V42 Issue 1

Anniversary Highlights Theme of Belonging

As the school celebrates its 50th anniversary, the theme of belonging takes center stage, reflecting the school's deep rooted commitment to establishing a unified community where every person feels seen. The phrase, "purpose and belonging," largely coined by Ann and Lee Hobson Head of School Dave Baad, has taken shape over the years. Last year's theme placed an emphasis on purpose, and this year is centered on belonging.

Pages 14-15

A Sculpted Memorial

On the first day of school, as students made their way to daily worship. they were welcomed by a familiar smile. Although Izzy Martin '28 lost her battle with cancer in 2022, a bronze sculpture of Izzy commemorates her joy and perseverance. The bronze sculpture will be a reminder of her friendship and kindheartedness.

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The Episcopal School of Dallas

The Episcopal School of Dallas student newspaper 4100 Merrell Rd.

Photo illustration by Sophie Kharazi, Max Lowe, Brooks Prestidge, Valentina Boltchi and Emmy Moss

Cheers to 50 years and counting

ESD's 50th anniversary emphasizes the importance of its existing traditions and founding ideals

Lilly Traylor | Staff writer

From 11 students in 1974 to more than 1,000 students today, the ESD community has preserved its charm, traditions and values, while planning for what’s to come and adjusting to challenges that come with keeping up with modern day advancements.

Father Swann’s initial trip to Galveston with his 11 students built a foundation and an Episcopal identity for the school that has been treasured by the ESD community.

“Father Swann started the relay race with the baton, and it's been handed forward and has now been handed to me,” Ann and Lee Hobson Family Head of School David Baad said. “And what's embedded in that baton, the baton I'm holding is the mission, the founding tenets, the Episcopal identity, everything that is the base of this place, and why it has been an incredible story of growth for 50 years.”

In the 28 years in which Parents Association Associate Head of School Ruth Burke has worked at ESD, she has watched ESD grow as a community and seen her children graduate from this school. As the ESD community comes together to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Burke emphasizes how being one of the youngest private schools in the area, the founding of the school was one of the greatest startup stories in the history of Dallas/Fort Worth.

“I think what we’re really trying to do is really emphasize the importance of our existing traditions. For example, the name game is actually our oldest tradition,” Burke said. “We really want to highlight the traditions that exist and why we have them and how they're important to us and to those who came before us.”

Many of the meaningful traditions that the ESD community has practiced for the past 20 years have been preserved since the early foundations of the school. Ceremonies like Pass it On, Lessons and Carols and the Junior Ring Ceremony have been practiced annually since the 1970s. Performing Arts Department chair, upper school Fine Arts teacher and ESD alumna, Lauren Redmond, values traditions that students and faculty take part in today.

“I was a student for the 25th [anniversary], and I'm a faculty member for the 50th. And part of the reason I wanted to come back to ESD as a teacher was because of the community that was created. And I believe in all of those traditions. I believe in all of those experiences,” Redmond said. “There's a consistency, there's a comfort in that. There's a place of belonging and feeling like you are part of that community.”

The three founding tenets, Religio, Eurditio and Disciplina, are a major component of ESD’s identity as an Episcopal school.

“Being a faith informed school, our strong Episcopal identity in those first few days or weeks of school with Father Swann, the founding tenants were formed,” Burke said. “The essence of the advisory program was formed. [There was] an emphasis on outdoor education and daily chapel. So those four things were all pulled together in those first few weeks of school, and they still stay strong today, and so I think that's fairly unique.”

While this year will be memorable to all individuals in the ESD community, it will be especially memorable for the senior class, as they will have the opportunity to finish their final year at ESD with a year of celebrations.

“It means something special, because ESD is such an integral part of the commu-

Father Swann started the relay race with the baton, and it's been handed forward to me. And whats embedded in that baton, the baton I'm holding is the mission, the founding tenants, the Episcopal identity,

David Baad

Ann and Lee Hobson Family Head of School

nity,” senior Nina Rastin said. “Our class ‘word’ is classic, so it’s like classic ESD, and it all fits together in one … The best year [has] the best grade on campus.”

The 50th anniversary has been a long awaited milestone, as it celebrates the school’s values and shows its progress as one of the newer private schools in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area.

“Oddly enough, [the 50th] makes me think of the next 50 years and ensuring that everything that so many people work so hard to build and to cultivate continues as strong or stronger over the next 50 years,” Burke said. “And something [Father Swann] said really resonated with me. He said he felt ESD was, or is, one of the greatest startup stories in the history of Dallas/Fort Worth.”

As mentioned by students and faculty in the community, ESD has had the opportunity to unite as a community over the past 50 years. Whether it is pep rallies, school dances or daily worship, the student body expresses their school spirit.

“Being able to have everybody here on one campus physically made a huge difference in that feeling of being one community. And I think just the spirit that ESD has, I feel like ESD school spirit is second to none,” Burke said. “And whether that's on a day to day basis, or at an upper school play or Friday Night Lights or, girls lacrosse game in the spring, whatever it is I feel, I always feel the energy and spirit of ESD, as we continue to support each other.”

ESD administration has worked hard to plan a multitude of events this year for its 50th anniversary, with hopes to unite students, parents, faculty and alumni, while also highlighting the importance of ESD’s long lasting traditions.

“We want to educate our community about the history of the school, because

we really have a rich history to honor, and then we want to renew relationships and partnerships that were built along the way,” Burke said. “[At the homecoming game on] Friday night, we have our big community gathering … We have an alumni, Jake Kelton from the class of ’23 who's going to be performing, and we're going to have what I would call, kind of a history alley. We're going to have canopy tents with archive things from the 70s all through today.”

ESD has become a well renowned school that united as a community and has created a sense of belonging for all. ESD has built relationships, whether it is between students and teachers or athletes and coaches, each individual within the eagle community has left ESD knowing someone who has impacted their life.

“I look forward to seeing my albums and my peers who have started having kids and have started sending them to ESD, and the possibility of teaching them down the line…” Redmond said. “So I'm just looking forward to ESD continuing to grow and develop as a community and as a school, not necessarily get bigger, but the idea of us kind of settling into our shoes and filling our space in a meaningful way.”

ESD aims to educate students who will one day become well-rounded and confident adults. And to Baad, this is especially important.

“I always talk about how when we were doing the planning [of the 50th anniversary celebration], the image I always had in my head was standing on the beginner playground and watching the three year olds ride their tricycles in a circle,” Baad said. “These children are 3 years old. They're going to be living their most fulfilled lives in 2060 and I've got 15 years to help develop them so that they're going to be fulfilled adults.”

ALL OF ESD"S COMMUNITY SPELLS ESD50

The entire ESD community, comprised of students, faculty and staff, gather on May 7 to take a schoolwide photo on the Gene and Jerry Joners football field. Photo provided by communications office. Photo by Richard Williams

The Political Pulse

The election of 2024: a summer of shocks and what lies ahead

Parties rallied for their conventions while setting the stage for one of the most heated election seasons in

U.S.

history

Both the Democratic and Republican parties had summers full of turmoil. With the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, President Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and the nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris, both parties had to respond swiftly to the realities of the election.

These events caused both parties to enter their conventions with a lot of stamina. Both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions were dynamic and included a slew of speakers from all walks of life, and culminated with both presidential candidates accepting their nominations.

Gina Montagna ‘22, a current student at the University of Chicago and former Eagle Edition editor-in-chief, interned with ABC news during the Democratic convention and was present during the entire four day event.

“I definitely think this election is going to be very impactful and very historical,” Montagna said. “Just based on the energy that I saw at the DNC from behind the scenes, I think people are really animated and really want to see change.”

For Montagna, the evening speeches were poignant and memorable. Each night the crowds at the convention waited in anticipation for the speakers.

Katherine Clark ‘25, president of the Conservative Student Union, tuned into the

entirety of the RNC over the summer. The dynamic of the RNC was similar to that of the DNC, both using the events of the summer as support for their conventions.

“The environment was electric, especially since it had happened just days after the attempted assassination,” Clark said. “I think it brought not only the Republican party but all conservatives more unified in what they believed.”

On Aug. 8, both candidates agreed on a Sept. 10 debate in Philadelphia. Prior to the debate, Trump and Harris were neck-in-neck in the polls. According to a New York Times national poll four days before the debate, 47 percent said they would vote for Trump and 48 percent for Harris. The debate was a decisive event for this historic election.

According to AP News, more than 67 million people watched the debate. The first question was asked by ABC News anchor and debate mediator David Muir. Muir asked a question regarding the economy and cost of living in this country. Harris was first to respond to the question.

“I believe in the ambition, the aspirations, the dreams of the American people,” Harris said. “That is why I imagine and actually have a plan to build what I call an opportunity economy.”

Trump responded to the statements made by Harris, emphasizing the tariffs implemented during his presidency along with inflation.

“We're doing tariffs on other countries,” Trump said. “Other countries are going to finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we've done for the world.”

A Global Focus

The Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday, Sept. 22 that it is conducting retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon after the group launched approximately 115 aerial attacks on civilian areas in northern Israel earlier that morning. The IDF reported that air defense systems intercepted multiple projectiles over Haifa, Israel, and stated that its northern defensive forces remain on high alert. According to Fox News, the military warned that strikes on Hezbollah would continue and intensify. Additionally, on Sept. 21, the Israeli Air Force carried out a precise strike on Hamas in northern Gaza, taking measures to minimize civilian harm.

It is a tense time, but I think it is a really important issue, really for both sides to try to come together around having conversations in a way that doesn't involve name calling and really personality disputes.

Adam Walsh AP US Govt. Teacher

The candidates then discussed immigration with and without moderator questioning, as the candidates debated the impact of immigration on the economy.

The debate continued to cover primarily abortion, foreign policy and the conflict in Russia and Ukraine. Immediately after the debate Harris led Trump in six national polls, however, many undecided voters were still not convinced.

In an Sept. 22 Eagle Edition poll of 197 students, 49 percent of respondents said that the debate did not shift their opinions on a candidate, 20 percent said it somewhat did and 11 percent said that it did alter their opinions.

In anticipation of the election, Ann and Lee Hobson Head of School David Baad prefaced faculty during the faculty-in-service on the civil discourse conversation. Curriculum Network Coordinator of Leadership, Government and Public Policy, upper school government teacher Adam Walsh, director of diversity and inclusion, Elizabeth Goatley, continue the effort to engage the community in civil discourse as the election approaches.

“I think schools can often make a mistake in saying, boy, those issues are really controversial. We’re not going to touch them,” Baad said. “I think that does you a huge disservice.”

In order to combat this issue, both Matt Peal, Clark Family Head of Upper School, and Baad supported preparing faculty for controversial conversations within classrooms. They both hope to use the in class discussions as a possible

look at the events happening around

During the Texas Senate Committee hearing on border security on Sep. 19, concerns were raised about the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua establishing a presence in the U.S., particularly along the Texas-Mexico border. Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw noted that El Paso is currently a hotspot for gang activity. Law enforcement agencies, including the Dallas police and the FBI, are monitoring TdA’s operations, which involve human smuggling and other criminal activities. NBC News reported that experts warn that the gang’s influence could rapidly expand if not addressed through coordinated efforts between state and federal agencies.

solution for civil discourse.

“The overall goal is maybe we don’t do anything formal,” Peal said. “[Rather] to prepare teachers to facilitate hard conversations in class, and that’s what we’re doing,”

In the same Eagle Edition poll, the community responded to a question regarding political conversations in class, and 47 percent of respondents support conducting controversial conversations, 29 percent said maybe and 8 percent do not support them.

As both Walsh and Goatley continue to lead this initiative, they use the expertise that they gathered at a national convention they attended over the summer in Washington D.C. The seminar included in depth explanations of the civil discourse issue on a national scale.

“I spent most of my time focusing on misinformation and disinformation, and how we can combat that within the school system,” Walsh said. “We are hoping to bring that training to students as well at some point in the year.”

The ultimate goal is to come together as a community, with faculty oversight and student accommodation, in-class discussions are possible.

“It is a tense time, but I think it's a really important issue, really for both sides to try to come together around having conversations in a way that doesn't involve name calling and really personality disputes,” Walsh said. “Studies have found that when you focus more on policy and when you take the personalities out of it, people are able to move into more of a consensus position.”

News editor Emma Allen compiles news stories from around the world

On Sep. 21, France unveiled a new center-right government led by conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier, following divisive parliamentary elections that resulted in a hung parliament. The elections, held in June and July, saw a left-wing coalition secure the most seats but failed to gain a majority, prompting protests from student groups and activists who argue the new government ignores voter preferences. According to ABC News, Barnier faces significant challenges in governing amid political opposition from both the left and the far-right, as he prepares for his first major policy speech on Oct. 1.

In an overnight attack on Sep. 21, Russia launched strikes on high-rise apartments in Kharkiv, Ukraine, injuring at least 21 people. The assaults targeted the Shevchenkovskiy district, damaging 18 residential buildings, according to local authorities. This follows another incident on Sep. 20 where airstrikes injured 15 people, including children. According to ABC News, Ukrainian officials reported that Krasnopol Aerial Bomb type aerial glide bombs were used, prompting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to call for enhanced military support from western allies.

HEZBOLLAH AND ISRAEL ATTACKS

TREN DE ARAGUA

FRANCE'S GOVERNMENT

RUSSIAN STRIKES

deeper

the world, compiled by Emma Allen | News editor

Sheridan Bailey | Staff writer

Attendance rates improve years after pandemic

ESD administration enforces new attendance policy with start of school year

Charlotte Traylor | Copy editor

Ashley Little, the middle and upper school attendance coordinator, logs into Veracross to confirm attendance for the day. She scrolls through a string of reported absences, with most being parent excused; although, the validity of each excuse is unconfirmed. An “appointment” could be a doctor’s appointment or a nail appointment. A “family reason” could be a funeral or a vacation. Due to this ambiguity and excessive absences, a new attendance policy was enacted for the 2024 school year.

Students are penalized if their absences exceed 10 in one course, with loss of course credit being a potential punishment. ESD administrators are hoping to maximize student’s learning and prevent absences during testing.

“I feel really strongly that the best place for you to get an education is in the classroom,” Clark Family Head of Upper School Matt Peal said. “You have to be present and you have to be engaged in order for you to really get the full ESD experience.”

Some students are apprehensive about the new policy, especially surrounding regular appointments.

“I think you should just have to show a doctor’s note [to excuse an absence],” senior Austin Goodiel said. “I am sure all students would ask [for a note] if we had to.”

ESD is not the only school struggling with excessive absences and corrective policy; there has been a trend in ab-

senteeism since the COVID pandemic. According to The Texas Standard, 20 percent of Texas students missed 10 percent or more of the 20222023 school year, compared to 15 percent pre-pandemic.

Taila Richman, an education lab reporter with the Dallas Morning News, associates this trend with increased homeschooling, parent leniency with mental health absences and homelessness. While students lose access to free meals and counseling with absence, disciplinary consequences are inconsistent.

“Some people would kind of slip through the cracks,”

Sheila Hollsinger, an upper school English teacher with experience teaching at Plano West, said. “It was just hard to issue detentions. There wasn't really a place to hold that many people, so we had to let it just move up the ladder.”

Despite these challenges, Holsinger noticed a few successful strategies to manage absence. Sometimes, a truancy officer was stationed at the school to monitor and enforce mandatory attendance, or the school issued loss of off campus lunch privileges.

“Last year, [Plano West] hired a truancy officer, and she was amazing,” Holsinger said. “She had her own office, and she would really zone in on the kids who never showed up. She was really good at trying to get them motivated and taking the steps that needed to be taken to get them to show up.”

Increased attendance is not only beneficial to the individual student, but also to Texas education funding at large. According to Taila Richman, funding is dependent on

You have to be present and you have to be engaged in order for you to really get the full ESD experience.

average daily attendance: a greater number of present students corresponds to a well supported system. Funding may further decrease if a new state policy is passed, creating a universal education savings account. Under this new policy, the state would allocate public school dollars to families hoping to send their children to private school.

“Opponents, including Democrats and some rural Republican lawmakers, worry it would drain resources from the public schools that serve the vast majority of Texas children,” Taila Richmen wrote in a Aug. 26 Dallas Morning News article.

This prospective defunding is occurring while public school enrollment rates increase. Dallas ISD projected 137,500 students to enroll for the 2024-2025 school year; instead, 139,000 students enrolled. These numbers have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels of approximately 155,000.

While ESD didn't struggled with enrollment post pandemic, administrators expect attendance levels follow this positive trend with the new policy. “We have these rules in the handbook, and they talk about coming in and being on time. We think it's important to emphasize it,” Peal said. “And so we're going to be a little bit more strict when it comes to attendance. We might have let it go in the past, I think we're going to be more proactive."

Although the new policy is strict, it was designed to strengthen the ESD community.

"I hope what students get is that this is not meant to be punitive," assistant head of upper school Max Auge said. "It's meant to hopefully be corrective to the point where we can partner with the student in the family and come up with ways to help them be present. If you're present, you feel more connected. You belong.”

