Every Track and Field athlete knows that the 4×400 meter relay is one of the hardest, most widely dreaded events for the runners. Spectators absolutely love it, however. It’s always the last event of the meet, so it’s usually run in the dark with the stadium lights illuminating the track. Four people run four hundred meters, which is one lap of the track. In this relay, just about anything can happen at any point. It’s never known if a runner will drop the split of a lifetime and get their team from fifth to first just before the finish, or if someone who started out strong will suddenly fade two hundred meters in. Four hundred meters is a sprinting distance, so it’s usually safe to assume that only sprinters will be running the 4×400. However, as a distance runner who is also decent at this race, I never know when I will be put in.

For Track invitationals, I typically run the 4×800 and the mile, but the ever present threat of the 4×400 at the end of the meet looms over me. Time and time again, I will have finished my races, done a three mile cool down, and eaten tons of food, only to discover twenty minutes before the 4×400 is set to go off that one of the sprinters is injured and that I will be running it. One time, I had consumed a whole Chipotle bowl and chocolate milk after running the mile, and unfortunately had to run the 4×400. As someone who likes to be prepared, this always throws me off, even though at this point I should probably be used to it.

When I’m running this event, I feel a strange sort of pressure. It’s different from what I feel when I’m running my own events, because I know how to perform well in those, and don’t have as much to prove. However, the past two years, the girls varsity 4×400 has placed third in the state at the statemeet. So when I’m thrown into this relay, I feel the pressure to prove that I won’t hold the relay back, and that we can still do well, even with a distance runner racing it. As much as I might complain about running the 4×400, I actually kind of enjoy the pressure, the excitement, and the community surrounding the 4×400.

While I was at boarding school, there were times when it felt like hell on Earth. Looking back though, I was absolutely right.

5 am Wake-ups

Since it was a no technology school, the school had to find a creative way of waking high-schoolers up before the sun was out. Their solution to this was to have a MASSIVE gong in the middle of the residential area and a sadistic kid to go with it. Right on queue at 5 (and sometimes earlier) the aforementioned kid would hit the gong long and hard, shouting ‘WAKE UP!’ like the echoing bang bang bang didn’t already have the next town over stirring. If you made the unfortunate mistake of thinking this was your mama’s house and stayed in bed for five more minutes, you’d be running laps to help you get up.

Morning Assignment

Despite a crazy price tag, the school didn’t have any janitorial staff. It was up to the student to maintain most aspects of the school. While this was for the most part a calm ‘sweep this room’ or ‘trim these bushes’ somebody must’ve hated me or something cause they made me responsible for maintaining and creating drainage channels. What this meant was giving me a hoe and asking me to till the land from the top of a hill to spot 50 meters away.

Morning Prep

Dedicated study time for 30 minutes

Breakfast

Being an all-boys school with no access to the outside world, there really wasn’t much drama to have. If there was any to be had at all though, it was at breakfast. During breakfast, especially by midyear, people would go around dorms with cups in hand seeking alms to make the school’s signature tasteless porridge a little less dystopian. The problem was, you gotta look out for yourself and your day-ones and everybody else can rocks. That dude who you thought you were chill with cause yall sat next to each other? Ask him for milk and see how chill y’all really are. That person you know from elementary but haven’t talked to since y’all came? He certainly don’t wanna hear from you now. Friendships lived and died on spoonfuls of sugar, syndicates of hate formed against the close-fisted, and the few who’d been frugal in preparation for the inevitable drought found the dual edged blade of social ostracism or self-impoverishment

Sometimes I have nightmares where I wake up to the sound of that terrible gong in my bunk bed, finding out that the past 4 years have been a dream. Although the main thing I feel in these dreams is panic and a spiraling sense of this can’t be happening, I feel excitement as well; excitement to see people who I’d thought I’d seen the last of and tell them about a dumb dream I had where I went to American high school and did things like being a “student intern”. Although boarding school did have its flaws, it had that wabi sabi in a way that made it a worthwhile experience.

Starting 42 different quarterbacks since 1999, the Browns have struggled finding continuity at the quarterback position. Baker Mayfield and Tim Couch currently share the title of most games started at 59 games each, or around 3 and a half seasons each. Shedeur Sanders, a rookie this year, has only 4 starts but already shows promise as a possible future starter for the Browns.

