Silhouette End-of-Year Issue 2021

ilhouette S

COLUMBUS SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

VOL. 60

Pride in PRIDE Club Ruthie Saar, XI Originally, Silhouette wanted to feature an article where students that are part of the LGBTQ+ community could share their coming out stories in honor of June being Pride Month. After a few meetings with CSG’s PRIDE Club, however, we realized that not only are there many different stories and voices that make up the LGBTQ+ community at our school, but also that there are differing opinions (even about the act of coming out!) as well. In an effort to bring these voices forward, it was decided that it was finally time to hold a panel for these unique experiences to be shared.

Coming out stories are a familiar narrative in pop culture today, but they differ for everyone. When Silhouette sent an email asking for coming out stories this past March, we received two varying stories. For example, Abigail Falk, XI, shared that she came out to her family by texting their group chat “Guess who’s bi…” with lots of emojis to accompany her nonchalant announcement. She recalls, “I wanted to keep it casual, and I think [my family] got that vibe from me because I’m not that serious… It was quick, but it got to the point.” She relays that when coming out to her friends, she always did it over text to avoid “scary and weirdly serious” situations. On the other hand, Zia Lamaze, XI, admits with a laugh, “I’ve never really been in the closet for, like, most of my life.” They explain that they were open to everyone about being lesbian, but had challenges when telling their parents they were also non-binary (not attached

to a gender): “When I discovered I was non-binary, it was a bit difficult to tell my parents because it’s less of how I relate to the world around me and more how I relate to myself.” Zia makes the amazing point that what mainly matters is how you think about yourself, not how others perceive you.

During our panel in early May, there was a discussion about the glorification of coming out stories. Parker Hearst, XII, leader of PRIDE Club, explains that “[we need to] clear up the misconception that coming out is, like, the pinnacle of the queer community.”

Since coming out stories hold different levels of importance to different people, the assumption that they are a defining moment in every queer person’s life needs to come to an end.

For the past few years, PRIDE Club has participated in a demonstration called Day of Silence.

The official event was on April 23rd, but CSG observed it on the 26th to avoid conflict with Scholarship Walk.

By remaining silent for a whole day, this statement is meant to spread awareness about the bullying and silencing of LGBTQ+ students all over the nation. At CSG, two kinds of stickers were laid out in the Upper School Commons: one read “Participant,” and the other, “Supporter.” The participant sticker shows who is choosing to remain silent throughout the day.

The supporter sticker displays that the person wearing it stands behind the cause. While PRIDE Club has organized this day in the past, this year, members of PRIDE and CSG’s queer community felt some disappointment when it took place. J Gammons, XI,

sighs, “Day of Silence was kind of disappointing this year. Only five or six [students] were actively participating, so it was disheartening to see, [but] it’s great to see that there [were] many supporters.” Parker confesses her frustrations that Scholarship Walk was scheduled on the day PRIDE originally planned to have Day of Silence, forcing the club to move their statement to the following Monday.

Despite some negatives about Day of Silence this year, there were also major improvements from years past. Maya Lang, XI, describes, “Mr. Niemi started his class off with a moment of silence, and also Dr. Hattaway made a Google Doc so people could make comments about Virginia Woolf instead of actually speaking.”

Kiera Rennick, XI, highlights an important remark: “One of the most common misconceptions is that if you participate in LGBTQ+ activities, then you are a queer person, and that is not true. People shouldn’t assume.

With Day of Silence this year, I think a lot of people at CSG believe that if you participate in Day of Silence, you are a queer person.” PRIDE Club encourages everyone, even if you don’t identify as LGBTQ+, to participate in Day of Silence. Kiera continues, “It would make us in the queer community feel safer.”

This was not even close to the end of the conversation. By the time the clock struck one for third period, we had only skimmed the surface. To support our queer CSGers in everything that they do, we can start by not only being supporters for Day of Silence, but also participants. We should have pride in our PRIDE Club!

ISSUE 4

May 2021

Featured in This Issue: - Ms. Ciccarelli Discusses Dear CSG - The Robotics Team's 20th Year - The Musicians of CSG

- The Unending Debate: Best Local Ice Cream?

- Teachers' Summer Jobs in High School - Hair Care with Dr. D - Quiz: What Animal Are You Based on Your Ideal Vacation?

Atticus Basso-Schricker, XI, flaunts a rainbow flag as a cape. Photo courtesy of Atticus Basso-Schricker, XI.

Our in-person panelists put up their peace signs. From the left: Kiera Rennick, XI, J Gammons, XI, Zia Lamaze, XI, and Atticus Basso-Schricker, XI. Photo courtesy of Ruthie Saar, XI.

- VERBATIM

2 CSG News A Chat with Ciccarelli: The Dear CSG Instagram McKenna Merriman, XII June 24, 2020 marks the first post on the now schoolwide known @shewillknowherpower Instagram page, also referred to as “Dear CSG.” A short story from a former student reads “my concerns weren’t important,” in response to the way an administrator responded to their concerns about Latinx representation. Following this post, students, alumni, parents, and even faculty have anonymously shared their troubling experiences at CSG. The account has gained recognition from members both within and outside the school, reaching nearly 1,400 followers and almost 200 posts over the course of a year.

As we-- students, alumni, parents, and faculty-continue to read the posts, it is important we take a moment to ask, “what has come of this?” I met with Head of School Ms. Ciccarelli to hear what progress she believes has been made coming up on a year since the account’s creation, and where she thinks we are going.

First, Ms. Ciccarelli opens on how the school re-

sponded when the account was created. She says that before the Dear CSG instagram page was created, she had started hearing about “@blackat[insert school name]” accounts from around the country, which were pages for Black students at PWIs to share their stories. “We [administrators] started talking about if this comes up [at CSG] how we would manage it,” she said.

When speaking about the state of the school in regards to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work, she admits, “We know there was a lot more to be done.” Once she heard from Ms. Westbrook and other administrators that the CSG-specific account was launched, she soon reached out to the page’s moderator with condolences and asked to meet. After the moderator did not respond, she put out a formal letter to the community, and said it was also published to the Dear CSG account; however it cannot currently be found there. She then began work on DEI initiatives, not just in response to the page, but because she felt it was a responsibility of the school.

Ms.Ciccarelli says,“Even before the Dear CSG page, it was sad to me that we as schools in general haven't met the needs

of our students well enough [...]

