The Bolles Bugle: Quarter 3 2024

Q & A with Mayor Deegan Amber

Mayor Deegan’s River City Readers

Are our local judges safe in 2024?

Isabel Schimpff

Student Life

Black History Month: Honoring

Jacksonville leaders

Kate Youell

Student-run businesses

Hailey Christy

Bolles Buddies’ bingo bash

Isabel Schimpff

Bringing books to life: Community Connections debuts literary theme

Ava Cheng

Chinese Week 2024: The Year of the Dragon

Ava Cheng

The Bolles Bugle Staff

Co-Editors-in-Chief:

Amber Bansal

Isabel Bassin

Online Editor: Caylee Padgett

Copy Editor: Ellie Stewart

Social Media Editor: Kate Youell

Coffeehouse Editor: Isabel Schimpff

Design Editor: Ava Cheng

Contributing Writers: Nikolas Azevedo

Hailey Christy Jack Laufer

Ty Neal Tristan Schneider Advisor: Ms. Gastaldi

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for picking up (or digitally accessing) this copy of The Bolles Bugle, the student news magazine of The Bolles School.

The beats in this issue are News, Student Life, Senior Sentiments, Sports, Academics, Arts and Op-Ed. Some featured stories include exclusive interviews with the mayor and profiles on student artists and athletes.

The Bugle exists to inform the student body of current events in the Bolles community and in the greater global one. Our mission is to encourage student awareness of the world around us. We value journalistic integrity and respect above all else. The Bugle also appreciates student engagement - leave us a story idea through the form on our website, or send us a direct message with any questions, comments, or concerns.

If you enjoy this issue and want more Bugle content, check out our website www.bollesbugleonline.com and follow us on Instagram @thebollesbugle for early article releases as well as fun photos and videos. Thanks for sticking with us, and welcome to the Quarter 3 edition for the 2023-24 school year!

Sincerely,

Amber Bansal Co-Editor-In-Chief

Isabel Bassin Co-Editor-In-Chief

Q & A with Mayor Deegan

Amber Bansal Co-Editor-In-Chief

How were you able to bridge the partisan gap in your election? And what allowed you to garner that support from Duval County?

The biggest thing for me is that I spoke out against fear and division. I think that’s what we’ve seen over and over again, used weaponized against our own population in politics. So, what I brought to the race was saying “look, I’m not going to run any negative ads. I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about negative stuff, I’m going to tell you what I want to do.” And I want to unify this community because there’s so many needs we have. There’s really no reason for us to be pigeonholing ourselves into Democrats, Republicans and Independents, especially in local government, because all of us should be gearing our focus toward what we can do to get things done for this community. We have affordable housing issues, we have issues with homelessness, we have issues with people not being able to afford their rent, we have myriad issues in this community that we all should want to solve. So I tried very hard to steer away from party politics and all that, because I think that’s where people can pigeonhole themselves into a place where they feel like they have to say certain things or do certain things. And to me, the job of a mayor is to get things done for your community. And so my goal has been to build relationships and to try to do the next right thing, whatever that may be. And so that’s not always popular. But regardless, I’ll always do what I think is best to move the community forward.

What challenges do you face as a liberal mayor in a swing/purple state?

I would really call myself more of a pragmatic mayor. I think socially, certainly, I lean more toward liberal but but I think fiscally, I just lean toward reasonable. I want to do what’s best for the community. So it’s really not a hard place for me. I spent most of my life or most of my voting life with a non-partisan mindset, because I was a journalist. So I was always trying to look through the eyes of everybody. To me, it’s really all about seeing the person that’s sitting across the table from you. Now, that doesn’t mean you’re not going to have to deal with politics. I think I’m having to deal with that right now on this issue with the monuments. Some members of the city council are trying to continue to perpetuate this narrative against the General Counsel. They didn’t have any sort of problem with the process when the mayor previous to me did the same thing that I did. But now they do. And I think that’s because politics gets in the way. So, my biggest challenge is trying to continue to build relationships with the knowledge that people are going to say things just for political reasons. Even if they don’t really feel those things, they’re going to say them, because they feel like it’s important for their political future.

What are your thoughts on the proposal to lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles - a proposal that would undo the measures taken after the Parkland shooting?

Obviously, I think it’s a terrible idea. I think we should be creating more hurdles for people to go through at least to make sure that they’re qualified, that they know how to use a gun, that they know how to store a gun, all those things that are important for gun ownership. I think we should be creating scenarios where we know people aren’t going to be dangerous with a gun or at least have a better chance of it. And not moving backwards. I don’t know why we would go back and undo a law after something like Parkland. But we seem to have very short memories. And I think it only makes it easier for another Parkland to happen. So, I don’t agree with that. I suspect with the current iteration of lawmakers that we have in Tallahassee, it will probably pass, but I think it’s a bad idea.

What led to your decision to remove the Confederate statue a few weeks ago?

There was a lot that went into my decision. When I brought in the new General Counsel, I simply asked him, “Listen, I’m thinking about doing this. I’m raising private funds. I need to know can I do this with private funds? Do I have the executive authority to take down these monuments by myself?” Because I had gone to the city council, I’d asked them repeatedly if they wanted to vote on this issue. They did not. And so I made it very clear that I was looking at every option that I had that way. So I don’t think it was any surprise to anybody what I did, but I think it has become very political since then. I think it’s been long enough that those Jim Crow era statues that were put up simply to intimidate black people continue to be in the face of people in a largely black community. I think that’s wrong. And I think it flies in the face of efforts to unify this city. There is nothing about slavery that’s ever going to be unifying. I’m not trying to vilify anyone’s ancestors. That’s not what this is about. As I said during the MLK service, when we know better, we should do better by and for each other. If we don’t, then I don’t know what to tell people. We have to recognize each other’s humanity if we’re going to move forward in this community and in this country, and anyone that’s not willing to do that, to me, is not putting community first.

What are your thoughts on the bill that proposes punishing lawmakers and possibly removing them from office if they vote to remove Confederate statues?

There’s a portion of that bill that calls for it to be retroactive and every constitutional lawyer that I’ve spoken to has said that that’s unconstitutional. You can’t go back and retroactively say, “no, you can’t do that.” So it’s not something that overly concerns me beyond the current political climate. But, I think it’s very unfortunate that we are still in a time in this state where we are trying to litigate the Civil War. We have so many issues in the state, so many people are drowning in insurance costs and in rent costs. There are so many issues that we need to be dealing with as a community and a state. To be focused in on this ridiculous notion that we need to somehow have a statue or venerate white supremacy because it was our history is, I’m sure, very insulting to our black community, but really just not a way toward unity. And I hope that they realize it’s a fool’s errand and they back off of it. But, it’s one of those culture war issues that seems to get people fired up.

Are there any updates on the Jaguars stadium negotiations?

I really don’t have an update, but I can tell you that they [the negotiations] are going just fine. It’s just a process. We’re trying to evaluate where all the costs are. And then trying to divide up who should pay for what, there’s a lot that goes into that. But I can tell you that both of us are very focused on getting to yes in this negotiation. I think for the city, it is very important to have a long term lease deal so that we know the Jaguars are going to be here for a long time. For the Jaguars it is very important to have certain amenities in that stadium. My main focus is trying to determine how much we can do in terms of our community benefit package that goes along with that. That’s become sort of a standard part of the stadium deals. And so, I want our surrounding underserved communities like out east to really benefit from this deal on a regular yearly basis. And so I think that’s where I’m most excited to do my part in this agreement. But we have some wonderful negotiators. And I think we’re hoping to get to some sort of framework of an agreement by early spring.

Do you have any plans for expanding public transportation?

The Skyway, as it stands now, is basically being revamped to an autonomous vehicle program. So, it’s basically going to come to the ground is what’s going to happen, and we’re going to have autonomous vehicles that will be used around certain portions of Jacksonville, and that we can expand that program. I think in our future, I’d love to see us bring the Bright Line here, which is a train line that would come from South Florida, all the way through Jacksonville and perhaps beyond. We have some development we have to do. In the meantime, I think the Emerald Trail is going to be a wonderful conductor for different types of transportation. I think that’s going to be an incredibly important driver of economic development in our community, and also provide people with a way to move which I think is really important. ...I just got back from Washington DC, where I met with Secretary Buttigieg, about our transportation issues here, and told him we would be applying for a raise grant, which would help us with various transportation projects around Jacksonville and transportation-adjacent projects, realigning Arlington expressway making sure that we’re daylighting the Huggins Creek, which would help us with flooding. It’s going to be important for us to do everything we can, with all the federal money that is out there right now, which is our tax dollars. We want to go and bring as many of those back to Jacksonville as we can.

Mayor Deegan hosts literacy event for Jacksonville youth

Amber Bansal Co-Editor-In-Chief

On January 27, Mayor Donna Deegan kicked off her “Mayor Deegan’s River City Readers” initiative as a way to encourage enthusiasm among children for reading. This marks just the beginning of her vision for the youth of Jacksonville, which includes raising the literacy levels of children, involving youth in government, and developing the arts and culture scene of Jacksonville.

“20 minutes a day paves the way.”

— Mayor Deegan

Deegan’s focus on literacy centers around the fact that “the huge majority of people in our jails are not literate,” and “less than half of our third graders can read at grade level.” She acknowledges that education, specifically literacy, directly correlates to quality of life and economic opportunity, all of which benefit the city.

Mayor Deegan’s River City Readers was a free event, sponsored by private donors and city funds, that hosted multiple public schools and thousands of children to engage in reading workshops. Special guests such as the Jaguars Drumline, members of the Jaguars Cheerleaders,

and the author of the Cornbread series, Vincent Taylor, attended the event.

Children were encouraged to download the app Beanstack to track their reading because as Mayor Deegan says, “20 minutes [of reading] a day paves the way.” The app allows students to earn badges and prizes such as Jaguars tickets and more for reading 20 minutes a day. The overall goal is to read 300,000 minutes city-wide by next year.

Deegan’s ultimate goal is to “eradicate poverty” by starting with a focus on literacy to allow for more opportunity for the children of Jacksonville.

Deegan also hopes to appeal to Jacksonville’s youth population by cultivating a thriving arts and culture community. She hopes to create “a downtown that is exciting and a fun place for [youth] to engage and activate the riverfront.”

Additionally, there is a new focus on youth engagement in an attempt to “connect youth to City Hall” so their voices can be heard

“Vote! . . . to shape this community, this state, this country the way that you want to.”

— Mayor Deegan

on issues. The Mayor’s Office is creating internships through the city government so youth can interact with city leaders and learn about the governing process.

A new position called the “Special Assistant to the Mayor on... Civic Engagement and Youth Participation” has been created to spearhead this process and put youth engagement “under one umbrella.” The goal for the position is to have a point person whose focus is youth engagement so that it remains a priority for the government.

Deegan advises youth to become part of the process and to “speak out on the [policies] you agree and disagree with.” Most importantly, “vote!... to shape this community, this state, this country the way that you want to.”

Pictured from from left to right and top to bottom:

Mayor Deegan at her River City Reader’s event after kicking off the event with a speech.

Jacksonville’s manatee mascot C. Cowford greeting attendees before the event.

The Jaguars Drumline performing outside the public library.

The event schedule and agenda posted at the library.

Credit: Amber Bansal

Are our local judges safe in 2024?

Isabel Schimpff Coffeehouse Editor

Early this year, on January 3, Las Vegas District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus was attacked in her own courtroom. The video quickly went viral and spurred the question of security for judges across the nation.

Tatiana Salvador is currently a criminal case judge in the Duval County courthouse, well aware of these pressing security concerns. She has just completed her 11th year presiding. However, long before that, she was a student at Bolles herself. Unlike many future lawyers that attend the school, Salvador was not interested in law at Bolles and did not participate in Mock Trial.

