The Panel - November 2022 - Volume 71, Issue 4

SPEAKERS AT THE CHAPEL

Molly King and Ryan O’Callaghan continue BH Speaker Tradition

By Ezra Lee ’25 Panel Staff

On Friday, October 7th, 2022, Mol ly King, the Greenwich Academy head of school, honored the academic accomplish ments at Belmont Hill with a speech at the annual Cum Laude Chapel. The Chapel rec ognized the Cum Laude honor society, Mid dle School Academic Achievement Awards, Donato Monaco American History Prize, and Advanced Placement Scholars. To be gin the Chapel, Mr. Schneider spoke about Belmont Hill’s culture of excellence: “this is when we pause as a community to celebrate the primary importance of academic excel lence within the culture of Belmont Hill. This fall we have spoken a great deal about the power of culture, and one critical aspect of that is the celebration of academic excel lence and the work ethic associated with in tellectual exploration.” He then introduced

Mrs. King, the guest speaker of the event.

Mrs. King graduated from Bowdo in College with a BA in American history and an EdM in administration, planning, and social policy from the Harvard Grad uate School of Education. Early into her professional career, Mrs. King coached and taught at Taft School and Greenwich Coun try Day School, also serving as director of secondary school placement at Greenwich. She then served as the director of admis sions for St. Mark’s School for seven years. Before joining Greenwich, she spent five years as a member of the senior leader ship team at Fay School. Since 2004, Mol ly King has been the Greenwich Academy head of school, an independent day school for girls from grades pre-K to 12. From 2012 to 2015, she served as board chair for SPARC and continues to serve as a trustee.

In her speech, Mrs. King stressed the impact a teacher can have on a student.

Continued on Page #.

By Luke Guleserian ’24 Panel Staff

On September 30, 2022, the Bel mont Hill Community welcomed Ryan O’Callaghan, a former NFL player and founder of the Ryan O’Callaghan Foun dation, to the Hamilton Chapel. He dis cussed his battles with mental health and his challenges in opening up to the world about his sexual orientation.

Mr. O’Callaghan, a gay man, is one of only 16 current and former NFL play ers to publicly declare that they were and are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Belmont Hill, an all-boys school with cur rently no students who have publicly come out reflects a similar pattern to that of the NFL. They are both difficult environments for men to declare their sexuality because of their archetypal portrayal of manliness and how men should conduct themselves.

While the view that men cannot be a part of the LGBTQ+ communities in these en vironments prevails, it is difficult to argue that boys and men do not exist in the same realm. Mr. O’Callaghan’s mental health cri sis led him to adopt a plan after his NFL career in which he would commit suicide. His experience and difficulties with his own mental state can be compared to the hundreds of thousands of student-athletes who suffer from depression or other relat ed troubles with their home lives, perfor mance anxiety, or just simple stress and anxiety about an undetermined future.

Mr. O’Callaghan’s poignant talk en couraged students to seek counseling and conversations with trusted adults on any of these issues. Mr. O’Callaghan’s stat ure in the athletic and LGBTQ+ worlds helps those who are in both communi ties. The Panel thanks Mr. O’Callaghan for his speech and wishes him well in his efforts to continue the conversation. ☐

Belmont Hill Welcomes Ben Anderson from Cape Town

By Luke Trevisan ’24 Panel Staff

Belmont Hill welcomes Ben An derson from Cape Town, South Africa. He will be staying until the beginning of December and is living with James Keefe ’25 and Henry Hagedorn ’25. Ben told me that the climate in Cape Town is quite similar to here, except it is a little warmer, and the seasons are inverted. He is inter ested in debate, public speaking, politics,

Look Inside The Panel

News 3

Belmont Hill Changes Lunch Schedule

Aaron Stanger ’24 writes about Belmont Hill’s changed lunch system and schedule that introduces more flexbility into the day. Do students like the new schedule?

parliament, crew, field hockey, piano, and singing. Recently, he gave a Woodbury and rowed for his school, Bishops Dioc esan College, at the Head of the Charles. In Cape Town, his school is 8th to 12th grade, with around 700 boys. The classes, he said, are slightly bigger than at Belmont Hill, with around 25 students in each one. He told me that while both schools share a “similar sports in tandem school emphasis,” Bishops holds a “bigger emphasis on culture, like arts and speak ing.” While Ben and his family have enjoyed

vacations and he has been to camps, this is his first time boarding and being away from home for so long. Nevertheless, he has adapted well to the new situation and is integrating himself into the school culture. He and his family have been in the US since the middle of September, getting a chance to tour parts of the country. He joined the Keefes in early October and will begin his stay with the Hagedorns in early November. When I asked about the differences between each school, one of the first things he mentioned was school security. He was

surprised that we “could leave our bags on the ground,” contrasting it with Bish ops. There, either things might get taken, or security would whisk them away to the lost property center. Ben also comment ed on the landscape and scenery. Even in the peak New England fall season, he told me that Bishop’s campus is surrounded by mountains and other incredible natural fea tures and he prefers that setting. He added, too, that he was impressed by the culture of “wanting to do stuff, wanting to push your

Sports 9 Athlete of the Issue: Luca Mezzanotte ’23 Daniel Xie ’24 writes about Luca’s athletic accomplish ments on the varsity Alpine Skiing and Crew teams.

Arts 3

Artist of the Issue: Jeremy Eaton ’23 Brian Lee ’24 writes about Jeremy’s acting achievements in the BH theater program.

Opinions 5 Debate of the Issue: Dr. Davis vs. Mr. Leo Luke Trevisan ’24 and Lev Tolkoff ’24 de bate about which teacher would win in a fight against each other.

Liz Truss Resigns as Prime Minister of the UK

By Daniel Xie ’24 Panel Staff

After just 44 days in office as the Brit ish prime minister, Liz Truss announced her resignation on October 20th, 2022, officially making her the shortest-serving prime minister in the country’s history. Truss’ brief tenure was marked by sharp ly-criticized economic policies, including tax cuts for the wealthy during an energy crisis. Truss’ time in office, during which she hit the lowest approval rating of any PM, not only saw the tanking of the British economy and the forced intervention of the Bank of England, but also left the Conser vative Party divided and gave the opposing Labour party a significant lead in support.

Truss’ tenure began with the resigna tion of Boris Johnson, who was forced to re linquish his office due to numerous scandals. The election for prime minister within the conservative party following Boris’ resigna tion was primarily between Truss, the then foreign secretary and an avowed libertarian, and the then chancellor Rishi Sunak, a more moderate conservative (and the man who would replace Truss following her resigna tion). A key point of contention between the two was the issue of taxes. Where Truss ran on the platform of tax cuts for all, Sunak warned that Truss’ policies would amplify inflation. Ultimately, Truss’ existing popu larity within the membership of the Con servative Party, combined with her tax pol icies, triumphed over Sunak. On September 6th, 2022, Truss became the prime minister of the U.K. with a +4% net approval rating.

