The Student Newspaper of Seattle Preparatory School 2400 11th Ave. E. Seattle, WA 98102 The Seattle Prep Panther Twitter: @seapreppanther February 25, 2021 www.seapreppanther.org Volume 76 No. 1 Instagram: @seapreppanthers Nutrition Facts 194 students per grade level Serving size 4 years Amount per serving The Wellness Issue 180 % Daily Value * Athletic Teams 44mg 44% Students who play at least one sport 75g 75% State Championships since 1960 39g Panthers 44mg 44% Zip codes Represented 64g 64% Co-curricular Programs 99g 99% Window 17g 17% Drama Productions 3g Includes 2.8g Arts Week 2.8% Community Service 17,500 hours/year Olympic Week 1mg 100% United Nations 4mg 25% Kairos 3g 50% Homecoming 1mg 100% INGREDIENTS: 765 caring, hard working students, Adelphia, McDonnell, Ignatius, Je- suit Education, Freshman Collegio (Xavier, Gonzaga, Bellarmine, Loyola), Sophomore Collegio (Juana, Jogues, Marquette, Regis), Junior Collegio (Teilhard, Hopkins, Rahner, Kostka), Senior Seminar STUDENTS MAY CONTAIN: The Grad at Grad (Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent Spiritually Alive, Loving, Committed to Justice) 2 EDITORIALS THE PANTHER | FEBRUARY 25, 2021 EDITORS: CAROLINE CASEY '21 & ANNIE ROSKE ‘23 THE PANTHER Editors-in-Chief The Importance of Reaching Out Paige Stanley '21 self is recognize that you are not alone, and they were nothing but understanding, mak- Tessa Zink '21 CLARA '21 MALONE there are so many resources for you to find ing my struggles just a bit easier already. Visuals Editor Managing Editors help from. And of course, on the other side of this, try Beni Jurion '22 he first lockdown was one of the When I first began to feel this way, to reach out to your friends. You may never Kate Ridgeway '22 most difficult times of my life. I felt I bottled up all my emotions and struggled know what someone is struggling with on guilty for feeling bad, because I was to reach out. Because of this, I began to fall the inside. T behind in some of my classes and was not Reaching out is the first step to- Visuals Editors healthy, and so many people were struggling Cece Brown '21 with loss and sickness from the pandemic. performing academically the way I intended wards getting better, and after that, you no Clara Malone '21 I chose to bottle up my emotions and dis- or wanted to. longer have to carry the weight of being tanced myself from my friends and fam- alone. Online Editors ily. During quarantine, this was easier than "Reaching out is the Tia Flores '21 ever. I never felt more alone. And I know first step towards How to Reach Out Natalie Nowak '21 of so many others who were going through the same thing. Through social isolation, so getting better, and Staff many of us took the easy route and closed after that, you no National Suicide Abby Allen '21 ourselves off. longer have to carry the Prevention Hotline: Caroline Casey '21 Something I learned in through this 1-800-273-8255 Olivia Manning '21 time, is that it is okay to not feel okay, even weight of being alone." Kelly McGarry '21 if there is no reason to. There is no reason Maya Shields '21 to compare your struggles or feel guilty for Seattle Prep Counselors Will Thompson '21 struggling. Everyone has problems with Teen Link: Cara Weigand '21 their mental health, and even when every- Piper Wood '21 thing seems to be alright, you may still feel 1-206-461-4922 Annabelle Deasy '22 bad or unworthy. After using too many excuses Hobbs Hegedus '22 However, nothing bad will come as to why my work was not done in time, I National Suicide Hotline: Gael Loor '22 from seeking help and understanding. finally decided to be honest. I built up the Emi Nakata '22 The best thing you can do for your- courage to tell a few of my teachers, and 1-800-784-2433 Gabby Stuart '22 Abby Wilwerding '22 Jack Coleman '23 Let’s #MakeInstaCasualAgain, for the Hannah DeGroot '23 Jeffrey Go '23 Margot Gwynn '23 Sake of our Mental Health Jane Hurley '23 were pretty 50/50, with 49% of respondents other unhelpful comparisons. Then social Sydney Leardi '23 KATE RIDGEWAY '22 saying “yes.” Of that 49%; 73% of all girls media becomes at least partially related to Nick Pickel '23 Managing Editor responded “yes” compared to just 19% of self-worth rather than a means of connec- Annie Roske '23 boys. Studies have backed this high percent- tion.” Alison Choi '24 he hashtag #makeinstacasualagain age up, tying high screen time on Instagram Gen-Z, a generation you’d think Kelsey Hamilton '24 has floated around Instagram for to increased levels of anxiety and depres- would be more connected than ever through Delphine Mock '24 years, with users longing for the sion in adolescents. the social media boom that has gripped