October 2015 (64, 3)

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A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School

Sophomore Ishaan Prasad Attends Elite Developers Meeting BH to Go BYOD

By Mack Perry Panel Staff Most fifteen year-olds spent their first week of summer at the beach, or binge-watching Netflix in recovery from exams. Ishaan Prasad is not an ordinary fifteen year old. In June, Ishaan spent a week in San Francisco as a personal guest of Apple at their annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the tech giant’s showcase for their new products and a destination for the world’s top software developers. Ishaan was one of 350 scholars selected to attend WWDC, chosen through a strict application process. The opportunity to go to this coveted conference is new for high schoolers; the scholar program has been around since the Eighties, but was traditionally only available to graduate school students. Four years ago, a then-sixteen-yearold developer applied and was accepted under his dad’s name, prompting Apple to rethink their age policy. Now, the scholarship is available to anyone thirteen years and up. About 100 of the 350 students were high schoolers, estimates Ishaan; the rest were in college and graduate school. His week and story was additionally chronicled in Business Insider in June.

“There’s an app for that” has never been more accurate than today. You can measure your heart rate, stream a movie, and order dinner, all with the touch of your phone. App developing and computer language have both emerged as vital 21st century skills, with teenagers and young adults spear-

Look Inside

heading technological advances for everyday life in this new age of apps. Ishaan’s love for computers started when he was ten, learning Scratch and making games.

At 12, he taught himself Objective-C from Youtube videos over March break, releasing his debut app Pet Run a few weeks later.

Now, his focus in apps is on pro-

here is it forces applicants to learn and master Swift, Apple’s language, therefore popularizing it.

WWDC ran from Monday, June 8 to the following Friday at San Francisco’s Moscone Center. On Sunday, the scholars were invited to an orientation at the Four Seasons that mimicked the Keynote address, the confer-

ductivity and education, and he has over 60 thousand downloads.

Instead of consisting of the usual “Tell us about yourself…” questions, Apple’s atypical application required students to build an interactive resumé app to showcase their developing skills and creativity. The innovative application was announced in Mid-May, and applicants are given a week to create the app; Ishaan recalls working on the app in addition to studying for finals, and receiving an acceptance letter during the exams. Part of Apple’s genius

ence’s most anticipated event that would come the next day. Ishaan lined up at 1:30am that morning outside the convention center in hopes of securing a good spot for the Keynote. “I missed the email that said the scholars had VIP access,” laughs Ishaan. His dedication paid off; he was first in line, and there were pictures on Apple’s website to prove it.

The Keynote was traditionally held by Steve Jobs, and now features CEO Tim Cook and other Apple executives announcing new products. This year, the

Best Burrito in Boston pg 5 Salsa vs. Guac pg 7 Best 2000’s Country Albums pg 9 Deflategate Analysis pg 10

By Ishaan Prasad Panel Staff For years, Belmont Hill has held steadfast on its device policy, providing students with access to iPads, Chromebooks, and computer labs, while also permitting boys to bring their own devices to campus.

In a world increasingly dominated by “smart” devices of every size and shape, faculty and administrators on campus began to recognize that the device policy at school was in need of a drastic update, in order to keep up with the ever-changing technological world. From Form I to Form VI, boys are increasingly requiring a computer to complete even the most basic assignments.

Signs of this new era of technology are scattered around campus: from smartboards, to online textbooks, and even the iLab in the Melvoin Academic Center. After more than three years of pilots, testing, and surveys, the Belmont Hill community will be embarking on an entirely different approach to electronic devices on campus next year; students will be required to bring their own device.

The basic principles of a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy are of relative simplicity: from now on, all students will have access to a personal computer for the entirety of the day. But what does this policy actually mean for the 441 students and 73 faculty at Belmont Hill?

Since 2012, Belmont Hill has been conducting various tests to see what policies would work best for the school. As a First Former during the iPad Pilot in 2012, I had a firsthand experience in technology through a continued on page 6

Varsity Soccer Defeats BB&N in a Well-Fought Match showered up, and headed to the mall for some dinner and the 7:30 showing of Black Mass. This overnight experience alThe Varsity Soccer team is off to a lowed the new teammates to grow closer great season start with an overall record and spend some quality time together of 5-0-1 and an in-league record of 3-0-0. off the soccer field. The next morning, After the final round of cuts on September 12th following the preseason jamboree, the team hosted their first regular season game, at home against Bridgton Academy, a New England Class A school. All class A games count towards the team’s overall New England record, meaning, at the end of the season, if they win a certain number of these games, the team qualifies for the New England playoffs. With this in mind, the Belmont Hill Varsity squad came out firing, scoring the first goal and never looking back, going on to a 5-1 win, with goals from Diego Pereira, Al Zenati, Robbie Cronin, Evan Ricci, and George Hu. On that Friday, the team traveled 2 hours down to Barrington, Rhode Island to take on two non-league opponents, following a buffet-style breakfast, all the the Rocky Hill School and St. Andrew’s team members packed up their bags School. Despite having suffered through a and boarded the bus for their 1:30 p.m. two hour bus ride, the Belmont Hill boys game time start. Against St. Andrews, didn’t show any signs of slowing down, the defense had their hands full, as they dominating Rocky Hill School in a 7-1 vic- were facing two Division-1 caliber striktory. The team then returned to their hotel, ers with speed and talent. Going into the

By Chip Daley Staff Writer

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company premiered Apple Music, their response to Spotify and the growing demand for subscription-based music streaming.

The Weeknd debuted his first hit single “Can’t Feel My Face” after Cook’s lecture. This itself was awe-inspiring, recalls Ishaan.

“The Keynote was held in the biggest room I’ve ever been in”, a testimate to the tech giant’s grandeur. The scholars sat in a VIP section at the very front of the room, only feet away from heads of the world’s most influential tech company. After the address, Ishaan and his fellow scholars were pulled on stage for photos in front of the crowd. During the conference, Ishaan observed several strategies of Apple’s, especially on their PR front. For example, any time there was a photo op, workers would place minorities and girls (Apple was scorned for not attracting enough women at the conference) front and center.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent milling around the conference center, mingling with fellow software developers, media, and Apple executives. Ishaan estimates that in addition to the 350 scholars, there were around five thousand developers and another thousand Apple engineers.

Add the media and Apple workers to get approximately seven thousand conference attendees quite the hectic scene. The scholars were given VIP passes that gave them all-access to the conference; Ishaan’s is autographed

by Tim Cook. “There was no separation or superiority with the top continued on page 3

final five minutes, Belmont Hill held the lead 2-1, but yielded a devastating goal with inside 5 minutes left in the game, resulting in a 2-2 tie. However, up to this point, none of the games had mattered in regards to our league standings.

The team ached to play their ultimate rival school in BB&N on Saturday, September 26th, in their first real league game. The week of practice before BB&N included the Circle of Death drill, in which players sprint in a large circle for 1-minute, 30-second, and 15-sec-

ond increments, skill work, push-ups, sit-ups, and formation-style exercises, in order to fully prepare the team for this biggest game of the season. Coach Señor Montoya regarded the BB&N game as a “springboard for our season.”

If the team could take down the league rival Knights, it would propel them into a fantastic spot for the rest of the season, giving them the necessary momentum to defeat other league teams.

Finally, on Saturday at 12 p.m, the moment finally came to show the league what Belmont Hill soccer is really made of. Just 7 minutes into the game, Evan Ricci tapped the ball in the back of the net, giving the team a 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately, Chad Meyers picked up his second yellow card with 15 minutes left in the first half, forcing Belmont Hill to have 10 men for the rest of the game. The team rallied around Chad, and everyone worked a little harder in the second half. The final whistle blew and the team celebrated a huge 1-0 victory against a league rival. The game really exemplified the definition of a team effort, and every player and coach couldn’t be more excited to see what the rest of the season has in store. ☐

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Summer Cuba Trip Creates Lifelong Memories on Previously Isolated Island

By John Gosselin Panel Staff Over the summer, a group of twelve students and two teachers went to Havana to learn about Cuba’s culture, and its political, economic, and social systems.

Since the 1959 success of Fidel Castro’s Communist revolution, Cuba has been a communist country.

The government is required to own at least half of all large-scale firms, and all education and health care is government-operated as well. The Cuban government is currently led

by Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother. Because of the philosophical and strategic differences between the United

States and Cuba, the US placed an embargo on all Cuban products. The embargo was first imposed in 1960 and strengthened by acts of Congress, most recently in 1996. It has had an immense effect on the lives of the Cuban people, especially af-

ter the end of Soviet support in 1991.

We witnessed the effect of the revolution and the embargo at a few of our stops: a local market in Havana and the several restaurants where we ate.

It is remarkable how we could tell the state of the people by looking at their cuisine. The local market, one of many in this city of about two million, sold many basic Cuban staples like sweet potatoes and other root vegetables. There was little to no meat at the outdoor market, as meat is significantly more expensive in Cuba than it is in the US. We used the local Cuban money, which is pegged at 1/24th the value of the US dollar, another acceptable currency.

Most establishments, the state-owned ones in particular, take both types of

currency, but some of the restaurants we went to only accept the Cuban Convertible Peso, used for the tourism industry, making these restaurants some of the most expensive in the city.

These private restaurants are a new experiment in Cuba, as they are

some of the only businesses that are not government-owned. Fighting heavy regulations and taxes, they are still some of the country’s most successful businesses, and the economy has benefited from them. These restaurants create jobs beyond their four walls; they create work for farmers, produce-shippers, and other logistical support staff necessary to sustain Havana’s many restaurants. This economic change has not helped the entire country, however, and the general Cuban economy has fared poorly since the end of Soviet assistance. Cuba’s culture more than makes up for its economic failings, and as a visitor, I was struck by how friendly the Cuban people were, especially considering the history between the US and Cuba.

Cuba’s culture can be admired through its architecture. We toured many sections of Havana and witnessed the city’s incredible architectural history, from its 18th century fort, La Cabana, to the elegant Spanish colonial façades scattered throughout the city. The best-kept

façades had bright paint and pillars that supported the outcropping rooms above, and also provided for shade for the people walking on the sidewalk.

All of these beautiful buildings are a product of Spanish colonialism. There was another, less beautiful building as well: the Russian (formerly the Soviet) embassy. This concrete pillar towers nearly 30 stories, making it one of the city’s tallest buildings. We could see it from our hotel, which was at least a few miles away.

The Soviet Union was communist Cuba’s biggest supporter from the revolution to Soviet collapse in 1991.

We toured many sections of Havana and witnessed the city’s incredible architectural history, from its 18th century fort, La Cabana, to the elegant Spanish colonial façades scattered throughout the city.

Overall, the Cuba trip was a great learning experience for all the Belmont Hill boys who attended, providing insight into the previously shadowed culture of this island so close to the United States. ☐

Boys in the Boat Chapel Provides Insight to the Daniel James Brown’s Book

By Jason Fischman Panel Staff This past summer, the B elmont Hill all-school read was The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel Brown, a heroic tale of nine working-class boys and their struggles to overcome adversity to win gold in the 1936 Olympics.

Along with the stor y’s crew component, it is a tale of class struggle, the rise of Nazism in Germany, and the economic devastation caused by the Great Depression. The group of young rowers from the University of Washington succeed against the odds in beating their west coast rival, Cal B erkeley, their privileged east coast rivals (including Yale and Penn) and eventually international crews, including the Nazi German shell.

To ensure that ever y member of the B elmont Hill community understood these messages, and to encourage discussion about such a meaningful book, the entire school gathered for a long school meeting on a Friday in early September. Mr. Richards, B elmont Hill’s head crew coach and a lifelong rower, started the meeting by outlining the histor y of crew. He explained that crew, as a sport, originated among water taximen on London’s Thames River and became an annual race, starting in the early 1700s. Eventually, crew emerged as a sport associated with elite colleges and schools, at

places such as Oxford and Eton, and later on the American east coast, predominantly at Ivy League and other prestigious schools. But the sport migrated westward, leading to the expansion of crews at western universities like those featured in Daniel Brown’s book.

