Grace LefflerEditor-in-Chief and Writer

Lina CressInterviewer and Writer

Dorothy RajuLayout Designer and Writer

Rachel DingInterviewer

Khristy ZhengAssistant Layout Designer, In-terviewer, Photographer, and

Writer

Mary HabboushInterviewer

The StaffDivya Balaji

Editor of Student’s Corner

Amaya SizerEditor of Opinions

Jane SunWriter

Kelly ZhengWriter

Mrs. ValerioTeacher Sponsor

Abby SeboldInterviewer

Emaan MughalEditor of Student’s Corner

Zainab RahmanWriter

Tiffany NguyenEditor of Columns

Megan RiderWriter

Zachary SimmonsEditor of Richmond Reviews

Editorial Policy

The views or opinions expressed by the writers and/or those intervieweddo not reflect the views of the magazine or its members.

-The Appeal Team

Student’s Corner Special Feature Insider’s Look Student Spotlight Student Artwork Cultural Recipes Local Affairs Testing TipsColumns The Raw Truth DearRichmond Reviews Richmond EventsOpinions Writer’s Choice TV Show Review Social Science Thoughts, Theories and Speculation Music Review Restaurant Review

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The Dress I bought three different dresses and then cried about not being able to afford three other dresses. I took more dressing room selfies than I care to admit and then asked every-one for their opinion on each dress and which one I should keep. I eventually went with what my mom chose which was a dress originally priced at $130 but marked down for $40. I call that a win. Moral of the story: while you should try on lots of dresses, keep your mom’s choice, opinion, and budget in high regard.

Hair Next was my hair. I wanted to do a low bun but hair styling is not my forte. I thought about going to a salon, but I didn’t want to spend $50 on something that was going to last less than 10 hours. I ended up going to a friend’s house, and she did it for me. It looked really pretty, and my pictures were amaz-ing. Although,I had bobby pins and tresses of hair falling out of my head by the end of the night because of excessive head bobbing and dancing. Moral of the story: have at least one pack of bobby pins and a full bottle of hairspray if doing your own hair. Or just curl it and do a half up half down style for some-thing simple.

Nails Let’s talk about nails! I absolutely

hate acrylics. They are awkward and I am not a very delicate per-son when it comes to my nails, so I break them as soon as I leave the salon. Senior year is super stressful and my chewed off nails can attest to that, but for prom I made a point to grow them out. I got a gel french manicure and it actually looked really cool and I felt super mature. I was conflicted at first because my dress was bright red and my jewelry was silver so I had no idea what color to do my nails. French seemed like the best way to go. My mom and I went together the day before prom and both got mani pedis and made a girls day out of it. As an added bonus, my nails glowed in the black light while I was at laser tag at party all night! Moral of the story: when in doubt, go French.

Tickets Probably one of the most im-portant parts about prom is tickets! Last year I forgot my ticket and this year I almost forgot it until my

Special Feature

How to plan for prom.

Photo credit: Abigail Asuelo (‘18)

Prom

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friend reminded me. The same thing happened at homecoming. I also totally forgot to budget money for tickets into my initial budget. As soon as I sprung the $30 price on my mom she flipped and proceeded to go on a rant about how much money I was spending. All in all, I am happy to say that I still spent more on standardized testing than I did on prom. Too bad only one of them brought me an inkling of joy. Moral of the story: don’t forget about paying for your ticket or bringing your ticket to prom.

The Group Making a group can be both parts fun and infuriating.Some of my classmates formed extremely large groups which many restau-rants couldn’t accomodate, so they had to split up.. There were a few of my friends that I would’ve wanted in my group but they had already formed groups and I didn’t want to combine everyone and force them to be friends. The people in my

original group didn’t even like each other to begin with and adding more people didn’t seem very smart. It all eventually worked out and I went to prom with a group of five of my closest friends, met up with my other friends at prom and had the time of my life. Moral of the story: keep it simple and intimate.

Scheduling Probably the most stressful part about prom was scheduling. I somehow not only became the des-ignated driver but also the planner. This was a very bad idea because I can’t even keep a schedule for myself much less other people. Me being an hour late to my own house for group pictures was the proof of my poor scheduling. The place I chose to eat had bad service and we left and hour late and almost missed prom court. Moral of the story: if you can’t even keep a normal circadian rhythm then maybe you should leave the prom planning to some-body else.

New Experiences Prom. I had a vague idea of what it was. I’d seen it in the movies. Celebration, friends, formal dress-es with lots of bling, disco lights, dancing, and prom court drama. What I didn’t realize was the pro

cess that went behind shopping for prom dresses... It was my first and last prom, and I was excited and nervous. Last year, I couldn’t go because I couldn’t find a prom dress I liked, and I didn’t think junior prom was super important. I didn’t really want a conventional prom dress; I wanted to wear one of my Indi-an traditional dresses (either an anarkali or a half-sari). So, I tried finding a dress that looked most similar to a traditional prom dress. I showed my friends the choices, and we decided that my blue and red half-sari looked the best. Yet, I was a little nervous about the fact that I’d be an odd-ball in an Indian dress. Still, I wanted to con-tinue with this idea, and my friends encouraged me to do so, but my parents were scared that I would be ridiculed, and one of my friends en-couraged me to look at some prom dresses. I figured, Why not? I’m very picky about my dress-es. I have a long list of rules about modesty: no spaghetti-strap dress-es, no low cut dresses, only long dresses, no strapless, no backless. I also had a low price range of $120 or below. This initially seemed rea-sonable, but all the dresses I liked were over $150. I looked in several department stores in Short Pump and Regency Mall. I couldn’t find anything that I liked which

matched my price range. Then, I went on with my original idea (“The effect of wearing a non-con-ventional outfit on the prom ex-perience”) as a social experiment. I was really excited as well since I did get some encouragement from friends. I haven’t done my makeup be-fore, and didn’t know how to wear a sari, so I got my neighbor to do my makeup and even help me wear my half-sari. I also got my nails done professionally. Since I was going Indian, I also applied a henna de-sign on the back on my hand, wore a bindi on my forehead, and wore fake jasmines in my hair. As for my hair, I was going to go simple and elegant with small side twists on both sides of my hair. I was pleasantly surprised all the compliments I received from peo-ple at prom, and I realized that it’s sometimes great to be different and make your mark.

Prom can be super stressful and super fun all at the same time. From everything to shoe shopping to dishing it out on the dance floor, make sure to let loose and have fun. After all, it is only your senior prom once.

