Opinion
The Emery Defying my own
principle and
The Student Publication of Huron High School
Adviser
learning a lesson
Sara-Beth Badalamente
Editor-in-Chief
Kara Kozma
Staff Editors
Jack Harrison
Julie Heng
Samantha Ruud
Business Manager
George White
Staff Writers
Katherine Gurgenian
Daniel Middaugh
Alyssa Salamin
Shannon Stocking
Patrick Wang
The Emery Staff Policy
The Emery is a newspaper
produced by and for the
students of Huron High
School. The Emery exists to
inform and entertain the
student body by producing
quality content on a vari-
ety of school, community,
national, and international
issues. We at The Emery
aim to improve ourselves as
writers, thinkers, and com-
municators serving commu-
nities to which we belong,
and we strive to maintain
the highest degree of jour-
nalistic integrity.
All opinions pieces pub-
lished by The Emery reflect
only the views of their
authors, not those of the
adviser, editor-in-chief, ed-
itorial board, or other staff
members.
The Emery achieved a Gold
Ranking in the Spartan
Critique for the 2017-2018
academic year.
The Emery is a member of
the Michigan Interscholastic
Press Association, the Na-
tional Scholastic Press Asso-
ciation, and the Journalism
Education Association.
3
Conservative Corner principles.
That being said, at Huron I
Jack Harrison | Staff Editor work diligently to correct these mis-
I’m a Conservative in the conceptions and labels, and I strive to
most liberal city, in the second darkest educate my peers that Donald Trump
blue county, in a historically blue state. and some of his policies are not rep-
And this place I call home is Ann Ar- resentative of all conservatives. Some
bor, Michigan. of my classmates have listened to my
Blessed with a politically message and appreciate that I speak
neutral household, and inspired by out, but for others, it only causes them
after class sidebars with my eighth to turn away even more.
grade history teacher, Mr. Gaynor, I Recruiting is constantly a
became a conservative. Oddly enough, struggle for the Huron Young Conser-
Mr. Gaynor was about as liberal as you vatives, and I am aware this is a con-
can get—from riding his bike to school, tinuous obstacle. So towards the end
to insisting that our water bottles of this year, I posted club flyers in the
never near a trash can rim. But looking halls to promote the club. I made sure
back, he did his job perfectly: he gave they were welcoming, even including
us resources and lectures to learn about an inclusive “all are welcome” state-
politics without imposing his ideology. ment.
During the year, we had many pro- My club signs weren’t just
ductive discussions, and Mr. Gaynor ripped; they were torn into a dozen
cautioned me that I would definitely be pieces, and it became normal to find
a dissenting voice in our community. I scraps circulating the hallways. This Jack Harrison at the Capitol building in Lansing, MI, where he works. Photo by Jack Harrison.
had no idea just how dissenting—and just didn’t happen once. It happened One day, I recall a teacher of in the Huron Young Democrats who
it didn’t take me long to find that out. four times within two weeks, with mine tell me, “Jack, you can’t let an act shout f-words at us. But I was wrong.
Quickly into high school, I discovered four different destroyers. I finally hit by a small group of students deter you My assumptions and my labeling was
that my conversations would not be
my breaking point. I was angry, but from your message that you do such a wrong.
like those with Mr. Gaynor. They would also hurt. I dedicated every debate and good job of getting out.” Our debate with the Com-
be full of yelling and knife jabbing discussion trying to That following hour, I pre- munity Dems was the most coherent
comments, with the
“
clarify what I stand sented my Theory of Knowledge pre- discussion I have ever had. Everyone
intention to attack, for while remain- sentation, titled, “Investigating the role was respectful and tried to make their
not to explain. I
could not foresee We all make assumptions ing respectful, of emotion in decision making?” And point in the most understandable
even when people one section was centered on examining manner. Both groups walked away
that listening—some- and label because it’s easy; called me a “bigot,” how emotions about a single person feeling that we look at certain issues
thing so essential but
simple—would be
we let emotions over- “racist” and a “white can affect our perspective about others differently now, which is uncommon
tough to come by. whelm thought and skew supremacist.” And
sadly, this became a
associated with that person’s culture or
beliefs.
after debating about politics. It felt like
one of those conversations with Mr.
I’m a senior judgment. new normal. And that’s exactly what I was Gaynor.
now. I engage in
“ I let my doing. After the debate, the Presi-
political discussions emotions dictate my But there was one key event dent of the Community Dems ap-
almost daily and reasoning. I forgot that made me remember that there proached me and explained that she
after the 2016 elec- about what I preach. are people who listen, and that there and her members were afraid we would
tion, many turned volatile quite fast. I was fading down the opposite path are students from the other side who be “crazy Trumpies.” I laughed and then
It’s clear from those conversations that and I came very close to being vacu- struggle with the same issue of being told her that I thought her club would
many of my peers have misconceptions umed up into the bag of polarization labeled. be a bunch of “tree-hugging social
about what “conservative” really means. and division. We were going to debate justice warriors.”
