THE BOLLES BUGLE August-September 2019
2  The Bolles Bugle
The Bolles Bugle Staff Co-Editors-In-Chief: Avani Bansal Gabriel Bassin Online Editor: Su Ertekin-Taner Copy Editor: Thomas Keaveny
Table of Contents Cover/Divider Design Ian Peiris
Bugle Staff Summer Adventures
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Avani Bansal
A Darker Future for Bright Futures
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Camden Pao
Rest in Peace Native Sun 9 Daniel Fewell
Writing Coach: Ellie Anderson
Locking Down on School Security
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Design Editor: Ian Peiris
The Uncovered Mysteries of Parking Spaces
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Perspective Editor: Sarah Scherkenbach
New Detention Policies Instated This Year
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Coffeehouse Promoters: Taylor Ford Soraya Rafat Condributing Writers: Kloe Brill Katie Creveling Atticus Dickson Hannah Edwards Daniel Fewell Cameron Gratz Megan Howard Ashley Khoo Camden Pao Tucker Sharp Ava Sickler Clariss Valdivia Nina Zhao Advisor: Ms. Jacobson Questions or comments, contact: jacobsona@bolles.org or bollesbugleonline@gmail.com
Sarah Scherkenbach
Taylor Ford
Hannah Edwards
Make it Stick 17 Ellie Anderson
Strangers in the Strange Land 18 Nina Zhao
The Handbook Quiz 20 Clariss Valdivia
Welcome to Boys’ State: The Cream of the Crop Gabriel Bassin
A Statement on Girls’ State 23 Ellie Anderson
Public Speaking in London
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Spanish Exchange: Madrid to Bolles
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Ashley Khoo
Kloe Brill
New Teachers, Old Memories 28 Kloe Brill, Megan Howard, & Camden Pao
Editorial Policy: The Bolles Bugle is the newsmagazine created by the journalism class at The Bolles School. Our publication focuses on increasing community awareness of in-school events and topics relating to the five news values: relevance, proximity, timeliness/novelty, conflict/ controversy, and human interest. Content in the Bugle is the responsibility of the editorial staff and not meant to reflect the views of the school’s administration or the student adviser. Please reach out to our faculty advisor, Ms. Jacobson, with any questions or comments. She can be reached at jacobsona@bolles.org or at bollesbugleonline@gmail.com. Copyright 2009-2019, The Bolles Bugle
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Table of Contents Rivera’s Tie 29 Su Ertekin-Taner & Katie Creveling
Mamma Mia Carpool Karaoke (Video)
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Soraya Rafat
Changes in AP Art 32 Ava Sickler
Bolles Band to Perform Three Concerts This Year
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Cameron Gratz
The Filmogrpahy of Tarantino 34 Daniel Fewell
How Far Would You Be Willing to Go? (Video)
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Thomas Keaveny
Humberston Goes For Gold 37 Katie Creveling
Welcoming New Sports Coaches 38 Katie Creveling & Su Ertekin-Taner
Telvia Perez: Ice Dance Finalist 41 Megan Howard
Op-Ed: Why Homework? 43 Atticus Dickson
TikTok Mania 44 Tucker Sharp
100 Word Rant/Chicken Sandwiches to Change the World
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Reviewing Obama’s Summer Playlist/Bugle Staff Fall Playlist
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Atticus Dickson, Thomas Keaveny, & Ava Sickler
Cameron Gratz and the Bugle Staff
Congratulations to the winners of Perspective’s August art and writing contests! Art Winner: French Houses by Yasmine Chahlavi Writing Winner: Distractions by Maxine Montoya
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Letter from the Editors Dear Reader, Thank you for reading the first issue of The Bolles Bugle of the 2019-2020 school year! This year we welcome 11 new staffers as we embark on our adventures in journalism. Our staff has worked hard to put together this wide variety of stories for you. As a paper, our goal is to provide accurate news to the Bolles student body. Throughout the whole process of pitch meetings, interviews, writing, and editing we remain dedicated to producing stories that engage you, our audience. In recent current events, there were certain issues that happened right as this issue was going to press. In the wake of the recent national climate strikes and the UN Climate Action Summit, the Bugle did not have the opportunity to respond with coverage about the actions and thoughts of our school community. However, both as editors and citizens, these climate strikes draw attention to a climate and ecological crisis bringing a severe, imminent threat that we would like to acknowledge. In Hemming Park, students of Jacksonville participated in this global movement. We believe that our community and our generation is charged with the responsibility of stepping up and tackling this problem.We encourage you to make environmentally conscious decisions. Going forward, we are excited to cover stories about how the Bolles community takes action-environmentally, academically, creatively, and in sportsmanship--towards building a responsible, sustainable, and joyful world. We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy this issue!
Avani Bansal Co-Editor-In-Chief
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Gabriel Bassin Co-Editor-In-Chief
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Summer Adventures of Your
Avani Bansal Co-Editor-In-Chief
American Adventures: New York City
Washington D.C.
Key West
Brevard, North Carolina Houston, Texas
Tampa, Florida Washington, D.C.
Hershey Park, Pennsylvania 6  The Bolles Bugle
Baltimore, Maryland
New York City
"I had the most humbling experience helping kids that are not as fortunate to receive medical care in Haiti" -Avani Bansal
“The best part was going to the alpaca farm in Quebec City" -Soraya Rafat
"It was amazing to see all the animals up close on the safari and on a helicopter ride" -Camden Pao
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2019-2020 Bugle Staff
"My favorite part in retrospect was the time when I no"I swam 9 practices a week" ticed my cousins spoke Filipino and English with a better -Megan Howard vocabulary then I have, and the last time I saw them was when I was still a kid but now I am a young adult- so it made me realize that: “The best part about going to Turkey is 1) I need to increase my vocabulary because that's just sad experiencing my own culture and getting 2) there is a life after school so I shouldn't be worrying a glimpse into what life would be like if I too much about one grade when you can be just as suchadn’t been born in America” cessful anyway (how I thought of this I don't know)" - Su Ertekin-Taner -Ian Peiris The Bolles Bugle 7
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A Darker Future for Bright Futures Camden Pao Contributing Writer Big change is coming for the Bright Futures program. In 2021, SAT requirements for Bright Futures will be raised, making it harder to get the scholarship. The Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 190, changing the SAT requirements for the Florida Academic Scholarship (FAS) and the Florida Merit Scholarship (FMS). For FAS, the top tier award, students are required to have a combined score of 1330 out of 1600, which was originally 1290. As for FMS the requirement is changing from 1170 to 1200. The Bright Futures program is a great opportunity for students who need the money to go to college in state, helping avoid having to take out student loans. “Bright Futures has helped a ton with my tuition in that it allowed me to completely forego having to take out loans,” said Jackson Roberts, a 2019 graduate now at Jacksonville University.
The issue with narrowing the pool is those who really need the scholarships have a harder time receiving it. “Students that struggle to pay for college and are coming from really disadvantaged backgrounds are not going to do as well on their testing,” said Ms.Vagenas, the director of college counseling. “I think that is really going to be prohibitive, and so that scholarship is not going to be benefiting a large number of students that really could use it the most.”
"Bright Futures has helped a ton with my tuition"
th
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percentiles have increased due to the quarter-point penalty for wrong answers being removed in 2016.
With more people reaching the SAT requirements, Bright Futures’ budgeting required Jackson focusing on a Roberts smaller group. In 2018, the state gave However, students should not worry out more than 40,000 Bright Future too much about this change. The awards to new high school graduates. A year of tuition and fees at college board offers Khan Academy Florida’s 12 universities averages at to students to help with test prep. $6,100. Paying for 103,000 students Also, while many prefer Bright that used the scholarship, Bright Futures there are plenty of other Futures spent around $628 million options. There are grants, loans, in 2018 alone to help students. financial aid and scholarships not dependent on test scores. FurtherBut people should not be too conmore, while SAT requirements are changing, those for ACTs remain the cerned about the issue. Ms. Vagenas’ advice is “that students can feel some same. So, students are able to subcontrol over the situation by workmit ACT scores for Bright Futures ing hard and doing their best in the instead, if that is preferred. classroom. And recognizing while this scholarship can certainly help The change is due to the fact the pay for some college expenses, it’s current Bright Future law was based not the only scholarship.” on 2010 SAT scores and didn’t match the test now. The law states top-award winners need SAT score above the 89 percentile, but 1290 was actually the 86 percentile. “It was getting much easier to reach those percentiles,” said Senator Kelli Stargel, the bill’s sponsor, at the Senate’s education committee. SAT th
Ms. Vagenas, the director of college counseling, talks with a student about future plans for college.
Student Nilesh Patel (‘22) studies for the PSAT with a geometry booklet
News
Rest In Peace Native Sun
Daniel Fewell Contributing Writer An exterior view of the now closed, Baymeadows branch of Native Sun After 23 years in business, Jacksonville-based supermarket chain, Native Sun Natural Foods Market, permanently shut down all three of its store locations in August 2019. Owner Aaron Gottlieb announced the stores closing via Facebook post on August 6th, stating, “Due to the dramatic increase in the number of grocery stores in the Jacksonville area (nine new specialty grocers alone since 2015), Native Sun Natural Foods Markets will be closing our doors.” "Jacksonville has grocery stores "sprouting" up like weeds; crowding each other as well as the local flora" Aaron Gottlieb Gottlieb’s announcement came just after the opening of Sprouts Farmers Market. Sprouts, located off Town Center Parkway, is the newest addition in a growing list of supermarkets that have come to the city in recent years.
