THE CARROLL CHRONICLe

Bishop Carroll Symposium

Winter Issue Highlights
Health & Wellness
-The New Normal

Carroll Corner

-Their Time to Shine

Filmography
-Web Series
-Star Wars

Crime Solver

For many years, mental health in
schools has been kept quiet. In fact it has
been kept so quiet that there never has been
any effort to bring it out into the public. But
thats not the case anymore. Now more than
ever, people have been calling out stigmas
associated with mental health through
media and many individuals in high school
can seek professional help in a school
environment. At Bishop Carroll Im proud to
say that we handle stigma and mental health
exceptionally well. So well, that the Mental
Health and Wellness Committee is putting
on a mental health symposium to spread
their knowledge of stigma busters and ways
to cope with mental health. Im very proud
to say that Ive been giving the opportunity
to be a part of it all.

On February 23rd, Bishop Carroll

will be holding a symposium in the cafeteria
to get the word out about mental health.
The Mental Health and Wellness club will
be having speakers come in from all types
of backgrounds! There will be fun activities
to participate in as well as performances
by Sassy Jazz. Its a great way to learn more
about something that affects so many people.
Not to mention, if you attend this lovely and
informative symposium youll get to hear
me speak about a really cool project that
the mental health team has been working
on! So why wouldnt you come? Besides
all the awesome speakers we will have, this
symposium will really make a difference and
help the school raise more awareness for
mental health.

Winter Issue, 2016

THE CARROLL CHRONICLE

H ealth an d W ellness
The mental health and wellness
The New Normal: Do We Worry
team has been working on this symposium
Too Much?
since the start of the year and we have put
so much effort into bringing this to our
school. Not only does this symposium set
us apart from other schools, it is also a very
important event for the members of this
club. Julia Caddy, one of the co-presidents
of the club says this about the importance of
the symposium and the realities of mental
illnesses;

While stigma towards mental illness exists,

it feels like Im forced to live in two different
worlds. People around me do care, but reality
is, they just dont have the knowledge to
know whats going on and how to be there
for me. School doesnt teach us what it means
to be clinically depressed. School doesnt
teach us what not to say to someone whos
anorexic. The truth is, 100% of people have
mental health issues and its about time we
learn how to handle it.
So look out for some sort of
announcement which will let you know when
the sign-up sheet will be posted. We will only
take the first hundred students so be there or
be square! Also, if youre like me and havent
started CALM yet, we are working on getting
this symposium to replace one of the units.
Hope to see you all there!
-Izzy Zenglitzky

Winter Issue, 2016

THE CARROLL CHRONICLE

H ealth an d W ellness

just makes you wonder why more people

arent being diagnosed with attention seeking
personality disorders. Dont we all have that?

Why are you always so happy?

Not a question you hear every day.
Most mental illnesses, including depression,
are more common than ever and experts
are desperately trying to identify the cause.
Depression is 10 times more common in
people born since 1945 compared to people
born before 1945. From desensitization of the
subject of depression to a chemical imbalance
to over diagnosis; depression isnt only a
mental illness but a psychological epidemic,
taking North America by storm.
First of all, desensitization to the
subject of mental health is only contributing to
the skyrocketing amount of diagnoses. Youth
today are bombarded with campaigns to raise
awareness regarding mental health. While
these campaigns are founded with the best of
intentions, they may be normalising a serious
issue. With the media often capitalizing on
suicide, homicide, or school-place assaults,
we find television- which has been a primary
escape for many sufferers- now rife with
stories of depression. The amount of anxiety
and depression in our society is not just
staggering, but overwhelming. How is it that
as a society we can deem abnormal, the new
normal? As if daily stress isnt enough, now
people have to worry about expressing their
anxiety, for fear of being taken to various
psychiatrists. However, the other end of
the spectrum is no more consoling; with
people claiming disorders as a way out of
the daily stress of life. With the amount of
death and sorrow present in almost all forms
of entertainment, is it really a wonder that
very little has an effect on people? Everyone
wants to feel unique; to be different, which

Aside from desensitization, for over

three decades, scientists have attributed a
chemical imbalance in the brain as the source
of major depression. In our consumerbased culture this is a plausible contributing
factor. In modern society, people today are
surrounded by an overcrowded environment,
electronic devices, processed foods and other
convenient sources of entertainment and
stimulation. This overstimulation of the brain
can result in our mind becoming resistant to
serotonin, resulting in depression. Dopamine
(a chemical in the brain associated with
feelings of excitement and anticipation) can
become less effective through dedicated
use of videogames, porn, political news,
gambling or any other of the too common
addictions that are present in so many lives.
All of these artificial inducements can reduce
our sensitivity, and result in depression,
among other negative effects.
Finally, lines are being drawn in
the world of psychiatry between those
who attribute the surge in mental health
diagnoses to under-diagnosis in the past
versus those who believe that over diagnosis
in the present is to blame. A growing group
of psychiatrists, psychologists and clinical
social workers from around the world argue
that depression and other normal responses
to lifes toughest challenges are too often
labeled as disorders. The Diagnostic and

Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM),

often referred to as the bible of psychiatry
and psychology, now predicts that over half of
Americans will experience a mental disorder
in their lifetime. From the original DSM-I,
which listed 106 diagnosed mental disorders,
to the DSM- 5, which lists over 300 maladies
(including voyeuristic disorder and delayed
ejaculation) the list of what constitutes a
mental illness is continually expanding.
Everyone feels down sometimes, and that
doesnt mean theyre mentally ill, it means
theyre human. The overdiagnosis of mental
illnesses is not doing anyone any favours;
instead of teaching people how to healthily
deal with their emotions, were shoving pills
down their throat and stamping them with
a diagnosable excuse. Its no wonder that
dependent personality disorder is now also
included in the DSM.
In a society diagnosing people right and
left with mental disorders, its enough to make
you wonder if were on the right page. Arent
we all just a bunch of sad, misunderstood,
stressed-out, attention seekers? If so, then
its not a matter of whats wrong with us, as
whats wrong with our society. One cant
keep labeling people without stepping back
to consider that if people are becoming more
depressed, as is evident, we should be figuring
out why and what we can do to solve this
crisis. Its not their fault, but all of ours, and its
time we started taking responsibility.
-Veronica Leonard
Sources:
http://www.basicgrowth.com/finding-your-purpose/
http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/dlp/depression-information/
major-depression-facts/
http://jdmoyer.com/2011/11/28/overstimulation-and-desensitization-how-civilization-affects-your-brain/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/17/dsm-5-unveiledchanges-disorders-_n_3290212.html
http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/depression-faq/is-depression-caused-by-chemical-imbalance/

Winter Issue, 2016

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C arroll corner

Their Time to Shine

When a person is faced with a difficult
situation, they may

Person is an indeterminate pronoun

(having roughly the same meaning as
one), and they is also an indeterminate
pronoun. Therefore, you would think that
this would be considered a well-constructed,
grammatically correct phrase. However,
use a few sentences similar to this one
on an essay and you will most likely find
yourself with a Proficient or Satisfactory in
the Matters of Correctness column of your
rubric. In formal and professional writing,
they will not be accepted as a singular,
gender-neutral pronoun. Technically, this
pronoun can only be used in accordance
with a plural subject: people, trees, dogs,
or any other sort of group. However, since
the beginning of written history, people
have been using they as a way to identify
a singular subject, regardless of gender. In
fact, the first controversy of the usage of
they appeared in the 1400s, and has been a
common topic of debate ever since.
Truth be told, the English language does not
have any sort of singular, gender-neutral
pronoun. Most commonly used, when

referring to a person or people of unspecified

gender, is he or in some cases he or she.
For example, One (singular) should assume
responsibility for his or her (singular) actions.
The usage of both male and female singular
pronouns is extremely wordy, which is why it
is hardly ever used in commonplace speech.
For this reason, their may be used in order
to simplify and shorten a sentence. Moreover,
they can be used when the antecedent [in
most cases, usually an indeterminate pronoun
such as people or everybody] includes or
implies both genders. (from Baskervill, An
English Grammar) The usage of they is
more modern and inclusive than the classical
all-encompassing usage of he.

Written pieces containing the singular
pronoun usage of they include several
versions of the Christian Bible, works by
Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, Lewis
Carroll, and the majority of current novels and
poems in circulation. The usage of they in
informal writing is constantly growing.
Tis meet that some more audience than
a mother, since nature makes them partial,
should oerhear the speech. Shakespeare,
Hamlet (1599)

So how is they being used today?
Many gender fluid and agender individuals
(to name a few) have adopted they as a more
flexible pronoun alternative to he or she.
Furthermore, it has been widely accepted as an
indeterminate singular pronoun in informal
circumstances (such as common speech,
novels, poetry, and even some magazine and
news writing). All the same, when writing
essays and business letters, it is in your best
interest to consistently use technically correct
singular pronouns, such as his or her, when
dealing with singular antecedents like one or
a person.
-Maddy Edwards

