The originality of human artworks is in a increasing conflict with the uprising of AI.
October 6, 2023
STAMPEDE
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Metea Valley High School's Student News Magazine
12 AI changes Views on Art 15 Halloween Movie Reviews 16 One Piece Review
4 Girls Athletic Locker Rooms 6 School Crowding
{{page}} October 6, 2023
The Stampede {{page}}
PRINT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OLLIE SHUMINAS ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TANAY PANT MANAGING EDITOR SARAH HOLZMAN MULTIMEDIA EDITOR VENKATA SRI SAIVEER CHELLIBOYINA NEWS EDITOR ISABELLE LEOFANTI NEWS REPORTS EMILY PENA ISABELLA SIEBEN LILY SENESE ZAINAB ALKHATEEB SPORTS EDITOR JAKE SONETZ SPORTS REPORTERS ALANNA BUCHER CHARLES DAVIDSON CARLOS SANCHEZ XAVIER DELGADO SPOTLIGHT EDITOR LINDSEY HALL SPOTLIGHT REPORTERS AZZAYA BATTSOGT DHIYA ASHLYN DHAYA SHARMILA MANSI PAYAL NARAYANAN RITIKA KHURANA PERSPECTIVES WRITERS ISABELLE PETERS RYDER PRESTON BROWN RAYMA MILLER WILLIAM DONOFRIO MANSI BAJAJ PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR KAYLA CLARK PHOTOGRAPHERS ELLIOTT MACIAS-TORRES SAM PATIL GRAPHICS EDITOR AVA STONE GRAPHICS DESIGNERS JORDAN JONES LUISA CHERSONI BERNARDINO
HEADLINES
SPORTS
18 Sports Financial Strain 19 Sports Injuries Affect Metea's Athletes 20 Balancing Sports and School
ART CORNER
22 Vision in Bloom 23 Observational Desk Drawing
SPOTLIGHT
The Stampede is produced by and for the students of Metea Valley High School and is distributed six times per year. The Stampede also publishes content on meteamedia.org. A copy of the editorial policy can be found on Metea Media. Letters to the editor, news tips, advertisement inquiries, and corrections can be sent to mvstampede1@gmail.com. The Stampede / Metea Valley High School 1801 N. Eola Road, Aurora, IL 60502
8 Post High School Opportunities 9 Switching to a School Mindset 10 School Spending Money Responsibly
3 New Blended Areas
BLENDED AREAS ARE A POSITIVE ADDITION THE BUILDING
EDITORIAL BOARD THE STAMPEDE With the commencement of the new school year, the building has received many renovations. The most notable of these is the addition of blended areas where lockers once stood. These new spaces offer students rest and comfort before, during, and after the school day, giving them access to comfy chairs and desks where before students sat uncomfortably between rows of lockers. For students who need a convenient place to do their schoolwork, speak to peers, or simply distress, these areas represent a positive change. If administrators continue to renovate the school to the needs of the students as they have here, Metea will continue to live up to its mission of being a safe and welcoming place for all students. elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd
PERSPECTIVES
EDITORIAL
The addition of comfortable seating and work stations to each class house area represents a positive shift in Metea’s atmosphere. PHOTOGRAPH BY: AVA STONE
GRAPHIC BY: OLLIE SHUMINAS
Locker rooms are kept shut and only opened between a strict set of hours. Students, especially the girls, have to rely on staff to enter the locker rooms quick enough to allow for adequate amount of time to change before the bell. PHOTOGRAPH BY: ELLIOTT MACIAS-TORRES
Delayed opening of girls locker room upsets female athletes
ISABELLA SIEBEN & LILY SENESE NEWS REPORTERS Women athletes spend a adaquate amount of time in their morning outside of the girls locker room waiting for it to open. However, the boys locker room is typically open prior to when they arrive. While many of the male coaches and teachers are at the school before the start of classes to utilize the weight room to work out, women coaches and teachers on the other hand are typically not at school as early. Student athletes, specifically girls, question why the boys locker room is open when they arrive. The girls locker room however is always locked and is perceived as an inconvenience for the teachers if asked to be open. This has been on-going issue ever since a fight occurring in the girls locker room back in 2018. Athletic Director Matt Fehrmann explained the protocols and rules which were implemented to hopefully prevent an event like that from happening in the future. “We had to start locking the boys and girls locker room making sure it was supervised. The teachers have a contract that doesn't start until 7:10. So I can't force anybody otherwise I'm breaking union contract for anybody to come help supervise” Fehrmann said. “I worked with Mr. DeBruycker and Mr. Tomzack in July on who we could get there at seven to open the locker rooms. So we got a DA working in there Monday through Thursday at 7:10.” Many female athletes are aware of the fact that a good amount of girls who are in the locker room are not part of Metea Athletics. However, the athletes who utilize the locker rooms for athletic purposes have continually suffered the consequenses caused by the 2018 incident. “If we didn't put these policies in place and we just left the locker rooms open, students would be doing things that shouldn't