our Eamon Mohrbacher '24 T Sophie Docktor ‘22 identified that upbringings, has only made us feel the op- platform to return to the carefree atmo- Ava Pitts '24 sphere it had when it debuted in 2010. it has negatively impacted her mental health posite—alone. Lauren Teders '24 While this hashtag has mostly been used because there is “so much pressure about Instagram has “made it the norm to sarcastically, there’s much truth to it. what to post and about looking good.” only see the ‘best’ carefully crafted things a Adviser Social media can have some great Follower counts can evoke similar person wants you to see, and to communi- Micah Richardson benefits, most notably in providing an feelings of anxiety. Another poll asked: “Do cate behind a phone rather than in person. opportunity to connect with friends and you believe there is pressure to have a cer- This misses the in-person real vulnerable peers, especially amid the social isolation tain number of followers on Instagram?” Of connections where you get to know people, the past year has posed. Too often though, the students polled, 37% responded “yes”. including potentially their flaws.” Rosellini Instagram enforces expectations that hold Girls showed an increased percentage, with added. life to unrealistic standards and are difficult 50% responding in the affirmative com- Stop caring about followers. They to shake when hours of our time are spent pared to just 23% of boys. When asked how do not matter, and if someone thinks they EDITORIAL POLICY mindlessly scrolling through the app. many followers the 37% felt pressured to do in judging if you’re “cool” or not, odds Instagram is a highlight reel. Posts have, all the students who responded stat- are, they’re not someone you should be The Seattle Prep Panther is a forum for usually feature pictures out having fun ed “1,000+.” Unsurprisingly, 64% of those friends with in the first place. Stop caring student work and the editorial board with friends, on a beach in Hawaii, and who did not feel any follower-related pres- about posting the best-edited picture of makes final decisions regarding publica- of course, meticulously chosen birthday sure, have 1,000+ followers themselves. yourself. Posts reflectnothing more than the tion. The editorial board’s responsibil- posts. It is easy to get caught up seeing That percentage suggests a direct indication “highlight reel” of one’s life. Stop caring ity is not only to present one viewpoint, these posts and think that these people are that most people’s “golden” follower count about what a “like” or a “follow” means, but to reveal multiple perspectives. The on top of the world. But what we don’t see is 1,000. but know your worth and evaluate the real- views represented in the Panther or in being posted are the sleepless nights work- Freshman Brooke Wilwerding life, vulnerable connections Instagram cor- online publications do not necessarily ing on Collegio homework or lamenting identified that reaching these high numbers rupts. While it can be hard to be vulnerable, represent the views of the entire staff, the the general state of the world, at least that’s can “make you feel better about yourself.” you’ll be surprised at how being a little bit school, or the administration as a whole. more of a Snapchat private story type of Rosellini commented that it seems more real on the platform can help our- thing for me. But that’s reality—nobody’s “pretty normal” to want a lot of followers, selves and society in the long-term. Let’s To contact The Panther: laying on a Hawaiian beach 24/7, not lit- “but what seems to happen a lot is this pres- #makeinstacasualagain. Scan to learn about erally, not metaphorically. And after a year sure to have more friends/followers, and Instagram accounts that can diversify your C/O The Panther Newspaper where we’ve all logged more hours online, equating that number with how we feel feed to reflect more real, candid posts that 2400 11th Ave E. this can get into our heads more than ever. about ourselves, or how liked we are, and #makeinstacasualagain! Seattle, WA 98102 Prep counselor Dr. Rosellini said, “Often, what we see on social media re- Email: [email protected] flects cool/interesting things that people are Instagram: @seapreppanthers doing, and probably picking the ‘best’ look- Twitter: @seapreppanther ing picture of themselves (and often filter- Scan here for a ing it to make it look even better/cooler!). Letters to the Editor: The Panther staff So, what we end up scrolling through often list of Instagram welcomes letters as they give a construc- is seeing one side of other peoples' lives, tive way for more people to express their which may not be realistic.