You sometimes have to convince people that this is actually a thing that we need to work on, and at CSG our faculty and staff have made a lot of movement toward it.” While, admittedly, she says some teachers were slow to catch on to the importance of this work, the overwhelming majority showed the dedication to helping their students.

So where are we now?

After a petition from the account including demands and requests for more diverse education in classes, stronger DEI work throughout the school, teacher and faculty training, and more, Ms. Ciccarelli says, “we took that in and made that a part of our anti-racism task force.”

This is a group of current students, alumni, faculty, parents, and board members who work in sub-committees to make sure that every part of the school, including curriculum, policy, traditions, hiring, reporting, etc, are anti-racist. “This is to address in a comprehensive way the concerns that came from the instagram site. We asked everybody to apply, and then we went through and picked people based on different backgrounds.” After the plan that the task force has cre-

ated is announced to students and the rest of the school, Ms. Ciccarelli says, enthusiastically, “I’m going to ask people (specifically students) to join the committees that implement the work. Because now the real work begins.”

Some other changes, as Ms. Ciccarelli says, as a result of the page along with the nationwide movement toward greater diversity and inclusion, have been the beginning of regular affinity group meetings, a set DEI budget, and the hiring of Chief Equity Officer, Leisan Smith, which Ms. Ciccarelli says “has been huge.” She says, “When I got here, we did not have a budget for DEI work, so I had to create and find money to do that, and the board has been very supportive in creating the budget for DEI work and creating the budget to hire Ms. Smith. She is critical.”

The school has also continued professional development work.

She repeats, “Fully examining our entire curriculum from pre-K to 12 through the lens of social justice has taken the top priority.”

Lastly when talking about the faculty, she says, “because they had to read and feel the pain of students, even though we had been talking about that for years, when they saw that

written out, I think that had a profound impact [...] Soul searching is one thing, getting over guilt is another.” Ms.Ciccarelli states that “it mobilized our staff to say ‘we are all in’ to make sure students feel a deep sense of connection and belonging to the school.” Whether you are a student, parent, teacher, or gen-eral community member reading this, you surely have your own opinions on how the school has responded in the past year to this account. If you would like to contribute to helping the school, Ms. Ciccarelli encourages you to join the anti-racism task force.

Continue to have difficult conver-sations with your peers.

Continue questioning the education you are given. Not only does it help your coworkers, students, children, and classmates, but the administration encourages this kind of change. As Ms. Ciccarelli says, "We are all in."

~

Next Year in Upper School...

Isabella Luckage, X As the doors to CSG come to a close and we head into summer, we have a lot to look forward to for when we all put the plaid back on in August, especially considering this coming school year will be different than ever before. We can expect changes within the Upper School schedule, Student Council, and more!

Dr. Graham is very excited for his second year here at Columbus School for Girls, and says: “The number one thing I want us to be thinking about and working on, is community.” He plans to do this by having “all school meetings,” “grade level meetings,” or “advisory checkins” often. There will also be a dedicated 20 minute “sacred protected time, [meaning] we won't schedule special programs or require students to attend meetings during the break;” this is “meant to give folks the chance to relax and recharge.” Our teachers are also working to “reset the advisory program” and “are thinking

about Advisory as a key space in which to build relationships and community, both in terms of the group relationship in Advisory and also helping students step out of their comfort zones to meet and connect with peers who might fall outside their usual friend/social groups.” These two changes will bring great ways for us, as students, to connect even more with one another.

It is Dr. Graham’s hope for Student Council to continue to have a “working relationship” between the Student Council President, representing

the student body, and the administration. While continuing this relationship, a new change within Student Council is that the number of members will be decreased from 28 to 19. Ms. Seese, the Student Council advisor, believes that decreasing the number of Student Council members will help the group be as effective as possible at achieving its goals and help everyone be an active part of the group.

Dr. Graham agrees that this change will make it easier “to meet, to get momentum, [and] to delegate leadership roles.”

"The number one thing I want us to be thinking about and working on, is community."

- Dr. Graham, Head of Upper School

Student Council has School schedule to valuable begun thinking of their goals for changes within our community, this coming school year, 2021students and faculty have a lot 22. Ms. Seese hopes to “continue to look forward to this coming to better the school community school year, as this year comes overall, and bring some fun to a close. back.” In addition, one common goal of next year’s Executive Student Council representatives is diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Incoming Executive President, Cynthia Alexander, XI, is, in her own words, “really excited for Student Council next year.” She expressed goals of promoting community and making “our school more environmentally friendly.” C.C. McLarty, X, our new Executive Vice President, hopes to “improve the daily lives of students, fully represent the student body, plan fun events like Gotcha, [and] be able talk to faculty about student concerns.” Lastly, Yori O'Neal, IX, Executive Secretary for this coming year, has goals of “including the student body” Dr. Graham, the Head of Upper and hopes to do more service School, happily models for a picture. projects and big-little sis events, He's looking forward to next year! which I am looking forward to.

From a new Upper Photo courtesy of Isabella Luckage, X.

3School Murphy’s Outlaws’ 20th Birthday Gabrielle Yuan, X Murphy’s Outlaws’ 20th Birthday The legacy of Murphy’s Outlaws 677 has echoed through the halls of CSG since 2001, longer than many of the Upper School students have been alive. For 20 years, CSG’s robotic students have been collaborating with skills in fields such as designing, coding, media, and more to build a competitive robot. Before the team was known as Murphy’s Outlaws 13 years ago, they went by the name Wire Strippers. Filled with empowered young students, they switched their team uniforms away from the stereotypical pink and transformed into a sleek and sophisticated white and black attire.

Many of the past CSG students were also in search of a new team name that better conveyed the mission of their project. After much brainstorming and research,

the team renamed themselves for the infamous adage, Murphy’s Law. It’s typically stated as, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Determined to prove this epigram wrong, the group added “Outlaws” to the end of the name, thus forming the much loved team name in 2008.

However, to truly understand the magnitude of the Outlaws’ presence at CSG and to celebrate their 20th anniversary, we asked current captain and senior, Ella Feinberg, to share her personal experiences and connections to this beloved team.

Feinberg has been a part of the Robotics team for four years and has learned important life lessons that she plans to take with her to college. She says, “Robotics builds community and a sense of team spirit, similar to any other sport.