Truss’ time in office was immediately impacted by the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th, 2022, just two days af ter she became prime minister. The Queen’s passing thus began a period of mourning that lasted until September 19th, only af ter which Parliament was able to resume on September 21st. However, on the 21st, and 22nd, Truss was occupied with a U.N. meeting in New York, and only arrived back in England on Friday, the 23rd to hear the announcement of her mini-budget.

Truss’ mini-budget was also known as “The Growth Plan”. It aimed to increase eco

nomic growth through tax cuts which would be paid for through the U.K. national debt. However, some of these tax cuts were not pre-announced, and in total, these tax cuts were set to cost the treasury around £45 bil lion. Furthermore, despite these, Truss did not plan any spending cuts to help fund the plan, and as a result, the markets recoiled at her plan, and the value of the British pound plummeted to a 37-year low against the U.S. dollar. However, this debacle was only the beginning of a quick descent into instability for the British economy. The markets then closed for the weekend, stopping the value of the pound from decreasing any further.

Despite the market’s closing, there was a significant public uproar regarding the mini-budget, which disproportionately benefited the wealthiest people through sig nificant tax breaks in the top tax bracket. As a result, the Labour party began to pull away from the Conservatives in support, and the

Truss failed to walk back any of her policies, the markets began to react negatively again, and the Labour party further solidified its popularity lead over the Conservatives. Truss then attended the Conserva tive Party Conference, but what usually was a straightforward affair quickly descend ed into chaos, with several Tory members of Parliament (MPs) criticizing Truss’ tax plans, ultimately leading her to walk back her policy for the top rate of tax. Unfortu nately for Truss, however, this move didn’t help much, mainly because the tax breaks for this top bracket only amounted to around £2 billion out of the total £45 bil lion hole she had dug. Coming out of the conference, she had a -44% approval rating, the lowest ever for a sitting PM, and had all but solidified the Labour party’s lead. However, this was not enough for Truss, and on Wednesday, October 12th, she announced that she would not cut

public spending cuts would be necessary.

Though Hunt’s swift actions did ap pease the markets, this complete 180 es sentially nullified Truss’ entire plan, thus weakening her authority and decreasing even further her approval ratings to -61%. For comparison, Prince Andrew’s ap proval rating is around -65%. Ultimately, with Truss’ key campaign promises be ing walked back, and her entire political agenda being discarded, on October 20th, 2022, Liz Truss walked out of her office on 10 Downing Street, and announced her resignation as prime minister of the U.K.

However, the end of Truss’ tumultu ous tenure did not mark the end of her con troversies, as many were quick to point out that the former PM would be able to collect £115,000 annually from a U.K. law. Given the brevity of her time in office, numerous calls were made for Truss to decline this annual allowance, including one by Sir Keir Starmer, who told Good Morning Britain, “She’s done 44 days in office, she’s not really entitled to it, she should turn it down and not take it.”

Labour party leader, Sir Keir Starmer, offi cially surpassed Truss in best PM ratings.

Upon the reopening of the markets on Monday, September 26th, the value of the pound fell again to a new low. The Bank of England was forced to intervene with a £65 billion emergency plan to buy government bonds, or “gilts’ ‘ in order to prevent the pan ic selling of these gilts in the aftermath of the mini-budget announcement. However, after

public spending to fund the tax cuts, an other move which the markets balked at. Desperately, in an attempt to alleviate the markets, Truss fired Kwasi Kwarteng, the finance minister of the U.K., on Friday, Oc tober 14th and replaced him with Jeremy Hunt. The next Monday, Hunt announced that almost the entire mini-budget would be reversed, and in direct contradiction to Truss’ earlier statements, Hunt said that

Following Truss’ time in office, the Conservative Party elected Rishi Sunak as the replacement PM, their 3rd in less than two months. Sunak is the first PM of col or, the first Asian PM, and the first Hindu PM. However, despite running on a plat form of unity and financial stability, the turbulent political climate in the U.K. will likely prove difficult to navigate for Sunak, especially amidst growing calls for a gen eral election which would likely result in a landslide Labour victory. Being worth £730 million certainly does not help Su nak’s cause in terms of trying to be in touch with the desires of working-class Britons, and the overall bleak outlook for the Con servative Party, especially with regard to necessary tax hikes and spending cuts, will force Sunak to make tough decisions as PM. Trying to balance the unity of his par ty and the stability of the British economy, alongside inciting growth in his econo my, is certainly a challenging position and definitely not an enviable one. Only time will tell if Sunak’s policies will be enough to save the economy, and if so, whether or not he will be willing to pursue them. ☐

NASA Successfully Changes the Course of an Asteroid

By Kevin Weldon ’24 Panel Staff

There is a common saying that “the dinosaurs went extinct because they didn’t have a space program.” Scientists have long used this argument to advocate for the funding of NASA and other extraplane tary endeavors, arguing that the dinosaurs would have survived had they possessed the means to defend themselves from the asteroid that hit Earth 66 million years ago. However, this point has always seemed to have an asterisk due to the fact that our de fense from asteroids and meteors has been

theoretical at best or ineffective at worst. According to the official NASA website concerning planetary defense, an estimat ed 60% of asteroids, which pose a threat to Earth, remain undetected by satellites; thus, their course and potential for hitting our planet are unknown. What would we even do if an asteroid was heading for Earth?

Being one of the most potent and dan gerous threats to our survival as a species, this discussion has garnered much debate from the scientific community since the re ality of the threat was realized with the Al varez Hypothesis that an asteroid caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Many solutions have been proposed, the main two being

exploding the threat via nuclear weaponry or altering the object’s course with a highspeed force that redirects its course away from our planet. The former, according to The New York Times, has the potential to effectively push the asteroid off course but would require the impact to take place at least two months before it would threaten Earth and many more months for plan ning in advance. These restrictions limit the feasibility of using nuclear weaponry and leave us with trying to deflect the asteroid with an impact from a man-made object. With the added advantage of being more easily accessible and less potentially catastrophic, NASA planned for the first

launching of a spacecraft for the purpose of knocking an asteroid off course. They launched DART (Double Asteroid Redi rection Test) last November, with no more than abundant speed for kinetic impact and navigation tools. The impact date was set for September 26th, 2022, when the spacecraft would crash into the Dimorphos, a moon of Didymos. Although the second launch, which would have sent a similar spacecraft into orbit around Didymos for the sake of measuring the impact and its effects, was canceled, the launch of DART proceeded without issue. This year, on the exact date planned, during a near passing of Didymos, DART successfully hit Dimorphos. During the following days, the effect on the orbit of Dimorphos was proven via ground tele scopes, and thus the mission was successful in altering the course of an extraplanetary object by using a man-made spacecraft.

