The ECHO, May 2023

East

Chapel Hill

Observer

ECHOEast’s student-run news source

May 2023 Volume XX, Issue 5

The past and future of East’s Wildcat logo

Bethune-Cookman (1960s)

Bethune-Cookman

(1970s-1990)

Kirbyville High

Wayland

Union High

Bethune-Cookman (1991-2015)

Oak Harbor High

CSA Images Clipart

East Chapel

Hill High

Union High

Images courtesy of:

UCF Libraries,

SportsLogos.Net, ECHHS,

Adelson Sports, CSA Images,

Union High School,

Kirbyville High School,

Wayland Union High School,

Oak Harbor High School

By Hammond Cole Sherouse

Co-Editor-in-Chief

A lot has changed since East

first opened its doors to students

in 1996, but one symbol has

remained constant through it

all, embodying the school’s

uniquely defiant spirit for nearly

three decades: the Wildcat logo,

with its snarling maw, bristling

whiskers and single hungry eye.

Except, it isn’t quite that

unique. As with many public

schools in the United States,

East’s signature logo is actually

identical to a popular piece of

clipart.

In fact, the Wildcat that is now

so synonymous with our school’s

branding has a history which

begins 100 years ago in Daytona

Beach, Florida.

In 1923, Dr. Mary McLeod

Bethune’s Daytona Educational

and Industrial Training School

for Negro Girls merged with the

Cookman Institute for Boys in

Jacksonville to form a new co-ed

high school which, after a series

of expansions and developments,

would eventually become

Bethune-Cookman University.

With the influx of boys in the

20s also came a greater focus on

team sports and, according to the

Bethune-Cookman University

Digital Style Guide, created by

former B-CU Associate Athletics

Communication Director Andrea

Wheeler in 2016, Dr. Bethune

took this opportunity to select

the school’s mascot.

“Dr. Bethune and her

team chose the Wildcat and

its untamed characteristics as

representative of the fighting

spirit of her young students,”

according to the Style Guide.

Rudimentary versions of the

B-CU Wildcat logo appeared on

cheerleading uniforms as early

as the 1960s. In its earliest form,

B-CU’s Wildcat had very little in

common with East’s, but as the

institution evolved, so did the

design of its logo.

In the early 70s, B-CU adopted

its first standardized logo design

when “Coach Wesley Moore

decided to place the Wildcat

on the football helmets.” This

70s-80s logo can be found on

various pieces of B-CU media

from the period.

The image was again revised

in 1991, marking the introduction

of the familiar Wildcat design

we know and love. Despite the

“Blood Maroon” and “Florida

Sun Gold” color gradient, the

base image is unmistakable as

the same one used at East.

Though listed on SportsLogos.

Net as B-CU’s “2000-2015”

logo, the official Style Guide

says that it was “designed in

1991,” five years before the

opening of East.

Since then, B-CU has again

rebranded, now using a “sleeker

and much clearer design” created

at the same time as the Style

Guide under the oversight of

Wheeler. But, even beyond

East, their 1991-2015 Wildcat

logo has become a nationwide

clipart staple.

Continued on page 6

Gambling threatens teens’ futures

By Helen Katz

Co-Editor-in-Chief

EDITOR’S NOTE: All student

names in this article have been

changed.

Daniel Miller was just 16

when he placed his first bet.

Since originally betting on

the World Cup, Miller, a junior,

says that his gambling habits

have become “irresistible” and

at times “uncontrollable.” Now,

he bets about $100 every week,

and during the NFL season, he

says he bets five times a week.

“I’m gambling in class, at

home, on the bus,” he said. “It’s

through an app on my phone, so

I can do it pretty much anywhere

with internet access. There’s also

virtually no limit as to what you

can gamble.”

What began as a mere bet on

an “otherwise uninteresting”

sports game mutated into an

obsession. At the same time,

Miller carries the burden of

a full academic course load

with multiple A.P. classes and

extracurriculars.

Miller says that gambling

has negatively impacted his

relationships with others in his

life.

“I lost my job because of decisions.

gambling. At one point, my boss

and I were very close friends,”

he said. “But then he placed a

bet and ended up losing a lot of

money. And as I was collecting

my bets, he owed me about

$100. Our relationship began to

deteriorate. In the end, it caused

me to quit my job.”

Youth are more susceptible to

gambling compared to adults,

according to the Centre for

Addiction and Mental Health in

Ontario. Because their brains are

not fully developed, teens take

more risks and may have greater

difficulty making informed

“Gambling is a high-risk

behavior for youth. Firstly,

longitudinal studies have

confirmed that gambling

behavior in young adulthood is

established in late adolescence.

Secondly, when adolescents

engage in excessive gambling,

their risk for becoming

addicted to gambling later in

life increases,” said Allison

Drain, Prevention Coordinator

of the North Carolina Problem

Gambling Program (NCPGP).

In addition, Drain and

others are concerned that

online gambling could be

associated with gaming given

the similarities between playing

video games and gambling

online, which are both accessible

from a mobile device and

involve chance mechanisms.

For example, many online video

games feature “loot-boxes,”

which randomly generate ingame

prizes

that can be

purchased for

virtual currency

or real money.

“Increased

availability [of

video game platforms] has led to

an increase in gambling among

youth. This is because gambling

products are now available 24

hours a day online. There is also

“I lost my job

because of

gambling.”

a convergence of the gaming

and gambling industries,”

Drain said. “Marketing and

advertising have also increased

in communities and online as

sports betting has been legalized

across the country. In addition,

research indicates that youth are

being targeted with gambling

messages on

social media.”

In general,

gambling can

serve as an

escape much

like addictive

substances, providing temporary

sensory emotions of rush and

excitement.

Continued on page 6

Find us online!

echhsechoonline.com

@echhsecho

tinyurl.com/2r3ps8dw

“If anybody heard me during the procedure from outside

the door, it probably sounded like I was giving birth.”

Read this column on page 3

Opinions..............................................2

Features...............................................6

Arts & Culture......................................9

Satire..................................................13

Sports.................................................15

OPINIONS

ECHO

Our Staff

Co-Editors-in-Chief

Helen Katz

Hammond Cole Sherouse

Staff Writers

Jessica Boston

Daniel Cefalo

Ananya Cox

Emmanuel Dapaah

Gabe Deel

Cameron Forbes

Jordan Huang

Graham Jones

Jane Kim

Linda Li

Richard Li

Keira McArthur

Fareeda Malik

Corrin Mitchell

Ben Parry

Will Pazzula

Avery Tortora

Reese Weddendorf

Max Winzelberg

Andrew Xu

Adviser

Neal Morgan

ntmorgan@chccs.k12.nc.us

Our Address

500 Weaver Dairy Road

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

919-969-2482 ext. 27260

The ECHO is a forum for

student debate. We invite you

to submit any opinions, op-ed

pieces or responses to anything

published in the ECHO. Please

send letters or comments to

echhsecho@gmail.com.

View our full op-ed policy:

The ECHO is published by the

students at East Chapel Hill

High School for the student

body and is supported by the

school. Letters are encouraged

but must be signed by the writer

to be considered for publication.

Names may be withheld

from publication upon request.

The ECHO staff reserves the

right to edit letters for length,

clarity and for other ethical and

legal considerations.

Principal Jesse Casey

Year-in-Review Video Interview

Watch the whole interview on

the ECHO’s YouTube!

tinyurl.com/CaseyVideoMay23

Advice: Push them down the stairs

By Helen Katz

Co-Editor-in-Chief

“Every single day I walk down

a hallway that somebody I hate

walks down the opposite side

of (and let me tell you, I have

a good reason to hate them).

Every day, we make the world’s

worst eye contact. It makes me

uncomfortable, but also, I know

I’m in the right. Reconciliation

is not possible. How should I

cope?”

Instead of passively confronting

your nemesis via

uncomfortable eye contact each

day, take my advice and push

them down the stairs (it worked

in the case of a certain ginger

co-editor)!

“I kinda like my friend’s sister,

but considering the nature of the

potential relationship, it’s kinda

awkward. How do I approach

the scenario without it being

weird, and spark something? I

was going to give her a pot of

gold and potatoes as a joke, but

I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”

Unless your friend cannot

possibly stand the thought of

you dating their sister—go for

it! If you want to win her heart,

the surest way to do so is by

following these steps. One,

give her a real pot of gold. Two,

take her out for dinner with real

potato entrees—NOT fries from

McDonald’s. And make sure

you bathe in four leaf clovers

beforehand for good luck ;)

After these steps have been

accomplished, make sure to

send the ECHO an invite to your

future wedding!

“My AI girlfriend, the

love of my life, doesn’t seem

to reciprocate my feelings. I

thought it was true love, but

apparently, she’s just not that into

me. So, what should I do? Should

I upgrade her software to make

her love me more? Or should I

just accept that I’ll forever be

single in this world?”

Yikes… a robot not reciprocating

your very genuine and

heartfelt feelings? That’s rough.

But while you may think

ChatGPT can make the best

girlfriend, believe it or not there

are humans out there that are

equally loveable, if not more

so. For starters, robots don’t

make for great eye candy, nor

can they pay the bills. If you

want a human girlfriend, you

either need to reach outside your

comfort zone and communicate

verbally with others IRL, or

better yet, channel your talents

for AI into becoming a tech

billionaire who can get any girl!

“I am torn between applying

to many colleges next year (10

to 20) or trying to keep it to

single digits. On the one hand,

applying to many top schools

may increase my chances of

acceptance to one of them, but

on the other hand I do not want

to spend my summer writing

college applications, and I feel

like I should just pick a few that

Interview Highlights

The ECHO sat down May 22

with Principal Jesse Casey for

an interview about the successes

and challenges he has faced

managing East this year.

Here are some of the highlights

of the interview:

In general, how do you think

this school year went?

“I believe it went well. You

know, there were some challenges,

like any other school has.

But I think, coming in from some

of the challenges that we had

previously, I think we’ve been

able to improve on those.”

“I like to tell people that this is

really ‘year zero,’ not necessarily

year one.... The admin team,

most of us being new, I think

that we were able to use this year,

from zero to one, to be a way to

create ‘year one’ next year, to

really build on the things that

we learned.”

What’s the biggest challenge

you faced this year?

“I think the biggest challenge

really is the mental health,

especially with students.

“I think the biggest challenge

is trying to work through students

I really want to go to. To make

it worse, my parents want me to

apply to at least 15, help!”

Unfortunately, this is a dilemma

common to many juniors

and seniors. Because college

acceptances are sometimes

extremely random, you should

apply to more colleges to

increase your chances, including

a mixture of safeties and dream

schools. As the process has

become insanely competitive,

gaining admission to many

top universities has essentially

become a lottery due to a range

who want to take a whole lot of

A.P.’s, and... students feeling like

they have to have as many A.P.’s

as they can to get into the college

that they want.”

“I want to try to work more

with the community and parents

on finding a way to balance this,

so that students can not only

be successful—because our

students are successful, but at

what cost?—and hoping that we

can find a way to make it so that

the kids are more happy about

school.”

Any parting words for this

year’s student body?

“I’m amazed at how talented

our students are. They are the

greatest thing about East, I’ve

said that from the beginning, and

I just hope that we can build on

that success and the foundation

of a new administration, new

leadership, so that we can

make it a place where even

more students can access the

opportunities and the success.”

Watch the full video interview

online for more about school

spirit, safety, the achievement

gap and other topics related to

our school.

Hammond Cole Sherouse/The ECHO

of factors, some of which are

outside your control. There

are countless stories of people

getting rejected from every

single college except one—or

the opposite. It is also wise to

get a lot done over the summer

to avoid last minute applications

(especially when senior year can

already be tough). While I wish I

had a simple fix, know that this

extra investment on your part

could pay off in the end with

huge dividends (like affording

multiple Chanel bags!). And take

this advice that a dear teacher

gave me: Stay off social media!

echhsechoonline.com

Vagina surgery sucks!

By Avery Tortora

Staff Writer

The first time I went to the

OB-GYN, I was terrified.

Getting the most personal part

of your body examined is quite

an unnerving thing to think

about. I was 15 at the time

and extremely uneducated in

anything to do with the female

reproductive system. My mom

would assure me everything

would be fine, but when I

wasn’t at the OB-GYN, I was

laying at home, unable to walk

and on an impressive selection

of pain medications, so to be

truthful, I didn’t believe her.

After going to the OB-GYN

multiple times and getting

all sorts of examinations and

tests done, I was told I had a

bartholin cyst (don’t search

this if you don’t want to be

traumatized). I was given

medication and basically told

to wait it out, and if it got worse

then to go to the hospital.

Unfortunately, the pain was

becoming unbearable, and was

preventing me from falling

asleep, so one night I woke my

mom up and we made our way

to the ER. This was the night

I would experience the most

pain I’ve ever had in my life.

Sitting in a blue gown on a

hospital bed, I was cold and

very tired. Hours passed, and

multiple nurses and doctors

filtered in and out of the room.

A children’s specialist came

in and offered me a stress ball

to squeeze on. That’s when it

clicked that I would be very

much conscious and awake

during this procedure, which

was probably the thing I was

most worried about to begin

with.

After multiple hours, three

nurses and a doctor came

in, and it was finally time to

begin the procedure. I was

relieved, yet very nervous, and

my palms started to sweat an

abnormal amount.

To begin the procedure,

local anesthesia was applied,

and they would say, “You’re

going to feel a touch on your

left side” to warn me before

doing anything.

If anybody heard me during

the procedure from outside

the door, it probably sounded

like I was giving birth—it

probably looked like I was

giving birth too. The stress ball

the counselor gave me most

definitely came in handy. That

night was probably the most

I’ve ever cried. I remember

my mom hovering over me,

holding my hand, crying with

me.