It’s all about trying to find solutions to the roots of the problems we’re given, where knowledge from all

different levels of expertise can be used.” Feinberg has been able to meet mentors of all kinds, both inside and outside of the classroom. With the team heavily focused on being community-oriented, every team member’s specialty and talent can be used to create a successful project as a family.

Feinberg also talked about her vivid memories of her competition days: “I remember the thrill of waking up extremely early in the morning, around five, with the outside still pitch black, to drive three hours north to participate in a Robotics competition. We would have several rounds of qualifications and with so much positive energy to go around, coming from both the interactions with other allied teams and within our own groups, we had immense hope for our team to advance to the final rounds.”

She emphasized on the different

groups into which the team splits such as Media, Coding, Business.

With Ella heading off to Columbia University next year, she’s happy to say that she’ll carry the skills and lessons she’s gathered from Murphy’s Outlaws into the future. Having discovered her passion for Robotics while working with the Mechanism and Drive team, Ella will treasure past memories with her teammates, but is also ready to move on to create better souvenirs.

Though a vital member of Murphy’s Outlaws will be missed, Feinberg encourages the entire Upper School to branch out of their comfort zone: “The team spirit found at Robotics may be even stronger than those found on the sports field. Come join our family-oriented team to learn skills that will last a lifetime.”

Murphy's Outlaw's 2019 Season Robot, named Korby by the Team. Photo courtesy of Parker Hearst, XII.

TTI Went to Germany: Dr. Sweeney Edition Angelina Kofman, XI It all started in 1992, when Dr. Sweeney went to Germany for three months to learn the language. Those three months became thirteen. Despite Dr. Sweeney being “100% Irish,” he “fell in love” with Germany. By the time he left, he was completely fluent.

Dr. Sweeney returned to working as an engineer at OSU, but then flew back to Germany to obtain his doctorate of engineering.

For those wondering, “there’s no practical difference between a PhD and a doctorate of engineering.”

For both, you write a dissertation, and Dr. Sweeney’s was completely in German. He had the option between English and German, but we all know that Dr. Sweeney loves to go the extra mile. He is still waiting to hear Mr. Hartshorne’s thoughts on his research of “cold forging of helical gear shafts.”

He worked an “assistant professor job” for five years at the RWTH University in Aachen, Germany before landing literally the coolest job at Ford Motor Company. There, Dr. Sweeney and his team worked on a two year project where they “designed a prototype vehicle from scratch.” Dr. Sweeney “couldn’t take it on the streets [because] it wasn’t registered,” but he was able to drive it around the Ford Factory grounds where it

was built, which “was really neat.”

Dr. Sweeney also enjoyed how the people he worked with were from “twenty five different countries.” He’d “hear all sorts of different languages,” the majority being German, English, and Dutch and enjoyed “the international perspective of everybody working there.”

Of course, I also asked about the Autobahn. The fastest Dr. Sweeney went was 240 kilometers (about 150 mph) on a Ford Mondeo. He said he wouldn’t do that today “because [he’s] married with children.” Our highways are also nowhere near as nice as Germany.

And that was the time Dr. Sweeney went to Germany. Also, Dr. Sweeney does receive royalties from his dissertation, so make sure to support local and have Google Translate ready. :)

~ "It all started in 1992..." ~ Guess who? Dr. Sweeney at his time at Ford Motor Company in Germany. Photo courtesy of Dr. Sweeney.

4 School S a y i n g G o o d b y e t o D r. S w a r l i s Ava Kessler, IX Dr. Swarlis has been working at CSG for 24 years.

She originally moved to Columbus from Pittsburgh. However, this year she is retiring.

Dr. Swarlis has enjoyed being around all the students and watching them grow up and seeing what they end up doing after graduation. She loves to sit in on classes and listen to the students, and her favorite activity to help with is Robotics. Her favorite tradition at CSG was the Scholarship Walk and Holiday Dinner.

Dr. Swarlis originally found CSG through Susan Altan, who was the library director at the time. Dr. Swarlis followed her diversity work very closely and got to hear her speak at one of the national conferences she went to as the president of the Pittsburgh Area Independent School Association. Dr. Swarlis began her work here at CSG as the Middle School librarian before becoming Upper School librarian and finally Director of Libraries in 1999. A piece of advice that she gives to students and faculty is to always check your facts. She

says, “I think my biggest worry recently has been fact checking. Many posts and articles out there are not really factual, but some people are so convinced that they are factual that I don't think they would believe the facts even if you showed them” After her retirement, she is planning on moving to Florida and is excited to make a quilt for her new granddaughter. Dr. Swarlis is so helpful and always greets you with a smile. Thank you Dr. Swarlis for being such an incredible librarian for CSG and its students all these years!

Dr. Swarlis in her library, enjoying her last days at CSG! Photo courtesy of Allie Salamon, IX.

Holiday Dinner 2021 Allie Salamon, IX

This year's Holiday Dinner, although held at a later date, was just as exciting as years past. Held on April 30th, the seniors and their families enjoyed the evening at the Hilton in Polaris. The guest speaker is one thing seniors look forward to every Holiday Dinner.

As Dr. Graham was introducing the speaker, the students were guessing and dying to know

who it was. It was a secret until the famous rap Mr. Hartshorne wrote during quarantine started playing on the speakers. Everyone was excited to hear what he had to say considering he is a dad to senior Ami. Most seniors and their parents ended up in tears. Mara Sims was the senior class speaker and delivered a speech that the seniors will remember for a lifetime. Holiday Dinner is an exciting night for all of Upper School!

Ami and Mr. Hartshorne before Ami finds out her dad will be the secret guest speaker.

Lunch Alysa Li, IX Your stomach grumbles, aching and demanding you to feed it quickly. Your nose can smell the delectable scent of the hot lunch that is being freshly served. Around you are all of the students and even some teachers, smiling and talking to each other, excited to finally be able to eat and take a break from school work. You take a few steps forward and you're almost there. It’s almost your turn. Less than a minute

passes, and with a pep in your step you take your foot forward.

It's your turn to order.

Today, students excitedly rush to the dining hall, ready to eat and spend time with friends.

However, there wasn’t always lunch for everyone at CSG. According to Dr. Swarlis, lunch in the past wasn’t always suited towards people who were vegan, vegetarian, or lactose intolerant.

