Sammie Davis- Managing and Social Media Editor
‘Don’t believe me, just watch’: Mars’ comeback breaks records
When looking back on the 2010’s, Bruno Mars dominated the music industry, creating albums such as "Doo-Wops & Hooligans," "Unorthodox Jukebox," and "24K Magic." That’s where the spark of Mars’ character started to shine. Randomly, on Jan. 5, Mars went to the social media platform ‘X’ and made a post claiming, "My album is done." Mars’ fans got super worked up for his new album drop. On Jan.8, he dropped the single "I Just Might" onto all streaming platforms to tease "The Romantic," releasing on Feb. 27, and fans have been going crazy over it, with it immediately climbing up the ranks and becoming the #1 on Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks as of Jan. 26. “I really liked the single that he dropped, it reminded me of one of his older songs, ‘Locked Out of Heaven,'” said OH senior Ryan Dejesus Alicea.
Two sweet: Schoenbach nominated for Music Educator GRAMMY again
OH’s band program is advanced to say the least. thanks to Directors Kevin Schoenbach and Stephanie San Roman, with around 300 students in all of the band programs combined, the performing arts are a significant part of Oswego High School's culture. This winter, Schoenbach was, for the second time in his career, recognized as a top 10 finalist for the Music Educator of the Year award from the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum. This nomination is a reflection of his legacy in conducting, which has helped many students develop a deeper connection to a wider range of music. “Mr. Schoenbach motivates students to strive for excellence through his teaching style. The way he teaches is very entertaining and informative at the same time,” said OH senior Lucas Arroyo.
Opinion: SchooLinks brings students closer to success
Once a student becomes a freshman, the common question of “What are you going to do after you graduate?” slowly starts getting brought up more and more. There may be a select few students who know exactly what major or school they want to attend, but the majority simply don’t know. Enter SchooLinks, a platform introduced in the spring of 2024, and the ‘25-’26 school year is its first full year of development. The overall goal of this platform, and its predecessor Naviance, is to make post-high school plans as simple and easy for students, whether they want to go to college, the trades, or other fields. This new platform delivers in ways Naviance did not, especially for administrators and counselors using the program. “For a little background, all districts in the state needed to implement the statewide PaCE (Post-secondary and Career Expectations) Framework by July 2025," said OH Assistant Principal Kate Lippoldt. "This framework aims to make sure all students have knowledge and experiences that support career exploration and development, financial literacy, and post-secondary exploration prior to graduating high school.”
Coffee beans and oak trees: SOTC’s second annual coffeehouse opens to packed venue
With the weather getting chillier and the Christmas lights starting to rise, Standing O Theater Company (SOTC) welcomed its second annual Coffeehouse on Nov. 21 at the local Oak and Bean in downtown Oswego. SOTC president and OH senior Hayden Esbjorn said, “Back at the very beginning of the school year, I emailed the owner of Oak and Bean asking if she would be able to let us use [[their space]] for Coffeehouse again this year. As last year was our very first year doing it, and we were extremely successful.” Coffeehouse is an event that consists of students who choose to perform a talent of their choice, mostly singing, with some like to spice it up with their musical or stand-up comedy acts. Below is a photo essay of these wonderful acts, alongside what they performed.
Mental health matters: Suicide Prevention Month, Depression Awareness Month help save struggling minds
As September was Suicide Prevention Month, and October is Depression Awareness Month, bringing awareness to the main cause of suicide is valuable, so people can know the early signs and help loved ones with depression, be there of support, and listen to them when needed. Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in the U.S., and there are an estimated 1.5 million suicide attempts. 91% of adults surveyed in the U.S. think suicide can be prevented at some point in time, as said by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 49,000 people in the United States died in 2023 by suicide. Yet the besmirching of mental health has caused many controversies throughout the past two decades, leading people to keep how they feel to themselves