— Divya Balaji and Dorothy Raju

The play centers around a senior named Sasha (Jillian Bennett) whose friend, Abe (Kekoa Burgess), convinces her to steal the histo-ry midterm for him despite the warnings of another friend (Lauren Brown). Ultimately, she is caught by her teacher (Paola Gonzalez)

Insider’s Look

Casey Duby (‘17) wrote and directed her own one act play called Five Miles in the Rain which showed in Tucker’s audi-torium at 7 pm on March 30th.

Meet the Director and has to go to detention. The play initially seems reminiscent of “The Breakfast Club,” but diverges into the other detainees (Sasha Mak-siaeva, Mickey Schmahl, Summer Satterfield), who each already know their own passion, helping Sasha find her own. The dialogue is light-

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hearted, snapping between one character and the next, but it also deals with serious topics like transition periods, life ambitions, parental and peer expectations, and mutual support. “I would describe my play as a story about finding your passion and figuring out who you are,” Casey said. “Sometimes things happen that we don’t expect or we have to do things that are scary or seem wrong, but those can be the things that teach us the most about ourselves.” Casey wrote the play for the IB program’s 18 month project and set it in school in order to make it “relatable” for her audience. “I suddenly wanted to try to capture as many different personal-ities and experiences as possible. I wanted students to be able to iden-tify with it, and I wanted parents to be able to reminisce about that point in their life while also maybe seeing what their children are going through.” She also tried to draw from her own experience to structure the plot. “My sophomore year I actually got detention on purpose because I felt like I needed the experience. I didn’t have any life changing revelations or anything, but I’m a lot like Sasha in that I’m generally a ‘goodie-two-shoes’ but still feel like I’m missing something by not being more adventurous or rebellious. I also identify a lot with all the kids Sasha met in suspension, and they really carried the message of the play. They all have something that they’re focused on and that excites them, and that’s how I feel about writing.” “When you love something and do it well, there’s just nothing like it. I have a lot of friends who don’t

have that, though, and I wanted to highlight what that search is like, how it’s a real journey and not just something we can pick from a list,” she said, referring to the moment when the characters make a list of various pursuits Sasha could try, which included spear-fishing, farm-ing, apple-picking. After creating the basic plot, she easily wrote the script. “Once I had the idea I was on a roll, and it didn’t take me too long to finish. I edited it several times, and the eighth draft was definitely better than the first, but that hap-pened over time. Every now and then I would pick up my script, read through it, and change any-thing that I didn’t think sounded good anymore… I could name things that I would change right now, but eventually you just have to stop picking it up.” Casey’s quick, fast-paced dia-logue was partly `inspired by The West Wing, a political drama that made Casey want “to be a screen-writer.” “In that show, there are lines and mono-logues and moments that are so incredibly capti-vating, inspirational, and emotional that you just get consumed by it for a minute. After watching that show, all I could think was, ‘I want to give people that feeling.’ I’ve been writing ever since then, and I have a pile of scripts in my room, but I’d never done anything with them.”

Directing was new and unfamil-iar territory for Casey. “This was my first experience with directing and with theater in general, and I really had no idea what I was doing.” Consequently, Casey signed up for her first drama class, Drama IV, in her senior year because it “is more of a directing class.” “I thought that would be a great opportunity for me to gain some experience and to learn from peo-ple who actually know what it takes to bring a script to life, and it really has been. I’ve written, acted, and directed this year, and it’s expanded my passion for television to a pure love of storytelling and the sound of dialogue.” In order to organize the event itself and hold auditions, Casey teamed up with Erica Scholle (‘17) and Juhi Patel (‘17), who were directing The Suitcase Dreams, to combine both auditions and the

Photo credit: Beth Lang

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event into one through Ms. Dyer. Casey said that Ms. Dyer was instrumental in the process since she “let us rehearse in her class-room, raid the prop room, and use the auditorium as often as possible. I also based my rehearsal schedule off of Erica and Juhi’s, and for the first few weeks of rehearsals I pretty much just copied them. We shared everything in this process from auditions, to rehearsal space, to the event itself, and it was so great being able to experience this with them. We shared things that had happened at rehearsal, and I

learned so much from them about directing and about just being a good leader.” Casey also credits the actors for the play’s success because while she “had a vision in [her] head” of what the play should be throughout the writing process, “it didn’t look quite right” when the actors read the script. “Every member of my cast was so experienced and profession-al though, and in the beginning they were able to pick up all my slack. They would get up and walk around, or sit on the floor, or put

their feet up, or be like, ‘Can I sniff my shoe in this scene?’ and all of it was great,” she said. “Once they started being creative, I was able to start being creative. And as we got comfortable with each other and with the script, it all kind of came together.”

— Grace Leffler

He used his minimal En-glish-speaking skills to maneuver his way through the airport and catch a taxi. Once he settled into the taxi, Ahmad looked out the window and was flabbergasted by the skyscrapers, celebrity bill-boards, lights, and the crowd of strangers in a new world. “I came to America by myself and had to get a taxi because my dad doesn’t know how to use a GPS or speak English,” he said. Soon, his father moved the family to Virginia due to a transfer in the workplace. According to Ahmad, the teachers in Jordan are stricter and students are required to wear uniforms. A

major difference that Ahmad has had to learn to get used to was a co-educational school environ-ment. He is very glad that the ESL teachers at Tuck-er High are very welcoming and he credits them with helping him im-prove his English. “The teachers here are very good at their job,” Ahmad said. He likes to teach his friends in the ESL pro-gram different Jordanian hand gestures and handshakes. In Jordan, Ahmad’s life revolved around his friends. He would spend hours with his friends and eat man-saf, the national dish of Jordan, in

Student Spotlight

Ahmad Aloqleh (‘19) board-ed an airplane on September 6, 2016 in Jordan and landed in New York City, the concrete jungle of America.

Ahmad Aloqleh (‘19)Photo credit: Dorothy Raju

Straight Outta Jordan

the famous Rotana Café. “In Irbid, there is a lot of night

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life. Friends, family–we all go out, sit on the roofs, and talk and laugh for hours,” Ahmad said. Richmond, on the other hand, “is quiet.” However, Ahmad adjusted while working in a bakery in Northern Virginia. He befriended many cus-tomers and staff and was exposed to different English dialects. He realized that being American is not

the stereotypical “blonde, white person” but to be American means to be following the American dream. But Ahmad is still firm in his own national identity. “I consider myself Jordanian,” Ahmad said. “Even with a US passport, I am still Jordanian. I just need the passport to visit other places.

