October/November 2018
Humans of Bolles
The Bolles Bugle Staff Editor-in-Chief: Kennedy McKinney
Table of Contents
Special Issues Editor: Claire Cywes Online Editor-In-Chief: Salma Shalaan Copy Editor: Havana Frakes Writing Coach: Jisette Baquet Design Editor: Anisa Patel PR Editor: Jacqueline Emas
Fear
Motivation
Change
Passion
Community
Happiness
pg. 4-5
pg. 19-25
Perspective Editor: Avani Bansal Coffeehouse Promoter: Gabe Bassin Contributing Writers: Ellie Anderson Kloe Brill Su Ertekin-Taner Taylor Ford Julia Johansen Thomas Keaveny Ian Peiris Soraya Rafat Anya Raheja Sarah Scherkenbach Ava Sickler Askshay Swani
pg. 6-10
pg. 33-40
Adviser: Ms. Jacobson Questions or comments, contact: jacobsona@bolles.org or bollesbugleonline@gmail.com
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 2009-2018, The Bolles Bugle
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pg. 11-18
pg. 41-43
Letter from the Editor Dear Human of Bolles, Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York website and book has expanded worldwide. For those unfamiliar with his work, Stanton’s project consists of a series of photos and interviews featuring people he finds while walking the streets. While Stanton’s initial goal in 2010 was to capture 10,000 New Yorkers in their natural habitat through photography alone, along the way, he adapted his goal into a photo and an interview, which led Stanton to the profiles readers see today. The project began in the streets of New York, but now Stanton finds himself in places like Jerusalem, Pakistan, Mexico, Vietnam, Ukraine, Kenya, and countries throughout Europe and the Middle East. Inspired, we created Humans of Bolles. All of our staff members wandered out into the world of Bolles on a human scavenger hunt to find people’s skills and stories, or even just some interesting facts about the students, teachers, and staff of the Bolles community. Our main goal in creating this issue was to accurately portray the lives of the people we interviewed. We worked hard to make sure all of our interviews were recorded (with permission) and then transcribed in their raw and truest form. Just as Humans of New York uses photographs and interviews to explore people’s hearts and minds, we pondered what drives the Bolles community, which resulted in the following six themes the HOBAB (Humans of Bolles and Bugle) explore in the issue: fear, change, community, passion, motivation, and happiness. In the following pages, you will find two types of articles. Some are long profiles, which dive deeper into a person’s life and what makes them unique, and some are short, one-quote profiles that capture a single aspect of a person’s life. Because our issue is only 40 pages and our staff is only 21, we could not reach every person in the Bolles community, even though we know each of you is remarkable in your own way. Nonetheless, we hope you enjoy this issue and learn something new about someone you maybe didn’t know before. We really appreciate you taking the time to pick up a copy of the Bugle. Whether you read the entire issue, or even just look to see if your friends are featured, we thank you. We would also like to thank all of the Humans of Bolles that we interviewed in the past month, were it not for you, this issue would not be possible. Sincerely,
Claire Cywes Special Issues Editor-in-Chief
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Humans of Bolles
“In the future, I want to become a doctor back in my country. Most Cambodians, where I’m from, would rather go up to nearby provinces such as Vietnam or Thailand to check up on their health. It’s like if you give profit to other countries instead of your own, because you don’t trust the doctor in your own country, so I want to improve healthcare there.” -Thearika Phat (‘22)
What is your greatest fear? “Heights. There’s no specific reason for it, they just make me uncomfortable. Being on a plane is fine, but if I’m in a really tall building and I look down I don’t like it..” - Carly Schwab (‘20)
“Sometimes it can be difficult to have balance without “I’m proud I’ve lived this long; I’m a very clumsy person having my mom or my dad or my siblings by my side” so I assumed by now I would have forgotten to look when I’m crossing the street and gotten hit by a car or - Elise Fong (‘20) I thought I would have accidently chewed too fast and choked and died.” -Ashley Dodd (‘19)
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FEAR “My greatest struggle is trying to be the best man for the family. That means as you start to get older, you start to think about stuff for your kids, for your grandkids. Like having insurance.”- Charlie McCloud
What is your greatest fear? At the moment, probably death. It just creeps me out. Because you don’t really know what happens afterwards. The uncertainty is scary.”
“My greatest fear is not being able to be proud of myself. As in, I want to challenge myself, and maybe even harsh on myself, so I can achieve what I want to achieve.”
- Dahlia Kirov (‘21)
- Ignacio Alvarez (‘20)
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Humans of Bolles
Mr. Drew Hits the Ground Running MR. DREW’S FAVORITES: Ice cream: Cookies and cream Sports Team: Syracuse Color: Green Holiday: Thanksgiving Class: US History-
Book:
Mr. Horrigan
A Prayer for Owen Meany Movie:
Saving Private Ryan
Mr. Drew, new Associate Head of School, has a passion for helping students, but did you know that he also loves to exercise? In addition to exercising, he enjoys spending time with his family and traveling around the world. Native New Yorker Drew stayed in his home state for college, attending Cornell University to study environmental science. Drew said, “When I graduated there, I did some traveling and soul searching, figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. I spent some time in Arizona, Alaska, and Connecticut. After receiving his Master’s in Education, Drew made his career decision.”I ultimately decided that I wanted to become a teacher.” Drew’s first classes were a 6th grade earth science class and an 8th grade
leadership class. He designed the leadership class with his colleagues where the students had to design a complex problem that they had to create a prototype solution for. Before coming to work at Bolles, Mr. Drew was the Head of Baylor’s Middle School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He came to Bolles as the Middle John Irving School Head as well. Mr. Drew has a son in 9th grade and a daughter in 8th grade, both at Bolles. He likes to spend time with his kids by traveling with
them on vacations. He said, “We like to go to national parks and spend time outside.” He considers exercising a calm time to reflect and a time for meditation. “I like to think that exercising helps me keep my youth.” He participates in races and marathons as well as just exercising for fun. “I have done 11 marathons, a handful of 50k’s, and I like adventure races as well--running, mountain biking, canoeing--with orienteering mixed in.”
“If you care about something you have to protect it – If you’re lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.” ― , A Prayer for Owen Meany
Avani Bansal Perspective Editor
Q & A: What motivates you? What are your values? “I still consider myself a student and I still try to learn as much as I can about teaching, learning, education, and kids. It is kind of an exciting time in the last 10 years in terms of education because our understanding of how the brain works has come much more into focus. This is starting to impact learning now and being a part of that is really interesting for me. Technology has also started to become integrated into education. Staying on top of that is really important to me.” What is an interesting thing you have done? “Last year with a friend of mine from Tennessee--we participated in a racet was a 72 hour race across Florida. It started at the Gulf Coast on the beach and we biked, canoed and ran across the state for 3 days to the Atlantic Ocean. It was pretty much non-stop, we slept a little bit--a few hours, but mostly just going all through the night and the day. It’s called Sea-to-Sea.”
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CHANGE
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Humans of Bolles
“Vivía en Cuba, y enseñaba estudiantes sordos por treinta y cinco años, Pero, cambié a los Estados Unidos porque mi hija vive aquí, y yo trabajaba en Bolles por veinticuatro años ahora. Me encanta este lugar porque del respecto de todos.” “I lived in Cuba and taught deaf children for thirty-five years. But, I moved to the U.S. because my daughter lives here, and I’ve worked at Bolles for twenty-four years now. I love this place because of the respect from everyone.”
“[Music] is a journey I started in sixth grade, and every year it morphs into something else. I learn about a different composer, a different style of music, a different culture associated with music, so it’s all just one morphing, musical path. I love it.” - Mrs. Vance
“I went to Israel this summer, and got to focus on things I enjoy and who I am. That was a turning point for me… It’s hard to put into words. I think surrounding myself with positive people [and] truly allowing myself to be present in the moment.” - Mrs. Mendelson
If you could be any animal what would you be? Why? “That’s a tough one, I’d be lion because they are the king of the jungle.”
“It wasn’t really paying the bills. So, I had to make a decision: should I stay in advertising, starve, lose my family, or get another job.”
