the TALON MARCH OPIOIDS A budding issue in Anne Arundel County. RACISM IN THE COUNTY It exists. FINSTAS An inside look at students’ hidden Instagram accounts. Volume 59 | Issue 3 | Severna Park High School | 60 Robinson Road | Severna Park, Maryland | SPTALON.COM TALON STAFF EDITORS IN CHIEF Shelby Chasser, CeCe Streaker PAGE 4 - Opioid Crisis COPY EDITOR Amanda Vu PAGE 5 - Opioid Crisis, continued Greer Long NEWS EDITOR PAGE 6 - Racism in County OPINION EDITOR Melanie Reynolds PAGE 7 - Racism in County, continued FEATURES EDITOR Matt Mangano SPORTS EDITOR Colin DeFeo PAGE 8 - Get Piping Ad ONLINE EDITOR IN CHIEF Connor Killeen PAGE 9 - Staff Editorial BUSINESS MANAGER Carson Whitney PAGE 10 - Opinions on SPHS MANAGING EDITOR Carey Cameron PAGE 11 - Milwaukee Ad SPORTS MEDIA MANAGER Nick Carparelli PAGE 12 - Finsta-gram STAFF WRITERS Parker Cross, Briana DeRosa, Lily Dougherty, Toni Fiocco-Mizer, Campbell Haney, Holly PAGE 13 - Finsta-gram, continued Hutcheson, Emma Jeter, Julia Owens PAGE 14 - Life After SPHS ADVISER Valerie Earhart PAGE 15 - Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival is celebrating its 30th anniversa- ry this year at SPHS. All of the songs were select- WHO WE ARE The Talon is the principle news publication and public forum PAGE 16 - Students who are Famous ed from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “I’m really of Severna Park High School. ASSOCIATIONS The Talon is a member of the excited about all the songs I’m in,” sophomore Jaron Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Quill & Scroll International Journalism PAGE 17 - Students who are Famous, Givens said. Photo by Alison Edwards. Association. It has won Gold and Silver Medals from CSPA. DISTRIBUTION Staff members typically distribute 400 papers to our student body. Magazines are continued available to pick up in the hallways, the main office and throughout the English department. Subscribers may pay $25 to have the publication mailed to their home. PAGE 18 - Isabel Williams OPINIONS Views expressed in The Talon do not reflect those of the Severna Park High School administration or the Anne Arundel County Public School Board PAGE 19 - Isabel Williams, continued of Education. Signed columns or reviews represent only the opinion of the author. PAGE 20 - Lacrosse 4Peat EDITORIALS The Talon’s editorials will reflect a consensus of the members of the student editorial board. The subjects of the editorials will be determined by the PAGE 21 - Education Ad editorial board. The editorial board, which consists of the staff’s student editors, will determine the content, including all unsigned editorials. Editorial ideas may PAGE 22 - Ty Broadway be submitted to the editorial board by all members of the staff. Editorials should be sent to [email protected] or dropped off in the publication lab, 245, during school hours. No material will be published for which there is evidence that the author is using the paper for inappropriate personal gain. ADVERTISING TALK TO US Any student, parent, staff member or organization will be allowed to purchase ads. Non-students, businesses or any person not currently attending or related to an at- Severna Park Talon Severna Park Talon tending student may purchase ads, but the publication asks that those ads be busi- ness-related ads or be used to congratulate student or school successes. No ads will be placed in any publication until payment is made. Any business wishing to adver- @thesptalon @thesptalon tise in The Talon must meet district guidelines for obscene or offensive material. All copy or art will be judged by these standards. Any ad found to be in violation must be changed or it will not be published. The publication reserves the right to refuse sptalon.com any ad that is libelous, illegal, obscene, irresponsible, inappropriate or in poor taste. The publication also reserves the right to edit any ad before publication to ensure the standards and quality of the product. The publication may limit the number of COVER PHOTO type styles offered to ad customers and set guidelines for format and style. The pub- Mia Alexander, Maria Still, Amanda Vu, Sophie Grazioli and Kaylani lication reserves the right to edit all submitted copy or photographs. BYLINES Arriola Terry represent the diversity here at SPHS. Dr. George Ar- All articles, graphics, photos, art, columns, pages, reviews, and other material cre- lotto, the Superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools, atively conceived, with the exception of staff editorials, mug shots and cut-outs will creatED a newly-required course for all high schoolers that deals be bylined with the producer’s name. All bylined writers will be held accountable with cultural education. “[Students] can’t be putting up hate The Prom Fashion Show is Key Club’s biggest fundraiser of the The girls softball team is looking to capture another state title for their work. When more than one person has contributed creatively to a piece of symbols and causing intimidation to certain classes of people, to year. Since the first fundraiser over ten years ago, the Prom Fash- this season. Last year, they won the state championship against work, any person who has contributed to the work must be bylined as a producer. certain ethnicities. It’s not right,” Maryland Delegate Mark Chang ion Show has raised more than $22,000 for March of Dimes. “It’s Northwest High School. “I’m hoping to get as far as we can said. Photo and graphic by Briana DeRosa. really fulfilling to be able to see the people you’re helping,” senior in playoffs,” junior Kerri Kazmarek said. Photo courtesy of 2 Mallory Lentz said. Photo by Campbell Haney. Campbell Kline. 