Stuck at home…far from home
Allison McElroy, Trends Chief
April 1, 2020
People around the world have been lamenting long days stuck at home as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. But imagine being quarantined in an unfamiliar place, far from home. That is the situation thousands of Americans have found themselves in, including SHS English teacher Mrs. Johanna Gordon, so...
Local sewing community pays it forward
Grace Zhang, Associate Web Editor
March 26, 2020
Growing up, we’ve read about history, learned about history, and now? We’re living through history. As the Coronavirus pandemic spreads, it seems as if we as students can’t do anything to help...well, of course, other than staying at home and practicing social distancing. But a few S...
Behind the music: the Lynx Project’s young writers
Allison McElroy, Trends Chief
March 13, 2020
The Lynx Project is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit that takes poetry written by young people with autism and transforms it into art song, which is poetry set to music for piano and voice. To read more about the Lynx Project, click here. The writers for the project are all Sycamore students who are nonverbal and communicate using the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM). ...
Senior Willow Lang will not go to college
Deeya Prakash, Opinion Chief
March 10, 2020
Senior Willow Lang has taken 6 AP classes, has an honor-roll worthy GPA, holds a Sycamore indoor pole vaulting record, and loves history with the entirety of her being. Yet, she will not be going to college. For the majority of her life, Lang has mentally committed herself to be...
Are we questioning everything?
Ria Parikh, Staff Writer
March 9, 2020
From doubting the moon landing to questioning if birds are real or not, we have heard it all. According to Merriam-Webster, a conspiracy theory is “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.” These theories have become even more popular...
Butterfly sweatshirts for charity
Harsitha Kalaiarasan, Design Editor
March 8, 2020
Cleverly labeled the accidental entrepreneur, the Leaf’s very own staffer Grace Zhang raised $2,000 through her ambitious project. Zhang’s idea for raising money involved selling homemade sweatshirts with a butterfly patch on the front. Advertised in various color combinations, over 130 sweatshi...
Lynx Project performs Autism Advocacy concert at SHS
Allison McElroy, Trends Chief
March 5, 2020
Lights up. The SHS auditorium fills with sound. But this music is not coming from Sycamore’s many musical ensembles, as one might expect. It is the unique concert experience created by the Lynx Project. On Sat., Feb. 29, the Lynx Project performed its third Autism Advocacy Series c...
Calligraphy combats high school stress
Aaditi Lele, Staff Writer
February 27, 2020
Look around you. In every classroom, you will find incessantly tapping feet, anxious glances, and endless caffeine and sugar just to get through the day. Our high school environment is far from being short of stressors and anxiety. Almost all of us have something to worry about. Tests, grades, ...