Mr. Richards was followed

by Mr. Z amore, who explored the craft of boatbuilding. Mr. Z amore first described the craftsmanship required to construct the crew shells, and then tied the stor y of these vessels to the experience of teaching and obser ving boys as they constructed their own canoes in an Inquir y course last spring. Mr. Z amore’s obser vations on craftsmanship were enhanced by the presence of the two B elmont-Hill owned George Pocock boats on display outside the Chapel; seeing one of these boats in person allowed many B elmont Hill boys who do not row crew to imagine just how impressive the craftsmanship is, and to picture more vividly the Washington University crew’s relationship with their boats.

Mr. Leonardis next took the stage to discuss the Great Depression and provide some historical context for the stor y. The Great Depression was an economic collapse throughout the world in the early 1930s, and played a pivotal role in The B oys in the B oat. The Washington University crew team was

composed of working class men, the group of society hit the hardest by the Great Depression; Joe Rantz, the protagonist, was abandoned by his family because they could not afford to feed and house him, and the disadvantaged crew as a whole was constantly working overtime and throughout their summers to overcome economic disparity.

Mr. O’Lear y’s presentation on the 1936 B erlin Olympics and the rise of Nazism throughout Germany emphasized Hitler’s intention to showcase Germany’s success to the world. Using photos and quotations, Mr. O’Lear y explored how propaganda was used during the German games to portray the countr y as prosperous, virile, admirable, and to disguise its racist and Anti-Semitic policies. Mr. O’Lear y then screened the University of Washington’s astounding gold-medal race, in which the boys beat back their competitors, the Germans among them, and rowed to their remarkable victor y.

Mr. George, also a B elmont Hill crew coach, was last to the podium, and described the historic and ongoing rivalr y between east and west coast crews. The east coast crews had dominated since the rise of crew in America, and were often powered by the children of elites. The west coast crews, on the other hand, were often manned by those from more humble origins, and they did not achieve

the same success until the early 1900s, when west coast crews began consistently beating east coast crews. Eventually, in the 1930s, the west coast crews were consistently favored to beat their east coast counterparts as the west became a dominant power in the crew world.

Overall, The B oys in the B oat was a phenomenal stor y of

The school meeting enhanced students’ understanding of the book’s context, in terms of its rowing, along with the Great Depression and rise of Nazi Germany, allowing students to better absorb the book’s core themes. an underdog crew team winning Olympic gold, during a time global economic and political crisis.

The school meeting enhanced students’ understanding of the book’s context, in terms of its rowing, along with the Great Depression and rise of Nazi Germany, allowing students to better absorb the book’s core themes. To complement their understanding of the book, all students were required to write an essay comparing The B oys in the B oat to B elmont Hill, and excerpts from the best of these essays are included on page 3. ☐

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Upper School Boys in the Boat Essay Excerpts, Chosen by Each English Teacher Prompt: Our school motto is “Working Together.” How best can we apply what we have learned from this narrative to our collective experience in this community? Be specific.

I can connect Joe Rantz’s rowing experience of working together to Belmont Hill, most clearly through my experience on the community service trip in San Diego in 2014. As a very privileged group of boys, with the ability to attend an excellent school such as Belmont Hill, going into a less fortunate community, each and every student had to suppress their ego, staying humble to do the best work we could for these people in need. Without ego, and with a sense of humility, similar to that of Joe and his teammates, we were able to complete projects for a school, such as painting a mural in their schoolyard, installing an irrigation system, and setting up a plot for them to grow produce.

Seth Israel, Mr. Curran An important element of the Washington team’s success was the boys’ attitudes; as sons of blue-collar, Depression-era workers, Joe and his teammates shared a deeply ingrained sense of humility. This attitude allowed the crew, as Brown explains, “to subsume their individual egos for the sake of the boat as a whole” (241). Rowing is a sport that requires complete cooperation, and the team’s ability to forge a single, unified mentality proved crucial. While reading about the importance

of humility to the Washington team, I was reminded of a longtime Belmont Hill tradition: waitering. When I first came to t h e school, I was confused by this odd practice; the idea of clearing away my peers’ dirty dishes for four weeks a year seemed both ridiculous and annoying. However, I have begun to see the true value in this job: for one, waiting on others is a humbling experience. And, the fact that everyone waits on each other at different times fosters mutual respect. So, while we may complain about it, waitering brings us students closer together in a unique way.

Jack Daley, Dr. Tift During my time at Belmont Hill, I have found a swing with my classmates and teammates a handful of times. At the end of last autumn, eleven of my JV Soccer teammates and I traveled to Winchendon for our last soccer game. To that point, we had gone undefeated, so we all knew the match’s implications: we had the opportunity to make not just the last game, but the final season for our devoted senior players both a special memory and accomplishment. Embracing the numbing cold and muddy field, I knew that this match would require more than just individual skill and athleticism; victory would demand a resolute team effort.

Capitalizing on an early corner kick, Winchendon took a 1-0 lead that would last for the first

Mr. English Brings Many Talents to BH

By Jay O’Brien Panel Staff After spending a year as a teacher and secondary dormitory parent at the Forman School in Connecticut, Mr. English joins the Belmont Hill science department for his first year of teaching at the school. A 2014 graduate of Bowdoin College, Mr. English teaches Form VI physics, engineering, and Middle School art. The diverse group of classes that Mr. English teaches attests to his array of knowledge and talents, as well as the many different interests that Mr. English has cultivated throughout the years.

Growing up in Newton, Pennsylvania, a small town roughly 35 miles north of Philadelphia, Mr. English excelled on the sports field, while also becoming very involved in extracurricular activities throughout his time in high school. He played football all four years, basketball as a Freshman and Sophomore, and lacrosse as a Junior and Senior: “In high school I was also really involved in student government, which was kind of my main focus outside of sports,” added Mr. English, who also enjoyed spending time in several other groups and clubs as well.

From there, Mr. English attended Bowdoin College, where he played football for four years. He eventually became very involved in student life starting in his junior year, becoming a member of Ladd House as a Sophomore. Mr. English explained this decision by stating, “Living in a college house was a great experience, but as I moved out of there and was looking for a greater place in the college community, that was when I joined ResLife.” Starting as a first year proctor during his junior year, Mr. English eventually became the head proctor of a firstyear dorm where he was in charge of the dorm operation and activity planning. Mr. English believes that his path towards becoming a teacher started with his time spent in ResLife. Regarding what he planned to do for work after college, Mr. English said “I was really unsure as to what I wanted to do,” but his boss at the time set him up with a job as a teaching assistant for Upward Bound, a program for low income or future first-generation students. His job involved certain responsibilities within the school such as “assisting students in residential life, moni-

toring students’ progress in science, math, and writing courses, and leading weekend activities.”

After a positive experience at Upward Bound, Mr. English headed off to teach science at the Forman School in rural Litchfield, Connecticut. However, he wanted to live and work in a more metropolitan location. Thus, Mr. English decided to reach out to a network of Bowdoin football alumni to identify teaching possibilities in the Boston area. Mr. English eventually found Mr. Butler and contacted him for more information about Belmont Hill, which resulted in a school visit. “Belmont Hill really seemed like a great fit in terms of everything that I wanted out of a professional experience.” Thus far, Mr. English has enjoyed his first month at the school thanks to the “perfect balance” between a wonderful professional environment and the separation of work and personal life.

“The level of support here from faculty and students is tremendous, helping me understand where I need to go, where I need to be, what the expectation level is. It’s all just very clear.”

Within our very first week of senior year physics, certain students within the class had

a very interesting discussion with Mr. English about music, in particular Kanye West’s process when creating his last album, Yeezus. It is discussions like these that provides a new and interesting experience for students as they try and familiarize themselves with a new face on the Belmont Hill staff. Since Mr. English is just one year removed from college, he is still able to have conversations about topics that are relevant to the daily lives of many Belmont Hill students. This connection between a teacher and his students is very helpful in fostering a creative classroom environment.☐

half. During halftime, our captain Mike emphasized that we could depend on each other. If the opponent got past a midfielder, the right back would be there to help, and if he faltered, our sweeper and left back would do everything possible to prevent a shot from passing by the goalie. Conversely, the goalie could trust the defenders to clear the ball to the midfielders, who could then share the ball with the strikers. We each had to do our own job and trust one another. We played our best soccer of the season during that second half: whether we were making extra passes, sprinting over to help, or calling out about an oncoming defender, everyone pitched in his best team effort. When the final whistle blew, we had won 3-1.

As was the case with Joe and his crew, we had won because we had played our hardest, knowing that our teammates would be there to support us.

Bhawramaett Broehm, Dr. Fast These two indispensable values that facilitate productive cooperation can be observed throughout the Belmont Hill community which prides itself on its mantra of “working together”; however, this “swing” is most readily viewed—or more appropriately, heard—within the walls of Prenatt on Mondays after lunch. The Jazz Combo, a

group of individuals with disparate skill levels from beginner to experienced and with a diverse array of instruments ranging from three different types of saxophones to guitar and percussion, harmonizes its different sounds— no one musician overpowering the others—to create divine music. The drums keep the steady beat in the background—spang spang-a-langspang-a-lang—while the saxes swing along to the melody. Playing their part alone, these instruments generate a noise that lacks in richness and fullness of sound; however, the subtle blend and balance between the thumping base, whispering guitar, ringing piano, and bellowing saxes all in overlapping harmony evoke feelings of indescribable exultation for those fortunate enough to listen to borderline jazz perfection.

William Weiter, Mr. Leonardis The vessel where each boy learned to blindly trust one another and where eight rowers learned to move as one became an inseverable bond that connected each and every one of them. Unlike the boys on the team, the boat did not age just like the memory of their shared experiences which continued to live on with the boat even as the team grew old. As an object, their boat was a tool used to win the Olympic gold; however, on a metaphorical level, the boat carried the team away from a life of poverty and served as a vehicle which would tie nine boys to one unforgettable achievement in 1936.

Cole Nagahama, Mr. Kirby

Ishaan Prasad ‘18 Shines at WDDC

Continued from Page 1 people at Apple, ever yone roamed around the conference f loor, happy to talk with anyone.”

There were lectures and workshops set up for different interactive labs and sessions for scholars to attend, and when they were tired or needed a break, they could head to the scholar lounge. Ishaan met and bonded with many other student developers during the week at WWD C. “ They were doing so much more than I could imagine,” he remarked. One standout peer was Ari Weinstein, who is the mastermind behind Workf low, a productivity app that sat at #1 in the App Store

conference concluded with a concert featuring Walk The Moon to cap off an unforgettable week.

Along with his brother, Arnav, and classmate Matt Smith, Ishaan attended Dartmouth’s Hack-

In our interview, he stressed the importance of coding and developing in today’s world, and how kids our age are playing a major role in technology and innovation. for weeks, created when Ari was still a teenager. He left MIT at 19 to continue to work on his projects, sponsored by the Thiel Fellowship. The Fellowship, started by early Facebook investor Peter Thiel, gives grants to young entrepreneurs for use for their startup, given they drop out of school to do so. Ishaan notes one big difference in the education mentality of E ast versus West C oast students. “ The idea of schooling is ver y different,” he remarks.

“In general, kids over here will go through college then start their careers. Out in California, they talk about dropping out or not going at all to work on their companies.”

Ishaan was given the opportunity on Thursday to tour the Google and Twitter headquarters, both located close to each other and to San Francisco. The

a-thon the first weekend of October, where participants spend two days working on a certain project that is reviewed by corporate judges. In our inter view, he stressed the importance of coding and developing in today’s world, and how kids our age are playing a major role in technolog y and innovation. Asked about programming scene at B elmont Hill, Ishaan notes potential in the new clubs starting up this year. “ There are a ton of people in our school and the ISL interested in programming,” he says. “ There’s been a boom of interest. It’s ver y exciting.”

