The Echo

We're glad you're here. The Echo is a conduit of Shanghai American School Puxi student voice. Scroll down to read the news!

[theechosas]

Returning to School

After distance learning for a whole semester, returning to school felt different and stressful. Although distance learning required a substantial amount of time management and additional stress, we were all given immense freedom and time. As we moved through second semester , I grew accustomed to the self-paced learning style, and greatly enjoyed the extra time and freedom. Although I had fewer opportunities to interact with my friends in person and communicate with my teachers, I was able to spend more time with my parents. In many ways, I felt my mental health improve as I got a much-needed rest from the demanding obligations of a high school student. I had grown accustomed to having sufficient sleep time, self-paced homework and classwork, as well as free time at home to play games with my family or watch a movie. I still felt anxiety about quizzes and summatives, but I also felt more prepared for them than I had in school. This was partially due to my freedom to prioritize my work, but more to the fact that extracurricular classes and activities were put on halt, allowing me more time to focus on school work. Inevitably, as the new school year commenced, and students returned to campus, I felt some anxiety about how this year was going to go. After spending a semester in distance learning, I realized I was not allowed to grow fully accustomed to life as a high school student. I walked into school on the first day of this school year the same way I had just last year, when I was as a freshman. Despite having walked these halls with my classmates just months earlier, the familiar faces and the hallways felt foreign to me. The school was once again lively and busy, just as we have left it in February. As I sat down in my first class, I felt nervous but more so excited and very fortunate. While SAS has been given the privilege of reopening, many schools across the globe are still doing distance learning. I felt fortunate that our community made it through this time period safely and we have a whole new school year to look forward to together.

[theechosas]

We Gave Penne alla Vodka a SHOT!

“Perhaps--if the lads could have a little vodka” - Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Part III Chapter V. 

While we believe that underage alcohol ingestion is supremely uncool, penne alla vodka is the only medium through which we would recommend the ingestion of alcohol. However, the very act of suggesting “penne alla vodka” usually triggers a gag reflex in seasoned and non-seasoned drinkers. The unfamiliarity of this recipe causes people to doubt or even humor the taste of the pasta itself, however, the cooking method has finally been given a spotlight.

We came across this novel way of alcohol consumption when Gigi Hadid recently broadcasted her love for spicy vodka pasta on her Instagram Stories. Instantly, we wanted a part of this hot and tipsy adventure. But, we are devoted worshippers of pasta. This aberration seemed to be the equivalent of heresy. 

After much internal deliberation, we left the camp of prescriptive pasta-ism. Where there is enforcement of “correctness” in our taste buds. Instead, we started to take a more descriptive perspective. Such as incorporating Gigi’s recipe into our pasta bible, we opened our minds to this challenge while we also prepared to pitch this idea to our Echo peers. 

Indeed, when we brought up penne alla vodka to Echo and Simple Edibles officers, the idea was instantly disregarded as a tasteless offense against the history of pasta. Permission to write this piece was only reluctantly granted. We immediately began to plan the dish. 

Having spent our 70 RMB budget on gourmet vodka, we were left to fend for ourselves.  Still, the result was worth every RMB of un-reimbursed material cost.  The natural acidity of the tomato paste was enhanced by the vodka, giving the overall sauce a sharp 3-dimensionality. Moreover, the parmesan, heavy cream, and butter blunt the harsher edges of acidity, giving the entire dish a round, yet still sharply distinct, flavor profile. 

See below for full recipe. Loosely edited from The New York Times

 Step 1: Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil

      ¼ cup olive oil

      small clove of minced garlic

      cook onions till soft

 Step 2: Add tomato paste

      Add ¼ cup of tomato paste

      Caramelize the sauce

TURN DOWN HEAT BEFORE VODKA PLEASE (in order to avoid a fiery death) 

Step 3: Add vodka!!!!

      Add a generous splash of vodka

      Cook until it evaporates

 Step 4: Add heavy cream and Chili flakes

      ½ cup of heavy cream as a base

      1 teaspoon of chili flakes (we added much more)

 Step 5: Season with salt and pepper and add in the cooked pasta

      Continue to stir the sauce

      Cook around 250 grams of penne and leave ¼ of pasta water

 Step 6: Add pasta and mix

      Add the cooked pasta, pasta water, and a tablespoon of butter into a pan

      Sauce it up!

 Step 7: Add some Parmesan cheese and basil!!!

 This recipe serves 2 people

[theechosas]

Things to Do During the Coronavirus

Just because IBO canceled May exams doesn’t mean distance learning is! Working 24/7 can be difficult, but here are some things to do to relax and destress.

My top recommendation is to read The Echo! Just kidding. Unless…

As a self-proclaimed TikTok addict, my first suggestion for passing time is to hop on the trend if you haven’t already and download this blackhole of an app. TikTok is a social media platform where anyone can post funny videos, lip-syncing videos, dancing videos, and in times like these, even Coronavirus videos. I swear about 99% of users on TikTok have made at least one video complaining about the Coronavirus, so feel free to share your frustrations about distance learning on TikTok! If you don’t want to post videos, that’s okay too… I can spend hours scrolling through the “For You” page (equivalent to Instagram's “explore” and Snapchat's “discover” page) watching others’ videos. There are so many different videos that you will definitely find one (or a hundred) that you love and spend some time in blissful TikTok paradise before realizing that it’s 3 AM and you haven't moved in six hours.

(Disclaimer: please do not stay up till 3 AM watching videos and neglecting your homework! Distance learning might be difficult and fun to complain about at times, but it is still helpful and essential for our future!)

Second on the list is to hang out with your friends… but only if you're back in Shanghai. If you’re in America doing social distancing, I apologize in advance for the rest of this article…you can still watch TikToks though! To my Shanghaiers, yes, stay away from large crowds, but text some of your friends and invite them to grab some food in an area you know and have a study date. This way, you can get work done and you won't have to do it in isolation. A bunch of restaurants all over the city have opened up again, so get on DaZhong and check to see if your favorite has opened too! (In the last month, I've gone back to Cafe Du Village, Luke’s, Baker and Spice, and Rendezvous.) If leaving the house still gives you chills, try inviting a friend over to your place instead. Some compounds have restricted access to residents only; however, if yours is not one of them, you and your friend(s) can watch movies, play video games, do face masks, make TikToks… the possibilities are endless. Side note: if you can’t meet your friends in person, call them on WeChat, FaceTime, or MSTeams if you're feeling business casual. For those of you in isolation, hopefully seeing a friend's face on a screen or even texting them will make your time in solitude better.

