“Stop GENDER DISCRIMINATION in debate,” reads the cover slide of the hit 2024 Instagram post by the Debate Hotline. This particular post collected (at the time of writing this article) a whopping 2,164 likes and 247 shares, making it probably one of the most notable moments of feminist activism in the high school debate space in recent years. 


Any debater with an Instagram account would likely recall the viral impact of this post. Across my feed, debaters of all genders shared the post, creating a powerful moment of solidarity. This moment mirrored activism in other competitive academic spaces — from the #WomenInSTEM movement addressing gender gaps in mathematics competitions to the Women’s Chess Initiative highlighting similar disparities in chess. Nonprofit organizations have proliferated across these disciplines, each focused on promoting gender equality in their respective activities. In debate specifically, feminism has become perhaps an integral movement. Yet despite this widespread activism, gender disparities persist across all these academic spaces. In mathematics, women still represent less than twenty-five percent of International Mathematical Olympiad participants. In chess, women account for just eleven percent of rated players worldwide. In debate, the disparity remains since the viral post. This raises a critical question that transcends any single discipline: Is our current approach to addressing gender discrimination in academic competitions actually effective?


To approach an answer, we can examine the Debate Hotline post and how the debate space handles inclusive activism. The post features quoted testimonies from female debaters describing misogynistic social encounters they have experienced: “At the Harvard tournament, I advanced in out-rounds. When a male friend of mine found out, he congratulated me by saying ‘have my babies,’” recounted one anonymous submission. Beyond these accounts, the post presents three key statistics: women are 18.8 percent less likely to win Varsity elimination rounds, 30 percent more likely to quit debate altogether, and notably absent from half of all national circuit finals. They end with a call-to-action urging debaters to sign a petition that demands the NSDA to implement mandatory judge bias training. 


The message of the post reflects the message of the overall feminist movement in debate: biased judging leads to female debaters losing rounds, which drives them out of the activity, ultimately hurting their academic and life opportunities. This rhetoric also follows through in Fem-Kritiks, a popular argument (usually made by female debaters) that urges the judge to drop the opposing team (usually male), and for the opposing team to forfeit the round. This is done in order to even out the win-loss disparity by addressing judge bias.


The problem with this widespread rhetoric is that it is only partially true; a closer look at Yi and Nie’s 2020 study “An Empirical Study of Gender Differences in Competitive High School Debate” reveals something crucial. In Varsity rounds, the study found “a large difference in win rates between teams of different gender compositions, with female-female teams 17.1 percent less likely and male-female teams 10.0 percent less likely to win a debate round against male-male teams.” However, they also found “no gender gap in win rates for novice debaters.”


If the thesis of female push-out being due to judge bias is to be believed, why is there no sex disparity in novice round results? The study follows this discovery by suggesting that “the disparity does not occur from innate entry ability differences, but rather appears alongside experience in debate.” In the results section, Yi and Nie continues that “some possible causes of this gap result from a female debater’s environment: potential bias in the amount of resources allocated to competitors by coaches, the gender-hostile environment of a team, or the effect of the perceived stereotype of the activity, to name a few examples.”


This pattern extends beyond debate and into other competitive academic spaces. Chess, for instance, has implemented structural solutions by creating women-only sections and tournaments since 1927. Yet despite these institutional changes, the gender disparity in chess still exists today. The underlying cause mirrors what we see in debate, which is a hostile social climate. Female chess players consistently report implicit exclusion from the broader chess community, which pushes them out from participating. In many academic environments, female participants describe being excluded from study groups, having their contributions minimized, and facing heightened scrutiny of their abilities. These experiences, not competition results alone, ultimately drive many talented women away despite their proven capabilities.


Although misogyny and other forms of inequity is a systemic problem in academic spaces, we need to stop focusing on that — however counterintuitive it sounds. Exclusively deeming the issue to be systemic is how we arrived at our current position. It removes responsibility from the individual. If you are someone who cares about and wishes to solve inequality in the academic space, it is time to address the issue on a personal level: how you deal with and react to hostile situations. Have you stood up for others? Have you excluded team members from resources? Have you actively denounced crude, inappropriate behavior? Have you stopped perpetrators from participating in leadership? 


I’m not demeaning current feminist initiatives. Their focus on institutional change remains important. But perhaps we need to focus elsewhere; perhaps our activism has become too copy-paste, too shallow, too performative; perhaps we need to look elsewhere, deeper, within ourselves. Our efforts must address the social climate that shapes our activity from within, not just the institutional structures above. While continuing to advocate for structural change, let’s recognize that creating truly inclusive spaces begins with us.

Why inclusive initiatives are failing in the academic space

Bridget McAloon '27: "It has to be Kinder Buenos. I'm a sugar fiend."


Priya Bakshi '25: "I just like to chew gum ... I think it helps me concentrate."


Ian Lee '28: "I like to eat chips while I'm studying ... Doritos, Lays."


Lile Kapanadze '26: "Red Bull ... because it's an energy drink and it helps me study."

PHS Speaks Out: What is your favorite study snack?

Ashvi Gadagottu ’28: “Usually I just talk with
them and they … know how to
comfort me or they’ll give me
some advice on the situation.”

Milania Kapoor ’27: “[My friends will] be like, ‘Oh,
I’m here whenever you need to
talk,’ or if it’s something school-
related, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, it’s
okay, you can do better next
time.’”

Skye Pinneo ’26: “People I know ... reach out and
offer to help with stuff. If I’m
talking to people who have gone
through the same thing, it’s very
helpful.”

Anya Haeberli ’25: “I prefer … talking through an
issue and it’s very nice when [my
friends and I] can just sit through
a lunch period and we get to talk
about it and … just let off some
steam."

PHS Speaks Out: How do you feel supported by your friends during tough times?