Winter Issue, 2016

THE CARROLL CHRONICLE

F ilmography

The Age of the Web Series

What video hosting site boasts more than
120,000, 000 videos? This site first appeared
online in the spring of 2005 (what did people
even do online before then?) and now hosts
more than 1 billion users, and more than
80% of those users are located outside of
the U.S. With roughly 300 hours of video
content (roughly 200,000 videos) being
uploaded every minute, youre probably
spending more time skipping through
mediocre content than enjoying the real
gems of YouTube. In this jungle of videos,
web series are to YouTube what original
shows are to Netflix. Episodes range from
2-15 minutes and seasons are anywhere
between 8 and 30 episodes. Another plus of
YouTube is that viewing a series is completely
free. Binge-watching on YouTube is so
efficient that its basically encouraged; so sit
back, close BuzzFeed for a minute, and try
out any of the following web series.
-Awkward Black Girl: a painfully
realistic (and hilarious) look into the
everyday life of a seriously awkward
girl. This web series navigates every
uncomfortable situation a young adult could
ever be fall into: first relationships, oblivious
coworkers, job interviews, making new
friends, and other interactions in the world
of adults. Best of all: there are already two
whole seasons, and a third is on the way.

-Video Game High School (VGHS): a

high school that focuses solely on educating
young people in video game lore- who
wouldnt want to go? This action/comedy
includes the very real situations every high
school student faces, plus the virtual struggles
every gamer goes through. With less than ten
episodes in each of its three seasons, VGHS is
a great weekend-watch.
-Carmilla: university provides
everybody with a unique experienceespecially when your new roommate is a
vampire. This web series is fast-paced and
funny, with plot twists that will leave you
breathless. This Canadian series already
has 86 episodes uploaded and has won
several AfterEllen Visibility awards for its
extraordinary cast and exceptional portrayal of
LGBTQA+ characters.
-Green Gables Fables (GGF): a web
series based off of Canadian author L.M.
Montgomerys Anne of Green Gables novels,
GGF follows a teenage Anne Shirley as she
completes her senior year of high school and
begins university. Viewers will find something
to relate to in every episode as the characters
in the series face the hardships of growing up
and moving on in life.
- Maddy Edwards
5

F ilmography

Star Wars: The Force

Awakens, A Review

This December, a new chapter was added

to the Star Wars Series. The Force Awakens
became an enormous hit as soon as it
entered theaters raking up $1 billion globally
in the first 12 days. With all the hype the
world again turned its eyes to the Star Wars
community, but what was the movie actually
like? When I went to view the movie it was
with a sense of excited anticipation. As I
am a child of the 2000s I had never actually
seen Star Wars in the theater, despite being

a massive fan. As the movie started and the

classic opening scroll began, it truly hit me;
I was finally seeing the seventh Star Wars.
After enjoying the fantastic CGI and new
characters, I began to analyze the plot and
take a closer look at what made the movie.
Though the film was phenomenal, I found
one major flaw, the story was extremely
similar to the original Star Wars. Though
there were marked differences, and I
wont spoil anything, the basic arch was
extraordinarily similar to A New Hope.
Because of this similarity, the surprises were
predictable and not entirely surprising.

Though the plot was unsurprising
in many ways, the characters were new and
quite interesting. Of course you have the new
Sith- the infamous Kylo Ren, the latest Jedi to
be, and the unremarkable friend. The minor
characters you learn about in the movie
are an unbelievably skilled pilot and his
droid BB-8. Joining the new cast are many
old faces including but not limited to Han
Solo and Princess Leia. All these characters
are brought together on the intergalactic
battlefield of a Galaxy far, far away, full of
futuristic tech and gadgets. Though the
characters were completely new in most
respects, the development was for the most
part, archetypal at this point in the story
the characters are fairly undeveloped and
the actors are new. In the upcoming sequels
hopefully the plot will become more unique
and the characters will grow into the big
shoes theyre trying to fill.
-Bryana Fraser

THE CARROLL CHRONICLE

C R ime solver

How to play: read the short story and try to

answer any of the questions at the end of the
story. Then verify your answer with the one
at the very bottom of the story.

was where Pete had us stand, explained the

captain of the squad.
Where did Pete tell them to stand?