Jacksonville has become increasingly saturated with grocery stores and supermarket chains. While the number of grocers has brought a better variety of foods to the city, many grocery stores operate in same territory as other competing food retailers. In a goodbye letter posted to Native Suns website, Gottlieb wrote, “Jacksonville has grocery stores “sprouting” up like weeds; crowding each other as well as the local flora.” Native Suns Mandarin location is one mile away from Publix and Winn Dixie, its Jacksonville Beach store is a seven-minute drive away from two more supermarkets, and there are both a Publix and Winn Dixie within a half mile of Native’s Baymeadows branch. The proximity of these supermarkets to Native Suns stores, created an extremely competitive and crowded retail environment that made it difficult for Native Sun to retain customers, and be competitive in. When Native Sun opened in 1997, organic foods were not easily accessible in many traditional supermarkets-
and grocery stores. In his letter, Gottlieb wrote, “I started the company with my wife Erica to bring organic foods to the Jacksonville community.” Native Sun was an organic grocer and it experienced plenty of success in its early years, with an annual revenue increase of 14 percent, according to an article by Will Robinson of the Jacksonville Business Journal. However, as grocery stores began to integrate organic products into their inventory, the niche Native Sun occupied, dissolved. Native Sun’s absence has been felt throughout the Bolles community, with students and teachers expressing disappointment at the stores cessation. Despite Native Sun’s closure, Gottlieb sent his business out on a note of optimism. “We’re proud to have been your local grocer for 23 years,” Gottlieb wrote in the conclusion of his letter. “I am hopeful that our community will be blessed with another local organic grocer in our future. As all great things come back again.” The Bolles Bugle 9
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Locking Down on
Sarah Scherkenbach Perspective Editor New Head of Safety, Security, and Transportation Changes Fire Drill Protocol This year, the fire drill modus operandi will be changing. Instead of everyone going to the baseball field, there will be designated points depending on your location at the school. Mr. Butler’s reasoning for this change is, “That’s a lot of people crossing over the campus, and let’s face it, back at the biology lab down by the river, it does not make sense for them to cross all the way over here to get to the baseball field.” Mr. Butler mentioned that he likes the San Jose/Whitehurst campus because of the perimeter. It has the river on one side and there is fencing surrounding the area with certain regulated points for entry and exit. The Ponte Vedra and Bartram campuses work in that manner as well. With security guards patrolling the area, all campuses are as secure as possible. As Head of Security, he is “able to get out to them [the Bartram and Ponte Vedra campuses] at least once a week. Bartram is similar to us [the San Jose campus] in that we have boarders, so pretty much their security there is 24 hours a day.” Mr. Butler summed everything up with a single line: “I am trying to safeguard the lives of the students.” A Comparison of High Schools Bolles lockdown drill protocol has been evolving for over ten years. Mr. Butler, the new Head of Safety, Security, and Transportation at
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Bolles, explained, “This isn’t anything that is a secret at all. It impacts all of us and it impacts schools.”
first year, she had her first lockdown drill. According to Mayo, lockdown drills occur at Episcopal once or twice a semester.
Bolles can compare its practices to national best practices. Butler said, “What we impart amongst the faculty here is pretty much the national model when you are talking about active shooters. We are talking about run, hide, or fight.”
Mayo explained that her school experienced tragedy. “I was too young to attend Episcopal at the time, but in 2012, our then Head of School, Dale Regan, was killed by a teacher who she let go earlier that day. I have many close friends who went to Episcopal at the time as well as my Godmother who still works there today, so I have heard about that day quite a bit.” Riya Sawant, a senior at Stanton, had her first lockdown in her second year. She was a sophomore at the time, and someone unsafe was near Stanton’s campus.
According to Butler, these steps are interchangeable, and depending on your situation, run might not be the "What we impart amongst the faculty here is pretty much the national model when you are talking about active shooters. We are talking about run, Hide, or fight.” - Mr. Butler
first step. The Bugle reached out to the Principal of Bishop Kenny and the Principal of Episcopal about their safety procedures regarding an active shooter; they both declined to share current procedures. Students from those school shared their memories of safety drills from previous years. Sydney Ibera, a senior at Bishop Kenny, had her first lockdown drill in her freshman year. According to Ibera, Bishop Kenny has lockdown drills every couple of months. Ibera said, “I do feel safe at all times; there has never been a time where I haven’t.” Anna Mayo, a senior at Episcopal, has attended Episcopal since the seventh grade. About a month into her
Sawant believes the downside of lockdown drills include “people like shooters know [that] there are kids inside. Hiding in a classroom does not give a lot of ways to escape.” She also dislikes Stanton’s no-phone policy: “It is not the best because I think reaching out to others is important, especially if you are trying to acquire help. I do believe that staying silent is understandable because it does not allow one’s location [to be known].” However, she agrees lockdowns are good practice, allowing students to prepare if something serious was to occur in the future. Sawant explained that before Stanton had a real lockdown, they had drills about once a year. Lockdown drills are important to Mr. Butler because he thinks that “you have to have a plan in place. The students in the Upper School obviously watch the news and they hear their parents have conversations.” If there was to be a real lockdown at Bolles, Mr. Butler recommends, “I would encourage them [teachers] to open up the door and to look out-
School Security side. If there are students, no matter where the students should be at that time, get them inside the classroom and close it down.”
Julia Peiris (‘22) has been a Bolles student since Pre-K at the Ponte Vedra Campus. Her first lockdown drill was in Pre-K and she remembers the experience as, “They kind of just put a bunch of four-year olds into a bathroom and pretended like it was a game. I don’t think any of us knew what was happening.”
However, Butler also acknowledges, “This situation would obviously change if you have some type of act happening in the hallway which does not allow them to open the door.”
In fifth grade, for Peiris, it was no longer the elementary game. “Previously I was like, ‘Oh, it is just a lockdown drill in case anything bad happens, and we’re all going to get locked into a closet, or something,’ which was cool. But then, in fifth grade or sixth grade, I realized that there are actually bad people.” Her first drill in middle school had some drama. She described, “We were locked in Ms. Lane’s class. It was my first lockdown in middle school, and we all thought it was real. Ms. Lane had her bat--her softball bat--and we were all sitting in her classroom. [The doorknob moved, so] she had it [the bat] and was about to knock somebody out with it. It turns out it was just Coach Mullings on the other side [of the door].”
Different Lockdowns for Younger Kids Because they are younger, depending on their age, they are usually told about the drills in a different way. Mr. Butler explained, “Really the elementary school teachers can, whether they call it a bear, whether they call it a fire drill, I am okay with [it] because I think with the teachers who are dealing with the younger students they have a bigger responsibility.” 5th grade teacher at the Ponte Vedra campus, Mrs. Strain, reiterated the idea that, “School should be a place where you feel the safest and I feel very confident in how Bolles is keeping our community safe and protected.”
PEYTON BOATHOUSE & RICE FAMILY CREW COMPLEX
UPPER SCHOOL SAN JOSE CAMPUS FIRE EVACUATION DIRECTIONS
MARINE SCIENCE CENTER
ONE WAY >
ONE WAY
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TO TREE LINE
River Patio
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RIVER CAMPUS
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AREA 5
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Verlander Dining Hall
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ONE WAY
FACULTY/STAFF PARKING
> > >
FACULTY/STAFF PARKING
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LOWER SCHOOL WHITEHURST CAMPUS
FACULTY/STAFF PARKING
ADDITIONAL PARKING
bestbet Conference Room Independent Life Music Building Lucy B. Gooding Gallery
Class of ’46 Alumni Conference Room
Staman Lobby BOLLES HALL Varn Board Room
Martin E. Stein Sr. Courtyard
CINDY & JAY STEIN FINE ARTS CENTER
ULMER HALL
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LYNCH MCGEHEE THEATER AUDITORIUM
AREA 2
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SWISHER College LIBRARY counseling
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CASSIDY AQUATIC FITNESS CENTER
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Uible Pool
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MCKENZIE WILSON SOFTBALL FIELD
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ONE WAY
Labrano Pool
DAVIS GYM
The Canteen BENT STUDENT CENTER
Bulldog Hall
SCHULTZ HALL
Campus Store
GUEST PARKING
SPECIAL EVENTS PARKING GEORGE H. HODGES FIELD
AREA 4
J.D. COLLINS STADIUM SKINNER-BARCO STADIUM
BULLDOG HITTING FACILITY
AREA 3
CAIN GYM
BENT TENNIS COMPLEX Colmery Skills Center
HUGH DONOVAN BASEBALL FIELD
FINANCE CENTER WELCOME CENTER
“When it comes to the emotional toll, I understand. But, I think it is necessary to go through the lockdown drills and to do those things. Even though I feel confident in our safety and security on the three campuses, we still can’t prepare for anything. By doing the drills, at least we have a plan in place and we know kind of how to react when we have these things.”
- Mr. Butler
“I recall one time there was a shooting nearby and we were on code red and on the intercom the voice sounded very serious, so it made a lot of kids concern and scared and people around me started getting very anxious, some even cried.”
-Riya Sawant, senior at Stanton
-Jeni Strain, 5th Grade teacher at the PV campus
HUMAN RESOURCES ADMISSION HOUSE
BAKER-GATE PETROLEUM COMPANY TRACK
“Do lockdown drills cause anxiety?”
“Because my students are older, they are very aware of why we have a lockdown. They hear the news, unfortunately, about school shootings. They are very mature during the drills. I believe as teachers we should let students know that lockdown drills are to keep us safe and to know our routine if any dangerous or unusual situation occurs. That is how we are told to handle the drills. Specifics or exact incidents that could happen aren’t usually shared at this age.”
All evacuees should be within assigned areas and by class for roll call.
AREA 1
RIVER ROAD --- TWO WAY
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Left: Map of new evacuation zones
SAN JOSE BOULEVARD
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The Uncovered Mysteries "I wish we could give everyone a spot but we just don't have enough to do so"
Taylor Ford Coffeehouse Promoter
The Deans’ Office manages all faculty, staff, and student parking assignments on campus, and, contrary to popular speculations, they do not handpick people for those who get spots and who don’t. Nihar Ettigi (‘21) applied for a spot, has a car, does not carpool, and he did not get a spot. Jake McGraw (‘21), on the other hand, also has a car, does not carpool, and did get a spot. The parking spot system, again, is not hand-picked, it is just the luck of the draw. Because there are only so many parking spots, it is hard for everyone to get a spot, Mr. Newman said, “I wish we could give everyone a spot but we just don’t have enough to do so.” Newman said there are 256 available parking spots and 12 The Bolles Bugle
.Mr. Newman
only 30 Juniors, and 14 Soph- On the application to be omores did not get a spot. able to get a parking spot, if someone is carpooling other If parking privileges are in people, they have to fill that high demand, why are there part of the form out to say so many empty parking for sure that they are but the spaces in the Junior area? 73 parking lot application does Juniors responded to a Bugle not ask whether people have poll about parking. 32 people a license or not. So if somesaid they do not have a park- one doesn’t have a license, ing space, either because but they applied for a spot, they did not get one, they and they’re going to carpool don’t have a car, or other 3 or more people, there is reasons. going to be an empty spot in A lot on the first day of Some Juniors do not receive school until whenever they their licenses until after their get their license. Junior year has begun, so, they have spaces but cannot Some people might say this yet drive to school. Some Ju- is not fair, but throughout niors applied for a spot but the first few weeks of school, only have a car twice a week, Mr. Newman will go out for example. to each parking section and look at the empty spaces. People do wonder though If he sees consistent empty why people without a license spaces for where people are yet have spots. For Juniors to supposed to be parking, be able to get an A lot spot Newman stated he will go to they have to be carpooling 3 the waiting list, see who’s at or more people. the top of the list, and give
Of Parking Spaces
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Juniors getting in their cars and leaving from F lot. Unfortunately for Juniors, Florida weather is not nice and they have a long walk through it.
that parking spot to whoever is at the top of the list. There is also a waiting list for juniors who don’t get a parking spot, however, some of these students don’t want a spot because they know it’s going to be in F lot. “I can park on San Jose and that is a shorter walk than f lot”, said Lovan Mayo (‘21). Mr. Newman also leaves some spaces open in C lot for seniors who might have forgotten to submit an application, are new this year, or just had no idea that they could get a parking spot. A bonus for Juniors who don’t get a parking spot for this year is that they get to pick their spot (from a range of spaces) for their senior year.
