagree. The film was considered a box office flop following its release in 1989, earning a meager $1.1 million-- compared to the top-grossing film of that year, Tim Burton’s Batman, which made over $40 million in its first weekend alone.

Although Heathers did poorly at the box office, it made big waves in the teen movie arena. The genre had been dominated by wholesome romances and coming-of-age adventures, a la John Hughes; Heathers’ dark humor and intriguing plot shook up young audiences, who still reference its iconic dialogue today. This subculture also generated a spinoff musical, which in turn amassed its own cult following despite never making it to Broadway.

Although there are hundreds of films that can lay claim to the “cult classic” title, the majority of them were released before the 2010s. Maybe it’s because no movie has had time to amass the cult following that the cult films of the ‘80s and ‘90s have accomplished; maybe it’s because of the decreased rates at which films were being released in theaters due to the pandemic in 2020 and the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023; maybe it’s even the result of our more saturated cultural zeitgeist, which makes it more difficult for movies to integrate themselves into the minds of the masses.

However, it seems to some that this trend is coming back-- and it’s better than ever. Released in August 2023, Bottoms, directed by Emma Seligman, sparked the beginning of a new cult era. “A lot of people are really excited because But I’m a Cheerleader was a really great cult classic lesbian movie, but it didn’t really get its flowers,” said senior Janelle Pitmon. “But when Bottoms came out, it was so cool because it was just, like, a movie about lesbians being lesbians.”

That much is true. Bottoms is a queer parody of David Fincher’s Fight Club; two lesbian teens start a “self-defense club” with the intention of meeting and dating hot girls before they graduate, and unintentionally create a feminist allegiance between an unlikely bunch, including popular girls, a Black Republican, and a pyromaniac. “And it was so funny and satirical, so it was just kind of a treat,” joked Pitmon. “And with Ayo Edebiri and Ruby Cruz and Havana Rose Liu, just a great cast… it was just a good, good movie.”

Although Bottoms performed well at the box office, it can be considered a cult classic because of the underrepresented groups it places in the spotlight and the rich online subculture it sparked. References to “Jeff so hungy,” one of the mercurial and foppish football player Jeff’s goofiest lines, cropped up all over the Internet; hundreds of Twitter users changed their profile pictures and bios to pictures of and lines from the characters in the movie. Many teenagers saw themselves uniquely represented on screen. The contemporary costuming and quippy script have sparked the growth of a cult following for Bottoms, which will undoubtedly continue to grow as it moves to streaming.

In that vein, Lisa Frankenstein, a brand new film from director Zelda Williams, is the epitome of a cult classic. Bottoms toes the line-- it’s spawned a subculture of its own and has a unique plot that aligns with cult film ideals, but it performed well at the box office and is critically approved. Lisa Frankenstein, on the other hand, only made $9.9 million during its theatrical run, and was met with almost comically mixed reviews; critics either adored it or abhorred it. And, of course, the young fans fell immediately in love with its zany plot.

In Lisa Frankenstein, a teenage girl afflicted with selective mutism after hearing her mother ax-murdered in their home befriends the tombstone of a Victorian bachelor. When she has a terrible night at a party with her stepsister Taffy, Lisa finds the tombstone and makes a wish that causes the dead bachelor to be struck by lightning and brought back to life to be Lisa’s companion. Written by Diablo Cody, who also wrote Jennifer’s Body (a cult classic in its own right), the movie is full of witty one-liners, as well as a genuinely solid soundtrack. Inverse described it as “Heathers meets Weird Science.” 

Of course, I saw it four times in theaters-- and during each one of my viewings, I was accompanied by at least one other weirdo in baggy jeans or winged eyeliner. Even though the movie flopped at the box office, it was the catalyst for hundreds of Tweets and art pieces, made by people like me who enjoyed its dry humor and wacky premise. 

Hopefully, the relative popularity of these two films will send us back into the era of goofy movies. Problemista, A24’s newest production, which was released in early March, looks promising; as does Not Another Church Movie, which looks like a Bruce Almighty for the new age. As 2024 continues, let’s hope to see a complete revival of charmingly cheesy films with astonishingly good soundtracks.

We’ve got enough Oppenheimers-- let there be a Lisa Frankenstein. Or fifty.

As Mitski continues to grow, people begin to bring up how horrible the fans have been during her most recent tour. Many fans know what’s right and wrong, but there are plenty who don’t-- or at least, don’t demonstrate that they do.

This isn’t the first time Mitski has experienced bad behavior at her shows. During the tour for her last album, Laurel Hell, she addressed fan and crowd behavior. She didn’t really mention how everyone was laughing at her on stage or chatting as she performed, which were both big issues, but she did call out fans for recording entire songs or even the whole set. The thing is, many people didn’t listen.

Once, Mitski opened for Harry Styles and people's main complaint was the way she was treated, but she was opening for massively popular Harry Styles. There’s a big thing about people at concerts treating openers like garbage. Redditor u/iamsuperdan, recalls a concert experience “Back in 89, saw The Cult open for Metallica. We were stoked. The rest of the audience...not so much. They played three songs, all while chants of ‘Metallica, Metallica’ rang out.” This shows that it’s nothing new to boo or mistreat an opening act. It’s a shame Mitski had to be treated this way, but it’s common at concerts.

After the massive virality of one of her newest songs, “My Love Mine All Mine”, she is, of course, going to see a large surge in popularity from the TikTok crowd. Majority of the clips of people disrupting her shows have been younger people. Clips of people meowing and calling Mitski "mother" or "mommy." There was a huge clip of someone yelling “Mother is mothering” in near silence and the entire crowd boos them and tells them to shut up. It seems they have an inability to read the room or they purposefully read the room and act out as a way to seek attention and upstage the performer.

It’s hard seeing your favorite artist get mistreated at her own concerts and see the people who call themselves fans lack proper concert etiquette. It sometimes makes you ashamed to call yourself a fan of someone, because you fear you’ll be associated with the few bad apples who have somehow defined half of a fanbase. Lucky for us “normal” fans, many outside people know that we aren’t all like the people in the viral concert clips.

As the month of February concludes, we reflect on the impacts of black history and black voices in our lives. Thanks to the contributions and continuous perseverance of black people in our communities, we live in the world we do today. As such, for the month of February, J Graham Brown School highlights our community members with our weekly Coffee and Conversation. Each week, a new guest speaker is invited to speak and converse with students over coffee and snacks during advisory. 

This year's Coffee and Conversation was an absolute hit, having a full house almost every week. Not only were our guests phenomenal, but our BSU did an incredible job organizing and putting it together this year.

For the first meeting of the month, we welcomed Mrs. Diyana Jones. Not only a parent of one of our own Brown School students, but she is an incredible leader. 

A member of the famed Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, she came to talk about sororities and fraternities and the impact they have. 

Against their television reputation, sororities and fraternities are wonderful opportunities to be involved in a group and contribute to the community. AKA on its own has made history, being around since 1908, the organization strives for ethics, friendship, progress, and to be of “Service to All Mankind.” Involved in all 50 states and 11 countries, AKA’s collective voice represents people of color and women all over the world.

Our second week of the month featured Mr. Jeremy Jackson, who is an assistant director for youth development at the YMCA. Mr. Jackson shared his story through education and his journey into his field. 

Jackson shed light on the real experience of college and prepared students for the bumps and turns of finding their passion. Through his love of psychology, Jackson became involved in many different internships and studies through which he was able to find his love of working with people and behind what makes people tick. He explained that finding what you love is a journey and to never force yourself to be in one place, take opportunities, try new things, and learn what you love.

Jackson also talked about the YMCA’s Black Achievers program which provides higher career education in fields such as Arts & Culture, Business, Accounting, Finance, & Banking, Communications, Marketing, & Social Media, Computer & Technology, Education, Human Services, & Non-Profits, Engineering, Health & Medical, Law and Government, and Vocational & Trade. The Black Achievers program allows black youth to find and learn about their passions and get involved in the community.

Our final guests of the month were Bellarmine University seniors Mikayla Pitmon and Hannah Mitchell. 

Being pandemic graduates, Pitmon and Mitchell were able to shed a different light on the transition from high school to college and give advice to students. 

Pitmon and Mitchell shared the importance of leadership and scholarships in high school, and assured students that college was not as scary as it's made out to be and that you really get to find your community and learn about the things you are interested in. Not only are you in charge of your education in college, you also are presented with many unique opportunities, including trips, internships, and much more depending on what you choose to study. 

Both agreed that a lot of college is about socialization by attending events and making connections. With that, being able to manage your schedule and time is crucial to being successful.

Thank you so much to our speakers, teachers, and BSU for putting together this amazing experience. We hope to see you all next year.

If you’ve walked up Baxter Avenue during mid-March, you’ve probably come face to face with the green decor and bright lights adorning O’Shea’s, Molly Malone’s, and Flanagan’s Ale House as they prepare to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Familiar as this sight may be, you may be wondering just why these Irish pubs go all out for some random holiday about leprechauns and pinching-- but St. Patrick’s Day is about more than just wearing green! 

The first St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in Ireland sometime in the ninth or tenth century. It was created to honor Saint Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint and national apostle. He’s credited with bringing Christianity to the country; a major part of the mythology surrounding him claims that he used the three leaves of a native Irish clover, a shamrock, to explain the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

St. Patrick’s Day is typically celebrated on March 17, the anniversary of Saint Patrick’s death. In the early days of observing the holiday, families would attend church in the morning, then celebrate in the afternoon with dancing, drinking, and a hearty meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

As time went on, St. Patrick’s Day began to migrate with the Irish diaspora and eventually found its way to America. The first St. Patrick’s Day parade actually took place on North American soil in 1601, organized by an Irish vicar in the Spanish colony St. Augustine. During the Revolutionary War, homesick Irish soldiers marched in New York City to celebrate their culture. As time went on, the popularity of these parades grew.

Now, most major American cities celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with an annual parade. In the early 1800s, these parades were often organized by “Irish Aid” societies. In fact, in 1848, several of these societies combined their parades to form one New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which has become the world’s oldest civilian parade. With over 150,000 participants and 3 million viewers, the parade has become the largest in the United States and led to the adoption of St. Patrick’s parades by many cities-- including Louisville.

Every year, the Ancient Order of Hibernians’ Louisville chapter organizes a parade that traverses most of the city. Hundreds of Louisvillians don their best green attire and flood the sidewalks to watch Irish dancers and celebratory floats travel down their neighborhood streets. Each year, the AOH also elects an “Irish Person of the Year” to serve as Grand Marshal in the parade.

This year, Louisville’s parade will take place on March 9. However, there are even more celebrations going on in Louisville leading up to the big day!

Another AOH event is the St. Patrick’s Coloring Contest, an event for kindergarten through 4th grade students that runs throughout the month of February. “This long-standing tradition reinforces to our up-and-coming generation that St. Patrick was a real person who did amazing work in Ireland,” reads the AOH website. “The contest also teaches the children the deep meaning and symbolism of the Shamrock.” Each entry is carefully considered, and winners will be recognized on March 2nd.

If you’re more interested in Irish history in the Louisville area, there’s plenty to be found. You can visit the Portland Museum to learn about Corn Island, Louisville’s earliest Irish settlement, or visit the Irish Hill, Limerick, and Portland neighborhoods to learn the origins of Irish immigrants in Louisville.

For some concrete history, Historic Locust Grove, a historic home that was constructed by Irish immigrant William Croghan, is a great place to visit. The house’s interior reopens for tours on March 5, 2024; the interpretive site, informative museum, and beautiful grounds make it a fun and visually interesting way to learn about Irish history in early America.

For those who want to learn about Irish culture through food, Molly Malone’s, O’Shea’s, the Raven, and the Irish Rover are great places to grab a bite to eat. The Irish Rover also organizes a tent party in their outdoor seating area on the 17th for those brave enough to party down like a true Irishman.

The Irish have faced a lot of challenges both in the UK and in the United States, from English persecution to anti-immigrant sentiment in America. St. Patrick’s Day is an exciting (and mischievous) celebration, but also an acknowledgment of the perseverance of the Irish people in America. The traditional Irish holiday dating back several centuries has traditions that have been carried on all the way to today, and with Louisville’s own rich Irish history and involvement in the holiday, will continue to live on. This St. Patrick’s Day, don’t forget to wear green and celebrate with your Irish friends!

In the shallow, coastal marshes of the North American East Coast, to parts of the Amazon River in Brazil, and in parts of Africa, lined with seaweed beds and an abundance of freshwater vegetation, you can find long, slow-moving, and curiously friendly mammals called manatees. Distinguished by their round, chubby appearance paired with their harmless manner, these mammals have an alluring and likable charm.

Their more familiar name, “sea cow,” was given to them because of their round appearance and their diet consisting of grazing on seagrasses and seabeds. In fact, they often spend up to 8 hours of their day feeding and hiding in the shallow marshes. These friendly creatures, characterized by their gentle and laid-back demeanor, are known to frequently approach humans. However, due to contact with boats, poaching, and pollutants entering their water, they face a loss of habitat and food in their environment, putting them on the list of threatened species. In order to raise awareness of the threats these mammals encounter, Manatee Appreciation Day was created in 1981. It occurs annually on the last Wednesday of March, which falls on the 27th this year.

The history of the holiday originates from the world’s most acclaimed manatee conservation organization, Save the Manatee Club, which was established in 1981 by songwriter Jimmy Buffet and Bob Graham, a former U.S. senator. The club formally established the holiday to protect and rescue these harmless mammals from the unfortunate inadvertent threats caused by human activity.