-Miriam Martinez
-Devin Veldez
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- James Council
Mrs. Dividu: From the Bronx to Bolles
“All six of us moved here at the same time. My parents, myself and my husband and my brother and his fiancee.” Her entire family made the commitment to move to Jacksonville together because of her father’s job relocation as a Mercedes Benz engineer. Dividu said, “We (Mrs. Kimberly Dividu and her brother) were the ones that chose to follow our parents and our significant others did not think twice about quitting their jobs,” and moving on. Mrs. Dividu was born and raised in the Bronx, Riverdale area, and lived there all her life. The neighborhood where she grew up was a “mini college town cause we were really close to Manhattan College...a lot of students walking around all the time.” Dividu said, “So even though it was suburban, it was a pretty busy neighborhood cause it catered to the students.” She says that her neighborhood in Jacksonville is “Totally different. I’m in a little community...not too much in my area... my neighbors are my parents
on one side and then my brother and his fiance on the other side so we’re all neighbors in this little cul de sac.” Before the big move, Dividu “worked at Manhattan College as an academic advisor.” Dividu said she also taught, “Over the past five years, I was teaching at the all-girls school, Dominican Academy.” There, she taught AP US History, Honors American History, Law and Society, Economics, Debate, Personal Finance, and also moderated the debate and mock trial team. Here, Dividu works as a tenthgrade advisor and helps coach the mock trial team. Dividu said she has been “fortunate to have really good history teachers...history is my passion and I just shared that. I wanted to teach it the way it has been taught to me.” Dividu’s dedication to her work and students is exemplified by her pervious Law and Society eleventh grade course. She demonstrated her passion for teaching because she “created all the coursework myself.
There was no textbook. It was all generated from my work.” She accomplished this by forming “ connections with lawyers” and other “federal judges at the New York City Southern District.” For the past year in the Bronx, she advised students at Manhattan College in the evenings. Dividu believes that “...an advisor should be... task-oriented, be a good listener, and a problem solver.” This experience has prepared her for present advisory position. Her advice is “what’s most important is that we stay true to ourselves and know that we’re giving it our absolute best.” Dividu says that she misses teaching and that the transition from teaching to advising full time has been difficult, “The most difficult thing is that I am not in the classroom with my students.” But her love of education and working with high school students motivates her. “I get to still have a rapport with students, but it’s just in a different capacity, you know, I kind of
just have to navigate this new field. “The helpful part is that I did do advising, but it was at the college level so it was kind of different…” She added that she “just love(s) working with students and just being able to be a part of their own success.” Dividu believes her youth and energy are some of her greatest assets, ”I think that even though I’m pretty young I’ve taught a lot of classes and I’ve taught a lot of age levels. I’ve worked with a lot of populations and communities.” Dividu believes her wide range of experience gives her perspective, “I think that I contribute a lot because I can see things from a teaching standpoint, I can see things from an advisory standpoint.” Dividu concluded,”I am packaged with a lot. And I want to share what I know and I’m open to sharing what I know with anyone.”
Kloe Brill
Contibuting Writer
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Humans of Bolles
“Somebody’s not having a great day, somebody’s having a problem, I’m the mediator.” - Mrs. Harcrow
How would you describe your personality? “Kind of serious. So I really like hanging out with people that make my life more fun, and make jokes and stuff like that. It takes control of my personality, and makes me a little bit more like them. So, I want to become that person a little bit in little ways.” - Catherine Holland (‘21)
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“It’s just facilitating,like, the different perspectives no matter if it’s art, or writing an essay, or book analysis. It’s just always good to hear how other people are doing it. Especially art-- you look at how other people are creating it you realize something you would’ve never thought of.” -Yang Sun (‘19)
“She was new, it was freshman year, I didn’t know her, but I thought she was really cute. Over that week I tried to talk to her as much as I could. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I gave it my best effort” – Charles Hicks (‘19) “I like that he is fun and he is really sweet to me. He treats me really well.” – Jordan Bunn (19’)
COMMUNITY
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Humans of Bolles
Not 17, Already A Dancing Queen: Ylliah Jin While most of our athlets compete in shorts or spandex on fields or courts, Ylliah Jin (21’) stands out with her particular athletic uniform: hers involves whirling around a parquet floor in flamboyant dresses. Jin has practiced ballroom dancing for half a decade, after her mother suggested she take up dancing. Jin said, “I did ballet, I did jazz, I did tap. But, I didn’t like any of them, so I settled for ballroom.” Out of the four different styles of ballroom dancing Jin partakes in two, Latin and Standard. While Jin excels at both styles, she prefers Latin dancing, which “requires short skirt and higher heels.” When asked what sets ballroom dancing apart, Jin replied, “Ballroom dancing is about collaboration and working with your partner, it’s very strong partnership which I don’t find in other dances, since you do them solo.” Right now, Jin’s partner is her coach at the Jacksonville Dance Center, “simply because there aren’t that many boys here who dance ballroom.” However, Jin said partners are usually chosen based off of shared skill level and compatibility. In videos of her recent competition, Jin’s skill level is clear. Whether the music is slow or fast, Jin and her partner navigate around other couples and perform intricate steps. Through ballroom dancing, Jin “ learned about perseverance, first of all, because I’ve done it for so long and sometimes of course I’ve wanted to quit because I didn’t have any written motivation.”
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Ylliah Jin at tthe Chicago Harvest Moon Ball Dancesport Championship
Jin also values the skill and concentration involved in collaboration with her partner. “You have to have it. It’s like two bodies, but you have to work at the same time and at the same rate.” In October, Ylliah participated in the Chicago Harvest Moon Ball Dancesport Championship, in which, “she won both the Bronze Latin Championship and Ballroom Championship, as well as both of Youth Open Scholarship,” according to an email written by Jin’s mother. Jin plans to donate all $400 of her first prize scholarship from Chicago Harvest Moon Festival to Operation Smile Foundation. In an email, Mrs. Xueyu wrote, “This is her first donation in her life so it is extraordinarily meaningful.” Not only does Jin compete in (and win) national competitions, she also teaches ballroom dancing out of her house,
for free. Upon meeting parents who could not afford ballroom dance lessons, Ylliah decided to allow kids the opportunity to try out the sport without actually committing the money. Jin said, “I heard many parents say ‘Oh, I want my child to learn ballroom dancing but it’s way too expensive.’” With the help of her parents, Jin turned a room in her house into a mirrored studio. She said, “I decided well, let’s have the kids have a little taste to see if they like it.” While Jin loves ballroom dancing, she acknowledges that, “Most people think that ballroom dancing is just the princess dance. Most people are not attracted to this style of dance, but I think it teaches you much more than maybe other dances could.”
Havana Frakes Copy Editor
A Phenomenal Woman: Marie Kervin I never looked back.” Despite the different locations and cultures Kervin finds similarities in her UK and US students “Teenagers are the same wherever you go around the world. Pressures are on them especially high achieving teenagers like the ones at Bolles and those I taught in England.” Kervin explained how in England the school year breaks down into more manageable chunks compared to the American school calendar. Kervin’s journey to America has With Posters and quotes been “absolutely superb.” She draped along the walls of her attributes the smooth transition quaint classroom in 2nd story to the Bolles community. Schultz, Mrs. Marie Kervin en“The students here at Bolles lightens the minds of her students through her teaching. Born have made my transition absoin Ormskirk Lancashire, England, lutely perfect. I go home and I effuse about them I talk about Mrs. Kervin accompanied her how amazing they are, about husband and twins (William and Emily) to the United how amazing the school is, I have a real passion for Bolles.” States 3 years ago. Along with Middle School After graduating from univerteacher Mr. Hutchings, Kervin sity, Kervin was a book buyer has started the first Bolles at the English bookstore chain Waterstones, “I very much loved Speech and Debate team. doing the book buying elements “I think argument, discussion, civilized debate, and being able and I used to read for the pubto articulate your feelings is lishers and read for those different sellers and try to predict and something really important in the modern age.” share the reading. We did a few The goals for Debate include, classroom activities to sell students some books and I realized “To encourage everybody to get to grips to how to form an arguhow much I love young people and working with them so I went ment, how to form a debate, and how to challenge something you back to Liverpool University.” don’t agree with.” In Liverpool, Kervin worked in Kervin frequently refers to her an impoverished area with many students who were fleeing from family as a “team” and finds her moments of ultimate tranquility the Somalian war. Despite the drug, socio-economic and alcohol with them. Kervin said, “I’m happy most of problems within the area, this experience was integral towards the time if i’m honest but I have moments of great tranquility and Kervin’s teaching journey. “ I contentment.” was just hooked. You can’t turn Kervin finds her happiness me back from teaching it’s very in the rhythm of an ordinary challenging in that sort of environment but that’s basically why Sunday. She said, “This is very
strange but of a Sunday evening when my husbands in the kitchen cooking the Sunday dinner and my children are talking to each other in their bedrooms, laughing, playing music, they have friends around, I’m doing the ironing, doing the laundry, I’m getting the house ready for the week that is to come. I always have an enormous sense of contentment around these periods because I feel like we’re all together, we’re a team.” Next to Kervin’s desk hangs a poster of the Famous AfricanAmerican poet Maya Angelou, known for her activism in the Civil Rights movement and moving poetry. Kervin said, “I find her one of the most inspiring women ever, to overcome the hardships and the background she had and still be a force for good in the world is something so inspiring.” Inspired by Angelou and many like her, Kervin studied AfricanAmerican women poets during her time at university. “I find these kind of women inspirational who can overcome the racism and the Patriarchy. The idea of denograding anybody by the color of their skin or their gender is appalling to me and I just hope that we learn from them [Inspirational women] .. It’s this idea that I’m honoring her with my poster but I’m also offering her as an inspiration to others.”
