   As announced in the Chmiel Spiel on November 2, a number of new security measures will soon be introduced at PHS, all with the goal of increasing student safety. Along with requiring all students and staff to wear ID badges, these new measures will prepare the school for an emergency by ensuring that all of the school’s doors and windows are numbered.
   These changes were not prompted by any particular emergency, but are meant to improve the general safety of the school for everyone. PHS Assistant Principal Rashone Johnson stresses that he and the administration strive to make safety a priority for everyone at PHS. 
   “Everything that we do we’re doing for the safety of the entire building … It’s not just one group of kids, we’ve got over 2,000 people that we’re trying to make sure are staying safe,” Johnson said. 
   The primary purpose of the lanyards will be to make it easier for staff to discern between students, visitors, and those who shouldn’t be in the building. Students will be given a colored lanyard and visitors a differently-colored lanyard so that staff can easily tell the difference between the two. 
   According to Johnson, the lanyards will also make it easier for teachers to take attendance by letting students quickly record their attendance using student ID badges.
   “Once we evolve, [students] will have the ability to tap into the rooms that [they are] going to for attendance…We'd be able to see where everybody is, and then we'll be able to sooner know who’s here and who’s not here, accountability-wise, so it makes everything happen a lot quicker,” Johnson said. 
   Another new security measure is that numbers are going to be assigned to all doors and windows, ensuring that in the case of an emergency, emergency workers are able to navigate to where they need to be as fast as possible.
   “When we’re talking about emergencies, time is extremely important, so we want [emergency workers] to be able to get to and know the situation as quickly as possible,” Johnson said. 
   The administration is attempting to have these new policies implemented as soon as possible. While the exact timing of these changes is dependent on when the supplies arrive, they hope to introduce the lanyard policy, specifically, sooner rather than later.
   Johnson hopes that the changes will be instituted smoothly and as a result, benefit PHS’s school climate. However, because of the limited amount of information that has been released about the plan, Johnson feared that it would receive some criticism. 
   Ero Christy ’25 expressed feelings that the new security measures were largely unneeded.
   “I understand that a lot of the security policies were put in place because some kids [might come] in who aren’t supposed to, but I think [the new changes] are really unnecessary … It doesn’t seem like it’s actually that much of a security issue,” Christy said.
   Koen Moulton ’23 on the other hand isn’t as worried about the changes, as long as their impact on day-to-day learning stays small. 
   “To be honest, as long as they don’t keep it too strict, then I’m okay with it, but if I have to constantly show my ID all the time, I think that would be pretty troublesome,” Moulton said. 
   In response to criticism regarding the plan, Johnson argues that student safety should be the biggest priority for the school. He hopes that going forward, students and educators alike will recognize the benefits of the new changes. 
   “We’ve heard some opinions, but everybody’s safety in the building trumps that stuff,” said Johnson.  “[Wearing a lanyard] is not as big of an ask as you might think for the safety that it increases in the building.”

New security protocals announced at PHS

Fashion has always played a huge role in Muslim culture and identity. Most Muslims opt for modest fashion, which is designed to keep our bodies concealed and safe from unwanted gaze. Though there may be restrictions to keep clothing aligned with Islamic principles, they put no restriction on creativity. Muslims around the world use their own creativity and individuality to rock an outfit that keeps them covered up and fashionable.

An important topic of conversation when it comes to Islamic fashion is the incorporation of the hijab, a type of veil which covers the head, hair, and neck, but not the face. Much like the Muslim women that wear it, the hijab comes in many varieties that tend to be shaped by place, time, and current trends. Wearing a head covering is one of the most visible symbols of Islam in the West, and it is quite often the most misunderstood. There is huge controversy surrounding the idea of Muslim women wearing the hijab, though there shouldn’t be. The hijab is not a symbol of oppression; it is a symbol of faith and pride for the Islamic community, and no one is forced to wear it under any Islamic principle or text. The hijab means different things to different people. For some, it is a symbol of pride for their cultural, religious, or ethnic identity. For others, it is a demonstration of their modest nature and submission to God. For many women that choose to wear the hijab, it is an empowering choice, which strengthens their connection with God, as well as their own confidence. For these women, choosing to cover their hair has been a way of demonstrating assertiveness and agency, of being in control of their bodies. The same sentiment applies to dressing modestly.

Modest fashion also extends to the world of athletics. In 2017, Nike made big strides in inclusion with their “Pro-Hijab,” which was available for female Muslim athletes to wear when competing or practicing their respective sports or activities. On the cover of this campaign was Ibtihaj Muhammad, an Olympic medalist fencer from our own New Jersey, as well as the very first woman to ever wear a hijab at the Olympics. Nike’s Pro-Hijab was an important step in making the fashion world more inclusive for Muslims around the globe, and it really showed the power behind voices belonging to the Islamic community.

Modest clothing has been in increasingly high demand for years. There are 1.8 billion practitioners of Islam, which makes up 24 percent of the global population, showing that Muslim men and women are definitely not going to be ignored on the fashion front. As the Muslim community tries to modernize typical Islamic fashion, we see a rise in Muslim style bloggers, models, and designers setting trends on the Internet, such as Saufeeya Goodson, Rabia Zargarpur, and Habiba Da Silva.