be happening in there. So we had to put procedures in place for safety purposes” explained Fehrmann. “If we were reactive again, someone would probably get hurt. There could be drugs, alcohol, or something along the lines like that.” On occasion, there are mornings female athletes need to make up tests, get extra help, or talk to a teacher, counselor, coach etc.. As the locker rooms are not being open earlier in the mornings females have to carry their bags with them throughout the day or wait in the line till the locker room opens and risk being late to class. “I get people who are frustrated and it's not that people are all upset, they're mad. But since it’s not convenient and isn't right, that’s what I usually hear about it from parents, athletes, coaches, teachers, and we try to make it right.” While these issues may be an annoying inconvenience for female athletes, we as a student body and as female athletes have to understand the circumstances and accommodate the requests being asked of us. “We’re just trying to keep everybody safe. And that's our number one goal.”
We had to take attendance on day one, two and six and report as a stat. Daniel DeBruycker
DESPITE THE CROWDED HALLS, METEA IS NOT THAT OVERPOPULATED
GRAPHIC BY: JORDAN JONES
Zainab Alkhateeb NEWS REPORTER Metea Valley is congested with students. The building is relatively new compared to the other high schools in our area. Despite the innovative engineering and design of the school, students are experiencing slow and congested stairwells and hallways during passing periods. The stairs are crucial to getting to and from the second floor, they are constantly crowded with students. Regardless of the jammed stairwells during the five minute time block of the passing period, many students end up late to class due to a faultless situation. According to ELA resource teacher Elizabeth Carnahan, there are many options to handle this issue. “There are a lot of students, but I do think that we do have a lot of students with space to explore. So do not necessarily think overpopulated,” says Carnahan. As school was designed to hold 3,000 students, the school has an adequate amount of space to work with to cooperate with the given situation,” As a matter of fact, Metea does have the space to disperse. “I think that we can probably use space a little better. As a teacher, I think they can hire more teachers so they can spread more students into different classes.” As another option, Carnahan expressed the idea of changing the purpose of the staircases. ¨I have seen some schools that have one stairway going up and one staircase that goes down which helps the traffic go all the same direction. While this could be helpful, with the layout of the school, I am not sure if it will work particularly well so we would have to investigate that further,¨ Carnahan said. According to the Principal Daniel DeBruycker, Metea Valley currently has 2,832 students for the 2023-2024 school year. ¨We had to take attendance on day one, two and six and report as a stat,¨ said DeBruycker. “From my understanding when I watched the boundary change from the school board a couple of years ago, is 3000 students. How many people are at home with 3000 students plus its members involved so probably 30s3375 around 3400 total and it's to be determined when the boundary changes were done,” said DeBruycker. Another reason for the increased school population is the greater number of families coming in from different countries due to wars overseas. “The number of students coming to speak different languages in different countries. It is pretty fast. And they are going to support them in a different way to staffing to support these families that are moving in. So they think the boundary changes did disperse a couple of students to Metea Valley, but overall it has not impacted our population very much. We are down, maybe 70 students are overpopulated,” “Like too many kids it's pretty tight. “We are worried about adding classrooms and other schools that have you outside mobiles and things like that. We don't want to exceed 3000. We love our population.¨
PHOTOGRAPH BY: SAM PATIL
Switching to a school mindset often diminishes carefree summer relaxation and leaves students with lots on their minds. GRAPHIC BY: AVA STONE
Ritika Khurana SPOTLIGHT REPORTER
During the summer, kids love to stay awake until late at night, sleep through the day, and relax without any thoughts of school or homework on their minds. However, when the school year starts, students are thrown into a tiring 7-hour daily schedule of learning and working, not to mention extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and their jobs. As students get further in their education, the actual homework assignments and lesson plans start closer to the beginning of the school year. Senior Ria Mishra even emphasizes that she had multiple assessments in only the second week of school. "We had a quiz on Monday and then even just like this first week, you'd think we'd be learning stuff, but I had a test on Thursday," Mishra said. "Then I had a quiz and a test