Jisette Baquet Writing Coach
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Humans of Bolles
Fapianey Alexandre: Influencer On and Off the Ice
While there is a warm fire in Fapianey Alexandre’s (‘21) heart for the deaf community, she spends much of her time on the frigid ice. In her two separate lives she balances personal success gained through skating with the joy of helping others as an American Sign Language interpreter. In the 15 hours a week she spends figure skating, she argues “it’s not just an after-school sport.” Alexandre was first introduced to ice skating during a church trip to the rink and instantly enjoyed it. Initially supportive, after she received a concussion from falling on the ice, her parents discouraged Alexandre from skating, believing it was too dangerous. Alexandre explains, “Figure skating is such an intense sport that it’s hard not to love it.” Her passion was so strong, Alexandre “couldn’t stay away from skating” and argued to her parents, “I couldn’t live in a bubble for my whole life.” It wasn’t until 8th grade that her parents allowed her to skate. Alexandre considers herself late to the sport, since many people who want to pursue a skating career start the sport around five years old. She doesn’t view skating as a long term career, though, instead as an activity to enjoy and learn from. Skating is a very individualized sport which gives Alexandre the ability to
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fully control her outcomes. “When you fall,” said Alexandre, “It’s on you.” Skating, an outlet to dedicate her time to, directly translates to her success. “Most of my time and energy is spent at the rink.” Skating requires immense strength and flexibility resulting in countless hours of off-ice training. As it is Alexandre’s first year at Bolles, she is taking a break from skating, to adjust to her new school. Currently she just skates on Saturdays, but is confident she will soon resume her usual skating schedule. While ice skating, Alexandre was able to gain personal success, but her ASL interpreting granted her the opportunity to help others. Alexandre first learned American Sign Language (ASL) in a 4th grade class and has since taught herself ASL and become more immersed in the deaf community. She argues learning a new language isn’t as hard as most people perceive, especially since she was young when she learned it. Currently, she volunteers at her church as an ASL interpreter and signs the words being spoken during the service As she becomes more involved with the deaf community, she has learned, “It’s a culture, its a lifestyle. It’s not a disability, but rather a different way of living.”
Alexandre explains that she loves being immersed in the deaf community, because it allows her to “look at the rest of the world with a different perspective and experience the world in their shoes.” Unfortunately, Alexandre has also experienced some of the disrespect toward the deaf community. She explains that many in society have an incorrect perception of deaf people. While signing in public with deaf friends, she sees and experiences the struggles many deaf people face. “People ignorantly try to speak louder to deaf people or will talk about them in front of their faces.” Alexandre said sometimes restaurant waitstaff will give deaf people braille menus, which are meant for those who are blind or visually impaired. Regardless, Alexandre loves being part of different communities as it helps her, “notice how others are being treated,” especially when she sees the “injustices that exist in minority communities.” For Fapianey Alexandre, both on and off the ice, every movement has a meaning whether it’s a conversation in ASL or a graceful skating routine.
Salma Shaalan Online Editor
Jack (He) of All Trades One year ago, Jack He (‘21)
Wednesday, and Friday afterIn the summer of 2018, Jack noons, as well as on the weekwas new to both Bolles and competed at U.S. High School ends. I swim on Monday and the U.S. From China, he is one Triathlon Nationals in Tuscalo- Wednesday mornings. I bike on of seventy-three borders at osa which He had been looking Tuesdays and Thursdays after Bolles. “As a middle schooler forward to all year because he in China, I decided I wanted to hoped to break his record time come to the United States for of one hour and twenty minhigh school because the educautes, and because he would tion is much better here than get to compete in front of his in China. I chose Bolles bemother. “My mom came here cause of my interest in sports.” for Triathlon Nationals and Boarders are encouraged by teachers and administrators to “I hope we can figure pursue their interests and pasHe’s training schedule something out besions within Bolles. However, as well as sometimes Jack needed no encouragecause I think students school on the weekend. During the ment when it came to pursue would enjoy this as week, I use a stationary bike. one of his favorite activities: I train on campus and on San participating in triathlons. much as I do.” Jose Boulevard.” Since he began two years the triathlon at Claremont. We Jack attempted to start a triago, Jack has competed in ten drove to Alabama together.” athlon club when he first came triathlons; seven in China and Unfortunately, Jack was unto Bolles but was not successthree in the United States. able to set a new PR because ful due to students’ committhe swimming part of the ments to individual sports such triathlon was canceled due to as running and seimming. the threat of a storm. HowevHe believes that he would er, while in Tuscaloosa, he met be able to create a very popuformer Bolles student, Bear lar club if he could help runSchickel ‘17, who competes ners and swimmers create a for the UC Berkeley Triathlon training calendar that enables team. them to run, swim, and bike Completing the rigorous (triathlon training) while also 750-meter swim, 12.5-mile bike being able to still train enough ride, and 3.1 mile (5k) run of to compete at a high level for a sprint triathlon in a good running or swimming. “I hope time requires discipline and a we can figure something out dedication to training all year because I think students would round “I run with the cross enjoy this as much as I do.” country team at Bolles and Akshay Swani train with the swim team as One of the challenges of triathlon: Contributing Writer well. I bike on my own. I run transitioning between biking and five days a week - Monday, running.
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Humans of Bolles
Paul Matthews: Inspired in the Kitchen
What is your job? “I am the director of dining services for the Bolles School. Which means that I oversee the food operation for all three campuses. I’m kind of like a human band-aid sometimes. So, if a cashier is out, I’ll work there, or in the kitchen, I’ve been a chef here before.” What is your idea of perfect happiness? “Perfect happiness is a day off fishing with nobody around. I do it as a hobby. I have a canoe. I’ll take it out onto the Intercoastal. I’ll go fishing there. I grew up on the coast of North Carolina, right by the Outer Banks that I lived my whole childhood on, it’s always been fishing or by the water.” When you came to Jacksonville were you planning on being in some kind of dining services management? “Well I started working in kitchens when I was 14. I am now almost 41 so I’ve been doing it for a while, and it’s just kind of natural progression throughout careers. After you start to do something, get really good at something, then you’re like what’s the next step. And in any profession I think you reach a point to where you’re really good at what you do and it becomes mundane, so you have to challenge yourself in other ways. And I do love the food and service industry, but you reach a point where there is only so many ways
to cook, so you have to find other ways that you are still doing what you enjoy in the field you enjoy, but challenge yourself. So that’s where management comes in; at that point you kind of develop and try to teach other people.” What trait do you like most in others? “Honesty. Self awareness. Things like that. Self awareness is a big part, especially dealing with staff members and things. When you have to ask someone, what can I do for you, if people are aware of what they need assistance with, are shortcoming in, or needing development in, it helps me a lot more, being able to help them out. It’s like, what’s wrong, how can I help them, what can I do.”
