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The Diller Street Journal Thursday, February 20th, 2014
Baked and Confused: The Heated Debate Over a Sticky Situation
The Day School Goes Green, Pulls Ahead of Competition
James Robinson ’15
Rachel York ’15 Sometimes the only way to learn about the big issues in our society is to condense them into something that is smaller and easier to swallow. In this case, those issues were made into brownies. Just before winter break, Kaleidoscope leaders Valerie Jaharis ‘15 and Alexander Mitchell ‘15 hatched a plan for a social experiment, to be passed off as a grocery-money fundraiser bake sale for Cooking Club, of which Mitchell is also a leader. As many students quickly noted, this bake sale was not just any bake sale. When a female student walked up to buy something, the price was $1.50, while male students had to pay $2. Any inquiries as to the difference in pay were responded to with a “Because that’s just the way it is”. According to Jaharis, female students just “shrugged and bought the goods anyway” while the boys “were outraged” with comments such as “This is sexist!” and “This is prejudiced!”. Beyond general complaints, many students went in and complained to Dr. Potter. As Jaharis noted in our interview, the bake sale was fully approved by both Madame Wollin Casey and Ms. Nagler, North Shore’s diversity director. According to Jaharis, it was suggested that male students should be reimbursed of their lost fifty cents, but ultimately the idea was dropped because it would “defeat the entire purpose of the bake sale.” When asked what the bake sale’s exact purpose was, Jaharis responded by saying that she decided to put on the bake sale because “the wage gap is a
Photo of Upper School Students showing support for Dunk Alzheimers by Art Jessen
Dunk Alzheimers’ Second Year Success Anand Shankar ’16
On Saturday, January 25, North Shore students raised $5,000 for Alzheimer’s research through events organized by five Upper School students. Jonathan Segal ’15, Josie Santi ’14, Daniel Young ’15, Cameron Chung ’14, and Charlotte Mokdessi ’15 decided to organize a three-part, all-day event to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association. Segal first had the idea to run a school fundraiser for Alzheimer’s when his grandmother was diagnosed with the disease. “Having my Grandmother not remember me is one of the more difficult things I faced,” he said, and “it was difficult to see my grandmother deteriorate in front of my eyes.” The first event of the day was “Dunk Alzheimer’s.” The committee organized seven basketball games over the course of the entire day. They decorated the gym and had several students, including William Curren ’15, Gordie Rohrbach ’15, AJ Formolo ’16, Andrew Blechman ’15, and Alex Karmin ’15, announcing the games. The middle and upper school boys and girls teams played. Other than the games, there were also miscellaneous contests, including a three-point contest and a free throw contest. The second event was “Wear Alzheimers.” The committee designed t-shirts and tank tops to be sold prior to Saturday’s events in addition to selling at the games themselves. They each were priced at $20. 165 Upper Schoolers out of the 210 total students bought shirts prior to the games, and even more students bought apparel at the games themselves. The final event was “Throwdown Alzheimers.” He partnered up with Loft Club to organize a huge dance just for charity for 1st time in school history. When MC Brad Gurtz heard about the event, he donated an evening of his time and MC’ed the event free of charge. Outside of school, Segal said that he received much support for the event from his mother as well as from Alzheimer’s Association representatives. “Filling 160 kids in the V wearing Alzheimer’s apparel was very powerful for me,” said Segal. Jump to page 2 “I am so appreciative of everyone’s support, and we look forward to an even bigger event next year.”
This past week, NSCDS undertook the Green Cup Challenge - “a challenge intended to maximize our school’s energy efficiency and environmental awareness for a full month,” explains Alex Vasiliou ’14, head of E club. Upper School Biology Teacher, Ms. Pfannerstill explains, “The Green Cup Challenge is aimed at changing school culture to become a more green-minded community. Students are encouraged to be thoughtful about their energy consumption while on campus, by turning off lights when they leave the room, utilizing power-saving settings on electronic devices both at school and at home, and reminding teachers to use fewer lights during class periods. Just by making these small changes we can reduce our carbon footprint and thereby impact global climate change.” Vasilou points out that, “Although our building is LEED certified, there is still much to be done on an individual basis. From turning off lights and projectors to unplugging charging cables when not in use, we aim to reduce our weekly energy usage.” Vasillou complements Mr. Doar on his decision to cancel school during cold days, stating that “In the future, if Mr. Doar is on the fence about canceling school, he should take solace in knowing that he is reducing the school’s carbon footprint, even if only for 24 hours.” The Green Cup Challenge began as a single school initiative at Phillips Exeter Academy, and after bolstering its participation to forty schools it became a part of the Green School Alliance. It is now a nation wide competition. The competition is comprised of three challenges: the Recycle Challenge, in which students encourage recycling and educate their peers about its importance, the Energy Challenge, in which students try to conserve as much energy in their school’s building
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News
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2/20/14
Baked and Confused: The Heated Raising Awareness for Students with ADHD Debate Over a Sticky Situation Cont from page 1
Rachel York ‘15
huge deal.” Acorrding to The Bureau of Labor Department, women currently earn a median of seventy-seven cents for every dollar men earn in the workforce, Jaharis sought to use the bake sale as a means “to get people to start talking about sexism,” which it certainly did. John McHugh ‘14 thought it “unique, provocative way of making a point” while expressing concerns about the execution of the bake sale. Debbie Newmark ‘15 thought that it was “interesting that when the girls were charged less they said nothing”, noting that “It’s easy to let it go when you have the upper hand.” Jaharis stressed that she wants “people to start questioning the privilege they have, and standing up for inequality even if it doesn’t directly impact them. To start physical change, you have to change perspective.” North Shore is certainly on the right track to change perspective. The administration will be participating in an in-service program this Friday February 14th, on gender and sexual identity, featuring Jennifer Bryan PhD, a highly regarded speaker on the topic of gender and sexual diversity. As faculty and staff are eager to participate, hopefully the student body will become more receptive to issues regarding gender and sexuality, and this will open the door for future discussion.