C ongrats to Ishaan for this remarkable accomplishment. The future certainly is bright for him. ☐

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Harvard Swimmer Mr. Sundel Joins Faculty Former Student Mr. Davis Returns to Hill

By William McCormack Staff Writer It seems like Mr. Sundel was always preparing to find his way to Belmont Hill.

Hearing about his high school life and college years reminded me of parts of my Belmont Hill life and what a lot of other boys must be experiencing, too. I almost jokingly asked if he had crafted some master plan in elementary school in order to secure a teaching job here, and I would not have been surprised if he whipped out his laptop and showed me the most updated version. Still, the similarities between his path to college and those of other students here at Belmont Hill are striking, and from this first-hand experience, he will make for a superb teacher, coach, and mentor to Belmont Hill boys for years to come.

Mr. Sundel grew up in Falls Church, Virginia, approximately twenty minutes west of Washington D.C. Since his father despised the local D.C. professional teams, Sundel was raised a Philadelphia Eagles fan, growing up in elementary school rooting for the “enemy” in the Eagles-Redskins rivalry. Thankfully, Sundel escaped elementary school alive and continued to attend schools in the local Falls Church public school system up until the end of 9th grade. Always motivated, Mr. Sundel understood hard work was necessary to do well in school: “You’ve got to sit down and study every single day, whether that’s for an hour, two hours, three hours, or however long it takes.”

In his 9th grade year at the public school, Mr. Sundel, academically gifted and bolstered by a terrific work ethic, began thinking about applying out of the school system he had known his entire life. The following fall, still excited for a challenge both academically and athletically, Mr. Sundel enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy, an all-boys school for grades 7-12 in Fork Union, VA. The transition was certainly not a breeze for Mr. Sundel. Already disciplined, he says his first reaction was “to fight the institution.” He endured many changes and because of the massive transition, “it was a tough first year.” In an entirely new environment, Sundel was alone at a new boarding school, separate from

family, all his friends, and his old comfortable existence. “Fork Union forced me to grow up really fast,” Sundel remarked. “It was a place that made you work for every single thing and didn’t hand you anything, whether that was in the classroom, while you were marching, or playing sports.”

There were no cell phones allowed, no iPods, and not even Facebook. Mr. Sundel remembers the last night before the sophomore graduation that concluded his first year at Fork Union: “I was getting ready to go to bed and my roommate asked me, ‘Blake, imagine if you woke

up tomorrow ready to graduate, and it was the first day of school all over again.’

I don’t think I could have done it, to be honest. Yeah, it was really, really tough.”

Despite his challenging first year, Mr. Sundel looks back on his days at Fork Union with gratitude: “I had to remember I took a gamble going there. While it could be tough, looking back on Fork Union, I’m just so happy I had the chance to go.” Sundel credits his high school for making him who he is today and bettering him in every regard of life. He believes his gamble worked out in every way. Drawing on his experience in high school, Mr. Sundel has some advice to share with the student body here as well: “If it seems like Belmont Hill is a tough place, whether academically, athletically, or socially, it’s a place that will mold you and get you through tough times in life in the future, even if you can’t see that right now.”

While we students are allowed cell phones, aren’t required to shine our shoes daily, and don’t need to march around campus, Belmont Hill, like Fork Union, is an all-boys school with students who take pride in hard work across several facets of school life. Mr. Sundel advises boys to remember the value of Type-B fun (as Mr. Leonardis put it a few weeks ago), activities that have benefits and value will reap in future years, not immediately.

Mr. Sundel is no stranger to intense athletics either, an experience which will help him effectively coach Belmont Hill athletics. He competitively swam and ran track throughout high school, and swimming practices were often ten times a week, some beginning at 4:45 AM in the morning. Sundel also became very involved in a program at Fork Union in which he mentored younger boys in middle school, an activity which lead to his interest in teaching today.

After growing to love Fork Union by the time he graduated valedictorian of his grade, Sundel went on to Harvard University, where he also brought his talents to the Division 1 swimming program. A fivetime All-American swimmer, Mr. Sundel swam freestyle and was named Harvard team MVP during his senior year. While a Harvard swimmer, Sundel also began to coach a younger swim team during his summers, in addition to helping mentor students at the Crimson Summer Academy. Possibly his most interesting activity in college, Mr. Sundel reported for Harvard sports, writing articles about Harvard basketball, and conducting profiles on players.

Mr. Sundel’s involvement in mentoring led him to believe he would want to pursue a teaching profession after he graduated college. Last year, after hearing Harvard friends speak highly of Belmont Hill, he applied for a teaching position, enticed by the concept of an all-boys school similar to his alma mater.

After receiving, and accepting, a job offer, Sundel now feels very “grateful to Dr. Melvoin and the staff for giving me an opportunity to come to a place like this.”

After about a month, Mr. Sundel loves Belmont Hill, explaining it is a special place for both students to learn and teachers to work. Mr. Sundel teaches Form II English, Af-Am studies, and will take on World Issues in the Spring. In addition to teaching and coaching 4th soccer, Mr. Sundel also works in the Admissions Office and will coach Varsity track in the Spring. “Very happy” at Belmont Hill, Sundel sees himself coaching and teaching for a while. Adept at planning ahead (he’s already learning a sport for retirement), Mr. Sundel’s forecast for his professional future is sure to be accurate.

Belmont Hill will be fortunate to enjoy his presence now and in years to come. ☐

By John Markis Panel staff Although Mr. Davis is one of the newest teachers on campus, he is also one of the most familiar with the school. As a 2007 Belmont Hill graduate, he is one of eight alumni working as teachers. Mr. Davis started his Belmont Hill experience in the fall of 2001 and immediately fell in love with the school. Playing football in the fall, hockey in the winter, and baseball in the spring, Mr. Davis quickly made new friends in his early years due to both his easygoing nature and obvious athletic ability. Although he changed sports a few times, running cross country in ninth and tenth grade and rowing from ninth grade until senior year, Mr. Davis’s rock remained hockey; he had started the sport at a very young age and started on varsity as an ace defenseman.

Although Mr. Davis loved hockey, it was definitely not his only passion at Belmont Hill. Mr. Davis’s well roundedness showed throughout his career at Belmont Hill, as he was a part of community service, set tech, and chess club. Mr. Davis was heavily involved in the Bread Squad, a club where Middle Schoolers went down to a nearby Panera Bread and, after gathering leftover bread from the day before, delivered loaves to shelters.

It is impossible to talk about Mr. Davis without talking about his Latin career.

Taking the language of the Romans for all six years of his Belmont Hill career, Mr. Davis had Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Richards as teachers, two of the most renowned teachers here; he continues to have a strong relationship with his former teachers to this day. As all classics students at Belmont Hill know, the core membership of each class remains the same year after year, and a strong relationship develops between class members.

In Mr. Davis’s class, the same eight students came back every year, and they created a Latin Club at Belmont Hill to both enhance their skills and have a good time.

Upon graduation, Mr. Davis did not have to buy a plane ticket or board a boat to get to college, due to the proximity of Tufts University in Medford. Mr. Davis played hockey for four years for the Jumbos and was elected captain in his senior year. He

majored in classics at Tufts; however, instead of becoming a teacher or professor of his favorite language, Mr. Davis decided to pursue his dream of becoming a professional hockey player. After receiving only one offer from a team in the United States, Mr. Davis brought his talents to Germany. He already knew some German from an exchange student his family had previously housed, but the transition was definitely a large one. While in Germany, Mr. Davis coached a local youth team and found his passion for coaching. After one year across the Atlantic Ocean, Mr. Davis returned home to coach at a school he

had not been to in five years: Belmont Hill.

As the assistant JV hockey coach for two years, Mr. Davis found that he had missed Belmont Hill tremendously while he was away; however, he was only coaching as a side job and spent his days as a construction worker. The first time that Mr. Davis seriously considered working at Belmont Hill full-time was when he applied for the job of head JV coach, a position that he holds to this day. In the summer of 2015, Mr. Davis officially got the job as a teacher at Belmont Hill. This year, Mr. Davis only teaches Latin Alpha and woodworking, but with his strong background in classics, he hopes to teach higher levels of Latin as he gains experience in the classroom. Besides being the JV hockey coach, Mr. Davis is also leading the First Form soccer team. All in all, Mr. Davis has many skills that will enhance the community for years to come, and we are as glad to have him back as he is to be here. In his own words, he “cannot think of a better place to be.” ☐

Seniors Create Memories at Camp Cody

By Thomas Wolpow Staff Writer

Earlier this month, the sixth form embarked on a senior retreat to Camp Cody, a beautiful lakeside destination in bucolic Freedom, New Hampshire. The trip would last just over 24 hours; nevertheless, the senior class would forge some of its best moments together. When the buses pulled into camp, Mr. Bradley announced that the bunks were first-come, first-serve, which resulted in a beeline for the long wooden cabins tucked into the woods a few hundred yards from the lake.

The first hour reserved for free-time, groups of friends engaged in a myriad of activities like Spike ball, football, and basketball. Others decided to take a short path to the camp beach, where the fine, white New Hampshire sand gave way into a shallow, muddy lake. Chicken fights ensued, helping all the boys release some pent-up energy from the long bus ride.

After changing back at the cabins, the advisors directed us to a meeting house, where we listened to a brief talk by the school’s head psychologist, Dr. Thompson. Next, we broke up into advisor groups, and participated in some enjoyable team-building exercises. The highlight of the trip, however, would come after a hearty classic camp meal of hot dogs and hamburgers, when the whole

form convened at the campfire for stories.

Mr. Kaplan led the way, retelling the shenanigans that he and his friends partook in while students at Belmont Hill. Soon, it was our time to relive the memories of the past five years. At around 10:30 PM, we trundled back to our cabins to turn in after an exhausting day. Mr. Sherman, who likes a good night sleep, was not happy with the late-night noise that inevitably accompanies any cabin full of Belmont Hill boys. After some stern words, we gave up talking and went to bed, excited to spend one more morning at Camp Cody.

Come daybreak, another perfect blue sky welcomed us out of our cabins.

Ravenous, we jostled into the dining hall for a breakfast that vastly exceeded expectations. Pancakes, fresh fruit, bacon, and even an omelet bar left us stuffed and ready to mess around for another hour before leaving. Most of the form decided on more organized activities, like full court basketball and futsal soccer. Others relaxed on the bleachers, catching some sun that would soon disappear back in Boston. When Mr. Bradley blew his whistle to start loading the buses, each of us couldn’t help but smile at the great 24 hours the seniors had shared together. Every boy will soon choose a different path to college and then into life, but on that day, we stuck together like brothers at Camp Cody. ☐

O c tob er 9th, 2 0 1 5

Belmont Hill Opinions

Pa g e 5

The Trump Card: How Donald’s Campaign Defies Modern Politics

By Bennett Rush and Robbie Warming threw countless insults at his detractors.

Panel staff What other candidate in history could insult women, immigrants, and As the campaign trudges on, the question in everyone’s mind still remains: How long will Trump last?

Donald Trump is leading just about every poll of Republican candidates right now. A Real Clear Politics poll, which averaged five national polls, had Trump at 31% as of September 13th.

In every poll, he leads his Republican rivals by double digits. His growth and popularity defy the experts, who have repeatedly predicted his demise.

Trump is known for his bold criticism of his competitors and his rash ideas which he claims will “Make America Great Again.” He proposes radical, unresearched, and implausible policies.

Even his campaign website, glaringly lacking in political substance, features Trump clothing, custom Solo cups, and pom-poms. Prior to the second debate, the site featured only one meaningful presidential policy: his position on immigration reform. Yet Trump seems to have toned down his characteristic national heroes, only to gain in popubrashness for the recent CNN Republi- larity? Love him or hate him, Trump is can Debate. Though the change in strat- bringing a whole new game into politics: egy could have been an effort to appear speaking his mind no matter the repermore presidential, his usual unapolo- cussions. In the beginning of his camgetic command of the political conver- paign, Trump took the Republican field sation was balanced by his ignorance by storm. Statements that would usually, of crucial information. In addition to and rightly, end a political career left him his unsubstantiated proposals, Trump unscathed. However in the CNN Debate,

Trump was held accountable for his past Trump remains on top, but slipped eight behaviors. We see this in his recent at- points in a CNN/ORC post-debate poll. tacks on Carly Fiorina in Rolling Stone He is not a shoe-in to become the Republican nominee. In fact, Trump’s personality may be beginning to catch up with him. The other Republican candidates, through careful observation of his unorthodox tactics, found ways to leave slight dents in the real estate tycoon’s campaign armor. Plus, Trump has fallen short on raising money, landing him in 13th place among Republican candidates for monetary funds. Despite these facts, Trump continues to draw massive attention without having to spend.

