News and Opinions from the Students of Berkshire School
Library Renovations
October 18, 2014
By Peter Dunn
Berkshire’s period of self-improvement continues this winter as the library becomes the focus in the newest plan to redesign our beautiful campus. With the renovation of the library visibly underway, I sat down with Ms. Hollnagel to discuss some of the specifics surrounding the project. The word most easily used to describe the school’s hope for the new space is efficiency. Ms. Hollnagel outlined some of the most important changes coming about with the renovation - at the top of the list was their desire to create a more streamlined and userfriendly environment for research, work, and study. One of the most valuable components of the new library design is the tech-friendly nature of the space. By joining the library and technology department under the same roof, they hope in make a more efficient process. In addition, the library will continue to make desktops available to students. Desktops carrying several important programs, (a resource I personally have the pleasure of using when designing this paper alongside Sam). Ms. Hollnagel was excited to describe the new librarian desk- specifically the shape. With a new, round shape, as opposed to the block formation we previously had, Ms. Hollnagel hopes it will provide a more approachable work space. The new shape will also help the library work with more students one on one, a dynamic that Ms. Hollnagel said is much more beneficial to the students, “when I speak to whole classes about the databases and other tools we have, they tend to glaze over, but when I get to work one on one with a student, he or she is usually really excited about all the things we over that they did not know about”. The new plan for the library highlights one of the existing spaces greatest strengths: an area for quiet, individual work. The inclusion of several areas in which students can be separated in order to create the tranquil
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A drawing of what the interior of the new library will look like
Welcome, Berkshire Parents to 2014 Parents’ Weekend! 7:00 - 8:30 AM Breakfast: Benson Commons, Rovensky Student Activity Center 8:00 - 10:00 AM Registration: Myers Lobby, Berkshire Hall 8:00 - 11:00 AM Parents’ Weekend Headquarters: Refreshments in Atrium, Berkshire Hall 8:30 - 10:55 AM Classes: Parents will attend G, C, E and A period classes. 11:15 - 11:30 AM Head of School Remarks: Allen Theater 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM Lunch: Benson Commons, Rovensky Student Activity Center 12:30 - 1:30 PM Guided Hikes: Berkshire Hall Steps Student Art on exhibit all weekend: Fine Arts Center and Atrium, Berkshire Hall
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October 18, 2014
Freshman Bonding on the Mountain By Caroline Sugar
Wednesday was a good day to be a third former. While the fourth and fifth formers took the PSAT’s, we freshmen took advantage of the mountain and hiked to Guilder Pond. The walk up was challenging, but the company of my classmates made it worth the struggle. The ground was wet and the air was heavy; however, the surroundings of the mountain were gorgeous and made it worthwhile. Mr. Lloyd lead a group of the more ad-
venturous students to the pinnacle of Mount Everett, while the rest of us hiked together to the pond. After about 90 minutes of walking uphill, we made it to the pond. Some rewarded themselves with a dip in the water. I, of course, was among these students and decided to jump in, but some of my classmates thought that the freezing water seemed unwelcoming that day. With muddy shoes and tired legs we made
it back to campus. We were surprised to see that to end our morning of bonding on the mountain there was a barbecue by the fire pit waiting for us. It was a great way to challenge ourselves physically, and gave us an opportunity to strengthen relationships with one another. Our mini mountain day was a success, go bears!
Tune in Tuesdays by Maggie Zhu
I got into WBSL because Simi needed another name on the sign-up sheet at the Club Fair. The small Jamaican girl with black curly hair came up to me with her usual excited expressions and informed me of a radio show originally titled “JamaicaMeCrazy” featuring Jamaican and Reggae music. I agreed to cohost, without knowing anything about WBSL. It was already in October, and the ladybugs were swarming around campus, when I realized that the show was on the next day; that we are going on air, and we still don’t know anything about the radio station. Simi managed to figure out the use of a few switches, and the next thing I knew, I was waiting outside the door to the live studio. WBSL 91.7FM- The Voice of Berkshire is the school’s radio station, on which students and faculty can host their own shows, and broadcast all over Berkshire School and in nearby towns. I saw through the window that two hosts were speaking Spanish and playing Latin American songs; in heart, I doubted deeply of how I was going to go through the next hour. Standing across from me in the room were Simran Chatani ’17 and Miles de Loayza ’18, and the three of us took on the show together. “So what’s the show called?” I asked impatiently in the corner. “I don’t know… We need a name.” Simi replied. All of us denied “JamaicaMeCrazy.” “How about the Starry Messengers?” my mind somehow hopped to the book written by Galileo Galilei that we talked about in history class the day of, “that would make a
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The third form at Guilder Pond
The Seniors Tackle Hamlet Night
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Library Renovations continued from page 1
environment that many students require was a focal point for the architectural team, and zones for small groups to work on projects that require library resources are also a part of the new design. Ms. Hollnagel pointed out that one of the primary needs for the redesign of the library was due to the evolutionary nature of research itself. The type of research being carried out by students in the 1980’s, when the library was first constructed, is vastly different from the research being conducted by students today. We are scouring databases such as ABC-Clio, J-Stor, and the NY Times Archives (all provided by the library, by the way) as opposed to pouring over volumes of almanacs and other paper sources; while books do and will serve their invaluable role in our education- in terms of researching needs- we are transitioning to internet use. A fact recognized by the library and accounted for in this new renovation. While the library is scheduled to reopen in February, Ms. Hollnagel reasonably expects a date in March, due to the nature of construction. Despite the inconvenience of being moved into the smaller space of the Great Room, Ms. Hollnagel says the change of scenery has not be a struggle, and that students have been very cooperative. Until the renovation of the library is complete, remember to stop by the third floor library space to take advantage of all the resources available, and grab cup of coffee or hot chocolate while you’re at it.
