The Lion's Roar 42-6

Evaluating

January in Review

By Linnea Astala

We voted together and approved the plans. It made total sense, and it’s respectful of our historic gems … e architecture of these old places is astounding.

We're hoping to add an elevator for accessibility and expand for more teaching rooms. We want it to be accessible to every student — we don't turn away students.

Rosemberg Performs at Gillette

I’d never been to a game before. Everyone was incredibly welcoming … I was so focused on trying to do well that all the other people kind of faded out of my mind.

David Rosemberg Class of '26

He did absolutely amazing … When he came back to our section, all the people around us were patting him on the back and shaking his hand.

Maya Gerard Class of '26

Suzuki School Receives Funding

On Jan. 26, the Suzuki School of Newton was granted $600,000 for restorations. ese restorations will include accessibility accommodations, additional rooms for the Suzuki Preschool and performance spaces for the music school. e funding was approved by the Waban Area Council, Community Preservation Committee and the City Council. e grant, however, only makes up 23 percent of the necessary funding for the renovation.

Bill Proposed to Reduce Driving

State Legislators recently proposed e Freedom to Move Act, aiming to reduce the number of miles residents can drive in personal vehicles. e legislation is based on preexisting legislations in Colorado and Minnesota, created to combat climate change. No speci c mile restriction has been decided, and these regulations will require the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to decide on a mile limit. Given the restrictions, the bill would also call for the creation of a new council to focus on the accessibility of public transportation.

e purpose of the Freedom to Move Act is to ensure that we are investing in all transportation options ... to help align Massachusetts with its climate targets.

Cynthia Creem

State Senator; Sponsor of the Freedom to Move Act via NBC10 Boston

[Many peopple] have to drive because it’s a way of life. If you live in Boston and you want to ride the train, that’s good for you, but don’t force this on the rest of the state.

Paul Craney Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance via Boston25News

Laredo inaugurated as Newton's 32nd Mayor

Chloe Carrano News Contributor

On Jan. 1, Marc Laredo was inaugurated as Newton’s 32nd mayor in City Hall. Laredo previously served as a member of Newton’s City Council for 13 years, where he was president for four years. He was also a member of the School Committee for nine years.

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd also swore in seven new City Council members and six new School Committee members.

At the ceremony, Laredo delivered an inaugural speech, in which he he said that he and his administration have three goals that they want to focus on.

“[I want to] provide an excellent education [system], deliver outstanding city services and build community,” Laredo said.

Newton Public Schools Superintendent Anna Nolin said that she and Laredo share similar goals.

“[Laredo said] that he will nd a way, over multiple years, to reach our thrive school budget and fully support our strategic plan,” she said. “ [Laredo] has set a very di erent tone for our collaboration – it's only been a few weeks, but we are on the path to great work together.”

Harmony Foundation board member Tony Logalbo, who helped organize a MLK Day event that Laredo attended, said Laredo shares many qualities with many previous mayors.

“I think [Laredo] stands in the tradition of many of the mayors who have followed him … he's open minded …he's a good listener,” he said.

Eliot Church’s Reverend Eric Jackson, a keynote speaker at an event Laredo attended, said that Laredo’s capacity to separate his own agenda from Newton’s most central issues is a rare trait.

“ at kind of leadership feels distinct from much of what we are seeing in the broader

who also attended the inauguration, said that residents should remain hopeful in spite of today’s turbulence.

“It is a challenging time for our state, for our nation, and for your households,” she said. “Massachusetts is a pretty special place … [so it is important to] enter 2026 with optimism

political sphere right now, where domination and volume often replace listening and collaboration,” he said.

“I sensed in him a genuine desire to address deeper systemic issues, so that Newton can continue to grow as a place where more people can belong and thrive.”

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey,

and with hope.”

With the inauguration of Laredo as Newton’s rst new mayor in eight years, many were reminded of the impact of former Newton mayor Setti Warren, who passed away on Nov. 2, 2025.

Sean Ahern, Operative Director of the Newton Food Pantry, who worked closely with

Warren, said that he hopes Laredo will carry on many of Warren’s great achievements as mayor.

“It’s clear [Warren] left an impressive legacy that would be a challenge for anyone to match,” he said. “From my perspective, it isn’t about comparing one mayor to another; it’s about honoring that history by continuing the momentum he built and continuing to build upon that mission as we look toward the future.”

Laredo said that he will attempt to match the e ort his predecessors put into shaping Newton.

“I pledge to work as hard as [past mayors] did in leading Newton forward,” he said.

Laredo said that he hopes that residents of Newton express their opinions and participate actively in the community.

“Every resident – no matter who they are, where they come from or how long they have lived here – has a real voice in our city and a real stake in its future,” he said.

Every resident — no matter who they are, where they come from or how long they have lived here — has a real voice in our city and a real stake in its future.

Marc Laredo Mayor of Newton

City Councilor Micley relocates to Ward 6

By Natalie Moore and Serena Liu News Contributors

In January, City Councilor David Micley moved residences from Ward 2 to Ward 6, but kept his position as a Ward 2 City Councilor.

Although Micley no longer lives in Ward 2, according to the Newton City Charter, as long as a councilor lives in the ward they are representing for one day, they are allowed to represent that ward for the rest of the term.

City Council President John Oliver, said that he supports Micley and his family.

“He was excited, happy to be able to nd a bigger house for his growing family,” he said. “So I was excited for him.”

Many councilors said that Micley’s move does not seem to have prompted any immediate impacts.

Ward 2 Councilor Tarik Lucas said that the move will not result in any di erences within Ward 2 or Ward 6.

“He will still work the same job; there are no further changes,” he said. “[Micley] will still be a councilor even through his move. He will still ful ll his responsibilities.”

Ward 6 Councilor Sean Roche said that he is not concerned about Micley’s move.

“I don't think it's going to have an impact one way or the other either on Ward 2 or Ward 6,” he said.

Micley said that his move will not in uence how he carries out his responsibilities for Ward 2.

“My work remains important, and my commitment to doing that is unchanged,” he said.

Nonetheless, some shared concerns, given how rare it is for a city councilor to move so quickly into a new term.

Ward 2 Councilor Susan Albright

said that in her many years on the Council, a councilor has never moved out of the ward that they represent.

“It hasn't happened in the 22 years I've been on the Council,” she said. “We'll have to

think it's positive? Not necessarily.”

Albright said that living outside the ward could present challenges, potentially making it more di cult to stay connected to residents. ere may be things that happen in the

all just wait and see what happens.”

Oliver said that while he supports Micley, he has some concerns with the move.

“Obviously, I think it's a good move for the Micley family, that's fair,” he said. “Do I

graphic byEllen Wu

ward that he doesn't live in, so to speak, that other people will have to tell him about,” she said. “When you're living halfway across the city, it will be a challenge.”

Ward 2 resident Asma Elhweiaras said

that she believes Micley’s move could pose di culties in the future.

“It does sound challenging. eoretically, it could be a problem,” she said.

Albright said that she is worried about the idea of an inconsistency within the City Charter.

“It's interesting that the Charter says that you have to live in the ward that you run from. at's a requirement,” she said. “ en the Charter says, if you leave the ward on the second day of the term, it's okay. So there's a little bit of an inconsistency there in what the Charter is requiring.”

Roche said that he wants to focus on adapting the Charter to bene t Newton.

“We should develop our rules going forward based on what makes sense for the city, what makes sense for the wards,” he said. “Of course, that would not have any impact on Councilor Micley.”

Micley said that he will remain dedicated to his work despite his move and expanding family.

“I don't know much beyond doing the best I can to be an e ective city councilor,” he said. “I will do my best to balance that with work and a growing family.”

Micley said that he is aware others might have di erent opinions on his relocation.

“I respect that others might not always agree with that, and a part of the beauty of local politics is that we can have these discussions openly in person, in a productive, respectful fashion,” he said.

Micley said that ultimately, he remains focused on making a positive impact for Ward 2.

“I have no plans beyond just trying to do the best job I can as the Ward 2 councilor for this year,” he said.“ ere’s a lot of excitement as well for new possibilities.”

Newton police chief retires after 29 years

Ana Fitzpatrick & Amelia Nincic News Contributors

On Jan. 8, Newton Police Chief George McMains entered retirement after serving with the Newton Police Department for 29 years.

McMains, who began his career as a police o cer in 1997, served as a sergeant, Internal A airs O cer, lieutenant and executive o cer before taking over as Chief of the Newton Police Department in 2024.

City Councilor Tarik Lucas said that McMains was an exceptionally competent police o cer and was admired for his leadership abilities and dedication to the City of Newton.

“He has the command and respect of

the o cers and sta who work underneath him,” he said. “He's been in Newton since the early ‘90s, so he has great knowledge of the City of Newton.”

Terry Gentile Sauro, the chair of the Nonantum Neighborhood Association, said that McMains handled the removal of the Italian ag lines in Nonantum in a praiseworthy manner, balancing both understanding and parity.

“Chief McMains de-escalated the situation by understanding our concern and giving us the time and respect we needed to process the removal of the lines a second time,” she said.

O cer Justin Lau, who worked with McMains, said that he admired McMains’ love for

Newton and his leadership in the Department.

“When it came to the police department, he brought stability,” Lau said.“He cared about [Newton] greatly.”

McMains has not only impacted Newton as a strong police chief, but as a person of powerful character.

Lau said that he found McMains reliable and that he viewed McMains as a mentor because of McMains’ experience with service dogs.

“Whenever I had a question or I was doubting myself when it came to training [the dogs], [McMains] was there. He always had his door open, and always had a minute for me,” he said.

Lucas said that the o cers working under McMains were not the only people who respected him.

“I have a lot of respect for Chief McMains. He's an exceptional police o cer, and he's very approachable,” he said. “He's very friendly, he's very knowledgeable … his departure is going to be a great loss for the City of Newton.”

McMains said that one reason he cares deeply about Newton is the variety of people who call it home.

“[Newton is] really diverse in the professional makeup of [its] community. We have custodians who live in Newton. We have trash collectors who live in Newton. We have students who live in Newton,” he said. “Just to mingle with all the di erent types of people we have, it really helps somebody build their character.”

McMains’ retirement is bittersweet for many. Lau said that although he regrets seeing McMains leave the department, he is glad

that McMains will be able to spend more time with family.

“Do I wish he stuck around longer? Yeah, I do. But I can’t blame him for wanting to spend more time with his family and grandkids,” he said.. “You know, I was just sad to see him go.”

At the same time, Lucas said that he and the Newton community have plenty of well wishes for McMains’ retirement.

“I wish him a happy retirement. He's going to spend more time with his family,” he said. “And I want to thank him for his service to Newton.”

McMains said that he plans on spending his newfound time taking a well-earned rest and connecting with his family.

“I just want to relax and take it easy,” he said.“I have a two-year-old granddaughter, and I'm trying to learn two-year-old language again.”

McMains said that he thinks it is important for Newton police o cers to cultivate personal relationships with community members.

“Everybody wants to call me Chief. Really, I'm just George,” he said. “I like to go to meetings and go to events throughout the city and just have one-on-one conversations, not as the chief to a resident, but as people.”

McMains said he hopes that in the future, the people of Newton will blur this line of formality.

“If you see [police o cers] at a block party in the summertime or a village party go up and say hi to them. Ask them where they're from, what they do, how do they do their job, what would they like to see change in the city of Newton,” he said. “"at would be great for the people of Newton to understand and do.”

White Mountain Creamery shuts down

Kohler & Sanjana Tewari News Reporter and News Editor

After 42 years in operation, ice cream shop White Mountain Creamery has closed.

Located on the outskirts of Boston Col lege’s (BC) Newton Campus, White Mountain Creamery long maintained a close relationship with students and alumni.

BC sophomore Charlotte Benson said that she is going to miss the shop because it served as a gathering spot in the BC social scene.

“It was a really good spot to go to with friends, especially if we had a busy nals sea son,” she said. “Even if we were busy during the day, we were able to just meet up for ice cream at night.”

Ally Patz, a sophomore at BC, said that she shares strong memories with the establish ment and expressed sadness over its closure.

“White Mountain Creamery was so signature BC, like it was our thing. It wasn't a chain,” she said.