There is no doubt that Trump has certainly tapped into the frustration that Americans feel toward politicians.

His unapologetic political incorrectness seems to be his campaign’s defining strength. And yet, if Trump’s run survives to the general election, he will have to face an entirely different animal: independents. Yes, Trump may have been only slightly wounded by a more Trump-ready Republican field, but what will happen when he has to square off magazine, when he remarked, “Look at with the Democratic nominee for the (her) face! Would anybody vote for that?” great middle? If the object of the primaDuring the debate, Fiorina responded by ry is to elect a nominee who can defeat simply stating, “I think women all over the Democrats, why choose a man who this country heard very clearly what Mr. has time and time again ostracized the Trump said.” For that, Fiorina drew ar- women and immigrants of this country? guably the debate’s loudest applause. Trump’s populist rants may serve him Trump emerged from this de- well in the Republican primaries, but they bate with a downturn in his popularity. will come back to haunt him in 2016. ☐

Fernandez del Castillo Sets Out to Find The Best Burrito in Boston dry- it had great flavor, but it was tough to

By Juan Carlos Fernandez del Castillo get through it all. Finally, the construction of Staff Writer the burrito was both shoddy and problemIt isn’t often in life that I am able to atic. Not only did it fall apart in my hands, sit down to ponder the real questions: “Are but it was short and squat to begin with, double stuff Oreos actually any better?” “If and I rarely tasted more than one ingredient I am not for myself, who will be for me?” in one bite. The surly teenager behind the “Do I have class right now?” Sitting in the counter didn’t help. Mix in an effort, bud.

Goodband Commons, inspired by the in- The most expensive option at $8.40 plus tax. scriptions above me, I had something of Chipotle: 7/10. I’ll admit, I was a little an epiphany. The time had come for me wary of Chipotle going into it. A national to both set out on my own and seek what chain that advertises freshness, cutesy, ortruth I could, however I might see fit. ganic slogans on all of their t-shirts, the In this spirit, the Common App oddly industrial decor with corrugated steel asks us this year to write about a problem hung on the walls… we’d like to solve. “It can be an intellec- I was pleasantly surtual challenge, a research query, an ethi- prised. The chief vircal dilemma-anything that is of personal tue of this burrito was importance, no matter the scale,” it writes. in its freshness; they Well, college, challenge accepted. I am go- don’t lie when they ing to find the best burrito in Boston, a task claim this. Their salsa that falls under each of those categories. was almost as fresh as A couple of logistical notes: I bought any I’ve ever tastedthe same burrito, as close as I could, at each while excess lime may eatery. This consisted of: carnitas, brown have enhanced this rice, brown or pinto beans, pico de gallo/ impression, there’s mild/tomato salsa (these are all the same no faking good ingredients, and they exthing), lettuce, cheese, and sour cream. I hibited this. The carnitas were superbly chose carnitas because I figured there’s a lot cooked, with both great moisture content more leeway with the stewed pork option and strong, conventional flavor. One thing than with steak or chicken- the capacity for that disappointed me about this burrito nuance would expose the worse restaurants was its ratios and proportions; my first six and let the better ones shine. I also chose bites had no sour cream, and my last three not to add guacamole, because, while deli- consisted almost exclusively of it. Occacious, I thought it would overpower the rest sional bites had mainly rice or lettuce. The of the burrito, and I wanted a pure experi- ingredients, while on their own generally ence. Secondly, guacamole is expensive, and excellent, weren’t combined nearly as well unnamed members of the administration as they could have been. The burrito tasted refused to fund this research. I won’t say more like a salad than I would have liked, whether or not they made the right deci- with lots of lime and lettuce. $7.25 plus tax. sion, but I will say that a school that can’t Boloco: 8/10. A large part of me wantafford a little research budget in the name ed to give Boloco a 10/10. First off, as soon of the greater good should probably reor- as I walked in, I was greeted by a big, smilganize its priorities or its newspaper staff. ing Mexican guy behind the counter. “How Qdoba: 3/10. Worst first. This bur- can I help you today?”, he asked confidently. rito was incredibly uninspired. Overall, it “I’m looking for a burrito.” was cold (read: unpleasant). The tortilla “Well, you’ve come to the right place.” was chewy and covered in a light dusting This was the only restaurant that conof flour, which didn’t help. The meat, while veyed this sort of fun confidence and welsoaked in liquid, still managed to be a little come. Unlike every other place, they didn’t

use a bar style construction, where they slid the tortilla down and I created the burrito as I went, but rather took initiative into their own hands and just made the burrito for me. This they did in about thirty seconds, which was astonishing turnover.

As to the meal itself, there’s a lot to be said here. Most importantly, the carnitas were unorthodox, surprising, and absolutely delicious. The meat was smoked, rubbed with some brilliant combination of spices, and then stewed, if my taste buds can be trusted. This sounds sophisticated, but really all that mattered was the end result: amazing carnitas that were well seasoned and well cooked.

They, like the entire burrito, had a lot more kick than I expected, and there was a slight hint of sweetness to them that was unusual and fascinating.

While a purist might label this unauthentic, I found that I couldn’t care less. This burrito was unique. As to the rest of the ingredients, the salsa was average, but the rice and beans both flavorful. The cream was good, but unfortunately the cheese (cheddar, if I’m correct) felt a little sharp, and thus out of the place in this burrito.

The burrito wasn’t well constructed- some bites had exclusively rice, extra tortilla was folded along one side, and there was a little too much cheese. Overall, this bold burrito took risks, and in general they paid huge dividends. The most unusual and creative burrito I ate by a wide margin. Also the cheapest burrito I ate, at $7.20, tax included.

Anna’s: 8/10. Another word here about atmosphere; it matters. While the cute collegiate blonde behind the counter at your local Chipotle arguably conveys an advantage all on her own, there is simply no matching the feeling of walking into Anna’s, lined with colorful Mexican tiles and

painted a bright yellow. The loud mariachi music they play constantly is matched only by the rapid Spanish spoken by the employees behind the counter. The burrito I ate was delicious. One thing Anna’s does well is the toasting of the burrito in oil before filling; this melts the cheese, something which the bigger chains astonishingly haven’t caught on to. Frankly, it feels like other restaurants simply don’t care enough to do this. The salsa in my burrito was far and away the best I tasted; it was outstandingly fresh and perfectly balanced; strong flavors such as onion, lime, and cilantro played perfectly off of each other. The carnitas here were great in terms of flavor, but a little dry. This burrito also exhibited magnificent structural integrity- every bite included nearly every ingredient, and I can’t say enough about how much this does to improve the experience.

The rice was flavorful and well cooked, and these were the best beans I ate throughout the search; they tasted full and not too salty.

It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that they were cooked with some of the juice from the meat, or at least with good spices and onions.

If the devil is in the details, then so is the divine. This burrito nailed it in all the little ways, from the tortilla to the freshness of the salsa, and that made it great. $7.90 plus tax.

So what did I learn? I learned a lot; first off, that was a lot of burritos to eat in a short amount of time, and I’ll probably avoid that sort of frequency in the future.

Secondly though, I learned that the question of “best burrito in Boston” must be met by each person individually. This is simply a matter of personal preference.

For now, I’ll happily go to Anna’s or Boloco. If you’re looking for my recommendation, I would say that you should go to Anna’s for the best overall experience.

But if you’re ever feeling a little adventurous, Boloco should stay on your radar.

One last note; there’s really no substitute for making a burrito on your own. While these restaurants are great, the satisfaction to be had in exercising complete control over making your food and then eating it is pretty astonishing. Don’t knock it until you try it. ☐

BELMONT HILL OPINION

Pa g e 6

Why Did We Start So Early This Year?

By Brendan Pulsifer Panel Staff Pulling up to the Belmont Hill parking lot on the first day of school, I looked at my car thermometer in disbelief: 97 degrees. My car thermometer often overestimates the temperature, but as I looked around, ever y single person wearing a dark blazer and tight necktie was sweating throughout orientation. As I was having my school picture taken, the complaints of nearby students were myriad: “Why do we have to be in school so early?”; “Public schools don’t start until after Labor Day”; “This is just Melvoin getting us back for those snow days, I know it.”

Though it was a bit unprecedented for school to start two weeks before Labor Day, we should count ourselves lucky ; at least we’re not living in Chandler, Arizona, where the school year commenced on July 20th.

That’s right, July.

Believe it or not, starting classes in July isn’t terribly uncommon anymore. It may seem like cruel and unusual punishment to us New Englanders, but many counties in Indiana and Hawaii summoned students to hot classrooms just three weeks after Independence Day. Schools in Atlanta, Oklahoma City, and Monterey weren’t far behind, with classes resuming on August 5. Students in these areas do get out for summer break earlier than most - just before Memorial Day weekend - but is it really

“ School days are precious.

Last year 192 boys took at least one AP exam - We need academic days before early May, and [starting in August] gives us a full month in September.” worth sacrificing the month of August?

While some administrators say yes, many certainly don’t think so. As I’m sure all Belmont Hill boys know, most students in the Northeast returned to classes the week of September 8, just after Labor Day. In Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia, schools are actually banned from starting school before Labor Day thanks to tourism laws. After extensive winter and summer breaks in addition to many no-class holidays, it seems that college students hardly go to school.

So which system is best? If we look at the histor y of schooling, students around the countr y have enjoyed a June-to-September summer vacation for the past centur y. Before that, however, the academic calendar varied widely from place to place. In rural areas, students had only five months of classes in the summer and winter because they needed to assist their parents on the farm in the spring and autumn seasons. Alternatively, urban districts held schools open for 240 days each year, significantly longer than the public schools’ current 180-day calendar.

In 2015, the times seem to be changing once again, and there are many valid reasons to support the new calendar system. In public schools, teachers and students often feel that the month of June is wasted; teaches have already taught the bulk of the curriculum, the weather heats up, and kids are too restless and fatigued to learn.

The new calendar solves that prob-

lem by completely eliminating the month of June. Starting earlier gives time for more breaks and possible snow days throughout the year, and thus more productivity during class.

Yet probably the paramount argument is that, under the new calendar, teachers will be able to

“Hopefully the new system will give the faculty more days to teach new material and will give students less stress during their vacation.” teach all the necessar y material before standardized tests begin in the spring. In search of more time spent learning in class, Belmont Hill has also changed the midyear exam schedule. Traditionally, Belmont Hill has given midyear assessments during the second week of Januar y, but the Academic Policy Committee has been actively researching better ways to administer exams.

“This year, most students will have three regular exams before winter break and two projects due after the break,” says Mr. Grant, Dean of Studies. “We used to have almost twenty days dedicated to review and large assessments - far too much time outside the classroom. Hopefully the new system will give the faculty more days to teach new material and will give students less stress during their vacation.”

So maybe starting earlier isn’t so bad after all. “School days are precious,” says Dr. Melvoin. “Last year 192 boys took at least one AP exam - we need academic days before early May, and [starting in August] gives us a full month in September…. It seems to some of [the faculty] silly to delay school until Labor Day just because it is ‘a New England custom’ and especially when it falls as late as it did this year.”

