![Lydia Cocciolone and a few of her close friends wanted to do something spontaneous one night after the first big snow. The night began with some light sledding in Hunt Park, but they quickly wanted to do more. They decided to see what downtown Ann Arbor was like in the middle of winter.
“We decided it would be super fun to go downtown and roll around in the dirty city snow for some reason,” Cocciolone said.
Cocciolone didn’t expect her night to end up this way but was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining downtown Ann Arbor was at night. She also discovered the perfect photo opportunity.
“[The photo] reminds me of how much of a good time we were having,” Cocciolone said. “I’d never played on a dirty snowbank before and I would say that it’s an 8.5/10 experience.”
Cocciolone enjoys looking back on this photo because of how much joy it brings her to see herself and friends throwing snowballs and watching the cars roll by. The photo reminds her of the many reasons she enjoys winter.
Post by Ivy Prochaska
Photo courtesy of Lydia Cocciolone](https://chscommunicator.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
Lydia Cocciolone and a few of her close friends wanted to do something spontaneous one night after the first big snow. The night began with some light sledding in Hunt Park, but they quickly wanted to do more. They decided to see what downtown Ann Arbor was like in the middle of winter.
“We decided it would be super fun to go downtown and roll around in the dirty city snow for some reason,” Cocciolone said.
Cocciolone didn’t expect her night to end up this way but was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining downtown Ann Arbor was at night. She also discovered the perfect photo opportunity.
“[The photo] reminds me of how much of a good time we were having,” Cocciolone said. “I’d never played on a dirty snowbank before and I would say that it’s an 8.5/10 experience.”
Cocciolone enjoys looking back on this photo because of how much joy it brings her to see herself and friends throwing snowballs and watching the cars roll by. The photo reminds her of the many reasons she enjoys winter.
Post by Ivy Prochaska
Photo courtesy of Lydia Cocciolone
Mirabel Madrigal lives in a magical house, filled with magical people. Each member of her family has a unique gift, whether it’s the ability to talk to animals or super strength, given to them by the family miracle… that is, every member except Mirabel. Though she has no gift, when Mirabel finds a prophecy detailing the miracle’s grim fate, she vows to solve the mystery and save her family, powers or not.
In Disney’s newest movie, “Encanto”, Mirabel and her family populate a world of vibrant, intricate animation. Everything from Mirabel’s swirling embroidered skirt to the flowers that bloom at her sister Isabela’s will is rendered in captivating detail: the visuals of the film are nothing short of enrapturing, even without the plot layered on top.
The standout piece, though, is the film’s music. The movie’s soundtrack album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for good reason. The songs highlight the story’s Colombian setting, using rhythms from bachata and salsa, and are accompanied by beautifully detailed dance sequences: but more than that, they’re incredibly, unforgettably, catchy. “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” where each of the Madrigals gossip in turn about an estranged (and, of course, plot-relevant!) uncle, shines in particular. The lyrics will never leave your head.
“Encanto”, in the end, represents the very best of Disney’s art, music, and magic. If you’re looking for a movie to watch with family, or a movie to admire as a piece of art, or any movie at all, “Encanto” is one to keep in mind.
“Encanto” is now in theaters and available by subscription on Disney+.
Post by Rita Ionides
This week's #CommunicatorEats features vegan chocolate peppermint crinkle cookies. These delicious cookies are crispy on the outside and fudgy in the middle, with the mint flavor adding to the chocolate and making them taste even better than their non-minty counterparts. This recipe from My Darling Vegan is the perfect dessert to end any meal!
Check the link in our bio for the recipe!
Post and photo by Laurel Peterson
Happy #FashionFriday! This week features senior Julia Kirschenmann. Her favorite part of her outfit is her flowery pants, which she didn’t like at first but now loves them. She also wears a green top, brown shoes, and gold jewelry. ⠀
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As her style has evolved, Kirschenmann has tried to shop more secondhand.⠀
“I think it has improved my wardrobe,” she said. “Because I can go in with not one idea and still come out with something that I will wear for years to come.”⠀
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Kirschenmann has been thinking more about fashion. ⠀
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“I think for me, fashion is not so much a representation of who I am,” she said. “I’d say it’s more of what my mood is because when I’m more energized, when I’m more motivated, I put together cleaner outfits and I plan them. When I’m tired, when I’m unmotivated, it’s just not as thought through.”⠀
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Photos by Abbi Bachman and Morgan McClease ⠀
IGTV by Morgan McClease⠀
Post by Abbi Bachman
Matt Johnson is making a big change: beginning second semester of this school year, Johnson will be leaving Community High School (CHS) after nearly eight years.
“This was a super, super difficult decision and a very sudden one,” Johnson said. “I’m excited for being able to have some new challenges and have a big impact in some way, but there is always a part of me that will be missing room 306.”
Johnson was offered a position at Pioneer High School (PHS) that gives him the ability to help redesign the 30-year-old curriculum in addition to teaching ninth-grade English and some academic support classes. His years at CHS have changed so many students for the better, and the work he has done as a teacher is well-worth celebrating.
“I’m going to miss it terribly here,” Johnson said. “I have amazing colleagues, incredible students and the best forum in the game. There are few places in this world that are like CHS.”
He looks forward to this new opportunity, but the rapid decision-making process and quick turnaround of the job has made it especially challenging to say goodbye.
Read our full interview transcription at chscommunicator.com.
Post by Felicity Rosa-Davies
Photos by Felicity Rosa-Davies and Ella Rosewarne
Today’s guess was English teacher Matt Johnson! Lately, Johnson has enjoyed experimenting with unique flavors of his own homemade ice cream.
