All posts by Faith Collins

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Airpods: How the Other Half Lives

Austin Hurt

Staff Writer

  Airpods, these devices have stormed their way into many people’s lives, even if you don’t own them. Yes some people do in fact not own airpods. While this sounds scary you do have to remember that android users don’t purchase them due to obvious reasons, but what about those others, the ones who don’t have airpods but own an iPhone. In December of 2016 Apple released Airpods, they were always a status symbol but as of Christmas 2018 they had a huge blow up. Everyone left and right was purchasing Airpods, walking through the halls they seemed to never stop popping up. While everyone has been enjoying this first world luxury item there still seems to be many who don’t own them. Studying these few can lead to many questions being answered.

  Many students seem to have very strong opinions on the subject whether they own them or not. These little sound devices cost around $159.00, quite the steep investment some argue for something that is technically just iPhone headphones with no wires. An investment some people seem to ignore when they drop their Airpods all over campus. This has created a divide amongst students and many arguments. The few who chose not to get airpods have been alienated and are always forgotten, here are their stories.

  Senior Kaylee Hall does not own Airpods but does have an Apple device. Doing what most couldn’t she comes to school everyday with wires hanging from her ears. The cost of airpods is the biggest barrier for those who do not own them

  “I actually do not plan on getting airpods unless I can find a way to steal some or get them for free” Hall said.

Wires can seem hard to deal with, especially when they get tangled. For years that’s been the status quo but now there is a choice, well some of us at least. So it may be hard for those without Airpods to see those of us blessed with bluetooth capabilities, even more so when those people are close to you.

  “I am constantly in a battle with my headphones. Wires have caused me much pain and anguish. Literally everyone I know owns Airpods, even my little brother. He is so mean to me because of that. Who wouldn’t get sad everytime they see someone flexing on them so hard, I wish I could be them so bad” Hall said.

  One of the most important questions is how does this affect social standings and the culture among students. Is it possible to not own Airpods yet lead a normal life? These things have been on some students minds for quite some time. Maybe now there is an answer.

  “I don’t really know if people with Airpods are looking down on me, but I know for sure that I am looking up to them. In the end I really wish I had them but it is not the end of the world. Maybe sometime this year I could get them but if not oh well.” Hall said.

Junior Emma Bazán on the other hand does own Airpods. Her take on this cultural boiling pot is from another perspective of someone who has been privileged enough to own airpods.

  “I wouldn’t say better, but I do believe I’m quite special. It is quite nice to own them, so many people always make jokes when I bring them out even if I’m not trying to flex,” Bazán Said.

Rumors have come up about Airpods 2, a long awaited sequel to these devices which have caused drama. People argue why even buy the normal ones when new ones are right around the corner.

  “I definitely plan on getting the next ones, I mean who isn’t? I don’t know what I’m gonna do with the other ones though, maybe the trash” Bazán said.

These devices have paralleled as a fashion statement as well as being functional. Beats is another popular brand that people say might have subpar functionality when compared to the competition but are a huge fashion statement, Beats is also owned by Apple.

  “Airpods are all I need to drip, some days it doesn’t even matter what my outfit is I just pull out the pods.” Bazán said.

Airpods also come with their own problems, a fact some people seem to forget.

  “The hardest part of owning Airpods is having a charged case or even losing the case. Thankfully when that happens I can just buy a whole new one. I do feel more accepted with them most of the time, I feel naked when I don’t have them on me. Sadly it does make feel somewhat segregated when people I know don’t have them sometimes, like everyone is looking at me.” Bazán said.

  Airpods have definitely made waves in a lot of places. The perspective of people who don’t actually have Airpods has been seen. The other half, and how people can live without them still leaves many questioning how. But it is very important to remember, no one actually cares if you own them or not and frankly it doesn’t even matter. Whether it is Airpods, Juuls, getting a wave check, or anything else this generation is making a meme remember, they’re just headphones, Juuls are illegal at this age, and it’s only hair.