Case 07 Shoot
Pirate Pete had been captured by a Spanish
general and sentenced to death by his 50man firing squad.
Pete cringed, as he knew their reputation for
being the worst firing squad in the Spanish
military. They were such bad shots that
they would often all miss their targets and
simply maim their victims, leaving them to
bleed to death, as the generals tradition was
to only allow one shot per man to save on
ammunition. The thought of a slow painful
death made Pete beg for mercy.
Very well, I have some compassion. You
may choose where the men stand when they
shoot you and I will add 50 extra men to
the squad to ensure someone will at least hit
you. Perhaps if they stand closer they will kill
you quicker, if youre lucky, snickered the
general. Oh, and just so you dont get any
funny ideas, they cant stand more than 20 ft
away, they must be facing you, and you must
remain tied to the post in the middle of the
yard. And to show Im not totally heartless,
if you arent dead by sundown Ill release
you so you can die peacefully outside the
compound. I must go now but will return
tomorrow and see to it that you are buried
in a nice spot, though with 100 men, I doubt
there will be much left of you to bury.
After giving his instructions the general left.
Upon his return the next day, he found that
Pete had been set free alive and well. How
could this be? demanded the general. It

Answer:

THE CARROLL CHRONICLE

Winter Issue, 2016

Pete told them to form a circle around him. All

the squad was facing in at Pete, ready to shoot,
when they realized that everyone who missed
would likely end up shooting another squad
member. So no one dared to fire, knowing the
risk. Thus at sundown he was released.

Winter Issue, 2016

Case 08 Typing riddles

Detective Larson gazed around the cluttered
dingy apartment. The aging famous columnist
Max Worthington had been fatally stabbed.
His agent, Roger, had called the police when
Max failed to submit his column to the
newspaper.
Maxs body was draped over his manual
typewriter. The detective glanced at the
paper in the typewriter. It appeared to be the
writers column. The victims head rested on
the keyboard and had apparently hit random
keys causing the last line of the article to
be followed by 49t34 w5qgg3e j3. The
detective was surprised to see that Max had
used a typewriter rather than a computer.
Roger, Maxs agent, explained that Max
found it therapeutic to pound the keys on his
typewriter, and despised computers.
Out of a list of acquaintances provided by
Maxs agent, the detective questioned the
following people.
7

Winter Issue, 2016

Winter Issue, 2016

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C rime solver

The first was found in a drawing room.

The second was found in an art room.
The third was in a bedroom.
The fourth in an ice-cream room.
The fifth at the desk room.
All of the notes read the same thing, The
clues are where you find the notes. Still ,
nothing was found anywhere.
Hermes Polistos paused for a moment and
then arrested the killer. Who was the killer ?

After a brief investigation an arrest was made.

The detective arrested Roger, the agent. After looking at the paper in the typewriter, the
detective realized that the last line on the news
column contained the phrase Roger stabbed
me. (49t34 w5qgg3e j3) Max had managed to
type the message after being stabbed, but his
fingers were positioned one line too high on
the keyboard, when he typed his final message.

Jillian was Maxs current girlfriend. She

definitely was a looker and by all appearances
was extremely high maintenance. She was
also the spring in this May/December
romance. Although crying, she was
devastatingly attractive in her designer dress.
She had a Gucci bag, wore emerald and
diamond jewelry and on her wrist a new
Rolex. The detective suspected her grief was
for the loss of her gravy train and not for
the deceased.

Who did the detective arrest?

Maxs brother, Gerald, had been dating

Marisa when Max had stolen her away.
Gerald still held a grudge and blatantly told
the detective that he was glad his brother

A lady named Monica was found shot and

Hercule already had a list of suspects : Rooney,
Torres , Dabid , Messi , Ronaldo. The killer,
however, is a fan of Hermes and challenged

Answer:

Case 09 Notes
Detective Hermes Polistos reviewed the
information they had on the case so far.

Answer:

was dead and good riddance. He hinted that

he might try to win Marisa back, now that his
brother was dead.

Dabid is the killer: drawing

room(D) , art room(a) , bed room
(b) , ice-cream room (i) , desk
room (d)

Marisa had been separated from Max for the

last year and a half. Although initially the
split had been amicable, lately things had
gotten nasty about the latest division of their
assets. Max was willing to give Marisa the
mansion and a generous lump sum payment,
but wanted to draw the line at the excessive
alimony being demanded by Marisas lawyer.
Marisa was living in the mansion and had
a generous prenuptial settlement and an
extremely attractive new boyfriend.

Case 10 Letters and Numbers

Detective Ixolite of the NYPD was
investigating a murder in Chicago.
It was a difficult case, and Ixolite was
completely stumped until he noticed a
message sent to him by the killer cunningly
hidden in a newspaper advertisement selling
Car Licence Plates.
Detective Ixolite thought about it for a
while, and when he had solved the puzzle,
immediately arrested the guilty man.