What inspires you or your work? “I think you find inspiration in a lot of different things. Like, I find inspiration from the single mom I have working for me, to see all that she has to take care of with four kids; to see people coming up through the ranks in the kitchen. I think inspiration always changes, because we as people change. So what was inspiring to you once, you might have reached that level. You have to look for what your next inspiration is. I try to find it from the people around me throughout the day.” - Paul Matthews
Ava Sickler Contributing Writer
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John Newman: The Dean Behind the Demerit The Bolles Bugle would like to
introduce one of our most famous alumni: Dean Newman! While his high school athletic record is well-known, Newman was also the sports editor for The Bolles Bugle, worked on the yearbook, and was a member of the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). Mr. Newman came to the Upper School in 2000 to become Dean of Students. His wife Mrs. Newman currently teaches Kindergarten at the Whitehurst campus. They are enduring and irreplaceable to Bolles. His experience as student, teacher, and parent, allows Newman to “understand the different challenges many of our students face each day.” Newman emphasized, “We do our best in the Deans’ Office to treat each student like we would want our son or daughter to be treated.” Dean Newman understands the significance of patience. “[At the Dean’s Office], we try to be fair and consistent, and obviously being patient and understanding that we are
dealing with a lot of students who are doing the best they can, and they make mistakes,” said Newman. “That is really the most important thing is to try to help them learn from their mistakes and life lessons and move forward.” Newman’s high school experience helps him understand students. He said, “I stayed pretty busy with sports and classes, but I’m sure I made my fair share of mistakes.” In 1981, Newman came to Bolles, “from a Eugene Butler 7th Grade Center which is downtown.” The year he transferred schools, he met his future wife, Kathy Barsh, who he began dating in the eighth grade. Mr. Newman attended Bolles on financial aid but even with the help the school was able to provide, his father still worked two jobs to support him and his two younger brothers. He explained that, “without the financial aid opportunity, we would have never ended up at Bolles.” Newman reflected on his father’s role in his education, “I would say that I very much appreciate the fact he was willing to make those sacri-
Bugle Staff: 1986 Photo Illustrations by Ian Peiris and Sarah Scherkenbach
fices, and while it was never easy for anybody, I appreciated that.” Newman attended Vanderbilt University on a full athletic scholarship. At Vanderbilt, he received his master’s degree in education and health promotions. The summer before their senior year at Vanderbilt, Newman and Barsh married. Their three children, would later follow in their parents’ footsteps by graduating from Bolles. Newman said, “I’m very proud of every single one of them.” In 1993, a former football coach recommended Newman to become a teacher and coach for Bolles. For Newman, Bolles had changed dramatically. Two new campuses and many smiling new staff members joined the Bolles family. In Newman’s seventh grade, Ulmer Hall held the entire middle school. Newman said that over the years he’s changed too. “Today, I’m probably less athletic and I’m a lot older, and I think it is a tradeoff, Again, I think the most important thing is that I’ve learned is to be a little more patient. I think that’s a good quality.”
left: Senior Photo bottom: Newman and Barsh in their senior year
left: Newman playing football during his senior year.
Sarah Scherkenbach Contributing Writer
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Humans of Bolles “I’m not personally a role model, but I do get to help a lot of people. You just reminded me of an instance that happened to me when I was a kid. Back when I used to live in New Jersey and elementary school, there was this older gentleman who used to work at the crosswalk and it was raining one day and he had three extra pairs of umbrellas. Then we found out later that he was purposefully waiting on me and my other siblings to come so he could give us the umbrellas. So it’s because of that little act of kindness that was, you could say, was planted in me and I just want to spread more acts of kindness and be an inspiration like he was.” -Julio Durand
“A trait I find most deplorable in others is when people are too emotional about certain things. I have had to deal with that myself. Freshman year, my brother went away to military school and I kind of let everything slip because I let the feeling of him not being there control me rather than realize he was going there for his own benefit and it turned out very well for him in the end.” -Jacob Wolpert (‘20)
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“Playing the flute is kind of one of those stereotypes: guys don’t play the flute, so playing it has made me feel more like an individual and less like I was conforming to a stereotype. It was kind of like the first step of ‘me being me.’” -Jake McGraw (‘21)
What is your most treasured possession?
My truck because it provided time for me and my dad to work on it. -Connor Boyer (‘20)
MOTIVATION
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Hey Ravens! Watch T Humans of Bolles
Above: Hayden Hurst breaks away from the Chicago Bears (Photo Credit: Sporting News) Hayden Hurst is no stranger to success. However, the current NFL football player has had his time with failure. During his time at Bolles, Hayden collected two state championship baseball rings. However, the road to being a first round draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2018 wasn’t easy. His low-90’s fastball made him a powerful pitcher for the varsity high school team by eighth grade. Hayden played football but his passion was baseball. “We had some good luck my freshman and sophomore year and these are friendships that I’ve held throughout the years. The whole baseball team is pretty dear to my heart,” Hurst said.
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In 2012, Hurst graduated from Bolles with an offer from Florida State University to continue playing baseball but before he could be a Seminole, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 17th round of the 2012 Baseball Draft, offering a $400,000 signing
bonus. This convinced Hurst to forgo college and report to Pittsburgh’s Rookie League team.
The Yips are the sudden inability to perform accurately. This condition has affected athletes in other sports as well, whether it be during their In 2013, Hayden Hurst, one of the tennis serve, or their football kick. “I most promising young pitchers in the was pretty successful with everything Gulf Coast League, was standing on and then I got with the Pirates and the mound at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ things didn’t go according to plan so I spring training really just tried to facility when “My thing is try to outwork every- get in the weight he felt a tinge room and outwork body go about your work quietly of nausea as he people in that fired warm up way,” Hurst said. and try to be known as the hardpitches before his first profes- est worker. I’m not big on talking Hurst tried evsional game, to fight and stuff like that. I always try to erything against the Balthis, he saw a timore Orioles. lead by example and through my psychiatrist, he He looked down journaled. He even at his right hand actions and let my plays speak tried hypnotism, and it trembled. for itself” Hurst says. he told Bleacher Then his hand Report that was a went numb. “bizarre” experiHe looked around, unsure of what ence. When the usual remedies failed, was happening or why, and realized the young athlete started exploring he couldn’t feel the ball. Jitters? No. other options. Hayden had a serious case of “the yips.” Hurst hadn’t played football in years, but he was 6-foot-5 and could still run
This Bulldog Fly!
The Daily Schedule of an NFL Football Player 7:00 - Report to Training Center for Rehab “’ll do some rehab stuff for my body I’ll get in the cold tub get in the hot tub and then the sauna”
Left: Hayden Hurst in 2012 playing baseball at The Bolles School (Photo Credit: Florida Times Union) Right: Hurst in 2018 during a Baltimore Ravens game (Photo Credit: Baltimore Sun )
8:00 - Meetings with coaches and trainers. Watch film. 11:30 - Lunch
a sub-4.60 40-yard dash -- ideal for a tight end. His last season playing football was at Bolles. After leaving the Pirates, he chose to walk on at South Carolina for the 2015 season, his first time playing football in three years. “My thing is try to outwork everybody. Go about your work quietly and try to be known as the hardest worker. I’m not big on talking and stuff like that. I always try to lead by example and through my actions and let my play speak for itself,” Hurst said. Hayden applied strategies from his time at Bolles and applied them to football. “I think the best thing that Bolles does is it makes you disciplined. It’s such a challenging academic school that you have to manage your time and use all of your resources. Still to this day my schedule and everything I learned at Bolles contributes to what I do and the success I have now.” He earned a scholarship in the spring of 2016, and then set the Gamecocks
single-season record for receptions by a tight end that fall with 48. He caught 44 more passes as a 24-yearold junior in 2017. Suddenly the guy with the yips became a prospect for the NFL. Although his path to the pros was unconventional, Hurst accomplished his goals through his hard work and drive. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to get my foot in the door here with the Ravens. I hope to keep learning and playing faster so I can play for another 5, 8, 10 years, hopefully.” At the 2018 NFL Draft, Hayden Hurst was a 1st round pick for the Baltimore Ravens. Hurst said, “Oh, man there were so many emotions bottled up during those 6 tough years. I was able to spend it [the draft] with my family and some of my buddies from Bolles that night. I’ll never forget that.”
