Category Archives: Uncategorized

10 Movies in a Month

by Drew Smith/Staff Writer

  1. Citizen Kane (1941) – The notorious feature directed by and starring Orson Welles continues to be one of the most well-made films of all time, with its immensely striking cinematography, its larger than life set design that encapsulates the colossal scale of the story, its incredibly dense performances from all the primary actors as well as the side characters, as well as its masterfully done writing and directing that help paint the tale of a lonely man desperate for love from the people. This film floored me in how grand and magnificent it was and to this day still stands to be. It really is one of the best films ever produced and its impact on the industry is incalculable. Not to mention the editing, which pieces together these larger-than-life tales and running plotlines and is able to conjure together a very quickly paced and cohesive narrative. Believe the hype built-up around this film, because in my opinion, it still stands as the giant in film that it’s been said to be. Certainly a 5/5.
  2. The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021) – A recent film produced by Sony Animation (the same production company behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse) and directed by Michael Rianda is a wonderfully animated and edited picture that falls flat on its face with obnoxious and predictable writing as well as lackluster comedic bits that only serve to halt the already begrudgingly uninteresting plot. The film has plenty of positives; it features a excellently organized cast who all give engaging performances, as well as its underlying narrative about growing up and how to manage a ever-faltering relationship between a parent and their child, but I feel the film suffocates from an annoying and grating need to intermingle outdated internet comedy ironically into a story about being out of touch with your kid. The film also uses the quite often recycled jokes about how “older people don’t know how to use technology” in an uninteresting and an uncreative way that just comes off as lazy and slogs down the film. Overall, a very disappointing feature with immaculate animation and a solid cast that could have easily been elevated with better writing and directing. 3/5.
  3. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) – The Madagascar Trilogy is quite bizarre and it often feels like a series of films made for nobody and made by people who don’t know why they’re making it. I suppose the trilogy was made in an attempt to ride the coattails of Pixar’s successes but slowly turned into a Frankenstein’s monster of a film series. A lot of the enjoyment I derived from this film was a mix of unintentionally and intentionally hilarious bits that I couldn’t accurately decipher which was which. To accurately showcase the absurdity of this film would require me to break down one of the many mind-boggling scenes in this film, so that is what I will do. In one of the scenes at the latter half of the film, the primary characters go to save the main character Alex the Lion, (who is outside of the reserve they’re staying at) and they attempt to go rescue him via a makeshift plane that the notorious spy-like penguins built with the assistance of a bunch of chimps, but before they can leave using the plane, the penguins are held up by the chimps in a union meeting (as the chimps have organized into a union) and the chimps argue for maternity leave. I’m not sure how this bit got into a film made for children, but nevertheless, I am certainly happy it’s here. This film is very difficult to break down or even be treated as a film, but I can tell you I equally think of this as one of the worst animated films of all time and I love it dearly. 3/5. 
  4. THX 1138 (1971) – The final film made by George Lucas before his now massively successful series of films known as Star Wars, this feature is quite a unique viewing experience and is neat to reflect on knowing where Lucas’ career went following this. The film focuses on a dystopian future in which the idea of gender and identity is stripped down and most people are known by their prefix of three letters and then a series of four numbers, the main character’s being THX 1138. The feature explores these overarching ideas of consumerism and unleashed capitalism in full force and this idea of mass sedation via pills and drugs to essentially morph people into these workforce bots. The cinematography and editing are extremely striking and help formulate this stream of consciousness that paints the image of this soul-sucking and dystopian world. The sets are daringly large and complex, with these streams of extras all in costume, and maintain the world beautifully. The film is only held back by its at times lackluster script and also by the several retrospective changes made by George Lucas and his insistence in editing and tweaking his old films which he should really just leave alone. For example, the opening credits in the film in the original theatrical cut were white, but for some odd reason George Lucas in his new director’s cut of the feature made them green. He also sprinkled in odd cases of CGI. These changes do not enhance the film; they just alter it slightly and at times worsen it. A solid 4/5.