Maybe you’re taking this quarantine time to be by yourself. So grab a book or watch a movie solo! Remember how you told yourself you wanted to finish all those books before the end of the year, or how you wanted to catch up on the latest movie releases? There's no better time than now to get on those promises. Finish your homework and take a moment to destress and relax with a good book or movie, a cup of your favorite drink, some snacks, and just vibe out!

If none of these suggestions have appealed to you, I have one last idea up my sleeve.

Challenge yourself to some self-care! No, I don’t mean do a face mask and indulge in a pint of ice cream. Unless... What I mean is check some things off your bucket list. Maybe you wanted to start a workout plan, go to the gym, or even do some home exercises in your room. Maybe your room’s a mess and you wanted to clean out some old things and redecorate. Dye your hair! Play with some makeup! Make a bullet journal or scrapbook, if you miss the good old days! Practice your gaming skills to finally rank higher than that friend!. Do whatever makes you feel relaxed and better about yourself. Take this time to do all the things that you have been putting off!

Thanks for reading! I hope this gives you inspiration on how to pass the time during distance learning. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to learn how to “renegade” once and for all.

[theechosas]

[OP-ED] The Yellow Peril, Revisited

After watching that viral video of the elderly Chinese man being assaulted and robbed in San Francisco, I couldn’t sleep. For the past month, my social media timeline has been littered with videos and pictures of hate crimes against Asians. And each time, I couldn’t ignore the nagging at the back of my mind that said, this isn’t a surprise. Although our society has made great strides towards Asian acceptance in the past few years, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has shown that there’s another centuries-old epidemic we have to battle: anti-Asian racism.

“The Yellow Terror in all his glory” (source).

I say this sudden surge in Anti-Asian racism is unsurprising because it’s always been around, lurking in the margins of history books under the name of the “Yellow Peril”. In the early 1800s, as Chinese immigrants began to seek “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” in places such as the United States, the white working-class labourers were resentful that they were willing to work for lower wages and edging white Americans out of jobs. And to further Kaiser Wilhelm II’s imperial pursuits in Asia in the late 19th century, Germany played into Europe’s overall fear of the East by claiming that the “yellow race” threatened the future of the “white race” in Europe. As anti-Asian racism grew around the globe, the budding Chinese communities in the United States suffered: a massacre in 1871 in which 20 Chinese men were lynched by 500 white men, the Page Act of 1875 that banned Chinese women from immigrating to America, the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 that banned Chinese people from immigrating to America until 1943, the Immigration Act of 1917, the Emergency Quota Act of 1921, and the Immigration Act of 1924. And let's not forget the 2018 policy that placed visa restrictions on Chinese graduate students.

So, yeah. It’s been tough as an Asian-American.

The hysteria overtaking other nations in the midst of COVID-19 has shown that the fear of the “Yellow Peril” or the “Asian Menace” has never truly gone away, only hidden itself under praise for the hard-working, model-minority Asians who have managed to rise up and assimilate into American society until it resurfaces at sound of war or strife. And it feels like, regardless of the passport we hold, we’ll never be anything but Asian. We’ll never earn our hyphenated name. Studies have shown that, although Asian-American history began over 160 years ago, the struggle of not being viewed as “truly American” still plagues ethnic Asians. Asian-Americans are “perpetual foreigners” in the country inhabited by Native Americans, discovered by Spaniards, colonised by the British, and built by Africans.

But my grievances today are not over the Yellow Peril of the 19th and 20th century– they concern its 21st century revival. Over the past month, an Asian restaurant in Paris was vandalised, a Chinese man was refused an Uber ride in Seattle, a Chinese woman was refused a Lyft ride in San Francisco, two Hmong men were harassed in Indiana, a Thai woman was assaulted in the Los Angeles subway, an Asian boy was assaulted at an Los Angeles middle school, a Chinese woman was assaulted in the New York subway–– and these are just some of the crimes that have been reported. There are more. There are Asian American teenagers being bullied by their classmates and strangers and being suspected of carrying the virus all because of their ethnicity. And there are definitely more innocent Asians being assaulted and harassed for a virus they have no control over. Viruses do not discriminate. And like the Yellow Peril that occurred hundreds of years ago, this one is also supported by racism and backed by ignorance. Not every Asian person you see hosts the disease.

“A page from Jyllands-Posten, the Danish Daily Newspaper” (source).

When the 2009 Swine Flu emerged in the United States, where was the anti-American rhetoric? Where was the crusade on white people and where were all the graffitied McDonalds’s? Where was the obligatory trending hashtag #IamNotSwineFlu?

I’ve seen way too many comments on social media calling COVID-19 “karma” for Chinese people, suggesting that the United States nuke China to “end it at once”, describing Chinese people as “uncivilised” and “uneducated”. Because whilst these holier than thou defenders of Western public health are condemning all Chinese people for the virus that has taken over two thousand lives and infected eighty thousand people worldwide, Chinese people are quietly suffering under an authoritarian government and a shortage of medical supplies. Every Chinese doctor and nurse is on the frontline of the outbreak, risking their lives to save others. Entire cities are on lockdown. Pregnant women are unable to find safe hospitals to give birth. Schools are on pause. People are afraid to step out of their homes. And some people have the nerve to say that every single Chinese person deserves to face the wrath of a virus that happened to originate in China. “Any culture that has live animal markets” could have been basecamp for the virus.

COVID-19 isn’t the only pandemic that has ravaged Asian communities worldwide–– racism has, too. Racism has made yellow skin a sin, black hair a badge of blame, and all Chinese last names an admission of guilt for a crime no one has committed.

So on behalf of all Chinese people, please have some compassion. Let's spread that instead.

Annie Xie

[theechosas]

[OP-ED] Choosing Racism in a Time of Tragedy

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory/asian-demand-face-masks-soars-fears-chinese-virus-68579385

I have a brother who’s currently working in New York City. My parents initially advised him to wear a mask as protection against the flu, which has caused 12,000 deaths, 210,000 hospitalizations, and 22 million illnesses in this season alone according to the Center of Disease Control. The NYC subway system is notoriously known to be crowded and not the most sanitary, so such precautions are, well, reasonable.

But yet a few days later, a WeChat message circulated saying that a woman in Central Station that was called a “diseased bitch” for wearing a mask and sunglasses. A physical altercation occurred afterwards. A description of the incident with an interview with the person who took the video can be accessed here.

Although the person who took the video stated that she could not tell whether the woman was Asian because she was wearing sunglasses and a mask, it nevertheless sounded an alarm for the potentially violent outcomes of recent xenophobia towards people of Asian descent that has risen due to the Coronavirus epidemic.

“看样子不带为好 [It seems that it’s better not to wear a mask].” My mom texted in our family group chat.