Corey Davison, history teacher and BC alumnus, said that he sees the closure as part of a larger shift in the area surrounding campus.

“"ere is a very strong BC bubble,” he said. “It's really hard for BC kids to leave campus, so to have something that is locally owned is culturally signi cant.”

Davison said that the closing of White Mountain Creamery represents more than just the loss of an ice-cream shop: it’s the end of a long-standing BC tradition.

“I think it's sad that that's gone. A lot of people have memories there, whether it was late-night trips, celebrations or just hanging out, so losing it feels like the end of something familiar,” he said.

Despite being replaced by a chain, New

City Microcreamery, the closing of White Mountain Creamery was voluntary.

Longtime owner of White Mountain Creamery Peter Cofuous was ready to retire, so he began looking for a buyer, which is when New City Microcreamery, another business

the community.”

Patz said that White Mountain Creamery also created unity among BC students.

“White Mountain Creamery was an instant buzzword that gave us a connection, because everybody went after sports games,

including South senior Joelle Weldon, who said that it o ers a multitude of options.

“It’s still a good spot to go, and there’s a lot of variety,” she said.

When asked what made White Mountain Creamery special, Barrett and Weldon mentioned its distinct atmosphere.

For many students and families, the appeal of White Mountain Creamery came from its sense of community. Senior Ava Barrett said that it was the only ice cream shop her family visited frequently.

“I'd always remember seeing a new employee and just talking to someone new,” she said. “It was fun to interact with everyone in

that so many BC students had with White Mountain might not be lost.

“I think part of the reason the New City Microcreamery was so interested in moving here is because they really want to engage with the communities around them,” he said.

Some residents have already shared positive opinions about New City Microcreamery,

“It felt homey, and we loved the family vibe that the shop had," she said.

Weldon said that the personality hasn’t completely disappeared, with the new shop feeling personal and familiar unlike other shops she’s been to.

“It didn’t have the energy of your standard corporate ice-cream place. It had character,” she said.

Despite the loss of a beloved BC tradition and family favorite, New City Microcreamery continues to thrive. "e store is regularly bustling with customers, and Benson said that she expects it to be especially popular during the warmer months.

“Everybody loves ice cream in the summer, and I’m con dent that business will remain strong throughout the year,” she said.

White Mountain Creamery was an instant buzzword that gave us a connection, because everybody went after sports games, late at night, after parties.

Ally Patz Boston College Class of

'28

New Leadership in Newton

Meet Newton's newly elected officials for City Council and School Committee as they set goals for city governance and education.

By Seyoon Byun & Julia Ding

On Nov. 4, 2025, Ward 1 Councilorat-Large John Oliver was elected Newton City Council President, marking his "rst time serving in the role.

Rather than forcing legislation through the Council, Oliver said he hopes to help lead initiatives in a way that helps everyone understand what is being passed.

"I will be the type of city council president who is more interested in shepherding things through our system as opposed to steering them through," he said. "I'm interested in making sure that we have the right process in place, that we're processing things e ciently and [that at the end of the

day] people understand what's going on."

Newton resident Catherine Han said newly elected o cials need to lead with principle over politics.

“What a city needs is someone who can bring people together. My hope for all the new o cials is that they govern with empathy and a long-term vision for the city, not just reacting to the issue of the week,” she said. “Can they make tough choices while maintaining the well-being of our community? at’s the real question."

Re ecting the community expectations, Oliver said that his mission is

Alicia Piedalue is the new School Committee chair. She served on the governing board of Boston's Elliot Innovation School for "ve years, inspiring her to pursue similar work in Newton. Piedalue has always been involved in her children’s schools, particularly due to her oldest son’s special needs.

Piedalue said the Committee’s main goal is to address struggles in securing funding, which have now become a systemic issue.

“We actually need very big repairs at South,” she said. “ e biggest nut we have to crack this year is funding, as this

to work with all types of people.

He hopes to see more collaboration between City Councilors as well as between the City Council and other groups and departments.

"I want to be a council president who is able to work with everyone on the City Council toward any similar goals that we have," he said. "I also want [to be] a City Council President who is going to be working on a [daily] basis to improve the relationship between the City Council and pretty much every group across the city, whether that's student groups, the PTO, or any of the departments within the city."

year’s budget season has a big de"cit.”

South history teacher Jamie Rinaldi said that he hopes the new members of the School Committee consider the issues directly facing schools prior to implementing new policies.

“Educators today are facing numerous simultaneous pressures. We’re trying to navigate AI, answer the thorny questions around the mixed-level classrooms and teach to the state frameworks and the course expectations,” he said. “I would encourage any member of the Newton School Committee to take a long look at the ground realities in the schools before pursuing any

new initiatives or policy changes.”

Piedalue said that technology and AI use pose risks to learning.

“AI can be helpful to use, but there are ways we need to protect ourselves from AI,” she said. “We also need to look at the probable upcoming state mandate for a cell phone ban.”

Piedalue said she wants to improve the Newton Public Schools (NPS) and make it a model for other public schools all around the nation.

“If we can't be the model for public schools in the nation, I don't know who can be,” she said.

Jason Bhardwaj is the new School Committee vice chair. is is his "rst time serving in an o cial government position.

Bhardwaj said that his quest for o ce began when he started supporting the school district because his children attended NPS.

“It starts with having kids in NPS,” he said. “I've got a "fth grader and a second grader, [and I] really started getting engaged by supporting the school in a wide variety of ways.”

Bhardwaj said that maintaining the high quality of Newton schools is a major priority for him.

“We really have an important goal [for the] School Committee to make sure that Newton schools stay and are excellent,” he said.

Bhardwaj said that he supports a newsletter to help facilitate communication with Newton students and families.

“One of the things I’ve particularly been investing in is a newsletter,” he said. “I think it’s hard to listen to three hours of a School Committee meeting and "gure out what happened, and so that is one of the main objectives, to recap so people are in tune with the policy decisions.”

Bhardwaj said that he encourages

students to reach out to the School Committee or other groups to raise awareness about issues that they care about.

“Hearing di erent perspectives from students is also very important. Some of the formal forums we have for that, like having a high school student join the School Committee, are wonderful.”

Newton resident Je rey Yin said that the Committee needs to continue seeking students’ voices for frames of their policies.

“[ e students] are the ones experiencing the policies every day,” he said. “It 's important to continue validating their role in shaping their own education.”

EDITORIALS

It's time to start having meaningful dialogues in classrooms.

Since returning back to school from the COVID-19 pandemic, open discussions about controversial issues in classrooms at South have become nearly non-existent.

With a rise in polarizing events that often have an emotional aspect attached to them, it has become more di cult to have meaningful conversations in a classroom setting.

Many students have become scared to share their political opinions for a fear that their character will be judged based on their viewpoints.

is issue has become apparent not just at South, but also on a larger scale.

Before his Super Bowl LX Halftime performance, Bad Bunny spoke out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amidst its mass deportations, saying that he wanted “ICE out.”

His statement sparked backlash from many supporters of ICE, who called for his removal from the Halftime Show and even sent the singer death threats.

e reactions to Bad Bunny’s comments amplify the same fear that many students have when deciding whether to participate in class discussions.

erefore, when having discussions in class, South must ensure students that their

personal opinions will not be held against them or a ect how others view them.

Open dialogues should be a space where all viewpoints feel welcomed, and people who share their opinions should feel assured that their perspectives will not travel beyond the discussion.

In years past, NPS has sent out resources to teachers with the goal of making sure students feel more comfortable with speaking about issues that are di cult to discuss.

ese documents included guidelines for how to orchestrate a conversation, an optional script that teachers could choose to follow and talking points that teachers could use to guide the conversations.

While these documents can be helpful, a scripted conversation can feel arti cial and less meaningful than an open discussion among students.

at is why it is crucial that students are able to talk directly to one another when having di cult conversations.

In addition, students do not want to feel that they are drawing attention to themselves for having a di ering opinion from the rest of the class or their teacher.

erefore, teachers should breakdown conversations into small groups or one-on-

one conversations in order to make it easier for students to have a productive conversation with little fear or judgment involved.

In some cases, conversations are steered in a way that alienates groups of students, making it more challenging for them to participate in the discussion.

For that reason, when holding a full class discussion, it is vital for teachers to stay impartial.

ey should educate students on the facts and context behind a topic before starting an open dialogue.

is would ensure that conversations are informed and that students are debating correct information instead of false assumptions.

Teachers sharing correct information with students has become even more important in the age of social media, as false information can spread across the internet in a matter of seconds.

As students, it is our responsibility to think critically, ask questions and actively engage in di cult conversations to our fullest ability to prevent misinformation from spreading and to have a multifaceted perspective on current world issues.

Respectfully disagreeing in a kind manner is an imperative part of having these open

Editorial Policy

e Lion’s Roar, founded in 1984, is the student newspaper of Newton South High School, acting as a public forum for student views and attitudes.

e Lion’s Roar’s right to freedom of expression is protected by the Massachusetts Student Free Expression Law (Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, Section 82). All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of e Lion’s Roar in no way re ects the o cial policy of Newton South, its faculty or its administration.

Editorials are the o cial opinion of e Lion’s Roar, while opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of their writers and do not necessarily re ect the opinion of e Lion’s Roar e Lion’s Roar reserves the right to edit all submitted content, to reject advertising copy for resubmission of new copy that is deemed acceptable by student editors and to make decisions regarding the submission of letters to the editors, which are welcomed.

e Lion’s Roar is printed by USA Today Co. and published every eight weeks by Newton South students. All funding comes from advertisers and subscriptions.

e Lion’s Roar’s policy on journalistic ethics strictly forbids any use of arti cial intelligence (AI) in the reporting, writing and editing process. e Lion’s Roar reserves the right to reject pieces o ered for publication that are found to be in violation of this policy.

discussions, and we as students must agree to have a welcoming, non-judgemental environment to allow such discussions to work.

Listening to a wide range of perspectives enables a more connected classroom environment and enhances collaboration among students and teachers.

us, it is essential that students “share the air” and allow for all voices to be heard.

Conversations are most e ective when a majority of students participate.

By making a conscious e ort to listen and speak openly to one another, students can help create productive discussions.

To foster meaningful conversations, South must prioritize creating environments where controversial topics can be discussed safely.

Implementing small-group discussions, leading with impartial moderation and providing context should be the way forward towards creating a more inclusive model of dialogue across South.

We, as e Lion’s Roar, are devoted to ensuring that diverse voices are represented in our paper and vow to make space in our opinions section for di ering viewpoints.

We hope that classrooms around the school will do the same.

We must create space for open conversations Volume XLII

e Lion’s Roar

Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper

140 Brandeis Road, Newton, MA 02459

ss.lionsroar@gmail.com

Editors-in-Chief

Andrew Feinberg

eo Younkin

Managing Editors

Ava Ransbotham Sarah Schwartz

Section Editors

News

Seyoon Byun

James Garrett

Abby Miller

Sanjana Tewari

Opinions

Angela Tao

Emily Wang

Grace Yang

Photo Managers

ayer Bialek

Lev Navisky

Centerfold

Hana Futai

Ellie Shim

Humor Columnist

Matteo Lee

Business Manager

Adam Ransbotham

Faculty Advisor

Ashley Chapman

Features

Laura Feng

Andrew Petrilla

Allison Sam

Bethesda Yeh

Sports

Clara Borus

Owen Halberstadt

Mitchell Lookner

Graphics Managers

Clare Cho

Ellen Wu

from the EDITORS LETTER

A Thank You Letter to Volume 42 Sta

Dear Volume 42,

We did it! Another volume complete. As we wrap up this volume and transition to the next, we wanted to break from our traditional Letter from the Editor and take a moment to thank you all for everything you've done for Roar. We'll miss you all, but we know that the future of the paper is stronger than ever!

Signing Off, Andrew, Theo, Ava & Sarah

News

Abby Miller

We’re just as obsessed with you as you are with Six the Musical. You might be the queen of News in Brief, but we want our time with you to be anything but.

James Garrett

He’s just a chill guy. But seriously, you keep us grounded even through the late-night Nashville delirium, and you de!nitely take the cake for most sniped on the Roar Insta.

Sanjana Tewari

You’re our agent, always recruiting new Roar reporters. I guess your sick-ness is contagious. Hopefully not literally.

