THE GREEN ARCH
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Perspectives
THE GREEN ARCH
is a semi-annually student-run publication at Archmere Academy. The website for the publication is http:// archmeregreenarch.org
Mission Statement The Green Arch seeks to consistently provide accurate information and impactful content to the Archmere Community. Our articles aim to educate the student body on local, national and global issues via professional, engaging print and digital platforms. We strive to create a voice for the Archmere community members, allowing them to generate original content in an inclusive environment. As the school newspaper, we commit ourselves to upholding Archmere’s pillars of zeal, wisdom, respect, reverence and community. Submissions Letters to the editors are encouraged. Readers may submit a letter via email to greenarch@archmereacademy.com. Editors reserve the right to contact writers or edit submissions for clarity or for space. Comments-both in print and on our digital platforms--are subject to review for appropriateness. Not all comments or letters will be published. Follow us on Social Media! The Green Arch is on Twitter (@AukGreenArch), Facebook (www.facebook.com/aukgreenarch), and Instagram (www.instagram. com/archmeregreenarch/). Join our staff! New contributors are always welcome! Please contact any member of the staff listed below for more infomation, or email greenarch@ archmereacademy.com. Editors-in-Chief Caroline Antunes ‘20 Emma Villaverde ‘20 Web Editor Lauren Raziano ‘20 News Editor Phoebe Brinker ‘20 Asst. News Editor Brian Carbajal ‘21 Lifestyles Editor Alexis Rendel ‘21 Reviews Editor Joe Marino ‘21 Opinions Editor Kaylee Paranczak ‘20 Sports Editors Jillian Bale ‘21 Anthony Mariano ‘21 Art & Photography Editors Grace Janvier ‘20 Katerina Medori ‘21 Social Media Editors Addie Czachor ‘21 Isabelle Hanlon ‘21 Faculty Adviser Mrs. Patricia Maher
MARCH 2020
IRAN CRISIS: U.S. FACES CRISIS IN MIDDLE EAST Jessica Lattanzi ‘23
STAFF REPORTER
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ho’s ready to get drafted? After tensions heightened between the United States and Iran, daily conversations and tweets revolved around the apparently imminent World War III. At Archmere, lunch table conversations included ironically light-hearted jokes about fears of a potential draft and the start of a major World War. Although nothing to such a degree has actually occurred, conditions can not be considered peaceful between the two countries. It all started on January 3, 2020, when Iranian General Quasem Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone attack at Baghdad
International Airport in a decision ordered by President Trump. The U.S. Government accused Soleimani of past terrorism and of plans to attack American troops in Iran/Iraq. Soleimani was the second most powerful leader in Iran, next to their President, Hassan Rouhani. Although he was allegedly responsible for the deaths of hundreds, Soleimani was well respected by the Iranain people. Soleimani’s death provoked previously dormant tensions between the two military powers. Iran did not respond passively. Large protests, chants of “death to America,”and periods of intense mourning for the late general
were just a few of the reactions made. The Iranian government warned America against any further attacks and vowed to retaliate. Rudolph Matthee, History Department Chair at the University of Delaware who specializes in Middle East History, strongly believes that Iran will not hesitate to seek revenge. He claims that Soleimani was too highly regarded by the country for attempts at retribution not to be made. Since the execution, Iran has launched missiles onto a U.S. base in Iraq. Luckily, there were no casualties. And, initially, no injuries were reported either; however, after further investigation, Reuters reports that U.S.
officials have diagnosed 109 U.S. troops with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Some American citizens argue that killing Soleimani was the wrong move and that it poked the bear of a potential World War. Others, however, stand with the decisions made by the U.S. government. They claim that America is safer now with Soleimani dead and that a major war is not in the future. Either way, United States government officials have made it clear that the United States will remain safe and protected from harm. For now, Archmere students and others can rest assured that hostile Iranians will not attack our nation.