More Uncovered Mysteries of Parking Spaces Mr. Hopkins has a teacher’s parking spot, so his daughter Aynslee Hopkins does not need a parking spot because she just rides with him to and from school. “Most teachers with kids actually just ride with their kids to school, it makes it easier for us”, said Mr. Hopkins. Every parking spot is categorized: seniors, morning yearlong swimmers, residents, carpools, juniors who drive themselves, and sophomores. Seniors, swimmers who go to morning practice consistently throughout the year, and residents are some of the first people to get parking spots. This is because seniors are seniors and have priority, swimmers need the spaces for easy access to practice and school, also because their practices start while it is still dark, and residents because they live at Bolles.
F lot is mainly for Juniors, some lucky Sophomores may park there but it does not happen very often. A lot is for Juniors, Seniors, and faculty but only for Juniors that carpool 3 or more people. C lot is the main lot in front of the school where Seniors park, there are some guest parking spots as well for parents or anyone else visiting. Some guest parking spots will also be used by students at times for when they are injured, on crutches, etc. D lot is for swimmers, residents, and some faculty. Juniors and Seniors park there, but it is mainly for swimmers who do consistent morning practices. B and E lot are for faculty only.
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News
New Detention Policies Hannah Edwards Contributing Writer
Activities Duty Policy:
Last year, if a student received a demerit, they would be required to report to a designated teacher during their lunch period, where they would then serve the remainder of the period in the cafeteria, cleaning tables or helping the cafeteria staff. Now, things are different. When a student gets a demerit, they report to either Mr, Brewer’s room in SL 105, or in Mrs. Anderson’s room in SL 103 if there is a surplus of students on that particular day. Exceptions are given for Wednesdays and days where mandatory events take place during Activities. Activities Duty varies from Lunch Duty in that it allows students to work on class assignments during the period. According to Dean Newman, the administration made this choice to encourage students to continue being productive while serving punishments. “If you get an activities duty, you use that time productively rather than just sit in a chair and do nothing.” Dean Newman said during an interview. Upon arriving, students are required to put their phone away in a designated phone-holder. After
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Late Start Wednesday Faculty Meeting learning about fire drills and getting updates on day of reflection.
signing in, Mr. Brewer instructs students to take a seat and take all necessary materials for doing schoolwork out of their backpacks. Students have until 10:45 to use their devices, after which devices must be put away and backpacks must be placed at the back of the room. Any materials not taken from one’s backpack before 10:45 may not be taken out for the rest of the period. Students must then work quietly at their desks until the period ends. Activities Duty, unlike Lunch Duty, allows students to work on class assignments during the period. According to Dean Newman, the administration made this choice to encourage students to continue being productive while serving punishments. “If you get an activities duty, you use that time productively rather than just sit in a chair and do nothing.” Dean Newman said during an interview. However, this does not mean students should plan on doing their homework during Activities Duty. As mentioned earlier, devices are not allowed during the period, so any electronic schoolwork cannot be
worked on, nor can a student use their device to print assignments if needed. The idea for this policy was first introduced by Mr. Brewer, who thought of the idea during discussions about the dress code. The final decision was made by both the deans and Mr. Brewer. When asked about why he introduced this policy, Brewer says, “Originally it came about because I was part of the dress code committee and we were thinking of possibly changing the dress code for the school. But then I just thought that if we changed the punishment for getting a demerit maybe that will help with the dress code issues.” Dress code is a consistent reason why students get demerits. Fortunately, demerits given out for disrespect or class disruptions are uncommon. Towards the beginning of the year, an increased number of demerits are given for things like backpacks being placed in No Backpack Zones or inappropriate cell phone usage. According to Dean Newman, this number decreases as the school year goes on. “As our
Instated This Year
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Mr. Brewer keeps a list of rules for student behavior posted on his projector each Activities Period.
students develop a better understanding of the rules, we have fewer of those demerits.” According to Dean Newman, approximately ten demerits are given out each day on average. Demerits are typically not given during the first week of school, but students who have demerits carried over from last year may serve their punishments then.
Day of Reflection: Day of Reflection has existed as a form of punishment for several years, but many faculty members have only recently been aware of it. According to Dean Newman, this is because of the administration’s interest in student privacy. “Student’s discipline is a private matter and we respect the student and the families’ privacy. That’s why some of the people in the community including teachers may not be aware of that as a consequence.” – Newman
While this punishment shouldn’t be taken lightly, it’s less severe than an official suspension and was introduced as a way to avoid suspension for lesser offenses. “At school, if you’re suspended then you usually have to report that to colleges or universities, and there are some things we don’t think really warrant that. Day of reflection is less than suspension, and it doesn’t happen a lot.” – Dean Newman As the name suggests, the punishment lasts only one day and may be given for a variety of reasons. Dean Newman defines the type of behavior that warrants this punishment as, “any behavior that as a school we think is serious enough that you need a day away from school to reflect on it. An example could be a student who has accumulated so many demerits, they don’t seem to be learning from their mistakes. Maybe, they need something in addition to activities duty to help them understand that if you want to remain a member of the community you need to adjust your
behavior.” As Dean Newman explained in an interview, Day of Reflection is served off-campus, and during that day students are not allowed to participate in any extracurricular activities including athletic events and performances. Students are still expected to keep up with any missed work and be prepared for any assessments they have upon their return. Depending on the individual student’s offense, one may be required to write an essay on their behavior. So far, no students this year have earned the new punishment yet. However, students who earned the punishment last year towards the end of school may be serving it this year. For some students coming to Bolles from public school, the idea of InSchool Suspension comes to mind. Dean Newman iterates that the two are not comparable, since Day of Reflection is always served off-campus.
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STUDENT LIFE
Make it Stick!
student life
A Look into How Students Express Themselves
Ellie Anderson Writing Coach When stuck in an increasingly technological word, it’s hard to differentiate yourself amongst the carbon-copied Macs and Surfaces. But, just as we once decorated notebooks, we now customize our devices to express ourselves. Supreme continues to be a trend and many laptops show their owner’s sporty side. Whether a device has one decal or ten, stickers are worth a thousand words when it comes to showing off the teenager behind the tech.
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Student Life
Strangers in the Jamaica—said she uses cars in Jamaica because public transportation and walking long distances are dangerous, “Jamaica is not a safe place.”
Chuqiao(Nina) Zhao Contributing Writer When the new school year started, 70 boarders from all over the world came back to Jacksonville. Not only do new boarders have cultural shocks when they first come to the United States, but so do returning boarders. After a whole summer at home, it is not easy for boarders to return to life in Jacksonville.
Transportation Level 0-100
Emilia Tonn at her home Emilia Tonn, a new junior from Hamburg, Germany, said compared to the United States, German public transportation is safe and convenient. In Germany, Tonn said, “We ride bikes and uses subways. It’s really convenient and you can go everywhere with it. We have some highways where you can drive as fast as you want.” American reliance on cars is not a surprise for Emily McDonald—a returning junior from 18 The Bolles Bugle
Food Across Borders
Tonn likes German chocolates, especially Ritter Sport. She also loves Brezels(pretzels in English) with butter. In America, she likes the fries. When comparing German chocolates and American ones, she prefers German chocolates. “They are just better.” Speaking of food, McDonald loves Jamaican curry goat, and “When it comes to the U.S., it’s Chick-fil-A.” She has never tried curry goats in the States. “I don’t want to,” she said. “It is really spicy in Jamaica, but here they usually mess it up.”
Faith Khoo(right) with her sister Asheley Khoo in Singapore Moving to Singapore, Faith Khoo shared that her parents drive her, but she also takes buses, MRT (subway, for Americans), and Grab(Uber, for Americans). What shocked Faith in the United States is that people can drive at such a young age. Jack Qu, returning to Jacksonville from Shanghai, China, compared transportation in China and the United States. Qu said that back home, he used Mobike--bikes that you can unlock by swiping your phone--everywhere. “They are also opening the 17th subway line in Shanghai now.”he said. Qu prefers the Chinese transportation, for the subway takes him everywhere in Shanghai. He laughed,“In the U.S., you have to drive everywhere. Like, you can’t walk to Target.”
Khoo prefers food in Singapore. She loves Wanton mee(noodles with pork) and black pepper crab. Also, Khoo said Singapore makes better sushi and sashimi than the US. “Compared to the U.S., I like the food back home 100%. ” The definition of true American food is vague. As Khoo said, “I like American food, but I don’t really know what American food is. If you go out to the street, there is Chipotle, McDonald’s and Panda Express. They are all mixed up.” Jack Qu loves it as long as there is food. As he said, “Chinese food and American food both fit my stomach.”
Culture vs. Culture
Tonn said that what seems astonishing is that teenagers over 16 are allowed to drink in Germany, though they are not allowed to drink liquor with high alcohol concentrations. Also, the school
Strange Land systems are different. In Germany, students stay together as a class, whereas teachers go to different classrooms each period.
Boarders Cultural Shock
In Jamaica, it means paying attention to things, and to think about. It’s very different.” What shocked Faith Khoo in the United States is, “When you meet people for the first time, it’s surprising that they just come and give you a hug.”
Emily McDonald in Jamaica Emily McDonald is experiencing cultural shocks in multiple angles. She had a busy summer flying everywhere for swim meets. She went to Hungary for FINA Junior World Swimming Championships with her team. “In Hungary, we had a water fight in the hotel with those random Ping Pong players. It was really fun. We almost got kicked out of the hotel.” She laughed when sharing this. Although she only spent limited time at home, she found that there was so much Chinese influence in Jamaica. “Since I’ve been out so long, I just missed that out. Most shops and supermarkets are owned by the Chinese, especially in big cities.” She said. She also shared about her language shocks, “In Jamaica, we have a dialect called Patois. It’s broken English with West African and Spanish influence. For example, medz. When people in the U.S. say it, it means medicine.
Student Life
Jack Qu in Guilin Like Emily McDonald, Jack Qu had a great summer as well: he went to Guilin—a city in Southwest China. “I lived in a place like…Airbnb kind of. I lived with local people there, and we went to a waterfall near Vietnam.” He said. After a rural summer, he experienced huge changes in Shanghai: “There are way too many people in Shanghai.” Payment wise, Jack said he prefers WeChat Pay in China. He said that people in the U.S. have to bring their wallets everywhere, but in China, phones can take people everywhere.”