However, I can define the Amer-ican culture as a very great thing because people in America value happiness and are very helpful.”

— Zainab RahmanInterview by Dorothy Raju and Zainab Rahman

Q: How long have you been making art? Steven: Since as long as I can remember, maybe when I was 4 or 5, in preschool.

Q: What inspired you to pursue and keep making art? Steven: I enjoy it a lot, and it’s a lot more interesting than other ac-tivities in school. It’s relaxing to do. I think that art is a good way for me to pass the time, especially at

school.

Q: What materi-als were used in this artwork? Steven: Prisma-color colored pen-cils. I made it on an illustration board during an art class, and it took a while to finish.

Q: What was your inspiration for this piece? Steven: I found a picture of a panda online that I really liked and wanted to draw. My artwork was based on that picture. Interviewer: Rachel Ding

Student Artwork

Steven Chen (‘19) discusses how making art has been his hobby since he was little.

A Lifelong Enjoy-ment

“Red Panda Eating Bamboo”Photo credit: Steven Chen (‘19)

Instructions: 1. 1 cup of flour 2. 2 tablespoons of pow-dered milk 3. 1 teaspoon of yeast. 4. 1 tablespoon of starch 5. 1 pinch of salt 6. 1 Tablespoon of sugar 7. 1 glass of warm water

Cultural Recipes

Aya Yousif (‘19) describes the process of making legemat, a Middle Eastern dessert.

Legemat

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8. Frying oil 9. Sesame for decoration 10. Water for purification 11. Lentils

Instructions: 1. Prepare a large bowl and place all previous ingredients in it. 2. Mix the ingredients well until they form a soft, cake-like dough. 3. Cover the dough with a plastic bag and then a clean cloth.

4. Let it ferment for an hour and a half until its size has doubled. 5. Add a large amount of oil, so that the grains of lentils float on the face. 6. Hold the dough by hand and shape it in small balls and pour it with hot oil. 7. Leave it untouched until you wash the face and then its heart until it turns golden. 8. Place the lentils in very cold

ater, then place them in a serving dish and sprinkle with a little white sesame.

Interview by Mary Habboush

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The event was sponsored by Godwin High School, Freeman High School, the Henrico Hero-in Task Force, and the Attorney General of Virginia’s Office. The event follows the loss of two God-win graduates, the declaration of the opioid crisis as a public health emergency (1), and the notable Richmond Times Dispatch article which described Godwin graduate Andrew Nelson’s difficult recovery (2). There were various people at this screening who spoke to the different aspects of addiction. This included representatives of the Henrico Mental Health and Devel-opmental Services, the Attorney General of Virginia’s office, and a recovery community organization called the Mcshin Foundation.

Local Affairs

On April 3rd at 7 pm, God-win High School hosted an event at which the documentary Heroin: The Hardest Hit was screened, with a panel discus-sion and exhibitions afterward.

Ensnared in an Epidemic

dealing drugs in the parking lots, in the halls,” she said. “This is a safe place for recovery. It took a lot of worry away since they’re all battling the same disease as high schoolers.”

An Introduction to the Problem Godwin’s Principal Dunavant and Freeman’s Principal Mey in-troduced the Attorney General of Virginia, Mark Herring, addressing the reasons for this presentation. “The more we spread this mes-sage about this dangerous issue, the better,” said Mr. Mey. “This has to be a series of events… This message has to be carried with us to church-es, synagogues, schools.” Mr. Herring followed, speaking to the widespread overdoses that have resulted from the epidemic. Approximately 1,000 Virginians overdose each year, and there have been 50 overdoses in Henrico alone this year. “That’s a thousand families with an empty seat at the dinner table, too many parents who have to bury their own child. As a parent, it breaks my heart. We have in-creased our prosecution of dealers,” Mr. Herring said. “These criminals put poison on our street and profit from it.”

There were inmates in the Opiate Recovery By Intensive Tracking (ORBIT) Program, a “very intense program,” who spoke openly about their experiences of addiction and its various social effects, each hav-ing been involved with the program for at least a year. One ORBIT participant said that they didn’t want to “give [high schoolers] the sugar-coated example.” C. W., a high school parent who was there on behalf of the Mcshin Foundation, described her son’s ex-perience with addiction. The family moved him to rehab for sixty days when he was a freshman. However, it was difficult for him to stay clean. “It was scary and heartbreaking,” C. W. said. His addiction was unexpected. “It doesn’t cross your radar,” she said. “These people are more than you would initially think. They’re funny, smart, genuine people. They just need help.” Over the following months, C. W.’s son enrolled in the Mcshin Academy, a new recovery program begun in December 2015 by Stas Novitsky for high school students who also sought a school free of drugs. “You know how it is with kids

Herring also addressed the vic-tims of opioids as well. “In terms of the supply side, we have known from day one that we cannot arrest ourselves out of this problem. We can reverse the effects and save lives through the good sa-maritan act, distributing naloxone, and education.” Interestingly, Herring tried to emphasize how far-reaching ad-diction is within society, likely because of the recent surge in the use of heroin across all demograph-ics--particularly in caucasians and women, two groups that have pre-viously had lower addiction rates to heroin (3). The main cause? Abuse of prescription painkillers. “There is a heroin prescription epidemic that affects those from all walks of life. This is not a white problem, a black problem, an Asian problem; not a rich problem or a poor problem; this is not a sub-urban, urban or rural problem,” Herring said. Consequently, Mr. Herring and others in the state government have created laws that strictly regulate prescriptions, closely tracking which doctors are giving out the most prescriptions and if patients receive medication from multiple doctors. The purpose of Heroin: The Hardest Hit, a documentary pro-duced and showcased by the At-torney General of Virginia’s office, was to give people “a place to turn to. [Heroin] is one of the biggest threats to the health and safety of our community. We have to make sure that our friends and loved ones understand the dangers of heroin,” he said. “We did not want to make another movie that says, ‘Drugs are bad. Don’t do them.’”

Reeling Reaction Heroin: The Hardest Hit de-scribes the progression of addic-tion; the downward spiral from a promising youth to overdose. Parents sniffed. There was an audible gasp at the mention of mixing drugs with horse tranquiliz-er. Students shifted uncomfortably at the mention of drugs. A mother wiped at her eyes when she heard the story of a 20-something-year-old mother making progress in recovering before being found dead in the bathroom by another recov-ering addict.