Before the procedure they

told me that they would be

placing a catheter in the

incision to keep it open, but

they also said the chances of

the catheter staying in were

quite low, and they were right,

because not even a minute

after they inserted the catheter,

it fell out. This meant that it

was very likely the cyst would

come back and I would have to

go to the hospital for a proper

surgery.

The days that followed I

couldn’t walk properly, I was

basically bed-ridden, and for

the days I was in school, I

had mastered the art of

manspreading. Barely a week

after the first surgery, it came

back. This time we made an

appointment for surgery at the

UNC hospital.

The experience at UNC

hospital was definitely less

painful, as for this procedure

I would be under anesthesia. I

was rolled to where the surgery

would be taking place. There

was a bright white light above

my head, it looked like the

cliche shot in a movie when

the character wakes up in the

hospital after a near death

experience. That was one of the

last things I thought before the

doctors told me to count back

from ten. I remember getting to

six, and after that it went dark.

I woke up with a few graham

crackers and a cup of water

next to me. I couldn’t see

straight and I remember my

saliva feeling very heavy in my

mouth. I was definitely feeling

the after effects of some very

heavy drugs.

Since that day, I’ve had a

great story to tell people, and

an experience that very few

get to encounter. My fear of

OB-GYN’s quickly dissolved,

and this experience has taught

me to be grateful for something

that many people forget to be

grateful for: our vaginas!


Co-Editor-in-Chief

OPINIONS

Behold the healing power of kindergartenism

Looking back on my time

at East, I struggle to recollect

too many happy moments. I

remember late nights spent

fudging procrastinated essays,

bleary-eyed 10-hour tech

rehearsals and kafkaesque

dysinteractions with the school’s

ever-shifting administration.

I remember losing my voice

to a sore throat in the weeks

leading up to the fall play

back in 2019, standing out on

Freshman Hill with my scene

partner, screaming silently into

the wind.

I remember (and how could

I forget!) the chaos which

consumed the school last spring.

In the anarchic days which

followed the infamous May 5

fight and lockdown, I remember

watching a group of kids in the

back of my study hall fashion a

slapdash flamethrower from a

can of deodorant and a lighter.

“It has been a week,” the

email from the PTSA read that

Sunday. “If you are feeling

helpless, you are not alone.”

Some comfort. I may have

been drowning, but at least

everyone else was drowning

with me.

Oh, how dearly I remember

all the hollow gestures by all

the cowardly leaders, all the

superficial solutions to all the

deep-seated issues and all the

endless recommitments to a

non-existent wish for better

days.

Perhaps I’m a bit too hard

on East and the poor people

who have to hold it together,

but this place has inflicted such

misery on myself and so many

others that I can’t help but form

something of a negative opinion

about the school.

Of course, I’m sure many of

my fellow students have had a

completely opposite experience

from mine. Maybe there are

even those who truly love

East Chapel Hill High School.

All I’m saying is that upon

reflection, I can’t count myself

among that number.

Yet now one happy memory

does return to me. Last year,

at the end of third quarter, I

sat in the stairwell outside my

Latin classroom in Upper Quad

A, reveling with my fellow

students in the simple joys of

children’s toys.

While translating some

lurid section of Ovid’s “Ars

Amatoria,” we had come upon

something truly wonderful,

unveiled to us as if by some

occult hand. Looking to cram

in a last-minute story credit for

my journalism class, I decided

to interview my classmates

Kevin Chen, Laney Hunt, Nadia

Mansori and Clara Brodey

about what had been discovered.

“We found little plastic

kids’ toys, like you would

probably get in a McDonald’s

or something,” Hunt said at the

time. “It was this paddle thing

and it had beads attached to

it, and if you spun it, or if you

twisted it really fast, they would

hit the thing and it would make

a cool little noise.”

We also found another one

of those, along with what Hunt

called “an awesome ball-rocketlauncher

thing.” We took turns

with the toys, played ping

pong with them and otherwise

enjoyed ourselves throughout

the period.

“I’ve never felt so enlightened,

yet monkey at the same

time,” Chen said. “I enjoyed it,

obviously, but also in my head I

was just going, ‘Oo oo ah ah.’”

Our Latin teacher, Jennifer

Hoffman, also took part in the

“kindergartenism,” playing with

the toys and ultimately keeping

the rocket launcher when the

other two were put back.

Though the artifacts were

gone the next day, the joy

they had brought into our

lives lingered. When Brodey

suggested that she might bring

in more “toddler toys” for the

class, we became ecstatic.

“That would be the best thing

that has ever happened to me in

this school,” Hunt said. “I’m not

even kidding.”

Indeed, we all agreed that

time for this sort of simple

pleasure had been tragically

lacking in our high school

experience.

“East is such a competitive

place, you don’t have time to

relax, or just have fun and enjoy

yourself,” Mansori said.

“Everyone treats us like

we’re all grown up,” Brodey

added. “But really we’re just all

kindergarteners at heart.”

This kindergartenism, I

believe, is vital. If it weren’t for

the occasional stolen moment of

childish delight at an awesome

ball-rocket-launcher thing or a

literal log that someone had left

in the bathroom, I don’t think I

ever could have made it through

these four long years.

One of my more melancholy

pastimes, to briefly change

the subject, is looking through

old school newspaper articles.

I’ve wasted countless hours

browsing scanned editions

of Grimsley High School’s

centenarian student rag, losing

myself in the youthful cares of

the distant past.

In 1920, the GHS “High

Life” declared its purpose—

“to exert a strong influence

in school life for the ‘highest’

things.” Then, through a world

war, a space race, an internet

age and all the century’s other

adversities, it strove to maintain

that commitment. How strange

it is to witness the nation’s

history from such a view,

through the once-fresh eyes of

long-aged youths.

The ECHO is a much younger

paper, and generally of far less

lofty aspirations. But reading

through the digital archive of

its 2010-2011 publication year,

I’m struck by the same strange

sense of melancholia.

While many of the old

articles reveal truths about

the school that have remained

largely unchanged over the

years (“Sleep deprivation

pervades East’s academic

culture” by Morganne Staring,

for example), others paint a

picture of a slightly different

East.

This was still a school with

troubles. The final post on the

website from 2011, for instance,

includes the ominous reminiscence,

“Remember when Rex

tackled that naked guy?”

But overall, looking at these

old articles, there’s a palpable

sense of stability that seems

lacking nowadays. Looking

back on his time at East, former

scholarch Dave Thaden, whom

student reporter Brie Broyles

refers to as “the epitome of an

awesome principal,” had the

following to say about the era’s

troublemakers:

“The students at East were

great, even those that thought

they needed to show the world

they could cause trouble. They

were still great.”

3

Maybe it’s just my own rosetinted

glasses talking, but this

seemed like a truly happier

time for our little school. And

to circle back at last to my

main point, I think it all comes

down to the prevalence of

kindergartenism.

This was a school year

which saw the ECHO’s former

advisor, Ms. Colletti, crowned

the queen of something called

the “Sweetheart Extravaganza”

alongside civics teacher Brian

Link. This was a year in which

the school hosted a burrito

bar, a stinky cheese night and

a Custodial Appreciation Day.

There was also an annual

event called Springfest, which

would bring a halt to classes

for one day in April, bringing

“fun and enlightening special

classes,” “mesmerizing musical

performances by students and

professionals” and “delicious

food catered by vendors” to the

school. It was like last year’s

Wellness Wednesday, only far

grander.

In these halcyon days, romance

blossomed too, as “for

East’s fencing team, swords and

masks seem[ed] as effective an

aphrodisiac as a love potion.”

Quoth one fencer: “When

people ask me where I get my

bruises, I say my boyfriend.”

Perhaps this wasn’t a time

for the “highest” things, but it

certainly was a time of soaring

kindergartenism.

Above, I said I wanted to be

excluded from the number of

those who truly love our school.

But, in all honesty, I can’t bring

myself to fully forswear my

feelings for East. In my fourodd

years trapped in this place,

I’ve developed an undeniable

connection with it.

I’ve covered its many sordid

happenings for the newspaper.

I’ve been in a slew of its

theatrical productions. I even

went to one of its football games

this fall. However toxic my

relationship with the school

may be, I can’t say it’s not real.

I do care for this licentious

lyceum, for better or for worse.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m more

than eager to be leaving it

forever in June, but I do hope

that someday, after I’m gone, it

will undergo some measure of

repristination.

With a redolent sprinkling

of kindergartenism amidst the

daily fetor of East, maybe we

can start that healing process

sooner rather than later.

4 OPINIONS May 2023

Me and my immigrant parents Senioritis: The myth explained

By Linda Li

Staff Writer

I live in the same house with

two people that are completely

different from me: we eat

different kinds of food, we

speak different languages and

we watch different things on

YouTube.

They’re the most familiar

strangers in my life. We live

under the same roof, yet we are

living different lifestyles. They

are my parents.

My parents immigrated to

the U.S. in their 40s and they

have had a hard time fitting

into American culture and

communicating with people

around them because English

is their second language. So it

becomes my responsibility to

talk to our neighbors, order food

when we go out and answer the

phone…

I need to correct their

pronunciation of certain words,

and whenever they have any

questions about English or

American culture, I always need

to explain it to them.

But as time moved on, school

started to take most of my time

and attention, and I started

getting impatient and annoyed

about the extra work. I would

yell at my parents and try to get

away from all that distraction. I

would get jealous that most of

my friends can just enjoy being

a kid and their parents would do

everything for them—then why

is it my responsibility to take

care of my parents?

Until, one day when I woke

up late at night getting water, it’s

already 2 a.m, I could still see

the light in my parents’ room,

they were studying English late

at night!

I realized my parents

put sticky notes of English

vocabulary all over an entire

wall to help them memorize

better, and I saw them trying

to watch all the shows and

movies I like, just to try to share

a common language with me.

When I was young and my

parents taught me my first word,

they never got mad or annoyed

with me. And now when they

are getting older, why would I

get so impatient when I have to

do the same thing back?

I know my parents spend

their entire life working so hard,

just trying to give me the best

life I could ever ask for. Being

first generation immigrants,

thousands of miles away from

their homes, they are struggling

for most of the time. How could

I be so ungrateful to help out my

family for a little?

But now I love spending time

with my family and trying to

help out as much as I can. I enjoy

listening to their childhood

stories, I enjoy watching the

movies they like and I’m eager

to learn about their culture and

language.

My parents are my best

teachers—they guide me on

how to grow up into who I am

today and now I can help them

to grow old.

Graphic Design is the best class ever

By Will Pazzula

Staff Writer

If you were to ask most

people what was the most

helpful class they’ve taken

here at East, they’d probably

respond with an A.P. class, a

course so densely filled with

knowledge and information

that it allows you to skip

taking it in college. It’s a

typical answer, and one which

makes sense. Some might

semi-sarcastically respond

with their study period, as

it’s the one elective that truly

doesn’t expect anything from

you.

If you were to ask me, I’d

immediately respond with

Graphic Design I.

From the moment I walked

into the room, I knew that it

wouldn’t be just another art

elective. The class had an

incredibly chill atmosphere

compared to all my other

classes, and I never felt

rushed or stressed about my

assignments, making it easier

for me to fully immerse myself

in the process of creating.

Even then, the class was

deceptively useful. From

anatomy to color schemes,

Illustrator to Photoshop,

the concepts and skills I’ve

learned in Graphic Design

class have been incredibly

influential and useful.

Take, for example, Photoshop.

While we didn’t have

access to the full version,

the free online tool which

was taught in the class has

become a staple in my life.

Gaining the ability to touch up

images, create abominations

out of photos and illustrate

ideas in Frankenstein-style

collages has defined my style

of personal expression.

What’s more, the skills

I’ve learned in graphic design

have helped me in seemingly

unrelated classes as well.

Knowing what composition

works best for a civics poster,

or how best to format a

science presentation has made

large creative assignments

feel less daunting. Even here

at the ECHO, every image

I’ve attached to my stories

would not have been possible

without the knowledge I

gained from Graphic Design.

Ultimately, if you feel like

creative projects are dragging

you down, or are looking for

an elective that will stay with

you for the rest of your life,

why not give Graphic Design

a chance.

By Richard Li

& Jane Kim

Staff Writers

“Single-source articles are

due today guys; let’s get those to

the editors by the end of class,”

said our journalism teacher

Mr. Neal Morgan. These are

the words that once again

triggered our “panic mode,”

as we haven’t written a word

of our new article yet—all

thanks to Senioritis, a notorious

syndrome where high school

seniors’ motivation in achieving

high academic performance

decreases.

As the famous American

speaker Earl Nightingale once

proclaimed, “People with goals

succeed because they know

where they’re going.”

Unfortunately, for many high

school seniors in America, their

“goal” ceased to exist during

their last semester. Throughout

their high school years, students

strive to maintain a high-level

academic record that would

make them stand out among the

millions of college applicants

each year. But once this energydraining

and time-consuming

process of college admissions

is over, and students click on

that commit button, they seem

to lose that sense of direction.

We’ve seen it everywhere,

from empty classroom seats

to gaps in the school parking

lot. Especially after May 1,

the National College Decision

Day, the drive to complete

schoolwork doesn’t have the

same sense of urgency as it did

when we were juniors trying to

get high GPAs.

Teachers always seem to

complain about this widespread

lack of effort, but as seniors

ourselves, the argument against

us seems a bit close-minded.

After all the long nights spent at

our desks, hunched over to get

that A in those A.P. classes, or fall

application deadlines closely

impending with almost no free

time, we feel like us seniors

deserve some recognition. Now

that the application process

is much more intricate and

holistic, the threshold of “the

perfect student” has reached

places unimaginable. From

conducting external research

to babysitting for their

Congressional representatives

and doing splashes of nonprofit

work during their winter breaks,

many ambitious high schoolers

have nearly no time as well as

feel incredibly pressured.