These large mammals are distinguished by three different species types, each scattered in their respective parts of the world: The Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis), the West African manatee (Trichechus senegalensis), the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). While many people in America are familiar with the “Florida manatee,” these are actually a subspecies of the West Indian manatee. As far as size, the West Indian manatee is the largest, but average adult manatees across all species can grow to be 9-10 feet long, measuring from snout to tail, and weighing in at about 1,000 pounds. A primary part of the manatee’s anatomy is their flippers, the two forelimbs that they use to hold vegetation and for steering and swimming movements.

A manatee’s habitat, consisting of warm, shallow water, with an abundance of vegetation and seaweed, is located in the fresh, saline, or brackish water of estuaries, bays, rivers, canals, and coastal areas. Because of their extensive need for warm water (above 68 degrees F), they migrate during the winter for survival.

Unfortunately, they face many threats from humans, making it difficult for them to migrate and live in their own habitat. Despite the killing of manatees being illegal in most places, many are still poached today. Additionally, due to developments in coastal areas and along natural waterways, manatees’ nesting areas are destroyed. Manatees can also get injured from collisions with boats or ships, which can appear because of increased urban development in these areas. Their need to stay close to the surface of the water, where the sunlight can reach their seagrass, puts them at an increased risk for these collisions. Not to mention, the freshwater vegetation in manatees’ diet also declines in availability as run-off enters the water, causing algae blooms which can be harmful to manatees and the plant life of the ecosystem.

To combat the many issues that put the manatees at risk of extinction and endangerment, there are many ways to help, even in your local community. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a wildlife conservation engaged in saving Florida manatees, reports that supporting manatees can be as simple as putting a bumper sticker on your car or a sticker on your water bottle. To help out in your local community, participating in shoreline and beach cleanups can be of huge benefit to the manatees. Additionally, they mention this can be done by checking with local environmental organizations or conducting your own community service project. If on a boat, make sure to always check the shoreline and obey waterway signs to avoid collisions that could harm the manatees. Further sites that promote the protection of manatees include Greater Good Charities (greatergood.org), the National Wildlife Federation (nwf.org), Dolphin Research Center (dolphins.org), and Save the Manatee (savethemanatee.org).

In order to preserve the existence of these beautiful, friendly, and curious creatures, bringing awareness to the issue is essential. Manatee Appreciation Day is an outlet for the celebration of these creatures and to spotlight the threats they face. The hope of this annual celebratory day is to inspire people to take action against these issues through education and acknowledgment.

The lamps hanging from the ceiling begin to dim as the applause dies down and the whole room turns to face the stage. A woman walks out on stage and begins to speak, her voice echoing around the tiny room. Loving and Loving has begun.

This was the scene in Actors Theater on February 14th, where the sophomore class of the J. Graham Brown school had gone on a field trip with teacher Neysa Jones. The theater was putting on the play Loving and Loving on Valentine’s Day, a performance about the Loving v. Virginia court case in 1967. That case came to be because of the illegality of interracial marriage at that time. Richard and Mildred Loving were an interracial couple at that time, and from 10:40 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. the students watched their story unfold on stage before them.

Perhaps the most interesting part about this play was the way it was structured. It began with a woman named Maya, played by Morgan Anita Wood,  walking onstage and sitting at a desk. Then, she turned to face the wall behind her and asked a question. However, that question was not directed at the audience. Instead, a video appeared on the wall, showing a man from the Louisville community. Throughout the play, in between scenes from the Lovings' life, Maya would ask to hear the perspectives of biracial people from the very city we live in. This showed how relevant the struggles of the Lovings still are to the world.

These interviews were not all this play was made up of, though. Nemuna Ceesay and Shane Kenyon played Mildred and Richard Loving, respectively, using props on stage to tell the Loving’s story and show how their lives were affected by the law forbidding interracial marriage. In many ways, this play was a love story, showcasing Mildred and Richard’s love for each other, which could not be stopped even by the law. The actors did a wonderful job of portraying the Loving’s relationship and its growth over the years.

Indeed, a standout of this performance was certainly the acting. Despite there only being three actors involved, the emotions and ideas they were able to express throughout the play were quite impressive.

By the end of the play, the audience had been shown not only the story of the Lovings but fragments of all of the stories like theirs. Many people’s stories have been affected by the Loving’s battle for the freedom to marry the person they loved, and Loving and Loving beautifully demonstrated this. This is a wonderful play, full of good acting and a lovely message that is still important today.

High school students everywhere are preparing for one of the biggest nights of their teenage years: prom night. Prom isn’t just about dressing up and hanging out with friends, it is a rather big deal. It starts by picking the perfect outfit, and then you can begin to plan group outings and all the pictures there are to be taken. There is a mix of excitement and nervousness around the whole event.

If you look at high school memories like a big tapestry, there is a thread that stands out more than the rest and shines brighter—prom night. This monumental night comes with the feeling of confidence, elegance, and taking time to be grateful for all that you’ve been given in life. With sparkly lights, a dance floor filled with people, hints of happiness all over, and wishes of young hearts, it is truly a magical experience. 

For many, prom planning starts months before the actual night, as they begin looking for the perfect tux or dress and trying to find the person they want to make memories that they’ll remember forever with. Dress fittings, debates on what color, and what feels like endless notifications from chats buzzing with excitement and plans—all leading up to the big night. 

As the sun sets on prom night, the air feels electric with all the excitement going around. For some, prom night is about trying new things and stepping out of their comfort zones. It's a chance to feel confident, but for some prom isn’t as exciting and can feel like a huge pressure. There is an unspoken standard to look your very best, and prom can be taxing on confidence and very expensive. 

Prom isn’t all about romance, it’s also a celebration of friendships that will soon become more distant. It’s one last get-together with your class that you’ve spent years with. Although you may not talk to every single person in your class, once you graduate you’ll most likely miss the times you spent around those people. 

It’s easy to get caught up with all that’s going on but it’s important to take those moments throughout the night to let your mind catch up with the reality of everything and the fact that soon you’ll be starting a new and important chapter in your life. 

Prom is a reminder of youthful spirit and good times with peers—a night to remember. If you’re a senior or junior at the Brown School, this year's prom is April 13th, and the theme is royalty/masquerade. The venue is Mellwood Art Center in the Monet Room and tickets are going to be around $50!

Porco Rosso is an animated film by notable Japanese animator Hayao Miyaziki currently streaming on HBO’s service Max. Released in Japan in 1992, the film was a wild success winning “best feature length film” at the 1993 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, as well as receiving glowing reviews from not only viewers but also critics. Aside from the charming characters, and the beautiful animation, there is a lot more to be said about this popular film.

Porco Rosso is a film about a man-turned-pig pilot and bounty hunter in the Adriatic Sea. His nonchalant personality and generally grumpy, dry demeanor make you wonder how he gained his undeniable popularity. Porco consistently battles with the Adriatic’s sea pirates, which are dopy grunts just trying to make a couple bucks. Throughout his comedic battles (which he always wins), you begin to understand that underneath his dismissive attitude, he is  a very compassionate guy who wants to do his job well.

 Soon, Porco faces challenges when an American pilot, hired by the pirates, finally matches his skill and wits in the air. Taken down in an air battle, Porco is forced to go to Milan to get his plane repaired. 

Because he is not allowed in Italy after leaving the Italian Air Force, he has to go to a con man to get his plane repaired, where he meets a teenage plane engineer, Fio,  who soon breaks down his walls. Porco had doubts about Fio’s ability to take care of his aircraft, but she stayed persistent , and impressed everyone, esspecially Porco. 

Being chased by the Italian police, Porco must make a hasty exit. Fio comes with Porco, much to his chagrin, back to the Adriatic where they become outnumbered by sea pirates. Soon the American pilot saves them from battle with the pirates in return for a one-on-one duel with Porco. The American wants Fios hand in marriage, and Porco wants his plane debts paid off. 

Though he will never admit it, Porco feels a guardian-like responsibility over Fio and wins for her.

The piece itself was originally an in-flight short film for Japan Airlines but was eventually turned into a full-length film. 

The film has many layers to it, touching on subjects of betrayal, misogyny, violence, and war. Porco holds a lot of self-hatred and trauma from his time at war. Feeling responsible for his fellow pilots' deaths and abandoning the airforce, Porco considers himself a Pig. Throughout the film, Porco says things like "When a man becomes middle-aged, he becomes a pig" or “Better a pig than a fascist.” leading viewers to understand the lack of respect Porco holds for himself, and brings a sense of understanding to his attitude and personality. 

Although there are many theories as to why Porco is a pig, it seems as though he is because HE believes he is a pig, and therefore cursed himself.

During the film, it is also made clear women are very much thought of as stereotypical “housewives”, but Porco learns of their true value when women completely lead and execute the re-building of his beloved seaplane. 

Not only is this film well-written, funny, and charming, but it also brings forth complex ideals and grapples with self-worth in a way I have never seen portrayed before.

The visuals on their own are absolutely breathtaking, displaying many aspects of the real environment of the setting in exquisite detail. The depiction of the sea, the flight of the planes, and battles is incredible.

Another wonderful thing about this film is it is very unique. I have never seen a movie like it before. Compared to many other Ghibli movies, it deals with more real-world issues in comparison to mystical fantasy.

Porco Rosso at its core is a piece of art. Although a children's movie, and aside from its extraordinary visuals, it explores very complex ideas and difficult subjects while staying funny, lighthearted, and engaging throughout most of the movie. 

Vivienne Westwood once said, “Fashion is very important. It is life-enhancing and, like everything that gives pleasure, it is worth doing well.”

Wearing unique clothes and accessories is a popular way for people to express themselves. There are so many different styles, and everyone has different opinions. While one person loves a certain style, another person could hate it. Fashion is always moving forward. Trends come and go, and some people choose to follow them while others don’t. 

This year, many trends are starting to take place. Things such as bows, fur coats, baggy jeans, etc. are just a few examples of things that are coming into style or are currently trending. Since it’s still the beginning of the year there are going to be so many more fashion trends in 2024, so making predictions is popular. What do you think you will be seeing more of in 2024?

One thing I believe is going to have a huge impact this year is the coquette style. Coquette has already begun trending and is becoming extremely popular. Leg warmers, bows, lace, and similar things have been gaining popularity recently. I think people will start to look into older styles of coquette this year. The current “coquette” style that’s trending doesn’t scream coquette to me. Instead, people will start leaning towards things like the vintage Americana style. 

I also believe that maximalism will become popular. I think people will start wearing a lot of statement pieces like chunky jewelry, multiple textures/patterns, unusual clothing designs, big shoes, and similar things will become common. Maximalism in makeup also could become a trend. I think we will be seeing a lot of high-contrast makeup looks, glitter, colorful eyeshadow, and interesting eyeliner.

Mirabell Johnson, a Brown School freshman, would describe her style as romantic goth mixed with dark coquette and is inspired by Misa Amane from Death Note and Nana from Nana. She stated that this year she thinks animal prints and lace will make a comeback. Johnson commented that she would also like skirts or dresses over jeans to become a trend this year. She said that 1800’s fashion needs to come back too. “I like the big fluffy dresses and the corsets.” She also said that she would like to see some parts of 2000’s fashion become popular. 

She says one of her unpopular fashion opinions is that skinny jeans and Nikes are ugly. She also doesn’t like how over-sized shirts over over-sized jeans look. One of the past fashion trends she does not like is galaxy print. 

Isaac Mudd, another Brown School freshman, is inspired by skater fashion and the style of a lot of rappers. His favorite things to wear are baggy pants, True Religion jeans, t-shirts, and Adidas and retro-style shoes. 

For one of his fashion trend predictions, Mudd stated, “I feel like people are going to start going more away from designer things and more into really colorful stuff and obviously thrifted stuff.” He also said that he thinks the y2k wave is coming to an end, but more mid to late 2000’s style is going to come back. 

An unpopular opinion he has is that designer brands are over-hated. “A lot of people hate on designer brands but I think they’re actually pretty cool.” he said, “Like Balenciaga and stuff, I think they’re kind of innovative.” He said that innovation can come from the bottom, but it can also come from the top. 

He thinks the mid-2000’s style needs to make a comeback. One example is scene fashion, but he likes all the different aspects of mid-2000’s fashion, like bling and baggy clothing.

Teenagers today are always on their phones- Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Youtube have become a daily activity for most people. The repercussions and possible harm consuming this media has and will continue to have is unwavering. Being curious means something different today than it meant 10 years ago. Living in the technology and information age, everything is at our fingertips. This has made contemporary teenagers not actively curious. A possible solution to this influx of unpassionate curiosity is healthier alternatives to social media. 

While Pinterest and Reddit may be better than ‘scrolling’ media, there are still much better resources to aid your attention span. The Attention Span Conundrum says the human attention span is now shorter than a goldfish-- and researchers believe it is now even shorter. This is because being in an age centered around technology allows easy access to almost any wonder you could think of. Social media influences American culture and society so much, resulting in a new subculture of doom scrolling--scrolling endlessly on social media, where most videos you access are in the short form of less than a minute per video. According to health experts, the more recent phenomenon of doom scrolling is having an even more negative impact on mental health, causing feelings of uncertainty, apprehension, fear, and distress.

When interviewing students as well as young adults it is clear social media does not always have a positive impact. Jaden Horn, a senior at Atherton High School, says, “Social media does keep me connected to the world… but it also makes me compare myself to other girls which ends up making me feel bad.” When asked if she participates in doom scrolling, she says, “I mean… if I am stressed about something I might wallow for a couple of hours and scroll. It always ends up being longer than I wanted though.” Media, especially social media, has a way of drawing young people in and, for some people, even serves as an escape from reality.

