V39 Issue 3

e

THE EAGLE EDITION EPISCOPAL SCHOOL OF DALLAS STUDENT NEWSPAPER 4100 Merrell Road Dallas Texas 75229 214.3584368

V39 No. 3

Friday December, 10 Twenty21 esdeagleedition.org

Holiday halt Businesses experience supply chain delays caused by the pandemic which in turn affect Christmas shopping this holiday season page 5

A teacher with talent Students and

faculty support film teacher Bobby Weiss who showcased his artwork in his first solo art exhibit page 12

E

THE POWER OF

MUSIC @theeagleedition

As he slides his headphones on, sophomore Logan Betts is transported to a whole new world, and he’s never felt more alive. Everything around him disappears as he is engulfed by the rhythm. Music has greatly impacted Betts and changed the trajectory of his life. “I feel like it helps a person identify with themselves,” Betts said. “They’ll find a genre that resonates with them and makes part of their character shine a bit more. It opens up their eyes to a part of themselves they don’t see.” After being inspired by his fifth grade band teacher, he began to produce his own music which connected him to many people who are also in the music industry. Betts makes a mixture of indie and electronica music and currently has 35,900 streams in 126 countries. Although it’s hard for him to compose during the school year, he spends all summer long creating music. Page 14-15

@eagleeditionesd @esdeagleedition

In tune.

If you ever had a song, beat, melody or lyric stuck in your head that you just can’t seem to shake, you are not alone. Music creates connections and relationships essential to the human experience.

Music defines our identity, our culture and ultimately, who we are. It has the power to create memories, transport us back in time, and it can even help us retrieve lost memories. pages 14-15

issuu.com/eagleedition

Illustration by Sarah Cabrales Photo by Easterly Yeaman

2 Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

e news

Bus stop closures affect community Across Dallas, changes to bus routes will impact daily routines

By Elliot Lovitt Staff writer

A

t 6:45 in the morning, sophomore Iris Hernandez leaves her house with her mom in order to get to school by 7:15 a.m.—her mom has to be at work by 8 a.m. After school, she walks every afternoon about a mile to get to the bus stop on Walnut Hill and Midway to get on the 4:28 bus to her mom’s office, where she arrives at around 4:45. During the short 15-minute ride, she listens to music, reads a book or looks at TikTok. Hernandez usually keeps to herself on the ride, but by regularly seeing routine bus THE DART BUSES GIVE riders, she learns PEOPLE WHO AREN’T more about different people’s lives.

AS WELL OFF A WAY TO Hernandez sits in the GET AROUND WITHOUT same seat everyday.

IT BEING EXPENSIVE. But her routine will abruptly change HOPEFULLY, THE on Jan. 24, 2022 NEW SYSTEM WILL when her bus stop will close.

MAKE PUBLIC In late Jan., many TRANSPORTATION of the bus stops around school will EVEN MORE stop functioning due ACCESSIBLE BECAUSE to a Dallas Area Rapid Transit system IT’S BETTER FOR THE overhaul announced ENVIRONMENT. on Sept. 1. Dallas has traditionally struggled with Iris Hernandez making its public Sophomore transportation effective, thus motivating DART executives to rework the system.

According to D Magazine, 42.5 percent of houses in Dallas are underserved by public transit.

The new bus routes, according to DART, will more closely resemble a grid system and bring about greater frequency, expanded coverage, longer hours of service and the buses will provide more access to various jobs. The system rework will give 74 percent of people in the DART service area access to bus stops within walking distance—a six percent increase.

Additionally, all local buses will be

“

BUS STOPPED Sophomore Iris Hernandez waits for the bus at the Midway/ Walnut Hill intersection bus stop. This stop is one of the many that will close on Jan. 24, 2022. “When the bus stop changes, my day is going to be so much longer and harder,” Hernandez said.

Photo by Elliot Lovitt

open from 5 a.m. to midnight and the 22 core buses will be in use for 19 hours: from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m.

However, DART’s attempt to improve their system results in inconvenient adjustments to many people’s daily routines. Hernandez, for one, will have to figure out how to get to her mom’s office after school with the changes to the bus system.

“Taking the bus is really helpful because I don’t have to stay at school till 5:30, which is really annoying when you have to do it everyday,” Hernandez said. “With the stops closing, I don’t know how the route will get me where I need to go or how long it will take.”

Hernandez currently takes Route 31 Midway/Bachman which will be replaced by Route 207 Lemmon, lengthening the walk to the bus stop from one mile to four miles. Despite the overall goal of making the bus routes more efficient, on an individual level, these changes bring negative effects. Additionally, Preston Hollow is being grouped into a GoLink zone where an on-demand DART service will replace all the bus routes in the area.

“When my mom called about it, the DART worker told her that I wouldn’t be left stranded,” Hernandez said. “But after researching, I’m not so sure.”

Upper school Spanish teacher Jill Quarles takes Route 31 to and from school every day as well. She decided to move to her current house because of the public transportation accessibility and routes to school. But the new routes will make the ride less convenient.

“From what I understand, these changes [to the DART system] are supposed to help more people use it and help more people get to places like work or school,” Quarles said. “But it seems to me that if [all of Preston Hollow] doesn’t have [access to the buses], they are not accomplishing their goal.”

Some people use public transportation for environmental, financial or medical reasons.

Riding the bus or train is an alternative to paying for a car and car insurance while also helping

with overcrowded streets and emissions; around 85 percent of greenhouse gas emissions that come from transportation are from commuters, and monthly or daily transit passes are significantly cheaper than financing a car. Driving a car also requires undivided attention while riding a bus or train allows work to get done or time to read a book or relax.

“Riding the bus keeps you active,” Quarles said. “After living in places like Chicago and traveling in Europe and realizing that you don’t actually need a car to get around, I became much more comfortable with using public transportation.”

In addition to the DART bus system, the Trinity Rail Express offers transportation mainly for commuters between Dallas and Fort Worth. Plans for a high-speed, 240 mile bullet train between Dallas and Houston called the Texas Central are in the works with an estimated cost of $20 billion, according to the Dallas Morning News. The train will carry approximately 400 passengers.

It will attempt to not disrupt landowners by using public rights of way and is expected to take six years to complete. Usually, the drive to Houston lasts around four to five hours; the train is expected to shorten the duration of the ride to an hour.

In most parts of Dallas, the bedrock is too close to the surface, making it difficult to dig without spending exorbitant prices; however, DART has plans for a short subway called the D2 line, according to DART. The City of Dallas is making strides toward better and more accessible public transportation. The DART bus system remains the main form of public transportation; it remains to be determined whether the new bus routes will be a change for the better.

“The DART buses give people who aren’t as well off a way to get around without it being expensive,” Hernandez said. “Hopefully, the new system will make public transportation even more accessible because it’s better for the environment.”

DART by the numbers

692 TOTAL NUMBER OF BUSES

10,325 TOTAL NUMBER OF BUS STOPS

13 CITIES

700 SQ. MILES

3,738 TOTAL EMPLOYEES

93

MILES COVERED BY LIGHT RAIL

$542.4

MILLION 2021 OPERATING BUDGET Source: DART

December 10, 2021

News

Parks face changes from climate change, tourists, pandemic

H

to

By Charlotte Tomlin Assistant Web Editor

I

cy glaciers, rolling greens, roaring geysers, towering trees, sandy beaches and sleeping volcanoes come together to celebrate the United States’ most beautiful areas in the form of national parks. Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Yosemite National Park, Zion National Park and Grand Teton National Park are among the most well-known national parks in the U.S. Many ESD community members have traveled to numerous national parks, reveling in their beauty.

“I have been to Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Rocky Mountains National Park,” Eddie Eason, director of Outdoor Education said. “Picking a favorite [park] is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child. Each is a favorite in its own way. [But] If I had to pick one to go to, it would be the Rocky Mountains because of the scenery and my love of the mountains.”

As the world’s climate constantly changes, the National Park Service (NPS) continues to adapt to obstacles posed by climate change. In 2010, the NPS introduced the Climate Change Response Strategy, which describes four components to address climate change: science, adaptation, mitigation and communication. In the response strategy, then director Jonathan B. Jarvis expressed his concerns about climate change.

“I believe climate change is fundamentally the greatest threat to the integrity of our national parks that we have ever experienced,” Jarvis said. “Current science confirms the planet is warming and the effects are here and now.”

In many national parks, climate change has disrupted the environment. Climate change exposes the national parks to severely hotter and drier conditions. This drastic change in climate can be seen in Alaska, where 63 percent of all national park area is located. Melting snow in Alaska uncovers darker surfaces that absorb more heat, a destructive cycle that has no foreseeable end.

“I went on a Moondance trip to Alaska last summer,” junior Marguerite Davis said. “We hiked

nine miles on glaciers, and I saw a lot of melted snow. I guess I was expecting [Alaska] to be covered with snow, but that wasn’t the case.”

Not to mention, national parks are a fundamental part of the U.S. ecosystem. They hold vast amounts of watersheds, replenishing drinking water and an abundance of trees to soak up carbon dioxide.

However, the production of carbon dioxide is accelerating faster than trees can absorb. This leads to high temperatures as the ozone layer depletes, allowing for more heat to impact the Earth. Glacier National Park, in Montana, is one example of the impact of climate change. Glaciers are rapidly shrinking as the planet grows warmer, and human-started wildfires have destroyed the flora in Glacier National Park.

“When I went to Glacier this past summer, there was a part that we drove through that had no trees,” sophomore Stephen Swann said.

“They’d been burned in a wildfire a couple years ago. It was really sad to see how much of the park had been destroyed by the fire.”

Yellowstone National Park, famous for its iconic bison and Old Faithful, is another example of a national park being impacted by climate change. Droughts and wildfires have thinned the forests of Yellowstone, and scientific projections show that fires burn more frequently than before. Additionally, Yellowstone faces another threat to its environment: the rise of bark beetles. Usually killed by the winter cold, bark beetles feast on the trees. However, with the extending warmer season, the beetles can feast on the trees for longer periods of time and in larger numbers. The warming climate not only affects bark beetles, but also other animals in Yellowstone. The transforming ecosystem may force the famous bison and other animals away from the park.

“I visited Yellowstone in 2019,” Swann said. “It was a really cool experience, we arrived early in the morning and waited for the geyser, Old Faithful, to erupt. After the geyser erupted, a stampede of wild bison paraded across the valley.

Then, we went on a little drive across the park to find wildlife and look at the hot springs. I’ll never forget seeing the bison stampede across the valley.”

OLD FAITHFUL Yellowstone National Park’s famed Old Faithful is a geyser doubling as a tourist attraction. The geyser gets its name from its reliable performance, predicted eruption time changing only In 2020, Yellowstone welcomed 3,806,306 visitors to the park. In 2019, the number was a stunning 4,020,288 visitors. “We waited for an hour for the geyser to go off,” Swann said. “When it finally did, it was the coolest experiences of my entire life.”

Photo provided by Stephen Swann

Many other national parks are witnessing the devastation of climate change firsthand, harming native ecosystems. Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s average summer visibility has decreased up to 80 percent since the 1950s due to lower air quality caused by climate change. Many other national parks will experience loss of ice, snow pack and water due to changes in weather patterns and increase in evaporation. As a result, water may be lost and spring flood cycles may change, impacting the lives of many animals in the parks. Coastal parks may experience stronger storms and flooding, yet inland parks may see more downpours and droughts. Furthermore, important wildlife communities may become endangered or lost as changes in weather and temperatures, increased quantities of fires in once firefree areas and a larger number of invasive species, like the bark beetles, may wipe out important organisms and unique ecosystems.

“I honestly don’t know that much about how climate change has affected national parks,” visitor of many national parks junior Grace Exall said. “I do know that there have been increases in forest fires recently and every park we drove through had huge amounts of dead trees that had been burned. Also there was a lot of human pollution in the parks so I think that has increased as well.”

Moreover, increasing water temperatures and influx of invasive species will most likely deplete native game fish populations, to the point where recreational fishing will become almost impossible. In some national park rivers, recreational fishing has already been prohibited. Additionally, higher ocean levels may cause parks with lower elevations, like Everglades National Park in Florida, to be flooded with sea water. Some wildlife that live in the park cannot survive in saltwater, and thus will be pushed out of the area that has been flooded with rising sea levels. As a result, some historical and cultural resources may be lost.

However, climate change is not the only thing affecting national parks. Covid-19 has affected the lives of many national park

ALASKA is home to including Denali National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The most popular national park is Glacier Bay National Park. “On my trip to Alaska, we climbed the glaciers with crampons and picks,” Davis said. “It was super challenging, but the views at the top were so worth it.”

Photo provided by Marguerite Davis

employees. Dustin Stone, who worked at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, lived full time in Skagway, Alaska. Skagway does not have a full-time doctor nor a hospital, adding to Stone’s concern about the pandemic and how his many interactions with tourists at the park would affect his susceptibility to getting Covid-19. In an interview with the Washington Post, Stone addressed his concerns.

“I’ve lived here year-round through eight flu seasons, and I’ve seen how quickly an infection can spread,” Stone said. “When one of us gets sick, most get sick.”

Stone is one of many national park employees that quit their job after national parks stayed open during the pandemic. Employees expressed fears and anger about the spread of infection after national parks stayed open during the pandemic. Currently, the NPS is requiring every visitor to wear a mask indoors and outdoors, regardless of vaccination status.

Many national parks have changed their visitation hours to regulate the spread of Covid-19.

During the pandemic, many visitors of national parks disregarded the reprieve that national parks provide, and instead began to trash the national parks.

Litter and trash accumulated along the sides of many trails, and graffiti appeared on much of the trees and rocks in the parks. Ellie Mora, a frequent visitor to Santa Paula Canyon in Southern California, commented on the state of the parks in an interview with TIME magazine in 2020.

“It’s been decimated by people who have never hiked before, coming back there with no morals,” Mora said. “It’s insane to see people acting the way they have, like the end of the world.”

However, despite all of the impending threats of climate change to the national parks and change in policy regarding the population’s health, national parks remain a great testament to the beauty of the U.S. “I hope everyone gets the opportunity to visit a national park at least once in their life,” Swann said. “I’d really like to visit Big Bend National Park or the Grand Canyon. It gives you such a great opportunity to connect with nature and experience the beauty of the U.S. It’s a life changing experience.”

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK Glacier National Park is located in Montana. The park welcomed 1,698,864 visitors in 2020. Glacier National Park is split into East and West Glacier, with over 700 miles of hiking trails for visitors to enjoy, including the popular “Going-tothe-Sun Road”. “Going-to-the-Sun Road was definitely one of my favorite parts of my trip to Glacier,” Swann said. “ We got to see so much of the park, and go over the Continental Divide.”

Photo provided by Charlotte Tomlin

“

A look at current events affecting the environment around the world

The role of National Parks shifts

dow EAR n T

3

I BELIEVE CLIMATE CHANGE IS FUNDAMENTALLY THE GREATEST THREAT TO THE INTEGRITY OF OUR NATIONAL PARKS THAT WE HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. Jonathan Jarvis Former NPS Director

4 Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

SAGE connects with students SAGE reaches out to students through a survey and promotion of their app, Touch of SAGE

responded with American Cuisine.

“With SAGE, it’s a partnership so it’s our philosophy to be involved in the community,” Compton said. “But there is always room for growth. Our Team Members worked every home game, and we have been a part of several special events for the school. Last year, we did a lot of picnics. This year we worked with the student council to create a week of Student Favorites during Homecoming. Last week, we worked with French Club and Joumana Arraj for a Frenchinspired menu and cheese trays for her classes. We love going to Lower School and showing them different dishes like chocolate shakes, apple pie and Texas chili, to name a few.”

Students have varying opinions about the dining experience at ESD. According to a poll of -students, -- percent of students dislike the school’s SAGE Dining.

“From what I’ve heard, many students don’t like SAGE because it gets old after years of eating it every day for lunch,” junior Sophia Ukeni said. “I understand that, but I think that if somebody doesn’t like the food, they can opt for other options like a salad or a sandwich.”

Faculty is provided meals from SAGE Dining as well. Science teacher John Gallo follows a low carb diet that cuts out refined sugar. Overall, Gallo has found SAGE has done a good job at

meeting his dietary needs.

“I think the food is really good,” Gallo said. “I think it is healthy food.