THIS STORY IS A PART OF OUR APRIL FOOLS ISSUE

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How to discreetly hate your staff

Seva Hester

Editor-in-Chief

It’s a normal day in class. Everyone sat at their computers, working on whatever they needed to do. You think it’s a good day. Until you get papers back from some of your peers. Reading through them, you think about trashy they are. If only there was a way you could express your hatred without it being too obvious. Now, there is. Here’s our “how-to” guide, courtesy of the editors, on how to discreetly hate your staff or group members.

  First off, you need to establish authority. Let them know you’re the boss. Nothing can escape past you because you have the all seeing eye of power in your grasp. Also subtweet them. Don’t @ them. Let them figure out what they did wrong. Or even if they’ve done anything wrong at all. Who knows? This also ties in with being passive-aggressive. Subtweeting is the epitome of passive-aggressive behavior.

  Another thing you can do is use your outside voice when talking trash about them. When the silence is loud, make your trash talking louder. They turn in a bad rough draft? Talk about how bad it is so they can hear you from across the room. Don’t be scared of repercussions, you’re a leader. You’re the captain now which means no consequences for your actions. So, continue to talk trash. It works wonders.

  Frustrated with your staff’s lack of quality work? Be extremely aggressive. Spray them with water any time they do something wrong. Unplug their computer if they’re working on other classwork outside of the current class. Who cares if it saves? It’s not your gpa that’s getting ruined. #sorrynotsorry

  Furthermore, leave the undesirable story ideas to them. They are the peasants and you are royalty. They don’t have a say when it comes to what stories they can or can not choose. Again, you are the authority figure. You have the say in everything. They mean nothing to you. Or at least, they shouldn’t. If they don’t have the undesirable stories, then who will do them? Nobody, that’s who.

  In addition, don’t listen to your staffer’s ideas. You know what’s best for the staff, not them. And, if they have a good idea, just steal it for yourself and take all the credit. No harm, no foul. It’s how the real world works after all, right? You’re just preparing them for what they will be exposed to later on in life. You can thank me later.

Disclaimer: This isn’t really real. It’s a joke, so don’t get upset over it. As editors, we love our staff and wouldn’t do anything to hurt them. That’s just too much paperwork and parent phone calls we’d like to avoid.

THIS STORY IS A PART OF OUR APRIL FOOLS ISSUE

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From star player to serial killer

Salma Valadez

Staff Writer

  Perhaps one of the most successful Disney Channel Movie series is the High School Musical franchise. The franchise’s main character, Troy Bolton, is one of the most iconic teenage heartthrobs to emerge from the Disney Channel. But what if the charming, athletic and popular boy-next-door played by Zac Efron uses his good looks and charisma to mask a much darker side? What if the Troy Bolton we all know and love isn’t even Troy Bolton? What if the pop culture icon Troy Bolton is actually infamous serial killer Ted Bundy? At first mention, the statement seems preposterous, but when evaluated more carefully the two have more in common than one might think.

  The first and most obvious piece of evidence that supports the theory that Troy Bolton is in fact Ted Bundy is the similarities in their names. When looked at unassumingly, the name appears completely unrelated. However, when looked at more closely the two share one major detail in common – both Troy Bolton and Ted Bundy have the same initials, TB. Although one could argue that this fact is pure coincidence, it has been claimed that when people change their names they tend to keep the first letter of their first and last name the same to maintain a part of their old identity. Therefore, Troy Bolton is Ted Bundy.

