Roses
Written By Maysa Saadeddin
When we go to America, we will be save
Inshallah
When we go to America we will forget our past
Inshallah
I can be successful like everyone who was born in America
Inshallah
I will be treated equally
Inshallah
I will have happier memories in America
Inshallah
I will be happy
Inshallah
When we go to America we will forget our past
Inshallah
I can be successful like everyone who was born in America
Inshallah
I will be treated equally
Inshallah
I will have happier memories in America
Inshallah
I will be happy
The changing of my black hair, is it disobeying his wishes or just trying to fit in. Am I a disappointment for not looking the way I speak? The change of my skin from tanned to pale, does it show? Can he see the design of my henna fading away as I put on temporary tattoos instead. The redness slowly taken away from my blood.
Was he right about coming here? Was it the safer choice? Maybe it would have been better if we did what he said and stayed there. However, how long would have the happiness last, how far could we have gone?
At the end of the day I was walking out of Islam school wearing my full uniform: long sleeves, a long skirt and pants, and a white hijab with red roses, on my way home. I was walking along with Zahirah, when we saw a group of terrifying people.
We started to walk past them.
Everything went into slow motion, it was a bright day yet it seemed dark.
As I made eye-contact to one, I saw a similar terrifying smirk, with heartless eyes staring back at me. I froze. I couldn’t hear anything again. It was all happening again. The struggle, the crying, the fighting, again. As my hijab was ripped off my head, I saw petals from the beautiful roses fall to the ground.
Was he right about coming here? Was it the safer choice? Maybe it would have been better if we did what he said and stayed there. However, how long would have the happiness last, how far could we have gone?
At the end of the day I was walking out of Islam school wearing my full uniform: long sleeves, a long skirt and pants, and a white hijab with red roses, on my way home. I was walking along with Zahirah, when we saw a group of terrifying people.
We started to walk past them.
Everything went into slow motion, it was a bright day yet it seemed dark.
As I made eye-contact to one, I saw a similar terrifying smirk, with heartless eyes staring back at me. I froze. I couldn’t hear anything again. It was all happening again. The struggle, the crying, the fighting, again. As my hijab was ripped off my head, I saw petals from the beautiful roses fall to the ground.
NHS’s Showing of A Quiet Place
Written by Diego de Haan
On Wednesday, October 31st, Halloween in fact, the National Honor Society (NHS) played a showing of the movie A Quiet Place. The movie followed a family who lived in fear of enhanced auditory monsters. The thriller was the perfect choice for the Halloween atmosphere. The film kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
The National Honor Society is a service organization for both juniors and seniors. Reagan has their own NHS chapter that has been around since 2010. Students work to give back to the community and become a positive member of society. The NHS share opportunities and service information. The organization April Nagel, Reagan’s NHS advisor said, “Some of the volunteer things we’ve done in the past has because a student has had a connection with an organization.” They work together to help other students sign up and find volunteer locations. The NHS work both within the school and in the community. Members work with the student council, The Autism Society, and senior complexes to give back in various ways that they can.
The movie night was part of a fundraising effort from the NHS. Each year, the organization gives a small something to their seniors. The showing of A Quiet Place was in order to raise funds for the end a year gift to seniors in the NHS. Nagel explains it as, “a way to honor seniors when they graduate.” In previous years seniors have gotten medallions, pins, and other awards. In other words, an event like the movie night helps pay for those gifts.
Nagel said, “It’s really great, seeing their ideas and when they get excited, I enjoy that.” The organization helps students build their own character while simultaneously giving back to the community. Also, having that on a college application looks really good.
In order to get into the NHS, you have to go through an application process. After the second semester, anyone with a 3.0 or higher is invited to an introductory meeting. Following, and students then interested write a statement based on criteria set out by the National Honor Society. Students must outline their commitment to service, leadership, character. Nagel, said they get “75-100 applicants each year. It’s a rather large organization.”
In Reagan, the NHS holds various events and activities. Aside from their movie night, NHS also organized boo grams for students to send to each other for a dollar. In spring, the organization plans for a student-staff volleyball game in spring.