This development represents a mas sive progression for defending our planet. Although the exact date or threat remains unknown, it is postulated that the human race, if we are to survive on Earth for an ex tended period of time, will eventually face the danger posed by impact with a Near Earth Object (NEO). With the success of the DART mission, NASA has established that our technology has progressed to such an extent that we are now able to, in theory, defend ourselves against such a threat.

Liz Truss speaking MSNBC

DART hitting Dimorphos

Artist of the Issue: Jeremy Eaton ’23

By Brian Lee ’24 Panel Staff

Jeremy Eaton ’23 has become a prom inent leader of the theater program during his time at Belmont Hill; in each of the past four years, he has won Drama Priz es for his roles in over ten productions.

Mr. Diresta, the Director of the The ater Program, notes that from his first co medic role in 15 Reasons Not to Be in a Play, back in 2017, to his current dramatic role in the ongoing production of Twelve Angry Men, Jeremy’s characters have experienced unfathomable loss, ruled a kingdom, per formed unwarranted dental surgery, taught science, committed murder, solved mur ders, and even controlled the heavens them

selves... from the stage of the Kraft Theater. During COVID, he got to develop his direc torial and technical eye, serving as one of our main writers, directors, and filmmakers as we wrote, filmed, and edited an original film.”

In order to give his fellow actors more opportunities to grow, Jeremy decid ed to take on a minor role in his original film “They Went Remote.” This act was a testament to the profound effect his hum ble leadership has had on the theater pro gram. Mr. Conway, the Associate Director of the Theater Program, remarks how Jer emy has “unflappably conquered any role given to him and done so with a spirit of generosity and quiet leadership that acquits himself and the program well every day.”

As he reflects upon his time at Bel mont Hill, Jeremy notes that several of his

New Lunch Schedule

By Aaron Stanger ’24 Panel Staff

For the first time in many years, Belmont Hill has changed its permanent lunch system. Traditionally, middle and upper school students have eaten in a fam ily, sit-down style. At this time, students who normally do not see each other in the classroom or on the athletic fields can meet new teachers and students. While this method has worked for decades, a recent increase in the student body size has revealed several flaws with the cur rent system, namely, food waste and time.

Family-style lunch is an extensive process; waiters bring large bowls of food to each table, then students can leave the table to get soup, sandwiches, and salads from around the dining hall. However, when many opt for something not brought by the waiter, the main course will often go untouched, resulting in an incredible amount of food waste. Since these fully pre pared main courses cannot be repurposed, the compost bins pile up with unwanted food. On a similar end, sit-down lunch is a time-intensive procedure. Since waiters are in charge of delivering and clearing up the food, extra time has to be left for cleaning before and after the meal. By contrast, on walk-through days, the salad bar and sand wich station lines move faster, as students and faculty grab food as they arrive instead of waiting for the head to begin the meal.

The new walk-through lunch plan seeks to limit many of these problems. By allowing upper schoolers to eat at X, the last block, or the traditional 1:35 time slot, crowding has lessened, and most are in and out within 20 minutes. Students must go into the kitchen to get the main course directly, minimizing food waste. While lunch used to take a full 40-minute block, without waiters, students can now clear their places in their own time and can choose to leave when they are finished.

Student reception has been exceed ingly positive. Leaving more time in the day allows more clubs to meet, enabling students to maximize their time before athletics and other after-school extracur riculars. Additionally, eating at X-block allows upper schoolers to eat earlier or even twice. So far, the kitchen and dining staff have handled the shift well. Mrs. Wu, the Director of dining, remarks, “We have really liked it a lot. We save on not hav ing to set up tables and plate all the food.”

Still, Belmont Hill will preserve tra dition and hold required sit down lunch on Thursdays. While the student body and faculty look forward to a new dining hall in the coming years, the new lunch schedule is a bridge between that time and now. ☐

a character and immersing myself in a dif ferent world makes up for the added effort.” As Jeremy moves on to college next year, Belmont Hill will certainly be losing a cornerstone of the Theater Program; howev er, his lasting legacy will undoubtedly con tribute to the future success of the program. The Panel wishes Jeremy the best of luck as he enters the next chapter of his life! ☐

Jeremy Eaton in the musical, “Into the Woods” BH Communications

PLAYLIST OF THE

DOTI: Showdown of the Century: Dr. Davis Vs. Mr. Leo

By : Luke Trevisan ’24 And Lev Tolkoff ’24 Panel Staff

Pro Dr. Davis, Luke Trevisan: Who would win in a hand to hand fight between Dr. Davis and Mr. Leo? It may seem like a tough question, but it is quite the contrary. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Da vis, and he provided me with some evidence as to why he would emerge victorious. For those who don’t know him yet, Dr. Davis is a Latin and Greek teacher as well as a fourth football and Varsity wrestling coach. He is also known for his extensive adven tures and impressive classroom armory.

Dr. Davis brings many skills to the table that would solidify his chance in this contest. First of all, due to his classical back ground, he has “deep understanding of strategy and tactics derived from life long study of ancient literature.” While these styles of combat wouldn’t be as practical in modern warfare, they still could prove handy in smaller, pre-gunpowder engage ments, where the result comes down to each man’s mind and body. In addition to being a venerable wrestler, he is proficient in Aikido, a Japanese martial art that is similar to Judo. The method is inherent ly defensive and he may be able to utilize this along with certain tactics. Finally, and I believe most importantly, he is equipped with a bionic hip, making him part cy

borg. What could be better than that? One wrong punch and Mr. Leo’s hand is broken. His plan for the matchup is circum ventive: he is going to utilize the ancient Fa bian tactics “given the likelihood of defeat in a full frontal assault” from Mr. Leo. Dr. Davis would wear him out by delay and eva

want to take any chances. He recognizes that Mr. Leo is a force to be reckoned with and is in “freakishly good shape,” and so an edge would be mental attrition and subterfuge. Finally, we allowed each fighter to have one weapon of choice from the pre-gunpow der era. Dr.

with his elusive strategy and physical abili ty, Dr. Davis would be able to win this fight.

Pro Mr. Leo, Lev Tolkoff: The age old question of who would win in a fight, Dr. Davis or Mr. Leo has drawn the in trigue of many. However, it is pretty clear who would win; Mr. Leo is a former D1 wrestler who still runs nearly every day. There are stories that Mr. Leo has stopped class, gotten up on the table, and done 200 push-ups just for the fun of it…in a blazer.

While both teachers also coach wrestling and are extremely experienced, Mr. Leo expresses confidence that, “I would score more points in a wrestling match.” In a civilized and orderly match, there is no doubt that Mr. Leo would win. Mr. Leo is stronger, more experienced, and better versed in com bat, however he still thinks that Dr. Davis has the advantage because, “I think he will fight dirty, so I will give him the advantage.”

sion rather than direct confrontation. While in Peru, doing who knows what, Dr. Davis learned an important lesson of avoiding conflict, as “some people can be surprising with what they know” and so he doesn’t

When asked how he would win a fight like this Mr. Leo said that it would be very easy, he “will kick him in his artificial hip replacement.” Dr. Davis’ Achilles Heel is his hip, and Mr. Leo will exploit that in or der to take him down. So, with a clear weak ness and Mr. Leo being stronger and faster it is clear that he would win in both a fight or a wrestling match. Overall, Mr. Leo is bigger, stronger, faster, and more elusive than Dr. Davis, there is no way that he would ever lose in the heat of battle. Mr. Leo does not need a weapon to take down Dr. Davis and he welcomes the challenge against the sling.