15

A Rapid Rundown

TEACHER FUND DRIVE

Every year, upper, middle and lower school faculty compete for full participation in donating to the ESD’s annual fund, also known as the “Gap Fund. While 80 percent of the school’s operating budget is covered by tuition, it is always the goal of director of the ESD fund, Kam Bakewell, to create a competitive, engaging way to encourage all faculty to participate.

“I always start with faculty and staff during in-service, and I always try to make it fun, Bakewell said. “This year, I had an Olympic theme, and I had medals and USA tattoos and sweat bands.

By press time, the overall participation was at 94 percent with upper and lower schools

INJURIES AT THE SENIOR RETREAT

As senior Addy Mayer jumps on the blob at the annual senior retreat, her trip takes a sudden turn when she is double bounced and lands wrong on her ankle.

The annual senior retreat took place at Sky Ranch on Aug. 17, and created an opportunity for the seniors to bond and kick off their new and last school year at ESD. Students partook in activities like volleyball, nine square, pickleball, campfire, reading letters from parents, class leader speeches and, of course, the blob. This fun activity proved to be dangerous and caused two injuries, including Mayer’s broken ankle.

A NEW LOOK FOR THE CLUB FAIR

Students rushed into the crowded hall outside of the dining commons and gathered around the club tables for the annual club fair.

The fair, which took place from Aug. 29 through Sept. 5, featured 12 clubs who displayed their mission on their assigned day. ESD clubs have been a crucial part of the community for years, and spaces for students to enjoy their passions outside of the classroom and meet others with similar interests.

The clubs bring a sense of community to campus, but students in the past have abused the ability to create clubs in order to gain leadership positions in the National Honors Society or college applications. This year, junior and club committee manager Arya Ajith, implemented changes to structure to the fair

tied in the Olympics by reaching 100 percent participation each. The fund supports the maintenance and improvement of our campus and increases teacher salaries.

“It s not really about the amount you re giving, it s just that you re participating, Bakewell said. “It really means that they are invested in the mission of the school.

This money also assists families in paying for homecoming T-shirts, AP exams, ACT/ SAT testing, on-campus counseling and more. Moving forward, the goal is to triple the current endowment via a three-year campaign, asking teachers, alumni and parents to give back to the community and invest in the future of the school.

“I heard a snap but didn’t think much of it, Mayer said. “I thought I could walk it off but the pain wasn’t going away.

Mayer was then carried by her friends to the nurse’s golf cart and was taken back to her cabin where she spent the rest of the night. The following morning, Mayer was picked up by her family and taken home. Despite the trauma and early departure, she expressed her sadness to miss out on the fun.

“Before the accident, the retreat was really fun, Mayer said. “I was disappointed when I had to leave early and couldn t be a part of everything with everyone.

and clubs.

“This year we are setting a new standard that each club has to meet, Ajith said. “Every club has to have their own constitution or by-laws of some sort, have purpose statements, meet on a somewhat regular basis and more.

In previous years, the fair only took up one day, but the change to stretch it out across a week was beneficial in making it more organized. Additionally, its location allowed students in younger grades to preview their future club options.

“It’s way better than it has been in previous years, Ajith said. “I think it’s more engaging and interactive because other parts of the school like the middle and lower school are able to see it when they walk past.

26

Photo by Lyle Hawkins

The shift to single use incites debate

Single use bathrooms are implemented around campus to help drive inclusivity

Jamie Henderson Managing editor

On the first day of school, the senior hall was abuzz with talk about the new single-use bathrooms recently added to the end of the senior hall in the West Wing. Originally, these bathrooms were multi-stall, with boys on the left and girls on the right. Now, the bathrooms are single-use with a lock on each door, and either gender is allowed to use either side.

As student talk began to ramp up, some were concerned about the changes to the bathroom facilities.

“They make me feel uncomfortable because I’ve heard multiple stories of people in the bathrooms who forgot to lock the door, and that’s a problem because what if someone of the opposite sex walks into the bathroom or a teacher, that’s just inappropriate,” upper student Lorelei Rose* said. “No one is monitoring if you remember to lock the door. If there are multiple people, multiple sexes, in a bathroom at once, that would cause a lot of issues with the school if something were to happen.”

Rose, however, feels that the administration cares about student’s opinions. She has set up a meeting with administrators and other concerned students to discuss the new bathroom.

“I know people are going to address this with the administration and get a clearer message on why they did this, and why they think it’s uncomfortable and unsanitary,” Rose said. “I think it

will really help the student body understand why and their reasoning. Knowing Mr. Auge, Mr. Peal and Mr. Baad, they want to hear your opinion. They want to know how the students feel because ultimately, we make up the school and they want to feel safe and protected.”

Upper schoolers returned to school blind to the change, but slowly started recognizing the new bathroom modifications. Ann and Lee Hobson Head of School Dave Baad decided this was the best move for our community, but admitted it was not executed in the right way.

“Nothing really to say there, except we botched the communication,” Baad said. “I would have posted something on Schoology and I would have said something at the opening faculty meetings, and we just made a mistake.”

Clark Family Head of Upper School Matt Peal believes the aim behind the change is adhering to the idea of belonging, to ensure everyone on campus feels supported.

“I think when you really dig deeply into the message of purpose and belonging, if there is someone who does not feel those two things, in particular, the belonging because of some physical facility, and you have the ability to bring some sort of feeling of inclusion with a simple change,” Peal said. “I think that they overall benefit our message of community and belonging. So I think it’s a pretty easy implementation.”

While some students have worries about this change to single-use bathrooms, other students do not mind the change. Senior Erza Kline* does not really see how it af-

I understand the concern on the one hand. On the other hand, there are single-stall bathrooms all over campus so I don‘t know why this one is getting so much attention particularly.

fects him directly.

“As a student overall, I don’t really care that much, but I think it’s kind of weird that we’ve had male and female bathrooms the whole time and they just change it,” upper school student Erza Kline* said. “So I feel like it’s just gonna cause some confusion.”

And some students, like upper school student Brea Lee*, believe this is a positive step for ESD’s community.

“I think that they’re a good idea because I appreciate having single-stalled bathrooms,” Lee said. “However, I do think it can be kind of inconvenient, especially since it kind of reduces the net amount of bathrooms people have access to.”

But these are not the first single-use bathrooms on campus, there are others in multiple spots around campus, like the ones in the chapel and in the Frank Building. However, this one in the West Wing is getting the most attention because it is a heavy

Lawsuit bubbling up for Poppi prebiotic soda

The popular soda company is accused of falsely advertising their product as gut healthy

As senior Caitlin Hills scrolls through her social media feed, she stumbles across a video boldly exposing her favorite prebiotic soda brand, Poppi. The prebiotics found in the soda are compounds that promote beneficial bacteria growth throughout the gut. To her surprise, the brand was being sued for falsely advertising their “gut-healthy” drink. Poppi’s initial success revolved around their guthealthy slogan, sparking a wave of devoted consumers who were searching to find a healthier alternative to soda on the market. The

co-founded company openly prided itself on its innovative approach to healthy drinks, particularly hitting a sweet spot of consumption due to its colorful packaging and vast selection of flavors. The lawsuit against Poppi was filed on May 29, 2024, by Kristin Cobbs, a former consumer who began to question the legitimacy of the soda brand’s gut-healthy claims. Many customers shared the same doubts as Cobbs, growing skeptical of the gut-healthy benefits, due to the drink’s low agave insulin levels.

Poppi, which is sold in the Eagle’s Nest, was first placed on the store’s shelves at the end of the summer of 2024. Students were thrilled by this product’s addition to the store’s fridge and quickly began purchasing

A BUYER’S BIAS Caitlin Hills ‘25 grabs a can of Poppi purchased directly from the Eagle s Nest fridge. “This is one of my favorite flavors, Hills said. Despite the lawsuit, Hills still finds herself picking up and enjoying the prebiotic soda from time to time.

Photo by Stella Bartley

the trending soda.

“The kids were really excited,” Eagle’s Nest manager Gabrielle Harrington said. “Students started noticing the drinks as soon as we got them in.”

Harrington and the Eagle’s Nest staff were first drawn to the trending beverage due to its colorful packaging and low sugar content, which align with the staff’s priorities in product selection.

“First of all, we get repeated requests for soda, which we aren’t really comfortable with selling just because of the sugar and all of that,” Harrington said. “So, when we found [Poppi], we were first attracted by their colorful packaging. We were like, “Oh, doesn’t that brand have to do with prebiotics?”

To Harrington, the ingredients in Eagle’s Nest products are very important. She began to look into the ingredients listed on the bright packaging and read that there were no unnecessary amounts of sugar or unrecognizable ingredients, unlike the majority of competing soda brands.

“There aren’t any forever chemicals or anything like that,” Harrington said. “And it has a low sugar count along with agave, apple juice and vinegar. Every single ingredient is recognizable and can be found in your cabinet at home.”

Much like the Eagle’s Nest employees, students who enjoy Poppi have been keeping an eye out for new information regarding the lawsuit, but are not opposed to drinking or buying the probiotic soda.

class area, and the change was sudden.

“I understand the concern on the one hand. On the other hand, you know, there are single-stall bathrooms all over campus, so I don’t know why this one is getting so much attention, particularly.” Baad said. “I feel the way about that bathroom like I feel about all the other bathrooms.”

While there are different opinions, the administrators believe this is the best move for our community. The students know that their opinions are valued, so more conversations will surround this topic as we venture further into the year.

“I think what I would say to [concerned students] is I’d love to know more as to why you’re uncomfortable, and then probably take the conversation from there,” Peal said.

Hills first started drinking Poppi around 2021, a year after the soda brand officially launched in 2020.

“I’ve heard of the lawsuit,” Hills said. “I know Poppi was getting a lot of backlash for promoting the soda as guthealthy when in reality you would need to drink multiple cans for the prebiotics to really have a positive effect.”

Hills was initially drawn to the trending beverage due to its healthy advertising across social media platforms.

“I first tried Poppi because it was labeled as gut-healthy and just as a healthier soda in general,” Hills said. “I don’t really mind that the promotion was misleading though.”

Despite the claims of false advertising, Hills still enjoys drinking Poppi from time to time.

“I’ve bought Poppi a few times from the Eagle’s Nest this year,” Hills said, “I’m happy that they are selling them to have something to sip during class.”

After hearing about the lawsuit, Harrington and the Eagle’s Nest staff decided to keep an eye out for any news about the prebiotic soda brand, but they are not considering removing the drink from the fridge unless any health-endangering issues arise.

“And as for the lawsuit, it seemed like the consumer was coming for the guthealthy claims,” Harrington said. “That is not what drew us to the brand. We like the ingredients and the lower sugar levels, but we are not promoting gut health by any means.”

Stella Bartley | Staff writer

Dave Baad Ann and Lee Hobson Head of School

SINGLE USE SIGN

New bathroom signs hang outside both bathrooms at the end of the senior hallway in the West Wing. For privacy, the lock on the doors indicate whether the bathroom is in use or not.

Photo by Jamie Henderson

* These names have been changed to protect the anonymity of the students.

Life

Delayed uniform delivery complicates the school year

The ESD admin attempts to jumpstart the 20242025 school year with brand new uniforms, but Dennis Uniforms fails to deliver

It is the first day of school, and the hallways are buzzing with students ecstatic to reunite with the community after summer. However, there is no familiar blur of gray and ESD plaid to be seen. Instead of wearing the school’s uniform, everyone is wearing spirit dress. This is due to an ongoing delayed delivery of the new uniforms.

Several changes were made to the uniform in hopes of creating a more unified and professional-looking community. New plaid skirts, shorts and polo shirts were implemented to the student body. Parents Association Associate Head of School Ruth Burke has overseen this process since the start.

“Uniforms really were becoming non-uniform because the pants were many different versions of gray and styles and brands, and even the skirts. If you notice, the plaids were set differently,” Burke said. “And then, there was great concern about the length of skirts and how it's gotten a little out of hand.”

Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, a committee dedicated to the uniform adjustment convened to form a plan on executing this goal. This group of 14 staff and faculty members shepherded the ongoing revision of the school attire.

“The conversation about transitioning to a new uniform in middle and upper school has been going on for a number of years,” Burke said. “It actually started back in 2018 when [the] lower school was moving here and we changed the lower school uniforms.”

Many in the community feel the change was necessary, and that uniformity was crucial. One of the advocates for change was Cindy Newsom, the director of admission and enrollment. She believes that a main dilemma was that the length of girl’s skirts was causing potential problems related to admission.

“Over the years, it is always brought up on tours. Parents always comment on the short skirts when they're coming in,” Newsom said. “Our ambassadors will tell you they've heard

it. We see it. It shows up in surveys every year.”

Newsom recently received an email from an ESD alumni commenting on the Crest Magazine, and more specifically, the length of the skirts shown within the school’s magazine. In this email, sent on Aug. 21, the sender explained their surprise regarding the uniform’s changes over the years.

“Hey Cindy - [Alumni’s name] is in town and we are looking at the Crest and are aghast!” the email read. “Have you all gotten rid of the saddle shoes and sperrys? [Alumni’s name] is cracking me up about how the girl’s skirts are so short and asked if ESD has just gotten rid of all the uniform rules.”

The solution to the skirt’s length was adding built-in shorts into the skirt, but some are concerned that wearing the same shorts and skirts for consecutive days could bring about health concerns for the female body. Students may need to rewear skirts because they only bought one or two. Dr. LeAnne Haddock, a retired Obstetrician Gynecologist at Magnolia OBGYN, believes that there could be some problems arising with these skirts.

“As a parent of a private school daughter, I am aware of the types of polyester skirts most private schools utilize for the girls,” Haddock said. “They also are more expensive so noting that the majority of students only get one or two is a reality.”

The shorts sewn into the skirts are made of 88 percent polyester and 14 percent spandex. And, according to Haddock, these materials are not well suited for uniform shorts.

“It is always recommended for female students to wear cotton undershorts,” Haddock said. “If the shorts are polyester, this won’t allow for [breathability]. Though risks are low, external irritation and possible yeast infections can occur if the shorts prevent [airflow].”

Haddock suggests that the shorts be replaced with cotton-based fabric and that students alternate plaid skirts daily. This means members of the student body should purchase more than two new uniform bottoms.

However, the skirts were not the only piece of uniform

Uniforms really were becoming non-uniform because the pants were many different versions of grey styles and brand, and even the skirts. If you notice, the plaids were all set differently

Ruth Burke Parents Association Associate Head of School

adjusted. The shorts previously implemented for those who prefer to wear shorts were also changed and they had to purchase multiple new pairs. Many were displeased with this.

“Of course, as seniors, all the guys were super annoyed that they had to buy completely new shorts for the year,” senior Milam Olson said. “Because they are all getting thrown away.”

Olson purchased six pairs of shorts and two pairs of pants, so this was not a cheap purchase.

“I don't understand why the guy's uniform had to change,” Olson said. “ I guess there were some uniforms that were the wrong color with each other, but for the most part, I don't think there was a huge problem with the guy's uniform.”

Although many of the old uniforms will be resold, it does not make the uniform purchase process easier. Students also struggled to find a correctly fitting uniform from Dennis Uniforms. This was complicated further in late June when an email was sent out restricting any sort of alterations made to the uniform, leaving families to grapple with the need to find suitable bottoms that fit without hemming.

“At first, they told everybody that they weren't allowed to alter their shorts at all. So everybody freaked out,” Olson said. “[We] tried to find shorts that matched the color that actually fit [us], because the [Dennis] shorts didn't fit at all.”

Considering these opinions, the school was eager to find a medium ground where both students and the school’s community could be pleased with the uniform. However, the road to success has been bumpy, specifically because of the delay in uniform shipment. After merging with Mills Uniforms, Burke said she feels Dennis has “bit off more than they can chew.”

“Mills merged with Dennis, and so we resigned their contract with them last fall,” Burke said. “There was no indication that there would be any supply or delivery issues or concerns. The first time they officially let us know that items would be late was on Friday, Aug. 3.” Burke expressed frustra-

tion that she had dedicated most of her attention over the summer to a company that failed to deliver what they promised.

“I had weekly calls with them all summer, and they never indicated a concern about things not being here in time for school,” Burke said. “And so that was when we really started having to go to plan B and C on what we're going to do because it became very apparent they kept pushing back the date things would arrive.”

These delays led to temporary navy replacement skirts. However, Burke believed that the transition to the plaid skirts may not be finished until the end of the first semester because many families ordered the incorrect sizes. To address this inconvenience, Burke proposed a mock resale shop.

“[The] Eagle's Nest is going to help us to have a resale shop, but free. We'll have kind of a garage sale of skirts,” Burke said. “And so you would say, ‘Okay, I have [skirts] but they don't fit. I need [different sizes]’ And you would literally swap. And then if your size isn't there, the school is going to buy those skirts from you, so we can then add them to our stash of skirts.”

In addition to the Eagles Nest resale, Burke said that ESD has been exploring other options for uniform suppliers, such as Land’s End, Flynn O’Hara and Tommy Hilfiger.