Photo of cookies from the Bake Sale
Green Cup Challenge James Robinson ‘15
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as possible, and a video contest, in which students must advocate for green practices within their schools. And so far, it looks like the Day School is dominating. According to the Green Cup Energy Challenge Website, North Shore Country Day has a wide margin over the second place Latin. Over the past week, North Shore has reduced its energy usage by 42.5% and saved 18,115 kWh (kilowatt hours). Keep up the good work NSCDS!
DSJ Logo Challenge As you may have noticed, the current logo of the DSJ has changed to include a question mark. This is because we are in the process of designing a new layout. We are looking for students interested in designing a new logo for the DSJ. All those interested should include the schools colors. Additionally ensure that logos have a resolution of at least 1800 by 1800 and remain in the 1:1 ratio. Please email your logos to ndavid15@nscds.org by March 2nd. If you have questions about the guidelines please ask. Thank you and we look forward to your submissions.
Justin Savin ‘15 An aspect of North Shore that is truly beneficial for all students is the faculty’s willingness to communicate with and aid a student. So when Jake Lesnik ‘15 was approached by his teachers about his lack of ability to “pay attention” in class, he took the genuine concern to heart, and was tested for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD for short. Lesnik hopes that by willingly sharing his story he can help get others talking about the issue. Lesnik, who has lived with this condition for 16 years, was open to taking the tests, but thought nothing was out of the ordinary regarding his inability to concentrate. But after “10 simple tests”, Lesnik knew “that something was up.” Lesnik recognized that “it’s not just a coincidence that these tests that, to you, might seem easy” were, to him, accomplished minimally with great difficulty. So when the tests were processed and Lesnik was given the results, he “was really surprised.” Lesnik remarked that he “just thought that [he] learned at a slower pace”, commenting that, “I knew tests took me longer, I knew it took me way longer to do my homework, and I knew that I had difficulty drawing the line between ‘goofing around’ time and ‘homework’ time.” As it is for anyone, grappling with a diagnosis was difficult for Lesnik. “It was very hard for someone to put a label on me. ADHD and Jake. That was a difficult part of it for me.” Lesnik also struggled with what he thought to be the isolation of a diagnosis, remembering, “I thought, ‘Am I the only kid? Who else has it? What group does this make me a part of?’” In his attempt to find the group he was a part of, Lesnik “took to the internet to find communities.” This, according to Lesnik, was “a very bad decision.” Lesnik saw “sites for parents with children with ADHD and spouses whose partners have ADHD and decided that he would have none of it, because “the internet creates a very bad stigma.” The major fault in these websites, Lesnik remarked, is that “they tell people who don’t have ADHD how to treat people with ADHD.” What was a good decision, Lesnik remembers, was talking to someone, who he remembers made him feel “really comfortable” and allowed him to recognize “the seriousness of the issue.” “Only once I started talking to somebody,” Lesnik recalls, “was I able to begin to take action.” Taking action came in the form of research about the “scientific” aspects of ADHD, searching for pages designed specifically for those with ADHD. “And this was really cool,” Lesnik remarked, “because I began to learn things that allowed me to not only counteract my ADHD, but embrace it.” Through continual research and speaking with his doctor, Lesnik came to a point where he can now say “[the diagnosis] can actually be a good thing. I can really find ways to help myself.” This was the point where Lesnik recognized he “100% had it, and that [he] was going to have some challenges in life, but [he] was going to have to work through it.” And he has. Since realizing that his diagnosis was a blessing and not a
Illinois Gubenatorial Elections Nick David ‘15 On March 18th, primary elections will take place to determine a Democratic and a Republican candidate to run for Governor of Illinois. There are two Democrats and four republicans running. As some North Shore students will be able to vote in the upcoming elections, it is important to be informed about about the candidates and issues. Democrats Pat Quinn is the current Governor of Illinois. He took office in 2009 after Rod Blagojevich was impeached for allegedly attempting to sell a senate seat. He ran for reelection in 2010 and won. During his term as governor, Pat Quinn lead the efforts to get marriage equality passed in Illinois, reform the pension program, removing the death penalty, and creating a $31 Billion dollar capital infrastructure plan. If elected he promises to strive to raise the minimum wage in Illinois to $10 an hour. In addition he will work on strengthening education
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Illinois Gubenatorial Elections Nick David ‘15
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by increasing college scholarships given to low income families and increasing funding for preschools. Tio Hardiman is democratic candidate running against Pat Quinn. Tio Hardiman believes in increasing educational funding for preschools and community colleges. Additionally he believes in creating more scholarships for at need students. He also has proposed setting a cap on the amount of private and charter schools that can open in Illinois. In early 2013 Tio was arrested for allegedly beating his wife, but the charges were later dropped and he later denied this incident. Republicans Bill Brady is currently a representative in the Illinois State Senate. In 2010 he won the republican nomination but lost the election for Governor of Illinois. He believes in lowering taxes and has previously stated he believes that minimum wage should be lowered to $7.25 an hour yet now believes it should remain where it is now and calls anyone wanting to lower it “out of touch”. He also believes in allowing for schools to have prayer sessions and that he intends to lift the ban on the death penalty.