“I didn’t take part in any law classes while I was at Bolles to be honest. I was pre-med all through high school and I applied to college for pre-med. It was really not until college that I changed to law,” says Salvador. “I took organic chemistry, which I didn’t like, but then I took political science which I absolutely loved, and that made me rethink what I wanted to do with my life.”

Civil court judge Katie Dearing, who has children at Bolles, had a very different high school experience. “I’m the opposite, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer my whole life. I have no memory of wanting to do anything else.” Dearing has been on the bench for five years now. Salvador and Dearing preside over different areas of the courthouse where security is handled in different ways.

“There really aren’t any security measures specific to my hearing

room,” says Dearing. Despite that, Dearing feels secured thanks to the general courthouse security measures. These include smoke detectors, security officers, separate elevators and entrances for judges and officials, daily lists of the hearings, locked doors, and required badge access.

“For me, it is very different,” explains Salvador, “I am in a criminal courtroom, and in addition to the civil security, there are uniformed bailiffs, every courtroom has two civilian bailiffs, and then in each courtroom there will be three to four uniformed officers”.

Additional security is frequently authorized for defendants who have misbehaved in court previously as well.

“I was in a hearing this afternoon, and the defendant had acted out, so they called in about three other officers.”

The judges credit the Chief Judge with the phenomenal safety and security they notice in the courthouse. They admit that the measures in place are in place because the courthouse is very new. The building is less than fifteen years old and Salvador shares that the previous courthouse was extremely unsafe, lacking many precautions they enjoy now.

Both Salvador and Dearing say they have never felt especially threatened in their courtroom.

“I don’t know if I have felt unsafe but there have been instances where someone gets upset and I become aware of the security in the room,” says Dearing.

Salvador has also only had to press her panic button once and was impressed with the response time of the officers.

In regard to the court incident in Las Vegas, the judges anticipate changes will be made to many courtrooms to match the state-ofthe-art Duval ones.

“That video went viral, we all saw it, so certainly those courtrooms that are in the same situation as the Vegas courtrooms will need to rethink how they handle criminal court,” says Salvador. “I do expect people will look at that video and ask themselves, what can we do to increase security measures to protect our judicial officers?”

Although the judges feel secure at their work, they are responsible for their security at home. They have had to complete FBI training and been instructed to follow certain protocols. They must think about driving home different ways each day, having ring doorbells, not posting much on social media, and keeping their names from public records like their licenses.

The job comes with “inherent dangers” that will likely always be unavoidable. However, both Salvador and Dearing insist “it’s still the best job in the world.”

STUDENT LIFE STUDENT LIFE

Black History Month

Honoring leaders who made Jacksonville

Kate Youell Social Media Editor

February, also known as Black History month, emphasizes the contributions Black Americans have made to the US. But who are some of the key figures from Jacksonville?

A.Philip Randolph was a civil rights activist and labor unionist. He organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters which was the first successful African American-led labor union. He assisted President Franklin D. Roosevelt in issuing Executive Order 8802 in 1941, which banned discrimination in the defensive industries during WWII. He also pressured Harry S. Truman signed a new Civil Rights Act and issued both the 9980 and the 9981 Executive Orders, which promoted fair employment and anti-discrimination policies. Randolph helped spearhead the organization of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have A Dream” speech.

Alvin Brown served as the first Black mayor of Jacksonville, from 2011 to 2015. During the 1990s, he served as Deputy Administrator for Community Development Rural Business and Cooperative Development Services at the United States Department of Agriculture. Brown also worked as the Executivein-Residence at Jacksonville University. More recently, he was named a candidate for United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Biden Administration.

James Weldon Johnson - Johnson was a civil rights activist and also the executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Along with being a civil rights advocate, he also was an author known for his works during the Harlem Renaissance. His books and poems detailed black culture. He also wrote the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Politically, he was appointed by Theodore Roosevelet as a U.S. consul in Venezuela and Nicaragua for 7 years. After that, he became the first black professor at New York University where he taught Creative Writing.

Pictured from top to bottom, left to right: A. Philip Randolph, Alvin Brown, James Weldon Johnson, Derrick Henry, and Bob Hayes. Credit: Pixabay

Derrick Henry, who is also known as “King Henry,” is a running back for the Tennessee Titans who was born and raised in Jacksonville, Fl. Henry was selected by the Titans in the 2016 draft and since then, he’s been a four-time Pro Bowl selection. In 2019 and 2020, he led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He is also the 8th player in the NFL to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.He won NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2020.

Bob Hayes, also known as “Bullet Bob,” was a professional football player and an Olympic Gold Medalist. He played for the Dallas Cowboys for 11 seasons from 1965 to 1975 and was enshrined in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor as well as in 2009 he was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame. While he was with the Cowboys, he won a Super Bowl, which makes him the only athlete to have ever won a Super Bowl and an Olympic gold medal. He used to hold the world record for the 70-yard dash with a time of 6.9 seconds, and he is still tied for the world’s second fastest 60-yard-dash. For his many accomplishments he was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame.

Student-run businesses

Hailey Christy Contributing writer

Estella’s Originals:

Estella’s Originals is a small business run by Estella Bruneau ‘25 that sells custom-made jewelry pieces.

Bruneau is an 11th grader at Bolles who first began selling and making handmade jewelry after the pandemic. “It gave me a small hobby that was easy to do and lots of fun as well,” she said. “I liked the idea of making something with my hands, versus a machine.”

Since then, her business has grown and she continues to sell rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry pieces on her Instagram account @estellasoriginals.

Her products include a variety of beads, wires, shells, and vintage jewelry, all of which she hand makes because she likes “the thought of the product being carefully made, with each detail in mind.” Her process consists of receiving orders from customers, gathering materials, making the products, and then packaging the

products with a handwritten note and delivering it.

“I hope to continue making and selling jewelry in college and maybe one day starting an official website and brand,” she said. Her advice for other people interested in starting a small business is to “just begin somewhere! When you do not know where to start, just start with a small idea.”

Made by Abbey:

Abbey Muller ‘24 is a 12th grader at Bolles who customizes pieces of clothing using machine and hand embroidery. For her, customizing clothing is much more than just a hobby, it is a passion.

“I first taught myself how to sew around seven years old and learned how to use a machine around ten. I have been sewing and designing ever since,” Muller said. Recently on her Instagram account

@madeby.abbey, she has made custom crewnecks with college logos for seniors who have decided where they want to go to college.

A

The process of customizing clothing for her customers starts with either a customer providing their own item of clothing or giving Muller money to buy an item for them. She then works with the customer to make a digital mockup of a design and then programs the design into a computer software. She is then able to

transfer the design to her machine where it is then transferred to the item of clothing. If the customer wants hand stitching she will also add that afterwards. Once the product is finished, Muller “loves the incredible feelings of pride and accomplishment after I bring my vision to life even better than I planned.”

For Muller, she “genuinely loves the whole process. It allows me to be creative and bring something new to the table, try new things, and problem solve.” She also likes being able to “see the smile on the face of the person I made it for knowing it is special to them.”

To continue her passions into the future, Muller is planning on majoring in business entrepreneurship and marketing with a minor in fashion design, with the hopes of owning her own clothing brand in the future. Her advice for other people interested in starting a small business is to “bring something new to the table and make sure you are passionate about it. Don’t let it just be for the money.”

An example of a necklace sold by Estella’s Originals. Credit: Estella Bruneau

crewneck customized by Abbey Muller ‘24. Credit: Abbey Muller

Bolles Buddies bingo bash

Bolles and NFSSE students together again

Isabel Schimpff Coffeehouse Editor

“BINGO!”

Leah Collins finally fills her bingo card and walks like royalty to the prize table—the prize, a Bolles journal.

Collins is a student at the North Florida School for Special Education. Even though the bingo tournament fills the air with hope, apprehension, and suspense, any one of the players will tell you that the game isn’t the most exciting part.

It’s the first Thursday of the month, which means the Bolles Buddies have arrived at NFSSE. The Bolles Buddies program has been bringing bingo nights, karaoke, trivia, and more to the students of NFSSE for almost 20 years. Each month, student volunteers, many of whom are members of the Bolles Buddies Club, drive out to Regency to spend the evening bringing smiles to the secondary and transition students.

“It’s a great experience, you make a lot of friends but you also have the joy of making kids happy and confident,” says senior Magnolia Fox.

Bolles seniors Theo Hardt and Jake Shutters take a break from bingo with NFSSE students.

Credit: Isabel Schimpff

This month’s activity was Valentine’s Day-themed, complete with red and pink decorations, Valentine’s trivia, bingo, and basketball. The program strives to spread love and joy, and so close to Valentine’s Day, those values were boundless.

For some volunteers, the February event was their first. But for most, they recognized the smiling faces of the students immediately. The students from both schools have formed a bond throughout the years, but the bond began with the former director of the NFSSE, Sally Hazelip.

Students react to the trivia answer.

Credit: Isabel Schimpff

Hazelip’s two daughters graduated from the Bolles upper school in 2008 and 2009. Hazelip also has a son who has Down’s Syndrome. Her two daughters founded the Bolles Buddies program with the intent of bridging the two schools and introducing the Bolles students to the special needs population.

Hazelip and Cynithia Harcrow, the current Bolles Buddies Club sponsor, met through their children almost twenty years ago. This inspired Harcrow to take on the position of club sponsor. The 2023-2024 school year marks her eighteenth year as sponsor. Although Harcrow has attended many events, her favorite remains the December Holiday event.

NFSSE students pose with Bolles senior, Millicent Fox.

Credit: Isabel Schimpff

“My favorite activity throughout the years has always been the gingerbread making competition. It’s the messiest, and oh my gosh, they eat half the candy, but it’s so fun and it is definitely a crowd favorite,” says Harcrow.

Current club president, Darden Brown ‘24, also shares a personal connection to the NFSSE.

“My brother goes to this school, he’s fifteen now,” says Brown, “and I have been going with the club since my freshman year. The best part is seeing the kids realize that they’re just normal kids and seeing the impact on them.”

Both NFSSE and Bolles students chase after a rogue basketball.

Credit: Isabel Schimpff

The next Bolles Buddies event will be held on March 7. The theme will be St. Patrick’s Day featuring Irish dancing! The club encourages everyone to come and participate.

Bringing books to life Community Connections launches new literary theme

Ava Cheng Design Editor

For many kids, reading opens up endless possibilities.

Between a book’s pages lie worlds of wizards, superpowers, detectives, or dinosaurs where imagination can run wild. This year, the Community Connections student organization aims to bring some of this creativity to life for children from the Sanctuary on 8th Street.

The group works with children from the Sanctuary on 8th Street, a local organization that provides youth and families in need with various opportunities. Community Connections helps provide those opportunities through frequent activities like the annual Halloween Carnival and Easter Egg Hunt.

The current Community Connections president, Kayleigh Kasinger ‘24, joined the student organization last year. “They’re low-income students and don’t have many resources. I just wanted to be a part of the people that can bring them to a safe place to have fun and not worry about their surroundings—to just be kids, without the stresses.”

As president, Kasinger works with the club to plan, set up events, and organize volunteers. This semester, she introduced a new theme to the student organization’s activities. “I was just thinking: What can we do to make our events more meaningful? And also to help kids, beyond just bringing them here, how can we help them when they go home?”

With a love for English and reading, introducing a literary theme seemed like the perfect answer. As the group began

Sanctuary on 8th Street kids visit the Whitehurst treehouse.

Credit: Kayleigh Kasinger

considering different books, a new outlet of ideas for events and activities opened.