After the breakout of the Coronavirus, xenophobia and racism against people of Asian descent spread just as rapidly. Online comments described Chinese people as “deserving” of the virus as some sort of “karma” and used stereotypical references to “bat soup”, among other comments. Many in our SAS community have also noticed and spoken out against this xenophobia through social media posts and stories.

Recently, a LinkedIn article has also been circulating online comparing the USA 2009 H1N1 Virus compared to the current coronavirus epidemic. “Something’s not right here folks.” the author stated— and he’s completely right.

“During 2009 H1N1 outbreak, I don't recall xenophobic anti-America attacks across the globe, do you?” he wrote. Citing that the CDC estimated a total of “201,200 respiratory deaths and another 83,300 deaths from cardiovascular disease associated with H1N1 infections,” he also asked, “Was there a travel ban for any length of time to and from the United States?” Although the author, Mario Cavolo, is not a medical or health policy specialist, his point still stands— that one country seems to have received far better treatment compared to the other.

Ultimately, the impacts of Coronavirus xenophobia is materializing in ways that are beyond social media comments. These Chinese restaurant businesses in a Chinatown are struggling because people are associating Coronavirus infection with Chinese food. This family was refused a sample at Costco because the worker was concerned about getting affected. This student overheard xenophobic conversations, in which people labelled Chinatown as “dangerous” for “hav[ing]  that disease”, and a woman said she was “terrified… that her friend, who had spent some time working with Chinese students, might have infected her with the virus”.

And my brother, by not wearing a mask (to minimize chances of being targeted), has made the decision to protect himself against a potential xenophobic attack as opposed to protecting himself against disease. Although this action seems to be incredibly insignificant, the fact that he can’t even wear a simple mask (in flu season, when wearing masks should be the status quo) without feeling the danger of being targeted already speaks volumes about this situation.

Personally, the only emotion I feel is disappointment. Disappointed that hate, rather than compassion, has risen in this tragedy. Disappointed, but also not surprised— because it would have been naive to assume that xenophobia is only a thing of the past. People are dying, and others are choosing to be racist about it— and in the sad world of 2020, I’m not even shocked.

What makes it worse is the outrageousness of the xenophobia, which is extremely apparent once it is put into a different context. Cavolo puts in perfectly in his article. “If you were in Miami and you heard that there was a virus outbreak that started in Milan, in central Italy, would you cancel your dinner reservation at the Italian restaurant that night in South Beach?” he asks, “If you were in Singapore…Would you avoid big guys wearing cowboy hats, cuz they're obviously from Texas in Singapore cuz there's a virus in Dallas and they might have just gotten off the plane?”

To everyone out there, please remember that this fight is against an epidemic, and not against a group of people.

Alice Qin

[theechosas]

How to Make a Long Distance Relationship Work

We get it. You barely feel motivated to learn at school, so how are you supposed to even look at Schoology at home? Defeating the Enderdragon seems far more appealing than learning Simpson’s Rule and taking uncurved quizzes on College Board. But students of SAS, second-semester grades still matter, Coronavirus or not! Here’s how to motivate yourself to do schoolwork at home and stay on top of it.

1. Get some sleep. 

Source: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/adhd-and-sleep

We’re always complaining about school starting too early–– this is your chance to experience a late start to school! Don’t stay up binging You or The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, use this rare gift and catch some z’s. We all know the spiel: sleeping eight to ten hours every night leads to better brain performance. Maybe you’ll finally be able to make it through an assigned book without dozing off.

2. Work in a brightly lit room. 

Source: https://www.shutterstock.com/video/clip-33290323-interior-big-bright-empty-modern-office-after

A study at the Michigan State University has revealed that rats that stay too long in dim areas have a decreased memory, whereas rats that spend more time in bright lights have better brain performance. Apparently, it's the same with humans. So find yourself a room with lots of windows or light fixtures and get crackalackin'.

3. Keep an agenda of some sorts. 

Source: https://wmaxwell.com/en/articles/can-paper-agenda-help-2016/

If you struggle with self-discipline and time management, planning out your work for the day on an agenda is incredibly helpful. Not only will you be able to visualise your study progress, but you’ll also minimise the chance of forgetting to turn in an important assignment. Keeping an agenda is also crucial for all those who tend to procrastinate. When you see all the work that you have to do, it’s easier to decide which one to get started on. Complete the easier or more enjoyable assignments first, then get to the hard stuff when your brain’s ready.

4. Download study timers. 

Source: https://www.keepproductive.com/blog/best-pomodoro-timers-to-try

Structure and routine are actually more important to our mental health than we assume. According to Northwestern Medicine, having routines and clear schedules lowers stress and leads to improved mental health. And it’s important to have study breaks, too. There are plenty of Pomodoro timers on websites and the App Store (Flora seems to be the most recommended), but if you prefer longer study periods, there are also just as many at your fingertips.

5. Feeling restless? Get moving. 

Source: https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/1786/work-out-from-home-stretch-your-flexibility

Exercise is tough but so are you! Sitting in front of a computer screen for eight hours isn’t good for your eyes, back, or mental health, so make sure you’re getting in some movement throughout the day. Incorporate some yoga or stretching in-between study sessions to loosen up your tightened muscles and lower your stress levels. If you’re up to it, take up some at-home workouts to stay healthy and decrease your chances of getting sick.

6. Communicate with your teachers and classmates. 

Source: https://www.raconteur.net/business-innovation/top-10-communication-and-collaboration-tools

We all miss real classrooms and prolonged periods of isolation can be harmful to our mental health. If you miss the social aspect of school, keep in touch with your classmates by discussing schoolwork or sending each other memes. You can even like each other’s Schoology comments if you’re feeling… extra social. And remember to email your teachers if you have any questions about assignments because it’s better to bombard them with questions than to get marks off an assignment for not understanding what it’s asking for. 

7. Be kind to your teachers. 

Source: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/project-happiness-empathy-randy-taran

It’s your teachers’ first time doing Distance Learning, and it’s not their fault that this system sucks–– blame the Coronavirus. Anyway, they’re trying their best to help us learn and get this awful situation over with, so we might as well try our best to make it easier for them too.

Life is a little crazy for all of us right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t see the silver lining in all this chaos. We get to do work at our own pace, spend more time at home, and sleep a whole lot more. Maybe this won’t be as bad as we thought it’d be. Let’s finish this school year off strong!

Annie Xie

[theechosas]

Coronavirus Strikes Shanghai

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00190-6

      In the last few days, Mr. Muldoon and the SAS administration notified parents through email that school would be postponed to February 17th (two weeks after the original date) as a cautionary measure against the current Coronavirus epidemic originated from Wuhan. In addition, several 2nd season APACs  cancelled, such as APAC Table Tennis, APAC Forensics, APAC Basketball, APAC Swimming. Other events including the ACT exam, Winter formal, and AMIS Orchestra Festival have been cancelled as well.