There is a good mix of different sorts of things and a lot of it is on the healthy side.”

Senior Sofia Sabella came to ESD in ninth grade, and has found, in comparison, the food SAGE provides is an improvement from the public school she used to attend.

“I feel like I am a lot more appreciative towards our food at SAGE, and I try to take advantage of having the salad bar,” Sabella said. “I also try not to complain as much because it certainly could be a lot worse. That being said, I have grown spoiled with SAGE and do find myself not always appreciating what I have.”

In the fall, senior Gia Maioriello met with Head of Upper School Henry Heil to propose improvements to school dining, such as purchasing new plates and updating the food heating system. As a result, Heil helped Maioriello establish the Food Council.

“I think [SAGE] is definitely implementing some of the changes,” Maioriello said. “At the next meeting we have, I will be sure to let [Compton] know what everyone thinks so far about it and what we still need to improve on.”

Alum Rachel Morrow ‘20, who attends Southern Methodist University, has found herself appreciating the food SAGE provided even more now that she eats meals at her college.

“Personally, I think SAGE is better than college food,” Morrow said. “With SAGE, we had so many options… whereas in college, the options are not as great. Also, the food doesn’t taste as good. I miss the panini machines.”

Sabella encourages students to express their appreciation for the SAGE employees. According to the poll sent out by SAGE, roughly 75 percent of respondents said they agree or strongly agree that SAGE employees make them feel welcome. “[Students should] be nice to the SAGE employees,” Sabella said. “They are really great, and even just giving a smile and saying ‘hello’ can go a long way.”

Battle of the beards

Disciplinary digest

Banding together

Students were permitted to grow out facial hair for the month of November. This tradition originated on the national scale over a decade ago when the family of a cancer victim used “Noshember” as a fundraising campaign for cancer research.

The organization has since made over $10 million in donations.

ESD contributes to the movement by encouraging community participation through both facial hair and the sale of bracelets.

“We are in charge of organizing the fundraiser, so we design the bracelets, order them for the Eagles’ Nest and then we help promote them,” Student council President Kai Robinson said. “We talk a lot about things that are happening in the community, but it’s also important to look at things that are outside of the community and this is an easy way for us to give back.”

Students who were not able to grow facial hair were still given ways to get involved. By purchasing a $5 Noshember bracelet at the Eagles’ Nest, students were allowed to wear socks of their choice.

Student Council then matched the donations made by the community, doubling the amount donated.

StuCo also sponsored an official beard contest on the last day of November and winners got $25 Eagles’ Nest credit.

“I think it’s important to participate in Noshember because it’s just a fun way to have the student body compete against each other,” one of this year’s winners Miki Nisbet said. “It improved community chemistry because we didn’t get to have the friendly competitions last year.”

By Miles Wooldridge Staff writer

On Nov. 10, Assistant Head of Upper School Jeff Laba sent an email to the upper school sharing the students’ community violation statistics. The email listed every grade level’s total number of CVs as well as the average number of CVs per student in that grade level. “[CVs] were higher than last year [because] last year [was] such a strange year, ” Laba said. “Tardies by far [cause the most CVs].”

The freshmen class had the least violations with a total of 215 CVs and an average of 2.3 CVs pers student. While seniors had the most, with a total of 389 CVs and an average of 3.4 per student.

“I think it’s fairly normal [that seniors have the most,] and I think it’s just a matter of, they’re more comfortable with the upper school,” Laba said. “Occasionally, seniors take some liberties.”

The 136 students who did not receive any CVs this year were awarded a free dress day on Nov. 15. Each student that was allowed to wear free dress was given a wristband to ensure only those without a CV participated.

“I wanted students to know the average [number of CVs] so that you, as a student, can look and say, ‘Oh, I’m getting a lot more than I should because the normal student has this many CVs and I have more [than the average],’” Laba said. “Or, on the flip side, to look back and say, wow, I did a really good job of getting to class and being in uniform and doing what I’m supposed to do.”

Three band students from the M period band class played “Imagine” by John Lennon while dance students performed for the holiday dance concert in the Bray Performance Hall on Dec. 2. The idea of the collaboration between these two classes came from dance teacher Glen Dawson. She mentioned the possibility of having the band accompany the dancers to upper school band teacher Dr. Doug Jordan back in October.

Upper school strings director Dr. Adrian Demian also participated and played the violin while students danced.

Dawson chose the dancers who performed for the live music based on personality and rhythm. After the selection, she matched the musical pieces with the dancers according to each dancer’s abilities.

As the band students played “Imagine,” junior Elisabeth Siegel danced in a solo performance.

“This [winter concert] was especially fun because I danced to live music,” Siegel said. “I can speak for all of the dancers in saying that we are always so thankful for Ms. Dawson’s amazing choreography and support.”

Jordan and Dawson hope that the joint band-dance concert will become an annual tradition, because it brings together the small band and dance communities. This concert also gave different types of performers the opportunity to showcase their talents in one setting.

“I think the show went very well,” Dawson said. We are already planning [a dance concert accompanied by the band] for the spring.”

By Abby Baughman Staff writer

By Elliot Lovitt Staff writer

By Emily Lichty Editor-In-Chief

ORDER UP A group of seniors grab lunch from the servery. According to a poll of 163 students, 25 percent wished that SAGE was more involved in the community. “It’s very rewarding to see the community enjoy the food everyone works so hard to prepare,” Senior Food Service Director Rebecca Compton, who is standing behind the counter, said.

Photo by Elliot Lovitt

B

y advertising their app and sending out polls to the community, SAGE Dining Services, which provides the school’s dining experience, hopes to increase community feedback and respond to the varying opinions on the food.

The Touch of SAGE app is available to students, faculty parents and teachers through the Apple App Store. SAGE nationally launched the app in 2017 but SAGE at the school has recently been encouraging community use again. The app allows users to view the upcoming lunch menu, mark their favorite meals, view upcoming events and features and contact SAGE personnel with questions and feedback.

“I feel [the app] is a very vital piece of the puzzle to understanding what the community is enjoying and what needs to be changed,” Senior Food Service Director Rebecca Compton said. “My Executive Chef and I work hard to curate a menu that will be enjoyed by everyone.

If there is a particular dish that people love or didn’t enjoy, that feedback is crucial so we can make changes.”

In addition to encouraging community members to download the app, SAGE sent out a survey in November for feedback on their services. SAGE has sent out surveys in the past, but they plan

brief NEWS

A deeper look at current events and happenings on campus

to continue these surveys regularly by sending them out every semester. The survey received 522 responses to their survey from students, faculty and parents.

According to the survey, roughly 30 percent of respondents said they agree the food is fresh and flavorful, while roughly 45 percent of respondents remained neutral.

“Our survey is designed to see how the community feels about the menu, the dining hall, the staff, and the service, as well as if they’re enjoying the food we serve,” Compton said. “It helps us understand what we’re doing right and what changes to make if necessary. We want to hear your feedback, the good and bad, so that we can make the appropriate changes and satisfy our community. You are our customers, and you are very important to us.”

SAGE Dining is a national service that provides food to schools across the country. Many other private schools in Dallas, such as Ursuline Academy, Greenhill School, St. Mark’s School of Texas, The Hockaday School and Parish Episcopal School, use SAGE Dining Services as well. However, SAGE at each school is different and customized to community needs. For example, the survey asked for the community’s favorite cuisine, to which approximately forty five percent of students

➊

➋

➌ ➊BEST BEARD After a month of growing them out, seniors Ryan Egger and Miki Nisbet win the Noshember best beard contest. ➋CHECKING IN Sophomore Easterly Yeaman checks in to school using her badge. Students who do not check in using their badge receive a CV. ➌FINAL BOW Junior Elisabeth Siegel bows after performing in the finale of the dance concert. Photos by Charlotte Tomlin, Elliot Lovitt, and Emily Lichty

News

December 10, 2021

5

Supply shortages cause Christmas delays Businesses plan for the worst, ensure that they have inventory in time for the holidays

By Katherine Mote News Editor

Illustration by Katherine Mote News Editor and Grace Worsham Life Editor

T

he holiday season is a busy time for everyone, but with this year’s worldwide supply chain complexities and inventory shortages, planning for the holiday season has been even more difficult for small business owners. Customers that are eager to spend money have started Christmas shopping almost immediately following Halloween.

The Christmas season is an important revenue generator for companies during the fourth quarter. Many businesses rely on this period for their yearly earning goals as well as growing their customer base through holiday shopping.

Like many small businesses, Nicholson-Hardie Nursery Lovers Lane and The Toy Maven in Preston Hollow have experienced delays in receiving merchandise. The key to preventing these delays was to order inventory months and months in advance.

“This year we’ve been planning for the fourth quarter since [the first quarter],” Toy Maven owner Candice Williams said. “We had companies telling us in March and April that if we wanted anything for the fourth quarter just to go ahead and order it all and receive the products, where normally you can space them out and say [you want them as time progresses, but] this year we had to take it whenever we got it because [the supplier] didn’t know when it would come.”

Luckily, The Toy Maven prepared for these in early 2021, as manufacturers warned they might

experience delays. By ordering in the spring, they hoped to receive orders far ahead of the holiday season so it wouldn’t affect sales.

And sometimes it pays off to develop a good relationship with suppliers.

“We have had some shipment shortages,” Nicholson-Hardie owner Chris Bracken said.

“Companies that we do not have a personal representative from, we have not been able to buy from. [However], companies that we have personal relationships with bend over backward to make things happen.”

These personal relationships have proven to be crucial in receiving products on time.

Even though these companies are both smaller businesses, it benefited them to have such a close relationship with their suppliers as opposed to a large conglomerate trying to both stock hundreds of store shelves and keep the Christmas sales to the high bars they are held to.

“We’re unique in the specialty toy market because we do such large orders that we have really good relationships with the manufacturers,” Williams said. “I get to go to Los Angeles every year to see Mattel’s rollout. They invite a few small retailers, but you’re there with Amazon and people all over the world.

Crates full of toys piled up outside of the back entrance of The Toy Maven store, eight or nine pallets is what they are used to seeing about twice a week. The store was full of holiday shoppers

percent of small businesses nationwide have experienced delays

39 *

and employees were actively updating and replenishing the shelves even in early November.

“We’re inundated with products, people are buying earlier and we’re bringing things out earlier,” Williams said. “Honestly this year’s sales have been through the roof with everyone back to normal seemingly but also the inventory is almost double than we normally have.”

The actual supply of the products was one issue, but additionally it became increasingly difficult to process and obtain goods on U.S. soil. With several ports being delayed for days including the port of Los Angeles, many companies have had to redirect cargo ships to ports that have the capability of holding the amount of product they are receiving.

“Some of the workhouses were shutting down overseas and container issues [became a problem because] they shot up from $4,000 to $20,000 per container,” Williams said. “[Manufacturers] would say that they knew what they had on the water now, but they didn’t know when they would have another replenishment.”

With early shipments and eager shoppers, The Toy Maven has been able to put out various holiday goods sooner than normal. Additionally, customers have returned to a state of seminormality, which has prompted them to start shopping sooner especially with continued rising inflation which is currently 6.1 percent, calculated by the

Consumer Price Index.

“We put out Christmas earlier than we ever have this year,” Bracken said. “We put it out a few weeks before Halloween and most other retailers did the same.

We knew there would be a lot of problems with shipments the closer it got to the holiday rush.

Customers, aware of the supply chain delays and smaller inventories, became proactive and started shopping for the holidays earlier than usual.

When junior Cren Boyd began shopping for Christmas presents she noticed short supply and long delivery times. This situation prompted her to begin shopping earlier in the year.

“I noticed in early Nov. that the online orders I placed were often delayed or out of stock,” Boyd said. “Because of this I started to buy presents for my family and friends earlier in hopes I could get everything before Christmas.”

Additionally, most businesses rely on fourth quarter sales to meet various deadlines for the entire year so with the holidays being the primary component of yearly sales it was even more important to plan ahead of time. Customers have taken advantage of getting the shopping for the year out of the way as well.

“Christmas and spring are our busiest times of the year,” Bracken said. “Customers [came] out of the gates for holiday shopping way earlier this year! They are shopping today like it’s a week or two until Christmas.”

percent of students that have done a majority of their Christmas shopping

“

WE HAD COMPANIES TELLING US IN MARCH AND APRIL THAT IF WE WANTED ANYTHING FOR THE FOURTH QUARTER JUST TO GO AHEAD AND ORDER. Candice Williams The Toy Maven owner

percent of students have experienced effects of shortages

25 54 **

**

Sources: * U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Business Pulse Survey, ** A Dec. 7 poll of 163 students

6 Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

Community members receive vaccines and boosters Through school hosted clinics, community members receive first doses and booster shots

By Maddy Hammett Copy Editor

F

riday, Oct. 29 marked another major change in the Covid-19 pandemic as the Food and Drug Administration authorized the administration of the PfizerBioN Tech Covid-19 vaccine in children ages 5 through 11. In the community, young children begin to receive their first doses while older community members are receiving their booster shots.

The FDA, composed of a committee of experts, overwhelmingly voted in favor of approving the vaccine. The vote was taken after a long evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of the children’s vaccine.

This vaccine, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA, would act in the exact same fashion as the adult version of the Pfizer vaccine, attacking Covid-19 proteins in the same way. The difference; however, lies in the dosage of the vaccine itself.

“This vaccine provides a broad defense against Covid-19 and effectively neutralizes the delta variant in young kids,” senior vice president of the vaccine clinical research and development at Pfizer, Dr. William Gruber, said. “A dose of Pfizer for young children contains one-third the amount of active ingredient compared to the adult dosage.”

The school hosted a vaccine clinic for children to get vaccinated on Saturday, Nov. 13.

At this clinic children dosages of the Pfizer vaccine were administered as well as booster shots for those who needed them. “[We] hosted a vaccine clinic for the ESD community, faculty, staff, alumni and anyone else who wanted to attend,” lower school nurse Carla Thomas said.

“Vaccines were available for children 5 to 11 to receive their first Pfizer vaccine, as well as children and adults to receive initial doses or boosters.”

Many in the community are relying on the vaccine clinics provided by the school to receive their boosters and children’s dosages. The vaccine clinics continue to be hosted throughout the duration of the holiday season to make sure children in the community get their second dosages.

“We’ll be doing a follow-up clinic this Saturday, Dec. 4, for our 5 to 11 year olds to get their second shots so they will have full

immunity by Dec. 18,” Thomas said . “[On] time for the Christmas Break and holidays.”

As children receive their initial doses, upper schoolers have continued their immunization process, receiving boosters through the school’s hosted clinics.

Gabe Kozielec, a senior, received his booster at a school-hosted vaccine clinic on Dec. 4 and was impressed with the school’s efficiency in the administration of the doses.

“I got my booster at the clinic ESD hosted on Saturday,” Kozielec said. “With the clinic being at ESD with people I knew, the whole process felt really efficient and I was able to get in and out super fast.”

Along with adults receiving booster shots, many adults in the community have made the decision to vaccinate their children. French and Arabic teacher Laila Kharrat, like many in the community, chose to vaccinate her children, ages 7 and 9, against Covid-19, believing it was the safest option for her family before the holidays.

“Especially this Thanksgiving, we’re spending a lot of time with family, ” Kharrat said. “So we

wanted to get the first vaccine before being with a lot of family and eventually wanted the kids to get the second dose by Christmas and New Year.”

Family gatherings and the holiday season have prompted not just children to get vaccinated.

Kozielec, like many, received his booster to continue to protect the members of his family who would be at risk for the damaging side effects of Covid-19.

“For those who can’t get the vaccine, I think it’s important that I get the vaccine for those family members who are unable to protect themselves,” Kozielec said.

“I have a couple family members who are immunocompromised and I feel much safer now having the booster. I know that as the holiday season approaches I will be able to gather with them without worrying about getting any of them sick.”

As more members of the community begin to get vaccinated, mandatory masking in the lower school could be brought into question, similar to the discourse seen previously regarding masking in the upper school. The health and safety committee for the

A legacy to remember

World on Hold

Off the Court

On Nov. 30 Josephine Baker became the first black woman, performing artist and American to be inducted into France’s Pantheon, a mausoleum dedicated to heroes.

In honor of her achievements as a civil rights activist and artist, France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, spoke out at the ceremony.