To kick off its literary theme, Community Connections held a Magic Treehouse event on January 31 with around twenty visiting kindergarten through second grade students. “What books did we love as kindergarteners?” While brainstorming, members of the student organization drew from their own experiences and thought about the books they enjoyed in elementary.

“Magic Tree House,” said Kasinger. “It took a lot of planning, thinking about which would be the easiest to do. But we looked at the books and the first one: dinosaurs. Everyone loves dinosaurs.”

After choosing the book, Community Connections came up with ideas for the event. “We took them to the Whitehurst treehouse and we had dinosaur painting and hatching eggs,” said Kasinger. “And at the end, we gave them all a Dinosaurs Before Dark book.”

“My favorite memory was when our vice president came out in a dinosaur costume,” recalled Kasinger, “the kids flooded out of

the gate. They just go to hug her— and it was so cute, it made me so happy. Just knowing that we have such dedicated volunteers who are willing to put on a blow-up dinosaur suit and waddle around for two hours. It was really fun.”

The Community Connections volunteers’ dedication paid off with lots of excitement and gratitude from the Sanctuary students. “They loved it, they were bouncing off the walls,” said Kasinger. The student organization plans to continue its literary theme through future events: “Harry Potter, that’s always a fan favorite,” said Kasinger, “We have Nancy Drew, a scavenger hunt across campus.”

No matter which book the club chooses to tackle next, it’s the kids’ story that’s the most important. “We’re getting kids excited about reading and building a connection with our community—Community Connections, right?” said Kasinger. “Just building that outreach so these kids have somewhere or someone to embrace their creativity. It makes you feel like you’re a part of something bigger, because you are a part of something bigger: helping these kids.”

Chinese Week 2024

The Year of the Dragon

Ava Cheng Design Editor

With the Lunar New Year falling on February 10, the upper school Chinese Club held its annual Chinese Week the week before to welcome the year of the dragon. The week-long celebration has been a tradition at Bolles for years according to Mrs. Rothschild, the Chinese teacher and club sponsor at the upper school. “Maybe ten, fifteen years,” said Rothschild, “because we want to use the opportunity to promote Chinese culture, language, and history.”

The Chinese Club came together to brainstorm various activities that reflect Chinese art, food, history, and language. “We’re always looking for fresh ideas,” said Rothschild, “it really depends on the club. It’s a collective decision.” It’s not just club members who participate in planning the week—students from various levels of Rothschild’s Chinese courses volunteered to lead activities and decorate the campus.

Students fold their own dumplings in Rothschild’s classroom.

Credit: Ava Cheng

Monday

The Chinese Club began the week with dumplings, inviting students to try making the food themselves. “I think the most popular activity was the dumplings,” said Rothschild, “food is always a good way to go.” Members of the Chinese Club and Chinese classes helped others fold, fill, and cook their own dumplings, which were then handed out for free.

Students draw characters signifying love and fortune.

Credit: Ava Cheng

Tuesday

On Tuesday, the club brought back a popular activity from past events: Chinese paper-cutting and calligraphy. “It’s good to focus on the stomach one day and focus on the mind the next,” explained Rothschild. Students were given traditional brushes and ink to write various characters denoting good luck and fortune, or cut out the characters with colored paper instead.

Wednesday

For its third activity, Rothschild and students from the Chinese Club and classes led Tai Ji during zero hour. The Chinese Club usually includes some form of

exercise in its activities, having taught jump rope games and a morning exercise routine in the past. The group chose Tai Ji this year, starting the day by gathering energy through more relaxing movement.

Dr. Spohr demonstrates Chinese acupuncture.

Credit: Ava Cheng

Thursday

While many of the club’s activities had been held in past years, it hosted a new guest on Thursday to discuss Chinese medicine with students. Dr. Piper Spohr, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, spoke to students about various aspects of medicine.

The idea had arisen during the Chinese III/Honors class’s health and medicine lesson, when Caden Spohr ‘26 shared his mother’s experience with the topic. Rothschild invited Dr. Spohr to speak to the class, and then asked her to return for another presentation during Chinese Week. “She did a phenomenal job,” said Rothschild, “I just realized, our community has so many resources, we should utilize them as much as possible.” Rothschild hopes this opportunity will open a door to other parents sharing their knowledge with students as well.

During her presentation, Spohr spoke about the origins, methods, and benefits of traditional Chinese medicine. Students were able to pass around various herbs and books before Spohr gave a demonstration in cupping and acupuncture.

The Chinese Club closes off the week with a food sale.

Credit: Ava Cheng

Friday

To close off the week, the Chinese Club sold boba tea, fried rice, and spring rolls—like Monday’s free dumplings, the sale attracted a lot of students eager to taste the food. Proceeds from all of the Chinese Club’s fundraisers and sales are sent to an orphanage in Heibei Province, China, where the money is used to provide treats like birthday cakes for the kids.

While it may seem like the activities are held just for students to have fun, Rothschild hopes to send a larger message by sharing Chinese traditions. “It’s important, especially when we’re living in a world with multiple cultures,” said Rothschild, “you need to understand each other and not be judgemental, that way we can make the world better. We should learn about each other’s cultures—in this case, it’s with Chinese Week.”

While Rothschild hopes to accomplish this mission, she couldn’t do it without help from her students. “I just have to thank and appreciate all my Chinese students,” she said, “they’re just unbelievable. Without them, Chinese Week wouldn’t be successful like this.”

Student calligraphy and paper decorates the walls in Ulmer.

Credit: Ava Cheng

“We should learn about each other’s cultures—in this case, it’s with Chinese Week.”

— Mrs. Rothschild

Students try making their own dumplings with the Chinese Club on Monday.

Credit: Ava Cheng

Students stand in line at the Chinese food sale.

Credit: Ava Cheng

Emily Farr ‘25 poses with a handdrawn character meaning “love”.

Credit: Ava Cheng

Life Beyond Bolles

TTy Neal Contributing Writer

wice a year, Bolles has a panel discussion called Life Beyond Bolles. This tradition began this year on November 2 and will continue for years to come. This discussion is for juniors and seniors to further understand the advantages of going to Bolles along with understanding more of what happens right after high school. It helps students understand where they are and how to get to where they want.

The students that went to the meeting were given a free ChickFil-A breakfast, a small orange Bolles banner, and a Bolles water bottle. College advisors also attended along with the speakers, three Bolles alumni.

DeShawn Ruffin ‘14, a coach for JV Bolles Boys Basketball, attended the meeting to relay knowledge about continuing a career path of sports after graduating Bolles. Ruffin is the Development Manager for the organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). He also played basketball in college for four years. He claimed a national championship at Dalton State in 2015 along with an SSAC conference championship in 2017. He is the Vice President of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Association of Student Athletes (ASA), and the current President of the Southern States Athletic Council (SSAC). When attending Bolles his favorite teachers were Ms. Jacobson and Ms. Fluegel.

Athletically and academically, Ruffin had some helpful things to say. “Bolles over prepared me for the transition from high school to college. . . The biggest challenge was embracing the competition.”

Pictures of the speakers as students next to pictures of them now: DeShawn Ruffin ‘14, Rachel Duffy Boswell ‘14, and Louis Joos ‘94.

Credit: Bolles

Rachel Duffy Boswell ‘14, a lawyer who graduated from FSU, attended the meeting to inform students about the pursuit of law. She is the Assistant General Counsel in the legal department at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida and a member of the Florida Bar. She is the Vice President of the FSU college of Law Moot Court Team and winner of the UCLA School of Law Cybersecurity Moot Court Competition. At Bolles, she recieved the Olga G. Pratt Award and when attending FSU she was in the honors program, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Communication/Media Studies and Political Science. She immigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1995.

“Little decisions that you make end up being a big part of what you want to do. It’s okay if you don’t have this insane calling, I didn’t. . . It’s okay to not have it all figured out right away - you will figure it out, but it takes active steps.”

“By the time I got to, college I was ready from a maturity standpoint.”

— Louis Joos ‘14

Louis Joos ‘94, a businessman who graduated from Georgetown University, attended the meeting to provide insight for students

interested in pursuing business in the future.

When attending Georgetown University, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Science and Economics with a minor in Finance. He recieved an MBA in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania and studied abroad at the London School of Economics. He graduated Cum Laude and was a rower at Georgetown. He also decided to work at Bear Stearns Investment Bank in New York and later worked for Goldman Sachs in London, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan. He then co-founded Refresh Mental Health with Bolles alum, Steven Gold. Refresh Mental Health was one of the largest mental health businesses in the U.S. before they sold the company off to United Health Group.

“It’s okay to not have it all figured out right away. You will figure it out, but it takes active steps.”

— Rachel Duffy Boswell ‘14

“By the time I got to college I was ready from a maturity standpoint. . . The toughest challenge was managing my schedule. . . Enjoy college but always keep in mind that long term goal - how you are positioning yourself to reach that long term goal.”

The Bolles parking crisis

Tristan Schneider Contributing Writer

Have you been driving to school and couldn’t find a parking spot on the street? Then you are not alone. Over the past couple of months, street parking on San Jose Blvd has been getting more and more difficult to find. The new consensus amongst students is that oncampus parking fills up around 7:30 in the morning, which is an entire hour before school starts.

The unfortunate part of this problem is if you do not arrive early, expect a 10 to 15 minute walk from your car to school. Bolles has also been cracking down on illegitimate parking on campus lots.

One problem with street parking has been the construction work that has been going on for the past couple months now. Construction workers for the Center for Innovation have needed to park on the street, according to Mr. Butler, the Director of Safety, Security, and Transportation at Bolles. Similarly,

“There is a move to identify how many parking spaces we have and to get construction workers that are parking along the street to move to another area.”

— Mr. Butler

there has also been sidewalk construction by the Florida Department of Safety, which has brought in more workers parking on the street.

Bolles has been working on fixing this construction problem. “There is a move to identify how many parking spaces we have, and to get construction workers that are parking along the street to move to another area,” said Butler. This will hopefully free up some spaces for more students to park.

Another reason for the lack of parking may be the fact that this year, Bolles has had a record amount of students attending. More students equates to more cars which creates less space.

Having students parking on San Jose Blvd and having to cross San Jose to get into school may be dangerous due to the traffic. Mr. Butler noted that there is now an increased number of police officers at the road and the campus has 24-hour security with its own daytime police officer. This should be reassuring to any students who feel unsafe when

heading into school.

For the future of Bolles parking, the school is currently looking into how many parking spots they have available and how they can boost that number. Unfortunately, the new Center for Innovation will not be coming with any new parking spots for students. However, 10 parking spots from the Marine science building will be added to student parking next year.

The last couple months of street parking have been frustrating to say the least, but there are plans on improving parking not only on the street but also on campus for this and next year. Hopefully, the parking situation does get better over time, and there are alternative parking methods for school. Students can park at the local church if they pay the fee to get a reserved spot. There is also the option of carpooling. Students can also apply for on-campus parking for next year starting in April and ending in June. The Bolles School is doing everything in its power to help alleviate the parking crisis.

The street parking on San Jose Blvd fills up with students’ cars for school. Credit: Tristan Schneider

Ava Cheng Design Editor

Most people don’t think about bagels when they think about January 15. National Bagel Day is just another made-up holiday to celebrate something random—at most, an opportunity for a breakfast discount. But for those involved in the Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate initiative, the day represents a larger message.

The University of Florida Hillel is a branch of the larger Hillel campus organization that aims to provide community and opportunity to Jewish students. In 2020, the

The Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate campaign comes to Jacksonville

UF Hillel created Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate with the goal of combating rising antisemitism and other forms of hate.

“It’s not really about the bagel, but it’s about educating and coming together.”

