CA Centipede, May Issue

The Centipede

September 1, 2007

Volume 49 Issue 8

Concord Academy Student Newspaper

New Year Brings Faculty Changes

by Alex Weyerhaeuser ’15 The 2013-2014 school year will be marked by a shift in the Concord Academy faculty and administration. Next year, Academic Dean John Drew and current Director of Admissions Marie Myers will take on new and expanded positions as they work to fill the role of departing Assistant Head of School Pam Safford. Drew will also assist with Head of School Rick Hardy’s responsibilities as Hardy increases his time spent traveling for the school. Additionally, the school will hire a new Director of Marketing and Communications who will join CA next September.

Safford, who has worn many hats at CA as Director of Admissions, key member of the 2002 Strategic Plan Steering Committee,

and in which people are allowed to express themselves honestly,” Safford said. “It’s a special place filled with interesting people.

I will leave here with wonderful memories, lots of great stories, and a few dear friends from whom I’ve learned a lot along the way.”

According to Drew, his work will continue to focus on the education of CA students.

However, he will spend more time on work focused on CA’s strategic plan, and he will help out on campus when Hardy is away.

“The shifts in the administrative team aim to support the ongoing work on the strategic plan,” Drew said. “All of these changes reflect the work of every good school: to sustain the school’s strengths while being open to growth and innovation.”

Because of his new responsibilities, Drew will not be teaching as many classes

Page 1

May 21, 2013

Summer Stages Restaged

by Claire Phillips ’15

After fifteen years of dance and choreography, Summer Stages Dance at Concord Academy has been reworked. Significant changes will be made to the program, which Performing Arts Department Head Amy

Stages began with only sixteen dancers and a few teachers. Over its 15 year history, Summer Stages evolved into a festival comprised of five different programs: a fellowship program for emerging choreographers, a residency program for nationally recognized, established dance artists, an internship program in which recipients learned to teach

A Summer Stages workshop. Photo courtesy of www.google.com

Pam Safford outside the MAC. Photo courtesy of www.google.com and Associate Head of School with oversight of enrollment and communications, will leave Concord this May. In the fall, Safford will assume the role of Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Deerfield Academy, an independent boarding school in western Massachusetts.

After spending thirteen years in the close-knit community at Concord, Safford said that it will be difficult to leave. “I’m lucky to have been part of a place in which genuine intellectual curiosity still exists, in which students and adults assume trust of and respect for one another from day one,

next year as he has in previous years. Drew has been teaching Advanced Environmental Science this semester and has taught Biology at CA for fifteen years, but he will only teach Experimental Biology during the spring of 2014. “I will certainly miss teaching in the fall,” Drew said. “It is the curiosity, enthusiasm and kindness of CA students that make me want to come to work each day.”

Myers is optimistic about her new position. “I look forward to continuing my work with such a great group of people in Admissions and Financial Aid [as well as] the opportunity to advance the mission of continued on page 3...

Inside This Issue...

Spencer founded with her husband and fellow dance teacher Richard Colton fifteen years ago. Spencer said that the main purpose of the changes is to involve CA students more deeply in the program and to extend the festival from a summer to a year-round program.

According to Spencer, she and Colton started the program in 1996 to “fill the void” that a recently closed Harvard summer dance program left. In its first session, Summer

dance and practice dance production or arts administration and two training workshops.

One workshop focused on training professional dancers while the other, a young dancers program, served as a bridge program to the main professional workshop.

In addition, Concord Academy Summer Stages has evolved into a joint program with the Institute of Contemporary Arts in Boston, a collaboration that began in 2007. continued on page 3...

New Year, New Classes

by Julia Shea ’16 Each year, members of the Concord Academy faculty spend some of their time designing new courses that they introduce to the student body starting in mid-April during the course registration process. This year, new courses were introduced in each of the five major academic areas at CA: English, History, Modern and Classical Languages, Math, and Science. With changes ranging from splitting the yearlong Geometry course into semester-long offerings to introducing new courses focused on areas from Central American to Asia, Academic Dean John Drew said that he is confident that the new courses will meet one of the school’s aims: to value a diversity of viewpoints and cultures in the school community.

Drew said he feels CA is unique in that the process for introducing new courses is less formal than at other schools. According to Drew, one way in which new courses are introduced is that a teacher with knowledge in a particular subject area proposes the addition of a new class. Department Chairs also meet to assess the current offerings and to suggest revisions to the course options. Drew said, “I believe that across the board classes at CA teach similar skills. What varies is the knowledge students acquire in a particular class.”

In the History Department, seven new classes are being introduced in the 20132014 school year: Medieval Europe, Central American Revolutions (Research Semi-

nar), Concord (Research Seminar), Korea, Vietnam and the United States (Research Seminar), Constitutional Law, and two electives (one for underclassmen and one for upperclassmen) in Asian studies.

History teacher Sally Zimmerli will teach the Central American Revolutions course next year. Zimmerli, who has taught Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs for ten years, said she was interested in creating an upper-level course about Latin America. “For a research seminar, it is important to aim for depth rather than breadth,” Zimmerli said. “We’re going to focus on a few successful revolutions.”

Zimmerli added that this summer she is one of the leaders of CA’s trip to Nicaragua.

There, Zimmerli said that she hopes she will be able to speak with people involved in or affected by the twentieth-century revolutions in Central America.

The English Department is introducing three new classes: Asian Literature, Short Fiction, and Visions and Revisions. In addition, English Department Head Sandy Stott said that both Shakespeare: Word and Act and Screenwriting are being “substantially revised.” Screenwriting, which had previously been offered as a minor for English or Visual Arts credit, has been altered so that students can now take it as a major English or Visual Arts course.

English Teacher Abby Laber said that she and fellow English Department member Cammy Thomas will each teach a section of the Asian Literature English class next year. continued on page 7...

Arts

Page 2

May 21, 2013

Waking up at 4 AM: Theatre 3 Production of his career. “Earlier, [Strindberg] wrote some of what we would call naturalistic

On May 10 and 11, Concord Academy’s plays, where it’s a real slice of life,” GamTheatre 3 Company performed their final mons said. “Towards the end of his career, production 4AM. The show, a culmination he was writing much more surreal, strange, of the yearlong Theater 3 course, combined extravagant dramas.” Gootkind said that the elements from plays, sculptures, and music. themes of “family, social positions, hidden Rather than focusing on the more secrets, and lies” were central to both works conventional ideas such as a fixed script or they examined.

In addition to studying plays, Theatre 3 assigned roles, the Theatre 3 Company mem- drew inspiration from the theory of playwright bers worked together to explore a more experAntonin Artaud, the poems of Mark Strand, imental approach to theatre studies. Theatre the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, and the 3 member sculptures Liz Gootof Alberto kind ’13 Giacomsaid, “Most etti. Giapeople think c o m e t t i ’s of sets and work was scripts particularly when they influential think about in their detheatre, but velopment [Theatre of the show: 3] is more the title of about estabthe produclishing retion, 4AM, lationships came from a with other Company members onstage.

Giacometti people.”

Photo by David R. Gammons piece called T h e “The Palace defining at 4AM.” characteristic of Theatre 3 is that it is not Giacometti’s sculpture also inspired the setcomprised of actors with assigned roles, but design of the show. rather is a group of students who want to think more deeply about theatre. “Theatre In past years, the Theatre 3 Company 3 is designed as a company,” Director of consisted of approximately twelve to fifteen Theatre Program and Theatre 3 teacher David individuals. This year’s cast is noticeably Gammons said. “The nature of the company smaller, with only nine students in the Comis the opportunity to explore and experiment pany. While Gammons acknowledged the without necessarily thinking about what will impact of the smaller number of participants, he also said that this shift held significant be in the show.”