12:45 - Practice “That’s normally about two hours” 2:45 - More meetings 4:30 - Go home
CT: FUN FA orite n’s fav Hayde m flavor a ice cre ate chip ol is choc dough cookie
Kennedy McKinney Editor in Chief
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Humans of Bolles
“I have an end goal of somewhere I need to reach, I want to go to a top college.” -Charu Chaturvedi (‘20)
What do you want to be when you grow up? “I want to be an army nurse. My sister just graduated from West Point and she’s in the corps of engineers.” Opinion on women in the armed forces: “It just kinda gives us more power I feel like definitely in the last few years there’s been a lot more advances with women being able to serve in combat.” “ [Responsibility] it’s a good thing, in middle school it was a lot of ‘do this, this way’ and most of my classes now it’s just, ‘get it done and turn it in.’” -Will Stankard (‘22)
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-Hannah Kissinger (‘19)
Perfectly Positive: Elexis Stevens
Claire Cywes Special Issues Editor-in-Chief
When most people think of Elexis Stevens, FLIK employee, they think of a smile and constant positivity. Stevens always tries to learn the names of the students that come in the cafeteria and brighten the days of the students she sees. One of her favorite parts about working at Bolles is “interacting with the students and faculty every day.” Stevens goes out of her way to make people smile. Her goal each day is to, “make someone smile or to make someone’s day better,” and in that way she thinks that she and the students “work off of” each other to keep spirits high. The smile Stevens always wears makes her seem like an extrovert. However, she said, “I know it may not seem like it, but I am an introvert. I am shy; I don’t really talk.” Stevens moved to Jacksonville from Gainesville just two years ago. Not only was Stevens starting a new job, but she was also starting her life in a new place.“When I first started here, I was not speaking to anyone,” said Stevens. “I was in a little bubble. I wasn’t opening up to anyone.” Now, besides working at Bolles, Stevens attends school to become an elementary school teacher. “I feel like me teaching could make a difference in someone’s life.” She hopes to work with the younger grades as a teacher. “I like the babies, the kindergarteners, or first or second grade, but I feel like fifth grade would be fun too because you get to do more stuff with the fifth graders.” Elexis keeps the positivity and the focus on education going outside of school when she is at home with her four girls, her “M&Ms”: Madison (6), McKenzie (5), Morgan (3), and Melanie (2). “They are my life, really,” she said. Despite her original response of “I have none,” Stevens admitted to having hidden talents such as cooking and dancing. She tries to “learn all of the hip new dances to do with my kids.” Stevens combines a serious work ethic with a love of fun and lifts the spirits of those around her to keep the environment positive, and therefore will always be cherished by Bolles students and faculty.
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Humans of Bolles
Chase Haskell’s River of Life
Haskell rows in the Czech Republic at the 2018 World Championship. “If you’re not doing your best, which is working to improve your best, then you’re really missing out on a gift you can give yourself,”said Chase Haskell. This past summer, Chase Haskell made a prominent name for himself not only in the Bolles community, but also in the global one. An astonishing athlete in crew, Haskell was invited to be a part of the United States Rowing Junior National Team and compete in the World rowing competition. He spent all summer training in California, and eventually went on to compete in the Czech Republic at the end of summer. However, behind each athlete’s skills is a person with a complex story. Chase comes from an atypical family dynamic that created challenges for him in the past. Chase lives primarily with his mom, Julie Haskell, and his younger siblings, Cate and Harrison. He says these members of his family offer him unconditional support and that he has a strong level of trust
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with all of them. Even if his family has faced challenges, Haskell considers his greatest hardship to be a slow start in sports. Ironically, Chase specified his greatest hardship as his lack of athleticism at the beginning of high school. Haskell said, “I think ninth grade was a turning point.” Having to figure out what hard work was, Chase inadvertently found out what it took to become successful athletically, and in life. Haskell said, “I had to really figure it out: like, okay, this is what hard work is; this is what it’s like to work hard. You know you need to just start doing it and accept this is how the world is.” His idea of hard work is a never ending cycle, one where he always has to do more in the future. Haskell keeps engaged with the hard work and high standards by keeping focused on improvment. He deftly answered, “I mean honestly, I think everyone should put that pressure on themselves- I think that’s what hard working people do, what successful people do [and] I think
Haskell cools off after rowing for the Unites States Junior National Team. that’s what it means to be successful; you have to come to terms with the fact that you always need to improve” In Chase’s mind, this meticulous cycle isn’t a degrading form of selfpunishment, but rather a form of refining himself until only the best version remains. He defines this process as the gateway to success. Chase has an interesting perspective on what hard work should look like, having had personal experiences with people who represent the epitome and antithesis of the morals and values he holds today. Haskell’s ideas of success mirror some of the most lucrative and progressive members of our society; he isn’t rattled by difficult circumstances and always looks for ways in which he can better himself as an athlete, brother, son, and person.
Ellie Anderson Contributing Writer
Mrs. Mormann Starts The Year Off On A Right Note Mrs. Mormann, the new chorus .relationship has been very “wonteacher at Bolles, is passionate derful” according to Mrs. Mormann. about what she does. She respects During Mrs. Clifton’s involvement and empathizes with her students. with the interviews for new chorus One of her biggest fears is not being teachers, both teachers ended up able to express her appreciation of talking for about two and a half her students. hours. Within their conversation, She stated, “My goal is to love my Mrs. Mormann says, “We found students and I hope that at the end of my career and at the end of my life that my students will feel loved by me”. Born and raised in North Carolina, Mrs. Mormann moved to Jacksonville because of the conditions at the public school she worked at and her inability to spend quality time with her son A.J. At her old school, she was not able to be financially supported as a teacher or by the community in North Carolina. She stated, “I actually have the resources to do the job I feel like I’m supposed to do.” Her recent investment of time, Peter and the Starcatcher, reflects her empathizing Mrs. Mormann works with her upper skills. She is also excited to parschool students. ticipate in Candlelight, a series of performances at Disney starting out we have very similar teaching on Thanksgiving Day. The previous philosophies.” chorus teacher, Mrs. Clifton, even After receiving the position as choexplained the process of Candlelight rus teacher, she contacted Mrs. Clifto Mrs. Mormann. Mrs. Clifton and Mrs. Mormann’s ton. She has since texted and called Mrs. Clifton regularly. She remarks, “Not a lot of teachers that move into a new job have that luxury of “The student as being in such an open and positive communication with the teacher a person is more before them.” important than During college, a little over three years ago, she met Professor Brett the student as a Nolker, the most influential person in her career because, “He was the musician” one that gave me the passion for -Mrs. Mormann people”. She also mentions that he gave her the ability to relate to people and see that: “The student
as a person is more important than the student as a musician.” She also emphasizes her ability to empathize with students. At her old school, she directed a song for the choir called “Please Stay”. This choral piece drew from her talents as an empathizer even though she did not know the boy the piece was directed to. Using empathy everyday has helped Mrs. Mormann in her teaching as she has said, “You can’t be an effective teacher at all without empathy.” Positive communication is also important in her relationship with her two and a half year old, AJ. Their daily routine after school is playing outside for an hour, making dinner, and curling up on the couch while watching TV or a movie. Although she did not plan on having him, she realized she needed him. She even says, “A lot of people who have spent a lot of time around us say that we are inseparable, we are each others’ person.” As a single mom, she was only seeing her child about two hours a day as a result of working for North Carolina High School. But now she states, “I have enough time in the day to get everything done [...] and be with my baby boy.” Her biggest fear is that her son will not feel loved by her. She expands her thoughts saying that as a child, AJ’s love towards his mother is different from AJ’s love might betowards his mother as a teenager. She remarks, “I hope that I learn to love him [...] in every stage of his life.” Su Ertekin-Taner Contributing Writer
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Humans of Bolles
Chloe Schiavone in Full Swing
Chloe Schiavone (‘20) is known amongst the Bolles community to be lively, gregarious, and athletic. Many people are aware of her excellence in golf, but may not know the extent of her accomplishments. Although reaching heights in her golfing career, Schiavone played many sports competitively before committing to golf seriously. “When I was in sixth grade, fifth grade, I was on travel [basketball, tennis and softball] teams and practiced for them. So, I never had any time to even play golf because a lot of those sports were in the same season.” Schiavone’s integration into golf was long-awaited. Chloe explains her golfing origins as starting as a bonding experience with her father: “We have a summer home at the Greenbrier in West Virginia which has four golf courses there.” The early lessons stuck with Schiavone. “Ever since I was three, my dad would take me out to play a couple holes then go get hot dogs or something. He always made it fun so I always loved golf. But, I played other sports ‘til I was maybe twelve then I started actually playing golf and tried out for the Bolles team and made it.” While casually relaxing on the
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bench of the Canteen quad, Schiavone received many greetings from friends while explaining her summer of golf. Schiavone declared, “This summer I won the Florida Girl’s Championship and I also won the Florida Girl’s Match Play Championship and then I won the Florida Women’s Four-Ball. This has never been done in Florida State Golf Association history to win two events, two championships, much less three. So, it’s pretty cool.” Schiavone then adds, “I got the invitation for Player of the Year yesterday.”