How did Ixolite know the advert was a clue for

him? Solve the code and tell me who Ixolite
arrested.
This is the newspaper advert (Car licence
plates for sale) that Detective Ixolite saw.
Plates For Sale;

[W 05 ADV]
[H 13 ANC]
[O 05 EEA]
[D 08 CHL]
[I 22 ETT]
[D 14 ERB]
[I 21 YTH]
[T 15 ENU]
[I 21 MBE]
[X 11 RSH]
[O 05 OWN]
-Daisy Cruz-Milette

Answer:

him by leaving notes at various places.

1)The first bit is easy, as the first letter of each

plate spells WHODIDIT IXO(A challenge to
our Detective.)
2)The second bit is a little trickier. If you read
the last three letters in each plate from the top
and downwards and left to right you get ADVANCE EACH LETTER BY THE NUMBER
SHOWN, so advance W by 5 to get B, H by
13 to get U and so on until you spell BUTLER
DID IT.

C rime solver

Winter Issue, 2016

Winter Issue, 2016

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THE CARROLL CHRONICLE

P oetry C orner

you know it,

dont you.

P oetry C orner

Stagnant

Inexperience

the ache.
shifting,
but never changing

that dance
behind those shut eyes.
Itll come one day,
you know.
stuffing blanks
with purpose

desperate for the

right word
the right phrase
the right meaning.
(its often default)
but do you even know what
voice rings out?
what is carried in its
chiming?
(crows feet lie)
or is it the hope
of your countenance
etched into another.
Your very being immortal
through some act,
defying mathematics and reality.
a scream for the universe
to remember.
(it wont)

There must be something;

what must you whisper
to your bruises?
(It wont end you know)
what must you embed
the knives with?
(dulled, dipped in conscience)
What must you glue
to your weary eyes?
(hide behind your glasses)
What must you grit your teeth with?
(youve borrowed from loan sharks)

Too many words,

brilliant and radiant,
slashing the splintering
bronze of his cornea

Starlight
dribbled from his knuckles,
catching flight in the winds cackle;
the glimmering secrets
leaving him far behind.

Too many visions

tangled in the
carved wooden columns
of his callused palms.

He knew.

-Mary Ma
10

Stagnant.
The tips of his fingers skimmed the water,
Dredging up the film of algae and dead
insects.

The sun was wrapped

in the boughs of the trees,
sending warmth and absence
(gilded voids) flickering,
dancing on his body.

Or is it simply ?
you are afraid of.
The one way street
paved in missing records.

Too many dreams

Fluttering in the hollow
echoes of his
ribcage.

Too many hopes

stowed away;
leaching
on the ivory
of his teeth.
Resigned,
he lay against the cooling moss,
feeling the soft bed retreating
under his molass marrows.
Pulsing,
his breaths cooled
through listless purple lips,
(a graveyard for words that had
died long ago;
none were left to utter.)
Until the winding spiral
of carbon dioxide
staggered; stilled.
- Mary Ma
11

Winter Issue, 2016

THE CARROLL CHRONICLE

J ust for F un

This is Not a Joke

o
Why are there walls around a
cemetery? Because people are dying to get in.
o
How do you make an egg roll? You
push it.
o
What do you call a blind dinosaur?
Doyouthinkhesaurus
o
Two guys walk into a bar, the third
one ducks.
o
5/4 people admit theyre bad with
fractions.
o
Captain Americas shield is made out
of vibranium but what is Hawkeyes made of?
Quicksilver
o
A woman is on trial for beating her
husband to death with his guitar collection.
Judge says, First offender? She says, No, first
a Gibson! Then a Fender!

12

o
If youre struggling to think of what to
get someone this Valentines, get them a fridge
and watch their face light up when they open
it.
o
Have you heard of the band 1023 MB.
Of course not, they havent have any gigs yet.

o
Why couldnt the bicycle stand up by
itself? Because it was two tired.

o
I just watched a program about beavers,
it was the best dam program Ive ever seen.

o
I am terrified of elevators, Im going to
start taking steps to avoid them.

o
Why did the hipster burn his tongue?
Because he drank coffee before it was cool.

o
Is this pool safe for diving? It deep
ends.

o
Ive just been diagnosed as colourblind.
I know, it certainly has come out of the purple.

o Did you hear about the new restaurant

on the moon? The food is great but theres
just no atmosphere.

o
Whats the difference between a poorly
dressed man on a tricycle and a well dressed
man on a bicycle? Attire.

o
Two cell towers got married, the
service was okay, but the reception was
amazing.

o
Why do scuba divers fall backwards
into the water? Because if they fell forwards
they still be In the boat.