WeChat: WeChat is the largest and most influential social media in China with 8 million users, whereas the total population in China is 14 million. While people in most other parts of the world use cash and credit cards to pay, the Chinese use WeChat Pay. In China, it is not uncommon to see people walking around without their wallets. People use WeChat to eat, ride bikes, take subways, buy stuff in self-convenience stores, rent battery dispensary… All by swiping their QR codes! Jason Du and Jenny Chen said they barely use cash in China. Chen likes the cashless culture because, “It contains everything I need for daily life like chatting, phone calls, transfers…” Jessica Zeng, an American born Chinese, said that she likes WeChat because “It works in China and I have many friends who live in mainland China and I use it when I travel back to China or when my friends travel there. The interface is pretty good and has unique features as well such as ‘moments’ that are more like social media rather than just a messaging app.” Like every social media, there are downsides of WeChat. Both Jason and Jenny agree that WeChat is an easy addiction, and people spend too much time on it.
The Bolles Bugle 19
Student Life
Boys State Teaches ber of the Florida House of Representatives.
Gabriel Bassin Co-Editor-In-Chief Standing in a parking lot at 3 a.m. with breakfast sandwiches in our hands, about 20 high school boys, “the cream of the crop,” applaud as our bus finally arrives after a 30-point turn. It’s June 16th, when we climbed aboard Tallahasseebound for “Florida’s Premier Youth Leadership Program,” Florida American Legion Boys State. We arrived at 7 a.m. on Florida State University’s campus. After taking an elevator in one of FSU’s newer residence halls, we were greeted by our counselors. Aaron McEwley, a sixth grade English teacher currently pursuing his PhD at Harvard after receiving a prestigious scholarship, handed me my welcome bag. They told us we were “the cream of the crop.” The welcome bag we received contained: two Boys State polos (our uniform for the week), our Boys State manual (originally a clean spiral-bound book, but now sits tattered, damp, and covered in scribbles with notes on government), a room key, and finally, the most evil, despicable water bottle I have ever touched. Boys at Boys State are divided into sub-groups. First, your political party: either the Federalists or the Nationalists. You get a city, two cities make up a county. In my case, I was a Federalist living in Alexander Springs, located in Air Force County. Your allegiance lies first and foremost with your city. We were Alexander Springs, named after our other counselor: Mr. Ramon Alexander, a mem-
20 The Bolles Bugle
In terms of housing, each floor splits into two cities so you were surrounded by your citymates. My roommate, a Nationalist, was Josiah Johnson, who when we met, was already hard at work, sketching out his application for our Florida Supreme Court. Our suitemates burst through the door, already beginning their campaign for Governor. Gabriell Almond-Lopez, from Broward County, began his stump speech immediately. Meanwhile, Joseph Corley, from Newport Richie, Florida, explained his support for Gabriell. The four of us became close friends.
"I`m Gabriel Bassin- and I`m from "I'mv vGabriel Alexander Bassinand I'm Springs." from alexander Springs."
Then, we started our first city meeting in our dorm building hallway. Aaron began by having us say our names and hometown. I said, “Hi I’m Gabriel Bassin, and I’m from Jacksonville.” Aside from city member, Jaden Vitrella, who became well known for starting Freddy Mercury style “hey oh” chants, I was only city member from Jacksonville. This was by design so new friendships will form. The next day, we started classes in three programs, called schools. Our Florida History teacher, Mr. Bob Knight was a Florida legend. The two other schools were on Legislative Procedure and Law.
Each day, we had speakers. Speakers I felt honored to hear included John Dailey, mayor of Tallahassee; Justice Canady, Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice; Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture; and Bob Inglis, former US Congressman and RepulicEN Executive Director. We had simulations. These were short experiences within our cities or counties where we attempted to tackle real world issues. The reasoning being that if anyone could solve the issue, the cream of the crop certainly could. Our city simulation concerned response to severe red tide on our beaches. It proved to be a chaotic, yet interesting activity where we debated appropriate response and action strategies. We had elections. Our elections happened on three levels: city, county, and state. City and county elections were uneventful with mostly meaningless positions, with the exception of a few: such as laundry man and mayor., two positions that actually had responsibilities. Our three members sent to the Senate, the most prestigious legislative body, were Jack Hitchcock, the mayor, Josiah Johnson, the roommate, and me. Afterwards, Rep. Alexander shared with us that these elections were indicative because, as he said, “the cream tends to rise to the top.” Executive elections happened over a long process where I learned that our party’s candidates (The Federalists) had no political knowledge at all. In fact, our nominee for governor asked at one point, “Wait. What’s the difference between the right and the left?” The cream of the crop? Needless to say, we lost the governor seat. In fact, we lost all of the executive positions.
Student Life
Politics and Character I, a heavily invested Federalist, even voted all Nationalist. Why? Because none of our candidates knew what to do, so it was reassuring to see some of the better educated candidates win. Our downfall probably began when the Federalist governor nominee misspoke, “In response to Parkland, my heart goes out to the shooter...wait...I mean...the families.” We spent the last two days at the Capitol. We sat in the the actual Senators’ seats, spoke into the actual mics, and used the actual voting boards. I got my bill passed through the Senate, introducing a tax on carbon emissions. As a government, we legalized marijuana, which seemed to be a non-partisan issue for most of Boys State. Of course, there were some random bills that passed through, but, overall, we created a dialogue. The speakers and classes taught basic lessons on leadership and civics. But beyond that, we learned from experience. The only way to survive at Boys State was to branch out. It taught you how to put yourself out there and how to win people over. But, it also taught you how to lose. Because, in all the competition and elections, we lost a lot. In fact, overall, we lost for the most part. But it was fine because you also built relationships. I hope to keep in touch with Joseph and Gabriell as long as possible. In fact, the Instagram Alexander Springs group chat is still very active. At the same time, hearing all these speakers and sitting in the Florida Senate debating and voting on real issues felt surreal. I constantly switched schools grow-
ing up, as before Bolles the longest I had ever been at the same school was three years. After Boys State, I not only feel more interested and engaged in the political and legal spheres, but I also feel like I made closer friends in six days than I have in years. So, we held our last city meeting. And at the end, after we had all already cried, Aaron wanted to end it the way it began. So, we said our names and hometown. And by my turn, I said, as did everyone else, “I’m Gabriel Bassin, and I’m from Alexander Springs.”
From left to right: Gabriell AlmodLopez, Jack Hitchcock, and Me
Cream of the Crop (n.) /krēm əv T͟Hē kräp/ 1. The Best of the Best 2. What Florida American Legion Boys Staters are constantly referred to by every counselor and every program manager every single chance they possibly get
Photo of Boys inside the Florida House of Representatives preparing for our the inaguration of our governor and first legislative session.
3. Actually the best boys in the state. These boys are the most committed to civics and active participation in politics by far. See also: Kreme of Da Krop - an alternate spelling of creme of the crop or the name of the official shared Spotify playlist brought to you by the citizens of Alexander Springs
Adjourning Sine Die: Just like the Florida Senate and House, we convened our legislation with the cermonial dropping of hankerchiefs. The Bolles Bugle 21
Student Life
A Statement on Girl’s State
Ellie Anderson Writing Coach Created in 1937, two years after their counterpart, Boys’ State, Girls’ State works to teach young women about civic engagement and the government. But is a group meant to foster governmental knowledge and civic engagement in women giving girls the same opportunities as the boys? Dr. Kostandrithes, the liaison for the Bolles representatives of Boys and Girls State explained his view on the programs. The major difference he observed was with the security. “It’s almost like they’re [the girls] on lockdown,” he says to describe the strict security measures the Girls’ State program has in place. Kostandrithes noticed this change about four years ago when some of the girls came back from the program unenthused, claiming that they essentially could not leave their rooms. Dr. Kostandrithes went on to say that this was a significantly different reaction than the boys, who had free reign over any spare time. When I asked about the potentiality of sexism within the programs, Dr. Kostandrithes jokingly replied, “I don’t think anything nefarious is going on here.” But he further elaborated, claiming that what appeared to be a divide in the programs was due to the websites being outdated, and that both programs work to achieve the same goal.
22 The Bolles Bugle
But let’s take a look at those websites. We can start with the boys. On their website, the mission statement includes: “Citizens of Florida Boys State not only will be required to review knowledge already acquired concerning the political machinery of the state of Florida, but they will find themselves running for office as real candidates do in the everyday world.” When looking at the mission statement for the girls, we see this: “American Legion Auxiliary Girls State is a nonpartisan program that teaches young women responsible citizenship and love for God and Country. As the government begins to take shape, these young women come to understand their roles in a democratic society.” Take it as you will, and remember the time in which it was written but the boys’ statement includes words like machinery and assumes the boys arrive knowledgeable. The boys’ simulation activities are called “real.” The girls program is called nonpartisan, which assumes nuetrality, not candidacy, but if tht were not clear enought, just look at how they are instruvted to be informed citizens and nothing more. Gentian Fairman (‘20), who went to the most recent Girls’ State, conveyed a much different picture of the program than Dr. Kostandrithes. While stating first that she believed she learned a lot and overall had a good experience, she also made note
of the discrepancies between the two programs. First, Fairman explained that the boys had a relaxed dress code at the program, and did not have to abide by a strict 30 minutes of phone time per day policy. Fairman explained the dress code the girls had to follow. “We had to have certain length skirts and shorts, and the women who were our chaperones were not shy about letting you know your skirt was too short all while preaching female empowerment.”
"our chaperones were not shy about letting you know your skirt was too short all while preaching female empowerment." Gentian Fairman '20
One of the differences between the two programs is that some of the boys were chosen to meet the Governor of Florida during the program, while the girls were not offered the opportunity. Gabriel Bassin (‘20), Boy’s State attendee (full disclosure: Bugle co-EIC) relayed that only a select few boys could meet the Governor after standing out throughout the course of the program. The Bugle did reach out by email to the head of Girls’ State for comment, but did not receive an answer.
Student life
The Handbook Quiz How well do you know your Handbook?
just one of those things where you have to go online and find it and there’s a lot of information there.”
Clariss Valdivia Contributing Writer This upcoming school year of 2019-2020, there have been changes to the Bolles dress code, along with the Bolles Student Handbook, and despite it being broadcasted to the entire school in a convocation, along with it being ready to view in the Handbook, students are still getting demerits for dress code. That is why Deans Allison Denmark and John Newman chose to ask the students around Bolles if they have read the Handbook.
Out of the 36 students surveyed, 13 of the students read it partially but 23 haven’t, which would make the percentage 36.1% who have read it, and 63.8% who have not.
Take our Handbook Quiz! 1. When is it acceptable to wear airpods or earphones? A) All the time B) Only during free periods C) During class 2. Can you walk with your phone in hand? A) Yes B) No C) Only when I feel like it 3. What shirts are to be worm on Wednesdays? A) Polos B) Tanktops C) Dresses
I think the most important question- and you can put a gold star by it- is: have you read the Student.Parent Handbook?