Is Sit Down Lunch Still a Key Part of Belmont Hill?

By Aidan Lee ’24 Panel Staff

Although there is a mutual con sensus that the new lunch plan has had a plethora of benefits, the question of whether or not we should preserve the tradition of sit-down lunch still lin gers. Overall, from my interviews with various students around the school, I found that there are some that be lieve that there are benefits to sit-down lunch, some who do not believe it to be a key part of Belmont Hill, and still others who outright reject sit-down lunch. Ultimately, no one I interviewed believed that sit-down lunch is integral to Belmont Hill, leaving me to con clude that sit-down lunch is no longer needed and is not an inherent or im portant part of Belmont Hill tradition.

The first group of students that I interviewed believed that, although there are inherent benefits in sit-down

lunch, it is ultimately unnecessary. Mark Price ’24 observed that, while, “sit down-lunch provides an opportunity to learn etiquette and other life skills. To be honest…I don’t really think it’s that important.” Ernest Lai ’25 declared “I like the new lunch plan better than the traditional sit-down lunch, but I can understand why some would like to keep it; I understand the tradition be hind it.” Many supporters of the tra dition cite teachers like Mr. Martin, Mr. Sweeney, and the youngster Mr. DeCap, enforcing strict sit-down lunch rules and highlighting the importance of etiquette. Many believe that those lessons are what is lost in changing from sit-down lunch to the new walk through lunch schedule, however, they ultimately believe that the more open and fluid schedule is a massive benefit.

Numerous students simply reject the idea that sit-down lunch has any significance to school cul

ture. Kevin Weldon ’24, stated, “I just don’t really think that sit-down lunch is important.” Anthony Galvagna ’24

elaborated: “I like the new lunch sys tem so much more than the other one (sit-down lunch). I just think it fits my schedule so much better and that sit-down lunch was too rigid.” Over all, many students did not find that sitdown lunch yielded important life les sons, but that it limited their freedoms and opportunities to get work done be fore athletics. They value the flexibility to eat lunch during X block and have a longer study hall in the afternoon.

At the end of the day, although there is some dissent and disagree ment about the benefits of sit-down lunch, there is a mutual consensus that the new walk-through lunch sched ule is ultimately a big improvement.

Is The Use of Social Media Beneficial or Harmful?

By Aidan Lee ’24 Panel Staff

There are many benefits and drawbacks to using social media. For many, online platforms represent an area where they can share their opin ions and activities with their friends and family; for others, it represents a toxic fake society that results in the mental degradation of those who use it.

To begin, the inherent purpose of social media is not harmful. If used for its intended purpose, social media allows people to connect with others over distances and allows for potential relationships with people who are far away. Furthermore, it permits you to express your ideas and opinions along with your personal updates. In this sense, online platforms can be extreme

ly proficient in connecting individuals and communities. Additionally, social media also empowers the rapid spread of news, which if received from trusted

sources, could be immensely helpful. Additionally, the great variety of posts on social media exposes people to new niches and perspectives. Thus, if used wisely, social media is an incredible tool. And yet, social media has been labeled as dangerous and harmful to the younger generations and society

in general. Why? To begin with, fake news from untrustworthy sources can trigger hysteria and disagreements over what is fact vs. fiction. Additionally, as most people only post about their highlights, social media can distort us ers’ sense of reality and lead them to believe that their life is less fun or valu able than others’. Many studies have found that heavy social media usage increases the risk for mental ailments such as depression, anxiety, and lone liness. To add on, social media apps will continuously barrage their users’ feeds with posts they predict that the user will enjoy. This leads to problems such as addiction and procrastination. Such usage results in people spending countless hours on their devices rath er than spending that time on some thing more meaningful. Thus, when

used incorrectly, social media could become a harmful object in our lives. To conclude, social media is a great tool when used correctly and when you understand the potential toxicity and falsities that plague it. Furthermore, by practicing modera tion and understanding your suscep tibility, you can dramatically reduce the addictive aspects of social media, further mitigating its risks and down sides. Tools such as the screen time app and (for iPhone users, Downtime) offer simple ways to monitor and lim it the usage of certain apps or your phone in general. Thus, although it is a difficult line to walk, when used with moderation and savvy social media can be an amazing tool, however, when abused or used without restriction, it can distort public and personal reality.

Davis chose the sling, saying that

Mr. Leo and Dr. Davis

BH Communications it would best support his Fabian strategy. Like David against Goliath, it would negate the physical inequality while still being “su per accurate, super destructive, with a good range.” I think that with this weapon, along

Deleting Social Media Source: CNN

Cafeteria Room Source: Aidan Lee

Cont: Molly King Speaks

Continued from the front page.

Throughout her speech, she narrated her experience at Bowdoin College, taking a class from college professor Dr. John Walter. Mrs. King recalled the rigor Dr. Walter chal lenged his students to embrace: “He pushed us to not only be better students, but to be better people.” Dr. Walter instilled a deep passion not only for the class Mrs. King was taking but also for learning more broadly. She detailed the mindset she had towards academics in high school and how it trans formed after Dr. Walter’s impact on her. Mrs. King used her example of having a trans formative teacher in calling for Belmont Hill students to actively search for teach ers like Dr. Walter and commending the teachers and mentors that Belmont Hill has.

Belmont Hill is lucky enough to have

a faculty full of Mrs. King’s version of Dr. John Walter’s. Her speech, which was pow erful and motivational, inspired both the students and teachers of Belmont Hill to strive not only for excellence but also for the people that will help them get there.

It is important to always remember why the school is as successful as it is. To some, the answer might seem complicat ed, but in reality, as Mrs. King said beau tifully, “Great teachers who recognize your potential, often before you do, and push you to realize it. Make it your goal to find that teacher that inspires you.” ☐

Woodbury Semifinals

By Andrew Bittner ’24 Panel Staff

The Fall Woodbury Public Speak ing Contest kicked off as strong as ever with six stellar speeches in the semi-finals round. After passing through a prelim inary, one-on-one round of presenting their speeches to Ms. Zener, six speakers each delivered a three to four-minute speech to the entire school in the Chapel.