     Such mass cancellations are not particularly unprecedented. According to the APAC website, APAC Tennis, APAC Soccer, and APAC Softball were cancelled in 2003 due to the disease outbreak of SARS, and APAC Baseball in 2004 was cancelled due to a typhoon. SAS Puxi’s own APAC Dance team was unable to travel to their APAC earlier in the year due to the Hong Kong protests. However, the cancellations still came as a shock to many individuals— athletes, coaches, and others have been preparing the entire season for these tournaments, and it’s incredibly frustrating to be unable to see the culmination of their work manifest.

     Information is still pending in regard to how the 10 school days would be made up, but it is likely that students would have to complete some sort of online school coursework.*

     In the meantime, it is recommended for students and their families to take precautionary steps in preventing contamination. Wearing masks, washing hands frequently, avoiding touching the face with unwashed hands, and avoiding close contact to those who are sick are all prevention measures recommended by the CDC. On the other hand, it is important to quarantine yourself and stay home if you are sick— this is especially important when school eventually starts (for those who would be hesitant to stay home in fear of missing class and schoolwork, just… don’t, please).

     The coronavirus has also been compared to the SARS outbreak of 2003, which emerged in Guangdong and infected 8,098 people over the course of eight months, killing 774. Both SARS and the coronavirus belong to the same family, with both causing symptoms such as headaches and pneumonia-like signs. However, the coronavirus is less severe as it is milder and less deadly, but it seems to be more contagious and has spread more quickly than SARS. The timing of the virus with Chinese New Year has also caused concern because intense travel schedules and family dinners can be spread the virus quickly. On the other hand, with the previous experience of the SARS pandemic, the Chinese government has been more decisive in implementing travel restrictions and quarantine measures, which does help control the spread of the coronavirus. Shanghai has also shut down major public areas, such as several temples, concert halls, parks, etc.

     While these steps are taken to control the coronavirus, it is still indispensable to keep alert and take appropriate measures to protect oneself during this outbreak.

––––

*Update (1/27/19 – 7:46 PM)

    According to the email just sent by Mr. Gauthier, students will be expected to complete online school during the extended break, with the details coming on January 31st.

Alice Qin

[theechosas]

Which SAS Teacher are You Most Like?

Here at SAS we have a plethora of unique personalities–– including our teachers. Have you ever wondered if you share anything in common with the folks who grade your tests? Take this quiz to find out!

QUIZ: Which SAS Teacher are You Most Like?

Here at SAS we have a plethora of unique personalities–– including our teachers. Have you ever wondered if you share anything in common with the folks who grade your tests? Take this quiz to find out!

Annie Xie

[theechosas]

TV show review: The Good Place

With an upcoming final season for “The Good Place,” viewers are excited and ready for another encounter with the show’s lovable cast and unique plot-line.

What initially captivated me about this show is its ability to discuss deep, and sometimes dark, philosophical ideology on its version of life after death under the facade of humor. In the show, humans are sent either to the good place, the bad place, or the medium space. In life, every action either garners positive points for the individual or subtracts points if the action is unethical. When a person dies, the person’s point total is evaluated and sent to the according place. The architect of the good place is Michael, an immortal being in the body of a human, with the help of a comedic all-knowing being, called Janet. In earlier seasons, viewers watch as Eleanor Shellstrop, the main character, finds herself in the good place by mistake, and lives cautiously with the help of other supposedly misplaced humans as well, including Tahani, Chidi, and Jason. Together, they navigate the risky waters of the good place residency and try not to get caught.

One of the show’s greatest strengths would be the distinct personality of each main character, which also reveals what the show believes is a truly “good act.” Eleanor, an anti-social, aggressive person in the past, is blatantly “bad.” Tahani, a social-activist born into wealth, does many grand acts of kindness only with the desire to beat her sister and gain parental favoritism. Chidi, a professor of moral ethics, is crippled under his immense indecision, which hurts others as well. Jason, an unintelligent DJ from Jacksonville, commits criminal acts like drug-dealing. Their differences create hilarious interactions while still discussing important concepts of ethics and what truly constitutes a “good” person.

The show has an uncanny ability to make viewers question their own point total and will surely make them think again when committing a shady act. Packed with humor, wit, and thought, “The Good Place” is a sophisticated discussion of ethics and morality packaged into mainstream entertainment.

[theechosas]

The Hidden Secrets of Qian Dao Lake

Source: amusingplanet.com

In 1959, the floodgates opened. The Wu Shi mountain valley flooded, creating the fresh-body lake now known as Qian Dao Lake [1].  

This was no mistake, but instead a government enforced project to create the Xin’anjiang Reservoir and the Xin’an River Dam. In the official records, more than 290,000 people were relocated, and more than 1300 villages were submerged. The dreadful history still remains under the peaceful surface of the lake [2].

Shi Cheng, a 1400-year old city, was among the casualties, as well as He Cheng, a city  historians believe could date back to the Han Dynasty. The echoes of this tragedy still can be heard today, as the once-prosperous county is now one of the poorest in ZheJiang Province [3].

The reason behind this project was a bleak one. During the 1950s-1970s, the new government was trying to establish themselves and to quickly develop the country to compete on a global scale. The Sino-Japanese war also loomed as a constant reminder of close threats. Near Chun’An county, cities like Shanghai and Hangzhou were quickly developing, and were in dire need of more resources-- including electricity [4].  As a result, the Xin’an River Dam was developed as a hydroelectricity power plant, which was installed with a capacity of 845 MW [5].  Although this led to quickened development in the local region, the cost was thousands of years of culture, history, and peoples being displaced.

As we are getting prepared to embark on theTen, students should consider the implications of the governments’ choices and how the values at that time affected the local peoples. They should also keep in mind the cost-benefit analysis the government had conducted to justify such a momentous project.

Sources

1. https://www.uwphotographyguide.com/dive-qiandao-lake-china

2.  http://mytravels.asia/qiandaohu/

3. http://www.sohu.com/a/236922341_179874

4. http://www.dili360.com/cng/article/p5350c3d6a720753.htm

5. http://blog.eteacherchinese.com/travel-china/xinanjiang-hydropower-station/

Anna Yan

[theechosas]

SOS: What’s Happening to Our Clubs?

Eagles, our high school is undergoing puberty and has experienced a massive “glow up”. The first floor of our annex building is now a snazzy futuristic lounge with flat-screen TVs, the old lounge has given way to a STEM/creativity centre, and our logo has, once again, evolved. But puberty also comes with its downsides, like teenage angst and acne. And the inflamed forehead zit we’re talking about today is the new schedule–– specifically, how it’s stifling the potential of clubs.