There was just one main meal that was given out without any substitutions. Fortunately, this all changed when Sage Dining Services arrived at CSG. Sage

Mara Sims, XII, delivering her speech to the class of 2021.

Gabriella Cain, XII, Olivia Clarke, XII, and Caroline Kromalic, XII.

& Dining has helped people with food allergies or specific diets by adding vegan meat, glutenfree foods, and alternatives to the menu.

The dining room also had a different look in the past.

Apparently, it had carpet on the floor! Before, people would just put a towel over all of the carpet in the room, but this did not prevent the spilled foods from seeping into the carpet, making it all sticky and hard to clean.

Luckily, the carpet was soon removed and replaced with tile.

Mr. O’Grady started

Seniors in their formal dresses. Photos courtesy of Mr. Simon.

Charlotte Love, XII, Olivia BarryWilson, XII, and Parker Hearst, XII.

Emma Salamon, XII, Kayla Carpenter, XII, and Leah Giller, XII, enjoying Holiday Dinner.

working at CSG 33 years ago and has seen his own fair share of weird and fun things in the dining room. For one, he says that in his first year of teaching, “faculty sat at the same lunch table with students the way they do in preschool” now. He also says that the hot lunch used to be served family-style: “At each table… you passed around the bowl with the hot dish in it” instead of lining up and ordering it on your own.

Mr. O also says that back during the ‘90s and early 2000s, the dining room cooks

and staff would go all out “celebrating Michigan/OSU football week with school colors and banners and razzing back and forth” because the kitchen staff were predominately Michigan fans.

Many fortunate changes were made to make lunch how it is today, and it's still an amazing time for students to talk to friends they may not have any classes with, relax, take a break from their stressful studies, and bring more fun and happiness into a school day.

Learn

School

Ten Years From Now...

5

The Opening Thumbnail of Ciara Lantham's "Ten Years From Now" Flash Interview Video. Photo Courtesy of Ciara Lantham, X, and Kiera Rennick, XII. Full Video can be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o-R4lhhe_htK_E4yxk57cdMmZWXIiszf/view?usp=sharing

Ciara Lantham, X

Over the past few weeks, I’ve asked the CSG community what their life will be like in ten years.

For some, the question prompted an immediate response, while others needed a minute to think it through.

Either way, the responses I received were passionate and truly made me think about what the future may hold.

Some highlights include my visit to Mrs. Ditty, during which she expressed her desire to travel back to Spain, and when I spoke with Sophia Nagy, XI, who intends to be an orthodontist. Looking past my poor editing skills, having to hear everyone’s different ambitions was inspiring and I hope you feel the same. I am sure this might leave me a little embarrassed but it was worth it.

Making this video was a blast and as evident by laughter, it was hard to stay serious! The end of the year is stressful so I hope you may find some fun in seeing this. I want to say thank you to everyone who participated. As we end this year I remind you to look onward and upward to catch a glimpse of what’s ahead. Enjoy the video!

Click here to view!

The Symphony Spinners of CSG Kiera Rennick, XI

Music is a universal way of connecting with other people.

Sharing music, discussing lyrics, listening to an orchestra: it’s all part of a great human experience.

Last issue, we featured some visual artists in the CSG community.

Now, it’s time to hear the voices of some of our favorite musicians.

If you’ve noticed them playing ukulele in the halls, beware, that’s not their only instrument.

Maya Lang, XI, can play the guitar, ukulele, piano, and cello. They’re also looking to pick up bass guitar and maybe even drums! I talked to them about their experience with their instruments; whether they’ve named them or not (Yes! The guitar’s name is Zara), whether they’re looking to go anywhere with their music (Also yes! They’d like to post music online someday), and what the hardest part about learning their instruments was (“Sore fingers and calluses were definitely one of the worst things!”). Maya tells me that their experience being a musician in the CSG community has been great overall. There are options for students who are really passionate like them, they say, and they’ve been able to take and really enjoy quite a few of them, includ-

ing but not limited to Grace Notes, the Music Essentials Class, and AP Music theory. They have also been able to perform in talent shows and even in their English class.

Sophia Vershinin, XII, has been playing the violin for nine years, but actually, her music career started with piano. She tried to juggle the two, but eventually made the switch over to just violin.

Unlike Maya, she hasn’t named her instrument, because it almost feels like an extension of herself. When asked about her least favorite part of learning to play, Sophia told me that learning the vibrato (a technique of creating a pulsating change in pitch) was quite frustrating. We talked about electric violins as well, where she told me that she thinks “[there’s] a huge problem in the classical music industry in the reluctance to diverge from traditional standards.” Sophia doesn’t see anything wrong with respecting the history of a piece, but she also believes that how a piece is performed should showcase the musician’s individuality. “The music industry is changing,” she says, “and it is the job of the musician to cater to that change.” In fact, she has a violin that can plug into an amplifier as well! Like Maya, Sophia is hoping to do more with her music; she’s planning to go into violin performance

and has a great dream of playing in a chamber group. In Sophia’s experience, being a musician in the CSG community is sometimes quite difficult; there are usually conflicts with athletics, and she often has had to leave early on game nights and still got to the orchestra late. One thing that will stick with Sophia, she says, is that the Select Strings group at CSG has become like a family to many of the musicians within it, and she’s very grateful for that.

"While the roots of a piece should remain, music should be interpreted differently by every musician."

-Sophia Vershinin, XII, on classical and modern music interpretations

Top: Sophia Vershinin, XII, shown with her unnamed Violin. Photo Courtesy of Sophia Vershinin, XII.

Bottom: Maya Lang, XI, pictured with their guitar, which they named Zara. Photo Courtesy of Maya Lang, XI.

6 Life and Arts Guide to Celebrating Juneteenth

Ava Kessler, IX

Most people have heard of the holiday Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, but many do not know what it is. Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates the emancipation of slavery, but thats not how it originally started out.

On June 19, 1865, a Union Army General named Gordon Granger issued a proclamation that all enslaved people in Texas were now free due to a proclamation made by the Executive of the United States. The “Executive” Granger refers to is President Abraham Lincoln, who at this point in time was no longer living. The13th Amendment was very close to ratification, but since there were not many Union troops fighting in Texas, enslaved people were not free even after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. It was only when the war came to a close and Granger arrived in Galveston Texas that some 250,000 people were officially freed.