On Monday, October 17, James Keefe ’25 began by delivering a speech discussing the merits of community service; he was then followed by Ezra Lee’s ’25 speech about loving yourself and Scott Black’s anecdote about finding a world series ring. Four days later, the second round of speeches began

on Friday, October 21, with Will Marra’s ’23 skiing anecdote, followed by Nate Voss’ ’24 discussion of the importance of voting, and finally, a speech from Ben Anderson, a foreign exchange student from Bishops Col lege in South Africa, about first impressions. Notably, Ben Anderson is a member of the South African national public speaking team and delivered his entire speech from memory! Ben’s captivating speech and im pressive oratory earned him a standing ova tion from the entire audience at The Chapel. Though all participants delivered strong speeches, Nate Voss, Ben Anderson, and Will Marra advanced to the finals and will present a new set of speeches on Mon day, November 14. The Panel wishes the fi nalists the best of luck and looks forward to hearing three more excellent speeches! ☐

Cont: Exchange Student Ben Anderson Joins BH

... enjoyed his time at Belmont Hill so far, whether it be singing the national anthem at Homecoming, performing a Woodbury, or just get ting to know people. He was thrilled to be able to speak up against James, his host, in the Woodbury contest. Once assimilated into the schedule and top ics of the classes, he is excited to be able to engage in them along with his peers and try out new clubs during his free time. He is looking forward to a Model UN conference at Brown Uni versity. Ben also mentioned that he was an avid Sheffield United fan, but that, due to his mom being British as well as the fact that he lives in South Africa and is visiting the US, he does not yet have a World Cup team to support and is “open to suggestions.”

Make sure to look out for Ben in the halls, on stage, or even on the water and get to know him better. The Pan el welcomes Ben to Belmont Hill and hopes he will enjoy his time here! ☐

Ben Anderson with his host, James Keefe ’25

Alex Lo

Is the Belmont Hill Schedule too Difficult For Students?

By : Luke Trevisan ’24 Panel Staff

Is the Belmont Hill schedule too busy? This is a question that I ponder con stantly as I face my daily struggles: Did I do my chemistry homework? What time does football practice start? When’s the next debate meeting? How can I squeeze in some extra help time for Latin? Hop ing that I wasn’t alone in these dilemmas, I reached out to a number of students to gauge their opinions on the matter. Student #1 is a freshman, Student #2 is a sophomore, and students #3 and #4 are both juniors.

I first asked students to identify the favorite part of their days. I did this in order to see if there was any overlap between busy ness and leisure. Personally, I think that the best parts of the day are free blocks, espe cially those in which there are clubs taking place, like X-block or the afternoon study halls. They allow me to reduce my workload and let me participate in extracurricular ac tivities. Students #1, #2, and #4 shared the same point of view. Student #4 mentioned that free blocks “provides a unique oppor tunity to get to know your teachers, take part in extracurriculars, and finish as much homework as possible.” Student #2 also agreed as he was able to save time for sports in the afternoon and participate in extra curricular activities whenever he wanted.

In a different facet of the school’s schedule, Student #3 mentioned that he ap preciated the athletic time that the school offers. While it may be in itself a few-hourlong activity, it is typically more fun and does not require outside work as academ ics do. Sport, he explained, “take[s] my mind off the challenging school day and al low[s] me to compete with my teammates.” Whether it be a fun environment like ath letics or extracurriculars or a work- reduc ing opportunity like study time, students typically favor the parts of their sched ule that do not add to their homework.

I also questioned students as to their least favorite parts of the day. Personally, I find the scarcity of extra help to be most frustrating, as it is always tough to squeeze in the time. Most of my free blocks are spent in clubs or other commitments, so I can’t give up my responsibilities to find ex

tra help. Additionally, when teachers coach middle school sports, their extra help times are reduced to X-block alone, making it even harder to find the time. Identifying the biggest contributor to workload at Bel mont Hill, Student #1 found his classes to be the least exciting part of his schedule,

together, can be tougher to manage. Com pounding this, my schedule also faces chal lenges due to the unfortunate scheduling of study blocks. During these blocks, I either have filled it with a commitment, have to get other work done, or the teacher isn’t there. This trend was similar to the responses of

that promotes taking advantage of oppor tunities and exploring new activities. How ever, it is also one that demands a lot from students and so it can result in a workload that strains students as the week progresses.

Seeking solutions, I asked students to share their strategies for contending with full schedules and conflicts. Each heavily emphasized a purposeful usage of free blocks and extra help times. Student #2 said, “I have used my time during my free block and study hall to do homework which helps my workload a lot when I get home.” Student #4 also brought up the idea of using weekends to do extra work or even get work done that would be due during the week. This year he has started, “over the weekends, doing my homework due Monday and due Tuesday.” He said that it allowed him to then have more time to study for tests, and it would also allow for more availability at free blocks. They overwhelmingly agreed that utilizing time wisely, whether on or off campus, was key to staying on top of a demanding schedule.

as “it’s a lot of work and I often find myself stressed about projects or other pieces of homework.” Especially as students age into more advanced and rigorous classes, the workload begins to increase, further strain ing not merely academic, but also extra curricular and athletic time. Both Students #2 and #3 observed that, due to scheduling logistics, it can be hard to participate in ex tracurricular clubs. Student #2 expressed annoyance that numerous “clubs are stacked at Friday X block, because there are multiple clubs I would like to do at times that col lide.” Currently, there are 10 clubs scheduled on Fridays at X, and it is frustrating when the opportunity to attend one club is ren dered impossible by another. In general, students disliked those parts of their sched ule that restrict their freedom and choice.

I wanted to explore whether the busy ness in student schedules can be attribut ed to their choices or to the overall school schedule. My schedule, for example, is full of obligations I chose; APs, varsity sports, and time-consuming extracurriculars all require outside work and when combined

the students. Students #1 and #4 comment ed on their academic workloads. While no one is happy to get homework, they both recognized that they set it upon themselves to choose hard classes. Student #4 added a good point, stating that “I think the more academically inclined students feel a cer tain pressure to take all of the most diffi cult classes.” There are certainly many other pressures as well that could contribute to a student picking a more demanding roster of classes. Students #2 and #3 talked about the schedule itself, and how it may con tribute to fewer opportunities for outside activities. Student #2 noted that the long block schedule can lead to homework pil ing up on Thursday night, leading to a night that may be more hectic than usual. Stu dent #3 talked specifically about X-blocks and how they usually are filled with things to do: “X-blocks are the busiest area of my schedule because there are so many dif ferent things that you might need to do during them, such as eat lunch, meet with a teacher, go to a club, or work on home work.” The Belmont Hill schedule is one

After conducting these interviews and reviewing the perspectives of the stu dents, I think that the Belmont Hill sched ule is not “too busy.” Since students have the ability to choose their course levels, it is in part their choice to decide how demanding their schedule will be. Additionally, they can use their free blocks however they want. But, I do believe that there could be a better system for scheduling extracurriculars and extra help availability. A serious fix to the problem would require a full revamp of the schedule, resulting in intense conversations and dedication. Barring that, advisors could emphasize that students could make better use of time before school, when students can finish homework, meet with teachers, or study for any upcoming quizzes or tests. If teacher availability at this time is high, it may help students gain extra help time they lose from attending clubs during X blocks. In the end, one doesn’t enter Belmont Hill for the free time it offers. That said, there are many ways that students and admin istration could improve the “daily grind,” through personal tenacity and improved time management or through administra tive support, like improved course selection advising or communication with teachers.