In previous years, club meetings were held either during our daily 30 minute break or 50 minute lunch, permitting students to attend two different club meetings in one day. A student could, hypothetically, be a recognised member of ten clubs. This year, with the new schedule shortening break time for Extended Learning (EL), clubs–– whether they are interest, service, or honour societies–– are all finding it harder to meet. Membership is dropping, productivity is slowing, and students are not happy.

In a survey sent out to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders–– students who have experienced both schedules–– 63.4% of respondents reported to be members of clubs with conflicting meeting times. SAS proudly boasts on their website that “there’s a wide variety of clubs at SAS – over 100 at last count” [1], yet this new schedule makes it possible for only 15 at most to meet weekly. And that’s pushing it. With break being just 20 minutes long now, officers have to account for the time it takes for their members to get to and from their meeting location, leaving just a little over ten minutes for actual meeting times. Here’s the problem with ten minute meeting times. The Executive Student Council’s service club audit strongly hints that a successful service club must host “events and activities outside of meetings”. It definitely takes longer than just ten minutes to organise club events.

63.4% of respondents reported to be members of clubs with conflicting meeting times.

“It took one entire year for ORKID to plan its end-of-year fashion show,” Julia Kim (’20), Vice-President of ORKID, claims. “And that was with last year’s lunch meetings.” Last year, lunch lasted 50 minutes.

Longze Chen (’20), the Public Relations officer of Executive Council, adds that he doesn’t believe “the current situation for club meetings is effective” as “ten minutes is simply not enough time for any type of club to work efficiently.” With break meetings out of the question, that leaves clubs to meet at lunch or after school. But after-school meetings are unfeasible as many high school students take the bus home and are not willing to stay for the 4:30 PM bus. Therefore, close to 100 clubs are competing to meet during the same five lunch slots.

In the same survey, students were asked how satisfied they are with the current schedule for club meetings. Responses were overwhelmingly negative with 23.6% selecting “not satisfied at all” and 52.8% selecting “not so satisfied”. In contrast, 22% of respondents selected “somewhat satisfied” and 1.4% selected “very satisfied”. It’s evident that the student body wants the schedule to change.

It’s evident that the student body wants the schedule to change.

“I think it goes against the school’s mission statement in that it limits the power of students to live their dreams,” Luke Heald (’20) says. “I’ve had so many members drop out of my clubs because of previous conflicts that didn’t exist due to break not being thirty minutes long.” Andre Lai (’20) remarks, “[The new schedule] makes it frustrating for the members of dropped clubs because they’re losing manpower for potential projects.” This is a recurring theme in many individuals’ responses. A student who requested to remain anonymous said, “People are prioritising honour societies and service clubs, leaving interest clubs to be ignored. The new schedule seemed to ignore the this.” Like Heald said, the school promotes students to seek and live out their passions, yet this schedule is blatantly restricting students from doing so.

You might be wondering now, has Exec done anything? Where is Exec?

Heon Lee (’20), President of Exec, says that the council has “brought up the issue of club meetings with admin on multiple occasions” to petition on behalf of the student body, but have been “shut down” each time. “[Admin] told us that teachers have to attend Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings during Extended Learning, which is why they can’t be present to advise club meetings during that time,” he explains. “And on their non-PLC days, teachers host the Extended Learning sessions. It’s a simple dilemma.”

Unfortunately, hosting club meetings during EL seems to be the only viable option anyway. And this idea is very popular amongst students. From the same survey previously mentioned, 87.5% of students supported this suggestion.

87.5% of students support EL club meetings.

EL has become a subject of slight roasting amongst SAS students. Many complain of insufficient number of available spots for independent study time, and although many students (especially seniors) appreciate the extra work time, just as many view this time as an hour-long break to do as they like. And they’d like to be in club meetings. “I feel like Extended Learning can be opened up for students to do club work or anything else students need to work on–– not just seeing teachers,” Elizabeth Zeck (’21) says. If EL became a time where students could also hold meetings, this would not only solve the schedule conflicts but also become a helpful tool for attendance keeping. Club advisors can allow members to sign-up for their club meeting on PowerSchool using the same programme as Flex. Students without club meetings during that EL session can still sign up for other classes and independent study. For teachers, it also means on their non-PLC days they can either host a session for their own course or a meeting for their club.

But there is good news in the midst of all this mayhem. Exec meets with admin tomorrow lunch, and Heon has promised that they have not forgotten to voice their fellow students’ dissatisfaction. And today on September 17th, 2019, as I was writing this article in a library booth, Mr. Muldoon actually stopped by to ask me how I feel about EL and informed me that he is making a survey for students to express their feelings and provide suggestions.

Eagles, when that survey comes out... you know what to do.

Sources

[1] https://www.saschina.org/life-at-sas/clubs

Special thanks to all those who took the survey and/or provided quotes!

Annie Xie

[theechosas]

How to Get Yearbook Ready

Image source: dlpng.com

Yesterday marked the first day of yearbook photos. Unlike years before, this year, as a marketing strategy, photo day is no longer a three-second process of sit, smile, click, leave.

This year the school has prepared lights, a white backdrop, and even a “makeup room” for students to get photoshoot ready for their yearbook pictures.

Now, whether or not you're the type to stress over photos, here are a few tips on how look bomb for your yearbook photo:

1. Get a good night’s sleep before photo day.

That means if you're reading this Tuesday night, finish this article and the assignments you have due tomorrow and then sleep! It shows when you don't get a good nights rest. You'll have dark circles under your eyes, and just overall not be well-rested and in a good mood for your photos.

2. Give yourself enough time to get ready the morning of.

For girls: if you like to do your makeup, stick to a look you already know looks good— and if you're going to try something new and bold, practice it before to make sure it turns out the way you want. Regardless, know your routine and give yourself cushion time to glam up. If you're not the type to do your makeup, you might not have to provide yourself with that much time in the morning to prepare, but you still want time to comb through your hair and fix yourself up to look presentable.

For boys: wash your face and hair in the morning if you have time, to give yourself a nice fresh look. Maybe try putting some of that gel your mom bought you in your hair. Typically, there isn't much boys need to do to get ready, but still–– comb your hair, dress nicely, and eat a good breakfast so that you're in a good mood to take pictures!

3. Pick out your clothes the night before.

Regardless of your gender and whether you’re high or low maintenance, you still want to pick a presentable outfit to wear for your yearbook photo. It'll also take the stress out of choosing an outfit the morning of if you're concerned about that. When you dress nicely, you automatically feel more confident, and it'll show in your photos!