— Karen Freedman

Karen Freedman, former CoPresident of Beth El The Beaches Synagogue, helped bring the idea to Jacksonville this year. “They

came up with the concept around National Bagel Day. You know, obviously, it’s not really about the bagel, but it’s about educating and coming together and having a way to start conversations.”

“Just in the last couple of years, antisemitism has skyrocketed in the number of cases,” said Freedman. “It’s even more scary now, so it’s important to keep having open lines of communication and education because there’s so much misunderstanding and misinformation, that it’s easy for people to feel hatred because they don’t understand everything that’s going on.”

After hearing about Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate’s impact on the University of Florida campus, Freedman and her copresident applied for a grant to spread the campaign in May of 2023. “We were able to connect with Hillel, and we’d already gotten permission to try and replicate it here in our community.”

Spreading the message beyond

“The campaign fosters open conversations with diverse groups of people in the community.”

— Sarah Park ‘25

the UF campus brought the challenge of finding a location to connect with people in person. “We partnered with Christ Church, Christ Episcopal Church, Palms Presbyterian and JaxTHRIVE to do these initiatives,” said Freedman. “The idea was to have a couple Sundays where we would be at each church and then our volunteers would be able ask people to sign the pledge in exchange for a bagel and cream cheese.”

Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate held its volunteer training and kickoff dinner early this year. “It’s a diverse background of

people. Adults and teens of all different religions and races were all trained on what anti semitism means and all forms of discrimination and bias, how it all relates, how to talk to people about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

Many of the campaign’s volunteers are students, including several Bolles upper schoolers. Sarah Park ‘25 participated in the volunteer training with around sixty to seventy adult and student leaders. “The training session opened discussions where people shared their experiences regarding hate and learned different perspectives, which prompted discussions against all forms of hate,” recalled Park. “The following Sundays, we began sharing the Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate campaign at local churches and synagogues.”

Throughout January, volunteers partook in two bagel distribution events to talk to people and ask for their pledge against hate. The initiative also plans to hold a follow up program in early March. “We want to keep having educational opportunities for people so we don’t want it to just be over.”

Despite being Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate’s first year in Jacksonville, the initiative has already fostered relationships

with several churches and organizations who hope to participate. “We’re making these connections and it’s really nice for everybody to work together on different things, so we definitely want to make it even bigger next year,” said Freedman.

“The campaign fosters open conversations with diverse groups of people in the community over bagels and cream cheese, while promoting the values of respect, love, and inclusion,” said Park.

As the campaign spreads its message through Jacksonville, Freedman encourages involvement from outside the community as well. “You don’t necessarily have to be local to participate. We’ve had a great response from people all over

Volunteers

Credit: Karen Freedman

who are really excited and want to participate.” Through its outreach this year, the campaign has already surpassed its goal and reached 1074 pledges.

Regardless of location or background, Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate aims to form a larger community dedicated to the same message. “We hope to educate and ask everyone to take the pledge: I commit to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate. I join with the Beth El The Beaches Synagogue, Christ Church, Palm Presbyterian and JaxTHRIVE to ensure my community is a welcoming space for all.”

A group of volunteers comes together to distribute bagels. Credit: Sarah Park

enjoy dessert during the volunteer dinner.

Studies In Leadership Class helps students find their strengths

Nikolas Azevedo Contributing Writer

The Bolles School offers many great electives that branch out beyond normal school subjects, such as the Studies in Leadership class.

The course teaches students the core fundamentals of what it takes to be a leader along with implementing the idea that leadership is not just innate, but can also be taught.

One of the unique differences between Studies in Leadership and other classes is that it is run by two teachers, Coach Toblin, the Head Football Coach, and Ms. Moyer-Shad, teacher and Director of Student Activities.

“We started it in part because we noticed that there was nothing like it, we wanted something different,” said Moyer-Shad. “We have a lot of leadership programs and opportunities on the campus, but no real training for them. We really wanted an opportunity for students who were interested to be able to kind of explore these topics that really aren’t touched on in any other class.”

“This class is probably my favorite, as it teaches us how to adapt to problems and enhance our communication skills.”

— Drew Cannestra ‘25

The course is a project-based elective and does not have any quizzes or tests. The semester that

a student serves as a member of the course will revolve around two big projects.

The first is the Better Bolles project, where a group of students go around the school and find something that can be fixed or added in order to better the school. The group will then present their solution in hopes of implementing it.

The second project is called the Urban Plan Project This project revolves around groups of students working together to change six city blocks of a fake town.

Students have said that the course has helped them greatly and that they would recommend the course to others.

“Both teachers provide honest help and give us good pointers that revolve around life that are not just about leadership,” said Jordan Alexander ‘25, who is taking the class this year.

Drew Cannestra ‘25 is also currently in the class. “This class is probably my favorite, as it teaches us how to adapt to problems and enhance our communication skills,” he said. “The course teaches us skills that can be used even after we graduate from Bolles and even college.”

“We really wanted an opportunity for students who were interested to be able to kind of explore these topics that really aren’t touched on in any other class.”

— Ms. Moyer-Shad

Toblin wants his students to understand that a leader is not just someone who gives speeches.“There’s different ways to affect others, there’s different ways to affect the group, but also learning about yourself and what your leadership style is. So our biggest hope is that kids learn something about themselves that they can use in other aspects of their lives, whether it’s here at Bolles or when they leave for college.”

Leadership

in session.

Credit: Nikolas Azevedo

Ms. Moyer-Shad (Left) and Coach Toblin (Right). Credit: Nikolas Azevedo

class

SENIOR SENTIMENTS SENIOR SENTIMENTS

Studies In Leadership

Helping students find their strengths

Nikolas Azevedo Contributing Writer

The Bolles School offers many great electives that branch out beyond normal school subjects, such as the Studies in Leadership class.

The course teaches students the core fundamentals of what it takes to be a leader along with implementing the idea that leadership is not just innate, but can also be taught.

One of the unique differences between Studies in Leadership and other classes is that it is run by two teachers, Coach Toblin, the Head Football Coach, and Ms. Moyer-Shad, teacher and Director of Student Activities.

“We started it in part because we noticed that there was nothing like it, we wanted something different,” said Moyer-Shad. “We have a lot of leadership programs and opportunities on the campus, but no real training for them. We really wanted an opportunity for students who were interested to be able to kind of explore these topics that really aren’t touched on in any other class.”

“This class is probably my favorite, as it teaches us how to adapt to problems and enhance our communication skills.”

— Drew Cannestra ‘25

The course is a project-based elective and does not have any quizzes or tests. The semester that

a student serves as a member of the course will revolve around two big projects.

The first is the Better Bolles project, where a group of students go around the school and find something that can be fixed or added in order to better the school. The group will then present their solution in hopes of implementing it.

Ms. Moyer-Shad (Left) and Coach Toblin (Right).

The second project is called the Urban Plan Project This project revolves around groups of students working together to change six city blocks of a fake town.

Students have said that the course has helped them greatly and that they would recommend the course to others.

“Both teachers provide honest help and give us good pointers that revolve around life that are not just about leadership,” said Jordan Alexander ‘25, who is taking the class this year.

Drew Cannestra ‘25 is also currently in the class. “This class is probably my favorite, as it teaches us how to adapt to problems and enhance our communication skills,” he said. “The course teaches us skills that can be used even after we

“We really wanted an opportunity for students who were interested to be able to kind of explore these topics that really aren’t touched on in any other class.”

— Ms. Moyer-Shad

graduate from Bolles and even college.”

Toblin wants his students to understand that a leader is not just someone who gives speeches.“There’s different ways to affect others, there’s different ways to affect the group, but also learning about yourself and what your leadership style is. So our biggest hope is that kids learn something about themselves that they can use in other aspects of their lives, whether it’s here at Bolles or when they leave for college.”

Leadership class in session.

Credit: Nikolas Azevedo

Credit: Nikolas Azevedo

SENIOR SENTIMENTS SENIOR SENTIMENTS

Expectations vs. Reality

Senior Sentiments #5

AHailey Christy Contributing writer

s I make my way through senior year, I have found that the reality of this year does not quite match up with a lot of my expectations. Barely coming to school, rarely studying for classes, going off campus every day: this is how I imagined my senior year going. And sure, I don’t find myself studying as much as I did in prior years, and it’s true that my grades do not matter as much as they did junior year, but this year has not been nearly as easy as I imagined.

For starters, I expected not to have to try in any of my classes. Colleges do not look at my senior year grades, so I can stop worrying about getting A’s, right? Well, that’s what I thought too, until I got an email from the two colleges saying that I have to send in my end-of-the-year grades or else they will revoke my scholarship. So much for giving up on my grades. And it wasn’t just these colleges - a lot of colleges make you send in grades, especially if you get deferred.

Battling a lack of motivation is the hardest part of senior year. Just because grades aren’t as important does not mean you can stop showing up to class. You can only sign out for an “appointment” so many times before the dean’s office starts to get suspicious. Also, it’s hard to pass an AP Calculus test if you haven’t been showing up to class.

Furthermore, once you realize your grades don’t matter as much, things get even more difficult. You begin to lose all motivation, and going to school becomes even more of a chore. Why should I show up to class if my grades do

not matter? A realization I recently had is that my parents are still paying for me to go to school. If I’m not showing up to class and at least trying to learn, then I’m wasting my parents’ money and wasting a chance to learn.

A senior dreaming about what they could be doing.

Credit: Hailey Christy

I also expected to be going off campus all the time during my senior year to get food and hang out with friends. However, in the first semester of your senior year, those off periods that you have been looking forward to will be filled with college counseling meetings and college applications. After your fifth supplemental essay you will be contemplating if you even want to go to college at all. But for most students, once you get past November 1, you don’t have to worry about filling out applications anymore, so you do have more free time during your offs. But after going to Chick-fil-A three times a week then checking your bank account, you will learn that going off campus is not the most economically friendly way to spend your lunch time and off periods. All that money you saved

up from your summer job will begin disappearing quickly.

One of my biggest expectations for senior year was that it would be stress free: no more worrying about grades, no more worrying about classes. However, it’s hard to be stress free when you’re idly sitting around waiting for some admissions officers to decide your future. What if I get rejected from this school? What if I don’t get into my dream school? What if I get denied from the program I wanted to be in? There is nothing you can do but sit and worry until you get an email that will answer these questions for you. Even once you get into a college and decide where you want to go, the idea of being on your own in a different city, possibly even a different state or country, is stressful. What if I don’t like the school I chose? What if I made the wrong decision? There’s no doubt that starting this new adventure is exciting and most seniors are looking forward to starting college, but it is still difficult not to be a little nervous. So no, senior year is not nearly as worry free as I expected.

I thought senior year would be so freeing, but in a lot of ways it is the opposite. As a freshman, sophomore, and junior, showing up to class is hard. However, as a senior, showing up to class is even harder. After four years of high school, at last you are at the final stretch. Most people envision the final stretch being a light walk through the finish line into graduation. No more worrying or weight on your back, but just a nice easy walk. But no, it is not a nice peaceful walk through the last semester of senior year; it’s a bit more difficult than that. So although senior year has been fun, I can’t say it has completely lived up to my expectations.

Housing in College

Senior Sentiments #6

Caylee Padgett Online Editor

Right about this time of year, seniors are committed to a college or are pretty sure which one they will commit to. The next step for them is figuring out where to live.

You may opt for on-campus housing, apartments, or if you go to a college near home, staying with your family. Many factors will contribute to what you choose for housing, but these are just a couple of things to consider from a current senior girl weighing all her options.

Housing on campus: It comes with its pros, cons, and challenges. I have gathered this as a first-generation college student figuring it all out.

Finding roommates is hard: Elli Trager, a senior looking for a roomie, said, “The process was at first intimidating, but then I realized everyone was in the same boat of trying to find a roommate.”