  5. Dancer in the Dark (2000) – Dancer in the Dark is a quite bizarre venture into musicals by the ever-dark and edgy Lars von Trier, starring Björk as a Czechslovakian woman who is slowly turning blind and who is in love with musicals. The film is in some ways an anti-musical, with its extremely dark narrative (which I won’t go into for the sake of spoilers) as well as its quite unique soundscape it explores for the musical numbers. It has this brilliantly grimey and natural cinematography with it all being filmed handheld, except for the musical numbers, and uses this different aesthetic to enhance the depressing nature of the film. It also features very jumpy and jungled editing, often cutting off dialogue and cutting between pieces of conversations that I think geniusly gives an anxiety to the movie. The performances and musical numbers are genuinely flawless and are just incredibly directed. The film is quite the depressing and equally wondrous adventure. 4.5/5.
  6. F for Fake (1973) – F for Fake is a documentary directed and starring the aforementioned Orson Welles in one of his final projects before he passed. It is quite the journey exploring the story of a notorious art forger Elmyr who lives in Ibiza, Spain, and also the coincidentally present Clifford Irving who faked a story about the once giant actor Howard Hughes, who also coincidentally Welles almost made the main character of Citizen Kane. The film messily explores the art of forgery and lies with this vigorous editing style, at times tripping itself with how complex it makes the story, but also features such a magnificent performance from Welles as the narrator, it’s hard to not watch while at the same time hard to watch. To watch this, one must keep their eyes peeled and their ears open to catch everything because the film will not wait for you to figure everything out. It has really neat cinematography with these very intimate interviews of Elmyr and Irving. It’s a fascinating study of the art market and challenging the supposed “experts” of the art world, but could really be helped by a more streamlined and easier to understand narrative throughline. 4/5.
  7. The Woman in the Window (2021) – The Woman in the Window, formerly a short film, is an absolutely obvious disaster of a film in its ridiculous and predictable script, the horrid performance from Amy Adams that drags the film down, the boring cinematography, etc etc. The film strangely seems to take some major inspiration from the 2020 Oscar-nominated short film The Neighbors’ Window. I could be looking too deeply into it but the two films seem to share some major similarities. Amy Adams’ performance in this is just so obnoxiously over-the-top. Even the way she laughs feels unnatural; nothing about her performance makes me believe in the character. Gary Oldman, who’s likely the best actor here, even shoes it in. This is of course could be the fault of the director, who I have no doubt did not help enhance these performances. The editing is also just ridiculous, so flashy and absurd, it just drags down the film. The main plotline is so messy and hard to follow as well as tries its hand at a Shyamalan-esque twist at every turn. This film just has such little about it that is worth watching other than an ironic enjoyment perhaps, but even there it’s such a boring mess that very little humor could be found in it. 1/5.
  8. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007) – The comedy feature parodying the ever-present musical biopic trend within the film industry is quite the spoof featuring an incredible performance from John C. Reilly as well as some quite clever writing, only being held down by some lackluster presentation and some unfunny bits. Not too much to say about this, it succeeds at what it’s attempting to do, even if that isn’t much. The cast is strong and well directed, the bits are mostly funny; at times it’s just overly obnoxious and boring. Its presentation is just so flat, falling into the common cinematography trope of comedies of a medium, reverse medium shot that is just so boring to look at. So much about it is just fine and fine only. A solid 3/5.
  9. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) – One of the most iconic comedy films of the late 90’s to early 2000’s, the Austin Powers series of films are certainly worth at least giving a watch. The film has so much personality and has a great humor about itself, but its writing is absolutely atrocious at times, especially the romance subplot present in this film. It’s also riddled with these strange transitions that kind of just interrupt the flow of the film. It seems as if it is just there as filler. The costume and set design is well done, Austin Powers’ outfits are so absurd and comical; those aspects are extremely well done. The comedy of the film is for the most part well done; some of it just has not aged well with time. Certainly worth a watch, but not too much there. 3/5.
  10. Bad Trip (2021) – Bad Trip is the filmmaking venture made by the notorious internet icon Eric Andre, known for his late-night talk show satire The Eric Andre Show. The film involves an intermingling of live pranks and narrative driven comedy scenes. It’s quite an interesting combination, often being mostly held back by its narrative scenes, the highlights always being the live pranks that Eric Andre is most well known for. The film is just genuinely bonkers and out there and does not hold itself back from just going absolutely absurd. The way the pranks are set-up and organized are so well done and creates these incredible scenarios ripe for comedy. The film’s only significant failure derives from the pranks involving the character played by Tiffany Haddish, which just take themselves a little too seriously and don’t have much humor to them other than the semi-interesting reactions from bystanders. Any time her character has a scene, the film comes to a halt and does not pick up again until her bit is over. A slightly disappointing comedy that could have been so much more with a more focused approach as well as certain aspects had been cut out and replaced with better bits. 3.5/5.

Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Try to Read Every Day

Zoe Castle/ Staff Writer

Not everyone likes to read. In fact, according to a study done by The Washington Post, leisure reading has dropped from 28% in 2004 to 19% in 2017. So, why should leisure reading become a part of our everyday life? We are constantly reading. From menus to labels, we read to know more about different things. But sitting down and reading a book definitely has its benefits. A study conducted in 2011 by the Centre for Reading, Literature, and Society at the University of Liverpool says that reading a book you enjoy makes us happier. 

People who say they read for just 30 minutes a week reported more overall life happiness, social connectedness and satisfaction. Reading can also help lessen feelings of depression and anxiety. “Reading for fun has been linked to preventing depression and even Dementia” – Sue Wilkinson, CEO of The Reading Agency, m.activebeat.com

Reading can help you in so many ways, from expanding your vocabulary, to maybe seeing different ways of thinking. Reading a wide range of books with different ideas and different genres is good for you. Reading enriches your imagination and strengthens your mind. A study conducted in 2015 by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that students who read for 20 minutes a day are shown to do better on tests and exams throughout their life. You don’t have to have a book, either. You can read from a phone, tablet, or a computer. Even reading newspaper stories is good for you; not only do you read but you learn more about what’s going on in the world around you. Research that was collected by the Centre for Reading Research in partnership with The Reader Organization shows that people who read more often than those who don’t, generally have more life experiences, more tolerance and respect of other cultures, and have more depth conversation topics to talk about with their peers. 

Not everyone has access at home to books; that’s why it is so important for schools to have good libraries and for students to be able to check these books out and read them. Reading gives muscle to your memory, can melt away stress, and can give you a break from the real world. In all, reading can give you a long term reward, and if you try to read once a day, you might come to love reading. 

Choir, band to perform traditional and diverse songs at concert

by Caitlin Marks-Chockley and Matt Haggard/Staff Writers

As the “most wonderful time of the year” is just weeks away, many families have put up their holiday cheer and many people are getting ready for holiday music. Luckily, GC’s choir program is putting on an annual Christmas concert on Dec. 15. All choirs are going full force learning new songs as the concert is drawing closer.

Choir members discussed what their favorite part of the preparations includes. Ivy Rowe, 12 stated, “I’m looking forward to all the choirs getting together and singing a piece at the end. We do it for every concert for Christmas.” Emma Roberts, 11, stated, “I am most looking forward to being able to show off the talent the choir has gained since the fall concert.” Sarah Going, 11, said, “Performing with everyone is the best part of the concert.”

Rowe went on to say, “For Madrigal, we usually sing two songs from the dinners for the Christmas concert. We don’t know what two songs we will be performing yet but that is decided as a choir which two songs we are going to do for the Christmas concert.” As the public is welcome to attend the concert, many familiar Christmas songs will be sung for all to follow along. “We are performing Christmas songs we have known since we were young and some very hard Christmas songs,” said Roberts.

As many classics will be played at the concert, there is one that Roberts believes everyone will enjoy the most. “I think the audience will like “Hallelujah” most; it is a very traditional song, and I think it sounds very good.” Rowe stated, “We have a Christmas melody prepared, that I think the audience will enjoy the most because they will actually know those songs.” Going continued, saying, “I think they will like our final song with all choirs joined.”