“The investigation into alternative uniform providers will consider various factors and aim to find a solution for the upcoming year,” Burke said. “This will ensure a smooth transition for all concerned.”

Although the journey to this goal has been stressful, Burke believes that this will be an opportunity to unite the school on all fronts. By the end of the semester, she believes the ESD family will soon be unified as a community, and in uniform.

“The bottoms had been the same since the very beginning, although much longer, back in the day,” Burke said. “It was time to have an update, and reunite our ESD community through uniformity.”

NAVY OVERRIDES PLAID

A group of girls from class of 27' walk to chapel on Tuesday, Sept. 17, most of them with navy skirts. Maanya Jyothinagaram (fourth from left) is one of the few students who have received their plaid skirts. "I think it's weird to see people in different kinds of skirts," Jyothinagaram said. "But I know it will be back to normal in a few months."

Photo by Barrett Coble

Barrett Coble | Staff writer

MAIL DISTRIBUTION

In the teacher lounge, each teacher has a cubby for mail. Woolever will put their mail in their cubby every other day. For larger packages, there is a different delivery process. The larger packages are sent to the business office. “If something comes by U.S. Mail, if it's still a package, it will get delivered Woolever said. “Then the [business office will] email us and say, Hey, we have a package for you.'“

FIRST STOP

The mail delivery process is known to be sloppy. However, at ESD, the process is clean-cut and organized. To deliver mail, the majority comes through the business office in the Swann Building where there is a storage room.

Every other day, receptionist Sandra Woolever retrieves the mail from the business office and brings it to the teacher lounge in the school house. Woolever retrieves communications, upper school, middle school and administrator’s mail consistently.

“There’s a resource center in the Swann Center with all the [mail] boxes, [including] lower school, middle school, upper schools, Woolever said. “I just try to go over every other day if I can, Some days we get a lot of mailboxes and stuff, and some days we don t have hardly any.

LARGE PACKAGES

hard to keep the mail room

Photos by Ethan Pham

However, large packages have a different delivery process. Large packages like supplies, chairs and class equipment are delivered to the facility house between the junior and senior lot on Merrill. “Jose Baez is our person who delivers all said Woolever. “He's really good, if it's got my name on it, he will bring me my packages, or if I order stuff for the faculty lounge. So he knows that instead of bringing it to me, he'll take it in there, and then I can unload the boxes.

Baez uses one of the school golf carts to deliver packages, which makes his job easier. Without Baez, receiving deliveries would be a lot

THE EAGLE'S NEST

Similarly, the Eagle’s Nest has the same delivery process. Normally, packages will be delivered through the facilities office and then brought over to the Eagle’s Nest directly. However, if it is a large delivery of merchandise, there is a different process.

“If they deliver during the day if it s a large delivery, ll have them deliver directly to the Woolever said, “So I’ve seen like in the m over that direction, in that hallway, I seen the delivery people come in with it on the carts.

For food, the Eagles Nest has four vendors with a different delivery process. One vendor is Costco. Baez will place orders in the storage closet when they arrive, and Eagle’s Nest manager April Cook helps organize the food deliveries.

“They deliver [food] directly to us. We know that re coming because all deliveries are scheduled, said Cook. “So we have four different vendors that go through the security gates. They bring it directly to us and unload it into our storage room. Cook along with the rest of the Eagles Nest employees are very pleased with all vendors and deliveries.

“Our vendors are fabulous,“ Cook said. “The deliveries are seamless and easy.

New to the nest

Six faculty and staff members join the upper school from a range of different backgrounds

Anoushka Sinha | Arts editor

Lit & Comp and English

“I taught at the high school I went to for 13 years. I was very close with my high school English teacher in AP Language & Composition and AP Literature & Composition. She encouraged me to study English through my master's degree, and then she encouraged me to become a teacher. She mentored me into the profession and inspired a love of literature and writing in me. So that's how I got into teaching, through the mentorship of my former English teacher.

Fun Fact: “I recently took up watercoloring, and I also have a three year old Goldendoodle named Penelope, after Penelope from the Odyssey because of her loyalty.

Allison McClelland

Proctor and substitute teacher

“I taught English for 25 years in Plano. I taught at Plano West, and my children graduated from Plano West. I taught mostly Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, and then semi-retired in 2022. didn't want to quit teaching; just didn't want to be in a big public school.

Favorite Song/Musician: “I am an absolute music freak. I love pretty much any music, except rap. One of my favorite artists is probably Chris Stapleton.

Favorite Book: “To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Kathy Carroll 10th grade advisor and world history teacher

“I got into teaching in the early 90s. I worked in Richardson schools, and then at Highland Park with Mrs. Salz, where I taught English and world geography. Then, I went back to school, got my master's degree and started teaching at St. John's Episcopal School. also worked for a couple of years at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum as a museum educator working on Holocaust education and Civil Rights Education and just realized that I missed kids and teaching.

Fun Fact: “I like to fish, so I m super excited about the quarry. Also, in graduate school, got to work on a digital exhibit for one of the Smithsonian museums.

Holsinger 11th grade advisor, AP English Lang & Comp and English III

This is my 27th year of teaching, and taught all 26 years prior in Plano ISD. I taught middle school English for four years, then moved to Plano Senior High and taught there for 22 years. love interacting with students. I like to hear different interpretations and ideas of things that we read. There are so many times where I'm truly just floored by how insightful students can be.

Favorite Book: “A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Favorite Song/Musician: “I m a big Swiftie, so lately it s been everything off of The Tortured Poets Department.

Jorge Perez 11th grade advisor, Honors Physics, AP Physics I and II

“I completed my bachelor's in mechanical engineering and was working through my master's, and during that time, ended up subbing at different schools around my area. ended up at a school where their physics teacher had just left and they needed someone. I knew physics and ended up staying there for eight years. just fell in love with teaching physics, making it approachable for students and breaking it down into smaller chunks so that everyone can understand.

Fun Fact: “I enjoy traveling, going to different places and exploring different national parks. The coolest place I ve been to is probably Iceland.

Carol White Administrative Assistant to Head of Upper School

“I worked at a small private school in Oak Cliff for seven years, and was the office manager and admissions manager for this small school. [ESD] kind of became almost a natural fit for me. I'm going into my eighth year of working in high schools.

Fun Fact: “I used to be able to juggle but haven t done it in so long. I wasn't famous, but I was an actress at one time. did some commercials, and some parts in films with people who are now very famous actors.

Favorite TV show: “I love the Food Network and the Kids Baking Championship.

Sheila

Harry Ruedi Ninth grade advisor, AP English

Pet Palooza

Paws Up

AS LYLE HAWKINS RETURNS HOME from a long day of cheer, she is greeted by her two miniature Goldendoodles. One of her dogs, Beans, is two years old, and her second dog, Bo, is three months old.

“We had an old Goldendoodle that died, Hawkins said. “And we decided, as a family, we weren’t complete without a dog.“

Harper Sands

Each issue, the Eagle Edition features the most exciting pets around school.

Staff writer Betty Wheeler highlights four of the cheer team's fluffiest friends.

The Cats Out of the Bag

Mali Kate Venable '27

THIS IS SCOTTIE, SOPHOMORE MALI

Kate Venable’s Scottish Fold cat. She got the name Scottie from the breed of the cat, a Scottish Fold, but she also has many nicknames like Skittles and Scrumpkin.

“My brother got in contact with a breeder because he was the one who initially wanted a cat, Venable said.

Ferret

Friend Stella Wynne '26

THE CHEER TEAM DOESN'T JUST HAVE furry friends, but Stella Wynne 26 has a ferret friend. Wynne’s ferret was given the name Milo by her brother.

An Egg-cellent Chicken

Story Sinelli '27

SOPHOMORE STORY SINELLI HAS A Rhode Island Red Chicken as a pet.

Sinelli’s chicken has red feathers, and because of its breed, she decided to name her chicken Red. Rhode Island Red chickens are excellent egg layers: they lay about 260 per year. These chickens are known for their rich dark red feathers and are an iconic chicken in America.

Last summer, the Hawkins family brought home their new dog Beans. Lyles’ dad, Lawrence Hawkins, came up with the name Beans. Although it was controversial at first and the family argued whether or not they liked it, they ended up loving the name of their new dog.

“My mom and brother and I went to the breeder to just “look at the cat, but eventually came back with a new addition to the family.

Break in Bluff Flacrosse play.”

“This summer, I came home from my internship one day, Hawkins said. “My mom surprised me and my siblings with a new dog.

The Hawkins family wanted to name their second dog something that started with a “B, so they decided on “Bo.

“We didn’t want to name him another food so we decided on Bo, Hawkins said. “At my lake house, I like to paddle board and put them on the paddle board with me. I love it when I come home from a hard day, and they jump on me with a big smile.“

Venable likes that this cat doesn t require too much work. “What I love most about my cat is that whenever we are just sitting, Venable said.

“Scottie lays with his belly up and just lounges on the ground.“

These cats are known to be playful and cuddly.

“One time I came back with Trader Joe’s bags and left them on the counter, Venable said. “Next thing I knew Scotty was curled up in them.“

“When I got my dog, Scooter, my brother really wanted a ferret,“ Wynne said. “So, my mom thought it was fair that we just got both. Although the ferret is technically her brother’s, he lives upstairs next to both of their rooms, and he brings amusement daily.

“One random day he somehow escaped out into our backyard, and my brother was freaking out,“ Wynne said. “Then, an hour later, he just showed up at our front door.

“My old school used to have chickens and when my mom saw them, she became really interested, Sinelli said. “So, during COVID, our family decided to raise chickens. They ended up raising multiple chickens as a family but Red is the family’s favorite, and her chicken has been a source of entertainment for their family.

“I love watching it run around in the backyard,“ Sinelli said. “[I love] feeding it cheerios too. Chickens are not indoor pets like her dogs, but Sinelli loves watching her chickens and dogs play together outdoors. These chickens are also extremely hearty, explaining why the Sinelli’s dog enjoys their company.

“They are nice and very funny to watch, Sinelli said. “They are also sweet when you hold them.

New ESD club engages with neurodivergent kids

Eagles experience the daily challenges of kids with special needs

Kate Lewis | Staff writer

It is a Friday morning before school in mid-September and freshman

Zachary Fish is standing at Oak Hill Academy’s carpool line waiting for cars to arrive. He opens the car door for the first arrival; he is greeted with a huge smile and a cheerful attitude from a teenage student. As an Eagle, Fish and his classmates volunteer at OHA every Friday morning.

ESD students are partnering with OHA as a part of the Eagles and Dragons Club. They open carpool doors, play sports and attend football games with special needs kids attending OHA, a K-12 school that educates kids born with learning differences. The club was founded by freshman Luke Crowhurst

and is sponsored by middle and upper school Latin teacher Anne Fahrenholz.

“I think Oak Hill is a great little community,” Fahrenholz said. “Britt Smart, [Oak Hill] Head of School, has a lot of passion for [the kids].”

Crowhurst, whose sister with speech and learning delays attends OHA, believes that it is beneficial for ESD students to be exposed to kids with learning differences, so that they can see their daily challenges. With that in mind, he formed a club that ESD students could participate in. The Eagles and Dragons Club focuses on giving OHA students experiences that will grow and build their social interaction skills. The club is also an opportunity for ESD students to see life through different eyes as they spend time with Oak Hill kids.

FRIDAY MORNING CARPOOL Sophomores Lincoln Clarke and Betty Wheeler open the doors during Friday morning carpool at Oak Hill Academy on Sept. 20. "I love seeing the joy on all the students faces when we open the doors," Wheeler said. "It's amazing how small things like opening the doors can make these kids whole day." Photo by

Kate Lewis

“I hope that this club can create meaningful social growth opportunities for kids who struggle socially,” Crowhurst said. “I also want to create a sustainable partnership between ESD and Oak Hill, and maybe this partnership can still last even after I graduate.”

“I think that interacting with neurodivergent students will help our student body see those kids in a different light,” Farenholz said. “[They] see how much harder their struggle is day to day than how the [student body] has it.”

It is a goal for both Crowhurst and Fahrenholz that the ESD students take this opportunity to make friends with OHA students.

“I think they’ll find some aspects of the [OHA] students that they need and like being around,” Fahrenholz said. “Each OHA student has a unique challenge that they persevere through everyday.”

ESD students get the opportunity to build a special bond with each kid through sports, ice cream socials and helping with carpooling on Friday mornings at OHA. The club plans for students to spend Saturday mornings together playing sports at OHA. Oak Hill is a part of the Junior Independent Athletic Association, a league developed for the purpose of allowing young athletes, including those with learning differences, to be a part of a team. With ESD being a school with many successful sports programs, Crowhurst is encouraging ESD students to express their shared love of sports with Oak Hill students. As a part of the Eagles and

Dragons Club, Crowhurst and club members are bringing Oak Hill students to an ESD junior varsity home game on Oct. 3 at ESD to share a football experience with them.

“I think Luke specifically picked the JV football game so that there wouldn’t be as intense of a crowd,” Fahrenholz said.

Crowhurst and Fahrenholz want to prioritize the comfortability of each Oak Hill student and make sure that each experience is an enjoyable memory. Another activity that Crowhurst has planned is for ESD club members to open carpool doors for Oak Hill students on Friday mornings.

“The Friday carpool line is a great way to get to know the kids,” Fahrenholz said. “And [students can] kind of see what everyone looks like.”

Since some Oak Hill students have physical disabilities, it is important for ESD students to be comfortable interacting with them. Some of the other Oak Hill students do not have physical disabilities.

“During Saturday sports when I used to go with my sister, I always had so much fun,” Crowhurst said. “I didn’t even understand at the time that the kids were different.”

But not only OHA kids will learn from ESD students. OHA students will teach ESD students what optimism and strength look like.

“Oak Hill is definitely a special place for me and my sister,” Crowhurst said. “I think if this club can carry on even after I graduate that would be really awesome.”

Lyle Hawkins '25

A safe place for student success support

Academic enrichment center has seen growth and expansion

Emma Allen | News editor

In the midst of the busy ESD campus, junior Jaden Young was looking for solace last year where he could complete his work in a quiet, spacious environment. Halfway through the first semester he finally found what he was looking for: a safe haven in the academic enrichment center.

“The AEC gave me a quiet space to do my work with or without the help of teachers,” Young said. “It also provided me with whatever materials I required at the time.”

The AEC was founded by upper school learning support counselor Ashley Beck and former Clark Family Head of Upper School Henry Heil. The initiative stemmed from a desire to offer easily accessible tutoring for students.

“We wanted to provide in house tutoring by our faculty who know our curriculum and expectations,” Beck said. “We wanted to level the playing field and let everyone have the opportunity to get additional help and support during their study halls.”

The center is located in room 213, upstairs in the main schoolhouse overlooking the study commons. Students in middle and upper school can stop by the center for assistance from ESD’s teachers. Middle school students are able to work with middle school learning specialist Adam Jones every morning from 8 to 8:30 a.m.

Upper school students may work with whichever staff member is working during the period they come in. The AEC schedule is attached to the daily upper school “heads up” email from Assistant Head of Upper School Max Augé. Along with the support of ESD staff, students in the National Honors Society volunteer to tutor for the center.

“I will have faculty members on their off periods and National Honors Society students staff AEC during the upper school schedule,” Beck said. “Students during their study hall can just stop by, no appointment needed [and] no cost to get support.”

When the AEC was first created in the 2022-23 school year, staffing was limited, and it was a trial concept. Going into its third year, the growth in both staff and students has led to expansion of the space and overall growth of the facility.

“This will be the start of our third year,” Beck said. “Two years ago when we started it, it was kind of bare bones and not staffed as much.”

English department Chair Tolly Salz played a major role in the increase of AEC stafmembers by involving the English department for additional support.

“[Salz] has her entire English department signed up to help staff the AEC,” Beck said. “She is a great partner with me and understands how valuable and important this resource is for our students.”

We wanted to level the playing field and let everyone have the opportunity to get additional help and support during their study halls.

The English department was quick to agree on becoming AEC staff. Salz believes that teachers have the responsibility to maximize the support of ESD students.

“We had several people at the very beginning who signed up,” Salz said. “And then this year [the English department] had a conversation, and it means so much to us that every single person wanted to do it.”

As more students learned about the center, an increasing number utilized the resource. The first year saw around 99 tutoring sessions. Last school year, the number of tutoring sessions jumped to about 300.

“With that growth we were enabled to enlarge the space and buy this fancy furniture,” Beck said. “Students can charge their laptops and print in here now while they’re in

here to get support.”

The AEC also assists senior students with their college applications. During the fall, the center will be a resource for seniors navigating the complex process of college admissions.

“Lots of seniors popped in to get support on their college application essays from our own English department at no cost,” Beck said. “Seniors used it the first couple months, when I had it stuffed with English teachers quite a bit.”

Through its growth and the dedication of its staff and supporters, the AEC has become a useful resource for students, helping them to achieve their academic goals and prepare for their future endeavors.