on Friday so pretty much they didn't even gradually go in." On top of schoolwork, students also have college applications, standardized testing, and after-school activities. These take up a large amount of time, especially for upperclassmen during the beginning of the school year. "In terms of a couple of clubs, I have high-level positions now, but then on top of that, now I have college apps to do," said Mishra. "I have not done much because I’ve been trying to get back into the school stuff because I’m not used to having this much homework.” Sophomore Claire Johnson agrees, also highlighting that she has to make large adjustments for the beginning of the school year. “I typically spend a lot of nights during the summer up late till 1 a.m. in my basement, either sewing, working on other craft projects, or playing video games,” Johnson said. “So, I had to start setting myself timers to be like okay, this is when I have to go to bed.” Like how Johnson uses timers as reminders, the problems with transitioning from summer into a mindset fit for learning can be solved with a seemingly simple solution: a routine. “I would say it’s a slow transition, maybe like a week before, start preparing your body with getting to bed a bit earlier,” said Victory House School Counselor Bob Vozza. “I think organization and routine is important, but I think it’s different for every student.” Tanvi Gorani, a junior, encourages students to find their own unique routine that works for them. “It depends on the type of person you are because the same advice doesn’t go for everyone,” Gorani said. “If you’re a person that has a really just straightforward mindset, just do it, [but] if you’re a person who needs a plan, build a plan.” While many students find themselves worried about the start of the school year, a positive mindset allows students to slow down and adjust their mindset to the onset of schoolwork. “A lot of people are under stress from themselves, their classes, and their parents, so just manage your time,” said Gorani. “Work hard, play hard, and enjoy life.”
GRAPHIC BY: AVA STONE
students OFTEN STRUGGLE WITH SWITCHING OT A SCHOOL MINDSET
LINDSEY HALL SPOTLIGHT EDITOR As college application deadlines begin to approach, the topic of college has been heavily discussed among students. However, there are many post-secondary opportunities outside of four-year colleges and universities, such as the workforce, military, and community college. Two-year colleges, also known as community colleges, are a popular route students select after high school. College of Dupage, Waubonsee Community College, and Joliet Junior College are the most commonly attended, though there are in-state and out-of-state alternatives. Students can earn an associate's degree or degree in a specific trade, as well as transfer to a four-year college. Department chair for counseling Darcy Hutzler recommends that students explore the advantages of community college. “I really encourage students to check out that option of the two-year college, both for the academic benefits as well as financial benefits,” Hutzler said. “Students can get an associate's degree and then enter the workforce right away, or even go into a certification program, such as Radiology and some health care positions.” Additionally, Community college offers experiences similar to those at four-year universities. Students can study abroad, get involved in athletics, and participate in clubs and activities. College of Dupage also has programs that connect interested students to four year universities, such as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign engineering program, and the Lewis University nursing program. Senior Helena Garcia is planning on attending a four-year university this upcoming fall. However, she is aware of the beneficial opportunities community colleges provide for students, especially College of Dupage. “I have been told about all the great programs and events at [College of Dupage], and I am really glad that I have that option,” Garcia said. “A four-year university gets me to where I want to go sooner, and that is why it feels more appealing to me, but I understand that if I did need to take that path instead, it is also a great option.” The military is another route students take after high school. However, there are different pathways to becoming involved with the armed forces. Metea hosts recruiters during many lunch periods, and more connections can be found at the college and career center. Military academies and the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) are also different ways for students to participate in service. “Students interested in the military are encouraged to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test (ASVAB),” Hutzler said. “This gives them a better understanding of what areas of the military might be best suited for them.” Students looking to join the workforce can find information on specific trades in the college and career center, as well as utilize SchooLinks and the Metea Valley Counseling website to find more information. Juniors and seniors can also participate in the Technology Center of Dupage (TCD) elective program, to take classes on jobs such as culinary arts, fire science, and cosmetology. While students may feel pressure to determine their next steps right away, there is still time to make decisions about the future. Senior Maille Heaton reminds current seniors that they still have the opportunity to explore and find college and career paths that best suit them. “Sometimes I feel like we expect all students to go to a fancy school,” Heaton said. Even though I do not know what I want to do with my future, I felt like I needed to know right away, which is not true. adipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. 