The process can be difficult, but there are resources like college groups and Instagram 2028 pages of committed students that most people use to get to know potential roomies through direct messages.

Trager says when looking for a roommate, “I considered their hobbies/interests, major and where they are from.” If you use these as guidelines, you can be sure to find someone you can get along with well.

Housing goes quick: Some colleges may be different but most will let you apply for housing before committing as long as you are willing to put down a deposit that you will not fully be reimbursed for.

There are different options, usually: The best options, like private rooms and bathrooms, are typically going to be taken first, so make sure you are on top of your college deadlines if you are interested in any of those accommodations.

If not, you can always opt for a smaller number of roommates unless you are interested in living with a lot of people. Typically you will be paired with people around your age unless you choose people that are older than you, but again, that is all personal

Sororities/Fraternities: These student-run communities are a great way to branch out, meet new people, get out of your comfort zone, and explore internship and volunteer opportunities

These opportunities are very specific for each college and community so if you are interested in joining one, reach out to your college and see what options there are.

Don’t get too stressed about finding housing. You can always reach out to your college, college counselors, and parents for help. It will be a part of the college journey, so you should do your research and figure out which option suits your preferences best.

Our First Time at the ballot

Senior Sentiments #7

Isabel Bassin Co-Editor-In-Chief

Turning 18 hasn’t met the hype. In the movies, characters explore the newfound freedom of adulthood or buy cigarettes at the local gas station. In reality, though, I’m still waking up every morning and going to school, no less liberated than the day before. Nothing has really changed - not yet, anyway.

It will change. It will change on March 19, for those who are registered Republicans or Democrats, and November 5 for everyone else. We are finally enfranchised, and have an important opportunity to participate in the upcoming presidential election. Unfortunately, young people have

historically had the lowest voter turnout of any age group. Chalk it up to apathy, laziness, or a low sense of efficacy - no matter the reason, it’s a real problem. There’s an unfortunate shared sentiment among nonvoters that their one vote (or lack thereof) doesn’t matter.

This is extremely dangerous to democracy. Yes, I’m aware of how dramatic that sounds, but it’s the truth. Democracy relies on equal input from all citizens. Voting is not a privilege, it’s a duty. By agreeing to be an American citizen and living under the benefits of the US government, we have a responsibility to participate in elections, local or national. Having a voice in government is globally coveted - many countries don’t

have democracies, and even in those who do, citizens are still often underrepresented or disenfranchised.

Even in the United States, exfelons are not allowed to vote. Nor are unnaturalized residents or minors. And even among those who are eligible to vote, only 52.2% participated in the 2022 elections. So for those of us who can vote, our voice matters.

Unfortunately, I am not excited to vote in this upcoming election. Yes, I’ve been dreaming of being a voter since I was 11, but I never imagined the two candidates I would have to choose between. An octogenarian and one close to it. A rich white man and another rich white man. An inarticulate

Democrat and a reality TV star Republican. A career politician and a billionaire businessman. Practically two incumbents.

The Republican primary wasn’t even very interesting. Yes, the debates were funny, watching Vivek Ramaswamy clown around trying to get Donald Trump’s attention while Ron DeSantis adjusted his high heels and traded insults with Nikki Haley. It was never a competition - which only contributes to the all-time low feelings of political efficacy. Watch the debates or don’t, show up to the polls or not, Donald Trump secured the party nomination the second he announced his campaign.

Now, the members of the Republican party are faced with a difficult choice. This probably affects many of my peers, a unique challenge in their first time voting. As the party factions into the extreme right and the Reagan-era “classic” conservatives, who do you choose? Do you jump to the far right to consolidate red seats in government, or do you cross party lines to protest the abandonment of fair democracy?

The members of the Democratic party may have an easier choice, but probably feel just as helpless. It’s assumed you support Joe Biden to stop Trump. But who wants to vote for Biden? He shows concerning signs of aging and mental decay, and can barely get one minute through a speech before stumbling on his words or contradicting himself.

So, the solution is to just not vote, right? Wrong. Absolutely and extremely incorrect. Do not throw away your vote. Yes, one vote matters. Yes, you have the power to make change. Political apathy is one of the most dangerous threats to democracy. One person stops voting, then one hundred, then one thousand. While the numbers may feel negligible in national

elections, local and state ones are just as important and can be swayed based on the smallest of changes in voter turnout. Additionally, we need to set (or uphold) the precedent that voting is our duty as American citizens. We need to vote in this election and vote in every single one after.

What does my vote do? It can elect a politician, provide funding to my district, and allow my voice to be heard by the government. Voting is more than just choosing one candidate or another. Voting is standing for democracy, supporting our country’s institutions, and defending the principles of liberty and equality our founding fathers fought for. Deciding not to use your vote, or wasting it on a comedic

write-in is disrespectful to all those before us who fought for universal adult suffrage. It’s disrespectful to the abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and the feminists like Susan B. Anthony.

So vote for Trump. Or vote for Biden. Or vote for a third party candidate (you’re wasting your say in who is president, but I respect standing for what you believe in). To not vote at all is lazy, cowardly, and ignorant. Be the change. Prove the statistics wrong. Don’t fit the stereotypes of voters aged 18-25. Show up to the polls, or mail in your ballot, or vote early. Just do it. Do it for democracy, and freedom, and any of your ancestors who may not have been able to vote.

Will Bolles students vote?

Do you plan to vote in the 2024 presidential election?

In a poll conducted on Schoology, of 96 respondents who will be 18 before November 5, 84 reported planning to vote in the election, 9 not planning to, and 3 undecided. It should be noted, however, that this is not necessarily representative of the student body, as the poll only represents students who decided to take a Schoology poll.

The 96 respondents were asked to rate how important voting is to them, with 1 being not important at all and 5 being extremely important. 1 answered 1, 5 answered 2, 20 answered 3, 25 answered 4, and 45 answered 5.

SPORTS SPORTS

Racing to States

With track season starting up, it’s time to preview what lies ahead for the 2024 season. Last season, both the boys and girls track teams won their state championships. Despite the loss of some great runners, the Bolles teams hope to repeat their championship success come 2024.

Coach Rivera was hired as the head of the entire track program back in 2019 and has helped both the girls and boys track and field team win state titles, with the girls winning in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons and the boys winning state titles in 2019 and 2023.

Bolles sprinters at the Bulldog Classic.

Credit: Catherine McClure

When asked what he thinks of this upcoming season, Rivera pointed out how even though they lost some great runners from last year, it’s up to the team to develop some new leaders and that will be one of the keys to success.

“I talked to the team yesterday and I pointed out how we are

going to need leaders in every event and how it will help us throughout the entire season,” Rivera said.

Coach Ryan has been the head coach of the girls distance team since 2003. He has led the track team to six state titles and the cross country team to 10 state titles.

“Well, it’s a long track season, so a lot of people get very excited for that first meet, and I understand that. But what we do is we just talk about the process and gradual improvement from early season meets to later on.”

“We can only control what we can control. So we’re going to do the best that we can.”

— Coach Ryan

Bolles Long Distance runners compete at the Mini Meet.

Credit: Catherine McClure

with this group. They are a good group. They’re very young.”

Ryan pointed out,“we can only control what we can control. So we’re going to do the best that we can. I still think we can, even though we lost some very good seniors.”

Coach Kyle Martin is the head coach for the Bolles sprints team.

Ryan also added,“For us, our focus is being in pretty good shape by the Bulldog Classic on the first of March, and then really picking it up by around FSU [meet] on the 22nd of March.”

Coach Ryan and the girls have won the state championship three years running. When asked about what this team can do this year, Ryan mourned the loss of last year’s seniors but expressed confidence in the team.

“Well, obviously, we lost some big, big point scorers, especially o[n the distance side. I mean, Jillian Candelino out of the team is a huge chunk of points, and other girls as well. But I’m optimistic

“I’m looking at all the people that are coming on track to introduce them to the new world of track, get them to try some new events, see what they like,” Martin said. “Also looking forward to people that are coming out, that have been coming out for the last few weeks. To see their hard work pay off in the new season and then hopefully some good performances come postseason.”

Martin also added what he thought of the team and their capabilities. “I think they’re capable of great things as long as they are willing to put in the work that’s needed for those great outcomes to happen. But they seem like a good group of kids, so I’m excited.”

Nikolas Azevedo Contributing Writer

Spring Breakout is great for the MLB

SJack Laufer Contributing Writer

pring training has been a tradition embedded in baseball ever since 1890 and is a sign that the season is right around the corner. This event acts as a fresh start for all the teams and allows them to turn the page and officially begin their journey on their new “march to October.” Spring training also gives players an opportunity to escape the harsh weather up north and travel south to shake off some offseason rust and give fans an opportunity to get their hopes up for their team’s upcoming season.

If you aren’t familiar with this event, MLB teams get split up evenly into two leagues. The leagues take place in Florida and Arizona. The league in Florida is the Grapefruit League and the league in Arizona is the Cactus League. Teams normally set up camp at a local minor league stadium or a college facility and play roughly 30 games.

This spring training, the MLB is debuting anew event called Spring Breakout. The action begins on March 14, when the Reds take on the Rangers in Arizona. Spring Breakout is a tournament style event that all 30 teams will partake in. The purpose is to shine light on the next generation of ballplayers. Young stars like Max Clark, Paul Skenes, and Dylan Crews will highlight the rosters of the teams. When asked about Spring Breakout in a press conference, commissioner Rob Manfred said, “Spring Breakout will provide a new opportunity to showcase the future stars of the game as they continue on their journey to the Major Leagues. Our

fans will get unique opportunities to meet our best prospects, get autographs and see the next generation of Major Leaguers up close.”

Now, as a MLB enthusiast, I am in love with the idea of Spring Breakout. This gives me an opportunity to cheer on my favorite team and also gives me an opportunity to watch the players I will be hopefully cheering on for years to come.

But this doesn’t seem to be the case for all MLB fans. Why? I don’t know, maybe they just hate fun?

“Spring Breakout will provide a new opportunity to showcase the future start of the game as they continue their journey to the Major Leagues.”

— Rob Manfred

Classic, just like young athletes have been training for months to finally showcase their talent to the world.

Last year, 21-year-old Duque Hebbert was selected off his amateur baseball club in Nicaragua to pitch for the Nicaraguan national team. When he was selected to the team, his one and only goal was to try to pitch well enough to catch MLB scouts’ eyes and possibly even earn an invite to a camp. In his first and only appearance in the tournament, he pitched one inning and struck out three of the MLB’s biggest faces: Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez, and Rafael Devers. Not even an hour after this game,

It seems Spring Breakout is getting the same backlash as the World Baseball Classic did last year. When asked about this event, Baseball analyst Donald Ford said on a talk show, “I’m not a fan of it [Spring Breakout]. It’s just a glorified spring training game that they call Spring Breakout to make a few extra bucks.” Some haters viewed this event as a money-grab from the MLB, but it’s so much more than that. Fans don’t realize athletes trained for months just to finally get a chance to showcase their talent on a big stage at the World Baseball

Hebbert was offered a contract with the Detroit Tigers, allowing him to continue his baseball career at the highest stage. Stories like Hebbert’s can only happen in baseball. This is why it bugs me that people want to take away this great opportunity for young guys to make their mark. Events like the Spring Breakout are great for Baseball. It’s great for the fans to get to meet their favorite team’s players, and it’s where these young players’ dreams become reality.

A spring training game underway. Credit: Getty Images

The NFL is stepping into the future, but some teams are stuck in the past

Nikolas Azevedo Contributing Writer

It’s 2024 in the NFL. General managers, owners, and fans want their teams to deliver a much more aggressive game.