To escape doom scrolling and regain your attention span, try alternatives to social media or content in short-form. For example, listening to podcasts is a great option. Snipd, Overcast, Pocket Cast are all great apps to download. Additionally, Duolingo and Audible are popular iPhone apps that could replace instagram in your phone. Habit Tracker is a daily planner and goal tracker that is downloadable in app form- and has plenty of customizations. There really is an app for everything. You could download an exercise app that helps hold you accountable, a daily water drinking tracker, even self-care tracker apps. About Me is a self care app that is highly recommended on the app store. The app tracks your sleep, eating, bad habits and allows you to always see your progress. 

 Reading online is also a great way to retrain your brain from doom scrolling. Reading not only benefits your attention span, but also reveals traits about other humans and can help you better understand why people do what they do. Micro-journaling is another alternative to scrolling online, journaling can help you better yourself. The idea is that, by writing down your thoughts on a physical paper, you are literally throwing them out of your head.

Originally, social media was created to connect people, but after short-form content took social media by storm, people’s attention span dropped dramatically, with other side effects being low mental health or less curiosity. To reverse or lessen these effects, alternatives like reading a book, listening to a podcast are good, or, if you want to connect with people without social media, try phoning a friend or researching interesting topics with them.

During the week of 2/05 to 2/09, the Brown School celebrated Homecoming. With a spirit week, a pep rally, basketball games, and a dance, the homecoming week was an exciting event for people to show their school spirit. 

This year, the Homecoming dance theme was Alice in Wonderland, a story about a girl who falls through a rabbit hole into a strange world. This theme influenced both the spirit days and the dance. 

The spirit days during the week were Mad Hatter Monday, Tweedle Twin Tuesday, Wonderland Wednesday, Rhyme Without Reason Thursday, and Spirit Day Friday. All of these days, besides Friday, were based on Alice in Wonderland!

There was a pep rally during fourth block at the end of the school week, to cheer on the basketball teams. It took place in the gym, and all the grade levels were there. Everyone was cheering and showing off their school pride!

The same day after school, the boys and girls basketball teams both played against Burgin. Both teams won the game, with the girls coming away with a 25-point win, and the boys an 11-point win. 

The dance took place in the cafeteria for all high school students, after the girls and boys basketball games. 

The cafeteria was embellished with Alice in Wonderland-themed decorations. All the tables were moved so people could dance, and there was a DJ playing music. There were also places to sit on the side of the cafeteria, refreshments, and a place to take photos. A lot of people dressed up for the dance in fancy outfits like dresses and suits, but not everyone did. 

The homecoming court was voted on by the high school students before homecoming. The winning ninth graders were Lucy O’Brien and Chase Taylor Sharpe. The tenth graders were Landon Dearing and Calise Williams. For eleventh grade, it was John O’Rouke and Chabely Perez Tolan. The homecoming royals were seniors Gabriel Rollins and Irina Macaranas. 

Overall, the homecoming celebration was very successful and many students enjoyed it.

It’s getting to be the end of winter, a busy time for many students as they rush to get their 1st-semester grades in order and readjust to the intensity of the school day. As you look around, you may find yourself surrounded by piles of clutter and unused things-- maybe the Christmas gifts you haven’t gotten to return, or last year’s assignments you haven’t quite gotten around to throwing away.

If that’s the situation you’ve found yourself in, there’s no time like the present to deep-clean your living space. The spring season represents a fresh start; why not let your bedroom reflect that?

Here are some of the best tips to get your life in order before the start of spring. 

1. Take it slow. It can be tempting to set aside one specific day to clean your room; it seems like the most effective, least time consuming approach. However, by deciding to take on a monstrous task like cleaning, reorganizing, and resetting your space in a single day, you can put unnecessary pressure on yourself and may be unable to complete the tasks at hand in a timely manner-- leading to a bigger mess than the one you started with.

Instead, try making a schedule to space your tasks out over the span of a week or two. That way, you can focus on completing one specific chore at a time. Your work will be more thorough, and you’ll feel a lot less overwhelmed after the fact.

2. Start small. While you’re dividing up your tasks, think practically. Don’t go for the big closet reorganize on your first cleaning day; go in lightly by decluttering and wiping down your desk or nightstand, or even just making your bed and starting your laundry. By starting with manageable, more surface-level tasks, you’ll be able to conserve your energy and have a clean basis to work from as you go through the rest of your bedroom.

3. Get rid of things. I think my biggest problem with cleaning out my space is my unwillingness to let go of items. I hold on to insignificant, unhelpful things because I’m convinced that they’ll come in handy years down the line. Old chargers, stationary, makeup, nail polish, and certain items of clothing are my biggest weaknesses. I’ll tell myself that maybe I’ll get an electronic that needs that type of charger, or maybe I’ll have a paper emergency, or try to put together an outfit for a dress-up event and be sorry that I gave that one t-shirt away.

The truth is, the number of times that I’ve ended up stuck with some useless object for another year far outweighs the number of times I’ve been relieved that I kept that ugly top or crumpled notecard. And, if you want my opinion, it’s not worth it. If you’re not sure about something, it might be time to let it go!

4. Clean everything out. And I mean everything! Get behind your bookshelves, under your bed, and into any drawers or storage. It might seem tedious, but you’ll be grateful when you get to spend your time in a space that’s completely free of all clutter, dust bunnies, and messy spots. Plus, the longer you put something off, the more ickiness you’ll have to deal with next spring!

In that vein, I recommend cleaning your online spaces as well! It’s always a good idea to wipe down your electronic devices (they carry a lot of bacteria on them-- especially your phone). After you do that, try clearing out all of your unused tabs on your search engine of choice, checking your email, and even redoing your homescreen. Getting a fresh start in all aspects of your life can’t hurt, especially because we spend so much of our daily lives online.

Annual spring cleaning is a great habit to get into. By clearing out your personal space, you’ll be able to reach a sense of calm-- a great thing to have as the second semester kicks into high gear, with end-of-year projects and AP testing. Hopefully these tips motivate you to get going. There is nothing more rewarding than a completely clean room!

At the J Graham Brown school, mainly referred to as Brown, we currently have about 60 teachers throughout the school-- about 90 staff in total, all which we cherish and appreciate. Every teacher at our school has their lives outside the doors which they don't always have time to mention in class. I have been going to Brown since kindergarten and there's not much I know about our members on our staff team, but I'm sure every teacher has their passions outside of their teaching career.

There are many teachers at Brown who enjoy music and art. Curtis Moss, our safety administrator who grew up in Ballard County was our band and music teacher up until last school year. He taught choir and band and he has been working here at Brown for 11 years. Although he does not teach music at Brown anymore, he still keeps up with it outside of school. As most of us know he is a tuba player, and considered playing tuba as an active dury soldier in the Army bands. In the past he has participated in golf and tennis, and for a while, considered being a Preacher. “I was a tutor for the Elementary school near my high school and teachers complimented how well I did. Several teachers at my school helped me consider education as a path. The final decision was that to accept my tuba scholarship, I had to be a music major.” He spends his summers doing a lot of Army missions. When he was younger, he looked forward to heading off on his own and deciding what he would like to do for the remainder of his life. Besides school, his favorite place to be is at home with his family, or watching his son play sports. 

Jacob Amettis, usually just referred to as Jake, has been working at Brown for 3 years as a history teacher. He also enjoys listening to and making music, the reason why he spends so much time in his music room. He enjoys teaching high school students, he says they are more fun than adults most of the time. He claims he loves history and the timeline of it all. Outside of school, he also participates in sports like baseball and football; he's currently the baseball coach here at Brown. He spends his summers traveling, making extra money, and relaxing. He is pretty determined in his career, and he has not considered a different career. As he got older, he looked forward to being able to do what he wanted as he pleased, and a job he truly loved.

Amanda Klakamp, who has been working at Brown for 10 years as our librarian. She has a lot of interests, like reading, board games, cycling, show choir and dance, she also participated in a few sports, like volleyball, basketball, softball, tennis, soccer, and a dance team. She spends her summer breaks outside in her pool and on her boat in north Michigan or Myrtle Beach.

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and people are already making plans and presents for the special day. Whether it be for your friends or your partner, cute gifts of red, pink, and white colors are exchanged constantly around this time. However, sometimes finding just the right Valentine’s card for your loved ones can be a difficult task.

One of the best solutions to this issue is creating your own homemade Valentine’s card. In five easy steps, you can make a cute card with simple materials and only a few minutes of your time.

The materials you will need are:

• One piece of string

• Two blank white greeting cards of the same size

• Five mini clothespins

• One piece of red cardstock paper

• One piece of pink cardstock paper

• One pair of scissors

• Either glue or double-sided tape

With these easy-to-find items you can create a paper craft card that, when opened, will reveal hearts hanging from a string attached to the card. 

The first step in making this card is to take one of the greeting cards and cut the edges off on either side of it. You should cut about one fourth of an inch off of both sides.

The second step is to use the glue or double-sided tape to attach the ends of the string to the back of the greeting card that has been cut, allowing the majority of the string to hang in front of the inside of the card, while the ends of the string keep it secure on the back of the card.

The third step is to attach the smaller card to the inside of the other greeting card using  glue or double-sided tape. One-fourth of an inch of the larger card should be showing on both sides of the smaller card once the two have been firmly attached together.

The fourth step is to cut three hearts out of the red cardstock paper and two hearts out of the pink cardstock paper. You can make the hearts whatever size you think will best fit inside your card. They may be different sizes or all the same size, depending on your preference.

The fifth and final step is to attach the hearts in an alternating color pattern to the string inside of the card.

Now you have a cute and simple card to give to a loved one on Valentine's Day. You can even write a note on the outside or inside of the card—or even both! Whether you give a bunch of gifts on the special day, or simply spend it relaxing at home, here’s to hoping you have a Valentine’s Day filled with love.

It’s that time of the year where pink and red blind the seasonal section of every grocery store, greeting card companies are making tons of money, and hard to watch breakups are happening left and right. That’s right, it’s almost Valentine's Day. With this holiday right around the corner, many people are left wondering if they should finally say that important three word sentence to their partner, but some fear it’s too early. When it comes to saying “I love you” how early is too early?

This phrase has become as big of a deal to some people as proposing. There are also people who think you can say it “too much” but if you really love someone, you’d want to express that, right? To others, it’s something they say to their partner twelve times a day and have been since the week after they started dating. 

Is “I love you” strictly romantic? No, not at all. Plenty of people use the term for their friends and family. “Love” is not strictly romantic. You can love a song, or your pet, or your mother. 

Is there really a “too early” when it comes to saying “I love you”? Some people believe that to be the case, but of the few people I asked, most said to say it when you truly feel it. When posting the main question in a discord server, one answer stuck out. “This is coming from a person with autism so it affects my answer but I never truly understood the social constructs built into relationships, like how early is too early to say i love you etc etc and i have always just said it when i’ve felt it.” It is strange that there are societal standards that relationships seem to follow.

In the end, who cares what society thinks, follow your heart when it comes to this precious phrase. Make a big deal out of it with presents and a bouquet of flowers or just simply slip it in at the end of a conversation. Good luck.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. This isn’t just a time for romance, you can take this day as a chance to express your love for your loved ones. Here are some of the best gift ideas for Valentine's Day:

• Homemade Valentine's card: Homemade gifts can mean a lot more than something store-bought. It shows that you took time and effort to make something special. In the card, you can add a note specific to that person, like a good memory, or an inside joke. Lena Sabaka has a tutorial on a homemade Valentine's card in this issue. Read it here!

•  Self-care basket: Making a basket full of self-care and other  fun things you think they would enjoy is an amazing idea. Promoting self-care is a good way to show someone you care. Plus, shopping for it would be fun!

• Lego flowers: Lego flowers are a great idea. It is something fun to build, they last a lot longer than fresh flowers, and its less maintenance. 

• Snacks: Gathering a list of their favorite snacks and getting them. Another popular idea is Chick-fil-a's seasonal mini heart-shaped trays. 

• This is also a good chance to buy something that they’ve been talking about wanting. This can show that you put in time and effort to remember things they’ve mentioned. 

• Books: If one of your loved ones likes reading or wants to get into reading, a book is a good gift idea. Or you could even get them a gift card to their favorite bookstore. 

• A cozy blanket: Promoting relaxation and getting them something they could use daily to bring them comfort is a thoughtful gift idea.

• Plants: If your loved one likes gardening or plants, you can get them a succulent or a different kind of house plant to brighten up their space. Also, if your loved one is looking for something to help them learn routine, a plant can be a good idea. 

• Subscription to a streaming service: A lot of people love watching TV. If you know your loved one has been wanting a subscription to a certain streaming service, it can be a great idea. You could also gift them a subscription to a monthly gift box; plenty of brands/companies do monthly or seasonal boxes full of a wide variety of different gifts. 

• Personalized journal: Many people find journaling beneficial for their mental health and other things such as that. Making it personalized can even motivate them to make it a habit to get their journal out every morning and write in it. 

• Donation: Although this idea is very mature, it can be very impactful. Making a donation to a cause they care about or their favorite charity in their name can be very heartwarming and it's very original. 

• Cookbook: It’s the start of the new year, and many people have health goals. Getting your loved one a cookbook full of healthy and yummy recipes can be a good idea to help them get into a routine of making healthy meals and make them look forward to dinner time when they get to make a new recipe. 

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day full of love!

How many high schools have a certain time for students to take a break from learning and do something different and enjoyable? Every other Friday, every high school student here at Brown attends a club. Since a new semester started in January, everyone has switched to a new club.

There is a wide range of clubs to choose from. The options for this new semester were Animated Movies, Board Games, Bracelet Making, Card Games, Chess, Crochet, Drawing, Fly Fishing, General Sports, Adulting 101, Photography, Tea, Video Games, and Walking Club.