The Discussion The panel included FBI assistant special in charge, a doctor, a Hen-rico Mental Health clinician, the mother of a passed addict, and two recovering addicts. Tom Chadwick, an FBI represen-tative, said that “the trends which we’re seeing in Richmond are not unlike those that we’re seeing in other parts of the state since ‘07.” In addition, since prescription painkillers “tend to be more of a consumer market,” there have been interesting trends seen through the late arrests and confiscations of heroin.

One of the panelists was a 35-year-old ORBIT participant from the Richmond area. He first drank alcohol at the age of 12 and began using heroin at the age of 19. “My home life wasn’t that great. I spent more time in the system than at home,” he said. “It was kind of inevitable that I would try heroin. One thing kind of lead to another.” On the other hand, Stas No-vitsky, had a different upbringing. He attributed his addiction to “making bad decisions.” “I was never a bad person,” he said. “In my mind, I was just me.” He added that people may use heroin for fun but never confront their issue. “Often times, those people are not going to recognize their addic-tion. It turns into, ‘I’m not doing as bad as that person over there.’” Dr. D. W. admitted that addiction is “a problem that I had and contin-ue to have. I think that it’s the first time that I’m publicly saying this.” Addicted doctors are a “quiet little club” due to the implica-tions, but Dr. D. W. is able to cope through “talking with the public and taking it one day at a time.” Jenny Derr was a mother of a boy who overdosed a year ago after

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becoming addicted to painkillers at an early age when he was in a car accident. The family went on vacations, had dinner together, and paid for their son to play on a travel soccer team. “It’s hard not to take offense when someone blames me. We have to re-evaluate our stance on the causes of addiction,” she said. “These kids and even many of you, parents, don’t understand just how addictive it is.” The ORBIT panelist said that at the height of his addiction, he “didn’t feel anymore, just craved heroin.” That feeling has dangerous con-sequences. “Most of the people I used with are dead or in prison,” he added. Dr. D. W. explained that the basis of addiction was in the brain be-cause of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. When using heroin, the “reward system gets hijacked by the drugs, keeping us euphoric and happy and making us ignore any physical or emotional pain. [Dopamine] receptors tend to want more [heroin because it has become accustomed to the consumption of the substance], which is where addiction comes into play,” he said. “I became addicted to opioids really

quickly. My parents, neither of them drank.” He explained that process addic-tions, which can consist of “eating disorders, shopping addictions, or sexually-based addictions” can put family at risk for substance addic-tions to substances such as heroin. “I told my nine year old about the genetics, which is what my par-ents could have done,” he said. Kurt Steifvater, a clinician with Henrico Mental Health, warned that there are early indications of heroin addiction. “I start to see grades drop, they stop caring about relationships. Their hygiene is often lacking.” As the addiction progresses, the symptoms worsen. “Someone who is abusing moves along the continuum,” he said. “Ad-diction is characterized by impaired control, not completely lacking control, but rather, that’s toward the end. It begins with craving.” Mr. Steifvater attributes addiction to an unhealthy coping skill with stressful events. Additionally, it’s not without warning. First, people “will use marijuana, alcohol, hallucinogens before heroin.” He warns to be safe rather than to worry about breaking someone’s

trust as heroin is to be taken seri-ously. In the past, patients he’s seen have been open to having their friends tell guidance counselors, call 911, or tell their parents. “You don’t want to break confi-dentiality,” Mr. Steifvater said, “but those kinds of questions are the ones we have to ask: is my friend ok?” Stas Novitsky thought that much of the silence on the issue is due to stigma. “No one’s talking about addic-tion because we’re all scared,” he said. Even though “recovered addicts are shown to give back to their community and are more willing to help others,” “it’s not convenient to know or tell. If your kid develops cancer and recovers from it, it’s a cause of celebration. For addiction, not so much.” Novitsky advocated for sobriety from the beginning. “Sometimes, it’s harder to stand against the crowd, but you’re saving your family” by standing up to peer pressure. Jenny Derr agreed that the code of silence “has got to stop. [Stu-dents] aren’t equipped to handle that.” After losing her son, she encour-ages other parents to use drug tests if they can. She allowed her son to self-regulate his use of medicine for ADHD, which she believes may have contributed to the problem. “We thought we were building responsibility,” she said. For parents with prescriptions in the household, she warns to “lock them up” as it can have serious effects. According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health National Survey (4) con-ducted by RTI International, in association with the Center for

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Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Men-tal Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Hu-man Services, 75% of addicts use medication that was prescribed to someone else. This may result from prescribing opioids to drug dealers or for patients who simply don’t lock their medicine cabinets. “It can happen to you.”

A Graduate’s Path to Recovery Erin Mayberry (‘97), Director of Female Programs at the McShin Foundation, was a Tucker graduate who became addicted to heroin. She came to McShin on November 10, 2014 when she was 34 years old. “I had never been to a meeting, did not understand what the word recovery meant, much less how I was to begin and continue on a path of recovery,” Mayberry said. “McShin provided me a safe and supportive environment along with strong peer support and guidance in otherwise unfamiliar territory.” She believes that the public edu-cation system should advocate and educate about addiction like “other life changing circumstances such as sexually transmitted disease, preg-nancy, etc.” “Why should we not address ad-diction head on and offer recovery as an option to the addict’s death? Stigma ends where ignorance ends and the only way to stop ignorance is to educate.” McShin Foundation President John Shinholser (‘76), another re-covering Tucker graduate, seconded this opinion. “90% of addiction begins in high school. So let’s start teaching recov-ery,” he said. Mayberry believes that it is essential to “raise awareness and hopefully avoid a lifetime of pain

and self inflicted misery due to the use of drugs.” To become clean, it “requires rigorous honesty, willingness and open mindedness on the individu-al’s part. To see so much potential and to get to know women only to have them make choices that lead them back into active addiction can be very difficult. The hope is that they have heard something that will resonate with them and know that there is a safe place for them to come when they are ready.” Mayberry’s role is to guide and support recovering addicts past withdrawal. Sometimes, recovering addicts reach breakthroughs. “You start to see a change in attitude. They start to take care of themselves and care less about themselves and more about what they can do for others. You see them become active in the recovery community, see them take sugges-tions, watch them grow. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing this and it makes it all worth worthwhile,” she said. “ The women that I work with teach me as much, if not more, than I hopefully teach them. Watching them then give that to someone newer than themselves is nothing short of a miracle.” For Mayberry, work-ing in such proximity to those who share her ill-ness allows her to grow as an individual and reflect on her recovery. “As far as working with those much newer to this process than myself, I see that as

a constant and daily reminder of what I can chose to go back to at any time. It gives me a daily oppor-tunity to practice patience, accep-tance, tolerance and love.”