Now, you may argue that

a dramatic decline in high

school grades and GPA can

lead to revocation of college

acceptance letters, but the truth

is, in a desperate attempt to

protect their yield rate, even the

most prestigious universities

in the country would rarely

rescind any decision. In fact,

only around 0.8 percent of

Harvard’s Class of 2021 got

their acceptance rescinded, all

of which were due to sexual

assault cases, not academics.

Of course, this is not to say

that senioritis doesn’t have

any negative consequences.

Procrastination over school

work can lead to severe sleep

deprivation, which causes the

lack of energy to pay attention

during the day, thus resulting

in more overdue work. This

“negative feedback loop”

not only damages students’

health, but can also lead to low

confidence—a leading cause in

anxiety or depression among

teenagers in the U.S.

After pouring all our energies

into applying to all of our early

decisions and early actions and

regular decisions and whatnot,

we feel it’s respectable to give

some leeway to seniors.

At this point, even sitting

down at a desk is hard. I open

my computer to many missing

and late assignments, but the

urgency is completely gone.

I see peers run off home after

their first few periods, and I

honestly wish I could do the

same.

Senioritis really does hit

hard for high school seniors

across the nation, and the cliche

solutions of “setting new goals

for yourself” or “take a break

and regain your spirits” just

won’t do. While us seniors

should try and find ways to

reestablish our motivations, we

genuinely hope that institutions

and the government could

institute changes in high school

curriculums and schedules to

address this problem in the

future.

Will Pazzula/The ECHO

echhsechoonline.com

Finding a roommate

through Instagram?

By Jane Kim

Staff Writer

For the first time in my life,

the pinging of my phone and

the lighting of its blue-light

screen was daunting. Like

those slapstick cartoons, the

horrid device binged and I

recoiled at the sight. Not a

normal reaction for a Gen Z

teen.

The problem stemmed from

a single app: Instagram. In the

new age, choosing college

roommates or finding friends

before the beginning of the

fall term is all through a social

media platform. Through

introductory paragraphs of

“hi!!”s and “I love [blank]

ing, [blank] with friends, and

[blank] in my free time”s,

the incoming freshmen of

public and private universities

around the United States post

themselves with their favorite

photos of themselves.

These “Meet Your Class

of 2027” Instagram accounts

gain followers, and so people

begin submitting photos and

descriptions en masse, hoping

to be next in line. For context,

for the University of Michigan

page, I submitted mine just to

be told I was 424th in line and

would have to wait three weeks

until mine would be posted.

On the surface, there don’t

seem to be many negatives. As

a survivor of the “Meet Your

Class of 2027” posts, I can

assure you otherwise.

Every word felt like a new

way someone scrolling through

could judge me. I switched

out my love for Drake vs.

Lana Del Rey probably seven

times before just giving up and

adding both. It felt like I was

selling myself; here’s a bright

and shiny roommate runner-up

who loves boba and can go to

the gym with you! The idea in

and of itself is very squirmish.

It’s like every post had a “these

are very cool things…I hope

you like me” between the lines.

The next step in the “Meet

Your Class of 2027” process is

accepting requests and direct

messaging one another. You

dm people without end; it’s

like speed dating except the

success rate is even lower and

you get ghosted more than

half the time. At this point,

my responses to “What’s ur

major?” “Are you rushing?”

and “Do you like north campus

or central?” were regurgitations

of the same conversations I’ve

had with multiple other people

before.

I remember a funny anecdote

from a post-midnight FaceTime

call with my friends. My friend

and “Nora” had been DMing

for over a week, exchanging

song requests and planning

college nights out and whatnot,

when Nora suddenly started

complaining about how so

many people had ghosted her

by just asking for her Snapchat

and then not replying ever

again. My friend, being the

kind soul she is, wholeheartedly

agreed, trying to find a sense

of common ground. Then,

without shame or hesitation,

Nora asked for my friend’s

Snapchat handle and ghosted

her. We haven’t heard back

from Nora for a while now, and

I doubt we ever will.

But from all the rubble and

mess, there really is hope. A

few weeks ago, my current

roommate Sophia messaged

me! Since then, it’s been

smooth sailing; we’re like a

happy couple on our collegedaydreaming

honeymoon. GO

BLUE!

By Graham Jones

Staff Writer

When I was a kid I knew

my teachers didn’t make a

whole lot of money. I thought

that it was just how things

worked, how they had to work.

I thought that it was some sort

of nebulous bad, something

that could and would be solved

by the government or a team of

scientists, like it was a disease

that just needed a vaccine.

In reality, nine-year-old me

wasn’t too far off.

North Carolina is one of

the 28 states who has “rightto-work”

laws. Right-to-work

laws actually greatly limit the

power of labor unions, and

therefore workers.

“You only have the option

to continue teaching at what

they tell you or quit,” said East

theater teacher Hope Hynes

Love. “The state is in a really

smart bargaining position,

they know that the people

who are educators care about

the quality of education that

children will receive…. The

[state] will ask this civil servant

to pay with their extra time,

their extra energy and their

commitment to a job because

it’s for the kids.”

The lack of powerful unions

and said union voices in the

N.C. legislature has resulted

in a system with very few

checks and balances in regards

to worker rights. The state is

making the teachers pay the

gap, because they know that

not many teachers will leave

because they love what they

do. But some do, some teachers

leave because it makes little

financial sense to work in the

N.C. public school system.

“No person shall be required

by an employer to abstain

or refrain from membership

in any labor union or labor

organization as a condition of

employment or continuation of

employment” (North Carolina

General Statute, section 95-81,

1947.)

This is one of many laws

that make North Carolina

OPINIONS 5

What right-to-work-laws mean for N.C.

a “right-to-work” state; by

removing the requirement that

an employee join a union when

a majority votes on it, unions

are extremely weakened. For

example, in a union-friendly

state, if a majority of workers

at an establishment vote to

unionize, every worker is then

a member of the union and

has to pay dues. This creates

an effective, strong union

that can collectively bargain

for workers rights. In rightto-work

states, the story is

different, that same majority

vote could happen, but only

the people who voted would

join the union, the others would

become free riders, reaping the

benefits of the union without

having to pay the dues. Free

riders weaken the voice of

the union; when a group of

workers aren’t fully united,

they lose a lot of power and

respect as a union; that union

can’t effectively bargain for

workers rights

Some may argue that

workers in right-to-work

states could still unionize.

While uniting a small group

of workers is feasible, uniting

a factory or a warehouse where

more than 1,500 people are

employed at a time is nearly

impossible, especially given

the extensive turnover attempts

by employers to limit union

organizing. Right-to-work

laws give power to employers

and big corporations by

effectively neutering unions

of their voice and collective

bargaining power. The laws

are even stricter on government

workers: “contracts between

units of government and labor

unions, trade unions or labor

organizations concerning

public employees declared to

be illegal” (North Carolina

General Statute, section 95-

98, 1959.) This means that

government workers, such

as public school teachers,

have absolutely no access to

collective bargaining or say

over how much they’re being

paid.

The teacher shortage in N.C.

is a layered issue; there was

no one issue that triggered a

mass exodus, but rather a build

up of issues that over time

have more and more teachers

quitting. A major component

to the gradual exodus is that a

teacher’s pay is dependent on

the whims of the legislature.

For a long time the state of

“You only have the option to

continue teaching at what they

tell you or quit.... The state is

in a really smart bargaining

position, they know that the

people who are educators care

about the quality of education

that children will receive….

The [state] will ask this civil

servant to pay with their extra

time, their extra energy and

their commitment to a job

because it’s for the kids.”

North Carolina paid teachers

more if they have earned

their masters. This practice

is standard all over the U.S.;

it was made to encourage

teachers to get higher

educations in hopes to increase

the effectiveness of teaching

along with increasing test

scores, but in 2013 the North

Carolina General Assembly

voted to end state-funded

master’s pay for teachers who

began their degree programs

after that year. The removal

of the program is bad enough,

North Carolina. is the first

state in the country to remove

the salary increase. It’s the

precedent that’s the issue; any

and all decisions surrounding

public education can be

revoked by the whim of the

N.C. legislature. Currently the

state is looking at reinstating

the salary increase, but the

damage has been done.

“People understand that

when those things happen

[in the corporate world] that

the corporation is corrupt,”

Love said. “If you started to

work for a company that said,

‘Get your masters and we’ll

pay you more,’ and then one

day they stop paying you for

your masters, I would say

any reasonable person would

[question] their trust of their

employer.”

In the corporate world this

would be a breach of contract,

but there was no contract to

be breached here. Because

there are no unions to keep

the legislature in check with

bartering, agreements, and

organized strikes there was

no one for the legislature to

sign a contract with; without

contracts the promises made

by the legislature can be

overturned every year.

“They have power, the way

to balance power is money,”

Love said. “If people are

[wondering] about what to do,

they can become ‘community

allies’... that’s a way [people]

can take some of their resources

rather than just their anger and

put it into solidary action.”

Love is a member of the

North Carolina Association

of Educators (NCAE), a

public education advocacy

organization that formed due

to teachers not having access

to collective bargaining in

North Carolina. The NCAE is

the closest thing to a union that

can exist in North Carolina;

they can’t take any political

action, they don’t have any

voice in the legislature and they

can not endorse any politicians

or directly donate to their

campaigns. What the NCAE

can do is create a separate

political action committee

(PAC) fund that members can

donate to, that PAC can then

take political action with the

funds donated. Note that if you

are not an educator you have

to pay an annual $25 dollar

fee to become a ‘community

ally,’ this includes students,

parents and local community

members.

For legislation to change,

there needs to be a dramatic

shift in the power of unions and

the laws that surround them in

North Carolina. Whether it be

donating in solidarity, voting

in state elections or organized

protesting, there are ways that

you can help foster the change

that is desperately needed.

FEATURES

Gambling threatens teens’ futures

Continued from page 1

More often, however,

gambling can lead to clinical

anxiety, depression and social

isolation, according to the U.K.’s

Mental Health Foundation, as

well as compel teens like Miller

to neglect their responsibilities

and avoid social situations.

“It is very important to

understand that gambling

is an addiction rooted in the

brain similar to drugs and

alcohol,” Drain said. “Youth

can experience problems with

their health, school, work and

relationships as a result of

excessive gambling.”

Between 60 to 80 percent of

high schoolers say they have

gambled for money in the past

year, and up to six percent

are addicted to gambling,

according to the National

Council on Problem Gambling.

Nonetheless, many parents and

teens overlook activities related

to gambling and the potential

consequences of this prolonged

behavior.

At East, Miller said that

it is not uncommon for his

classmates to gamble. In fact,

he emphasized that, at least

among his friend group, there is

“not a single person who hasn’t

gambled,” and that he would be

shocked if many of his peers at

school had never placed a bet.

Since the Supreme Court

legalized sports betting in the

2018 case Murphy v. National

Collegiate Athletic Association,

over 30 states and Washington

D.C. have followed suit. In

North Carolina, any form of

gambling for profit is illegal.

Regardless of the fact that the

legal gambling age is 18 or 21

depending on the state and the

type of gambling, many teens

still find illegal ways to gamble.

Miller noted

that underage

high schoolers

can place

bets by using

older people’s

accounts on

legal gambling

sites, or using

unregulated sites to gamble.

At the same time, lobbying

groups such as the American

Gaming Association affirm that

they have third-party tracking

systems to verify the ages of

consumers.

“It’s not that hard for high

“I’m hopeful that

I’ll be able to pay

off some of my

student loans by

gambling.”

schoolers to gamble,” Miller

said. “Just say that you’re 18

online or have your parents

place a bet or have some older

high schooler place a bet. In my

case, I just placed bets with my

[co-workers] who are older than

me. You can also place bets with

your older friends. Gambling is

very accessible.”

Miller’s friend, senior

Anthony Parker, also gambles

on a daily basis. The two joked

that they wager together on how

many students will show up to

their math class.

“Gambling is probably one of

the easiest things to do on your

phone. It’s like downloading a

mobile game,” said Parker, who

was first introduced to betting

during the 2017 Super Bowl.

“Gambling makes a big sports

game more interesting. It’s fun

and there’s the hope that I’ll

make a lot of money, especially

since I’m good at predicting

the outcomes of sports. If I’m

going to watch a game anyway,

I might as well bet on it.”

Parker added that he hopes

to use his earnings from sports

betting to help pay off his college

tuition. Currently, he is grateful

to be breaking even on his bids.

“I’ve never had to take money

from anyone to pay off debt. I

always take money from my

savings,” he said. “Usually the

winnings cover the losses, so

there’s no debt or any sort of

risk of getting my toes chopped

off. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able

to pay off some of my student

loans by gambling.”

Drain asserted that schools

have a critical role to play in

helping to ensure that students

do not become addicted to

gambling. In addition to

providing a support system of

social workers and other staff

who can help students struggling

with gambling,

schools

can generate

awareness

and facilitate

prevention by

tying gambling

behaviors to

broader approaches

to address mental

health.

“School systems can help

prevent high-risk behaviors,

such as gambling, by making

sure students have access

to evidence-based youth

prevention education in the

classroom. This [education],

coupled with Social Emotional

Learning (SEL) strategies

intentionally embedded into

the classroom and the school

culture, can assist students

in learning healthy coping

strategies, how to express

emotions, and how emotions

affect other people,” Drain said.

“Certain risk factors are

also present in many young

people that put them at risk

for developing a problem with

gambling. Understanding these

risk factors and providing

important protective factors that

include school and community

bonding will help students excel

academically and emotionally,”

she added. “An example of a risk

factor is living with someone

who has a gambling disorder.

Youth prevention education

is an excellent example of an

important protective factor.”