Photo of current Illinois Governor and Gubenatorial Candidate, Pat Quinn
2/20/14
What You Need To Know About: The Chris Christie Bridge Scandal
Patrick Lanctot ‘15
On September 9, 2013, three of four lanes were shut down on the George Washington Bridge, one of the busiest bridges in the United States, located in Fort Lee, New Jersey. School buses were trapped on the bridge for hours, children were unable to get to school on time and four emergency vehicles were stuck in total gridlock traffic, trying to help people who needed to be rushed to the local hospital. As a result a 91-year-old woman ended up dying in Fort Lee because ambulances could not reach her in time. For four days straight, gridlock ensued across this bridge all due to supposedly one man: Governor Chris Christie. Mayor of Fort Lee Mark Sokolich allegedly did not support Christie in his campaign for governor. In response to this, Bridget Anne Kelly, Deputy Chief of Staff for Christie emailed, the now ex -Port Authority executive David Wildstein telling him to close down all but one lane of the bridge to “punish” the city for not supporting Governor Christie. She stated in this email that it was “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” She was eventually fired by Christie, who denied that he had anything to do with these bridge closures. In fact, according to Christie, he was advised that there would be a traffic study that would be taking place at some point in the future. On January 9th, he held an hour and forty-eight minute press conference answering every journalist’s questions, and claimed that he is not a bully, and that he had no knowledge of the bridge scandal. He has apologized to the public for what happened and stated, “I am heartbroken that someone I permitted to be in that circle of trust for the past five years betrayed that trust.” Chris Christie, the current Governor of New Jersey, assumed his role as Governor on January 19, 2010 and has been in office ever since. Until the current bridge scandal, he was considered a likeable guy, and did a lot for the cleanup of Hurricane Sandy. He currently has denied any allegations of the bridge scandal, and is now being accused of withholding Hurricane Sandy funds for Hoboken, NJ allegedly due to Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s allegations that she refused to speed up a development project for one of Christie’s “allies.” She has now gone on public television accusing two of Chris Christie’s administrative officials of preventing aid funds for Hoboken because of her lack of interest in the Rockefeller Project. Governor Chris Christie has responded to these allegations by firing some of his top aides and staff members that were supposedly involved in these scandals. He continues to profess his innocence on any of these allegations put in front of him, and is currently helping to fundraise for people within his Republican party. The governor is considering running for president in the 2016 elections. Because over half of current students will be able to vote in the next election, it is critical that in the build up to the election, students stay informed about the presidential candidates in their backgrounds.
Toilet Paper Wipes Out Depression Photo of Republican Gubenatorial Candidate, Bruce Rauner
Kirk Dillard is also a representative of the Illinois State Senate. In 2010 he ran for governor of Illinois but lost the primary. He promises that if elected governor he will not collect any reelection funds for the first two years so that he can better focus on being governor. Additionally he believes in keeping the minimum wage where it is now. Dan Rutherford is the current treasurer of Illinois. He believes in keeping the minimum wage where it currently is. He believes that the most important issue in Illinois right now is not gun control but instead the fiscal budget that he says will be his first priority if he gets elected. Bruce Rauner is from Winnetka and is former chairman of CTGR. Bruce believes that in order to fix education in Illinois it is necessary to allow families to choose schools for their children, whether it is a private school, a charter school, or a standard school. Additionally he is against giving tension, or a lifetime job guarantee to teachers and instead believes in deciding a teachers pay based on their performance. He also is against the requirement of government workers to join unions.
Emily Lubin ‘17
Located on the inside of the stalls in every upper school bathroom is a sheet of paper titled the Toilet Paper. This is a one page newspaper article written by North Shore’s counselor, Terri Webb. The Toilet Paper is a new and different way to get students information that they might need for their health and wellness. Ms. Webb feels that this is a private way to deliver the information necessary to improve, and even save someone’s life. In the current issue, she discusses how to help a friend deal with depression. She states that, “I want the Toilet Paper to be a source of information for things like depression where kids can identify whether or not they or a friend might need help.” Students should go to Ms. Webb or another trusted adult when there is something that they are worried about or struggling with, but sometimes they may not realize that they need the help. The Toilet Paper helps educate students about certain health and wellness issues, like depression, and helps them to understand the facts. It is important to nurture ourselves and to ask for the help and support that we need, and this bathroom journal is a positive reminder of this. So if you ever forget to bring your copy of the Diller Street Journal into the bathroom, the Toilet Paper will always be there for you to read instead!
Opinion
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2/20/14
Love Style: An Actual Love Letter Cooper Ochsenhirt ‘16 I did some digging through the deep and cavernous archives of ideas for this quaint little idea, for I needed something new, something I hadn’t done yet. After hours of independent thought, the gears just weren’t working. I had no ideas flowing, as they had before. This must be why Hollywood has started churning out subpar movies. But, unlike the overpaid overrated Hollywood screenwriters, I wasn’t going to wallow in my despair: I had a way of getting out of the deep - I was going to do some serious medium stuff. I tried to contact the muses of comedy but they were absolutely no help. Then, I had my February epiphany: I’m not a medium. Come to think of it, I didn’t need an epiphany to know that. So, like a normal human being, I turned to my shelf. And, on my shelf, I found a tome of Stephen Colbert. As he’s been a comedy role model for me, I felt it to be a fitting tribute to use his ideas for inspiration. After a search, I found an idea that was revolutionary–it transcends the boundaries of my prior work. This may take a spot in the top 3 list of all my DSJ articles. Ready yourself for this...IT’S A PICK AND CHOOSE LOVE LETTER!!! Dearest _____ (you’re on your own), I have (missed you/not missed you/not cared about your absence/been getting spiritual) while you were (shopping ferociously/on your business trip/absent for no reason/at a Phish concert). Since you’ve been gone, I have been (totally functional/not functional/ninja functional/quasi-functional) in the process of (sleeping/cleaning the house/ getting in touch with my soul/groaning while reaching for the remote).