On February 28 of this year, Florida teenager Sewell Setzer committed suicide after months of conversing sexually with an AI chatbot resembling Danaerys Targaryan, a character from the HBO show Game of Thrones, on the platform Character.AI. Eventually, the chatbot encouraged the young man to take his own life. Sewell’s case is all around us; he found himself in the common position of social isolation, causing a spiral of emotional vulnerability that was left unchecked and ultimately resulted in a severe mental health crisis.

```Reliable friends are difficult to come by in a world dominated by shallow interactions. Social anxiety is becoming increasingly common as young people become subject to various forms of societal pressure, driving a fear of inadequacy. As teenagers feel more detached from their support system of friends and mentors, the loneliness epidemic continues to grow. The popularity of conversational AI-driven characters is skyrocketing, and the trend is likely to continue after Google recently acquired Character.AI for 2.5 billion. As AI chatbots continue to proliferate and target socially isolated young people, the loneliness epidemic continues to grow.```


A 2021 Harvard Graduate School of Education survey of 950 Americans found that 61% of young people ages 18–25 reported experiencing profound loneliness compared to only 36% among other age groups. The study’s researchers attribute this trend to factors such as young people lacking close connections and noting that, compared to older adults, they have not yet developed “mature, reciprocal” relationships with others yet.

Unfortunately, the internet has moved to romanticize the correlation between teenage years and lonely behavior, portraying isolation as admirable. Online trends idolize people who are “mysterious,” as though they are more complex or interesting than others. For instance, “nonchalant dreadheads” — perpetually aloof individuals who seem entirely detached from social interactions — have become people to venerate. Phrases like “I Don’t Give A F— (IDGAF) war” reflect a growing culture of apathy and passivity in young people. “Ghosting” — suddenly cutting off communication without warning — has become a glorified solution to control and dispose of others, making pulling away from connections without explanation a normalized and simple act.

This mass phenomenon of individuals disconnecting from society continues to undermine the value of forming long-lasting relationships with others. In an attempt to curb the draining impact of loneliness on mental health, individuals also increasingly prefer the instantaneous rush of dopamine from short-term, low-commitment romantic relationships over the perennial stability of platonic ones. After its surge in popularity over the past year, the word “situationships” even became a contender for Oxford Word of the Year – demonstrating how common these no-strings-attached relationships have become. Romance has become another form of escape for lonely people. However, prioritizing romantic relationships is often coupled with deep dissatisfaction and insufficiency in one’s stable platonic bonds. One who craves romance often seeks two things through it: emotional vulnerability and reliability. Because their friendships lack these qualities, and teenagers are often culturally conditioned to believe that they are guaranteed in romantic relationships, many assume romantic relationships are the instant and all-encompassing solution. In reality, both vulnerability and reliability are present in healthy, functional friendships. True friends are those you can count on to support you in difficult situations, and want to help you.

Having healthy friendships won’t always be easy. In difficult situations, reaching out often feels daunting. We may expect immediate responses or reactions from people, even though it won't be the case — social interactions are not that straightforward. This may explain why Sewell and many others were drawn to an AI chatbot in a time of difficulty — users are guaranteed an immediate and engaged response, although lacking the quality of understanding and personal connection. Likewise, under a romantic relationship, there is some sort of obligation to immediately respond with interest. However, these interactions often lack the value of cultivating a meaningful relationship over time. Although the lack of labels in a platonic friendship can make commitment more fragile than in romantic relationships, perhaps that is a good thing: the fragility encourages us to continually put effort to maintain the friendship, like consistently watering a plant. To actively commit to pursue and sustain a friendship will create purpose in a friendship, build character, and provide valuable relationship skills.

At a time in our lives when we have a lot of pressure and much to process, we should shift our focus towards building and investing in strong friendships with people who will uplift us and provide the support we need. As teens, stability is more important than ever as we experience changes in our lives, whether it be personally, academically, or socially. By nurturing our friendships, we improve our well-being and push ourselves to become the best versions of ourselves. Thus, we urge you to show effort within your relationships; Send them a kind message, wave to them when you see them, initiate a conversation. Give out your love, and you’ll see it return.


The true cure to loneliness

The PHS Club Fair in late September was quite a spectacle,
with a bustling, friendly atmosphere and impressive
turnout. Students moved from stand to stand, eagerly typing
their email into sign-up sheets and taking a piece or two
of candy on their way out, building a mounting stash of
treats. One of the most exciting aspects of the high school
experience is the opportunity to join clubs — and not just
for the snacks. PHS has a robust club culture, boasting over
140 registered clubs. The vast array of organizations — from
Debate Club to the Spork to Chess Club — ensures that
each student can find a space and community that aligns
with their unique passions. For the
most part, students at PHS enjoy
the process; clubs offer a tangible
space for students to bond over
shared interests and form lasting
friendships throughout their four
years.

However, not all clubs are created
equal. The most beneficial clubs for
students are those that hold regular,
organized meetings, have active
participation, and clear goals. Such
clubs can allow students to gain
valuable skills, experience, and
confidence. But the tale of clubs
that meet once or twice before
disappearing into inactivity
is all too familiar. PHS is
plentiful in clubs that lack
steadfast leadership to look
up to, making it difficult for students to create a lasting
impact. Thus, the benefits of joining a club are limited to
reliable clubs that meet recurrently, and PHS’s club system
is not ensuring this as such.

The current club system is surprisingly rudimentary
considering the large sum of student organizations we
have. For a student looking to start a club, the process
looks like this: leaders submit a club application with the
endorsement of an advisor, and if the proposal is accepted,
the responsibility is left completely up to students to
promote their club, attract students, design club plans,
retain members, and meet consistently.

The unfortunate truth is that many clubs are not formed
out of true passion or genuine interest — as a result, rather
than engaging with the established clubs, students start
near-duplicate clubs that end up serving little purpose other
than fodder in their college applications. Worse, nearly all
proposed clubs pass the application process seamlessly,
including clubs that are simply performative.

The low bar set to create a club at PHS ultimately causes
deteriorating quality. Most clubs fall short of providing
the experience they promise to deliver to prospective
members at the club fair. Many underclassmen complain
about unproductive club meetings, where members do
little more than eat their lunch and talk to
friends. This may seem harmless on the
surface, but the existence of organizations
managed halfheartedly distorts the purpose
of our club culture as a whole.

As the existence of these
dispassionate clubs become
normalized, students lose trust
in PHS clubs overall, even the
truly productive ones led by
passionate students. At best,
attendance dwindles over time
as people become reluctant
to waste their valuable free
time; at worst, students will
emulate this behavior in
their own organizations,
and this complacent
phenomenon will
become commonplace.

Some sort of check-in system needs to be in place to
stop this from occurring. First, a reform to the application
process itself is necessary. Clubs that are possible duplicates
should face much higher scrutiny before receiving approval,
and be extremely apparent in their distinctions. A more
detailed description of activities and curricula should be
provided by club leaders, rather than a vague mission
statement. Advisors should ensure that the club is being
actively managed to keep students accountable.

Numerous aspects of the club system make it difficult
for clubs to remain reliable for both members and leaders.
Most well-established, reliable clubs have recurring
meeting rooms that are claimed — but only unofficially.

It is a cumbersome task for new club leaders to find
available rooms and times to occupy, making meetings
hard to organize. Rooms may be locked, occupied, under
maintenance, or denied usage by a teacher, and there
would be no efficient way to tell ahead of time. Lacking
a reliable meeting location makes it challenging to plan
productive events; members may be deterred from the
complication or miss meetings out of confusion, lowering
attendance and creating new obstacles to productivity.
To make matters worse, keeping track of the clubs you’ve
signed up for is a pain. Getting on a club’s email list after
the club fair is often near impossible if you don’t already
have friends connected to them, making it even harder to
find out which room meetings are.

Of course, it could be argued that these issues can all be
more or less rectified with increased efforts of club leaders.
Leaders could facilitate seamless communication with
their members, have their contact information constantly
be available to interested students, and sort out logistical
obstacles on their own. After all, by taking on the role of a
club leader, a student is encouraged to devote themselves
to the community they manage. Unfortunately, the idea