Seyoon Byun

Our bundle of joy. Our news-graphics double agent. You never fail to brighten the room — whether it’s with your smile or your weird dreams. Never stop being horrendous at ma!a.

Photos

Lev Navisky

Always kind, always calm. We can’t wait to see your beautiful photos on the front page of the New York Times someday.

Thayer Bialek

Your media day photos were worth the wait. anks for your endless patience and #exibility and all those memorable Secret Santa moments.

Features

Allison Sam

It’s so hard for us to believe you’re a twin because you’re simply one of a kind … or should we say 1 in 2000? anks for all your hard work, even if it happens at 3 a.m.

Andrew Petrilla

You’re so good at Common App that we wish you were our college counselor. Your moments of joy always brighten our Monday mornings.

Bethesda Yeh

e Shortest. Kidding! Your organization skills will go down in Roar history, and we feel so honored to have gotten to know your brilliant, hilarious self.

Laura Feng

Your whimsy waltzing down the Nashville streets gives us wings (get it? Wingstop?). You bring the creativity and grace of a dancer to our pages.

Graphics

Clare Cho

ank you for always trying to follow our crazy graphics-meeting trains of thought. Your graphics are as beautiful as your singing.

Ellen Wu

You have come in clutch with your last minute graphics too many times to count. What would we do without your constant smile, even when those fold graphics meetings get long?

Centerfold

Ellie Shim

Not to be punny, but you really do Ellie-vate our paper. Your versatility and vision truly make the centerfold the center of the paper. anks for pursuing each article with so much passion.

Hana Futai

Hana - 6, InDesign - 0. Or tens from all the judges, in other words. Your endless e ort and perpetual smile inspire us every day, and your Nashville mall hauls are unmatched.

Opinions

Angela Tao

As our longest tenured editor, you’ve stuck with us through thick and thin. Your pages never fail to amaze. You’ll be hanging up your InDesign hat with honor.

Emily Wang

Forever friendly and fashionable, your passion is contagious. It’s been a pleasure being on your wavelength *wink wink.*

Grace Yang

She is beauty, she is Grace. Your artistic vision is just as immaculate as your music taste and your Substack. We know we’ll say “we knew her when” someday.

Advisor

Ms. Chapman

Whaaaaaats up guys! ank you for all your endless guidance, help and support. Your patience is always appreciated, especially when we're running late with text and page proofs — sorry! From Moments of Joy to NSPA, Roar just wouldn't be the same without you. Room 1201 will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we'll always think of you as our Jeapordy and trivia master. You may have come in third place last week, but you'll always be #1 in our hearts. We'll miss you!

Sports

Clara Borus

She’s so speedy — on the track and with her proofs. Must be the socks. We can’t wait to see you scooting around with Hobby Lobby Bobby, maybe still working on that cookie dough.

Mitchell Lookner

Call us MitchyBucketLover because we’re your biggest fans. We’ve never been more impressed than watching you obliterate a foot long. Keep chewin’.

Owen Halberstadt

It’s Owen’s World and we’re just living in it. You rock the Bass Pro Shops hat like no one else, and you’ve got the best takes … except when it comes to the Steelers.

Honorary Members

Mr. Reinstein

ank you for continuing to write for us this volume! We always look forward to each next installment of your column, and your emails never fail to bring us joy.

Auburn & Dmitry

ank you for your unwavering patience and constant #exibilty! Your kindness (and your printing presses!) are the reasons we can keep doing what we love.

Matty Ice

What would we do without our resident humor columnist and Dale resident? We think you might be the tallest member of Roar ... so future writers will have a lot to look up to (get it?)

The Janitors

ank you for putting up with us — and our papers in the hallways! While we haven't had as many late nights this year, we still love when you pop in for the recycling with a smile!

OPINIONS

Next Year? Same Time

Love hurts — it hurts bad. But, ultimately, after all of my ventures into romance, I’ve realized that Valentine’s Day’s RSVP is absolutely worth cleaning up all its barf.

By Owen Butler

Every year, as Valentine’s Day wraps itself up in its pink poofy coat, kicks on its mismatched Crocs and drunkenly thanks our calendar for hosting it, I always !nd myself re"ecting on why we invited it in the !rst place.

It never cleans up after itself. It’s prone to throwing up all over February’s new carpet. It loses control of itself.

Love hurts — it hurts bad. But, ultimately, after all of my ventures into romance, I’ve realized that Valentine’s Day’s RSVP is absolutely worth cleaning up all its barf.

Your name is Owen Butler. It’s Feb. 14, 2022. Look to your right: it’s famed Turquoise Team science teacher and ultimate frisbee coach, Mr. Toulmin! Look to your left: it’s just the wall. My bad. Look right in front of you: it’s the !rst and last love letter you’ll ever write.

You watch your hand shakily round out the B in “Owen B” and fold it up. You watch your hands push your letter through the little slits in your crush’s locker; it sucks it up like it’s been waiting for this letter for the past !ve years. You sigh.

A month later, you hear your crush badmouthing you about six feet away. e mask she’s wearing under her nose doesn’t hide the words she’s saying. You take a little trip to the bathroom. You go home early with a migraine.

Your name is still Owen Butler. It’s Feb. 14, 2025. You just got home from an iceskating date with your ex-girlfriend’s friend.

When I saw the tail lights of Valentine's Day's beetred Prius squeal out of my driveway this year, I tapped away, "Text me when you get home. Same time next year?"

She’s the !rst person you’ve ever dated who’s a grade above you, and you haven’t messed anything up yet!

Your phone buzzes in your pocket. It’s

lives in Georgia, Owen. It was never going to work out.

She says she “heard her friend enjoyed it, too — she really likes you, Owen.” You say,

an Instagram DM from your ex. You hop on a call with her and watch the second episode of Bridgerton.

She asks how the date went. What are you doing, Owen? You say, “It went well.” She

graphic by Ellen Wu

“Yeah.” You feel that familiar pressure in your sinuses. e tears drip onto the laptop keyboard. You break up with your ex’s friend a week later. You’re back to your normal name. My

It's worth it to love even though we're bound to lose it. If we judge love purely on its intermissions, we miss out on its incredible group numbers.

name is Owen Butler. It’s whatever day you’re reading this on.

Here’s a fun fact: no relationship ever ends well. Either you break up, or one of you dies.

So why do we do it? Why do we emerge from all of those little trips to the bathroom — all those tears on the laptop keyboard, all of those times you smell someone wearing the same perfume as the girl you almost forgot about — and just go right back into the quagmire again?

Easy — because nothing in life is about the ending.

To quote Noah Kahan, “Who the hell likes livin’ just to die?” e very fact that you’re choosing to read a school newspaper instead of just curling up in a ball in your house and waiting to die proves that you already know things are more than their endings.

It’s worth it to see the world, lose your Wordle streak, make eye contact with a celebrity, cry in a packed movie theater, get hyped over the Patriots winning the Super Bowl, even though all of this is temporary and we’re going to be emotionless balls of nothing in 80-some years. It’s worth it to love even though we’re bound to lose it.

If we judge love purely on its intermissions, we miss out on its incredible group numbers.

So when I saw the tail lights of Valentine’s Day’s beet-red Prius squeal out of my driveway this year, I tapped away,“Text me when you get home. Same time next year?”

My Farewell Column

By Matteo Lee

ey say the best things in life always come to an end, and today, this is true for me.

Almost two years ago, on April 20, 2024, my !rst words were published under the name “Matty ICE.” Since then, I’ve written roughly 6000 words spread out over 12 issues. I’ve written about Star Wars Sith lords, trick-ortreating, the Dale, academic comebacks, Slither. io, Scooby-Doo and much more.

Over the last two years, my columns have been built on nothing but pure nonsense, shenanigans and tomfoolery, but today, I want to get away from that. Today, I would like my column to be more than just jokes and to connect with you, my reader, on a more personal

level. Today, I want to tell you the story of how “Matty ICE” came to be.

Let me start by taking you back to roughly three years ago, to my !rst Lion’s Roar meeting. I was almost unrecognizable to what many of you know me as today. I was a scrawny nerd in baggy shorts, standing at roughly 6’2 and 170 pounds (currently standing at 6’2 175). I was a jokester, a clown, a butterer-of-your-biscuit type of guy. Like I said, unrecognizable to my current self.

Now, I possess a muscular hulking frame, chiseled jawline and serious aura. Back then, I was the type of guy who you’d push into a locker; now, I’m the type of guy who’d push

you and your grandma into a locker. Back to the story. For my !rst two months at the Lion’s Roar, I was a simple sports reporter, reporting on sports, sports reporting and doing that sort of thing. I was obedient to the senior sta and looked up to them like a son would to his father.

Eventually I became restless, bored of simple sports reporting. I felt con!ned like a chicken in an egg, wait no an egg in a chicken, I mean a chicken in a chicken’s egg, fuck. You get the point. On Jan. 9, 2024, I decided to quit. In one last goodbye, I wrote to senior sta member Risha Sinha:

"Dear Risha Sinha,

Unfortunately I will not be attending this Lions Roar meeting. I have decided to take some time o of Lion's Roar for myself. Although the food is calling to me, I need to prioritize myself. My side quest to reach inner wellness may take me days, months, or even years so I may never return. Matteo Lee, three month Lion's Roar sports section veteran calling it out for the last time. Goodbye.

Sincerely, Matteo Lee"

Little did I know that this email was actually the !rst step in my quest to reach inner wellness. is single email inspired an absurd email chain between me and all the senior sta members. It lasted a couple weeks before they unexpectedly o ered me the opportunity to write a column (obviously I had to do some other things too to get the column, like feeding Andrew Feinberg’s vegan hamster for a week and shining eo Younkin’s dress shoes).

My column really has been a blessing to me. It's my baby. It's pushed me to places in the universe I'd never thought I could go.

I immediately accepted, and the rest is history.

Over these last two years, I’ve tackled some of the world’s toughest questions, cemented myself as a prominent “thinker” of today’s generation and inspired all my readers (I’ve estimated the number to be in the millions, while certain experts claim the number is signi!cantly lower).

My column really has been a blessing to me. It’s my baby. It’s pushed me to places in the universe I’d never thought I could go (like the edges of the Star Wars galaxy) and places in my brain I'd never thought I could go (deep into my cerebral cortex).

But mainly and most importantly, it’s been a lot of fun, and for that I am forever thankful. I owe a great deal of thanks to the current and former senior sta Andrew, Risha, Grace, eo, Sarah and Ava for constantly supporting my vision; Ms. Chapman for holding down the fort; and the Lion’s Roar crew.

Matty ICE has o cially melted away (Ice, melt, see what I did there?). Goodbye.

"Stranger Things" is back and stranger than ever

By June Henry

e !nale of the Du er Brothers’ hit show “Stranger ings” has generated mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. Considering all the buildup on social media, it’s fair to say that I was a little disappointed, and I’m not alone.

Some fans thought the !nale was so bad that they spent hours theorizing about a secret bonus episode, which I may or may not have secretly hoped would be real. Overall, while there were some great moments, the !nale didn’t live up to my expectations.

e episode opens with a few di erent storylines. Our resident supergirl Eleven, her former-police-chief adoptive dad Hopper and Kali — another child given powers by the same secret government program that trained Eleven — are in the Upside Down, an alternate universe. ere, Hopper helps Eleven and Kali travel into the mind of the big, bad villain Vecna. Alongside their friend Max, they attempt an epic rescue to save the 12 Hawkins children that Vecna had kidnapped. e three of them almost execute the plan perfectly, but Kali dies at the hands of a soldier.

If the Du er Brothers were aiming to make the !nale mysterious, they succeeded, because I still have no idea why they spent so much valuable screen time killing o an otherwise unimportant character viewers either didn’t care about or openly disliked.

In fact, Kali only appeared in !ve episodes throughout the show’s run, two of which were the lowest-rated episodes of the entire series. Meanwhile, the rest of the world-saving team is attempting to climb a radio tower to

try to ascend into the Abyss, Vecna’s planet and where the children are being held hostage. is “Operation Beanstalk” leads to a near-death ex-

only complaint is that it didn’t have the grandeur of a !nale. With all of the ominous warnings from the Du er Brothers about high stakes and

with characters somehow able to pause in the middle of an apocalypse to have emotional conversations. Is there no sense of urgency?