Could The Putin Administration Start a Nuclear War?

By Alex Laidlaw ’25 Panel Staff

On February 24, 2022, Rus sian forces invaded Ukraine, marking a significant escalation in the Rus so-Ukrainian War that began in 2014. Since then, Russian and Ukrainian troops have been battling for power in Ukraine, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands. As the war continues to rage on, tensions continue to mount. Most notably, following a series of loss es in late September, Russian President Vladimir Putin released an ominous statement saying that “if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will without a doubt use all avail able means to protect Russia and our people.” Although nothing has come out of this and many of Putin’s oth er threats regarding nuclear deploy ment, considering that Russia holds the world’s largest nuclear arsenal at 6,257 (followed by the United States’ 5,550), one must consider the possibil ity of nuclear war resulting from Rus sia’s struggles in Ukraine and ask what that means for the rest of the world.

Since Russia first invaded Ukraine, Putin has regularly reminded the world of his country’s nuclear capacity and

warning shots. The destruction caused by these weapons would largely depend on their size, but regardless, the radi

Throughout Russia’s invasion, the United States’ policy regarding Putin’s use of nuclear weapons has been con sistent: in the event of a nuclear attack the US would “respond forcefully”. In May, President Biden said that “any use of nuclear weapons in this conflict on any scale” would “entail severe conse quences” implying that the US would retaliate in the event of nuclear war.

has even publicly placed Russia’s nucle ar forces on “special combat readiness,” holding high-profile nuclear drills. What, one is forced to ask, would nu clear conflict with Russia look like?

Though the particulars are un certain, analysts predict that if Rus sia were to resort to nuclear weapons, they would likely use them for small tactical strikes either in combat or as

ation released from such explosions could kill thousands and render an area uninhabitable for years. Consid ering Russia’s proximity to Ukraine, these weapons could have a negative effect on Putin’s homeland as well. Depending on the winds, the radia tion released from these explosions could blow back into Russian territory, harming Russian soldiers and civilians.

But an all-out nuclear war with Russia seems unlikely. On October 27, Putin stated that he has no intentions of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Ac cording to Putin, Russia sees “no need for that [nuclear conflict in Ukraine]” and in the past few days, Russia has played down the possibility of nuclear war. While many, including President Biden, are skeptical of Putin’s claims that he has no intention to use these weapons, it is clear that both sides un derstand the risk and ramifications of nuclear warfare, making it hard to be

lieve that such a con flict could be a pos sibility.

President Putin of Russia seems willing to use Nuclear Capabilities Google Images

Belmont Hill Students studying

belmonthill.org

Looking Ahead at the Red Sox Offseason

By David Luo ’25 and Andrew Hildeb randt ’25 panel staff

With the 2022 MLB season coming to a close, it is the perfect time to review the exciting teams, disappointing seasons, and broken records. To start, it is fitting to mention some of the exciting teams in the past season. One of the most exciting was the Dodgers, with 111 wins breaking a fran chise record. This also makes them one of seven teams in the MLB to pass the 110-win threshold. Although they had a great season overall, they had a surprisingly early exit in game four of the National League Division Series. Their 5-3 loss to the Padres cement ed this game as one of the most disappoint ing finishes in baseball history. The Padres midseason acquired Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Nationals, adding some young tal ent to an already star-studded roster. The Astros also had an impressive season by reaching the World Series for the 4th time in six years. The Astros won the ALCS by taking down the Yankees. Credit also has to be given to the Phillies, who, after starting 22-29 at the beginning of the season, decid ed to fire their manager Joe Girardi. After replacing Girardi with Rob Thomson, the Phillies have turned their season around and reached the world series. Another team

that exceeded expectations was the Balti more Orioles. Even though they missed the playoffs by four games, they showed that they are a future contender with new young talent led by catcher Adley Rutschman. At the trade deadline, they gave away veteran Trey Mancini for future prospects mak ing their team even younger and hopefully better for the future. Even with all of this, the most exciting thing this season was a great player who impressed everyone by breaking the American League single-sea son home run record. Aaron Judge had 62 home runs this season and surpassed Rog er Maris’ 61 home runs for the AL record.

Although there were some exciting events, there were also some disappointing performances. Starting these teams off is the San Francisco Giants who had a disappoint ing season with only 81 wins compared to their previous 107-win season with a similar team. Their pitching and lack of homers pre vented them from another playoff season. Another disappointing team was the LA Angels, who once again found themselves far out of the playoff picture. Even with star talents such as Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon, the Angels still have yet to find success with this group. These dis appointing results also led to the question of whether Trout or Ohtani will be traded. The White Sox also came up short of the play offs after they lost to the ALDS last year and

Celtics 2022-2023 Preview

By Matthew Flaherty ’24 panel staff

With their 2022 NBA season culmi nating in a loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Celtics are hungry and poised to reach the apex of basketball, hoping to bring ban ner #18 to Boston. After winning the East ern Conference Finals, there is no doubt the Celtics can accomplish their goals this sea son as they got back most of their key roster pieces and added veteran Malcolm Brogdon.

At the time of writing, the Celtics are 4-2, coming off a victory against the Wash ington Wizards. One of the main concerns coming into this season for the Celtics was the loss of head coach Ime Udoka, who was served a one-year suspension for violat ing team conduct. However, in just a short amount of time, interim head coach Joe Maz zulla has begun showing that he is capable of leading this championship-hungry team. Of the few underlying issues surrounding the Celtics, another concern has been the lack of big-man depth, with big man Robert

Williams III out for at least eight weeks due to an offseason knee-surgery. With the ab sence of Williams, the Celtics turn to veter an Al Horford, newly-acquired Blake Grif fin, Luke Kornet, and Massachusetts native Noah Vonleh to fill the void at the five-spot until RWIII is able to return.

In the first few games of the season, the young tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown has been outstanding for this Boston group, averaging 30.8 points per game and 25.3 points per game respectively. Another forte for the Celtics is their depth. Wheth er it’s Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, or Sam Hauser off the bench, Boston has had success beyond the arc thus far. In the com ing weeks, the Celtics look to solidify their standing in the top tier of the Eastern Con ference. To do so, they must keep their core healthy and perhaps add a piece or two by way of the trade deadline or buyout market.

The Boston Celtics are no doubt in a great position to finally bring anoth er championship banner to TD Garden. and look to pounce on the opportunity. ☐

were projected to win their division. The White Sox finished their season by being a .500 team and missing the wild card round.