Starting in the fall, Theatre 3 members positive effects. “There’s something wonderworked with two plays by the Swedish play- ful and magical about nine, because you end wright August Strindberg: Miss Julie and The up with three groups of three,” Gammons Ghost Sonata. Gammons said that he and said. “There’s kind of a really powerful enerthe cast members traced the way in which gy in that.” Theater 3 member Ellie New ’14 Strindberg’s work changed over the course agreed that working in groups of three was a

by Katherine Oh ’14

productive way to configure the class. “It’s a After the performance, New remarked, constructive environment. When people are “We all had a great time on stage. I wasn’t having issues with part of the material, they expecting [the shows] to go by so quickly!” voiced those complaints in a helpful way,” She added, “We all bring our baggage into the New said. theatre, and what we ask the audience to do

In addition to the nine Theatre Company is to set theirs down for a while and experimembers, three student musicians, Hunter ence what we have to say to them.” Sophia Moskowitz ’14 on cello, Helen Pinch ’14 on Steinart-Evoy ’13, another Theater 3 memviolin, and David Cao ’15 on piano, contrib- ber, said, “I enjoyed the opportunity to share what we spent uted to the pera year creatformance. During with other ing the show, people.” After Yong Murray watching the ’13 directed show, audience the student member Lily music trio as Li ’13 said, they played an “I liked the excerpt from music, stage B e e t h o v e n ’s design and “Ghost Trio,” the craziness. the piece of I felt uneasy music the sometimes by Company most watching the closely studied. show, because The ComI thought it was pany began very personal. night rehearsIt's because I als in April, believed [the working with performers] material they were trying to had developed show us their starting in the deep thoughts fall. They conand their husolidated their man nature.” work into the Comthree acts that pany member they performed earlier this Company members in a scene from Strindberg’s Alex Greenwald ’13 addmonth. “There Miss Julie. Photo by David R. Gammons ed, “The expewas not a lot of rience has been elucidative and enlightening cohesion until the last few weeks of the class, in all ways.”

New said, “I was surprised by so there has been a lot of creativity,” New how much freedom we had to go with our visaid. Gammons noted that the final weeks sion.

I strongly encourage anyone interested leading up to the production were “about in theatre to apply for the company.

The figuring out how [the different material] fits experience of being part of such a small but together, what order they go in, how they enthusiastic group of peers is indescribable.” connect.”

Lights! Camera! ...CA’s First Feature Length Film

by Alyssa Taylor ’13 On May 17, Concord Academy’s Improvisational Film class debuted its yearlong work: Extracurricular, a feature-length film.

The ninety-minute movie included acting performances from all eleven members of the class: Chloé Borenstein-Lawee ’13, Jack Colton ’13, Amos Damroth ’13, Emerson Davis ’13, Alex Greenwald ’13, Erin Lueck ’13, Melissa Pappas ’13, Tyler Rost ’13, Josh Shapiro ’14, Will Stoddard ’13, and Alene Zeitouni ’13. Damroth and Rost also composed the movie’s original score.

“As far as I know, we’re the first high school to produce an original, feature-length film in a high school curriculum. Everything you see on screen is from the minds of eleven talented students here at CA,” said Visual Arts Department Head Justin Bull, who teaches the class. “It’s a tremendous endeavor that we tried to achieve here,” Bull said.

According to Bull, this class has been in the works for a while. “In the past couple of years, we’ve really had a shift in the quality and the size of the film equipment,” Bull said.

But it was not until this year that “we could have something good-looking enough to warrant expanding to a feature-length film.”

Bull said that the idea for the class stemmed from various movements in the film world, one of which is called “mumble core.”

This subgenre of American independent filmmaking focuses on improvisational dialogue.

Bull said that these films come from people “corralling their friends together” to make what he said is usually a “scrappy feature-

length film.” Bull continued, “As a filmmaker one of the charms of the movement is that you think ‘I could do that.’”

This year, the Improv class served as a substitute for the more traditional Film III courses that CA has offered in previous years. Enrollment for the class was limited to upperclassmen who had already taken

Mike Leigh. Bull felt that he caught a few students off-guard with such a strong acting focus. “Some people were definitely a little upset by how much acting there was the first semester,” said Erin Lueck ’13, one of the students in the class. Lueck added, “I wasn’t expecting it, but it was cool and fun.”

During the first semester, along with

Improv Film students Alene Zeitouni ’13 and Amos Damroth ’13 on-screen. Photo by Justin Bull Film I. Although Film III classes at CA have traditionally been semester-long courses, this yearlong course allowed students to spend the first semester preparing to make the film instead of having to dive right into making the final product.

“The first semester focused largely on the performing aspects of the film process,” Bull said. The students participated in acting exercises that Bull prepared after drawing inspiration from the improvisational acting techniques of filmmakers Rob Nilsson and

acting exercises, students worked to develop characters they would later act as for the film. “Students took composite characteristics from different people in their lives and worked to generate a new character,” Bull said. After each student had settled on a character, the class began to create scenes using the various personalities. Together, these scenes formed what Bull called a “very loose plot.”

Filming began in February and did not begin winding down until April. “It was a

lot harder than I expected it to be,” said Melissa Pappas ’13. “It’s a very different way of making a film because you don’t know what to expect.” Pappas recalled coming to school about three weekends each month and working long hours after school shooting and editing film.

“I have learned how much effort it takes to make a ninety-minute movie,” Damroth said. “It is not something you could do alone.” Lueck said that she also appreciates the collaborative aspect of creating a film, and that she has been forced to stretch her boundaries with the process. “I’ve definitely learned a lot more about camera editing,” Lueck said. “If you screw up a scene, the whole movie is affected.”

Bull said that the final product was a “coming-of-age story.” “It’s about a lot of characters really struggling with their identities and trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be in their final years of high school,” Bull said. Damroth added, “In the film, people are awkward, they’re funny, they don’t really know what they’re doing, and in that way it’s sort of just like real life.”

Bull intends to continue offering this class in future years, possibly in an every-other year rotation, alternating with more traditional film production classes. “It’s been a privilege to work with this group as they wrestle and succeed with the task of fashioning a fullyrealized original narrative,” Bull said. “What I’ve told my students is that the ‘first here’ idea was exciting, but the thing we produced is even more exciting. I’m tremendously proud of them, regardless of where we land in the annals of history.”

May 21, 2013

News & Arts

Page 3

Movie Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

by Carter Kratkiewicz ’16 The Place Beyond the Pines

The Place Beyond the Pines, directed by Derek Cianfrance and starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, and Bradley Cooper, is an epic drama centered on one main theme: the consequences of one’s actions. Throughout the movie, we see how the ramifications of a split-second decision can change the future.

The Place Beyond the Pines opens our eyes to the ripple effects that our actions hold.

The opening scene of The Place Beyond the Pines takes place inside the protagonist’s trailer. We don’t see his face; only his body is visible as he methodically and fearlessly flips his butterfly knife around. He then leaves the trailer and walks through the crowded carnival outside, smoking a cigarette. He arrives at a motorcycle show, puts on a helmet, gets on his bike, and starts performing dangerous motorcycle stunts.

This long tracking shot is our introduction to Luke (Ryan Gosling), the traveling carnival motorcyclist whose vagabond lifestyle is suddenly disrupted when he learns that he has a one-year-old son with a former girlfriend, Romina (Eva Mendes). In a desperate attempt to earn money to provide for

his child, Luke turns to robbing banks. With this choice, his stony-faced façade begins to crumble.

Luke’s storyline intersects with that of Avery Cross (Academy Award nominee

Gosling and Mendes. Photo courtesy of www.google.com Bradley Cooper), a police officer in a corrupt department. Avery is deeply flawed, a character whose good intentions often result in mistakes. Avery’s hesitancy largely defines him, and, because movie characters are often

Heems Talks Diversity

by Christina Cho ’14

On April 25, Himanshu Suri, or Heems, a rapper from the now disbanded group ‘Das Racist,’ visited Concord Academy. During the annual Diversity Assembly, Heems reflected upon his path to becoming a musician and discussed both his music and the way in which it addresses issues of race and class.

According to Community and Equity (C&E) team member Ayres Stiles-Hall, CoHeads of Diversity Carolina Diez ’13 and Adryon Gordon ’13 worked throughout the year to bring Heems to speak at CA. When Gordon ’13 suggested Heems as a speaker for the annual assembly, Stiles-Hall reached out to Dance Teacher Richard Colton, who had taught one of Heems’ close friends, a fellow musician. Stiles-Hall said that once Heems agreed to speak, he then e-mailed him a preview of several points he planned to discuss, including specific events that had influenced his songs regarding immigration and race.