What Granger did not realize was that he was also es-

Learn about the origins of Juneteenth and how you can celebrate this summer!

Photo courtesy of the CSG Instagram page (@colschoolforgirls).

New Holidays in August Della Jones, IX

parties would be held in people’s houses, where each guest would

come dressed as a different album It seems as though evthat Taylor has produced. ery month has a major holiday, Rather than to create or at least a day where we can a new holiday, Lizzy thinks that skip school because of some Earth Day should be moved from president’s birthday. August, April to August. “Earth Day is however, is the infamous month a day where everyone should that seems to lack days of celenjoy the outdoors, which they ebration. Although some people are more likely to do in the sumwould consider the first day of mer,” she reasoned. Knowing school as a major holiday, others Ohio weather, there could be would disagree. I spoke with Lilsnow in April, which is when ly Kern, IX, as well as Lizzy BruEarth Day is usually celebrated. ening, X, to ask what holidays Lizzy believes that Earth Day they would add in August, the should be more about expressing poor month without festivities. love for the Earth with physical Lilly is a diehard, actions instead of just talking dedicated Taylor Swift fan and about ways to help our planet. thinks that there should be an “I think this day should have international holiday to celebrate more traditions that everyone Taylor and her music. “She is a participates in, like having people strong, independent woman who all around the globe plant a tree,” should have an entire day to hershe commented. “It is important self,” Lilly with a grin. Accordthat we do something benefiing to Lilly, this holiday should cial for the Earth on this day.” fall on August thirteenth, since While ideas for thirteen is Taylor’s lucky number an August holiday vary greatly, and birthdate. On International many agree that there needs to Taylor Swift Day, radio stations be some sort of celebration in this would have to play solely Taylor empty month. I don’t think many Swift music. “My goal for this would argue that planting a garholiday would be to convert den while listening to “August” people everywhere into devoted

by Taylor Swift would make the fans,” Lilly elaborated. Huge perfect holiday!

tablishing a basis for the holiday Juneteenth. In the following years, Juneteenth became a day that is filled with music, prayer services, barbecues, and other activities, and as Black Texans moved to other states so did the tradition and holiday of Juneteenth. In 1979, Texas was the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday, and today 47 states celebrate and recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday.

However, Juneteenth has yet to become a national holiday.

Although it has not yet become a national holiday you can still celebrate on your own. How? Backyard barbeques with family and friends, making posters, and joining in local events like parades, rodeos, and races are some great ways to celebrate Black family, friends, and the origins of the Juneteenth holiday. And while this holiday is celebrating Black lives and the freedom of formerly enslaved people, all people no matter the color of their skin can and should celebrate it. CSG’s BAACC’s of-

ficer Mara Sims says “I think that Juneteenth is an American holiday, not just a Black holiday[...]

As long as people remember the origins of the holiday and celebrate respectfully and without centering non-Black people, Juneteenth can and should be for everyone.” She also had a great answer to the questions of whether Juneteenth should be a national holiday or not, saying, “I absolutely think Juneteenth should be a national holiday.

Juneteenth marks the practical end of legalized plantation slavery. I can’t imagine why we wouldn’t want to celebrate a day that marks freedom for American people, no matter how specific a kind of freedom it is.”

Juneteenth is a incredible holiday and is a amazing way to celebrate the emenacipation of slavery, acknowledge important parts of American history, and have dialogue about change that is needed in the future. So mark your calendars for June 19th and fire up your grills because Juneteenth is on its way!

Hair Care with Dr.D Angelina kofman, XI We all know Dr. Danielewicz, US Latin teacher, has the most luscious locks, but how does he maintain them? Step one: he only washes his hair once a week to preserve the tight curls.

Dr. D claims that whenever he washes it, “it gets super frizzy and dry and looks like a sheep,” so he avoids unnecessary washing.

His hair frizzes out whenever brushed, so he straight up just doesn’t brush it. He doesn’t have a “brush or comb,” and instead he just “shake[s] it out.” When I asked him when the last time he brushed his hair was he said “beyond living memory.”

Now, obviously, what really matters is the product. Dr. D uses Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner. Yes, conditioner (use it please). Dr. D also uses “some kind of goop,” that he describes as “a clear, viscous thing”--also known as “Curl Sculpt”-- that he applies to his hair when it’s still wet.

Although Dr. D isn’t too sure what it specifically does, he thinks it’s probably a defrizzer because when he doesn’t use it, his hair puffs up more. And you guessed it, the product is also “some other Garnier thing.” Dr.

Dr. D shows off the key to maintain his curls: a vast collection of Garnier Fructis products (not sponsored!). Photo Courtesy of Dr. Danielewicz.

D said, “For completion, I’ll just buy everything from the same brand.” Garnier appreciates your loyalty to the company.

Even though his hair looks like a really well done perm, it’s not. In the past, a seventy-year old woman told him she’d “pay good money for that perm,” but

Dr. D’s curls are all natural and can’t just be bought at a salon.

Now you know the secret to Dr. D’s hair-- purchase every Garnier product available, make sure to air dry, and never (ever!) brush it-- see if you can refine your own curls. Use this information responsibly.

Sports and Health &Wellness 7 Finding Field Hockey: Charlotte Love Gabrielle Yuan, XI Imagine that we’ve time traveled back to the year 2005, where four year-old Charlotte Love is stubbornly sitting on her carpeted staircase, refusing to change out of her beloved soccer uniform.

Her parents are attempting to convince Charlotte to give field hockey a try. At such a young age, her only desire is to become the greatest soccer player in the UK. Though Charlotte is a bit reluctant to attend a practice, she agrees to go in exchange for a chocolate ice

cream cone after.

Returning to the year 2021, Charlotte Love is now a senior, with only a few months left to create her last blissful high school memories. She is now committed to the University of Reading in the UK, where she will also be playing field hockey, thanks to her parents’ persistent pestering for her to give it a try. Take a read with us to see her journey with the sport and recruitment of field hockey.

Charlotte began playing field hockey competitively at the age of five, joining intensive clubs

such as the Women’s League and the Mardoum’s League. She fell in love with the tight-knit team environment and the excitement of meeting new players from all over the county. “Though it was quite intimidating to play field hockey with girls almost 5 years older than me, I enjoyed the challenge and push I received from my coaches and teammates around me,” Charlotte began. “It’s also much less about the numbers and plays you get in a single game and more about the passion and determination you have for the sport.”