October 18, 2014
Green and Gray Points Tally Gray: Green: Sarah Kinney All-School Read Art Show at Norman Rockwell (Sandra Stephen, Ivea Pranckevivi- Winner Art Show at Norman Rockwell ute, Dan Ives) Beat Mr. Mulder’s Time to Guil- Museum (Sarah Kinney, Melody Barros, Juyoung Lee) der (Luke Streett) Student Voices Video (Josiah Tolvo, Andre Bogdanovics, Terryl Wilson) Beat Mr. Mulder’s Time to Guilder (Derrick Burt, Peter Giordano) Mr. Dalton Completed El Camino Trail
Green: 104 points
Gray: 89 points
Instagram of The Week By Hanna Derrig
Bears Silence Suffield’s Bell By Sam Reagan
Whenever Suffield Academy has a victory, they ring their infamous bell. However, on Saturday, October 11, 2014 it was silent. A caravan of buses toted the Berkshire Bears to Suffield Academy. It was Suffield’s Parent’s Weekend, so many spectators gathered to watch a number of athletic events. Sadly for these parents and the students of Suffield, the Berkshire Bears brought their a-game. Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey demolished the Tigers with their strength and speed. Branch ‘15 scored one goal and McLanahan ‘16 had another! Peluso ‘16 had two amazing goals. The girls ended with an outcome of 4-0. Girls Varsity Soccer did not let Suffield take a victory. They fought hard and ended with a score of 2-2. Boys Varsity Soccer did not even give the Tigers a chance and defeated Suffield 5-0. Cross country beat Suffield but fell to Taft, and finished with a strong second place. Varsity Volleyball beat Suffield 3-0. The score of each set was 2523, 25-22, and 25-23. The girls fought hard for each point, and the Tigers fought back, but the Bears did not give up. Marlene Moser earned “Moose”, a symbol of most spirited, and Samone DeFreese kept “Bear”, along with the title of the game’s MVP. Overall, it was a hard day to be a Tiger, but a great day to be a Bear. Congratulations to all of our teams, and keep up the hard work because we anticipate the rest of this season to be filled with many more victories. Go Bears!
This photo was taken by Lexi Merison and Chelsea Leeds. As the leaves really start to change, Lexi and Chelsea capture the fall colors at Berkshire. Be sure to follow @armerison & @c_leeds
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October 18, 2014
B. ART
By Annie Wilson and Andrew Koudjis A featured project by two of Berkshire School’s talented photographers.
Photo taken by Andrew Koudijs Photo taken by Annie Wilson
Photo taken by Andrew Koudijs
Tune in Tuesdays
Photo taken by Annie Wilson
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nice title.” “I like it.” “Sure… I mean, we can always change it if we want to.” Simi said. “We’re going to play music, right?” “Yeah, and you can read poetry if you want to.” “I get two songs.” Miles announced. I typed on my computer nervously, my fingers making loud noises contacting the keyboard. “Are you writing a script?” Simi asked. “Yeah.” I answered half-heartedly. “Let’s just wing it, it’s supposed to be like really chill, yours is kinda formal.” “Yeah, but we don’t know what to say.” – silence, “we don’t even know what song to play first.” I felt the air tensing up around me, and I could tell that she was a little nervous as well. “Let’s play Latch by Sam Smith.” Miles jumped in and saved the
day—way overplayed, but acceptable. The live studio felt warm with yellow lights and glass windows, buzzing with the sound of machines and flashing buttons-three chairs, two microphones, and an entire table of buttons. The two microphones were turned on. “Good evening to all our listeners out there, this is our first time on air…” Simi started off the introduction when the clock ticked 8:00 pm, with her subtle Jamaican accent and light-hearted tone. My own voice sounded strangely unlike myself through the headphones, but the feeling was new and exciting. To my surprise, just five minutes into our first show, we naturally, willingly abandoned the script, and opened up ourselves.
We managed to play songs, joked with one another, and took many selfies, while the music played freely piece after piece in the midst of the technological mess. It was just another random Tuesday night, where ladybugs swarmed around in the warm October air. The three of us, maybe having had a busy day, gathered, and shared music and thoughts and all the little things that make our lives at Berkshire, with all the ones connected by the radio wave in the air. Live hard as you can, and when you don’t know what’s going to happen next, just remember to tune in on WBSL 91.7FM, especially on a Tuesday.