During the assembly, Heems discussed the experience of growing up in New York and then attending Wesleyan University, where he found a world very different from his own. Heems said that, at Wesleyan, he began to explore more deeply both music and his thoughts on racial issues. He said that he found that talking about race in a light, humorous manner instead of forcing the discussion was one of the best ways to get people engaged in a dialogue or thinking about the topic. Stiles-Hall supported the rationale behind Heems’ decision to incorporate levity in his music, which discusses the complicated and controversial issues of race, class, and ethnicity. “As Heems put it, if you get people to think about complicated ideas at all, then you’re raising the standard of communication for all the subsequent conversations,” Stiles-Hall said.

During his talk, Heems emphasized the importance of not only reconnecting with one’s heritage but also experiencing diversity, whether that diversity relates to race, beliefs, or backgrounds. He also stressed the importance of pursing one’s passions regardless of the prejudices or hardships that might stand in one’s way.

portrayed as invariably knowing the best course of action, his uncertainty makes him more human and more realistic.

The lead actors are all excellent in this film. While Gosling’s versatility as an actor

Instead of lecturing, Heems encouraged students to engage with him by asking questions for most of the fifty-minute assembly.

Stiles-Hall said he enjoyed this aspect of the assembly, and appreciated that Heems began a dialogue about the issues. “[Heems] encouraged students to find their own answers to questions such as, ‘What does it mean to be the same as those around you? What does it mean to be different?’ rather than just accepting his answers,” Stiles-Hall said. Stiles-Hall added that he enjoyed the humor that Heems lent to the assembly, which closely echoed that which he incorporates into his lyrics.

Sam Shapiro-Kline ’13 agreed with Stiles-Hall. “I liked the assembly a lot,” Shapiro-Kline said. “Heems did not hit the issue head on, but he definitely opened up the topic and I think that was his aim. …not to be overly blunt or serious but still to bring race into discussion and consideration.”

While Heems’ humorous and informal approach to his presentation entertained many students, some students had hoped to gain more serious insight into his story and to delve more deeply into the topics he discusses in his music. Ada Obieshi ’14 said that, initially, she did not enjoy the speech.

“However, the atmosphere was comfortable and if there was more time I think he could have gotten deeper into the topic,” Obieshi said. “He was successful in [creating] the mood to talk about race.” Eleni Papadopoulos ’13 said that while she enjoyed the assembly, she thought that, instead of his talking so much about his background, “it would have been better if he had told us more about the contents of his music and their relevance to his experiences with race and class.”

While students had mixed experiences with the assembly, Diez and Gordon both said that that they viewed Heems’ presentation as a success. Diez said that she thought that hearing more about Heems’ work could help students at Concord understand that rap does not have to be misogynistic or focused on wealth, but that it could be an effective medium to discuss diversity. Gordon agreed.

“Heems shares a similar social consciousness with many CA students,” Gordon said. “As a celebrity, he is very approachable, entertaining, and relatable. I thought the assembly was great.”

is often overlooked due to his heartthrob status, he gives an exceptional performance that embodies the emotionally-raw, toughguy Luke with expertise. Bradley Cooper gives the best performance I have yet to see

from him. Coming off a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his work in Silver Linings Playbook, Cooper has another substantial acting opportunity with The Place. And Cooper makes the most of this opportunity, as his excellent performance plays a major role in creating the ultra-realistic feel of the movie.

Despite a run-time of two and a half hours, the film never drags or loses its course.

I was engrossed right through the chillinducing final scene. My only criticism is of the music that accompanies this movie. The beautiful and moving song played during the trailer is only used in one or two scenes, but it should have been used in many more. A good film score can enhance the audience’s experience tenfold, and The Place falls short in this respect.

Moviegoers should be aware that this is not an easy movie to watch. Several events that the movie depicts are so intense that viewers may not know how to react and may emerge from them feeling slightly shellshocked. It seems that the main objective of The Place Beyond the Pines is to elicit a powerful emotional response, and the movie is surely a success in that respect.

I highly recommend The Place Beyond the Pines, one of the best movies I have ever seen.

Summer Stages ...continued from page 1 Participants have developed work in the Summer Stages workshop over the course of the three-week program and then presented it at Concord and at the ICA. Last July, more than eighty dancers participated in the festival that culminated with performances with an attendance of over 1,200.

Marisa Kager ’13, a Summer Stages attendee, explained what the program was like last year. “The atmosphere on campus during those weeks, with all the dancers around, was incredible,” Kager said. “I loved seeing the performances and worksin-progress of the professional dancers.”

Fellow Summer Stages dancer Mishla Baz ’14, who attended Summer Stages in middle school, added, “[The festival] gave me an opportunity to work with older dancers and to try different types of dance. But, most importantly, it made me fall in love with CA long before I even started looking for high schools.”

This summer, a series of changes are going into effect that Spencer said will advance the collaboration between Summer Stages and the ICA Boston. In addition to holding the one and two-week workshops for dancers from ages twelve to sixteen, Summer Stages will collaborate with the ICA to put into ef-

fect two programs through which dancers at CA will work over the course of the 20132014 school year. These two programs will culminate in performances on July 19 and 27 at the ICA. The three artists leading these programs, choreographer Rashaun Mitchell, composer Stephin Merritt and visual artist Ali Naschke-Messing, will then work with CA students throughout the year, and hold a panel discussion in January 2014. This collaboration will culminate in interdisciplinary performances by CA students next May.

The alterations will also eliminate three of the original programs – the Choreographers’ Fellowship Program, the Internship Program, and the Professional Training Program – and rework the remaining dance workshops by modifying their duration and incorporating them further with the ICA. Spencer said that she hopes the redesigned program will “offer opportunities at CA for students and faculty to engage with artists and programming that previously only took place during the summer months.”

As Head of School Rick Hardy explained, he believes that the changes to the program will “enhance CA students’ education and build on [Summer Stage Dance’s] long-standing and successful ties to the Boston arts community.”

Administrative Changes ...continued from page 1 the school,” Myers said. Safford added, “I trust that these talented people will continue to lead the school in the right direction.”

Additionally, a new senior administrator, the Director of Marketing and Communications, will join Concord next fall to fill Safford’s role in communications. Three finalists for the position visited CA to talk with students and faculty from Tuesday, May 14 through Thursday, May 16.

Overall, Hardy said that the reworking of Drew’s and Myers’ positions will advance the school’s strategic goal “to build on the

CA hallmark of a strong model of engaged learning.” Hardy said that he hopes that the changes and next year’s work of the strategic plan will “continually spur advances in teaching by providing time and resources for professional development, and by expanding and renovating our facilities and infrastructure to support this extraordinary living and learning environment.” Hardy concluded, “While students’ lives may not feel very different, we think the administrative changes will allow the school to run smoothly over the long-term.”

Sports

Page 4

Coach’s Corner: Courtney Fields softball at the high school level at Gann Academy.

According to Fields, she had been plan Last fall, Wilcox Fellow Courtney Fields ning to pursue a PhD in English and become began working at Concord Academy both an English professor, but she could not ignore inside and outside of the classroom. Fields, her love of softball. “I really love athletics, who teaches two sections of Sophomore coaching, and especially softball,” Fields English, also acted as Head Coach of the said.

“I decided that I wanted to pursue a Girls JV Basketball Team this winter and is career that allowed me to do both.” Last coaching for the Softball Team this spring. spring, while finishing her master’s degree, Ever since she can remember, softball Fields saw an opening for the Wilcox Fellowhas been a ship at CA. presence in She applied Fields’ life. and was of“There is a fered a popicture of sition, and me when is now halfI was four way through years old the two-year swinging program. with a giant Though red bat,” she joined Fields said. t h e CA “Since I community was three or only eight four I have months ago, really liked Fields said hitting the that she has ball.” become im A c mersed in cording to CA, both in Fields, her the classlove for room and on the game the softball Wilcox Fellow and Softball Coach Courtney Fields. has only indiamond this Photo courtesy of www.concordacademy.org creased since spring. “As a her childcoach I get really excited and want to drive hood days. Although she was recruited by a team to realize that they’re all really good Smith College in Northampton, MA, after competitive athletes,” Fields said. “If they playing softball for all four years of high realize that, it might expand a whole new part school in New Jersey, Fields stopped playing of themselves.” She has worked throughout during her sophomore year of college. Still, the spring with History Teacher and Softball Fields said that her passion for the game Coach Ed Rafferty to achieve this goal. “I’m never faded, and she continued her involvehoping that that’s something [Ed Rafferty] ment from a different side: coaching. and I can do: help the team realize the po Fields began coaching at college, when tential they have,” Fields said. she helped to run several softball clinics

Fields concluded, “I guess why I really for middle school and high school girls. love the game is because it’s a test of what While attending graduate school at Brandeis kind of person you are: someone who can University, where she studied English and support others and can be there for others.”