In the past, teams prided themselves on their defense being able to win games for them. But that has changed. Teams are changing to a more offensive style, with several head coaches having prior experience on the offensive side of the ball as a coordinator, position coach, or player. Owners and general managers have favored the younger, more modern-minded style coach over the older defensive-based coaches.

Many teams are already ahead of the curve, but to the owners who are stuck in the past, and are trying to resurrect their team to play like the 2014 Seattle Seahawks or the 2015 Denver Broncos, it is time to wake up and move into the future of the NFL. Sure, there are teams that have great defenses. But the defenses now are nothing without a good offense. A perfect example of this is the San Francisco 49ers, who succeed on both sides of the ball instead of just one.

Nowadays, many coaches and GMs across the league have had to switch the way they draft, sign, and coach their teams. Coaches have to learn newer and more offensive-heavy approaches on how their team plays in order to adapt to the modern NFL. There have been several examples— such as former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley who was replaced by former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh—that if a coach is unable or unwilling to

change, they will be replaced with someone who can.

In 2024 alone, several head coaches lost their positions, with one of the more notable departures being Bill Belichick, who parted ways with the New England Patriots after 24 years; Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks, who was removed as head coach after 14 seasons; Mike Vrabel, who was fired after five seasons with the Tennessee Titans; and Ron Rivera, who was fired after three seasons by the Washington Commanders.

The NFL Logo Credit: NFL

For the past two seasons, all four coaches had a combined record of 55-81 with the only coach maintaining a winning record being Pete Caroll, going 9-8 in both seasons. Which is one of the reasons that he is staying within the organization, just not in a head coaching role.

With the 2023 season coming to an end and the 2024 offseason coming into view, GM’s and owners who have chosen a new path for their franchise have a lot

of work to do if they ever want to compete for the Lombardi Trophy. Being able to form a winning team starts with being able to find a suitable head coach. With the more modern ways of winning, an owner can only hope that his team is able to find a more offensively aggressive type of coach. Some very notable and popular head coaching candidates are Ben Johnson, Bobby Slowik.

These candidates more than deserve their stripes for being a head coach. Ben Johnson has been with the Lions since 2019 and started his tenure as the team’s Offensive Coordinator in 2022. In the two years that Johnson has been the head play caller, Detroit ranked top five in points scored and top four in total yards. Johnson’s imaginative, aggressive, and more modern play-calling styles are just some of the reasons that he is a top candidate come the 2024 offseason.

Bobby Slowik served with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2022. From 2020 to 2022, Slowik worked on the offensive side of the ball as an offensive assistant and passing game coordinator. In February of 2023, Slowik was hired by the Houston Texans as the team’s offensive coordinator in hope’s that he could turn around the team’s offense from the year before, when they ranked 30th in total points and 31st in total yards. In Slowik’s first year as the team’s offensive coordinator, he and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud took the Texans’ offense to 13th in total points and 12th in total yards.

So to all the NFL owners and GMs who want to take their team to the next level—it starts with taking a step into the future.

Coach Ryan inducted into Florida Track and Field Hall of Fame

Ellie Stewart Copy Editor

Coach Tony Ryan was inducted into the Florida Track and Field Hall of Fame on January 4, 2024, and shares about his nomination and contributions to the team.

Ryan credits “having good coaches, and having a team that buys into the culture of being the best that you can be” to his success as a coach. He surrounds himself with coaches he has both coached as athletes and worked with in the past, allowing him to elevate the Bolles Track and Field program by focusing on the athletes and the team environment.

For Ryan, the most important thing a coach can do for the team is “to always look for ways to improve.” Ryan says that great coaching involves attending clinics, receiving input from other coaches, and reading about running to continue to learn about the sport. “Once a coach thinks that they know it all and they can’t get any better in what they do, then it’s probably time to stop coaching,” he says.

While Ryan is honored by the nomination, he remains humble

and looks forward to the continuing development of the program. “I measure success by having a good, consistent program every year, rather than just being good when you have some talented athletes that all come along at the same time.”

He defines a successful team environment as “not necessarily buying into winning, but being the best runner and teammate that you can possibly be.” This allows the athletes not only to be competitive with one another, but also to value their improvement as athletes and measure their success by their growth as runners, not by times.

In Ryan’s experience, the most important thing a team can do is maintain the balance of hard, progressive, and recovery days, while remaining consistent in training schedules throughout a season. Consistency allows the athletes to get the most out of their workouts, while also utilizing recovery to minimize injury and continue to make improvements at practice.

“A lot of it is trying to find the right balance between having a program that works hard when it needs to work hard, but also have fun at the same time.” — Coach Ryan

Ryan emphasizes how the best recovery for an athlete is sleep. “Ice baths, massages, rolling, icing- there is nothing that is more beneficial than getting a

good night’s sleep consistently.” To accommodate this, Ryan highlights the importance of sustainable practice times so that the athletes are able to get home at a reasonable hour and get a good night’s sleep.

Off the field, Ryan is an advisor and 11th grade English teacher at Bolles. He describes the advantages of being a coach and teacher, and how he is able to use this to have better insight of a student-athlete’s schedule.

“I’m a big believer in making the practices efficient,” Ryan says, “so that students are getting home at a reasonable time knowing that they’ve got to get their homework done.”

Above all, Coach Ryan is grateful for the opportunity to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. “I’m really fortunate to get to coach some really great kids, and have great parents that support our program,” he says.

Girls winning the 2023 State Championship.

Credit: Catherine McClure

Girls Track and Field on their way to the 2023 State Championship.

Credit: Catherine McClure

Spring signing day

Spring signing day for senior athletes

Ty Neal Contributing Writer

February 7 marked the day for 18 seniors to sign to the college they will attend for the next few years of their athletic and academic journey.

“I am ecstatic for this new chapter in my life.”

— Zee Curtis ‘24

Football

Garrison Butler looks to continue his academic and athletic journey at the University of Cincinnati. Noah Cole looks to continue football as well at Gardner-Webb University. Christian Hills and J.D. Matson both decided to attend Washington and Lee University. Matson signed not only for football but lacrosse as well. Hills said he chose Washington and Lee because they have “great alumni support” and “great academics.” Additionally, two other seniors graduated early in December, Trent Carter and DJ Moore. Carter is currently attending Louisville while Moore is at Coastal Carolina University.

“It really just felt like a place that I could picture myself continuing my track and field career for the next four years at.”

— Presley Wolfe ‘24

Baseball

The only baseball player to sign in Feburary was Aidan Lynch, who will play at Middlebury College.

Basketball

Garrett Watterson will be attending Sewanee: The University of the South. Hilary Englert and Ella Stakem will be traveling to the Carolinas to go to Furman University and Belmont Abbey College, respectively. Track & Field/Cross Country

Anthony Whitthall posing happily for signing to South Carolina University.

Credit: Anthony Whitthall

Leila Bata signed to Amherst College for both Track & Field and Cross Country. Second, Presley Wolfe signed to Tulane University for Track & Field. “It really just felt like a place that I could picture myself continuing my track and field career for the next four years at.” Lastly, Zee Curtis signed to Florida State University for Track & Field. Curtis looks to Florida State University not just for the athletic experience but also the academic opportunity. “I am ecstatic for this new chapter in my life,” Curtis said.

“After I get my foot in the door I feel like I’ll be able to adjust pretty well.”

— Christian Hills ‘24

Lacrosse

Men’s lacrosse player Ethan Binns looks to continue academically and athletically at Grove City College. Jacob Campen will attend Denison University, and Kellen Padgett will go to EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University.

Swimming

For swimming, Anthony Whitthall, will be attending the University of South Carolina. Elizabeth Erlendsdottir will be attending the Georgia Institute of Technology and Keira Scott will be staying at the University of Northern Colorado.

Crew

Lastly, for rowing, the only senior commit is Sara Wasserman for Georgetown University.

Sara Wasserman signs to Goergetown University.

Credit: Sara Wasserman

ACADEMICS ACADEMICS

Bolles Mockers

Mock Trial goes in for the kill(shot)

Kate Youell Social Media Editor

Becoming a lawyer is a difficult feat, but students can join Mock Trial to ease the process or learn about how law works. Mock Trial is a team that competes in scrimmages against other schools. Teams are given cases and meet weekly to study and memorize their role in the case before performing it at the scrimmages.

Bolles has a successful Mock Trial team sponsored by Mrs. Dividu, a history teacher at Bolles, and Mr. Holland, a lawyer and Bolles parent. Both advise and coach during practices and at the different competitions. Those being circuits that were on February 9, where Bolles got second, and the winner moved on to states in early March.

Mrs. Dividu, a key component of Mock Trial, does a lot behind the scenes to keep it afloat. She’s always at the meetings, giving advice on witness characterization and how the characters are appearing on the stand. Along with the important job of providing dinner every Wednesday for the long meetings. Ava Mariotti ‘25, says, “Mrs. Dividu and Mr. Holland are the glue that holds the team together and we love them so much!”

Students join Mock Trial for a variety of reasons, whether it’s because they had Mrs. Dividu freshman year and experienced her Gengis Khan and Martin Luther trials, or just because they want to become a lawyer in the future. Mock gives students an

opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a lawyer. Mariotti, who has been doing

A Mock Trial practice. Credit:

Ava Mariotti

Mock Trial for two and a half years, loves it and all the ways it has prepared her for the future. Mariotti said, “I also love the friendships I’ve formed in Mock; when you spend hours together working on cases, you form such close bonds with your team. Some of my best friends are people I’m on Mock with, and I love it for giving me the opportunity to make so many amazing connections.”

Preparing for a trial is a process that can take up to 3 months. The team usually gets the case around 2 months before the competitions. Then they spend a few Wednesdays talking through the case and coming up with “killshots.” “Killshots” are claims that if the team can prove, the case is over and done. After these preliminary meetings they hold tryouts for the different parts. For each case there’s two teams: the prosecution and the defense or the plaintiff and the defense, depending on what type of case it is.

After the sides are established, they begin preparing. They split

into teams, prepare questions, prep the case, and then come together as a team to practice. As the competition gets closer, the practice schedule becomes more rigorous. Their busy season happens after winter break which means three meetings a week and going through every detail of the case.

This year’s case was about AI in the college setting. The team had to become familiar with the policies on AI as well as learn about what it means to actually write a paper using AI.

This year they got second at circuits after working hard on both sides of the case. The lawyers and witnesses did an amazing job and set a great foundation for the future team.

“Mock trial is so fun and you get close to people you would not usually interact with, it’s just a different enviroment. I feel like we are a close knit family.”

— Richa Harmani ‘24

Next year Mariotti and Max Kim ‘25 will be presidents taking over current co-presidents Richa Harmani ‘24 and Amber Bansal ‘24. Mariotti said, “I’m excited to see the team improve and get better with time - our team is still relatively new, and we have so much to learn. However, there’s so much potential and I’m excited to see what we do!”

Above and below are pictures from circuits.

Credit: Bolles Mock Trial team

Japanese teacher, Ms. Braren, to retire after 32 years

Japanese teacher, Ms. Braren, will retire this spring after 32 years.

Braren first began teaching when her relatives were students at Bolles. “They said ‘oh, they don’t have any Japanese,’” Braren recalls. Inspired by Japanese culture, Ms. Braren began teaching and brought the Japanese program to life.

In the past three decades, Ms. Braren has noticed that the biggest change in the classroom is the amount of technology now available to help teach. When Ms. Braren first came to Bolles, she used videotapes, VCRs, and textbooks to give lessons. Now, with access to the Internet, Ms. Braren is able to centralize her teaching materials and “just use YouTube” along with textbooks.