Eventually, the !nal battle begins. My

with barely more than a scratch.

After the big battle, every character is still alive, but at this point, we’re only halfway through the episode. is is why I wasn’t surprised when Eleven (supposedly) makes her

big sacri!ce and dies when the Upside Down is destroyed. e scene was executed well enough, but I honestly thought that Eleven deserved a happy ending more than anyone else.

Maybe the Du ers thought this was a good way to get the tears "owing, but I found it unsatisfactory. Eleven had been through more than any of the other main characters, and never letting her see the result of her years of blood, sweat and tears didn’t seem fair.

en came the real ending. e show ends how it started, with the main group playing Dungeons and Dragons one last time, which I did think was a really nice full-circle moment. However, the campaign ends with Mike speculating that Eleven might not actually be dead.

While some viewers were relieved by the possibility of her survival, I didn’t like this ending because I hate the idea of Eleven having to run and hide again after she fought so hard to get away from that life of secrecy.

Some fans believe that Eleven represents “childhood magic,” so she had to disappear because the kids grew up. But Eleven isn’t imaginary: she’s a human being, and she deserves a happy ending as much as the rest of them.

In the end, the !nale had some truly great moments and surprises, but I wasn’t satis!ed. e unnecessary heart-to-hearts, relatively ordinary !nal battle and sacri!ce of the one character that deserved more happiness than any of them left me wanting more.

Still, I’ve seen — pardon my pun — stranger things than a disappointing show ending.

Gra ys

Your ultimate guide to this year's award ceremony.

Live Performances

By Molly Hadlow

This year’s Grammy Awards ceremony was de!nitely a wild ride. ere were great awards and speeches, but what stood out to me the most this year were all the outstanding performances.

e ceremony celebrated what live music does best: providing experiences that make the music come to life.

From energetic openers to meaningful tributes, the night showed how powerful live performances can really be.

e show opened with an amazing performance by Bruno Mars and Rosé, whose performance of “APT” got me excited to watch the rest of the show.

Another performance that hooked me was Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” one of the best numbers of the night. Her set was designed to look like an airport, which was complemented by her pilot’s costume. design choice brought a new and improved energy to the audience, making the experi ence so much more fun.

One more performance that stood out was when all of the ‘Best New Artist’ nominees did a medley of each of their songs.

It started with the Marías sing ing “No One Noticed” and ended with Sombr’s“12 to 12”, featuring many talented

Choosing The Impossible

By Kaylee Da

Music is !lled with emotion, culture and rhythm — arguably the most subjective concepts on Earth.

So how is it possible that, every Febru ary, the Recording Academy can con hand out gold gramophone trophies to an swer what seem like impossible questions: the Best Album, the Best Artist and the Best Record of the Year?

artists in between. e showcase of the nominees ended with Olivia Dean taking home Best New Artist.

Best Dance Recording: A Deep Dive

By Leah Fiadjoe

Acategory that stuck out to me this year was Best Dance/Electronic Recording, an award meant to

was rooting the most for “Victory Lap.”

The song is instantly attentiongrabbing with its fast paced tempo and intro, and its beat is really satisfying to hear on top of the sample from Doechii’s song “Swamp B*tch.”

Such awards suggest that music can be ranked, and those rankings then universally accepted — as if creativity itself can be reduced to a simple metric.

But anyone who has heard the supposed “Record of the Year” on the radio

and gut-wrenching memories. e deeper problem lies in the title of the categories. “Best” implies a single standard, but music "ows in di erent shapes. A sad breakup song can’t compete with a hype EDM beat; they do di erent jobs for di er-

and wealthy label executives — gather for a year-long examination to determine the winners.

On paper, the system is meant to reward artists and ensure credibility. But in reality, it re"ects the taste and

Tame Impala’s track is more on the electronic side of the spectrum. Compared to the other nominees, the song has a more house sound and a slow build to the chorus, which transitions to a beautiful, ambient section midway through. is composition is why I think it has gained recognition from the Academy. With a seven-minute run time, it’s hard to picture myself listening to this again or on repeat.

However, there were also other amazing artists in this category that may be dicult to contend with, like KAYTRANADA’s funk/hip-hop track “Space Invader,” which was a really compelling combination of the R&B and electronic genre.

Both Tame Impala and KAYTRANADA, having each won Grammys in the past, seemed to have a good chance going into the ceremony. But it would have been nice to see a smaller artist take home the award as well.

In the end, it was Tame Impala who took home the prize.

biases of a speci!c group rather than the broader audience’s diverse listening prefer-

In fact, the Recording Academy has often overlooked entire genres, such as hiphop: the genre only gained recognition once !t more comfortably within industry standards.

So what truly determines the best music?

Just like lyrics themselves, the real answer lies in your own personal track. It’s about how many playlists a song is saved in, that one melody that seems to understand you better than anyone else and the rush you feel when you know the song is next on queue.

Because in the end, music doesn’t need a winner.

Truthfully, it just needs someone to feel it.

Empire Of Black Gold

Trump’s strikes on Venezuela and Maduro's capture weren’t about drugs. They were about rewriting the rules of the American energy empire.

By So!a Castillo & Sophie Lu

Going into 2026, many Americans hoped for peace, a cooling of geopolitical tensions and revived trust in international institutions and frameworks.

en came the Jan. 3 strikes on Venezuela. Bombs, launched by the United States Armed Forces, killed 83 people, wounded 112 more and shattered any remaining optimism for international order. Wishes for peace now seem like a pipe dream.

Since early September, at least 115 people have died as a result of the American government’s 35 strikes on alleged drug smug gling boats in South American waters.

Trump’s threat of a military strike against Venezuela materialized in January. In a largescale strike, Delta Force commandos and CIA operatives took the Venezuelan president, Nico lás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, to New York City, where they are facing criminal charges and allegations of a “narcoter rorism conspiracy.” International law prohibits the “use of force in interna tional relations except for narrow exceptions such as authorization by the U.N. Security Council or in self-defense,” and neither exception applied to the attack on Venezuela.

prevent more gang violence and drug tra ing, as put forth by the Trump administration, and international law considers both these reasons“criminal activity.” But they don’t justify military attacks.

Trump justi by claiming Maduro is “the kingpin of a vast criminal network,” enabling a drugs into the United States.

However, Trump’s record on this issue is contradictory. Another leader arrested on drug-related charges was the former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández. He was convicted in the United States in 2022 and sentenced to 45 years in prison, but Trump pardoned Hernández in December of 2025.

Venezuelan crime groups truly play in drug tra cking to the United States.

Looking at the production chains of these substances, these drugs come largely from countries like Colombia and Bolivia, not Venezuela. e majority of Venezuela’s

So, why does Trump want Venezuelan oil? It’s because Venezuela has the heaviest crude oil reserves on Earth.

e crude oil extracted straight out of the ground falls into di erent categories: there’s light crude, and then there’s thicker heavy crude.

Trump

doesn't just want Venezuela to adjust America's energy structure; he also has geopolitical motives.

Trump continues to push the narrative that Venezuela is one of the primary smugglers of lethal drugs like cocaine and fentanyl, causing many Americans to misunderstand the role

high-demand American markets.

But the U.S. is already the world’s largest oil producer, surpassing well-known oil giants like Russia and Saudi Arabia. And all its oil is extracted domestically.

dramatic increase in domestic oil and natural gas production —that arrived a decade later. New drilling techniques were innovated, such as fracking and horizontal drilling, to extract

light crude reserves that were once economically and physically unattainable.

e discovery of new light crude drilling methods leads to the awkward energy structure America is stuck in today. We produce light crude on our soil, but can’t re!ne it. We have to export it, then pay more to buy the !nished product. We have heavy crude re!ning facilities, but must import heavy crude for them.

Venezuela is Trump’s solution to this heavy crude import dependency: let American companies drill in Venezuela, then ship the oil to American heavy crude re!neries. Already, the re!neries, such as those in Houston, are processing away. But Trump doesn’t just want Venezuela to adjust America’s energy structure; he also has geopolitical motives.

In running Venezuela, Trump can control which countries receive oil — and which ones don’t. At the top of his blacklist would likely be China, Russia and their conduit, Cuba.

China has been a major buyer of Venezuelan oil. Its oil-linked !nancial ties have increased their strategic foothold in Venezuela and Latin America as a whole. So has Russia, which has a close oil partnership with

Meanwhile, discounted Venezuelan oil is a critical energy lifeline for Cuba, which is serving as an intelligence site for China and Russia to monitor activities and communication of Western countries like the U.S.

Cutting these countries’ access to Venezuelan oil and securing a foothold in the country allows Trump to deplete adversarial political in"uence in the Western Hemisphere and advance his own strategic agenda. Energy control is power control.

Evaluating the value of the Pledge of Allegiance

By Hana Futai

On Jan. 12, South students began reciting the Pledge of Allegiance each morning in compliance with Massachusetts General Law. South’s introduction of the Pledge comes as part of a larger push across Newton Public Schools (NPS).

e law states that “each teacher at the commencement of the rst class of each day in all grades in all public schools shall lead the class in a group recitation of the ‘Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.’”

Failure to salute and recite the Pledge for two consecutive weeks results in a ne for the district of up to ve dollars per time period.

Last September, the initiative was catalyzed by North junior Trent Southiere, who showed the law’s requirements to North Principal Henry Turner.

Southiere said that his motive for bringing the Pledge to Turner’s attention came from a casual conversation.

“I rst came up with the idea when I was talking to my friends about how we used to do the Pledge in elementary school,” he said. “I was curious why it went away, so I scheduled a meeting with the principal of Newton North. He told me that in all those years he’s been the principal, they never did it.”

Turner began serving as North’s principal in 2016.

At South, members of the South Senate organized the implementation of the pledge. When writing the daily introduction to the

Pledge, senior and Senate president Victor Lock took inspiration from Newton School Committee meetings.

Before the Pledge is recited before each Committee meeting, attendants and observers are reminded that there is “no obligation to participate.” Lock said that the Senate’s leadership was a valuable stepping stone to broaden its impact on the community.

ere's always been this distance between what our stated values are and what the reality is for many people

Julie Masi History Teacher

“We want to have more opportunities in terms of leadership, and this [is] an avenue that we can take in terms of increasing our engagement,” he said.

Lock joins seven senators who opted out of leading the Pledge, while 14 others volunteered. He said that the Senate body hasn’t expressed particularly strong viewpoints.

e Senate stance is pretty neutral on it.

has not been a daily xture since elementary school. Senior Ally Hunt said that while she felt enthusiastic about the Pledge at a young age, today, she is more ambivalent.

“In elementary school, we were younger, so we were like, 'Yes, let me recite this because I believe in the country.’ But now that I’m older, I don’t know if I believe that this Pledge re ects what’s happening in our country,” she said.

e Pledge was rst written in 1892, honoring the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas. While its author, Francis Bellamy, deeply believed in the separation of church and state, President Eisenhower added the phrase “under God” during the Cold War.

Politicians hoped to distinguish U.S. politics from what they saw as godless Communism, leading to decades of lawsuits about the rights of students and teachers.

Sophomore Aidan Robinson said that while the phrase “under God” lacks inclusivity, reciting “one nation” is more important.

“Even though we might have di erent beliefs, we’re all part of the same country,” he said. “ is country allows us to have di erent opinions.”

History teacher Julie Masi said that a strong history education helps students formulate opinions on the pledge.

“In order to be engaged in your community, [you should] know the history of what happened,” she said. “Once you know the history, it can make you so much more informed about what the best choices are for today.”

Southiere said that understanding that individuals have the power to choose whether or not to recite the Pledge is crucial.

“It’s really important for people to know that this law doesn’t require any student to say [the Pledge],” he said. “At the same time, [it’s] important for students who want to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to have the ability to.”

In a survey of 237 South students, responses revealed a signi cant lack of participation: 80.4 percent of participants answered that they remained seated during the Pledge.

Robinson said that the immediate reminder that there is “no obligation to participate” is dise wording could de nitely be

changed,” he said.

Despite wanting to stand up, senior Gideon Lind feels pressured to sit with the rest of his class. He said that the abrupt and rushed nature of the Pledge makes it di cult to fully engage.