  When delved into deeper, both Bolton and Bundy share a lot more in common than just their initials. Bolton’s girlfriend in the High School Musical Franchise, Gabriella Montez, is sweet, intelligent, and is known for her dark brown hair and eyes. Bundy targeted his victims based on their appearances being similar to the appearances of his past girlfriends. It was never confirmed in the last installment of the High School Musical trilogy whether or not Bolton stayed together with his girlfriend after graduation. What if they hadn’t? What if Bolton’s girlfriend dumped him and left him heartbroken? Along with the similarities in appearance to Bolton’s high school sweetheart, Bundy’s victims were also in college just like Gabriella was when she left Bolton in the third movie and the age they were when the franchise ended. What if Bundy’s targeting of college-aged girls stemmed from the resentment Bolton built up towards Gabriella after all of the times she left him? Therefore, Troy Bolton is Ted Bundy.

   Evidence that further confirms Bolton is Bundy are the years in which Bundy was born and caught and when the first and final movie in the High School Musical trilogy was released. High School Musical first aired on Disney Channel in 2006. Bundy was born in 1946. The beginning of the most popular franchise produced by Disney Channel and the birth of one of the most notorious serial killers were 60 years apart. Similarly, Bundy’s serial killing came to end in 1978; High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which was the movie ended the trilogy, came out in 2008. Both extremely well-known events were concluded 30 years apart. Another date-related piece of evidence that confirms Bolton and Bundy are the same person is the dates in which the third High School Musical was released and the date that Bundy was executed – both occurred on the 24th day of the months of October and January. The major events in Bolton and Bundy’s life occurred in years ending in the same number and on the same day in a month. Therefore, Troy Bolton is Ted Bundy.

  Anyone who’s watched the High School Musical trilogy knows the name of the high school in which the movie is set in – East High School. Bundy eventually moved to Florida which is located on the East Coast. Both have a connection to the direction East. Therefore, Troy Bolton is Ted Bundy.

  Bolton and Bundy also share similarities in appearances. Both have brown hair, a light skin complexion and blue eyes and both were portrayed by Zac Efron. Therefore, Troy Bolton is Ted Bundy.

  The lyrics of Bolton’s solos in both the second and third High School Musical movies also point to Bolton and Bundy being the same person. In his solos “Bet On It” and “Scream” the lines “Everybody’s always talkin’ at me / Everybody’s tryin’ to get in my head” and “Voices in my head / Tell me they know best / Got me on the edge / They’re pushin’, pushin’, they’re pushin’” have the common denominator of voices being inside of Bolton’s head. What if the voices in his head introduced Bolton to a darker side of himself? What if the voices in Bolton’s head told him to start murdering?  Therefore, Troy Bolton is Ted Bundy.

  At first mention, the idea of Troy Bolton and Ted Bundy being the same person is absurd. The two seemingly have no surface-level connection. However, when delved into deeper both Bolton and Bundy appear to have significantly for more relation than originally meets the eye. As ludicrous as it sounds, the evidence that Bolton and Bundy are in fact the same person is too accurate to be false. Therefore, Troy Bolton is Ted Bundy.

THIS STORY IS A PART OF OUR APRIL FOOLS ISSUE

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Vote campus geese for Prom king and queen

  As many students are aware now, the newest O’Connor students, the Egyptian Geese have transferred from the soccer field and are now officially enrolled on campus. The geese had made their first appearance in early January and quickly made their way to the top tier of the high school social hierarchy scale.

  At first, many students started freaking out over their geese sightings and some even resorted to irrational hate crimes towards the students. A twitter user by the name of Alex, decided to speak out against the hate crime and tweet, “People are really out here throwing rocks at the OC geese when they’re just trying to get an education like everyone else.” Many human students agreed with the tweet and quickly rose to the geese’s defense protecting them at all costs. After a few weeks had passed, the new transfer students had seemed to settle in very quickly and were finally seen as equals by a majority of the campus. “We‘re just trying to hit these books like the rest of yall” the geese said. With that being said, many students started to accept and give a warm welcome to the students.

  “It was rough at first,” the geese said. “People would run up on us, pull out their cameras and snapchat us, and to extremes would even throw rocks. Some of yall are out of control” the geese said. “It felt great to finally just get an education in peace and really show our school spirit”.