As the holiday season is acclaimed as the “most wonderful time of the year,” many can agree that it is also one of the busiest times of the year. For the choir program, there is no exception. “I think our choir is very well prepared for the upcoming concert,” Roberts said. Meanwhile, Going stated, “We are very well prepared for the madrigal dinners, not so much the Christmas concert”. As the annual Madrigal dinner is just days away, all choirs are set to participate, sing and or serve in the upcoming spectacle. Along with the hard-pressed practicing for the dinner, the Christmas concert is full of holiday classics that all are familiar with.

When asked to describe in three words how the choirs are preparing for the concert, Rowe stated “Madrigal is hardworking, social, and we have commitment. We don’t want to sound bad the night of the show, so we do everything we can to make sure the signs we sing are almost PERFECT! If not, absolute perfection.” Roberts said “Strongly, hard, fast” with Going saying, “Everyone (is) working hard.”

 

GC bands have also been working hard ahead of the band/choir concert. “I know our group is well prepared because we have practiced the songs and perfected them a lot and they are becoming really good. We can still keep getting better, though, because there is always stuff for us to get better at and the music will be near-perfect for the concert,” said Dakota Atkinson, 11.

With not even a month away, the band is definitely putting in some time to prepare. “The songs we are playing do provide several challenges that we are improving upon each time we practice,” said Elyse Allender, 9.

“Every year we do great and put all of our hearts into creating joy,” said Carson Burks, 10.

Not only will a lot of classics be played at the concert but so will some more advanced songs that the band has worked really hard to prepare. “Our group is performing “Ukrainian Bell Carol,” “The First Noel,” and “An American Christmas,” said Isaac Kottlowski, 11.

This Christmas concert will offer some diverse choices. “We are mostly performing medleys of Christmas songs and I believe our theme for this year’s music is music around the world. I also believe we will have some original Christmas music and some jazz medleys for the concert played by our jazz bands,” Atkinson added.

“I think the song that the audience will enjoy the most is A Festival Christmas Celebration,’ which all three of our concert bands will be playing together and will be full of Christmas songs in the medley. This piece is full of energy and life and brings all of the bands together for one great piece,” Atkinson said.

With a lot on their plate, most people can tell students are putting in the effort to get everything performance-ready. “Every musician is hardworking, diligent, and primed for our concerts. Our group is very eager to see what every band and choir has to offer,” Kottlowski stated.

When asked what she would be looking forward to for the concert, Allender said, “I’m probably looking forward to performing with the choir the most. As a freshman, I’ve never done that before and I think it is going to be really cool.”

So are they prepared? “We just keep playing the music over and over to make sure we fix our mistakes and keep perfecting our music to our greatest ability,” Atkinson added.

 

Powerful film addresses social concerns

by Halle Wynn/Staff Writer

Full of emotion and heart-warming moments, The Hate U Give describes one sixteen-year-old’s life and two substantially different worlds. As the story develops, this eye-opener movie brings out the issue of social inequality and crime in today’s society.

Amandla Stenberg acting as Starr Carter is locked between two worlds, the poor and the wealthy. The main character, Starr has been attending a private school called Williamson for six years and has maintained a reputation as a successful student. When the school bell rings at the end of the day, Starr releases herself from her preppy school life and travels back into reality.

In the beginning, Starr attends a party where she reconnects with her childhood friend, Khalil. After the party, Khalil offers Starr a ride home. After failing to signal while changing lanes, the two get stopped by a police officer.

The officer makes Khalil wait outside while he goes and checks his vehicle information. After reaching down into his car to check to see if Starr is content, Khalil is shot and killed by the officer.

After the tragic death of her friend, Starr exhibits signs of post-traumatic stress. Trying to speak up for Khalil’s death, Starr struggles to obtain a voice going against the police brutality that she witnessed.

Law enforcement tries to blame the killing on other factors, but Starr is the only one who knows the truth. Encouraging Starr to take a stand for justice, her friends and family comfort and support her.

Director George Tillman Jr recreates Angie Thomas’s novel with this drama-packed film. Not only has Tillman directed The Hate U Give, but also The Longest Ride, Faster and the powerful biography, Notorious. In addition, Tillman is known for his directing skills by exaggerating even the simplest of scenes with dramatic lines and lots of action.