“It’s awkward when we’re all sitting down, and then this bodyless voice comes on and says the Pledge quickly,” he said. “You have to really get out of your way to stand up.”

History teacher Rebecca Ledig said

Data collected from a survey distributed anonymously Instagram followers across four grades,

“It feels like checking a box rather than acknowledging a complex situation,” he said.

English teacher Devin Bernhard said that when choosing to stand or sit for the Pledge, divisions between community members became inadvertently clearer.

“It’s a really contentious time in the country right now,” they said.“It felt like it might add to some of the divisiveness.”

Senior and Senator Rory McGovern recites the Pledge over the loudspeaker. In the classroom, she said that it’s di cult to recite in a respectful manner, considering her inconsistent

since its reinstatement in Newton's high schools.

& Ellie Shim

feelings between lines of the Pledge.

“ ere are parts of the Pledge that I really agree with, and then there are parts that I disagree with,” she said. “I don’t want to stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down for the parts I agree with. I think that’s more disrespectful.”

Hunt said that students may participate in standing without vocally reciting the Pledge.

“Everyone can stand to say, ‘this is something we’re doing as a community,’” she said. “But by choosing not to recite it, or put my hand over my heart, because I don’t believe in what it’s saying right now, I’m not taking the

stand, some to sit, [and] you have to respect people’s deci sions,” they said. “My hope is that everyone feels like they can do what they do or don’t want to do.”

e implementation of the Pledge follows unprecedented ICE raids and political divisions in the United States. In light of the current political climate, senior Boston Bulis said that pledging “equality and justice for all” feels deeply untrue.

Similarly, senior Brennan Fankhauser

eral government’s recent actions discourages him from executing the Pledge to the

“I stay in my chair. I put my hand over my

try, but [I] also really disagree with some of the things my country is doing,” he

anonymously to select South classes and Lion’s Roar grades, reaching 237 participants.

In introducing the Pledge, South’s administration did not guide teachers to facilitate the transition.

History teacher Jonathan Greiner said that he stands to set a good example for his students.

“If I am in front of the classroom and I’m modeling not doing it, that sends a di erent message than if I were in front of the class and doing it,” he said. “So I do it almost as a sign of respect, but I don’t suggest to my students that they should.”

Bernhard said that cultivating an accepting class environment allows students to independently decide to stand or to sit for the Pledge.

“As a teacher, there’s a di cult environment when some kids are going to choose to

“We’re all so united in that we’re American, even though we’re all so di ent in so many unique ways. fundamental thing to say,” they said. “But it feels like in America today, that is not the case at all.”

Bulis said that citizens must ac tively address injustices in their country, especially under the Trump Administra tion.

“We have problems in our country right now that desperately need to be taken care of,” they said. “I don’t have a problem with the Pledge itself. I just think that the timing of it is not very thoughtful.”

Some students refrain from reciting the Pledge because they feel their values are not being upheld. Masi said that this has been a pattern throughout history.

“ ere’s always been this distance between what our stated values are and what the reality is for many people,” she said.

As the initiator of reinstating the Pledge, Southiere said that he respects the varying reactions of his peers.

“It’s important to remember that this idea came up months ago,” he said. “From my side, it’s coming from a place of pride, and as someone with veterans in my family and just proud to be an American, it’s nothing related to the current events.”

McGovern said that the Pledge may remind citizens of the country they strive to live in.

“With the actions that a government entity is currently taking, people are not all getting equal treatment and equal liberty, but I think that just makes it so much more important to reiterate that that is one of the base principles of Americanism,” she said.

Although her feelings are complicated, Masi said that she remains hopeful about the Pledge’s future.

“It’s our right to reclaim our symbols, to

make them what we want them to be,” she said. “ inking about the long arc of U.S. history, we’re getting closer to the reality of liberty and justice for all, and we fall back and we strive again, and we fall back and we strive again.”

right now — for people to realize peace and justice for all is the most important thing,” she said.

Masi said that when practicing patriotism, one should explore various forms of engagement.

As students and faculty reconnect with the Pledge, they reevaluate the personal signicance of its ideals.

Ledig said that listening to the Pledge prompted her to re ect on her values.

“When I say it I think about what the words mean, and it gives me a moment to pause and focus on thinking about what my country means to me [and] why I value it,” she said.

In their re ection, Bulis said that the federal government’s current courses of action erode the Pledge’s values.

“I wish that I was able to stand in the mornings and be proud of the America that I live in, but that’s not the case at all,” they said.

“I don’t feel pride in the way that my country acts right now, I don’t feel that as a country, we have that cohesion.”

However, McGovern said that promoting unity is especially important in divisive times and that reciting the Pledge is an avenue for doing so.

“ at’s something that we really need

“To me, the best form of patriotism is voting and standing up for what you think is right,” she said. “I think those actions are more meaningful than just reciting a Pledge.”

Likewise, Ledig said that true patriotism goes beyond standing up and saluting a ag.

“A lot of people in power right now believe that you show patriotism by standing up and saluting the ag every day in high school,” she said. “While I’m not against doing it, in my opinion, there are other more important ways to express patriotism than that.”

Lind said that when confronting di erences, leading open conversations will promote more accepting community environments.

“We need to have conversations about why we choose to say the Pledge and why we choose not to,” he said.“We recognize that we’re a part of the same community, [and] we don’t have to get mad at each other over someone else’s decision.”

Ultimately, McGovern said that citizens have the power to uphold American ideals.

“I hope that [the Pledge] reminds people that America is made beautiful by all the people that make it up,” she said.“We all have a duty to create the United States that we want to live in.”

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TBy Anyssa Lin

is in the L O V E A I R

he perfect Valentine’s Day for senior Caspian Booke consists of friends, family and candy — any type of chocolate is ne by him. While he isn't in a relationship at the moment, Booke said that to him, the holiday commemorates love in all its forms.

“In its essence, it's about celebrating the people you love and the fact that you get

to have a relationship with them, whatever relationship that might be, romantic or platonic or familial,” he said.

Booke serves as co-president of South’s Gender and Sexuality Awareness (GSA) Club. He said that he aims to make celebrations within the club inclusive.

For senior Scarlett Priddis, Valentine’s Day has always been a special holiday.

Over the years, however, the ways she has celebrated it have changed.

is year, Priddis plans to celebrate with her boyfriend of three years, senior Ethan Santos. Priddis said that they avoid exchanging extravagant gifts, preferring smaller gestures of a"ection.

“We don't really do big gifts because we don't think that’s the meaning of Valentine's Day,” she said. “ e meaning is to show that you thought of them that day, just to say ‘I

“It's not pushing any one belief on people in the way that celebrating another holiday might be,” he said, “Everyone can get around watching a show and eating food, even if they don't want to celebrate Valentine's Day.”

Booke is headed o" to college next year. As he enters a new chapter in life, he said he still hopes to keep the Valentine’s tradition alive.

"I'll probably still want to celebrate," he said. " at might just be buying myself a little heart balloon, a card and some chocolate.”

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Booke said that Valentine’s Day is a reminder of the progress made in the ght for equality and acceptance.

“Seeing Valentine’s Day in 2026, [I have] this appreciation for how far the community has come in terms of representation in media and acceptance in overall society, so that queer people can have their Valentine's Days together,” he said.

love you.’”

Priddis and Santos’ relationship began three years ago, when they were freshmen. Although both attended Brown Middle School, each initially didn’t even know the other existed. en, one day in eighth grade during lunch, Santos asked to sit next to Priddis and her friends. A year later, they were together.

Priddis said that their personalities are very compatible and work well together.

“We've had a really steady relationship,” she said. “We haven't broken up once, and we rarely ght. We get along super well together.”

is Valentine’s Day, the two are continuing with their tradition of a homemade dinner (pasta this time) followed by a movie (a romantic one, perhaps “Notting Hill”).

Priddis said that Valentine’s Day is more to her than just some pink and red decorations on the wall.

“It’s a day to show that you love and support them and will always be there with them through thick and thin,” she said.

Chemistry teacher Timothy Te has been married to his wife for 10 years, and they have two little kids. ey met at the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Boston University.

While Te normally doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day with any grand gestures, he said that he does give his wife a small meaningful gift.

“I usually get my wife a card and some owers, maybe some chocolates,” he said. “She really likes chocolate, so that's usually my go-to.”

With children, Te said that Valentine’s Day festivities now include them as well.

“Before you have kids, it's just between you and your signi cant other. You can do more things, like going out, watching a movie or things like that,” he said, “Now, we mostly do things in, but we do try to do things with our kids too.”

Te’s kids also partake in the tradition of exchanging valentines at school, which Te said he and his wife help prepare.

“ ere's some years we're a little bit behind, and we might just buy [cards],”

Being single doesn’t stop sopho more Isabel Sun from going all out on Valentine’s Day. Sun said she plans to do a Galentine’s Day, where girls typically hang out together and cel ebrate their friendships with one another.

“I like showing appreciation,” she said. “It's like, ‘Oh, I love you so much. I don't know if I tell you that every day, but I do.’”

is year, Sun said celebrations will include baking, games and other bonding activities at one of her friends’ houses. ey also plan to go to Boston and Newbury Street, where they’ll take plenty of digicam photos.

Sun said that her idea of Valen tine’s Day has also changed over the years, its meaning evolving as she’s grown older.

he said.“Some years, our kids make them, just write their name and draw a little doodle.”

But when his kids bring home candy from their friends, Te makes the smart choice of not letting his kids eat all the candy at once.

“We usually store it away. en we can dispense [it] slowly over time,” he said.

For Te and his family, anniversaries are usually the bigger cause for celebration, but Te said Valentine’s Day is important nonetheless.

“It’s just a nice reminder about the relationships that you have, the people that you love,” he said.

“When I was younger, I thought it was relationship-type style, and I thought it was a little cringe,” she said.“But now that I'm getting older, I think it's a good time to appreciate your friends, not just your signi cant other.”

However, Sun said she also envisions spending a future Valentine’s Day with a special someone.

“In years to come, hopefully I do have a boyfriend and [can] do something with him,”

she said.

“Even if I do have one, I'll de nitely try to do a Galentine's, too.”

Nowadays, with cards and candies becoming more commercialized, it’s easy to lose sight of the holiday’s central meaning of love. Sun said that more than ever, putting in e"ort to show love is paramount.

“For the people who do have the time, they should de nitely try to stay away from [commercialized gifts], because it's not coming from your heart,” she said. “You should really try, especially if you care.”

A Sweet Dream sustained by love and chocolate

granted, watching them actually complete that was really nice to see,” she said.

In the heart of Newton Centre, on Union Street, lies Sweet Dream chocolate shop. e glass case in the middle of the store is lled with all types of rich, delicious chocolate, perfect for Valentine’s Day. Behind the chocolatey display are two couples who are the lifeblood of the business.

e shop, which opened in March 2024, is owned by the husband-wife duo Benedetto Midiri and Tetiana Chernyshova.

After moving to the United States, the two purchased a chocolate factory in North Billerica, Massachusetts, where Sweet Dream’s treats are produced.

Meanwhile, their son Anton Chernyshov co-manages the shop alongside his girlfriend.

Chernyshov said that Midiri and Chernyshova are perfect together both professionally and personally.

“ ey actually got married on Valentine’s Day,” he said. “ ey are kind of [the] perfect couple for me because they are so di"erent. It makes it way better for them to work with each other, because they have di"erent aspects.”

Annabella Riatti, Chernyshov’s girlfriend, occasionally works at Sweet Dream as a co-manager, helping with nancial and legal paperwork as well as running its social media.

She said that opening the shop has been an American dream come true for Chernyshov and his family, who immigrated from Ukraine.

“As someone who [was born] in America and usually takes those opportunities for

Riatti said that she also enjoys building relationships with customers. One regular customer, for example, comes every Friday to buy one cannoli to share with his wife.

“He’s been coming ever since we opened

sometimes it’s hard not to take a bite of something,” he said. “But I do like it here. We can give the best chocolate for the people around. [It] makes me happy,” he said.

Junior Hailey Yamagata recently visited Sweet Dream and said that owner Chernyshova, who was working in the store that day, was

the shop,” she said. “Every time we see him, we get a smile on our face, and it’s like ‘Oh hey, how’ve you been? How’s your wife?’ We have that rapport with him.”

