As the year is coming to an end, students are beginning to feel the pressures of finals and AP exams. However, it is still important to make time for fun activities. To alleviate C Magazine staff members’ stress, a tie-dye event was hosted during class.
However, for some individuals such as sophomore Amalia Tormala, the event served as a sentimental one.
“I tried it [tie-dying] a little bit in elementary school, but this is the first time in five years so it was pretty nostalgic for me,” Tormala said.
Unlike Tormala, many staff members who participated in the event either had little to no experience with tie-dying. One of these individuals, senior Sarah Sheaffer, had a more intuitive understanding of tie-dying, creating a spontaneous concept.
“With no prior knowledge, I was just rubber banding [putting rubber bands] everywhere,” Sheaffer said. “I went with a purple-blue color scheme… I was just trying to go in with no worries.”
Similar to Sheaffer, Tormala pursued a more impromptu approach with her design.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do going out there, but once I was out there, I knew I wanted to try to make a star with the pink [dye],” Tormala said.
Meanwhile, other staff members took a more structured approach. Sophomore Sophia Zhang envisioned creating a classic swirl pattern.
“I used rubber bands to split it [the shirt] up and create multiple sections,” Zhang said. “For every two sections, I would use a different color… pink would take up two sections, and then blue would take up two sections, teal would take up two sections and so on, so it looks like an even arrangement.”
Sophomore Talia Boneh looked for inspiration from other individuals’ designs.
“I was super excited to just have fun with some colors,” Boneh said. “I have seen a lot of people do little spikes, so I wanted to try that.”
On the other hand, staff members such as senior Brooke Hudack planned to diverge from the conventional spiral shirt and pursue a more inventive approach; attempting to create a tie-dye heart.
“I had fun using all the different pink and purple colors to kind of match that theme,” Hudacek said. “I’m excited to see if the heart actually stays a heart.”
In the end, Hudacek enjoyed the challenge of venturing into creating an unconventional design. Additionally, she found joy in various other aspects of the event.
“Although it [the design] didn’t work out perfectly, it was really fun to get together with the staff, tie dye a shirt, and try out a new design,” Hudacek said.
Junior Disha Manayilakath also enjoyed the opportunity to socialize with her fellow staff members, citing the event as a refreshing departure from C Mag’s usual activities.
“It [tie-dying] is also a chance to get off screens,” Manayilakath said. “We all get to talk to each other and focus on what we’re doing [tie-dyeing] but also have a good time, help others out or give them… advice on what colors [to use] or how you tie it [the shirt].”
Sophomores Alice Sheffer and Talia Boneh shared similar opinions as Manayilakath, finding joy in socializing with their fellow staff members.
“We’re getting to know each other a lot better and icebreakers are really awkward, so I think doing activities as a group is really meaningful,” Sheffer said.
Sheaffer shared similar sentiments with Sheffer and Boneh, anticipating C Mag to host similar events in the future.
“It’s really nice to see us getting back into that [C Mag tries events] because [by] doing events together like tie dye… people can connect over what they enjoy doing,” Sheaffer said. “It is a really great way to meet others and feel closer to the people they’re working with.”