When looking at the issue through this lens, perhaps conceding at least one week in August would be worth a 5 on an AP exam and a homeworkfree Memorial Day weekend. ☐

Th e Pan el

Bring Your Own Device Policy Stresses Importance of Technology in Classroom (cont. from page 1) “1 to 1 program,” in which the school technology department distributed one device (in this case, iPads) to all 53 of the First Formers for a year. The iPad was then integrated (somewhat) into the curriculum of many of our classes. I still remember the excitement we felt when we received the devices, but I also recall the myriad of problems that came with the tablets. Besides the numerous cracked screens the school replaced and the inevitable gaming that occurred with the tablets, it soon became evident that iPads just weren’t meant for every class on campus. I still had to carry around several textbooks, and eventually I even resorted to bringing my own laptop to school so I could complete my work more effectively.

Despite trying out a subsequent Chromebook pilot the next year, the school eventually recognized that maybe a 1 to 1 program was not the best fit. Last year, students were asked to complete a survey on the technology they used, both on and off campus. Carried out by the Academic Technology Committee (ATC) and led by Mr. Trautz, the results from the survey were utterly unexpected.

While all 431 boys who took the survey responded that they have access to internet at home, what was truly surprising was that a staggering 387 of those boys had their own personal computer (that was not shared amongst their family), with 349 of those boys owning laptops and 240 boys bringing a laptop or tablet on a regular basis to school!

These unpredicted results led to both a departmental review of the technology and the creation of a separate survey for faculty, before the ATC brought the policy to the Academic Policy Committee and Board of Trustees, with all of these events ultimately culminating with a final faculty vote and discussion in June.

A large majority of faculty (71%) believed that the use of personal computers would benefit their students both in-and-out of the classroom, while also reducing the amount of extraneous time spent in class retrieving

laptops from carts. With such a high number of boys already owning their own laptops, it became apparent that a BYOD policy could be the solution to Belmont Hill’s device problems. As Mr. Trautz and the ATC expertly summarized in their Recommendation of the BYOD policy, “while this program might represent a change in philosophy, it will not be a drastic change to our student body, families, or even culture.”

With the institution of the policy next September, all students will be required to bring either a Windows PC, Apple Mac, or Two-In-One (Tablet/Laptop) to school for the entirety of the school year. While a majority of students (329) own Macs already, Belmont Hill will be requiring standard software for both PCs and Macs (i.e. Microsoft Office), and will be providing student discounts for both platforms.

Despite the establishment of a BYOD policy, during the 2016-2017 academic year (and potentially for future years), students will continue to have access to several of the laptops and tablets owned by the school (in case of emergencies or printing, etc.), although there will be fewer school devices throughout campuses.

With significant changes on campus, the school has already begun updating the server capabilities on campus, improving WiFi connectivity around campus, and started planning the logistics of dealing with an increase of personal devices at school, such as storage and security.

Belmont Hill’s newly established BYOD policy is a step in the right direction for the school; this new approach will foster a sense of spontaneity and productiveness both in-and-out of the classroom, giving boys the chance to choose the device that works the best with their style of studying. As with any program that involves technology, there will always be glitches and bugs, but hopefully the school can use the experiences from previous technology programs to implement this innovative new policy effectively.

The willingness of Belmont Hill to innovate in their uses of technology truly illustrates the intrinsic belief at the school that a great education is found at the crossroads of timeless traditions and pioneering innovations, which, when coupled with a dedicated faculty, produces young men who are ready to take on the world. ☐

BELMONT HILL OPINION

O c tob er 9th, 2 0 1 5

Pa g e 7

Salsa or Guacamole?

In this issue of The Panel, we are continuing our feature debate between Form VI students Jay O’Brien and Gabe Schmittlein. After The Panel is released, a poll will be sent out to assess the student body’s views on the topic at hand. These results will be published in the subsequent issue along with a brand new talking point. So without further ado, we present the seventh debate—Salsa vs. Guacamole.

Team Salsa

By Jay O’Brien Panel Staff After boring Team Vanilla pulled off the shocking upset against clearly superior Team Chocolate in the last debate, Gabe somehow managed to tie the total series at three a piece. Unfortunately for him, he made the ill-fated decision of picking Team Guacamole, basically handing himself another loss. Thus, even though stating my case in favor of salsa seems unnecessar y, I will continue to do so out of respect for my opponent.

When listing the most important people or items to make its way from Mexico to the United States, the top three spots on the list are clear : Mariachi Bands, Cesar “the Dog Whisperer” Millan (the man has a gift), and the undisputed top choice, salsa. A typical salsa recipe primarily consists of chopped tomatoes, seeded peppers, and jalepeños, but from there, the variations are endless. Flavor, texture, and spiciness all var y from salsa to salsa, but the condiment always works well on a large variety of foods, a versatility that just isn’t present within guacamole’s game.

When thinking of the best food combinations in this day and age, the duos that come to mind are

Team Guacamole

french fries and ketchup, oreos and milk, and most important to any party or event, chips and salsa. The duo between chips and salsa is just like the Brady-Moss connection back in ‘07: absolutely dominant. The two foods are a mainstay at any celebration, but they can also ser ve as an excellent late night snack. In addition, to anyone who hasn’t eaten the Tostitos salsa, as seen in the vast majority of grocer y stores, it is an absolute must tr y. Thank me later.

Meanwhile, the guacamole and chips connection is simply inferior, lacking the same exquisite taste as seen from salsa and chips. First and foremost, guacamole is an extremely strange shade of green, which obviously has nothing to do with the flavor, but it might just be my least favorite part of this particular food.

Burritos and tacos also improve exponentially when salsa is added into the mix, as it provides a delicious spice and flare to the neutral tasting beef and rice; on the other hand, guacamole simply adds nothing positive to the group, and instead only offers a strange texture to the Mexican dish.

In conclusion, while people can attempt to make the argument in favor of guacamole, the clear choice within this debate is salsa, but no matter how many times I can repeat myself, the vote is within your hands.

Make the right decision: vote salsa. ☐

By Gabe Schmittlein Panel Staff Salsa is a good condiment. Mike Posner is a good musician. The Buffalo Bills are a good football team. All these statements are true. The point that I’m very subtly trying to make is that salsa is good, and if you stranded me on a desert island and said, “Eat this salsa and you can get off this island,” I’d eat the salsa. However, when was the last time Mike Posner won a Grammy, or the Bills won a Super Bowl? I can say fairly confidently without any fact-checking that the answer to both of the aforementioned questions is never (although “Cooler Than Me” was a jam for sure).

The next logical question one might ask is, “Gabe, what’s one word that you tend to associate with guacamole?” Greatness. Nickelback. The New England Patriots. The Lord of The Rings Trilogy. The United States of America. You asked for one word and I gave you seventeen, because that’s how much I respect guacamole.

I think that, when some people debate the salsa or guacamole issue, they only consider the application of the condiments on chips. People love both chips and salsa AND chips and guac, but when I consider salsa and guacamole, I prefer to consider whether I enjoy them on a variety of food items. Take burritos, for example: there’s a reason why burrito places charge extra money for guacamole, and it’s nobecause avocados are really expensive

(well it is, but that doesn’t help my argument). Instead, it’s because people are so desperate for guacamole on their burritos that they’re willing to shell out that extra two bucks for some sweet guac.

Supply and demand, gentlemen. Salsa doesn’t have that same special appeal.

When I’m biting into a burrito, I’m not focusing on that little bit of salsa that’s sloshing around amongst the rice, I’m thinking about the guacamole that I so wisely decided to pay two extra dollars for.

It’s not just burritos either, though.

I will literally eat guacamole on anything. Several can attest that I was spotted in the dining hall just a couple weeks ago eating guacamole on potatoes. It’s like the grownup version of ketchup.

It’s like tartar sauce on fish and chips, if tartar sauce were guacamole and fish and chips were every other food in the entire universe. The buttery avocado flavor brilliantly brightens up any dish, and guacamole even functions effectively as a lone condiment (that’s a term that I believe I’ve just coined), capable of being spread on a piece of bread and providing enough substance and gusto.

I’ll say it again: I think that salsa is good. If salsa were going up against pickle relish in this debate, salsa would win.

That’s like saying the Bills could beat a JV high school football team. Unfortunately, it’s not going up against pickle relish.

It’s going up against guacamole, and guacamole is more than good. It’s great. ☐

Results from Last Debate Vanilla - 112

55%

Chocolate - 92

45%

Advantage: Vanilla

Analyzing the Success and Perceptions of the New Schedule One Year Later

By Matthew Bracken Staff Writer Just two years ago, our school-wide schedule consisted of 40 minute blocks that rotated from day to day, resetting at the beginning of every week. This rather mundane and repetitive cycle was exchanged last year for our current schedule: three classes of 75 minutes every Wednesday and Thursday over a two week schedule. Now, in year two of the two week schedule, the novelty of having only three classes a day has worn off, and it is time to take a step back and evaluate the effectiveness of the new schedule. The biggest change from the old schedule to the new was the transition from 40 minute blocks to the newer long blocks. These 75 minute blocks definitely have several upsides, such as longer time to cover more material in fact-heavy classes or the freedom for science classes to complete even the most complicated of labs in only one period. Obviously, the 75 minute block that has the largest upside for the students is the long free block, where one has over an hour to work on some homework, study

for an upcoming test, or simply take a break from the daily hassles of high school life; however, as any student can attest, three straight long blocks can make for a very long day, especially with the extra amount of homework that often accompany the extended classes. Even for teachers, it can be hard to fit 75 minutes of material into one class while keeping students active and engaged; however, the more this new schedule is in use, the more students and teachers will become adjusted to dealing with these long blocks. The new schedule also ushered in the two week system, which rotated the class sequence every Monday and Tuesday.

Although this can occasionally cause some confusion as to which week it is in the cycle, this allows the time period of classes to shift and provides a slight change from day to day.

Overall, the new schedule has several pros and cons, but, provided you can get used to the long blocks, it is an effective change from the monotonous schedule from two years ago.

The most notable change with this year’s schedule is the schedule of the midterm tests.

Midterms have been a source of great discrepancy over the last couple years, moving from after the winter break, as was the case in the

2013-2014 school year, to last year’s calen- and it certainly is the easiest and most efdar, with midterms split both before and fective of the recent exam schedule. ☐ after winter vacation. This shift away from the January midterms was perpetrated by the fear that students would be spending too much of their vacation time studying and worrying about their upcoming examinations. This year, an even greater step was taken in this direction with the abolishment of midterms after winter break. Another key factor of this new schedule is the subtraction of two midyear exams. This year, there will only be three midterms instead of the regular five, once again reducing the stress levels of students who otherwise would need to consecutively deal with five two-hour marathons. However, classes that do not have midterms will likely have work throughout this period, including papers and projects that can take up many hours reserved for studying. Despite this, the differentiation often works out for students, as they have several days to prepare what they know in a project format instead cramming for a two hour single test. This midterm format should make the close of the first semester much less hectic for the students,

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MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)

Fall Movie Preview

By Duncan Grant Staff Writer

By Gavin Colbert Staff Writer

The 32nd installment of the MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 30th, and was one of the most eventful VMAs in recent memory. Miley Cyrus hosted again, and drama was expected.

Yet even Miley’s collection of see-through outfits was overshadowed. Nicki Minaj opened the show by performing “Trini Dem Girl.” Nicki was joined later by Taylor Swift to sing Nicki’s “The Night is Still Young” as well as Taylor’s hit song with Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood.” This duet marks the end of the feud between Taylor and Nicki that started in July on Twitter, when Nicki Minaj questioned “Bad Blood” for being nominated over “Anaconda” for Best Video of the Year. An hour after ending her beef with Taylor, Nicki called out Miley Cyrus with the famous line “Miley what’s good?” during her acceptance speech for Best Hip-Hop Video. This came after Miley trashed Nicki during an interview with the New York Times a week before the VMAs. Miley was quick to recover, blaming it on the New York Times.

Kanye announced his plan to run for President. After accepting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, Kanye went on a rant about award shows and his mishap with Taylor Swift during the 2009 VMAs before announcing his plan to run for office in 2020. During his speech, Kanye admitted that he was “under the influence.”

Kanye’s announcement blew up on social media, and even the official Twitter page of the Democratic Party (@TheDemocrats) welcomed Kanye into the race.

