6. Sauerkraut 2025

At the bottom of the 2024 Marching Band Schedule lies a quote that holds a special place in my heart—“Music can change the world because it can change people.” This line was stated by Bono, an Italian singer-songwriter, demonstrating how music is a universal language significant to all cultures across the world. Different cultures can have different interpretations of how music is able to “change people.” Some will use music as a non-political political voice, while others will use it as soothing background noise at their next birthday party. Although they can widely contrast, various perspectives are applicable to the quote, and I’m sure everyone has experienced firsthand how much of an impact hearing the right music can have at particular points in our lives. For me, music has largely made a mark on my growth in the form of my involvement in the music program at American, with my participation in life-altering experiences like Marching Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, the musical...

  Most of the people I know dislike school to some extent: maybe it’s because of the people, the teachers, the environment, their classes, whatever. Personally, I have never loved school. When I was in elementary school, I was a student who got into trouble, didn’t pay too much attention in class, and still valued being at home more than being at school.  Things have changed since I was in elementary school, but the one thing that has definitely stayed the same since I was a kid is the fact that I value learning.  x Not in the sense that I love going to class, love doing homework, or love taking notes but in the sense that I want to learn and get a proper education because it’s something that I believe will help me later in life whether or not I get accepted into a good university. There are times I genuinely enjoy learning things in psychology, chemistry, math, or English, but above all—whether I like learning the subject or not—I still see value in learning that materi...

Friendship. A term that all human beings have heard a multitude of times in their lives. Whether it is during the lessons we learnt in Kindergarten, or throughout the various adversity we faced with our fellow peers, the term “friendship” has always held a prominent factor in our lives. Well, to me, this particular word has one meaning that holds a lot of value. It represents something. That something being power.  Growing up, I really valued friendship. The memories that were made when I used to play basketball with my friends, and all the times we spent hours upon hours outdoors is something that I will never forget. As a matter of fact, I really wished that high-school had set times aside for recess, where we could play sports with our friends and enjoy it like when we were younger. Through these different activities, I have built strong and powerful friendships with my peers that are long-lasting till this day, and I hope it stays that way for as long as possible. Humans are me...

After Trump’s inauguration, I have seen lots of talk on TikTok about “having a revolution” and “winter boots. ” Which I doubt will happen, because the American people can never seem to join together and actually make change happen. I saw a TikTok recently about how Americans should boycott some companies, and more than half of the comments were saying things like “What does that have to do with me?” As well as things like, “I can not give up Target,” and other things like that. I mean if we can not even join together to boycott a couple of companies, how would we be able to come together as a people and start a “revolution?”  However, I am not here to discuss. I am just using the recent event to connect to what I am really here to talk about.  During this discussion on TikTok, I saw a post that wrote that Americans outnumber billionaires from 1000 to one. Which reminded me of the “A Bug’s Life” movie. More specifically the line said by Hopper, “You let one ant stand up to us, ...

The power of fear can not be understated. Fear dictates most decisions and motivations in our lives. From the food we eat to the number of AP classes we decide to take, fear drives us to make choices that feel safe, familiar, and socially acceptable. We avoid junk food out of fear of going unhealthy, just as we might overload our schedules with AP classes out of fear of falling behind peers. The point is that fear can be found behind most decisions in life.  Fear is a basic survival mechanism that signals our bodies to respond to danger with a fight or flight response. It is essential for our safety. Fear is powerful because it can trigger biological changes in one’s body. When we react to stressful situations, hormones in our brains that control our thoughts and actions are released , leading to the narrow-mindedness that comes with fear-inducing situations.  Fear has controlled entire societies for centuries. Take the Salem Witch Trials, for example. The fear of the Devil in...

Over the last couple days I have been watching The 8 Show , and after completing it last night I could not stop thinking about it. The power dynamics depicted in the show are so complex and painfully realistic, as well as the escalation of events and shifts in power.  The 8 Show was released in 2024, and is a psychological thriller that follows eight adults in poor financial situations who are individually invited to participate in a game-show where they earn money as time passes. Each character gets to choose their floor number from the options that are left when they arrive. They are allowed to stay in the show and continue earning money until time—which is earned by entertaining the audience—runs out.  However the initial excitement of earning money by simply existing is short-lived when they realize that the higher the floors go the more money is earned. The highest floor also has control over the food supply for the rest of the participants. This creates tension and boun...