  In February, the geese had joined twitter with the handle @GeeseOc which helped the pair rise in popularity. Students began tweeting at the geese showing love for the pair. “Name a more iconic duo, I’ll wait” twitter user @brandihuesits said. Another student had even warned the duo of the fire drill and tweeted “@GeeseOc GET OUT THERE’S A FIRE DRILL.” user @linaheerrera said. User @leilaavilez had tweeted, “ Those OC “geese” ran up on me today, and it was SO TERRIFYING.” In which the geese had responded, “We really need you to accept that we’re geese leila, we don’t choose our species smh.”

  Although the beginning of their transfer was rocky, the geese have received all the love from their fellow classmates.

  With prom right around the corner, the burning question facing us all is: Will the geese run for prom king and queen? “We, in fact, will be running for king and queen” the geese said. “We really are about to flex on y’all at prom,” the geese said. The pair has yet to give away any hints of what they’re wearing, colors, let alone names. The OC geese responded when questioned by twitter user @wolfieehowl12 about their names with “What are you going to gain from it, Seva?”

  The geese prefer to keep their personal info private and can confirm that they are going to make prom memorable.

  “Drip or drown yall,” the geese said. The duo has made an amazing addition to the student community, and love their new school.

THIS STORY IS A PART OF OUR APRIL FOOLS ISSUE

Entertainment

“Surviving R. Kelly” documentary reaction

Emily Bayardo

Staff Writer

On January 3rd, 2019 the groundbreaking Lifetime six part documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly” had its first airing and quickly gained rapid attention and exposure.Within the first airing of “Surviving R. Kelly”, an average of 2.1 million people had tuned in to watch. The documentary includes about 50 interviews with women, musicians, and fellow family members who reveal the honest truth surrounding Kelly’s contro- versy. Survivors and those who know Kelly person-

ally revealed the legal charges of the R&B star and
even bring forward new allegations concerning Kelly. The horrendous, raw, unimaginable details of Kelly’s sexual misconduct towards underaged girls is revealed throughout the series. “Surviving R. Kelly” goes further into depth showing how family members and even how it had affected Kelly’s ex wife Andrea Kelly. All of these

individuals proceeded to tell their stories in hope to reveal the secrets that have been so “hush hush” within the music community.

Kelly had faced charges in 2008 for child pornogra- phy and then had reports surface again back in 2017. Throughout all the legal commotion, Kelly is seen to have been completely unaffected. As evidence, countless witnesses, and other incriminating evidence piled up, Kelly was always unphased.

After the reports in 2017 had light shed on them, many activists came out from the shadows to protest Kelly in response to the inexcusable behavior.The twit- ter hashtag #MuteRKelly had quickly became trending with about 2.6 million tweeting under the hashtag. The hashtag called on those in the music industry to stop working with Kelly. Along with this hashtag, came the twitter movement #MeToo where victims of sexual assault came forward with their stories and banded together in order to expose the issue and come togeth- er in hopes for justice. Inclusively,The National Sexaul Assault Hotline had reported an increase of 20 percent in calls since the program’s air date. Since then, another

criminal investigation was opened on Kelly in Geor- gia.The State Authority of Cook County Illinois urged women and anyone else that has had any experience with Kelly to come forward in order to alert author- ities. Since then, two women who had previously not reported their experience, have appeared and contacted authorities.

Since the airing of the documentary, radio stations across the nation had began banning Kelly’s music. Mu- sicians such as Lady Gaga, Chance the Rapper, and John Legend have spoken out about Kelly denouncing his predatory behavior. Lady Gaga has even apologized for collaborating with him and pulled her song “Do What UWant” from streaming platforms. Kelly’s record label RCA Records has been distancing themselves from him and have allegedly dropped him.

It seems as if Kelly’s 25 years of allegations and charges have finally caught up with him. Kelly has yet to respond or comment on the questions asked by Life- time and the documentary.The final episode date was January 5th of this year and can be streamed now on Lifetime and Hulu.