Overall, the event was successful, plenty of students showed up and everyone had a good time. Plus, the NHS is continuing to spread their message of community and service through Reagan’s students.
The National Honor Society is a service organization for both juniors and seniors. Reagan has their own NHS chapter that has been around since 2010. Students work to give back to the community and become a positive member of society. The NHS share opportunities and service information. The organization April Nagel, Reagan’s NHS advisor said, “Some of the volunteer things we’ve done in the past has because a student has had a connection with an organization.” They work together to help other students sign up and find volunteer locations. The NHS work both within the school and in the community. Members work with the student council, The Autism Society, and senior complexes to give back in various ways that they can.
The movie night was part of a fundraising effort from the NHS. Each year, the organization gives a small something to their seniors. The showing of A Quiet Place was in order to raise funds for the end a year gift to seniors in the NHS. Nagel explains it as, “a way to honor seniors when they graduate.” In previous years seniors have gotten medallions, pins, and other awards. In other words, an event like the movie night helps pay for those gifts.
Nagel said, “It’s really great, seeing their ideas and when they get excited, I enjoy that.” The organization helps students build their own character while simultaneously giving back to the community. Also, having that on a college application looks really good.
In order to get into the NHS, you have to go through an application process. After the second semester, anyone with a 3.0 or higher is invited to an introductory meeting. Following, and students then interested write a statement based on criteria set out by the National Honor Society. Students must outline their commitment to service, leadership, character. Nagel, said they get “75-100 applicants each year. It’s a rather large organization.”
In Reagan, the NHS holds various events and activities. Aside from their movie night, NHS also organized boo grams for students to send to each other for a dollar. In spring, the organization plans for a student-staff volleyball game in spring.
Overall, the event was successful, plenty of students showed up and everyone had a good time. Plus, the NHS is continuing to spread their message of community and service through Reagan’s students.
Mixing it up
Written By Gabriella Hartlaub
“Mix It Up at Lunch Day.” It’s something that is posted all over the walls of the Reagan Cafeteria, but what is it? And how is Reagan involved?
Mix it up at lunch day is a national program that is supposed to take place of October 25. The program is run by an organization called Teaching Tolerance, whose goal is to help teachers integrate social justice issues into the classroom. The program aims to help eliminate bias and prejudice in the student body by integrating students into new social groups to meet new people.
On its website Teaching Tolerance sets out guidelines to help schools create the plans for the event and get student involvement, but Reagan amended the program just a bit before implementing it for this year's freshman class. Instead of having the idea for how to organize the program the teachers decided these ideas should come from the students. In each Intro to IB design and Tech class, students were put into groups and told to create an activity that both mixed students up and gave them an activity to do, along with a set of design specifications. After the projects were completed they were voted on in each individual classroom, then the top two designs from each class were showed to the entire freshman class who then voted to get the top three.
These top two designs were done on October 24th, and November 7th, but before that happened there is the story of how it came to be at reagan.
The idea originally came from Ms. Holtgrieve, said Mr. Dillman, a teacher who is involved in the planning of this event. She tried to implement it but participation was voluntary so not many people participated. That is something that was taken out of this years program as all students were required to create a project for a grade. This year, Reagan will be participating along with 3,264 other schools, According to Teaching Tolerance.
“The goal of the program is two fold.” Mr. Dillman said, “Number one to reduce bullying, and number two to increase student acceptance of one another.”
Students also gave their opinion in the days leading up to the event. “I am a bit apprehensive because this is an activity that have not participated in before, however the program sounds fun.” Freshman Daisy Kiekhofer said.
Excitement and apprehension leading up to the event, was a mood for the most of the freshman. “30 minutes is not enough time to make new friends.” Freshman Bryan Perez said when asked about any concerns he had about the program.
