Ainslee Gerardot - Co-Editor-in-Chief

After he released his last album, “Testing" in 2018, A$AP Rocky had not released any new music other than singles such as “Sundress” and “Highjack.” But on Jan 8, A$AP Rocky released “Don’t Be Dumb,” and currently the album has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify alone. But was the new album worth the wait? Fans have many mixed reactions. OE alum Kim Sanchez said, “I thought it was really good. There's a lot of diversity on the album.” I agree. There are many different genres incorporated into the album, and there are also lots of different features, such as colabs with Brent Faiyaz, Gorillaz, Dochi, and Tyler the Creator.

On Dec. 16, 2025, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) introduced Policy 17 which limits large co-op high school teams from dominating at state.  Policy 17, which will be implemented for the 2026-2027 school year, is aimed at leveling the playing field for schools competing in the same division. When this policy goes into effect next fall, it will impact several of the current athletic teams in-district, meaning that these co-op teams will no longer be able to compete at the sectional or state level.  OH Athletic Director Dan Artnzen said, “The bylaw states that schools can no longer have a cooperative team, commonly referred to as a co-op, if their combined enrollment is over 3,500 kids.” For OH specifically, the teams impacted include the gymnastics team and swimming team as both are co-op teams and combined with OE.

With an impressive first place finish at their first competition in Batavia last Sat., the OH cheer team has shifted from sideline cheering at games to center stage in their competitive season building on last year's success of fifth in IHSA State. The team not only prepares and performs routines for cheerleading competitions, but they also attend basketball games to cheer on their school’s team, hyping up the crowd and boosting the players’ confidence.  “My goal is to win, well not only to win, but to also improve myself,” said backspot/tumbler, junior Aydan Dunne.

Podcast hosts Jessica Bellah, Ainslee Gerardot, and Cristina Murillo look ahead to the Fri., Dec. 5 Christmas Walk in downtown Oswego. Get holiday-hyped as they preview the pop-ups, holiday drinks, events, and favorite traditions at this annual community event. Oswego's Christmas Walk takes place Fri., Dec. 5 from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m. For full details, the Village of Oswego published a Christmas Walk guide to help residents plan their wintry fun.

For most students, after school includes sports, hanging out with friends, or working. For OH junior Hailey Suazo, however, after school includes time baking, decorating, and working with florals.  Suazo started her business, Ribbons and Delights, in Feb. 2025 when she took her hobby to the next level by making an Instagram account to showcase her talent. Suazo said, “I’ve always been baking and selling, but I started the Ribbon Delights business because one of my friends wanted me to make a bouquet for them, and I just thought it was fun.”