“She broke down barriers,” Macron said. “She became part of the hearts and minds of French people ... Josephine Baker, you enter the Pantheon because while you were born American, deep down there was no one more French than you.” Baker worked for the French resistance during World War II, performed for troops and acted as a spy. She believed that harmony was achievable between races and cultures. She spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, and adopted 12 children from around the world.

The world is on guard once again, trying to anticipate the effects of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron. South Africa initially identified the first cases of the strain on Nov. 24. However, the Dutch health authorities have released new information regarding the strain, indicating that it has already had time to spread around the world. The RIVM health institute said it found Omicron in samples dating from Nov. 19 and 23. Belgium and Germany have confirmed that test samples say the variant was there before South African health officials alerted the world on Nov. 24. It is still uncertain whether or not Omicron is going to have the same effect as the first Covid-19 wave, but countries are preparing regardless.

On Dec. 1, The Women’s Professional Tennis announced that all tournaments scheduled to take place in China were suspended due to the uncertain treatment and whereabouts of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. Shuai retreated from public life after publicly accusing a top Communist Party leader in China of sexual assault. The WTA’s decision is the first push back against China’s authoritarian government by a worldwide organization. Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO, said, “If powerful people can suppress the voices of women and sweep allegations of sexual assault under the rug, then the basis on which the WTA was founded – equality for women – would suffer an immense setback. I will not and cannot let that happen to the WTA and its players.”

Illustration by Maddy Hammett Copy Editor community is currently discussing the possibility of transitioning to a mask-optional lower school.

“The Health & Safety Committee is optimistic that the wide availability of the vaccine will encourage parents to immunize their children so that masks can move to a recommended and not required position when we return in January,” Thomas said.

“Masking and high vaccination rates still remain the best preventative measures in fighting this pandemic and moving us to an endemic status.”

Although the possibility of becoming mask-optional in the lower school is uncertain. One thing is certain in the community; children are getting their first doses and many are receiving their boosters.

“Dr. Sadeh and his staff administered 130 vaccines at the clinic, with approximately 110 of those being vaccines for those children 5 to 11 years old,” Thomas said. “Other parents have been getting their children vaccinated at local pharmacies such as CVS or Walgreens, at allergy physician’s offices and some pediatrician’s offices.”

around THE WORLD A quick overview of international events you should know

By Satori Griffith Photo Editor

FRENCH FAME French president Emmanuel Macron stands in front of cenotaph of Josephine Baker.

Baker enters the pantheon honoring her fight in the French Resistance and battle against racism. (Sarah Meyysonnier/pool/ APF/Getty Images/TNS) OMNICRON Scanning of electron micrograph of a cell heavily infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus particles captures at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in 2020 (NIAID via ZUMA Wire/TNS) BACKHAND China’s shuai Peng plays abackhand during her Women’s Doubles match in the first round of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan. 23, 2020, in Melbourne, Australia. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images/TNS)

News

December 10, 2021

7

Teen driving marks freedom, stress Community’s’ view on accidents and independence from earning license

By Elisabeth Siegel Life Editor

H

eart pounding, hands sweating and stomach churning, sophomore Caroline Prestidge takes the wheel at the Department of Motor Vehicles for her driving test.

It is the day she’s been waiting for, the day marking a new stage of independence. She can’t wait to drive on her own for the first time.

There are many students who itch to get their license the moment they turn 16. Going to the DMV and receiving the freedom of their new plastic card becomes a right of passage.

“I got my license and my car on the same day, May 1,” Prestidge said. “I like driving, even though I do get stressed when I’m driving.”

However, not all teens are able to sit behind the wheel.

Some aren’t able to drive due to physical limitations. For sophomore Cole Spence, colorblindness and nearsightedness have been a huge obstacle.

“At times I am disappointed, but I have learned to rely on people to drive me everywhere,” Spence said. “Once I am older I should be able to drive if I have the right equipment. I have already taken a test to see if I am eligible to learn, and I passed, so it’s just a matter of time.”

Another limitation to teenage drivers is the fear of crashing.

Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of death for teens in the U.S. According to a Dec. 7 poll of 163 students, 26

RULES OF THE ROAD SAFETY TIPS

percent have been in an accident while driving. After experiencing these accidents, many parents’ and young drivers’ attitudes toward driving have shifted.

However, after receiving her license, sophomore Cara Lichty soon realizes driving was not everything she had been hoping for.

“I was always a careful driver, and I was excited to pass my test on the first try,” Lichty said. “I was excited to be able to spend more time with friends without my parents waiting on me. Though I was always a careful driver, I was never scared by driving, and I was definitely excited for this new stage of independence.”

Soon after getting her license, Lichty got a new Volkswagen Tiguan SUV. But, in the beginning of September, her hopes were shattered in a car accident on Royal Lane and Welch Rd. Since then, she has not been able to drive.

“I tried driving with my mom in the car once and it was too much too soon, and I have not been able to try since,” Lichty said. “I have replaced my car, but I can barely even handle riding in the car with someone else driving, let alone depending on myself for the safety of myself and others.”

Once Lichty gets back on the roads, she plans on modifying the routes she takes to make them as simple and safe as possible. She has also spent time with her mother, Jenny Lichty, learning tips on how to better detect drivers going over the speed limit.

“We aren’t pushing her to drive soon, but when she feels comfortable, we will support her,” Lichty said. “I was nervous about my kids driving, but I think that learning to drive is an important part of growing up. We have several adult family members who never learned to drive, and I have seen the negative impact that [it] has had on their lives.”

Some students, even without having been a perpetrator in an accident, don’t drive at all due to fear. Junior Bridget Wang, who is 16, has put off getting her license.

“I have my permit and I’ve tried driving, but I found out that I’m not particularly good at it,” Wang said. “I’m working on it, but it’s a struggle for me personally. It makes me very anxious because there are just so many things to think about. I’m working on it but it’s a process.”

Wang is not alone. The same student poll reveled that 28 percent of students experience anxiety while driving, while 38 percent feel confident steering.

Car accidents are common among teenagers. According to the CDC, the risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among teens aged 16-19 than among any other age group. And TeenDriverSource.org said that most newly licensed teens have significant skill deficits and a higher risk of crashing compared to more experienced drivers. They also said that the most common crashes teens are involved in are left turns, rear-end events and

running off the road.

ESD parent Dr. Matthew Lovitt works as a trauma surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center and takes care of many patients with car accident related injuries.

Head injuries are a common effect of accidents, but there are also patients with punctured lungs, broken bones or liver and spleen lacerations. Many car accidents also result in death. “[Car accidents] are one of our biggest sources of patients,” Lovitt said. “One of the biggest problems that we see is distracted driving. If you’re texting, you’re about 20 times more likely to be in a car crash. When you’re texting, your eyes are off the road for an average of about five seconds. In that period of time, you can travel the length of a football field.”

While driving can be stressful, there are many ways one can prevent accidents by driving defensively, Lovitt said. As not only a doctor but also as a parent, Lovitt emphasizes the importance of safe driving to his patients and children.

“I think all parents, though you don’t have to be a trauma surgeon, are a little nervous and concerned when their kids start driving,” Lovitt said. “We’ve always emphasized to not text when you’re driving. If it’s that important, just pull over and [send]the text. It’s very nerve wracking as a parent, especially doing what I do, and knowing what can happen out there.”

Limit the number of passengers in your vehicle; they can be just as distracting as devices. According to the National Safety Council, even having one teen passenger can increase a young person’s crash risk by 44 percent.

Don’t look at your phone while driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving increases a teen’s risk of crashing by 23 percent.

Never drink and drive. In addition to risking their lives, teens can be arrested for driving under the influence.

“

THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS THAT WE SEE IS DISTRACTED DRIVING. IF YOU’RE TEXTING, YOU’RE ABOUT 20 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO BE IN A CAR CRASH. Dr. Matthew Lovitt Trauma surgeon

Maintain a car maintenance checklist. According to Allstate Insurance, to avoid unexpected breakdowns and incidents on the road, know when to change oil, what certain warning lights mean, how to check tire pressure and tread, how to check your lights and brakes and more.

CAR EXHAUSTION While driving can be exciting, many new drivers may suffer from underlying stress and fear of accidents. “I definitely struggled with anxiety related to driving when I first began, but as I’ve gotten more experience I’ve become more confident,” junior Ashley Stacy said. Photo by Elisabeth Siegel

8 Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

life Consumers debate company morals Students refrain shopping at places that do not align with their values

By Olivia Hohmann Social Media Manager

A

s junior Kate Battaglia shops her friend’s small clothing business, she can not help but feel happy as she knows that she will be supporting a business that uses safe labor practices, unlike large corporations who do not and provide dangerous working conditions and long hours to their workers.

For years, popular brands such as Shein, Chick-Fil-A, Apple, Microsoft and H&M have all received negative attention in the A LOT OF DAILY SHOPS media for a variety of reasons individual THAT PEOPLE USE to the companies CONTRIBUTE TO CHILD themselves. Some of these companies LABOR. I THINK THAT have been criticized MORE PEOPLE NEED TO for supporting controversial BE AWARE OF THESE organizations, SITUATIONS.” while others have Kate Battaglia been revealed as contributing to Junior exploitative working practices. Oftentimes, people overlook these factors, as these issues do not directly affect them, but others refuse to support the brand when their values do not align with the business’ values. There has been a shift towards more local brands as people have begun to support businesses that use healthy labor practices and are smaller.

“I believe that everyone is aware of what fast fashion is but I don’t think half of these people are aware of the actual brands that support it, use child labor and unsafe labor practices” said Battaglia. “A lot of daily shops that people use, contribute to child labor. I think that more people need to be aware of these situations. People should definitely become more educated on the topic.”

Chick-Fil-A’s crispy, tender chicken is irresistible to some, but because the business’ values

“

do not align well with everyone, some would rather make their own chicken or go somewhere else to eat. According to a Dec. 7 poll of 163 students, 93 percent of them said they eat Chick-Fil-A. The Chick-Fil-A CEO, Dan Cathy, has a long history of donating to charities that support anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. Although the company released a statement in 2020 about changing its ways and not supporting any charities that have anti-LGBTQ+ stances, some still don’t feel comfortable eating at the fast food chain. And Battaglia is one of them.

“I do not buy from ChickFil-A, as the owner of Chick-Fil-A donates to Anti-LGBTQ+ charities,” Battaglia said. “[One of the charities] the CEO donates to is called the Heritage Organization, which is an organization that directly contributes to conversion therapy. I know that it is the owner of the company that is donating the money and not the company, but the money that I spend at Chick-Fil-A is going to the owner’s company, so I don’t feel like it’s right for me to contribute [to] something like that.”

Sophomore Makenna Harvey views giving money to Chick-Fil-A money as supporting the workers and the franchise operators more than supporting the CEO. The Chick-Fil-A employees are kind hearted and say “My pleasure” at the end of every order. She wants to support the employees’ warmth and the extraordinarily delicious and crispy chicken sandwiches.

“The crispy Chick-Fil-A sandwich definitely qualifies as one of my favorite foods,” Harvey said. “The food at Chick-Fil-A along with the nice staff makes me want to support the franchise. I see giving money to the company as supporting the employees rather than the owner of the brand.”

Another company that some people boycott is Shein, a fastfashion online clothing company, many believe that they have unjust working conditions.

According to the BBC, many of the Shein factories in China have

been known for using informal workplaces that included barred windows as well as no emergency exits. These factories are where the majority of their forced labor workers work for little to no wage.

The majority of their clothes are created with synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon, which do not decay. The World Bank believes that the fast fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions will surge more than 50 percent by 2030 if these businesses continue to produce items at this fast rate.

“I’ve done a lot of research on fast fashion organizations by reading articles especially from CNN, and I am just not able to support these companies as child labor is cruel,” Battaglia said. “I’ve tried to encourage my family as much as I can and try to stop them from supporting these businesses. For example, whenever I see my sister looking on those websites, I try to help her find better brands that are more environmentally friendly.”

The brand has also been known to be culturally insensitive. On July 3 of 2020 Shein received backlash for their “Fringe Trim Greek Fret Carpet” which resembled Muslim prayer mats. Forbes called out the brand as some of the mats included religious images of Kaaba.

On July 5 of 2020 the brand apologized, but many feel that the apology is not enough. Less than a week later the company received more backlash, but this time for their swastika necklace.

The company claimed that it was a Buddhist swastika, but people were still hurt by the fact that the company was not sensitive to the history of the swastika, a symbol used by Nazi Germany.

“I don’t like how they treat their workers and how they use forced labor,” sophomore Margaret Shirey said. “Also the brand has been known for creating different religiously insensitive items such as making a swastika necklace. The brand has apologized for creating these items, but I still just can not support a brand that

Graphic by Olivia Hohmann Social Media Manager

creates culturally insensitive products and sells them without thinking twice. The brand did not apologize until they received backlash. Also, the quality of the clothes is extremely low.”

Many stores are working towards providing more environmentally friendly products and safer work spaces for their employees. Some people, like Shirey, believe that instead of supporting large fast fashion companies, people should shop more locally.

“I would rather support more local businesses that don’t use forced labor. I feel like people should always know where their clothes and accessories come from and if they don’t know the full process, then it’s just that they don’t know the whole story.”

According to the World Wildlife Fund, in the past five years, the popularity of internet searches for sustainable goods around the world has increased by 71 percent.

More and more people are wanting to support sustainable goods and small businesses. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and many more are big supporters of small businesses. These celebrities often post and promote small businesses through their social media platforms. Local Dallas designer Abi Ferrin founded the Love and Freedom Project which focuses on well being, as well as teaching women who were in abusive relationships how to sew so that they can start their own businesses or find work somewhere else.

“I am a big advocate for small businesses as I know that these owners are putting everything they have into their business,” Ferrin said. “I founded the Love and Freedom Project to not only give back to the community but I was a part of an abusive relationship, and I remember how hard it was for me to get back on my feet afterwards. I want to help these women so that they can be independent. The majority of these people go on to start their own businesses, and I always support them as I know how hard they are working.”

Many businesses are working towards providing a positive and loving environment. These places are more focused on the well being of the consumer than larger companies are. One company in particular that is working towards making a positive impact on the world is La La Land. The owner of the business, Francois Reihani, is committed towards hiring young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. He is hoping to bring awareness to this subject, as well as create a welcoming and happy environment for his customers. The store’s colors are white and yellow, both to represent peace and happiness.

“I love going to La La Land as I love the vibes of the place,” Shirley said. “It is just filled with so much positivity. I love these smaller businesses that really focus on good vibes. The employees of these places are always so much more helpful and nice as I feel they value the business more than large companies.”

News

🎉 👀🙏 😂

December 10, 2021

9

Emojis provide a language without words

❤ 😢

The rise of emoticons allows users to add a deeper meaning to online messages

By Gina Montagna Editor-in-Chief

B

🤗💕 🙋

efore junior Marguerite Davis hits send, her finger hovers over the keyboard. She pauses, debating which emoji to send along with her text. She clicks on the yellow heart three times, her signature emoji, before hitting send. Whether it is a smiley face or a sun, emojis are a constant addition to any text Davis sends.

Since the creation of the emoji in 1999, these pixelated shapes have evolved into more than just a way of expressing emotion.

Emojis are now considered their own language, constantly evolving in meaning and purpose just like phrases or idioms. With the rise of Generation Z, people born between 1997 and 2021, and their increased usage of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, emojis are becoming a new way of communicating and can mean different things for various age groups.

“I feel like emojis express a little more fun in the conversation and are a visual representation of what you’re trying to say,” Davis said.

“I use emojis because I love using them. [Emojis] make a text less boring and using [them] comes naturally.”

The word emoji is a combination

of word, picture and character in Japanese. The first emoji was created by Shigetaka Kurita, which was a heart made in a 12 by 12 pixel box. Now, there are 3,961 emojis on Apple products that range from a simple happy face to a burrito. Currently, the most used emoji on Twitter is the laughing crying face, having been used close to 3.5 billion times. For most people, the wide array of emojis allow them to share specific ideas as well as give a visual symbol as to what they are feeling.

“I’m like an emoji junkie,” French and Arabic teacher Laila Kharrat said. “I love emojis. I think when you start texting in any fashion, things can be lost in translation in terms of the emotion behind what you are saying. [I use emojis] to round out what I’m saying and make sure that the feeling behind [the text] is conveyed.”