In the wake of your absence, I have prepared (some Cornish game hen/a couple of my world famous ketchup sandwiches/my take out leftovers seasoned with old spices/three-day old pizza with A1 Steak Sauce) for consumption (when you return/while I’m gaming/while you’re asleep and I need a midnight snack/ while I’m doing soul searching). When you (return/fail to return/), I will (receive/not receive) you with open arms. I will (cherish you/ignore you/smother you/confuse the heck out of you with my ambiguous emotion). I will (buy you chocolates/buy myself chocolates/ buy my barista chocolate/buy Jerry from accounting chocolates) to show that (I love you/I love myself/I love my barista/I love Jerry). I will (love you/ignore you/leave you for my spiritual pursuit/exist on another dimension to avoid you) for eternity (Love/I’m getting a restraining order/May you rise to heaven), (Your Lover/Your Enemy/Your Spiritual Companion) P.S (This article rocks/This article rocks) There you have it. The first pick and choose letter I have written and hopefully not the last. All goes well, you may see some more in the future. Make sure to read the DSJ every month. No promises are being made, just reading suggestions (hintedy hint hint).
In Defense of Leggings Rachel York ‘15 I’ve never really been a huge fan of the country western genre of film. Too much shooting, not enough plot for my taste. However, in eighth grade English, my teacher had us watch the movie Stagecoach. The only part of the movie I can remember is a scene where a prostitute lifts her dress up to show her ankle, so that she can hail a cab. From a modern standpoint, it’s a pretty silly notion that an ankle can be so provocative, but back in the 19th century, that was quite racy for polite company; only a prostitute would dain to expose herself like that. These days, standards for what women (and men) can wear are much more relaxed. An ankle, wrist, arm, or calf are nothing out of the ordinary; at Lollapalooza you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn’t have their midriff and legs exposed. Women, teenage girls in particular, have much more freedom in the amount of skin they can show without being seen as lewd or inappropriate. Why, then, are leggings so controversial? Don’t get me wrong, there still needs to be certain standards for professionalism in workplaces and schools, and leggings as pants are definitely not the most professional way to present yourself. However, what absolutely boggles my mind is the notion that wearing leggings as pants in casual situations, out and about, or whenever the [expletive] you want is deemed inappropriate. People always have qualifications, such as the “cover your butt” rule. Apparently, it’s alright to wear a pair of tight skinny jeans with a sweatshirt that doesn’t cover your butt, but as soon as the pants are made of polyester and not denim, people have a problem. There is absolutely no difference between leggings and skinny jeans, except the material they are made out of, and the fact that the leggings are exponentially more comfortable. If I’m going for comfort, I’ll reach for my leggings before my jeans. Saying that wearing leggings as pants is inappropriate comes from the same archaic standard that said showing ankles is inappropriate. Both social standards are born from the notion that women should hide their bodies if they wish to be respected. It is the same notion that causes people to question what a rape victim was wearing during the assault. If any part of your body that has been sexualized and objectified is visible, you are not worthy of respect. I’ve heard girls called “slut” and “whore” for wearing leggings as pants, despite the fact that they clearly are not trying to garner sexual attention (based on other items of clothing they are wearing). The fact that leggings are so controversial, when they in fact show your body in the same way as a pair of skinny jeans, goes to show that the idea that women can’t make their own decisions as to what to
wear or when they are being sexually attractive persists in our society. Wearing leggings as pants has become a political statement. It says, “I don’t care what you think of me. I am sick/tired/feeling lazy/just want to be comfortable, and I’m going to wear whatever I want. I don’t need your approval.” Even if a girl is wearing leggings because she wants sexual attention, she’s doing it on her own terms. No one should have the right to tell her that she can’t, or that there is something inherently wrong with her clothing choices. Across the globe, throughout the history of the world, standards of dress for women have varied and changed immensely. One culture’s norm is another’s taboo. Once accepted standards are thrown to the wind as time progresses. That’s why, as a society, it’s time we give up the notion that leggings can’t be worn as pants.
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Girls Basketball Gears Up Emily George ’17 You probably wouldn’t recognize the girl’s basketball team if you saw a picture from this year’s and last year’s teams. The 2012-2013 yearbook sports a photo of nine girls total. If you come to a girl’s basketball practice, you will see nineteen girls doing drills, shooting, and having a great time together. The team has grown a special bond through games, pasta parties, and practice. Every girl has put in the time and effort that makes this team great. Both teams fought hard during the game against U-High on January 22. Assistant Coach Beth Schillen commented, “The JV played it’s best game of the season. There was excellent passing, unselfish passing and the entire team played together as one unit.” The JV team’s work paid off with a final score of 38-14. Schillen also said, “The V team played very hard last night and kept fighting all 4 quarters. We were very pleased to see the effort last night. Unfortunately our shots just didn’t want to fall yesterday.” The Varsity team put all the effort into the game, which could have gone either way. Both teams played to the best of their ability. North Shore has high hopes for the Girls’ Basketball team that has been performing excellently. Captain Annie Kroll ’15 stated, “I hope in the future we can keep up the positivity both on and off the court.” The team has a lot of energy and puts the time and work into every game they play. The team is going to work on fine-tuning as they prepare for regionals which start on the 10th of February. North Shore will continue to dominate the court next year. All players except one will be sticking around to play next year, starting Varsity forward Becca Slotkin ‘13 will be missed. Assistant Coach Bruce Blair stated, “We will really miss Becca. She led the team in rebounding Freshman through Junior Year despite being “vertically challenged,” worked overtime on her game, plays really hard, and quietly sets a great example for everyone.” As for the rest of the team, “It’s a great group to build on and the team will be a force in the league with good and talented senior leadership and a very promising group of underclassmen.” The team is really excited for another great season of teamwork next year!