Gradual Change According to Mr. Florez, a Tucker Spanish teacher and ad-ministrator, Tucker students caught with illegal substances are given a substance abuse suspension and referred to a program at the Acad-emy at Virginia Randolph through counseling as per Henrico County regulations. According to the Hen-rico County High School’s Aware-ness & Intervention Program 2016-2017 Parent Information Packet, students are given the choice to complete the substance abuse inter-vention group, run by the Henrico Mental Health and Henrico County Public Schools, or another commu-nity drug counseling program of choice. If the student does not wish

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Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring gave a keynote speech at the event

to undergo counseling, they will have a normal suspension in which all missed work cannot be made up. Being caught with unregistered medication or alcohol can have lasting consequences as administra-tors have the power, and are some-times required, to suspend students from sports teams and school clubs, take away school parking privileges, suspend students from school, or expel students in these cases. In the past few years, two Tucker graduates have overdosed. According to Mr. Florez, educa-tion about hard drugs and alcohol is “done mainly through P.E.” “We are trying to get more infor-mation. We don’t have a program to target lower income students in particular,” Ms. Phipps, the school administrator, said. “We need to do more.” It is difficult to implement more student-based awareness programs at Tucker due to money, time, and language barriers. School-wide funding is based on a range of factors, including the incomes of all students’ parents. “Equality is not equity. We are not exactly ‘West End’ or ‘East

End,’” Mr. Florez said. He believes that expansion of programs re-quires the help of the state, county, and federal government. Moreover, the key is to imple-ment an effective program. “The scary thing for us is how to do it in a way for students to not mock it,” Ms. Phipps said. Ms. Smith, counselor at Tucker for more than ten years, believes that while there should be educa-tion about addiction, it shouldn’t necessarily all occur at school. “It is our job as educators to edu-cate,” said Ms. Smith. “There comes this expectation since we have eight hours a day that we do everything.” For students who are addicted, there is help available. “We can evaluate health con-cerns,” Ms. Smith said. “To do this, I might ask direct questions like, ‘Are you high right now?’ If they are, the parent is contacted.” Additionally, there are training sessions throughout the year open for teachers and faculty that cover “that cover a variety of things” such as those given by Side by Side, an organization which provides train-ing for teachers to deal with many

sensitive issues that LGBTQ youth are more vulnerable toward, one of which is addiction. While “there are kids who come to counselors,” many are referred to the counselors by teachers, who may notice changes in mood, weight, and grades. While many students admit to using drugs, they often say that they can stop at any time. Ms. Smith has learned to be cautious when talking to parents and stu-dents about addiction. “So you talk about stress, you find what they’re willing to discuss. You start with ‘the grades are fall-ing.’ You point to the undeniable,” she said. Ms. Smith has also learned that since many families have religious or cultural differences, which may prevent them from acknowledging addiction, she must put her faith in the student. “When kids talk [about addic-tion], you don’t burn that trust. If you tell them this—that you won’t betray them—they will usually guide us” in how to talk to their parents At the end of the day, Ms. Smith follows her “gut” when she deals

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Erin Mayberry (‘97) helps addicts recover and spreads awareness about the diseasePhoto credit: McShin Foundation

Suboxone is a drug that contains, according to Drugabuse.com, contains both an opiate and an opiate antagonist named nalaxone to counter some of the opiate’s negative effects

with such sensitive subjects. “Sometimes, I don’t know why I’m doing what I’m doing,” she said. “It just comes naturally with all of the training that we’re provided.” In Ms. Smith’s experience, issues like addiction tend to appear at certain times. The first quarter of the school year is the norming period. “That’s when you’re shedding off the friend, child, or grandchild per-sona from the summer,” Ms. Smith said. “During that time period those significant issues appear.” During the second quarter, these problems become worse.

“The holidays are always really stressful. [Students] stop respond-ing well, whatever the situation will be. For students living with addicts, they will be home with that indi-vidual. We have seen the heroin ep-idemic hit the school. You try your best to help the students,” she said. During the third quarter, “symp-toms of depression often arise,” which can make addiction worse because “addiction is a part of men-tal health.” That is often what makes it so difficult for students to seek help or for Ms. Smith to speak openly about it. “We still live in an era where mental health is stigmatized,” she said. “Some students will talk, but there’s a lot of denial. Addicts stay addicts because everyone plays a role. They’re busy making sure that everyone is looking the other way and focused on something differ-

ent.” Ms. Smith has hope that it will become easier for addicts to seek treatment as society acknowledges them. “But these are things that are still said behind closed doors. Society just has to keep moving.What you have grown up with is different from my experience,” she said. “Truthfully, your generation is a step closer.”

— Grace Leffler

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As of April 1st, most if not all of colleges released their decisions for the incoming class of 2021. At the beginning of April, we interviewed 78 Tucker seniors to gauge if they were happy with the college admis-sions process and their results. Of seniors who had a first choice college at the beginning of the admissions process, 81.7% were accepted into their first choice college. “I certainly feel that the huge amount of effort I put into my applications was worth it. I have realized through my college appli-cation and the admission process that colleges really want to see that their applicants are excited to attend their schools. Especially if it is a selective school, you really need to show how excited and dedicated you are to get into the school, and how certain you are that you’ll go to the school if you’re accepted. You can’t be unsure or half-sure; you have to be, or at least act, on-board, 110% for whatever school you’re applying for. There are never any guarantees. You have to realize that ‘acceptance rates’ don’t mean any-thing. However, if you really want to get into a school, you need to do everything in your power to show that passion,” Collin Shumaker (‘17) said. Sherlita Mickens (‘17) was one of 15 seniors who did not have a first

choice college. “I don’t have a “dream school,” but I do feel that NSU will be good for me because they have an ex-cellent music program and it’s a HBCU school,” she said. Most seniors surveyed, approxi-mately 35.9%, applied to two-four schools. However, 29.7% of seniors applied to five-seven schools, com-ing in a close second. The application process itself, as a result, could be very time-consum-ing. “It is a lengthy process, and if you are applying to many schools, then the essay writing process seems to take too long,” said Ashley Hatchell (‘17). Of 29 students who were deferred by one of their schools from either Early Action or Early Decision, 13 were accepted during second round and 10 were waitlisted. 42.3% of seniors who had al-ready decided which college they were going to attend were admitted through Regular Decision. 20.5% of seniors were admitted into their college of choice through Early Action and only 11.5% through

Testing Tips

In April, seniors are reflecting on their admissions results and, in turn, making one of the most important decisions of their life: the year after high school.

