Austin Lamb - Co-Editor in Chief
Top 10 heavy albums of 2023
The heavy music landscape since 2020 has demonstrated tremendous growth for the various subgenres of metal and hardcore, and 2023 was no exception. Some of the highlights and trends of 2023 include the development of the “thall” offshoot of djent and progressive metal by bands like Catsclaw, Humanity’s Last Breath, and Vildhjarta, the meteoric rise of Sleep Token, Spiritbox’s collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, and the explosion of popularity for bands were previously considered too heavy or inaccessible to be popular, such as Knocked Loose, Loathe, Invent Animate, Silent Planet, and many more.
Knocked Loose knocked some teeth loose at the Aragon Ballroom
2021 and 2022 brought about the rise of several major modern metal bands including Sleep Token, Spiritbox, and Bad Omens, but none have been as impactful or consistently boundary-pushing as Knocked Loose. Upon their 2021 release “A Tear In The Fabric Of Life,” Knocked Loose propelled themselves from an already big and essential name in the hardcore scene to a boundary pushing, genre defining modern metal and hardcore act. The EP and its accompanying animated short film brought the band some heightened attention from the scene as a whole, simply for how heavy and crushing yet enjoyable the entire project is.
Panther Credit Union provides economic opportunities for students
Several iterations of the Panther Credit Union (PCU) have existed at Oswego High School since 1996, yet many students may not know about it in its current form. “Credit unions are different from banks in that the owners are really the members, so we’re a part of this organization that provides banking needs to students,” said Tim Taviani, business teacher and the adviser of the PCU.
Ink180 gives survivors a second chance
According to the U.S. Department of State, approximately 6.3 million people unwillingly participated in forced commercial sexual exploitation at any given time in the United States in 2021. This issue is present everywhere, but Illinois specifically is a hotspot for sex trafficking and human trafficking in general. Ink180 is a prominent business in the Oswegoland community that helps people recover from traumatic experiences, promotes community activism, and increases awareness about the dangers of sex trafficking, both locally and nationally.
PowerSchool Transition Results in Need for Support
After District 308’s switch from Tyler to PowerSchool as a student information system for attendance and grades, parents and students have been reporting seemingly unending struggle with the service. Although many issues have been resolved, students have reported being unable to log in, parents have voiced missing information necessary to create an account, and some accounts have been deleted.