Entertainment

Anticipation for Library Palooza

Taylor Breig

Staff Writer

The book festival hosted by NISD, Library Palooza, will be held at Brandeis High School on February 23,The event involves multiple authors and graphic novelists coming in to host panels to discuss their books, writing, and on how they became authors.This year’s event will be hosting the authors Tomi Adeyemi, Don Brown, Cinda Williams Chima,Ally Condie, Tahereh Mafi, and Jennifer E. Smith, all of which have written big name novels such as the Matched Series, Children of Blood and Bone, and A Very Large Expanse of the Sea.The event has also been known to bring back young readers’ love for books and authors.

“It lets them either be with other book lovers and or it reminds them of love for books they used to have that maybe, they get in high school they have kinda forgotten cause they’re so, busy with school work and work and stuff, that you know they loved it in middle school and they’ve kinda, let it drift away, and so going to Library Palooza reminds them of all their love for books,” Librarian Mrs. Stoeck said.

This event is going on its sixth year of being held and the event grows larger and larger with the amount of student excitement towards the idea of holding an event and meeting their favorite authors in an interactive environment. With interactive seminars and chances to buy books from favorite authors and have them be signed is a highly anticipated event to behold.

Many big name authors have been to the event in the past couple of years, James Dashner came back in 2015 and just last year Jason Reynolds came to the event as well to promote his writing process and novels.

Major authors and graphic novelists have also attended in past Library Paloozas such as Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why, Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way Down and Miles Morales: Spider-Man, James Dashner, author of the Maze Runner series, and Kendare Blake, author of the Three Dark Crowns series. Library Palooza has caught the eyes of multiple big name authors throughout the past years and is growing bigger by each year the event takes place.

Library Palooza is completely free and the only payments made are to food and novels.There will also be schools there for fundraising. If you can’t make it to Library Palooza, the next novel related event coming up this year will be the San Antonio Book Festival which will be another free event for meeting novelists and to inspire writers. At Library Palooza you can enjoy live music, get novels signed by authors, and have the opportunity of getting free books and prizes, Library Palooza also lasts from 10 AM till 4:30 PM.

The Literary Magazine and Creative Writing group will also be there selling concessions to raise funds for this year’s Literary Magazine. Events that revolve around the common goal of bringing together book lovers and aspiring authors can bring forth a new generation of writers from across the United States. Inspiring writers, artists, and those with big dreams to believe in their hopes of being published and what it takes to reach that goal.

Sports

Swim champion places at Regionals

Nicolas Weissenberg

Staff Writer

As the swimming season comes to a close, one student earned bronze at the Regional finals. Junior Kathryn Carter earned 3rd with a 53.21 in the 100 yard freestyle.

“I competed in the 100 yard breastroke and 100 yard freestyle for my individual events, then the 200 yard freestyle and Medley relay. My goal was to make it in the top 3 for one of my individual events at regional finals and to drop time from my best times,” Carter said.

The Regional Championship was held at Josh Davis Natatorium in the NEISD school district. Each sport has its own potential enjoyments. “I especially enjoyed swimming in my relays because of all the energy my teammates and I put into it. We pumped each other up and we supported each other no matter how we swam. I’m so proud of my relay. For my individual events, I mostly enjoyed swimming the 100 free because yeah. I like it more than the breast,” Carter said.

Teamwork can be very enjoyable when done right. Especially when your teammates support you regardless of your performance.Though living in the present is always fun, focusing on the future is key for success.

“For the future, I am mostly looking forward for dropping.There’s always chances to improve my race, and if I work hard at it, I will be able to accomplish my goals. Luckily, I have opportunities coming up for me to try,” Carter said.

Being in a school sport also means making new friends with your teammates.

“Most of my teammates have a wonderful energy around them which helps me to stay positive throughout the season,” Carter said.

