Paint The Whole Town Green, Yellow, Blue, and Pink  By: Aidan McClain

On Tuesday of Catholic Schools Week, Saint Mary’s students engaged in a “color war.” Students, teachers, and staff members wore an assigned color for that day. The freshman wore green, the sophomores wore yellow, the juniors wore blue, and the seniors wore pink. It was a fun event, seeing all the different styles and combinations of clothes and fashions in one place. Many students leapt at the opportunity to leave their uniforms at home for a day and show their class pride! This year, we made sure that each department of teachers were deeply appreciated and had students each write a “thank you” to each of their teachers. Previous years, students jumped at the opportunity to get out of their uniforms but this year, we wanted the teachers to have the experience of feeling the type of joy students feel each year.

Barbie

A Plastic Doll Pursues Self-discovery In the “Real” World

By Ashley Rivera

Do you need some life advice? Why not ask the plastic doll Barbie for some guidance? That may sound crazy, but in the new movie, Barbie, the girl that we loved to accessorize as children, becomes a living doll and dives into the many struggles that women are facing today. A plastic doll experiencing real life problems might sound crazy, but in this movie, Barbie speaks for all women whose voices are not heard.

Margot Robbie portrays Barbie as the “perfect” person who many young women aspire to be. Throughout the film, Barbie undergoes several of her famous fashion makeovers and participates in several fun and amazing careers. At one point, she’s even an astronaut. That only makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to have an out-of-this-world career? Barbie lives in a fantasy world where nothing is wrong, everything is pink and easy, and nothing ever goes contrary to Barbie’s plans. As it says in the song, Barbie World, “Life in plastic, it’s fantastic.” However, despite being “perfect” and pretty, Barbie wants more. After all, she is Barbie...right?

One day, Barbie discovers that her life is no longer perfect, and she thinks something is wrong with her. This leads her to dive into the “real” world in the hope of finding a way to “fix” herself and become the “ideal” person once again. However, during this excursion, Barbie sees the impact that society’s expectations have on young women. In the midst of her self-discovery, Barbie even begins to question her own self-worth. As it turns out, even a plastic doll can remain critical of herself while receiving compliments from every direction. (Freud would have had a field day with this movie!)

Barbie sees that, in the “real” world, a woman must meet certain standards and even “be” a certain way if she wants to be considered relevant. Barbie’s friend, Gloria (played by America Ferrera), tells her, “You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line...It’s too hard. It’s too contradictory, and nobody gives you a medal or says ‘thank you.’”

Shockingly, Barbie’s journey even leads her to reevaluate her relationship with Ken, the boyfriend she has dated with no real hope of a commitment since 1961. Is Ken the key to her happiness? Is their relationship heading anywhere? Will his hair ever look less than perfect?

Spoiler alert: Ultimately, Barbie learns that she can be whatever she wants to be, but she must also be willing to stand up for what she believes is right. Don’t worry, it all works out in the end.

Of course, taking life advice from a doll is probably not wise. However, this movie uses the world’s most famous doll to send an important message to all girls while having a lot of fun. So go see Barbie; maybe you will learn something in her Barbie world.

Hungry For Something New?

Texas Roadhouse

By: Aidan McClain

A classy sit-down restaurant, with a strong Western personality, Texas Roadhouse never fails to please. You can multiple Texas Roadhouse’s all over the states. From their mouth-watering bread and cinnamon butter to their tender cut sirloin steaks, Texas Roadhouse has it all! They bring you bread rolls to start you off, which is on the house. Their rolls comes with the side of cinnamon butter ,which tastes delightful on the warm bread.

My personal order is their Bacon Cheeseburger(cooked medium-rare) which comes with two sides of your choice- mashed potatoes, and no, not the song, and a loaded baked potato smothered in delicious, salty gravy. If you want to have a refreshing drink on the side, try their blue raspberry flavored lemonade, you will not regret it! And last but not least, dessert! A good meal isn’t finished without having dessert. Texas Roadhouse’s Granny’s Apple Classic is the way to go! It is practically apple pie…but on steroids. So try Texas Roadhouse, maybe you’ll like it!

BBQ House

By: Aidan McClain
BBQ House is located on Guadalupe Road in Mesa, Arizona. It is everything you can think of! It has their outstanding all-you-can-eat Korean buffet and is the place to get your grub on. This Korean BBQ establishment has grills built into the tables where your food is made in front of you. How cool is that? Feeling lazy? You should order hot food, which comes in steaming hot- no self-cooking necessary! Some hot meals include many types of chicken, my favorite is their popular fried orange chicken. From the make-it-yourself menu, they have ENDLESS options, from bulgogi to chicken, from shrimp to octopus, they do indeed have it all. My personal favorite food to cook is the spicy marinated beef bulgogi. Heads up, this dish does pack a spicy punch, but still tastes utterly amazing.

The Cheesecake Factory

By: Aidan McClain

Ever wanted to try the famous Cheesecake Factory? This restaurant has a fancy dining environment with a smooth, Candyland aspect. The lighting in the Cheesecake Factory is dim, but the perfect type of dim to enjoy your dinner with your romantic partner or even family members! They serve many kinds of food from their twenty one page menu which includes various types of burgers, seafood, chicken, you name it. They even have a SkinnyLicious menu! My personal order is the Mac-and-Cheese Burger, with seasoned and salted fries. You can’t go wrong when you order that! With free drink refills, it is the perfect place to celebrate events, big or small. But the thing that they are most known for, is obviously their delicious cheesecake! They have over 40 types of cheesecake, some being seasonal ones. Their cheesecakes have a rich, velvety texture, and it will make you want to come so many times. So try The Cheesecake Factory out, maybe you’ll celebrate your next birthday there!