Everyone picked their first clubs at the beginning of the school year through a form and attended them for the first half of the year. During December, there was a new form to fill out for the new clubs. 

A lot of people seemed to really enjoy their clubs this first half of the year. I interviewed Aster Kone, a freshman student who was a part of the Art Club. They chose this club because they really like art, and wanted an excuse to do it more often. Their favorite part is being able to draw and talk to people they don’t have many classes with. 

Kone is still happy that we are switching clubs, even though they enjoyed the art club. They stated, “I’m glad I’m switching clubs because I like getting a feel, being a new student.”

Some clubs are not going to be returning for the next semester. For example, the High School Helpers Club is not going to be an option this time. This is due to the fact that a lot of elementary teachers’ schedules did not match the time of the club, and there were not enough classes for the club members to help out. 

The high school helpers club is going to be replaced with the club Adulting 101, which will give students the opportunity to learn life skills that will help them in the future. This club will work much better because it doesn’t need to align with anyone else’s schedules, and will be great for students who are worried about tasks they will need to perform in the future as  adults. 

Some students said their club experiences did not meet their expectations. I interviewed Zen Kweli, a freshman student who was in the bracelet-making club. Kweli told me that she did not really enjoy the bracelet-making club  because she didn’t get to make any bracelets. She told me most of her time was spent sitting and chatting. Kweli told me that she is glad to be switching clubs this semester. 

Kone stated that they would like to have a reading club here at Brown. Kweli said that she would want a sculpting club. 

Some students said that they would like to have clubs more often, a lot of people agreeing they would prefer to have clubs once a week instead of every other week.

Overall, so far clubs have been a great experience for students to try new activities and interact with their peers. People are excited to have new clubs for this semester. Even if there were a few issues with the clubs last term, they will go much more smoothly this upcoming term.

A selfie of a dead-eyed young woman staring serenely at the camera. A picture of a mouse facing Buddha. A short poem about something mundane, written in the sans serif font. Another selfie. A handwritten note. A bizarre assortment of household objects. Another short poem. A video of a deer eating grass.

These are the sights and sounds of influential mindfulness, a trend that’s taken social media by storm over the past year. In the new age of social media, when celebrities rise up across every platform and are, all of a sudden, accessible in any way, at any time, the ethereal mystery of these vague Instagram prophets is appealing to cool girls everywhere. Why would you want advice from someone who is obviously wealthy, an indisputable “other” with unlimited resources and ample time to use them, when you could instead lift spiritual messages from ambiguous Explore page poetry?

It’s impossible to tell where this idea originated. As with many trends and memes, it cropped up out of nowhere, ready to dominate the algorithm. 

Because there’s no way to track its evolution, the only way to understand the roots of the trend is to look at social media over the past several years. The cultural zeitgeist has become increasingly depressing due to increased online vigilance in regards to international tragedy-- not to mention the global relevance of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which, according to a report from KFF, “symptoms of anxiety and depression increased.”

Another detail from KFF’s overview of mental health implications resulting from COVID-19 states that “Adolescent females have… experienced increased feelings of hopelessness and sadness compared to their male peers.” As such, it’s no wonder that “mindfulness influencers,” which seems to be the most appropriate term, are often teenage girls making content directed at other teenage girls.

One of the most successful influencers in this niche is @sotce, who, in the past year, has amassed a following of 400,000. She has a successful TikTok and Instagram, as well as a newsletter and a Patreon that allows her followers to submit their questions to her. She uploads some of her answers to these questions onto her website, where fans can pay to read her simultaneously complex and straightforward answers to questions like “Sotce, how do I long for something?” or “Sotce, how do I become an angel?” She’s also made a few separate business ventures, such as “flower”-- a lopsided, big-eyed, bunny-esque stuffed animal, which she makes by hand in small batches.

Her Substack newsletter takes her advice to the next level. There, she offers prayers and meditations, as well as subscriber-only essays answering questions and offering her notes on living life to the fullest. With titles like “Anxiety: Your Lucid All knowing Nature- Breathe Into It And Die'' and “9AM In Burger King In Amsterdam With No Money, No Phone and No Money- An Existential Reflection On My Most Recent Encounter With Fear,” she’s like a Dear Abby column for today’s Internet-savvy aspiring Buddhist. Her comments are full of young women praising her vague genius. “Thank God for Sotce,” reads one comment beneath a carousel of her art and poetry. “The world’s first great philosopher.”

Several “philosophers” have followed in her footsteps, creating their own art and poetry-- and still more Instagram pages have cropped up to repost that art. The rise of “corecore,” which Wikipedia defines as “an Internet aesthetic and artistic movement aiming to capture post-2020 sensibilities,” has made the style more popular. Today’s meme accounts combine nostalgic imagery and statements like “I have complex feelings about cannibalism and God,” or, less intimidatingly, “I used to be seventeen” to create a distinct yet indeterminate feeling that’s close to impossible to describe or define.

Sotce’s art, and styles like it, make it easy to juxtapose the mundanity of daily life with just about anything. It’s approachable and relatable, tackling topics like capitalism, love, loneliness, hurt, and religion with simple phrasing. “Meditating is like being a dog with a big backyard,” the soft-voiced Sotce analogizes in one video, “there is no thinking. There is nothing to figure out.”

As today’s young people look for refuge in a world that is increasingly complicated, there’s no more appealing place to turn than mindfulness influencers. Unlike “clean girl” and fitness influencers, who promote sponsored products and attempt to sell you their lifestyles, this batch of influencers appears to want nothing from their fanbase. They, seemingly, have their following’s best interests at heart; the majority of them don’t partner with brands, offering their content for free. To a degree, it seems as though they’re creating for themselves.

However, one can’t help but question some aspects of the content. How helpful can this brand of optimistic melancholy be? And how long will it take for our profit-based culture to corrupt it? Is it possible for Instagram artists to keep from mass-producing for their own benefit?

The answer to these questions, of course, as with any Internet fad, is that nobody knows. The trend will evolve in time, take new shapes, and, by next year, could be a different beast entirely. But for now, it’s a refreshing corner of the Internet that seemingly exists in its own bubble. For the moment, it’s a vessel for easy, accessible consumption of art and spirituality-- which is, presumably, a positive. 

“You are a practitioner, Sotce,” reads a post on her Instagram. “If you don’t do it, who will?”

Imagine traveling to a beautiful tropical climate, packed full of beaches, rainforests, exotic wildlife, misty mountains, and emerald green lakes. Did you know that a trip this exciting and adventurous can be an amazing form of education?

Traveling is one of the best ways for a student to learn life skills. It can help a student learn new perspectives, engage with people, possibly learn a language, and, of course, have fun. Some people will argue that traveling is one of the most important forms of education. Because of this, Brown has decided to take advantage of the opportunity and embark on a trip to one of the most beautiful and exotic places in the world.

This summer, some students from Brown will be attending a trip to Costa Rica. This is an amazing opportunity for students to learn and experience different cultures, as Costa Rica is a culturally-infused destination. The students attending the trip will leave their journey with many new and amazing experiences. 

Costa Rica is a country in Central America, known for its national parks and beautiful sights. There is also lots of incredible wildlife. It is a Spanish-speaking country, which is a great language learning/practice opportunity for students who are or are interested in taking Spanish.

Many students are excited to go on this trip and make many fun memories. Amelia Hassett, a freshman who is attending the trip to Costa Rica, said she is most excited to meet the locals, and to go to the beaches there because of their visual appeal. However, Hassett stated that she is a little worried that she might not know enough Spanish for the trip. 

The reason she said she wants to go on the trip is because she has never left the country before. She said, “I’ve never left the country before and I feel like it would be really fun,” adding, “and I don’t think I would be able to go to a different country with my parents, so I feel like this is a really good opportunity.” 

Dr. Eli Beardsley, one of the Spanish teachers at Brown, has a lot of experience with student travel from his experience with college, and also living in Costa Rica. He said that the trip will be an outstanding experience for students to speak Spanish authentically and talk to native speakers, while also learning the cultural pieces that go along with learning a language. 

Beardsley lived in Costa Rica for around a year. One of his favorite things about the country is that people are genuinely very friendly, kind, and helpful. This makes sense, as Costa Rica is often referred to as the place of pura vida (pure life). He also said that there is a lot of biodiversity and amazing geography. He stated, “The country has done a very good job at protecting their natural resources like national parks.” He also said that the food there is really good, adding to the lesser-known fact that Costa Rica is somewhat of a hotspot for food-lovers traveling to Central America.

As someone who has experienced student travel in the past, Beardsley said that one of the best things about it is getting new perspectives. The students will see a lot of new things, and automatically compare things to their lives here. He said he hopes that they see there are really good ways of doing things that are a little bit different than the way we do them here and appreciate some of the things we do here even more too. 

Beardsley’s advice for the students traveling to Costa Rica is to keep a journal of things that have happened along the way. He stated, “It’s so important because you think you will remember everything, but unless you write it down time passes and our memories get a little fuzzy. I kept a journal in Mexico City and I wrote every day and I kept one in Spain as well, wrote every day, and I still like to get those back out sometimes and look.” He also said he recommends taking a lot of pictures, too. It is important to capture the memories of a fun time while witnessing a tropical, exotic, and diverse landscape.

The 300 for 300 program is an extraordinary program in Louisville, Kentucky that works to empower and inspire 300 middle school girls of color.  This is done through offering girls the tools, mentorship and leadership skills that they need to be the best version of themselves.  

The program was founded in 2020 by actress Chastity Dotson.  When she heard about the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, she found herself coming to the city to reach young girls of color. She wanted to remind them of how much they matter. “I saw on the news what was happening in Louisville and I saw the protests and I saw the people and the anguish and everything that was going on and I just wondered what the young girls were feeling. Maybe I can give this feeling to the girls and let them know that I care and let them know that so many people care,” Dotson told WHAS11. 

The pilot program began that year with 20 girls. During the six weeks the girls were in the program, they were exposed to mentorship and confidence building from professionals. “We offer a 6-week writing and expression intensive that includes writing, movement, speech, and confidence-building taught by noted professors, artists and counselors.  Each girl is gifted a laptop and guided to write and share her personal story as she experiences community and creates a bond of sisterhood that will help her feel seen and connected…Through leadership, mentorship, and scholarship our holistic approach to healing and global change will allow middle school Girls of Color to go from writing about their dreams to living their dreams.” 

The pilot program was truly amazing and was an exceptional show of the importance of the program. As someone who went through the pilot program, I was able to use my laptop and the things I learned to improve my school life and handle my schoolwork more maturely.  

The girls in the program encounter and learn experiences and skills that they wouldn’t have had if not for the program. Things like receiving brand new laptops and just simply having a group of girls to talk with and hang out with has really given them many new opportunities and has allowed them new exposure to empower others.  The biggest and most memorable experience that I have personally had from the program was being able to see a picture of me on a billboard.  On the International Day of the Girl, many girls (including myself) got to see ourselves on billboards around the city. “An organization is working to make an impact on young girls of color in Louisville with Black Girl Magic popping up on billboards across the city. The words 'We Are Everything' with the faces of 10 Black girls on a billboard in downtown Louisville are meant to empower them and show them they're beautiful," described one news source.

I truly think this program is extremely impactful for any girl that goes through it. Just like the vision Dotson had, it truly shows that she cares about young girls in Louisville, Kentucky, and wants to give them every opportunity they need in order to become the best versions of themselves.

Generation X follows the Baby Boomers and precedes Millennials, lasting from the mid-1960s all the way to 1980; meanwhile, our newer generation, Gen Alpha, started in 2013 and will be ending in 2025. Many things get passed down throughout generations including traits, looks, traditions, and even their ways of parenting. 

Three key things that shape a generation are technology, economics, and parenting. Every generation is influenced by the generations before them. Baby boomers are known for being “workaholics'' which influenced the millennial generation to focus on their work life balance. People change over time and it's pretty often you would hear “kids these days” when you're in public areas, every adult faces different situations and environments. Views on racism and discrimination has changed throughout the years; Millennials and Gen X are more supportive of gay marriage than any other generations. Younger people are also less likely than older people to be associated with a religion. 

The Silent Generation and Baby Boomers were the first generations to adapt to new technology like TV and computers, some found the change easier than others. Technology was often seen as a luxury, Gen X grew up with VCRs, video games, and the first mobile / cordless phones, Millennials had a decent amount of experience with computers and cell phones. Gen Z grew up around newer technology, and was the first generation to have 24/7 access to the internet compared to Millennials who did not have full time access to devices, Gen Zers are true digital natives. Research indicates that Gen X uses technology mainly for information search while Millennials and Gen Zers mainly use technology for entertainment. Gen Z are more likely to use social media apps like Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok while Millennials are more likely to use instant messaging, twitter, even Skype. Generation Alpha is growing up surrounded by technology, more advanced things like Virtual realities iPads even computers. During the pandemic students were doing online learning and most schools are continuing to use technology during class. 

The Boomer generation and Generation X prioritized their children's education, and they often used more authoritative parenting skills saying such things as “Because I said so” . Their parenting is usually considered “tough love” to prepare their kids for the real world ahead of them. Gen X was focused on balancing their work and home life, trying to make time for everything. They understand individuality and try to support their kids' lifestyles, Gen X was also very focused on their kids' development and structure, even manners. The Millennial generation is known for being more open minded to different parenting techniques, and changing societal norms. They tried to break the generational “helicopter parenting” by letting their kids make their own decisions. They often tend to desire an increased emotional connection with their children, and advocate for positive reinforcements and less harmful punishments.

Brown School seniors are lucky to have a multitude of options when scheduling their final year of high school. Some choose to stay at Brown for the full day, every day, while others switch things up to sign out early.