With the recent inauguration of Trump as the 47th U.S. president and the unbanning of TikTok, American users have flooded this social media platform with discussions and conversations over the new president’s proposed policies. Trump’s signing of numerous executive orders , Biden’s farewell address , and Elon Musk’s questionable salute have become hot topics of discussion within the American public, with users arguing for various sides and even individuals from other countries chiming in with their opinions. And consequently, with these widely discussed issues circulating across various social media platforms, new trends have arisen that showcase many Americans’ dissatisfaction with current governmental actions. One of these trends, for example, includes users uploading videos with the phrase, “cute winter boots,” as a way to mention and discuss political topics without getting their posts “censored” or removed by the TikTok algorithm. Many have used the comment sections of these post...

Power is a force that can shape societies and uplift communities, but also destroy loves. Throughout history, there has been people who wield power in very different ways. Adolf Hitler rose to power through manipulation and propaganda, leading to one of the darkest periods in history, His unchecked authority resulted in the loss of millions of lives and showcased the devastating consequences of power used for oppression. In contrast, leaders like Nelson Mandela demonstrated how power can also unite and heal. Despite suffering twenty-seven years in prison, Mandela chose reconciliation over revenge, guiding South Africa away from apartheid and toward democracy.  Another stark contrast can be in corporate power. Figures like Elizabeth Holmes (ex-CEO of Theranos) exploited her influence by deceiving investors and patients with false claims about medical technology. Her abuse of power finally led to financial and personal ruin for many. But people like Bill Gates used their wealth and ...

One of the many "verification" videos made by TikTok users for Red Note via nmillz1 Tiktok is a platform that deserves no introductio n —c han ces are, you’ve already lost several hours to it. This is the reality for consistent users on TikTok. From fast fashion to never-ending memes, the app covers what feels like everything. However, everything TikTok has changed within the last few weeks. After months of discussion at the Supreme Court, TikTok was banned on the nineteenth of January for ~14 hours under concerns of invasive data collection from Bytedance . Leading up to t he ban, it s users expressed strong opposition and even concerning responses in some cases. Many have turned to learning Chinese and using Red Note as a means of alternative. This naturally leads non-users to wonder: why did users go to such lengths? Refreshing on its rebirth, TikTok was originally named Music.aly. It was launched in April of 2014 and primarily consisted of lip-syncing short videos. The...

My older sister is a graphic designer . When she makes a poster, flyer, or logo, she makes decisions about the color, size, font, and placement of symbols and words for different purposes. A lot of times, she makes things look more visually appealing based on her intended audience. She manipulates the way people perceive things through her art, prompting impressions that greatly affect the decisions people make, like gravitating towards a company or purchasing a product. In an ideal world, we would be able to judge things based on their true value to our lives rather than appearances and impressions. We would be able to read handwritten essays without making assumptions based on the author’s handwriting , learn from presentations on Google Slides based on the information they teach us instead of focusing on the bright neon color of the backgrounds, and pay attention to the headlines on newspapers that have topics that interest us more, not the ones that have bigger, bolder titles. But ...

The video “ I Became Friends With The Most Racist Man in America ” by the famous Youtuber Jidion, was a powerful, wholesome, and natural account of how conversations between people with differing views on race can bridge ideological divides. In this video, this Youtuber visits “the most racist town in America,” Harrison, Arkansas. It is widely considered the most racist town due to the leader of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) residing there. In his previous visit to this town, Jidion realized that everyone was nothing but kind to him, even certain members of the KKK, despite him being a man of color. In this video, he hoped to visit a “friend” of his from the KKK—Tom. Other Youtubers have also visited him in the past because of his far right-wing and racist remarks, which help the videos gain virality. Jidion’s intentions, however, were to simply talk with him about his views of life and have him attend an award ceremony that the mayor of Harrison put together for Jidion.  Throughout the v...

Power is the ability to influence or control outcomes, and this ability is demonstrated in a multitude of areas of life. People in power are people with authority, which can include the richest people in the world or teachers. Teachers have power over the classroom and the people in the classroom, as well as the things that occur in the classroom. They have the power to dictate what event take place in the classroom and how they will cover certain material in that classroom. However, just because teachers can dictate how they decide to teach the material, does not mean that they can decide what material should be taught.  Teachers have to answer to their higher-ups, the principal, who then has to listen to their higher-ups, the school government. It is an endless staircase of power. This is not just to say that people in positions of power with jobs have power. There are also power dynamics in family.  In practice, the children respect their parents, who then respect their chi...