The first Mix It Up at lunch event took place on October 24th. When they entered the lunch room, the freshman were greeted with students handing out numbers, and instructing them to sit down at the table that matched their number. It was only the first step of what promised to be a fun project that would help mix them up. Once the students were in their groups, they were given 10 minutes to get to know their newfound friends. Afterwards a frenzy ensued as the Halloween themed trivia began. The goal of the game was simple, get more points then the other 70 groups, and then win. The actual gameplay however was not that simple. In order to receive a point, the groups had to write down their answer on a piece of paper and then raise it as fast as possible. This proved a problem for groups near the back, who couldn’t hear the questions, and wouldn’t be seen as quickly as those in the front. At the end several groups sent one representative to the front where they were to answer a question, there ending up being two “Where was trick or treat first done?” and “What are the colors, in order, of candy corn?” The trick or treat question was answered correctly by no one (The answer was Canada) and the candy corn question was answered correctly by one group, number 43 who ended up winning the entire thing.
The November 7th event was Harry Potter themed event. Days before in ACP each freshman took a test to determine what hogwarts house they belong in, when they entered the lunchroom students were given a number that corresponded to a table with that number and their hogwarts house. Sitting at each of the tables was a fortune teller filled with conversation topics, it gave the students a fun way to get to know their group. The students were left to their own devices for the rest of the lunch period, to have fun and get to know one another.
According to Teaching Tolerance, “83% [of event organizers] said the event helped students make new friends” and “97% said students' interactions were positive during Mix It Up at Lunch Day.” But how did it shape of Reagan? I asked some of the freshman who participated, some of which were interviewed before the event took place what they thought and what they gained from this experience.
“The event was fun. It was a little confusing on what we were doing at some points but I was able to talk to some new people.” Jordyn Cyzewski said.
“I had a lot of fun participating in mix it up at lunch...I loved cheering on my friends in the finals!” Kiekhofer added, “Overall the program did serve its purpose of integrating different types of people together.”
ttps://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up
On its website Teaching Tolerance sets out guidelines to help schools create the plans for the event and get student involvement, but Reagan amended the program just a bit before implementing it for this year's freshman class. Instead of having the idea for how to organize the program the teachers decided these ideas should come from the students. In each Intro to IB design and Tech class, students were put into groups and told to create an activity that both mixed students up and gave them an activity to do, along with a set of design specifications. After the projects were completed they were voted on in each individual classroom, then the top two designs from each class were showed to the entire freshman class who then voted to get the top three.
These top two designs were done on October 24th, and November 7th, but before that happened there is the story of how it came to be at reagan.
The idea originally came from Ms. Holtgrieve, said Mr. Dillman, a teacher who is involved in the planning of this event. She tried to implement it but participation was voluntary so not many people participated. That is something that was taken out of this years program as all students were required to create a project for a grade. This year, Reagan will be participating along with 3,264 other schools, According to Teaching Tolerance.
“The goal of the program is two fold.” Mr. Dillman said, “Number one to reduce bullying, and number two to increase student acceptance of one another.”
Students also gave their opinion in the days leading up to the event. “I am a bit apprehensive because this is an activity that have not participated in before, however the program sounds fun.” Freshman Daisy Kiekhofer said.
Excitement and apprehension leading up to the event, was a mood for the most of the freshman. “30 minutes is not enough time to make new friends.” Freshman Bryan Perez said when asked about any concerns he had about the program.
The first Mix It Up at lunch event took place on October 24th. When they entered the lunch room, the freshman were greeted with students handing out numbers, and instructing them to sit down at the table that matched their number. It was only the first step of what promised to be a fun project that would help mix them up. Once the students were in their groups, they were given 10 minutes to get to know their newfound friends. Afterwards a frenzy ensued as the Halloween themed trivia began. The goal of the game was simple, get more points then the other 70 groups, and then win. The actual gameplay however was not that simple. In order to receive a point, the groups had to write down their answer on a piece of paper and then raise it as fast as possible. This proved a problem for groups near the back, who couldn’t hear the questions, and wouldn’t be seen as quickly as those in the front. At the end several groups sent one representative to the front where they were to answer a question, there ending up being two “Where was trick or treat first done?” and “What are the colors, in order, of candy corn?” The trick or treat question was answered correctly by no one (The answer was Canada) and the candy corn question was answered correctly by one group, number 43 who ended up winning the entire thing.