As part of its mission to

support awareness and treatment

of youth gambling disorder, the

NCPGP has helped more than

40 middle and high schools

statewide provide the Stacked

Deck curriculum, the only

Substance Abuse and Mental

Health Services Administration

(SAMHSA) approved

evidence-based curriculum for

problem gambling prevention

among youth. According to

Drain, teachers and after-school

program staff are trained by

NCPGP staff and offered a

grant to implement the

curriculum during the school

day. Instructors are provided a

guidebook and a PowerPoint

presentation to accompany the

training in order to deliver the

curriculum.

“The Stacked Deck curriculum

is an evidence-based

program. This means it

has been proven to change

attitudes, beliefs, knowledge,

and behaviors centering

around gambling,” Drain said.

“We have also adapted the

curriculum to be provided in a

learning management system

for teachers to utilize as a

teaching tool in the classroom.

Additionally, we are adding

in a lesson in gaming disorder

and media literacy to assist

youth with understanding how

gambling can be embedded into

games and understanding how

to critically read messages and

produce messages in the online

world.”

The history of East’s Wildcat logo

Continued from page 1

For instance, a more detailed

version of the same design is

available for purchase under the

name “Bobcat” through both

CSA Images and Custom Ink.

Plus, across the country, more

than a dozen schools have all

used near-identical art for their

logos. The colors, orientation

and line weight vary from place

to place, but again, the base

image is unmistakable.

Indeed, this particular

snarling wildcat can be found

everywhere from Wayland

Union High School in Michigan

to Salida Middle School in

California.

According to East graphic

design and art history teacher

Jeff Bowers, the practice of

repurposing logos in this way is

common among schools built in

the past few decades.

“A lot of these logos you see

are literally clipart,” Bowers

said. “I’m not saying they’re

from Microsoft Word, but it

is stock imagery that multiple

construction companies… go

and find, rather than have each

school design their own.”

Chapel Hill High, for

instance, uses an unmodified

copy of the University of

Missouri’s Tiger logo as its

own. Likewise, Carrboro High’s

logo is a recolored version of the

one used by the Jacksonville

Jaguars.

Bowers says that the alternative

strategy, allowing students

to create their own logo designs,

was more popular in the 1980s

and 90s, when “people started

thinking they could do ‘graphic

design’ from their computer.”

“It was all bad,” he said,

“but it was charming bad. It

looked like students made it

themselves, which made it

cool. And we lost that in the

90s to 2000s. I would say now

we’re just kind of trying to

cookie-cutter off the fame of

more famous NFL and college

teams.”

Regardless, East chose the

B-CU Wildcat logo as its own,

and it has remained largely

unchanged since first being

selected under the leadership

of former superintendent Neil

Pedersen and East’s founding

principal Dave Thaden.

The Wildcat mascot itself was

chosen to thematically match

the Chapel Hill Tigers, and our

A themed crest designed specifically for this year.

Courtesy of ECHHS

original school colors of black,

white and silver were picked as

a mirror of CHHS’s black, white

and gold.

Today, the logo appears on

posters, sports apparel, official

publications, vending machines

and, of course, painted large

in the eponymous “Wildcat”

atrium outside the gym and

auditorium. According to social

studies teacher Dominic Koplar,

who was a freshman at East

during its inaugural 1996-1997

school year, that latter instance

of the logo was there from day

one.

Despite minor modifications

over the years, such as the

creation of a scalable vector

version by yearbook adviser

Gregory Davis and the addition

of a bold outline by athletic

director Randy Trumbower,

every generation of East

students has known this logo

as the definitive East Wildcat.

Other designs have also

occasionally appeared on

merchandise and official

materials for the school, but

none has been as enduring or

ubiquitous as the “original”

from 1996.

The largest shift in the

history of the school’s branding

has actually come this year,

with Principal Jesse Casey’s

introduction of light “Carolina”

blue as East’s fourth school

color, based on votes among

students, staff and community

members. The color received

34.7 percent of votes among

students and staff, and 41.6

percent among the community

at large.

The 2022-2023 yearbook lists

the shade PANTONE 279 C as

“East Chapel Hill High School

Blue.

Various new articles of

merchandise incorporating

this color have already been

produced and distributed,

including a T-shirt design with

this year’s “Loved, Respected,

Connected” compass rose crest.

At the same time, Davis,

Bowers and others have been

working to standardize the

school’s visual style, with a

proposal for consistent and complementary

color values to be

used in official communications.

In one draft of their “ECHHS

Color Guide,” the hexadecimal

color formulas #F9F9FA,

#799ED3, #808183, #46484B

and #BCBDBF were proposed

for white, blue, grey, black and

silver, respectively.

But for now, the only

consistent aspect of East’s

branding remains the Wildcat

logo, a symbol which embodies

both the nationwide trend of

unoriginal stock imagery in

public schools and a core pillar

of East’s style as envisioned by

the architects of its identity.

Bowers, for one, says he’d

prefer that East design its own

unique logo, even if it does end

up “charming bad.”

“I’d love to have students

work on making a new logo…

but I haven’t been approached

and I don’t have the resources,”

he said.

Koplar, on the other hand,

says East should stick with the

tradition of the existing Wildcat

logo.

“Change for the sake of

change is not inherently good,”

he said.

For their part, 68.3 percent

of respondents to the ECHO’s

December Student Survey said

they liked the Wildcat logo,

and only 24.6 percent said they

didn’t.

In the end, our Wildcat

logo is just one example of

the fact that a school’s culture

is derived from a thousand

different sources, like a piece of

clipart from a school in Daytona

Beach, Florida, a new principal

from Henrico County, Virginia,

or the countless students and

staff who pass through its halls

each year.

echhsechoonline.com

Robotics Club’s successful season

By Gabe Deel

Staff Writers

The East Robotics Club

had one of its best seasons

this year. After coming in first

place at both of their regional

competitions, they advanced

to the World Championship for

the third time in school history.

“This year was probably our

most successful season so far,”

said senior Andrea Basuroski,

who was the president of the

club this year.

The Robotics Club is one of

the largest clubs at East, with

around 50 active members. It

appeals to a variety of students

who enjoy engineering, problem

solving and competition.

“It’s a whole bunch of people

working together in various

different areas of expertise to

build one project. That’s really

great,” sophomore Ethan Kirtley

said.

After success in two regional

competitions and the North

Carolina state competition, the

team qualified for the 2023

World Championship hosted in

Houston. Around 45 members

of the club went on the 22-hour

bus ride to compete at Worlds.

The competition was

a massive event, with over

600 teams competing. It was

similar to a sports event, with

fans cheering on the teams

in the finals, livestreams of

the competition, and even

commentary breaking down

the matches. As an international

event, the 2023 World Championship

featured teams from 59

different countries.

“What’s really interesting

is that you go and talk to

people [from other countries]

and they’re really no different

from us. They’re just sort of

nerds wanting to build robots

and having fun with it,” senior

Lucien Genova said.

At the competition, teams

were tasked with using the

robots they designed to move

various objects onto platforms

at different heights. Getting

objects on the higher platforms

gave teams more points than the

lower platforms. The team with

the most points after 2 minutes

and 30 seconds won.

The Robotics Club progressed

farther in the competition this

year than they did in their

previous two trips to Worlds.

The 600 teams were divided

into eight separate divisions,

and East’s team placed 15th

in their division. They then

entered qualification rounds

that enabled them to compete

in the playoff tournament. In

the playoff tournament, they

made it to the semifinal round

where they won their match to

make it to the finals. However,

a technology failure caused the

match to be replayed, where the

team then ended up losing.

The key to the Robotics

Club’s success this year has been

their leadership, teamwork and

calculated strategies, according

to the club’s leaders.

“The strategy that we took

this year was building a simple

robot as quickly as possible, and

then putting a lot of time [into]

driver practice so that we got

very fast and efficient. We didn’t

have as much raw capability

as other teams, but we did

everything faster,” Genova said.

The trip to Houston gave the

Robotics Club the opportunity

to meet various professionals

who have been successful in

the STEM and business fields.

They were also able to witness

some of the best robotics teams

in the world compete against

each other.

“I think the most memorable

part of the trip was watching

the finals [of the tournament].

The robots were just on a whole

different level,” Kirtley said.

However, the Robotics Club

is not only about building robots

and competing in events.

“We do a lot of outreach as

well,” Basuroski said. “We go to

elementary schools, children’s

museums, Girl Scouts etc. and

we let them see the robots and

drive [them].”

FEATURES

East’s TSA goes far in competition

By Andrew Xu

Staff Writer

As soon as they stepped inside

the Sheraton Hotel outside

Greensboro, the handful of East

students were greeted by the

scene of hundreds of teenagers

in suits, running around,

scrambling to print material

and checking into their rooms.

“You just feel a sense of unity,

almost, because everyone is

thinking the same things you’ve

been thinking... and everyone is

ready to compete,” said senior

Jessica Mathew, secretary of

East’s chapter of the Technology

Student Association (TSA).

“[It’s] one of my favorite parts.”

East’s TSA competed in

the state competition March

26-28, in-person for the first

time in three years due to both

cancellations and COVID-19

protocols, after advancing in

regionals. They participated

in various technology and

leadership-related individual

and team events from CAD

Engineering to Promotional

Design. Several students

and groups placed highly,

including earning first place in

Digital Video Production and

Technology Problem Solving.

“[At] the competition,

you’re going to meet lots of

other people and see different

perspectives on how they tackle

the same events [and] their

situation,” said club president,

senior Kabir Grewal. “It’s an

eye-opening experience;you

get to meet lots of people from

different backgrounds doing

different things.”

Prior to the state competition,

competitors must first prepare

and practice arduously and

qualify in regionals, either by

project submissions or real-time

competitions. Qualifications are

event-specific, as top-placing

individuals and teams, not

schools, advance. With the gap

between the two events, students

were able to make drastic

revisions and improvements

based on judge feedback.

“The really great thing

about regionals is [that] it’s

kind of like a practice round,”

Mathew said. “That was kind

of our opportunity to really

mess around, [to] be as creative

as we wanted, to see what

was acceptable... and [use] the

feedback we got from judges

for states... But the time between

regionals and states is so small...

[so] you have to work quicker.

Senior Yahan Yang, whose

team of five placed third statewide

in the Board Game Design

event, recalls their team’s

development following the

regional competition.

“We made the game... the

week of submission... [but] we

7

had experience, so we were

able to do it,” Yang said. “And

for [the state competition], we

started... a lot earlier because

we learned... that if we’re going

to try... to place and if we’re

going to try to make it better,

we can’t start the week of [the

competition] again. So we

definitely made improvements

on that.”

This reflects the larger need

for self-accountability from

students in managing their

progress and projects, due to

TSA’s student-led and nonsystematic

nature.

“It’s just about working hard,

being disciplined, working well

before the competition and

really owning it yourself,”

Grewal said.

While this effort, devotion

and responsibility are necessary

for success, he acknowledges

that, even so, the results are not

always ideal.

“You’re more happy with

yourself, knowing that you

did realistically all you could

in your event,” Grewal said.

“Sometimes you don’t place;

there’s really good competition

in the state [and] there’s going

to be even better competition

in the national competition.

But knowing that you did

realistically all you could have...

it feels good, [and] you’re at

peace with yourself.”

By Reese Weddendorf

& Avery Tortora

Club Spotlight: Film, Indian culture, and periods

Staff Writers

“Knives Out,” “Smile” and

“The Truman Show” are just a

few of the movies the East Film

Club has watched this year.

Meeting once a month in

Room 243, co-presidents Shania

Khasraw and Kate Maciel run

the East Film Club, a new

addition this year.

In the club, interactive

activities and group discussions

with the 30-some members

based on the movies they have

watched together provide an

opportunity to celebrate their

Avery Tortora/The ECHO

common appreciation for

cinematography.

“We do quizzes based on

the movie. We always have a

slideshow and have questions on

the movie,” Khasraw said.

As a part of the club, members

get to vote on a movie, talk with

club members about it, and share

a passion for film together.

“We really like that there’s a

group of people that we can share

this with… Everybody gets to

watch new movies they haven’t

seen before,” Khasraw said.

In Chapel Hill, a place where

only 2.2 percent of residents are

Indian Americans, East’s Indian

Culture Club hopes to serve

as a platform to promote and

strengthen Indian culture.

“It’s hard to relate with

people,” said co-founder and cochairman

Atchuthan Rangarajan.

“We wanted to make a place

where we can strengthen our

culture at school, where people

can relate to others who share the

culture… and promote cultural

education.”

With this goal in mind,

meetings feature presentations

and activities relating to certain

Fareeda Malik/The ECHO

aspects of Indian culture, from

music and movies to food and

sports.

The Indian Culture Club was

created last year by five cofounders.

Since then, it has

grown to include 20 members

and has participated in several

events, including the 2023 Asian

Night. However, according to

Rangarajan, these activities are

only the start.

“We’d like to connect Indian

culture from East right out and

into the community,” Rangarajan

said. “We’re trying to educate

people of other cultures about

our culture.”

The East Period Club, run

by seniors Tatum Cubrilovic,

Yae Young Kim and Susannah

Bartlett, aims to bring

awareness and destigmatize

periods.

“We want to make people

aware that this problem is going

on,” Kim said.

Co-president Cubrilovic

says the club’s main goal is to

“reduce the stigma of periods at

East and create more outreach

to the community of Chapel

Hill, while also advocating

Courtesy of Period Club

for period products in school

bathrooms.”

Meeting every Wednesday

in the ceramics room, the

club discusses how to make

the community more periodfriendly.

“There’s products available

in the nurse’s office… we

understand that that’s not

enough. So I think the next step

would be to somehow reach out

to an external collaborator about

getting actual dispensaries in

bathrooms,” Cubrilovic said.

8 FEATURES May 2023

A year of change, in Student Surveys


Co-Editor-in-Chief

This year, the ECHO introduced

its first-ever monthly

80.00%

Student Survey. From

September to April, we’ve 60.00%

collected the opinions of more

than 100 students each month

on various topics related to 40.00% East

and beyond.