“I absolutely love [the AEC],” Salz said. “I think it is a beautiful extension of who we are and what we do.”

We proudly support the Eagle Edition

Ashley Beck Upper school learning support counselor

EXTRA SUPPORT

Junior Lizzie Lett recieving help from upper school learning support counselor Ashley Beck in the expanded Academic Enrichment Center.

Photo by Emma Allen

Culture crash

Margot Robbie's Big News

Actress Margot Robbie, known for her performances in movies like “Barbie, “Suicide Squad and “The Wolf of Wall Street, and her husband, Tom Ackerley are expecting their first baby. The couple met in 2013 on the set of “Suite Francais in which Ackerley was assistant director, and they married in 2016 after a discrete engagement. They have been working on the same production company ever since, according to People Magazine. The baby is due at the end of 2024, but this is only the start of Robbie and Ackerleys family as she told People that she wants a big family.

New York Fashion Week

New York Fashion Week kicked off on Sept. 6 and ended on Sept. 11. It included over 80 different brand shows. After every NYFW, which happens twice a year, Vogue reviews show and the event overall. They stated that this Fashion Week was “not only alive, but better than ever. According to Vogue, the most memorable shows included Rachel Antonoff, a dog and fashion show, the Alaïa show at the Guggenheim, Off-White and Tory Burch. NYFW is an opportunity for brands to reveal their best designs and for models to make their debut. Alex Consani, Alva Claire, Amelia Claire, Anok Yai, Lui Wen and Mona Tougaard are all battling for the spot of Model Of the Year. The general public votes for this honor and the winner will be announced during the Fashion Awards on Dec. 2 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

Emmy's: Wrapped

The Emmy Awards show was hosted in Los Angeles on Sept. 15 and awarded excellence in television in 16 different categories. The awards ranged from directing and acting to hairstyling and stunts. According to ABC News, the television show “Shogun beat the record for the number of Emmy Awards in one year, taking home the title of most-winning series with 19 awards. Walt Disney Company also set a record with the most Emmys for a production company, acquiring 60 awards across its studios.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

“Beetle Juice Beetle Juice,” the comedy horror film, hit the theaters on Sept. 6. The movie is a sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 “Beetlejuice,” and many have awaited the sequel’s production, according to Teen Vogue. This film stars actors Micheal Keaton, Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega. This was Ortega’s second time working with Burton since her debut in the “Wednesday” television series about the Addams Family. So far, the movie has received a 7.1-star rating out of 10 on the Internet Movie Database and has been celebrated for maintaining the original charm of Burton’s original movie, according to Rotten Tomatoes. However, some critics still believe that no sequel could live up to the 1988 production.

Taylor and Travis alleged break-up

Popstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who began dating September 2023, reject the idea that they had a breakup contract. The Hindustant times reported on Sept. 21 that online posts suggested the the “contract“ stated that their split was impending. The document supposedly stated that the couple would separate on Sept. 28 but make it public on on Sept. 31 in order to settle the media. Allegedly, the document headlined Kelce’s commitment to football and the need to focus on himself. However, ever since the contract was brought to the media’s attention, Kelce and Swift have been seen in public together. Swift and Kelce are shocked by this contract, according to Hindustan

Dress to impress

Ways to shop for a homecoming outfits

Sophia Sardiña | Co-editor-in-chief

On her way to her volleyball game on Aug. 27, junior Eva Krieser scans the Revolve website in search of her dream homecoming dress. After hours have passed, Krieser closes her laptop in defeat, unsatisfied with her findings.

The search for homecoming dresses is a lengthy and exhausting process. Each year brings a different set of trends, so many girls struggle to pick and commit to a dress.

“I began looking for a homecoming dress probably about two weeks ago,” Krieser said. “I started looking so early because I talked to a lot of my friends and most of them already had their dresses. My biggest struggle is taking the time to look through all the websites, it is very boring and kind of stressful.”

While some girls shop at the mall or in-person stores, 44 percent of girls in the upper school shop for their dresses online, according to a poll take on Sept. 22 of 197 students. According to Krieser, the most popular websites for dress shopping are Revolve, Princess Polly and Lucy in the Sky.

I had this dream where I was wearing this beautiful dress and when I woke up I decided that I needed to make my homecoming dress

Alexa Sardiña Sophomore

“I looked through Revolve, Nordstroms and House of CB to find my dress,” Krieser said. “[This year] I found my dress on Revolve, and most people use Revolve as well to find their dresses.”

But even once the perfect dress is found, sometimes girls struggle finding the dresses in the correct size, regardless of how early they begin looking.

“My biggest struggle so far is finding a dress that’s in stock. I feel that as soon as I find a dress that I love, it’s always out of stock in my size,” junior Erin Muriungi said. “Last year they didn’t have my size in the dress that I wanted so I sized up and then got it altered to fit me and it ended up working out.”

However, Muriungi and Krieser have their own ways of finding a dress, even if many styles are out of stock.

“My main method now for looking for dresses is going by color and style,” Muriungi said. “[I] will search up “pink mini dress” on websites like Revolve and see what comes up. I also like to go to the mall and see what they have as well.”

And finding the right outfit affects also the opposite sex. Boys also struggle to find outfits for homecoming. While many assume boys re-wear their suits from the previous years, it depends on the suit itself. According to the same poll, 24 percent of boys have gotten new suits, while 9 percent have used the same one in previous years

“I was only able to re-use my sophomore-year suit for junior year, and I had to buy a new suitget my suit tailored sophomore and senior years,” senior Milam Olson said. “A lot of guys who work out may need new suits every year.”

With changing physique due to working out or growth spurts, many boys are unable to rewear the same suit.

“A common struggle guys have when looking for new suits is finding one that fits their body type and is comfortable. In most cases, guys have to alter their suits in order to fit properly,” Olson said. “The hardest part is finding a suit that fits my specific body type. I had to have most aspects of my suit tailored, as did both my brothers. In general, a store-bought suit will not fit right without alterations.”

While Olson believes it is difficult to find a suitable suit, the process of finding a dress can be more time-consuming. With having a lot of options, girls usually spend a couple of weeks looking for dresses

“I would imagine that girls spend much longer finding a dress,” Olson said. “I was able to find a suit I liked in the first store within an hour. I purchased my suit maybe a week before homecoming, but I have seen girls plan and purchase their outfits months in advance.”

As an alternative, instead of going out and buying a homecoming outfit, some people make their homecoming outfits from scratch. Sophomore Alexa Sardiña bought a dress off of Amazon and decorated it with pearls and jewelry.

“Since the beginning of summer, I knew I wanted to wear a black silk dress with a bunch of silver jewelry,” Sardiña said. “But I knew I wasn’t going to be able to find a dress that I wanted.”

Inspired by a dream where she wore her ideal homecoming dress, Sardiña set her mind to decorating her own dress with a needle and thread.

“I had this dream where I was wearing this beautiful dress and when I woke up I decided that I needed to make my homecoming dress in order to create it like the one in my dream,” Sardiña said. “[My biggest struggle] though has been that I don’t know how to sew, so I am teaching myself as I go.”

With homecoming approaching on Oct. 5th, girls and guys have begun searching for their outfits. With hundreds of different styles and stores, according to Sardiña homecoming is always filled with an array of dress designs.

“I always like seeing the different types [of dresses], there’s always a classic or a standout. It is diverse in dresses, and it is beautiful,” Sardiña said. “The different styles are different ways of expression and I can’t wait to see how everyone conveys their style.”

DREAM DRESS

Alexa Sardiña sewing

her dresshomecoming to make it just like the one in her dream by adding beads, lace and gems. "I decided to make my own dress because knew I wouldn't be able to find something like the dress I imagined," Sardiña said. "So I figured that sewing on jewelry and pearls was the best way to make my ideal homecoming dress."

Photo by Sophia Sardiña

Times.

Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Photo by Anthony DelMundo/New York Daily News/TNS

Photo by Valerie Macon/ AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images/TNS

Parisa Taghizadeh/ Warner Bros./TNS

Arts

Board spreads love of the arts to increase engagement

FAN board aims to support and encourage the visual and performing arts at ESD

Josephine Holmes | Staff writer

When there is a will, there’s a way; at least that was true for Lillian Hessel. With a desire for more parental involvement, Hessel, a former ESD parent P’ 16 and P’ 17, came up with the idea to create a booster-like club for the Fine Arts at ESD. Now, almost 10 years later, her organization is fulfilling its goal to support, foster and promote the arts at ESD.

The Fine Arts Network, is a relatively new organization to ESD. Despite being a relatively young club, it is active in supporting the arts within the ESD community. This group of faculty and students is meant to increase attendance at the various art events at school while also providing support at these events. The group involves people throughout the ESD community, united through their passion for the arts.

“The Fine Arts Network is a volunteer organization comprised of ESD parents, alumni, staff, faculty and friends dedicated to supporting the arts at ESD,” Performing Arts Department Chair Lauren Redmond said. “FAN Board was started for the reason of having a booster club-like organization that would support the arts at ESD.”

The club supports student artists at ESD, but they also support graduated ESD artists at the alumni art show. This opening of the event took place on Sept. 20 and showcases the work of 16 ESD alumni artists. The Alumni Art event was an adults only event, which took place from 6:30 to 8:30 in the Eagle Gallery and Tolleson Commons. The show will run until mid-December.

“The Alumni Art show, which is the first fine arts

event for us this year, is such a fun and unique event for the school, as it showcases the works of some of our alumni artists in celebration of our 50th anniversary,” Redmond said. “These alums have passed through the ESD art classrooms, both in their past and present forms, just like our current art students.” ñ

This passion for the arts starts as young as the lower school. The FAN Board wants to collaborate with the Brown Bag Lunch and Learn program, which brings in artistic professionals to share their art and demonstrate their skills to lower school students. Presenters have included ESD’s own faculty and parents, such as the Visual Arts Department Chair and upper school sculpture teacher Dane Larsen.

“I got to talk about my elementary school experience and what sort of kid goes on to become an artist,” Larsen said. “Many of them have been there since they were beginners and were familiar with the tree in the beginners' neighborhood that I made, and so I think for them, it was fun to realize that a real person made that thing and that real person's here, and I was able to show them a lot of some of my work that's different from the tree.”

The FAN Board and the Brown Bag Program aims to encourage and support the artists in the ESD family.

“The main purpose is to support all fine art events at ESD, from lower all the way to upper, including alumni events that we are having,” Redmond said. “FAN is an extension of ESD’s mission to develop the unique talent and potential in each student by promoting and assisting ESD arts and connecting it to the ESD community.” This organization runs on the creativity and support of

A NEW ADDITION

All of the members of the FAN Board, faculty and students sit together in the South Dining Room to discuss the beginning of the new year and upcoming plans. Bottom right: Jake Infante

FAN is an extension of ESD's mission to develop the unique talent and potential in each student by promoting and assisting ESD arts and connecting it to the ESD community.

Lauren Redmond Performing Arts Department Chair

ESD students. Six students across the visual and performing arts are members of the board. These students represent their art, help promote the community’s arts, suggest new ideas and find solutions to issues.

“I really get frustrated when I walk into the play on Thursday night, and I’m one of 25 people there,” Ann and Lee Hobson Head of School David Baad said. “We send signals about what we think is important by what we show up at.”

With so many events for all the different disciplines, it is not a matter of creating more events but increasing attendance. This is one issue the FAN Board is addressing. Even though attendance at the events is ideal, higher participation among seniors is noted.

“I have found that classes have banded together to go and support their classmates,” Redmond said. “I think that grows with time as you get older.”

This camaraderie rings true for the seniors, who in past years were always the largest grade to support their peers. However, many ESD students showed their encouragement and excitement for their friends by attending last year’s Winter Musical, “Anything Goes.” The musical was sold out on all three production days. Even though not all FAN board members are on stage, members provide snacks after upper and middle school musicals and plays.

“We do all sorts of things that may seem little, but they do add up,” Redmond said. “Outside of engagement with students, [FAN Board] has done a really good job at supporting each discipline, ensuring that there’s a celebration for each performance afterward.”

Although the school year

has just started, the FAN Board is already preparing for the art shows this year, from the fifth grade mime show to the All School Choir Concert. President of the FAN Board, parent Jennifer Hargrave P’19, P’22 and P’26, wanted to be president this year because her family loves music and appreciates the arts at ESD.

“As a parent, I have seen how the arts programs at ESD have been a source of inspiration and achievement for my children,” Hargrave said. “Our students are so blessed to be cultivating a foundation of love for the arts during their time here at ESD.”

The FAN Board is trying to have upper school students visit the lower school as a part of the Brown Bag lunch program. As seen this past school year, many ESD upper school students have found themselves going to the lower school as part of a class, with both the French and Mandarin students teaching the elementary students songs.

“We’ve talked about trying to get a piece of the musical to go down there as a way for the students to see what you can do when you get big like the sky’s the limit,” Redmond said. “Look at all the things you can do to foster that love of the arts.”

Students can later apply to become a part of the board, with one person from each discipline being selected.

“These [ESD art] events are a part of the rhythm of our life together at ESD and a wonderful way to build new connections with other families as we support our art students,” Hargrave said. “The more we give to our artists by way of our attendance, support, and encouragement, the more our artists will have to give our community.”

FAN BOARD PINNING '24

Left: Clark Family Head of Upper School Matt Peal adds a pin to Jake Infante's blazer during the pinning ceremony, which is the official start to the '24-'25 club year. Photos by Amber Clanton

'25 (left), Juliet Allen '26, Sophia Sardiña '25, Elle Williams '26, Jamie Henderson '25, James Altizer '25 stand for a photo after the FAN Board Pinning Ceremony to commemorate the beginning of a new club year.

Photos by Amber Clanton

Featured Artist

Angela Mia | Sculptor

On the first day of school as students made their way to daily worship, they were welcomed by a familiar smile.

Although Izzy Martin ’28 lost her battle with cancer in 2022, a bronze sculpture of Izzy commemorates her joy and perseverance. As Izzy’s classmates journey through high school, the bronze sculpture will be a reminder of her friendship and kindheartedness.

The bronze sculpture, titled “Purpose, was commissioned by the Martin family. The piece stands outside All Saints Chapel, and it portrays Izzy in a graceful ballet pose as she overlooks the lower school playground. Izzy’s mom, Christine Martin P’30, recognized the sculpture as a chance to inspire the community.

“Izzy was very clear that her story was bigger than just her, Martin said. “She believed anyone, and especially her peers, had the power to make a difference, no matter their circumstances. We felt like it was important to capture that in this statue.

For the artist, the Martin family decided on Angela Mia, a talented sculptor and member of the National Sculpture Society, American Women Artists and an Art Renewal Center Living Master, who skillfully captures the essence of her subjects through figurative sculpting. She specializes in creating expressive bronzes, rich in individuality, that render each model with accuracy.

“Angela was introduced to us through a mutual friend, Martin said. “I was impressed with her process and loved how carefully she tended to everything.

Angela Mia uses a classical, figurative style of sculpting, which she learned at the University of Madrid in Spain. The university emphasized the importance of understanding human movement.

“They taught a very classical method, Angela Mia said. “They wanted us to understand the body, so we had a lot of anatomy classes and intensive anatomy studies.

When sculpting Izzy’s piece, Angela Mia worked not only to sculpt a bronze true to Izzy’s appearance, but a piece that captures her optimism as she faced her greatest challenge.

“I worked with great care to honor her memory and to create a piece that would serve as a lasting tribute to her life, Angela Mia said. “My hope is that when people see this sculpture, they feel the essence of who Izzy was - a vibrant, brave, and loving young girl who faced incredible challenges with grace and courage.

When families commission a bronze of a loved one, Angela Mia knows they want a piece that not only displays their likeness, but also honors the special aspects of their character.

“I think it s because they love them so much and they see so much of the person they are, more than just how they look on the surface, Angela Mia said. “So for me, the greatest challenge is to try to create a story that speaks true to who the person is, and most importantly, shows them in the way the person who loves them most sees them.

As with all of her sculptures, Angela Mia began Izzy’s bronze by creating a metal armature made from pipe, which provided a sturdy frame on which she could build. Once she made the basic structure, she began to add volume with aluminum foil. Then, over the foil, she applied plastalina clay.

“[Plastalina clay] is an oil-based clay, so it never dries, which is great, because the way sculpt takes many days, and oftentimes many months, Angela Mia said. “I don’t have to worry about the clay drying.

When Angela Mia is done sculpting, she creates a silicone mold of the piece. The mold is then shipped to a foundry that performs a 16-to-20-week bronze casting process.

“I started sculpting her in January of 2023, and I believe I was done sculpting her in May, Angela Mia said. “The mold and the casting took 20 weeks, so another five months. From the very beginning to the finished bronze, it took 10 months.

Although Angela Mia did not know the Martin family personally, the powerful experience of sculpting Izzy Martin drew her closer to the family.

“Izzy’s younger sister, Madelaine, also a dedicated ballerina, came to the studio with her mother, Christine, Angela Mia said. “Maddie stood on the platform next to the clay sculpture of her sister and modeled on her behalf, wearing her sister’s tutu. It was a moment that brought me closer to Izzy’s essence, and it helped me capture not just her likeness, but her spirit.