John Newman
Appropriate photos of shoes around the Bolles campus
The School Handbook is incredibly important. Often, when students find themselves with demerits, they go back to read the Handbook but they only read the section that applies to that situation.
ANSWERS
1. B, 2. B , 3. A
“It [the students who have read the full Handbook] would be a very small percentage and I think that’s, you know, understood, and I would doubt that there’s a high percentage of parents that read it, too.” Newman stated, “It’s
The Bolles Bugle 23
ACADEMICS
academics
Public Speaking in London Fortunately, the public responded positively, leaving Aoife feeling empowered when she overheard a couple discussing the coffee shops she recommended.
Ashley Khoo
Contributing writer
Aoife (third from left) at Trafalgar Square with her class
the audience crowded around me and watched me with wide eyes waiting for my first words 'Too long has Ireland sat in the shadow of England'"
Aoife O’Riordan, class of 2017, was on the quieter side at Bolles. “It was just my comfort zone,” she said, never imagining she would find herself making a speech at Speakers’ Corner, one of the most sacred sites for public speaking. In January 2019, Aoife spent four months in London for FSU’s study abroad programme. She was greeted by 16th century buildings (“flats” were what they called dorms in London), an original 1700s oil on plaster ceiling painting, and snow for the first time. At first, Aoife thought her class would be tame. Public speaking was a requirement for her major and she had her initial misgivings about it. However, it ended up being one of the most memorable classes she had ever taken. On her first day, her teacher, Gerry Slamon, came into class whistling a song for five minutes straight. “He didn’t even introduce himself,” Aoife noted. “That was when I knew the class was going to be unusual.” Mr. Slamon asked his class why he whistled. They arrived at the conclu-
sion that it was to leave an impression. It did, beginning an extraordinary public speaking course. Mr. Slamon had each of his twelve students make speeches around London. Once, he had his students talk about a painting in the National Gallery. Aoife chose “The Enchanted Castle” by Claude Lorraine, a painting with a story behind it, tucked in one of the cosier corners of the museum. “I don’t usually like being in the spotlight,” said Aoife. Over the course of four months, Aoife gave a speech about a pub in Hampstead Heath, a speech in Trafalgar Square, and more. “Perhaps the two most memorable,” Aoife said, “were the speeches I had to make on the Tube and at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park.” Aoife found herself grappling constantly with her comfort zone and, at times, trying to defy gravity. On the Tube, Aoife remembered having to focus on not falling down while engaging the audience. “Our only guidelines...was to give those on the Tube something to feel happy and interested in,” Aoife said. She spoke about her favourite coffee shops.
Speakers’ Corner has long been a place for people to come and be heard as early as the 1800s. Slamon’s only requirement was that this speech incite controversy; the more heckling a student got, the better. Aoife made a speech on the need for Ireland to be reunited with Northern Ireland. “I accused England of its selfishness and desire to maintain its imperial status, and I brought up Brexit, calling it the final straw in the self-centred British agenda.” It was sunny and once Aoife stood up on the stool, her fear left her and words came naturally. Aoife said, “The audience crowded around me and watched me with wide eyes, waiting for my first words, ‘Too long has Ireland sat in the shadow of England.’” “Some students didn’t necessarily agree with the topics they spoke about while others adamantly believed in what they said,” Aoife noted, “but I believed in the core argument of my speech.” When Aoife got heckled, she immediately shut them down with her own knowledge of her topic. By the end of the course, Aoife learnt to appreciate herself a lot more, stand up a little taller against scrutiny, and face pressure head on.“After this class, my fear of public speaking and simply approaching a crowd of strangers disappeared.” “I want to say Gerry was a magician, as he transformed everyone in the class into something better, pulling out the best of us that we never realized we had. Never in a million years did I think this class would be the one to change me, but I am so glad it did.”
The Bolles Bugle 25
Academics
Spanish Exchange: Madrid to Bolles Bolles students and families host students from Spain
Kloe Brill Contributing Writer Full disclosure: the reporter is a part of the program.
The Bolles students waited for the Spanish students to arraive at JAX airport Spetember 7th. This was the first reunion of the two groups since this past spring break. You may have noticed some new faces on campus from September 9 through 20. Bolles hosted its annual Spanish Exchange program in partnership with Madrid’s Colegio San Agustin. Bolles’ host families excitedly met their exchange students and their chaperones, teachers Aaron Espinoza and Laura Honor, at the Jacksonville airport on Saturday, September 7. The group of twelve Spanish students came ready for an experience that would reflect a slice of the Bolles student’s life. The Spanish students were here for a total of two weeks, attending classes at Bolles, experiencing American family life, and going on several field trips. They went to St. Augustine, the Timucuan reserve, toured the Jaguar Stadium, and Kingsley Plantation.
Aaron Espinoza & Laura Colegio San Agustin Chaperones 26 The Bolles Bugle
When the Spanish students were on campus they were able to experience what a typical school day was like for their host student. One Spanish exchange student, Abel Lariz, noticed the differences between the way Bolles students attend class versus how the students attend class in Spain. At Colegio San Agustin the students stay in the same classroom for the entire day and it is the teachers that switch classrooms. Lariz said, “you change it’s not the teacher that change classes and that’s nice cause you don’t get to sit with the same person every day. And also you have like the classes are decorated so I mean, its fun to be in class I think.” The Bolles’ teachers enjoy having the exchange students in their classrooms as well. “I guess its something that I always appreciate when we have exchange students here is their motivation to do it when it’s not apart of their grade and when it’s not apart of an assessment and that it’s just apart of learning.” said Mrs. Willis.
Academics culture, know different people. They know how others cultures works, so it’s so beneficial.”
“I couldn’t do it without the help of all of the host families and all the faculty who open up their doors for the students.” -Mrs. Hong After school and on the weekends, each host family spent time getting to know their students and learning about their way of life in Spain.
Again, full disclosure that I not only wrote this article, but my family was a host family for one of the Spanish exchange students. Hosting another Spanish student has been a fun experience. My host student and I spent most of our time planning and then cooking our next meal and laughing at Modern Family. Showing someone your daily rituals and customs is truly interesting and is something everyone should be a part of.
Brooke Geddes ‘20 thinks it’s “Super fun to hear about their lives as teenagers back home in Madrid.” Host families also planned various activities for their students allowing them to experience our way of life. The DeGrado family hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner for the exchange students to experience the holiday’s traditional food and how families and friends come together to express thanks and gratitude.
My host student, Daniel and I got Mochi at the Town Center one day after school. I also went to Spain during my sophomore year to Colegio Agustin and stayed with a host family there. I highly recommend this experience to my fellow Bolles classmates. Mayank Nihalani ‘21 agrees that “It’s definitely been really fun and I’m glad I did it cause if I wouldn’t have done it I wouldn’t have built that relationship or gone to Spain.”
Students at the DeGrado family’s house enjoying Thanksgiving dinner. Other host families took their students to the beach, the lake, Disney World, shopping at the St. John’s Towne Center, and out to restaurants. The Spanish students also got to experience many home-cooked meals with their host families. Colegio San Agustin’s first-grade teacher, Laura Honor, thinks that the overall experience is good for both the Spanish students and Bolles students “Because they know a different
Read the section below to learn the impact this experience has had on me specifically.
but, experiencing the exchange program gave me insight into the Spanish culture and exposure to the language. Although I was without my family, I still felt a sense of belonging because my host family and sister made me feel so welcomed. In my junior year, my family was able to return the favor when my host sister came to stay with us for two weeks. These experiences gave me the courage to become a part of a non-profit called Amigos de las Americas whose mission is to collaborate with community members to complete service projects in South America. Over the summer of 2019, I lived and volunteered for a total of six weeks in Costa Rica in a small rural community. I lived for a total of one month with a host family. I had another student volunteer from the states that lived in the same community with another host family. She became like a sister to me and the other friendships I made there will last me my lifetime. My partner and I’s host family’s ability to give love and generosity is something that I try to emulate every day. My next plan is to attend college abroad for a deep immersion of culture and language in whatever country I end up in. After that it’s traveling and the Peace Corps. The Spanish Exchange program gave me the tools to do what I want in life.
Being a Guest Teaches Life Skills and Goals Little did I know that when I signed up for the Spanish Exchange program at Bolles my sophomore year, it would inspire my life goals. I now know that my future will include cultural studies and traveling the world. I have been able to travel to other countries with my family as a tourist
My partner in community, Rocio, and I would often took walks to“quebradas” or creeks. The Bolles Bugle 27
academics
New Teachers, Old Memories Camden Pao Contributing Writer
Megan Howard Contributing Writer
Mrs.Brown Mrs.Brown (on left) with best friend, Cristie Slaughter
Mr.Gwynes Mr. Gwynes did not get a car until college
Kloe Brill Contributing Writer
Mrs. Marionneaux Mrs. Marionneaux descirbed herself as a jean an T-shirt girl
Photography and Yearbook Teacher
Algebra 2, Geometry, AP Stat Teacher
Algebra 1, 2 and Geometry Teacher
St. Johns Country Day Gradauted in 2004
Edwhite Highschool Graduated in 2003
Clemson Highschool Graduated in 2012
Did you follow the “original” career path? “No. Originally, I planned to be a teacher, but I went into advertising instead. It has always been a passion of mine, I wanted to be a teacher since high school. I feel like photography and teaching are my two greatest passions. So, when the job opened up here in Bolles I felt like it was the perfect opportunity.” “No, I originally attended UF to become an engineer. I worked at an engineering firm for awhile, but it wasn’t for me. I’m glad I tried it before I became a teacher because otherwise I would have wondered ‘what if’ and felt regret.” “No, so originally when I applied for college I went in as a bio major thinking that I wanted to go to med school. And then partially through college, I was tutoring a couple of high schoolers and I realized that I really loved being able to explain math and like being able to show them different ways to approach their problems in math and thats where I sort of realized that I enjoy teaching. And I also realized that I can’t stand the sight of blood so med school probably wasn’t a good idea for me.”
Who was your favorite teacher? “Man, that’s a hard one, I would have to say Ms. Courtney, my English teacher.” “Uhhm Mrs. Howard, English 3&4. She was always a kookie teacher, you never knew what class was going to be like each day.” “Dr. Arington, he was my gifted Chemistry teacher and my Anatomy teacher and I loved anatomy. I thought it was so cool. It was a really fun class. So, I think because of that experience and because I loved that class so much he was probably one of my favorite teachers because he made it really fun.”
Did you have a favorite band? “That’s really hard, probably Widespread Panic.” “2000’s pop music, Brittney Spears, 50 Cent, boy bands.” “I loved country music. Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain. Love ‘em.”