Chernyshov said that he nds his role at Sweet Dream rewarding as well.

“I like chocolate in general myself, so

very helpful.

“She was really sweet in helping us personalize the packaging because I wanted to individually wrap them, one for my friend and [some] for other people,” she said. “I was worried that it would be frustrating, but she was very happy to get the right box sizes.”

Junior Timur Indzhykulian, who also visited the shop recently, said he feels inspired by the owners’ relationship.

“[ ey’re a] power couple,” he said. “It’s very impressive that they were able to accomplish their dream of opening a chocolate shop.”

Freshman Maya Nevo visited Sweet Dream not long after the shop rst opened.

“[ e] employees were always super welcoming and were really open to giving their suggestions and opinions on the treats,” she said.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, choosing the perfect chocolate can be overwhelming, considering the vast selection of avors.

Nevo said that Sweet Dream provided a wide variety of chocolates to help ease the search.

“My favorite thing I’ve gotten from there was this bonbon set, and within each one was a di"erent avor,” she said.

“ ey have a lot of options to choose from. ey take avors from a bunch of di"erent cultures, and their prices are pretty reasonable."

While Chernyshov’s personal favorite is simple peanuts and chocolate, he said that the fan favorite can vary.

“Last year, it was probably Dubai chocolate … In general, I think the tru es [are the most popular], because people usually get them for gifts,” he said.

Ultimately, from watching his parents accomplish their dream of opening a chocolate shop, Chernyshov said that he’s learned a lot about grit.

“ e best lesson [is] it’s so hard,’cause you have to put yourself 100 percent into it,” he said.

1 in 2000: Frank Marchica, a warm presence

Ella Chung, Denis Eraslan & Ezra Lewis Features Reporters

Since 2013, Frank Marchica, the selfproclaimed “guy in the Math Center,” has been going the extra mile to ensure students have the help they need to ace their math classes.

The Math Center is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Marchica said that there is always room for another student.

e door is always open. Stu -

dents are always welcome to walk in,” he said. “If I see somebody standing at the doorway hesitating, I almost always say, ‘I’ll make room for you. Come on in.’”

from being a tech sales man ager at 50 years old, Marchica took on the role of lead ing the Math Center connecting with his strong math foundation.

in Brooklyn, New York, who was studying to get his GED. With Marchica’s help, his neighbor successfully passed the test and got the job he wanted. Marchica said that he was proud of his neighbor’s accomplishment.

“Eight weeks of the summer, and both of them are approved to get into calculus,” he

understanding.

“I saw how some very small thing could put somebody on a di

him over the top to do that.”

At South, during the rst summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marchica said that he tutored two incoming senior girls over Zoom so that they would meet the requirements to take calculus

he could study on the test, just so I could come in early at eight o’clock in the morning and have him teach it to me.”

Junior Adam Friedman has also worked with Marchica, as his teacher was out periodically, so Marchica would substitute. He said that Marchica always makes sure that all of his students are able to understand the material.

“He made sure to go slowly for people who didn’t understand, or [to] revisit topics or pages or individual problems that really puzzled people, and he made sure that everyone understood,” he said.

Marchica said that the Math Center can be helpful because it gives students one-on-one tutoring that allows them to bridge the gap of

“Any problem has multiple ways of solving it, and there are so many times that a student will come in not understanding something,” he said. “I’m able to explain it in a way that makes that light bulb go o" over their head. en bringing it back to the method that the teacher was using to help bridge that gap.”

Math teacher and Marchica’s friend Leslie Quattrini said that Marchica’s positivity is contagious among the South faculty.

“He’s an amazing resource for our sta". e warmth that he shows to his students, he also shows to the sta",” she said. “He brings in birthday cakes when a teacher is celebrating a birthday, [and] that warmth spreads to the sta".”

Another one of Marchica’s colleagues, math teacher Mark Rice, said that Marchica has a profound desire to help students reach their goals when they seek help at the Math Center.

“[Even if you] haven’t been good at math in the past, that’s okay. If you put in e"ort with him, he’ll make sure that you learn it,” he said.

Marchica said that his unique position in the Math Center allows him to better connect with his students than a classroom teacher might.

“I make them comfortable in a way, because I don’t have grading authority over them,” he said. “A lot of them just walk in and treat me more like a friend than somebody who’s going to get them in trouble of some kind.”

Junior Ruby Solomon said that Marchica is always willing to support his students, in and out of the classroom.

“Even if you’re not getting math help from him, you can go there and have a conversation with him. He’s so funny and nice to talk to,” she said. “He’s even helpful with issues that aren’t related to math, and he’s a really nice mentor to have in the school.”

StudenT-DirecTed SpotLigHt

South students take on the stage from the director's chair, filling the winter season with plays and a musical.

By Allora Chaudhuri, Leena Choi & Janie Rosenberg

February is a big month for South Stage’s winter production season, with its Student Directing Festival showcase on Feb. 5-7 and musical “Spoil” on Feb. 26-28.

e Student Directing Festival consisted of two student-written acts: senior Andrew Lindsay’s“Acting.exe” and senior Owen Butler’s “Just Breathe.”

Senior Sophie Chang wrote and directed “Spoil,” which will showcase separately on Feb. 26-28.

Each year, South’s theatrical talent brings new, innovative designs. Technical director Je" Knoedler said that this winter season is unique for premiering senior-written acts.

“We’re very excited to have all studentwritten, all student-directed [acts] this whole season, which is fantastic,” he said. “It really allows students to shine in new ways…[and] now create their own pieces and be able to direct them.”

Producer Paige Perkinson said that nding students who were t for the role of director was a particularly long process.

“All the directors who were interested submitted an application with their script, their vision for the play or other qualifying knowledge or work they’ve done to qualify

them,” she said. “It’s always tricky to direct and lead your own peers.”

Beyond directing, Knoedler said that he ensures students do technical work too.

“We try to have students do as much of the design and building as we possibly can,” he said. “We have student scenic, costume, sound and lighting designers.”

While the audience gets to see developed works, the directors said their journeys started with ideas that developed over time.

Lindsay said that he drafted his idea during his sophomore year.

“[I] rolled things around my mind until a quarter of the way through junior year,” he said. “By then, it was pretty fully formed what I wanted to write.”

Chang said that her vision for the musical was rooted in her childhood musical passion and imagination.

“In my junior year, it was just this silly idea that I came up with my friend,” she said. “Ever since I was little, I’ve been doing mainly musicals over plays, and I’m also in chorus.… I take private vocal lessons, and I play piano, so music has been really prominent in my life.”

Butler said that his role as a leader came with a multitude of responsibilities.

“I have to lead all the rehearsals. I had to give actors notes. I had to cast everyone before this. at was all me,” he said.

Chang said that she enjoyed the tasks that came with adding musical elements to her piece.

“I just love the extra work: writing the scores, getting an accompanist to come play with us and asking some students who are a part of band to join our pit band,” she said. “ ose are some extra things [that] we have to do perfectly.”

Lindsay said that along with organization, a key role as a director was to make all his cast feel supported.

“On a more philosophical level, my job is to create a space that is comfortable, fun and allows [everyone] to execute their creative vision,” he said. “Error feels important as we’re doing it, and it feels meaningful to everyone because obviously we all tried out to be here.”

Existing relationships within South Stage help to form a community; however, Lindsay said that the success of these shows is also dependent on bringing people together.

“Some of them I’m just getting to know through this show, but I’m really loving the community aspect of the show, because it feels like we’re all a big group of friends who are trying

to do something together,” he said.

Ariana Puppin, a freshman actress in “Acting.exe”, said that bonding is both an important and fun part of rehearsals.

“We have a really good community because we get to bond a lot, and I think that’s really cool,” she said.

Chang said that she makes an e"ort to spend time playing games during every rehearsal to create connections with everyone involved.

“[I do] some warm-up games in the beginning of rehearsal, so we can all play together and have fun a bit before we start focusing in on what we have to do for the day,” she said.“ ose activities have let us bond with each other and with our stage management team as well.”

Puppin said that creating a community reminds her of the importance of honoring her commitment.

“You owe it to your cast to put the e"ort outside of rehearsal,” she said.

Knoedler said that the student-directed shows are experiences that will be cherished for years to come.

“ ese are things that kids are going to remember for the rest of their lives: when they ran a play or wrote a musical and directed it their senior year.”

Snow Days

Bad Bunny

Black History Month

Senior Slump

February Break

Ms. G

(Massachusetts State Groundhog)

Girl Scout Cookies

Haircut Season!

DOWNGRADES

Parking Situation

!e Flu

iOS Update

Women in Lit Pop Quizzes

Epstein Files

Wipeouts :(

Punxsatawney Phil

F1 Best Picture Nominee

Haircut Season ... 9 9 9 9

The Roar follows four seniors with different interests as they navigate the college application process. Their identities will be revealed as they make their decisions.

By Andrew Petrilla

Previously known as Mark*, Ronen

Heimlich plans to attend Brandeis University and study business and economics as a soccer recruit.

Brandeis came as a late addition to his list after he advertised his season highlights on Instagram, resulting in a connection that helped him get in touch with the school’s soccer coach.

Heimlich had applied Early Decision II and received a likely letter from the university. Now, he said that he is looking forward to attending in the fall.

“Brandeis is a great school,” he said. “[ ere are] a lot of things I’m looking for in terms of what I want to do in my professional career, [like] the people. Even it coming down to being a historically Jewish school is big for me.”

Heimlich said that he is also looking forward to playing soccer in the UAA Conference, a conference that is uniquely national rather than just regional.

With her college applications to the U.S. Naval Academy and West Point submitted, Alice* has to wait a few more weeks to hear back. She said that the apprehension has made this stage of the process challenging.

“I thought the hard part was over, but I would say this is de nitely the worst part,” she said. “It’s also hard keeping up with school when you have a lot of emotions going around regarding this process.”

Although the recent weeks have been stressful, Alice said that her teachers have helped to lighten the load.

“I’m super transparent with them,” she said. “I’ve used the beginning of the year to build a really good relationship with them, so that when this part got tough, they know that I’m not lacking.”

While the academies remain her top choice, they are highly selective, so Alice has

“ ere’s a lot of traveling involved, and I’m excited to be able to experience that,” he said.

Although he is eager to attend Brandeis, Heimlich said that in retrospect, he believes that he narrowed in on speci c schools too early in the application process, potentially missing opportunities as a result.

“Closing your options too early can lead to you just not having enough options. If I was to look back, I would have kept more schools,” he said.“ e recruitment process is pretty long, and you never know where a school is at in the process until you actually ask.”

After months of having to do his absolute best academically and athletically, Heimlich said that with his acceptance to Brandeis, he is glad to have the assurance of where he is going. Now, he plans to slow down a bit to catch his breath.

“[It’s] very exciting to just know where I’m going and not have that pressure of having to perform [to] get into a school,” he said.

Having spent countless hours working on roughly 15 di"erent college applications, Kate* said that she is relieved to be almost done with the tedious and tiresome process.

“ e applications — they’re miserable with such small word counts,” she said. “I’m trying to squeeze [my] entire creativity [in], and it’s so much to balance in so few words.”

While she does not recommend applying to so many places, Kate hopes that it will increase her chances and give her more options in the long run.

In recent weeks, Kate has been extremely busy with the combined weight of her schoolwork and college applications. She said that the silver lining is that all of the work has distracted her from stress about her future.

“With the end of the term, coinciding with around when I’ve submitted most of my applications, I just haven’t had as much time to

developed some backup plans. Currently, she is working on a Reserve O&cers’ Training Corps (ROTC) application, which would allow her to attend a traditional college on a scholarship, provided she joins the Navy after graduation.

Alice was also accepted to the Virginia Military Institute. While not one of the ve U.S. service academies, it is a prestigious military school that Alice said would give her a mixed experience between a traditional college and a U.S. service academy.

“You can just go on to normal life [post-college], but it just o"ers you a chance to experience that and have a little bit more of a disciplined college experience,” she said.

As she waits to hear back from colleges, Alice said that she has been experiencing a whirlwind of emotions.

“ e next few weeks is when it all comes together, which is exciting,” she said. “Exciting and terrifying.”

sit down and worry about it as I had earlier on in the application process,” she said.