that students are wholly responsible for maintaining a
club simply is unrealistic; at the end of the day, we are
all busy high school students trying to get by. Between
the overwhelming load of assessments and projects,
essays and presentations, it is inevitable that mishaps and
miscommunications will occur.

There is a straightforward solution to these rampant
problems — establishing a club room log available to all
students. Faculty would first indicate which rooms are
available at what times, and then club leaders can fill in
which slots they would like to occupy in advance. This
not only makes room claims a much more standardized
process, but also addresses accessibility problems. Students
will finally have a log they can refer to if they would like
to join a club after the club fair, or simply to check when
their club is meeting in case communication was missed.

As we head into the 2024–2025 school year with a
record-breaking number of new clubs, it is important to
think about a set of checks and balances to hold students
accountable. A more consolidated, organized, club system
would support PHS’s ambitious students and preserve the
passion and community that clubs promise us.

To make clubbing more enjoyable

At the Club Fair this October, we will be bombarded with hundreds of different clubs to join. Our parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and fellow students will tell us that the way to make ourselves more interesting is to join the perfect variety of these clubs, sports, and community service
programs.

This process is deceptively complicated. Of course, we can’t spend all day playing soccer or studying chemistry. That would be too narrow-minded, not well-rounded enough. However, if we join too many activities — a sport, a couple clubs, and volunteering — that’s also not good enough. In that case, our efforts are said to lack focus and direction, and come off as half-hearted.

To “help” us navigate this process, incredibly prescriptive geometric analogies, like “spikey” or “T shaped,” have been developed. Ingenius Prep, a college admissions support group, has articles with titles as ridiculous as “Well-Rounded vs Pointed Students: Is It Better to be Egg-Shaped?”

Clichés are surprisingly accurate in describing the dilemma between doing too much and doing too little. There’s the classic saying of being a “jack of all trades”, which was intended as a compliment until it was combined with “... and master of none” in the late 1700s. Well-rounded people can both be praised as one “who wears many hats” and criticized for being “a mile wide and an inch deep.”

When well-roundedness is defined in this way — solely by the assortment of someone’s interests — the results are horribly superficial. A scientist who enjoys music is considered perfectly well rounded and interesting, but if they join a couple too many activities they are suddenly scattered. Actors who spend most of their time on the stage are shallow, even if the way that they approach their acting varies widely from play to play.

To achieve a more nuanced picture, we should adjust the standards of well-roundedness. Instead of a reflection of the types of activities we do, a true measure of sophistication would be a reflection of the way in which we approach them.

There is little point in forcing someone who naturally enjoys something to spend less time on their passion and join activities they don’t care for as much. Of course, entering new kinds of activities sometimes leads to exploration and self-discovery, but that can just as easily be done in one discipline as in many. Even by only focusing on music, a student at PHS could develop teamwork and leadership in band or orchestra, could use their creativity in discovering their personal interpretation, and could volunteer mentoring younger musicians.

> There is little point in forcing someone who naturally enjoys something to spend less time on their passion.

Moreover, a student who does many things isn’t necessarily developing unique perspectives. They could simply approach two different things they do in a very similar way. It’s certainly easier for high schoolers to let themselves be defined with labels such as “STEM” and “humanities.” It’s not complicated for ourselves, and easy for others to understand. But reframing “wellrounded” from a focus on a variety of activities we do to an emphasis on how we pursue them will release the pressure we feel to find some arbitrary “perfect” combination.

The pursuit of roundness

PHS speaks out: What do you think was the song of the summer?

   At the beginning of class, you may feel energized. But as it drags on, you begin to feel more and more restless. It feels like an eternity has gone by, even though you still have an hour left in the class. When the bell finally rings, you feel cheated — the time that you spent sitting bored at your desk could have been spent on something much more productive, but instead you’re left with little energy to make it through the rest of the day. 
   This bleak situation is becoming a reality for PHS students. Last month, a new bell schedule for PHS’s 2024–2025 school year was released by the PPS Board of Education. This new schedule features five letter days, each corresponding to a weekday, and separates science and P.E. classes to make assigning classes more flexible. Additionally, 90-minute block classes on “B2” and “B3” days were added on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, both without Tiger Time.  45 minutes of gym classes on B2 and B3 days are used for learning labs for freshmen, or a free period for upperclassmen and sophomores who are clear of disciplinary actions and have good attendance in their second semester. 
   As the school board pointed out, our current schedule has several major issues. First of all, letter days occur in an inconsistent, confusing pattern, which makes it harder for students to get settled into a comfortable rhythm. This lack of consistency in the letter day rotation makes some days occur more often than others, leaving some students with less frequent gym free periods. Second of all, the current schedule binds science and gym classes together for lab periods, which creates a lot of trouble when creating student schedules. As a result, there are also inconsistencies in class sizes, and this also prevents students from receiving the courses they requested. 
   However, even if the new schedule attempts to fix some of these problems, it also brings up new ones. For one, the two massive block days are a major point of concern. These block days were added for the purpose of maximizing student productivity and to consistently give teachers  more time for project-based learning, such as science labs. Nevertheless, longer block periods may have the opposite effect on student productivity. Attention spans vary depending on the student, but there is a general range for optimal focus. According to a Gitnux report from 2024, this span is 30 to 40 minutes for 13 to 15 year olds. Meanwhile, teenagers who are 16 and older are reportedly able to concentrate for 32 to 50 minutes on average. Our current block periods, which last around 78 minutes, are already overstepping student attention spans. Having periods as long as 90 minutes would exacerbate this problem and leave many students even more drained, unfocused, and feeling trapped in their classes. 
   Additionally, these blocks come at the expense of having two days of Tiger Time. With the new schedule, there is only one hour allocated to Tiger Time on a single day (Tiger Thursdays). Compared to our current 48 minute-long Tiger Time periods across two days, students have fewer opportunities overall to make up work, complete assignments, and receive extra help from their teachers during office hours. Both clubs and sports will also have much less scheduling flexibility. Clubs will either have to lose chunks of their membership every other week when freshmen have Peer Group, or move their meeting times to lunch, which would decrease meeting length and possibly conflict with other clubs. 
   In the future, administrators should take the opinions of the general student body into deeper consideration. This is especially the case with projects that directly impact our everyday routines, such as creating a new bell schedule. Even though some members of the student council were consulted, they are by no means entirely representative of all PHS students. A student poll would have much better reflected the needs of the average student. The fact that the administration didn’t take these opinions into consideration shows a disconnect between PHS’s student body and administrators. Ultimately, we should learn from these divisions and work towards building a more connected and equitable community. 

Bell schedule — hell schedule?

   Freshman year can be stressful — you have more responsibilities, a new social playground to navigate, and much more homework compared to middle school. However, I also find myself worrying a lot about an issue I shouldn’t have at such an early stage of my life: college. At PHS, academic excellence is normalized to the point where any deviation from it might as well mean failure. This increasingly competitive academic landscape calls for a new type of student — someone who can easily fill up their Common Application activities list and summarize each of them under 150 words. It often seems like everyone around me is one of these exemplary students, which in turn incentivizes me to accomplish as much as I can to appear successful. Unfortunately, many students share that mentality, which creates a highly superficial and performative academic culture at PHS.
   In my own experience, this type of environment has compelled me to join courses and student organizations based on how good they would look on my college application. It appears that many others feel the same way: according to an anonymous survey of PHS students who take AP courses, 69.8 percent are taking accelerated or AP classes for the primary purpose of looking good on college applications. However, performative culture goes beyond just taking an advanced class — I often find myself viewing each class period as an opportunity to put on a show. What can I say to sound like a bright student? How little work can I do while still receiving good grades? This is the reason some students read SparkNotes instead of the assigned book, or use ChatGPT for their notes. Students may take these shortcuts and appear competent, but they don’t actually advance their learning from doing so. Your peers don’t know or care if you truly learned from the assignment — they only see the score you received and its associated brilliance. 