The Hate U Give features many relatable moments, focused around today’s society as well as today’s music. The movie’s soundtrack includes “DNA” by Kendrick Lamar, “Everybody” by Logic and much more. The music contributes to the movie by expanding the audience’s emotions with all the action-packed scenes.

Amandla Stenberg presents this tremendous character who pulls the audience’s attention to her by fully expressing her emotions. The Hate U Give has hit the billboards hard and opened eyes to the topic of racial justice. In the end, The Hate U Give leaves viewers speechless as they exit movie theaters.

 

Coach Profile: Aaron Smith

by Halle Wynn/Staff Writer

As the flag drops and the gun fires off to signal the start, Coach Aaron Smith becomes anxious about his team winning the race. At Yorktown’s Jim Leffler Invitational, Smith watched Parker Niemeier, 12, finish third and give GC a second place finish in the invite. Smith coaches the men’s varsity cross country team and teaches in the math department.

As a coach, Smith has developed close bonds with those on his team. Conner Kinnaman, 11, is a cross country team captain. Kinnaman said, “We’re like a family; we even call Coach our dad sometimes just because it makes him uneasy.”

Team captain, Parker Niemeier, 12, has been involved in cross country for four years now and does not look forward to saying goodbye at the end of the year.  Niemeier said, “Smith always has a hard time saying goodbye to the seniors, and before every single race he shakes every runner’s hand and wishes them good luck which for me personally means a lot.”

Honesty and empathy are two key factors in coaching.  Tyler Osborn, 10, said Smith, “is honest with you telling you what he thinks that you did that can be improved.”

Over the years, Smith has found that coaching requires dedication and focus. Kinnaman added, “Coach is the reason I am the runner I am. He dedicates himself to the betterment of his runners. He keeps us in check, but also has fun with us along the way. He’s the best coach you could ask for.”

Although Smith likes to have fun, he always works hard and attempts to find new runners. Niemeier said, “He always makes an effort to get the whole team to go over to junior high and recruit 8th graders for next years season and during summer conditioning he really focuses on each runner’s individual abilities and focuses on them and basically makes the most out of what he has.”

When not occupied with teaching, Smith can be found attending sporting events, spending time with his family or exploring the wonders of nature. “I have three friends that I met at a Bible study, and we like to go to sporting events, national parks, and we have all played on the same slow pitch softball team.”

Smith and his friends may have played softball together, but the cross country will always remain as his favorite sport. Smith’s team has started the season out with a great ordeal of success. The team has placed fifth twice and seventh place once so far in the year.

“Live life to the fullest” is a very popular quote, but Smith sees things differently. “I recently came up with my own quote, ‘A man is made in the mundane.’ With teaching math and coaching cross country, I do two things most people don’t like: math and running. Most people live for just the exciting parts of life which are very few and far between. Most of our life is spent in the mundane. If we work hard and enjoy those times, we will be much better off.”

Students build career, college prep experience

by Mariam Elassal/Staff Writer

Photo Caption: Trystan Ailes, Jonathan Brown, and Evan McLaughlin, all 11, study for the SAT test coming up in December. 

Don’t Fear the Future Day took place on Oct. 24, when freshman went on a field trip; sophomore and juniors proceeded to take PSAT or Accuplacer in preparation for the standardized test that all high schoolers are required to take prior to graduation. Seniors also went on college visits in search of their potential future schools. Don’t fear the future day is intended to prepare sophomores and juniors for the SAT. By taking the PSAT, students get an idea of the SAT and how test day will look like.

Test day can be very stressful but taking the appropriate steps at the right time can be crucial to not only lessen test anxiety but to also help students plan for a bright future after high school. Mr. Tim Horsman, counseling department, recommended that students take advantage of the resources on collegeboard.com.  “For the PSAT in particular, every student that signs up for the test gets a full practice exam and student guide in order to help them prepare for what they will see on the test,” Horsman said. “It is also important to give oneself enough time to study for the test without being rushed or pressured,” Horsman said.