Because Muslims come from so many different places across the world, Muslim fashion is varied stylistically, so it is interesting to see how different cultures have responded to the call for modest clothing in such drastically different, but equally creative, ways. Muslims in South Asia traditionally wear kurtas, long shirts with long sleeves made out of a light, flowy material to accommodate the hot weather. Both men and women wear kurtas daily, and they come in many different styles and colors. Men usually wear solid colors, the most common being white and blue. On special occasions, they may wear more vibrant kurtas with embroidery along the edges. Women wear more vibrant kurtas, often with a bright pattern or intricate embroidery pattern along the neckline. For more formal events, these kurtas can be made of more special materials such as silks, with more heavy embroidery and beadwork. The incorporation of a dupatta, or scarf, in these outfits is also important, both stylistically and Islamically. The dupatta will usually be made to match with the kurta so that the outfit is cohesive. Hijabi women will wear the scarf around their heads, while others wear it around their neck or on the side of one shoulder. In Arab countries, Muslims wear similarly long tunics, such as the djellaba or kaftan. Much like the kurta, people take creative liberties with their clothing and play with style and color. Women wear hijabs, niqabs (scarves that cover the face as well), burkas (full-body cloaks), or no scarves at all. Traditional clothing varies across Middle Eastern countries, but they are generally full-length robes made of breathable material, like an abaya. Men wear variations of a long white robe, often paired with a head covering like a turban. African Muslims have similar flowy, brightly colored traditional clothing as well.

The biggest buyers of modest fashion are those that come from Muslim majority countries. If you come across Muslim women in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, or Asia, you’ll know exactly what I mean; they’re wearing eccentric dresses and blouses, with colorful, detailed abayas. It’s more decadent than Western modest clothing because they have taken Islamic principles into account while using their own creativity and passion for fashion to assemble their outfits, which scream personality and vibrance. Dressing according to Islamic principles is a symbol of faith and devotion, not a sign of oppression. It shows that Muslim men and women are able to take their circumstances and make the best out of them, while showing the world the power behind fashion and faith’s collision.

The intertwining of faith and fashion

Any social media user can attest to the myriad of fitness influencers online. With their well-conditioned bodies and seemingly perfect diets, a simple click on their profiles reveals pages full of enticing health tips. One week juice cleanses, protein smoothies, and vegan alternatives, are just a few healthy food trends. Within the last few years, using supplements to build muscle mass has taken over the Internet as one of the top fitness crazes. The popularization of supplements has contributed to the development of many inventive types of powders ranging from cookies-and-cream to cricket protein powder. Unfortunately, processed powders may not benefit athletes as much as the media claims. 

   There are different make-ups to every type of protein powder. As a foundation, protein powder can have different bases: whey protein, casein, milk protein, plant-based protein, or egg protein. Each of these protein powders in turn has a separate use: casein, egg, and milk are for longer absorption, whereas plant based and whey are for faster digestion. Allowing for versatility in one’s diet based on fitness goals, protein powders can be a convenient way to pack nutrients into a busy athlete’s diet. 

   “While protein powder is not a necessity to achieve your athletic and fitness goals, it can be a cost effective and tasty way to get in all of your daily protein. Whey protein, which is what most protein powders are, has the highest concentration of leucine, an essential amino acid that is critical to protein muscle synthesis,” said Matthew Ellsworth ’22, co-leader of the PHS Fitness Club.

   While protein powder does provide additional sources of protein in a cheap and useful way, it can harbor several health risks. According to Harvard Health in 2020, protein powders may include ingredients such as added sugars, artificial flavoring, thickeners, vitamins, and minerals. Since protein powder is a dietary supplement, the Food and Drug Administration leaves it up to the manufacturers to correctly label and evaluate the safety of the product. With few studies conducted on the effects of high protein intake through these supplements, the content and long-term effects of protein powder aren’t fully understood. Earlier this year, a nonprofit group called the Clean Label Project released a report about toxins in protein powders. Researchers screened 134 supplement products for 130 types of toxins and found that many protein powders contain poisonous metals like lead and arsenic, as well as contaminants with links to cancer such as BPA (used to make plastic) and pesticides. 

   Maximizing protein intake can be accomplished through a rich and balanced diet that many athletes are able to achieve. And despite common belief, to maximize results, protein should not be the only food group that is consumed in abundance. Although varsity lacrosse player Theona Hsu ’24 likes an occasional protein shake, she does not like to use protein powder on a regular basis to achieve her athletic goals. 

  “The most important thing for me is hydration. On a regular basis, I usually drink at least half a gallon of water. Staying hydrated is really important in preventing injuries and staying healthy. In terms of food intake, I eat however much and whatever I want,” said Hsu. 

   Protein powders should be used in moderation for convenience and an addition to your already protein-rich diet, not as a substitution. A healthy diet should consist of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of their body weight, but that amount should increase for high performing athletes. According to Penn Medicine in 2020, vegetables and fruits should take up 50 percent of every meal. Fruits and vegetables provide carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, water, and antioxidants, which work together to serve as energy, hydration, digestion, recovery, and injury prevention. Protein powder should be used as an additional form of protein while also maintaining the balanced diet above. 

   Though the media might hype the benefits of protein powder, there are many hidden harms. Though fitness stars with perfect bodies may claim to achieve maximum results from various powders, it is important to keep in mind that they may have monetary gains from promoting certain products. Ultimately, although an occasional protein shake may be a tasty addition to a nutritious, relying on it for health benefits could prove harmful in the long run. 

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Lydia Madamopoulou's Work

The Tower