   Performative student culture goes beyond just taking advanced classes; it also applies to the extracurricular activities students engage in. At PHS, it’s quite common for students to start clubs as a way to demonstrate their skills. In a survey of PHS students, 49 percent of respondents agreed that their primary purpose in starting or joining a club was to look good on their college application. Having many student organizations is beneficial for the school community, but in many cases, students register them without actually intending to follow through and have productive meetings. 
   When the only objective of one’s academic career is to get into a good college, they lose the purpose of what school is ultimately for: education. College isn’t the end-all-be-all of life, and there are so many skills taught in school that can be beneficial in the future. Filling up our lives with empty promises of intelligence is a recipe for disaster once we escape our bubble of college applications. 
   Realistically, it is difficult to stay completely away from performative culture in PHS’s competitive atmosphere. However, it is possible to work towards your goals in a manner that still benefits your personal development. This starts by being intentional about your activities — yes, you can create a club or non-profit to benefit your college application, but think about how you can learn and evolve from the experience instead of starting it only for the sake of appearing successful. Focus on the impact of your work, such as helping the community or raising awareness about an issue. When it comes to classes, ask plenty of questions and take charge of your own learning; after all, you are the beneficiary of the knowledge you gain. So the next time you consider taking a difficult class or committing to an extracurricular, ask yourself: will this actually help you grow as a person, or is it just another way of trying to outperform everyone else?

Our shallow academic performance

For many of us, engaging with the worldwide web is something we do without a second thought. While we expect these public spaces to adhere to the law, in reality, they facilitate enormous amounts of dangerous illicit content every day. However, despite our constant wariness against internet dangers, there is little legislation actually addressing the issue. To understand why this is the case, we have to talk about Section 230. 
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was originally designed to nurture the growth of emerging internet platforms. The act provides broad immunity to online platforms from civil liability based on third-party content. This clause ensures the free and open flow of content, which has played a critical role in shaping online commerce and communication, creating an atmosphere where opinions and ideas can be shared at unprecedented speed and quantity. 
Despite its benefits, Section 230 was written a quarter century ago and is now obsolete. A combination of widespread technological advancements since 1996 and the broad interpretations that courts have given Section 230 has left online platforms immune to repercussions regarding an assortment of illicit activity on their services. They are thus free to moderate content with little transparency or accountability. As such, companies do what they know best: cut corners. 
Today, the consequences of Section 230’s framework are evident. With an account profile on social media, anyone can converse with thousands of other users at a time. Alyssa Currier Wheeler, associate legal counsel at the Human Trafficking Institute, said that in recent years, there has been a noticeable 11 percent growth of trafficking recruitment on social media. Despite this significant spike, social media companies still demonstrate a complete lack of accountability for the trafficking recruitment on their sites, which is further exacerbated by Section 230. 
Furthermore, in 2023, NPR reported that for the first time in United States history, yearly fatal overdoses peaked above 112,000, with young people and people of color being the most affected. This can be linked to social media posts promoting drug use: the Drug Enforcement Administration found that drug traffickers advertise on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube using 24-hour posts to escape traditional community guidelines. In this manner, social media fuels the sale of drugs to young adults and children. Companies have no incentive to moderate malicious posts like these as long as they get clicks, and therefore revenue. It’s critical to stop the issue at its root by holding social media companies wholly responsible for the dangerous content produced on their platforms. If Section 230 is repealed, social media companies will finally be pushed to moderate criminal posts on their platforms in fear of costly lawsuits.
The main problem with Section 230 is that it relies on a broad application to fulfill its intended purpose of protecting companies. Unfortunately, as with many other laws with broad coverage, Section 230 is prone to being abused for its loopholes. A Supreme Court brief documenting Gonzalez v. Google LLC details that Congress’ efforts to combat sex trafficking have been thwarted by misinterpretations of Section 230. In 2016, the First Circuit held that the website Backpage.com was immune from liability under Section 230 for claims that it knowingly facilitated the trafficking of three girls. Congress responded to this decision by clarifying that Section 230 “was never intended to provide legal protection to websites that … facilitate traffickers in advertising the sale of unlawful sex acts” and amended Section 230 instead of repealing. Yet, even after this amendment from Congress, courts have continued to cite Section 230 and dismissed trafficking cases based on the broad immunity interpretation. If the section still causes misinterpretations even after amending, the only path left is to repeal it completely. 
When our laws fail to protect those most vulnerable in our population and instead shield the perpetrators from responsibility, something needs to change. Our generation of children and young adults is currently being denied a safe online experience and is constantly victimized by online criminals. It’s time that our legislation holds tech giants responsible for the crimes that they are facilitating.

Section 230: the digital “get out of jail free” card

   From terrifying podcasts narrating grisly details about stabbings to Netflix series debuting  ruthless serial killers almost every month, the public’s growing obsession with true crime is undeniable. Unsolved murder cases are often treated by social media like they are works of fiction, with amateur “internet sleuths” pointing fingers at innocent people in an attempt to “solve” the case. While it is important for the public to stay aware of dangerous killers and be informed of crime cases, true crime content often prioritizes profit through sensationalizing their cases, leading to a desensitization towards violence.
    People love true crime content; true crime podcasts experienced a 66 percent growth in listeners from 2019 to 2022 according to InsiderRadio. YouTube’s analytics show that true crime content has been viewed over two billion times in 2019, a 30 percent growth from the year before. The desire for consuming true crime content seems innocent; after all, curiosity is perfectly natural, especially when it comes to distressing or disturbing situations. It’s very logical that one might want to know more. However, true crime content often focuses on sensationalizing a case, as the gruesome nature of certain crimes is turned into something marketable for views. For example, in true crime podcasts such as “Killer Queens,” “True Crime and Cocktails,” and “My Favorite Murder,” the discussion of disturbing details becomes coupled with cocktail drinking, makeup sessions, cracking disturbing murder puns, and snacking. The rising popularity of true crime content results in social media algorithms pushing similar content to more viewers, further incentivizing true crime content creators to continue releasing content that can generate clicks. This vicious cycle results in an emotional detachment from crime cases that desensitizes consumers, as they tend to forget that a real person has suffered through every violent detail mentioned in the video or podcast.
   True crime content is often created under the guise of educating and cautioning consumers; however, there is a fine line between being informative and being exploitative. In 2022, Netflix’s biographical thriller titled “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” aired and quickly became a sensation. While millions of viewers watched Evan Peter’s portrayal of Jefferey Dahmer on the big screen, a fanbase began to romanticize the character and eventually Dahmer himself, creating fan edits and even sympathy posts for the murderer. With fans’ glorification of the show’s depicted psychopathic behavior, the series served less as an informational film and more as an exploitative spectacle romanticizing Dahmer’s life, with none of its revenue going towards helping the distressed victims’ families. Many of these families have also deemed the film as “retraumatizing”; for example, Rita Isbell, the sister of Errol Lindsay, one of Dahmer's victims, has said that she wasn’t even contacted by Netflix for consent prior to the series’ creation, even though it featured a direct portrayal of her as one of the characters. 
   This exploitative behavior has also been evident in other shows and streaming services. Hulu released the true crime series “The Act” in 2019, based upon the controversial and nuanced case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (a mental health condition in which the caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury for the person under their care) from her mother. In desire to escape her mother’s abuse, Blanchard ultimately murdered her mother, later sentenced to ten years of jail time. It was only two years after her conviction that Hulu began production for “The Act.” Blanchard claimed in an interview that the retelling of her story was dramatized and inaccurate, with certain details being altered without her consent and compensation. Her public statements condemning the show were ignored by Hulu, and Blanchard claimed the show’s producers would refuse to pick up her phone calls. Exploitative true crime content is uniquely harmful, as it often rewrites victim’s stories and puts them on blast in front of a wide, global audience. Especially in regard to large studio productions, victims and primary sources are often disregarded and silenced. Cases like Blanchard and Dahmer show the blatant disregard many studios hold for ethical media production, and make it clear that their intentions are to profit instead of spreading awareness. 