Shedeur’s week 14 performance highlighted his ability to run an offense: 364 yards, 3 passing touchdowns, and 1 rushing touchdown. Despite not leaving the game with the win, his performance affirmed Shedeur’s potential as a long-term option for the Browns. His 3 touchdown passes were all thrown very well, in the perfect position for his receivers to catch while away from defenders. Many of his throws showed an improvement in Shedeur’s ability to remain calm under pressure to make a play instead of retreating from incoming linemen.

Week 15 was a different story for Shedeur. Playing against a tough Bears defense, Shedeur only threw for 177 yards alongside 3 interceptions. While one of those could be attributed to Jerry Jeudy bobbling a pass, the other two interceptions were both lowlights of Shedeur. Alongside his poor throwing stats, Shedeur was sacked 5 times by Bears’ defenders, showing a regression in his pocket awareness and poise. Overall, definitely not his best performance and a game that raises many questions on his future in Cleveland.

Only time will tell for Shedeur’s potential as the Browns’ starting quarterback. If he is able to play like he did in week 14 against the Titans, Shedeur will likely be able to elevate the Browns into annual playoff contention and hopefully to an eventual Super Bowl.

5. Building a Snowman

While when I was a child, I loved building a snowman (thanks Frozen), I now cannot stand the cold and would rather do anything but this. No matter how cute the snowman may turn out, with a top hat and button nose (and two eyes made out of coal?), I just cannot bear to ever have to bundle up like a puffy marshmallow, as I did when I was a toddler, and frolic in the snow. 

4. Fireplace and Hot Chocolate

I cannot lie, I love a sweet treat after a long day, so sitting by my fireplace in the living room with a mug of steaming hot chocolate is the best thing during a cold and snowy evening. Loading the fancy Williams Sonoma hot chocolate (in the flavor of your choice) up with whipped cream—specifically homemade—and marshmallows, and having some Peppermint Bark on the side is truly the dream. The first thing I will do to kick off the winter break this year is settle in for my family’s nightly viewing of Jeopardy with the fireplace blazing, and a steaming mug of hot chocolate in my hand.

3. Going to a Christmas Tree Farm

Now, while my family doesn’t go and cut down a Christmas tree anymore, as my dog is insane and will eat the pine needles when they fall off, going to a Christmas tree farm and smelling the amazing scent of pine and having the crisp air hitting me in the face was so magical as a child. I have so many memories of going and driving out thirty minutes to a farm, helping my dad use the saw to cut the perfect tree down, and then going and buying overpriced hot cocoa from the stalls set up around the farm. My favorite bit was seeing the tree go through that machine that ties it all together; it always looked so cool to me as a kid. Then after the tree was all set up in our house, we’d put some Christmas music on and decorate the tree with many lights and sparkling ornaments. It was so fun!

2. Movies

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is the holiday and wintry movies/TV shows. It was always so fun going to my aunt’s apartment and putting on Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer while playing games like UNO and Snakes and Ladders. On Christmas Eve, my family has the tradition of watching Prep and Landing, and I just simply cannot remember a time when that short movie wasn’t a part of my Christmastime. That was my favorite way to ring in Christmas day, and even though my brother and I are older now, we still watch it every year, without fail.

1. Sledding/Tobogganing

While earlier I did mention how playing in the snow is not fun for me anymore, I do love to sled and toboggan. I remember the many times I was taken out to the hillside around the Thornton Park ice rink and had my little green plastic sled, feeling like I just absolutely flew down the hill. Tobogganing is so fun to do, and while I may have not gone in a couple of years, it’s still one of the most fun things to look forward to during the winter season, driving out far just to hit the snowy hills in a super fast ‘sleigh,’ if you will. While many ‘winter’ activities could be done outside of winter (if you’re sane you wouldn’t but still, some people weirdly do), this activity is the most wintry activity one can really achieve. You get the whole vibe of winter and Christmas while out on the snowy hills, seeing the cabins around with smoke floating out of the chimneys, the gutters and doors all decorated with lights, and the smell of firewood and hot cocoa once you go inside for a quick break.