Working on Izzy’s sculpture also allowed Angela Mia to reconnect with her purpose as a sculptor and as a mother in solidarity with other mothers.

“It was a powerful reminder of the depth of love, loss and connection that we share as human beings, Angela Mia said.

Stemmons Family Senior Chaplain Fr. Nate Bostain believes that having the statue on campus next to the chapel reminds students of God’s presence in their lives.

“[The sculpture] reminds them, first of all, of the light that is shown through Izzy, [and] that God’s light can shine through us, Bostain said. “Also, it’s a reminder that life is short, and to make the most out of every opportunity to love one another.

Angela Mia’s sculpture allows the students to honor Izzy’s legacy and remember her passion, courage and unwavering spirit. Everyone who sees the sculpture will feel the strength of her presence and will be inspired to carry forward the values she embodies.

“I have great respect and admiration for the Martin family, and sculpting their beloved Izzy was an experience that profoundly touched my heart, “ Angela Mia said. “I hope that it serves as a reminder that even in the face of great adversity, the human spirit can shine brightly.

u ROOTED IN FAITH

Izzy s family agrees that this photo captures her spirit as a girl who found peace in dance and looked to God for strength. This photo was taken at a time when she knew her cancer was back and aggressive, Martin said. It was a time where she had chosen to continue treatments, knowing that every data point collected would benefit the kids who would come after her, and not necessarily save her life.

Photo by Tyler Lyons

"PURPOSE"

Angela Mia finished Izzy s final in clay in May of 2023, She intends for the piece to display ESD s forever appreciation for Izzy. [I love] being entrusted with telling someone else s love story through a sculptural composition, Angela Mia said. That is what I love most about my job.

Photo by Angela Mia

Angela Mia hand-sculpted elaborate designs on the fabric. For the little beads, rolled clay into hundreds of tiny balls and applied them one by one, Angela Mia said. The thin, line trimmings were created by rolling clay into long ropes, making them just as thin as I could without breaking them.

Photo by Angela Mia

qIT'S IN THE DETAILS

Sculpting hands and knees is meticulous work and requires attention to detail. listen to music whenever I m sculpting the things that are challenging and really [need] focus, Angela Mia said. I love Amy Whinehouse.

Photo by Angela Mia

FOREVER WITH FRIENDS

Izzy s sculpture stands in the memorial garden next to All Saints Chapel, where she looks out over the lower school playground. [Izzy s family] wanted to put it alongside the chapel so that it would have that connection with Izzy s spirituality, Fr. Bostain said. Izzy was known for living fully and freely and allowing the light of God to shine through her in the brief time she was with us.

Photo by Gracie Nealon

Gracie Nealon | Staff writer

The roots ofBE LONG ING Celebrating community and connection

AS THE SCHOOL CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY, ANN AND LEE HOBSON HEAD OF SCHOOL DAVE BAAD EMPHASIZES THE THEME OF BELONGING IN HIS INAUGURAL CHAPEL TALK. HE AIMS TO CREATE AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY WHERE EVERY MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY FEELS VALUED.

Story and photoillustration by Valentina Boltchi | Social media manager

Sloane Everett | Staff writer

Emmy Moss |Feature Editor

ANN AND LEE HOBSON HEAD OF SCHOOL

TALK OF THE YEAR AS HE WATCHES THE BAAD TO WONDER: WHAT ENCOURAGES

As the school celebrates its 50th anniversary, theme of belonging takes center stage, school’s deep rooted commitment to establishing fied community where every student feels phrase “purpose and belonging,” largely coined has taken shape over the past two years. theme placed an emphasis on purpose, with being centered on belonging.

The theme of belonging will be tied into ments, homilies and events for the school school was introduced to the theme on of school with Baad’s chapel talk, which around belonging.

“One of Father Swann’s favorite gospels Sheep and the One.’ As head of school, I think when it comes to a sense of belonging,” Baad need to leave the 99 for a minute and go those people here who don’t feel like they belong. We need to figure out what’s happening dress that.”

The theme of belonging involves a question clusivity and unity for every student, regardless they came to ESD. The experiences of students depending on what grade they came to the lenging the theme of “belonging” for all students.

“There are things we do in this community meant to be very welcoming and joyful, and we don’t realize how they might sit with every of this community,” Baad said. “Part of the to do this year is to do some focus group work ents and students, belonging is a two way Lifers, or students who have been at ESD childhood, have had more time and experience school community.

“Being both a lifer and someone whose to ESD, I feel like belonging is a huge part of nity,” senior Campbell Carothers, who came ner, said. “I think that ESD does a great job students feel seen.”

Many students who have been at ESD childhood also feel as though it is a part help newer students feel included, as being community member also means being a representative of the school.

“Being able to connect with people outside in things like sports or social gatherings is get to know new people,” sophomore Curtis a lifer, said. “I like to include new people so comfortable and welcomed at ESD.”

Students with more experience and time traditions and experiences in the school, sponsibility to make new students feel welcomed. such a tight-knit community, new students rely on older students for guidance.

BELONGING FOSTERED THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

On Aug. 21, the first day of the new school nior William Taylor walks confidently to at a school that is new to him. As a new student, classes and meeting new people can be a ing experience. However, instead of being by unfamiliar faces, Taylor recognizes multiple from his summer football training, because hours with them daily for the past month.

For new students, sports – especially fall an effective way to meet classmates before year and become involved in the community.

“In every class that I walked into on the knew someone from football,” Taylor said. ly think it would have been more challenging football], but everyone has been very welcoming.” Taylor was one of four new students in the this year. By playing football, Taylor was pre-season to connect with his teammates be classmates before the year started.

“I came to ESD during the spring and lifted team,” Taylor said. “And then there was spring practice so I really got to know the guys on Junior Isabella Sabol is a new student as By playing lacrosse during the summer she

level of stress to the equation. Challenges such as planning schedules and managing credits pile on top of the initial worries of joining an unknown environment. Junior Sophie Slotnik, a new member of the junior class, transferred from Greenhill, which may not be geographically far, but a different community alltogether.

“I had a bit of difficulty with creating my schedule and the credits that I needed to earn in order to graduate,” Slotnik said. “I think it would have gone smoother if I came in as a freshman, but I’m very happy with my decision.”

Junior Aaron Sada was new to ESD his freshman year and joined the class with 28 other new students. Although moving schools was nothing new to him, as this was his fourth school in Dallas, the community where he was welcomed was nothing like other schools.

“Everyone’s really welcoming, no matter how new you are or where you come from,” Sada said. “Even though you might not be best friends with everyone, everyone’s always gonna be nice to you and that’s a very important part of the school.”

Belonging does not just affect new high schoolers, but extends to those new to middle school. Students like junior Lyla Zicarelli, who transferred to ESD in fifth grade, entered the new environment along with 11 other students from her past school.

“Coming into ESD with people I knew made the transition a lot easier because I didn’t feel alone and I had friends experiencing the same change as me,” Zicarelli said. “I also think because I came in middle school the transition from middle to high school was easier and I had already found my group of people.”

SCHOOL DAVE BAAD ADDS LAST MINUTE TOUCHES ON HIS FIRST CHAPEL THE NEW FRESHMAN IN THE STUDY COMMONS. THE FRESHMAN CAUSE ENCOURAGES BELONGING FOR ALL THE MEMBERS IN OUR COMMUNITY? anniversary, the reflecting the establishing a unifeels seen. The coined by Baad, years. Last year’s with this year into announceschool year. Upper the first day was centered gospels was ‘The 99 think we need it Baad said. “We find the one, they completely happening and adquestion about inregardless of when students may alter the school, chalstudents. community that are and sometimes every member the work I want work with parstreet.” ESD since early experience in the parents went of our commucame as a beginjob of making all

ESD since early of their job to being a long time representative outside of school the best way I Curtis Mathes, also so they can feel time with peers, carry the rewelcomed. With students are able to

school year, juhis first class student, finding nerve wrack being surrounded multiple students because he has spent fall sports – are before the school community. the first day I said. “I definite challenging [without welcoming.” the junior class was able to use teammates and soon-tolifted with the spring football on the team.” well this year. she had the op general is hard, es we practiced people and it has people.” adds an extra

ESD has also made a sizable attempt to welcome new faculty into our community as well as making sure existing faculty feel just as connected as the students. Last year, Baad developed the idea of the Belonging and Engagement Advisory Team, and Chief Human Resources Officer Bernadette Gerace organized and headed it. BEAT believes in building bonds within the faculty.

“ESD is continuously looking for ways to improve employee engagement,” Gerace said. “We believe it’s important to involve the teachers and staff in that conversation.”

BEAT is made up of faculty and staff who are devoted to bringing new faculty into the ESD community. It meets once a month to discuss how they could improve their tactics and to ensure that it is in line with ESD’s mission.

“Part of what the BEAT members discussed during the year was how we can serve our new employees, including our new teachers,” Gerace said. “Based on these conversations, we were able to make changes to improve how we welcome our new employees at the beginning of the year.”

This team is part of the ESD 2030 plan which aims to have the highest caliber of teachers and faculty available to students. Gerace set up this team so that all the faculty and staff could feel welcome in the community, in order to be the most effective they can be.

[This theme] is not something new. It’s not trendy that this year we’re going to focus on purpose and belonging, It’s been who we are since the start of time.”

Cindy Newsom Director of Admission and

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Staff Stance

Eagle Edition editorial board believes pep rallies' schedule should change

Adrenaline rushes through students. Cheerleaders try to catch their breath. Teachers calm the students down after the most recent pep rally.

The popular Pep rallies, a long-standing ESD tradition, are usually held on Friday afternoons during big flex and culminate a week of excitement leading to the highly anticipated “Friday Night Lights.” However, the timing of pep rallies has made students, particularly cheerleaders, feel flustered and anxious heading into their last-period class. Immediately after performing, cheerleaders must clean up all the trash, roll back the performance mats and make it to their class in five minutes. Further, the student body’s energy is at an all-time high, so going back to a focused and concentrated classroom is a challenge.

The Eagle Edition staff believes that it would be beneficial if pep rallies were pushed to the last 30 minutes of the school day. With the current timing of pep rallies, students have to settle down and try to concentrate after such a dynamic event. And teachers spend the beginning of class asking kids to settle down and recenter their focus.

Upper school English teacher Megan Bourgeois had an AP Language class after the Sept. 6 pep rally and found it challenging to change the mindset of the students.

“With the last period after a pep rally already being five minutes shorter, to come back to an English classroom

totally changes a student’s mindset,” Bourgeois said. “Timed writings can be difficult because it's challenging for [students] to have an academic mindset [after pep rallies].”

Senior cheer pep rally committee member Mckenzie Clancy has participated in numerous pep rallies throughout her high school career and still finds herself struggling to go back to class.

“The whole purpose of a pep rally is to get the energy up,” Clancy said. “The crowd is engaged, and everyone is up on their feet.”

Whenever Clancy has to sit down and take a quiz or test after a pep rally, she is flustered and focused more on her excitement for the game rather than the material on the test she will take.

It is not just the cheerleaders that are agitated after pep rallies. Senior football captain Johnny Willingham said that being a captain and participating in the pep rallies is fun because he can see how excited the whole school is for the football game. However, it is difficult for him to return to class because of all the excitement and energy for the game. It is apparent that students, no matter their role in pep rallies, struggle to focus and retain knowledge in classes after pep rallies.

A study from Holy Cross University says that pep rallies are a crucial way for students to show camaraderie and spirit for their school. Pep rallies help unify the commu-

nity and connect everyone through the common love of their school. To optimize the pep rallies ESD has, we think it would be optimal to participate in pep rallies at the end of day so students can focus on school spirit and not the class following after.

The Eagle Edition staff understands concern about attendance, but suggests that attendance for last-period pep rallies should be taken by advisors the same way it is taken during chapel or advisory. And with the new attendance policy, students will be held to a higher attendance standard. So, if a student were to miss a pep rally, that would add to

How to create and maintain a healthy extracurricular schedule

Charlotte Traylor | Copy editor

Jamie Henderson | Managing editor

Jamie and I have younger siblings, with my younger sister being a sophomore and her younger brother being a freshman. So each year, we find ourselves lending advice to our siblings on the high school experience as we reflect on our own mistakes and lessons. Whether it is extracurriculars, classes, dances or football games, Jamie and I have learned a lot. This year, we decided to lend our advice to the entire ESD student body before leaving by writing this column. This issue, we are sharing advice on creating and maintaining a healthy extracurricular schedule, a skill Jamie and I are still perfecting. Outside the school day, extracurriculars are a significant

time commitment, so deciding upon extracurriculars is no simple endeavor. Walking into the club fair can be overwhelming; there is a plethora of options that may align with your interests or career aspirations. Regardless, we recommend selecting two or three clubs to focus on and attend regularly. Do not worry about securing a leadership position your freshman, or even sophomore year; status within a club will naturally arise with time and consistent participation. Overwhelming your club schedule will make consistent participation impossible. The volunteer fair is another great opportunity to explore extracurriculars, especially if you plan to pursue the President Volunteer Service Award.

Determining your ideal extracurriculars is daunting, but maintaining balance and health with new time commitments is another challenge.

However, I recommend finding one organization to consistently volunteer with, instead of committing time towards many. Dedication to one organization demonstrates investment in the philanthropy’s cause and is a concrete activity for college admissions, according to College Vine, a college guidance platform. Looking back, I wish I had funneled my efforts into one charity, and Jamie is thankful that she regularly volunteers with Teenage Communication Theatre.

Jamie and I both participate in clubs and community service, but the majority of our time is dedicated to other extracurriculars, both in and out of school. During our freshman year, I was hyper-focused on horseback riding outside of school, while Jamie was focused on acting outside of school. But as sophomores, we became more involved in ESD activities: I joined cross country and track while Jamie joined the musical and play. We continued our independent activities but grew to love our ESD extracurriculars. If I was a freshman right now, I wish I could tell myself to join cross country instead of personal fitness, which I joined to maximize time at the barn. I also share this story to encourage participation in extracurriculars even if you join a sport, production, or organization later in your high school career. It is never too late to become involved.

Determining your ideal extracurriculars is daunting, but maintaining balance and health with new time commitments is another challenge. Successfully managing extracurriculars can take many

their absences and could accumulate to a detention.

Another potential benefit of final period pep rallies would be the increased school spirit and higher attendance at the actual football game. If students were to be excited and energized from the pep rally and then continue preparing for the game at home, more students would attend the game.

By changing the timing of pep rallies to later in the day, students would have an improved learning environment and have more school spirit heading into football games.

forms; it is difficult to determine when to push your body or simply rest. I have gained insight on this tricky balance in recent months, after experiencing an injury. Specifically, I developed a stress fracture, rooted in my lack of attention to recovery. Any athlete must remain acutely attuned to their physical health, even during peak performance. I previously disregarded stretching, lifting, and rolling out, hyper-focused on dedicating hours to purely running. Now I know to take advantage of ESD’s athlete resources and prioritize recovery as much as training. When balancing a busy schedule, it is easy to sacrifice personal health; maintaining awareness of your limits is crucial for success.

Similarly, Jamie developed strategies to balance productions with school, after two years of acting in the play and musical. During production week, cast members stay at school to rehearse or perform until 11 p.m., limiting study time. Jamie recommends remaining in constant contact with teachers during production week; teachers will extend grace around deadlines in extreme circumstances, especially if your workload is tolling on your mental health. This advice extends to students managing a rigorous game schedule or tournament: if you are overwhelmed, it never hurts to ask.

Despite our extensive advice, do not approach your extracurriculars fearful of making a mistake. If you pursue activities that excite you, we guarantee your high school experience will not disappoint.

ROLLING MATS

Junior Maddie Posten, a varsity cheerleader, rolls mats after the Sept. 20 rally. She ran to class and arrived a few minutes late feeling rushed and overwhelmed. "I was so scared to miss my class," Posten said. "I was frantically rushing to clean up and get all my stuff."

Photo by Kate Lewis

agreeTO disagree

Proposed cell phone policy last year prompts debate among students

Cell phones should be banned from schools due to emotional impacts

Lincoln Clarke | Staff writer

Anxiety has taken a turn for the worst through the generations, and cell phones, in many cases, are to blame. A study done by J Adult Dev. in 2023 showed that 5.3 percent of the Baby Boomer generation suffers from anxiety compared to 17 percent of Millennials and 61 percent of Generation Zs. The Columbia University Department of Psychiatry proves cell phones to cause anxiety and stress. But anxiety and stress are, unfortunately, not the only problems cell phones can cause.

Another study conducted by Care New England in 2022 showed that FOMO, the fear of missing out, is mainly caused by social media, which people access through their phones. People also experience reduced attention span, relationship stress and sleep disturbances, all associated with cell phone use. Cell phones lower our attention span because the excessive amounts of information inputs make our brains overwhelmed and shut off. The blue light in cell phones alters the brain's ability to process and use melatonin, throwing off the body’s internal clock. Inside schools, the biggest issue with cell phones is how distracting they can be.