   In all forms of true-to-life content in the media, it is important to remember that there are real people behind these stories, and in the case of true crime content, real victims who suffer tremendous physical and psychological trauma as a result. PHS students are constantly exposed to content surrounding real-life tragedies every day, and without this awareness, it’s easy to become desensitized to tragedies and dehumanize its victims. Before consuming any sort of content that contains a degree of real-life violence, it’s important to reflect on if your intentions are to entertain or to inform yourself.

Killing curiosity: the growing obsession with true crime

  In the past, celebrities were shining stars: singers, dancers and politicians only seen by fans on the black screens of television. Now, in the age of unrestrained usage of social media, the distance between celebrities and fans is stripped. From convincing fans to purchase a product they endorse to imposing their views on important world events and issues, celebrities and public figures now hold the power to influence an impressionable audience with the click of a button. 

  After the senseless killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement saw a massive influx of attention on various media. From trending Twitter “blacklivesmatter” hashtags to the 28 million Instagram users who participated in “Blackout Tuesday,” publicly proclaiming support on social media for BLM was deemed the right thing to do, and keeping silent was perceived as immoral and almost racist. Brands and celebrities rode on this social media wave, blacking out their social media profile pictures and professing their support to the movement in posts. While these popular gestures were intended to show solidarity with the movement, it set a larger precedent that activism simply meant announcing one’s alignment with a cause without the intention of further support. 

  Mass distribution of misguided statements is the central cause for the spread of misinformation, an all too common consequence of celebrity “activism.” A study conducted by researchers at Reuters Institution in 2022 found that 20 percent of posts containing misinformation about COVID-19 were created by influencer profiles. Even more damaging, because of their large monopoly on social media, celebrity posts on important issues often overshadow expert opinions and helpful resources posted by lesser known accounts, devaluing the function of professional journalism. The often performative nature of celebrity activism becomes clear upon nuanced situations such as the Israeli-Palestinian war, which saw much less celebrity engagement. Given the extreme nuance of the conflict, there was no longer a clear-cut, “politically-correct” side to side with or to jump on the bandwagon for. Many fans blasted their idols upon observing their “silence,” questioning why they weren’t using their platform to weigh in on the situation. However, celebrities shouldn’t be pressured to “speak up” on political issues that they have no background in when expert opinions hold more importance in informing the public. 

   The influence celebrities have on impressionable fans regarding social issues often unfolds on an emotional level rather than from factual evidence, resulting in unacceptable behaviors by hot-tempered fans that attack individuals who speak out against the misguided ideologies spread by biased public figures. For example, in April 2020, the actor Woody Harrelson shared his claim regarding the 5G network being the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic to his two million followers on Instagram. The time frame of his claims correlated with at least 20 cell tower polls being burned to the ground in the UK. Telecom employees were also harassed on the streets while attempting to set up 5G fiber optic cables. Kanye West, also known for his anti-vaccination stance, told Forbes that he believed COVID-19 vaccinations would “put chips inside of us” during the pandemic. This proven-false conspiracy theory snowballed and soon became a popular statement spread by anti-vaccine groups. Furthermore, the misinformed statements of celebrities are often regurgitated in popular media in order to generate more clicks, consequently exacerbating the spread of their falsified claims.

   As teenagers, the demographic most susceptible to celebrity influence, PHS students should be mindful of avoiding valuing their favorite celebrities' opinions over expert opinions in order to make informed decisions. In a time where rampant false information is spread online, it’s important to realize that the power of reliable research to uncover truths is longstanding and undeniable. 


Stop relying on celebrity activism

A roar of excitement rumbles through the New Gym as the annual Princeton High School pep rally gets underway. Under the lead of Ella Bardzilowski ’23, the PHS cheer team begins an impressive synchronized routine. Bardzilowski leads the chants, and the routine ends with a difficult pyramid formation, raising all of the flyers high into the air. The crowd cheers and claps in standing ovation. 
At five years old, Bardzilowski knew she was destined to cheer from the first time she tried it. While her family encouraged her to try a large variety of sports, cheerleading was the one that truly stood out. 
 “I knew from the second I tried cheerleading that it would become my thing,” said Bardzilowski. “It was such a great hobby to have growing up and I’m so glad it’s still a part of my life today.”
After three years of being part of PHS’ cheer team, all of Bardzilowski’s hard work and talent was recognized through her promotion of becoming captain her junior and senior years. Now, the hefty responsibility of leading underclassmen cheerleaders falls onto her shoulders. 
“I think she’s very good at the job,” said head coach Veronica Foreman. “The underclassmen look up to her, but they’re still friendly which is an important dynamic. She’s very hardworking, and knows when to take things seriously.”
Now a senior, Bardzilowski is set to participate in her last season of cheer this fall. Through her years on the team, though, she has always stood out as a hardworking and dedicated member of the team. Quick to learn and eager to perform, Bardzilowski has grown throughout the years and matured not only as an athlete, but a person too.
“She's always been very dedicated to the team since the start when she joined, which is admirable,” said Foreman. “She’s very good at what she does, always doing the hardest parts of the routine and very good at it. She picks up things quickly.”
While Bardzilowski has grown throughout the years, the cheer team has been improving along with her, seeing a larger number of participants join the team last year in comparison to recent years. 
 “I am so grateful that we got such a surprise last year with the amount of people who joined the cheer team, so we got to train a lot of people who had never cheered before and got to grow together as a team throughout the season,”  Bardzilowski said.
Becoming a cheerleader is a commitment — Bardzilowski often finds herself putting cheer before friends, work, and other extracurricular activities. For her, this can become hard to manage since she has a full schedule loaded with AP and accelerated classes. However, despite outside academic pressure, Bardzilowski’s love for the cheer team makes it a part of her schedule she looks forward to. 
 “It can get challenging to stay on top of homework and studying while having practices every day and while planning for practices, games, and competition outside of normal practice time,” said Bardzilowski. “I get to be with all my best friends there doing something I love, so that makes going home and doing work so much easier. It can be tempting to opt out of practice to study or work on college applications, but I remind myself of my commitment to the team and what I get out of this team every day.”
Through their daily practices and weekend games, the cheerleaders quickly became a family given all the time they spent together. 
 “Our team has such a tight bond. Since we barely have time to hang out with anyone else, we are all each other's best friends,” said Bardzilowski. “We have certain traditions — like team lunches every Friday and getting together to make banners for game days — that keep us close even outside of practice.”  
As the team works to form a stronger connection on the sidelines as well, Bardzilowski aims to maintain a strong and healthy team relationship while also communicating during their routines.  
“She… is a good captain because she knows cheerleading better than anyone else… [since] she's been doing it for a while,” said Kate Mazzoni ’26, a PHS cheerleader who has been with the team for two years. “She's also really nice when she is correcting us and isn't bossy at all. I think she definitely does her best to make the team as good as possible.”
For aspiring cheerleaders eager to take part in the team’s activities and routines, Bardzilowski shares some encouraging advice. 
“Be confident! I always tell the team that cheerleading is 50 percent skill and 50 percent confidence,” said Bardzilowski.“Unlike other sports, cheerleading is all about putting on a performance, so ‘fake it till you make it’ is the key. … But of course, discipline and hard work come above all.”

Ella Bardzilowski ’23: Cheer

Throughout the month of October, foreign exchange students from Izumigaoka High School in Japan and Lycee Bartholdi in France arrived on PHS’ campus as a part of PHS’ foreign exchange program for the first time since 2019. There, they were greeted by  PHS Japanese and French students, who hosted them for a week. 
Both groups had the opportunity to observe classes in various subjects, creating art pieces in art class and learning about American history at PHS. Through these foreign exchange programs organized by the PHS language department, PHS and Princeton’s sister cities could exchange lifestyles and study at overseas high schools. 
“Such initiatives play a crucial role in promoting international cooperation, understanding, and friendship among students from different parts of the world,” said PHS Japanese teacher Risa Sakakibara, one of the facilitators of the program. “It's heartening to see efforts being made to deepen the bond between the U.S. and Japan through educational and cultural exchanges.”