All of the relay teams qualified for Regional.To qualify for Regionals the swimmers had to place in the top 8 at District in their event(s).The following athletes qualified and competed:

Sophomore Annika Bishop competed in the 100 Fly, freshman Paige Bourquin in the 100 yd back and 200 yd IM, junior Elise Brewer in diving, and junior Abby Budzinski competed in 100 yd fly and the 100 yd back. Seniors Summer Clark competed in diving and the 50 yd free, and the 100yd breast. Freshman Sydney White competed in the 50 yd free and the 100 yd fly. Freshman Alex Kerzic competed in the 100 and 200 yd free and sophomore Krista Hughes 50 yd free. Freshman Alei Quintanilla competed in 100 yd back and 200 yd free and sophomore Lainy Lewis 200 and 500 yd free. Freshman Dakota Kidder competed in the 100 yd free and sophomore Theresa Nguyen competed in the 200 yd IM, 100 yd breast. Sophomore Savana Moore competed in the 500 yd free and the 100 yd breast and senior Jillian Miller competed in the 200 yd free. Freshman Taylor Labella competed in the 50, 100 yd free and junior Hannah Lozano in the 200 and 500 yd free and earned 14th place at Regionals.

Senior Kensei Tron competed in the 50, 100 and 200 yd free, junior William Terrill competed in 50, 200 free and 100 yard breast. Junior Donovan Tajbakhsh competed in the 100, 200 and senior Jack Shields in the 50 and 100 yd free. Freshman Kace Schermerhorn competed in the 500 yd free along with junior Nicolas Roodettes. Junior Elias Rausch competed in the 200 IM, 100 yd back. Senior Bryce Webb competed in the 50 and 200 yard free and the 100 yd back. Junior James Dalton competed in the 200 yd IM and the 100 yard backstroke. Senior Paxton Kesselring competed in the 100 yd free and breast and junior Wesley Halstead competed in the 100, 200, and 500 yd free. Freshman Garrett English 200 yd free and 100 yd fly and junior James Dalton 200 IM and 100 back. Freshman Justin Medina competed in the 500 yd free and freshman Bodee Lunt competed in the 100 yard breast. Junior Ean Price competed in the 200 yd free and the 100 yd back. William Terrill placed 15th in the 100 yd breaststroke and Elias Rausch placed 14th in the 100 yd backstroke.

Sports

Starting Goalkeeper leading playoff push

Joseph Till

Sports Editor

The girl’s soccer team is off to a hot start this season.They currently sit at 7-3-1 and 4-2-1 in the district (W-L-D).That record has them tied for fourth place with Taft in the district standings. A second-half push could see them challenge undefeated Clark for the district title. One of the leaders on this team who will be looking to help push that charge is starting senior goalkeeper Marissa Hernandez. Hernandez has been on varsity for four years and this will be her third year starting. She is committed to play at West Texas A&M University next year.

“I feel like our season has gone really well,” Hernandez said, “The transition from last year to this year has been smooth and I believe we will do exceptional in the playoffs.”

Hernandez has had a strong start to the season, which includes six clean sheets so far, which she credits to both her experience and teammates.

“I think what has contributed most to my strong start would be my fellow seniors around me that have supported me the last three and a half years,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez also sees different areas in which she can improve as well,

“The weakness I would like to fix throughout this season is my distribution after making a save or gathering a ball,” Hernandez said.

As for any athlete, there have been challenges and bumps in the road for Hernandez, but her teammates have helped her to push through those and be the best player she can be,

“The one challenge I have faced is self-confidence. I would get really scared to mess up and play. The only way for me to overcome that was from the support of my teammates and the environment where I felt that if I made a mistake it wasn’t the end of the world and I had more chances to prove myself,” Hernandez said.

Although Hernandez has a very important job both on the field and off it as a leader, and she recognizes the role her teammates have on the team as well,

“The biggest leaders on the team are the seniors because they personally take all the underclassmen under their wings,” Hernandez said.