Some questions (like “Do

you believe in ghosts?”) were

20.00%

asked only once, but others

(like “How safe do you feel

at East?”) were asked each

month.

0.00%

Here are some of the

most interesting results. For

more, check out our website,

echhsechoonline.com.

8

6

4

6.71

4.16

6.51

4.54

Question: Is East a good school?

58.10% 61.20% 68.10% 65.40% 61.00%

68.10% 63.90% 63.70%

17.20% 18.40% 16.30% 17.90% 20.00% 14.10% 16.00% 16.80%

September

6.86

October

4.8 4.76

November

December

January

6.59 6.66 6.82

February

Yes No Other

Question: On a scale of 1-10, how safe do you feel at East? The school’s stated theme this year is

“Loved, Respected & Connected.” How well does it embody those ideals?

6.55

4.32 4.48 4.63

March

April

6.85

4.93

Free response questions

Question: Have you ever had a paranormal

experience? If so, describe it.

“I saw a fairy outside my house. She was about the size of

a standard water bottle, although it might have just been her

dress, which was very long, pink, and seemed to be made

out of azaleas. She had an amber skin tone, long wavy brown

hair, and a crown.”

Question: If you became principal, how would

you change the school?

“The easiest fix to make is the junction connecting Quad

C, the Wildcat Area, and the Cafe Commons.

The biggest problem with this junction is that it does not

exist. I have nicknamed this intersection the ‘Hell Junction’

because of its poor design: this is the only student-permitted

area that connects to the Wildcat Area from the inside, so

there is no avoiding it for all students.

Moreover, it’s one of the quickest ways to enter and exit

Quad C. The only viable alternative is to instead enter Quad

B, then connect to Quad C at the staircase, avoiding the

junction altogether, because as it stand there are three different

area with students all trying to access the other two, making

for six paths total when the tiny square allotted only permits

about two paths and the only signal to move in this area is

nonverbal communication.

The ideal fix, making the area bigger, is not viable, but

I think it could be helpful to test some sort of roundabout

system. Hopefully an engineering student can think of

something better. I just want to see an attempt to fix the Hell

Junction.”

2

Safe

Loved, Respected & Connected

Question: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever

seen at East?

0

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

“Once someone handed me a cookie with a bite out of it in

the hall. I didn’t know him. The next week the same person

handed me a carton of orange juice in the same place. I didn’t

consume either.”

Question: What does East smell like?

“Not lavender.”

Question: Do you believe in ghosts?

Other

10.5%

No

34.2%

Yes

55.3%

Question: Should students be allowed to

customize their Google profile pictures?

Other

4.2%

No

10.7%

Yes

85.1%

Question: On a scale of 1-10, how much do you

trust the leadership of our school district?

A

19.80%

20.00%

80.00%

15.00%

10.00%

5.00%

0.00%

60.00%

Question: Should Wildcat PAC continue next year?

40.00%

8.6%

9.20%

27.6%

5.30%

9.20%

14.50% 15.30% 11.50% 12.20% 1.50% 1.50%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Yes, and it should stay the same as this year

Yes, but it should be changed No Other

17.2%

46.6%

20.00%

0.00%

Question: Do you approve of

Principal Casey’s administration?

50.50%

58.00%

65.60%

24.50% 26.70% 25.60%

September

October

November

55.20% 51.00%

53.40% 50.80%

63.60%

32.50% 34.30% 30.50% 29.70%

December

January

Yes No Other

February

March

20.90%

April

By Avery Tortora

Staff Writer

East’s advanced art students

presented their work at a gallery

in the Wildcat atrium April 9.

Snacks were served.

ARTS & CULTURE

Gallery: Art students present their work April 9

By Maryam Samei

By Noah Andrews

By Caroline Eckblad

By Ayden Farmer

By Annie Wu

By Selema DeBellis

By Eric Wan

By Camden Lauver

By Tess Jarskog


East Ensemble takes home festival win

Ananya Cox & Avery Tortora

Staff Writers

“I just remember the energy

in the room when we won the

Best Ensemble award. It was

electric. Everyone’s faces lit

up and it was loud and it was

awesome,” said senior and

East Ensemble member Isaac

Robinson.

Over spring break, East’s

audition-based chorus class,

East Ensemble, traveled to New

Orleans to participate in the

WorldStrides Heritage Festival,

where they competed against a

number of other high schools.

“It’s called an adjudication,

which is when choirs come

together in a certain place and

all perform,” said senior and

East Ensemble member Mitra

Samei. “There are three judges

who score you, and then one of

the judges comes up on stage

and gives notes… then there is

an awards ceremony.”

Although East Ensemble was

the smallest group at the event,

they nonetheless were able

to achieve the highest overall

rating of “Gold,” as well as

the Adjudicators’ Award and

the Best Choir Award for their

performance at the competition.

“There’s something really

magical about singing in a

group; it’s unlike anything

else,” Samei said. “You’re in the

middle of this range of voices,

[from] really high sopranos to

really low basses, all around

you, harmonizing, and it’s like

you can feel the vibrations in

the air harmonizing with each

other; it’s the coolest feeling

ever.”

Outside of the main purpose

for the visit of singing, the group

participated in many other New

Orleans activities during their

time there. East Ensemble got

to experience a private jazz

concert at Preservation Hall,

walk around the French Quarter,

attend a masquerade ball where

awards were announced and go

on a steamboat tour, soaking in

all of the opportunities that the

city had to offer.

“It was so much fun. I

improved a ton musically as a

singer, and it was an amazing

experience to get to go to New

Orleans with all my friends. It

was the highlight of my spring

break,” Robinson said.

The joy of the experience

and competition was only

heightened by the bond of

the East Ensemble members,

something senior and group

member Chess Whitsell

described.

“It was so fun. I think also

[that in] East Ensemble as a

class… you build such strong

connections [and] everyone

in that class is best friends,”

Whitsell said. “We all love

each other, that’s why it was a

lot of fun. It was just a bunch

of friends getting to hang out,

and do what we love, which is

singing.”

Courtesy of Desiree Davis-Omburo

10 ARTS & CULTURE May 2023

Durham artist Delores Farmer teaches ceramics workshop at East

Ananya Cox

Staff Writer

Using the potter’s wheel is

something that many people

are unfamiliar with, often only

seen somewhere in Carrboro or

in “Ghost,” but it’s a little harder

than it seems. East’s ceramics

classes were buzzing this spring

when ceramic artist Delores

Farmer stopped by for a week

to help instruct students in all

ceramics levels about using the

potter’s wheel. Farmer has been

creating and selling her work in

Durham for about eight years.

“I mainly focus on pieces that

have a lot of texture and a lot

of contrast on their surface[s],”

Farmer said. “I have two

teaching studios now and I offer

six-week classes at each session

so people can come in and have

access to a community space.”

Ceramics teacher Melissa

Vrooman-Olson first had the

idea to begin bringing Farmer

to East for a workshop after

meeting Farmer in Durham.

“I first met Delores one

Saturday morning about five

years ago at the Durham

Farmers’ Market where she

was selling her pottery. We

hit it off,” Vrooman-Olson

said in an email. “Delores had

attended Jordan High School in

Durham, graduated from N.C.

Central University and made a

By Jordan Huang

Staff Writer

Each year, students from

all grade levels come together

to form a colorful mosaic

of distinct musical choices.

Artists will always reflect the

people who listen to them, so

as the state of music and the

student body evolve over time,

East’s collective taste follows

suit. The school community is

in a constant state of change,

and the soundtrack of their

lives adapts accordingly.

As the end of the 2022-

2023 school year approaches,

I couldn’t help but wonder:

What are the prevailing

musical choices among this

year’s students?

In an ECHO survey of

81 students across all four

grade levels, one artist was

clearly queen: Taylor Swift.

The Grammy Award-winning

successful career following her

passion as a full-time potter.

I thought my students would

find her energy and enthusiasm

inspiring, so I asked if she’d be

interested in sharing her work

with my classes. We began

making plans.”

Ceramics students had an

overwhelmingly positive

response to the week-long

workshop with Farmer, as

they have in the two times

previous that she has worked

with East students. Farmer’s

new perspective and skills

were commended throughout

the event.

Ceramics student Reilly

Adams remembered the

positive atmosphere that

Farmer’s presence created for

students working on the potter’s

wheel.

“She was really experienced

and it was just super fun,

because she was also funny.

She was goofy and…I feel like

when I throw on the wheel,

because we can’t do it all the

time, it’s like, ‘Oh my god, we

need to be careful,’… and she’d

just be like, ‘Do whatever you

want!’” Adams said. “It adds

excitement [to pottery] and

teaches you to make things that

you’re proud of.”

Another ceramics and art

student, senior Kristie Curran,

plans to pursue art as a career

pop sensation accounted for

16.7 percent of the “favorite

musical artist” vote, leaving

Tyler the Creator and Frank

Ocean at a distant second and

third with 6.1 percent and 4.5

percent respectively.

“I love Taylor because she’s

a very empowering female

artist,” senior Linda Wang

said. “It was cool being able to

grow alongside her and follow

her journey over the past 10

years.”

T-Swizzle’s rise to stardom

started well over a decade

ago, as she first won “New

Female Vocalist of the Year”

in 2007, before claiming

“Album of the Year” for her

2009 album “Fearless.” Swift

has been claiming Grammys,

AMAs and Billboard hits for

longer than some of the current

freshmen have been alive,

and is still as big as ever with

four songs on this month’s

and study communication

arts next year at Virginia

Commonwealth University.

“Because I’m looking at

doing art as a career, it was so

interesting seeing someone who

actually does, and talking to

her about how you price your

work and… how you develop

style, which is really cool,”

Curran said. “I had a lot of

trouble with throwing on the

wheel before, but… she really

was able to explain it in a way

that I could understand and the

hands on approach really fixed

my technique.”

Farmer recognizes the

opportunity that the ceramics

workshops bring to high school

students.

“It’s really nice to get

exposure earlier on because if

you’re interested in [pottery],

you can start working at it a necessary.

little earlier on. I was kind of

a late bloomer…. For those

who are in the pottery field, a

lot of them have started much,

much earlier on in their lives,”

Farmer said.

The main reason why Farmer

is able to come to East for the

week-long workshop is because

of a grant from the Public School

Foundation that compensates

for her time. As an artist, to

take time off from her main

work and provide guidance and

teaching elsewhere, the pay is

Billboard Hot 100. If she is

not regarded as “The Queen of

Pop,” her longevity should at

least earn her the title of “The

LeBron James of Pop.”

Aside from Taylor, the

dominant genre was not pop

music, but rather a mix of neosoul

and lyrical hip-hop. As

previously mentioned, Tyler

and Frank Ocean were no. 2

and no. 3 in voting, with artists

like Brent Faiyaz, Kendrick

Lamar and Joey Badass in the

top 10 as well.

“Joey Badass is my favorite

artist because he tells a story

with his music,” junior Sam

Ashley said. “I love [his

album] ‘1999’ because it’s

about his troubled youth.”

Badass is an East Coast

hip-hop artist, hailing from

Brooklyn, New York. His

lyrical rap and unique sampling

are similar to the techniques of

artists such as Denzel Curry,

Delores Farmer with East ceramics students

“Supported by grants from

the Public School Foundation

and the ECHHS PTSA, my

students have been able to learn

from a professional potter, an

artist in our community,” said

Vrooman. “Over the years

we’ve hosted Delores three

times at East, and each time

it’s been a highlight for many

students. She demonstrates

her expertise on the potter’s

wheel, speaks to the practical

and business side of life as

an artist, and then helps each

Kendrick Lamar and Vince

Staples.

Junior Seb Georgallis is a

superfan of Tyler the Creator

and appreciates his favorite

artist for more reasons than just

his music.

“He obviously has W music

for real, but I also love his

style and think he’s perfect for

summertime,” Georgallis said.

With summer less than a

month out, Georgallis will be

listening to his favorite album:

“Call Me if You Get Lost” by

the notably flamboyant and

fashionable artist.

However, one name that was

all but missing was an artist

who, in years past, may have

not only been a top artist in

hip-hop, but of the entire list.

Kanye West accounted for only

a single anonymous vote. In

light of his recent controversy,

“Ye” has fallen away from the

limelight, or at least caused

student throw a pot or two on

the wheel.”

Students understand that

having a new perspective in the

art room can help them develop

new skills, and Farmer’s

presence recently has been

very effective for them.

“I think also because she is

a professional artist and it is

her career, she has a kind of

perspective, working in the

field, not necessarily in a college

classroom, but in apprenticeship

or in a workshop. I wanted to

sign up for her courses this

those who are still fans of him

too much shame to admit so.

Aside from Swift and hip-hop

artists, a few other mainstream

artists and bands had a handful

of votes, including Harry Styles

and Mt. Joy. Additionally,

there was a profound lack

of country among those

surveyed, outside of a single

vote for neotraditional country

singer-songwriter Zach Bryan.

However, a handful of classical

composers from former USSR

satellite states received votes,

including Tchaikovsky, Sergei

Rachmaninoff and Antonín

Dvořák.

Freshman Ryan Liu was

responsible for one of those

classical composer entries.

“I voted for Dvořák because

of my distaste for popular

music, and instrumental

composition contributes to

my appreciation of the fine

arts,” Liu said. “I don’t want


summer, but they all filled in

like an hour, but yeah, she’s

amazing. I love her. She should

come back,” Curran said.

Farmer sees the positive

impact on students that she can

have, provided by the Public

School Foundation’s grants.

“[The grant has] provided

a really lovely opportunity

to come and share what I’ve

learned over the years with

students,” Farmer said. “Pottery

is awesome. Pottery is life.

Everyone try pottery at least

once.”

