By Ashleigh Varing

“Until the spring day comes again, until the flowers bloom again, please stay, please stay there a little longer.” If you recognize this, you know where I’m coming from: K-pop. Specifically, BTS.

Within the last few years, K-pop has surged in popularity in the states. But why? What makes it so appealing to such a specific niche of our country? There are a few different answers to this question.

K-pop is made up of many different genres. Although pop is prolific within the industry, many other types of music are present. Ballads, rap, hip-hop, rock, and almost any other genre you could think of can be found, meaning it can be enjoyed by just about anyone.

Their choreographies are just as versatile as the music. Several dance trends have stemmed from K-pop songs, which range from ‘Super Tuna’ by Jin to ‘Pink Venom’ by BLACKPINK. Most dances that go viral are much simpler than choreography you might find in an average song, though; many are fairly complex, such as ‘IDOL’ by BTS.

Additionally, music videos within K-pop are high-budget, with striking visuals and overarching stories that draw the viewer in. A good example of this would be BTS’ HYYH (Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa) concept, which has been ongoing since 2015.

Plus, most K-pop stars train for years in order to debut, working on a multitude of talents necessary to become an idol. For example, BTS’ Jungkook trained for roughly 2 years, despite already being quite experienced.

K-pop idols also create genuine bonds with their fans. They write special songs, livestream regularly, film variety shows, and communicate with fans on social media platforms. Most groups are genuinely appreciative of their support.

By Dairell Alvarico

October has just arrived; you know what that means, right? Soon you are going to notice the spooky and scary skeletons chilling on your neighbor’s yard, or see costumes get sold out at your local Target, only to later be worn by children asking for candy on your doorstep. It is not every day you catch sight of these things, so how about joining in on the fun?  This month is the time where everyone around you will dress their worst to be the best.

Unless you are not much of an outdoor person. But even that cannot stop you from doing something exciting for your Halloween night. To each their own, and you my friend, are just getting started. 

So how about getting cozy on your couch, bed, or whatever you can rest yourself on, and grab a book fitting for the eerie, sinister, spine-chilling time of the year? 

Are you ready to read a simple yet interesting story about a kid being forced to go to a haunted boarding school? How about the aesthetics of academia in a historic location like Salisbury, England, but add paranormal activities? This book has both. 

Jon Whitcroft is just a generic kid with stepfather issues, which led him to be sent to a boarding school in Salisbury, England to improve his “behavior,” but fate has not been so kind to him, and his school year could not be any more opposite of ordinary when he suddenly sees ghosts. 

This story is enough to give you the jitters, but not the creeps. It does make you feel the suspense of what the characters will do next and sometimes the paranoia of what is at the end of the hallway, yet it contains lighthearted moments that will give you a break from all that action.

The book has the concept of a simple ghost story, but it is creative and distinct way of turning the plot into something unique is what makes it interesting.

The descriptions of what a character feels are not the usual generic narrations of their inner thoughts, and you can see the struggles and loneliness of John Whitcroft, who did not have time to process the sudden change in his life.

This book is perfect for a casual story by the fireplace on a chilly night in October. 

Sherlock Holmes, but with a twist. This story was written by horror icon Stephen King. It has mature aspects to it and delves deeper into the process of catching an indescribable crime case and the struggles of finding the perpetrator, supernatural or not.  

Ralph Anderson is a detective in Flint City and has not experienced any serious crime until the day the murder of a little boy has shaken the neighborhood.

After tedious interviews with witnesses and gathering of evidence, it all pointed fingers to Terry Maitland, a man who coached Ralph’s own son in baseball. But with further digging, the authentication of proof started to get foggy, and Ralph is starting to doubt they got the right guy, so he goes on a personal detective spree to find answers for himself. 

This book had me on my nerves for the right reasons. The frustration of Ralph is so suffocating, you can feel it from time to time. The character’s actions become questionable, and you would have to think if what they are doing is right or not.

The Outsider is a story where you do not want your favorite character to walk anywhere with a stranger, much more alone. Compelling and spine chilling, it will make you check your window at night. 

This novel can potentially keep you on your toes due to the odd way everything transpires in the heart of the crime. The stories do not match, a simple clue can make the whole investigation go for an unexpected turn, even the consequences of one’s actions can ruin a person’s life. That is why you should tread carefully, for not everything is what it seems to be when you dive deep into the story. 
  

Peter Pan may not be the inspiring and vibrant childhood influence you perceive he is. Sometimes there is genuine curiosity when it comes to the perspectives of villains in a fairy tale.

Lots of narratives are bent and smoothened into a biased outcome in favor of the “hero.” There are always two parts to a story, and Christina Henry did a splendid job of creating lore for the infamous Captain Hook.

Before everything went to the dumps, the pirate captain was known as James who was just another Lost Boy that Peter took an interest in, but the latter considered and acknowledged James more than the other boys for reasons that he did not specifically reveal.