“The most recent [flavors] were an eggnog ice cream, a strawberry jam ice cream, a chestnut ice cream and a sweet potato and roasted pecan ice cream,” Johnson said.
Johnson first took an interest in making unconventional ice cream when a cookbook came on the shelves from his and his wife’s favorite ice cream shop in Portland, Oregon. Johnson bought the book immediately, sparked by his lifelong love of creating food.
“Cooking is sort of meditative for me,” Johnson said. “I think the products of what I do with teaching or writing are more intangible. [With food], the product is right there, and you can eat it and share it.”
Post by Felicity Rosa-Davies
Photos courtesy of Matt Johnson
This person is a CHS teacher. They lead a forum—guess who this is in the comments below!
Post by Felicity Rosa-Davies
Monday, Jan. 10 will be a virtual day district-wide. Most AAPS schools will return to in-person learning on Tuesday, Jan. 11. This decision was based off of the results for the 1,000 covid-19 tests administered to faculty and staff yesterday.
Ann Arbor Open and Bach Elementary are the exceptions to an in-person return due to a high volume of staff covid cases. They will remain virtual until Tuesday, Jan. 18.
“We are in a dramatically improved situation from a year ago, having implemented and refined many tools to reduce the risk of transmission, including high vaccination rates, universal masking, improved ventilation and implementation of our AAPS ‘Super Six’ school mitigation strategies,” Superintendent Jeanice Swift said in an email shared this evening. “Our AAPS school plan featuring many layers of protection against transmission of COVID is the best way to keep our students and staff learning together in school.”
Swift notes that there may be transportation routes that are suspended due to illness in all staff, and many operations to make this return could be modified or changed.
Check your AAPS emails for more information.
Post by Sam Cao
On Jan. 5, the Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) held a “Community Information Session” and released updates regarding Covid-19’s impact on the school district.⠀
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Superintendent Jeanice Swift explained the cases among staff are increasing more than ever before. Nurses are working to confirm with each staff member the exact number of days of isolation required and determine their earliest returning dates. ⠀
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“We understand from our experience over this previous week, and from public health experts, that the significant uptick in the number of coven cases is represented in the surge we've seen these previous days,” Swift said. “This is unlike anything we've seen previously during the pandemic. We understand that this is likely to extend a few weeks through January.”⠀
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Although in-person learning is important for AAPS administrators, health and safety are the top priorities. In case of immediate in-person learning shutdowns, virtual learning is available for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year. ⠀
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Community High School, Huron High School and Pioneer High School will soon be taking final exams; the AAPS staff is communicating with students about the expectations of completing the first semester and preparing them for the Jan. 18 exam week. Information will be announced if changes are necessary. ⠀
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The overall goal of the administration is to get the district fully in person; there are over 3,000 team members working to help successfully operate this school year. ⠀
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Click the link in our bio to read more.⠀
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Post by Reagan Masek
On March 13th, 2020, I was fourteen years old. I had arrived at Clague Middle School in my usual outfit, a large University of Michigan sweatshirt with gray sweatpants; an outfit that could very well pass as a pair of pajamas. An outfit I had probably worn as pajamas. Choir was my second hour, an atrocious and simultaneously great way to start the morning....
On March 13, 2020, I was 14 years old. I walked into Community with the next four years on my mind. It sounded like a lifetime. I thought of all I could do in four years, and promised myself not to let...
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Non-fungible tokens, better known as NFTs, have had a recent spike in popularity during the past year, with rates of buyers and sellers increasing tremendously. With the popular cryptocurrency known as “Ethereum” adding NFTs to their blockchain, the token really started to see a true rise in the financial market. Ethereum counts for nearly 97% of...
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Eastern Michigan University (EMU), through a partnership with Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County (JFSWC), will house up to a dozen Afghan refugee families on its campus for the next several months,...
On Wednesday, Nov 16th, Courtney Kiley, teacher at Community High School, drove two hours to Wolf Lake Hatchery in Mattawan, Michigan, to pick up 150 eyed Chinook salmon eggs. Kiley has a 70 gallon tank...
On transitioning: “Over the pandemic I didn't do anything because I was too stressed out and nothing was open. But now back in person, it's...
“In the beginning of August, it was my dad's birthday. He's not a man who likes physical gifts. He prefers - and he really loves - music. My...
“It seems like there's kind of two freshmen classes because. Usually I would know three quarters of the school but now I only recognize half....
“It’s very nice [working on a farm]. They give you little tasks. Well, not always little, but it’s not one thing that you are doing all...
Arcane, a new animated Netflix series, has a large world filled with exciting characters you either love to root for or despise, a simple yet, layered tale and extremely stunning and pioneering animation with a distinct visual style. Though the "video game adaptation curse" was already beginning to crack, this League of Legends adaptation puts the final...
On Dec. 24th, 2021, Netflix released “Don’t Look Up” in a comical yet painfully accurate parallel to climate change ruining our planet. This two and half hour movie features the effects of politics,...
The first season of “Big Mouth” came out on Netflix in September 2018. The animated series follows the lives of teens as they explore their identities, culture and relationships with themselves and...
The drama television series “Better Call Saul” — a prequel and spin-off to the critically acclaimed crime-drama “Breaking Bad” — brilliantly portrays the downfall of Jimmy McGill, a down-on-his-luck...
Three incredibly different mothers all struggle with having a rocky relationship with their daughters. The book "Call Your Daughter Home" by Deb Spera is a powerful story that dives into the lives of three...