“I was super excited. I just got back from playing tennis with my dad. He got the call and we were super excited so we ate Timuquana for dinner.” After graduating, Schiavone plans to stick with golf as she is committed to play on the Notre Dame Golf Team. Schiavone reveals the Irishmascotted school has been integral to her family. “My dad went to Notre Dame so I always knew I would go there. It was always my number one choice.” The commitment process progressed over Schiavone’s first years of high school. “I was talking to my coach since maybe the end of my freshmen year and they came to watch me a couple times. Then I believe the day after school ended, sophomore year, they called me in and offered me.”
Each year the Florida State Golf Association selects a player to be considered the Player of the Year. Schiavone made the team of the Southeastern Challenge, a group of twelve women and two juniors. When she found out she made the team, she realized where she stood with her point-standings. For Florida Reminiscing about the phone call Cup, she was highlighted as the with Notre Dame’s coach, Schiavone player to watch. recalls, “I said ‘Heck yeah, can’t wait’ “I got the invitation last night and and ever since then...I have been I’m super excited. I get to meet Jack super excited.” Nicklaus who people consider to be the greatest golfer of all time. So, that’ll be pretty fun.” Despite accepting many past awards, Schiavone and her father were astonished by the call.
Jacqueline Emas Contributing Writer
Tuning In to Aidan Chau and my band director told me I’d be bad at clarinet, so I chose it just to prove her wrong.” One of his other inspirations is Ricardo Morales, a clarinet player who he thinks everyone should listen to. Chau’s love for music only continues to grow every day because he does not only play clarinet, but he also plays piano and saxophone. He loves music because “it’s an outlet for your emotions.” As students enter the band room, they typically hear the loud noises of students practicing on their instruments. Most people may not know that this room gets quiet sometimes, and when it does, it is a great place to have conversations, especially with Aidan Chau (’21).
Chau puts a lot of effort into playing clarinet, and helping the band. Because she was familiar with Chau, band director Vance knew Chau could fill a seat in the Bolles band. “I knew Aidan before he started. His brother started at the middle school first, and he was still at DA but it was really cool because he’d come to all of his brother’s concerts, and even at the end of our concerts, he would stick around and hang out and put all the chairs and stands away.”
Chau, a new student at Bolles, was excited to join the band this year as a clarinet player. He has played for 7 years while practicing every day and being involved in other activities outside of school such as Honor Band. He believes performing Vance added, “He really felt like a songs would be his idea of perfect Bolles band kid.” happiness. As Chau gracefully plays every Chau previously attended Jacknote, an observer can see the awe sonville Country Day School and on people’s faces. Douglas Anderson School of the Although Chau loves music, he Arts. Chau has an interesting also has another interest that he story behind the reason he started would like to pursue in the future, playing clarinet: “It’s a funny story, technology, because he wants to back in elementary school, I was become a computer programmer trying out instruments for band, one day. His hero is his father, who
is the CEO of a company that makes credit card readers. “He’s a really big tech guy,” Chau said. Chau looks for ways to combine technology with his passion for music. He explained, “I’m thinking about how I could implement artificial intelligence into music performance, but I don’t have any ideas yet.” He is glad to be at Bolles now because he feels like the students have more freedom to express themselves through music. “Back at DA, it was a lot of classical. They had a lot of jazz there and a lot of classical, but here, it’s more like pop stuff, and I can incorporate that into music.” Chau believes even if you don’t get a part after auditioning, you are still making more progress than the others by practicing and making yourself improve. His life motto, which he came up with himself, is, “The audition isn’t the one at the audition room, it’s the one in the practice room.”
Soraya Rafat Contributing Writer
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Humans of Bolles
What are you passionate about? “I’m passionately political.” Who has been the most influential person in your career? “Many days I open my mouth and my mother’s words come out.” -Janice Fluegel
“I’m a really big Jags fan. I have hope for them and I want them to do good. I have been a fan my whole life. My entire family gets together on Sundays and we have lots of food and every tv is turned on in the house to the game and it’s really loud and everyone’s screaming. It’s a lot of fun.” - Marci Scheiner
“I’m a swimmer, so I guess swimming is my special hobby.”
“I started playing basketball when I was four. I love the intensity and the competition and how it feels before and after the game. You form a bond with your team, losing and winning together. I’m looking forward to competing against my friends from other schools this year.” - Rachel Advonton
-Ashley Rabianovick
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PASSION
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Humans of Bolles
Mastering the Art of Multitasking
Freshmen are advised to take it easy in their first year of high school, but Megan McGrath (‘22) is taking advantage of the opportunity. Although she is an introvert, Megan has gained many accomplishments. While keeping up with her studies and being a gifted artist, Megan also swims. With sports, arts, and school, Megan gets home around 7:15 PM every night. “I eat dinner, get ready for bed, do homework, study, pack bags, sleep.” Megan adapts to this issue by getting all her homework done at school and focusing on the task at hand. She advises all who are intimidated by multiple activities, “Don’t procrastinate, because it’s really going to mess you up and you’re just going to freak out and have a stress attack. It’s not good to procrastinate, so study ahead, and always try your hardest.” Outside of the academic environment, every day Megan gets in the
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McGrath studies for an upcoming Biology quiz. (Photo: Ian Peiris)
swimming pool and practices. She thinks of herself as “really committed” to swimming and made States as an 8th grader. The time commitment is a lot to manage, but Megan loves the sport. “I love the people and the coaches. It really gets you in a good mindset, McGrath’s Japanese landscape painted in 8th grade. and develops good skills to use in school such as time management. It really teaches you what of the entire grade. Even though taking all honors hard-work and dedication is.” classes is a risk during freshman Along with swimming, Megan excels at drawing and painting. She year, Megan stepped up to the calls it her “greatest skill,” although challenge. “This year, I kind of want to go for valedictorian.” This motivation provides a “self-drive” that allows her to do well in school. “It’s like in swimming, when you go fast and you put all this hard work in and you finally get the time you want. It’s like this feeling of self-accomplishment. School-wise, it’s like putting all this studying in and you get the grade you want.” Although she strives for top of her she still has to practice for the class, that is not the most important talent to develop. “You have to part of being an effective student. have a good eye and trust what “Success is not just who’s valedicyour doing. Even when I do finish a torian. It is about being better than piece, I’m never truly satisfied with you were the day before.” what I did and I can find something wrong.” In addition to art, Megan keeps her grades up. Throughout her academic career, she has achieved the top 10% of her class all three years of middle school. In her 8th grade year, she was one of four students who had the highest G.P.A.
“Success is not just who’s valedictorian. It is about being better than you were the day before.”
Ian Peiris, Contributing Writer
Mr. Lipp: Beyond the “Speed Rant” When Mr. Lipp begins teaching about 2D motion in his AP Physics and Physics classes, he gives what is known as his “Speed Rant.” This rant consists of students watching a clip of the movie Speed while Mr. Lipp points out the inaccuracies in the physics of the movie. Lipp stated the movie Speed is not the only example of movies breaking the rules of physics. “I do it because movies tend to give people false information about the laws of physics so that a lot of people have misconceptions about how things work because of the kind of comic book physics that lots of movies have, particularly action movies,” said Lipp. However, he suspends his strong beliefs in physics when it comes to movies in the fantasy genre and movies that are not meant to be physically possible. Mr. Lipp said, “I’m fine if James Bond breaks the laws of physics, which he does all the time; or if it is a fantasy movie or a sci-fi movie I’m usually fine with it, but not if it’s a real-world situation.” Mr. Lipp uses the movie Speed not because it is the only example of physics inaccuracies, but because it is filled with them. He uses this movie to explain “how objects are supposed to move, that they don’t just magically fly up in the air, which they shouldn’t. Things always fall.” Mr. Lipp taught at Englewood and Douglas Anderson prior to coming to Bolles and was a biology and anatomy teacher. Lipp said, “Along the way I also taught some physics and found I liked teaching physics the most.” He also taught most math classes offered “all the way up to Calc AB.”