3 NEWS NEWS school counselor Lindsay Brown, thought,” Travers said. Although lost his battle with addiction by us- the Not My Child presentations schools were training teachers on ing dirty heroin. Although Travers’ Opioid Epidemic Affects Anne are school specific, as administra- this issue well before the crisis family was struggling to find proper tors and teachers are the ones who struck Anne Arundel County, Tra- care covered through insurance and Arundel County design the presentations for the vers’ family was more focused on availability, Travers is amazed by The opioid epidemic is becoming more prevalent in unexpected areas. school. Those on the panel ranged combating alcoholism and depres- the resources available to those in from addiction survivors to the sion. “We really didn’t have a clue,” need. “Anne Arundel County is so by Carson Whitney | Business Manager former State’s Attorney, Wes Ad- Travers said. far ahead of everybody else,” Tra- ams. For over an hour, students sat Todd Travers got his associate vers said. in the auditorium listening to the degree from Anne Arundel Com- Anne Arundel County is fac- speakers share personal stories on munity College and was employed ing one of the worst epidemics in how quickly prescribed medicines by various companies before drop- the nation as opioids take over nu- can turn lives into a dark and dead- ping out of University of Maryland, merous communities. Awareness ly path of addiction. In advisory, Baltimore County to pursue his needs to continuously spread and students are currently taught about dream of cooking. After revealing every person must be aware of the drug addiction and opioids. By im- his addiction to his parents, they detrimental impacts that opioids plementing these lessons in school, were shocked that this could have can have on one’s life. Between it allows students to hear their happened to their own child. “You government funding and school teachers and mentors stress the im- just don’t know if you will be one lessons, community members are portance of drug avoidance. of those people that can take it and hoping for just one person to re- One of the panel speakers was walk away,” Travers said. Although think taking a drug and say no. In science teacher Stephanie Travers. they were set on finding a sober order to stop the growing trend of Her son Todd passed away from a house, “the demand far exceeds the overdoses in our area, every effort heroin overdose on Oct. 29, 2013. supply,” Travers said. He continued is needed. “There is help, there is Travers stressed the fact affected the fight and became sober after recovery, but people have to ask for parents are often unaware. “I re- completing the Drug Court Pro- it,” Schuh said. In an attempt to raise public awareness about the issue, there is a sign outside the county police station that updates drivers on the current statistics on overdoses and deaths from heroin. Overdoses in Anne Arundel County have not slowed down for the past four ally didn’t even give it that much gram. Ultimately, he relapsed and- years. “I want to see the number of fatalities go down,” former County Executive Steve Schuh said. Photo by Carson Whitney. // Do you know someone struggling Anne Arundel County is the tional county rehabilitation centers tently faced overdoses that plagued with addicition? Call the county third wealthiest county in the state in the county and State’s Attorney the state. In September of 2018, the for help and resources at the ad- of Maryland. According to the Na- Anne Colt Leitess echoed the need state was granted $66 million to diction help line: 410.768.5522 tional Institute on Drug Abuse, it for more resources to assist in addic- combat the issue. In addition, the or go to www.aahealth.org/hero- ranks as one of the most impacted tion recovery areas. Former Coun- Goverment issued a State of Emer- in-and-prescription-narcotics/ for opioid overdose areas in the nation. ty Executive Steve Schuh has been gency which provided an additional additional resources Throughout the year, the opioid-re- named the executive director of the $50 million over five years to assist lated death toll reached 155 people, Opioid Operational Command Cen- in the improvement of treatment a record high in the county.