LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Hello Readers!

As students and staff enter the final quarter of the 2021-2022 school year, the taste of summer and freedom is prevalent in our lives. The stressors of the pandemic, while long and strenuous, present many with the tough decision to continue their valiant effort to show our Knight PRIDE or take the easy way out. Years of dealing with COVID-19 and its effects are leaving our energy levels depleted, and a need for hope in the future. 

As we begin to reach a new normal, we are all presented with an opportunity to reinvent ourselves as we lean towards a post-pandemic world. Reflecting on our actions and formulating a better future is what our generation needs to focus on. 

Prior to our final issue of the school year, the Clarion staff and I want to share the topics that mean the most to us and our community. Emerging from the pages of this issue come stories about conspicuous consumption, the effects of TikTok and women in STEM, featuring some extra special Knights along the way. In the LSE community, there are students and staff who go above and beyond to improve their world, or pursue their passions. From combating fast fashion, to exploring one’s range of interests without inhibition, our generation is proving that the road less traveled makes all the difference. Through sharing these voices, we hope to show what happens when we take the easy way out and the consequences that come from our decisions.

– Nicole Tinius, Editor-in-Chief

ABOUT THE COVER ILLUSTRATION

Humans are advised to step out into the uncomfortable in order to truly understand the reality of consequences and rewards. In some cases, unfortunately, many of us miss the opportunity for growth and reflection due to the prominent, self-driven fear of failure as well as unprecedented challenges that present themselves along the way. The population has been unconsciously wired to believe that the only road to success is the road that we are accustomed to — all because we do not want to risk the waste of time, strength, or even motivation in something that is unfamiliar and unpredictable. Although taking the “easy way out” seems like the safest choice, we will never discover the potential stored away in our secret supply of intelligence, determination, and power in our bright minds if we continue to refuse the journey of the unknown. 

For this issue, we wanted to explore the stories of the world and its diverse people to elaborate and discuss what taking the easy way out really manifests into. Rather than seeing past the issues that are slowly engraving themselves into the normality of society, we wanted people to understand the severity of ignoring the unknown; the topics that never seem to be put into the spotlight and forcefully hide away in the shadows of our existence.

I, the Design Editor, wanted to create a representation of presenting the comfort of what is known, yet still subtly bringing awareness to the mass problems that never permanently stay afloat. 

For the cover, I decided on creating a street labeled as “Easy Street” to really deepen what the theme encapsulates. Easy Street, a situation with no worries, further explains the temptations of wanting to quick-run our way through life. The double meaning of warm-toned colors explain the optimism of wanting to change our ways by taking another way out as well as the overwhelming and strong fears of risk that may be abrupt during the voyage. The cool-toned colors represent the calm aura of staying in the solace to avoid any distress that are seen as inconvenient. The shops represent the “known” factor as we are all used to seeing buildings around the city — a factor of the modernization of society. When looking closely at the shops, though, I incorporated the topics that the staff and I have written about in this issue, which then adds the “unknown” factor that needs to be closely paid attention to in order to fully understand the dilemmas. 

The true solution to avoid taking the easy way out is to view the world in another perspective; a perspective that acknowledges the blindness that convenience provides. To overcome the trepidation that lies in our soul, we must let go and challenge ourselves to reach new heights — the new heights that give us resilience. 

Design Editor – Zainib Al-Jayashi