Mr. Lipp said he most enjoyed physics because “Physics is the most math intensive science, so that is probably why I like it the most.” He also said, “Giving mathematical formulas to physical processes is kind of cool, that you can use a mathematical formula to find how fast something drops.” However, another side of Mr. Lipp exists outside the world of physics. Mr. Lipp is very involved in theater. “I direct and act and sing and try to tap dance.” Mr. Lipp said he feels passionate about theater because, “theater gives you the opportunity to pretend to be someone else; it lets you get out of yourself for a while.” Mr. Lipp is in an upcoming production of Noises Off, a play written in 1982 by Michael Frayn. If Mr. Lipp could do anything in the world, regardless of money, he said he would “run a bookstore, have my own theater and do nothing but obscure musicals, or jump
from job to job as a guest director.” Mr. Lipp’s passion for theater invigorates his work at Bolles. “Acting helps you teach; teaching is a performance.” Mr. Lipp added why he chooses Speed’s inaccuracies to highlight for his physics classes. “Plus, it’s my making fun of Keanu’s acting skills, too.”
Claire Cywes Special Issues Editor-in-Chief
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Humans of Bolles
Leaving Hoofprints in Our Hearts
Senior Rebecca Duffy has been horseback riding for nearly 14 years. “I started riding when I was four and I started taking lessons when I was seven.” She rides at Coriander Farms on Old St. Augustine Road, right off of I-295. “My barn is where I have made my most amazing friends. Since we spend so much time together at the barn and traveling to horse shows, we have become extremely close and we are a super tight-knit group.” Her goal is to jump 3’9” this year with her new horse Verdi. “My horse now, Verdi, has crooked legs, and we call him Forrest Gump for it.” Jumping that height competitively for her would be a huge accomplishment. Having crooked legs for a horse is not the end of the world. As seen in Verdi’s case, he can still jump and very well too. Why a person rides is a feeling one can never really explain. “I started riding and then just couldn’t stop. It’s like an addiction that I can’t shake,” Duffy said, “When I can’t ride for a period
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of time, I feel as if I am losing a part of who I am.” In her time of riding, Duffy has had five horses. Four of them have been sold back to their previous owners. Each horse holds a special place in her heart. Because horses are prey animals, they get scared of little things like plastic bags, so their first instinct is flight. When a horse spooks, it jumps or moves to one side very quickly. Sometimes the rider cannot tell what scared her or his mount. Duffy said, “My first horse, Spot, who brought me up in the ranks, was constantly being spooked and scared of his own shadow.” The stereotype of a horse is a horse munching on apples, but Duffy said, “Spot HATES apples and will only eat carrots.” And her newest horse, Verdi, spits out green apples. Grand Prix horses compete internationally at top level competitions with very high jumps. “My second horse, Rigal, was an ex-Grand Prix International show jumper, and he brought me up to the 3’3 height.” However, horses also only live up to their 20s, so if a horse is 19 that is 60 in people years. Duffy said, “Rigal was old when I rode him, and he was soon retired after I stopped riding him.” Even though horses do not live very long, they leave huge impacts on people’s lives from the lessons they teach them and the connections they make with each other. Horseback riding gets more dangerous in the jumping world because the higher the jump, the higher the risk for the horse or rider to make a mistake and both get hurt. Horseback riding has been nominated multiple times as the most dangerous sport. “My third horse Norm was a little different than most. He has an unconventional way of moving and jumping but he was great fun,”said Duffy. “I had two of my worst falls off him as he fell down twice while I was
riding him.” Horses weigh about 800-2,200 lbs, which means if a horse and rider fall, it could possibly mean injury or death. “Norm fell down from underneath me, propelling me into the ground and he almost landed on me,” Duffy said. “I broke my rib and had a major concussion, and an ambulance took me out of the ring to the hospital. I couldn’t ride for two months after.” Yet people ride anyway because of the intensity of the experience. Duffy said, “It’s something that is a little bit unexplainable. the power underneath me when we jump is something I wish everyone could experience. I grow with my horse and we created this special bond since there is so much trust that goes into this sport.” Horses, like people, all have different personalities. Like people, their different personalities are shaped by their nature and their nurture. For instance, if a horse grew up isolated, he or she most likely will not get along with other horses. “My fourth horse, Hammer, is my heart horse, but hates to be around other horses besides his best friend. He is not a morning horse and is super grumpy if you take him away from his food.” Riders come from all around the world, of different ages, shapes, sizes, and genders. People say it is not a sport mostly because they do not understand it. Duffy said, “Some people will never understand the amount of work that goes into it, and I just try to ignore their comments because I love what I do.” So horseback riding is both a sport and more than a sport. It is a partnership between horse and rider that can last for many years and leave a permanent hoofprint in someone’s heart.
Taylor Ford Contributing Writer
Mrs. Pickren Takes on the Kitchen
What do Clark Kent and Mrs. Pickren have in common? They both have a hidden talent. Not only does Mrs. Pickren work as assistant registrar in the Academic Office, she also shines as a master cake decorator. Mrs. Pickren has been decorating cakes for over 20 years. “I watched my mom do it, and it looked like it was fun.” Armed with her top secret buttercream recipe, she can recreate a variety of looks from a Ninja turtle to intricate roses. As a mother of 5, grandmother of 11, and designated office baker, Mrs. Pickren makes at least one sweet creation each month. “There was a while when I didn’t do them at all when my boys got older. I quit doing them because they didn’t want them anymore. So then when the grandkids came along about 15 years ago, I picked up again and started doing all their cakes.” The longest she has ever spent on a cake was for coworker Mrs. Nettles’ 50th anniversary. It took Miss Pickren four hours to create the elegant three-tier masterpiece.
“Mrs. Nettles’ favorite is double chocolate. It’s my version of a black forest cake where it’s dark chocolate with cherry filling and then chocolate icing and then whipped cream and then finished off with cherries on top.” Cake decorating isn’t for the faint of heart. With an edible printer and over 75 different kinds of piping tips alone, Mrs. Pickren says it is a significant yet worthwhile investment. “It just takes your mind off of everything else, and you just sit there and do it. To me, it’s relaxing. If I have a bad day, I’ll just go home and frost a cake.” While Pickren considers herself a perfectionist, sometimes even the experienced have bad days. She once made a cake for Mrs. Babcock, former Bolles registrar, with clouds on it. “It didn’t transport very well,” said Mrs. Pickren. By the time the cake made it to school, the clouds had slid down the sides. Pickren said there was nothing to do but, “let it go.” Mrs. Pickren says she finds inspiration for her decorations from the
people for whom she makes a cake. ”For different people I try to look at their interests and see what they do and then build a cake around them.” For example, Head of School Mr. Hodges surfs, so she decorated a cake for him with a picture of a surfer in the curl of the wave. Pickren said, “You couldn’t tell who it was, so we all said it was Tyler.” Advice for aspiring decorators? “If you’re really interested in doing it, it takes a lot of time, and you have to be committed to it to make sure that’s what you really want to do. Because once you start doing it, you can’t stop.” And, “Eat your mistakes; nobody will know.”
Anya Raheja Contributing Writer
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Humans of Bolles
“Day in and day out, life “I try to make things as is different. You just have fun as possible, I try to to go with the flow.” incorporate laughter into things.” -Mrs. Nettles Deiya Pandya ‘22
“I like to make people happy and I think cooking is the easiest way to do so” -Melissa Davidson
no picture
“One of my require- “The best person I can be, ments for dating is probably, would be somethat they must have one that can grow up and real teeth.” live a life where I don’t regret anything.” -Judy Beaver 34
- Ashley Khoo
“See, my daddy was a preacher, and then my brother was a preacher, and then my great, great granddaddy was a preacher, so I guess I just had to be a preacher. It’s in my blood!” - James MGrady
HAPPINESS
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Humans of Bolles
Q/A Starring Noah Silverstein
How long have you been at Bolles? “This is my seventh year at Bolles.” What activities are you involved in? “I am with the National Honors Society, the Language Honors Society for Latin, I am the Latin Club President, I take part in Mock Trial, and I am with the Writer’s Studio.” What subjects are you most interested in? “I am most interested in History and English.” Which teachers have made the biggest impression on you? “Ms. Jacobson, Mr. Dickson, Dr. Kmieciak, Mr. O’Riordan, Dr. K (Dr. Kostandarithes).” What do you most value in your friends? “I value intelligence. I value, compassion. I value trustworthiness.”