2/20/14
Winter Track Sets Sights on Spring Season Tonya Piergies ‘15
After a few months of preseason strength and conditioning, the winter track team is preparing to begin their season. High school track season officially started on January 20th. Due to harsh weather this winter, the team has not been able to practice outside as much as they have in the past. However, this hasn’t stopped them from getting ready for the upcoming season. In preparation for the start of their season, the winter track team has spent a lot of time in the weight room, having been involved in conditioning programs to help them get faster and stronger this season. After doing this, the team is looking forward to seeing many improvements in performance. When asked about what she thinks about this upcoming season, Antonia Theodosakis ’16, a returning member of the team, said, “Beginning this winter, the team has put in a lot of hard work and effort into training for the upcoming meets. I am really excited to see how the team progresses and where we’ll go from this point.” The hard work is sure to pay off for the team. When asked about what she is looking forward to this season, another returning member, Valerie Kirtley ’16, said, “I’m really excited for the meets to start and can’t wait to see how much we have all improved, both individually and as a team.” Winter track will have many meets this season, starting with the Dorothy Dawson meet at the University of Illinois on Saturday, February 1st. All of their meets will lead up to the Illinois Top Times Indoor State Meet on Friday, March 28th something that the team hopes to have many members qualify for. However, the most important thing for the team this season is hoping to be well prepared for the spring season
Boys Basketball Builds Up Steam Connor Watrous ‘17
Photo of Olivia Kayser ‘17 by Connor Watrous ‘17
Photo of Andrew Case ‘15 by Connor Watrous ‘17
The boys’ basketball teams have always been strong ones at North Shore. This year has been no different. Despite losing key seniors to graduation this past year, the varsity team is playing better than ever. Despite the fact that many have considered this year to be one of “rebuilding”, the team has managed to come together and create some great chemistry. All divisions of boys’ basketball are experiencing success, from Fresh/ Soph’s 45-44 overtime victory against Morgan Park Academy, JV’s 48-30 win against Christian Liberty Academy, and Varsity’s 66-52 win against Chicago Academy High School. This success has been motivating all of the teams to work even harder to reach their goal of a conference championship. Justin Savin ‘15, varsity forward, says “There has been a lot of improvement. There are a lot of guys who haven’t played many varsity minutes, but we are making improvements.” Another player, Cam Chung ‘14, varsity point guard, says “So far the season is going fine. We have not won as many games as we would like, but we are working hard and improving every day. We have had lots of players out due to injuries and other reasons, so we have not been at full strength.” Chung continued to say, “Nevertheless, the morale of the guys is high and we continue to push ourselves and each other every day.” Because the players have had such a positive outlook this season, they have been playing well, despite facing tough opponents. Sam Kayser ‘15, varsity guard, says “We’ve played a tough schedule so far, and it’s been sort of a learning process for us. But I think, once everything comes together, we will start winning more games.” When asked about what Coach Rashid Smith is doing for the team, Kayser said, “[Rashid] is really positive with us, and that’s why he’s a great coach. He pushes us all to exceed our own expectations, which is why we’ve had such great teams in the past. Hopefully, this year, we will pull together at the end, just like last year’s team.” It is clear that all divisions of the basketball team are working well together, and hoping to create another great season.
Sports
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2/20/14
What College Sports Have Become Will Lawler ‘16
CNN recently released a study aided by University of North Carolina learning specialist Mary Willingham, regarding the academic standings of several UNC student athletes from 2004-2012. The reports claimed 8% of 143 UNC football and basketball players read at or below a third grade level. Nearly 60% of the 143 athletes read at a 4th-8th-grade level. One’s immediate reaction is “How can this be? How are they still playing?” The sad fact is that college athletics is a business, nothing more, nothing less. UNC couldn’t care less if its students read at a fourth grade level, for all they care about is how much money these students bring into their university. UNC’s basketball program made them nearly $17 million last year, which ranks second in the country. Mary Willingham even stated one of her students could not read or write. How can a college student not be able to read or write? They are student athletes, not athlete students. Some universities claim school comes first, but by now we all know that’s not true for all Universities. Some of these kids grow up being told they don’t need to go to school because they are so good at sports and they are “set” for life. School doesn’t matter to them, all they care about and do is sports. It’s when sports don’t work out that these kids have no place to go. These kids have to realize college is a privilege. They also have to realize college athletics is a privilege. College is supposed to prepare one for the future; to set one up to succeed. UNC is not setting these kids up to succeed outside of sports. Yes, UNC is
helping these kids athletically, but not every athlete that goes to UNC is going to make millions of dollars in the pros. A very small percent will go on to make a living off of their specific sport. It is shameful that UNC is allowing this to happen. It’s shameful that UNC is even allowing these kids in their schools. But then again, it all goes back to money. Its all about who can bring in serious amounts of money, and universities across the country, not just UNC, will go to extremes to bring it in. Why has UNC not done anything about these students that cannot read at appropriate levels? When you look at several schools across the country, several student athletes have been suspended for academic reasons. Notre Dame has suspended four very important players to their respective sports in just the past year. Michigan State and Duke have also recently suspended key players for academic reasons. Why can’t UNC follow suit? It’s not just UNC we are looking at, but several universities have tutors set up to do everything for the student athletes. Some of these kids never show up to class, and never do work because people do their work for them. More universities such as Duke, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and many more must take a stand. They are cheating the NCAA by doing this. They are breaking the rules. School is the priority for these student athletes. But more importantly, they are cheating the kids by allowing this to happen and doing nothing about it.