Online access to the Internet and platforms such as YouTube also allow teachers to find videos that help visually teach students. These may include content on cuisine,

martial arts, theater, and other cultural traditions dating back hundreds of years.

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Braren is the sponsor of the Japanese club. Here, students enjoy watching anime, practicing Kung Fu, learning calligraphy, and making Japanese rice balls called onigiri, all of which they otherwise wouldn’t be able to learn in class.

Ms. Braren has been helping organize the Japanese exchange program since 1997. This year, the Japanese exchange students are visiting February 21-March 6.

While the exchange students are here, they stay with host families, visit local destinations, attend classes with Bolles students, and watch athletic games. Ms. Braren emphasizes the importance of having foreign experiences because they deepen the students’ understanding of different cultures.

She also helps organize the Bolles students’ trip to Japan as a part of the exchange trip. “We send

the students to the Tokyo partner school, and they take the same classes in Japan,” Ms. Braren says. Taking these classes allows the exchange students to experience the different ways students learn around the world, and to learn more about the student environment in different countries.

In past years, the Japanese exchange students, Bolles students, and Ms. Braren have helped organize the annual Japanese Week, consisting of Kahoot games, origami and onigiri making, and more anime. Ms. Braren hopes to emphasize the importance of learning about Japanese culture.

“People travel all over the world,” Braren says, “and when they go to Japan, they may have business with Japanese companies.” Being able to assimilate with Japanese culture sets travelers and businessmen and women up for success, and having the opportunity to teach these skills to students is the reason Ms. Braren began teaching.

Ellie Stewart Copy Editor

Ms. Braren talking with an exchange student. Credit: Ellie Stewart

ARTS ARTS

Bolles Scholastic Awards

Showcasing our artist's work

Tristan Schneider Contributing Writer

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have been an annual tradition for seventh to eleventh grade students around the nation. Winning an award is a high accomplishment to students, with the awards ranging from cash prizes to scholarships that can reach up to 12,500 dollars. Bolles students have a history of having their artworks selected, and this year is no exception.

“The microscopic scale of the photos in this project are made to represent the infinitesimal scale of matter. My camera and microscope serve as tools to introduce science into art. My equipment helps illustrate that throughout all of our bodies, all forms of life, all matter; there exist diminutive fractals that challenge the grandiose of the cosmos as a whole. In other words, we live through the means of ‘Invisible Universes’.”

- “Invisible Universe” by Dylan Schwartz

“The Human Connection” by Miles Pike

“Reclaimed Beauty” by Anna Richardson

“Daydreaming” by Trey Railey

People observe Scholastic artwork from all Scholastic Gold Key winners in the Jacksonville public library display downtown. Credit: Ava Cheng

“Humanity in Machines” by Alyona Chugay

“Minimalist” by Caleb Brigman.

“Jane Eyre; Writing to Regalia” by Sarah Anne Thomas

“Pretty in Pink” by Dylan Schwartz

“The Other Woman” by Caylee Padgett

AP 2D artists build their portfolios

Isabel Bassin Co-Editor-In-Chief

Dylan Schwartz ‘24 presses his camera attachment into the microscope lens, trying to get the perfect shot. He, along with 13 other seniors, is enrolled in AP 2D Art, and spends his art classes curating his crystalline photography. “My portfolio focuses on the expansive and invisible crystalline structures of natural compounds,” Schwartz said. “I search for connections to life and the greater universe within these brilliantly colorful patterns.”

Schwartz uses his scientific prowess to develop complex methods for creating his art. Attached to his camera is a tool he 3D printed, which he says “allows me to perfect my microscopy technique and compositions.” The tool was the subject of his State Science and Engineering Fair project. Schwartz grew several dozen crystals, and plans to submit a dozen photos to the College Board, including his current favorite, “Tastes Like Sugar.”

(Left) Schwartz’s piece “Day and Night.”

(Above) Schwartz posing with his camera and 3D printed attachment.

Credit: Isabel Bassin and Dylan Schwartz

Alyona Chugay ‘24 explores another type of futuristic coexistence: the ethics of AI technology and nature. With her art, Chugay hopes to inspire discussions around “the severe lack of safeguards and standardized ethical practices” regarding the use of AI, which is “a major problem that could hinder that possible future” of emerging technology. Chugay’s pieces range from digital art to acrylic painting.

“I’ve gained a lot of problem-solving skills and the ability to think outside the box when I’m stuck on something” Chugay says. “It’s also given me the confidence to try things I never would’ve imagined doing.” Her favorite project so far, titled “MastAIrpiece,” is an image of two robot arms painting on a canvas. “I love it because it’s a really good commentary on what’s happening right now with AI generated art.”

Meia Popp ‘24 takes a more traditional route with her portfolio. Centered around “how colors and patterns affect our memories and relationships,” Popp explores her theme with a pack of 120 colored pencils. To start her drawings, Popp reflects on her relationships and the memories she has created with those close to her. She then likes to “depict the colors and patterns that are not necessarily in the memory, but what I associate those emotions with.”

Though transmitted to a flat paper, Popp reflects on the multidimensional characteristics of memories. She translates those feelings to her drawings, using vibrant pencils and textile images to tell the story of her core memories. One of her favorite pieces is her current project, a drawing of her sister’s high school graduation. “I love it because the memory of my sister’s graduation is very important to me, and the leis are a fun and colorful thing to look at.”

Credit: Isabel Bassin

(Top Left) Popp’s piece “Holding a Heart.” (Above) Popp’s piece “The People I Call Home.” (Bottom Left) Popp’s piece “Comfort Food.” (Below) Popp drawing her latest and favorite piece, “Keala.”

and Meia Popp

Cauthen Catlin ‘24 explores colors’ representations of her relationships, but on very different surfaces. Catlin uses acrylic paint to depict various abstract designs on to pieces of technology - she paints on iPads, monitors, TVs, and phones. Colors represent the personalities of those closest to her, as Catlin explains that “their traits have become some of my traits.”

Catlin took on this theme as she believes it’s very human - in her eyes, everyone adopts bits and pieces of those around them - it’s what makes them unique. Her favorite piece so far, “Engulfing Anxiety” was a painting on a monitor, depicting a close friend of hers who shares her struggles with anxiety. “This piece portrays some of my deepest personality traits,” Catlin said. “Art has helped me express some of my emotions that I can’t express through words.”

(Top Right) Catlin painting on a wall phone. (Middle) Catlin’s painting, “Always Watching.” (Middle Right) Catlin’s painting, “Engulfing Anxiety.” (Bottom Right) Catlin’s painting “Concealed Emotion.” (Below) Pakala drawing base designs for her current project.

Credit: Isabel Bassin and Cauthen Catlin

Shruthi Pakala crafts pieces of all media types to discover how art can define borderless emotions. Because Pakala describes her art as “abstract” and “interpretive,” her pieces are rarely definitively finished - she always sees more negative space to fill, or intricacies to add her designs.

Unlike her peers, Pakala doesn’t find inspiration in reflection. “My work is based on experimentation and seeing where it takes me,” she says. Of her 12 pieces, some finished and some in progress, her favorite is titled “Effervescent.” Composed of technical designs and handwritten notes from close friends, Pakala says it is one of the pieces closest to her.

Op-EdOp-Ed

The Resolution Revolution

Why you should stop making New Year’s resolutions

Isabel Schimpff Coffeehouse Editor

Stop setting your year up for failure!

Did you make a New Year’s resolution this New Year? If you did, you’re certainly not alone: over 73% of people in the US make resolutions every year according to the Forbes Health/ OnePoll survey in 2023.

I hate to tell you, but deep down you probably already know over 90% of resolutions will fail within the next few months—80% of those don’t even make it until February.

Why are New Year’s resolutions so harmful? Well, I’m here to give you my unlicensed opinion on why we should stop making resolutions (but don’t worry, I did my research first).

First off, ask yourself the following questions: Why did you make your resolution? How attainable is that resolution? Did you set a goal for yourself because you truly wanted a lasting change in your life, or did you set a goal because it’s tradition and everyone around you was making them too?

The first issue with New Year’s resolutions lies within the motivation people have to make them in the first place. Forbes Health/ OnePoll survey tells us that 61.7% of respondents say that they feel pressured to set a resolution each year. Is this really the best rationale for making a drastic change in your life? The poll also tells us that 66.5% of respondents say they plan on making three or more goals.

Already, you feel pressured to make these goals that probably include a drastic change in your life, but now you’re planning multiple despite knowing they have a good chance of quickly failing. Why?

Of course, we romanticize the idea of January 1. It’s a chance for you to turn your life around, which is always appealing. It’s so intriguing because you’re not alone in attempting change, and we feel less threatened when tackling challenges with other people. Friends and family can help keep us accountable and on track to meet our goals. People are more understanding of changes in your life because it’s common for people to also make goals at this time. While these all sound like great motivators, in reality, the people you surround yourself with will slowly start abandoning their own goals one by one until you feel justification for abandoning your resolutions too. Then life goes back to normal and the work you’ve put into the last month of your life becomes meaningless.

So why do we set ourselves up to fail again after years of defeat? I believe that it’s all because of how we are wired. As people, we are wired to jump on trends and continue traditions. It doesn’t really matter how practical or impractical they may seem, but when we see others doing something, we feel inclined to join in too. Think about it, it’s the only reason anyone still drinks eggnog at Christmas. We are also wired to be optimistic even in the face of evidence—hence why people buy lottery tickets.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t try to change. Some people definitely have admirable goals. If you have stuck with a resolution that has improved your life, all the more power to you! I just think there are better ways to go about making those improvements. Change is hard, it’s a fact of life. So when you make a change in your life, you should be emotionally prepared to make those changes, or they won’t stick. There isn’t a magic switch that goes off at 12 am on January 1 that allows you to be ready for change. It has to come on your own time for you to be the most successful.

“The pain of not changing has to be greater than the pain of changing.”

— Terri Bly

Terri Bly, a clinical psychologist, argues that in order for us to really change, the pain of not changing has to be greater than the pain of changing. For example, it’s so much easier to do your homework the morning it is due because you know that the consequence of not turning it in is greater than the consequence of not getting any sleep.

Most resolutions are not essential changes. I’d be willing to bet the goals you set for yourself fit into one of these three categories: the wish to stop doing something (having fast food often or running over curbs), the wish to stop avoiding something (getting rid of the trash in your room or not procrastinating your homework), or the wish to

start doing something (running more, spending more time with your family). Most of these things would probably make your life better, but they aren’t crucial to your survival. Therefore, the pain of changing would be greater than the pain of not changing.

The last big reason I think we fail so easily is because we ignore the Stages of Change Model. This was a model developed by James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente to help us understand the process of self-inflicted human change. The first four stages include contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Many times when we make resolutions in January, the first three steps are skipped over. We expect to

begin at the maintenance step. In doing so, we deprive ourselves of the proper preparation needed to succeed. The maintenance step is also often the longest of the entire process. When we change, we step outside our comfort zone and no one enjoys being uncomfortable.

Basically, this means you are thrusting yourself into the fourth and longest step of the Change Model, forcing yourself to be in a stage of discomfort for a long period of time in order to see lasting change. Then ironically, to top it all off, many resolutions include stopping many things that help us cope with the discomfort and stress in our lives, like stress-eating.

Once we abandon our resolutions, it sets a precedent for the rest of the year. It’s harmful to continue setting goals and then failing to meet them. Later in the year when we are finally prepared to make a change, we will think back to our New Year’s resolutions and become dismayed, losing hope of completing our new goals.

We all love the idea of a new beginning and a clean slate. It gives us room for our new mistakes and our new successes. So if we love new beginnings, let’s not ruin our next New Year with resolutions that guarantee our failure.