28 The Bolles Bugle
Academics
Su Ertekin-Taner Online Editor Katie Creveling Contributing Writer
R I V E R A, S
Four juniors from Mr. Mike Rivera’s AP Chemistry class enter his classroom carrying a bag. In it is Mr. Rivera’s to-be infamous tie.Now seniors, Andrea Ashchi, Misha Lachapelle, Derrian Nguyen, and Connor Fites gifted this tie to Mr. Rivera at the end of their junior year. The tie contains selfies of these students taken in their AP Chemistry class. Rivera thinks the students may have felt that his tie game needed improving. Connor Fites (‘20) agrees with Rivera. He says wanted to give Rivera variety to his clothing choices. All four students pitched in about $15 to get the tie to surprise Rivera before year’s end. “I think the tie itself was $15 but we wanted to get it before the end of the year so we could surprise him with it.” All the extra money went to shipping! Although he doesn’t recollect who came up with the selfies, idea, Fites says that he came up with the tie idea. “We wanted him to remember us so why not put our faces on a tie?” Andrea (‘20) says, “We just really wanted to spice up his whole ensemble.” Andrea noted Mr. Rivera was her favorite teacher last year because, “he truly made the class a fun learning environment, and was super approachable.” These students, fondly coined ‘special’ by Mr. Rivera, are remembered by Mr. Rivera as characters that livened his classroom. Rivera characterizes Connor as a scientist who is “constantly seeking for an invention and never quite getting there,” while Derrian will “follow along and take all the credit.” Andrea would be “the leader of the lab community.” Misha would, “take charge and then goof off, and take charge, then goof off, until something was discovered.” After giving this gift, the students hugged their teacher to show their appreciation. The following year, the now seniors stop by on the first day of school finding him wearing their gift for all his Rivera shows off his tie alongside new students to see. AP Chemistry students this year.
some of his
Photo Credit: Su Ertekin-Taner
The Bolles Bugle 29
AR
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Table of Contents
2  The Bolles Bugle
Arts
Carpool Karaoke with the Mama Mia Cast Soraya Rafat Coffeehouse Promoter
We know you’re looking forward to Mama Mia when it opens on November 14th! Come for a ride with the cast of the play to get a sneak preview of their song stylings!
Video credit: Thomas Keaveny Our thanks to the Mama Mia cast!
The Bolles Bugle  31
Arts
Changes in AP Art Ava Sickler Contributing Writer The College Board has implemented major changes in the operation of its AP Art Program this year. These changes have altered the kinds of pieces students must submit in all AP Art classifications, and the timeline for our Drawing and 2-D Design AP Art Programs. Because of the increase in number of pieces, students interested in taking AP Art must start a semester before their AP year. Mr. Bied, who oversees the 2-D Design and Drawing AP courses, explained, “For our students to create the kind of level of work that we’re accustomed to... they’re not going to do 15 or 13 pieces in one year. It’s just not a possibility. AP thinks it is.” In the past, Drawing, 2-D Design, and 3-D Design had three categories of pieces students were required to submit: Concentration, Quality, and Breadth. Breadth, which was previously used for experimentation, and to showcase past works, has been eliminated. Quality has remained the same. Concentration, previously 12 pieces, has now been renamed and evolved into a slightly different category. This new category, called Sustained Investigation, requires 15 pieces. Mr. Bied explains, “Students are now supposed to produce 15 individual pieces that tie together as a concept… that are related, and are communicating a similar quality, a similar ‘-ism.’”
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Unlike the Breadth section, where students could submit work from past years, Sustained Investigation requires that all 15 pieces must be newly-created specifically for the AP and the theme of the artist’s choosing. This creates a unique problem for 2-D Design and Drawing, which previously was only a full year course. Now, so student artists can retain quality (and sanity), 2-D Design and Drawing will be a year and a semester. Bied said, “So if you were in Portfolio Honors second semester, [that] is when you’d actually start your AP. You’re not getting AP credit, but you are beginning to work on your AP portfolio.” This change hasn’t impacted the structure of 3-D Design as heavily. Mr. Smith, the program’s overseer, explains, “As a senior, it would be near impossible to complete the AP. So by making it an Honors class [the first year], they can do half of it and get Honors credit, but not submit it. So it’s a way of us accommodating.” The other universal change in AP Art is the increase in writing. Now, rather than just writing one overall statement for a portfolio, students must write an individual statement for each piece they turn in. The requirements or structure of the statements still seem a bit nebulous, however, as Mr. Smith says, “The writing part is unique and I’m not sure how that’ll work out. That’s my question about the program. I’ve gone to a couple workshops this summer about it, but I’m still not sure about what’s required there. ” Mr. Smith also believes that there may be an ulterior motive to this change, “It’s been probably politically motivated much more than aesthetically motivated. I think, by making these changes, it allowed for a lot more people to get into the program who… are signing up and
doing it just to say that they were taking an AP project, not that their work is that good.” However, he did express some hope for an increase in, “The cohesiveness of the concentration.” He explains, “Sometimes I would look at concentrations and wonder what they were. Whether they were good or bad, I’m not talking about that, I’m just talking about trying to understand what the concentration was. Having 15, that should make it a little bit more clear.” But overall he says, “The jury is still out.” Ms. Gonzalez, although not an AP teacher, has seen some positive impacts in her classes, “So we’re really more process-oriented at times... for the sake of building better skills, and better proficiency.“ Mr. Bied is also reserving his judgment, “But as a reader, I’m very curious to see what happens on the other end.”
AP Art Term Glossary AP Art Classifications : The three different AP course options; Drawing, 2-D Design, 3-D Design -ism : Different types of art styles/ movements, such as cubism or impressionism AP Reader : Readers are the people who grade and review all AP art submitted to the College Board
Portfolio : The student’s collection of artwork that they submit to AP
Bolles Band to Perform Three Concerts this Year Cameron Gratz Contributing Writer In addition to its annual winter and spring concerts, the Bolles Symphonic Band has announced that it will play a concert in October of this year. This change is a prime example of successful student leadership. During the beginning of the school year, the band officers formed this idea as a way to keep the band moving at an exciting pace. Mrs. Vance, the director of the upper and middle school bands, said, “The band officers felt that there was just too much time at the beginning of the school year. The music kind of got stale. The students wanted to learn more music. This way students can continually learn more music, and it’ll stay fresh, and hopefully keep them excited about band.” Another mission of the fall concert is to inspire students to take more interest in various types of music. Mrs. Vance mentioned that she hopes students will enjoy both the modern movie music and the older, more traditional pieces, while appreciating the balance between them. Soraya Rafat, the band President, said, “I think the more variety we have, the more people we can have come to our concerts and can actually be interested and pay attention to the music, because I think it’s nice when the audience has some-
thing they can relate to.” She also mentioned that she hopes it will increase the attention the music department receives from the student body by sharing the joy of playing and listening to music with more people. (FULL DISCLAIMER: Soraya is also a member of the Bolles Bugle Staff.)
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She hopes to see stronger bonds between the upper and middle school bands, saying, “It’s a family. Some of the other groups on campus have done a great job of that. I see cross country working out together. I see
This concert will also have an autumn theme, bouncing between spooky Halloween songs and brighter fall music. Traditionally, middle and upper school concerts have been performed on separate dates. This one, however, Soraya Rafat ‘20, a bass guitar will feature both bands. player, was named band President for Practically, this makes scheduling the 2019-2020 Academic Year. Photo easier for parents who have students via The Bolles School in both upper and middle school “Music, the arts, it’s really all about bands, as it eliminates the necessity communication and relationships.” E of arranging plans for two concerts Mrs. Vance in the same week. Mrs. Vance said that she and the band officers also designed this concert to promote collaboration between band members on the San Jose and Bartram campuses.
the crew team, middle school and upper school, working out together. And really, so should the band.”She and the band officers seek to increase collaboration because their belief is that this will lead to stronger musicianship, but the most important aspect is the relationships built between student-musicians. Mrs. Vance said, “Music, the arts, it’s really all about communication and relationships. So if we can build a stronger bridge between the younger students and the older students, I think that’s just going to be a winwin across the board.”
Musical Balance Approx. 5-6 pieces total, including at least 1 of each:
Standard Marches The Bolles Middle School Band attended Orchestral Transcriptions a concert by the Jacksonville Symphony Fun Pop Tunes Orchestra. Photo via The Bolles School Standard Wind-Band Lit.
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Filmography of Tarantino Daniel Fewell Contributing Writer Quintin Tarantino is a legend in the film industry. Credited as one of the most recognized directors in Hollywood, Tarantino is a twotime Academy Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Awards winner. From his first feature length film, Resevoir Dogs, to his most recent release, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, below is a brief guide to a few of Tarantino’s most popular films. 1992 - Reservoir Dogs In the years following the completion of his amateur film, My Best Friends Birthday, Tarantino worked as a writer and producer on a few other films like True Romance and Past Midnight. However, it was in 1992 that Tarantino went big time, making his directorial debut with his first feature length, film Reservoir Dogs. Reservoir Dogs showcases many of the cinematic elements that would become the young directors’ trademarks and is the first film in which Tarantino employs a nonlinear narrative structure. Filled with violence and intrigue, Reservoir Dogs is an essential part of the Tarantino experiance. 1994 - Pulp Fiction Pulp Fiction is arguably Tarantino’s greatest work. Garnering 7 nominations then winning best screenplay at the 1995 Oscars, the film took Hollywood by storm. Pulp Fiction proved to major movie studios, that indie films could be just as successful as their big budget counterparts. 34 The Bolles Bugle
Tarantino speaking at San Diego Comic Con in 2015 Credit: Gage Skidmore With fantastic dialogue, stylized violence, memorable characters, and an all-star cast consisting of Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, and Bruce Willis, Tarantino captured the attention of audiences around the world. In the words of Roger Ebert, “Pulp Fiction crackles like an ozone generator: Here’s a director who’s been let loose inside the toy store, and he wants to play all night.” 2003, 2004 - Kill Bill Volumes 1 &2 Kill Bill is a tale of revenge. Tarantino’s two-part martial arts epic tells the story of the bride, a woman hellbent on avenging the wrongs she suffered at the hands of her ex-lover Bill. Witty and violent, Tarantino created two supremely entertaining films. Chock full of nods to Chanbara cinema and spaghetti Westerns, Kill Bill is the film for any fan of sword fighting, gunslinging, and cool movies. Django Unchained – 2012 The film tells the story of Django, a slave turned bounty hunter as
he travels through the Antebellum south in search of his wife Broomhilda (Hilda). Although the film is far from historically accurate, Tarantino manages to explore some of the horrors of slavery through the movies characters. Django Unchained has action and explosions, but it also some depth as well. 2019 - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Tarantino’s newest release. The film follows the character Rick Dalton as he explores the changing landscape of the movie industry. The picture pays tribute to Hollywood’s golden age, featuring names of the era like Sharon Tate, played by Margot Robbie, and Charles Mason, played by Damon Herriman. With Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Tarantino pays homage to a bygone age of cinema. Honorable Mentions: 1987 - My Best Friends Birthday 2009 - Inglorious Bastards 2015 - The Hateful Eight
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How Far Will You Go for a Show? Thomas Keaveny Copy Editor Gabriel Bassin Co-Editor-In-Chief
In recent years concerts have become increasingly popular among younger generations. With this understanding, we wondered to what extent avid music-listeners would be willing to go to, to hear their favorite artists on the live stage. Gabriel and I took it to the streets of Bolles, in hopes of answers to three specific questions: - What type of music do you like or listen to? - Have you been to a concert before? And most importantly, - How far would you be willing to go?