Charlotte Love, XII, playing field hockey outside of school! Photo courtesy of Charlotte Love.

Given the different athletic requirements between the UK and the US, the recruitment process for Charlotte is unique as well. “The aspect of being a prospect athlete for the University has no impact on your admission into the school itself,” Charlotte explains. “It’s only until after you get in that you can apply to play a sport for the school, where there are also different groups and teams that you can be apart of.”

With Charlotte’s strong academic record as well as immense talent for the sport, she’ll

be playing for school while also furthering her studies in Integrated Masters in Clinical Psychology. She even plans to take field hockey beyond college, where she hopes to share her love for this sport to aspiring athletes.

Though Charlotte was reluctant to try something new, she wants everyone to try and branch out of their comfort zone: “My journey with field hockey has just begun and I hope that you can also find something you’re just as passionate about, no matter the obstacles that stand in your way.”

Charlotte, XII, on the field for the CSG unicorns! Photo courtesy of Mr. Simon.

Recap of CSG Sports 2020-2021 Allie Salamon, IX Athletics are an important part of the CSG community. 202021 brought many exciting events.

With eleven different sports offered, there is a sport for everyone.

I interviewed students from each sport to see what their team's most memorable game was.

Jacey Cassandra, X, has been playing field hockey since second grade. She recalls against Dublin Scioto “we came out onto the field with a positive yet driven mindset.” After the game, the team was proud and happy with their effort on the field. Cross country was also successful this year, as they made it to districts. Fabi Corso, IX, felt the team's most memorable meet was “districts because it was exciting and a lot of people got PR's and overall there was a happy vibe.” Everyone cheered on the team, including those who didn’t qualify.

Eva Nicolosi, XII, was one of many to be proud of beating rivals Columbus Academy. Sasha Katz, IX, is part of the tennis team and mentioned, “Everyone cheered

on the last match as we beat Columbus Academy.” Madi Kim, IX, one of the participants on the CSG golf team, also recalled a time when “parents were saying that Columbus Academy scores were going to be really close to ours, but when they were calculating the scores, we won by about eleven points.” She mentioned how team work got the team through districts and led them to states.

Senior Emma Salamon has been on the volleyball team for four years, and says, “I think we ... wanted to show the other team that despite being ranked last, we were actually a good team who could play to their level.” Emma noted that no matter what number you are ranked, you can always compete.

Along with fall sports, there are three winter sports. Yori O’Neal, IX, from the basketball team noted, “Our tournament game against Granville was most memorable. Although the outcome was not what we wanted, it was our last game with our seniors and we all went out strong.” She told me that the locker room was full of happiness and everyone held

their heads up high. Della Jones, IX, swimmer, recalled sectionals: “I remember cheering loudly with all my teammates and congratulating them after their races.” She felt her coaches were proud of the team. Kayla Carpenter, XII, joined the dive team this year and said, “The MSL meet was definitely one of the best [...]. It was cool seeing everyone do their best dives.”

Lacrosse and track are sure to have similar outcomes, as they are in the middle of their seasons. A common theme between all the sports is cheering on your teammates. Whether it’s a loss or a win, the Unicorns keep their heads up!

Sophia Nagy, XI, competing in hurdles.

Photo courtesy of Neva Schehl, XI.

Ella Chomic, IX, and Lauren Sloan, XI running on the track.

Madeline Hansen, IX, running in a relay.

8 Summer

Te a c h e r s ’ T i d b i t s : Summer Jobs Ruthie Saar, XI

Mr. Niemi, at 16 years old, working at Sears. Photo courtesy of Mr. Niemi.

Wi t h s u m m e r a p proaching, I asked faculty members to share about their past summer work in high school and college in the hopes that they can give tips on how to make the most out of these opportunities.

Ms. Abell, math teacher, coached. She recalls, “In college over the summer, I coached summer softball and we lost so badly one game that I made the girls sprint for every run that we lost [...] They almost cried, but I felt bad, so I got nicer after that.” The job taught Abell about patience, “especially [...] when coaching fourteen year old girls.”

When asked if these lessons still apply, she replies, “Considering I now have three boys, I definitely use the patience part.”

Profe, Spanish teacher, was the young cashier at an Italian grocery store. He confesses, “Everyone spoke Italian to me, and I didn’t really understand what they were saying [...] I mostly ate sandwiches, so I tried many different kinds of Italian meats and cheeses.” When the cash register broke, he used a calculator to add up costs. Once,

The Great Ice Cream Debate Kelsey Anderson, X It’s a hot summer day and you’re craving something sweet. Any regular dessert just will not do, for it was just too hot. You realize that you need a nice, cold scoop of ice cream to satisfy your summer sweet tooth. Ice cream is unique to each store you go to, so it can be hard to decide which store is the absolute best. To help you all, I bought scoops from three frequently visited ice cream stores: Jeni’s, Graeter’s, and Johnson’s. To keep things fair, I only tasted chocolate ice cream.

To start, I went to Johnson’s Real Ice Cream. There, I bought a kid’s scoop for the reasonable price of $3.25. Out of the fifty flavors to choose from, I picked Chocolate Chocolate Chip. Overall, it just tasted like average ice cream from a grocery store. Despite its dark brown color, it was very light on the chocolate flavor and was pretty

icy. It might’ve been the location or the flavor, but the cards simply weren’t in Johnson’s Real Ice Cream’s favor for this review. The mediocre ice cream didn’t satisfy my sweet tooth, earning it 3rd place and the title of worst ice cream on this list.

Next up was Graeter’s Ice Cream. I got a single scoop of their Double Chocolate Chip ice cream for $4.75. It had a more intense flavor than Johnson’s, but it didn’t have many chocolate chips. If you are lucky, there’s a giant chocolate chip in your ice cream, but this time, luck wasn’t on my side. The ice cream has a slightly different texture than other ice creams, but it has a tendency to be icy.

Because of these reasons, I’m ranking Graeter’s above Johnson’s, giving it the 2nd place title.

Finally, I had Jeni’s Ice Cream. At Jeni’s, I ordered one scoop of their Darkest Chocolate ice cream for $5.00. It was served with a vanilla-buttermilk waffle

cone wedge that tasted slightly salty, balancing out the sweetness of the rich chocolate ice cream.