Because there are so many choices, it’s easy for underclassmen to get overwhelmed while looking at their 12th grade schedule. If you’re in that position now, take a look at this video article by one of Brown’s current seniors to get an idea of what your senior year can look like!

Click here to watch the video, or follow this link to open with YouTube!

Spotify Wrapped is here! Spotify wrapped is an annual marketing feature. It provides users a personalized summary using data from the music and artists they were listening to that year. It includes top artists, most streamed songs and genres. 

How accurate is Spotify? Do Spotify users feel that their Wrapped actually captured their year into a playlist? When Audrina Briggs was asked if she thought her Wrapped actually summed up her music taste, she answered saying, “I think it did, because when I get on Spotify I usually listen to the same songs.” She added, “I really liked how it would play the song you listen to most in the background while it was showing you.” While reviewing your Spotify Wrapped, your most listened to song would play subtly in the background, to keep you entertained and add a unique aspect personalized to your music taste.

Another sophomore, Azaleah Cadet, gave her thoughts on her Wrapped. “I really liked how accurately it summarized the stuff I listen to—I know that’s the point, but last year my Wrapped was not very specific to me and this year it was actually specific to what I listened to this year,'' says Cadet. It seems like this year, the Spotify Wrapped is more fine-tuned and appeals to a lot of people.

Spotify Wrapped also features an elaborate and colorful theme, making it attractive to many people.  When sophomore Brysen Stoner was asked if she liked the style and the colors, she said, “Yeah I liked the colors, it made it better to watch.” Cadet and Briggs would agree; when they were asked the same question, Briggs said, “I thought that the design that was behind it was really pretty.” 

Spotify also included special messages from your top artist, in the form of a short video. In these videos, artists thanked their top listeners for supporting them in 2023 and promoted concerts, upcoming albums, and merch. Stoner described the messages as being cool and said it made her feel closer to the artist. 

Overall, all of the features of Spotify Wrapped seem to be improved this year—as Cadet said. The quiet background music, the top artists and songs, and personalized genres are all aspects that appeal to users. This annual Spotify feature can bring back a flood of memories as you get your year turned into a personalized mixtape. 

In January, 2024, the second semester of the school year will begin, starting a new season in the Brown School. However, for a certain grade, it’s not just a beginning—it’s also an ending. This year's Senior class will be going through their last semester of high school before leaving. Senior year is full of both firsts and lasts, with changes constantly occurring as students prepare to move into a new stage in their lives. I interviewed a few of these seniors to get their perspectives on the end of their high school experience and what their plans are going forward.

“I’m excited, but it’s still a little sad,” senior Aubree Roach said about leaving Brown, and most of the other seniors seem to agree with that sentiment. “It’s a little scary, because I’ve been here since Kindergarten,” Janelle Pitmon explained. “But I am pretty happy to get out of here. I love Brown, but it’s been 15 years, and I’m excited to try some new things and see some new things.” Some of the other seniors who have been at Brown since Elementary school said similar things to Pitmon, senior Layne Elizabeth Pry adding, “On one hand I feel so relieved that it’s over and I get to go to college, but on the other hand, I’m nervous, because I’ve known this for twelve years, and it’s going to be difficult leaving.”

With senior year comes a host of experiences, one of the most stressful ones being applying for college. However, other than that, the seniors seem to agree that this year has been a pretty easy one. “With college it’s been harder, because the applications are very stressful, but everything else is easier,” Pitmon said. “Now, most of my classes are, like, too easy, so I’m sort of bored. It’s a little weird, but it’s good to rest.” senior Elaine Sabaka said mostly the same, explaining, “It’s way easier. I’m only taking, like, one really hard class. It’s different, but it’s nice, because I have more free time to do fun things and hang out with other seniors.”

While some seniors are using their last year as a necessary break before college, others have plans for their last few months in the Brown School’s halls. “Since it’s my senior year, I really want to stand up against some of the things I don’t like about the school,” Pry stated. She went on to explain how she planned to try and help fix various issues around the school, including some of the issues with having Study Skills in the cafeteria this year, and increasing the accommodations given to students on 504 plans.

With their senior year coming to an end, these upperclassmen now have to think about what comes next—and if they’re ready for it. “In some ways, yes, I am ready, but in other ways, no,” Pry admitted. “Academically, this school has been great, but socially it’s screwed me over to be honest. I’ve known these kids for my entire life…Brown is definitely like a little bubble. In some ways I don’t feel prepared for college, but I think I’m resilient enough as a person to figure it out.” Pitmon and McAdams both agreed that Brown has definitely prepared them well academically, but they were still slightly nervous. “I’m ready for high school to end, but I don’t know if I’m ready for college to start,” Sabaka said.

Speaking of college, that seems to be what lies ahead for most if not all of these seniors, although every plan is a little different than the next. Sabaka plans to work over the summer and then head to college. Sadie Bunch, another senior, is headed to EKU next year. Pitmon is going to try to afford out of state college. Senior Gabriel Rollins wants to pursue higher education for at least five years, although playing soccer is his dream. Pry is going to attend Murray State University to pursue the Arts and Graphic Design. Roach is headed to the University of Kentucky to study sports medicine.

Everyone is heading off to different colleges and lives, but the Senior class is still together for now, and will be making this last semester a memorable one. “I think that we’re a really hard-working group and I’m very happy with being in this class…there’s a lot of cool and dedicated people in here and I just know that no matter what they’re gonna do they’re gonna go far,” Pry said about her fellow seniors. “I think we could be a lot closer,” Roach admitted when asked about her class, “but everyone’s pretty chill.”

At the end of the semester starting this January all of these seniors will receive their diplomas and leave the school that helped them through their final year. But until then, the seniors still have some time to enjoy their last semester—the beginning of the end.

Social media is a highly controversial topic as the age of the Internet takes off. Being the first generation with access to the world wide web from birth, there are a multitude of questions, concerns, and unknowns regarding the use of social media. How are we supposed to understand something so vast? Or something the world has never experienced? Fear of this undiscovered territory often overshadows the positives of this new, connected world.

One of the most obvious positives regarding social media is the connection it brings. It creates a space where you can communicate with people all over the world. Families who are spread across the globe can still talk, communicate, and participate in each other's lives. Apps like Facebook and Instagram make it possible to see what is going on in the lives of your loved ones and friends from far away. 

“Social media may provide individuals with a platform that overcomes barriers of distance and time, allowing them to connect and reconnect with others and thereby expand and strengthen their in-person networks and interactions,” says Harvard research scientist Mesfin Awoke Bekalu. 

Being connected isn't just connecting with people you know personally, it also creates an ability to connect with your community, or gain access to information that would otherwise be very difficult to obtain. 

Many people turn to social media during their searches for jobs or things to do in their world. Social media creates a platform for people to post job opportunities, find customers or consumers through marketing, and even spread social awareness and fundraising chances. 

Aside from professional, you can also connect with people about similar interests or identities. Being able to connect with people outside of your physical circle allows for an opportunity for people to connect with others like them, such as the LGBTQIA+ or other minority communities. Social connections can create space for individuals to freely express themselves and feel validated, especially when they might not get to in their day-to-day life.

One of the biggest and most overlooked parts of social media is the absolute slew of information available. Where 30 years ago you would have had to scour the local library for a mediocre source of information to write your research paper, you now have pages of articles one Google search away. 

“Having access to so many resources at my fingertips has been an absolute game-changer for my classroom,” comments Brown School English teacher Neysa Jones, “papers, lessons, anything has been so much easier for both myself and my students.”

Not only do you have access to research, but also important things happening in the world.

Social media is one of the main sources of social awareness. The ability to share and spread information has had staggering effects. It makes it infinitely more difficult to retain information from the public, and has given a pedestal for marginalized or oppressed groups to speak up about issues in their worlds. 

“I have learned so much about what's going on in the world through social media,” comments freshman Ella Edwards-Cooksey. “People sharing things online has informed me about things I never would have known without it.” 

Although social media is a treasure trove of information, that doesn’t come without its complications. Learning to navigate the internet safely is the first thing you should do before even logging on.

 With almost complete freedom to post, chat, and comment, it is essential to understand what you are reading. Always make sure to fact check your information and keep in mind the reliability and bias of the source you are using. 

Not only will you find unreliable sources, but most importantly you will run into unreliable and even dangerous people.

 The biggest question when it comes to youth using social media is keeping them safe from people online. Many people abuse the internet to prey on children and take advantage of them by using their developing social awareness against them. Because of this, it is incredibly important to educate and teach kids how to safely navigate online.

Always make sure to keep your private information secure, and never share your personal information with anyone online. Though it can be harmless and just genuinely be someone wanting to be your friend, many people encounter online predators who will ask for explicit material or coerce people into sharing personal information.

If you ever find yourself in a concerning or potentially dangerous situation, immediately inform an adult you trust or call the police to ensure your safety, and the safety of others. 

A more invisible threat with social media is insecurity. Technology has made it possible to edit and retouch photos, creating an impossible standard for people to reach. Many find themselves feeling depressed or insecure looking at “conventional beauty” conveyed across the web. Some will even experience body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and other mental turmoil because of the expectation of perfection. Make sure to understand that beauty is subjective, and that most of the stuff we see online is heavily edited and altered. 

Social media comes with many questions and concerns, but with education and understanding, using the internet can be a productive, connecting, and effective way to learn, communicate, and move through life with ease and clarity as it opens doors to opportunities and welcoming communities.

Those active in the online spheres of health and wellness influencers may be familiar with the concept of a “dopamine detox.” When I first heard about the trend, I was simultaneously concerned and interested, especially because of the name of the trend. Dopamine is a chemical your brain releases to produce feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. It plays a role in the control of memory, concentration, mood, and sleep, among other things. Since it secretes naturally, it’s impossible to detox from it. 

However, upon further research, I realized that the name of the trend doesn’t really describe its purpose. The detox doesn’t aim to stop dopamine production completely. Participants in the trend aim to fast on pleasurable, stimulating everyday activities that trigger the anticipation-and-reward reaction created by dopamine. Some of these activities include social media use, online shopping, ordering food from delivery systems like Postmates, emotional eating, and gaming.

This concept, like many other influencer fads, is not scientifically proven. Many of the influencers who had attempted the detox touted the inner peace they’d discovered because of it; however, more credible sources like Harvard Medical School, called it a “maladaptive fad.” It seemed to me like this trend contained multitudes, and aspects of it really could benefit a person’s mental and physical health-- but it seemed that the only way to know whether the whole challenge was a hoax was to try it.

So, like any good reporter, I decided to get to the bottom of the trend and try it myself. 

Unfortunately, there were no specific rules to the detox. No one told me what I had to delete or stop doing in order to succeed. Using the model of what I know it’s supposed to restrict, I made my own rules. 

I would, of course, delete social media-- the main vessel for instant gratification. In keeping with the goals of the detox, I would also outlaw online shopping, podcast listening, fast food, and playing the Sims for the week, as well as consumption of “short-term content,” which I defined as any video that was shorter than 30 minutes. After further examination of my own habits, I also decided that I couldn’t have TV or music “on in the background” as I went about my day.

As a whole, the detox had a positive effect on my life. The rules I’d set created some minor annoyances; for example, I couldn’t stop for Cane’s on my way to work, so I had to plan my day in advance to figure out whether I’d go home for lunch or try to pack something to bring with me. The “no online shopping” rule, which normally wouldn’t have affected me, ended up being irritating because of the time at which I did the detox. The last few weeks of November are usually prime time for Christmas shopping, and I buy a lot of personalized gifts online; there were several moments during the week where I had to stop myself from getting on Etsy.

The biggest difference, though, was the lack of constant music at school. For the past seven years, music has been a constant staple of my days at Brown. I’ve gotten used to having my playlists as a buffer between me and the sounds of crowded classrooms and hallways, and without them, I was much more aware of how much noise people made around me. Even beyond talking, the sounds of footsteps and pencils scratching became annoyingly noticeable.

The lack of cushioning from social media and music made me much more grounded and present-- almost annoyingly so. I didn’t realize how much time I set aside every day to scroll around on Instagram. Without it, I spent that time doing chores, working on college applications, and reading. I even finished my 800-page book for AP Literature a full month in advance because I had nothing better to do. 

Since I couldn’t have music on in the background while I washed dishes, vacuumed, or brushed my teeth, I spent more time thinking; the poor editors of the Bear Necessities had to put up with some pretty intense changes to our methods, since I was constantly thinking about the newspaper and my other leadership responsibilities.

All in all, I think that doing the detox made me a lot more conscious of how reliant I am on technology for daily comforts. Rather than making me want to swear off all “instant-relief” options, it made me more grateful for their existence in the first place. I don’t think that fast food, music, or online shopping are inherently harmful; they really do make life a lot easier. They only really become dangerous when we start expecting everything to come quickly or easily. 

There was one thing that proved itself distinctly harmful during the detox. Although I was aware that social media does terrible things to your attention span, I didn’t realize how addicted I am to Instagram. And I am addicted. 

In the first five days of the detox, I think I went to open the app about six times a day before realizing that I no longer had it on my phone. I caught myself becoming more irritable after I realized I couldn’t get on Instagram, and I frequently complained about being without it. I was bored out of my mind. 

However, by day seven, I’d broken the habit of going to open Instagram immediately after opening my phone. Once I got it back, I was much more mindful of how often I open the app and have been working to decrease my screen time as a whole. 

Although I was skeptical at first, the detox was really helpful for me. I think that’s due in part to the rules I set for myself; this trend, as with any other “mindfulness” or “wellness” trend, has the potential to be a vessel for self-punishment. I didn’t completely cut music or TV out of my life, or put a ban on shopping as a whole because I know that those little joys are often the highlights of my week. By limiting constant mini-hits of dopamine, but not avoiding rewarding activities as a whole, I was able to enjoy the benefits of the detox without torturing myself.