Scan this QR Code with a camera or a QR Code reader to watch the YouTube Video!
Top: U2 Joshua Tree Tour 2017 in Tampa, Florida taken by Thomas Keaveny for The Bolles Bugle. Bottom: U2 Joshua Tree Tour 2017 in Miami, Florida taken by Thomas Keaveny for The Bolles Bugle.
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SPORTS 36 The Bolles Bugle
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Humberston Goes for Gold Katie Creveling Contributing Writer French teacher, Nathan Humberston, recently traveled to Szeged, Hungary to compete in the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. Humberston represented Team USA, and competed amongst 53 other countries. Humberston started kayaking in 2013. He was first introduced to the sport through competitive lifeguarding tournaments. For lifeguarding, he used a kayak called a “surfski” to simulate lifeguard rescues in the ocean. Humberston realized his passion for the sport, “I paddled around Bermuda, and that was probably the most visually stunning experience ever.” In 2015, Humberston moved to Jacksonville and began to further pursue kayaking. He began long distance ocean racing, learning how to use a different type of kayak. “It’s a little bit of a different boat because you’re not necessarily going in and out through breaking surf, you’re trying to ride the waves and use the wind to go long distances.” Humberston’s usual long distance ocean or river race is approximately 15-20 kilometers. In 2017, a local coach recommended that Humberston try sprint kayaking on flat water, “You basically just see how fast you can go for either 500 meters or 1000 meters.” Less than two years later, Humberston was competing for the National Kayak Team. Humberston practices by himself on the Intracoastal, a waterway that
connects to the Atlantic Ocean. Humberston says, “You’re always doubting yourself and thinking ‘Ok, well what if someone is training harder than me?’ And you don’t know. So you almost push yourself harder that way.” In their two weeks in Hungary, the National Team trained the first week, and competed the second. During the first week, Humberston explored the country. “We were busy and focused on what we were doing, what we were there for. But we got to spend a day in Budapest, which was gorgeous.” The second week, Humberston and the National Team traveled two hours South to Szeged for the actual competition. Humberston participated in three races at Szeged. Humberston was in a four man boat for 500 meters, a four man boat for 1000 meters, and a single boat for 1,000 meters.
Humberston said that he was not expecting to compete in three different events, “The coach said ‘Ok, so whoever wins the 5k at National Championships is gonna do it at World’s’ and I won it there. So I didn’t know until two weeks before the competition, so yeah it was a little bit of a surprise but it was fun.” In the k4 500, the team did not make it to the semifinals. In the k4 1000, the team made it to the semifinals, and missed the finals by one second. “We paddled a good race and we had a good time. Just under three minutes for the 1000 meters. There hasn’t been an American k4 that’s done that in a long time. So, it was a good result for us, even if we would’ve liked to be in that final.” In the 5k, 40 countries competed in the event, Humberston placed 26th. “It’s chaos at the start. A lot of people fall in, and the race is all about riding the wash of people around you and unfortunately training here alone, by myself I don’t get a lot of practice with that. So that was a challenge.” Humberston chuckles, “But yeah I’m not too upset with the results, 26th is ok.” Humberston’s next big competition will be The National Trials in April. After that, Humberston will go to Chile to compete in the Pan American Olympic Qualifier which will determine if he will compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Humberston competing in a lifeguard competition while using a surfski. The Bolles Bugle 37
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Five new or promoted sports coaches at the Bolles School strive for excellence within their sports. With every coach, we learn that they do not only coach these sports, but the values that come with them. Respect, independence, and teamwork pull all of these sports together. As a team, all of the players emulate these values together. Through losses and wins, the team is not separated nor rid of these values. It is always more than the wins and losses, but the people who you win and lose with.
You don’t remember your swim, you remember the people around you Coach Peter Verhoef
Su Ertekin-Taner Online Editor
Ashley Khoo Contributing Writer
Coach Peter Verhoef (pictured above) Although swimming is a sport largely focused on competitions within the year, the main idea that Verhoef wants to get across to his swimmers is that swimming can bring people together and create lifelong friendships as it did for him when he was a swimmer. Verhoef, Bolles’ new head swim coach as of January 2019, is welcomed to Bolles after coaching 11 Olympic athletes, including Ryan Lochte, Davis Tarwater, who won gold in the Olympics in England, and Jimmy Feigen who won a gold medal for the 400-meter freestyle. With his three phases of achievement: “Do the Work,” “Team Relationship,” and “Character and Habits” he hopes to continue the legacy of Bolles winning the National Swim Championships. Verhoef thinks swimming, a “sport built on competition,” uses Bolles standards. “We try to take our Bolles standards and bring it to that club environment.”
owed by football as well as other sports. He says, “Swimming wasn’t a big thing [in my high school], nobody knew we had a team, we just did our thing, but the kids I knew in my club team are my best friends... I want to create that environment with swimming; I want them to create friends that will last a lifetime” His favorite memories of swimming were at this high school. He says he still remembers his dad cheering for him after he made his first Olympic Trial standard. He says, “You don’t remember your swim, you remember the people around you.” Jack Bauerle, the swim coach for the University of Georgia. was his most memorable coach. He says Bauerle focused on trying to fix problems and build values through his coaching. “He was more concerned with who were as people rather than swimmers.”
He is honored to be coaching for Bolles. He states, “You just have to look around and pinch yourself and say wow this is real, I’m here. I didn’t think I’d be in a place like this that has so much history and success Verhoef went to Warwick High behind it. But, there are days where School in Newport, West Virginia you feel a responsibility to uphold where swimming was overshadthat tradition.”
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Sports Coaches Coach Matt Toblin (pictured below) Previously coaching at Ponte Vedra High School, Toblin moved to Bolles where he plans to enforce Bolles’ mantra of pursuing excellence in his coaching. Toblin wants to use these values to teach his players the value of life. In his coaching, he is also teaching his players that there is no instant gratification in life, so they must all have grit to pursue their own success. “Football is a vehicle to being the best part of yourself” Toblin personally has gotten through life because of his participation in athletics, saying that the values he has learned from them better him. “I am the person that I am because of my participation in athletics.” Although he has coached at Ponte Vedra High School and a small college named Southern Oregon University, he knows that the playing is mostly the same for this sport. “Football is football whether it is at the biggest colleges or the smallest high schools.”
of a coach with grit and capability of forming a true team because, “...it is more than winning and losing, it is the people.” Teamwork and community also drive a team. Although Bolles students are committed academically and socially as well as through their sports, it is important to be willing to work for a promise of success in all of the above. “We believe we can use football to help people have a better understanding of how to commit to a cause greater than themselves.”
Football is a ve hicle to being the best part of yourself Coach Matt Toblin
Toblin previously worked under Head Coach Craig Howard at Nease, where Tim Tebow played football. He learned how to take on the role
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Thomas Gorman (pictured below) Thomas Gorman, affectionately known as Uncle Thomas, T-$ (T-Money), or T-Swizzle, joined the Bolles athletic team in August 2018. Settling down in Jacksonville after working at the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley then Florida A&M, Gorman has had much experience putting athletes back on the field with a little bandaging and his famous “you go out there and be somebody” farewell. Gorman played a variety of sports growing up. He swam competitively in middle school, played football, basketball, baseball, and volleyball in high school, then baseball in college, giving him a good understanding of all of an athlete’s aches and pains no matter the sport. One of his most memorable experiences as a trainer was during his first two weeks working at his rival high school. During a football game, a student got badly injured and Gorman offered to let the student squeeze his hand to take his mind off the pain. “When the student saw his parents coming over he yelled, ‘get off the field mom and dad.’ However, when the EMS arrived with a spine board to help the student, Gorman recalls “he squeezed down on my hand and said please don’t leave me.”
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Coach Christie Bateh (pictured below) Coach Christie Bateh, formerly the Junior Varsity coach for cheerleading at Bolles, has joined the Varsity team as head coach this year. Bateh started at Bolles five years ago as the Junior Varsity coach after cheering semiprofessionally for the Jacksonville Axemen. Bateh has been involved with cheerleading for most of her life, doing cheer in high school and college. “Cheerleading never gets boring,” she said, “it is constantly changing, with a new team each year and new routines.” As for her goals for the season, Bateh hopes to be able to implement some changes to “bring Bolles cheer up a level,” and be the front runner for the start of something new. Bateh’s favourite memory at Bolles was made during her first year coaching at the school. During the first football game, Bateh was able to see first hand how excited the cheerleaders were on the sidelines, and that moment was really special to her.
Coach Conny Kirsch (pictured above) Kirsch started off her rowing career in Germany. In her rowing history, she has won the World Championship for rowing for Germany as a 16-year old and rowed again in 1996 and 1998 with equal success. Kirsch’s passion was rowing was a constant for Kirsch in times where changes in her family impacted her. “I think rowing can provide all that, teaching independence, teaching perseverance, being strong when it’s really hard” Until her high school teacher, acting as a counselor, guided her through high school and helped her find her path afterl, she was alone when her family could not be there to support her.
State, she coached full-time for colleges UMASS, Indiana State, and UCF. After her experiences coaching these college rowers, she began to coach junior rowers. Because of her interests in advising and rowing, she took on the role of a crew coach at Bolles. She now uses the values that she had learned when studying psychology in her coaching. She wants to teach values on top of the rowing itself. Her main goal for the season is to grow the crew program and will bring her knowledge of “team culture” and independence on the water to Bolles’ crew team.
After being recruited by Ohio State for her rowing skill, she moved to America and studied psychology at this university. “I studied psychology to go into that role of somebody who can be so impactful...I actually wanted to be involved with people in general and guide people to be successful. I feel like I can still do that in coaching”.
I studied psychology to go into that role of somebody who can be so impactful Coach Conny Kirsch
After her graduation from Ohio
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Telvia Perez: Ice Dance Finalist Megan Howard Contributing Writer Most people do not equate Jacksonville, Florida with ice. Even more people do not know about competitive figure skating and ice dance in Jacksonville.Telvia Perez ‘20 is a junior taking six AP classes. As if it that does not take up enough of her free time, she is also a competitive figure skater, ranked top in her division, who practices six days a week, sometimes twice a day. On September 5-6 she competed at the National Solo Dance Series Finals in Provo, Utah.