Her family’s support has made the process go a little smoother for her. From proofreading her supplementals, lling out nancial aid forms and helping to edit a video supplemental, Kate said that her family has been instrumental during the process.

“It’s been a big team e"ort,” she said.

While some colleges will send their decisions in the coming weeks, the majority of Kate’s schools will announce their decisions in March. Kate is con dent that she will get into a school that she likes. Despite this, she said that not knowing exactly what her future will look like feels daunting.

“It’s not so much that I’m not ready to move on from high school,” she said. “It’s more that I just don’t really know what to expect, and I haven’t been anywhere else, so it’ll just be a totally new experience.”

SPORTS

Senior Jazmine Green has been making a splash on South's diving team.

By Margot An, Clara Borus & So!a Castillo

Soaring into the diving world as a freshman, senior Jazmine Green began her career later than most divers. However, she has made quite the splash and grown exponentially since she started.

From only diving a couple days a week her freshman year to being ranked second in the state last year, Green has improved greatly due to her strong work ethic and ability to conceptualize new dives quickly.

Green said that she began competing in her freshman year of high school because of her older sister, Jada, who encouraged Green to start diving because of the potential she saw in Green’s past as a gymnast.

“She was like, ‘Jazmine, you should join the diving team and try it out,'” she said. “So I decided to join mid-season. And then I stuck to it because I really enjoyed it, and I wasn't too bad at it.”

Diving coach Michael Kennedy said that when Green !rst joined the team, she

was splitting her time between gymnastics and diving and would only come to practice twice a week.

“It was extraordinary; she did all of the gymnastics and learned a complete list of dives, not just !ve dives or six dives, but 11 dives, championship list dives,” he said. “She placed at States her freshman year, with very little practice.”

Junior diver Bailey Paisner said that she has noticed how much Green has grown in the past few years.

“As an athlete, she’s more comfortable with getting out of her comfort zone with certain dives. Being able to get out of her comfort zone and grow that extremely in the span of a year is really, really cool,” she said.

Green said that over the last four years, she has learned how to push past the challenges that diving presents, speci!cally the mental ones.

“Diving, similar to gymnastics, is hard

mentally, and I've been able to cope with mental challenges, like mental blocks,” she said. “Some dives are really scary for me. at's one way I've grown, and I've just gotten better.”

roughout her career, Green has worked exceptionally hard and persevered through tough practices.

Senior swim captain Rebecca Gonzalez said that Green is always doing her best to improve.

“Jazmine always is working hard and I see it when I watch [her] dive. Every week, she does even better than the last,” she said.

Kennedy said that he !nds it remarkable how Green is able to keep up and even surpass many of the divers around her.

“Most divers who are as good as she is dive year-round, and I don't think that people understand that she's only ever dove for 10 weeks of the year, so she doesn't even have 40 weeks of experience,” he said.

“Most of those divers who have been diving all year long from the time that they were six or seven

have many more repetitions than Jazmine has.”

Green's willingness to step out of her comfort zone helped her to place second at States last year.

Kennedy said that he remembers a time before a league meet when Green took on a particularly challenging feat.

“Jazmine needed to learn one dive that she needed to qualify for the meet that was the next day. And to qualify for a dive, you have to get scored 5 points out of 10 points,” he said. “Instead of running one new dive, she learned three new dives.”

Gonzalez said that when she watches dive practice, she can see Green's work ethic.

“Jazmine is super hard working. [She] always has a positive mindset, even though I know sometimes diving is so hard,” she said.

Green doesn't limit herself, which has allowed her to accomplish incredible feats as a diver. is trait inspires other swimmers and divers on the team, showing them that to improve, you have to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Junior diver Isa Folch said that Green doesn’t simply use practices to advance her own skills: she also provides fellow divers with feedback and advice.

“She's very encouraging, and she's equally as happy for her teammates when they succeed as she is for her own successes, and that's really valuable,” she said.

Folch said that she appreciates Green's positive attitude and compassion for the whole team.

“She's always the happiest person when we're all really down. When I "op, Jazmine will make me laugh about it,” she said.

Green said that others should be bold and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.

“Don't be afraid to try something new,” she said. “Because I never dove before freshman year, and now it's something that I really enjoy doing.”

Senior Ava Andrade, who has known Green since kindergarten, said that she is glad to have Green as a friend.

“She's just a wonderful person to be around,” she said. “I'm really proud of who she is and where she is today.”

Kennedy said that he hopes Green continues to dive in college.

“She has kinesthetic awareness,” he said. “Her potential is unknown, [as] she can continue to excel for years."

Iced out: Russia excluded from the Games

Isabella Starkman Sports Reporter

“Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” is call is said to be one of the most legendary in sports broadcasting history. Unfortunately, this year hockey fans will be robbed of similar iconic moments and an opportunity to hear a similar call as the U.S. and Russia will not face o in a battle for gold on the ice.

e 2026 Winter Olympics will be the !rst games since 2014 where NHL players are permitted to participate. Well, all except for Russian players. After the invasion of Ukraine, all Russian athletes have been banned from competing at the Olympics under the Russian "ag.

Russia is the fourth most represented country in the NHL with 65 active players, many of whom are exemplary. Russian player Nikita Kucherov made history two years ago by becoming one of !ve players in history to score 100 assists in a single season.

His Russian teammate on the Tampa Bay Lightning, Andre Vasilevsky, is sixth in the league in save percentage at .916. Artemi Panarin, another Russian player, won the 2016 Calder award for best rookie and is currently 11th in the league in points.

What do all these players have in common besides being Russian and some of the best players in the world? ey have never competed in the Olympics and most likely never will.

People view the Olympics as a competition between the best of the best, but how can it be without the Russians, who have time and

again proved to be some of the best out on the ice?

Banning the Rus sians from the Olympics robs fans of wit nessing some of the best

players in hockey on the biggest Future NHL hall-of-famer

Alex Ovechkin, the league's all

graphicbyEllenWu&SarahSchwartz

time leader in goals; and Evgeni Malkin, who has won the Hart award — which is given to the league’s most valuable player — and the Calder award, are both huge faces in the league, but neither will be allowed to participate in the games.

I understand why, but the decision feels murky to me. e Olympic truce was introduced in 1993, stating that countries at war may not participate in the games. But since then, they’ve allowed countries to break this rule: e U.S. in 2002 and Russia in 2008.

People are also calling for Israel to be banned because of the war in Gaza. ey feel that there are double standards between Russia and Israel. e International Ice Hockey Federation banned both Russia and Israel, but then lifted the ban on Israel after a week, a decision that confused many.

On the other hand, as a hockey fan, I want to see the hockey all-stars I was promised when it was announced that NHL players would be at the 2026 Olympics. I want to see a line of Kaprizov, Geno and Kuch up against Matthews and the Tkchucks, or up against McDavid, MacKinnon and Crosby.

On top of this, individual athletes from Russia and Belarus are allowed to compete under the Individual Neutral Athletes Team, but athletes from team sports cannot. e inconsistency is frustrating.

To me, these games will always have an asterisk attached, because how can the ice hockey gold-medal winner be the best team in the world without facing Russia, a team that would house superstars?

The cool-est sports you've never heard of

long blades to gain every bit of speed and help maximize their explosive power. Skaters boast impressive lower body and core strength to

sure to tune into the biathlon. What about something more thrilling, dangerous, high-stakes? Would you !nd it

With the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics underway, big-name events dominate the headlines — alpine skiing, snowboarding, !gure skating — but what about the lesserknown winter sports?

e Olympics o zarre sports that take a back seat to the big names, and they don’t get the credit or recognition they deserve. Here are our must-watch niche winter sports at this year's Olympics.

Bored of tradi tional skiing? Welcome to the world of skimo, a sport that combines both uphill skiing (Nordic) and downhill skiing (Alpine), making for a thrilling watch as competitors sprint up and down the mountain.

Skimo racers use gear like skins and bindings to help them grip the snow as they climb and adjust to uphill and downhill racing. Races at this year's Olympics will be just three minutes long, with skiers racing shoulder to shoulder, making it an absolute must-watch for ski-lovers.

If you like speed and skating, then speed skating is the sport for you at this year's Winter Olympics. Racers shoot around a quarter of a mile oval track in the blink of an eye, sustaining speeds of over 30 miles per hour as they skate. Races can be anywhere from 25 lap endurance races.

Competitors use specialized boots with

of both their physical endurance and precision. So if you are looking for a unique watch, be

it is far more intriguing for spectators. While bobsled pilots steer using ropes and luge athletes

guide their sleds with subtle leg movements, skeleton racers rely almost entirely on small shifts of their body weight to steer, making it a sport requiring intense concentration, lightspeed re"exes and mechanical mastery. With athletes racing head !rst at highway speeds and steering using only their bodies, skeleton is unlike any other Winter Olympic sport.

Speaking of control at high speeds, imagine launching o an icy ramp on skis and controlling your flight using nothing but balance and body position. Ski jumping is a sport in which competitors aim to attain the farthest jump while skiing down a ramp.

Jump distance, aerial style and other factors determine competitors’ !nal score, consisting of up to 60 points for the landing and 60 points for the style, as determined by !ve judges. From skeleton to biathlon, there really is a sport for everyone in this year's Winter Olympics.

When we think of the Winter Olympics, we think about hockey and skiing, but why not tune into some of the unique sports like skimo or ski jumping, too?

If you watch sports like these, you’ll get an adrenaline rush from the pure speed, competition and technical mastery involved … and who knows, maybe you’ll !nd a new favorite sport.

beyond the fnish line

The girls' indoor track team has been running toward their goals.

Although track is commonly viewed as an independent sport, South’s girls’ team has built a close-knit community to help each other reach their goals. As the team progresses through a meet, athletes switch from preparing for their own events to cheering on their teammates.

Assistant coach Ari Kenyon said that the coaches want to use this season to continue fostering the community and encouraging athletes to think competitively.

“We want this to be a place where athletes can come and nd some joy, nd connection,” she said.

“As coaches, we're all looking for everyone to develop individually. So obviously we have these goals that we want people to aspire to qualify for DCL [Dual County League] champs and [the] Division I meets, but ultimately we just want everyone, hopefully by the end of the season, to leave feeling like, 'oh, wow, I grew a little bit this season or improved my times.’’’

Head coach James Vance said that prior to meets, the team has meetings about having a positive attitude, setting processoriented goals and overviewing general expectations for the meet.

“[We] remind the team that we are a team and you have everybody else around to support you,” he said. “And then [there’s] our workouts and techniques and all the

things that we do to get ourselves physically prepared, as well as talking about how athletes should rest in recovery.”

Similarly, assistant coach Kaylie McNally said that when she writes workouts, she includes speci c paces for each athlete, a tactic she also uses before meets.

“I write out individualized race plans for everyone, with technical things they can focus on, and I try to give some inspiration and words of encouragement,” she said.

On meet days, junior sprinter Taya Vahey said that the team travels from school to e Track at New Balance.

“We get dismissed around 2:15 or 2:30,” she said. “[Upon arrival], we usually get our stu situated and we are told the schedule and the heat and when we'll be running so we can warm up.”

When the meet starts at 4:30 p.m., athletes focus on their individual event and ensure that they are ready for it by warming up and mentally preparing.

Senior captain Paige Taylor said that she wants to improve her throws for shot put this season.

“I [am] trying to break 30 feet again in shot put. I hit it once my sophomore year, and then I quit. So I'm trying to get back to that,” she said.

Sophomore hurdler Natalia Camacho-Diaz said that she is in a transition

phase and is using races this season to improve her hurdling technique.

“It's really frustrating sometimes to be in a spot where you're just trying to improve, because obviously you want to get good times,” she said.“It's frustrating to not see the times that ideally I would want. But people are always supportive.”

Senior captain and distance runner Niamh McMullan said that as she attempts to run a new personal record (PR) in the mile, she is drawing on multiple racing strategies.

“I think for me, it's a lot more about my mindset and sort of how I'm going into the meet, whether I have a race plan, [or] who else is in my event that I can pace myself with,” she said.

“For this speci c PR, I want to really just try to focus on each lap.”

Vahey said that after competing, athletes watch their teammates’ races.

“You can cheer on your friends. It's very, very fun,” she said. “Sometimes people get food. ere's a Crumbl cookie that is quite popular.”