After GraduationRolling Admission. A total of five seniors were admitted into their college of choice through Early Decision or Early Decision II. Thir-teen seniors were still unsure about which college they would attend or if they would attend college next year at all. Only two seniors were going to take a gap year.Shania Jones (‘17) was one of those still undecided. “The college application process is tortuous to say the least,” she said. “With less than a month to decide, I am still unsure of what college/uni-versity I will attend in the fall.” Some students felt that compo-nents of the admissions process were unnecessary. “I think that the college appli-cation process is quite repetitive; although, College Board does help with that a little. I do believe that the standardized testing part of col-lege acceptance should be eliminat-ed. It does not test your abilities and how well prepared one is for col-lege. It is a test and tests your ability on how to take a test,” Josephine Tuckley (‘17) said. Some seniors had a different take

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away from the admissions process. “I am satisfied with where I am going,” Jaden Farrar (‘17) said. “The college application process was very easy.” Yet many interviewed felt that it has worked out for the best in the end and are excited for college. “Honestly, the college application process is stressful but exciting be-cause it finally hits you that you’re growing up and you’ll soon be on your own in a few months!” said Nichelle Holloway (‘17).

—Kelly Zheng

In common English linguistics, the word “success” is often syn-onymous with doing a good job. However, this isn’t always true. A good doctor is one who finds the root of the medical problem though he may not be rich. A suc-cessful doctor is acknowledged by his peers, performs detailed field tasks, and more likely than not, earns a lot of money. Being good means to be obedient and have a “normal” set of ethics. Being successful means to complete assigned tasks with sufficient or ex-ceptional results. In some ways, the goal of life for everyone is to be

good and successful. In more general terms, it seems that every-one wants to have the best of both worlds; to be rich and famous while making altruistic donations to charities. While this lifestyle is ideal, not everyone can achieve it. If one were to choose one of these character-istics, it would only be morally correct to choose goodness. However, this theoretical choice is negated by reality. The need to be successful is rampant in today’s society. Through education, societalpressures, and capitalist systems, it is instilled in everyone to be the most successful person, not to do good things. When someone goes above and beyond on a task, often those around them will describe their work as “great” and “good.” Well, between good and success-ful, there is still the chance to be both. However, if one were to pick,

which would be better, a successful life or a good life?

(Credit: Mr. C and John’s Conversa-tion)

—Kelly Zheng

The Raw Truth

Success and goodness have become interchangeable, but are they the same?

Success vs. Good

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Dear College Admissions Officer (Who Deferred and Then Wait-listed Me), ...It’s because I’m brown, isn’t it? LOL, I’m joking. But seriously, though. Am I too generic that there are no more seats for people like me? Has your quota already been filled? I know you pride yourself on diversity, so is there too many people of my ethnic group? I obviously fit all your require-ments and have proven myself; otherwise, you would have simply rejected me. Why let me wait in agony? Just let me down already! ~Tired Senior

Dear College Admissions Officer (Who Accepted Me), Thank you sooooooooo much! It is such a great honor to have an ac-ceptance letter from you, and it fills me with such pride. If only I could actually attend your college... How am I supposed to pay $20,000+ a semester?! Money doesn’t grow on trees! I love your campus and your education pro-grams, but I can’t go to your school

Dear

Ever wonder what some high school seniors are actually thinking this time of year when it comes to college?

Dear Admissions Officers

and enjoy myself while also won-dering how I am supposed to pay tuition and rent with a minimum wage part-time job while also try-ing to maintain a good GPA. I want to spend the next four years of my life at your college, but I cannot. I am sorry and I hope you understand. ~Let-down Senior

—Dorothy Raju

Dear College Admissions Officer (Who Denied Me), First of all, what the heck?! Like, seriously? What more could you possibly want from me?! I worked my butt off to check every one of your stupid, little boxes. I scored way above average on my SAT; I am in the top 10 percent of my class. I volunteer and have several extra-curriculars; I spent hours agonizing over my essays. I even have a lead-ership position in this magazine! What more can I possibly do? The sad part is that it’s not just me. People with better SAT scores, better GPAs, more volunteer hours and extracurricular activities got denied just like me. What more could you possibly want from us? ~Frustrated Senior

Richmond Events

The annual Ukrop’s Monu-ment Avenue 10K occurred on Saturday, April 1st in down-town in which approximately twenty two thousand runners participated and hundreds of spectators and volunteers watched.

Race for Masseymoved up as previous waves began to run or jog. Some runners could be seen in costume, trying to win the Richmond Times Dispatch’s annual “Dress Up and Run” contest. In particular, there was a person around wave U whose face was en-tirely shrouded by a giraffe costume made entirely out of yellow and brown balloons. As runners, jog-gers, and walkers approached the race line, the announcer would

Thursday and Friday before the race, runners picked up their bibs and t-shirts at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center. There was athletic wear for sale and various free items being given out by local companies. Powerade employees made sure to give out at least one bottle to each runner by staking out the exit. At the 10K itself, there were masses of people lined up by their designated wave. The line slowly

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comment on their outfits or t-shirts, trying to rile up the crowd on what was, otherwise, a very cold morning. Dozens of bands played classic rock to country music and orga-nizations like local fraternities or sororities that handed out beads, high fived runners, held up signs. A particularly common sign said “run like your phone is at 1%,” appearing

at least three times along the pave ment. One sign promised only “1 more mile” but then the next said “April Fools 2.7 miles to the finish line.” Every so often, there were also water stops, where volunteers hand-ed out cups of water for the run-ners, giving a much needed boost to the runners. Veteran spectators knew to

arrive in the area at least thirty minutes before the expected arrival time for their runner because they had to find parking and walk to the finish line quickly. At the end of the race, volun-teers handed out sandwiches, water, and Powerade to the participants as they pass through the post-race food banner. There were many tents set up with the intent to advertise their company and restau-rants that has set up food carts to sell other food the runner may want. There was also a giant board with a outline of the State of Vir-ginia. Many signatures were all over the board, all names of runners who finished the 10K. On the fring-es of the post-race, a band played for a small crowd of tired runners and their family.