4. Know your smile

As ridiculous as it may seem, practice smiling/posing the night before or the morning of while you're getting ready in the bathroom. Most of the time, the photographer won't show you the raw photo right after you take your picture, so if you strike a lousy pose, there's nothing you’ll be able to do to make it better. To avoid this: practice beforehand! Try smiling in the mirror and see if you like it better when you smile with or without teeth. You can also practice your angles while you’re at it.

Pro-tip: I've started to like taking my yearbook photos from a 3/4th's angle. Personally, I just like how it looks and the lighting doesn't feel as harsh on my face.

5. Check yourself before you take your photo

Feel free to go to the bathroom for a quick glance at how you look. Your look might have changed since the morning, maybe you got a little oily, or your makeup isn't looking as fresh. Feel free to freshen up! Boys, fix your collar and check to see if the wind messed up your hair. And lastly, practice that smile one last time before your final photo!

So here are four tips from a 'seasoned professional' on how to take a good yearbook photo. Hopefully, they’ll come in handy when you step foot in the shoot!

Disclaimer: if you’ve already taken your photo... oops! But you can always use these tips for next year!

Lizzy Zeck

[theechosas]

Oat Milk? Oat Yes: An Ode to Oatly

As a well-known lactose intolerant coffee addict, I’ve received plenty of questioning stares from my classmates whenever I’ve got an old cup of joe in my hand. But my lattes aren’t made with milk from cows.

“You put oatmeal in your coffee?” people ask incredulously.

Nope. Oat milk. And yes, it’s delicious.

For all those curious, this is the process that creates Oatly’s oat milk. First, oats are mixed with water and ground in the miller. The mixture is then moved to tanks where enzymes are added to “break the oat starch down”. This creates maltose, which naturally sweetens the product. Next, the hard outer-casings of the oat is removed from the mixture. Canola oil and essential vitamins are added so that the milk can reach the desired “nutritional fat content and texture” [1]. To extend shelf life, the liquid is heat-treated. Then, after spending time in a sterile tank, it is packaged and shipped out [2].

Now, let’s get down to business.

Why Oats?

The nutritional value of Oatly: Barista Edition compared to Trickling Springs’s Organic Whole Milk [3].

If you’re concerned about losing the vitamins found in cow milk, fear no more: oat milk is infused with vitamins D, B, and calcium during production [4]. Additionally, Shape magazine reported that oat milk has 2 grams more fibre than any other milk (including cow milk) and less fat than other plant-based milks available on the market [5].

Unfortunately, while Oatly is vegan, gluten-free, and made with non-GMO ingredients, to place their oatmilk in a fairly reasonable price range, the drinks are not organic [1]. Still, this is a pretty solid product, in my opinion. For all of its benefits and quality, I think whether or not it’s organic matters very little to me.

For me, Oatly is my choice of milk because of two reasons (aside from the glaringly obvious fact that I’m lactose intolerant): its company’s values and their products’ taste.

The Company

Oatly was the first company in the world to ever commercialise oat milk. Founded in Sweden in 1994, their ascent to the top of the dairy alternative market has been slow. In 2016, their popularity skyrocketed. With charming pastel packaging, catchy slogans (see: “Wow! No cow!”) and personality in their presentation, Oatly’s products are designed to attract a younger audience. More specifically, the generation that is most concerned with global warming. In a Pew study it was discovered that “81% of millennials and 75% of Gen Xers say the Earth’s temperature is getting warmer compared with 69% of Baby Boomers and 63% of Silents” [6]. Given that one of the largest contributors of greenhouse emissions is the meat and dairy industry [7], it’s no surprise that people are making changes to their diets.

The eye-catching, quirky packaging of just one of many Oatly products. All of their products have a similar design with subtle variations [8].

Aside from being environmentally friendly in terms of greenhouse emissions, Oatly is also more environmentally sustainable. The Water Footprint Network reported that oats require one-sixth the amount of water almonds do to grow [9] and less herbicide than other crops due to how well it competes with weeds [10], making oat milk a greener alternative than its plant-based competitors. But here’s the even better part: all Oatly products are packaged in 100% recyclable resources, including “100% FSC-certified TetraPak paperboard” that can be “traceable to the forest where it was grown” [1]. Not bad, Oatly. Not bad at all.

The Product

Let’s be honest, you’re not here to learn about sustainability. You want a review on this milk’s taste. I’ll give you the verdict right now: Oatly is the gOAT.

Oat milk is made with more fat, which gives it a creamy texture similar to regular cow milk. This is why, when compared to almond milk, for example, oat milk feels thicker. Almond milk is simply too watery. This is also why so many coffee shops and baristas prefer to work with Oatly instead of other alternative milks. Pro tip: always get the Barista Edition Oatly if you’re planning on making your own oat milk coffee. If you’re drinking oat milk as a substitute for cow milk, you’re going to want the thicker texture that comes with the Barista Edition–– regular is just slightly thinner.

Remember the maltose you read about earlier? That’s the natural sugar found in oats, brought out by the enzymes. Aside from its thicker texture, Oatly is more enjoyable to drink because of its subtle sweetness. You may be worried about tasting oat in your milk. I’m personally a fan of oats (or at least, I have nothing against them), so I was surprised at how minimal the oat-taste was. Trust me, the taste of oat is unnoticeable unless you’re actively looking for it. Whereas other plant-based milks…

The Good, the Bad, and the Oatly

Like most things we encounter in life, Oatly does have its shortcomings.

Alternative milks do require more processing and can, in some cases, be just as harmful to the environment as the dairy industry is [11]. Fortunately, oat milk is not harmful to the environment [12]–– but it is processed. This is so that all consumers, vegan and non-vegan, can get their necessary vitamins and nutrients. If the purity of what you consume matters a lot to you but you’d still like an alternative to milk, you can make oat milk at home as well. Here’s an article on how to do so.

Oatly is also pricier than most milk on the market. A quick trip to a nearby grocery store revealed that 光明’s Ubest Whole Milk only cost 24.8 RMB for a litre compared to Oatly’s products. The price range varies from 5 USD at Target to 16 USD on Amazon for the Barista Edition–– mostly due to high demand and insufficient supply in different locations. Here in China, I get my supply on Taobao. Still, with a price of 96 RMB for two one-litre cartons, you’re paying almost twice the price of regular milk for half the quantity. And in my experience, Shanghai coffee shops can charge you anywhere from 3 to 10 RMB extra for coffee made with Oatly. Ugh.