After a full day of school, swim practice, and an improv show, my day was only half over. It was time for the swim team wake-ups. The plan was simple; starting at 1, the seniors would drive around Shaker and wake up the underclassmen. Once everyone was awake, we would take them sledding and wrap up with some breakfast and games at my house. I started preparing at 10 o’clock after I got home from my improv show. I decorated my car with lights, put some sleds in my trunk and started putting out stuff for breakfast. After that was all set, I tried to take a quick nap, but I lost all hope at sleeping when I got a notification announcing the date I would get application results from my top school. So instead of sleeping, I texted my friends who applied to the same school and started freaking out with them about when we’re going to find out. By the time the shock wore off, it was time to get going. I got dressed in my warmest clothes, grabbed my speaker, an energy drink, and a pair of crash cymbals, and I went to go meet up with the other seniors.

The seniors met up in a parking lot to go over our route one more time, as well as discuss strategies to wake people up at about 12:30, and we rolled out at 1 to wake up our first swimmer. We went mostly by class, waking up the juniors first, then the sophomores, and ending with the freshman. We used a variety of methods to wake people up depending on how loud we were allowed to be, but my favorites were how we woke up Theo, Charlie, and Ethan. For Theo, we blasted “Die Young” by Kesha outside his door and then stormed in and started moshing and spraying silly string when the beat dropped. For Charlie, and most of the other freshmen, we ran into his room blasting “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses and started chanting “fresh meat” until he rolled out of bed. For Ethan, we knew he was planning on sleeping until the Michigan State Basketball game later that day, so we came running in blasting the Michigan State fight song and yelling that the game had started and they were losing.

We managed to wake everyone up without to many hiccups, but we did have one kid who was still awake playing video games when we were going to pick him up, so we had to wait until he went to bed before we could get him. After everyone was up, we took them to a sledding hill just off Shaker Boulevard by Mercer. It was such a blast, the snow was perfect and the hill was secluded from the nearby houses so we didn’t have to worry about waking up the neighbors. After several runs down the hill, trying to hit a jump, and a brief snowball fight, the team had worked up an appetite and was ready for breakfast. We made our way to my house where we served eggs, sausage, donuts, muffins, yogurt, fruit, and of course some choccy milk. As people were eating we played a few rounds of Quiplash, which mostly consisted of people throwing shade at the seniors, and then a round of Mafia. At that point, people were struggling to stay awake during Mafia, so we wrapped up and started taking people home.

After everyone made it home I was ready for a nap, but my friends had other plans. As soon as my head hit the pillow, my phone started ringing. At first, I was worried it was one of the parents whose kid lost something at wakeups, but instead it was my friend who was living abroad calling to give me all the tea from Atlantic crossing, so naturally I had to answer. After hearing all of the drama happening on her boat, I had to drag myself out of bed and go to a basketball game for some of my best friends. Despite having been awake for 36 hours and the fact that I’ve never been to a basketball game before, it was a lot of fun. I even got to see one of my friends make her second career 3 pointer! After the game, I went to pick up some food and dog sit for my cousin’s puppy, who is an absolute handful. Needless to say, by the time I was done with everything, I was exhausted. I had been up from 6am Friday until 10pm Sunday, or about 40 hours. As soon as I got into bed I was out like a light. I might’ve regretted being awake that long the next day, but looking back it was so much fun and totally worth it.

Shameless plug: go check out the swimming Instagram @shakerswim, there’s a highlight reel from wakeups that’s really good.

About a week ago, on a random Saturday night, me and two of my friends were sitting around trying to figure out what to do when someone suggested going to a Christmas light display. I’ll be honest, the idea sounded kind of boring to me. But both of my friends lit up at the suggestion, and their excitement made me want to go along with it, so I agreed.

After searching around, my friend found a drive-through display at Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland. It was about forty minutes away, which added to the adventure. We grabbed hot chocolate and snacks, turned on some Christmas music, and started the drive.

The second we pulled up to the entrance, we were amazed. I had completely underestimated how beautiful it’d be. The whole place was glowing. I admired the trees wrapped in bright colors, and giant displays that looked like they had taken forever to set up. There were barely any cars there, so we could take our time driving through. It felt peaceful, like we had the whole place to ourselves. I liked it so much more than I expected. Honestly, I would recommend it to anyone.