A study done by Pak J Med Sci. in 2017 showed that cell phones are the number one distraction inside the classroom. Students tend to be more focused on texting friends or family members than paying attention in class. An anonymous college conducted an experiment by having half of the students remove their cell phones in class, and half of the students keep them. The people without cell phones had significantly higher levels of course comprehension than

the ones who kept their cell phones. Even parents have started to see the benefits of restricting cell phones in schools. A poll conducted by Reason Magazine showed that 56 percent of parents believe cell phone use should be restricted inside the classroom, but at the same time only 32 percent believe phones should be banned in schools altogether. Parents like to contact their children throughout the school day, so fewer parents are advocates of banning cell phones outside the classroom.

I understand that cell phones may seem like the only way to communicate to parents throughout the school day, but students still have access to other ways. School phones are located in multiple different offices in the school, students also have their own laptops allowing them to communicate with parents, and in case of emergency the school is able to contact parents and vice versa. There are too many downsides to cell phones for schools to ignore them, and make parents happy for a what-if situation.

In order for schools to conduct their core values like learning and connecting; cell phones must be taken away. Yondr pouches could be the solution. These pouches are designed to have only one specific magnet for each pouch called the “base.”

The base is unique to the pouch, and the only copies are given to teachers or administrators that lock and unlock the pouches.

Although these ideas are new and controversial, I think the most beneficial change to students' education will be restricting cell phone usage.

percent of students said they agree with the possible cell phone restrictions for the coming school year

TCell phones should not be banned in schools because they provide many benefits

writer

he National Center for Education Statistics, 77 percent of U.S. schools say they prohibit cell phones at school for non-academic use. After ESD announced they might ban phones, my friends and I were in denial. Phones are helpful in all kinds of ways: personally, academically and psychologically, one-way being lowering stress.

The rising pressures of being a teenager can cause excessive anxiety but phones are not the reason for this anxiety: they may even relieve it. According to the Mental Health Foundation, the main causes of anxiety are “childhood trauma, social isolation, negative life events, stress relating to work or education, physical or mental health problems and social and societal pressures.”

For me, phones have lessened my daily anxiety by providing comfort, allowing me to play music and an avenue to talk with my parents.

Phones have apps that can lower anxiety. For example, I like to listen to music if I am anxious, and can easily access music through my phone with Spotify. According to a study by The New York Post in 2022 of 2,000 students, 60 percent said they studied better with music or background noise. They also found that “64 percent of those who listen to music said they had an easier time taking tests, and 80 percent felt more prepared for class on a regular basis.”

Furthermore, phones allow students to converse with their parents. Many students cannot drive and have to plan their rides. Also, students can talk to their parents if there is an emergency at school or home. According to a February study conducted by the National Parents Union, 56 percent of parents believe

that students should be allowed to use their phones during school hours with limitations.

Keri Rodrigues, president of the NPS, said that parents need to talk to their kids to handle emergencies, after-school logistics or positive affirmations.

“It’s clear that parents want to be able to have clear and open channels of communication with their own children,” Rodrigues said.

In addition to communication, phone apps help with learning. In all of my classes, when homework is due, I take pictures of my work with my phone and submit it on Schoology.

Similarly, phones are used in journalism classes to record interviews needed for the school newspaper and yearbook. If phones are banned, we would need to replace using free apps like Ottr or Voice Memos.

The reminders app on phones allows me to place reminders for homework I have in each class. This alerts me when an assignment is due or when I need to work on it. Another app that my classmates and teams use is GroupMe or Messages to relay information about games or tests.

Finally, ESD should not ban phones because of the cost of one of the potential options, Yondr. Yondr sells locked pouches to store phones; they would only be unlocked by specific people but are between $25 to $30, plus an initial start-up cost. For Upper School students, it would range from $10,450 to $12,540. This money could be allocated to other areas of the school.

Due to all of these reasons, phones should not be banned. This decision should have a plan with written instructions to explain phone banning and alternatives for phone’s many uses.

percent of students said they disagree with the possible cell phone restrictions for the coming school year

Craighton Jefferies | Staff

Illustration by Lincoln Clarke

The

of passage

Co-editor-in-chief Sophia Sardiña reviews different pen brands in order to find out which pen is the most effective and reliable for the new school year.

PILOT G-2 07

had never heard of the Pilot G-2 07 pen until my sophomore year of high school. I had lost my pencil bag and resorted to using a G-2 pen that was abandoned in the hallway. Ever since then, I have used the G-2 pen for every assignment. However, as a good reporter, I reviewed this pen without bias. When I started writing, the first thing I noticed was how delicate the pen was. Ink oozed out of the pen with no effort. But as wiped my finger over my letters, the ink smudged. I moved on to highlighting to see if it would smudge with the pink coloring: it did not. I did not have high hopes for the bleed-through test as the ink of the G-2 pen is dark, and when I flipped the paper over, I noticed some ink showing through the page. My only concern for the G-2 Pen was its longevity. After using it for two years, I noticed that I had gone through a few too many packs. Regardless, the Pilot G-2 07 remains one of my favorite pens due to its smooth ink, comfortable grip and how elegantly it writes.

BIC ROUND STIC

The Round Stic Bic Pen is a classic. Typically the “ideal pen, the pen everybody has and, according to the Bic Company itself, “the #1 selling ball pen. As I began to write, ink flowed easily. The Bic pen wrote smoothly, and only had to press down for more ink once. I attempted to smudge my writing, but the words on the page remained. I moved on to highlighting, and when I grazed over my writing with my highlighter, the ink did not bleed into the highlight. I was impressed. I turned the paper over, and it seemed that I had not written on the other side, because the pen did not bleed. Along with being an extremely lightweight pen, the Round Stic Bic Pen is long lasting and reliable. It is safe to say that the Bic Pen is an oldie, but a goodie.

SHARPIE S-GEL 0.7

The first time I used the S-Gel 0.7 was during this year's club fair to write my name on a sign up sheet. I immediately told the president of the club that I needed to borrow this pen for my newspaper review. I was impressed. It wrote so delicately and with great ease. I thought that there had to be something wrong with this pen, so I grazed my fingers over the writing. But, there was no smearing. I took it to the next step with my trusty highlighter, yet the same result: no smear. While it bled slightly to the back side of the page, it was minimal because the ink was a grayish-black color. Finally, the pen was incredibly light and had an amazing hold. Along with a few other pens on this list, I will be including the S-Gel 0.7 into my daily routine.

UNIBALL VISION

had seen the Uni-Ball Vision pens before, yet I was never inclined to buy them. Similar to the G2 pen, I had forgotten my bag and a friend lent me their Vision pen. When began to write, I noticed how rugged it was when met with my notebook paper. At times, the pen would create a sound that was a bit distasteful. Nevertheless, I pursued my review, only to be met with more disappointment. When I did the smudge test, I smeared the majority of my writing, and the same occurred when highlighted it. After failing the smudge and highlight test, I turned the page to see that most of the ink bled through to the other side. Although it is a very light pen and easy to write with, the actual ink of the pen will keep me from using it again.

PAPERMATE INKJOY GEL 0.7

Paper Mate is another classic pen brand. With a variety of pen types, it is hard to create a “bad pen. Similarly to the G-2 pen, the ink had a great consistency, which made writing easy. It was pleasant to write with as there were no moments when needed to press harder to push the ink out. expected there to be some stain due to the smudge and highlighter, but I was proven wrong. To my surprise, the ink did not smear on either occasion. The one downside to the Inkjoy 0.7 was the bleed-through. While it should not have been a shock due to the darkness of the ink, the pen did bleed through a lot. However, on all other tests, the Paper Mate Inkjoy 0.7 proved to be another reliable pen. With steady ink, no smear and a nice grip, I would consider using the Inkjoy 0.7 on a daily basis.

PILOT ACROBALL 150

had not heard of the Pilot Acroball 150 until used it for my review, and I was not impressed with it. The first thing I noticed was how splotchy and inconsistent the pen's ink was when I wrote. At times it would come out nicely, yet when moved on to another word, barely any ink came out. As I began the smudge test, noticed the words smearing. I hoped that the ink wouldn t smudge with my highlighter, and it did not, which was surprising. While the ink wasn t very pigmented, it did bleed onto the back of the page. However, the Pilot Acroball was one of the most comfortable pens to write with. Overall, this pen would not be my go-to pen due to the irregularity of the ink.

Zero-sum thinking is taking over America

My brothers sit quietly in the living room, mirror images of each other as they hunch over a table.

Hands steepled below their chins, their eyes narrow on the battlefield below of soldiers of kings and queens, bishops, rooks, knights and pawns. As they carefully toil over each move made on the checkered black-and-white board, I cannot help but admire their concentration. After close to an hour, my younger brother finally stands and exclaims, “I didn’t even see that!” I let out a breath I did not know I was holding as he shakes his head in disbelief. In a sign of good-natured respect, his hand extends to embrace that of my other brother’s, saying, “Good game.”

Their weekly routine of playing chess before my older brother left for college always brings fond memories. Not skilled with the same “chess brain” as them, watching a good chess match has always felt like a spiritual experience to me. Their ability to think ahead, think strategically and execute a plan are astounding. The lessons the 1500-year-old game infuses in me and other chess fans are endless and inimitable.

Game theorists will tell you that chess is a zero-sum game: it is simply impossible for both players to win. Once the clock begins counting down, every move is either to your advantage or detriment: mutual gain is not possible. In the most bare and unfeeling sense – I agree. A win in chess is equal and opposite

to a loss, while a draw is worthless. The same goes for poker, your favorite sport and even tug-of-war. But that strict theory does not take into account the effort, enjoyment or experience taken from each game of chess. With this change in perspective, every time you play chess, or any game for that matter, you stand to gain something. Whether it be experience obtained from a game well played or simple pleasure from putting your focus toward something and investing in the outcome, it becomes worthwhile.

Recently, I have been seeing more and more a pattern of zero-sum thinking seeping into America’s politics and larger society. The zero-sum bias occurs when people mistakenly believe gains and losses to be directly balanced in circumstances where they are not, especially concerning one party benefiting at the expense of another party. With the close election between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris coming up on Nov. 5, this perception is all the more troublesome. The zero-sum mentality has become pervasive in today’s socio-political landscape, an issue we must overcome.

To take a less metaphorical example than chess, in a political context, zero-sum thinking can be found in assumptions concerning foreign policy. Many believe that for one country, say America, to be prosperous, another country cannot prosper in tandem.

The “us” versus “them”

The Talk

Dangers of treating politics like a zero-sum game, and why breaking the cycle is essential

Lauren Shushi | Co-editor in chief

worldview is not new by any means. In an August 2023 research study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research, five researchers studied the demotivating beliefs that evolve when interactions are zero-sum. They found that this worldview hinders motivation and effort, curbing innovation and forward progress. Moreover, in a 2021 study published by researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of British Columbia, titled “Zero Sum Mindset and Its Discontents,” zero-sum thinking is associated with a weaker commitment to voting rights, more willingness to compromise the democratic process for political gain and more willingness to use violence against political rivals. The last point is particularly poignant in the wake of political unrest and violence in the months leading up to the election. Another place where we can count on the zero-sum mentality to be ever-present is the immigration debate, playing an ultimately harmful role. Regardless of political affiliation or policy opinion, many falsely believe that the job market is fixed, with only a certain amount of work to be done. If this were true, new jobs could never be created, only redistributed. Despite the replacement of European mercantilism in the Early Modern Period in favor of global free-trade markets, the perception of work being a fixed pie has lasted. This lump of labor fallacy does not track with the fact that as the job market increases, so does overall employment.

Adistinctive yet minimalistic neon green background with the words “Brat” plastered across it fills our screens and our news channels. While being called a brat would usually be a nasty comment, Brat is one of the highest compliments a Gen-Z can receive. The term was originally coined by popstar Charli XCX in her album, “Brat,” released in June. Brat does not refer to a badly behaved child, but to the aesthetic of her high-energy songs that portray partying and womanhood. These elements of her album have taken over the internet through clothing, memes, marketing, brands and even dances, defining this previous summer a “Brat summer.”

This uproar made us wonder what references such as a rotten apple, having a “Brat” summer, “so Julia” and “working it out on the remix” have to do with each other.

“I love ‘Brat’ so much, it was the best album of the summer and it makes everyone cooler,” senior Sarah Chiste said. “I think everyone should listen to it right now because it makes your mood happy.”

Zero-sum thinking can be harmful in its nature to antagonize group relationships. In the same study, “Zero Sum Mindset and Its Discontents,” researchers concluded that those who view the job market as a competition between immigrants and native-born citizens are more likely to oppose help for immigrants and immigration. Moreover, white people are more likely than black people to view racial status as zero-sum, and these zero-sum beliefs predict opposition to policies that aim to help minority groups achieve higher status, and men who see gender status as zero-sum are more likely to oppose gender-fair workplace policies.

We have become trapped in this cycle of thought, where one’s success is dependent on another’s failure. From not wanting a peer to succeed in school or at work, to the United States presidential candidates, the zero-sum mentality hinders the trust and cooperation that has been a cornerstone to America’s success. We must train ourselves to think again regarding issues that often fall into zero-sum categories, such as foreign policy and immigration. Our politicians must put the prosperity of our citizens and nation first, along with all other free market economies, to place emphasis again on win-win scenarios. Let us take the lessons we learn from so-called “zero-sum games” like chess and apply them to our thinking in all scopes of life so that everyone can stand to gain something.

Brat summer ushers in new era of pop

Charli XCX album goes viral

bolic of a new era of pop stars and music. Brat represents a fun, free-spirited socialite living their best life in the party scene, but also a messy, young girl with real emotions and breakdowns. Soon after the album was released, Gen-Z quickly deemed this vibe a “Brat summer.” Brat summer is about accepting imperfections while embracing chaos. Brat sharply opposes the “Clean Girl” trends of 2023, which popularized being flawless, and ushers in a new era of aesthetics.

One of the most viral Brat trends on TikTok is the simple yet satisfying “Apple” dance. With the song choreographed by TikTok creator Kelley Heyer, first posted June 14, it has amassed more than 1.6 million posts from just TikTok alone. “Apple” is one of the songs in the Brat album, with lyrics about generational trauma, playing off the idiom that the “apple doesn't fall far from the tree.” Ironically, this catchy song and dance has gone viral. Thousands of users and popular figures like Alix Earle, Jake Shane and Glen Powell have posted themselves doing this dance. Many Brat fans have been wearing T-shirts saying “so Julia” to show that they are in their Brat summer. But, who is Julia and why does every-

In our opinion, Brat is symbolic of a new era of pop stars and music. Brat represents a fun, free-spirited socialite living their best life in the party scene, but also a messy, young girl with real emotions and breakdowns.

body want to be like her? “So Julia” refers to Julia Fox and her traits of being unapologetically, completely herself. This is the new term for the “cool girl,” so if someone says that you are “so Julia,” you are a model of a confident girl. Another song in this album, “Girl, so confusing,” has introduced the term “working it out on the remix.” Originally, this song was directed at the British pop star Lorde, laying out the complicated insecurities and fears that often go unspoken between friends, especially within their friendship. After this song was released, Lorde soon reached out, apologizing and requesting the idea of making a remix of the song with her included, according to Billboard. Three days later, Charli XCX released “Girl, so confusing featuring Lorde,” which the internet loved. In the second verse, Lorde shares how they “[worked] it out on the remix,” meaning they made up and resolved their friendship problems through the remix of Charli’s original song. Now people on social media use this phrase to define a friendship or romantic make-up, where individuals come to a compromise like Charli and Lorde did.

Brat is not only a term characterized within Gen-Z social media platforms. More recently, Brat has appeared across our presidential candidates' campaign pages, especially with Kamala Harris’ campaign. It started with a tweet from Charli XCX reading, “Kamala IS Brat.” The singer’s post set off an endless stream of memes and edits, ultimately embraced

by Harris’ “Kamala HQ” social media campaign accounts. The accounts adopted the recognizable “Brat green” as Harris declared her candidacy via TikTok to “360,” Charli XCX’s song about celebrating what it takes to be a star.

In addition, part of a speech from a May 2023 White House event has gone viral, being remixed into “360.” It hones in on the offbeat tone while she laughs and says, “You didn’t just fall out of a coconut tree.” Brat memes even took the stage at the Democratic National Convention, as many sported neon green pins and outfits.

These efforts to target Gen-Z audiences during her campaign have paid off. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll released on Aug. 29 showed Harris polling 24 percentage points higher than Biden did among 18-to-34-year-olds.

The momentum of Brat is not halting anytime soon. Charli XCX has confirmed a Brat sequel, telling New York Magazine, “It’s definitely in the Bratosphere so to speak.” As she continues to release deluxe versions and new remixes, Gen Z-ers have taken it upon themselves to begin the transition to “Brat fall.”