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Four year colleges and universities are not the only post secondary plans for students
The school recently replaced unused lockers for blended and access areas. PHOTOGRAPH BY: SAM PATIL
GRAPHIC BY: SAM PATIL
The school spends its money responsibly with the student's interests at heart
Mansi Payal Narayan & Dhiya Ashlyn Dhaya Sharmila SPOTLIGHT REPORTER Metea Valley recently removed the unused locker banks throughout the top floor, replacing them with the new blended/access hubs to establish a space for students to spend their free periods productively. However, students have contrasting opinions on the new installment. Students are not aware of the true process of the school’s money management. The process of the schools money management starts with the established budget set by the school district. The district provides money per student, and the higher-ups tediously plan to ensure school needs are taken care of. They create accounts for each department and guess how much money each student needs based on the requirements of last year. The amount of money issued for each project is conditional on how many students and teachers the project affects. “We will collaborate with the department chairs, administration and other leaders in the building to utilize the budget in an equitable manner,” Principal Dan DeBruycker said. A new project that Metea undertook was installing the new blended/access hubs. According to DeBruycker, removing the lockers had been in the talks for five years. The plan to take down the lockers and make more space available was postponed due to the pandemic lockdown. The school started promoting more blended courses and hence needed more space. The school decided to take the step. “Last year we evaluated the budget, scope of the work and received district support to move forward,” DeBruckyer said. Most of the student body has differing opinions regarding the installment but many are positive. Senior Michelle Seby feels the new hub is very helpful during her blended classes compared to the other locations that are frequented. ”I think it is much better than the cafeteria which is too loud to do any work and you will see too many people," Seby said. “But it is also useful because you cannot really talk in the LMC so you could do small group work.” However, not everyone finds it the absolute best use of the school's money. Senior Jasmine Yamout feels that the blended/access hub was a creative idea, but not the most creative use of school funding. “There could have been other things that they could have used the money on, like activities and clubs, because I feel like clubs do not do not really do much,” Yamout said. Another common complaint is the quality of the food. Seby encourages the school to consider changing their food company and find healthier meal options. “I think the school should have better food,” Seby remarks. “I think they should have gotten a better food company. All the food options are either unhealthy or bad.” When considering teacher opinions, English teacher Megan Cherne, who teaches AP Language and World Literature and has a year of experience teaching blended classes, thinks that the space is necessary and a great accommodation. She mentions how most of her students last year would choose to stay in class when blended time was provided, as the places they were allowed to go were insufficient and unaccommodating workspaces. “There was not enough space for blended students last semester and so many of them were just staying in the room, which is not really what blended is supposed to be,” says Ms. Cherne. The money was well spent on the blended/access hubs according to Cherne. “This is needed. I think our school is moving, and education is moving, towards blended learning. And it is hard to be blended when you do not have space to blend out, so I think this space was needed at this time,” said Cherne. As for the overall money spent, students are pleased with the budget’s organization. Other areas such as the renovated gym floors and the new carpets have also received positive feedback from the student body. So far, the main complaints are centered around the food quality and funding for clubs. A majority of students find the new blended/access hub to be an efficient use of the school's money and a way which proves the organization in the school’s allocation of funding. sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. 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{{page}} October 4, 2023