Resolutions can also be hypocritical and superficial. Oftentimes, the resolutions serve no other purpose than to just be something to post on social media, even if that contradicts the goal. These are just more reasons why you should refrain from making New Year’s resolutions in the future.

Cartoon by Isabel Schimpff

Jacksonville Jaguars

Where it all went wrong

Jack Laufer Contributing Writer

If you told me two months ago that the Jaguars wouldn’t be playing in Super Wildcard Weekend, I would probably assume that they finished as the one seed in the AFC and earned the first round bye.

If you told me that the Jaguars didn’t play in Super Wildcard Weekend because they were eliminated, I would laugh hysterically.

After the Jaguars’ victory over the Texans on November 26, the Jaguars were standing on business as the one seed in the AFC, and the New York Times playoff simulator predicted the Jaguars to make the playoffs in 99% of their simulations.

Five weeks ago, the Titans beat the Jaguars, officially eliminating them from playoff contention.

The whole city and team is still shocked from what occurred. After the Titans game, safety Andre Cisco said, “It’s hard to process this moment…I definitely didn’t think of an outcome where we’d be going home today.”

Eight weeks ago, the Jags were on fire. Everyone in the media was talking about the Jaguars like they’d already clinched their ninth playoff berth in franchise history. Going into week 13, Jacksonville was mostly healthy, Trevor Lawrence was dealing, and the defense looked reminiscent of the legendary 2017 Sacksonville.

So, where did it all go wrong?

Depending on how you look at the situation, you could point out many different ways where it all went wrong.

In my opinion, this historic downfall happened a few minutes

into the week 13 overtime loss versus the Bengals.

During the first drive of the Monday Night Football game against the Bengals, Lawrence connected with a wide open Christian Kirk for a 26 yard catch. During the play, Kirk fell awkwardly and recieved a seasonending injury.

Three quarters later, the Jaguars found themselves in a tight 2828 game in the fourth quarter on the Bengals’ 23 yard line when center Luke Fortner stepped on Lawrence’s ankle, sidelining him for the rest of the game… and I may or may not have wept many tears.

And to add insult to injury (literally), the Jaguars ended up losing this game in an overtime heartbreaker, 34-31.

All Jaguar fans quickly looked past the loss and turned their attention to their franchise quarterback, because the injury he suffered wasn’t the easiest to watch.The injury Lawrence suffered that night was a high ankle sprain—typically, ankle sprain injuries sideline players for six to eight weeks.

Shockingly, on only six days’ rest, Trevor played the next game in Cleveland.

In my opinion, this was the absolute worst decision of the year. Why would you let a 24-year-old quarterback play six days after he suffered an injury?! A common factor amongst quarterbacks who turn into the face of the franchise is that they take care of their bodies. There have been many cases where a franchise thinks they have a franchise quarterback until he forces himself to play through an injury. Take Chris Simms for example: Tampa thought they had a franchise quarterback until

Simms played through a fractured spleen. If Lawrence wants to be one of the greats in Jacksonville, he first must learn to take care of his body.

You could tell that Lawrence was playing with an injury this game, throwing for 257 passing yards and three touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions. The Jags would go on to lose this game 31-27.

This loss was a terrible team effort. Lawrence threw a hat trick of interceptions, the O-line let up 4 sacks, the run game wasn’t efficient at all – averaging 2.5 yards a carry, and the defense let the 41-year-old Joe Flacco pick them apart. The only somewhat bright spot was that Evan Engram had an amazing day, logging 95 yards and two touchdowns.

After week 14, the Jaguars were 8-5, and still had a one game lead in the AFC South. There was still some faith in the city, though the team had two back to back rough weeks.

The best teams in the NFL don’t maximize how many good plays they make, but minimize the errors they make.

Week 15 was back at the bank on a primetime Sunday night football match against the future one seed holder, the Baltimore Ravens.

In my opinion, this game was when the Jaguars truly got eliminated.

The Jaguars had every reason to win this game; it was a teal out primetime at home, they had to win to keep the sole possession of the AFC South, and they were also playing the best team in the conference.

To this day, I still can’t decide which was more embarrassing: watching the Jaguars flop like a fish out of water on national

Steamboat Willie

Disney’s copyright ends with horror

MTristan Schneider Contributing Writer

ickey Mouse as a character has been synonymous with child friendly content for the past 95 years, but now he will be seen as a hellish monster out for blood. This might seem like an out of left field decision for the Mickey Mouse character by Disney, but these new interpretations are not being made by Disney.

As of 2024, the copyright for the first version of Mickey Mouse, SteamBoat Willie, has expired, meaning that anyone can now use the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse without any licensing issues in any type of media. It has been a long journey for the character to enter the public domain, with Disney lobbying Congress about the copyright laws in the 70s and 90s, trying to keep Mickey in their ownership for as long as possible. To show how much of a hold Disney has had on the copyright laws, Steamboat Willie was originally supposed to expire in 1955, and it has finally expired 69 years later.

television, or my neighbor confronting me the following morning for waking him up in the middle of the night after the atrocious play calling to end the second half.

Yet again, the Jaguars dropped this game, 23-7. Everyone was losing hope.

In week 16, the Jaguars traveled to Tampa Bay for a Christmas Eve matchup against the Buccaneers.

For my own sanity, I will not go back and analyze this game. The final score of 30-12 says enough.

Entering week 17, the Jags were 8-7, the four seed in the AFC, and tied for the lead in the AFC South

The release of the character basically prints money for companies because of the brand recognition, so with the announcement of the copyright expiration, film and game studios have been hard at work at using the character in any way possible. As of January 2024, two horror films, “Mickey’s Mousetrap” (a “Scream”-like slasher movie) and another untitled film have already been announced and started production, with “Mickey’s Mousetrap” releasing in March of this year. There has also been a horror video game announced, “Infestation: Origins,” a four player co-op survival game with Mickey Mouse as one of the enemies.

This is not the first time a popular children’s character has been used in horror projects. Last year saw the release of “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” after the expiration of Winnie the Pooh’s copyright. The movie garnered almost all negative reviews but managed to make 5.2 million dollars on a 100,000 dollar budget.

– a drastic change in four weeks. Thankfully, the Jaguars took on the 2-14 Carolina Panthers at home. The Jaguars treated this as a bye week, benching Lawrence and limiting the snap count for many other starters. The Jaguars blew by the Panthers, 26-0, and controlled their destiny in a wdo or die week 18 against the hated Tennessee Titans.

The Jaguars blew by the Panthers, 26-0, and controlled their destiny in a wdo or die week 18 against the hated Tennessee Titans.

Well, the Jaguars fumbled their destiny away, falling inches away (literally) from their second consecutive AFC South championship.

This seems to be a new trend, and a successful trend at that, making millions of dollars off of shoestring budgets. These movies, however, are not seen well in the public eye. They are mostly cheap cash grabs that don’t promote quality storytelling or the general art of film. The Steamboat Willie movies will probably be the same as the other poorly made films - they won’t have good stories or characters, but will just exist for the shock of seeing Disney’s mascot brutally murdering people.

This could have been a very cool and interesting idea if done correctly. Horror movies in the past have always had low budgets, but they also had people that cared about what they were making. These new movies feel like they are just being made as quickly and poorly as possible, with the people creating them not caring about what they are putting out, just the paycheck. That’s not what the art of film should be about.

Post game, Coach Doug Peterson said “Me personally, I’m frustrated, I’m disappointed, I’m mad, I’m angry… They worked their tails off. This sucks.” Looking back on this season, it seems people have quickly looked past our success and focused on the downfall, which is easy to do. People are acting like they are about to go straight back to the “classic Jags” who constantly go 3-14.

The city of Jacksonville deserves better than the tragedy that happened in the last two months of the season. Heading into the offseason, I fully trust the front office to make the hires and signings to push us over this 9-8 hill and into the true contenders area. Go Jags!

Dear Juniors,

Isabel Bassin Co-Editor-In-Chief

We need to talk. Over the past few years, I think many of us seniors would agree that we’ve had a cordial, respectful, and even friendly dynamic between our two classes. But that ends now. It has been ending for the past semester. It ends every time one of you illegally parks in A or C lot. This is war.

Seniority concepts like parking and off-campus privileges only work when the chain of being is obeyed. Freshmen agree to be the grunts, the invisibles. Sophomores get restless and eat in the canteen whenever possible, but still know their place (for the most part - we’ll come back to them). But you juniors seem to have lost all regard for fairness and the food chain.

We were you once. We didn’t get spots and parked on the road or at the church, or we made the F lot trek every morning and afternoon. We waited patiently for our time to shine.

So we’re breaking up. It’s not me, it’s you. It’s your precious Range Rovers and lifted F-150’s. It’s your audacity to roll up at 8:27am and strut through the rows of C lot like you own the place. We’re proud of you for passing your driving tests and convincing your parents you just absolutely needed that Jeep Wrangler. That does NOT give you the right to take our parking spots.

When I arrive at school at 9:20 after a restful late wake-up on the days I start with my off period, I am met with the absolute horror of circling A and C looking for just one empty spot. Your parking in A lot hurts us just as much as your parking in C lot - both lots are meant for the senior class (minus the 10 or so lucky juniors granted A lot privileges). Additionally, learn to park before you try to pull a fast one. News flash - you’re actually supposed to park between the two white lines, not on top of them.

So please, just stop. Let us enjoy our last 5 months of high school. We just want to be able to park close to school and walk in without racing through the lot trying to beat each other to the final few empty spots.

Sincerely, The Senior Class P.S. Sophomores, you think you’re slick, huh? You think since you ride the varsity baseball bench and have a 6-day Snap streak with a senior girl that allows you to dare drive your tires on our asphalt? Parking your muddy trucks in A lot instead of C doesn’t take away from the absolute offense you commit. The juniors may be toeing the line, but you’re vaulting over it.

The Trek to F- Lot

Ellie Stewart Copy Editor

Students who park at F- Lot and the church know the challenges of crossing the practice field after school or practice between hours of 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. After extensive research of javelin flight patterns, soccer drills, and shot aerodynamics, we have mapped a reliable path through the practice field and its mud pits that ensures safety and efficiency while making the trek to your car.

Taylor Swift and the NFL

Jack Laufer Contributing Writer

Recently, almost every NFL fan was tossed in the middle of the crazy Love Story between pop icon Taylor Swift and the Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce. Throughout the season, it sure seemed the NFL broadcasting crew’s favorite thing was to display Tcheering on her boyfriend during his games. Fans hated this Style and Swift quickly became the Anti-Hero among many NFL fans, and Bad Blood was created. Eventually, Karma came around to all the hating NFL fans and the Kansas City Chiefs became the Super Bowl champions.

Candy Heart’s Valentines

Ty Neal Contributing Writer

Oftentimes, people will say “the worst they could say is ‘No’ when asking someone out or to be your valentine. Anyone that has been rejected knows that this is the furthest statement from the truth. Candy hearts will always do their best to ensure success. Each and every candy heart goes under the needle to eliminate the smallest chances of rejection. The clever messages are crafted by skilled professionals that specialize in non-rejection. So, if you were on the fence about asking that special someone to be your valentine, just know that just like the candy hearts, the most you can do is present yourself accordingly and hope for the best. Just make sure to also give candy hearts this Valentine’s Day!

Multimedia Projects

Students and Staff Super Bowl picks

Kate Youell Social Media Editor

We asked several of our students and staff two things.

1. Who’s your favorite team?

2. Who’s going to the Superbowl

Checkout @thebollesbugle to watch the full video!

A practice with Bolles Girls Crew

Hailey Christy Contributing Writer

Join along with the Bolles Girls Crew team as they go through a typical afternoon practice in this video found on the Bolles Bugle Youtube page.