Despite being eclipsed by catfights and presidential agendas, the winners of this year’s VMAs are worth mentioning. Nicki Minaj left the VMAs with an award for Best Hip-Hop Video (“Anaconda”), and Fetty Wap received Artist to Watch. “Uptown Funk” won Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson Best Male Video of the Year, and was nominated for another four awards. But if an award show could be won, Taylor Swift would get the ‘W’. Taylor not only ended a fight with the hot-tempered Nicki Minaj, but she also received Best Female Video of the Year and Best Pop Video of the Year for her hit track “Blank Space.” The music video for her song “Bad Blood” featured over twenty female celebrities including Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding, and won her the most treasured award of the show: Best Video of the Year. And Kanye didn’t even interrupt her during her acceptance speech!

Maybe he can handle being President.☐

We are coming to the end of a great year, but we are just at the start of what is shaping up to be an amazing fall movie season. There are so many great movies to choose from but these five movies are set to be some of the best movies not only of the fall, but of the entire year. If you have free time during your busy lives, I truly hope you will check out these wide ranging and hopefully memorable movies.

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Star Wars: Episode VII

The force finally awakens in the long anticipated seventh installment of Star Wars that geeks from every decade in the past forty years have been waiting for. Before dismissing this as just nerdy a Star Wars movie, know that this is going to be one of the most incredible, memorable, and exciting movies of the decade.

Yes, decade. Filled with beautiful 2015 computer generation, nostalgic cameos from old characters, and a soccer ball R2-D2, “Star Wars: the Force Awakens” is going to be a truly awesome movie for all. I encourage you to celebrate the sci-fi series that has enthralled and fascinated new generations for the past forty years.

And of course: may the force be with you.

Rating: PG-13 Release Date: December 18, 2015

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2:

Concussion:

In the final installment of the worldwide box office phenomenon, the Hunger Games, Katniss attempts to finally destroy the Capitol and end the despotic reign of President Snow. If you have seen the other Hunger Games movies, this is bound to be an awesome conclusion to a riveting series. Even if you haven’t been following the Hunger Games series, I recommend watching this last movie because it will definitely have lots of thrilling action scenes, lots of Jennifer Lawrence, and lots of explosions that would make Michael Bay proud.

Rating: PG-13 Release Date: November 20, 2015

The Walk:

Chronicling the most famous stunt of legendary French high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s career, The Walk dramatically captures Petit’s 1974 tightrope walk between the two Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. With brilliant storytelling and beautiful computer generation that magnificently captures the aura of the World Trade Center in its heyday, The Walk will definitely be worth the watch, but just one thing to remember: don’t look down.

Rating: PG-13 Release Date: September 30, 2015

The Martian:

Set in the near future of space exploration, The Martian is a film adaption of Andy Weir’s incredible, New York Times best-selling sci-fi novel about the odyssey home for NASA astronaut, Mark Watney, after being stranded on Mars. If you want to watch Matt Damon get himself stuck on another planet again, this is the perfect movie for you. The Martian is shaping up to be one of the best movies of the year with much social media hype and sci-fi fan enthusiasm.

Rating: PG-13 Release Date: October 2, 2015

With the current backdrop of ongoing head injury studies in the NFL, this intense drama starring Will Smith tells the incredible true story of Nigerian forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu. While studying the autopsy of the late Pittsburg Steeler, Mike Webster, Dr. Omalu discovers the progressive degenerative disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which results from continuous brain trauma due to repeated hits to the head. This movie epically describes the perseverance and resilience of Dr. Omalu in his efforts to share with the world his discovery of CTE in many former NFL players, while the NFL tries to hide his disturbing and economically devastating reports. A must-see for fans of the NFL and neuropathology.

Rating: PG-13 Release Date: December 25, 2015

Executive Editor Brendan Pulsifer

Editors-in-Chief Jake DeCaprio Jay O’Brien

Arts Editor Alex Afeyan

Copy Editors Ishaan Prasad John Markis

Sports Editor Matt Reppucci Photo Editor John Gosselin

Assistant Editors Gus Lamb Evan Ricci Jack Richards Ben Rush

Faculty Advisors David Hegarty Juliette Zener News Editor Jason Fischman Opinion Editor Mack Perry Online Editor Arnav Prasad

Back Page Editor Gabe Schmittlein

The Panel, founded in 1953, is the official school newspaper of the Belmont Hill and Winsor schools. The Panel is the voice of the student body. We publish articles that are of consequence to the students, as well as the school communities. The views expressed in the Panel belong solely to the authors and editors and do not necessarily represent the student body, faculty or administration of either school. Any comment about the content should be addressed directly to the editors. The Panel encourages responsible opinion in the form of Letters to the Editor. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for length and content. Copyright 2015 the Panel. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission of the Editor-in-Chief. Printed by Belmont Printing Company, Belmont, MA 02478.

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Country Album Rankings: 2000-2010

By Matt Armstrong Staff Writer First off let’s set some ground rules.

Only albums from the years 2000-2010 will be eligible for the list. The sweet spot of country music, smack between the traditional but mundane sound of the 90’s and the weird metro/bro/EDM thing that’s going on right now, in which lies the beautiful valley of perfection that is country music from 2000-2010. Also only one album per artist is allowed on the list (As much as I would love to talk about ten Kenny Chesney albums, we like to give the other guys a chance too.)

10) My Kinda Party-Jason Aldean (2010) This is an incredibly controversial way for me to start out the countdown. I worry immensely about sending a congratulatory message to Jason Aldean by giving him a spot with such prestigious comrades. Much of what Aldean stands for, bro country, is an inability to write music and lack of musical creativity and talent.

However this album is awesome, strong guitar with steel guitar crying throughout: “My Kinda Party”; “Fly Over States” (I’ll never be able to fly on a plane the same way anymore); “Tattoos on This Town” (the music video made me cry and is worth the watch); “Don’t You Want to Stay”, the most powerful song on the album with Kelly Clarkson; and “Dirt Road Anthem”, perhaps the only country rap song I’ll ever be okay with. But the depth songs, specifically “Texas Was You”, “See You When I See You”, “Just Passing Through” and “Churchpew or Barstool”, are also awesome, a phenomenon noticeably absent among Aldean’s bro-country comrades.

9) Long Trip Alone-Dierks Bentley (2006) This album adds a much needed grit and toughness factor to the list. Dierks is rough around the edges, as shown by songs like “That Don’t Make It Easy Loving Me”, “Hope for Me Yet”, and “Can’t Live It Down”. But while being an outlaw is certainly a theme, Dierks doesn’t let it define him at all, as he delivers emotion through “Long Trip Alone” and “Trying to Stop Your Leaving”. But the best song on the album by far is “Free and Easy Down the Road I Go”, a truly unique offering and one that I am proud to call a country music song, a song that can transport you from your basement to a desert somewhere in Utah at the press of a button. The most impressive part of Long Trip Alone is that Dierks maintains his energy and skill on every song.

it is well deserved. Starting the album with “Something More” and “Baby Girl” is how you make a statement as a band, with two sonically impressive and lyrically thoughtful hits right off the bat. And while the first two are the highlights, the remainder is consistent and diverse. “Hello, Tennessee” and “Fly Away”, are also excellent, demonstrating a different facet of Sugarland’s capability.

8) Taylor Swift- Taylor Swift (2006) Yes, I realize Taylor Swift is on the list, and no, that’s not soft because she is truly amazing. This first album is proof enough. Honestly, I’m not an expert but in my opinion Swift belongs in conversations for best songwriter of all time as she has now easily dominated two genres.

More impressive, Taylor Swift (album) was released when Taylor was 16 and she has a writing credit on every song.

Although you may argue for days as to whether this is a country record or not, it’s excellent regardless. Taylor’s melodies are amazing, “Tim McGraw”, “Teardrops on My Guitar”, are both excellent, and “Our Song” is Taylor’s best song to date.

5) Chief-Eric Church (2011) I think I have a special connection with Eric Church as an artist, especially as he contrasts with other mainstream country singers of his age. But I can objectively say Chief is an amazing album. Everything that makes Eric great is on display here.

6) Golden Road-Keith Urban (2002) While Keith is arguably the most consistent country artist from 2000-present Golden Road stands out as his finest work. The utterly refreshing opening of “Somebody Like You”, into “Who Wouldn’t Want To Be Me”, sets the tone, but Keith expands from this theme, having fun with “You Look Good in My Shirt” and portraying sadness in “You’ll Think of Me”. It’s all here. Golden Road is the full package.

4) Home-The Dixie Chicks (2002) When you listen to Home by the Dixie Chicks, you generally get frustrated at their selfishness; they kept all the good songs for themselves. The Dixie Chicks channel a traditional sound, complete with banjo, fiddle, and mandolin, separating them from their rock-driven counterparts. Ultimately however, the songwriting separates this album from the rest: every song with has 7) Twice the Speed of Life-Sugar- a melody that simply cannot be ignored. land (2004) Let me start this by saying I’m a huge 3) 5th Gear- Brad Paisley (2007) fan of Sugarland and some might look at I don’t think there are any other alTwice the Speed of Life at the seven spot bums that can boast the singles that 5th as incredibly generous, but I would argue Gear can. “Ticks”, “Online”, “I’m Still a Guy”,

“Letter to Me”, and “Waiting on a Woman” are five successful singles -- all both individually unique and awesome, but collectively they complete each other. While the rest of the album is relatively average I don’t think a set of five songs from any other album can ever compete with these.

2) You Get What You Give-Zac Brown Band (2010) When you listen to You Get What You Give, you get the sense that Zac Brown Band works with so much more instrumental and songwriting talent than anyone

else in the business. But what makes You Get What You Give special is the fact that Holly Gettings not an ounce of their talent goes to waste.

1) When the Sun Goes Down- Kenny Chesney (2004) The victor in a landslide goes to Kenny Chesney’s masterpiece When the Sun Goes Down. Start to finish, every song sounds like it could be the album’s best song. Literally no other album stands a chance and it’s not their fault really. Seriously, listen to it.

Panel of The Panel

By Bennet Morris Staff Writer In June of 1993, a panel depicting Boston’s skyline, the phrase, “Let Us Go Up” and a church steeple prominently placed in the center of the panel was unveiled. Who knew twenty-three years later, a panel article would be written with this graduate as its subject. This was certainly not on Caleb Collins’ mind.

Known to us students as Mr. Collins, he lifted the logo off his congregation’s letterhead in an attempt to complete one of his last requirements for graduation.

Today, however, Mr. Collins reflects that it was the right choice for his panel subject as he has fond memories of being at that church throughout high school. The phrase etched in the center of the panel serves no real significance to Mr. Collins other than the comparison of himself and peers moving into the real world.

After graduating from Belmont Hill, Mr. Collins went on to attend Tuskegee University. In 1998, he accepted a position with Evergreen Investments as a fund analyst in the Bos-

ton office. Coincidentally, Evergreen’s offices were located in the old John Hancock building which had also been showcased as the centerpiece in his panel.

In June of 2002, after four years with Evergreen, Mr. Collins, a mathematics major with a desire to teach, took a position in the math department at his alma mater.

It took no time for Mr. Collins to re-acclimate to the school’s dress code, routine, and traditions in a role of authority. At present, Mr. Collins teaches mathematics and serves as Director of Community and Diversity. You may find Mr. Collins’ panel Holly Gettings outside of Mr. Kaplan’s workshop, and be sure to compliment him on his work.☐

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Reppucci’s Deflategate Unfiltered

By Matt Reppucci Panel Staff Here is a rundown of the “Deflategate” facts, in the form of a timeline, from an incredibly unbiased point of view: January 10, 2015: Patriots beat the Ravens in an AFC Divisional Round matchup and use tackleeligible plays (100% legal, as defined by the rulebook). But, surprise, surprise, the Ravens whine about the Patriots cheating, and Brady justifyingly responds by saying the Ravens “should learn the rules.”