The sad thing about artificial intelligence is that it lacks artifice and therefore intelligence Jean Baudrillard
Mansi Bajaj, Luisa Chersoni Bernardino PERSPECTIVES REPORTERS From a stone plate and a point chisel to taps on a keyboard, we write to say something. It’s always been a human who was in charge of producing a piece of work. And yet, no matter the materials used to make a story, the purpose of art never changes. Century after century, generation after generation, we have always written to communicate. Humanity has changed and improved their ways of sharing and communicating information. After millions of years, sounds became written languages used to record stories that still echo today. As these forms of communication evolve, the process evolves as well. Tools are a form of this evolution as they facilitate the creation of various pieces of art. For example, pen and paper create tangible records, and techniques allow for the individuality of a creation. Today, most writers use a computer, so digital footprints have replaced tangible reports. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), people can exercise little to no effort to produce any form of artwork. While a human needs to insert a prompt, it is the computer that gets to generate the idea. In this process, the role the human plays is greatly overshadowed by the role played by the tool. Tools have always been important in the creation of art, but is the tool more important than human expression? AI’s main objective is to continue the pattern made beforehand. Instead of there being a strict instruction manual for the device to follow, it contains the ability to recognize patterns and act upon them. It uses human works as templates and structures and bases its works on them. AI will always continue a pattern made beforehand. It uses human works as templates and structures its works on them. It is still something different even if human works were used to create it. This begs the question, is AI art original? Some would call the art original while others would call it a copy of previous works. This dichotomy exists as there is no person creating these items. While various other fields might celebrate this, an important aspect of art has always been the humanity within those creations. Is there really any humanity in a tool? There is no one behind them, no story. Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings were largely shaped by what he was going through at the time; he chose the colors and subjects of matter based on his decaying mental and physical health. With artificially generated works, that have no feelings or a life like a human being does, there is no emotion behind the work. There is no history or explanation to why it would make an article other than that someone commanded it to do such a thing. A chunk of what makes these works so special is missing. While tools made things easier to spread, it was the human idea that made the beautiful impact. AI can only replicate those patterns. Writers and artists do this too. They observe certain niches in other people’s work and try to implement it on their own. They do it with the intent of understanding another element of their field. There is a popular technique called “copywork”. It involves an author taking their favorite book and copying it word for word. As they do this, they foster a better understanding of the technicalities of a certain work as well as how to incorporate this technique into their work. If humans have been replicating these very processes themselves to create “original” pieces, what makes literature written by a computer so different from literature written by humans? Can people differentiate between work created by AI and work created by a human? The answer is yes, people can differentiate between work created by AI and humans. In a survey conducted by Metea Media, participants chose between two passages and picked what was written by an AI and what was written by a human. About 64% were able to accurately differentiate between the passages, but many might prefer artificial intelligence over the work of a person. About 44% of respondents stated they liked a passage written by AI more than one written by an author. While humans may produce art with intent, it does not mean a viewer needs to appreciate it. When an AI produced song, “Heart on My Sleeve,” was released, many thought it was a new song made by official artists. In reality, the sound was produced by AI. While a human is responsible for writing it, the sound of the song drew in many listeners. The AI did not have any intentional creative input, but people still liked the feeling the AI produced. People admire many objects/scenarios made without a purpose. Some will purposefully wake up earlier to see the sunrise. Nature does not paint the sky with hues of orange with a purpose; it simply does. Sometimes, things do not need intent to be beautiful. .