All of this brings us to the present, where we see the Houston Astros and Phila delphia Phillies duke it out in the World Se ries. The Astros are returning to the World Series after last year’s loss to the Atlanta Braves and sweeping both the Mariners and the Yankees in the playoffs. The Philadel phia Phillies are back to the World Series for the first time since back to back appearances in 2008-2009. The Phillies were able to pull off upsets against the Braves and Padres and

are undefeated at home in the postseason so far. They are coming into the World Series behind NLCS MVP Bryce Harper, who hit over .400 in the NLCS and hit the go-ahead home run in game five to send the Phillies through to the final round. In a thrilling six game bout, the Houston Astros won the world series on the back of young slugger Yordan Alvarez and ALCS and World Series MVP Jeremy Peña. The Astros can finally shake off the belief that they only achieve success as a result of “trashcans”, as now they have won a world series fair and square. ☐

Head of the Charles Recap

By Daniel Xie ’24 panel staff

On Sunday, October 23rd, 2022, the Belmont Hill and Winsor boathouse was packed with families and friends to spectate one of the world’s largest rowing regattas, the Head of the Charles. The regatta has be come a tradition at Belmont Hill as students, alumni, and others watch the race from one of the best viewing locations on the Charles. The weather was fantastic for rowing; calm waters were perfect for fast, smooth racing.

This year, Belmont Hill entered into three events in the regatta: the usual Youth Fours and Youth Eights and the newly in troduced entry into the U17 Fours category. In the Youth Fours event, the Belmont Hill boat consisted of coxswain Aaron Stanger ’24, stroke seat Andrew Bittner ’24, Ben nett Carroll ’23, Sean Egan ’23, and Luca Mezzanote ’23. With the bow number 14, this boat placed 10th overall in the event out of 90 crews, with a very competitive 16:54.868 time for the three-mile course,

1 second slower than the Ukrainian na tional team, which was coxed by Bel mont Hill’s very own Thomas Danahy ’26.

In the Youth Eights event, Belmont Hill’s boat was coxed by Brian Lee ’24, with rowers Nathan Pappas ’24, Mac Bobo ’23, Ian Schmidek ’24, Connor Smirl ’23, Lev Tolkoff ’24, Joshua Houston-Davis ’23, Ezra Lee ’25, and Luke Guleserian ’24, and achieved a time of 16:49.611, placing 77th out of 90 boats. Finally, in the U17 Fours event, Belmont Hill’s boat was coxed by Max Glick ’24, with rowers William Wal ton ’25, Jack Kastner ’25, Ryan Pohl ’25, and Will Yakoobian ’24, achieving a time of 18:33.267, placing 16th out of 18 boats.

The Head of the Charles is truly an event that must be experienced in person. The magnitude of the event is surreal, with the riversides, bridges, and docks packed with spectators, and to be on the water during the race is simply magical. Belmont Hill has always been incredibly strong in the regatta, especially in the Youth Fours event, and this year certainly did not disappoint. ☐

Athlete of the Issue: Rower Luca Mezzanotte ’23

By Daniel Xie ’24 panel staff

Coming off of a successful Head of the Charles performance, placing 10th out of 90 boats in the Belmont Hill Four, Luca Mez zanotte ’23 has thrived as an athlete during his time at Belmont Hill. The captain of both the Alpine Skiing and Crew teams, Mez zanotte has had his share of achievements.

Looking back on his time at Bel mont Hill and his most recent season, Mez zanotte recalls the team culture which he has enjoyed so much, commenting, “I love the energy on the XC team, being able to wear ridiculously short shorts with cookies on them and run around Boston with the boys is a unique experience.” He adds, “XC is in teresting because it is a sport that isn’t fun at all but the people make it fun,” highlighting the people on his teams that have made Bel mont Hill sports so enjoyable. Mezzanotte also expresses his gratitude to those who

made his cross-country experience so suc cessful, saying, “I want to thank the captains and coaches for keeping the team focused and working hard throughout the season.”

Looking at the future, Mezzanotte will spend his last two seasons at Belmont Hill leading both the Alpine Skiing and crew teams, after which he has committed to con tinue his rowing career at the Naval Acad emy. Though Mezzanotte does not plan to run in college, he notes that he is grateful for the experiences he had at Belmont Hill and that he is sure that the running will help his rowing endeavors in the future. Mez zanotte’s athletic success at Belmont Hill have been impressive, and he will unques tionably be a valuable member of the Navy Lightweight Rowing team in the future.

The Panel thanks Luca for all the hard work he has dedicated to Bel mont Hill’s athletic programs and wish es him the best of luck in his athlet ic endeavors beyond Belmont Hill. ☐

Yordan Alarez Hits a Home Run

Houston Chronicle

Luca Mezzanotte ’23 rowing in a Belmont Hill 4

BH Communications

A Preview of the Upcoming 2022-2023 NBA Season

By Ben Adams ’25 panel staff

The NBA season appears to be very intriguing. There is no clear-cut num ber-one team that projects to be a mas sive favorite come playoff time. The War riors are looking to repeat, while the Celtics are looking for revenge from last year. Many rookies look very promising. All of this goes without mentioning likely the most unique factor of this NBA sea son; the tank for Victor Wembanyama.

Betting odds for winning the championship this season have the Clip pers with the best chance at +550. It makes sense that the Clippers would be favorites with Kawhi Leonard back from a torn ACL that kept him out all last season. Also, the Clippers signed John Wall, adding to their depth. However, even with these additions, it isn’t realistic that the Clippers have the best odds, as both these players are old, and the team around them isn’t that good. Second in betting odds is the Warriors at +600. This evaluation makes sense because the Warriors championship squad from last year did not lose anybody significant in the offseason. The incident between Jor dan Poole and Draymond Green is worth noting; a video of Warriors practice shows Draymond punching Poole. It seems they have resolved this issue, but underlying tensions could still affect the team. Tied for 2nd is the Celtics at +600. These odds make

sense, as the Celtics have only improved since their finals run this past season. They have added key players, most notably Mal colm Brogdon. The Celtics took advantage of the Pacers starting a rebuild and traded for Brogdon for little cost. The Nets come in at number four at +700. Fair odds if both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving stay healthy all season. KD has missed many games the past two seasons and is only getting older, but when he is on the court, he is a top-five player. And Kyrie Irving is

also a top-fifteen player when healthy. But just like KD, Kyrie misses a lot of games. Another note about this NBA sea son is the strong group of rookies. Some notable ones are the first overall pick, Paolo Banchero. He got drafted to the Orlando Magic after he led the Duke Blue Devils to the Final Four. Banchero teams up with oth er young players like Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony on the Magic. The third pick in this year’s draft was Jabari Smith out of Auburn. Smith showed in college his ability to shoot and dominate in isolation situations. The fourth pick was Keegan Murray out of Iowa. The selection was a surprise on draft night as Jaden Ivey was projected to be drafted at four, but the Sacramento Kings took Murray instead. Keegan Murray showed his abili ty to score at Iowa, averaging 23.5 points per game. For reference, Banchero aver

aged 17.4ppg, and Jabari Smith averaged 16.9ppg. Jaden Ivey was the first guard tak en off the board with the 5th pick to the De troit Pistons. The Purdue star led the Boil ermakers to a 3-seed in March Madness, but St. Peters cut their possible National Championship run short in the Sweet 16. Jaden Ivey plays a similar style to Ja Morant; both guards with decent shots but fantastic athleticism. There will be a fight for Rook ie of the Year this season, and it could go to anybody. But one thing is for sure; bas ketball fans will get to watch some good basketball from young players this season.