Women’s Studies, Fields started coaching

by Somerset Gall ’16

May 21, 2013

CA Athletes Take to the College Fields Just as athletes will miss the guidance of CA’s coaches, the coaches themselves

As seniors prepare for their graduation at will feel the absence of the seniors next the end of the month, there are many aspects year. When asked if he had a favorite thing of Concord Academy to which they will be about coaching Taylor, Waldron responded saying goodbye. They will leave behind that while there were too many to list, one teachers, friends, classes, and, in many cases, that stood out to him is her ability to set long sports teams. While members of the Class term goals and to completely devote herself of 2013 will be missed in the realm of CA to achieving them. “I know I am a better athletics next year, several students will be coach for having an athlete who prepares so continuing their athletic careers at the col- thoroughly and who is always asking what she can do to legiate level. g e t b e t t e r, ” Among these Waldron said. seniors are Da Tatiana vid Lander ’13, Winkelman ’13 Alyssa Taylor will be compet’13, and Tatiaing with Yale’s na Winkelman gymnastics ’13. team next year.

Next fall, Winkelman’s David Lander situation is ’13 will be a unique, as she member of was not part Amherst Colof a CA sports lege’s soccer team. Rather, David Lander ’13 playing in soccer game. team. The she trained at a Photo courtesy of www.flikr.com Amherst team, gym outside of which had an undefeated, seventeen-win season last year, school. “Gymnastics always took priority is one of the best Division III soccer teams over social events,” she said. After training in the country. While winning a place on eighteen hours a week over the course of her this squad is a significant accomplishment, time at Concord, Winkelman found that her Lander said that he would miss his time on dedication paid off when she received a call the Concord fields. “I will miss the team as- in late March from Yale recruiting her to join pect of CA athletics,” Lander said. “In order the team. Winkelman said that she is looking for us to win, every kid understood that he forward to competing in college. She added, had to commit to the team and that no one “I think the team spirit in college gymnastics is different than that at the high school level, person could carry the team on his own.”

Alyssa Taylor ’13 will be running cross- which I’m looking forward to.” country for Middlebury next fall. Taylor said CA has reason to be proud of these that she is most looking forward to having students who will continue their sports in “having a set group of people who will be college, and Waldron also reflected on their sharing this college experience with me.” effect on our school. “The most significant Like Lander, Taylor said that she will miss thing about seeing a CA athlete go on to comthe close-knit team she has been a part of for pete in college is the feeling that they have the past two years at CA. While she is look- learned to really love their sport,” Waldron ing forward to the experience, Taylor said said. “I hope that every CA athlete will have that she will also miss her coach, Jonathan that experience, whether or not he or she is Waldron. “I don’t think I’ll ever have another a star athlete, and whether or not he or she continues on to compete after high school.” coach as amazing as he is,” Taylor said.

by Sam Culbert ’15

CA Athletics: Lacrosse Lives!

by Chris Pappey ’15

Around a year ago, Concord Academy’s Boys Lacrosse Team was on the verge of becoming a club sport. Without enough players to make a varsity team, plans had been made to demote the program from the varsity level.

At the last moment, however, a group of freshmen and seniors signed up to participate and this influx revived the team. While the team does not have a winning record this season, they have improved significantly in key areas and hope to continue building the strength of the program.

Although the team lost a number of players from last year, even more students signed up to play at the start of this season, and, once they formed the squad, about half of the starting lineup was new players. Erik Zimmer ’15 said that while the team lost key player Peter James ’12, “we got some guys that can fill his shoes.” Mahfuj Hussain ’15 also said that the new players have helped the team. “Because of the increase in talent this year, we have high expectations,” Hussain said.

The new members of the team all agree that the returners have been both welcoming and helpful. Aidan Aciukewicz ’15, who joined the team for the first time this spring, said, “I really feel like a part of the team.

They did a good job at accepting all of us.”

Noah Kelleher ’15 agreed. “Because the team

is growing and we barely had enough people to play last year, I think the team accepted all the new players openly,” Kelleher said.

Benkler ’15. “Noam always has some crazy saves in goal,” Kelleher said. Zimmer added, “In the beginning of the season, Noam was

Nick Alvarez ’14 playing in lacrosse game.

Photo courtesy of www.flikr.com Some players feel that the defense has seen the most significant improvement, while others say the attack has improved most noticeably. But what the whole team can agree on is the trust they have in their goalie, Noam

the type of goalie that you could pass the ball to and it would go in [the net.] But over the course of the season, he has improved so much that he is saving rocket shots from some of the top players in the league.”

In addition to Benkler in goal, the team has also improved in several other aspects.

With the addition of Jasper Beever ’15 on attack, they now have a player who can reliably put the ball in the back of the net. Zimmer and Kelleher, who each have several goals on the season, also have joined Beever on attack. Kelleher commented on the strength of the offense. “Its nice to have a lot of our players able dodge and start plays to score goals,” Kelleher said. Zimmer added,“[The offensive players] play hard and hustle on clears which gives us some good fast-break opportunities.”

While the team has improved since last year and over the course of the spring, they are still struggling to compete with some of the teams in the EIL. Coming off their first four games, three of which were losses, CA faced off against Landmark, a team of similar ability. While falling behind in the beginning, CA came back to tie it up and almost took the lead. Still, despite the team’s efforts, a series of fouls left Concord playing a man down, and Landmark ultimately took the lead, and then the game.

Although the team had some trouble in the beginning of the season, they have since logged two wins and are hoping to finish off the season strong and then to set their sights on next year. “We just wanted to do better than last year and to get better as the season continues,” Kelleher said.

May 21, 2013

Features

The Music Man: Keith Daniel

Daniel has also collaborated with David R. Gammons, the Head of the Theatre Program, on four productions during their thir This summer, one of Concord Acad- teen years working together. Gammons said emy’s most beloved and influential figures, that these productions with Daniel “were all Performing Arts Department faculty member amazing experiences.” Gammons continued, Keith Daniel, is retiring after thirty-five years “The thing I love about Keith is that he is at the school. After joining the CA commu- so knowledgeable about musical theatre but nity in 1978 as a House Parent, Daniel began he is very adventuresome.” Gammons said teaching music at Concord in the fall of 1983. that one of his fondest memories was the fall Since then, Daniel has served as teacher, 2005 mainstage production Ubu 77, an adapDirector of the Music Program, and Head of tion of Alfred Jarry’s absurdist play Ubu Roi the Performing Arts Department. In recent intertwined with music from the year 1977. years, Daniel has focused on teaching courses Daniel worked with the band on “Anarchy in in music history and theory such as Advanced the UK,” a classic punk rock song. “To slip in Harmony. He also has directed the Chorus, to a band rehearsal and see Keith Daniel, who Chamber Choir, and shaped and directed the can conduct a Mozart requiem, conducting in music for mainstage productions, including this punk rock song just made me so happy to 2010’s Chicago and this year’s Much Ado think about how open-minded, creative and About Nothing. enthusiastic he is and Daniel said that, how much he embraces three decades ago, opportunities to work he was attracted to with different kinds of Concord because of music,” Gammons said. the “funkiness” of the

Like other facschool. “Why I started ulty members at CA, teaching here was that Daniel has served as it is an academically an advisor for many of exciting and funky his years at the school. school. The students Not surprisingly, his and faculty here are instudent advisees are ofteresting people,” Danten musicians. Schuyler iel said. “The school Wheldon ’98, now a really champions the semi-professional musiarts, and that attracted cian pursuing a PhD in me to it and has kept musicology at Univerme here.” sity of California, Los Music Teacher Keith Daniel. Photo Angeles, was Daniel’s

Looking back at courtesy of www.concordacademy.org his years at CA, Danstudent and advisee iel said that what he during his time at CA. has enjoyed most is the freedom given to both Reflecting on his relationship with Daniel, the students and the teachers. “They trust me Wheldon said, “Keith was undoubtedly the in the classroom,” Daniel said. “When they biggest teacherly influence on my life. It’s hired me and felt I could do my job, they left because of his classes and influence that I me alone to do my job, to design courses and continued to focus on music through college change courses as I wanted, and to pursue my and beyond.” Wheldon said that he has kept path as a teacher.” in touch with Daniel since he graduated.