The use of artificial intelligence technologies are becoming increasingly common and are overshadowing the originality of human works. 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
Human art clashes with ai art
COVER STORY
GRAPHIC BY: LUISA CHERSONI BERNARDINO
Anthony Hildreth - “My favorite Halloween movie is Halloween. Michael Myers is iconic and he is really good at stabbing and it is really funny to see him walking around and catching up with everybody”
Mrigisha Shukla - “I really like Barbarian. Without getting into spoilers, it had a really big plot twist and then it had another really big plot twist and it just kept you on edge all the time”
Rishvanth Amsaraj - “Chucky [Child’s Play] is unique because they tried to combine horror with comedy and it actually worked. There’s a doll called Chucky and it just keeps killing people”
Nicolas Carrier - “My favorite Halloween movie is The Conjuring because it has a lot of jump scares and it has a really good story”
VENKATA SRI SAIVEER CHELLIBOYINA MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Aditi Gharpure - “My favorite Halloween movie is Hocus Pocus. It's just a classic movie and I can keep watching it a lot especially doing movie marathons with my friends during Halloween”
Johanne Son - “My favorite Halloween movie is probably Get Out by Jordan Peele cause it was suspenseful and it was kind of funny too. The plot twists were pretty good and the sound design was good as well."
METEA STUDENTS SHARE THEIR BELOVED HALLOWEEN MOVIES
Live-Action 'One Piece' Series A Treasure Worth Discovering in the World of Adaptations
JORDAN JONES GRAPHIC DESIGNER The infamous show “One Piece” has been positively glorified due to its constant repetition in episodes and interstellar plot. As of Aug 31, Netflix released a live-action adaptation and has received amazing reviews based on its compact story-telling, precise casting, and outstanding quality within the episodes; surprisingly, it is now one of the most highly rated shows on Netflix. Netflix is known to do a poor job truly transforming an anime into a live-action, based on its previous projects like “Death Note,” “Fullmetal Alchemist,” or even an obscure adaptation like “Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins.” However, this changed when the “One Piece” live-action series got fully pulled through production. The live action “One Piece” compacts up to 45 episodes of the anime, and does a brilliant job of retelling the in-depth story in only eight episodes, each almost an hour long. The story covers the main character, Luffy, as he embarks on his journey on becoming the King of the Pirates. Luffy goes through hardships and inevitable defeat as he goes on many other quests throughout his ultimate journey of becoming King of the Pirates. As a fan of the original series, “One Piece”, the Netflix live-action adaptation does a perfect job showing how each member represents a certain aspect of freedom. Each character demonstrates their own way of living freely, whether that is becoming the King of the Pirates, or simply striving to become the greatest within their own world. With this new addition of the series, the “One Piece” live-action has the most addicting way of grasping the audience. The casting of the show is very well-thought; a character named “Usopp” is one of the most accurate casting within the whole series. Usopp’s costume design is well done, and is the most noticeably accurate in the live-action. The live-action also does a great job connecting one minor event to another without fixing the story overwhelmingly; a shocking connection relates to the correlation between the “One Piece” and how it is tied with the minor characters in the story. “One Piece” sets many examples and life lessons throughout the lovable characters in the show, and the live-action helps you engage and attach to the characters; these could vary with characters like Usopp, who resonates with bravery, or Zoro, who sets an example of loyalty and dedicated based on his constant display of strength in the world of “One Piece.” With the live-action adaptation of “One Piece” covering the first beginning events within the infamous anime, the adaptation is a great way to commence into the journey of the highly rated anime, “One Piece."