This year marks the foreign exchange program’s 35th anniversary. The program began in 1989 during a PHS choir trip to Colmar, where former PHS French teacher Bernard Ponsan connected with the French high school Lycée Bartholdi, inviting their French students to visit PHS. This reciprocal interaction eventually developed into an official exchange program between the two schools. 
“As much as we try to maintain an immersive environment in class, [the exchange program] makes learning much more immersive because the [students] are with French people and they’re in France,” said Malachi Wood, a PHS French teacher and principal facilitator of the exchange program for 16 years. “A lot of [students] become more motivated. They’re excited to get to know somebody on that one-on-one personal level.”
Though fun, the primary purpose of these programs is to provide a new experience for students in a language-learning environment. Programs where students can interact with their language in a real life setting challenge students, but also create a unique opportunity for them to hone their speaking abilities.
“In my house, we normally speak Japanese. But in order to give the exchange student an American experience, we spoke in English the entire time,” said Seigo Iwata ‘26, a participant in the Japanese exchange program. 
While in Princeton, exchange students traveled to popular locations in town with their host students, the student providing them housing. Japanese exchange students took walks on Princeton University’s campus. Peruvian exchange students shared meals with host families in Conte’s Pizza.
“What they do is shadow an American kid, [seeing] what an American teenager would do. Their hosts can tell them what they’re doing that day or prepare something fun for them,” said Martha Hayden, a PHS Spanish teacher and facilitator of the exchange program. 
During the French exchange students stay at PHS, they shadowed their host student and attended all of their classes, even participating in the host’s extracurricular activities. When PHS French exchange program students leave for France in November, they will do the same at Lyceé Bartoldi. An exciting itinerary awaits these PHS students, featuring famous French landmarks and museums. 
“Every year, I try to do something different,” said Wood. “Usually we see the Louvre, [and] the Musée d’Orsay. What I'm excited about is that we’re going to see a World War II memorial, where the French and Germans faced off with trench warfare. And, we will visit one of the only concentration camps that was in France.”
Education aside, another big aspect of the foreign exchange programs is getting exposure to different lifestyles and cultural customs, developing lifelong connections with host families. French students dressed up to attend their first Homecoming dance on October 14. Peruvian exchange students spent their first Thanksgiving alongside their host family.    
“My favorite part is seeing the kids get to know each other. The day that we’re leaving, everybody’s crying. A lot of students [develop] lifelong friends because they stay in touch [and] visit each other,” said Wood. “I hope that their horizons are broadened.”

PHS welcomes first foreign exchange students since 2019

PHS’ competitive and goal-oriented student culture is undeniable. Rigorous classes and mountain-high piles of homework not only create stress, but also often dig into sleeping hours. As a result, a majority of the student body files into the hallways plagued with foggy brains from sleep deprivation and simply being overworked. 
In order to make up for this sleep deprivation and maintain their busy lifestyles, many students choose to turn towards sugar and caffeine. The high school vending machines offer a couple of options, but since the beginning of this year, one predominant candidate has entered itself into the pool — Celsius energy drinks. Containing 200 mg of caffeine (the equivalent of two cups of black coffee), the drink has quickly gained immense popularity amongst students. However, Celsius’ focusing abilities come with dangerous side effects. In 2020, the CDC found that drinking highly caffeinated beverages such as Celsius can lead to long-term effects like increased blood pressure, and heart complications. Even in the short term, the effects are damaging; research done by WebMD in 2018 found that relying on artificial high doses of caffeine causes numerous negative symptoms to the drinker, including anxiety, irregular heartbeats, and insomnia, highlighting how this temporary fix for fatigue often leads to a more permanent, detrimental problem to long-term health. 
Instead of drinking energy drinks, students should consider tea for their pick-me-up beverage of choice. Tea delivers a moderate amount of caffeine that doesn’t disrupt the nervous system. Matcha, for one, contains l-theanine, which slows the effect of caffeine, creating a more stable energy boost. While caffeine from coffee or energy drinks takes mere minutes to be absorbed into the bloodstream, it takes around three to six hours for the caffeine in matcha to be fully absorbed. This gradual absorption cushions the blow to the nervous system, prolonging the body’s energy and preventing sudden crashes and withdrawals from occurring. Furthermore, tea boasts a much higher nutritional value to the body compared to caffeinated drinks, as it’s packed with antioxidants and vitamins that help regulate blood sugar, heart health, nervous systems, metabolism, and many other bodily functions. 
All of these factors demonstrate tea’s nutritional value over caffeinated drinks, being able to regulate students’ sleep schedules and stress levels much better compared to less healthy alternatives. The options for tea are vast, providing options for any palate. So next time you feel tired, avoid that celsius drink and reach for tea instead.

Pouring Positivi-tea: tea's positive impact on your health

As the air crisps and leaves awash in warm hues, Halloween decorations begin to adorn porches and lawns. While twinkling string lights and flashy blow-up characters are visually appealing, the harm they bring to the environment is often overshadowed by their tantalizing glow. 
Modern-day capitalism has created a culture of rampant consumerism, especially within America. The detrimental effects of overconsumption on the environment are exacerbated during holiday seasons, and Halloween is no exception. A 2020 study by Planet Home found that strings of lights produce enough carbon dioxide to fill 15,500 hot air balloons. Gas emissions aside, these luminous displays also contribute a whopping 50 percent increase in light pollution to areas nearby, which disturbs the habitat and mating patterns of native animals and insects, leading to irregular populations and possible future extinction. On top of this, many households repurchase new decorations each year, creating significant amounts of plastic and electronic waste. Jack-o’-lanterns, a seemingly innocent decoration, also prove to be environmentally sinister. Waste Manage reported in a 2019 study that a colossal 18,000 tons of pumpkins are thrown away to landfills each year after fulfilling Halloween demands. When pumpkins are sent to landfill, they decompose and produce methane, a greenhouse gas over 25 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, ultimately all contributing to global warming, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. 
Trick-or-treating, dubbed the most exciting aspect of the spooky season by many, is also no treat for the environment. Lisa Morton, an environmental specialist, found in 2021 that the average trick-or-treater produces one pound of trash on Halloween night, alarming given that the holiday boasts more than 40 million trick-or-treaters. This statistic becomes even more disturbing given the fact that most trick-or-treaters  also wear a polyester-constructed costume. An environmental organization, Hubbub, conducted a study in 2019 revealing that 83 percent of Halloween costumes are created with non-recyclable, oil-based plastics, being destined to eventually dress a landfill. To put this into context, this staggering quantity of trash is equivalent to two thousand tons of plastic waste, or 83 million plastic bottles. A 2022 report by the UN Environment Programme stated that plastics accounts for 85 percent of total marine waste, being the most dangerous type of litter harming our oceans given its inability to decompose. The excess plastic created by Halloween exacerbates marine pollution, masking marine life in a suffocating film of debris, damaging the natural ecosystem. 
As residents in the Princeton area, a bulk of the responsibility to preserve our local ecosystem lies on the shoulders of Princeton High School students and their families. While keeping up with spooky traditions is an important part of American culture, Halloween doesn’t have to be scary for the environment. For example, jack-o’-lanterns and other decorations should be made with compost in mind, a process that eliminates the formation of methane gas through aeration, decreasing the greenhouse gas emissions drastically. Furthermore, decorations can be reused every year to reduce the amount of waste that comes with switching out decorations each year. Costumes could also be put together with garments made from organic fabrics like cotton, from pieces from someone's everyday wardrobe, or be donated. Celebrating Halloween and remaining environmentally friendly are not mutually exclusive; both can and should coexist in the Princeton community, and in modern society as a whole.

Trick or Treat the Environment Better

“She’s Barbie. He’s just Ken.” This tagline from “Barbie” (2023) brought the topic of feminism into the spotlight upon the movie’s anticipated arrival in cinema. While garnering support from a majority of the public, an enraged side of the audience jumped to accuse the feminist film with claims of misandry and “toxic femininity,” with the movie even being dubbed as “anti-male propaganda” by USA TODAY. This is an all too common response to any form of feminist media, with the negative connotations surrounding feminism leading to misconceptions about the goal of the movement: achieving equal rights and opportunities for men and women.