The Verdict

Anyone who’s spent a day with me (or at least a morning, since that’s when I get my morning coffee) knows that I’m a huge Oatly fan. Their product is amazing in coffee and even alone. A bonus to their already great product is the company’s mission on transforming the milk industry into something more sustainable. Despite this, I also understand that some people just can’t get used to the taste of oat milk, or don’t have the means to drink it often. That’s completely understandable. For those who haven’t tried it or are interested though, I highly recommend you to.

It’s tOATally OATsome.

Learn more about Oatly at https://us.oatly.com/.

Sources

https://us.oatly.com/pages/faqs

https://www.oatly.com/int/our-process

left: https://tricklingspringscreamery.com/nutritional-information/ right: https://www.amazon.com/Oatly-Gluten-Free-Dairy-Free-Sugar-Free-Enriched/dp/B07D9QQFT4

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/oat-milk#nutrition

https://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-drinks/oat-milk-nutrition-dairy-free-milk

https://www.people-press.org/2018/03/01/4-race-immigration-same-sex-marriage-abortion-global-warming-gun-policy-marijuana-legalization/

https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5976-emissions-impossible-how-big-meat-and-dairy-are-heating-up-the-planet

https://thedieline.com/blog/2014/9/23/oatly

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/19/style/oat-milk-coffee-oatly.html

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/hay-production/oats-weeds-and-integrated-weed-management

https://www.thecultureist.com/2016/10/05/why-dairy-alternatives-arent-always-good-for-you-or-the-planet/

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/is-oat-milk-good-for-the-planet-we-dive-into-the-dairy-alternative

Annie Xie 

[theechosas]

Top 5 Things To Do Before Summer

Courtesy of weheartit.com

*To the tune of Phineas and Ferb Theme Song*

There’s 50 school days left of our education

Summer comes along just to end it

So the annual problem for our generation

Is finding a good way to spend it

As much as I would like to continue singing along to the Phineas and Ferb theme song, I want to mention that we only have fifty more school days. The end of another school year symbolizes a new start, motivation, and happiness. For some. the final days of their entire high school career is near. While for others, they still have one, two, or three more years to push through. Whichever grade you are in, summer is fast approaching (hurray), and you won't be seeing the SAS campus and community for two months. TWO WHOLE MONTHS. Come on; I know you still have unaccomplished goals or things to be checked off your high school bucket list whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, or even a senior. For all my seniors out there: do not leave any regrets hanging back as you look forward to your future.

Is nothing coming up to your laggy senioritis mind? Don't worry I got your back! Just for you, Echo reader, I curated a top five list of things you should do before you leave the Eagles Nest.

1. Attend a school event you usually wouldn’t.

There's a whole lot more going on in our school community than you realize. Before you leave, make sure to check out a sports game, play, or Passion which is coming to you at the end of April!

2.. Show appreciation to the teachers who meant something to you.

No matter how harsh your teacher may grade your MLA-formatted essay, these are the adults that witnessed you flourish and grow into the person you are today. If your teacher made a difference in your life, let them know. Teachers will forever cherish your genuine gratitude acknowledgement on the impact they made in your life.

3. Take a video of the school, for example, you walking from one class to the next.

Tracking these steps may be tedious right now, but someday, when high school is just a memory, being able to rewatch the routine you lived in may pleasantly surprise you.

4. Make a time capsule.

Although tempting, don’t throw away everything you painstakingly worked on the whole night!

These are perfect tokens of high school memories, stash it in a box and write "Don't Open Until..."

5. Prepare something to write in yearbooks.

By the end of the year, you will be signing many yearbooks. It's not a bad idea to start thinking of something meaningful to write. You may think that a simple commentary may be a convenient approach, but we have all had that moment where you would mentally roll your eyes as someone scrawled across your yearbook with a sharpie, only to write the comment “HAGS!" It does not have to be an essay, just something that the person receiving the comment will appreciate.

Bonus Round!

6. Be proud of yourself.

Nevertheless of your experience in school this year, you finished another year. High school is tough, whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, or a senior. I want you to pat yourself in the back for pushing through your school journey. You did it. You made it despite going through the stress of cramming for tests, all nighters, or school drama. And you still have a big smile on your face. There are 104 days of summer vacation. Let’s make every day the best.

Olivia Hwang 

[theechosas]

Issue Overview: College Admissions

Courtesy of Michael Stillwell / Getty Images

 $500,000.    That’s the amount Lori Loughlin and her Mossimo Giannulli allegedly paid to USC to have their two daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, designated as recruits to ensure admission into the university.    $50,000.    That’s the amount Jane Buckingham used to bribe a proctor to take the ACT on behalf of her son.    Recently, when federal prosecutors filed a class action lawsuit against 45 individual defendants who each face the accusation of cheating their way into admission at USC through bribery and other monetary crimes. Allegedly, some parents paid up to $6.5 million to guarantee college admission, with William “Rick” Singer as the ultimate mastermind behind the scandal. He ran two organizations related to the scheme— one was a for-profit college advising business, primarily known as The Key Worldwide, and a non-profit named The Key Worldwide foundation, created to disguise payments for Singer’s illegal services.    Yale University, Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA, and USC are all names associated with the case. While Loughlin and Giannulli posted 1 million bails each, the issue it reveals is far from resolved. Although this is one of the harshest reminders of America’s broken higher education system, this is not the first one. Last year, there was a lawsuit against Harvard University for racial bias against Asian-Americans. Harvard University insists that its admissions process does not discriminate against any group, calling the case “politically motivated”.    Racial bias is a heavily debated topic within the realm of the issue— while some believe that the system is against minorities, others think that policies like Affirmative Action provide those groups an unfair advantage. However, opponents of Affirmative Action often fail to realize an unfortunate reality; educational outcomes for non-Asian minority children are often hindered by unequal access to vital educational assets. In simple terms, this educational inequality extends beyond the college admission process, but rather is a reflection of the flaws of an entire educational system. Two-thirds of minority students still attend schools that are predominantly minority, and schools that serve more students of color had significantly fewer resources (qualified teachers, curriculum, etc.) than the mostly white schools. Mainly minority schools are usually twice as large as predominantly white schools, and class sizes are 15% larger overall.    Another issue that plagues the higher education system is the idea of “legacy admissions”. For example, “legacy students” account for an estimated 14% of Harvard’s undergraduate population. Harvard applicants who have alumni connections have a 34% acceptance rate, while non-legacy applicants have under 6% chance of acceptance. A national survey conducted in 2018 also found that nearly half of private higher education institutions in the United States consider legacy status in the application process.    On the other hand, students, especially Asians, face a more intangible obstacle during the college admissions process. The process incentivizes students to distort their identities in the hope of fitting into a profile that would be the most appealing to people reviewing their application. For example, Asian students might opt not to write about violin playing due to the racial stereotypes surrounding the instrument, which is prevalent in our SAS community, as students mold themselves to fit a particular college’s requirements rather than finding a college that best suits them.    Nevertheless, the new lieu of college admissions scandals shed light on an issue that’s broken on so many levels that it’s easy to overlook its complexity. Constructive conversation and reform need to be implemented with a sense of urgency before the inequality gap becomes insurmountable.