While at Concord, Daniel has imple- Daniel also commented on the significance mented and re-imagined courses including of building relationships between faculty and Music in Your Life, Great Composers, and students. “I value that relationship between American Pop Music. Along with Performing advisors and advisees. We form such close Arts Department Head Amy Spencer, Daniel relationships at this school, which I think is also created Musical Theatre Workshop, a another important part of CA,” Daniel said. class in which students study the greats of Daniel said that, while he is trying not to Broadway and the musical theatre genre. plan too many activities for next year, he is Daniel also assembled CA’s Chamber planning on going to New Zealand with his Choir and helped students design and es- wife next March. Besides travelling, he will tablish music groups, including The Cha- be teaching a course on The Beatles for an meleons, Pitches, and Concord Cabaret. adult education program at Concord-Carlisle Chamber Choir member Julia Sprague ’14 High School and will continue to work with reflected upon Daniel’s work with the chorus. his a capella group. He is also considering “I think [Keith] is able to do a lot of music [in auditioning for musical productions, going chorus that] he may not be able to do in other on a Sierra Club service trip, and volunteerclasses, [like] musicals, spiritual, gospel, and ing. “I love to garden. I love to read. And I classical,” Sprague said. “He makes jokes will listen to a lot of music,” Daniel said. and just brings us this excited energy.”

“I’ll miss him,” Adams said. “There

In addition to establishing these groups, won’t be another one like him, for a long Daniel has worked with the Music Program time, if ever.” Gammons added, “The way as a participant himself. He played tenor he empowers and inspires students with the saxophone and clarinet in the Jazz Ensemble love of music is the legacy that he will leave for a number of years and, this spring, he here.” rejoined the Ensemble to perform for the Daniel is beginning to say goodbye to school one last time. the community from which he will depart Performing Arts Department member at the end of May, and he has expressed his Ross Adams, who directs the Jazz Ensemble, gratitude to the CA community. “Thank you has worked with Daniel for thirty-one years. for supporting music all these years, and for “Keith has a tremendous understanding and giving me the chance to work with so many capacity to communicate everything that incredible colleagues and amazing young he knows,” Adams said. “He is incredibly people,” Daniel said. “I didn’t set out to be prepared for his lessons.” Adams said that a high school teacher. I thought I was going the connection that Daniel has formed with to be a college teacher, but working with the community is remarkable. “He is totally teenagers has been the most rewarding thing I connected to everybody in the school and could ever imagine doing. I am thankful that knows all about the students. For me, Keith I have made a difference in people’s lives, has been a constant presence here,” Adams and that I’ve done something that I think said. contributes to this world.”

by Teresa Dai ’14

Page 5

Danke Schön, Susan Adams teacher who also worked at St. Paul’s and was attending graduate school at Boston University, Adams moved to Boston.

When the Concord Academy Class of

The two soon married, and Adams began 2013 leaves at the end of May, so will Gerlooking for work near their home in Newton, man Teacher Susan Adams, who has taught MA. She looked everywhere from Rhode at CA for forty-one years. As German student Island to New Hampshire before finding a Sam Boswell ’13 said, “It’s really the end of job opening at Concord Academy. an era. It’s hard to replace someone who’s Adams said that when she arrived at done so many things for this school.”

Concord in 1972, she only planned to stay

Adams said that her interest in teaching at the school for a few years. Plans changed began when she was growing up in Lakewhen Adams’ husband struggled to find a wood, Ohio. The third of four daughters, job in his mathematical specialty, abstract Adams remembers enjoying coming home algebra, and, a year later, he joined her in from school and teaching her younger sister teaching at Concord. what she had learned in class. “I used to teach Adams has been at CA ever since. Over my little sister everything that I had learned,” the course of her time at CA, she said that Adams said. “I taught her many things before she has overseen significant changes in the she’d learned them in school.”

Modern and Classical Language Depart Adams recalled that her interest in the ment. During her time at Concord, Chinese German language began in the mid-1960s, became a language offering, and the relative when one of her older sisters went to Switzerpopularity of French and Spanish shifted. land for an exchange program. Two years afAdams recalled that, when she arrived at ter her sister returned from the exchange, her the school, there were four French teachers family planned a trip to Europe to visit her and only one Spanish teacher. Now, there is host family. Adams’ parents encouraged the a nearly inverse relationship between the two. daughters to learn German for the trip. “My Additionally, Adams said that in the past, the parents decided we should learn German so department’s offerings focused more heavily as not to be the typical ‘ugly Americans,’” on literature, instead of having the emphasis Adams said. on language that it does today. Adams said

Adams and her entire family enrolled in that she also feels proud that during her time a German program, but when Adams found as Head of the Language Department she the “hear and speak” Berlitz teaching style hired Latin Teacher Jamie Morris-Kliment ineffective, she went to her high school in and French Teacher Tonhu Hoang.

November determined to enroll in a class

Spanish Teacher and Modern and Clasand learn the sical Language language. “I Department Head promised to Adam Bailey do all the back said that, while homework over he has only been the Thanksgivat CA for a year, ing break and he recognizes the to babysit for integral role Ad[the teacher] ams has played at for free if he Concord. “Susan corrected that Adams is so much homework,” more than a teachAdams said. er,” Bailey said.

“He let me into “Susan Adams is the class.” an institution here Adams at Concord Acadsaid that, when emy.” the family trav German student eled to Switzerand Adams’ adland in the sumvisee Kelsey Mcmer of 1965, Dermott ’13 also she used her voiced her apprenewly acquired ciation. “She’s allanguage skills ways really anito help her Departing German Teacher Susan Adams. mated in class,” family commuPhoto courtesy of Susan Adams McDermott said. nicate. “I found “She’s super pasmy calling,” Adsionate about the ams said. Upon her return to high school, German language and teaching in general, Adams moved from German I during her and I think that’s why she’s been able to do junior year directly to the German IV class it so well for forty-one years.” for her senior year.

Susan Adams said that she will miss After graduating from high school, “virtually everything” about Concord when Adams attended Smith College, where she she leaves. “I will miss the daily contact majored in Music. Although she did not with students,” Adams said. “I like seeing major in German, Adams said that she took when kids understand something, [and] I German courses during every semester of like helping kids find out how exciting it is college and spent her junior year studying to communicate in another language.” With abroad in Hamburg, Germany. her husband, who retired from Concord two

Adams had her first experience teaching years ago, Adams plans to travel to Germany German during her senior year at Smith when and the Netherlands; and she has a grandson she taught German at a high school in Flor- due to arrive this summer, and her son’s ence, MA for four months. Upon receiving wedding on the horizon. Adams said that, her undergraduate diploma, Adams continued while she will no longer be in the classroom teaching German, this time at a summer pro- everyday, she will not be idle. gram at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New

“I’m going to miss her. We’re all going Hampshire. After one summer at St. Paul’s, to miss her,” Boswell said. “When I think Adams went to Cornell University to pursue about my time at CA, I think about my Gerher Master’s in German Literature. After man classes.” meeting her future husband, Bill Adams, a

by Harry Breault ’16

Features & Opinions

Page 6

Forms, Friends, Fears: Course Registration

by Ben Stoloff ’15

Spring is a time for growth and change.

At Concord Academy, as seniors prepare to go off to college, the rest of the school is left with the exciting but sometimes daunting task of picking classes for next year. While rising sophomores don’t have many choices and rising seniors have picked electives before, rising juniors are faced with a totally new experience. It can be difficult to piece together the perfect schedule when there are so many different choices.

While next fall’s add-drop period does form a nice safety net for the upcoming year, it does not make the course registration process any easier. First of all, it seems to me that the whole system is overly complicated.

I had hoped that the documents we had to fill out would be simple but, instead, when I looked at the registration page a multitude of documents in multiple sections bombarded me. While I understand the complexity of determining the entire school schedule for both teachers and students and appreciate the work that goes into the process, I believe that many aspects of the process could be simplified. Is it necessary to have individual documents with instructions about course registration and an entirely different document about how to fill out the form itself?

Do I need to see a sample registration form on top of all the instructions? Even though I have been through this process before, when I sat down to pull together next year’s schedule I found myself fairly intimidated.