After the test has been taken and scores are received, students are given a booklet to compare the answers. This gives them the opportunity to see what they got wrong and how to improve. Mrs. Jill Slinker, English department, also recommended, “To prepare for the test, it is great to take practice exams, and work on timing. Khan Academy Online works with the College Board to provide excellent practice materials that are free to use.” She also stated that students should get a good night’s sleep, bring a watch, all registration materials, and to dress in layers as the weather in test buildings can be unpredictable.

Kori Dixon, 12, has taken the SAT twice. “I was fairly satisfied with my scores, especially since most colleges accept a super scored test.” A superscored test means colleges will take the best score a person received, regardless of the amount of times a person took the test.

Dixon said, “I’ve been accepted into Indiana Wesleyan University and plan to attend this college during fall of 2018.” Dixon stated that she found the most effective way to study is to take practice SAT tests.

Test anxiety is an issue that, unfortunately, can affect almost everyone at one point. Horsman advocated that students go into the test room confident and calm. Slinker stated, “The best way to combat test anxiety is to be prepared. Know the format of the test and questions, and have a strategy to attack the questions ahead of time.” She also suggested that after the test, test-takers not think about the test until the scores come in.  

Don’t Fear the Future Day was a busy day, but GC administrators and counselors plan this day to prepare students for their future whether it be testing, going on job shadows, college tours, field trips, etc. The idea behind the day is to build confidence in students as they take steps to advance after high school.

Prom preparations under way for ‘Enchanted Forest’ evening

by Hailey Dodds/Staff Writer

Peyton Bousman, 11, displays the hair style she will likely sport at Prom.

Greenfield Central students are preparing for yet another wonderful night of Prom, the occasion that has students talking, and posting about, for months before and after. The promposals get more creative every year.  Brooke Mills, 12, was asked by a Mount Vernon senior, Kameron Sergent, with a Harry Potter theme. There were vintage suitcases and a cage with a white owl inside. Inside the cage were notes asking her to prom. Brooke accepted the promposal.

           Peyton Bousman, 11, was asked by Cory Charbeneau, 12, with the help of GC Theatre members, considering both Peyton and Corey are theatre members. Peyton also accepted the promposal. GC senior Christopher Churchill asked Delonie Blake, 10, with her favorite candies and roses. Delonie had no problem accepting Chris’ promposal.

Before the night of festivities and couples wearing gorgeous dresses and handsome suits, reservations need to be made, outfits need to be bought, and possibly the most stressful part of all for the ladies, is hair and makeup.

Mills and Sergent plan on attending GC prom in dark purple and black. According to Brooke, she was “going for something big.” She “saw the purple and black and absolutely fell in love.” Bousman and Charbeneau have picked to wear gold and black. When shopping for a dress, Peyton “stumbled upon it by accident.” She found her dress in January. Her dress is a two piece cream and black dress. Churchill and Blake have agreed on a combination of yellow, white, and pink for their colors.

As far as reservations go, Mills and Sergent have picked a uniquely different choice of restaurant- Waffle House. Bousman and Charbeneau have decided to go to Buca di Beppo. Blake and Churchill will be going to an undecided place.

This will be Mills’ second time attending prom at Greenfield, her first with Mount Vernon. Mills says, “I think it will be fun. I’ll get to meet some new people including Kameron’s friends.” It is also Bousman’s and Charbeneau’s first time going to prom, an anticipated date for most juniors.

Class scheduling continues

by Adrian Lotshaw

Photo Caption: Mrs. Sherri Foster talks with a GC student about her schedule.

Class scheduling for the current freshman, sophomores, and juniors started Monday, Feb. 6. The counselors are calling students in during their enrichment block. If the student does not have an enrichment block then they will be called down during a different class period.

Kim Kile, head of the Greenfield Central High School counseling department, says that there are mandatory classes that each grade level has to have. The classes you have to have are English, math, science, social studies, physical education, and health. You will take these classes until they meet the requirements for the diploma you are wanting to earn.