RE-COMMITTING TO RECYLCING AT ARCHMERE Chloe Mantakounis ‘21 STAFF REPORTER
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ecycling is one of the first ways kids learn to help the health of our planet. However, we can do more here on campus at Archmere. In previous years, Americans sent a bulk of its recycling to China; however in 2017 China passed the National Sword Policy, announcing that they would not accept plastic anymore. This was passed to protect the help and safety of the people. Completely understandable. Recycling in America and around the world has become a major issue because of this policy, as statistically China has been receiving half the world’s recycling for years. Recycling for Archmere is cheap, according to Mr. Campion, Director of Facilities; however, it can be very expensive for
the companies we send it to. A major issue in recycling seems to be the fact that a majority of plastics cannot be recycled, or are too difficult or expensive to recycle. In addition, it is costly to educate people on what to recycle, along with hiring people to sort through the recyclables. In the past 10 or so years at Archmere, there have been 2 groups of people involved in recycling. One group was the cleaning staff; the other--at one point--was the Ecology Club. Mr. Bill Mulhern was the previous moderator of the Ecology Club which initially took charge of recycling. According to Dr. Jenna Christy, Biology teacher, “It was a few years before Mr. Mulhern retired that students in the ecology club stopped recycling and there
were some problems with how it worked out, or the problem was that it didn’t always work out, or work out smoothly enough. And then the cleaning people just took over.” Ror awhile, Archmere was not recycling. Mr. Campion, whose new responsibilities as Direcotr of Facilities includes overseeing the cleaning staff, stated, “I think [the cleaning staff] are combining it with the trash, for now.” Why? The answer isn’t clear; however, the issue of who is in charge of it, combined with complications due to St. Norbert Hall’s renovation, seems to be the main reason. It’s understandable that transition periods create challenges; however, we all must commit to our previous level of recycling. In addition, there are
a few things we can do to help with this. For one, we could add recyclig--both collection and removal to the dumpster-- to the cleaning staff’s list of responsibilities. Mr. Campion said, “There’s a recycling dumpster here, very inexpensive to have.” Most importantly, we need to educate students and faculty on what we can and can’t recycle. Mr. Campion said, “There’s a desire to do something.” So let’s build on that desire that Mr. Campion has noticed and make a difference a little bit at a time. It’s been on my mind,” said Mr. Campion, “that when this building was reopened I had strategically had recycling with Mr Mulhern to get the kids to do it, and I’m trying to get back to that now.”
A TIME TO RE-EXAMINE THE GIRLS’ WINTER UNIFORM Fiona Teaney ‘20 STAFF REPORTER
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lmost all of us at Archmere like the idea of a uniform. It makes the mornings easier. We can just wake up and not have to think about what to wear. We, as students, love the idea of a uniform, but we’re not completely happy with our current choices. We know that uniforms are here to stay at Archmere, but we would like to address a few issues. Our requests specifically involve shoes and the girls’ winter uniform. Regarding shoes: girls and boys are both given the option to wear Sper-
rys, dress shoes, or flats. In the spring and fall, the Sperrys work well--they are simple and easy to slip on. But in the winter, the Sperrys develop problems. Most Sperrys do not have ample support for our feet, and at Archmere we do a good amount of walking around because of the size of our campus. Along with the lack of foot support, Sperrys have little insulation for our feet, leaving our feet cold and wet in the winter weather. Wearing dress shoes or flats doesn’t resolve the problem
because neither have the warmth nor support we need. One proposed solution would be to allow us to wear moccasins or sneakers, which are more comfortable, warmer, and (in the case of sneakers) supportive. With regards to the girls’ winter uniform, the only thing that changes from the spring uniform is a different shirt. A problem that arises during the transition to winter is the expectation to wear the same skirts. The administrattion suggests that the girls wear tights to stay warm. In theory
this is a good idea, but in reality, it’s not. The tights come in a limited range of sizes, rip easily, have little insulation (especially around the feet), and are itchy and uncomfortable to wear under the shorts-like skorts. In response to our complaints, the administration suggests that the girls should wear khaki pants. As fair as this sounds, we have to plead that khaki pants are not made for girls’ bodies. One potential solution is allowing girls to wear a different style of pants during winter. At Padua
Academy, an all girls Catholic school, students wear pants during the winter that are made for girls’ bodies, are presentable, and have a good reputation among the students as both warm and comfortable. This is the type of solution that we need to look into. A good learning environment consists of being comfortable and warm. So being given the option of tights, khakis, Sperrys, dress shoes, and flats do not make a good learning environment. Respectfully, we would like to see a change.
