The life of a high school student is quite wild. Hours upon hours of studying, extracirriculars, side-projects, gaming, chatting, socializing, trying to have life admist academics, all to get good GPAs SAT/ACT scores to get into the dream college. We here at the Hecrenews noticed a particular talent, one leader amongst the followers, one flower amongst the grass, Zoticus Harald, has figured out a way to escape the high school grind, and he was the only one we could interview because everyone else was too busy doing homework…

“The school grind is scary,” said Harald, “I figured out a way to escape it but it grind keeps on pulling you back in. It’s kinda like a gambling addiction, I mean, of course I wouldn’t know what that’s like, I have not ever, definetely have not ever, gambled, not illegally either.” “Ummm… that’s sus, but continue,” I said. “Anyways, I figured out the way to temporarily escape it, and I am hoping these smart kids can use my temporary solution as a stepping stone to escape this terrible way of life, it’s all in a hope of a better future,” said Harald. Harald is one of the kids who is heavily on the grind. He is taking all AP, or college level courses, is doing baseball, and is involved in one of his school’s CTSOs. A CTSO is a club you get to join by being a part of a CTE class, but there are so many acronyms I have no storage left for any more so I didn’t ask what it was. Initially in Harald’s high school career he spent 26 hours a day doing homework and other school-related work, there was no time for relaxation, and no time for sleep.

“So I’ll tell you how I discovered this method of escapism. One day I got an email from this random stranger, I think he had the wrong email address which is quite concerning since mine is [REDACTED]. Anywho, this mans ended his message with the word “Oohbeedoo.” Now my favourite news source, the Hecrenews of course, has covered a man named Oohbeedoo, but this context does not beg a proper noun, but rather, something else. My dictionary had no answers so I went to the internet to search for a solution. I then came upon a movie called “The Jungle Book” by Walt Disney based off a book made by Rudyard Kipling. It was a queer movie, but there was one thing which stuck with me in particular. There is this one character in the movie who is called Baloo, and he sings one of the songs in the movie, called the “Bear Necessities.” One lyric he mentions is forget about your worries and your strife. It was then I began the first step of escaping the terrible High School life: realization. I realized that the life I lived was not the one I truly aspired, and after you realize, then you can begin working towards change.”

“Some people call this a natural high,” said Harald. “I just think of it as a hobby really. I started biking, because I needed to work on my physical strength, and something magical happened. While I was biking, I forgot about all my worries and my strife. I was just enjoying moving the pedals, feeling that fresh air, and the thrill of the speed. I had found my version of the bear necessities Baloo was speaking of. This was great, I fit biking into my schedule, and it always allowed me to recharge my mind and body, it was life-changing. However, this is not going to be a permanent solution to escape the clutches of school life, because as soon as I am done biking, all the sensation of the grind returns, and my mind is consumed once more. I really do hope if people are able to find a way to temporarily escape the grind, someone can come up with a permanent way to break free from these chains.”

Harald has started an underground school organization to try and free kids from the curse, and he has already helped about 20 people find temporary solutions. Perhaps one day Harald will be able to escape, but for now, this has been Mister Mjir, popping in and now popping out.