October 2021

OCTOBER 15, 2021 ISSUE 1 THE O NEWS KEEPING STUDENTS UPDATED ON CURRENT EVENTS Concert Orchestra SARAH ERONDU Overlea’s concert orchestra is VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! something that was most recently created less than 2 years ago by music director Ms. Continued… Lee. It became a fun full-time arts/music class option that students could take for a musical world and is something to be known more and enjoyed if you have a passion for fine-arts credit if they played an instrument classical music. before. You can join by requesting it from the counselor for a fine arts class. Attending O strings requires coming to class with an instrument (if you began playing one back in middle school and have had experience), tuning it, and then practicing music sheets every day. “So far we’ve been just practicing scales and some other easier music,” one of the violinists said while playing. The orchestra seems to need members, especially violists (please note that the viola and the violin are two different instruments, with the viola being a bit larger and having an entirely different clef(key) on its own). It also seems to need more experienced players, so if students know anyone who plays/played any string instrument in the past and may still practice, please consider consulting Ms. Lee on attending the orchestra in room 112. Opportunities for county assessments, field trips, and even applications for music scholarships are forthcoming but have not been confirmed by the music director due to the COVID-19 virus. Nevertheless, it is a fun experience IN THIS ISSUE What Are You Reading? Girl’s Soccer What’s Your Worth in Cloth? 1

THE O NEWS and an opportunity to learn more about the What’s Your Top 10 Popular The fashion industry is the main Worth in Cloth? Clothing Brands & reason these biases exist. They have these big celebrities like Kanye West wearing STEPHEN GERGUIS Footwear expensive brands. They have them go out in public showing off these brands, Growing up I was always wearing advertising their products. These brands “cheap,” clothes. I grew up in foreign family are not more special than other brands. and clothes were never a major factor in my Most brands including the less popular life, it was out of the ordinary to spend more ones, are all made the same, there are than a $50 on a single set of clothes. I people spending hundreds of dollars on remember the first day of school I went to Nike shoes while they could buy shoes my dresser and picked out random clothes which look the same for around $20 from because matching was never a key aspect for less popular brands. These brands me. I went to the bus stop and all I saw were perpetuate stereotypes through forms of these kids wearing these expensive branded popular media (movies, social media, etc.) outfits and I didn’t understand it at first, but with the intent to achieve the highest it became more clearer over time. As I profits possible. arrived at school, I started walking towards my classroom. Just as I arrived it was rather Meme culture has even contributed awkward, I had all these eyes on me, staring to the fashion craze. Recall back in 2015 at my clothes making me nervous. Later in when the popular meme “what are those” the day, I had these boys asking me about was created. It started off harmless but my shoes, as they were walking away, I soon escalated, it even reached the point could hear them laughing at me. Later in the where people would steal other people’s school year I would even have peers shoes and toss it around just to mock insulting me, calling me poor, assuming my them. It stigmatizes the lower class family was in a lower class; therefore, because it shows this perception of lower- buying what was supposedly “lower-class class individuals being dirty and clothes.” unrefined, but what people tend to overlook is that they are humans just like This made me feel uncomfortable us, humans who have been faced with and insecure about what I wore because I unfortunate circumstances, circumstances had these experiences. This pushed me to we are unaware of. We should allow wear clothes that fit this “higher class” people to wear what they want. We should stereotype just so I could fit in. I had this accept them no matter what because we implicit bias which caused me to are all human. subconsciously associate people’s class with clothes. My experiences in school changed me to have a bias towards what people wore, I even began to look at those closest to me differently. Today.yougov.com PAGE 2

THE O NEWS What Are You Spirit Week Reading? Written by: Amirah JANIAH RANDALL-MURDOC Taylor According to sources some of the most popular Spirit Week is the week of the books for teenagers this year are… Homecoming Game on Friday, October 8th, 2021. However, Spirit Week started • Children of Blood and Bone on Monday October 4th, 2021. Hopefully, by Tomi Adeyemi you were able to attend the game. Unfortunately, the varsity football team The books that are being turned into Netflix lost to Owings Mills 32-45. shows are… Ms. Dowling, who is the Student • Shadow and Bone Government Association (SGA) Advisor by Leigh Bardugo and the Math Department Chair has answered some questions about that • The Women in the Window week. Let’s get right into the questions, by A.J. Finn shall we? • The Last Letter From Your Lover Q: Why’d you choose these activities? by Jojo Moyes A: SGA looks for student’s, along with faculty, suggestions for Spirit Week. They then have a roundtable discussion on which event will be on what days. After polling students here at Overlea High School, students mentioned Harry Potter, Q: How excited were you about a normal Homecoming Game? Disney Villains What if Series, Artemis Foul, A: “I was very excited for the Homecoming Game. I’m just happy to be back at Lord of the Rings, James and the Giant Peach, school and trying to get back to some type of normalcy.” Quoted by Ms. Dowlings. and The little Prince. Some people preferred books based off realistic events such as Q: Random question, what is your favorite thing about your job? Refugee, The Hate U Give, The War That A: “My favorite part about my job… sounds very cliche, but I really like engaging Saved My Life, The Revelation of Louisa May, with the students. Watching my and A Lesson Before Dying. math students understand a concept after struggling, or one of Popular genres are horror, non-fiction, my athletes getting on base for the The Testaments, sci-fi, and even the Bible. first time or winning their first With so many different types of books that badminton match. I think virtual were recommended I don’t even need to write teaching was difficult because we this article. all missed the interaction between one another. I’m just glad we’re Visit this link to decide whaqt you will read back in the building.” She next! explained. https://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/ Q: In your opinion, what will be the best part of Spirit Week? A: “Since, we can’t have a pep rally, I think my favorite part will be announcing the captains for all of the fall sports.” This being her favorite event during Homecoming Week, however, she said that the best part is. “Watching the creative outfits that the Students come up with. I love looking back at the pictures in the yearbook and the pictures on the walls.” Q: Who won Homecoming Court? A: Raylon Anyakwo and Modupe Isaac PAGE 3