Highland Park Skater at Sochi Frannie Block ‘17
The Highland Park native Jason Brown started skating at the young age of five years old. After the first time he stepped on the ice, he absolutely fell in love with it. Skating almost every day since, Jason stayed dedicated to skating while still attending Wayne Thomas Elementary School, Northwood Middle School, and finally Highland Park High School. After graduating from high school in only three and a half years, Jason and his coach, Kori Ade, relocated their training facility from Northbrook, IL, to Colorado Springs, CO in March of 2013. After an amazing season on the Senior Grand Prix circuit, Jason Brown came into the US Prudential Figure Skating Championships feeling confident that he had a chance of grabbing one of the two olympic spots for the Men’s event to represent the United States. Although he was thought of as an underdog due to his inability to complete a quad jump, Brown has a magical ability that not many skaters these days have: The ability to connect with the audience and the judges. This ability helped Brown secure 93.34 points in the freeskate for program components, where Brown performed the program of his life. According to an audience member, “The crowd was screaming so loudly, you could not even hear the music! Jason’s program was so amazing, that he had a standing ovation before he was even finished!” Jason’s fan base is so huge, that the recent video of his performance at Nationals hit three million views on youtube, and twitter is being blown up with the hashtag, #ponytailpower. With an overall second place and 270.08 point finish, Jason was able to secure the second olympic spot for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Because he is only 19 years old, Jason is considered the youngest US man to compete in the figure skating event since David Santee in 1976. With Jason’s major edge in artistry, nothing can stop him now. However, the competition for the 2014 Sochi Games is heating up. The roster includes Jeremy Abbott, the other US man and the holder of three US National Titles, Patrick Chan, the three time world champion and seven time Canadian champion, and lastly Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, who has great potential of being an olympic medalist this year. I have known Jason Brown my whole life. Growing up skating with him was truly inspiring, not just because of his skill and work ethic, but also because of his caring and upbeat personality. Jason is selfless, always thinking about others rather than himself. When I recently talked to him on January 26, Jason asked me how my first year of highschool was going rather than telling me all about his olympic preparation and all the praise he had received in the past few weeks. This showed me how Jason is interested in my life, even though I knew for a fact his life was much more exciting than mine. I have never met anyone as talented and friendly as Jason Brown, and I feel honored to be able to call him one of my close friends. I urge everyone at North Shore Country Day to cheer him on in Sochi!
Photo of Highland Park native and Olympic Figure Skate, Jason Brown
Arts
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Inside Look at the Winter Play Ike Pratt ‘17
The winter play for this year consisted of two children’s plays performed backto-back. These were The Legend of Lightning Larry, a short western-themed comedy, and Miss Electricity, a longer comedy that follows the exploits of a fifth grader who believes she has gained special powers after having been struck by lightning twice. There were two showings of both plays, one on Friday, January 17th and the other on Saturday, January 18th. The cast worked hard over the course of several months to learn their lines, and, as was the case with the Legend of Lightning Larry, worked on being in the right place at the right time. In a play that was six minutes long and where cast members had an average of about five lines, the story of Lightning Larry was told mainly through collective movements and gestures from all cast members. It had no distinguished main roles aside from the hero, Lighting Larry, played by Cameron Speta ‘16 and the villain, Evil Eye McNevil, played by Jack Pierre ‘17, and both characters have only a few lines more than the rest of the cast. For the play to work, the actors had to be in sync with what was happening at all times. At any moment, they might have to finish someone else’s sentence, or go from sipping lemonade at a bar to robbing a bank. The Legend of Lightning Larry acted as a brief introduction to the larger play: Miss Electricity. This apparently did not satisfy a few cast members who had hoped to play a serious part where they would be allowed to show what they could do. “I never complained about it, and I brought everything I had to offer to the play,” said an anonymous cast member, “but I was hoping to have a real character with more than four lines.” The second and “main” play was Miss Electricity, the story of fifth grader named Violet, played by Claire MacCarthy ‘17, who aspires to break a world record to make a name for herself and rid herself of her reputation as a screwup. She and her “assistant”, Freddy, played by Richard Santi ‘17, will endure taunts from class bullies as well as all the combined horrors of the fifth grade to achieve her dream. It all changes when Violet gets struck by lightning. Twice. First and foremost, the casting for this play was excellent. Each character was an easily recognizable stereotype, and each cast member did an excellent job fitting that stereotype, even if the character was the opposite of the real life person. Some of those in Miss Electricity had over 50 lines, and in the end, everyone delivered their lines in character, on time, and with no noticeable breaks in dialogue. All things considered, the production went off without a hitch. There was a great turnout at the performances, although the majority of the audience were some 20-30 years over the target age of the plays. However, they were both well done and enjoyable to just about anybody.
Photos of Winter Play “Lightning Larry” by Art Jessen
2/20/14
Exhibit at Almquist Gallery: Spatial Intimacy Emma Flannery ‘17
There are not many schools, even on the North Shore, who can proudly say that they have their own art gallery. But NSCDS is one of the lucky few which showcases new works of art in our gallery every few months for both the enjoyment and education of our students, teachers, and staff. On January 17, the Almquist Gallery officially had it’s latest art opening called Spatial Intimacy. The guest artists Veronica Bruce and Madison Zalopany test the spatial barriers of the canvases and create new viewpoints of our own everyday objects. Madison Zalopany has contributed a series of canvas paintings each one focusing on a similar origami shape. However, Zalopany has crafted each one into a new interpretation of the same object by adding colors, patters, and dimensions. The trademark shape appears to have a new attitude with each color scheme. The trademark work is both detailed and spatially interesting to look at. Zalopany was educated at Maryland Institute Collage of Art. She currently is teaching art at Northwestern University as well as creating her own pieces. On the other end of the gallery is the showcase of Veronica Bruce. Sometimes canvas paintings, sometimes sculpture but always jumping out of the wall with color and the use of everyday objects in a new form. Bruce’s sculptures were made up of multiple regular household items such as glue, clips, and glass filtered and melted together to create a sculpture or painting. The dimensions of the pieces caught the eye with intriguing shapes and viewpoints. The sculpture gave a new perspective to artwork and the forms that it may take.