Student athletes powering through injuries
HOW MONEY RUINED THE YOUTH SPORTS INDUSTRY IN AMERICA
A stretcher is brought on the field following an injury to a Plainfield Central running back. PHOTO BY: CHARLES DAVIDSON
CHARLES DAVIDSON & WILLIAM DONOFRIO SPORTS REPORTER & PERSPECTIVES REPORTER Nothing will quiet a rowdy student section faster than seeing a team member crumble down onto the field in pain. Sports injuries can have a profound effect on a student athlete's personal life. Being on the field in hopes of popularity, scholarships, and even a shot at the professional level are all put into doubt when the injury occurs, making the pain hurt even more. “I went to lead block and as I planted my foot to block my knee twisted the wrong way and I tore my ACL,” said Junior football player Jake Macleod. Many know a severe injury like a torn ACL ends an athlete’s season, but it also impacts a student off the field. The mental toll an injury can have on a student athlete can be intense. “It limits the things I can do with friends and family. After the surgery I will be even more limited,” Macleod said, “Not being able to do what you love is even worse than the pain of the injury. It just puts you in a bad mood and not as motivated or happy.” Long-term injuries can also influence the team as a whole, as coaches need to make alterations to game plans and strategies to compete. Junior cheerleader Lillian Wisch knows the issues her meniscus tear could create for the team. ”I feel it's affecting my team because they have had to change people in and out of my spot, which can be hard when you don't work well with making changes everyday,” Wisch said. Still, these athletes trust their teammates to have their backs and step into the roles they left behind. “I believe in my teammates to bounce back and have a great season regardless of who is on the field,” Macleod said, “We have spent all offseason working and everyone is ready at any time to fight for each other.” Despite going through a tough moment in their lives, these injured Mustangs maintain hope for the future and their long rehab process. “I will have that much more time to get better. A setback is only a setup for a comeback,” Macleod said. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. 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CARLOS SANCHEZ SPORTS REPORTER It is very expensive to be a young athlete in America. Parents are having to spend thousands of dollars a year for their kids to participate in sports. Meanwhile in Europe, being in a youth soccer academy team is free. So why is America’s youth sports industry different? With the American youth sports industry generating more than $15 billion annually and nearly a quarter of American families spend more than $12 thousand a year on youth sports per child, many families have said that youth sports are a “financial strain” for them. For those in low socioeconomic areas, it is much harder for their athlete to get into a good college. The rising cost of youth sports has made an economic split between the average-income homes and the lower-income homes. While many people would say that sports are a great way to get into college for those in low-income households, still only 1% of all high school athletes receive athletic scholarships, leaving the rest of the 99% of athletes to rely on academic scholarships. So why is Europe’s sports industry any different that America’s? Well, the hard truth is that most development programs in America only care about money. While creating and forging talent is also a large added bonus, the most important thing to those programs is the money. For example, in Europe, the youth soccer academies dedicate themselves to create talented players that can eventually be bought by larger-known professional soccer teams. Meanwhile in America, according to a study done by the Aspen Project in 2018, the percentage of kids participating in a sport went down 45% since 2008. And while one of the reasons were injuries, it was mostly the money to blame. Not enough families could afford keeping their kid in the sport. The youth sports industry’s economic growth has and will keep rising over the years, and is expected to reach $77.5 billion by 2026 globally, according to Forbes. For many, the rising economic growth of the sports industry poses a large barrier for kids from low-income households to participate and give time and energy to their desired sport. And with the 99% of athletes that rely on academic scholarships, they have put a lot of those factors into their sports, depending on their passion for the sport. The amount of energy a student athlete has dictates what they spend their time on, pressuring them to choose to pursue either school or sports.
Balancing school and sports can sometimes be frustrating, but the many possible rewards incentivize finding an equilibrium.