One thing different about this NBA season is that we will see a lot more teams tanking due to the projected sol id draft class coming up. Victor Wem banyama, a 7’4 center from France, is an 18-year-old who plays in a French bas ketball league. People rarely talk as much about an NBA prospect before the sea son starts as they have about Wembanya ma, showing how much potential he has. What does all this mean? This means that top teams may have much better records than usual, and bad teams with much worse records than expected. The rea son is that any team that does not think they will make the playoffs may decide to tank to try to get the next Lebron James. In conclude, we have an exciting NBA season ahead of us. The championship is anyone’s game, and we have a strong group of rookies to watch. It will also be interesting to see if teams start to tank to get Victor. ☐

Evaluating Changes to the NFL’s Concussion Protocol

By Christopher McEvoy ’25 panel staff

Concussions have been one of the biggest issues for athletes across the globe but specifically for the National Football League. Football is one of the most danger ous sports one can play when it comes to concussions. Every year a couple of million concussions occur in the United States be cause of sports-related activities. Of those, around 300,000 are related to football. The NFL has been attempting to limit the num ber of concussions. This has been done through many methods: upgrading equip ment (specifically helmets), teaching new tackling techniques, and penalizing play ers who put other players at unnecessary risks. So far into the 2022 NFL season, the league has seen 65 concussions in their first seven weeks. To combat this problem the NFL has released new concussion protocols.

Despite the large number of concus sions so far, the total number of concussions

has been trending positively over the last few years. In 2015 the NFL saw a total of 275 concussions, the following year saw a drop to 243 concussions. Despite the progress, in 2017 the NFL saw a rise to 281 concussions.

After that dramatic leap, the next three years showed great improvement and the amount of concussions continued to falter. 2018 saw the number drop to 214 then rise slightly in 2019 to 224. In 2020 the number of con cussions dropped to 172 and in 2021 the number was at 187. This data shows great progress in lowering the number of con cussions in the NFL. The staggeringly low number in 2020 can partly be attributed to there being no preseason games played, but there was still a marked improvement. If the NFL held its current pace at which concus sions were occurring this season, then by the end of the year there would be rough ly 158 concussions. However, it is import ant to note that the data shows that more concussions occur the later the season gets.

Despite improvement in the number of concussions, the NFL still saw it neces

sary to change the league-wide protocol mid-season. This change was sparked by the injury to Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. In a week three game against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa took a hit and appeared to be shaken up. He was not able to walk without stumbling and had to leave the game. Many believed that Tua had suffered a concussion and would have to stay out for the rest of the game. Despite this, Tua returned later in the game and the Dolphins claimed that Tua did not even have a head injury. In the following week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tua was hit once again but this time he was unable to move. Tua had to be stretchered off the field and taken to a hospital where he was predictably diagnosed with a con cussion. This scary event led to the NFL adjusting the current concussion protocol to ensure something like this could hope fully be prevented from happening again.

The new NFL concussion protocol lays out more symptoms that would lead to a player being deemed ruled out for the rest of the game. Symptoms such as ataxia (loss

of bodily movements), loss of conscious ness, confusion, or amnesia are some of the symptoms that will now label a player as not eligible for a return to play. In the lock er room, a player must complete an NFL SCAT and a neurological exam. If the play er had not been labeled ineligible to return and passed the tests only then they would be allowed to return to the game. If the re sults of the test are deemed abnormal then the player must stay in the locker room and complete a periodic test along with a further neurological evaluation. These ef forts by the NFL should hopefully lead to players being put in the safest environment possible and prevent injuries like the one Tua Tagovailoa suffered. At the end of the day, the safety of players should be num ber one priority of the league rather than having the best possible players on the field at all times. Certain sacrifices must be made in order to ensure that the players health and safety is put first, and this is one change that the league wisely has chosen. ☐

Previewing the Boston Bruins’ 2022-23 Season

By Ben Hack ’24 panel staff

The Boston Bruins have started their 2022-2023 campaign 8-1-0, their best start in their history. This has surprised many people due to the fact that the Bruins were missing forward Brad Marchand, defense men Charlie McAvoy, and Belmont Hill alum Matt Grzelcyk. Many fans thought the team would struggle after firing Bruce Cassidy (whose Vegas Golden Knights currently have the second-best record in the NHL). However, new coach Jim Mont gomery has surpassed expectations and has had a terrific start to his Bruins tenure.

One of the main reasons the Bruins have had such a fast start is the superb goal tending of Linus Ullmark. Although many

record with an 1.70 goals against average. Another strength of the squad is the scor ing, led by David Pastrnak, who is second in the league with seventeen points in nine

games. The Bruins have received second ary scoring from Patrice Bergeron, Jake Debrusk, and David Krejci; all of whom are averaging over a point per game. The presence of David Krejci back in the Bru ins lineup after a season back in his home country of the Czech Republic has been pivotal to the team’s success. The Bruins fi nally have a true second-line center back in their lineup who plays a solid full ice game.

The Bruins have a tough stretch com ing up ahead with three games on the road in the next six days against conference ri vals. But with Marchand and Grzelcyk now back in the lineup and McAvoy poised to make his season debut, the Bruins are in a prime position to continue their suc cess and remain atop the league standings as they try and achieve the playoff success that has evaded them in recent years. ☐

questioned General Manager Don Sweeney upon his signing of Ullmark to 4 years and $20 million, fans have been pleasantly sur prised as Ullmark has posted a perfect 6-0

Victor Wembanyama Google Images

Paolo Banchero Google Images

Boston Bruins celebrating a late goal

Google Images

Centennial Quotes of the Week!

"Uhhuhuhuuhhhummmmuuuummmmmuhhhhuhh-um"

- Bobby Cooper

"You guys are getting paid?"

- Mr. DeCaprio in a faculty meeting

"When I’m feeling goofy, I just start picking names out of a hat. How do you think Milmoe got in?"

- Mr. Carr on the Admissions Process

"This new teacher Dr. Fast is really cool!"

- Student, Class of 1659

Mr. Musler Files: Leaked BH Search Histories Mr. Craig-Curtis Schneider:

Alex Gavronsky:

Coach Markham:

Turner Rayment, Jason Cannistraro, Trey Penna, Cam Connell

Look-Alikes

Lamelo Ball

Mr. Brownell

Jeremy Clarkson

Mr. George Mr. Mackey from South Park

Doc Fast Keebler Elf