Top Five Movies of 2013 James Lovett ‘15
Look outside your window. Regardless of the weather, it is the perfect day to see a movie. With February drawing to a close, the Oscar season is heating up, and I am countind down the top five movies of the past year. Here are my Top Five Movies of 2013: 5. Frozen is the tale of a princess with magical powers who, by aaccident, turns a castle into a ice cube and runs away. The princess’s sister embarks on an epic journey with a man, his reindeer, and a talking snowman to find her sister. This movie is by far one of the best animated films since Up. 4. Captain Phillips captivates movie watchers by telling the story of the captain (Tom Hanks) of a large cargo ship that gets attacked by Somali pirates. Captain Phillips must use his wit to allow himself and his companions safe journey home. This is guaranteed to be a film that you will not lose interest in. 3. American Hustle: Have you ever thought about being a con man, living a life full of riches or making bank off of other peoples’ money? Then this is the movie for you. This star-studded film keeps the watcher on the edge of his or her seat. This movie is long, but absolutely worth it. With a cast of Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence (to name a few), you will not even stop to use the bathroom. 2. Wolf of Wall Street: When I said American Hustle was long, this movie makes American Hustle look like smart car next to a semi. In total, this movie is one minute away from reaching the 3 hour mark. Although this is so, that precious time was well spent. This movie is by far one of my favorites, to a point where I went and saw it twice in the span of 2 and half weeks. The story, as I’m sure you have heard, is about the corruption on Wall Street. Fantastic movie, I would defintly recommend it. 1. 12 years a Slave: I think this movie is the best slavery movie I have ever seen. It is the story of a free black man living in upstate New York, who gets kidnapped and sold into slavery. The story is about his life as a slave and his struggle to become free again. I hope you will take the time to see one of these fantastic movies. I guarantee that any would be a great watch and you will not be dissatisfied.
Features
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2/20/14
Ask Piper
An Anonymous Student Answering Other Anonymous Students’ Questions Why does the workload in so many classes seem to oscillate from almost no work to a mind blowing amount? Perhaps if you stayed on top of assignments and made school your top priority, your mind wouldn’t get blown so hard. Hey Piper, do you think it’s possible for animals to not have a soul? My cat has been acting kinda weird lately. Dogs go to heaven; cats go to Vegas. Who would you say is the most iconic member of your staff? Obviously Nick David, the fashion icon of our generation.
Meet North Shore’s Exchange Student, Nori Kiss James Robinson ‘15 For the past couple of years, ASSIST has brought foreign exchange students to the North Shore Country Day School community. This year, Nori Kiss has joined the community, coming from Budapest, Hungary. She is looking forward to the second half of her year spent with us. Before arriving, Nori’s only image of America was from what she saw in movies. “I thought I would have to prepare myself for a Mean Girls experience,” Nori explained. But Nori’s experience at NSCDS was not what she had feared. Instead, she added with a smile, she found “a surprise” as “everyone [she] met was super nice and super helpful.” She describes the atmosphere at North Shore as “really positive.” However, adjusting to cultures, especially when speaking in a second language is never easy. Nori describes an early incident as she adjusted to the American style of greeting. She explains that in America, “people ask ‘How are you?’ a lot, but they don’t really mean it, because its just a greeting.” She explained that this is hard to get used to, and when she first arrived, someone asked her how she was, and so she started to give a detailed response and got a strange look. Now, she laughs at the experience. While some American customs are new to Nori, she has also found her place in American culture, as she was featured in a Hungarian McDonald’s commercial. Yet when asked what her favorite American food is, she did not mention hamburgers, nuggets or fries, instead Nori defiantly responded “Peanut Butter, with capitals” – although she is less of a fan of the recent fad of putting bacon on everything. Nori is grateful that she has been able to continue her passions from home here in America, especially karate. In Hungary, Nori studied karate for seven years and earned her green belt. She is glad that she is able to continue with karate through PE at North Shore, although reasoning is a bit of a surprise. Nori explains, “This is the only place that I can be aggressive because sometimes you feel like you want to punch someone in the face but you can’t, because it doesn’t represent North Shore mentality.” Candidly, she admits that “it just feels good to be aggressive sometimes, not that I am an aggressive person, it just cuts the stress.” When asked to describe the difference between school in Hungary and her experience at North Shore, Nori described that “It is more interesting at North Shore because you get to say your own opinion, and we’re discussing topics in class and its not a lecture. We write a lot of essays here, whereas back home there are mostly tests and quizzes.” Nori’s appreciation of the opportunity to share ideas and to write the essays – which we admittedly sometimes dread – is an important reminder not only of the freedom that we have as students, but also that the future we are preparing for is one in which our opinions will be
If you could elect one kid in the school to be the president, who would it be? Suffice to say I won’t vote in that election. I made this really cool drawing while I was doodling and I want to show it off. I wrote a story to go with it. I would be awesome if it could be printed somewhere. Any ideas? Submit it to prosody! Email a scanned copy of it to prosody@nscds. org. Art should be submitted as a .jpg photo file, and writing can either be submitted as a Word document or a google doc. Unfortunately, PDFs cannot be accepted. Prosody is a great way to get people to see your work, and good luck with your art and writing in the future!
Logic Problem Nick David ‘15 For our next logic problem we are going to do a math problem. For this problem imagine that you have an extension cord the length of the equator (24,901 Miles). Now imagine that you want to lift the extension cord so that instead of going around the 7ft above the earths equator at any point. What distance do you need to add to the extension cord to be able to do this successfully? If you believe you know the answer email me (Ndavid15@nscds.org) with your solution. If there are multiple correct answers, one winner will be randomly drawn. If there are no correct answers the person whose answer is the most close will win. Current DSJ editors, writers and contributors and previously winners from the 2013-2014 school year are ineligible to win.