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What do you consider your greatest achievement? “Obviously, you can have whatever type of great you want, you can do this, you can do that, but it’s really the people around you that define you and the people around you that really make you a good person, I think, at least.” Do you have any siblings? “I have two older brothers, one went to the middle school [Bolles Bartram] and the other went to both the middle school and the highschool [Bolles San Jose].” Which living person do you most admire? I’m supposed to say someone, you know like, Einstein or Donald Trump, the far out. Honestly, my older brother, Matthew, because he’s really pushed himself and he’s accomplished so much. And the thing is, he’s at home. So it’s something [his brother’s success] achievable and or perceivable.
Who are the heroes in your life? “My parents, because they’ve just done so incredibly well. They just pushed themselves and that speaks to me.” What is your greatest fear? “Disappointing others.” What advice would you give to some of the lower classmen? “When or if you reach the point of overwork, don’t stress it too much, you’re only human.” What is your motto? “Live free or die hard! [Sarcasm alert] My actual motto would be, have trust in others as well as trust in yourself.” When asked about the status of his photo (above), “You know what, it’s the last year of school!”
Thomas Keaveny Contibuting Writer
Rev. Shannon Johnson By the Numbers The smiling face behind the wheel of the Bolles bus to Glen Kernan belongs to Shannon Johnson, driver, sneaker enthusiast, native Jackonvillian, Dallas Cowboys fan, ordained minister, foster parent, father, and grandfather. The laid-back man has notable events from his life memorized down to the numbers.
1959 he was born in inner city Jacksonville. “Now it is huge, there is so much to do now.”
9 siblings- 1 girl and 8 boys growing up in Johnson’s family. 13 years old when he got his first job at a grocery store, “My mom took me to the grocery store and told me I needed to get a job.”
18 turning 19 when he and his friend who played football
with him went down to the Coca Cola distribution area and asked for jobs. Johnson said, “Me and a friend of mine, we used to play football, we went there, and I walked into the door of the warehouse. The manager asked us what we wanted, and we said we wanted a job. So, the man pointed at me and said ‘Ok- I’m going to hire you,’ pointed at my friend and said, ‘Then I’m going to hire you just because you are with him.’ So, I started in 1978. At Coca Cola, I worked there for 32 years. “
3 years to get an associate’s degree at Jones College, in
business administration, while working long hours with Coca Cola. “That is one thing I never thought I would do, go to college. I waited for them to say I didn’t meet the requirements, but I took the test anyway and I passed the test.” At 20 or 21 years old, Mr. Johnson met his wife. “I knew of her, but I didn’t know her. My brother came to me and said, ‘That Denise, that girl, said she likes you.’ I go “Really?’ I think he was pulling my leg but anyway, I go to her house, I knock on her door, she came to the door, and I said, ‘Hey, my brother said that you like me’ and she goes, ‘GET OUT OF 4 hours of questioning during a presbytery, a year after goHERE WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!’ and she literally ing through a trial sermon. On becoming an ordained minran me off the porch, and I just went of back home. Turns ister, Mr. Johnson said, “I had a great appreciation, a great out it wasn’t true, but that is how we first met.” Fortunately, understanding of what they are doing during that test. They Denise later came to love Mr. Johnson. are protecting what is called the pastoral office.” 31 going on 32 years Denise and Shannon Johnson have $50, a trophy, and a trip to Orlando: his prize for winning been married (since 1978), and Mr. Johnson said, “It goes by the first truck rodeo he ever participated in. “I went from I pretty fast. Life goes by fast. I tell her, she needs to straight- couldn’t drive, to a forklift, to a car to a truck, and everybody that drove trucks competed. You had to do wheelbarrows en up and do right with me. She got married to the right and stuff.” man. She hit the lottery when she got me.”
5 kids and 12 grandkids- he says “Having 5 kids, there is al-
ways something. But it brings out the kid in me, I believe I’m a kid at heart. I’m really not that old, really, I’m trying to sell some off, if you are interested in buying a couple of kids. We got a deal right now, buy-two, get-one free.”
108 pairs of sneakers reside under the ownership of Mr.
Johnson, which he matches with his outfits every day “I need to line them up in the garage because there’s no space in the closet. That’s my hobby. I am a tennis shoe connoisseur. I like Nike, but in general, anything that is reasonable.”
30 hours of training to become a foster parent, and another 1 piece of wisdom: “No matter what I do I’ve always got to do I have fun, I can do anything as long as I’m having fun.” 30 to become specialized in foster kids with trauma. Julia Johansen 10 years being a foster parent with his wife. He explains, Contributing Writer “I didn’t grow up with a father, so I vowed to be there for 37 children.”
Humans of Bolles
When do you feel the happiest?
What’s your current state of mind?
“When I’m sleeping. I feel like the pressures of daily life don’t come into my bedroom. And I get to wear a baggy t-shirt instead of school clothes.” - Sushmita Udoshi (‘20)
- Michelle Aernoudts (‘21)
Which trait do you despise most in yourself?
What is your idea of happiness?
“I’m too hard on myself. I constantly go through situations over and over again in my head. Sometimes it’s productive but at some point, I have to stop.”
“Always helping other people. “
What do you most look forward to? “My family and I always go on a skiing trip to Colorado. This is the one big trip we take every year. It makes me very happy to spend time with them.”
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“I’ve been good because I’m living an experience that I’ve wanted to live since I was 12 years old, so I feel really good.”
- Tyler Schimpff (‘22)
What is the most overrated virtue? “None of them. They are all important.” How do you help your Church? “I go on Sunday morning and during evenings. I sing in the youth chorus and help them out in many other ways.” - Sophie G. Posick (‘22)
Happiness for Hendy Woodworking, Nature, and Family
When and where were you happiest? “When I did my backpacking out on the Appalachian trail, in the middle of the woods, and camping at night in a tent. I was out with other women, we did chick trips. Ms. Kline went with me one year, and she said she would never do it again. So, being out in nature, and just being able to be totally immersed, that also makes me really happy.” What do you try to do today to maintain your happiness? “I try to keep myself not as stressed, I got out of the classroom. That translates to me being a happier person and also being available for my family, and being available here for my advisees, and students.”
What got you interested in this job?
What or who do you consider your greatest inspiration in life?
“I got a laive. My father was a carpenter, and I wanted to do woodworking. What started it all was my kids wanted like animals, rabbits, that kind of thing. I thought I could just make their cages, cause their cages were outrageously expensive. Then I got cancer; I never did build a cage. Then I got back to it, and I took a class in woodworking and a class in bowl turning. I got a laive. It’s a tool, a big tool, that you use to make bowls.”
“My mother was a totally brilliant person, and she didn’t do what she probably could have done, because she dedicated her entire life to being a mom, and yet, she also had a college degree and was a dietician in a hospital; and she had a job, a professional job, way back in the 50s, but she stopped to get married and have a family. She then became a substitute teacher, so there are women teachers in my family going all the way back to my grandmother, my mother, my sister, me.”
Eventually my company turned into jewelry making; some wood jewelry, some coins and metal, glasswork, and I do a little bit of wood burning art; it’s called pyrography. I think I will always do my art as long as my hands will work and my brain works.” What’s your greatest fear?
Lastly, anything you’d like the student body to know about you? “Those 21 years of teaching were the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.” - Ms. Henderson
“Getting sick. And I’ve been sick before. I’m a cancer survivor. So I know what it feels like to be that sick. To have that serious of an illness. And I’ve just always wanted to try to stay healthy. And it’s my fear, I think, I mean, given that I’ve seen my mother very ill, too... I just want to be healthy.” Ava Sickler Contributing Writer
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