I’ve written for Howler for almost two years now, so for my final article, I’d like to look back at every Humor article I’ve written for Howler and rank them from worst to best. I won’t be taking the media into account or including articles co-written with other people. Thank you all for two years of super fun writing!
Irvine, California: Accurate one-year weather forecast (October 2023)
Ah, my very first Humor article. No surprise this is my worst one; I had no experience! Looking back, this is rough. It’s basically a bunch of “subversive” scenarios related to weather. Is it funny? Eh, kinda. The problem is that it’s not very biting. There’s not much to chew on with the jokes or scenarios. It’s not great, but I mostly see it as the step board to the really good stuff later down the road.
Love Letter to Daylight Saving Time: The defense (March 2024)
One word: Boring! I definitely could have pushed this way more than what I did back then. That “Jen Alpha” stuff at the end also didn’t really add that much to the article. The concept is great though, being this sarcastic praise of Daylight Savings Time written in the style of a letter. If I wrote it today, I’d definitely try to add some sort of wider message about DST’s influence in American society today, but it’s alright as it is.
Sent from my iPhone.
To each according to their ability, throw away your garbage (September 2023)
Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. This is the first Humor article I wrote for THO. Read about the hilarious escapades of old wrappers as they rise up to instate the perfect Socialist utopia where everyone throws away their trash the way they’re supposed to. Other than the references to Communism, there’s not much here, but you might chuckle if you’re into that sort of thing. Also there’s a nice acronym that nobody got the reference to.
Northwood faces power outage caused by Disney+ show (December 2023)
I admit, Percy Jackson was never really my thing, but this article came out pretty well! Imagine a world where everyone was obsessed with Camp Half Blood and reverted back to a primal state when they discovered that they couldn’t get their PJ fix. That’s this article. It’s a fun little vignette into the happenings at Northwood when their favorite show becomes inaccessible. It’s short and sweet!
Discovering new secret landmarks on campus (August 2024)
This article has a bit of everything? Absurdism, connections to Humanities 9, obscure theme park references and self deprecating humor; what more can you ask for? It’s a bunch of funny twists on seemingly mundane or inaccessible places on campus, encouraging readers to visit these places if they want some excitement. Are you up to the challenge?
Unearthed alumni time capsule is a fur-raising discovery (December 2024)
An absolute modern classic. This article is a tribute to ’90s pop culture. Students find a time capsule buried by the first year of alumni, which starts a culture and fashion craze at school as students are so excited by the rediscovery. It was a ton of finding all the things to reference in this article and getting anthropology teacher Emily Rhodarmer’s cameo at the end.
How to become the top 1% “Northwood Rivals” player (March 2025)
Ok, so basically nobody in the newsroom had played “Marvel Rivals” before I pitched this article, so writing it fell on my hands (I’ve played “Rivals”…for an hour). Most of the article is super basic, but the best part is the Team Composition section that has a ton of cool references to real teachers on campus and is honestly one of the best Humor things I’ve written over my tenure. It absolutely carries this article.
Game Guide: How to beat the Fall Anchor (November 2023)
If you were in period 3/4 Pang/Allen Humanities 9 in 2021, you know what this is. It started with a random idea I had: what if getting your thesis checked while working on the Fall Anchor was a boss fight? That idea, two years later, inspired this article. With recent changes to the Humanities curriculum, this article is a bit outdated, but its informational value, solid direction and the spark of inspiration being manifested into reality still makes it one of my favorites to go back to.
Newsroom Noodles: How we make The Howler (June 2025)
The culmination of two years of satirical training, this article is one I finally got the chance to write after pushing for it the entire year. The end result? By far the most fun and absurd article I’ve ever written, where everything makes just enough sense to be comprehensible but is completely off the wall. Before you ask, yes, everything in this article is 100% true.
Historical Rap Feud: A rap to remember (June 2024)
This one is the best simply for its inspiration. Based on the Drake-Kendrick feud that was escalating at the time, this article instead uses history teachers Anysia Leveratt and Bryan Hoang, rapping with each other to see if Humanities 9 or 10 is better. Having both teachers on board allowed for a ton of flexibility for what I was able to make them do in the article, and having that direct, specific human connection made this the best, funniest, and most well rounded article I’ve ever written. My magnum opus on the Howler.