Humans often seek visual manners of expressing themselves, and emojis have developed into the most convenient way to communicate emotion, whether in-person or not. Questions have arisen as to whether emojis stem from hieroglyphs or ancient forms of communication. Although these symbols can be seen as a contemporary version of ancient visual communication, emojis lack the proper context and meaning to establish a fully-fledged language,

according to linguists Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne.

The results of a Dec. 7 poll of 163 participants showed that 69 percent of students believe emojis are their own language.

“We’re visual creatures,” Kharrat said. “Go back to cavemen drawing symbols or rivers and waves. Hieroglyphs [were] a symbolic language that replaces or was a precursor for all texts, where each symbol has many meanings. I see emojis as a modern version of that. I don’t know that [emojis] could ever replace [text] to a point where you can string together so many emojis to make words.”

With technology and social media becoming a more standard form of communication, emojis have become embedded in our daily lives. According to The Guardian, technology has facilitated the wide usage of emojis in text, giving “us a way to enrich the text-based medium. Just as facial expressions and gestures are intrinsic to our face-to-face conversations, it’s easy for us to use emojis in our electronic conversations to fulfill some of the same functions.”

These simple digital facial expressions can help reinforce the tone or true meaning behind a text, which can often get lost without inperson contact.

“If I’m trying to tell you what I’m feeling or my facial expression

of what it would be like if I were right there with you, sometimes [just words] miss the mark,” English teacher Tolly Salz said.

“When we think about emotions that we’re feeling, or how we want to respond, we are anticipating how we will communicate. That has become second nature now, to use a symbol of some sort to communicate [emotion] to somebody else.”

Gen-Z’s promotion of trends has displayed the misinterpretation of certain emojis across generations.

According to the Wall Street Journal, newer generations are giving emojis a more sarcastic or ironic meaning, while older generations stick with what the emoji is literally representing.

Teenagers and young adults often replace a laughing emoji with a skull or a crying emoji, indicating the extreme reaction of laughter.

While older generations might interpret these emojis more literally, understanding the skull as death and the crying face as sadness.

“The tools that we use to communicate, emojis being one, are evolving,” Salz said. “The way that I, as a mom, might use an emoji versus the way that my son might interpret that emoji, there’s going to be that cross communication. As a result of that, there will be new meaning associated [with it].”

TEXTING WITH A SMILE The emojis displayed in the graphic are all within the global top 100 most used emojis. The laughing-crying face being the most used, closely followed by the red heart, according to the Unicode Consortium. The top 10 emojis used worldwide have widely remained the same since 2019. Illustration

by Gina Montagna

This alteration in meaning is another way in which emojis act like a form of language. Just as there are cliche phrases, there can be “cliche” emojis, like the laughing-crying emoji. Many teens have found themselves explaining to parents or millennials the hidden and cliche meanings behind certain emojis. The same student poll revealed that 57 percent of students think that the laughingcrying emoji is cringey, while 33 percent do not.

“At first I was like ‘oh my god’ I can’t use [the laughing crying emoji] because it’s not cool,” Kharrat said. “Because I laugh until I cry when something is so funny, so that emoji is perfect for me. When I found out that wasn’t cool, I was like ‘how is it not cool?’

It is hilarious and accurate. It was one of my favorite emojis for the longest time, and I still use it.”

As new emojis continue to become a part of the phone’s keyboard, their evolving meanings and interpretations may not be a language of their own, but they do play a significant role in how modern society communicates.

“I don’t think they’re going to replace words,” Salz said. “We have to make sure we’re giving kids language and the right tools to communicate. We’ve got to practice more. Too often our [communication] is via technology as opposed to face to face.”

Teenagers learn responsibility with debit cards Debit cards become popular among students, some question their purpose

By Alexandra Warner Views Editor

I

t seems that every high schooler has a debit card today. Buying food? Debit card. Investing in a shirt?

Debit card. Getting gas? Debit card.

When a student enters high school, there are many notable responsibilities they gain. The goal is for them to learn life lessons that will help them in and after college. One of these responsibilities can be receiving a debit card from their parents.

With the card, high schoolers can conveniently pay for gas, food, clothes and other necessities without asking their parents for cash.

One high schooler who received a debit card last summer was freshman Sophie Stager.

“I got my debit card over the summer when I went to Florida with my friend, and I needed money but not cash,” Stager said.

“I now use my debit card when I go out to dinner with friends or when I shop at stores in the mall like Lululemon.”

Similarly, junior Corbin Lane has had her debit card since seventh grade and realizes the accountability she must have when owning a debit card. It is not only convenient for her, but she believes that it teaches lessons that she will use later in life.

“Number one, it gives us responsibility because we have to make sure we don’t lose our card and also, it’s just easier to keep up with than wads of cash,” Lane said. “It also teaches you how to save and budget because later we will use credit cards, and we will be able to see our balances. I am a lot more cautious with my debit card because I don’t want to spend a lot of money on unnecessary things.”

Another big responsibility is making sure the debit card is always kept in a safe place. If the debit card is stolen or lost, someone could make unauthorized purchases; this becomes complicated because the owner has to cancel the card and prove to the bank that the purchases were unauthorized. Senior Anna Baranski’s debit card was stolen in the summer of 2019.

“I lost my debit card when I was with my friends in Colorado at dinner,” Baranski said. “I called my dad and he said there were four more charges on it, so someone was clearly buying things with it.

I was freaking out, but it was OK because my dad canceled the card, and I got a new one. I haven’t lost my card since.”

According to Next Gen Personal Finance, 40 percent of Generation-Z from the age of 13-17 have debit cards. And according to an Eagle Edition poll of 163 students, 81 percent have debit

cards, 59.9 percent of students having received them during high school. This reveals that parents begin to consider giving their kid’s debit cards at the beginning of high school.

“Your kid is going to be using plastic eventually, so getting them started on using a debit card while they’re still under your roof is a really good idea,” Liz Weston, a personal finance writer, wrote on her NerdWallet column. “It’s sort of like providing them with training wheels for learning how financial transactions work.”

Parents have also found that giving their kids debit cards has its benefits. However, sometimes parents worry that teenagers won’t be responsible with their money.

“Debit cards can be good or bad when it comes to managing money, but it depends on the limits we set as parents,” ESD parent Giselle Montagna said. “It is convenient, and it teaches kids to not spend too much; however, if they spend all their money, they won’t learn [for]when they’re older.”

Some high schoolers haven’t received a debit card from their parents or don’t want one.

Freshman Cheney Mathes thinks it’s unreasonable for her to have a debit card because it’s a lot of responsibility to have one, so she asks her parents for cash instead.

“It doesn’t bother me that I don’t have [a debit card] because if I am going out with friends or

Illustration by Alexandra Warner Views Editor and Maddy Hammet Copy Editor somewhere where I need to pay for food I just ask my parents for money,” Mathes said. “I’m also OK with not having one because I might lose it. I just don’t really need one right now.”

Although not owning a debit card comes with little responsibility, Mathes has also come to realize some of the cons whether she is out with friends or needs to buy food or necessities.

“If I’m ever with friends, and I don’t have money with me I usually ask my friends to pay for me,” Mathes said. “Sometimes I feel like it’s a hassle for them but they’re always fine with it and my

parents pay them back through Venmo. At times a debit card seems convenient but I’m fine without one.”

Although students like Mathes choose to not have a card, ultimately, parents are the common denominator when deciding to get kids their own card.

“When you talk to your kids, [before they get a debit card], about money and about being responsible you figure out when they’re ready for a debit card,” Montagna said. “Eventually kids will learn to value money and understand what they should buy and what they shouldn’t buy.”

Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

hallway

By Sloane Hope Business Manager

Vishal Shridhar ‘22

10

“

chatter

A compilation of the most interesting and hilarious out of context conversations overheard at school

I LIKE TO SPEND MY STUDY HALLS IN MR. BEIDEL’S M PERIOD MATH CLASS, SO ONE DAY I WAS IN THERE AND HE GOT MAD ABOUT MY BEARD. HE TOLD ME TO GO GET A SHAVING KIT FROM HIS OFFICE, SO I DID AND THEN CAME BACK AND SAT DOWN. HE LOOKED AT ME AND TOLD ME TO GO SHAVE MY BEARD. AT FIRST I THOUGHT HE WAS JOKING, BUT HE WAS NOT. SO I ENDED UP SHAVING IT OFF IN THE SCHOOL BATHROOM. I LEFT THE MUSTACHE BUT HE WAS FINE WITH THAT.

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“OH NO! OUR BUSINESS GOT HACKED.” “WELL AT LEAST WE DIDN’T GET HIT BY ANOTHER VOLCANO.” Maxim Jovanovic ‘23 Cash Whiteman ‘22

“Some people “One year, the AC in my classroom was broken and I thought they just needed a new battery or somehting to fix it. Imagine my surpise when I’m sitting in my office and see a helicopter outside my window carrying a whole new AC unit!”

Cathy Civello Upper School English Teacher

aren’t born, they’re just made. They’re bots in the simulation.

”

Jack Scott ‘22

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I don’t walk, I wheely chair in this class.

Maddy Hammett ‘22

“We were throwing around Christmas ideas at a student council meeting, and I volunteered to dress up as Santa because I already had a suit and everyone said I’d be a perfect fit. Basically, I just walked around and handed out candy canes at lunch.

Whenever anyone would say “Hey, John!” I would tell them “I’m not John, I’m Santa Claus!” It was a really great experience because the suit belonged to my grandfather who passed away during Covid.

He would wear the suit and pass out presents at an orphanage. It was really nice to be able to make people smile like he did.”

John Schindel ‘26 Photos by Sloane Hope

Life

December 10, 2021

11

e C r RA u t

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cul

A variety of the top trending pop culture phenomena compiled

by Life Editors Elisabeth Siegel and Grace Worsham

Students follow unwritten community expectations

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ALL TOO WELL “On Nov. 12, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released the second re-recorded version of her 2012 album “Red” through Republic Records, as part of her mission to regain ownership of her own music. The original had only 16 tracks while the new version has 30 tracks due to the addition of previously unreleased songs that didn’t make the original cut.

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Virgil Abloh, a leading designer in the world of streetwear and high couture, died at the age of 41 from cancer.

He was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear as well as the founder of his own brand, Off-White.

Abloh strived to challenge artistic barriers and gender norms through his looks, which successfully led him to the top of the luxury fashion world.

“Saturday Night Live” comedian Pete Davidson and socialite Kim Kardashian’s relationship was officially confirmed by a source to E! News. Rumors regarding the budding romance began circulating after the pair was spotted holding hands on a ride at Knott’s Scary Farm in California, shortly after Kardashian hosted an episode of “SNL.”

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LAST TWEET Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO of the network and was immediately replaced with CTO Parag Agrawal, who has worked for the company for over 10 years. Dorsey explained that he believed the social network needed to “move on from its founders.” Dorsey was criticized by investors and other social media leaders for failing to control the spread of harmful content and misinformation.

ASTROWORLD ATROCITY A crowd surge at rapper Travis Scott’s musical festival “Astroworld” on Nov. 5 ended in the death of nine spectators.

Many concertgoers collapsed, fought for air, got trampled and pleaded for the concert to stop. It finally ended a whole 40 minutes after city officials declared it a mass casualty event.

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By Iris Hernandez Staff writer

LASTING LEGACY

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

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Unspoken rules recognized

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s juniors and sophomores become squished in the stands, they turn to the freshmen to move further up to create more space.

The upperclassmen begin to yell “Move back,” yet the freshman look around debating whether to follow the unspoken rules and be judged, or to comply and wait until they become upperclassmen and repeat the cycle.

Unwritten rules dictate many aspects of school life. Even though teachers have official rules to enforce, students and faculty alike follow and respect unspoken school rules or traditions.

“A big [rule] that I [have] is not wanting our students walking around with earbuds in,” Assistant Head of Upper School Jeff Laba said.

“It’s not written anywhere in the handbook. To me, it is just a matter of politeness.”

Students often have their own special privileges based on grade level. The written rules involve lunch and uniform privileges, but the unwritten rules have benefits as well.

“My favorite unspoken rule, which is definitely not as intimidating, is the implicit understanding of respect between grades,” junior Amelia Sinwell said. “If the underclassmen continue to heed and consider the upperclassmen, a mutual bond of respect rises between the grades.”

This idea of unspoken rules has been at the school for a very long time. As the years have gone by, the rules change and new ones are added.

“During my time as a student, I remember that we were able to wear either Doc Marten shoes or saddle oxfords,” alumna and Assistant Director of Admissions Megan Schroeder said.

“An unspoken rule when I was a student was that seniors could wear Birkenstocks as their shoes.”

These unspoken rules have become traditions that are passed down from upperclassman to underclassman.

“As an underclassman, I always watched the upperclassmen enforce these ‘unspoken rules,’ and I couldn’t wait to be a junior so that I could be at the top, and I am assuming becoming a senior is even more exciting,” junior Lyles Etcheverry said. “Becoming an upperclassman is almost like gaining a new status and you can’t wait to show it off. It is insanely fun.”

Most of the unwritten rules are specific to high school. When entering high school as a freshman, many feel there is a large transition between middle and upper school.

“It is very exciting being ‘new’ to upper school because it’s a whole different “level” from middle school,” freshman Sophia Sardina said. “You have this new found sense of responsibility and you feel more grown-up to sort of speak.”

Sports teams are filled with unwritten rules, whether it’s cheer, football or cross country.

All of these teams have special rules that cater

to seniors and upperclassmen to give them an added level of comfort.

“On bus rides to away games, the [senior] cheerleaders get their own row of seats to space out,” senior Gia Maioriello said. “It’s kind of an unspoken rule of respect and everyone just knows that only seniors can do it.”

Other rules have to do with the hard tasks, like carrying equipment, waiting for water or getting bad bus seats. These tasks often fall to the freshman.

“The underclassmen usually carry the cooler and other equipment,” senior Reid Moorman said. “[When I became an upperclassmen] I was very excited to not have to carry the cross country tent anymore.”

Unspoken rules are not only in the playing aspects of sports. In the student section, upper schoolers divide by grade level, with freshmen in the back and seniors in the front encouraging school spirit.

“I think one unspoken IF THE rule at football games UNDERCLASSMEN is that you have to be loud,” Sinwell said. “If CONTINUE you’re in your school’s TO HEED AND student section, you should cheer as loud CONSIDER THE as possible, no matter UPPERCLASSMEN, what.”

Sibling relationships A MUTUAL BOND aid in keeping these OF RESPECT RISES rules alive. Etcheverry has an older sister, Elle, BETWEEN THE who graduated in 2021.

GRADES. “Having an older sister in high school as an underclassman was very fun, and I think she and her Amelia Sinwell friends enforcing these Junior “unspoken rules” even more made it fun for me,” Etcheverry said.

“Whenever they would enforce it, I almost felt included and welcomed into high school.”

Unspoken rules are in every aspect of school life, including chapel.

“It has always been an unspoken rule that your class does not stand up at the end of chapel until the grade above yours has left,” Etcheverry said. “It has always been that way and frowned upon when broken.”

While unspoken rules seem to be only positives for upperclassmen, Sardina sees things a bit differently.

“In certain cases the student section is fun and exciting like at football games,” Sardina said. “Other times it’s a bit scary getting yelled (in a funny way) at by upperclassmen for not being in theme.”

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COMING OUT ON TOP

Colton Underwood, former “Bachelor” star in 2019, came out as gay in April in an interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America.” A new Netflix series may shed more light on his story.

“Coming Out Colton” arrived on Netflix on Dec. 3 and features six episodes.

Colton wants the show to share that coming out can be a gift.

CHA CHA CHAMPIONS After an intense dance battle between four couples, basketball player Iman Shumpert and his professional dance partner Daniella Karagach were crowned the winners of the TV show “Dancing With the Stars.” Along with winning the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy, Shumpert made history as the first-ever basketball player to make it to the finale.

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Graphic by Elisabeth Siegel Life Editor

12 Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

arts

MIXED MEDIA

Up for display Film teacher opens first solo art exhibit, gains support from community

By Kara Dross Web Editor Additional reporting by Emily Lichty and Gina Montagna Editors-in-Chief

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cool evening breeze enters the spacious art studio through large double doors. A blue and pink sunset shines through the studio’s windows, providing a soft light for the collection of vibrant paintings hanging on the wall.