Mixtape Annie Kroll ‘15 I have always prided myself in being a fan of all genres of music. Admittedly, that is not necessarily true. For example, I have a serious dislike of some genres such as rap and blues, but I can find myself bobbing my head and tapping my foot to most other genres. Frequently, when doing homework or working out, I decide to put my entire iPhone library on shuffle and just listen to what comes up. I made this playlist from some of my favorites that come on while on shuffle. This includes music that I have accumulated over the past 8-10 years that spans from Hall and Oates’ 1981 classic “You Make My Dreams” to the current #1 billboard song “Timber”. Enjoy! 1. I Can Talk Two Door Cinema Club 2. Pompeii Bastille 3. You Make My Dreams Hall and Oates 4. Science & Faith The Script 5. All This Time OneRepublic 6. 19 You + Me Dan + Shay 7. Teenage Dirtbag Wheatus 8. Let Her Go Passenger 9. Chariot Gavin DeGraw 10. Beat of the Music Brett Eldredge 11. Timber (feat Ke$ha) Pitbull 12. Save Me, San Francisco Train 13. Jumper Third Eye Blind 14. Ghost Parachute 15. Laid Matt Nathanson 16. One Time Justin Bieber Jump to 9
Features
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Featured Cooking Club Recipe: St. Lucia Buns Kate Roever ‘15
2/20/14
Meet North Shore’s Exchange Student, Nori Kiss James Robinson ‘15
Everyone always loves this bread! It is a perfect combination of salty and sweet, with a fantastic consistency. It is denser than the typical crescent rolls that valued/we will be able to clearly articulate our opinions. For while immersion we have at our family dinners, but still not too heavy to ruin your appetite. They in American culture is an eye-opener for Nori, we are fortunate that she is able are so simple to make, but no one would believe so from the way they look. Bon to open our eyes to the privileges we share at North Shore. While Nori points to the differences between schooling at North Shore and Appetite! back home in Hungary, her “fit” into North Shore is terrific. When asked about North Shore’s motto: “Deserve your Dream. Live and Serve.” Nori says with Ingredients a grin, “That’s my motto too. This relationship between me and North Shore 2 packages active dry yeast was meant to be.” 1/2 cup warm water, 110F to 115F 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup whole milk 1/4 teaspoon crushed saffron threads 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs, room temperature *4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour Glaze 1 egg 2 tablespoons milk Coarse sea salt Instructions 1) In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast in the warm water; stir gently and briefly with a fork. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar; stir again. Let mixture stand until the yeast foams, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining sugar, butter, cream, milk, saffron, salt and eggs. Fit mixer with the paddle attachment and beat well on medium-low speed until combined. Remove paddle attachment from mixer and fit with the dough hook. Add flour 1 cup at a time mixing well with each addition to keep the dough smooth and satiny. You may not need to use all of the flour. 2) Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to 24 hours. 3) Preheat oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 4) Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 24 even pieces (about 2-inches square). Roll each square into a long rope, about 12-inches long. Curl each end of a rope in opposite directions, creating an “S” shape (or a backward “S” shape). Lift the bun onto the parchment; repeat curling with remaining dough ropes until there are 12 per baking sheet. 5) For the glaze, beat the egg in a condiment cup and stir in the milk. Brush each bun with the glaze then sprinkle over pearl sugar. Place sheets in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes 6) Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy.
Short Story
Cam Speta ‘16 The clang of swords on hard stones and the roar of fires, dominated the dusty practice arena where the members of my division were sparring. There were twelve of them in total and they were split up into teams of six. One team was restricted to spell, and the other was only allowed to use their swords. I had placed the spellcasters on the swords team, and the warriors on the magic team. I was pulled out of watching my division by a royal courier. “Her Divinity requests your presence.” “Okay guys, take a break. Corvus, with me.” We followed the courier through the town, and up the hill to Her Divinity’s castle. I threw open the large mahogany doors that secured the opulent castle. She was waiting for us in the entryway. Corvus and I kneeled before her. “You wished to see us Your Highness?” “Good, Matthew, and I see you brought Corvus with you. It would be wise to bring him up to speed as well.” “What is the matter?” Asked Corvus. “A very good question,” replied Her Eminence, “Matthew, as I’m sure you’re aware, Heaven has been in an unprecedented peacetime since the Great War. But now, the demons have set their sights on Earth.” “Earth! But the humans are weak! They have no means of protecting themselves against the demons!” “That is why I am sending down divisions to defend the humans and fight back the demons until the humans can hold them back on their own. You and your division are being sent to Chicago to protect that city and uproot any demonic influences before they grow too strong.” “You expect us to go to Earth?! Surely the humans will be able to tell!” Cried Corvus. “Corvus, know your place! But he raises a valid point, Your Highness, won’t the humans sense our presence?” “The humans have not yet reached a state of widespread belief in us yet, so only a small handful will be able to detect you. We are going to send you and your team with cover stories so the humans will have no reason to suspect you. Now gather your division and go, the Humans need you.” “You have my sword, Your Highness,” “And mine,” Said Corvus. TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE DSJ...
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DSJ Editorial Board Justin Savin ‘15, Editor-in-Chief Nick David ‘15, Editor-in-Chief Rachel York ‘15, Executive Editor James Robinson ‘15, Managing Editor Cooper Ochsenhirt ‘16, Editor Photographers Connor Watrous ‘17, Chief Photographer Mr. Art Jessen Staff Writers Nick David ‘15 Emma Flannery ‘17 Emily George ‘17 Patrick Lanctot ‘15 Will Lawler ‘17 Emily Lubin ‘17 Alex Nickel ‘16 Lily Neulib-Madden ‘16 Cooper Ochsenhirt ‘16 Tonya Piergies ‘15 Ike Pratt ‘17 James Robinson ‘15 Justin Savin ‘15 Anand Shankar ‘16 Rachel York ‘15 Contributing Writers Annie Kroll ‘15 Kate Roever ‘15 Sponsors Ms. Irene Kearney Ms. Lou Kinder