— Grace Leffler and Kelly Zheng

1. Go to as many school events as you can

Whether it’s a football game, prom, a school play, etc, now’s the time to fully experience what high school has to offer. It’s a great opportunity to make some friends and new connections that may also be helpful in college or work, along with a chance to enjoy the high school atmosphere.

2. Take pictures For most people, high school becomes a blur and a small mem-ory in the past. Taking pictures will help preserve your memories and help you remember what it was like. It can be a good op-portunity to take pictures with friends who are going to different

Writer’s Choice

For all the seniors out there, if college applications and ad-missions weren’t a big wake up call, then this is your reminder that the end of high school is approaching quickly. Soon high school will be a part of the past. Although you have a bigger future ahead of you, high school will always be a place full of memories to look back on. Before you leave, here are a few things to do to finish your high school years on a good note.

Top Ten Things to do Before High

School Gradua-tion

places and will be fun to look back on.

3. Get the contact info of all of your friends

Before leaving high school, remember to get any numbers and contacts of your friends, such as what college they are going to or what they will be doing. Since most of your friends will be leaving to

10K runners signing the VA boardPhoto credit: Kelly Zheng (‘17)

Photo retrieved from: Flickr

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places all around the world, it’s important to have some form of contact.

4. Thank your teachers Despite all the work and stress they might have put you through, they are still people who have helped you succeed, not to mention the amount of work on their part they have done for their students. Even if it only takes a few minutes, don’t forget to tell them that you appreciate their efforts.

5. Begin taking responsibility Leaving high school means more responsibility, and more “adulting”. If your parents still do your laun-dry, perhaps you still don’t know how to cook, or haven’t taken up a job yet, now is a great time to start getting some experience doing the work you’ve avoided and never learned.

6. Get a yearbook Whether high school is a good memory or a bad one, a yearbook can help capture what highschool is like, along with pictures of your classmates and the events of your high school year. If that’s not enough, it will be fun to pull out

your yearbook many years from now, reminisce, and laugh about your past self.

7. Take a trip with your friends If you haven’t already taken a trip with your friends, now is a great time to create great memories with your friends. Plan a trip to the beach, Disney world, or just a road trip, as it’s a wonderful opportunity to spend some time with friends who will be going away.

8. Confess to your crush Perhaps you’ve held back feel-ings for a certain someone through-out high school. If you are feeling brave, now is the time to tell them how you feel. Remember, if it goes bad, then you’ll never see them again, and if it goes great, then you may just have changed your life for the better.

9. Make amends Maybe you’ve had “beef ” with a few people throughout the years. Now’s the time to own up

and make up. It will help make high school a better experience to look back on. In the small chance that you end up in the same place in the future, then there will be a lot less tension.

10. Enjoy high school! Overall, just savor high school while you’re in it. Even if high school felt like an eternity, don’t forget to stop and just take it all in. Push yourself to experience more and finally enjoy it!

— Lina Cress

Photo retrieved from: Max Pixel

This drama focuses on the love story of army captain Yoo Shi Jin and doctor Kang Mo Yeon. In a war-torn country, they struggle to find a way to make their relation-ship work. However, Yoo Shi Jin encounters danger in almost every part of his job. Being part of the special forces puts his life, and his relationship, in peril. The drama continues to highlight their rela-tionships while also showing the

TV Show Review

Descendants of the Sun is a Korean Television Drama that aired for one season in the be-ginning of 2016. The second series premiere was in February, but the show stopped airing the following episodes for unknown reasons.

Descendants of the Sun

development of the supportings characters. Unlike many television shows that focus on one element or genre, this drama has an even mix of action, comedy, and romance, keeping the audience entertained throughout each episode. While this drama has an amaz-ing plot line and script, the acting and original sound track make the drama even better. Song Joong-ki, the actor for Yoo Shin Jin, is an ex-

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perienced actor who perfectly por-trayed his character. His acting isn’t overdone and he conveys emotions through his eyes and facial expres-sions. Song Hye Kyo, the actress for Kang Mo Yeon, is great as well. Her faultless acting conveys the emo-tion she feels to the audience. The chemistry between these two actors is amazing and amplified by the fact

that they are a couple in real life.The quality of a drama depends on the quality of its sound track. The soundtrack for this drama con-tained many chart-topping hits. Once again by Mad Clown and Kim Na Young is a song about heart-break that indicates how the show’s two main characters feel about their relationship eventually going sour.

You Are My Everything, by Gum-my, is an emotional ballad showing the love between them. Overall, this is an amazing drama with a great cast.

— Mary Habboush

women’s clothing. But after all is said and done, how much harm can it be to allow children and teen-agers to dress comfortably, even if they are pass riders? This policy appears similar to school dress codes in that it imple-ments a more conservative poli-cy. Over the years, schools have received backlash for dress codes that prohibit too much exposed skin, transparent clothing, or tight clothing, requiring students to cover up when caught. Notably, Maggie Walker male students wore short shorts to school in 2014 in order to protest part of the school’s dress code policy that targeted girls, making headlines and resulting in a dress code made with student input. The United Airlines scandal has happened as the public becomes more intune to the effects of dress codes. Blatantly sexist dress codes that pro-mote the ‘traditional’ image of women have come under fire. In January, British MPs spoke out against busi-ness codes that require high heels of a certain height, make-up, nail polish only of a certain

Social Science

When modern societal norms of a free society—and free dress—meet both the profes-sionalism of the modern world and traditional codes of conduct, which wins out?

Dress Code“colour palette” to list a few. The British parliament intends to create bigger penalties for businesses still using these out of date standards that ultimately can threaten wom-en’s safety, positions, and health. Additionally, British Columbia, a Canadian province, recently re-moved its policy requiring women employees to wear high heels. However, there may also be more awareness after an anony-mous source working with Pres-ident Trump reported to Mike Allen, a former Politico writer, that the president wanted women in the workplace “to dress like women.” While not a direct policy, this may impact dress in the White House and public scrutiny toward more

This topic became controversial when United Airlines gate agents stopped three girls from boarding a flight because they were wearing leggings. One girl was allowed to change. The other two either could or would not. All three girls were pass travel-ers, meaning that they flew for free due to someone--likely a parent or family member—they knew worked for the airline. In accordance with United’s dress code policy, the three girls could not wear leggings, an item that was specifically prohibit-ed. Twitter blew up with this sto-ry. Celebrities and notable writ-ers such as Christine Teigen and Mark Hughes argued that children shouldn’t be held to this standard even though this is a perk. Some have claimed that this policy is sexist as it uniformly im-pacts women only; yoga pants and leggings are and are likely to remain

Photo retrieved from: Twitter

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formal and informal dress codes, like that of United Airlines.