While Brat fall sounds like a fun continuation into the cooler months, there is something to be said about leaving Brat summer in the past. Some people on social media have even argued that Brat is a lifestyle and that Brat summer will never be over. We are excited to see what the future holds for Brat but believe it has had its moment and will go down in history as one of the most iconic internet eras of all time.

Social media manager Reese Rawson | Views editor

from Letter the Editors

"Last first day!” Sophia and I shout together, smiling wide as we add to a compilation of clips on her phone to remember our senior year. Among the clips are “last first volleyball game,” “last first pep rally” and “last Technotica dance.” Our participation in this trend has opened our eyes to the finite amount of time we have left, letting us bask in our appreciation for each other and the school we attend. Lately, the many “lasts” in our journey of senior year have encouraged us to reflect on our past in the upper school– more specifically in the journalism program.

Sophia and I became fast friends at the beginning of our freshman year: we had fun on the junior varsity volleyball team together and shared classes. But most importantly, we were both signed up for Journalism I with Mrs. Rosenthal.

In JI we learned the ins and outs of writing a story, capturing photos for print, maintaining journalistic integrity and how to use InDesign (sort of– we are still working on this one). I can recall time spent in the fall around the small tables with Sophia, writing and bonding

with the other members of our class. The most fun part of JI for us, though, was seeing and editing the pages from each newspaper issue before it was released.

This glimpse into the publication’s processes sparked our early love for the newspaper. It was not just about writing, but actually making a product for people to read and enjoy. The beautiful layouts, intriguing headlines and detailed stories gave us our first exposure to the Eagle Edition. By editing the staff’s amazing work on Volume 39, we were able to envision what it would be like to write for the paper and create something similar.

At the end of our freshman year, it was time to pick a publication to be a part of: newspaper or yearbook. While we had seen and appreciated the incredible work done by the yearbook staff every year, the decision was easy for us. Newspaper was where we were meant to be.

As bright-eyed and bushytailed sophomore staff writers, we rapidly fell in love with the daily hustle and bustle of the newspaper. The first issue flew by in a whirlwind, and we were suddenly a part of something greater than ourselves. I found my passion for writing opinion pieces

Co-editors-in-chief Sophia Sardiña and Lauren Shushi recall their experiences together in highschool, growing and bonding through journalism.

and designing graphics in my sophomore year. Sophia developed her writing and layout design and became an indispensable part of the staff.

We want to thank the journalism program for all it has given us- the memories, laughs and forever connection to the school- and acknowledge that our bond would not be so strong without it.

One of our favorite memories from high school was going to a journalism conference in the spring of our sophomore year to San Francisco; we often recount fond memories from that trip. Junior year then came and went in a frenzy of schoolwork, social events, AP classes and what felt like no downtime. Sophia and I leaned on each other throughout this year, but the newspaper never felt like a burden for us. It was a constant beacon of creativity and joy. At any given moment, we could walk into the journalism room and find it bursting with energy as staff members worked on their stories or pages. With the continued support and encouragement from our teacher, we maintained our love for the publication, and, more than any other year, our purpose for the newspaper was ignited. At the end of our third year in journalism, we applied to be editors-in-chief. This position meant more than a simple title. As best friends, we had done everything together throughout high school, and it felt only right that we

to Letter the Editors

While I was sitting in our chapel this afternoon, I remembered my father sitting at our family kitchen table every morning. With a cup of coffee, a gentle smile, the Holy Bible and a book of meditations, my father insisted on a ritual of quietness and family meditation for ten to fifteen minutes. Revisiting this memory, I am dumbfounded and delighted at his capacity to sustain attention to scripture in a house of six children. He defined this ritual as “time for the interior life.” He occasionally read to us the Psalms or from Paul, sometimes St. Augustine, drawing attention with his voice to physical images that concerned hurt, healing, compassion and redemption. My recognition of the power of poetic language, its capacity to grasp what is holy in this life, began at my father’s table. As I dwell on the word ‘holy’ or ask myself what is truly sacred in our history, I find that poetry offers infinite sources of wonder, a

channel to hope, a balm for grief. For William Faulkner, “The poet’s voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail.” For me, meditating on poetry has been my own experience of prayer. Louise Cowan’s outline of the lyric genre (what we today call ‘poetry’) from her essay “The Lyric Nostalgia” inspired this sensibility. Underlying poetry is a lamentation for a lost wholeness or the anticipation of a wholeness discovered in love, the experience of belonging and the truest expression of freedom (Cowan 12). Traceable in the Hebrew psalms, the lyric tradition from antiquity to modernity has rendered a soulful cry for wholeness that we hear in daily chapel. Considering the incarnational sensibility in the lyric tradition, Louise Cowan writes that lyric poetry, “...is necessary to human culture, a protection of the channel between word and thing, between heaven and earth, elevating the human to the workings of the

As I dwell on the word 'holy' or ask myself what is truly sacred in our history, I find that poetry offers infinite sources of wonder, a channel to hope, a balm for grief.

spirit…the lyricist is on our side, against the terror of the numinous, calming the pounding heart as we approach the burning bush… it is our word, which will stand with us at the last day” (Cowan 14). In our songs, supplications and worship in daily chapel, we are ascending the heights of a lyric language in a sacred text. Invited to “pursue the Divine” each day at noon, I find myself in awe before a sense of the sacred cutting through the middle of the mundanity, directing our gaze to a world beyond this world, to the Word beneath the words. Though I have not practiced my Christian faith in over a decade, I find myself alongside Mr. Salz, who recently shared his deep curiosity about our incarnational identity: “We are made in the image and likeness of a God.” Mrs. Cernoch recently told me, “In chapel, we are asked to wonder, to wonder deeply.” I would only add that the act of wondering is married to the art of paying attention. On this topic, Simone Weil writes, “Attention, taken to its highest degree, is the same thing as prayer. It presupposes faith and love. Absolutely unmixed attention is prayer. If we turn our mind toward the good, it is impossible that little by little the whole soul will not be attracted thereto in spite of itself” (Weil 43).

Weil’s insight inspires hope and courage in my spiritual journey, which accelerated this last month during chapel time. Paying attention like this demands an open heart and mind, an ability to be profoundly still in our present moment. In her poem “The

do this together too. Being appointed as editors was a great honor for us. Designing the newspaper together this summer, we experienced frustration and creative blocks but knew that the end product would be worth it.

On our first day, with the entire Volume 42 Eagle Edition staff during our summer workshop, Sophia and I could not help but look at each other every few moments and quietly exclaim, “The paper is going to be so good this year.” We could tell that the staff’s enthusiasm, concentration and imagination were remarkable. We knew that this group was special. That brings us to now: as our first issue of the year is distributed, we cannot help but remark on how proud we are of the staff, how excited we are and how we will cherish every moment of it in our last year. It is bittersweet to now be able to add to Sophia’s compilation, “last first issue of the newspaper,” but we are overwhelmed with gratitude. We want to thank the journalism program for all it has given us– the memories, laughs and forever connection to the school– and acknowledge that our bond would not be so strong without it.

Summer Day,” Mary Oliver confirms Weil’s claim: “I don't know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Beginning with a profound and daunting ontological question, Oliver refrains from providing a concrete answer. “Calming the pounding heart” (Cowan 14) of her readers before a question often answered by leaps of faith, the speaker represents a similar mental journey taken every day in chapel. Paying attention to the beauty surrounding her, the speaker’s experience of surrender culminates in an even more fundamental question brimming with hope. While I do not claim to possess the deep faith I admire in my father, I hope to accept ESD’s daily invitation to pay attention in the chapel with the same delight I experience while paying attention to the great poets or the question, “What is the Good?”. Someday, too, I might pay closer attention to the question of our origin in the embrace of a good God. These invitations are a gift as great as poetry. I am profoundly thankful to be an Eagle for this hospitality and much more.

Warmly, Harry Ruedi

Harry Ruedi | Upper school English teacher

Belonging goes beyond the classroom

Observing varsity volleyball practices inspired the creation of this cartoon

Alexa Sardiña | Cartoonist

For the past two weeks, I’ve been going in early with my sister to her 6 a.m. practices. Despite expecting to find a team divided by exhaustion, I was surprised to see them unified, pushing through their shared struggle. This sense of togetherness reminded me of my friend’s first day on varsity volleyball and how, despite her fears, she was warmly embraced by the very team she had been so nervous to join. Though my comic doesn’t tell my own story, it reflects the power of that kind of acceptance.

Alexa Sardi ña Sophomore cartoonist

Sports

Football team embarks on Irish adventure

Varsity football takes on Florida's IMG academy in Dublin, Ireland

At 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 23, junior Harper Sands rushed to the dining commons eager to watch the kickoff of the ESD-IMG game. Sands was worried that the time difference between Dallas and Dublin, Ireland would compromise her chances of watching. To her relief, she made it on time and sat down with her friends to watch her favorite team play.

As the team embarked on their trip to Ireland on Aug. 20, players hoped of making stronger, deeper bonds with each other on the team. Junior cornerback Andrew Russell believes Ireland strengthened the team's bond.

“In my opinion, Ireland really helped with our team development, team bonding and just overall relationships with one another,” Russell said. “ I made a bunch of new friends and the football team as a whole has much better chemistry.”

Even though the team didn’t play up to their best ability, as the score came out to 38-28 IMG, the team grew from their loss, and the trip only further built them up. The eagles started the game off with an 8-0 lead, but as the second quarter rolled up, IMG unfortunately, stepped in the lead.

“We did not play to our best ability and we are aware of that.” Russell said. “But there's no doubt that this game and trip only made us a better, stronger team.”

Although many players are returning varsity players from last year's team, several new members to ESD went on the trip. While in Ireland, sophomore William Elliot heightened his relationships with teammates and helped prepare for the school year.

“Well I’d say it really did help me because of how great the community is here at ESD,” Elliot said. “It obviously affected me [coming to school later], just not in the negative sense because I was with the team and the team was willing to help me, along with coach Williams. They’ve always been in communication with me, making sure I'm doing well here, so I wasn't gone alone, I was gone with the team.”

The trip took place during the first week of the 20242025 school year, so players missed their first week of classes..

“It's been a bit hard because I feel a little behind, but teachers have been very lenient and after this second week of school, I feel like I'll be back to normal and up to date in my classes,” Russell said. “I feel like going on the trip at the very beginning of the school year was difficult. If it was deeper into

8.916

Number of miles traveled from DFW to Ireland and back

We did not play to our best ability and we are aware of that, but there s no doubt that this game and trip only made us a better, stronger team.

Andrew Russell Junior

the school year, I feel like it would be better.”

Because pre-season started at the beginning of August, teams were established prior to the start of the trip. Several freshmen were added to the varsity roster, making it harder for the newcomers to adjust from middle school to highschool. Freshman Asher Cooke shared his experience of missing the first week of school and being a starter on the Varsity team this year.

“Ireland was a fun experience with my teammates and coaches because we got to learn about Irish culture while also being able to play football,” Cooke said. “Starting on varsity as a freshman has been a lot to take in but has been very fun. Missing my first week of high school was a little weird because I did not get to experience my very first day of [freshman year] with my friends, but I was able to adapt quickly.”

The football team served as a “guinea pig” in testing athletic trips, as the athletic department wants to organize similar trips for other sports.

“I want opportunities like this for as many student athletes that we can come up with,” Director of Athletics Thad Lepcio said. “I know that everybody wants to say that football gets this or that, but I think we use foot-

ball as a guinea pig this year, and I think we proved that it was and can be successful. So I have asked coaches to come up with proposed plans that we could look at.”

As the athletic department plans international trips, the department will continue pursuing their goal of growth in all sports.

“I think that there are going to be many more of these opportunities presented. I think we always have to be mindful of the cost, and I want to make sure it ties into some part of academic and educational connection as well,” Lepcio said. “I think if we can make [more] athletic trips like these, then I think it can be a win-win.” Although the gametime in Ireland interfered with the school day, ESD made the game possible to watch by playing it on screens around campus.

“It was so awesome to watch the football team play in Ireland because I think that is such a cool thing for them to do and experience,” Sands said. “I was really excited to watch them play because football is my favorite sport to watch, and I wanted to see how ESD would play against IMG. I think it just proved how amazing our school community is, because our team was all the way in Ireland, but everyone was still so excited and happy to be watching.”

10

Number of hours spent on the football field in Ireland

86

Number of hours spent off the football field in Ireland

EAGLES IN IRELAND GAME

Jake Gierkey ’25 (left) runs beside teammate William Taylor 26 as he runs the ball down the field, "I had to roll our of the pocket and none of my receivers were open so I decided to just scramble and pick up some yards." Gierkey said. Photo by Jamie Martin

Margot Cathey | Business manager

Eagle

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How did you decide on Yale for your commitment?

Every issue, the Eagle Edition highlights two athletes who stand out on the field for their respective sports.

Craighton Jefferies | Staff writer

During my recruitment process, Yale showed continuous love to me and I thoroughly enjoyed what they were doing with their program and their continuous domination of the Ivy League. When I finally got the offer I knew I couldn't pass up the mix of high academics and winning football tradition.

What was the recruitment process like during high school?

The recruitment process was a unique experience. It was hard at times navigating through the journey, but with the help of my parents and others, I was able to achieve my dreams of playing division one football.

What is it like being a captain?

Chipman Q &

Since I was little, growing up at ESD I had always dreamed of one day being one of the captains on the varsity football team. This is the year my dreams were able to turn into reality with the help of my teammates and coaches. Being a captain is tough, you have to always lead by example and be a role model to those who are around you. It has been fun learning how to become a better leader and can t wait to help lead with the other captains all season.

A eye BrooklynSinger

What has been your favorite moment with the team?

My favorite moment with the team has been bonding at the annual Wolf Run retreat we do. After our practices, we would set football aside and come together as a team hanging out playing games and growing closer as a family. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone better during the retreat.

What do you do before each game to get ready?

Before games, I like to keep to myself and focus on the goal at task. I am really big on throwing on some headphones and envisioning myself making plays. This helps me get the confidence I need to go out onto the field and help my team win in any way possible.

What are you going to miss the most after leaving this year?

I will definitely miss the ESD cheer program the most. I've had the greatest four years creating memories on the sidelines with my friends, and it went by way too fast.

Is there a big difference between being the junior captain and then being a senior captain?

There isn't a huge difference, but last year I mainly shadowed the senior captains [Virginia Wilson, Madeline Mayer, Caroline Bagley,] in order to strongly fulfill that role this year.

What’s your favorite part of cheer and why? (Stunting, jumping, tumbling, dancing)

My favorite part of cheer is tumbling because I am able to challenge myself with new and creative skills. I also just think it's the most fun.

Do you like cheering outside of school and for the school? Which one do you like more?

Cheering outside of school and for the school can be a lot to handle at times but I love it. I don't prefer one over the other because they're so different from each other.

Do you want to cheer in college? If so, where?

I'm not completely sure where or if I want to cheer in college yet.

What do you do to prepare for each game?

To prepare for each game, I always make sure I warm up really well to avoid any injuries.

Interviews and photos by

College football passion outshines the NFL

Sports editor Ethan Pham offers his insights on the life of student-athletes at ESD as well as his takes on sports. Through his personal experiences and analysis, he sheds light on the challenges, triumphs and daily routines of balancing academics with athletics.

Ning in the fall, roll out of bed, head straight to your couch and and turn on your TV to watch “College Gameday” on ESPN. Pat Macafee, one of the show’s hosts, knows how to excite a ginormous crowd even at 8 a.m.

College football creates the most electric atmosphere. Die hard fans wake up early, paint their bodies and get excited to watch their favorite team play. But college football means much more than that.

During college football season, America shakes a little bit. Every college stadium fills up with tens of thousands crazy fans who are passionate about their school. College kids are more passionate about their

ball is more exciting. I would much rather watch or attend a college football game than an NFL game. For me, watching the passion of the communities behind each team is mindblowing. It is heartwarming to see from little kids wearing jerseys at games to elderly alumni wearing their college’s polos at a game. And in all honesty, I believe college football means more to America than the NFL. Do not get me wrong, the NFL is entertaining and successful. However, college football is outcompeting the NFL; there are more games to watch and they are more dynamic, not to mention the thrill behind the high-scoring games.

The biggest reason why col-

lege football is doing better than the NFL is because its fan base truly gets immersed in it all day. The fact that “College Gameday,” a show that, according to ESPN brings in an average of 2 million viewers, is followed by games until midnight every Saturday is genius.

“College Gameday” is fun for people to attend because the show is broadcasted live from the most anticipated game of the week. Also, fans can be a part of the show. Senior Vaughn Langston is a passionate college football fan and loves what “College Gameday” does for him.

“I get really excited. I love how Pat McAfee brings so much energy to me on a Saturday morning. Also Nick Saban [Roll tide], he's kind of more of the analytical guy which is good to have him so I learn what a football genius is thinking,” Langston said. “It also, like, helps me understand college football better with these guys [people on the show] and like, what they have to say, give their two cents on it.”