Groups of students and faculty stroll around the studio, imagining which painting they would hang on their walls at home. Upper school film teacher Bobby Weiss looks around at the members of his community I’VE LONG gathered around ADMIRED HIS his masterpieces and takes in the ART. I THINK culmination of his I TEACH NEXT hard work. After almost a year and DOOR TO A a half of planning, GENIUS. WE’RE Weiss is finally SO FORTUNATE able to present his own art exhibition, TO HAVE “TECHNE,” in the SOMEONE WITH TIN art district.

Weiss’ passion HIS ABILITY for creating art TO TEACH OUR started early in his life. He has been STUDENTS. painting since he was a kid.

“I remember I Cathy Civello was winning little English Teacher art contests in elementary school. I really started to take it seriously though when I considered going to the Arts Magnet High School. My uncle was an artist, and I would spend afternoons with him learning a little about oil painting and acrylic painting and drawing. I then put together a portfolio to apply to the school. Once I got into the school, that changed my life.”

After Weiss got into the Arts Magnet High School, he and his

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FINISHING PRODUCT Bobby Weiss stands in front of the opening entrance to his solo art exhibit, TECHNE. • Seniors Mary Grace Altizer, Emily Lichty and Dani Nisbet and Junior Elizabeth Siegel stand with Bobby Weiss for a picture from the exhibit on opening night. “It was very interesting to see a different side of [Weiss’] work,“ Siegel said. Photos provided by Bobby Weiss and Emily Lichty.

mother moved from Galveston so he could attend the art school.

From that moment on, Weiss has continued to incorporate art into his everyday life. Weiss continued his studies at the Maryland Institute of Art and then later on continued to graduate school at Syracuse University.

Middle school art teacher Elizabeth Wilson curates art shows and runs the social media for the TIN District, an artists’ quarter in West Dallas with galleries and art studios. The TIN District was formerly an industrial area that now houses art spaces for contemporary artists in Dallas.

When Wilson learned of an opportunity for an artist to display their work, she reached out to Weiss to discuss the possibility.

“I have a studio down in the TIN District,” Wilson said.

“There are lots of studios that are used to display art now because they have really open spacing.

When one of them had recently just been refitted, I was asked if I knew anyone that would be interested in having a show in space. I immediately thought of Bobby’s work. I knew I could do a really good job of giving him a solo show since he has a lot of finished work. From there it was a matter of introducing Mr. Weiss to Mr. McGregor, the owner.”

Together Weiss and Wilson began the planning process of making the gallery come to life.

They were given the freedom to do what they wanted with the space, which allowed them to work hands on to turn a blank studio into a creative and eye-drawing space. Together, Wilson and Weiss created a vintage set using carpet they had found and old fashion chairs that went with Weiss’ theme of the show.

“It gave a little point of interest as well as space for people who wanted to sit down and view the art from that viewpoint,” Wilson said. “At the start, people were

unsure whether or not they could sit on the chairs, so I would go up and sit on them so people would see and think like ‘Oh, I can sit here!’. We also had to make sure that we had nice music to play, lots of beverages, and good lighting. It’s all of those things that go into it.”

The main theme for the pop up was focusing on Weiss’ figurative work. His work displayed is based around Greek and Hellenistic statuary. The show, TECHNE, opened on the night of Nov. 13 and runs through Dec. 16.

“It was amazing,” Weiss said.

“I’d say overall, we had around 400 people come through opening night. So it was a really incredible event. There is a lot that goes into making a show happen behind the scenes. I am really grateful that it all worked out.”

Students and faculty showed their support for Weiss and attended the show on opening night. They got to view all of his artwork. Upper school English teacher Dr. Cathy Civello was one of many faculty members who attended the show. Civello’s classroom is right next to Weiss’ in the Frank Building, allowing her to watch many of Weiss’ paintings come to life over the last few years.

“I think I teach next door to a genius,” Civello. “We’re so fortunate to have someone of his ability teach our students. They can watch a real artist in action and get the very best guidance on their work. Mr. Weiss’ work appeals to me because he seems to combine the timelessness of the classical with the timelessness of the contemporary.”

Junior Elisabeth Siegel, who is on the FAN board at ESD working as the dance student leader, also attended the exhibit on opening night with a group of students from ESD. “Being on the FAN board, we really try to support arts all around ESD,” Siegel said. “This includes supporting faculty and staff as well.

In a meeting I heard about Mr. Weiss’ show and was really excited to see it. There was this one piece of work I saw at the show that stuck out to me the most. It was very confusing, and it took me a while to understand the meaning of it, which is why I liked it so much. It drew me in so much more. I also did not know Mr. Weiss did visual paintings. I only knew Mr. Weiss as a film teacher, so it was very interesting to see a different side of his work.”

Many teachers also found favorite pieces within Weiss’ exhibition. History and English teachers Marc and Tolly Salz discovered three paintings that particularly stuck with them. By the end of the night, they had decided on a one and ended up purchasing the painting.

“We’ve wanted to purchase one of his paintings for some time now,” Tolly said. “We adore Bobby and are in awe of him and his work, and this piece in particular.

When Mr. Weiss told me that a goal of his was to have his artwork featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art one day, I told him that we would be happy to loan them this painting for their exhibit.”

Both Marc and Tolly felt as though they had struck gold with the piece they bought, especially since they had always talked about buying one of Weiss’ paintings.

“The painting was filled with color and so evocative,” Marc said. “I realized I could study the strokes, colors, depth and content for years and never get to the bottom of it.”

But, while to many, the exhibit might seem like just art on the wall, to Weiss is much more than that.

“It was a great way to showcase my work,” Weiss said. “And I hadn’t ever seen it all together like it was in the studio, so it was kind of an interesting way for me to look back on my career.”

December 10, 2021

Arts

13

meet

the

cri ics

A compilation of staff and community opinions of recent art and culture phenomena, highlighting a specific piece of media, events, films, collections, performances and music.

A December to Remember Students and staff find holiday spirit by attending Christmas performances

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s the curtains open to a beautiful stage covered in Christmas decorations, I can’t help but feel the spirit of the season. “The Nutcracker’’ was written in 1892 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The story is about a girl, Clara, who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve and battles against the evil Mouse King. People love to watch this performance as it puts them in the Christmas spirit. It is a true Christmas classic; almost every ballet studio performs the piece during the holiday season. Each studio has their own creative costumes and decorations, which help to make the stage and story come to life. The women’s costumes contain either a skirt or a tutu and are decorated with materials like sequins and lace. The set decorations are also spectacular and truly make you feel like you are a part of the performance. There are a variety of different backgrounds, including the Christmas party and the snowy forest. I always love watching this ballet because the dancers move so beautifully and gracefully, and you cannot help but be fascinated by their movements. Every movement is sharp and precise; their work is extremely impressive. I have a deep appreciation for the dancers, as I have done ballet for the past 12 years. I know the feeling of wearing pointe shoes and having your feet filled with blisters and calluses, but the dancers do not let the pain affect their performances. The dancers’ smiles are large and bright, which adds to the beauty of the performance. The most recognized part of the whole ballet is the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The honor of performing the dance is given to a single ballerina. The music is intense and intriguing as the song crescendos and then decrescendos. This dance is just one of many extraordinary choreographed pieces. The ballet truly is one of a kind and is a must see to feel the Christmas spirit.

Well, it’s Flake Season, or Snow Flake season. That is, I was in the Snow Scene of “The Nutcracker” many times when I was young so I told my friends I was a dancing flake. I love “The Nutcracker” and have seen many performances, including the New York City Ballet in New York, but I love The Ballet Austin Nutcracker the most. Ballet Austin professional dancers are recruited from an annual, 30-city audition tour, and Ballet Austin is the 15th largest classical ballet company in the country.

Stephen Mills, the Artistic Director, is such a creative choreographer and has incredible musicality. The performance is not only enchanting but fun for the children. His Rat King and Prince duel is so delightful and it seems so real. One of the highlights is the part of Mother Ginger. There is always some politician or famous person in Austin, so it’s so much fun to see. Ann Richards, Vince Young, Michael Dell and Lance Armstrong are a few celebrities who played the part of Mother Ginger.

One of my favorite scenes, of course, is the Snow scene. His dancers perform the choreography as if they truly were flurries of snow, soft, energetic and so pretty. The whole performance is like escaping into an enchanted land, not just watching make believe dolls create the dream of Clara. All the principal dancers are technically strong but they have a performance quality that is breathtaking. I lived in Austin for thirty years and taught for Ballet Austin, so I have had many opportunities to see the Company perform, and I never am disappointed. I go back each Christmas and love seeing the performance along with friends, family and weird Austin.

By Glenn Dawson Guest Writer

By Olivia Hohmann Social Media Manager

Page Design and illustrations by Gina Montagna Editor-in-Chief

Attending the “Gift of Christmas,” a Prestonwood Church performance, truly is everything amazing about Christmas wrapped up into one truly outstanding performance. Tens of thousands of people gather together to celebrate Christmas and to enjoy the spirit of the season. There are multiple different performances that people can attend leading up to Christmas.

I attended this performance with my family.

The performance brings the Christmas story to life with live animals, dancers, a 50-piece orchestra, flying angels and extraordinary Christmas lights. There are a total of 20 different animals, but my favorites include the camels and the alpacas. The cast is made up of a total of 1,000 people and the show lasts a total of 90 minutes. There are three different acts. The first act is all about traditional Christmas themes with snow, dancing and a kicking line. The second act gives background information about the birth of Jesus. The third act is based around the birth of Jesus. Each act gets more and more impressive with a variety of different special effects. I always leave the show singing the carols and being stunned by the wonderful work of the cast members. This cast is made up of dedicated hard workers, who work year around to ensure an outstanding performance. Every year they work diligently to make the performance even more impressive than the year before. The budget for the show is made up of all the ticket sales. I would highly recommend this show to everyone, because it is definitely something for everyone. There are tickets still available, so definitely go check it out. You will not be disappointed by this purchase as everyone, including myself, loves this performance.

By Ava Loftus Guest Writer

Every year in choir, we learn Christmas music and go on a caroling trip. It’s a great celebration of the most wonderful time of the year that is the Christmas season.

We visit places like schools, Scottish Rite Hospital and Northpark. The carols are divided according to their style, which Mr. Snyder literally refers to as either “sacred or secular.” The sacred carols come first.

They are pieces that people may recognize from church or from the choir performing them in chapel. “Mary Did You Know?” is probably the most well known of the sacred carols, and is my favorite of the sacred carols that we perform in choir. Many people, me included, would consider the secular songs to be more entertaining and fun to sing. They were popularized in the late 20th century by crooners, men who sing in a soft voice, like Nat King Cole, Mel Tormé, Sinatra and Andy Williams. The secular songs have been revitalized in recent times by people like Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr. There are two sacred pieces that are divided between the boys and the girls choirs. They are performed at our Lessons and Carols every year. The girls will sing “Deo Gracias” on the choir risers, and the boys will process through the aisle and sing “Noel, Noel”.

This year in choir, we decided to add two new secular pieces. The boys chose “The Christmas Song” by Mel Tormé, and the girls chose “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Meredith Wilson. So, these new secular pieces will sort of parallel our two boy and girl sacred carols.

By Liam Pham Guest writer

14

Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

100

percent of students have had a song stuck in their head before

Story by Grace Worsham, Life Editor and Easterly Y

AS DANI NISBET WALKS PAST THE CANDLELIT CHAPEL PEWS, HE FOCUSES ON THE PIANO AHEAD OF HIM. HIS HANDS TOUCH THE KEYS, AND HIS NERVES SUDDENLY DISSIPATE AS THE MUSIC FLOWS WITH MUSCLE MEMORY. THE ORIGINAL PIECE CAPTIVATES THE AUDIENCE AND LEADS TO A STANDING OVATION AFTER THE FINAL NOTE. NISBET SMILES AT THE UNEXPECTED PRAISE: A FEELING HE WON’T FORGET.

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SCIENCE AND PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND MUSIC

98

percent of students have a song that is nostalgic to them

hen people listen to their favorite pieces of music, their brains often release dopamine, giving an addictive euphoric high. Songs can correlate with certain memories or evoke a specific emotion. This unique power makes music an integral part of the human experience.

According to Valorie Salimpoor, a neuroscientist at McGill University who studied the brain on music, “music affects deep emotional centers in the brain,” and during peak emotional moments in certain songs, dopamine is often released in the nucleus accumbens: a neural interface located in the older part of the brain.

Certain musical combinations also have the ability to stick in a person’s memory, especially if it’s something simple and easy to remember. In the auditory part of the brain, the catchy tune causes a ‘cognitive itch,’ an idea that originally came from marketing professor James Kellaris at the University of Cincinnati. Listening to a song is the only way to scratch the ‘itch.’

“Our mind looks for patterns echoically (with sound) or ionically (visually),” psychology teacher Amy Henderson said. “A song is catchy if it has a pattern that can stay in our brains.”

In her study, Salimpor found that when listening to unfamiliar songs, the brain interacted with structures responsible for musical memory and pattern recognition. Dopamine was only released in the brain when subjects listened to familiar songs or when they recognized patterns in new music. In other words, most catchy songs are familiar to the listener, and it’s those memorable sounds that create an emotional response.

“We learn a theory about chord progressions, and I think there are certain chord progressions that people are attracted to,” Upper School Choir Teacher Joe Snyder said. “There are lots of pop rock songs that use the same four chords, and it’s just like they relate to it somehow.”

The combination of a familiar and catchy tune with certain lyrics can have a deep emotional impact on the listener.

Music can fill us with all types of emotions like joy, sadness, fear, comfort and much more. Memory also plays a part in emotional responses from music and generating nostalgia as the brain associates certain songs with different memories and the emotions attached to them.

“The basic idea is that music evokes emotion and a lot of the things that we can remember are attached to an emotion,” Antonia Moran, who attended a lecture by Renee Fleming on Music and the Mind, said. “Scientists are learning a lot more about the brain but there’s still so much to learn. And they’re sort of realizing that everything is connected.”

For example, Dani Nisbet has played piano since second grade and writes his own musical pieces. For Nisbet, many of his music pieces are attached to emotions or a certain memory.

“A few of my pieces are named after a certain emotion like for example my first one was called happiness,” Nisbet said.

“It was… ironic, because my mom had to go back to Pakistan for my grandmother who was [passing] during my recital so the next piece [I made] was called remembrance. So, each one of my pieces reminds me of a certain memory, and it is all attached to something.”

Junior Jake Kelton, who also writes and performs his own music, believes that music can not only connect to memories and emotions, but can also be a way to see how your interests have evolved over time.

“I definitely hold certain memories with songs,” Kelton said. “I think that music is a great thing to tie [to other] things you’ve done. I also like looking at the music I have listened to over the years and seeing how my taste has changed and evolved. I also like seeing how the music I listen to influences what I create.”

Math teacher Chris Northrup explains that music became an outlet for him at a young age and also a way to find his own identity. He explains that he really began to express himself when he started to play guitar in high school.

“I could be alone in my room learning anything I wanted [on the guitar,]” Northrup said. “Especially when [you are in high school], music is a huge part of your identity, at least for my generation, and so being able to connect with it by not just listening and understanding what the singer is saying but also being able to play what they are playing made me identify even stronger with [music].”

Although music is a common interest and often integral part of daily life, it often affects people in different ways by how they associate or relate to music. For some writers like Kelton, he pays more attention to the instrumental chords and the message the artist is trying to convey and is also more critical of his own pieces.

“I’m really critical of my music when I make it,” Kelton said. “There are a lot of times that I just delete stuff when I’m done [and if I do release it], I never listen to it once it’s out. Now that I make music I listen to it very differently. I [will listen] to a song and try to break down every part of the instrumental or listen to how the artist is getting their message across.”

Music can not only be deciphered differently, but according to Northrup, can teach you things as well. He explains he has learned life skills from creating music that has had a heavily positive impact on him. “[Music] has… helped me figure out how to plan and follow through and also helped me learn to be really analytical,” Northrup said. “When you’re learning how to play a song, the first thing you need to do is figure out how other people have done it [by] listening to the structure and kind of critiquing it. I think this has really helped me a lot, not just in terms of [the emotional impact], but more I just really love that piece of music. There are emotional parts to [music], but I also think there are also a lot of life skills that come from that.”