I understand that students I began to think that most the Community High School Young They had assumptions too. We
often link President Trump’s beliefs to liberal students at my school, even the Democrats. The most liberal high all make assumptions and label because
my own, which is somewhat under- ones who listened to me, were intoler- school in Ann Arbor. Their mascot is it’s easy; we let emotions overwhelm
standable since the president is typical- ant and suppress free speech. “I would
the Rainbow Zebra; their only sport is thought and skew judgment. In fact,
ly their party’s current leader. But I also never do that. Conservatives don’t do quidditch, which I don’t even count as that’s a label right there. But more im-
think that school environments and the that,” I thought. Though we are seeing a sport. I expected confrontation and portantly, when we do this, we forget
media bear responsibility for incor- a radical side of the Democratic Party I assumed that they would be more who we are.
rectly interpreting certain conservative rise with some praise.
disrespectful than some of the students
“Calm” effectively combats sleep anxiety
Jack Harrison | Staff Editor A friend presented the idea of mindfulness to me, knowing I would be reluctant
to listen. I questioned the effectiveness, probably because I anticipated the diffi-
Getting in bed at nine, I’m hopeful and excited that I could potentially culty of clearing my mind. But she suggested I find an app.
receive nine hours of sleep. But that never happens. I struggle to fall asleep, but it’s I scrolled the App Store and came across the app of the year, “Calm.”
only 9:45 so I am not too concerned. 10:30 approaches and I still cannot doze off This app is designed to help with meditation and mind clearing, offering guided
into dreams. I began to sweat, turn on another fan and reposition myself on my meditation videos for specific issues such as sleep, emotion, anxiety and focus.
bed. Now it’s 11:30 and I can’t ignore the For me, I was most interested in sleep
fact that I have two tests the following meditation and resources. The sleep
morning. section offers sleep meditation, deep
Unfortunately, this scenario has sleep body scans, and bedtime stories.
become a regularity. But it didn’t used to Calm also features relaxing music cycles
be… and master classes to help with anxiety
We all know how essential rest- or over-working.
ful sleep is to achieving success, especially An example of a meditation first
for high schoolers. But when that is fac- begins by finding a comfortable position
tored in with anxiety, it can be a surpris- to relax the body. The speaker then gives
ingly difficult combination to control. I a brief introduction about the focus of
could fall asleep within seconds my first the meditation and will iterate specific
year of high school. What happened? instructions. But with all of them, there
Ever since the start of my junior is a central focus on the “breath,” breath-
year, if I knew I could not get eight ing in and out. At times, it easy to drift
hours of sleep with an exam in the morning, it would take me at least two hours into the thought, but the speaker is conscious of this and will quickly stop anxious
to fall asleep. I would begin to think that every hour lost of sleep equates to a thoughts.
lower grade. I would also think about worries not even relevant to that week. This I have found much more success with sleep and overall mindfulness,
was all probably a result of the known to be stressful junior year. An SAT in one resulting in focus and happiness. I was a doubter at first. But mindfulness is some-
month should not be something to worry about at midnight. I struggled to tame thing that can be done across all religions. It doesn’t mean you are separating from
this, resorting to melatonin and NyQuil which did help. your religion, which was a concern of mine. It’s just another approach to finding
Over the summer, I knew it would be the best time to pursue alternative rest and peace. Calm is an effective app for a price of $5 a month.
methods, especially since I would be waking up at 5 or 6 a.m several days a week.
Piper, a Pixar short film, twice and a reading list
Second Guesses
gettable appetizer without taking time transported there, I hope to actual-
to appreciate the notes and textures. ly think about each universe, prod
There really were many layers which I through deeper conclusions and larger
only noticed the second time around. meanings rather than simply wallow
Julie Heng | Staff Editor recognizable. As is such, I resolve to no around entertained.
“I’ve seen this one before,” I longer skim through books and movies I also resolve to control what
I first saw Pixar’s animated said into my cereal, uninterested. simply to get to the next stage. I won’t I absorb. The other day, I finally came
short film Piper with a group of friends “This took the Pixar team be able to run through all the world’s around to making myself a reading
at the theater. It was delightful, and over three years to make,” my dad in- art, anyways: there’s enough media, list. I included ten books, ten essays,
entertaining, and we all cooed over the sisted. “If a six-minute long video took especially in today’s information explo- and twenty elegies (half the elegies are
graphics and adorable sandpiper. How that many people that long to make, it sion, to bury someone alive. I resolve poetic compositions, the other half
cute would a little stuffed version be? must have many layers.” to slow down and think carefully about are musical). There are too many good
I, like my friends, thought I used to believe the world what I ingested, and what essential words to let some go to waste, so it is
little else of the film. After sitting lacked good, didactic art. Now, I see nutrients I should absorb for myself. up to me to pick and choose the best.
through two hours of Finding Dory, that I simply ignored many of the Of course, adopting such a So now, I say this: I first saw
I had forgotten all about the opening lessons I have come across. mindset is not difficult. After binge- Pixar’s animated short film Piper with
short and any related stuffed animals. Piper is not just a story of ing a good book series or finishing my family at breakfast. It was meticu-
It was just another day spent hanging overcoming fear and trying new things. an addictive webcomic, I find myself lous, well thought-out, and I saw a bit
out. No harm in having a good time. It’s a tribute to ingenuity and indi- swirling in the lyrics of that fictional of myself in that adorable sandpiper.
Piper would not cross my viduality and learning from teachers universe. Undoubtedly, I will once strive to be as curious as her. It’s im-
mind again, until one morning, when in unordinary places. I had taken the again get sucked into similar worm- portant not to take things for granted
my dad brought it to the breakfast ta- glossy highlights at face value, had holes in the future, but when I am at face value.
ble. The video thumbnail was instantly superficially treated the film as a for-