January 18, 2015: Patriots demolish the Colts in the AFC Championship game, 45-7. At halftime, the Colts ask the league to test the air pressure of the 12 Patriots’ footballs. The balls were then replaced, and the Patriots proceed to outscore the Colts 28-0 in the second half. Later reports claim that the Ravens told the Colts to inform the league about “deflated footballs,” but of course both of these parties vehemently deny this.

January 19, 2015: The public finds out about the situation.

The term Deflategate is born.

Sportscenter talks about it as much as they talk about LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, or Peyton Manning. Stephen A. Smith refrains from calling Tom Brady “a dear, dear friend” and instead battles the valiant Skip Bayless over Brady’s guilt on First Take. Patriots fans shrug it off as Belichick and Brady do in their press conference. Just wait..

January 21, 2015: ESPN’s Chris Mortensen erroneously reports that 11 of the 12 Patriot footballs were 2.0 PSI underinflated. Over seven months later, he deleted the tweet containing the inaccurate information, yet he has refused to admit its falsehood and has hidden from Boston-area radio shows, for fear he will literally be eaten alive.

January 22, 2015: Bill Belichick holds a press conference that includes a reference to Mona Lisa Vito from the movie “My Cousin Vinny,” a long lecture on the weather during the AFC Championship game, and the ideal gas law (PV=nRT) that rivals his analyses of punt coverages. This very same evening, Belmont Hill’s own Alex Czarnecki augments Belichick’s argument with an epic 1000+ word proof of the ideal gas law, firmly shifting public support back into the Patriot’s corner.

January 25, 2015: Incredibly respected children’s scientist Bill Nye the Science Guy disputes the argument of Belichick and Czarnecki on national television, stating that “it didn’t make any sense,” yet providing no reason or evidence for this position.

January 26, 2015: In Phoenix, at a live press-conference, Patriot’s owner Robert Kraft demands an apology from the league when all is said and done. We are still awaiting word on whether Roger Goodell saw this statement before or after the Ray Rice video.

February 1, 2015: Super Bowl Sunday. Before we get to the good stuff, a video surfaces of officials’ locker room attendant Jim McNally taking the bag of game balls into a bathroom for about a minute and a half on his way to the field while he takes a whiz. Oh yeah, and the Patriots win the Super Bowl.

May 6, 2015: After 3+ months of charging by the hour, Ted Wells released his report about Deflategate, very assuringly saying Brady was “more likely than not” aware of the deflated footballs due to some vague text messages about weight loss and absolutely no hard evidence at all.

May 11, 2015: Roger Goodell fined the Patriots $1

million, takes away their 2016 1st and 4th round picks, and suspends Tom Brady for four games for both his part in Deflategate and his lack of cooperation with the investigation by destroying his cell phone, which Gisele most likely told him to do. Just for a point of reference, the Saints were fined two 2nd round picks for “Bountygate,” in which coaches told players to purposely injure other players, and domestic violence offenders Ray Rice and Greg Hardy originally received suspensions of two and four games respectively for beating up their girlfriends. The New York Daily News passed along some example texts that the league hoped to find on Brady’s cell phone:

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XC Off to the Races

By Bobby Jahrling Staff Writer

team came in second. Before the season officially started, the team also ran the Jog Your Memory 5K charity run for Alzheimer’s. This was a great opportunity to have the whole team get a 5K under their belt and support the local community.

The season opened up with a race against Middlesex, Governors, and Lawrence at the team’s new course in Rock Meadow on September 26th. The Varsity team had a close race with Middlesex falling by only one point; however, Middlesex is perennially a strong competitor and this result was better than past years. Varsity beat Governors and Lawrence. JV had a great first race, with boys placing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th. Hopefully the success from the beginning of this season will continue for the rest of it.☐

The Cross Country team has gotten off to a great start to the season.

Some runners put in a lot of work over the summer, with Captains Matt Armstrong and William Weiter holding practices throughout the summer and boys running in the Dartmouth Running Camp in August. With this preseason training, the team was prepared for their first race, the Martha’s Vineyard Invitational. Belmont Hill came third out of 21 teams in the varsity race, led by sophomore John Pappo, who came in -Slim Jimmy … It’s me. My balls felt third. Other notable finishes were Quin great, thx. The Uggs are in your locker.

McGaugh who came in 19th and Cam -OMG, how many times do I have to tell Hall in 20th. More importantly, the JV you: Don’t let Garoppolo put his hands on my balls!?!

-Bill, any way we can pin this one on Hernandez?

-As long as no one’s filming it, it didn’t happen. Just ask Coach.

-Boss ... saw you and Rog before the big game. Hope you put in a good word for me.

-Can you believe this Bill Nye The Science Guy? Haters gonna hate -Rodney ... take it easy on me on NBC. Tks bud -Willie ... don’t hit me too hard on NFL Network bro.

-Teddy ... please punch Brunell. How can he be crying about this? There’s no Rohan Dhir, John Pappo, and Quin McGaugh shown racing against Middlesex runners crying in football!

-Don’t worry guys, Gronk will think of something to get us out of this mess.

-Can we arrange a sit-down with someone and air this thing out? Maybe Brian Williams.

June 2, 2015: Roger Goodell decides once again it is school is closely tied to the Head. It continues to

By Robbie Warming fair for him to play Judge, Jury, and Executionbe a presence in the school’s fall athletic calendar.

Staff Writer er and announces he will personally be the This year, the crew team looks to provide arbiter at Brady’s appeal hearing against the On homecoming weekend, 2,235 boats another strong showing, having an entry in both punishment that Goodell himself just handed from 779 different clubs will converge onto the the Men’s Youth Fours and Men’s Youth Eights. The down. Sources claim that Goodell had only Charles River for one of the fall’s annual highlights. boats this year seem to be, according to head coach the interest of fairness at play in this decision. The Head of the Charles, now in its 51st install- Mr. Richards, “very promising.” Since crew is not a June 23, 2015 ment, is a race steeped in rowing tradition. Novice, fall sport, the boats are only able to row once every Tom Brady appeals his suspension high school, collegiate, and even world champion Sunday. However, despite having much less water at a 10 hour hearing in New York City. rowers will wind down the notoriously difficult time compared to other crews, Belmont Hill boats July 28, 2015 course, which has, over the years, claimed count- have finished in very respectable positions in the past.

Goodell announces that Brady’s less boats. The collisions, screaming coxswains, This year seems to be no exception, as both the eight suspension will be upheld, just because. and unpredictable conditions attract over 400,000 and the four are moving very well together. Though August 20, 2015 spectators to the banks of the Charles each October. certainly striving for a competitive finish, the oarsESPN apologizes to the Patriots durThe Head of the Charles Regatta arose men look forward to rowing in the august regatta with ing a live broadcast. Two things though: from humble origins. The idea was first raised some of rowing’s greats. Co-captain Chris Wilkins, first, the apology took place during the 2:00 around a dinner table by a handful of Cambridge who is rowing in the four seat this year, said that “it’s inAM edition of Sportscenter, obviously in Boat Club members, including Belmont Hill alumni credible to now be in the boat; the Head of the Charles order to maximize the audience, and sec- D’Arcy MacMahon and Larry Cabot. Modeled after is such a staple of Boston’s pastime, and I feel really ondly the apology was for an incorrect report “head of the river” races in England, yet lacking the fortunate to be a part of this event.” Indeed, simply from 2008, regarding a story that the Patri- customary snobbery of British rowing events, the being part of, as Mr. Richards put it in the Boys in the ots taped the Ram’s walkthrough before the regatta fundamentally changed American rowing. Boat Chapel, one of the “most prestigious regattas in Superbowl back in 2002, one that has been Crew, which up till then had been only a spring sport the world” is almost something of a divine experience proven false a number of times since then. A in the States, now became a year-round endeavor. for everyone involved: rowers, coaches, and fans alike. round of applause for journalistic integrity.

According to Mr. Wood, an alumnus of Belmont Hill Crew will race on Sunday, OctoSeptember 3, 2015 Belmont Hill Crew, the team has rowed in the ber 18 in the Men’s Youth Four at 9:26 am and in the United States District Court Judge Head since the late seventies, taking part in the Men’s Youth Eight at 10:23 am. The boats always row Richard “Superman” Berman overturns race “pretty much every year since then.” Because fasterwhenacrowdcheersthemonand,asalways,BelBrady’s four-game suspension, allowing of Belmont Hill’s role in the founding of the Head mont Hill and Winsor will host a joint cookout at the Brady to play Week One against the Steelers. of the Charles and its continued involvement, the boathouse, open to the entire school community. ☐ September 10, 2015 Season opener in Foxborough. Roger Goodell chickens out and decides to watch the game from his basement, instead of at the stadium like a normal commissioner. Patriots handily defeat the Steelers 28-24. After the game Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin tries to blame the Patriots for malfunctions in the coaches’ communication equipment, an ordeal which some dub as “Headsetgate.” Early in the week other Patriot haters had come out and tried to dig up “Spygate” from its 7-year grave and blame the Patriots for even more stuff they didn’t do. It’s going to be a long year…

Rowers Preparing for Head of the Charles

But you heard it from me first: 19-0 baby!!!

The Head of The Charles Regatta is a time-honored tradition for the sport of rowing.

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Major L eague Baseball Playoff Preview

By Henry Wyett Staff Writer The best part of the Major League Baseball season is finally upon us. Although we Boston fans did not receive the best results from our hometown heroes, there are still plenty of other teams that can beat the Yankees.

I will start with a rundown of the American League. The Blue Jays have an incredibly impressive offense, scoring an average of 5.5 runs per game, and I believe they will hold onto first place over the Yankees. In the American League Central, there is no question that the Kansas City Royals will maintain their huge lead over the Twins, and while the American League West is jam-packed with action right now, I think the Rangers will overtake first place from the Astros and win the division by the end of the season.

The National League does not present as many close division races as the American League. In the National League East, the Mets have secured the division over the Washington Nationals. As of late, the Mets offense has been red hot, and their pitching has been stellar all season. The Mets are a serious contender for the 2015 World Series. In the National League’s Central Division, the St. Louis Cardinals have clinched the division over the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates, and will win over 100 games this year. Lastly, in the National League West, the Los Angeles Dodgers will win their division over the defending champion Giants, based on hot bats and stellar pitching from Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw.

Based on my predictions, if the American League Wild Card game comes down to the Astros and the Yan-

kees, there is no doubt in my mind that the Astros will win. With Texeira out for the season and not having a stellar pitcher, the Yankees will fall victim to the Astros’ Dallas Keuchel, sending the Astros into the Divisional Series. The National League Wild Card will ultimately come down to the

Mets pitcher Matt Harvey Cubs and the Pirates. Although this game is a toss-up, I believe the Cubs will come out victorious, as Jake Arrieta has been unhittable since the All Star break–the only chance the Pirates have is a near perfect game from Gerrit Cole.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Astros will play the Royals. George Springer has rejuvenated the young and talented Astros and will lead them to the American League Championship Series with an upset over the Royals. When the Rangers play the Blue Jays, the Blue Jays will cruise past them

with their bats and superb pitching. On the other hand, in the National League, although they lost the season series against them, the Cubs will come out victorious and upset the Cardinals. The Cubs have an above average pitching staff and exceptional hitting, making for the series to be tight and close. When the Dodgers play the Mets, the Mets will win the series on the backs of their great young pitching and Cuban star Yoenis Cespedes. Although the Dodgers have Greinke and Kershaw, Kershaw often chokes in the postseason, and Greinke cannot carry a whole team through a series.

The American League Championship Series matchup of the Blue Jays against the Astros will be very interesting. Both teams are young and talented, with the same amount of pitching talent. Although this could go either way, I think the Blue Jays will take the series eventually, scoring as many runs as possible with their hot bats. In the National League, the Mets will beat the Cubs if they continue on the hot streak they are currently on. If Matt Harvey and the whole pitching staff is healthy, they could easily make the World Series, defeating the likes of Cubs young hitters Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber.