Their ice cream was definitely the most photogenic because of the waffle cone addition. I could tell that they used real dark chocolate in their ice cream, which made it go the extra mile of tastiness.

They also had dairy-free options, which also tasted good. Though it was the most expensive ice cream, Jeni’s takes the ice cream cake for the best chocolate ice cream. The first place medal goes to Jeni’s Ice Cream.

To Right: Chocalate Ice Cream from each Store ranked in decending order. Top: Jeni's. Middle: Graeter's. Bottom: Johnson's.

Photo courtesy of Kelsey Anderson, IX.

a customer made him do the math on paper because she didn’t trust calculators. He learned how to save money, and that he was interested in college. He values these lessons daily: “It helped me learn to be self-motivated.”

Dr. Nelson, science teacher, worked as an assistant veterinary technician. She walked dogs, fed pets, and ran labs. She chuckles, remembering customers’ behavior: “We always had some people who were overly worried about weird things about their animals, like asking us not to chip the poodle’s nail polish.” This gig confirmed her preference for animals over humans, while also “[getting her] used to the unglamorous sides of that kind of animal care.” It certainly helped in grad school when Nelson hand-raised baby birds.

When Mr. Niemi, math and computer science teacher, was sixteen, he worked in the paint and hardware section at Sears. He grins, “I knew nothing about this hardware stuff.

I remember when a guy was looking at a couple of table saws and was asking me the difference between them. I was reading the side of the box, though, so some-

how I faked my way through.”

Niemi learned how to stay calm in stressful situations (he shyly admits he still works on that), deal with different personalities, and manage conflict. He constantly finds these skills relevant.

Finally, Mr. Hartshorne, science teacher, bussed tables and washed dishes at a Mexican restaurant at our age.

His best friend worked with him, and they often messed around: “We had a competition on how many dishes we could carry in the bins at once [...] We would [...] slide things across the counter to see if we could slop food on top of them. It was very gross.” Hartshorne believes that everyone should work in food services. He passionately explains, “It bothers me [...] when people are rude to waiters.

Usually an extra dollar or two in [the] tip doesn’t have a huge impact on the customer, but it can have a huge impact on the mood of the server [...] If [customers] worked the job, they would be nicer to waiters and waitresses.”

Whatever job you work this summer, you’ll gain new knowledge and experiences that will benefit later.

Summer 9

VERBATIM

Dr. Krichbaum: "Of course stupidity is protected, you're an American, stupidity is protected everywhere."

Mr. Niemi: “Oh no, you guys look tired.” *starts randomly doing star jumps* *Talking about Pride and Prejudice in class* Ms. Miranda: “This discussion is really weird.” *During class* Ms. Pfeiffer: “Birth rates were on the rise!

Women were having 3.5 children! New technology was invented, like the blender!”

Kayla Kirby: "Is that what happened to the other half child?" *Walks into physics class, giving a princess wave and bowing to Mr. Hartshorne* Tori Johnson, XI: “I treat all my subjects equally,” *gives Mr. Hartshorne a side-eye* “Including peasants.”

P e t

Allie Salamon's dog, Chloe. Photo courtesy of Allie Salamon, IX.

Ciara Latham's dog, Storm. Photo courtesy of Ciara Latham, X.

Fun things to do in Summer

Allie Salamon, IX

Summer is just around the corner, and there are so many fun things to do in what seems like such a little amount of time. Whether it is raining or the sunniest day, there is always something fun to do. Sometimes, rainy days are the best days.

Movie Day: On a rainy day, you can set up your own movie theater. You can include candy, popcorn, and different drinks like water, soda, and juice.

Then put on your favorite movie and enjoy the rainy day with your friends or family.

Baking: Whatever the weather, baking is a great activity to do by yourself or with friends. Brownies, cookies, cupcakes, or cake are fun ways to pass time and enjoy the

day. Include lots of decorations like sprinkles, icing, and other candy toppings. If baking with your friends, make it a fun competition to see who is the best baker!

Bike Ride: A bike ride by yourself or with your friends is a great way to enjoy the outdoors in the summer.

Along with a bike ride, you could pack a picnic full of your favorite treats and sit down in the grass and enjoy. If grass and a picnic is not really your thing, you can always bike to your favorite restaurant and eat there.

Tie-Dye: Tie-dying is a classic and fun summer activity. Go to your local store and pick out t-shirts, pants, hats, or socks to tie-dye. You can order the dye from Amazon or go to a local craft store. This link has tie-dye ideas and offers options

to purchase your dye: https://www. tiedyeyoursummer.com/techniques.

There are endless opportunities and designs when it comes to tie-dying things.

There are many activities to do in the summer, and so many to choose from. These four ideas are a helpful way to get started this summer.

Avery Sharfin, XI, gets into tiedying fun. Photo courtesy of Avery Sharfin.

C o r n e r

Caroline Kromalic's dog, Jax. Photo courtesy of Caroline Kromalic, XII.

Ava Kessler's cat, Sebastion. Photo courtesy of Ava Kessler, IX.

10 Backpage Quiz: What Animal Are You Based on Your Ideal Vacation?

World's best honey bread Charlotte Owen, IX My family, like many, connects through preparing and eating food. I feel heartbroken thinking of all the missed meals with extended family due to the pandemic. Worse, my grandmother, my inspiration for everything baked goods, died of complications from a stroke in mid-2020. I was devastated.

Since I couldn’t visit her due to COVID-19, I wasn’t able to see her one last time. My grandmother was known for sharing her food with those close to her.

She meant so much to me, so even though I can’t share her with the world, I will share one of her famous recipes. COVID-19 stole many things, but we can choose to not let it steal our family connections too.

For the honey bread you will need: Ingredients:

½ cup water

1 cup cream style cottage cheese

•

Combine warm liquid, 2 cups of flour, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, beat 2 minutes at medium speed.

•

By hand, stir in as much of the remaining flour to make stiff dough. Knead on a floured surface till smooth and elastic.

•

Place in a greased bowl.

Cover the bowl until the dough is light and doubled in size.

•

Grease (not oil) 2 9x5 loaf pans. Punch down dough, divide and shape into 2 loaves.

•

Place in greased pan and let rise and double.

•

Bake 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from pans.

½ cup honey ¼ cup butter or margarine 5 ½ or 6 cups all purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tbsp sugar 3 tsp salt 2 packages dry yeast 1 egg Directions: •

Heat first four ingredients until warm (120-130 degrees).