The November 7th event was Harry Potter themed event. Days before in ACP each freshman took a test to determine what hogwarts house they belong in, when they entered the lunchroom students were given a number that corresponded to a table with that number and their hogwarts house. Sitting at each of the tables was a fortune teller filled with conversation topics, it gave the students a fun way to get to know their group. The students were left to their own devices for the rest of the lunch period, to have fun and get to know one another.
According to Teaching Tolerance, “83% [of event organizers] said the event helped students make new friends” and “97% said students' interactions were positive during Mix It Up at Lunch Day.” But how did it shape of Reagan? I asked some of the freshman who participated, some of which were interviewed before the event took place what they thought and what they gained from this experience.
“The event was fun. It was a little confusing on what we were doing at some points but I was able to talk to some new people.” Jordyn Cyzewski said.
“I had a lot of fun participating in mix it up at lunch...I loved cheering on my friends in the finals!” Kiekhofer added, “Overall the program did serve its purpose of integrating different types of people together.”
ttps://www.tolerance.org/mix-it-up
What it’s Really like Working at a Haunted House
Written By Lisa Kvien
Art by Mattea McDaniel
Halloween may be over, but people who work at haunted houses for the season may still be picking up their paychecks.
The Hill Has Eyes is a popular haunted house in Wisconsin. There are students at Reagan who had seasonal jobs there over Halloween. Ethan Nepper and Samantha Ryan are a couple of those students.
Nepper decided to work there because he had friends who had jobs there. He thought working there would be a good idea since he wanted to do acting in his future. Nepper’s job at the Hill Has Eyes is the role as the butcher. You can find his role on the Hill Has Eyes website. He really enjoys his role, and has been doing it for two years. Nepper says “I’ve been able to tweak it to be something really different from how the role was conceived.” His favorite part is the people he works with. Although there is a lot of drama, he has a nice friend group. He feels his job is worth it when people get really scared, and when the weather is nice. He feels that it’s not worth the pay during cold or rainy weather. Nepper says “But for whatever reason I always soldier through it and complain afterward.” He already has a job, so he doesn’t depend on The Hill Has Eyes for money because they only pay him minimum wage. He feels they pay him minimum wage because he doesn’t have written dialogue. The main characters make nine dollars an hour, because they have more dialogue and acting to take on. Nepper really enjoys scaring people. He also loves acting. He says “Since I was a little kid it’s always been a huge interest of mine and as I said, it’s what I plan to do with my life.” He’d much rather work at an indoor haunted house though because “being outside at night in the woods all October sucks.” Although his job has drawbacks, he doesn’t regret auditioning. Nepper says “Thanks to this job I learned a lot about sucking it up and killing it. As I type this both of my arms are covered in bruises and it hurts to talk. I deal with a lot in a night” Nepper overall likes his job, but just like any, there are things about it that aren’t the best.
Ryan has been working at the Hill Has Eyes for three years, since she was fifteen. No one would hire her since she was so young, so when they offered her the job, she took it. She thought it would be a cool experience too. Ryan is also an actor at the Hill Has Eyes. She is in the meat locker scene in Hunger Hollow. Along with Nepper, she doesn’t really feel that this job is worth the pay. She is also paid minimum wage for her role, and in her opinion, that’s not a good pay. She states “It is a lot of work and you really have to be committed to it to last because the pay isn't going to make you want to stay.” Even though there are cash bonuses, they’re only twenty dollars, and you’re lucky if you even receive one. When Ryan first started working there, she enjoyed it a lot more than she does now. She feels it has changed a lot of the past years. She says “ When I first started there it really seemed like a family but as time has gone on it has felt less and less like that except for my small friend group there.” She’s also noticed some things at the haunted house that aren’t working how they’re supposed to. She says “Also as the years have gone on I have started to see the other side of things with them not fixing broken sets when they should and stuff like that.” Overall, Ryan still enjoys her job, but there are things that she doesn’t love about it as well.