Keeping up with East’s diverse, evolving music taste

my personal taste to come

off as stuck-up or snobby,

but I just don’t care for the

bland repetitiveness of modern

music.”

On the other hand, senior

Andrew Fan branched out from

classical music.

“Before high school, I only

listened to classical music,

because I grew up playing

violin and it was the only thing

my parents ever turned on,”

he said. “But then my friend

drove me home once, and I

discovered there was more to

music.”

Fan’s favorite artist is now

21 Savage.

Overall, of the 81 votes cast,

there were a grand total of 46

different artists. From Megan

Thee Stallion to Beedle The

Bardcore, East’s taste in music

is a reflection of the diversity

of its constantly evolving

student body.

echhsechoonline.com

“Jewish Matchmaking” review

By Helen Katz

Co-Editor-in-Chief

The first season of the

new Netflix show “Jewish

Matchmaking” was officially

released May 4 with eight

episodes. As I know from

absorbing classic media like

“Fiddler on the Roof” while

growing up, matchmaking has

formed a central part of Judaism

for centuries. So, what were my

immediate reactions to Netflix’s

modern twist on this ancient

custom?

Oyyy vey. Similar to the older

series “Indian Matchmaking,”

matchmaker Aleeza Ben

Shalom traverses the globe in

an ardent and wildly humorous

search to help young Jews

find their spouses, traveling

from L.A. to Israel. And like its

cultural counterpart resonating

with Indian audiences, the show

does feel familiar to Jewish

viewers, representing our values

and culture in a fairly authentic

as well as diverse light.

However, I found that the

show missed the same cultural

zest and spark that has made

“Indian Matchmaking” so

enjoyable to watch—and

this deficit is not because

Jewish culture is in any way

less interesting than Indian

culture. Whereas matchmaker

Sima Aunty’s magnetic and at

times controversial personality

demands center stage in “Indian

Matchmaking,” the unfortunate

fact is that her counterpart in the

new show, Ben Shalom, simply

is not that charismatic—and I’m

not just saying this under the

belief that Netflix should have

hired me.

Yet as someone who is

constantly trying to set up

her two older sisters in an

attempt to find their future

Jewish husbands, I couldn’t

help but criticize the objective

incompatibility of many of Ben

Shalom’s pairings. Yes, Sima

Aunty has the same trouble of

dealing with an overrepresented

cast of attractive and educated

ARTS & CULTURE 11

females, but the two reflect

a key difference. While Ben

Shalom will happily seek to

oblige her clientele, Sima Aunty

takes the unconventional and

questionable perspective on

finding a life partner, repeating

to her crushed and concerned

clients that “100 percent you

will not get, 60 percent you

will get.”

Now, even with all this

kvetching, I will be the first

to admit that “Jewish Matchmaking”

is still worth your

binge time. Look no further than

its creative episode titles such as

“How big is his mezuzah?,” or

the undeniable fact of 52-yearold

Stuart Chaseman’s W rizz,

to the extent that the Jewish

single from Chicago has been

compared to Pete Davidson.

Overall, the show proves that

certain aspects of love, rejection

and identity are universal to all

parts of the world—and time

will only tell which culture’s

way of matchmaking will next

be featured on Netflix.

Silver-Tongued crew persists

By Keira McArthur

Staff Writer

From leading various

school concerts and plays,

students at East have always

demonstrated artistry,

including the young artists and

writers at East working for the

Silver-Tongued Lit Magazine.

Run by a group of students,

this magazine provides an

opportunity for students to

display their works and be

proud of their creativity. The

club meets every two weeks

on Wednesdays to contribute

to the magazine they release

at the end of the year.

Throughout the school year,

students are able to submit

their works to the magazine

with the ability of having

their works peer-reviewed and

then published in the annual

magazine. Students are able to

submit photographs, arts, short

stories and poetry.

Despite their struggles

during the pandemic, the club

has prevailed.

“Just being able to publish a

magazine at the end of the year

is our biggest achievement. We

are proud to have been able to

keep the club going, especially

through COVID,” said club

president Andrea Basuroski.

Each year the club has a new

theme for the magazine. This

year the theme is Rebirth and

Renaissance. In addition, the

magazine also offers contests

that enable writers and artists

to showcase their talents and

expressiveness in relation to a

specific prompt.

“We hold contests every

year; we held a spring contest

this year and the theme was

reimagining a fairy tale and it

was really popular,” Basuroski

said.

Being in an environment

where the members are able to

artistically relate to each other

is what makes the magazine

so genuine and inviting,

according to club members.

“When we get together we

just try to explore our creative

outlets,” said junior Yasmine

Kwong. “I just joined this year

but it’s been fun because I’m

getting to know people that

also enjoy writing.”

The club members hope that

more students will join and

submit work to the club.

“Our club’s biggest

achievement is spreading

the work of the writing

community around people

at East because nobody ever

really pays attention to the

creative writing community,”

said junior Abigail Arbuckle.

“[As a member of the club],

it helps me see my own value

as a writer and what I could

contribute.”

Not only do the club

members enjoy the excitement

of submitting to their magazine,

but they also enjoy each other’s

company. “Everybody gets

along really well and really

encourages each other. It’s

very collaborative,” Arbuckle

said.

Junk Food

For Thought

The review column about whatever it’s about

Limoniamo Floriano, drooling

Courtesy of the Everywhereist

Chef Floriano

dares to ask

“What if food?”

By Hammond

Cole Sherouse

Co-Editor-in-Chief

The other day, I found myself

rewatching “Elvis” (2022). Not

because I’m a massive Elvis fan

or anything, nor even because

I liked the movie, but because

I needed to experience Tom

Hanks’s egregious performance

as Colonel Tom Parker one more

time.

Had Hanks not been cast in

this film, I doubt I ever would

have given it a second thought

after leaving the theater. But he

was, and he delivered one of the

most disturbing, traumatizing

and captivating performances

since Matthew Morrison played

the Grinch in 2020.

To the screenplay’s every

line, Hanks bestows a tragically

unconvincing accent and a

stomach-churning misintonation

that leaves the viewer deeply

unsettled. He intrudes into

scenes, poking his head between

curtains or peering over railings,

a malevolent interloper on a

mediocre movie.

When the movie shows Elvis’s

final, heartbreaking performance,

the scene’s emotional resonance

is abruptly undercut by a

crossfade to Tom Hanks, in

ghastly old-age makeup on top

of his shoddy fat suit, still utterly

failing to act in his character’s

dying moments.

No offense to the man, but

Hanks single-handedly ruined

this movie. Yet, with the sheer

evil potency of performance,

he also saved it from being

forgettable. Because of him, I

rewatched “Elvis.” And as I did,

I thought about a man on a horse.

Let me explain.

Ristorante Bros’ is a (somehow)

Michelin-starred restaurant

in Lecce, Italy that went viral in

late 2021 after award-winning

author Geraldine DeRuiter

posted a negative review of it

on her blog, the Everywhereist.

Well, “negative review”

might be an understatement.

In it, DeRuiter compares her

27-course meal at Bros’ to

“a statue of a bear, chiseled

into marble centuries ago, by

someone who had never actually

seen a bear” and a piece of dinner

theater in which “dinner was not

involved.”

Her experience of the

restaurant was marked by

miniscule proportions, offputting

flavor palates, callous

disregard for allergies and

“rancido” ricotta. The pièce de

résistance, presumably a twisted

play on the phrase “chef’s kiss,”

was “Limoniamo Floriano,” a

plaster cast of the chef’s mouth,

filled with vaguely salivary citrus

foam which the diners were

instructed to lick out.

The visceral horror of the

situation is palpable beneath

DeRuiter’s witty writing.

Reading “We Eat at The Worst

Michelin Starred Restaurant,

Ever,” one can’t help but imagine

how it would feel to place their

lips on Chef Floriano Pellegrino’s

and slurp the citric slobber from

his mouth…

I think it’s that horrific element

which made the review so

popular. And it’s that popularity

which caught the attention of

Chef Floriano himself.

In response to DeRuiter, whom

he refers to as “Mrs. XXX” on

account of having forgotten her

name, Chef Floriano wrote a

three-page “Declaration,” which

begins with a simple drawing of

a man on a horse.

On each page of the

manifesto, he includes a new

representation of this same

subject: first the simple line

drawing, then Jacques-Louis

David’s “Napoleon Crossing the

Alps” and finally, a somewhat

menacing abstract called

“Trophies and Sycophants” by

Misheck Masamvu.

He states that creating a

basic sketch of a man on a

horse is “not that hard, but most

people will admire you” for it.

Likewise, painting a masterful

portrait of a man on a horse, like

“Napoleon Crossing the Alps,”

may be “impressive,” but it’s also

“shallow,” apparently.

“What is art?” he writes.

“What if food?”

At Bros’, Chef Floriano seeks

to answer these questions with

his own vision of an “avantgarde”

culinary experience, akin

to the third, abstract painting

based on the essence of a horse.

The Limoniamist sees the

purpose of food, and of art in

general, as pushing boundaries

and introducing new sensations,

regardless of if they’re beautiful

or even remotely pleasant.

It’s this same “third-manon-a-horse”

principle that

underlies my fascination with

Tom Hanks’s performance in

“Elvis.” Every time the “Forrest

Gump” star talks about “snow

jobs” and “Santy Claus” in his

garbled, ostensibly Dutch accent,

I feel like DeRuiter must have

when she smooched the chefly

ramekin.

It was undoubtedly a terrible

movie, just like DeRuiter’s was

undoubtedly a terrible meal.

But you can’t deny that both

were unforgettable, just like

Matthew Morrison’s Grinch, or

Tom Hooper’s “Cats” movie.

The third-man-on-a-horse

approach may not make for

good art, per se, but in the end,

it produces the stories that stick

with you.

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

's

t's

of

st

chin

n

e

e ___

"

igs

t

aby

ne

inal

e

lays

t

ea

n

ally

12 ARTS & CULTURE May 2023

aufwiedersehen

Crossword: “Much adieu”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21 22

This issue’s answers

13 "Ed, ___ n' Eddy" 42 Whirlybird

21 "What else ___?" whirlers

Scan 22 Tarzan the Q.R. creator's code 43 "A little ___ the1. Form words by

see the monogram

answers to visit the

mightiest Julius connecting letters.

Puzzles 25 Words & Answers of page denial of

fell"

2. No two letters on the

our website.

same side of the square

26 Of equal speed 44 Bill for drinks

Contact Co-Editor-in-

may be connected.

27 Philatelist's book 47 Voices above 3. One letter may be used

Chief Hammond Cole

Sherouse

28 Santana

with any

hit

puzzlerelated

the comments lyric, "she or 49 Pirate's

with tenors multiple times, but not

consecutively.

concerns. remind me of a interjection

West Side story" 50 ___ fire under

29 What seven did 51 ___ Longa,

Overheard to nine, at East birthplace of

homophonically

Various utterances caught in passing Romulus and

“Sometimes 30 Chuckled, people die.” over “I write all my Remus vowels the

text

52 same.” Member of the

“I’m leaving; I’m allowed to

31 Second-person ECHO's target

hit students this year.” “Fauci is the GOAT, man.”

verb for a Latin age demographic

“It’s supposed loverto be a giant “I’m gonna 53 measure Draft you.” status

33 Shoppe eyeball.”

54 One of the

“Lower C is so weird. Like,

descriptor

eponymous

“I give out the hologram what goes on in Lower C?”

36 Questions vibes.” about "Friends"

a mission

“I used 55 to think Owner that of Abbey

“Do 37 you Sturm's speak British?” partnerManchester was Road a country Studios in

Portugal.”

38 Some NFL

“I will take your children

linemen from you.”

“If the moon isn’t a star,

what is it?”

“His son was hot though.”

“Wood doesn’t have a liquid

form. You realize that, right?”

“I’m a chocoholic. It’s like

drugs, but chocolate.”

“His eyes are literally on fire.”

23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

32 33 34

35 36 37 38

39 40

41 42 43 44 45

46 47

48 49 50 51 52 53 54

55 56 57

58 59 60

61 62 63

“I just have to steal the plane,

that’s the hard part.”

By Hammond Cole

Sherouse

Co-Editor-in-Chief

ACROSS

1. Rudiments

5. One-dose COVID

vaccine, for short

10. Bridal shower?

14. Half-moon tide

15. Half of a

Hammurabic exchange

16. “And giving ___,

up the chimney he

rose”

17. Ivy League school

with the motto “Lux et

veritas”

18. Like the Supreme

Court, the Muses or a

baseball team

19. Hunk

20. Heidi Klum’s

“Project Runway”

elimination

catchphrase

23. Match, in poker

24. “That’s true about

me, right?”

26. The same number

of

30. Bowl that would

make Mary sad?

Box o’ Letters spelling puzzle

4. Each word must begin

with the last letter of the

previous word.

5. Aim to use all letters in

as few words as possible.

6. No proper nouns or

naughty words. Don’t you

dare!

Use this space to take notes and brainstorm words.

32. Seaborne setting

of a famous Marx

Brothers routine

34. PAC that’s

packing?

35. Obama’s “yes, we

did” speech, e.g.

39. Pal in Paris

40. Palm Springs

newspaper, with “the”

41. Furniture for a

guest room

45. Long-eared hound

46. Queen of the Goths

in Shakespeare’s

“Titus Andronicus”

47. Prince Valiant’s

son

48. Freshwater

counterpart of “in a

while, crocodile”

55. Long Spanish river

56. Old hat

57. Late-night host

with a noted chin

58. Naturalist John

59. Sun Tzu’s “The

___ War” or Trump’s

“The ___ the Deal”

60. “Not the ___!”

61. “___ corny as

Kansas...”