Telvia performs “Canasta” “This is my first year doing ice dance,” Telvia explained. While she has been skating since she was four-years old, she had mostly been focused on her moves in the field: clean edges, foot work, and turns. In 2018, Telvia heard about ice dance from one of her coaches.
Inspired by ballroom dancing, ice dance shares many similarities: traditional music, timing, expression, and costuming. This year Telvia is competing in the pattern dance category, which is where the skater learns three different dances and is given two dances by random to perform at the competition. Telvia described it as “on the spot, you gotta be able to compete and be on time because dance is all about timing.” In her first year of ice dance, Telvia qualified for the National Solo Dance Series Finals in the preliminary category. In order to do so, she had to go to seven competitions over the summer and ice dance training camps, all while doing research at Mayo Clinic. Telvia humbly explained that she was researching “how to stop lung cancer cells from metastasizing into the brain.”
To get ready for the competition Telvia began practicing twice a day five days a week, plus one session on Saturdays. “Monday through Friday I skate from six a.m. to seven a.m., excluding Wednesday where I skate from six a.m. to seven fifty a.m.”
Telvia performs “Dutch” After school she skates for an hour and then comes home to work on homework.Telvia explained that it can be hard to balance all the different aspects of her life. “I wake up at 5:30 a.m., skate, go to school and work through zero hour, activities, and lunch.”
Telvia peforms “Cantasta”
Telvia poses infront of the Salt Lake City Olympics sign At the National Solo Dance Series Finals Telvia hopes to place well and gain experience. In the future she hopes to be able to compete at higher levels and make it to the National Solo Dance Series Finals again.
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OP-ED
Op-Ed: Why Homework?
Atticus Dickson Contributing Writer The problem with homework: I’m up at 10 pm still typing this very article. This is an issue because I have been working since 6 pm (albeit with a short break or two). Homework is a hot-button topic in education today. Every expert says something different. But expert opinions don’t help, because for every voice speaking against homework, there’s a different voice speaking for it. The American Educational Research Association said in September 2009, “whenever homework crowds out social experience, outdoor recreation, and creative activities, and whenever it usurps time that should be devoted to sleep, it is not meeting the basic needs of children and adolescents.” As most reading this know, Bolles Students are notoriously sleep deprived. However, the High School Journal indicates that students who spent around 31 to 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on
op-ed
I texted people at around 10 pm and asked them to send pictures of what they were doing. I also took pictures during Zero Hour and before the start of class. homework each day, on average.” SAT scores: another thing Bolles students are known for fixating on. The voices of dissent and support echo around the world. Ask almost any student and they will likely respond like Selma Rundle of Copenhagen, Denmark. “I think students get stressed [from homework] a lot, and therefore may not be able to concentrate as much in school.” Carissa Aldana (21) agrees. “I saw no one as stressed there as here.” She says about her and her sister, Katrina Aldana’s (21), summer experience at the Keio highschool in Tokyo, Japan, which doesn’t give homework.
give homework, and those schools are some of the best in the country, as ranked by test score averages. “At my old school [Katrinedals Skole], the teachers were not allowed to give out homework...It was a really great school in Denmark, with a high average.” says Selma Rundle of Copenhagen on homework at her former school. Bolles is also a school with a “high average”, but with one major difference: we have more homework than Florida has lizards. Private schools are always looking for ways to differentiate themselves from other private schools, so why not differentiate ourselves with a no homework policy?
However, some are for homework. In accordance with The High School Journal, Amelie Julin of Helsinki, Finland, states that it is necessary. “Homework is there for a reason, that is to help us with tests.” Across the world, different countries have developed different methods to handle homework, from none at all to exorbitant amounts. For example, in some schools in Denmark, teachers are not permitted to
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OP-ED
TikTok Mania even TikTok itself. “I was also invited to go to TikTok Headquarters in LA on September 4th for the first time which I’m super excited for and is so crazy!” She even had a partnership with the gaming app, 2 Jump.
Tucker Sharp Contributing Writer Sophmore Bolles Cross Country runner, Collin Duhnoski, has achieved what many call “TikTok fame”. His most popular video is a Marvel joke, gaining almost 800,000 views. Collin’s post mimicked similar videos on the app, but his joke about Iron Man’s death is what gained him 118k of his 130k likes. His account, @ airpod_gang_xd has over 3000 followers. Some might say that followers on a social media account do not actually make someone famous, but it brought enough attention to Duhnoski for him to be recognized. “Yeah, a couple of girls at our camp asked for a picture with me. It was pretty cringy. And then some old dude recognized me in Publix one time.” Jaycie Memmott, better known as @ Jaycie_Nicole, has 1.5 million followers on the app. She noticed a rise in popularity about a year ago. She said, “I had one of my videos (raindrop challenge) go viral and that’s the video that started my account.” Her lipsync video utilized a filter called Raindrop Control which depicts the image of rain falling into a video in slow motion. Arguably, her popularity could also be credited with her large smile and heartshaped face. Memmott has been noticed by brands such as Famous Birthdays and
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As for Duhnoski, he has not caught the attention of any businesses quite yet. Collin doesn’t take himself too seriously but he says, “We’ll see...I’m just gonna start trying to make money off of it cause that’d be kinda… that’d be a flex.” It is possible to make money with endorsements once viewership reaches Memmott’s level. Memmott spends on average an hour a day on her TikTok profile. Teens would find more financial benefits to apps like youtube where high viewership can translate into revenue from ads. Although, with that opportunity also comes more of a dark side. Popularity can just as easily be driven by haters which, for a teenager, can translate to their high school classmates. Both TikTok “celebrities” have had mixed reactions from their friends and families. Collin explained that his friends make fun of him “in a joking way, it’s kinda all just like a giant meme”. Jaycie is a little more used to seeing hate comments on her videos. “I just ignore it and sometimes delete the comment depending on what it is,” she said. “All you can do is focus on the positives because the hate will always be there, unfortunately,” The internet gives normal people a platform. Teenagers use this platform to express themselves through a dance trend like Jaycie or crack a joke like Collin. Either way, TikTok gives a voice to youth who are willing to put themselves out there.
A visual progression of Memmott’s videos. The middle is her “raindrop challenge”
100 Word Rant Thomas Keaveny Copy Editor
OP-ED
Chicken Sandwiches to Change the World Ava Sickler Contributing Writer
Atticus Dickson Contributing Writer
This month, Popeyes released a new chicken sandwich, calling it the chicken sandwich that will change the world. We created two editorial cartoons playing with this idea. The Bugle would like to thank Ms. Lane for her inspiration. For a more abstract concept, we came up with the idea of a sandwich that holds important values, and which can instill those values upon those who eat it. If there was more Tolerance, Equality, Honesty, Civility, Kidness, Ethics, Respect, and Empathy, in the world, perhaps we could all work together to create a better planet. The second image showcases a less hopeful, more literal interpretation.
Courtesy of Monica Davey (EPA/AAP)
Pictured above is Apple’s latest and greatest creation, the monitor stand. The launch price for this marvelous invention is $999. You heard that right, a stand worth a grand. You can buy an iPhone X for that price. Oh, just in case you were wondering, the monitor is purchased separately for $4999. Apple says, “The Pro Stand has an intricately engineered arm that perfectly counterbalances the display so it feels virtually weightless, allowing users to easily place it into position,” previewing the glorious stand can’t twist from side to side, on their website. And, if you want to attach a monitor that isn’t Apple’s to the stand, it will cost you $200 more for a universal VESA adapter. I will now leave you to contemplate the information for which I have presented, have a good day.
The best chicken sandwich ever.
A chicken sandwich that will actually change the world. The Bolles Bugle 45
op-ed
Reviewing Obama’s Summer Music Playlist negative possibilities of being in a relationship and were released in 2016 and 1972 respectively.
Cameron Gratz Contributing Writer Despite his retirement from the American political scene, Barack Obama holds the world record for the most followers on Twitter, with a whopping 109 million followers. On August 24, 2019, he used his Twitter account to publish a playlist of music he listened to over the summer. Featured artists ranged from Lizzo to John Legend. Artist Lizzo was elated at her inclusion in the playlist, tweeting, “WE’RE FRIENDS NOW I DON’T MAKE THE RULES!!!” As I reviewed the playlist, I found that it included a fascinating blend of genres, themes, and time periods. “Too Good” by Drake, featuring Rihanna is a bittersweet story of an emotional breakup. The song follows the story of a young man who realizes that he is falling out of love with his significant other. While it is always sad when a relationship comes to an end, it is important to be able to move on, because some relationships just don’t work out. Moving on is critical to being able to live a happy life after an ended relationship as well as beginning a new chapter of life. “Happy” by The Rolling Stones is a much more lighthearted and fun song. Its theme is centered around the pure joy of falling in love. This title is in stark contrast to “Too Good,” both in tone and in time, as they highlight the positive and
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“Seventeen” by Sharon Van Etten is a nostalgia-evoking masterpiece packed with memories at every turn. It follows the story of a woman returning to the city in which she grew up, and reliving the memories of her youth. She sings about how she misses her carefree teenage years before becoming burdened with the responsibilities of adulthood. As students, it is critical that we remember to savor the time we have now. While it is important to plan for the future, it is just as vital to live in the moment. People who are constantly worrying about their past and their future often forget to live in the present, and miss countless opportunities and the precious little moments of life by doing so. The now is the only reality that we truly have; the past cannot be changed and the future has not yet arrived. Following this example, the Bolles Bugle Staff compiled its own playlist for fall, and we hope you’ll be just as excited to listen to it as Lizzo was to be included in Obama’s playlist!
Other Public Figures from which We’d Like to Hear a Playlist Lin-Manuel Miranda Donald Trump Jennifer Aniston Alexander Hamilton Marie Curie
Artist Drake is renowned for his contemporary hip-hop music. Photo via Wikipedia
Bugle Staff Compiles Fall Playlist
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Our Criteria in Making a Playlist:
Bugle Staff Playlist:
In making this playlist, we asked ourselves, “What does fall mean to people?” We found that fall is a time of great change. The hot, bright days of summer melt away into dark, chilly wintertime. Fall is the zone between the black and the white, colored in tones of gray. It makes the perfect segue between the opposite seasons, from the bright summery breezes of September to the chilly winds of November. It smooths the flow between years of school, with new classes, teachers, and friends, and perhaps wiser selves. So in our songs, we tried to portray change, in all its ups and downs, its nuances changed into musical form.
Brendon Urie is the lead singer of Panic! at the Disco, featured in the playlist above. Photo via Wikipedia. The Bolles Bugle 47
“Never in a million years did I think [a public speaking] class would be the one to change me, but I am so glad it did.”
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- Aoife O’Riordan (alumnus)