If acting is something you enjoy, working at a haunted house could be a good start at getting experience. Next time you’re looking for a seasonal job, think about a haunted house.
The Hill Has Eyes is a popular haunted house in Wisconsin. There are students at Reagan who had seasonal jobs there over Halloween. Ethan Nepper and Samantha Ryan are a couple of those students.
Nepper decided to work there because he had friends who had jobs there. He thought working there would be a good idea since he wanted to do acting in his future. Nepper’s job at the Hill Has Eyes is the role as the butcher. You can find his role on the Hill Has Eyes website. He really enjoys his role, and has been doing it for two years. Nepper says “I’ve been able to tweak it to be something really different from how the role was conceived.” His favorite part is the people he works with. Although there is a lot of drama, he has a nice friend group. He feels his job is worth it when people get really scared, and when the weather is nice. He feels that it’s not worth the pay during cold or rainy weather. Nepper says “But for whatever reason I always soldier through it and complain afterward.” He already has a job, so he doesn’t depend on The Hill Has Eyes for money because they only pay him minimum wage. He feels they pay him minimum wage because he doesn’t have written dialogue. The main characters make nine dollars an hour, because they have more dialogue and acting to take on. Nepper really enjoys scaring people. He also loves acting. He says “Since I was a little kid it’s always been a huge interest of mine and as I said, it’s what I plan to do with my life.” He’d much rather work at an indoor haunted house though because “being outside at night in the woods all October sucks.” Although his job has drawbacks, he doesn’t regret auditioning. Nepper says “Thanks to this job I learned a lot about sucking it up and killing it. As I type this both of my arms are covered in bruises and it hurts to talk. I deal with a lot in a night” Nepper overall likes his job, but just like any, there are things about it that aren’t the best.
Ryan has been working at the Hill Has Eyes for three years, since she was fifteen. No one would hire her since she was so young, so when they offered her the job, she took it. She thought it would be a cool experience too. Ryan is also an actor at the Hill Has Eyes. She is in the meat locker scene in Hunger Hollow. Along with Nepper, she doesn’t really feel that this job is worth the pay. She is also paid minimum wage for her role, and in her opinion, that’s not a good pay. She states “It is a lot of work and you really have to be committed to it to last because the pay isn't going to make you want to stay.” Even though there are cash bonuses, they’re only twenty dollars, and you’re lucky if you even receive one. When Ryan first started working there, she enjoyed it a lot more than she does now. She feels it has changed a lot of the past years. She says “ When I first started there it really seemed like a family but as time has gone on it has felt less and less like that except for my small friend group there.” She’s also noticed some things at the haunted house that aren’t working how they’re supposed to. She says “Also as the years have gone on I have started to see the other side of things with them not fixing broken sets when they should and stuff like that.” Overall, Ryan still enjoys her job, but there are things that she doesn’t love about it as well.
If acting is something you enjoy, working at a haunted house could be a good start at getting experience. Next time you’re looking for a seasonal job, think about a haunted house.
Lights...Camera...Action! The Educational Aspects About The Milwaukee Film Festival
Written By: Abdullah Al-Bassam
The annual event of the Milwaukee Film Festival has provided the city of Milwaukee with inspiring, enjoyable films for all ages for 9 whole years. Its main venues are all around the city of Milwaukee, and an additional one in Whitefish Bay. People are able to attend this event at the Avalon Theater, Oriental Theater, The Times Cinema, Fox Bay Cinema Grill, and the Jan Serr Studio Cinema. This entertaining event started October 18th and ended November 1st.
Each year, the amount of films have been more abundant than the last. This last year, they had more than 300 films that were playing. The art of storytelling and filmmaking have connected to various types of culture, people and events in history. It continues to provide voices to the people who lack or just have no say in the world. This event is more than a regular theater that is playing the hottest new action movies or the sweetest romantic comedies.
The Milwaukee Film Festival is one way for people to gain some knowledge and insight on world culture, important people, and real-life events. Some of the movies will teach life lessons and moral standards. At the same time, it has been an efficient way to bring the city’s population together as a whole.