Not all supporters of the principles of feminism are keen on identifying with the word itself. While 94 percent of people believe that gender equality is important, according to Pew Research Center, a GenForward study found that only 12 percent of Hispanic women, 21 percent of African-American women, 23 percent of Asian women, and 26 percent of white women identify as a feminist. So why the discrepancy? The hesitation to identify with the movement partly stems from the belief that all feminists are extremist. A study from Routledge found that the associations of the term “feminism” with “man-hating” and lack of femininity, an association amplified by the widespread slandering of feminist media, were key factors in peoples’ decision to reject the label of being a “feminist.” 
Especially for those born into a world where women have the right to vote, one where so much progress towards equal rights has already been made, it is easy to view modern feminism as obsolete, with ignorant individuals harboring misconceptions that men and women already have equal rights. From a 2020 study by the Pew Research Center, while 64 percent of Americans see feminism as empowering and 42 percent as inclusive, in the same sample size, 45 percent also saw it as polarizing and 30 percent as outdated. Why is feminism seen as outdated when misogyny still persists in the present day? While women make up two-thirds of the world’s working hours, they only earn 10 percent of global income, a reverberating effect of women globally spending three times as many hours on unpaid domestic work as men. Additionally, there are still 18 countries in which husbands can legally bar their wives from working. This lopsided distribution of unpaid care and domestic work prevents women from entering the labor market, with only 47 percent of women at working age participating in the labor market, compared to 74 percent of men, according to the United Nations in 2020. While achieving perfect 50:50 male to female ratios in sex-based economic studies is unlikely, feminism aims for equal opportunities so that sex isn’t a burdensome factor in an individual’s livelihood or career aspirations. Currently, women make up two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population, a result of gender discrimination stemming from the normalization of women’s sole roles as family caretakers in patriarchal social systems. Poorer communities often favor boys when investing in education, while girls face large amounts of gender-based violence at school. These are all factors contributing to the gender gap in education, a major accelerant of the patriarchy. Under the patriarchal social system, men hold a disproportionate amount of power in society. Out of the 11,000 people who have served in the U.S. House of Representatives throughout history, only 375 have been women. Even today, only 28.7 percent of Congress are women. Being underrepresented in politics directly leads to being underrepresented in decision-making at all levels, consequently suppressing the female voice, undermining their ability to rule on important regulations regarding female focused issues. The International Parliamentary Union conducted research proving that an increased presence of women in politics had a positive impact in moving issues of violence against women’s health and education onto the political agenda. The ideals that feminism stands for cannot be silenced when so much misogyny and underrepresentation of women in many fields continues to exist.
What anti-feminists often fail to notice is that the patriarchy, the very social structure feminism aims to deconstruct, ultimately harms both men and women. Under the patriarchy, a man’s sense of personal worth is reduced to shallow outward achievements: the amount of money he makes, his social standing, the attention he gets from women. Without valuing and loving themselves based on holistic properties, men may feel worthless and easily disposable, and struggle under the expectations set up for them by a patriarchal society. The rigid gender roles that define “masculinity” also pressure men to not seek emotional help when needed, contributing a significant influence on the rise of male suicide rates, with men dying by suicide four times more than women.
As more media begins to focus on feminism, it’s important to interpret them with a clear eye and remember feminism’s principles of equality. PHS students who wish to become allies for marginalized communities can begin by assessing their own privileges and understanding the true principles of social justice movements. When having conversations about marginalization, instead of promoting division, it is important to maintain an open mind and respect for others so that these equality issues can be effectively tackled. Ultimately, achieving equality starts with having some empathy.

Feminism is Misunderstood

Max Li
Yes…we always wanted to keep it fair, but since there is a competition, it's inevitable that some people will want to manipulate the scores.

Vritika Singh
The [U.S. Open] controversies …don't shock me, since these kinds of conflicts are expected to show up in all sports.

Katie Schorr 
 I think most people who play tennis have integrity…There are always some people who cheat but not most people.

most people.

I think…kids cheat because of the immense pressure to win, so …if there was less external pressure there would be more fairness.

PHS Takes: U.S. Open Controversies

Autumn’s leaves have dusted the ground, crunching beneath my shoe’s soles as a yellow bus fades into the distance. The air has gotten chilly as the season for knit sweaters, scarves, and winter jackets unfolds. Excited for the long weekend ahead, my walk home breaks into a run. Holed up in my room, wading through the mountain of homework at my desk, only the waft of sweet pumpkin rescues me from this strenuous affair. As the chilly air reminds me of the promise of falling leaves and freaky costumes in the month ahead, one thing that never fails to warm my heart is a plate of pumpkin cookies.
My most prominent memory of these cookies is how I first invented them. It was over Thanksgiving weekend when the issue of a near-expired can of pumpkin purée presented an opportunity for creativity. At that time, I was struck by a sudden desire to make macarons. What occurred then is the same as what leads to both great ideas and disaster: I combined both projects. Two failed attempts and a boatload of eggs later, I was finally satisfied with the batch I made as I stuck the shells into the oven.  
Fifteen minutes later, the delectable smell of pumpkin made it irresistible to not stand in front of the oven, counting down the seconds until I could pull the tray out. Somehow, the pumpkin-flavored macaron crackers tasted good! I was baffled at the result, and left without the desire to create a filling. So, they remained shells, or what they are now known as the Kondakindi family’s famous pumpkin cookies.
Pumpkin cookies, albeit a dessert with a common fall flavor choice, are now a staple comfort food in my household by the time fall arrives, especially as Thanksgiving turns the corner. Their golden edges, crumbly sugar-cookie-esque texture, and buttery yet flavorful taste provides the perfect dessert in autumn. Picture curling up with a good book by the windowsill, watching the last green leaves turn auburn, with a steaming cup of tea and pumpkin cookies beside you. What better way to enjoy the autumn day?

Chloe Zhao
It was late October, and I braced myself against the chilly air as I took a sip from my paper coffee cup. I was enlightened — the warm, rich coffee brought out all the notes of cinnamon and nutmeg sugar beautifully. I began to understand why the drink was so popular, especially among other teenage girls. I lowered my cup and glanced down at the warm, golden liquid filling it, regretfully recalling  all the years I had missed out on this delicious drink. 
The “I’m not like other girls” epidemic hit me when I was in kindergarten. Just one day on the playground, a girl decided that pink was no longer the best color, and that blue was. The reason? Pink was too girly. In a cascading effect, everyone else followed suit. Soon, I began rejecting the pink shirts and dresses my mom had picked out for me in the morning. My notebooks changed from pink and sparkly to blues and grays. I put away my pink plastic gem necklaces. All the other girls in my class followed. We were not like other girls. 
This mentality followed me throughout my elementary and middle school years, just now under a different packaging. The “basic white girl” stereotype was introduced, and it was understood that succumbing to it was undesirable. Ugg boots, Lululemon, knit hats, scarves, and iced coffees, specifically pumpkin spice lattes, were things to avoid because of their association to the stereotype. I followed these rules to avoid being “basic,” pushing away the pumpkin spice options that land on my menus every fall without ever trying them. 
However, as I went throughout my middle school years, I realized every attempt I made to avoid conforming to society simply followed a new adherence to the rules. If I wasn’t trying to fit in with the “basic” trends often seen on social media, I was then following the opinion of the girl on the playground. In either scenario, I was listening to what others thought was best, rather than what was actually best for me.
Now every fall, I happily run to the nearest coffee shop to order my pumpkin spice latte. Not to conform to anything, but just because I like how the drink tastes. Looking back on my previous actions, I feel silly depriving myself of things that I love just to conform to society.

Ruhee Hedge, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Of all the perks of the fall season, the food has to be the most spectacular benefit. As the days get shorter and summer habits gradually fall out of play, we come to realize that fall is a time of both completion and transition. While the transition between summer and autumn is often a time of productivity, it is also a time of beauty and shedding of the old; the end of the growing season for crops in particular. Also known as the harvest season, autumn ushers in a time of celebration for many farming cultures as they gather their crops. This time of change and new ingredients is a staple of fall culture, and although there are many ways we can show our love for the season, mine has always been cooking in the kitchen with loved ones, preparing some of my favorite autumn delicacies. 
This season of autumn ushers in a feast for the senses, with an abundance of colors, scents, and textures. Since fall foods carry all these distinct traits, they create meaningful experiences for all. From trying out the new Starbucks fall drink menu to making our own cranberry jam, my friends and family all have our own traditions we practice every year that involve food. 