Afterwards, we were still in the Christmas-lights mood, so we just drove around surrounding towns looking at people’s personal displays. Overall, it was such a simple night, but it’s stuck with me. If you ever get the chance to take a spontaneous Christmas-light drive with your friends, I definitely recommend it. You never know which random idea might turn into one of your favorite memories.

Through The Storm:  This is a story about the time my father and I rode a bike to Boulevard Elementary school when I was in 4th grade

The falling snow weighs me down, with each pedal turn demanding more strength than the last.  My staggered breath comes in sharp bursts with clouds of condensation vanishing into the blinding white around me. The snow swallows the nearby surroundings, only leaving the faint silhouette of my dad pedaling ahead of me.  He rides through the deep snow with ease, only leaving clean tracks behind. He cuts through the thick drifts, glancing over his shoulder every now and then, making sure I wasn’t taken by the snow.  

“Are you sure you want to do this?” said my dad.

I had been sure of my decision –  before the snow blurred the world into nothingness and definitely before my legs ached from pushing through the resistance I never anticipated.  But up ahead, barely visible through the storm, my school flickers like a mirage, a distant goal and I refuse to surrender.  Like a lodestone, it lured me in, reminding me that I was the one who chose this.  The coldness seeps into my gloves, coat, and boots.  We’re lost in the middle of nowhere, and even though every second felt like an eternity, I was happy I spent that time with my dad.

And yet, I push forward.

Hours earlier, I had woken up to my mother’s gentle voice.  “Wake up, you have school today”.  She gently tapped my shoulder and pointed towards the window. I rub my eyes, confused.  But then I saw it – sheets of fresh snow blanketed the world in untouched white.  I jumped out of bed excited and wanted a closer look.  My breath fogged up the glass as I pressed my face closer.  I stared with my eyes wide because this meant that there was a possibility for an adventure.  Knowing my mom prepared breakfast, I rushed to the dining room bumping into the nearby walls to find my 2 older brothers had already beat me to it.  But I had no time for food – I had a plan.  I turned to my dad with my heart pounding with anticipation.  

“Can we ride bikes to school?”

His fork paused mid-air.  He reluctantly turned to my mom for backup.  She smirked and turned away, leaving him stranded knowing he wouldn’t be able to turn me down.  Hesitation presented itself as my dad slowly turned to and asked.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded.

A long pause.  Then, finally – “Get ready”.

As my dad and I step into the garage, I wave my mom and brothers bye, ready to embark on this snowy journey.  The cold metal of my bike’s handlebars sends a tingling sensation through my fingers, but excitement keeps me warm.  My dad takes the lead, his tires carving a clean path through the untouched snow.  I follow, my bike sliding down the driveway before I drift around the corner, with the thrill of the challenge making my pulse quicken.  

The journey is grueling and with every push on the pedal, the snow restricts us more and more.  We pause every now and then, standing in the silence of the storm, catching our breaths.  The world is eerily still – just us, the snow, and the long empty road ahead.  About halfway through, doubt creeps in, but my dad pushes me to finish the trek.  I chose this.  I won’t give up.   

And then–Finally–we arrive.

The school stands untouched by the storm, presenting itself to us as its reward.  Its foundation is firm against the swirling chaos.  We dismount, climbing the steep incline to the bike rack, where mine is the only one.  Students hurry past, shielding themselves to shelter, unaware of the battle my dad and I fought together just to get here.  My dad crouches down to help lock up my bike, and for a brief moment, he just looks at me.

“You know I’m proud of you, right?”  

 I nod, unable to find the words.  The cold no longer bites as much and my exhaustion starts to fade.  All that remains is a quiet sense of accomplishment–and a warm hug from my dad.

Moments like these don’t happen often.  But when they do, they remind me why I keep moving forward–why, even through the storm, I choose the adventure, because my dad is always there beside me.

I hope you liked reading this story! Thank you.

Sixteen was the perfect age, the age we fought over when playing house or imagined while fantasizing about teen-hood. It was old enough to be independent, but still comfortably young. Seventeen, on the other hand, was something else entirely: an almost-grown-up.