The famous opera singer Renee Fleming explores the power of music in bringing back memories, especially from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients. According to Renee Fleming’s website, she advocates for “Music and the Mind,” which is the “study of the powerful connections between the arts and health.” Musical therapy is helpful especially with elders with memory problems and developing children. In addition, this type of therapy is cost effective and widely accessible.

December 10, 2021

Centerspread

15

97

percent of students think Christmas music is a big part of the holiday season

Yeaman, staff writer | Illustration by Sarah Cabrales “They’re doing a lot of music interventions for Alzheimer’s patients because music causes part of the brain to activate,” Moran said. “This includes the hippocampus, which is where our long term memory is located. It was just incredible to look at a brain that was really in advanced stages of Alzheimer’s that looked healthy.”

Music has also been a way to connect people through its emotional aspects. Nisbet explains that a diverse group of people can center around a single piece of music or that music can be a way to incorporate a multitude of different cultures.

“Music has been a great way for me to connect with people,” Nisbet said. “[Music] can bring a lot of people together, and it is always nice to perform for a wide variety of people. I think we can all appreciate it. My most recent piece in chapel was Persian, and I love learning about different cultures and seeing how I can implement that and use that in my music.”

A community that allows for identity to be expressed through music is also really important and beneficial. Nisbet explains his gratitude for the praise he received after his piano chapel performance of his original piece “Sheereen,” which means sweet in Persian. Nisbet had previously learned more about his Persian-Afghan heritage from his mom’s side of the family which inspired him to look more into Persian style music. “[Performing my music] allows me to share my research and experience with other people,” Nisbet said. “[When I performed Sheereen in the chapel] I did not expect the response. I think it was a way to bring everyone together [where] we are all just enjoying something. We have the power to support everyone and that is such a cool way to bring the community together. I feel so appreciative and humbled and honored and lucky that these people are so appreciative of what I am doing, that means I’m doing something right.”

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MUSIC IN CULTURE usic has been around for almost 35,000 years, and today, music is intertwined into our everyday lives, identities and pop culture, impacting the lives of many. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it, trends related to it come and go, TikTok has changed it, and it brings together the school community.

For many, music can have a significant impact on personal identity. Certain genres of music that resonate with people can influence their style and social life. Sophomore Logan Betts who listens to and produces indie and electronica music on Spotify, explains how music has affected his life. “[Creating music] has opened me up to [discovering new music], which has impacted my way of looking at music and my own style,” Betts said. “It’s impacted me socially because I’ve been able to meet a bunch of new people through music.”

Apart from listening to music, writing and producing it can provide important lessons and experience that can be helpful outside of music. Betts explains that music production is helpful in other aspects of his own life. “[Music production] has allowed me to be much more creative, both with music, but in general, outside of everything,” Betts said. “I can be creative with a lot of new things because music, at least producing it, requires a lot of problem solving.

And there’s just so much that music can build in your character, and it’s especially done that for me.”

Not only does music have a variety of impacts on people, but also an influx of importance with certain holidays.

Christmas music is an important part of the holiday season and is even played as early as October or November as excitement rises closer to winter time. Even though by the end of the season some may be tired of it, Snyder explains that Christmas music never fails to bring magic to the holidays each year.

“We start Christmas early in choir, in October, so we have a lot of it,” Snyder said. “It’s our favorite time of year.

I’ve been doing this for 32 years. And I’m also a church musician, so I get it at a church also. But, you know, there’s something in there every time that is just like a new little spark.”

Often depending on their culture and daily life, many have their own certain time or month in which Christmas music begins. Nisbet explains that he is not the biggest Christmas music fan, but he knows many who listen to it months in advance and has studied a culture that has an extensive celebration.

“I am not the biggest fan of Christmas music, but I do like orchestral Christmas music,” Nisbet said. “Some of my friends start listening to Christmas music in October, and I think that is a little excessive. It is interesting though because I was doing a project and in the Philippines they start celebrating Christmas beginning in September.”

Along with a variety of constantly evolving seasonal music, the way in which music is listened to also varies and has grown over the centuries. Although digital apps have become a ubiquitous way to hear music, vinyls have recently gained popularity and according to the Manual.com, actual physical record sales surpassed CD sales in 2020: the first time to happen in generations.

“I have definitely seen a spike in popularity of record players, but I will say I think it’s just a young generation trying to be different and nostalgic, and I don’t really think it’s about the quality of the sound,” Kelton said. “There has always been a portion of the music population that has a soft spot for listening to and creating analog work. For me, I have always been taught that analog music is very important to appreciate and understand but also to understand that everyday things are becoming more and more digital.”

Differing from Kelton, Northrup collected vinyls in an age where the demand was extremely low, therefore the prices were quite cheap as well. Northrup explains his fascination with this new trend as something many people did not find interest in in decades past is now rising in popularity.

“I have a whole bunch of vinyls… and a lot of [them] I got super cheap because back then a lot of people didn’t really care about [vinyls],” Northrup said. “It is interesting because I started playing music and getting into the music scene when I was a freshman in high school, and at that time… Napster was [popular] and digital downloads were still very new. I saw the whole music industry shift then. So, it is really interesting to see that the thing nobody cared about, vinyls, are now the hot commodity.”

Although non-digital devices have made a comeback, video-based social networking service, TikTok, has become very significant to the music industry by providing a platform for people to come across new music and for artists to get discovered. A song going viral on the app can jumpstart a creators career. “[TikTok has] been a way for underrated or not well known artists to actually gain a following,” Betts said. “[Artists can] find people that enjoy what they do and what they make. Recently there’s been an influx of a lot of independent artists releasing songs early on TikTok. That way it gets attention and people can hear it and give feedback before [the artist] actually releases it.”

Music enriches the school’s daily worship, and although the pandemic restricts singing in chapel, musical offerings are beginning to return allowing students to showcase their talents.

“I believe that music during worship helps to focus people and provide a shared connection with everyone in the space, whether through the sung words or instrumental offerings,” Snyder said. “It also allows for students to share their musical gifts.”

Football games also feature music whether it’s the school fight song or songs played by the seniors in the student section.

On and off the field, the music contributes to the exciting atmosphere of the games. “[Music] definitely brings life to football games. I feel like football games would not be the same with it without music,” Betts said. “It just makes the crowd hyper. It makes them get fired up with the team.”

Music has also shaped culture throughout history and impacts people’s daily lives.

“I feel like it’s a very influential part of pop culture. The music of the time can be a backbone for a lot of different people’s ways of living,” Betts said. “I mean, a song can become part of someone’s daily life. It just infiltrates life so effectively, and it’s just like a building brick of pop culture, I’d say.”

Percentages source: Dec. 7 poll of 163 upper school students

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Episcopal School of Dallas

To embrace the holiday spirit, staff writer Abby Baughman visited a variety of festive light shows in the Dallas metroplex and found merry and bright scenes that served as Christmas photo opportunities.

DALLAS ZOO LIGHTS | DALLAS ZOO The Dallas Zoo offers a unique drive-through nighttime light show from Nov. 19 through Dec. 2.

The show displays beautiful inflatable light up animals, but there are no real animals on display. The zoo is delicately decorated, and is a great activity for a colder night because one stays inside the car. However, driving through the entire tour takes under 30 minutes, making it a pricey activity. There is a food package available when purchasing tickets, but is not worth the extra $50 as it contains two hot chocolates, a small container of cotton candy, a bag of popcorn, cookies and two light-up necklaces. If I were to go again, I would bring my own food and pack the car with friends and family to ride along.

Price: $65 per car, and there is a food package for an extra $50.

650 S R L Thornton Fwy, Dallas

HOLIDAY AT THE ARBORETUM | THE DALLAS ARBORETUM AND BOTANICAL GARDEN The Arboretum holds a holiday display from Nov. 9 through Dec. 31. The display features the 12 Days of Christmas gazebos, a Christmas village to walk through and a Christmas tree light show. On Nov. 23, when I visited the garden, there was hardly any line to get in. The Christmas village has a group of little houses that were decorated inside. The village also has food and drinks available for purchase. I stopped at Lucca and Livvy Premium Beverages cart and bought a vanilla chai latte for $6, which was creamy and flavorful. The light show behind the village displays a giant tree that is lit up with various patterns. If you want to see Christmas decor and lights, and get into the holiday spirit, I highly recommend the Arboretum.

Tickets are $15 per person at night.

8525 Garland Road, Dallas

HOLIDAY IN THE PARK | SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS

2021 CHRISTMAS LIGHT TOUR | HIGHLAND PARK CARRIAGE RIDE

VITRUVIAN LIGHTS | VITRUVIAN PARK

Six Flags Over Texas celebrates the holidays from Nov. 19 through Jan. 2. All of the park’s tree trunks are wrapped in various Christmas lights. These trees, combined with various decorative walkways and arches, create a joyful ambiance. There is also a small Christmas village to walk through and various small shops, all decorated with the holidays theme. For those still shopping for the holidays, there is a candy store and gift shop. There is a Christmas show setup; unfortunately, it was not operating when I was in the park. Six Flags is a fun amusement park for the whole family, and the Christmas decor adds a nice touch. However, Six Flags is not the best place to go if you want to see Christmas decorations.

The Brazos Carriage Company features carriage rides through Highland Park from Dec. 1 to Dec. 30. There is no food or drinks to buy directly from Brazos Carriage Company, however, the Shops of Highland Park are close to where the carriage ride starts, so plan ahead.

The Shops, which are decorated with Christmas lights and garlands, offer dining options such as Asian Mint and Carbone’s. The carriages, which are truly carriages pulled by horses around Highland Park, are decked out in elaborate Christmas decorations. The ride lasts about an hour and goes through the beautifully decorated neighborhood. Intricate light displays and elegant houses decked in holiday decor are a must see. The carriage ride is definitely worth the price and is super fun for friends or family.

Starting Nov. 26, Vitruvian Park turned on their lights to celebrate Christmas. The park is filled with bright-colored lit trees and Disney characters are strolling the park and available for photos. There is also a photo booth for children to take pictures with Santa, a walkway of tents where local vendors sell their goods, a street lined with food trucks from restaurants all around Dallas and live music. Vitruvian Park is definitely worth the trip and is tastefully decorated.

Tickets are $40 per person.

2201 E Road to Six Flags Street, Arlington

Price: $15 for parking, but entrance is free.

Address: 3875 Ponte Ave, Addison

Price: $170 for the two to four person carriage one hour ride.

3811 Turtle Creek Blvd., Highland Park

Photos by Abby Baughman, staff writer | Illustrations by Emily Lichty, Editor-in-Chief

December 10, 2021

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The opinions expressed in this section of the Eagle Edition do not neccesarily reflect the views of the newspaper staff, school, adviser, faculty or staff

STAFF STANCE People should be sustainable during the holidays The staff stance reflects the opinion of the Eagle Edition staff and it does not reflect the opinion of the school, newspaper adviser, faculty or staff.

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n recent years, we have seen a push for ecofriendly lifestyles more than ever. Christmas is a time full of joy and giving back, but it is also one of the most excess times in every way. From overusing electricity, stocking up on food and tons of wrapping, one of the “happiest times of the year” can also be one of the most harmful to our environment. The Eagle Edition encourages students, family and faculty to be more mindful of the resources being used during Christmas time and reduce consumption to help the environment while still having a festive Christmas.

Every holiday season brings more waste to landfills and harm to the environment than any other time of the year. According to a study conducted by Stanford University, Americans throw away 25 percent more trash during the time period between Thanksgiving and New Years than any other time of year. This extra waste amounts to approximately 25 million tons of garbage, or about 1 million extra tons per week. The study states that if every American family were to wrap just up to three presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

In addition to wrapping paper being wasteful, the Christmas card business is equally as harmful. Over 2.5 billion Christmas cards are sold each

holiday season in the United States. If each family sent just one card less, it would save 50,000 cubic yards of paper. In addition to sending less hard-copy Christmas cards, sending online e-cards is another alternative to reducing the amount of paper used during the holidays.

While reducing the amount of wrapping paper used or how many Christmas cards are sent out each Christmas might not seem like a significant reach to help the environment, each little action adds up to help reduce the amount of waste we use during the holiday season.

Reducing your carbon footprint during the holiday season is much simpler than many would think.

Wrapping paper is typically thrown away after being used. Instead of buying brand new wrapping paper each year just to throw it away after using it, try wrapping gifts in old newspapers, maps or magazines. To avoid using wrapping paper completely, another solution would be to use decorative tins, boxes, or bags and then continue to reuse them every year. As for plastic bows, reusable cloth ribbons can be used in substitution for a more environmentally friendly option.

There are also various brands such as Wrappily, that makes ecofriendly wrapping paper. When it comes to purchasing gifts for loved ones and friends, or even making a wish list of your own, look for gift ideas that will be timeless and

durable instead of purchasing gifts that are trending.

And the U.S. Department of Energy said that more than six terawatt-hour per year of energy is wasted due to holiday lighting displays. This is the equivalent to the total monthly energy consumption of nearly 500,000 homes. Holiday lighting displays use an excessive amount of energy from burning natural gas, oil and coal. Avoid setting up over the top light displays that will require lots of energy to use. You can also consider only purchasing decorations that do not need to be plugged in or only use candlelight.

A few various ways to save energy during the holiday season include switching to LED lights, using smart plugs and timers for your holiday lights so they are not on all night long and choosing fiber optic decorations.

Although artificial Christmas trees do seem like a more environmentally friendly option when it comes to choosing a tree, the materials used to make the trees are actually very harmful to the environment. According to USA Today, Americans purchase approximately 10 million artificial Christmas trees each season. The artificial material used to make the trees include plastic and metal that usually have to be shipped to the U.S. from China, which increases the carbon emissions and resources. Artificial trees are not recyclable or biodegradable, so even if they may last a lifetime,

they will still eventually end up in landfills. The main draw to purchasing real trees as opposed to artificial trees is the look and smell. Real trees do not require shipping which cuts down the carbon emissions that are used when creating artificial trees.

Tree farms are beneficial to the environment and for people who work them. They create jobs, homes for animals and oxygen for the Earth. Real trees are also biodegradable as opposed to artificial trees that are not. Real trees can be used for lumber wood or composted and used as fertilizer.

If you wish to just get rid of your tree all together after the holidays are over, instead of leaving it out on the street to be picked up, you can also consider donating your tree to local organizations that are accepting donations. For example, many zoos are often happy to take tree donations to use for the animals as toys or even catnip.

As busy as the holiday season can become, considering taking these small actions to help save the environment can go a long way. Christmas is a time of giving back, which is why it is time to consider giving back to the environment, even if it is just reducing the number of Christmas cards you send or the type of wrapping paper that you use to wrap your gifts. Your little actions go much farther than you might realize. The environment needs more help than ever, especially during the holiday season.

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AMERICANS THROW AWAY 25 PERCENT MORE TRASH DURING THE TIME PERIOD BETWEEN THANKSGIVING AND NEW YEARS THAN ANY OTHER TIME OF THE YEAR.

Illustration by Kara Dross Web Editor

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Eagle Edition

Marcus Aurelius meditations’ leave lasting impact on readers Maddy Hammett Copy Editor

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n his famous book of meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote that “You have power over your mindnot outside events. Realize this, and you will find your strength.”

Marcus Aurelius, a central figure in the stoic philosophical movement dating back to the early third century B.C. in Athens, compiled a book of stoic meditations that, in my opinion, is important to read when trying to better oneself while living in an increasingly chaotic world.

Aurelius, in his meditations, teaches READING that above all, it is MARCUS important to hold control over one’s AURELIUS’ emotions. It is vital MEDITATIONS AND for success and happiness to hold a APPLYING THEM certain tranquility IN DAILY LIFE CAN and to not counter difficult situations HELP ALLEVIATE with a matched STRESSES THAT difficult reaction.

COME WITH AN These are the intrinsic qualities of INTERCONNECTED stoicism.

WORLD. Stoic philosophers held that above all one must not Maddy Hammett let outside factors have too much Copy Editor affect on the way you’re feeling- you have to decide those emotions for yourself. This idea is rooted in stoic meditation and is a central part of Aurelius’ mantras.