Furthermore, when going through the process several years ago I found myself questioning the necessity of filling out fouryear academic plans. In my experience, freshman and sophomores can’t realistically imagine the English and History electives they will take, and it seems unlikely that a student will actually follow these original plans. Nevertheless, if students don’t turn in

this form on time, they lose their preferences points and may not be placed into a course of their choosing. This seems like an outsized punishment for a relatively small mistake.

A final problem with the academic plan is that it adds to the intimidation of picking classes. For someone such as myself who finds picking classes for the very next year extremely worrying, having to choose my classes for several years in advance serves solely as a source of extra stress. I hope that in the future the administration will decide to scrap this intimidating and arguably useless form in order to remove some of the anxiety from the course registration process.

Course registration also always has a social aspect to it. While it may seem like the end of the world if you don’t have friends in your classes, I believe that is extremely important to separate the process of choosing classes from social pressure. I, for one, know that if I let my course decisions be influenced by my friends I will not have the schedule that is right for me. Additionally, in my experience having classes with friends does not significantly promote socializing. While I think this is largely due to the diligence of CA students, it is an important fact to keep in mind while selecting classes. Simply put, socializing isn’t what’s important when it comes to academics.

Rather than talking to my friends, I prefer to turn to my advisor and teachers for help selecting courses for the coming school year.

Now that course registration is complete and the end of the year is upon us, we will wait until late August to open up our folders and see what courses we will take for the next nine months. While I know that I will end up with classes I enjoy, I hope that in future years juniors will be better prepared to take on course registration and be able to balance social pressures, academic pursuits, and the end-of-year rush to come up with a schedule that is right for them.

May 21, 2013

Bang for the Buck: Spirit of Senior Spring

by Gaurav Verma ’13

Complaining about the lack of a senior spring is something of an annual ritual here at Concord Academy. At many schools, seniors often take off the entire last half of the spring to complete a senior project, an independent study that encourages seniors to explore one or two specific interests while allowing them breathing room in the last stretch of high school. For example, at my middle school I remember having students from the near-by Buckingham Browne and Nichols School serving as apprentices in the classroom from April until the end of the school year for their senior projects. At CA, however, there has been very little that differentiates a senior’s final semester from any other, as we are still required to take a full load of classes, most of which also have juniors in them. But this year, CA introduced Spring Bucks, a system that allows seniors to spend their five Spring Bucks in their classes to skip or reduce the weight of various assignments.

In theory, I believe this to be a strong system. Senior spring is our final time to soak in the various experiences of Concord Academy, many of which are outside the classroom. Giving seniors the opportunity to exempt ourselves from an assignment or two offers us more time to engage in the extracurricular activities that make CA the truly special place it is. It also allows us to spend quality time with students and teachers whom we will soon not see everyday. Engaging in such experiences greatly enhances the end of our time at CA, and Spring Bucks help to make this more manageable as, even in our final semester, we are still working hard.

Yet, not all teachers seem to have bought into the spirit of Spring Bucks. Although some teachers have allowed seniors to hand over a Buck in order to skip assignments such as quizzes and papers, others have not been so lenient. One of my teachers only allows the usage of Spring Bucks to turn in assignments late, and another does not permit the

use of them at all. Some teachers only accept Spring Bucks on homework and do not allow them for major assignments.

There is no sense of universal value to the Spring Buck: some teachers ask for one Buck per major assignment (an essay, lab, or test) while others want two or even three Bucks for assignments of comparable size.

The only way Spring Bucks can be effective is if we are allowed to use them on major assignments, as they take the most time and effort to complete. Considering that homework in upper-level electives is rarely collected and considering that it is usually reading, only allowing seniors to skip a daily homework assignment is not true to the spirit of the proposal. Further, turning in assignments late does nothing to alleviate the workload. And with so much variance from teacher to teacher, it is possible that some students are able to get out of assignments as large as a major paper or exam, while others are unable to exempt themselves from a single major assignment. Such inequities do not enhance senior spring.

The goal of Spring Bucks, or any other proposal surrounding senior spring, is to give seniors a reward after three and a half years of hard work and to give them a chance to alleviate their workload and enjoy the experiences outside of the classroom that make CA a school unlike any other. This is why I urge teachers to allow students to exempt themselves from at least one major assignment per class with Spring Bucks. Students would still only have five Spring Bucks, but they would be able to use them in a manner that actually alleviates the workload.

I also urge the various departments to develop a department-wide policy to decrease the discrepancy between what assignments seniors are able to skip. I’m confident that these two changes will make the Spring Buck system more equitable and more effective as we continue to explore the meaning of senior spring at CA.

Faculty Chapels: An Integral Tradition

by Iris Oliver ’15

One of the staples of the Concord Academy culture is mutual respect between students and faculty members. Thus it is natural that, along with the senior class, members of the CA faculty and staff have the opportunity to share their thoughts and stories in several chapel talks over the course of the year. For over three decades, adult members of the CA community have periodically joined seniors in delivering the fifteen-minute long talks on a diverse range of subjects.

Dean of Students David Rost said, around fifteen years ago, he began to set aside a few dates in May for faculty members departing after a long tenure. Rost said that while these dates are still often planned in anticipation of a faculty member’s departure, many times are simply set aside to ensure that any faculty or staff who chooses to can have the option to deliver a chapel. “When a spot is not filled, I offer it to any faculty member who might be interested in giving a chapel, and people respond,” Rost said.

Rost added that the number of openings for faculty chapels is determined by the size of the senior class and special circumstances such as school cancellations that can lead to rescheduled talks. When more than one person volunteers to give a chapel on the same day, Rost said that he tries to “give [the chapel] to someone who has been here for a while or someone who has a story that I feel would be very interesting for the community to hear.”

Many of the faculty members who choose to speak do so to commemorate a special event such as joining or leaving the CA community. This September, incoming Dean of Faculty Jenny Chandler used her chapel

Similarly, Director of Health and Student Support Services Jeff Desjarlais said that he used one of the chapels he has given over the course of his time at CA to mark his transition from full-time faculty member to counselor.

The Concord Academy Chapel at dusk. Photo courtesy of www.google.com to introduce herself to the community. Chandler said that she saw the chapel as a way to share her beliefs and what was important to her, including the fact that she is a mother.

“Being a mother is a really important part of my identity, so I wanted people to know,” Chandler said.

Desjarlais said that he took the opportunity “to inform the community that this was a new role and this was a new job,” and to update students and faculty on his experience fulfilling this role.

Mathematics Department Head Mark Engerman, who gave a chapel this fall, ex-

plained that one of the reasons he gave his chapel was to support his advisee, who as a freshman had been nervous about her chapel.

Engerman explained that he had told his advisee that he would give a chapel during her senior year. “[Chapels are] one of my favorite traditions at CA, so I wanted to participate in it,” Engerman said.

Rost said that one of the upsides of faculty chapels is that, occasionally, departed faculty and staff members return to listen to their past colleague’s chapels.

Biology Wilcox Fellow Sumana Setty said that she felt that her chapel was important because she “wanted to thank people” and to share with the community what she had learned. Setty said that writing her chapel, which she wrote in two days after a spot opened up, was “stressful, but worth it.”

Many students expressed their enjoyment of the chance to listen to an older, more experienced speaker. Hadleigh Nunes ’15 said that she likes the fresh perspective that faculty members with more life experience provide in their chapels. Nunes felt that comparing the messages of adult members of the community to messages provided by seniors added “depth to the whole chapel experience.”

Faculty and staff chapels provide the CA community with a way to strengthen the bond between students and adults. Nora Silva ’15 concluded that chapels are “yet another way that CA encourages familiarity between teachers and students.”

May 21, 2013

Opinions & News

Page 7

Arts, Sports, and GPA: Rethinking the Grading System occur outside the academic day, while most art classes take place within it. Because of this difference, not including sports in the

Last spring, I sat in one of my first Junior GPA makes sense on a surface level: if it Seminar classes, listening to my teacher ex- doesn’t happen during the school day, it plain the makeup of the grade-point average shouldn’t be included in a concrete measure (GPA) at of academConcord ic success.

Academy.