The dopamine detox is a great shock to the system if you feel stagnant, stuck, or stressed out-- but it’s important to tailor the rules to your own habits and be careful to take care of yourself throughout the process. Experiencing a dopamine dip can be difficult and lead to uncomfortable mood swings or difficulty following your routine. Always look out for yourself first!

With the holiday season approaching, time is running out to choose, wrap, and mail gifts for loved ones. But how do you pick out the right gift? What if the person you’re giving a gift to likes candles? Books? Music? What if they like video games or sports? What if you don’t know what they like at all? With this holiday gift guide consisting of ten ideas, they’re sure to love whatever you pick—and you can save the anxiety of scrambling to find something last-minute.

1. Handmade gifts. If money is limited this time of year, a handmade gift is easy to make and heartwarming to whoever you give the gift to. There are many tutorials on YouTube for examples of what to make, including a painted ornament, a snowflake pop-up card, snowmen cupcakes, a classic Christmas card, the list could go on and on. These gifts are a nice way to show your appreciation for the person through your consideration and care. They are also customizable, making it unique to whoever you give the gift to.

2. Spotify Premium. Who doesn’t love listening to music? Who doesn’t love the carefree feeling of not being interrupted by obnoxious ads every time you want to skip a song? With Spotify Premium, you or your friends can listen to high-quality audio and enjoy offline music downloads without the interruptions of ads. You can gift a Spotify gift card to a music enthusiast and choose from a one-month, three-month, six-month, or twelve-month subscription.

3. Apple AirPods Max. To be paired with Spotify Premium, these Apple headphones are the perfect gift for music lovers or those who want a quality (but slightly overpriced) pair of headphones. Enjoy the quiet peace of silence with their noise-canceling feature, or put them on Transparent mode to still hear outside sound. Their high sound quality allows you to hear subtle qualities of songs that you might not have otherwise heard.

4. Super Mario Bros Wonder. Do you or your family like playing video games? Do you like the laid-back aspect of a side-scrolling platformer game? If so, this game is the perfect gift to give, whether it be for your nephew, niece, son, friend, or sibling. For $60 dollars, you can hop in green pipes, catch those Gold Coins, unlock the powers of the Wonder Flower, or take a bite of an Elephant Fruit to transform your character into an elephant—all from a Nintendo Switch. So, gather ‘round the television this holiday season and play a classic—but revamped—Mario game packed full of vibrant colors and new adventures. 

5. Ohuhu Marker Set. On the more expensive side of the list, a 320-piece Ohuhu Marker Set is great for the artists of your family. These alcohol-based markers are double sided and come in a wide variety of colors and shades, with a grand total of $169.99. If you’re looking for an alternative to Copic markers, the famous alcohol markers used by professionals, this is a great option. Additionally, if you’re not sure if this is the right gift, try getting the smaller 24-piece set for only $19.99.

6. 100 Dates Scratch-Off Poster. With over 900 sales on Amazon in just the past month, this $26.99 poster is great for giving ideas of unique activities you can do all throughout the year. It includes circles which you can scratch off to reveal a daily activity idea. While originally intended for couples, families or even one person can utilize this fun poster by doing an activity each day, once every week, or just whenever you feel like it.

7. Custom Face Socks. Give the gift of your face for a funny and unique gift, to remind everyone of your generosity each time they wear these socks. They can be customized to show the face of yourself, a celebrity, a pet, or any image, as well as a variety of colors and patterns. Many online stores sell these, but My Face Socks has cheap prices and fast shipping, just in time for the holiday season. Customize yours today for as low as $12.95!

8. Candles. No one candle can be recommended for this list, because most candles serve the same purposes: making a room smell nice, and, if you’re feeling Victorian, providing a small source of light. They are relatively cheap, with the average candle costing roughly $10, but the price can vary significantly based on the quality. They also come in many shapes, colors, and fragrances, so you can choose the best one for your friend or family member. Candles are especially pleasant to have during the winter season because they make a room feel cozy when paired with a nice book or movie.

9. Books. Like candles, books are gifts that can’t be confined to one recommendation. Their wide range of genres, such as adventure, comedy, romance, sci-fi, historical fiction or nonfiction, etc., provide for a gift that is special to whoever is reading it. Also, they’re inexpensive, so go ahead and buy two or three books, or more, depending on how much the reader likes to read. If the gift recipient isn’t into stories or fairy tales, a journal is another gift that falls under this category, which can also be bought for around the same price—or cheaper—as a book.

10. Amazon Gift Card. With millions of items to choose from, ranging from books to clothes to room decor to interesting gadgets, an Amazon gift card is a great gift for when you don’t know what to give. It’s an all-in-one gift, so you can let whoever you give the card to choose their own gift, especially if they’re a picky person. Because of its ability to be gifted through email in minutes, this is a great last-minute option. Also, you can choose a price of $15, $25, $50, or $100, depending on who the gift recipient is.

2023 is almost over, which means it’s time for a fresh start!

New Year’s resolutions are a long-standing tradition. Since the days of Ancient Rome, people have used the New Year as an opportunity to visualize the future. Whether you’re vowing to be kinder to the people around you, aiming to save more money, or wanting to hit the gym, the New Year is a great time to begin working toward your biggest goals.

Brown School students have exciting dreams for the future, and many hope to start following them in the coming year. “[I want to] make more consistent schedules, put more effort into my relationships with people, like, showing people that I care, you know?” said senior Sam Yauwanta, who has high hopes for 2024. “And work out, because exercising is important and you have to stay healthy.”

Senior Sophie Hyde is also feeling ambitious. “I wanna graduate high school,” she joked, but continued, “but also learn more Korean. And hopefully I’ll learn more by studying abroad in Korea!” She explained that she applied for a summer program that would allow her to spend six weeks in South Korea. She’ll find out about her acceptance in the New Year-- so she’s looking forward to 2024 for more reasons than one.

Graduation was a common theme for many of our seniors. As the first semester of their last year of high school comes to an end, many are focused on finishing their college applications and keeping their grades up. “Here’s my resolution: make it to graduation,” quipped Grayson Provencher.

Underclassmen also have big dreams for 2024. Sophomore Seth Langford is looking to accomplish a long-term goal: “I’m going to find a teacher sponsor so I can start a debate team at this school. That’s been my goal since I started high school!”

“My New Year’s resolution is to read all of Shakespeare’s plays,” announced junior Kaileigh Chesman, who is a dedicated actor and big fan of the Bard.

“That’s crazy,” junior Joelle Adams teased. “I just want a healthy sleep schedule.”

However, not all Bears put their stock in New Year’s resolutions. “If I want to change something, I’ll just start doing it now. I’m not waiting for the New Year,” asserted Siri Apostel.

“I don’t make resolutions,” agreed senior Aiden Burke. “I live in the moment.”

“Yeah, I don’t have a good track record with resolutions,” Donald Chen concluded.

Resolutions can be a great way of visualizing the year ahead-- but they can also be a sad reminder of goals not met. No matter what your perspective is, there’s no doubt that New Year’s celebrations are an exciting way to celebrate the end of a long year. Don’t forget to celebrate with friends and family on December 31 and say goodbye to 2023! Whether you’re aiming high with resolutions, making little changes, or forgoing resolutions entirely, 2024 is shaping up to be a great year. The Bear Necessities staff wishes you the best of luck!

November is a month of both relief and stress for many seniors looking to apply early for colleges. Waiting for that email in a few months to determine where you stand in your dreams has many refreshing their emails or re-reading their essays hoping to stand out in the sea of applicants.

From Ivies to community colleges, applying for early access can have many perks that make people want to get a head start on applying. “The acceptance rate goes up, like, 3 times what it normally is,” says J Graham Brown School Senior, Irina Macaranas. She is applying to Princeton University, one of the most prestigious in the world, but choosing a college isn't all about titles. 

“Applying to an Ivy has been a dream of mine since I watched Gilmore Girls when I was seven,” Macaranas jokes. “but I felt Princeton really genuinely fit me, Ivy or not. I really appreciated their focus on the value of the individual,” she adds.

“You can get an education anywhere, you can get a job anywhere,” says another one of our seniors, Charlotte Meeley, “there is a lot that goes into finding the right college,”

One thing to keep in mind is scholarships. Merit scholarships are the most common, based on grades and test scores; this is where high achieving students get the chance to knock a large chunk off of their inevitable student loans, but scholarships are more than just grades.

There is a scholarship for pretty much anything: writing, athletic, artistic, work-based, community-based. Basically, anything you excel in, you can get a scholarship for. It's important to apply for as many as you can, because who wants to pay for college until they're 80? 

Some of the more ambitious seniors may find themselves applying for the Presidential Scholarship, a program recognizing 161 of the nation's greatest. This is one of the highest honors young scholars can receive. “Not only have I been stressing over my early applications, but now I'm worrying about Presidential Scholarship applications,” says Macaranas. 

Another important thing to keep in mind during your college search is what you want to do with your education. It may seem obvious but many struggle with figuring that out.

“One thing I really like about Princeton is that you don't have to pick a major until the end of Sophomore year,” comments Macaranas. ”It gives you some time to figure things out without having to do a full 180 if you want to do something else,”

“St. Mary's College of Maryland really stood out to me because of their historic preservation program, which is what I eventually want to do,” says Meeley.

Understanding the focus of where you are studying is important, so you are making the most out of your education. Just because a school isn’t well known doesn't mean that it won’t be suitable for you, smaller schools may have a primary focus on what you are interested in, and not just have a mediocre department for it. 

Schools are more than just education; the student environment and general atmosphere are where you set yourself up for success. “I like how quaint St. Mary's is, it's small and there are lots of museums and beaches around,” remarks Meeley.

“Columbia was one of my dream colleges, but touring I just didn’t feel like it fit me,” says Macaranas. 

So the touring is done, and the applications are sent, now all that's left is to wait, which for many, is much easier said than done.

“I never expected the insecurity around it, you put your personality on paper hoping someone picks you,” says Meeley. “Selection feels so personal, even though it's not at all. It's just you on paper, which admissions people read hundreds of a day,”

The stress of not only applying but also waiting is weighing on many. “I feel like I'm constantly thinking about college, and extra irritable about doing things that aren’t for college,” laughs Meeley. 

“It’s really important to understand that you are so much more than a student,” says senior Peytience McMillen.

It’s not all stress though, finally being able to cross that application off your list can bring a sense of relief and accomplishment.

“I really feel like it's given me a new perspective, and motivated me to put forth my best effort,” says McMillen. “It’s my last year of high school, after all. I find myself getting really sentimental of Brown, but also just Louisville as a whole.”

Finding ways to offset the stress and recognize their accomplishments can help many feel better in this stressful time.

“Common App has this little confetti button when you submit an application, sometimes I will just press it over and over again after I finish one,” laughs Meeley. 

Whether you are waiting for that email, or in the middle of applications, find a way to celebrate today because you are killing it. Good job and good luck seniors! We are all wishing you the best.

In the past several years, support for the arts has waned. Louisville theatre companies like Actors Theatre, StageOne, and Commonwealth Theatre Center struggled in the wake of the pandemic, and public schools nationwide began to cut their arts programming in favor of STEM classes and clubs.

Brown’s theatre program was no exception. Although the program struggled for many years due to lack of funding and administrative support, it was still able to stay afloat. Not only were elementary, middle, and high school theatre classes available, school productions were also an option that many students participated in. “I think there was a lot of value in it. I think we got to get bigger parts that we weren’t getting anywhere else yet, so it was kind of exciting to get to try doing that,” said senior Sophia Hyde, who participated in Brown School productions from third grade through seventh grade.

Things changed, however, when theatre teacher Terrilyn Fleming left Brown at the end of the 2022-23 school year. She had no replacement. Students were left in the lurch—and are still suffering the consequences. High school students in particular have dealt with massive change. Since there’s no high school drama program without a high school drama teacher, high schoolers Seth Langford and Bug Bowles are currently taking middle school drama class with their interim teacher, Stephanie Eilers. “I’d say I enjoy the class, but I mostly enjoy the fact that [Stephanie] puts pity on us because we’re the only high schoolers in there,” said Bowles.

However, Brown’s lack of school-specific theatre opportunities hasn’t limited students from pursuing their dreams of performance. Many students (including myself!) have taken classes at Commonwealth Theatre Center, a youth conservatory located in the Highlands.

Students at CTC take theatre classes, but are also able to perform in and produce professional-level productions. This year, the conservatory has produced Kate Hamill’s Little Women and Danielle Mohlman’s Frankenstein, two feminist adaptations of classic literature. Frankenstein, directed by Meg Caudill and Heather Burns, is a particularly innovative adaptation-- it incorporates the historic life of the book’s author, Mary Shelley, into the telling of the iconic tale. Students are challenged to play various difficult roles in all types of plays.

However, CTC did struggle through the pandemic. Brown School students were terrified of that prospect; without CTC, they’d have no chance to pursue theatre. “I switched to CTC because I had lots of fun in my improv classes, and I just kind of preferred the structure of classes there to what we had going on at Brown,” said junior Kaileigh Chesman. “When I heard that CTC was running out of money… Well, I screamed and cried a bit. After CTC, doing theatre at Brown just wasn’t an option.”

Thankfully, the conservatory, and other arts organizations, persevered. Although Brown’s school performances have ground to an indefinite halt, you can still see our Bears take the stage all over Louisville. Sophia Hyde is a particularly dominant presence in the Louisville theatre scene; she’s a student at CTC, an intern at StageOne Family Theatre, and an actor for both companies. “I think they work really well together… and I know that [CTC’s artistic director] doesn’t love when we do things with other people, but I think that if you want to be a professional actor, it is important that you get experiences working with multiple different types of people and different groups,” she said. “And now CTC and StageOne are right next to each other!”