It was known that he was the first one to be swept away by Peter to Neverland, and that he became second in command for their group, but Peter was good at hiding his deepest, darkest secrets.

James was starting to think that his own misfortunes and trauma are tied to it, but he knew that it was impossible for confrontation, since Peter has not a drop of patience for it.

The idea of putting a group of young boys, still on the stage of growth and development to fend for themselves in an unknown island is a recipe for disaster, but with the carefree yet twisted mind of Peter Pan, he made everything a fun little playground for him.

Lost Boy is the type of story that takes you back to the nostalgic tale of Peter Pan. The only difference is that you start to doubt that any of his actions are with good faith.

By Logan Jacobs

Kendrick Lamar, one of the biggest names in music history and an amazing artist who made a name for himself by working hard and making beautiful music.

He started off at a young age releasing small mixtapes which garnered notoriety on the west coast. Under the name “KDot” he would sign to TDE or Top Dawg Entertainment, and slowly release more mixtapes and singles, even receiving a cosign from Lil Wayne.

While releasing two more mixtapes Kendrick would change his stage name to his birth name, finally going by Kendrick Lamar, he announced his first independent album under the name “Section.80”.

Section.80 would soon put Kendrick’s name even further on the map including features from artists such as GLC and SchoolBoy Q.

The album’s first single “HiiiPoWeR” released a few days after the announcement of said album. Section.80 would be released on July 2nd to high praise, with many people around the world coming to the realization that Kendrick is or will soon become the king of the west coast.

Kendrick’s first studio album “Good Kid M.A.A.D. City” was announced in March of 2012, the lead single, “Drank” releasing July 31st.

MAAD City would be an album that told a tale of Kendricks life and was very popular because of it, singing about his life in Compton. MAAD City would start a trend of greatness for Kendrick with his two following studio albums being some of the greatest of all time.

Kendrick Lamar would go on to make To Pimp a Butterfly and Untitled, Unmastered, with TPaB being seen as Kendrick’s masterpiece and one of the best albums of all time.

Untitled Unmastered would include cut songs from TPaB, having them all be untitled and unmastered. TPaB and UU would instantly become classics in Kendricks’s discography.

DAMN, Kendrick Lamar’s latest album* would shock the world with a tale of Duckworth, Kendrick’s father. This album would become one of his most popular albums with Humble, the lead single of the album reaching over one billion streams.

The end of this era of Kendrick would be with the soundtrack for Black Panther, as Kendrick would soon go into hiatus.

Kendrick Lamar would break this hiatus not with a new album but instead by working with his younger cousin, Baby Keem. Both would work on The Melodic Blue, Baby Keems first studio album even signing him to his new record label PGLang. oklama.com would on April 18th announce a new album, Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers, to come out May 13th.

This year, artists at Sheyenne High School have excelled, achieving local and in Koi’s case, national recognition. Senior, Koi Hiller, has been awarded for her hard work and dedication with the American Visions Award. The award is the highest achievement for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a contest that gets thousands of submissions from students across the United States. The acceptance of this award will take place in New York City at the famous Carnegie Hall.

Her artwork titled “Death is Beautiful” was created with red earthenware media and if you look closely, it displays important details. The story behind this project is one that has touched the hearts of many people.

In this year alone, Koi has lost many people dear to her and her family, one of these people being her dad. She shared how her passion for art has helped her cope with all the unknowns of navigating life without these special people. She expressed her desire to rewire her thinking from the hatred she felt to finding the hidden beauty, saying that “that’s what art is, you express how you feel.”

This story inspired her mask creations as each one represents not only a way to remember those she lost, but also to show the stages of grief she has gone through over this hard time. “This is going to be the series that is after them and their memories that not everyone knows today…” she shared, “there is intention in each mask. This is where I was broken, this is where I started to get put back together, and this is where I’m whole again.”

After these losses though, her definition of “whole” has changed, adding that there might always be pieces missing that belong to those who have been lost. This artwork, after all, was about the transition after death, and all the broken pieces that can still be found beautiful. The details such as the butterflies and dragonflies are used to present this to viewers.

Along the way, Koi has had some amazing support, specifically thanking her art teacher, Ryba, who pushed her to ask questions and explore more concepts in her artwork. Koi spent a lot of time in the art room and found that the environment aided her in the long hours she put towards her work. This project was started at the beginning of this school year, in 2021, and wrapped up in the early months of 2022.

To Koi, a big trip like this will be new. She said she is most excited to experience the culture of New York City for herself rather than only knowing what she sees in the movies. One of her main destinations in NYC is the museums there.

As for her future in art, Koi has received scholarships to continue her art. One of the places she is interested in is North Dakota State University (NDSU). Despite these college considerations, Koi will continue making art even if it doesn’t result in a career. To her, art is a passion, and in some ways, a lifestyle.