To begin to understand the importance of this movement as a whole, one must first examine where the movement originated and why those origins were so important in the movement’s

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Sloane Hope Business manager

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or most, college has become a major source of stress. The funny thing is that the people most stressed out are those who aren’t even in college yet. As the years go on, the college admissions process becomes more and more competitive, inciting jealousy, tension and mass amounts of anxiety between applicants. The stress from the already, in my opinion, highly flawed college admissions process is only added to when other members of your class are factored in. There needs to be more done to reduce the animosity between students when it comes to college admissions.

As the college admissions process has become more rigorous and selective due to online applications making the process easier, students have begun applying to more schools than in the past. The prevalence of safety schools, colleges that students perceive as a school that they will not have trouble getting into and is essentially a backup

creation.

For many, this movement served as a beacon of hope during especially difficult times.

The people of Rome were being put on trial daily in facing difficult circumstances; many at the time found respite in stoic meditations. Stoicism arose in a time that for many Romans, was difficult and chaotic. The empire leading up to Aurelius’ rule was almost in complete ruin as the economy was in shambles and people began to panic.

In the midst of this chaotic environment, people ultimately were able to find happiness and tranquility; a pair that seemingly had no place in an empire that was crumbling to pieces. This movement single-handedly changed empires with its ability to give people the right mindset to persevere through exceptionally trying times.

It’s the stoic movement that helped get these people out of an incredibly difficult rut in their lives. It was this movement that helped people focus on the values that mattered like positivity and tranquility thus allowing them to improve the community as a whole.

You may ask yourself what any of this has to do with you. Although at first glance the movement of stoicism and the meditations of Aurelius appear to be one far removed from your daily life, it is vital to understand that this movement has only increased in its importance in everyday life.

“Stoicism is popular now because people feel out of control,” Philosopher Jules Evans said in an interview in 2019.

“Stoicism says, accept that you cannot control the external world, but that you can find a measure of serenity and happiness and moral meaning by focusing on what is in your control, your own beliefs and

THE MARKUP WITH MADDY your own actions.”

The mental health crisis is growing and becoming more prevalent every day. An increase in avid social media usage comes with increased anxiety levels and a worsened mental state. Cutting social media cold-turkey in today’s world doesn’t feel like a pragmatic solution to this increasingly pressing issue. Instead, reading Marcus Aurelius’ meditations and applying them in daily life can help alleviate stresses that come with an interconnected world.

“Given the accelerated pace of technological advances and the increasing uncertainty associated with everything from the job market to the environment it isn’t unreasonable to say that all humans could benefit from learning to think a bit clearer,” Ryan Holiday said during the Podcast “The Daily Stoic.” “Change is the only thing that is certain in this world and it is only by constantly exercising our objective judgment, our gratitude and our resiliency that we may be best equipped to deal with it.”

Change is something that is scary for many people. I know for myself, I became terrified in 2020 when talk of a life-threatening pandemic arose. Reading these meditations, especially during quarantine and times that felt incredibly uncertain, made me feel stabilized and less anxious. Social media is also prime example of a new source of outside induced anxiety. If we can all read Aurelius’ teachings, then we will all have a better hold on how these outside forces affect us.

Life is constantly changing and evolving. This is a fact that, for many, is difficult to come to terms with. The past two years have changed the course of history with the immediate impacts of an unpredictable pandemic. One thing that can stay constant in our lives, however, is the ability to read and meditate on stoic philosophy, equipping ourselves with the tools that allow us to become the best version of ourselves.

“The universe is flux, life is opinion,” Aurelius wrote.

The College Admissions process is highly flawed option for colleges that they are not accepted to, has increased as a result. However, it is important to remember that what each student defines as a safety school changes for each individual.

All too often, people’s safety schools are other people’s top choice colleges. Many times, getting into a safety school takes away a spot for a student who does not have as great of a chance of getting in but determines that it is a school they really want to go to.

While I understand that in this day and age, it is important to apply to many colleges and examine all of your options, I think there are better ways to go about it. I think you should be able to envision yourself attending the colleges on your list; otherwise, you are taking spots away from people who genuinely want to go there just so you can pad your acceptances and have multiple options as a last resort.

Many people forget that the ones benefiting from kids applying to multiple schools are the schools themselves. According to Edmit, an organization dedicated to making college more affordable, the average college application fee is $43. According to U.S. News & World Report, the average number of students who applied to each of the 10 most applied to universities in 2020 was 84,865. After a little math, the average amount that

each of the top 10 schools made off of applications in 2020 was over $3.5 million. The narrative that people need to be applying to a lot of schools only hurts applicants and helps these colleges, especially when you look at how much money they make off of application fees every year.

Additionally, the automatic admittance of students in the top six to 10 percent of their class to top Texas schools can often cause tension. It is also worth noting that those students in the top six to 10 percent still have to apply to these schools. Yes, they automatically get in but only if they apply. Is it really worth applying to if you don’t see yourself there? I highly applaud those students that do rank in the top of the class and I appreciate the amount of work that is required to get there, but I also think that there could be a little more consideration as to whether or not they would actually go there. After all, being in the top six to 10 percent automatically means you have a better chance of getting in anywhere than those not included in that range because your grades are already that much better, making your grade point average higher, and therefore increasing the likelihood of acceptance.

A major way to reduce the animosity and disappointment that comes alongside the admissions

process is to be aware of when you talk about it and who might be listening. Already this year, I myself have been upset by people bragging about the schools they have gotten into. Whether it was a quick conversation in the halls or a friend telling me about places a classmate has already gotten into.

It doesn’t feel good to hear about people being accepted into schools that you feel less confident about, especially when these schools are considered safety schools for many who have already gotten in. I think being more cognizant of others is a big deal when talking about admissions.

I urge everyone to be mindful of how someone else might react to the news of you getting into a certain school before you make the decision to tell them. There is a good chance that it is just going to stress them out more or even make them upset.

Once you begin discussing college your junior year with your college guidance counselor, one of the first things they recommend is not telling many people about where you are applying. Lately, this piece of advice seems to have gone out the window. The lists of places that people are applying to have practically become common knowledge as it seems that everyone feels the need to discuss it. One of the most classic tales is the one where a student tells their

friends that they are applying to a certain college and that they really like it. Next, the friends start looking at the college and begin to like it as well. In the end, the ones who get in are the friends and not the person who originally wanted to go there. In reality, keeping your application list close to your chest is the best move, especially if you are really interested in attending many of the colleges on that list. After all, you may make your friends feel pressured to apply to a college because they hear that many other people are applying to that college as well, which only sends in another application and lowers your chances of securing a spot. Also, by telling your friends and others about where you are applying, you are setting yourself up to be pressured to disclose whether or not you get accepted. This could become an awkward situation if you get in and your friend doesn’t, or vice versa.

In the end, everyone ends up where they are supposed to be, whether they end up there on their first try or after transferring once or even twice. The college admissions process is stressful for everyone that participates in it, no matter how many schools you are applying to. There are a multitude of ways to make it less stressinducing for each other, something I hope everyone keeps in mind.

December 10, 2021

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con

Do videogames have a positive or negative effect

Photoillustration by Easterly Yeaman Staff writer

Elisabeth Siegel Life Editor

Pro: Positive

Everyone knows that video games are extremely popular among teens and young adults. According to the Entertainment Software Organization, more than 150 million Americans play video games. According to a 2018 Pew Research survey, 97 percent of teen boys play video games on some kind of device, compared to 83 percent of girls. Many dismiss these games as poison for the brain and a time suck for couch potatoes, yet the benefits of these simulated worlds are greater than they may think.

The brain is an organ that strives for a challenge. Just like the physical body, it needs to be exercised, and video games can be a the tool that flexes the brain. That is one reason why video gamers make better surgeons and doctors, and many of whom use video games to warm up before operating according to John Velez, Assistant Professor of Communication Science at Indiana University. It allows them to solve problems by considering different solutions and practicing critical thinking skills. According to Velez, players of video games like Rocket League and Fortnite have higher visual acuity, meaning that they can keep track of multiple moving objects at once - or even see things through fog and rain that others cannot.

Additionally, many gamers have made careers out of playing video games. A YouTuber known as Ninja has become a mainstream star among the gaming community for streaming gameplays on Twitch, a live streaming service. According to a Dec. 7 poll of 163 students, 20 percent of students use Twitch to watch or play video games.

Contrary to popular belief, most major consoles have the technology to get more physically active. With the future of virtual reality gaming, many will have the opportunity to play on their feet instead of on the couch. Many mobile games, such as Pokémon GO, are programmed across a physical space, requiring players to leave their house in order to advance in the game. Furthermore, games such as Just Dance require players to exercise and sweat while having fun at the same time.

While many argue that violence in video games promotes violence in real life, we lack evidence that the two are correlated. Though many video games are violent, they place violence in a social context, giving players moral dilemmas which they wouldn’t be faced with in real life. In the popular game Grand Theft Auto IV for example, the main character is an immigrant working as a hired gunman who must choose between the death of either his cousin or his romantic interest. Through this character, players are able to directly impact the virtual world around them and feel the consequences of their actions. Moreover, in the game Undertale, players step into the role of a human that fell into a world of monsters and must find their way out. They must choose to respond to the monsters with either fighting or mercy, and the game design encourages players to opt for taking the peaceful route despite provocation. Additionally, they learn how to respond to conflict and the treatment of marginalized communities.

The World Health Organization classifies video gaming disorder as a disease, with a variety of vague symptoms such as impaired control over gaming, increased priority to gaming over other life interests and escalation of gaming despite negative consequences.

Why would they target video gaming, where the same symptoms could be applied to online, exercise or cell phone addictions? Many of these symptoms could also be applied to sports culture, so why do we call them fans yet call gamers addicts?

These symptoms could arise from other mental health disorders the individual is already experiencing, such as anxiety and depression. If we followed these symptoms, 0.3-1.0 percent of the general population might qualify for a diagnosis of internet gaming disorder, according to Newzoo, a games and e-sports analytics research firm. That percentage would apply to the 2 billion people who play games across the world. While it is true that many struggle to limit their interactions with video games, calling it a disorder is too far without the proper amount of research. While there are many studies that correlate negative well-being with increased screen time, those theories don’t take into account that teens could already have poor mental health or that they use electronics to deflect their negative thoughts.

Before dismissing video games as futile and poisonous, consider the benefits of these simulated worlds. No other medium offers players the direct opportunity to wrestle with how we justify violence. They also provide a space for social interaction, skill advancing and possibly career developing.

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percent of students think video games have a positive effect

Satori Griffith Photo Editor

Con: Negative

Video games open the door of detrimental effects for the people that observe and play them. Harvard Health Blog estimates that 164 million Americans play video games; if you do the math it is half of the population. Statistica.com, a website dedicated to publishing statistics on a variety of subjects, found that 38 percent of people playing video games range from ages 18-38, and surprisingly, only 20 percent are under 18. With so many people partaking in the activity and spending hours behind a screen, one wonders how healthy video gaming is.

People play video games for various reasons whether it’s a stress reliever, distraction or fun competition. However, too much of something can eventually lead to a harmful outcome. It could be assumed that most of the harmful effects that stem from video games are psychological; however, it has been shown by the Harvard Health Blog that that is not the case. Physical symptoms can arise from stress and tension caused while playing.

Carpal tunnel syndrome, for instance, is when nerves within the wrist get inflamed, causing numbness and pain and can occur when the controller is gripped too tightly for a long period of time.

Obesity can also be a serious effect as well and can result in sedentary kids who get addicted to playing. A study done in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition in April 2011, found that “a single session of video game play in healthy male adolescents is associated with an increased food intake, regardless of appetite sensations.”

Another physical danger is the warning of seizure risk that accompanies most video games, because of the strain on the eyes that the graphics cause.

All of these physical effects of the overuse of video games can prove that they should be closely monitored and should be limited.

While there are many negative physical effects, video games can also create a number of psychological problems. The American Psychological Association found that an “internet gaming disorder,” is defined when a person experiences five of the following effects over a 12 month period: gaming preoccupation, withdrawal, tolerance, loss of interest in other activities, downplaying use, loss of relationship, educational, or career opportunities, gaming to escape or relieve anxiety and guilt or other negative moods. While the disorder is not widely accepted or agreed upon, it brings into question what the overuse of video games really does to someone’s brain. The American Journal of Psychiatry found that between 0.3 percent and 1 percent of Americans might have an internet gaming disorder.

Sometimes this disorder is accompanied by sleep deprivation, insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, depression, aggression and anxiety. Although there needs to be more research done to prove precisely how video games directly influence and cause these reactions, there is definitely a heightened possibility of these side effects.

Another crucial psychological aspect that accompanies the overuse of video games is the inherent mentality of violence that arises. While there is a lot of debate around the topic of correlation between videogames and violence, The American Psychological Association posted on its website that video games might be more harmful than violent movies or television shows because of how interactive they are. According to studies done in an issue of the APA’s, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, violent video games can increase a person’s aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior.

It is imperative, when turning to play video games, to question why one feels the need to immerse themselves in this type of digital world. Healthygaming.org, a mental health platform designed to help people who use the internet, found that the overuse of video games can be used as a coping mechanism, to cover up emotions and escape from reality.

However, the effect of this can lead to a condition called Alexithymia, which is the inability to determine one’s inner emotional state. A majority of people who overuse video games are alexithymic, because of the way video games suppress unwanted emotions. This is why video games can be so addictive and people tend to become reliant on them.

I am aware that video games are here to stay, but the best solution to avoiding these negative effects from occurring is to limit the time spent on gaming. There are other ways to prevent injuries and the negative psychological effects that may arise. Warnings on the cover of games, modifications to ease the addictive nature of it and more education on how to protect oneself from physical injuries might be a good start. Doing these will protect people, limit exposure and decrease the amount of addiction that is already on the rise.

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percent of students think video games have a negative effect Source: Dec.7 poll of 163 upper school students

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he two of us have very different opinions on Taylor Swift’s music.

Like many people around the world, Emily was excited to stream Taylor Swift’s rerecording of her album Red on Nov. 12 while Gina was less enthusiastic about the album’s release.

Contrasting DESPITE WHAT opinions on Swift’s MANY MAY THINK, work aside, both of us have admiration JOURNALISM IS for the initiative CRUCIAL TO OUR she has taken to re-record her LIVES. IT REVEALS music, thus gaining THE TRUTH, HOLDS ownership of her INDIVIDUALS work.

As student ACCOUNTABLE journalists, FOR THEIR we admire the message Swift ACTIONS AND is sending about KEEPS EVERYONE ownership of her work and hope to INFORMED. follow it. While JOURNALISM IS our work on a high school newspaper INSTRUMENTAL might seem far TO A DEMOCRATIC off from the SOCIETY. work of a famous singer, there is an important connection.

Ownership and responsibility are essential for us as student journalists. Such accountability clearly correlates to the reason an author’s name is by their writing. People need to know who is responsible for the piece they are reading, particularly so they know who to recognize when it is a success. Therefore, like Swift, our staff deserves to be recognized for

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Photo by Sloane Hope

their hard work. Often, one of the best feelings is seeing your name on the byline of a difficult story or graphic on distribution day.

However, responsibility for one’s work is more than positive recognition. It means standing by your work, even when it isn’t easy. On The Eagle Edition, we write opinion pieces that aren’t popular or write complex stories that reveal new perspectives. This means our work on an issue isn’t complete once we hold the final version in our hands. We must continue to stand by our story and work to understand the impact that it has, while keeping track of any relevant updates that might apply to a “finished” story.

The two of us are proud of how our staff has handled the responsibility of sharing their

voice with the community. We are confident that, like Swift, they are always willing to take ownership for their hard work. This work does not just represent one opinion, however. Our staff shares a variety of different perspectives and opinions.

The two of us take this responsibility even more seriously because, by having our names next to the role of “Editor-in-Chief,” we are also accountable for all of the work that is produced under our leadership. This role might be difficult, but we are proud to stand by the work of our staff.

There are differences, however, between our work and Swift’s. For one, we are writing for a student newspaper. We are representing our school and our community.

Therefore, it is our job to make

sure that the work we produce is work our school can be proud of. The staff is always excited to showcase the happenings of our school community. This issue, we are featuring the amazing paintings of film teacher Bobby Weiss, the athletic accomplishments of our committed athletes and the dedication many members of our community have towards music.

Thus, our paper does not just recognize the work of our staff. It recognizes the accomplishments of the entire school community.