On February 27, Hernandez will sign her letter of intent to play her college soccer at West Texas A&M. She detailed her recruiting experience and what eventually led her to choose to play at West Texas,

“I received a call and an invite for a campus visit and the week after that I was offered to play there.When I arrived [to the campus] I fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff as well as the current players. I spent time with them and realized I wanted to be a part of the [Buffalo] family.And shortly after the offer was made I verbally committed.”

After playing many games with plenty of different groups of teammates, Hernandez reflected on some of her favorite memories,

“My favorite memories will always be the bus rides home from a big win, being able to go to Krispy Kreme on the bus ride home after a tough loss in [the] playoffs my sophomore year and creating an everlasting memory,” Hernandez said.

Feature

Oscar Season Buzz

Jennifer R. Gardner

Staff Writer

Nothing creates a commotion in the media quite like the Oscars. Even though the ceremony isn’t until February 24, students have already voiced their various opinions on the nominations: who is a shoo-in for the win and who will be left to eat the dust.

“My favorite is ‘The Favourite’ I don’t think it’s actually gonna win anything. Maybe it’ll win a screenplay writing award. I’m excited [for] the movie ‘Green book’ because [it is] probably the best movie for families to go see. [it] had the widest appeal [it was] one of the most approachable films. I’m excited about the movie ‘Roma’ just because it brings netflix movies more into the mainstream, [like] the idea that a netflix film could win or be nominated for best picture. I do believe the director of ‘Roma’ won best director so I’m excited about that because it’s changing movies in that it’s not just the big studios that [are winning] the awards,” Media lit sponsor David Vetters said.

Films that swept up most of the nominations, coming in with about ten each, were ‘Roma’ and ‘The Favourite’. ‘Roma’, an autobiography of Alfonso Cuaron’s childhood growing up in Mexico City, is the first Netflix movie that got Oscar nominations and as such, won’t be a part of the Oscar’s usual Best-picture showcase.

“There are a lot of movies nominated [but] I don’t think all of them deserved to be nominated. I haven’t seen all of them but of the ones I have seen, any of the ones I know about, I think ‘BlacKKKlansmen’ has a real chance [and] The Favorite has a real chance. I think ‘Black Panther’ was probably like ‘oh like a welcome to the party throw you a bone’ kinda nomination,” senior Mackenzie Acree said.

A film that will be part of the best picture showcase, however, is Yorgos Lanthimos’‘The Favourite’, set in the 18th century, centers around two cousins trying to gain the favor of Queen Anne to set a place in her court.The film centers around a predominantly female cast with Olivia Colman nominated for Best Actress and Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone for Best Supporting Actress. ‘The Favourite’ has also been nominated for best costume design, a tough competition between, but not limited to, films like ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Mary Queen of Scots’.

“[Mary Queen of Scots] was interesting it was so graphic though I saw it with my 80-year-old grandfather and I did not want to sit through those sex scenes next to him. It really earned the rated R rating. It was a little painful but the movie itself is just so good and Saoirse Ronan’s performance was beautiful,”Acree said.

While some students may not have seen ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ most have either seen or heard of the national blockbuster ‘Black Panther’.

“I thought it was an interesting movie. I do think it was over exaggerated in the way that people [are] basically saying it was the best movie because now young black teenagers can look to a hero but skin color doesn’t really matter.That’s my only gripe about it. That’s not [with] the movie itself but with what people were saying about [it].That’s the only problem it was a good movie though,” sophomore Jack Royer said.

Another nomination that turned a few heads was Sony’s ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ and Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’. Into the Spider-Verse took four years to complete with most of that time going into its unique animation style.

The Isle of Dogs creators took as much care to detail as Spider-Verse with 240 sets and 1,000 handmade puppets.

“Best-animated needs to go to ‘Isle of dogs’. I know it’s not the favorite [and] I know people want it to be ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ but the Oscars are not about popularity the way the Golden Globes are in awhile ‘Spider-Verse’ was more popular ‘Isle of dogs’ was technically more complicated and it’s a better film overall,” Acree said.