Alice Qin

Sources:

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unequal-opportunity-race-and-education/ https://www.theroot.com/separate-and-unequal-the-real-education-scandal-is-ame-1833273732 https://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/2018-surveys-admissions-leaders-pressure-grows https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/03/college-admissions-scandal-fbi-targets-wealthy-parents/584695/ https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/college-admissions-scandal-fallout-lori-loughlin-felicity-huffman-varsity-blues-1203164842/

[theechosas]

Operation Varsity Blues: The Facts and Our Thoughts

Going to university has become an unspoken rule to success in the 21st century, with institutional favoritism for anyone who has a university degree, better yet a PhD. From job applications to promotions, all aspects of society point to a university degree. The race to an elite university is ever more prevalent; students are cramming their extracurriculars, standardized tests, and parents bribe admission officers. Operation Varsity Blues is a new high society conspiracy which used monetary means to bribe their children into top universities, ranging from Georgetown to Yale, which raises questions on the wealthy’s power as well as the increasing pressure toward college admissions.

                                     Stanford University Campus (Courtesy of Standford University)

As of now, 50 people have been charged for taking part in a chain of corruption that landed multiple students into top universities - including Yale, Stanford, and Georgetown - purely through the power of their parents’ wallets. The FBI investigation, known as “Operation Varsity Blues”, has resulted in the indictment of multiple high-profile celebrities and business leaders, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, designer Mossimo Giannulli, and TPG partner William E. Glashan Jr. The indicted were accused of using astonishing means to land their children into college, such as paying test proctors to help their children cheat and bribing coaches to forge athletic credentials for sports their children do not play. The numbers are startling: the parents paid tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of dollars as part of their scheme.

                        Felicity Huffman (left) and Lori Loughlin (right) (Courtesy of The Wrap)

This scheme brought the elite’s long-hidden power to light, using monetary payoffs as a way to get into the best of the best colleges. The way the gentry cheated the system sheds light on the classism lower class families experience. Students from lower class backgrounds were denied opportunities to get into selective colleges– even though they have put in hard work– just because the rich can bribe their way inside. The corruption of the process shows the problems of wealthy privileges, the idea that having money makes you better or more important than others. The organization they donated to was registered as a non-profit, therefore cutting taxes of the rich who “donated” to this organization.

The response to the investigation has been swift and widespread outrage across the United States, and even the globe. Closer to home, it’s been a major talking point in the SAS hallways, and for a good reason. We are all, or will soon be, college applicants ourselves. Who knows, some of us may apply to the very schools involved in the Varsity Blues investigation. Realizing the scale of corruption that takes place makes us cast doubt on the college admissions system; knowing that our spot in a prestigious college could be unjustly taken by someone else with bigger pockets is infuriating. Only one thing is sure: change must take place in American higher education, or the very students that it relies on completely will lose their faith in the system.

Lydia Ying and Brandon Zhang

[theechosas]

Movie Review: Captain Marvel

Courtesy of IMDB 

Set in the 1990’s, Marvel Studios’ new movie “Captain Marvel” is a whole new ride for Marvel fans all over the world. Captain Marvel is the first Marvel movie which features a female as the main hero of the movie “Carol Denvers” or Captain Marvel, played by actor Brie Larson, who also featured in films such as, “Room” and “Kong: Skull Island.” Captain Marvel is a must-see for any Marvel fan, as once again Marvel Studios has proven to be the superior superhero studios, as opposed to DC universe studios.

Before its release date Captain Marvels’ trailers did not live up to the hype of other Marvel movies, due to the lack of charisma of Brie Larson and it just felt underwhelming, but surprisingly enough the movie was better than expected. One major criticism Captain Marvel trailers faced was that the actress, Brie Larson, showed little to no energy and presented herself as a boring character. However, Brie Larson’s performance proved such criticism wrong; her performance filled with positive energy and humor. Additionally, Brie Larson played an amazing role as a powerful female superhero that many Marvel fans have long waited for. Brie Larson’s performance is reminiscent of the dominant performance of Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman, which leaves many wondering what happened to the trailers? Why were they made in such way that opens the character up to all sorts of criticism, given that this is the first Marvel movie featuring a female superhero?

One of Marvels’ most prominent elements in their movies, is the use of comedic relief that leaves the audience engaged at all times. Unlike past Marvel movies, Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson), is a fun character that apart from serving a main role in the movie, also serves as comedic relief. In the movie, Nick Fury seems to have a passionate love for cats; some would even say that this passion for cats is eye threatening, as it’s the cause for why Nick Fury doesn’t have one eye. Nonetheless, Captain Marvel does not stray away from Marvel’s comedic signature and meanwhile lives up to expectations.

Marvel Studios is known best for their incredible visual effects that always leave viewers in awe. Captain Marvel is yet again a fantastic movie with incredible visual effects. If you are a Marvel Studios fan who enjoys the visual effects, “Captain Marvel” is a must watch. The movie is full of stunning visual effects that portray a galaxy filled with technological advancements. Although Captain Marvel doesn’t have the best visual effects that Marvel Studios has produced, it is definitely amongst movies such as “Thor Ragnarok” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, because of its visual effects and movie plot.

Finally, Captain Marvel does tap into the feminist movement happening all over the world. Although it doesn’t specifically mention the feminist movement, you can see how Marvel Studios was trying to portray a strong female character, above any social bounders that women face these days. Marvel did an excellent job by casting Brie Larson, as Captain Marvel: a powerful female superhero, who you would not want to mess with. Although at times the movie seemed to focus excessively on the feminist movement, it left an empowering message which is a reason why everyone in modern day society should watch the film.

Although Captain Marvel is a must watch Marvel movie, we can’t deny the fact that most people wanted to watch the film because of the beloved Stan Lee cameo. Unfortunately, due to him passing away recently, Stan Lee's cameos are numbered; However, his memory will live on forever.  Another signature Marvel movie feature is the post-credits scenes, which provided a glimpse of what might happen in the upcoming final Avengers film, Avengers: Endgame.

All in all, Captain Marvel is a joyful ride that leaves an important message behind with its viewers, a reason why we should all watch the movie whether we like Marvel or not. As a Marvel comedy, it is fun. As a feminist fable, it’s essential. Once Captain Marvel takes off, there's nothing that will stand in her way.

Andrey Lopez Nagle and Justin Zheng