62. Military bigwigs

N

E

A

M

I

A

C

63. Santa ___ (hot

winds)

DOWN

1. Taylor-Joy of “The

Menu”

2. Sweetheart

3. Leg part or baby

elephant

4. Vomit

5. Brontë heroine

6. Battery terminal

7. Hawaii’s state bird

8. Natalia who plays

Nancy in “Stranger

Things”

9. Like the tea at the

Boston Tea Party

10. Symptoms of

poison ivy

11. Focused

determination

12. Retaliate, legally

13. “Ed, ___ n’ Eddy”

21. “What else ___?”

22. Tarzan creator’s

monogram

25. Words of denial

26. Of equal speed

27. Philatelist’s book

28. Santana hit with

the lyric, “she remind

me of a West Side

T

R

C

P G I

E

#2

N

T O B

#1

K

L

R

O

H

L

story”

29. What seven did to

nine, homophonically

30. Chuckled, over

text

31. Second-person

verb for a Latin lover

33. Shoppe descriptor

36. Questions about a

mission

37. Sturm’s partner

38. Some NFL

linemen

42. Whirlybird

whirlers

43. “A little ___ the

mightiest Julius fell”

44. Bill for drinks

47. Voices above

tenors

49. Pirate’s interjection

50. ___ fire under

51. ___ Longa,

birthplace of Romulus

and Remus

52. Member of the

ECHO’s target age

demographic

53. Draft status

54. One of the

eponymous “Friends”

55. Owner of Abbey

Road Studios

E

B

#3

D

M T C

V

O

S

U

Z

A

The dark truth about

graduation rehearsal


Co-Editor-in-Chief

East seniors were shocked

this week to learn of Principal

Jesse Casey’s plot to have them

kidnapped and replaced by

robots at the June 9 graduation

rehearsal.

The sinister scheme came to

light after a group of seniors

pulled a seemingly harmless

prank May 25, breaking into the

bins of confidential documents

marked for shredding that are

kept in the hallway which

connects the Cafe Commons

to the Wildcat atrium.

Just as they were about to

dump the

“Alas, this is the

only way to keep

them in line.”

contents of

the bins over

the railing of

the balcony

overlooking

the Cafe Commons,

one of the students

noticed something disturbing.

“It was what looked like a

schematic for some kind of

humanoid automaton,” senior

Rahm Bunctius said. “As I dug

deeper, I saw that there were

hundreds of similar blueprints,

each one corresponding to the

bodily form of an East senior.”

Indeed, the confidential

document bins contained

detailed mechanical diagrams

of robotic doppelgangers in

the likeness of every member

of the senior class.

Underneath, Bunctius

discovered an even more

shocking item: a printedout

copy of an email

correspondence between

Casey and a high-level official

at Eduspire Solutions, the

educational technology

company also known for their

e-hallpass software.

“Dearest Jesse,” the email

begins. “Upon consulting with

our research department, we are

happy to report that your idea

is in fact a scientific possibility.

For the low price we discussed,

Eduspire will be able to provide

you with the fully functional

‘e-childreplacement’ androids

that you requested.”

When Bunctius confronted

Casey about the worrying

contents of these documents,

the principal begrudgingly

revealed the true extent of his

plan, not knowing that Bunctius

was secretly livestreaming the

conversation to hundreds of

other seniors.

“Graduation is always such

a logistical hassle,” Casey told

him. “So, we figured that we

could save a lot of time and

effort by eliminating the human

component from the equation.

Eduspire was happy to supply

the necessary equipment, and

at the graduation rehearsal

on June 9, we were going to

swap out all

the seniors

for their robot

counterparts.

“And we

would have

gotten away

with it too, if—” Casey cut

himself off. “No. I’ve already

diverted millions of dollars of

the school’s budget to this. I

can’t let one nosy kid stop me.”

Following a guttural scream

and a mechanical whir, the

livestream’s feed cut out.

Since this fateful conversation,

an ominous uncertainty

has taken hold of the entire

senior class. Though many

have expressed a desire to skip

the graduation rehearsal in

order to save their own lives,

others worry that failing to

attend will impede their ability

to graduate.

“I think everyone should go

to the graduation rehearsal,”

senior Reau Botkin said. “If we

don’t, there’s no telling what

could happen. What? No, I’m

not a robot. Why do you ask?”

For his part, Casey told the

ECHO he regrets that it has

come to this.

“If students would just

follow directions, we wouldn’t

need to spend this much money

on technological solutions,” he

said. “But alas, this is the only

way to keep them in line.”

He then beeped and booped,

apparently having been

replaced by a robot himself.

*The stories on this Satire page are works of fiction,

intended as commentary on events and issues at East.

The quotes and details are entirely made up.

SATIRE*

Phonics hooked me; I had to let go.

By Graham Jones

Staff Writer

I was born at a very young

age. To say it was hard would

be an understatement. I couldn’t

walk, I couldn’t talk, I soiled

myself daily and I cried myself

to sleep every night. Worst of

all, I was born with a condition

I wouldn’t wish on my worst

enemy: I was born hooked to

phonics.

A phonics baby happens

when the mother exposes the

developing fetus to really lame

British quiz shows like “UK

Jeopardy,” “Countdown” and

the short-lived 1938 classic

British radio show, “Spelling

Bee.”

There are tests doctors run

on at-risk newborns to see

if they are born hooked on

phonics. Babies are placed in

front of a television and are

forced to watch an episode of

“UK Jeopardy.” A child tests

positive if they show abnormal

interest in the program. Those

who test positive are taken to

the treatment facility where

they watch the Minions movie.

This helps melt the child’s brain

into the preferred paste texture

wanted in a newborn. It’s similar

to a factory reset for babies.

I showed little interest in

By Will Pazzula

Staff Writer

As everyone filed into their

first period classes, students

eagerly checked their email,

excited at what wonderful news

they would be delivered by each

of the colleges that inexplicably

had their email addresses. The

mood quickly turned as they all

opened a message from their

beloved Principal Jesse Casey,

containing the following text:

“Due to an issue of staffing

today, today will be a normal

Monday instead of a PAC

Monday. In fact, there will

be no more PAC days for the

remainder of the year. Please

proceed with your normal

schedules, and thank you for

your understanding.

XOXO, Casey”

This seemingly innocent

memo sparked an incredibly

strong reaction in the students

the show, not because I wasn’t

hooked on phonics, but because

I hate the British; I was a false

negative.

Growing up I exhibited

symptoms of phonics addiction:

antisocial behavior, a slight

lisp, interest in learning and an

inexplicable obsession with

1986’s “Labyrinth.” These

were written off as quirks and

my mother said they made me

“special.” I wasn’t special, I was

hooked.

In kindergarten we were

taught basic letters on the first

day of school. That was the

day my life changed forever.

The high of reading was new

to me, but I knew I would need

it forever. First I started with

the vowels and sometimes ‘y,’

then I moved on to consonants

and from there… I lost control.

Before I knew it I was churning

through 15 “Geronimo Stilton”

books in an hour just to feel

something.

But, I soon became

disillusioned with the magic of

phonics. Turning page after page,

reading book after book, the high

of phonics never recaptured the

raw passion I first felt for them.

I tried everything to recapture

that feeling. Libraries worked

at first. They were like a magical

wonderland full of free stuff,

of East. Cries erupted from the

classrooms, screams of despair

could be heard from the toilets.

Even the teachers were mortified

by the tragic news.

“I felt betrayed on the kids’

behalf,” said teacher and PAC

supervisor Jen U. Enperssón.

“They all loved PAC, everyone

instantly became friends from

the first icebreaker, and we all

had such deep conversations

in our restorative circles. They

truly felt Loved, Respected, and

Connected in that extra period”

The decision had a severe long

term impact on East as a whole.

More people reported seeing

peers vaping in the bathrooms,

which are now indiscernible

from the amount of graffiti

they’ve recently received.

Attendance rates dropped to

less than half, and a survey put

out after PAC was canceled

revealed that a whopping 102

percent of students are currently

old people, struggling college

students and ecstasy. But, that

magic soon wore off when I

realized there was a “check-out

limit” and that I couldn’t just

check out all the copies of “War

and Peace,”—greedy lameos

holding out on me.

When I reached high school

my phonics addiction reached a

crippling level. I became numb

to phonics in their physical

form; books, signs, bathroom

graffiti, things I used to enjoy

now make me feel empty. Even

then I couldn’t stop. I felt like if

I didn’t read a word every hour

my world would collapse.

That’s when I discovered the

internet. On the internet words

are unregulated, people can post

whatever they want. There are

no publishers, no proofreaders,

only people who feel the need

to share their opinions. It’s just

pure concentrated phonics. I

spent months of my high school

career freebasing phonics on

my smartphone. The janitors

found me on multiple occasions

passed out, in the bathroom,

with a Reddit thread opened on

my phone.

I should have stopped then,

stopped after the 36th “Captain

Marvel” review complaining

about “forced representation”

and “historical inaccuracies

struggling with depression due

to the change.

“I just feel terrible now,” said

senior Sara Tonyn. “PAC was

such an important part of every

student’s mental health; now

that it’s gone I don’t think a lot

of people have a reason to keep

going.”

Fortunately, this tale has a

happy ending. The day after,

the school sent out an email

in the superhero movie.” But

I didn’t, I was reading and

experiencing words I have never

seen before, so many slurs and

insults I didn’t even know could

hurt me! I needed more.

Then I stopped. I just stopped.

I woke up one afternoon

with one of the worst phonicsinduced

hangovers I had ever

had and opened up Twitter.

I was greeted by a sobering

post that read, “Ted Cruz kinda

got a dumpy tho.” I stared at

my phone for what felt like

hours trying to understand that

message. Ted Cruz? A dumpy?

Why? I couldn’t understand why

that post existed, it served no

purpose other than to harm those

who read it. With that realization

it all became clear to me…

Reading brought me no joy.

That day was the day I started

my journey toward recovery. It

was hard at times, even harder at

others, but I couldn’t look back

at the risk of seeing Ted Cruz’s

“dumpy.” At the time of writing

this I’ve been off the books for

five years and can confidently

say I am no longer hooked on

phonics. So please, I implore

you to reach out to someone if

you see them reading a book, it

might be the olive branch they

need to start their own journey

to illiteracy.

What will East do without PAC?!

One East student, devastated by the loss of PAC

Hammond Cole Sherouse/The ECHO

allowing for students to sign up

for “Wellness Activities” after

exams. While they weren’t a

perfect replacement, they helped

valiantly cure their growing

depression once again.

“I, for one, will not be skipping

the wellness activities,” senior

Anna Estee said. “Nothing

boosts my mental health quite

like structured time at East

Chapel Hill High School.”

14 SATIRE* May 2023

Can’t afford a yearbook?

No worries! You can have

your friends sign right here on

page 14 of the ECHO instead.

With our highish quality paper,

it’s nearly impossible to tell the

difference.

You can even draw in little

pictures of everybody, if you

happen to be an artist. Before

photography was invented, I’m

pretty sure that’s how they made

yearbooks.

It’s a perfect alternative. Plus,

if you run out of space, you can

just get yourself another copy of

the ECHO.

They’re free!

We found the top 10 bald people

By Avery Tortora

Staff Writer

1. Mr. Clean

Arguably one of the most

famous bald people in the world,

Mr. Clean is able to swoon all the

ladies, and men for that matter,

with his shiny head and stylishly

pierced ear. According to the

Campus Times, he was voted

“sexiest man alive.” And not

only does he have good looks,

but his products are also some

of the best in the industry.

2. Steve Harvey

Most well known for his

role as a talk show host on

“Family Feud,” Steve Harvey

went from hosting his own talk

show to accidentally giving

the Miss Universe title to the

wrong competitor. Some of the

most monumental moments

in television history include

Harvey, and his ability to make

people laugh is unmatched.

3. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

7. Dr. Phil

Johnson is perhaps best

known for his hit rap song “Face

Off,” but he is also a legendary

wrestler and actor. His eggshaped

head (and great acting

skills) propelled him into the

world of fame and glory.

4. Pitbull (Mr. Worldwide)

The Cuban-American

rapper behind popular songs

like “Gasolina,” “Hotel Room

Service” and “Timber” is vocally

talented, but also follically

challenged.

5. Danny DeVito

Danny DeVito is a legendary

actor, who stars in one of my

favorite movies, “The Virgin

Suicides.” He stands out for his

height and hair, or lack thereof.

6. Aang

An animated character in

the hit show “Avatar: The Last

Airbender,” Aang is a beloved

Air Nomad. The show is

watched by people of all ages

all over the world who love him

and his flying bison friend Appa.

Phil McGraw, aka Dr. Phil,

hosts one of the most well known

talk shows: “Dr Phil.” His sassy

attitude and wise insight makes

for a very interesting show.

From disciplining spoiled kids,

to confronting women in fake

relationships, Dr. Phil is my

personal idol, and also happens

to be bald.

8. Shaquille O’Neal

Is that a bus? Or is it a

refrigerator? Nope! That’s 7’1”

Shaquille O’Neal. The former

professional basketball player is

now a commentator on “Inside

The NBA” with his fellow bald

friends Charles Barkley, Kenny

Smith and Ernie Johnson.

Courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr

9. Voldemort

Voldemort is the main

antagonist in the hit series “Harry

Potter.” His creepy stare, bluish

skin and bald head will send a

shiver down your spine that will

make your hair fall out.

10. Mr. Davis

East’s photography and

videography teacher, Mr. Davis

is a fairly new member of the bald

community, joining just before

winter break. In photography

class his bald head makes for

a great reflector when angling

light in different directions.

Dear East Chapel Hill,

By Will Pazzula

Staff Writer

Here at the ECHO, we pride

ourselves on the innovation

we’ve made in the field of

complaining, and yet, we are

sad to announce that the East

Chapel Hill Observer has

finally run out of complaints

with East.

Sure, we could make

another “witty” satire about

e-hallpass or get one of our

reporters to churn out another

column about how bad the

bathrooms are. However, we

value the art of complaining

too much to do such a thing.