There are new classes that are being offered here at the high school says Sherri Foster, another counselor at the high school. These classes are AP Art History, AP Computer Science Principles, Web Design, Principles of Business Management, Principles of Marketing, and Honors Geometry.

Saylor Leal, 9, is planning on doing Human Body Systems (HBS), ACP Chemistry, and Radio and TV. Leal hopes to be joining an extracurricular activity sometime next year.

David Lopez, 11, plans on attending Pre-Cal, Jazz Band, and psychology. He is planning on doing marching band and indoor winds as an extracurricular activity for this coming up year.
Zach Perkins, 9, says, “I am looking forward to the new AP Computer Science Principles and the Web Design classes.” Perkins is wanting to take those classes for his dream to be a businessman.

Personality Profile: IUPUI student heads #SanctuaryCampus movement

by Erick Morales/Staff Writer

Caption: Hector Morales speaks with the IUPUI Chancellor Nasser Paydar.

Hector Morales, an IUPUI student from Greenfield, became alarmed at the remarks that Donald Trump had made about minorities during the 2016 Presidential campaign.

Morales organized a walkout in his college and gathered a large following of students to walk alongside him. He told people to spread the word by using #SanctuaryCampus on Twitter. Many other schools were participating, too. It was not his idea, but he organized it in his campus.

President Donald Trump has been known to make controversial comments towards minorities. The movement was made to make IUPUI a Sanctuary, or a safe place for immigrants, LGBT, people of color, or any minority. It ensured that students will be more open and accepting and to protect immigrants from major changes that Trump might make to the DACA Act, Consideration for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The DACA Act gives immigrated minors a chance for a work permit and protection from deportation.

Hector lives like any college student; he works, pays bills, and he works again. His actions, however, separate him from the norm. He organized and planned the walkout alongside other major campuses.

He went online and made a Google Forum and asked people to sign up for the walk out using #SanctuaryCampus. Only about a hundred or so people signed up, but once he got to the campus over 400 students arrived. The walkout reached their goal and they got to talk to the Chancellor to help make changes to benefit students.

The walkout was to increase awareness to stop discrimination, but mostly it was to help immigrants. After the walkout, the university responded, saying administrators would closely monitor actions taken regarding the DACA Act and any proposed changes to the policy. Hector described the movement, saying “Basically, it was more about a statement to tell the President that America is a diverse country, and any rule- any bill that anyone tries to discredit that America is a diverse country, we are going to fight.”

This movement had a huge impact, according to Morales.  “That day over 42 universities became sanctuary campuses. We were nationally all over the news,” he said. Yale and Harvard were also a part of the Sanctuary Campus movement, along with several other schools.

This, of course, got a lot of exposure. “Even Bill O’Reilly ( a Fox News personality) was talking about it.” Morales said. “Over 136 campuses were involved. This is considered one of the biggest walkouts that we have seen in the 21st century as far as university walkouts is concerned.”
Morales was the face of the walkout and personally talked to the Chancellor of IUPUI. They are working with IUPUI to make school safer for students. IUPUI plans to make the campus safer are still in development and administrators will release information as time goes on. Morales said that this’ll ensure protection and the well-being of minority college students.

Once there’s an opinion, there’s bound to be backlash. Morales said, “There were a lot of negative tweets, but there was a lot of people who didn’t show their faces. I think they were actually helping us to increase popularity via #SanctuaryCampus. They helped us a lot.”

Being a minority himself, a legal Mexican immigrant, he said felt he was the voice for minorities who felt like outcasts or unwelcome in a campus environment. He wants their voices to be heard and understood.

His parents, Maria and Hector Senior, support him, stating, “We are very proud of our boy. He will soon do many great things for our world. We just know it!” His siblings also agree. Emily said, “He’s really brave. To stand up and say something like that takes courage.”

In the end, Morales had only this to say: “The Caucasian community or any person that voted for Trump, we respect. At the end of the day everyone that was involved was aware that they respected the election. That’s what democracy is and looks like. We respect the fact that he’s our President. What we don’t respect is the hate speech of his campaign.”