McAfee, a former NFL punter for the Indianapolis Colts, is known for being one of the more physical punters in NFL history. His enthusi-

asm electrifies the show and the crowd.

“Man, when I'm just eating my breakfast tacos and turn on ‘College GameDay,’ we got the slate all figured out, people are picking their teams,” Langston said. “It's just something inside of me, it just gets me going. It’s perfect.”

But “College Gameday” is not the only way to enjoy watching college sports. Gary Danielson and Brad Nessler, two well known CBS announcers, are now announcing games for the Big 10 Conference rather than the well known SouthEastern Conference. Danielson and Nessler’s commentary on the games are iconic, for the Big 10 Conference to have Danielson and Nessler announcing for them is a big deal because they will bring more life to watching the games. I believes they will bring in great commentary and analysis this season.

The only show I can think of that compares to “College Gameday” in the NFL is “FOX NFL Sunday.” This show features about six former NFL players who are older gentlemen giving their thoughts about each game. They are normally indoors in a calm environment. This contrasting atmosphere does not come close to the rowdy crowd on Saturday mornings.

Atmosphere at college football games makes being at each game even more worth it. College football stadiums get insanely loud due to the passion of all the fans.

Texas A&M’s football stadium is known as the “12th Man” because their crowd is so rowdy, it is like they have a whole other man on the field. In football there are always 11 men on the field for each team so having 12 gives a team a big advantage.

That isn’t the only known crowd for being rowdy. A Penn State white out game is known to change some peoples life. From what I’ve

heard, your whole body is shaking and you couldn’t hear someone if they were shouting in your face.

Senior Rett Detwiler has made it a goal for him to go to as many college football games as possible during the school year.

“Those games are so loud, I mean I can’t even imagine playing with that crowd. The atmosphere at the Texas [v.s.] Alabama game was something I have never seen before,” Detwiler said. “On that Saturday last fall, from sun up to sun down Alabama’s campus was alive. So much passion was shown by their fans it was insane. That type of atmosphere is the type I want to be in every Saturday because it made going to the game way more fun.”

I have been to multiple NFL games and college football games and I can’t name a time when the NFL crowd was rowdier than the college crowd. I know there are literal analytics about stadium noise, but when you’re watching a college game, there’s a different energy. I also think age plays a factor in this. Obviously college games will have younger kids or adults at their game which typically means they have more energy and get louder. However, in the NFL there is an older generation there which typically means they won’t be jumping up and down yelling like a college kid would. As a football player, when I have a crowd behind me, it changes how I play and I know that is how those college players feel. It means more while you are playing and have a community behind you supporting you. It is an indescribable feeling and I have never played with a college crowd but even in high school it still makes me feel special. I can’t even imagine how passionate I would be if I were suited up in a Texas OU Red River Rivalry game. It just means more in College.

Carter Hogg '22 designs concussion protective mask

G8Rskin promises to advance football player safety

Jack Coben | Staff writer

It was gameday on Nov. 6, 2021 at Washington and Lee University when junior linebacker FJ Hogg prepared for the Old Dominion athletics conference championship. Little did Hogg know, it was going to be the last football game of his career.

Hogg went in for a routine tackle with a teammate in the second quarter. He and his teammate collided, and Hogg was hit on the crown of his head. Regardless, he continued playing. After the conference championship win, he called his dad, Jason Hogg, and told him that something was off with his head. Weeks later, he still struggled to get out of bed. Eventually, he went to the doctor and was told that he had a career ending head injury. This event inspired his brother Carter Hogg ’22, an ESD alumni, to design the G8Rskin: a mask that reduces the chance of concussion by 79 percent according to G8Rtech.

“I took out a notecard at school one day and sketched out a rough diagram of a protective layer that players could wear under the helmet to protect them during hard hits,” Carter said in an interview with the Texas Monthly in July of 2024. That day, he came home and talked to his

dad about how they could turn his idea into a reality to help players, ensuring that what happened to his brother wouldn’t happen to anyone else.

By providing an additional layer of protection over traditional helmets, G8Rskin’s mask addresses one of the sport’s most pressing issues: concussions. The same Tex. as Monthly article, “G8Rskin Football Mask: New Technology to Protect Players from Concussions,” introduces an advancement in concussion prevention. The skin dissipates energy from the collision while making a tackle reducing the chance of concussion. G8Rskin is unique because it fits under a player's football helmet, and provides an extra layer of protection without changing the helmet’s function or affecting the player’s field of vision.

“We launch the original G8Rskin product over the fall, winter, and spring of 2022 and 2023 seasons,” Carter said. “And then we took all that feedback and made the new version with new materials and, obviously, much more lab work before doing more spring football tests.”

Tests have shown that the G8Rskin mask can significantly lower the amount of impact force that reaches the player’s head. Carter’s small startup G8rtech has done intense research and

CONCUSSION MINIMIZER

The black protective mask, made with cooling gels. Comes in youth and adult small, medium, large and extra large. The product went through several rounds of research and testing before it went into production in 2022.

Photo provided by G8Rskin Technology

is working to design a new version of the G8Rskin. The team hopes it is used nationally to make football safer for players at all levels.

“While attempting to produce mass quantities of G8Rskins, we have local production partners in Dallas that we work with to essentially produce it,” Carter said in an interview with the Eagle Edition. “So, they help us produce them in mass quantities so we can help players around the world.”

While helmets are a crucial part of player safety, they have not solved the problem of concussions. Sophomore Noble Provost had two concussions in the same year while playing football.

“I think that a device that can reduce the amount of concussions would help players like me,” Provost said. “Players who are prone to getting more concussions are now unable to continue playing football.”

This allows players to have a much safer playing environment and could affect future football equipment. G8Rtech also allows players prone to head injuries to continue playing football. The integration of G8Rskin’s technology into football gear could lead to a substantial reduction in concussion rates. According to the Texas Monthly story, there have been calculations done by G8Rtech showing a 79 percent concussion risk reduction.

Fantasy football fever: a high stakes game

Intense competition and rivalries drive students beyond the football field

players root for many different teams, typically since fantasy teams consist of players from multiple teams.

Eighth-grader Charlie Rawson wipes the dripping sweat off his face, anxious about his next pick. The choice between Tyreek Hill or Ceedee Lamb could determine whether he faces public humiliation or wins the $200 cash prize and bragging rights for the entire year.

Rawson and 12 boys, along with their dads, drafted their fantasy football team on Sept. 4 at Campisis. Upon entering this fantasy league, each duo paid $20 for the cash prize. This annual tradition is not unique to Rawson and his friends; millions of people globally compete in fantasy football once the season comes around.

“Before the draft began, I really was hoping I’d get an early draft position,” Rawson said. “Luckily, I got the third pick and was very satisfied with the players I acquired.”

Fantasy football is a game hosted on various fantasy apps like ESPN Fantasy and Yahoo Sports. People playing join a league where they compete against the people in their specific league, usually consisting of eight to 12 members. When picking teams, people do not choose professional teams like the Dallas Cowboys or the Cleveland Browns, but individual players for their own team. For each position, many professional players are drafted to make a team of 16. Come Sunday, when the majority of National Football League games occur,

“I usually like to draft players that I think could develop higher than their pre-draft ranking is,” junior Grayson Duncan, winner of his fantasy league last year, said. “Sticking with this same strategy has made me successful for the past few years.”

Fantasy football began on Sept. 5 and ends on Jan. 5, lasting a total of 14 weeks. Each week, fantasy players play another player’s team in their league and try to earn the most points. Points per game vary and are earned through the amount of yards, catches and touchdowns gained by players. For example, if Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson catches a 30yard pass, that would result in three points, one point per 10 receiving yards. Additionally, if Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot rushes for 20 yards on one play, that would result in two points, one point per 10 rushing yards.

“When choosing the running back for my team, I check on last year's total production for that specific player,” junior Riley Morrison said. “During a good game, I acquire over 100 points, which helps contribute to my final score.”

No matter how much team owners research, player injuries can make or break a team’s season. Last year, Aaron Rodgers, rated pre-season as one of the best quarterbacks, tore his ACL on the fourth play of his first game and was out for the rest of the season. Those fantasy football

I heard that last year, some of the older boys made their fantasy punishment be that the loser had to spend 30 hours in the woods with only water and Cheerios.

Charlie Rawson

Eigth-grade student

team owners that used their first-round pick on Rodgers, scrambled to find a replacement quarterback on the waiver wire, the pool of undrafted players.

“At the beginning of the season, I had the best receiver but traded him away to another member in my league, which ultimately did not work out in my favor,” junior Nico Davis, the loser of his fantasy league last year, said. “Also, a bunch of my players got hurt and it seemed that nothing was going well. I was not very happy.”

To make the game more competitive, sometimes fantasy leagues have punishments for the losers. Typically, the winner of the league chooses the loser’s punishment. In Duncan and Davis’ case, Duncan determined Davis’s punishment.

“It took a while for [Grayson] to find a punishment for me to do. He figured it out when he saw someone on TikTok who had lost his fantasy league, posting himself doing embarrassing dances daily as his punishment,” Davis said. “We have a fantasy group chat and each day, somebody would send a

“Helmets already are able to redistribute hits,” Carter said to the Eagle Edition. “So with the G8Rskin that allows it to essentially maximize the amount of energy that's dissipated,”

As concerns escalate about long term brain health in younger athletes, this product could be a solution. G8Rskin not only improves player safety but also enhances the longevity of players' careers.

“Also, by wearing a G8Rskin I think it could help open up football and other sports to other kids who probably wouldn't really want to get involved in football because of the injury aspect,” senior Vaughn Langston said “So, I think you can open up the sport to a different demographic of people.”

Carter Hogg’s invention of the G8Rskin represents an advancement in player safety. His idea to integrate an extra padding while not interfering with the players comfort and movability allows for a new standard in football equipment.

“[With] 20 patent pending engineering elements built into the design that essentially allows the materials that we have inside to maximize and reduce the rate of concussion,” Carter said in the Texas Monthly story. “It allows for the G8Rskin to reduce and allow us to maximize the concussion reduction rate.”

video that they wanted me to recreate. I would have to post a TikTok, and no matter how weird, I had to do it.”

Other common punishments include making the loser receive an extremely dark spray tan, shaving their head or even getting a piercing. Harsh punishments heighten the stakes and in some cases, these punishments can go too far.

“I heard that last year, some of the older boys made their fantasy punishment be that the loser had to spend 30 hours in the woods with only water and Cheerios,” Rawson said. “I’m scared for the future of our fantasy league because doing this would be my worst nightmare.”

As this billion-dollar industry continues to dominate school culture, it raises the question: is this a fun hobby, or do the harsh punishments that come with it defeat the spirit of the game?

“Even though football season has just begun, I am excited to see the outcomes of the team I’ve created,” Morrison said. “I look forward to every Sunday as I get to watch my players play and see how the members of my league are doing."

Photo by Reese Rawson

Reese Rawson | Views editor

Pickleball trend comes to ESD

More students than anticipated sign up for the new community credit class

Brooke Ebner | Web editor

After a long day of school, 16 students make their way across the street and head towards the tennis courts. They change into their athletic clothes and pick up their rackets, ready for a new day of practice. However, they are not playing tennis.

With the addition of community credits in the upper school this school year, pickleball, a popular paddle sport, is a new option to fulfill this credit. When the sign up for the class went out at the end of last year, 50 students signed up, which was more than anticipated.

“We had way more people sign up than we could accommodate. We knew we could accommodate 16 kids,” Director of Athletics Thad Lepcio said. “The registrar’s office did a lottery that was done in the upper school office, so that’s how the 16 were picked.”

The popularity of pickleball is not confined to ESD. According to middle school history teacher and pickleball coach Sheela Thomas, many tennis facilities have recently added pickleball nets or courts. According to pickleheads.com, a website about pickleball, pickleball was the fastest growing sport in the U.S. for the third year in a row in 2024.

“One thing that makes [pickleball] really appealing is that it’s pretty easy to learn

to play,” Thomas said. “Pretty much anyone can pick up a paddle and start playing and different levels can play together. You could have somebody who’s really, really good and somebody who’s just picked it up, and they can still have a competitive match.”

An article posted on Veryfellfit.com, a health website, attributes the sport’s growth in popularity to the fact that it promotes hand-eye coordination, is joint friendly and is ideal for socializing. Socializing is one of the reasons senior Matthew Durante, member of the pickleball class, enjoys the sport.

“I enjoy pickleball because it gives me and others a chance to talk to friends in a less stressful environment than during the school day,” Durante said.

According to Lepcio, the idea for pickleball being added as a community credit came from its growing popularity and the tennis court’s availability on campus.

“It’s just so popular right now with different ages,” Lepcio said. “And I think it’s a sport that you can play for the rest of your life. I think it [is] important to teach a life sport, and obviously with that many people signing up, we knew we did hit the popularity.”

Thomas is an avid tennis player outside of school herself, and she started getting into pickleball after being inspired by her sister.

“[My sister] was a tennis player, but she hurt her back,

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and pickleball is a lot easier for her to move around,” Thomas said. “She just has become obsessed with it.”

Thomas first brought pickleball into ESD in 2022 as an after school club for middle schoolers, which became popular. She became the coach of the community credit class after a request from Chief Academic Officer Rebecca Brady.

“I think [that] just everybody has fun when they play pickleball,” Thomas said. “So it’s just great to be out there when people are actually enjoying [themselves].”

The pickleball community credit class practices daily from 4 to 5 p.m. According to Durante, practice normally begins with coach Thomas teaching the students a new skill or technique. Then the students use those skills while playing in matches against one anoth-

er. Durante decided to join the class due to his prior experience with the sport.

“I decided to do pickleball because I played outside of school with family and friends beforehand,” Durante said. “I plan to continue to play pickleball with family and friends [after the class is over] so I can improve and possibly play intramural pickleball to meet new friends in college.”

There are not many official pickleball teams across Dallas schools, so an official team was not possible for this school year. Lepcio said that ESD would possibly consider adding it as an official team sport in the future if its popularity continues to grow.

“If [pickleball] continues to grow, and there’s interest in other schools, we’d be open to looking into [making it a sport],” Lepcio said.

DOUBLES PRACTICE

Juniors Alex Eastin and Reese Rawson play doubles during the pickleball community credit

Photo by Sheela Thomas

THE PATH TO NOW

In celebration of ESD's 50th anniversary, The Eagle Edition staff is going through the archives looking into areas of the school's growth over the years and the path to now. This first timeline highlights the evolution of ESD's student newspapers, from the inaugural issue in 1984 to the present.

| Co-editor-in-chief

In the center photo on the right, the first staff of The Beakon is pictured. In the back row: Arther Saunders, Reed DeWees, Sarah Cochran, Jay Burley and Bart Freeman. In the front row: faculty sponsor Barbara Meier and staff members Carol Tygrett, Kelly Caperton, Barri Wells, Lydia Jacks, Jamie Littlefield and Sharon Cowden.

On Feb. 8 1984, the newspaper staff reviewed 56 entries submitted by students to name the newspaper. They landed on The Beakon, choosing this name because, according to them, a beacon is a light which serves to guide by giving light and inspiration. The spelling also included the use of the eagle's beak to symbolize announcing the school's news.

After conservation amongst students over that summer and school months, the Beakon staff voted to change their name. Some thought the name was misspelled or not "dignified enough" for ESD's newspaper, so Caroll Tygrett '86 came up with a new name: The Eagle Edition. Forty years later, we still call ourselves The Eagle Edition. 2002 marked another landmark year for The Eagle Edition as the staff received an anonymous donation to print two issues in full color. While color printing became mainstream for newspapers in the 1990s, it remained expensive.

Since the start of the 21st century, the Eagle Edition has been awarded over 40 national awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association and the Interscholastic League Press Conference. The 2022-2023 year was no different: the V.40 staff earned a CSPA Gold Crown , an ILPC Gold Star and a NSPA Pacemaker award. The 2023-2024 newspapers are still being judged by these organizations and results will be announced by the end of the year.

From 11 members of the first staff in 1984 to 26 members in 2024, we are proudly publishing the first issue of V.42 with the support of journalism teacher and yearbook and newspaper advisor Ana Rosenthal.

OCT 1984

After a unanimous vote over the summer of 1984, the newspaper staff changed its name to The Eagle Edition. Forty years later, ESD's newspaper is still known as The Eagle Edition.

'84, they successfully launched the second ever studentled publication.

FEB 2023

MAR 2002

The newspaper published its first full color issue. According to the editors, the paper received an anonymous donation for the paper to be printed in full color. Today, the Eagle Edition's budget allows for use of color throughout every issue.

The fourth issue of V.40 with a centerspread covering conspiracy theories in the media and at ESD. The work of the V. 40 staff received a CSPA Gold Crown, NSPA Pacemaker and ILPC Gold Star for the work published in the 2022-2023 year. The 2023-2024 newspapers are still being judged by these organizations and results will be announced later this year.

The Episcopal School of Dallas came out with its first student newspaper: The Beakon. With 11 staff writers guided by advisor Barbara Meier and Editor Sarah Cochran

Lauren Shushi