When I was little, The Sound of Music was one of those movies that lived in the background of my life. If anyone were to ask me anything about the plot or characters, I would be lost, but my mom loves it (like really loves it) so it became a family classic. When I try my very best to dig deep and recall the story, the scene where Liesl twirls around singing “Sixteen going on Seventeen” plays in my head.

At the time, I don’t think I understood anything about romance, independence, or the world she felt herself stepping into. I just knew she seemed older. Her confidence inspired my vision of the kind of girl I imagined becoming someday.

And now, here I am, sixteen going on seventeen, but not in some magical, cinematic performance choreographed and sung in a gazebo. I remember recreating this scene with my friend, twirling each other around and singing in unison. The reality felt lifetimes away. But growing up doesn’t display itself in a big musical number; there’s no warning, one day it just happens.

This December, with my birthday mixed in with the blur of the holiday season, it feels even more symbolic. This transition is wrapped in nostalgia since it is my last birthday and Christmas before becoming an adult. To some, this milestone may not hold great significance, but to me, this is a huge deal.

So maybe the best thing I can do is step into seventeen with a new perspective and a little hope for whatever comes next.

#5. Fries

This may seem like a boring pick, but as someone who HATES potatoes and 9 times out of 10 will reject an offer of fries, these fries are insanely good. I don’t know what makes them more appealing to me than other places’ fries, but they seriously are incredible.

#4. Buffalo Chicken Salad

This salad is seriously so good. The chicken is perfectly crispy and the lettuce is always super fresh. Though it’s not the most original thing in the world, it’s very very good and always refreshing.

#3. Smash Burger

OK, if you asked just about anyone that’s been into Crowley’s, they would say that this is ranked way too low. Our burger is our top selling item, and usually what people come in to get. On average, I get 3-4 takeout orders just for smash burgers. As someone who doesn’t typically like burgers, I can confidently say that this one is pretty solid. Though it isn’t my go to post-shift meal, I do recommend it to just about everyone who comes in.

#2. Chicken Parm

For quite some time, this was my favorite item on the menu. A chicken parm sandwich is pretty difficult to mess up, but most of the ones that I’ve had are of similar quality. This meant that when I ordered this, I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. I genuinely was taken aback by how much I enjoyed this, solid 10/10.

#1. Wings 

Our wings are genuinely excellent. Now the wings are of pretty average quality, they don’t really stand out compared to other wings that I’ve had, but the sauces are actually insane. We have in total 36 sauces, which seems a bit excessive, but I can say with confidence that at least 90% of them are very good. My personal favorite is the Goose sauce. Its flavor is inexplicable but it does taste very good. 

All in all, Crowley’s has very solid food and everyone should come and try it out, specifically on Monday and Wednesday nights so that they can visit me while I’m working!

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about finals week at Shaker, and I’m not entirely convinced it’s necessary. While people may differ on the issue, most of what I’ve heard from students has been overwhelmingly negative, and even some teachers seem unsure about why we’re doing this. Yes, we get a week to “review” after winter break, but only one. And as someone who gets stressed about tests, it’s hard to fully unwind over break knowing that finals are waiting for us as soon as we’re back. I understand the idea that this is supposed to “prepare” us for college, but we’ll all face real college finals soon enough; and for those who aren’t, I don’t think freshmen need to simulate that experience in their very first year of high school. 

On top of that, most teachers don’t seem to weigh their finals as 20%, (and don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about that), but this whole system just honestly feels inconsistent and unnecessary. Regular tests and assessments already measure what we’ve learned just fine; suddenly attaching a huge percentage to a single exam adds pressure without adding value. 

And for seniors, the timing truly couldn’t be worse. With January 1st deadlines and admissions decisions coming out, this is already one of the most stressful points of the year. Adding finals on top of college stress feels unrealistic and honestly out of touch with what students are juggling. 

If anything, finals would make far more sense before winter break. Finishing exams and then actually getting to relax for two weeks over break would benefit everyone. After all, colleges schedule their finals before break, so this would be even more realistic to what being in college will feel like, if that’s what the goal is. And mirroring that would create a natural end to the semester. In my opinion, starting our second semester at the beginning of a new calendar year just feels right.