GRAPHIC BY: RYDER PRESTON BROWN
Managing school and sports is difficult, but rewarding
CHARLIE DAVIDSON & RYDER PRESTON BROWN SPORTS REPORTERS After a long day at school, and having to wake up to the mechanical beeps of their 5:30 alarms, many high school students love to come home and crash. Turning on the TV or scrolling through their favorite social media page is the reset they need before diving into their homework. But for student athletes, maintaining sports and academics is a tiring process that offers little time for breaks. Metea Valley senior wide receiver Atif Mohamed knows the struggle of a student athlete trying to maintain strong grades, athletic performance, and mental health. Enrolled in 4 AP classes, along with a couple of honors courses, Mohamed often has to hit the books after hitting the field. “When I get home I go straight to homework,” Mohamed says, “I can’t really chill out at all. But I’m committed to helping our team win, and that’s what it takes”. Now entering his fourth season with the Mustangs, finding the nonstop rhythm is getting easier. Still, there is a great deal of focus that goes into being successful each day. “Usually I just take it one step at a time and focus on the task at hand at each moment,” Mohamed said. While Mohamed has been able to be successful in both aspects of being a student athlete, the 2022 NCAA Student-Athlete Well-Being Study displays that not everyone has the same success in their daily approach. Of the 9,808 student athletes surveyed, 22% of men and 38% of women reported feeling mentally exhausted. Additionally, 36% of men and 42% of women did not feel positive or very positive about their ability to keep up with classes. These statistics have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and while resources have been established to help, most athletes don’t feel comfortable using them. The same survey details that 63% of male student athletes and 69% of female student athletes know where to go with mental health concerns, but only 46% of these men and 48% of women feel comfortable taking advantage of the resources. Though it is difficult to admit help might be needed, being at your best mentally and athletically is crucial to maintaining the daily life of a student athlete. “With that extra workload on top of the long practices you’ve been having, it’s definitely something you have to keep up with,” Mohamed says, “But it’s manageable if you do it right.” Student athletes may feel swamped in their daily lives, but taking advantage of resources when needed and making both school and sports a priority can go a long way in staying ahead of the game.
“When I get home I go straight to homework,” Mohamed says, “I can’t really chill out at all. But I’m committed to helping our team win, and that’s what it takes”. Now entering his fourth season with the Mustangs, finding the nonstop rhythm is getting easier. Still, there is a great deal of focus that goes into being successful each day. “Usually I just take it one step at a time and focus on the task at hand at each moment,” Mohamed said. While Mohamed has been able to be successful in both aspects of being a student athlete, the 2022 NCAA Student-Athlete displays that not everyone has the same success in their daily approach. Of the 9,808 student athletes surveyed, 22% of men and 38% of women reported feeling mentally exhausted. Additionally, 36% of men and 42% of women did not feel positive or very positive about their ability to keep up with classes. These statistics have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and while resources have been established to help, most athletes don’t feel comfortable using them. The same survey details that 63% of male student athletes and 69% of female student athletes know where to go with mental health concerns, but only 46% of these men and 48% of women feel comfortable taking advantage of the resources. Though it is difficult to admit help might be needed, being at your best mentally and athletically is crucial to maintaining the daily life of a student athlete. Of the 9,808 student athletes surveyed, 22% of men and 38% of women reported feeling mentally exhausted. Additionally, 36% of men and 42% of women did not feel positive or very positive about their ability to keep up with classes. These statistics have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic, and while resources have been established to help, most athletes don’t feel comfortable using them. The same survey details that 63% of male student athletes and 69% of female student athletes know where to go with mental health concerns, but only 46% of these men and 48% of women feel comfortable taking advantage of the resources. Though it is difficult to admit help might be needed, being at your best mentally and athletically is crucial to maintaining the daily life of a student athlete. “With that extra workload on top of the long practices you’ve been having, it’s definitely something you have to keep up with,” Mohamed says, “But it’s manageable if you do it right.” Student athletes may feel swamped in their daily lives, but taking advantage of resources when needed and making both school and sports a priority can go a long way in staying ahead of the game.
VISIONS IN BLOOM SAM PATIL PHOTOGRAPHER
OBSERVATIONAL DESK DRAWING ELLIOTT MACIAS-TORRES PHOTOGRAPHER