It’s true-- CTC and StageOne now share adjacent buildings at 1129 and 1123 Payne Street. Since they’re neighbors, it’ll be easier than ever to catch Brown Schoolers performing. First up, Hyde and her sister, freshman Dylan Hyde, take on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at StageOne-- a seasonal tradition that runs throughout the month of December. Then, David Hirson’s La Bete, a fast-paced comedy about conflict, obstinance, and art, opens this January at CTC. Keep your eyes and ears open for your classmates’ show dates!

Christmas: the holiday everyone adores and anticipates. It means spending weeks lighting candles, crafting the perfect gingerbread house, and sitting with the familiar comfort of a warm fireplace. Many people, no matter their religion, celebrate Christmas and take part in these joyous holiday events. After Halloween, the question of when the right time is to start celebrating comes to mind. Some say they start right after Halloween, on November 1st, but others say they aren’t even allowed to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving rolls around. In what ways do people celebrate Christmas? How does religion play into this? Does a person’s religion have any effect on what they think is ‘the correct time’ to start celebrating?

For students at the Brown School, Christmas is a time when people come together and have fun with their loved ones. Even students with religious affiliations say they don’t think their religion plays a role in when they start celebrating—even for Christmas.

One sophomore, Lena Sabaka, says “When it comes to holidays like Easter, you know, we celebrate it more religiously, but for Christmas, we’re a bit more laid back.” She comes from a large Baptist family of nine, and each Christmas they have a number of traditions they do to celebrate the holiday. She says some of the things they do to prepare is put ornaments on their tree and make presents. “We like to make presents for each other rather than buy them…it’s fun to keep it a secret too while we make it, and since my family is so large, it would cost a lot of money if we bought everyone’s presents.” Making presents is also a way to make a unique gift that the person you give the gift to is sure to love, and if you’re short on money, you can use items that you already own to make it.

Sabaka explained that another family tradition they like to do is “Set up a sort of “Christmas Wonderland” thing on Christmas day, with a train going around their tree, stockings, and lights.”

Since Sabaka is from a religious family, they incorporate a few religious elements into their holiday preparations. “My family has a stone nativity scene that we like to set up together too…we also read Bible verses every day, and light these special candles at church every Sunday.” She explained that the focus of their celebration is never uptight or serious, but instead focused on the joy of the Christmas season. Her family does, however, have some rules about when they can start celebrating Christmas. She noted, “We all always say that we can’t listen to Christmas music until November 1st.” Finally, she added, “But it’s not that strict of a rule, really, we just like to wait and appreciate Thanksgiving.”

Another student, Asha Valentine, gave her insight into when and how she celebrates Christmas. Like Sabaka, she also says she starts decorating on November 1st. As far as religion, she said that it doesn’t have much effect on when or how her family celebrates it, commenting: “Not anything religious based…we don’t celebrate it religiously, my mom likes to call it ‘yule’…it's mostly just holiday joy where we watch a lot of Christmas movies.”

Valentine also described how her family celebrates, which involves allocating a whole day to decorating her house for Christmas. “I stay home from school on November 1st just to decorate our house…our whole family decorates it and that’s what we do all day,” she elaborated. She also said that her family does their Christmas shopping early; “my mom likes to start as early as possible…we have to hold her back from putting up Christmas trees and decorations because she wants to decorate as soon as Halloween ends,” she said.

On Christmas Day, however, Valentine said that her family has “a big breakfast and invites people over…we have lots of people visit.” Christmas in the Valentine household is one filled with joy and good feeling, as she explained, “I think we like to do the big party and Christmas stuff because Christmas is during winter, which is dark, but Christmas can bring joy and light to the dark situation.”

Randy Cox, a teacher at Brown, talked about his experience with Christmas and when he thinks it should start. “To me, I think stores start way too early…stores were starting in August, which I think that’s too early…some stores were playing Christmas music and putting up their decorations [already],” he comments. “I would say from the first week of November until…the week before Thanksgiving to start putting stuff up…that still gives you about a month.” As far as his own decorations, he says “After I take the Halloween decorations down, I start putting Christmas decorations up.”

Similar to many families’ Christmas traditions, Cox visits with his family during the holidays. “We always have Christmas at my mom’s house. On Christmas Eve, we go to my sister’s, and on Christmas Day we spend the day at my mom’s,” he says.

While many families have different ways of celebrating Christmas, it seems like religion actually doesn’t have much effect on when people start preparing for Christmas. It does, however, affect the ways people celebrate, as seen with Lena Sabaka’s family. The time people begin their Christmas preparations can vary from person to person, but as we’ve seen with people at Brown, a good time to start is around the beginning of November. 

The school newspaper has been around since 1998. But have you ever been told how it’s made and the opinions of the journalists’ that write our newspaper? Writing in a completely different style is a challenge, even more challenging when you know your work is going to be public. Hours of work, all neatly organized into a single issue. So what goes on in the newsroom and the minds of the staff? 

After the whole class has submitted their story plan, that’s when the real work gets set into motion. All of our writers began creating the masterpieces that are displayed on our carefully crafted Bear Necessities website. “You don't notice how different the writing styles are when making the newspaper until you have to sit down and write an article you know a lot of people are going to see,” says Matilda Wissig, a freshman reporter for the Bear Necessities. “Yeah, it’s a complete pivot on what I’m used to,” adds Asha Valentine, a feature and editorial writer for our newspaper.

Once people start writing the classroom is quiet, and there isn’t much communication happening in the class. After about 4 class periods the first draft is due. This is when section editors begin to make adjustments. At this time there is a lot of communication going on, but it can also be a very stressful time. “Once drafts are submitted things start moving really fast and before you know it, it’s time to publish the issue” says Lilly Starnes a news reporter for the Bear Necessities.

Wissig says “It’s an amazing experience, without this class my writing wouldn’t have been as good, and I’ve conversated with a lot of people that I wouldn’t typically see myself talking to.” I’ve heard very similar things from everyone I interviewed, and even I can say I agree that the community that has grown in that class is unlike any class I’ve ever been in, unmatched. 

“We built a little community naturally because of the diversity in both grade levels and personalities, plus the amount of communication is unlike any other class I’ve been in,'' says senior Peytience McMillen, a news reporter and section editor. 

There are so many positive opinions I’ve heard from my fellow staff but sometimes journalism does have its challenges. Although our editors are lenient, deadlines can be very stressful. “With time and deadlines it can be hard to create something that you’re proud of while still getting it submitted on time,” says Lena Sabaka. 

Many leadership opportunities are provided in this class, there is Editor in Chief, Managing Editors, and Section Editors. “A part of my job is figuring out which stories go on the front page. It can definitely be interesting with stronger writers; it’s easy to put them on the front page. Trying to be as friendly as possible while still getting my job done can be difficult at times” says Charlotte Meeley, our amazing Editor-in-Chief.

            “I wouldn’t consider myself a natural leader but this class has made me more confident in my leadership skills,” says McMillen, the news department's managing editor. 

           “This year we seem to have a really powerful group of editors and journalists, so I’d say I’m excited to see how this year pans out,” says Neysa Jones, the teacher of the Brown School's journalism class. 

If you’ve ever walked through the halls of the J Graham Brown School, you’ve most likely seen a poster advertising the yearbook. But have you ever thought about how the yearbook is actually produced? I interviewed this year’s yearbook staff to find the answer to this question, and discovered that there is so much more to the yearbook than class photos.

“Our theme this year is Netflix, and I personally am very excited about this,” Asha Valentine, a freshman at the Brown School and new member of the yearbook staff explained to me. “[The theme] was kind of a back and forth for a while for the class, and it took us a couple weeks to decide because everyone had different ideas.” However, they settled on Netflix eventually, and it seems like it’s going to make for a very engaging yearbook. 

“We really wanted to do something this year that was a little bit different…as far as our school, cause we typically do pretty baseline themes,” Asha continued. She went on to explain that in the past the yearbook’s themes have been things like “scrapbook” or “classic” and they just didn’t feel very interactive to her. This year, though, they wanted to do something different.

Once the theme was decided, it was time to get to work. Carah Zamora, a sophomore in her second year on the yearbook staff, said, “Our class is kind of like a functioning business in a way. We all have different jobs but somehow work together to create a product.” Valentine agreed, saying that “Everybody does a little bit of everything. It’s not just splitting up and going to do your thing, you kind of do whatever you need to do at that time. I think that’s part of what I like about yearbook, is that everybody’s in communication and knows what needs to be done.”

What is it, though, that needs to be done? Valentine explained that there are different sections in the yearbook that the staff works on. One of the main ones is Student Life, because they want to cover the actual students and how the day to day of the school goes. Another big one, though, is Events.

“The yearbook is about memories, so a lot of it’s just things that have happened in school,” Valentine commented. “Obviously there’s going to be portrait pictures and yearbook photos, but we’re trying to input a lot more sports and clubs and events, and also a little bit of writing.” In past yearbooks it’s been mostly pictures, but this year they’re planning to do more quotes and personality based sections.

Currently, they are working on the actual pages of the yearbook. They’re still getting photos for events and sports but most of the baseline photos are done, and they will submit the pages in February.

Both Zamora and Valentine agreed that the yearbook is a great class and they are excited to continue working on it this year.

“It’s a really fun class, because you get to create something that everybody’s gonna see. If you get [the yearbook] you get to keep it for as long as you like, and you can say, oh yeah, I made that, I worked on that.” Valentine remarked.

Zamora also commented on the perks of the class, saying, “I would suggest that people join because you get to make friends in the class and there’s a lot of useful teamwork involved! Also, Norah teaches it, and she’s like the chillest teacher ever.”

So, be on the lookout for the Brown School yearbook, coming soon! Now that you know the process behind it, you might be able to enjoy it even more. In the words of Valentine: “Buy the yearbook!”

At Brown, we have a band and orchestra, which are both extremely talented. They put a lot of hard work into their music and it shows when they perform. 

Playing music in a group like they do involves a huge amount of teamwork because of its large scale. In an interview with Sawyer Williams, a ninth grade student who plays viola in the orchestra, he said, “You kind of have to listen to the other people, like bounce off one another.” Tay Chesman, another ninth grade student, who plays trombone in the band said that they have a lot of teamwork when they have concerts. 

At their Halloween performance on October 31st, they played a group piece involving both the band and orchestra, called Harry Potter. It was very interesting to hear both the band and orchestra play together, as the sound they produced was unique and cohesive.

Erin Rogers, a ninth grade student who plays the viola in the orchestra stated, “We had one practice where we put it all together with the band and orchestra, and it was actually really fun because like the drums and all that, they added a lot to it and I really liked it.”

When I asked Chesman if it was difficult to work with the orchestra, he said, “Not really, but it’s different. It’s like an apple and an orange.” 

A lot of people really enjoyed their performance of Harry Potter, and most of the people I interviewed said it was their favorite song they have performed so far. Sawyer Willams said that it was his favorite because he really liked working with the band, he told me,  “I prefer working with the band, I think it adds to the piece a lot.”

The people in the band and orchestra seem to enjoy the class a lot. Chesman said that it's pretty laid back and fun. Williams said his favorite part is playing music in general. 

Rogers told me about how they go on field trips in the orchestra. Recently, they went on a trip to see an orchestra play, and then went to Fourth Street for lunch. They also have a field trip to Kings Island at the end of the year, which students are looking forward to.

However, being in a band or orchestra comes with challenges. Chesman said the biggest challenge for him was performing by himself in front of the class, because it has a lot of pressure. Williams said staying together as a group was difficult. Rogers told me that it’s difficult to make time for practicing and getting everything together by the time they need to have it together. Even if they do face those challenges, they still really enjoy being in the band/orchestra. 

During part of the October 31st performance, a lot of people in the audience started clapping on a beat in the middle of a song. People from the orchestra have stated that it was not helpful to their performance, and that they would have preferred if that did not happen. When I asked Erin Rogers about how she felt about this happening, she said, “Yeah, that was not helpful, cause, like, it threw a lot of people off. I was fine, cause I kind of tuned them out, but it threw off a lot of people.” She told me it made it difficult to hear her favorite part of the piece. 

To avoid taking away from a performance in the future, here are some ways you can show your support to the people playing in a more appropriate way; clapping after the songs are over, tell members of the band/orchestra that they did a good job after the performance, pay attention when they are playing, and make sure not to be loud during the performance because that is the best way to be respectful. Doing this will make the performance the best as possible and make the experience better for everyone.

Overall, being in the band/orchestra involves a lot of hard work, but can be a great experience. Everyone that was interviewed seemed very passionate about what they do and said that they enjoy being a part of it. All the teamwork that they put into their performances is amazing.

One in forty-two people are born with a best friend. Someone who will always love them unconditionally. Someone to share everything with: a twin. Having this permanent partner in crime also comes with more. It comes with not having your own identity; you're permanently a pair, never your own person. 

In a world that celebrates being unique and individuality, the journey of twins establishing their own identity can be complex and often untalked about. While we share the same genetics, and parents will often dress their twins alike as children, we are not the same people. The quest to distinguish ourselves from our closest counterpart is a lifelong obstacle, a process that requires resilience, and self discovery. 

Forming your own identity as a child completely shapes the rest of your life. The way you act and the way you portray yourself as a person will be something that changes your morals, beliefs, relationships and what motivates you to get things done as you grow up. Different life experiences and habits will completely change your personality and outlook on different things. This is why it is so important to make sure that twins have their own identity and they get treated as such. 