One of these traditions was going to a farm in our old town when it was open to the public every autumn. Some of my fondest childhood memories were spent running around in the pumpkin patches, playing hide-and-seek in the orchards, and, of course, making our own apple cider. The farm is also where I discovered apple cider doughnuts, and was immediately hooked. Through these experiences, I soon began to realize that the process of transforming typical fall ingredients into meals can be a way of appreciating the gifts of the season.. 
As a result of this newfound enjoyment, it became clear that fall foods in particular promote a sense of belonging. Every meal during this period of time tends to be hearty and comforting since it provides sustenance and warmth in preparation for the colder months ahead. This was especially prominent during several occasions in which my family and I would participate. During Diwali, which usually comes around in early November, many of our relatives would prepare savory snacks and dishes as a way of coming together and celebrating our gratitude towards each other. Diwali is a time of spiritual reflection and renewal, and many of the customs my family follow involve the sharing of food with others by inviting them to our place. This again embraces the idea of giving, pleasure, and finding light in the midst of darkness. As I’ve gotten older, I have come to realize how symbolic food is to our fall celebrations and how we can all stay appreciative during this seasonal transition

A Love Letter to a Fall Comfort Food

It's mind blowing to grasp that the vast expanse of dark blue water we watch while relaxing on the Jersey Shore makes up less than a fraction of the entire ocean, which in turn  occupies almost 71 percent of the Earth’s surface. The ocean creates a habitat occupied by over 276,878 known species of marine animals that have thrived for millions of years. As with all mysteries, questions arise and studies accompany them: marine biology, the study of marine life and human impact on the marine ecosystems, places a focus on the miracle that is our oceans. As pollution and climate change become a recurring topic in current times, the need for environmental awareness has surged, and a general environmental science class may not meet the demands for in-depth study of marine science. 
Due to the diversified nature of the PHS science curriculum and courses, students are able to take a deep dive into specialized science topics, including organic chemistry, planetary science, environmental science, anatomy, forensics, and more. Yet for some reason, Marine Biology is absent. On a hot summer day, the common thought process of a New Jersey resident would be to spend a day at the beach and swim in the ocean. Being exposed to the East Coast staple that is the Jersey Shore, many New Jersey students develop a love for the ocean, and in turn the marine sciences. 
“We are a coastal state. New Jersey is famous for its beaches. There's so many opportunities in the state that I think we should take advantage of… we should absolutely be integrating more into our curriculum” said biology and Research teacher Mark Eastburn.
Unfortunately, a day trip to the shore might be slightly out of reach for the average student. Including a marine biology course at PHS, however, could make learning about the ocean just that bit more accessible, fueling the curiosity of students who don’t have the resources to go down to the shore.
Aside from fostering greater curiosity about the ocean among students, a marine biology class could also help point students toward a prospective major. More and more, students have been undecided about their majors when entering college. Fortunately, providing more specialized courses that properly direct students could remedy this disorientation. In essence, a marine biology class may just be the specialized science classes PHS students need. 
Though even without a course of direction, Eastburn mentions that still he has and had students who were particularly interested in marine biology. 
“I have multiple students who want to pursue marine biology. And I have students, even outside of the research program, who come to me with an interest in doing a project associated with marine biology,” Eastburn said. 
The sheer amount of undiscovered and understudied marine could have a plethora of uses – explaining the unknown, discovering alternate biofuels to save the planet, and even curing diseases. PHS’ resources and university-collaboration opportunities can play a role in new developing scientific interests, which may result in future discoveries. 
“This is a very unique place where you can make amazing things happen. You can't do this anywhere else. One town over, Westminster, they can't do this; Montgomery, they can't do this. We can do this. And we're the only ones, so let's leverage that. Let's not be West Windsor. Let's not be Ewing, let's not be Montgomery. Let's be frickin Princeton.”

Why Marine Biology Class

   On March 30 2023, the Federal Security Bureau (FSB) of Russia arrested Wall Street journalist and PHS alum Evan Gershkovich ’10, marking the first Russian detainment of an American journalist on espionage charges since the Cold War. On Monday, April 10, the U.S. State Department deemed Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained.”
   FSB arrested Gershkovich while he was on a reporting trip to Ekaterinburg, Russia. The next day FSB pressed charges of espionage, claiming that Gershkovich was “collecting classified information from a Russian military complex” and “acting on instructions from the American side.” He was ordered into pre-trial detention until at least May 29. 
   “The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” the Journal said in a statement on March 30. “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”
   Pjotr Sauer, The Guardian’s Russian affairs reporter and Gershkovich’s close colleague, had been talking to him the same morning he was arrested. To Sauer, Gershkovich is an “extremely social [and] kind” person who would be “the kind of guy that you … bring to a party”. 
   After Sauer received a call from Gershkovich’s parents asking about his whereabouts that evening, he was unable to contact Gershkovich that night. 
   “I obviously got worried right away… He's a colleague of ours, he's a friend of ours, we know he's not a spy…We as journalists are trying to talk as much as we can about him, and write as much as we can about him so the world knows,” Sauer said.
   In the Princeton community, Gershkovich was known as a well-rounded student at PHS and the captain of the boys varsity soccer team. In addition, he had been a Tower news and features and sports staff writer. 
   “It has been a difficult morning for Princeton High School alumni, particularly the many PHS soccer players who were close to Mr. Gershkovich,” A PPS press release said. “He is remembered by his peers as being an outstanding student and an exceptional athlete during his time at Princeton High School.” 
   Gym teacher Wayne Sutcliffe coached Gershkovich for four years on the boys varsity soccer team and shared a memorable moment from the 2009 Mercer County Tournament semifinals that attests his leadership and resilience.
   “It was a really tight game and eventually it had to go to penalty kicks. After five kicks, it was still a tie, so it went into sudden death penalty kicks,” Sutcliffe said. “The manager can choose anyone he wants to take the sixth kick and we chose him. He took the same kick in the same spot [as the first time] and converted. We blocked their kick and won the game just like that.”
   Growing up in a bilingual household that spoke both Russian and English, Gerskovich also brought his love for his Russian heritage to the student body at PHS. 
   “In the 90s, everybody watched Nickelodeon and there was a little cartoon called ‘Hey, Arnold’ that a lot of kids watched. But he watched a Russian cartoon and then he would share that with other guys on the soccer team and his friends. That's something that you couldn’t [easily] access in those days,” Sutcliffe said. 
   When Gershkovich first went to work in Russia six years ago for The Moscow Times, the political climate was more cordial towards the west. Over the years, he captured the changes that were occurring, but did not ever think to sacrifice his journalistic integrity.
   “He said that I’m just one of the few [American journalists] left [in Russia]. I know he felt that it was his duty to report. He loved Russian people and he still does,” Ella, Gerkovich’s mother, said in an April 15 Wall Street Journal interview. 
   On April 13, Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, told U.S. media that Russia could be open to a prisoner swap—but only after Gershkovich stands trial. What seems to be yet another prisoner exchange situation almost mirrors how WNBA Basketball player Britney Griner was detained in December 2022 and was eventually released in exchange for arrested Russian arms trader Victor Bout. 
   Gerkovich’s arrest is also part of a growing trend where journalists are being targeted and used by authoritarian countries such as Russia and Iran. Sauer explained that the journalism community feels threatened and outraged by Gershkovich’s arrest. 
   “It's becoming harder to do journalism, to be honest… it seems like journalists are being used more as pawns [and] arrested, kidnapped, etc… The profession is getting harder,” Sauer said.
   PHS Alum Thatcher Foster ’10, Gershkovich’s childhood friend and soccer teammate, created freeevangerkovich.com, alongside Gershkovich’s family and other friends. 
   “It's been amazing how much support there is and how many people want to help. But it's a hard [situation] to help. So I think the website is a really important place for people to stay updated on statuses and provide support, write letters, and also support his family [with the] GoFundMe,” Foster said.
   While Gershkovich’s immediate release is unlikely, Sutcliffe urges onlookers to maintain an optimistic outlook.
   “Evan was always at his best under pressure. So, if I know Evan, and even though I haven't seen him in a long time, I have to think that he's a resilient guy, and that he's okay,” Sutcliffe said.
   Students can amplify Gershkovich’s story by using #IStandWithEvan or #FreeEvan. Letters to Gershkovich can be sent to FreeGershkovich@gmail.com.

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