Molly Dillenkoffer - Staff Reporter

From parents reading their kids bedtime stories, to college students frantically scanning through their textbooks, reading is always present in our lives. But what things should people not be able to read about? Can a book have topics that are so vile, so unreasonable, so inappropriate, that no child should be able to read it? “I think the idea of educating students from a book that maybe has been banned or challenged is more about allowing a reader to have a discussion with somebody who maybe doesn’t feel like they should be reading that book,” said Drew Mundsinger, the OH Library Department Chair.  There are a number of groups across the country that believe that all books containing certain topics should be banned. Groups like Moms for Liberty and MassResistance claim that books with controversial topics should be banned from school and public libraries for the protection of their children. Some of the most commonly banned books are those that discuss race, sexuality, and gender identity. The Village of Oswego has encountered attempts to challenge or ban books, none of which have been successful. In short, Oswego is with the banned.

With their competition season only four months away, Oswego Commotion has kicked off their rehearsal season.  The show choir team of aspiring dancers and singers rehearse and collaborate every Tuesday and Thursday, starting with warm-ups consisting of basic exercises and then run laps around the school.  “We increase [[the number of]] laps almost every week,” said OH sophomore Natalia Oliveros. “After that, we spend 30 minutes doing vocals, and then for the rest we dance.”

“To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen is being brought back in the spotlight after the release of “Primetime,” a psychological thriller based on the show and produced by A24. This suspenseful and riveting film directed by Lance Oppenheim follows Hansen (Robert Pattinson) and his crew, who work together to capture and humiliate adult men talking to children online.  The events in the film are based on the Dateline show and the now-archived Esquire article “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die." Since the Internet becomes more advanced by the day, this film can reveal warning signs to viewers that they never noticed before.

Books don't always make the best translation from print to screen, but “Tony,” directed by Matt Johnson and based on Anthony Bourdain’s memoir “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” is *chef's kiss.* The biopic follows 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain, Tony (played by Dominic Sessa), in the mid-1970’s as he gets his start in the food industry. Bourdain, who became well known for his skills as a chef and then as a travel show host, died in 2018. He longs to be a writer, but when his fellowship doesn’t work out, he ends up working as a chef in The Flagship, a seaside restaurant in Provincetown, MA.  “I love Anthony Bourdain and the director Matt Johnson. I’m a huge fan of the stuff he’s been releasing recently,” OH senior Ben Altschul said. “Once I saw the cast, I kind of had a feeling I was going to like it a lot.”

Due to a lack of interest, OH Student Council has once again cancelled the annual Oswego Pageant. Formerly known as “Mr. Oswego,” the Oswego Pageant is a talent show arranged every year by OH Student Council where Seniors can compete for the title of Mr. Oswego. This year, Mr. Oswego was renamed the Oswego Pageant in honor of senior girls being added to the list of people that can participate in the talent show. “Last year was Mr. Oswego, but this year's Senior Showcase [[tried to get]] more people involved [[by including]] the senior girls,” OH Student Council President Melanie Imbronjev said.