H o w e v e r, As I took CA students in the participate informain both art tion, one and athletof the first ics for credthings I it, just like noticed students at was that many other the grades schools, I received who take in my art both art and classes physical counted education Boys Baseball on the bench. as part of classes for Photo courtesy of www.concordacademy.org my GPA. credit, with At first, I both types of activity included in the GPA. was very surprised—to me, art classes seem A more qualitative reason to include as if they should be separated from academic athletics in a student’s GPA is to give another classes—but then, I realized that CA stu- opportunity to reflect the skills that are esdents do take art classes for credit, just like sential for success on a sports team. It does academic classes. Because art is not one of take some amount of athletic skill to excel in my strengths, I spent a lot of time wondering sports, but it also takes some artistic skill to about what I could have done differently to do well in art class. Instead of being solely ensure my art grades had less of an effect on talent-based, the grades given for athletics my overall GPA. More of my strengths lie in could take into account other aspects of being athletics, and I noticed that while CA students on a team. take both art courses and athletics for credit,

Through my experiences as part of the only art classes are counted in the GPA. cross country, alpine skiing, and tennis teams

One of the likely reasons that CA does at CA, I have learned that being part of a team not include sports in the GPA is that athletics

by Ryan Hussey ’13

A Senior Reflects

by Abby Brooke ’13

Graduation always used to seem pretty perfunctory to me. Little more than a marker of time, it served to signal that another year of high school was coming to a close and that sunny summer days had finally arrived.

Those last few weeks at the end of the school year always blurred together, full of finals, performances, and sunburns from too much time spent lying on the quad. Before I knew it, I was pulling on a sundress for the last event of the year: Commencement. A few hours under a tent, listening to lists of names; some absent-minding munching of finger food on the quad; a couple tearful hugs with departing senior friends. And that was that.

But this year, everything is different.

Graduation isn’t just a marker of time, a hoop to jump through before summer starts. This year, graduation looms in my mind. Because, for the first time, this isn’t somebody else’s graduation. This is my graduation.

I won’t pretend that concept doesn’t fill me with excitement. As anyone who has ever seen a John Hughes film knows, high school is no walk in the park. It’s awkward and frequently painful, spilling over with emotions we may or may not be ready to handle and dotted with instances of injustice and bad luck. It’s a crash course in adulthood, and, as such, it’s guaranteed we’ll get bruised. There have been plenty of times when I was miserable, or lonely, or ready to give up. And being a CA student comes with its own unique challenges: demanding courses, a close-knit but intense community, hectic schedules, and much more.

But as these final days of senior spring flick by and disappear into the vacuum that is my “high school experience,” I’m realizing something about high school: it ends.

This may seem painfully obvious, but it’s a simple fact that didn’t sink in for me until very recently. When I was an awkward new freshman trying to memorize my schedule I didn’t realize this. When I was an exhausted junior coming home from a long, trying days of physics tests and rehearsals, I didn’t realize this. Even this year, when I was nervously reading college decisions, I didn’t fully realize that the letters in my hands were reminders that, whichever school I would be attending next year, it wouldn’t be CA.

For better or for worse, it’s just a fact that high school feels never-ending. I’ve always inwardly assumed that I would have more time here, another chance to go to that event or become friends with that cool teacher or get to complete that tradition. But, with fewer than two weeks left, I’m realizing that is simply untrue.

Everyone tackles CA differently—there are an infinite number of ways to find your niche, discover what you love, and make your mark on the CA community. But if I could suggest any kind of philosophy to keep in mind as you navigate the rough waters of high school, it would be to understand that four years ends a lot more quickly than you may think. This isn’t some regret-filled plea to ‘seize the moment’ or a passive-aggressive reminder to ‘appreciate it while you can.’ I’ve loved my experience at CA. I’m proud of everything I’ve been involved with and I don’t know if I would have done anything differently had I been more aware of the transience of my time here. But it might have helped me really take advantage of everything CA has to offer if I had kept in mind that my days weren’t limitless. And it might have helped in moments of stress to remember that my own graduation was actually just around the corner.

is not just about using your athletic talents or the school should consider including some skills. It is, in many ways, about learning to reflection of athletics as well. Only including work together as a team, putting in a strong grades from art classes favors students who effort daily, and persevering. My experiences are more interested in art, while students who in athletics have taught me how to work with prefer athletics have no way to show their others to accomplish a common goal more strength and their skills in the GPA format. As than any class could, and this is a skill that a result, on college applications, art classes I believe show up w i l l more, in prove both the essential GPA and in prothe tranfessional script, life. w h i l e A s sports only a memshow up as ber of a an extrasports curricular team, activity.

I often It is an h a v e important had to Ceramics Teacher Ben Eberle ’99 works with students. part of CA put the Photo courtesy of www.concordacademy.org culture not needs of to place the team above my own preferences, and I much importance on a student’s GPA, fohave learned how to make effective com- cusing more on comments and the overall promises for the benefit of the group. Even classroom experience than on just one numthough these lessons are not gained in the ber. The desire and ability to focus more classroom, they often do affect students’ on how and why we learn what we learn, other work and their ability to collaborate instead of fixating on a singular number as a and be a strong member of the community. representation of semesters’ worth of work, Skills like teamwork and compromise may is a unique and amazing part of attending not directly relate to Macbeth or chemistry CA. Incorporating sports into a student’s problems, but they are important life skills, GPA would reinforce Concord’s dedication to much like the creativity, originality, and in- supporting all aspects of a student’s growth, novation emphasized in art classes. both inside and outside of the classroom.

I do not think that CA should remove art class grades from the GPA; rather, I think

New Classes ...continued from page 1

Laber said the idea for the course originated from someone on the other side of the classroom experience: a student. In 2010, Daphne Kim ’10 did a Departmental Study on Asian Literature. Laber said that, after experiencing Kim’s work, Laber mentioned the idea of an Asian Literature class to Thomas, who supported the idea. Together, they began the process of developing the class. “I felt excited and overwhelmed,” said Laber. Laber said that, once they decided they would create the class, she and Thomas met with the Asian Student Alliance, one of CA’s affiliation groups, to receive reading suggestions. Thomas and Laber agreed to focus on the themes of industrialization, globalization, and the impact of becoming an American, while still maintaining one’s Chinese, Korean, or Japanese nationality.

There are some significant changes to Math and Science offerings as well. Geometry, currently a yearlong course, will be separated into two semester courses, Geometry 1 and Geometry 2. When the Math Department consulted Drew about the idea, he immediately endorsed the plan. “Dividing Geometry into two semester-long courses will allow us to place students in the right courses in the right sequence,” Drew said.

Drew also said that the change would give students more flexibility in thinking about their schedules. Students who enroll in Intermediate Algebra during their first semester at Concord will now be able to take Geometry during their second semester instead of Algebra II. In the Science Department, John Pickle will be teaching a new science course, open to upperclassmen that focuses on scientific modeling.

Modern and Classical Language Department Head Adam Bailey said that several

changes are occurring in his department in upper level courses that he hopes will “encourage students to continue studying language beyond the third year [and] to improve their proficiency.” The four new Spanish classes are Language and Culture of Latin America, Language and Culture of Spain, Survey of Literature, and Cinema and Conversation. Contemporary Popular Culture and Humor in French Literature will replace the current Advanced French courses.

For Latin, Bailey said the department will offer an advanced course in the fall that centers on the works of Catullus, Cicero, and Ovid, and a spring class on Vergil that, according to Baily, is “aligned more with the Advanced Placement exam.”

While, according Visual Arts Department Head Justin Bull, the only major change in his department is the revision of the Screenwriting course, a new course is being introduced in the Performing Arts Department. Performing Arts Department Head Amy Spencer said that Broadway Songbook, a performance-based course for students with experience in either voice or theatre, will be offered next year.

The Computer Studies offerings will also remain the same. While there are no new classes, Computer Studies Department Head Ben Stumpf said that changes are constantly underway. “Courses in my department constantly need to be updated to incorporate the latest technology and techniques,” Stumpf said. “Much about them feels new every year.”

Drew concluded that, while he appreciates the variety in offerings and the content that the new and revised courses offer, the teachers themselves are the most important component of the students’ experiences.

“Enthusiastic, passionate teachers make for very interesting classes,” Drew said.