Finally, I anticipate a World Series matchup of the Mets vs the Blue Jays. This series is a toss-up, based on the bats of Cespedes, Conforto, and Uribe against Donaldson, Bautista, and Encarnacion and the strengths of both pitching staffs. Ultimately, the series will be won by the team that can produce the best pitching to shut down the bats. My final prediction for the 2015 World Series winner: New York Mets. ☐

A New Chapter For Varsity Football

By DJ Demetri Staff Writer With the start of the new 2015-2016 school year comes the season one of our most loved sports: football. 21 of 22 starting positions were left open by graduated seniors, so the team this year is putting the pieces together as players compete for playing time on Saturdays. The only starter left to help lead the team is seasoned veteran, captain, and school president, David Perdoni. Perdoni is playing on both sides of the ball, as a tight end on offense and middle linebacker on defense. In addition, the young team must also turn toward their other leaders, captains Robert Griffin (safety) and DJ Demetri (middle linebacker), who help anchor the defense alongside fellow seniors Frank McField (outside linebacker/free safety) and Max Rudzinsky (defensive tackle). Frank and Robert double as receivers on the offensive side of the ball, providing a lethal, lightweight combination of both speed and heavy-hitting strength. The senior leadership extends further to returning players Callen Morris (recovering from a shoulder injury) and John Gosselin, both offensive and defensive lineman, and to two new kicking phenoms, Greg Katz and Griffin Gustafsson.

With this young team representing our school, it is only fair to introduce the underclassmen ready and willing to step up onto the gridiron. At the helm of the offense is the quick and shifty quarterback, Zachary Geddes. When not looking to take the ball up the field on his own, he often targets sophomore stud Jake Bobo, play-

ing wide receiver. Meanwhile, sneaky Ray Hunt confirmed his lineman days are over, as he has given up the donuts and moved over to tailback following his debut JV season last year. Finally, Mr. Curran and Mr. Sullivan’s big boys are set to hold off defenders as lineman Dan Zakon, Jamie Feinberg, Matt O’Leary, Nate Miller, and Drew Bowser have clearly bulked up in the offseason.

The first game of the season had an electric start as running back and kick returner Isaiah Collins brought the opening kickoff from New Hampton to the house, scoring six. However, the team remained quiet until the second half as they allowed their opponent to run up the score. Despite the poor showing during the first half, Belmont Hill stepped on the field with renewed energy and a never-say-die attitude which helped them launch their attempted comeback later in the game. Without quitting, they played four hard-hitting quarters of football which can and will be improved upon, especially with the goal to give their supportive fellow students a good show in the coming weeks. Our heroes travel to the Cambridge lair of BBN’s Wicked Knights on the third of October, followed by another rivalry match against St. Sebastian’s in Needham. Looking ahead, our Homecoming takes place on October 17 as Belmont Hill football will square off against sworn enemy, Roxbury Latin at 2:00pm. There must be a massive crowd for this game in order for our Homecoming to truly show our pride for our school and varsity squad. ☐

Captains David Perdoni, DJ Demetri, and Robert Griffin lead the team onto the field.

Bill Mahoney Isiah Collins returns the opening kickoff for a score.

Alumni Take on Varsity in Annual Soccer Game

By Chip Daley Staff Writer

On a beautiful, sunny morning, the Belmont Hill varsity soccer team was set to face the alumni as part of the September 12th jamboree. The team met for warm-ups at 9:30 in preparation to play Belmont Hill Alumni of all ages. Despite the scrimmage having zero significance in terms of the season, everyone could feel the competitive spirit buffeting over the grass field. The varsity players looked over to the alumni squad, pointing out who looked talented, who had speed, and who seemed slow and could be attacked on a breakaway. The game also provided for an interesting father-son matchup with Warren Cross ‘17 playing against his father, class of ‘83. As the 10:00 whistle blew, Diego Pereira tapped the ball to Evan Ricci and the game began. The varsity passed the ball around leisurely, doubting the speed and talent of the alumni team and paid the price early in the game. A quick counter attack spurred from a varsity team turnover, and a former college striker/Belmont Hill graduate ripped a shot into the back of the net, put-

ting the old guys up 1-0. Freshman forward Diego demonstrated his skill too, adding a goal of his own for the varsity squad just minutes after to tie the game up 1-1. Mr. Holland, the varsity team’s assistant coach, also played for the alumni and successfully slide-tackled almost every player on his own team. Both teams played an aggressive first half, resulting in a 2-2 tie game after the first 45 minutes. Yet young men’s bodies can sustain more physical activity for a longer time than old men’s can, even if they’re coaches. The second half demonstrated this fact as the alumni struggled for air, constantly substituting players and turning the ball over. The game ended in a 5-4 win for the Belmont Hill varsity team, who I am sure would all say they weren’t even trying their hardest. As much as all the young players doubted the alumni, they sure did provide a competitive atmosphere for a friendly Saturday morning match. Following the game, both teams shook hands and enjoyed lunch on the hill outside of the music building. Seeing all the alumni come out for the game illustrated to the current varsity players how much their soccer career would mean to them when they look back at their years on the Hill. ☐

L ast L o ok

Pa g e 1 2

Th e Pan el

Back Page: Political Edition

With the 2016 Presidential Election looming very large on the horizon, here’s the Back Page’s guide to the candidates. As an added bonus, I’ve included predictions for primary results and general election results at the end, which are really things I should be making you pay for. Special thanks to Harrison Rohrer, Juan Carlos Fernandez del Castillo, Matt Armstrong, Jay O’Brien, and David Yellen for help in writing this article. Also, please understand that the intention of this piece is not to single out any candidate or any particular party as the butt of a joke, but rather to make fun of all the candidates evenly. One final note -- I’ve only included candidates that are either doing well in the polls or are really easy to make fun of, which would explain the inclusion of someone like Rand Paul, who is pretty much a beacon for jokes, ahead of someone like John Kasich, who is from Ohio.

Democrats:

Republicans:

Hillary “Bill” Clinton Strengths: Learned how to whip/nae nae, which absolutely rejuvenated her campaign and definitely didn’t come off as awkward and forced.

Is totally a part of the middle class.

Weaknesses: It’d be kinda weird moving back to a home you used to live in like in all seriousness it doesn’t happen that much.

Emailing.

Donald “Dolla Dolla Bill Y’all” Trump Strengths: I’m fairly sure he watches Game of Thrones.

Doesn’t have to make an attempt to get any minority votes because he has already lost all of them.

Nobody knows where his hair ends so he has the element of surprise there.

Tom Brady.

Weaknesses: Too likeable.

Going to struggle to raise the necessary funds to make a real run at the presidency (the great sarcasm rears its ferocious head again).

Joe “The Senatorial Sledgehammer” Biden Strengths: Well rested.

Swears in front of senate on the regular (once), which is pretty cool and down-to-earth if you ask me.

Weaknesses: From Delaware, which is sort of a turn off because, you know, it’s Delaware.

Bernie “The Nor’easter” Sanders Strengths: Doesn’t have to worry about people complaining that he’s a socialist (ah, sarcasm).

Windproof Hair.

Weaknesses: No more private prisons means no more Death Race, which is a fairly obscure movie and thus a reference that maybe a quarter of the Belmont Hill population will understand.

Kanye “Yeezy” West Strengths: Ability to interrupt.

Has diabolical debate comebacks like “What’s the name of your clothing line? We don’t know” or just a simple “YOU AIN’T GOT THE ANSWERS.” “For me to be saying I’m not a genius I’d be lying to you and to myself ” -- Kanye West (this isn’t a strength or weakness just a quote really, but a good quote).

Weaknesses: Isn’t actually running…….. Yet. Doesn’t believe in an executive branch of government -- “no one man should have all that power.”

Predictions:

Republican Nominee -- A Hologram of Ronald Reagan Nobody has gained more publicity from the first two debates than Ronald Reagan who will, soon enough, go all 2Pac on us and start showing up to future debates, speeches, and fundraisers in hologram form. His Republican candidates will continue to praise him and his policies even once he formally joins the race. Reagan’s popular campaign slogan becomes “let’s take it back to the 80’s,” and, to be fair, Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard came out in the eighties and that’s a great song and More Than a Feeling by Boston came out in the seventies which are almost the eighties and that’s a great song too. Maybe going back to the eighties wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Democratic Nominee -- Joe Biden Biden narrowly edges Kanye West in a two-horse race between two candidates who haven’t even declared yet (Clinton drops out after it is revealed to the public that in one of her emails she claimed to like DC Comics more than Marvel Comics. Sanders exits the race because Death Race 2 is in the works and the production couldn’t go forward without private prisons.

Ugh, can’t believe I made another Death Race reference). How exciting is that! The final round of debates was just a series of diss tracks sent back and forth… Modern politics, am I right? In the end, Kanye just couldn’t hang with Biden’s immaculate flow, chill beats, and clever rhymes.

Independent Candidate -- Rand Paul Paul Rand breaks up with the Republican Party in an effort to keep his parallels to NSYNC Justin Timberlake intact. Unfortunately, people liked JT when he broke off to pursue a solo career and it’s unclear whether any significant demographic actually likes Mr. Rand. Not even frosted tips would be enough to save this presidential bid, and that’s saying a lot.

General Election -- Joe Biden Being the only living candidate in the election (Paul is most certainly dead after Trump murdered him in the last debate) certainly is an advantage, but that’s not to say that the campaign was easy, as Reagan’s hologram puts up quite a fight. In the end, though, the fact that Biden still has blood pumping through his body and some amount of synapses working in his brain will carry him to victory.

Congrats, Joe, you sort of deserved it.

Ted “Angry Elf ” Cruz Strengths: Really nasally voice that is quite funny to listen to.

Managed to memorize the Constitution without understanding any of it (pew pew).

Weaknesses: Always looks like he’s about to cry.

Has a suspicious amount of Maple Syrup.

Rand “Maceroni Hair” Paul Strengths: Has one first name and one last name, which is good, even if they are in the wrong order.

Got onto a stage he had no business on.

Weaknesses: Looks like Justin Timberlake when he was a member of NSYNC. Probably going to show up to the next debate with frosted tips (maybe a strength though cause I hear frosted tips are coming back, will keep you guys posted).

Marco “The Flamin’ Floridian” Rubio Strengths: Large earlobes make him a good listener.

Jokes about droughts and other disasters, which are totally hilarious things to joke about.

Weaknesses: Sweats like Kevin Garnett taking a sauna break mid-way through game seven of the NBA finals.

Water bills in the White House would cost taxpayers millions.

Jeb “Bad Boy” Bush Strengths: He’s taller than you.

Awkward high fives are right up his alley.

Weaknesses: Who wants to have a beer with this guy?

Might take up the entire next debate trying to convince Trump to apologize to his wife, which, to be fair, would be pretty entertaining.

Carly “Cold War” Fiorina Strengths: Really good at gesticulating.

Proud of business Record.

Weaknesses: Terrible business record.

Sort of scares me when she starts talking about the military, but I was scared by the TV show Courage the Cowardly Dog when I was young so maybe I’m just a little scare-sensitive (I still think Courage the Cowardly Dog was on the horror movie level, at least shows like CatDog and Ed, Edd n Eddy threw in some laughs along with the creepy stuff) (also, while we’re on this tangent, anybody who wants to be CatDog for Halloween with me just let me know).

Chris “The Jersey Jackhammer” Christie Strengths: Hasn’t dropped out of the race yet.

Bridge management.

Weaknesses: Shook Obama’s hand, which is a big time no-no.

Is a Cowboys fan but lives in New Jersey, so he clearly has no loyalty and is a dirty bandwagon fan.

Ben “Silent But Deadly” Carson Strengths: Doesn’t talk a lot.

When he does talk he talks quietly so that nobody has to listen to his policy ideas Claims to be a neurosurgeon.

Weaknesses: You’re trying to tell me he doesn’t believe in evolution?? And he’s a neurosurgeon?? You’d think that in the application to be a neurosurgeon there’d be a box to check next to some statement like “I do indeed believe in evolution” (read a book for me one time Dr. Carson).