A variety of students from Reagan were able to direct some of the films that have been playing at the Milwaukee Film Festival. One of them was Jay Chontal who directed Cops and Robbers, which is a silent movie about a robber trying to escape a cop. Another student was Clayton Allen, a sophomore, who directed the film Incarnate and Malcolm Ramirez who directed Crescendo.
Additionally, some students from Reagan were on the teen film council as well. Daisy Kiekhofer, a freshman at Reagan, has been a member of the film council for 3 years so far. What she loves about the Milwaukee Film Festival is how the diversity is so strong at the time and place of the event. She enjoys the fact that there are an abundant amount of programs for diverse communities, such as the Black Lens Organization. She thinks that students will be able to gain knowledge if they are able to see at least one film on a field trip. The interaction of the filmmakers and the actors provides a productive, learning environment.
Mr. Duellman, an English teacher at Reagan, feels that students will also gain some insight when they participate in the event. What he admires most about the Milwaukee Film Festival is the fact that students will be able to look at life in different viewpoints. One thing he admires most about the film festival is, “The fact that the effort that is put in celebrating the film-makers of various ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations also.”
Jay Chontal, a Reagan senior, enjoys directing at the Milwaukee Film Festival. He enjoys the nice atmosphere he gets each time he works by working with some of the other filmmakers who work at the same event. He additionally thinks that students will be able to grasp important lessons from participating in this film festival, and that they will be able to learn about different technological and educational aspects of the film, such as learning about identity. One of his favorite films is A Boy, A Girl, A Dream. He is amazed at the movie based on how the two main characters start off at a strong start and how they get to know each other by discovering personal, important traits about each other in such a small moment in time.
To learn more about the Milwaukee Film Festival, check out: https://mkefilm.org/
Each year, the amount of films have been more abundant than the last. This last year, they had more than 300 films that were playing. The art of storytelling and filmmaking have connected to various types of culture, people and events in history. It continues to provide voices to the people who lack or just have no say in the world. This event is more than a regular theater that is playing the hottest new action movies or the sweetest romantic comedies.
The Milwaukee Film Festival is one way for people to gain some knowledge and insight on world culture, important people, and real-life events. Some of the movies will teach life lessons and moral standards. At the same time, it has been an efficient way to bring the city’s population together as a whole.
A variety of students from Reagan were able to direct some of the films that have been playing at the Milwaukee Film Festival. One of them was Jay Chontal who directed Cops and Robbers, which is a silent movie about a robber trying to escape a cop. Another student was Clayton Allen, a sophomore, who directed the film Incarnate and Malcolm Ramirez who directed Crescendo.
Additionally, some students from Reagan were on the teen film council as well. Daisy Kiekhofer, a freshman at Reagan, has been a member of the film council for 3 years so far. What she loves about the Milwaukee Film Festival is how the diversity is so strong at the time and place of the event. She enjoys the fact that there are an abundant amount of programs for diverse communities, such as the Black Lens Organization. She thinks that students will be able to gain knowledge if they are able to see at least one film on a field trip. The interaction of the filmmakers and the actors provides a productive, learning environment.
Mr. Duellman, an English teacher at Reagan, feels that students will also gain some insight when they participate in the event. What he admires most about the Milwaukee Film Festival is the fact that students will be able to look at life in different viewpoints. One thing he admires most about the film festival is, “The fact that the effort that is put in celebrating the film-makers of various ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations also.”
Jay Chontal, a Reagan senior, enjoys directing at the Milwaukee Film Festival. He enjoys the nice atmosphere he gets each time he works by working with some of the other filmmakers who work at the same event. He additionally thinks that students will be able to grasp important lessons from participating in this film festival, and that they will be able to learn about different technological and educational aspects of the film, such as learning about identity. One of his favorite films is A Boy, A Girl, A Dream. He is amazed at the movie based on how the two main characters start off at a strong start and how they get to know each other by discovering personal, important traits about each other in such a small moment in time.
To learn more about the Milwaukee Film Festival, check out: https://mkefilm.org/