The Back Page

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The Centipede Concord Academy 166 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742

Executive Editor: Charlotte Weiner ’13 Managing Editor: Abby Brooke ’13 Features Editor: Alyssa Taylor ’13 News Editors: Marisa Kager ’13 and Ryan Hussey ’13 Opinions Editor: Adetola Sylvan ’13 Arts Editors: Teresa Dai ’14 and Katherine Oh ’14 Sports Editors: Gaurav Verma ’13 and Chris Pappey ’15 Photo and Web Editor: Gary Zheng ’14 Staff Writers: Harry Breault ’16, Claire Phillips ’15, Julia Shea ’16, Ben Stoloff ’15, and Alex Weyerhaeuser ’15 Faculty Advisor: Sandy Stott

The Centipede is the official student newspaper of Concord Academy. The paper welcomes comments from its readers in the form of Letters to the Editor. No anonymous letters will be printed. The Centipede reserves the right to edit all articles for length and content.

Help Me, Rhonda!

The Centipede advice columnist “Rhonda” helps students navigate the rocky waters of high school. If you need her help, please drop your questions in the “Help Me, Rhonda!” submission box in the library.

Dear Rhonda, Graduation is fast approaching and the love of my life will be leaving CA forever. I am a freshman. Should I proclaim my love for her?

Should I hug her at graduation and slip her my number? Or should I keep this burning passion inside and let her go off to college without ever revealing how I feel?

Love, Forlorn Frosh Dear Forlorn, Ok, I have a question: Why does everyone at this school have a hidden desire that they need help expressing? Are we all that socially awkward that we don’t understand the basics of dating? Wait. Don’t answer that.

For the last time (I’m looking at you, freshmen boys), here’s what Rhonda thinks about your secret crushes: share them! Particularly if your lady-love is graduating. What do you have to lose? And once the sting of rejection wears off, it will make a hilarious story.

Points for the slick “hug-and-slip-her-yournumber” move. Classic.

Love, Rhonda Dear Rhonda, During Announcements the other day, Rick Hardy mentioned something about hiring a ‘Chief Storyteller.’ As someone who loves stories (I’m quite an avid reader), I’m hoping to apply for that position. Do you have any advice for me concerning my quest to become CA’s Chief Storyteller? How do I go about showing the Administration that I’m ready to weave our communal narrative on the daily?

Many thanks, Future Chief Storyteller

Dear Storyteller, To start, I’m awfully impressed by your ambition. Like seriously, you are clearly a go-getter, and I respect that. I have no doubt that your ability to take initiative and pursue your dreams will serve you well in the future.

And Rhonda is something of a prodigious reader herself, so that’s cool.

So it’s so hard for me to break this news to you. As confident as you may be in your qualifications for the role, I believe the position of ‘Chief Storyteller’ has already been filled. Also, it doesn’t exist.

Love, Rhonda Dear Rhonda, I’m graduating in fewer than two weeks… and I’m sort of freaking out! I can’t wait for summer, and college, and all that stuff—but I don’t enjoy events like Commencement.

All the attention really overwhelms me, and that’s on top of my own sadness about leaving CA. Any tips for surviving Commencement?

Sincerely, Scared Senior Dear Scared, Rhonda knows exactly how you feel, as she has been in the graduating class since 2010 (she loves CA too much to ever actually graduate). My advice is simple: relax! Don’t worry about your parents’ or teachers’ expectations for graduation, and instead focus on your own experience. Don a pretty white dress or a snappy suit and celebrate your accomplishments, spend some time with your classmates, and say goodbye to the Academy.

Alternately, you can grab some finger food and hide under the refreshments table on the Quad until everyone else leaves. It’s up to you.

Love, Rhonda

May 21, 2013

Connections to Keep: What CA Taught Me at any point in the college process, or, in a larger sense, at another point during my time at CA.

Senior advice is a staple of the Concord Academy community. The advice ranges Concord is, for a high school, an exfrom humorous to serious, offhand to care- tremely demanding place. It expects a lot fully considered. But, when I was writing my from its students and pushes them to realize chapel, I felt out of place giving advice. I was their potential, and it makes it easy for each just another student; who was I do be impart- student to get caught up in a bubble of work, extracurriculars, friends, and collapsing into ing so-called wisbed to sleep. But dom to my peers? what amazed me Now, with thirtymost last week was five months of high that, at one of the school behind me most hectic times of and only ten days the year, everyone ahead, I realize that who I reached out to this final issue of put down what they The Centipede for were doing to talk the departing staff with me and help. is my last time to Next year, I’ll be share any advice I going to a school have. With college around fourteen plans solidified and times the size of good-byes beginConcord. I know ning, I am finally that I could go starting to realize through my college that high school is experience without almost over. truly connecting Three weeks with any teachers ago, I was deliberatand no one would ing where I would go notice. I could insufor college. While I late myself and not was fortunate to interact or make Concord in the spring. have options, I Photo courtesy of www.concordacademy.org connections. But spent months that last week I realized quickly winnowed that, after my time down to weeks trying to decide. Finally, I had at CA, I would never do that. five days left (one hundred and twenty hours,

A few weeks ago, I talked with a young now one hundred and nineteen, I reminded alum in her first year at college who still myself), with still no idea of what I wanted to wears her CA ring everyday, and, earlier this do and panic rising in the back of my throat. year, I interviewed an alum who graduated So I did what I think it is safe to say many students who have been at CA for four years thirty years ago who still never takes off her ring. CA stays with people, and I think that would do: I asked my advisor for help.

I went to my advisor’s office and we is in large part because of the connections it walked out to the quad where we sat together fosters. in the sun on oversized Adirondack chairs So stay after class and talk to your and talked about my future. We talked about teacher about that question you never got how I felt now, about imaging my future, to ask. Strike up a conversation on the train about what made me nervous or excited for to school with the kid you’ve never talked college. We talked about what activities I to before. Spend a morning out on the quad would do and what it would feel like to be with your advisor, sinking into the heat of away from home. But, mostly, while we talk- the sun and talking about last weekend and ed I knew that my advisor would support me the summer and your future, and get excited in whatever decision I made. I walked away about the world outside of CA but also try to from our conversation feeling warmed by the appreciate what CA has to offer. I know I’ll sun and more calm than I had in days. Before have the confidence to connect with teachers talking to my advisor, I had dropped by the and build meaningful relationships not only CCO and talked with my college counselor for the next four years but also after college, for over an hour. Over the next few days, I and I indisputably owe that to CA. Ten days talked with three other teachers, as well as from now I will leave this campus, but it friends on the train and in-between class and makes me happy to know that the connections I have made will not cease to exist. on the way to sports practice.

Here, at high school’s end, the best ad Last week, after the reality of my deci- vice I can give is to try to make the most of sion had finally begun to sink in, I realized the opportunity at CA to make connections, the unique experience I had had, but also how whether that is with your peers, advisor, common the experience was for a CA student. teachers or other faculty members. And, At so many other schools, I could have gone when I head off for college ninety days from unnoticed for the week during which I was now, I know that my CA ring will be coming trying to decide. I could have folded in on with me. myself under the pressure of the decision, or

by Charlotte Weiner ’13

Roving Reporter

Roving Reporter asks: Parting words?

Halsey Hutchinson ’13: “Make sure to eat lots of fruits and vegetables.”

Diane Wald ’13: “It’s been a good year.”

Steph Wong ’13: “I have to go to class.”

Burgess Powell ’13: “I’m gonna miss Ryan Hussey.”

Colin Trimmer ’13: “I’m invincible.

They can’t touch me.”

Sophia Steinert-Evoy ’13: “Hi, Matt Donahue.”

Jane Le ’13: “It’s been good. Peace.”

May 28, 2010

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The Centipede Concord Academy 166 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742

Executive Editor: Kate Nussenbaum ’11 Managing Editor: Dan Weiner ’11 Features Editor: Nick Phillips ’11 News Editors: Tess Mellin ’12 and Adam Pfander ’12 Opinions Editors: Scott Berkley ’12 and Pauly Daniel ’12 Arts Editor: Josh Suneby ’11 Sports Editor: Eitan Tye ’12 Photo Editor: Henry Kim ’11 Web Editor: Andrew Dempsey ’11 Staff Writers: Kathleen Cachel ’12, Ryan Hussey ’13, Lola Ogundipe ’12, Charlotte Weiner ’12 Faculty Advisor: Sandy Stott The Centipede is the official student newspaper of Concord Academy. The paper welcomes comments from its readers in the form of Letters to the Editor. No anonymous letters will be printed. The Centipede reserves the right to edit all articles for length and content.