Vance said he walks around during meets, so that he can talk to athletes after they compete.

“I think the bigger thing that I focus on is individual athletes and their successes and how they're dealing with their successes

Obviously we have these goals that we want people to aspire to qualify for DCL champs and the Division I meets, but ultimately, we just want everyone, hopefully by the end of the season, to leave feeling like, 'oh, wow, I grew a little bit this season, or improved my times'.

Ari Kenyon Assistant Coach

for learning moments,” he said. “I try to talk to as many athletes as I can about those moments, and [ nd] good things that they can take away from them.”

Similarly, McNally said that she likes to help athletes re ect on their races.

“We always talk about what we can learn from races that go well, and races that are harder,” she said. “ is is all a building block, and everything can build upon each other to get better.”

Camacho-Diaz said that the coaches emphasize the importance of being one team.

“[ ey] really try to promote unity,” she said. “Even though running is a race against yourself, you still have a community that can support you.”

Taylor said that regardless of how she competes, the team encourages her.

“Whenever I'm having a bad meet or anything, there's so many people there to uplift me, and as soon as they notice that something's wrong, I'm immediately swarmed by such a positive community, which immediately picks me right back up,” she said.

Kenyon said that even though the end of the season is approaching for most athletes, the team is still working hard.

“Indoor is a great opportunity to continue to build for outdoor season,” she said. “So as much as it is its own season, we're building for the future.”

Owen's out-of-this-world NFL season recap

Owen Halberstadt Sports Editor

Coming into the season, my expectations were quite high for how the NFL would shape out. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

Record-breaking seasons, divisions being "ipped on their heads and insane, nail-biting games every week led this NFL season to be one of my favorites ever.

Following two straight years with a winloss record of 4-13, the New England Patriots completed a historic turnaround. Pioneered by the combination of rising superstar quarterback Drake Maye and new head coach addition Mike Vrabel, New England cruised to a 14-3 record and secured the two seed in the American Football Conference (AFC).

Second-year quarterback Drake “Drake Maye” Maye took the league by storm this season, leading the league in both completion percentage and passer rating, while being a front runner for Most Valuable Player.

Maye’s battle for MVP against veteran quarterback Matthew Sta ord of the Los Angeles Rams had many fans on the edge of their seats for the last month of the season.Sta ord eventually won the award in a razor-thin race.

On the other side of the ball, Cleveland Browns superstar defensive end Myles Garrett put forth one of the greatest defensive seasons in recent memory. He broke the all-time sack record in his !nal game of the season, and Garrett secured his second Defensive Player of the Year award, already putting him up there with NFL legends at just 30.

Garrett was not the only player to break

a record this season. Cam Little, the kicker for the Jacksonville Jaguars, took the league by storm this season by nailing a 68-yard !eld goal to break the record for the longest !eld goal in NFL history.

to turn back the clock this season but unfortunately failed to do so.

Following a year retirement hiatus, the In dianapolis Colts made 44-yearold Phillip Riv ers say good bye to his 10 children and grandchild, as they con vinced him to rejoin the team following Daniel Jones’s season-ending in jury.

season as an 8-2 juggernaut atop the AFC, but collapsed following Jones’s injury and failed to make the playo performance out of Rivers.

However, the Colts were not the only team to have an unpredictable collapse, as both number one seeds from the previous season failed to return to the playo s. e Kansas

City Chiefs, coasting o of three straight Super Bowl appearances, came into the season ready to reassert themselves after being dethroned by the Philadelphia Eagles last Super Bowl. However, after facing multiple injuries and lackluster performances, the Chiefs finished with a lousy 6-11 record and missed the plays for the first time since 2014. The same can be said for the Detroit Lions.

A combination of weaker play-calling, a depleted defense and a gauntlet of a schedule caused the s just one year removed from being the number one seed in the National Football Conference (NFC).

Heading into the playo s, many fans were ecstatic. e Super Bowl race was wide open this year, with no clear favorite. In the Wild Card round, fans were blessed with some of the

best playo games in years, with a combined 12 fourth-quarter lead changes occurring in the !rst four games.

Caleb “Iceman” Williams put on a show for Chicago these playo s, completing two of the greatest throws we have ever witnessed to keep the Bears’ playo hopes alive in a season where every sports analyst counted them out.

While they fell short to the Rams, Williams — as well as new Head Coach Ben Johnson — have quickly become the light at the end of the tunnel in the world of Chicago sports.

Per usual, Bu alo Bills superstar quarterback Josh Allen faced another heartbreaking loss in the playo s, this time at the hands of the Denver Broncos.

While Denver was thrilled to have another chance to return to the Super Bowl, their balloons were quickly popped. After the victory that sent them to the AFC Championship game, it was revealed that quarterback Bo Nix had fractured his ankle and would have to be replaced by backup quarterback Jarett Stidham the following week.

In the AFC Championship between the Patriots and Broncos, the Patriots snuck away with a win after battling the elite Broncos defense — in a game that was quickly dominated by harsh snow conditions — to make their way to their 12th Super Bowl appearance.

e NFC Championship did not disappoint. Both o enses put on a clinic in yet another playo shootout. e Seattle Seahawks managed to run away with a win against the Rams, giving them the chance to return to the Super Bowl in a rematch of the legendary 2015 Bowl that ended in a win for the Patriots.

A look back at the craziest comebacks ever

Everyone loves a comeback. e sheer thrill of watching a team claw its way back to overcome a de!cit is a rush like no other for fans. Some stand far above the rest as the greatest and most memorable moments in sports history.

In 2016, amidst a dynasty led by future hall-of-fame quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots had made the playo s in 14 out of 15 seasons and won the Super Bowl four times. e upcoming Super Bowl was a chance for the Patriots to strengthen their dominance. ey entered the game with a 16-2 overall record and were set to play a strong Atlanta Falcons team. While the Patriots were the favorites to win, the !rst half score ended with the Falcons leading 21-3. Early in the third quarter, Atlanta scored again, going up 28-3. is de!cit seemed insurmountable — but it wasn’t. e Pats would rack up 25 unan swered points to tie the game at 28-28, sending the game to overtime for the !rst time in Super Bowl history. After winning the coin toss, they marched down the !eld for a game-winning touchdown, marking the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, and, for the Falcons, one of the biggest chokes of all time.

e 2016 Golden State Warriors had the greatest NBA regular season ever, !nishing with an astonishing regular season win-loss record of 73-9. ey steamrolled their opponent nearly every night, and many expected them to cruise through the playo s and repeat as champions. When they reached the !nals, they faced the Cavaliers, who were led by superstar LeBron James and guard Kyrie Irving. e Warriors jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, winning by an average of 24 points in the two games at home. e tides turned after the Cavaliers won

Game 3, but the Warriors maintained control of the series, winning Game 4 and taking a commanding 3-1 series lead. No team had ever come back in the NBA Finals down 3-1 in a seven game series. e Cavs would have to do it against a historically dominant team.

e Cavs stayed alive in Game 5 and then won Game 6 at home, behind James' 41 points in both games, evening the series at 3-3.

Game 7 was a defensive battle. Tied late in the fourth quarter, Irving hit a step-back three to put the Cavs up. Cleveland held on to win the game 93-89 and complete the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history.

e comeback earned the Cavs the franchise's !rst championship, and the loss forever stains the Warriors’ nearly perfect season.

e Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is widely

considered to be the greatest in sports, and it peaked in the early 2000s, when the teams met in back-to-back American League Championship Series (ALCS) in 2003 and 2004. e Yankees took the 2003 series in seven games with a walk-o extra-innings home run. In the 2004 series, the Yankees looked to claim the pennant again, taking the !rst two games at home. In Game 3, the series shifted to Fenway Park, and the Sox looked to change the momentum, but the Yankees won in a blowout.

e pennant looked all but won for New York; no team had come back from down 0-3 in a seven-game series in the history of the MLB.

In a Game 4 highlighted by clutch baserunning, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz hit a legendary walk-o two-run home run in the bottom of the 12th inning to force a Game 5. Just like Game 4, Game 5 entered extra innings tied 4-4, and just like Game 4, it ended in a Boston victory in extras with a walk-o hit by Ortiz.

In a 4-2 Game 6 win, Red Sox ace Curt Schilling delivered an all-time performance, pitching six shutout innings on a bloodied ankle. is set up a Game 7 at Yankee Stadium, with the Red Sox riding a tsunami of momentum. In the !rst inning, Ortiz hit a two-run home run and in the second inning, Johnny Damon added a grand slam to take a 6-0 lead. e Sox never looked back, cruising to a 10-3 victory, securing the pennant.

e Red Sox went on to sweep the Cardinals in the World Series, winning their !rst championship in 86 years, and many say the 2004 ALCS broke the Curse of the Bambino. ere are two sides to every comeback: on one hand, one team was so close to victory yet crumbled before they could reach it, and on the other hand, one team de!ed the odds to reach victory, cementing themselves in the history books for sports fans to remember forever.

CROSS W ORD!

Today's puzzle brought to you on the wings of little cupids...

ACROSS

2) Country whose people exploded into protests starting Dec. 28 that have continued into the new year.

6) You might make one of allegiance or to a sorority — and now you can hear it every morning at South (pg. 12).

8) Sport at the center of HBO series "Heated Rivalry" ... and the center of a heated itnernational politics dynamic at the Winter Olympics (pg. 20).

9) Beloved "guy in the math center" who fuels South students with candy and math lessons (pg. 16).

11) Hurtling head!rst down an icy water slide —and somehow it's an Olympic sport?

12) U.S. state recently a central target of ICE raids.

14) Ward 2 councilor David who made a controversial move (pg. 3).

16) e day of February that this paper came out; number of times Abby has seen Six.

18) Our beloved humor columnist who is melted but never forgotten (pg. 9)

DOWN

Happy Vanlentine's from the Lion's Roar!

1) Super Bowl LX halftime headliner with sick beats and poignant political commentary.

3) Color of envy and last name of South diver Jazmine (pg. 19).

4) Winner of Super Bowl LX :( 5) A girl's best friend, a dog's worst enemy and what Sweet Dream in Newton Centre sells (pg. 16).

7) Nickname for your grandma, maybe, or what many of music's best artists won on Feb. 1 (pg. 10).

10) "Wuthering _____," classic Emily Bronte novel with a new movie adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elording coming to theaters Feb. 13.

13) What did one squirrel say to the other on Valentine's? I'm ____ about you!

15) Word that !lls the blanks of both White Mountain _____ and New City Micro_____ (pg. 4)

17) British singer-songwriter Olivia who took home the Grammy for Best New Artist.

Today's Roaroscope

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Someone special will buy you Starbucks. Or you might just have to go ahead and get it for yourself.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): You are compatible with Aries, Leo, long walks on the beach, breakfast burritos, arts and crafts, sweet treats and sunshine.

Aries (March 21-April 19): Your love life will play out like a rom-com on the big screen. You just have to write the screenplay !rst.

Gemini (May 21- June 20): Good news, love is in the air! But bad news, so is the "u... Careful not to catch a di erent kind of bug, lovebug.

Cancer (June 21- July 22): A tall, dark and handsome man is waiting out there for you. Don't be afraid to chase him, even if it takes you across oceans ... or across town.

Leo (July 23- Aug. 22): Forget the mushy stu — this Valentine's is for revenge à la "Before He Cheats." Grab your Louisville Slugger!

Everyone has a di erent love language, but we're just going to tell you: yours is baking. Bring some cookies in for us! a b c d e f g h i j k l

Taurus (April 20-May 20): Jackson Pollock is still a great painter, even if he gets a little messy. Try to look at the whole picture and embrace the chaos.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22): Treat yo' self! Sure, Valentine's Day is about romance, but it's also about chocolate! And they have that at the grocery store.

Libra (Sept. 23- Oct. 22): A secret admirer wants you to know... hmm... we can't quite read the handwriting. But don't worry, we're sure it's something good.

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 21): We're sorry to inform you, but Jacob Elordi can't be your valentine this year. Maybe next time!

Sagittarius (Nov. 22- Dec. 21): Harry Styles might not be coming to Boston, but sometimes love is worth the chase. Good luck!

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 19):

Follow @nshslionsroar for 10 years of good luck — it’s your cosmic destiny!