 

ONE SMALL GIFT

By Drew Smith/Staff Writer

One small box, dressed in red, flashy wrapping paper, with a quite usual small flap that read: “From Santa.” Every member of the family assumed the gift had been placed by someone else, attached with the flap as a sort of half-joke, in reflection to days past of childhood Christmases with flaps that read the same. Gifts were shuffled around, thanks exchanged, and a sea of wrapping paper enveloped the once monotone living room. Smiles flashed frequently, yelps of glee, as boxes were made naked of their wrapping and the thought-out, considerate gift was revealed inside. Quite the standard Christmas affair, full of a cozy atmosphere and joyful attitude. Free things seem to make everyone happy, besides the occasional pair of ugly dress socks, cheap tabloid magazines, and five dollar gift cards to McDonald’s. 

But that small box, wrapped noticeably with a touch of elegance, lingered in the backdrop of the quite mundane Christmas morning, whispering in a tempting voice that just begged to be opened. As the gifts that once stocked and crowded the Christmas tree faded away one by one, the more and more eyes the gift drew. Each member of the family gazed at it with a thick desire, running rampant in their mind’s at the possibility of what the gift would be.The gift, while not the largest, nor the smallest, nor even the most well-wrapped, still had a deep primal appeal to it, beckoning with its mystery. It was not special but that may have been some of the appeal, it drew upon a seared-in memory of the wonder of opening presents as a child. It did not take long before the tree had been completely naked at the bottom, the gifts now all in the hands of the proper receivers. 

There it was. All by itself. Untouched, unsaid, unknown. All eyes now examined the gift thoroughly, scanning over each fold, each crevice, each glint on the wrapping paper. Everyone in the room sat thinking the exact same sentence: “Who’s is it?” It was now just about who would ask first. The eldest son, curiosity devouring its way through his patience, asked, “Who’s is it?” All eyes in the room immediately swept towards him, waiting for his cue. He twisted and turned in his seat on the couch, now engaging in eye contact with someone everywhere he looked. The daughter, just slightly younger than him by a year and a half, wondered aloud, “Well, it’s not yours, right, Frank?” Frank, the eldest son, returned his eyes to the gift, stating, “No, it isn’t. Anyone know?” The room sat absolutely silent as they all slowly swept their eyes across the room, waiting for someone to raise their hand and surrender the knowledge of who possessed the gift.

“Well, here,” Frank mumbled as he got up from the couch. He knelt and dipped his head under the tree, swiping for the gift. He slipped it out from under the tree and immediately flipped the gift around. He bounced it listening for any familiar noise he could come across. He found the flap and flipped it up, revealing the “From Santa.” “Wow, real funny,” exclaimed Frank, “who’s trying to pull some practical joke?” No one answered and no one seemed to know. The gift rested in his hands. He shrugged his shoulders and tore open the gift relentlessly. A cardboard box resided underneath the wrapping. Frank pulled the top of revealing an empty box with only a note inside. Frank whipped the note out and read it aloud, “To my dearest favorite child of the Burakh Family, while I may have passed, may this gift unto you carry your life forwards even with my absence. I leave you 3% of my current estate, leaving you with 4.5 million dollars in liquid cash. Feel free to use the money for whatever you desire.”

The room sat eerily still. Then, quite suddenly, an eruption of conversation. “Whoever it’s from, I have gotta be the favorite child,” declared loudly, the youngest son. “Who’s estate even is this?” pondered their father. “Perhaps it was meant for the grandchildren,” muttered their aloof and unconcerned uncle. “Maybe it was from my grandpa,” wondered their mother. “It’s likely meant for one of us,” stated the daughter. “Mommy what’s an estate?” inquired the child of the daughter. “It’s gotta be my money, it has to be mine!” exclaimed the youngest son. “What did the note say, I couldn’t hear over all of the AC,” the grandmother requested obliviously. “STOP,” Frank shouted violently. 

Frank stood before the tree and all the eyes of the relatives shot at him like deep-cutting daggers. He revealed the other side of the note. It read: “From ‘Knives Out,’ a pretty good movie.” He dropped the note on the floor. “I might have accidentally put that in here after some cleaning, and then wrapped it,” embarrassingly remarked Frank.