We understand that

complaining is the heart and

soul of East, and are hoping

that the public will be valiant

enough to carry the torch

going forward. We get that

this decision will be hard on

the people of East, but we

encourage you to keep the

spirit of complaining alive.

Though this announcement

is a hard one to make, it’s far

from the end. The ECHO will

still make sure to deliver you

“Breaking Complaints” the

moment they happen. While

the things to moan about have

run dry, we will stay vigilant

to make sure no future ones

slip past us.

Additionally, we at the

ECHO are proud to announce

a new service to help us help

you; the Official ECHO

Complaint Department. Now,

you can help contribute to

school spirit by signing up

for one of our many paid

jobs, such as bathroom

wrecker, e-hallpass spammer,

annoying hall monitor and

lunch vaper. Note that we

embrace flexibility here, and

are open to alternate ways of

opening up complaints, so if

you think you have what it

takes, sign up at [Hammond

pls add link here].

We hope that all of you at

East Chapel Hill are pleased

with this announcement, or

at the very least, annoyed

enough to complain about it.

Sincerely, the ECHO

*The stories on this Satire page are works of fiction,

intended as commentary on events and issues at East.

The quotes and details are entirely made up.

SPORTS

Baseball’s new rules

By Max Winzelberg

Staff Writer

I have tried countless

times to get my friends to

go to a baseball game with

me, whether it be a UNC or

Durham Bulls game. Each

time they give me the same

response: ‘It’s so boring’ or ‘It’s

just so long.’

Both are fair complaints

as the average Major League

Baseball (MLB) game took

just over three hours in 2022.

As someone who cannot sit

and watch a soccer game

for 90 minutes, it would be

hypocritical to say I don’t

understand how baseball can

be boring.

However, this year the MLB

has made a few key changes

that have garnered generally

positive reviews.

The shifts, aimed at making

baseball faster and more action

packed, include a pitch timer,

defensive shift restrictions and

bigger bases.

Now, if a pitcher takes too

long to get into his windup, it

is an automatic ball. The same

rule applies for batters. If a

batter takes too long to get set,

it is an automatic strike.

These rules are undeniably

good for baseball. According

to Axios, youth baseball

participation peaked in the

1990s and ever since has been

decreasing at a rate of about 3

percent per year. Furthermore,

MLB TV ratings have also

been steadily decreasing for

the past half century. In an age

dominated by short, exciting

forms of media, a three-hour

baseball game isn’t the most

marketable.

The new changes should

only be the start for the MLB

as the league looks to compete

in an increasingly competitive

media landscape. Even with

the current changes, the MLB

is likely to have some of the

lowest engagement among

the youth. The league needs

to continue to explore changes

that bring out the excitement of

baseball without compromising

what makes it special. If they

are able to do so, it will ensure

the health of the game we all

love for generations to come.

How and why I ran the Tar Heel 10 Miler

By Linda Li

Staff Writer

One step, another step, I

was so close to the finish line.

People were cheering, yelling,

and screaming around me.

But I couldn’t hear anything, I

was breathing so hard and my

mind was zoning out. When I

crossed the finish line, joy and

satisfaction surrounded me. I

felt water running down my

face, but I couldn’t tell if it was

tears or sweat. That was when I

realized I did it, I finished the Tar

Heel 10 Miler!

Around three months ago

my dad encouraged me to sign

up for Tar Heel 10 Miler. He is

a semi-professional marathon

runner; he runs almost every

single day and has completed

all kinds of marathons around

the world.

He is my idol when it comes

to running, though I rarely run

with him the longest distance

I could run was only 5k. But

my dad encouraged me, saying

that the marathon gene is in my

blood, so if I practiced enough,

it would be a piece of cake for

me to complete the Tar Heel

10 Miler.

That was when my nightmare

started. From the second I signed

up, I was forced to participate in

his “training from hell.” I needed

to run at least three times a

week. Sometimes I had to wake

up at 5 a.m. to run or run after

an exhausting school day. But

either way, every single part of

my muscles hurt.

My training plan was to start

running from 5k and increase

by one kilometer every day.

At least one interval per week

means running as fast as I can,

then walking for a little and

running again until I am close

to passing out.

The training plan went “well”

for a couple of months until one

day when I was running in Bolin

Creek, I accidentally stepped

on a sycamore fruit and twisted

my ankle. (I swear it was an

accident.)

I was forced to stop the

training plan. Deep down I was

relieved that I could finally wake

up as late as I wanted and my

body wouldn’t feel like someone

punched me a million times. I

happily went back to my lazy

life without training. Or did I?

As the time came closer to the

competition, I felt more anxious

and guilty for not training. Was

my lazy lifestyle the life I wanted

to live in? Or did I enjoy waking

up early and being productive?

I can’t give an answer yet,

but I started running again. It

was only two weeks before the

competition. I started doubting

myself, thinking I was too slow

or that 10 miles

is too long. My

dad soon gave

me a solution

to that. By the

time it was

only a week

before the

actual date,

my dad and his

running friends

ran 12 miles with me together to

get used to the route. It helped

me feel more confident and

more prepared.

On April 21, the big day came

quietly. It was just a normal

Saturday for anyone else, but

that’s the day when I ran my

very first long distance running

competition.

After the 10 seconds

countdown and the gunshot,

over 5,000 people around me

started running together. It was

“That was when my

nightmare started.

From the second I

signed up, I was forced

to participate in his

‘training from hell.’”

a miracle scene seeing that many

people blocking Franklin St.

Even though my dad could

probably run much faster, he

was by my side and coaching

me, encouraging me, telling me

stories. With him by my side, I

felt so safe and confident.

With so many great runners

on my side and the audience

cheering aside the road, they

all motivated me. I felt tired

but kept running. Even at the

last mile when

there was an

extremely

steep hill, when

most people

just started

walking, my

dad and I never

stopped.

Then that

was it. After

looking forward to it for

months, in an hour and fortynine

minutes, I finished.

When my friends and my

family hugged and cheered for

me at the finish line, I knew all

the training was worth it.

If I go back to three months

ago, I could never imagine

myself running 10 miles. But

now, here I am. I can finally call

myself a runner and I know for

sure that running is a part of my

life now.

Senior Assassins 2023 drives seniors to extremes

By Ananya Cox & Jane Kim

Staff Writers

“Unintentionally, I was a rat. I

was the reason why two people

got out. [There’s] nothing I can

do about it, but it’s something

I am going to have to live with

from now on.”

This sentiment, from

Senior Assassins participant

Arjun Deshmukh, reflects the

emotional intensity the game

has generated among many

East seniors.

The rules are simple. Once

you receive your target through

an ominous email, try to tag

them with a spoon of your

choice to get them disqualified

from the game. In return, you

now have to hunt down your

former target’s target and so on,

until you (hopefully) are the last

one standing.

The fun began April 18

and has continued well into

May. You may have seen

seniors chasing each other

throughout the student parking

lot or waiting to ambush their

friends outside trailers. “Run

for it!” was a common phrase

in the first few days of action,

followed by sprints through

traffic or school grounds.

In the beginning, momentum

was fast, with seniors waking

up at six in the morning to

stake out targets’ houses and

participants getting out by the

double digits.

“I had a really rough time

with Senior Assassins. I got out

[the] first day. It happened by

me trying to run after someone

else, but I can’t run, so I just

got caught, and someone who

had a torn ACL outran me,”

Sofia Georgallis said. “I was

really sad for a couple hours,

but honestly, I [didn’t] want

to be on edge anymore. I’m

kind of happy that I got out,

even though it was really

embarrassing.”

As time went on, many of

the assassinations became

borderline cruel. Hopes were

crushed, friendships were

strained and tensions were high.

“It hurt, oh my god, I let my

guard down for one second,

and then immediately [got]

tagged,” Sabrina Shelby said,

after getting tagged by a friend.

“The whole day I was on edge,

and then the second I [think]

I’m safe, I get tagged in my car.

Such bull----.”

After the first two days when

almost half of all participants

were eliminated from the

pool by cutthroat competitors,

seniors began to step up their

games. This included staking

out in front of homes in the

morning, in cars after school,

and memorizing class schedules.

As of now, a little over a month

into the competition, there are

a half dozen seniors left, an

exponential shrink leaving just

one to walk away with the over-

$200 prize.

Seniors have Lenore Bronson

and Dillon McCafferty to thank

for organizing this end-ofthe-year

event and running

the Instagram account @

echseniorassassin23 to keep

students updated on the status of

their peers and the lengths they

were willing to go to in order

to get a step closer to victory.

When Bronson heard from

student body president Julianne

Reynolds earlier in the year that

student council was planning

on running the event and

beginning it during the last

week of school, she spoke

with friends and offered to

both run the competition and

to hold it sooner, anticipating

that competition would take

weeks. Now toward the end

of the event, Bronson reflects

positively.

“Generally, I feel like it’s been

really fun and unproblematic…

[as] kind of [a] nice distraction

toward the end of the school

year,” Bronson said. “The

Instagram has been a lot to

manage…but I feel like it’s

really fun and people have

been really interactive with it,

and I feel like that’s the whole

point of Senior Assassins, is that

everyone is…involved.”

This feeling was shared

by other Senior Assassins

participants, regardless of

original issues of the game

restarting.

“I do think that it was really

well organized, they did a

great job of collecting all the

money, and information was

very clear,” Shelby said. “I

mean, there was one mistake,

and then it was immediately

fixed!”

In a school trying to raise

Courtesy of

@echseniorassassin23

school spirit, East seniors

organized some fun and chaos

to take some stress away from

thoughts of the future.

“Overall, it was really fun and

a good experience,” Georgallis

said. “It was really funny to see

everyone running around the

school in ski masks.”

16 SPORTS May 2023

A year of sports, in review

By Ben Parry & Max Winzelberg

Staff Writers

Football ended the year on

a promising note with two

straight wins over Chatham

Central and Cedar Ridge.

Furthermore, the 43-28

win over Chatham Central

represented their first win

since 2019.

The 2023 season brings new

challenges for the team as they

experience a full slate of DAC-

VII conference games for the

first time. There is reason for

optimism as the team brings

back a young core of eager

athletes.

Max Winzelberg/The ECHO

East’s fall sports featured

three teams winning conference

championships.

Girls’ tennis finished 18-2,

with a perfect 12-0 conference

record. The team returns five

out of six starters for a promising

2023 campaign.

Boys’ soccer had a very

successful 2022 season finishing

11-1 in the conference and 19-3

Fall

Ben Parry/The ECHO

overall. The team was led by

seniors Ethan Herzog and Lucas

Mann, who finished with 22 and

19 goals respectively.

Girls’ Cross Country won

both the DAC-VII conference

and the 4A Mid-East regionals

this year. The team was led

by seniors Margaret Sept and

Sofia Cagnogi and had five allconference

runners.

All-Conference Awards

Soccer:

Ethan Herzog, Lucas Mann,

Finn Harris, Jon Grabowski

Field Hockey:

Sarah Aufdenspring,

Morgan Kern, Caroline

Whitaker, Mason Purcell,

Linda Wang, Redding Grimes

Golf:

Sophia Oh, Mason Lenn

Tennis:

Mya Tan, Kylie Wade,

Sylvia Mast, Clara Mast

Volleyball:

Lucy Murphy, Kiryn Paine-

Heise

Cross County:

Margaret Sept, Tessa Mead,

Sofia Cagnoni, Yara Sinnott,

Catherine Hilton, Bertie Turner

Ben Parry/The ECHO

Other Sports Awards

Soccer player of the year:

Ethan Herzog

All-state, all-region, conference

player of the year:

Lucas Mann

Field hockey offensive player

of the year:

Morgan Kern

Field Hockey defensive

player of the year:

Caroline Whitaker

Female Cross Country runner

of the year:

Margaret Sept

All-Conference Awards

Basketball:

Isaiah Styron,

Dillon McCafferty

Swimming:

Isabel Wolk, Audrey Wolk,

Margaret Sept, Lauren Roberts

Lucas Li, Cooper Nicholson,

John Zhang, Alex Nelson

Diving:

Serena Cui, Jack Adler

The boys’ basketball team

finished with an even 12-12

record, which did not grant the

Wildcats a playoff berth, but

the season was not without joy

or success.

After dropping the first

game of the two game series

This year’s boys’ lacrosse

team finished with a 11-6 overall

record and 5-1 conference

record, which was good enough

for a second place conference

finish and playoff berth.

Wrestling:

Franklin Johnson, Asher Yao

Other Sports Awards

Boys’ swimmer of the year:

Lucas Li

Boys’ diver of the year:

Jack Adler

Girls’ swimmer of the year:

Audrey Wolk

at Chapel Hill, the team

rebounded with a 46-38 win

at home Feb. 7.

Furthermore, the team

played spoiler to Hillside’s

conference championship

hopes in a 49-42 victory Jan.

27.

The team featured stout

individual accomplishments as

senior Harrison Yost scored his

100th career goal and senior Jon

Grabowski reached his 400th

career faceoff win.

Max Winzelberg/The ECHO

Winter

Spring

Richard Li/The ECHO

Courtesy of Phil Stapleton

Keira McArthur/The ECHO


This year’s wrestling team criteria Jan. 19.

managed to win its first The team represented the

conference championship spirit of tenacity present

ever, defeating Chapel Hill by throughout Wildcat athletics.


Athlete Commitments

Ian Manns

Soccer, Case Western

Dillon McCafferty

Basketball, Skidmore College

Elena Oh

Women’s Lacrosse, Colorado

Ben Parry

Football, Guilford College

Eddie Revels

Football, Bluffton University

Charles Shaw

Men’s Lacrosse, Lynn University

Linda Wang

Track & Field, Emory

Zach Wernowski

Baseball, Randolph Macon College

The ECHO, May 2023

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