Grandma and Grandpa Owen at their maple stand. Photo courtesy of Charlotte Owen, IX.

11Editor's Page

Letter From the Editor

McKenna Merriman, XII

Dear Silhouette Readers, Well, it's the backbackpage. This either means you made it through the whole way (congrats), or skipped ahead to take the quiz. Either way, your viewership is appreciated. This letter is to you.

Thank you for reading, watching, laughing, and asking with us over the past year. Thank you for saying “I got Ginny??” in the hallways or, if you’re Mr. O’Grady, emailing us with a simple, lowercased “congrats” when we put out our first issue. Thank you for all the hilarious Verbatim quotes, and thank you to Mr. Niemi for consistently signing off on his student’s submissions, almost every issue. And for those of you who allowed us to showcase your talents, pets, ideas, and stories, thank you for making our issues full and vibrant.

But this letter is also to the Silhouette Staff and writers. Okay, mostly to the staff and writers. You have

proven your dedication to this newspaper by staying up late finishing page layouts (shoutout to whoever is copy and pasting this from Google Docs into InDesign), meeting with Dr. Hattaway and me to ask the little questions that make a big difference, and being patient with the editing staff’s last-minute freak-outs when an article is missing. To Isabella Luckage, Gabi Yuan, and later on Angelina Kofman, thank you for loving Silhouette so

much that you took time out of your schedules to make this an independent study. Isabella, your constant work to improve your interviewing skills impresses me every time. Gabi, you have made senior features truly your own by showing us how great narrative writing can get by consistently topping yourself. And Angelina, our goto teacher interviewer, thank you for exposing the shocking history of milk mixing.

Ava Kessler, Allie

Celebrating McKenna Merriman's, XII, last day of Silhouette with treats and a party. Photo courtesy of Dr. Hattaway.

Salamon, and Ciara Latham also joined our staff this year, and we cannot thank them enough for roughing it through with enthusiasm. Ava, you have taken on important issues fearlessly, and the duo-team you have formed with Allie has given us some pretty exciting quizzes, even if people do not feel they are Ginny. Allie, you are always trying to improve your writing and editing skills and the time you take to do this is very admirable. Ciara, you have brought so much richness to this paper from your laugh-out-loud vacation guides to your “How To Be Politically Active” article. You are able to tell so many different stories each with the same amount of passion and entertainment, and it really has made this paper better.

To Ruthie Saar, Kiera Rennick, and Dr. Hattaway.

My crew. Kiera, thank you for all of the most random article ideas that make us sit back and pause for a second each time we brainstorm articles, and for the editing help you are always quick to provide. Ruthie, even

Letter To the Editor Kiera Rennick, XI, and Ruthie Saar, XI McKenna, Well, we’ve made it to the end of the year; only a couple more days to go. I am going to miss you so ridiculously much. You’ve been such a great mentor to me for as long as I’ve known you. All the way back in freshman year, when I was the only new student on Silhouette, I remember being very intimidated by all my upperclassmen, you included, who I thought had such brilliant ideas about article ideas and design layouts.

I wasn’t so sure when I should speak up, and honestly, a lot of my ideas were so specific they didn’t really apply to the community as a whole. You always heard me out though, tried to get me into the conversation despite my shyness, and I’m immensely grateful.

And I’m not the only person you’ve done this for. Speaking on behalf of all of Silhouette, you are incredible at bringing us together and making every voice heard throughout all of our issues. You are an incredible mentor and friend to me, to all of us, and we’re all going to miss you so, so much. I know

you’re going to do amazing things wherever you go and I’m so very thankful to have been able to know you. If you can, come and visit! No matter what, you’ll always be the hilarious, awesome, and passionate mentor and friend that I trust and look up to.

Kiera Rennick, XI McKenna, Oh my goodness! I cannot believe this is your last year on Silhouette staff. I’m so thankful that we have gotten to know each other through both Student Council and our favorite class, Silhouette.

We’ve bonded over coming up with funny jokes and laughing until we can't breathe, walking together after class, and designing this year’s spirit wear.

When I first joined the class as a sophomore, you were the Junior Editor of our publication.

I was nervous since I’d always heard from others that "McKenna Merriman was hilarious," but back then, I never imagined that I would become close with someone that everyone admired. While I thoroughly enjoyed the class itself, I think you had a lot to do with it: we laughed at each other's puns, and would come up with cre-

ative titles for articles together.

That year, I looked up to you a lot (I still do). After seeing how passionate you were about Silhouette, I wanted to follow your footsteps and become a Junior Editor. If it weren't for Silhouette, our friendship would not be as strong. Besides making me love the class, you also are such an amazing role model. I’m extremely grateful that I can think of you as

not only a wonderful Editor In Chief, but also a wonderful friend. You're the heart and soul of Silhouette, and I wish you the best of luck in college and in your future. All of Silhouette and I will miss you A LOT, so please come back and visit! I don’t know what I’ll do without my enthusiastic Upper School President and Editor In-Chief.

Ruthie Saar, XI

though ONE of your articles could fill up a whole newspaper if you tried, thank you for providing us with not only your *chefs kiss* beautiful writing but also your help when I am unable to provide it. And Dr. Hattaway, thank you for organizing pretty much everything.

Without you and your passion for letting us tell our stories, we would not have a paper.

And to the three of you as a whole, thank you for making us laugh, for supporting my visions and critiques no matter how controversial they may be, and for making every E day the best day in the rotation, hands down.

I am so grateful for this team, and I hope that after you read this issue you may tell a staff member thank you. You have all made my experience as editor so fun and worthwhile, and because of who you are I am driven to work harder.

Send me every issue when I’m gone, but please, please never ask me for InDesign help again.

With love, McKenna

Advisor Dr. Hattaway Editor In-Chief McKenna Merriman, XII Junior Editors Kiera Rennick, XI Ruthie Saar, XI Club Coordinators Isabella Luckage, X Gabrielle Yuan, X Staff Angelina Kofman, XI Ciara Latham, X Ava Kessler, IX

Junior Editors and Editor In-Chief are all smiles. From the left: Kiera Rennick, XI, McKenna Merriman, XII, and Ruthie Saar, XI. Photo courtesy of Dr. Hattaway.

Allie Salamon, IX