While it’s fun to debate about which nomination will go to who, the heavier subject weighing on this year’s Oscars is its host or lack of one. Kevin Hart stepped down from hosting the Oscars due to the controversy surrounding his homophobic tweets from ten years ago.

“I think it’s an unfortunate situation all around. I know that this was a big deal to Kevin Hart. Early on he said it was one of his goals and that he didn’t want to initially apologize because he said he addressed it in the past however when they looked at it he never actually apologized in print until he was called out by the Academy. It was a situation that occurred because the academy didn’t do their research before they selected their host. So part of it’s on the Academy for not doing their homework before they picked their host. I wish it turned out differently because what he said was offensive to some people and it could have been a great teachable moment because Kevin Hart did go out and he did apologize and it was a good apology in my opinion and he has shown growth. I think it could have been a great way to show that people do change and that he is not the person he was when he made those tweets. I understand that he didn’t want the issue to be about him but it was going to be about him anyway. I wish that he had stayed on and that he had addressed it and said ‘yes I made statements that some people found offensive in the past I have grown as a person and I’m not that person anymore’ and make it a positive learning experience. Unfortunately, that’s not how it went and so they’re now without a host,” Film club sponsor Robert Beckwith said.

The category people may not be aware of is the Academy Award for Best Short Film. Last year’s winner, Dear Basketball a short film about Michael Jackson’s retirement from playing basketball, sparked some controversy because many felt it didn’t deserve the award in light of other more complicated and meaningful films.

“I’m excited to go to the Bijou [theater] and watch the animated shorts.That’s a tradition with my family. I was really upset about the animated shorts last year because Dear Basketball was terrible and it didn’t deserve [to win].There were five other shorts that deserved that award more. It only won because it was Michael Jordan,” Acree said.

It’s no secret that many students are excited about movies like ‘Spider-Verse’ and ‘Black Panther’ the only thing is the probability of these films actually winning is slim considering the Academy’s preference for Indie films.

“The Oscars are Elitist. As much as I think it’s important to award achievements in film making, because it really should be appreciated as an art form and it’s not by a lot of people, the Oscars are really elitist.An example of that is Roma which is a very artsy indie film that no one has watched being nominated for like literally everything. I love indie film but that’s indie to a point and it’s a foreign film on top of that. Its elitism and that’s also translatable to important actors getting noticed for parts that are not necessarily the best parts that they’ve had like Christian Bale forVice. It’s important to remember that what wins is not usually the best that came out,”Acree said.

Feature

Black History Month: Students reflect

Salma Valadez, Bijou daVant

Staff Writers

Every year, Black History Month presents an opportunity for the nation to reflect on the adversity fought through and the achievements accomplished by influential and powerful African-Americans throughout history. Students shared the importance of celebrating Black History Month and how it empowers them.

Senior Inaya Briscoe shared the significance of the opportunity for everyone to learn about black history that Black History Month provides.

“We greet others and learn of the struggle others have dealt with but also how they have prospered.This month goes on past February and it empowers me because it helps me understand that I should be proud of everything about me and my culture,” Briscoe said. Along with Briscoe, junior Tyreke Lumpkin shared how Black History Month allows African-American stereotypes to be broken.

“I’ve learned overtime different cultures and generations have obtained to understand that we as African-Americans aren’t who society portrays us to be. Knowing that, I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter what the world has painted African-Americans to be, this month showcases greatness at its finest,” Lumpkin said.

Sophomore Shasha Ogork shared how celebrating Black History Month empowers her to be proud of heritage.

“During Black History Month, I feel like people finally talk about black people in history being more than slaves and poverty stricken. You hear about black people excelling. During Black History Month, I feel empowered by seeing all of the other people on TV that look like me. Looking up and seeing all the gorgeous and powerful black women who are changing stereotypes every day gives me hope that I can do the same,” Ogork said.