From the very beginning we both had very distinct personalities that happened to be very different. Our differences are what shaped us to be who we are today. One of us was more sweet, while the other was more devious. Throughout our early childhood our prominent personalities got us both through a lot. In emotional situations one was always less affected and could cheer the other up. Our strong personalities are what make us feel unique in a world that makes us feel the same. 

From the moment of conception, twins share a unique connection that sets them apart from children that aren’t born with a twin. This connection began in  the womb, and it has fostered a sense of closeness and comfort that will last forever. However, it has also presented significant challenges in developing and independent identity.   

Psychologists  and researchers have long debated the roles of nature vs nurture in the development of individuality with twins in particular. As identical twins we carry the exact same genetic blueprint, which can result in similar personality traits, interests, and even career choices. But it’s not only nature that plays a role; nurture, or the environmental influence in our lives, also affects us.

As we’ve grown up, we often find ourselves subject to comparisons. Friends, family and even strangers unwittingly pit us against each other, asking questions like “Who’s the smarter twin?” or “ Which one is the troublemaker?”  These constant comparisons can create pressure to differentiate ourselves. This can lead to an internal struggle to break free from our perceived twin identity.

The journey to individuality from twins can be challenging, but it is not a hopeless process. Support and acknowledgement from family and friends is crucial in helping twins navigate this path. Encouragement to pursue our own interests and make choices that align with what our own unique personalities can make a difference.

Ultimately the struggle for independence doesn't mean severing the bond between twins. Instead, it’s about acknowledging and embracing the similarities and differences that make each twin special. Twins can learn to celebrate their shared experiences and realize that it is a blessing to be born with a best friend and appreciate the ups and downs. We can both agree this challenge has helped us grow as people. We will forever be thankful for each other.

“I think what I do is I say that I’ll do it another day, and when that day rolls around I don’t do it,” said Ava Bosley, a sophomore at J Graham Brown High School of her experience with completing assignments. “It’s like…repetition, kind of.”

Bosley is a smart, dedicated student, but, according to her, those good grades don't come easy. “I spend a good amount of time doing homework, and a lot of it’s during my free time.” Free time at home, where there is no schedule or teacher, can often lead to the unpopular experience of procrastination.

Procrastination. It’s become a common phrase to hear at school—every student is either struggling with it, or was struggling with it, or will be soon. You get home after school, you sit down at your desk, you pull out your homework assignment… and then you scroll on your phone for the next hour. You know you should be writing that paper or solving those math problems, but those are problems for future you. You’ll do it later.

Sometimes, we remember to do it. Often, though, we find ourselves continuing to push it off, continuing to tell ourselves that we just "aren’t in the mood right now." With so much content at our fingertips on the Internet, it’s easy to find yourself wasting your time on your phone. Bosley confessed she can get distracted by her phone. “I’ll get on my phone because I don’t want to do my work, or it feels boring. Or sometimes I get on a call with my friends to do work and then we end up getting distracted.”

Bosley isn’t the only person out there struggling with procrastination. Throughout the United States, students wrestle with procrastination. In fact, education company Magoosh reported that 86% of high school students “procrastinate on assignments.” It isn’t just students, either—procrastination is a widespread phenomenon that is affecting lots of people.

So, we know it’s a problem. What are we meant to do about it? Ava Bosley had some things to say about how she tries to stop procrastinating. “I’ll remind myself I won’t want to do it the next day,” she explained. “And if this is turned in late, I’ll get points off—and I don’t want my grade to drop.”

Everyone has different ways they experience procrastination, but some simple, straightforward advice may be the best way to attempt to discipline yourself. One of the largest contributors to procrastination can be your phone, so adding screen time limits, or other restrictions on your phone could be helpful if you struggle with that. 

Creating a schedule of some kind can also be extremely helpful. Having specific work and break times can help keep your mind fresh and ready to work.

Procrastination is a mental battle, and although it may feel hopeless at times, we can all overcome it if we try.

The power of music is undeniable, and its influence is nothing short of remarkable. Adolescence is a time of immense change and self discovery, and music often serves as a loyal companion, offering support, understanding, and an outlet for emotions. Even though what is popular and trending changes, music will always play a major role in society. Music is something that is small, but so important to many- especially teens. 

Emotional expression is something that afflicts many, especially teenagers who struggle with intense emotions and feelings. Certain artists and lyrics have a way of resonating with teens, providing a way to express feelings. Asha Valentine, a freshman at the J. Graham Brown School, states, “I struggle with anxiety and OCD and it can get really overwhelming. Music is sort of an outlet that helps me through the challenging days. If I feel like I need to focus on something else, or to calm down, I can play my music and it helps a lot.”

Identity is another thing that teens all around the world struggle with. Finding yourself can be a very difficult task, but music can ameliorate this process. It provides a sense of belonging as people connect with songs and artists who mirror their feelings and experiences. “Certain artists like Billie Eillish, SZA, Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey have a way of putting their personal experiences into lyrics, and so many people resonate with them,” Valentine states.

Music releases specific endorphins that help boost energy, improve focus, and provide a sense of motivation. Statistics have shown that music can also help with day to day tasks. As stated previously, Lucy O'Brien, another freshman at the J. Graham Brown School, has many hobbies and extracurricular activities. She is a straight-A student and she loves music. “I have a lot going on outside of school. I do dance, hockey, track, and cross country on top of my school work. It can get really overwhelming. But music has always helped me—whether it's with practicing or doing my work. It helps me focus and not get too overwhelmed."

In conclusion, the impact of music on teenagers is undeniably positive and far-reaching, From fostering emotional expression and stress relief to promoting social connections and enhancing cognitive abilities, music has a way of empowering and making adolescents feel seen. The harmonious notes and lyrics of music often provide them with a soundtrack to their journey that contributes to their personal growth and well being. 

When watching a play, do you ever think about all the work behind the scenes? The time and effort spent on each aspect—the props, sounds, lights, costumes, and set design? Most people notice all of these things, but only think of them in passing. The one job just out of sight is the Stage Manager, or SM. 

The SM has a lot of jobs that start as soon as the first rehearsal, the read through. The SM reads the stage directions. As soon as the blocking process (where actors enter/exit, when they cross, sit, stand etc.) starts, the SM writes it all down, which can be challenging with a large cast. According to union rules, you must take a five minute break every fifty-five minutes or a ten every eighty minutes, and the SM is the one who keeps this on track. 

There are multiple types of shows a stage manager could run. You have community theater, which is small scale with a low budget, like Highview; professional theater, usually having a higher production value, like the ones done by StageOne and Kentucky Shakespeare; and conservatory theater, in places like Commonwealth Theater Center. A conservatory is a company that hosts acting classes, as well as mainstage productions in which the cast is made up by the students there. CTC also hosts adult acting, but not all conservatories do.

I am a student at CTC, and have been for about seven to eight years. I used to act, and was cast in The Trials Of Robin Hood when I was ten. A year later, in sixth grade, I switched over to stage management; then, shortly after, set design; then, props and costumes; and, finally, last summer I started lighting and sound design. 

Last year, I stage managed my first community theater show, The Hairy Ape by Eugene O'Neill, with TheatreWorks, a company in southern Indiana. It was a small all-adult cast, and when I came to the first read through I only knew one person. I very quickly got to know the cast and director, though I definitely stayed away from the group. For me personally, it was awkward being around a group of adults at fifteen, and I didn’t know what to say or do most of the time. As tech, the first week before opening where actors and the tech team get to move into the space, get used to costumes, props, lights, set, sound, neared, I got closer to the cast and excited to open. 

I had a lot of work to do, before and after the show, and one of the things I remember most was the bottles. We had about six green beer bottles that were actually drunk on stage. It was my job to wash them before the show and refill them with unsweet tea. Then, after the show I had to empty them and rinse them out. There was a lot going on at all times, but I did enjoy it. It was a great first experience in community theater and I learned a lot about the process and adapting to different environments. 

This year, I’m working on The Christmas Carol with Highview Theater, which is another amazing opportunity. Again, going into this project, I only knew one person in the room which is a little scary, and I haven’t gotten close to any of the actors. With Highview, everything is a lot more official—we have to fill out paperwork, file official reports, etc. Like any other job, you get paid for the work you do. With The Hairy Ape, I was not old enough to get paid normally, so I was given sixty dollars as a Christmas gift. For The Christmas Carol, I will be getting paid 50-100 dollars. For the amount of work done on a show, it’s nowhere close to minimum wage, but community theater is always struggling, so you have to accept that you won’t get a lot of money. 

Being involved in community and conservatory theater has helped me a lot in my everyday life, organizational skills, time management, and I’m better at collaboration. Theater can be competitive, which turns some away from the industry, but it can foster an amazing community.

About 28 million people in the U.S. are in long distance relationships; only about 58% last and only 10% succeed to get married, and 75% of married couples have been in a LDR.

There's many reasons people would want to get into a long distance relationship. It could strengthen your bond before marriage, you could learn to value your time with your partner, or it could create better communication skills. However, there can be quite a few disadvantages as well, such as going days, weeks, or even years without contact. Another issue is how you may be living in different time zones, and seeing each other could be very expensive. Being in different time zones and in a long distance relationship is very tiring. It can cause trying to stay awake longer for each other and getting up earlier for each other, which is a sacrifice some people are willing to make, but it can hurt a person's health.

J Graham Brown’s special education teacher, Staley Bruni, has been in a LDR for about a year. She says they knew they wouldn't make it much longer if they continued long distance. She says the hardest part about being in a long distance relationship is how they are, “Missing the day to day little things—like coffee together, watching a show or the news.” 

It is important that you make time for each other, especially with the distance. Students at Brown say that you should see your LDR partner at least once a week or every other week to a month. It's good to plan ahead to see your partner so you have something to look forward to. Excitement in relationships People with trust issues happen to struggle in LDR’s due to lack of communication and commitment. 

Do long distance relationships create better bonds than in-person? A student answers “If your relationship can survive long distance, thats shows its pretty strong relationship. While the lack of quality time can hurt the bond between you and your partner, its good to have a deeper connection mentally than physically.” Many people tend to get attached to people because of the physical connection. Knowing someone mentally before knowing them physically or emotionally deepens connections. The deeper the connection, the deeper the attraction.

Who doesn't love the thrill of freedom, the wind in your hair, laughing with your friends, and knowing you can go anywhere in the world? For many teens, driving is a rite of passage into your inevitable adulthood, giving you a taste of being able to go where you want and do whatever your heart desires. But what is freedom without responsibility?

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, it's gonna happen,” says 15 year-old Khallee Hernadez of Des Moines, Iowa.“ Just keep your eyes on the road, pay attention to your surroundings, don't risk anything in a hurry.” Hernandez has been passionate about the idea of driving since she was young. Like many teens, the idea of freedom enthralled her. Not only did she value the positives, she understood the negatives. 

Since she was 14, learning how to drive has been a huge part of her life. Understanding how to be safe on the road was the most important thing, and she covered all her bases. 

Not only studying material for the permit test, she also took Drivers' Ed classes, and even drove with her mom on the road. “Definitely get your learners permit ASAP,” she says “the earlier you start, the more practice you will get.” The work paid off. Currently, Hernadez has her restricted license in the state of Iowa and is able to drive independently.

But learning to drive is no easy task. Many teens struggle with passing the drivers test. In the state of Kentucky, once you have gotten and held your permit for 180 days, you move onto the real test- driving an actual car.                                                                              

Accompanied by a driving instructor, you are graded on a multitude of skills regarding your performance and safety, such as your ability to drive, understanding of safety features, speed, signals, etc. What makes this portion of the test so challenging is that it is actually on the road, and as such, driving instructors will not cut corners or make exceptions when it comes to safety. 

Many new drivers make mistakes that seem insignificant to experienced drivers, but while learning it is important to be safe rather than sorry. “Automatic Fails” or “Instant Fails” during the drivers test are the downfall of many teens eager to get their license.

 Failing the driving test the first time around is a very common occurrence. Two of Brown Schools' own seniors, Samuel Mesfin and Irina Macaranas, failed their initial driving test. “They are really strict, all I did was bump the the parallel parking barrier and I failed,” Macaranas stated. 

“My test went pretty well, but I messed up a turn and they failed me,” said Mesfin, “my instructor was kinda mean though,” he promptly added “I got a more chill instructor the second time, so that made it easier.” Both passed their tests the second time around; Macaranas received her unrestricted license on September 27, and Mesfin still has a few months of waiting to go before he receives his.

While safety is the most important thing when it comes to driving, it isn't something that you should worry yourself to death about. Overstressing will make it harder to focus and less enjoyable to be on the road; “Don't stress too much, it's not scary,” says Mesfin. 

What is learning without mistakes, big or small? “Yeah, one time I forgot which pedal was the brake while merging on the highway and hit the gas instead, and to make it even worse, a car was in front of me. I quickly found the brake, but my mom yelled at me,” laughed Hernandez. “I also did the same thing while parking and hit my sister's car, it was dark and I had just gotten off of work—I still remember my parents watching the whole thing go down, my mom made me cut up 3 entire watermelons as punishment,” she added.

Not only will you have to worry about yourself on the road, but paying attention to others is incredibly important. Maybe you won’t make a mistake, but some drivers can be reckless and don’t pay attention. “Stay very vigilant, be a defensive driver,” Macaranas stated. “Don’t worry about what other people think, just follow the laws and be safe, no matter how much people honk at you.”

“As the best driver in the Tri-State area, I think I know what I'm talking about,” she proclaimed with a smile.

Of course, everyone's experience is unique in their own way. All in all, driving is part of life that pretty much everyone goes through, and is generally a positive experience that brings new opportunities and freedoms. As long as you are safe and aware, don’t be scared to learn. Everyone starts somewhere.