— Grace Leffler

Photo retrieved from: Twitter

Nerf guns with him. Don’t roll your eyes when you have to do the dish-es–instead, look outside the kitch-en window at the neighbor’s dog playing fetch. Looking at life with a pessimistic outlook is what makes people sad. Take every situation and make the best of it. Put your phone down and go outside. Roll up your sleeves and pant legs and let the sun soak into your skin. Take a deep breath. Eat an apple or two. Maybe do some crocheting on the front porch. Take on a new hobby. Life really isn’t that serious. Do

Thoughts, Theories, and Speculations

Everyone should smile. Life re-ally isn’t that serious. We make it hard. The sun rises. The sun sets. We just tend to complicate the process.

Happy

your homework. Go outside. Play. Have fun.And most importantly, smile. You look better that way.

— Zainab Rahman

There is a beautiful quote by Vivian Greene that states “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain…” Yes, some people have battle scars, but in reality everyone does, whether they’re deep or not. Sit-ting there staring at the wound and thinking about all the things you could’ve done to avoid it is not going to help. What’s going to help is getting up and putting a bandage on it. It’s okay to be sad. But, why be sad when you can be happy? Being happy is not hard. There’s so many great things in life. Put down your phone and just take a look around. Puppies, dai-sies, popsicles, the smell of freshly cut grass, morning dew, the beach, and the list can go on. Stop hating your little brother–instead play

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This song introduces pitch altering to create the song’s hook and adds a new element of electronica to their repertoire. In their title track, “Night Rather Than Day,” they create a retro feel with brass accents and a funky beat with the modern twist of member L.E’s rapping. Although this jux-taposition may seem unusual on paper, it allows the song to solidify itself as their promoting song. Along with group songs, pop-ular members Hani and L.E were featured in solo songs. Hani’s solo, “Woo-Yoo” is a slow and gentle track that highlights her strong, yet soft vocals. L.E’s solo, “Velvet,” was a shock to many, as it has minimal rapping, and focuses more on her

Music Review

K-Pop powerhouse EXID followed up their first full-length album with the new mini-album Eclipse. This album incorpo-rates both American and Korean styles to reach fourth on the international Billboard chart.

Eclipsesinging ability. This mini-album was a signifi-cant departure from their usual girl group style, and alienated many of their older fans. Along with the departure of member Solji, some felt that this comeback was a disappointment, especially the group’s Korean fans. However, the international response has been overwhelming, most likely due to the modern American pop style. Eclipse serves as an example of the gradual crossover of Korean artists into the American industry, and is a fantastic album to introduce some-one to the world of K-Pop.

— Megan Rider

EXID has consistently released hit song after hit song, and has garnered a significant fanbase as a result. They’re responsible for memorable songs such as “Up & Down,” “Ah Yeah,” and “L.I.E.” This comeback introduces a more West-ern feel to their sound, which is most prevalent in songs like “Boy.”

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Despite being in a relatively remote place, the restaurant is very welcoming and a great place for a genuine experience of Mexican cuisine. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very cozy and authen-tic, as the restaurant has beautiful Mexican murals on its outer walls and the inside is strung with a mass of string lights and decorated with paintings and pictures, giving it a warm and homely vibe. Many Mexican decorations are scattered and placed all around the premise of the restaurant, giving customers a glance of the amazing lifestyles and cultures. The waiter was very welcoming and nothing but friendly. When waiting for the meal, the waiter offered free chips and dips to sate the appetite. The crunchy corn tor-tilla chips come with three dipping sauces, ranging from mild to spicy. The prices for a meal range from $6-15.

Eva’s Mexican Chicken Pizza ($7.50)

This was not exactly the typical pizza since it was a Mexican-styled pizza. In this dish, there was one large flour tortilla covered in toma-to paste. Juicy chicken and cheese were sprinkled on top.

Chicken Montado ($7.50) The chicken montado came in a eight-inch flour tortilla with beans, cheese, shredded chicken breast,

onions, and poblano. It was served with either rice or beans. It was honestly a strug-gle to eat be-cause the tortilla was soggy so it was difficult to pick up without tearing, and it was not easy to cut either. The pico de gallo, a mixture of of chopped tomato, onion, and cilantro, was a refreshing taste to contrast the heaviness of the cheese, beans, and chicken. Although it was slightly bland with the monochro-matic range of tastes on the tortilla the dish was quite filling and satis-factory for its price.

Burrito Michoacano ($7.95) The burrito michoacano is a lunch special they offer that comes with grilled chicken or beef they call “carnitas,” along with green peppers, onions, and topped with cheese dip. It comes with a side of rice or beans. At first, expectations were low, but the meal was overall very pleasant. The veggies were fresh, and the carnitas were very tender and slow cooked. The food seemed very authentic. The wait time for the meal was around 15 minutes, but it was worth the wait. Overall, the meal, for the price, was tasty and a good choice for any burrito cravings.

Speedy Gonzales ($6.00) This dish consisted of three things: one taco, one enchilada, and an option of rice or beans. The enchilada was hidden underneath

Restaurant Review

La Casita is a small, mom and pop type shop located on Brook Road near downtown Richmond.

La Casita

a layer of cheese and vegetables, making it easy to miss. The enchila-da had a creamy texture, which was easy to eat as it would almost melt into the mouth. It had a spicy and odd flavor. Eating the rice alone wasn’t really a good idea as it was bland in taste. The best part of the meal was the taco because it con-sisted of the proportional combina-tion of veggies and meat. The taco shell is crumblier than most so it falls apart easily, which effectively creates a messy meal to eat.

Tamales ($8.50) The three chicken tamales were served warm with a side of Mexi-can rice and mashed pinto beans. Though the tamales were a little bit dry, the flavor was well done and the cheese on top created a light, balanced flavor. To an extent, the rice and beans may have outdone the tamales. The rice was very aro-matic and the beans were very well seasoned. The two sides paired well with each other and with the tama-les. Additionally, each component was very tasty on its own.

— Lina Cress, Jane Sun, Kelly Zheng, and Khristy Zheng

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