Category: Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture

The Magic of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

Considering the current trends in mainstream music, many listeners look for an artistic refuge from high-gloss, studio-produced music. This isn’t to say that high value music production is bad; many critically acclaimed albums of the past decade include just this type of production. But it’s important to consider the alternatives to this, and why they matter.   The ultimate version of these alternatives is the NPR … Continue reading The Magic of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

Unknown's avatarWyatt Potter
Arts & Culture

The Era of Tap and Swipe: How Social Media Affects Mental Health

      For most teens, social media is a part of daily life. It brings a type of communication and connection, which everyone needs. But does it have too strong a grip in our lives? Since social media has gained popularity, issues such as depression, suicidal thoughts, and increased loneliness have arisen, among others. Perhaps it’s time to evaluate the effect social media has on our lives … Continue reading The Era of Tap and Swipe: How Social Media Affects Mental Health

Unknown's avatarJanessa Reitz
Arts & Culture

“Squid Game” offers Insightful Commentary and Powerful Asian Representation

Warning: This article contains spoilers. Squid Game is a nine-episode Netflix show that has taken the world by storm. With its creative and intense death game featuring a less-than-favorable commentary on capitalism, the show has struck a chord with not just South Koreans, but the rest of the world as well.  As good as Squid Game is, its characters (and by extension its casting) are … Continue reading “Squid Game” offers Insightful Commentary and Powerful Asian Representation

Unknown's avatarMichelle Lam
Arts & Culture, Opinion

Celebrities, Plastic Surgeries, and “Real” Beauty

Written by Staff Writer Caroline Ponticelli Why do celebrities feel the need to lie about body augmentation? Regardless of your personal opinion on plastic surgery, most of us can agree that lying can be harmful. Lying about getting cosmetic work creates unrealistic body images and promotes  negative mindsets, and can create dangerous trends. Most influencers can’t even achieve many of their beauty standards naturally, so … Continue reading Celebrities, Plastic Surgeries, and “Real” Beauty

Unknown's avatarEditorial Staff
Arts & Culture

“Euphoria” Gets LGBTQ+ Representation Right

The LGBTQ+ representation on display in the TV show Euphoria is one of the best examples of representation for the community. While it is inclusive to the different sexualities and gender identities, it also portrays them without forcing characters into the stereotypes of what people think being gay looks like.  Although there are many cases of this, one good example would be the transgender representation … Continue reading “Euphoria” Gets LGBTQ+ Representation Right

Unknown's avatarbriannaadobbs
Arts & Culture

The Nightmare Before Christmas: A Controversial Holiday Classic

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a household favorite. Its plot follows Jack Skellington, The Pumpkin King, who is getting tired of his routine of always planning for Halloween. He stumbles upon Christmas Town and is inspired and determined to spread the Christmas spirit and bring it home to Halloween Town. This stop-motion animated film is full of holiday wonder and is enjoyable to watch for … Continue reading The Nightmare Before Christmas: A Controversial Holiday Classic

Unknown's avatarJanette Blain
Arts & Culture

In America: A Lexicon in Fashion

The Met Gala is one of the biggest nights in fashion. This fundraising gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art always draws eyes around the world, with some of the most famous bringing their best looks. This year’s theme was “In America: a lexicon in fashion.” The theme sparked interesting looks but also some controversy due to how some guests handled the theme.  A number … Continue reading In America: A Lexicon in Fashion

Unknown's avatarEllen Haverstick
Arts & Culture

Lil Nas X’s Debut Album Breaks the Mold

In the spring of 2019, the hit single “Old Town Road” took the world by storm. Two and a half years later, Lil Nas X is one of the most respected figures in modern pop music. Because of the extremely high profile that Montero (a.k.a Lil Nas X) has maintained just from singles and song leaks, as well as the charismatic presence he presented within … Continue reading Lil Nas X’s Debut Album Breaks the Mold

Unknown's avatarWyatt Potter
Arts & Culture

The Beauty of Self-Discovery

 This school year has been… different, to say the least. I’ve learned so much about myself in such a short amount of time that I really cannot say the same about any other school year when reflecting on it. The global pandemic has not only taught me not to take things for granted, but many things that happened in my life throughout this school year … Continue reading The Beauty of Self-Discovery

Unknown's avatarMichelle LamLeave a comment
Arts & Culture

Streetwear and the Importance of Giving Credit to the Creators

“What would America be like if we loved black people as much as we loved black culture?” -Amandla Stenberg Black culture has a very big influence on street fashion, yet many non-people of color flaunt the style without being aware of its background.  Streetwear was created around the time hip hop and rap culture began its rise across the United States in New York City … Continue reading Streetwear and the Importance of Giving Credit to the Creators

Unknown's avatarDarlin Paulino
Arts & Culture, Campus Life

The Unifying Power of the McCaskey Spring Children’s Play

The concepts of empathy, understanding, and learning from mistakes were key elements of the 2021 McCaskey East Spring Children’s Play – both inside the magical world created by the show’s actors and production team, and the occasionally more frightening one outside of it.  Ms. Nolt, the show’s director and a media studies teacher at East, came up with the idea of having four different set … Continue reading The Unifying Power of the McCaskey Spring Children’s Play

Unknown's avatarRose CarlsonLeave a comment
Arts & Culture

A Different Kind of Award Show

The Oscars were a little different this year: they were postponed for two months, and took place entirely outside at a train station, an interesting but necessary choice as the location was open air and plenty of room for social distancing. The Oscars are an academy awards show which focus on artistic skill in the film industry. Awards include best actor, best actress, best picture, … Continue reading A Different Kind of Award Show

Unknown's avatarwilkinscolonLeave a comment
Arts & Culture, Opinion

Khloe Kardashian and the Danger of Accepting Illusion as Reality

Most of us can probably relate to struggling with our body image because of the pressure put on us by society.  These issues are upheld and reinforced by the media, which can overwhelm us with perfectly sculpted and airbrushed bodies. Celebrities have whole careers based on what they look like, for example, the Kardashians. The jobs of the Kardashians are to look good and create … Continue reading Khloe Kardashian and the Danger of Accepting Illusion as Reality

Unknown's avatarEllen HaverstickLeave a comment
Arts & Culture

Ginny and Georgia: Not the New Gilmore Girls

There’s a scene at the beginning of The Cat in the Hat when the cat, eager to entertain the two young protagonists, starts jumping on a ball and then adds a fish in a pot, a rake and a cake, books, a toy boat. For a moment, the cat balances, triumphant in his ability to juggle so much all at once, and then it all … Continue reading Ginny and Georgia: Not the New Gilmore Girls

Unknown's avatarFrances BroganLeave a comment
Arts & Culture, Opinion

Hollywood’s Fairytale Relationship with Divorce

Mainstream Hollywood always tries to smooth over divorce – whether it be by way of ignoring it completely or mending it up and tying it with a safe, neat little bow. And America eats it up. We love to see our problems fixed and our lives represented as more simple than they actually are.  A prime example of this is the 1998 remake of the … Continue reading Hollywood’s Fairytale Relationship with Divorce

Unknown's avatarRose CarlsonLeave a comment