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Volu m e 6 4 , Is su e 7
A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School
Does Belmont Hill Need a Health Course? By Brendan Pulsifer Panel Staff When I first asked Mrs. David about Belmont Hill’s sex ed program, she chuckled a little from behind her nurse’s desk. “What program?” she inquired. Then, she walked to the back of the Health Office and retrieved an old blue bag bursting at the seams. It contained an array of miscellaneous sexual health items - packs of condoms, diaphragms, tampons, and
things I didn’t even know existed. “This bag holds all that’s left of what we used to teach students,” she said. “I haven’t brought it out in years since this part of the curriculum was cut.” Belmont Hill has never developed a very large sex ed curriculum by today’s standards, but over the many decades that Mrs. David has worked as the school’s nurse, she has actually seen it shrink. In the 1990s, she and Mr. McAlpin used to teach Form I about anatomy, relationships, and the consequences of risktaking for seven sessions.
Look Inside Political Makeup of Belmont Hill pg 4 Winsor Mock Trial Team on Top pg 5 Panel Editor Switch Day pg 10-11 Review of Kanye’s New Album pg 12 “Ask Emily” Advice Column pg 18
Those classes however, were abolished after a few years to make room for more academic class time. Since the 2000s, she has taken 40 minutes in Form I Science and Form IV Biology to educate students about the fundamentals of sex. But the Form I seminar has been eliminated from the schedule, and her meeting with Biology students doesn’t necessarily occur every year. It was removed last year, for example, because of snow days.
The only formal class that the school now offers appears in the Form II curriculum, where boys meet for three one-hour sessions with the school’s health professionals to talk about the basics of sexual education. “I’ve almost given up the fight to improve sex ed,” Mrs. David said. “The information students learn in those classes might not be as intellectual as concepts in physics, but it will be pivotal when they have to enter the real world and make life-changing decisions. And we’re not teaching them nearly
enough now.” A recent movement led by students and faculty in the Senate and the group Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) to improve Belmont Hill’s sexual education program has pushed many to consider the value of adding not only a sex ed program, but a more general “Health” class to the schedule. In addition to covering sexual education - specifically topics such as sexual orientation, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), healthy relationships, sexual harassment - Health would also educate students about drugs and alcohol, mental wellness and stress management, racial/ gender/religious diversity, bullying, and nutrition. The specific material varies from school district to school district as well as from grade to grade depending upon what the school deems appropriate and developmentally relevant. The benefits of a Health class are myriad. Numerous longitudinal studies around the globe have shown that the implementation of such curricula correlates with lower teen pregnancy, delayed sexual debut, reduced average number of sexual partners, curbed sexual risktaking behaviors, increased contraceptive use, reduced use of drugs and alcohol, and decreased prevalence of psychological stress. One paper even asserted that it boosts math & reading scores (though I can’t exactly explain that correlation myself ). Continued on page 16
David Mitchell '18 Shines On Court By Will McCormack Staff Writer Leading the team in a singalong on Monday afternoon’s bus to Roxbury Latin, sophomore Jovan Jones ‘18 approached this week lightheartedly. Yet, playing three games in five days to end the regular season, both Jovan and the entire Varsity Basketball team were aware of a dire need to bolster their NEPSAC tournament resumé. A February 17th loss at Brooks may have ended the team’s hopes for an Independent School League title, but attaining a tournament bid in New England’s competitive Class A bracket was still viable. Wins over RL, St. George’s, and Governor’s would undoubtedly improve the NEPSAC committee’s opinion of Belmont Hill’s young team. From his high-pitched rendition of Sorry by Justin Bieber that atypical Monday afternoon, no one could have predicted the three tremendous performances Jovan would soon deliver. But by
week’s end, everyone on the Hill had heard about at least one of Jovan’s highlight dunks, part of a rapidly expanding repertoire: his alley-oop Wednesday afternoon, self-pass-turned-slam off the backboard Wednesday, and a classic windmill Friday night. Their auspicious week began with a convincing 54-39 win over Roxbury Latin. Jovan’s double-double (21 points and 12 rebounds) culminated in an electrifying four-point play late in the second half. Fouled after swishing a three pointer near the baseline, Jovan, laughing on his way to the line, calmly swished his free throw before jogging back to play defense. Jake Bobo ‘18, another starter and solid contributor, especially when taking charges on the defensive end, finished with fourteen points. On Wednesday, the team continued its streak, handily defeating a weak St. George’s team. Every single player contributed to the victory. Young players typically out of the spotlight, like Pat Shea ‘17, Continued on page 4
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bhpanel.org & winsorpanel.org Supporting the Female Candidate: Winsor Opinion on the Significance of Clinton’s Gender By Isabel Isselbacher Staff Writer In our nation’s 239 years of independence, we have had 44 presidents. Of those 44 presidents, it is troubling that the only break in the trend of Caucasian men was
Barack Obama’s election in 2008. While all of our past presidents were certainly qualified to be elected, as a group, they are not representative of the diversity of the nation. Like his predecessors, Obama was elected based on his qualifications. Additionally, the election of our first AfricanAmerican was particularly meaningful, and the fact that America had finally elected its first black president inspired hope that true social reform was not so distant. The Civil Rights Movement was only 50 years ago, and even then the notion of having a non-caucasian President was inconceivable to the majority of Americans. Finally electing African-American
was symbolic of the drastic social change that has occurred within the past few decades and was a crucial step in the ongoing effort to shift from a racist America to a country that truly embraces equality. Similarly to the idea of having a black president, the notion
of saying “Madame President” seemed impossible when women were given the right to vote in 1920, less than one hundred years ago. Some citizens still view the idea of women in leadership theintercept.com as radical even today, supporting their opposition by claiming that women are over emotional or fickle, and these stereotypical characteristics do not a leader make. Although gender-equality laws like Title IX have been enacted into law, and women are now expected to get an education through college at least and encouraged to pursue a career, sexism is still a real presence in our society. As I attend Continued on page 19
Panel Editors Farewell
To our Panily,
The past four years have been full of laughs, tears, and long Sundays in the Belmont Hill library, but we are so grateful that we have been able to make our mark on Panel through Volume 64. Being the voice of the student body has been such an honor and a privilege, and we hope that we have done it justice. From debating about center spreads to laughing at backpage jokes, we have enjoyed every minute of working alongside our hard-working staff and dedicated advisors. We will miss our staff so much next year, but we trust that you will keep the Panily alive and well. Good luck, and we look forward to reading issues of The Panel in the future! Sincerely, HALLAH-Brayke