As Swift continues to release re-recorded versions of her album, whether we listen to the album or not, the two of us will continue to be reminded of the significance behind what we create and the importance of standing behind one’s values and beliefs.

Climate conference was unproductive, leaders must take a stand

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Miles Wooldridge Staff writer

he United Nations Climate Conference, better known as COP26,was hilariously depressing. In all honesty, President Joe Biden isn’t at fault for trying to sleep through it. It is so typical of politicians to fly out to the Scottish countryside in private jets for the first two weeks of November to tell the rest of the world that they are gluttonous pigs destroying the earth with their selfishness. Unfortunately, when you put the UN’s greatest intellects together, you come up with some pretty insane solutions to our climate change problems.

The reading material that the conference published was dense, but by sorting out the important parts, it’s clear that the main goal is a reaffirmation of the Paris Climate Accords. The “solutions” are nothing new; work towards an arbitrary goal set by European countries and subsidize whichever industries they deem

appropriate. This is the reason that wind or solar energy are even used at all. Both, though considered renewable energy, are inefficient and a long term burden on the environment.

Wind energy is costly, taking up great areas of land without great energy output and killing over a million birds each year (which environmentalists rarely seem to care about). Similarly, solar panels are very high maintenance, requiring very specific placement to work effectively and containing hazardous materials like lead that make them impossible to recycle. By 2050, about 85 million tons of toxic waste from expired solar panels will be dumped into landfills without any long term solution. However, the propagandized idea of wind and solar as clean and renewable is very appealing to most people, so the general public is willing to help fund these projects assuming

that it makes them a good person.

What people need to realize is that whatever the Energy Department declares to be renewable is not necessarily renewable. The environmental policy status quo is, unsurprisingly, one of corruption. The Energy Information Administration reports that the U.S. has about 11,000 energy producing plants.

There are only 70 nuclear plants (0.6 percent of all U.S. power plants), but they produce 20 percent of annual United States energy without any carbon emissions. This does not get discussed enough in American politics. Instead, direct subsidies for wind and solar number in the billions of dollars, and both industries are kept alive through huge tax credits that aren’t awarded to nuclear plants or fossil fuel industries.

This exact same concept of

exploiting good intentions, simply on a much larger scale, is the only reason that the United States involved itself in COP26 at all. It is an opportunity for the leaders of the nations of the world to get together and show everyone how much they care about Mother Earth. Actual accomplishments are not prioritized because any real attempt at a reversal of the planet’s climate trends would require radical changes in the lives of everyone everywhere.

Conferences like this one offer the best of both worlds; politicians can appear environmentally conscious without actually promoting the kind of legislation that would mitigate climate change, but scare away voters.

People focus on mitigation rather than adaptation, so it is currently better for a politician to appear environmentally conscious than to actually promote legislation that would scare away voters.

Hello Upper School! Welcome back to the Student Council Corner.

My name is Kate Elliston, and I am serving as your Student Council Executive Secretary this year. I have been on Student Council for three years and have served as a class officer, which allowed me to prepare for my executive board role this year by teaching me how to collaborate with other students and faculty. I am also involved in other organizations such as Ambassadors, Community Service Council and NHS, while also playing Field Hockey, Soccer and Lacrosse.

As the first semester comes to an end, I am so proud of the community camaraderie we have built and will continue to build on. We have rebuilt our school spirit through various activities and organizations that have set the tone for the 2021-2022 school year and beyond. As a Student Council Executive Board member, I wish to collaborate with the student body and the rest of the council to create a positive and

uplifting environment. We want to do everything we can to make this year one of the most memorable years. I know Homecoming week was a huge success, and we want to thank everyone for their help in participating in that effort.

Whenever Student Council meets, we bounce ideas off each other and offer suggestions about how we can improve our community bond. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year will bring and the memories we will make.

Student Council has been pumped up all year, and we will continue to be the leading force in providing and reestablishing the spirit and community we lost.

Last month, we led the charge on Noshember and raised money for cancer research. This month we will be rolling out the 12 Days of Christmas with a different activity everyday until exams. Christmas is an exciting time, so we want to bring the holiday spirit to school as well. Some of the activities we had the first week were handing out candy canes at lunch, hanging Christmas lights in the commons and holiday music during lunch.

For the upcoming week before exams, we will have hot chocolate one morning, holiday sweater dress day and Lessons and Carols will top everything off to have everyone be in the holiday spirit.

We know exams are a difficult and stressful time for everyone, so we want to do everything we can to take people’s minds off midterms and take a break.

Student Council bases their decisions and ideas off of what the student body likes. That being said, please reach out to any member of the council if you have any suggestions, questions or concerns. We want to represent the students and make this year the most memorable one yet. We want to know how we can better connect our community. I wish everyone the best of luck during the next couple of weeks before the end of the semester, and we will be back in January with more updates on what Student Council is working on next.

Kate Elliston Student Body Secretary

Views

December 10, 2021

21

MOMENTS WITH

letter

to the

The president’s role is overrated House and Senate are more impactful

Dear Editors,

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s a community constructed on the basis of mutual respect and acceptance, it would be reasonable to assume that we collectively celebrate each other’s differences and facets that make us unique from one another.

Therefore, expressing something as unique to yourself as your sexual identity is something that should be praised within our student body. Herein lies the great discrepancy. Being part of the LGBTQ+ is currently, and has perpetually been one of the least lauded facets of individuality, in respect to the ESD community: especially in regards to one’s coming out experience.

Coming out is often romanticized in film as well as social media, creating somewhat of a blanket of misconception over the true experience of coming to terms with your own identity. Due to this misunderstanding, it’s somewhat understandable for there to be a hefty sum of misinformation for non-LGBTQ members in respect to the raw emotional fragility brought on by coming out. The process of “coming out” has been continuously reduced to merely overcoming your own personal confusion towards your sexuality. Often one of the determining factors for the ultimate decision of coming out of the closet is also extremely dependent on the attitudes of people around you and the characteristics of the environment you reside in. It’s not only a matter of your physical safety but mental safety as well.

Sexuality is something to be handled gingerly.

Any remark made regarding someone’s sexuality is not simply a comment on who they love or what they identify as. It is a statement made on someone’s most integral portion of their identity.

Without that specific portion of themselves, it would be akin to a guitar missing its sixth string: harmonious reverberations would be stripped of their saturation. For many all of this talk of fragility is obvious, and I myself wish to believe so too. But as the years progress being “outside of the closet,” I’ve been proven painstakingly wrong.

For myself and others, our environment (ESD) was a driving factor for the timing of us openly expressing our sexuality. Before I entered the upper school, I was surrounded with the overabundant lack of resources and known support for LGBTQ+ members in ESD. Additionally, only one humanities course included any information regarding LGBTQ+ history, which is integral to not only the development of our country, but so valuable to students belonging to the community. If I could choose one word to describe my middle school experience, it would have to be “isolated.” It felt as if telling even one person about my sexuality would have jeopardized countless friendships, as well as my mental security. It wasn’t until my freshman year when I decided to somewhat test these odds.

During my first few years in upper school, I was completely enthralled with my newfound resource: Spectrum club. Each meeting, despite them being once a month and usually less than an hour long, filled me with a perpetual sense of pride and community. As junior year approached, and I was granted the position of co-president, and I developed an unyielding bond to each and every individual within my community. However, while being at the forefront of Spectrum for the past few months, I’ve come to realize that the resources I so desperately believed we had were minimal.

The same resounding theme still continues to reverberate throughout the realm of the upper school. A more suitable term would be stigma.

Although it’s not as prominent as in middle school, the same overall environment permeates throughout the high school. Sexual identity, while discussed more, is still met with the same almost fearful and dismissive attitudes. These attitudes, as mentioned before, are what builds not only the foundation of our community but possibly the driving factor of students wishing to express or currently expressing their sexual identities. While Spectrum club pro¬¬vides many with a safe space from these stances, that same safe space gradually fades away into the backdrop after the clock hands strike 9:00 a.m.

Even with the support of our amazing sponsors, we still find ourselves being the main proprietors of the LGBTQ+ safe space at ESD. Many of the resources offered within the upper school here have been crafted by student members of the spectrum themselves. Although we are all direct members of the LGBTQ community, the responsibility of maintaining a safe space also rests in the hands of non-students and our peers. Providing a safe space within a community must be a unified decision.

Maintaining a safe space within a community must be a unified effort. To be indifferent to a safe space is to be indifferent to the wellbeing of others in need of it Sincerely, Kate Battaglia ‘22

MO TE

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By Katherine Mote News Editor

y favorite cookies in the entire world are from JD’s Chippery. This place holds so much significance to my childhood because I went there often as a kid, and it brings back so many good memories.

Whenever I take my friends there after explaining how good the cookies are and how much I love them, their response to trying them is always subpar. The cookies are good, but definitely overrated in their terms because to them it doesn’t represent the significance it does to me. While it’s easy to overrate something as minuscule as a cookie, when considering larger forces it becomes more complex to criticize. The President of the United States and positions of the same caliber in similar countries might be one of the most overstated ideals because of their large figurehead, the ability to be vetoed and the insane amount of press in preparation for the election, all for a position that can still be overruled and challenged by several smaller branches.

As Americans, we put pressure on the presidential image because of its representation of our country. However, as far as policy and action, the majority of it comes from our House Representatives and Senate.

While the president might be biased against some issues, the majority in our House and Senate must approve of it to create law.

More often than not, voters neglect council and congressional elections and prioritize federal elections because of the press and attention it receives. Remembering that every four years the second

Tuesday of November is the presidential election day is easy, but how many Americans know that property taxes and local mandates are extensions of government that are elected on a random day in May? Whether we like it or not, our governor, city councilmen and women and other local representatives have immense power in day-to-day life as we have seen this year with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins was elected by the people, but the election wasn’t very public, and it became an easy position to win. However, with current masking mandates and other health-related laws coming into place from our governor, we see just how much power Jenkins has. This proves again that the president holds power; however, the minuscule things that affect our day-to-day life are still largely ruled by smaller offices, making the presidential position overrated.

When considering relationships with other countries, we visualize a picture of presidents or leaders shaking hands. While these relationships are crucial, how often do we see our secretaries of state or foreign secretaries discussing trade relations and tariffs?

These relationships impact most businesses in America but are not publicized. In fact, some incredibly powerful leaders similar to the position of President including former chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel are praised and revered as she filled her position.

However, 15 years later the excitement of her fighting for women’s rights and freedoms has been severely overrated because of her lack of action and progress

in that sector. In America, we went through similar legislation for women’s rights but on a smaller scale, not involving the president but the Supreme Court with Roe vs. Wade. The Supreme Court sets a precedent and while the members are appointed upon by the presidents, it becomes an array of people given the longevity of the role and court rulings barely, if at all, sway with one vote. Our system of government was created for an equal balance of power so that we will remain a democracy, and that same logic should counteract the people’s view of public policy and American priorities of different positions.

The cookies at JD’s were great when I was younger but, as I grew up, I realized that it wasn’t the cookies I was so much in love with.

What I loved was the place that brought me so much happiness as a kid. Conversely, I remember being in third grade and casting my ballot for the presidential mock election thinking that this decision was one of the most important ones I would make. Regardless of the fact I was in third grade, and the vote didn’t actually count, I have since realized that yes, the presidency is important, but in order for a president to reflect our views we have to also elect the smaller positions to represent our neighborhoods and communities. I hold a lot of respect for the president‘s position as the face of the nation and the tone he sets for the next four years, but I think it’s important to not put them on a podium and realize that he makes mistakes just as much as the next person. Although his are put on blast for the entire world to see.

‘Tis the Season by Sarah Cabrales

22 Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

sports

Recruitment process causes mixed emotions As juniors begin and seniors conclude the recruitment process, many feelings arise

By Callie Hawkins Sports Editor

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eginning in the fall and continuing around this time of year, junior athletes across the nation are beginning to look at where they want to continue their career in college and begin the recruitment process. Simultaneously, seniors who have chosen this path are signing their college commitments and breezing through their final stretch of high school.

The recruitment process can be brutal, fun, hard and filled with ups and downs. Students are pressured by this addition to their academic workload and are pushed to find a healthy medium WHILE IT WAS —a balance SOMETIMES between school STRESSFUL AND responsibilities, sports, family and FRUSTRATING, I their social life.

PERSONALLY FOUND The outcome for most who choose THE RECRUITING to athletically PROCESS REALLY FUN. commit is exciting and relieving, I GOT TO VISIT A LOT but they must go OF UNIQUE PLACES through a long process to get AND COLLEGES AND there.

PLAY THE SPORT I “While it LOVE ALONG THE WAY. was sometimes stressful and frustrating, I Davis Baker personally found the recruiting Senior Baseball Player process really fun,” senior and University of Pennsylvania baseball commit Davis Baker said.

“I got to visit a lot of unique places and colleges and play the sport I love along the way.”

Students usually communicate with the schools they are interested in and schedule a visit.

Athletes play in camps, get to know the coaches and figure out which school is the right fit for them academically, geographically and athletically at these camps.

But many times, these visits, along

“

SEALING THE DEAL On Wednesday Nov. 10, senior Davis Baker signs his contract to play Division I baseball at the University of Pennsylvania. “Last summer [I went to ] a UPenn recruiting camp,” Baker said.

“The camp finished up and I had gotten an offer, and after about half a day of thought I officially committed. So while it really took several months to officially make a decision, when given the right fit [for] college I made the decision pretty quickly.”

Photo by Emma England, Digital Communications Manager.

with commitments to club sports, interfere with a student’s school schedule and cause additional stress to get work done on time.

“Balancing school and this process is definitely tough because of the traveling and commitment it takes every weekend,” junior and lacrosse player Camryn Kowalewski said. “Emailing and communicating with my teachers has been a big part of me balancing as well as just taking advantage of the free time I’m giving to get work done.”

While these student athletes do have less free time, once the process is finished and the student has committed to a college they don’t have to go through a stressful college application process like the majority of their peers.

“Once I committed I was pretty much stress free,” senior and Washington and Lee tennis commit Rider Yeaman said. “It has for sure made me more relaxed about school and grades. But [playing] tennis is still stressful because you want to live up to the coaches standards and be prepared to play when you get there freshman year, so there is kind of some added pressure knowing you have to work hard and not let down your future team.”

Although the pressure of academics might lessen subsequent to officially committing to the school of one’s choice, in order to keep their side of the deal, the athletes must continue to perform well academically and practice and improve in their sport in order to be ready for the intensity of collegiate level sports.

“I think if you’re going to go play in college you have to be 100 percent committed to your club and school teams before you go,” Men’s Lacrosse Program Director Jay Sothoron said. “It’s not easy, and it’s a job, so you better love it in high school. You better be so passionate about it that you wouldn’t mind waking up at six everyday to go practice and lift, etc.”

Sothoron also assists any student athletes that wish to commit. As a previous Division I, II and III lacrosse coach, he is experienced in collegiate level sports. He advises and

guides students in the process by suggesting camps, helping with school selection and communicating with the college coaches. While advising athletes, he notices the struggles the students have balancing all of their responsibilities.

“At our school, the good and the bad with it is, [the students] are asked to do so many things, with academics, clubs, sports, community service,” Sothoron said. “So yes, I think the stress that comes with recruitment is a product of the commitment to the sport here, but I also think the pressure of feeling the need to do so many things to put them on your college resumé, that’s a lot of pressure.”

And that’s where the help of the college guidance counselor’s come in. The counselor’s are a vital resource in every student’s college application process, but they are especially helpful with want-to-be college athletes.

“We’re always available for questions, even if a student had a question as early as freshman year,”Associate Director of College Guidance Elizabeth Clark said.

“When all of the students are assigned to one of the three of [the counselors] in the spring of sophomore year, if a student athlete is already being recruited and has some questions about visits, or wants to talk, about the academic side and where they would fall for particular schools and things like that, we are always available for them to come and meet with us. We just want to make sure they are feeling comfortable throughout their process and get any questions that they may have answered.”

Although there are many resources that the school provides as assistance for these students to use, the process is primarily driven by the students themselves.

“The recruitment process is ultimately up to you, it’s your responsibility to send emails, go to camps and talk to coaches,” Kowalewski said. “But, when I need the extra help or push from my coaches or teammates it’s

always there.”

As a junior, Kowalewski has completed the initial steps of the process and hopes to wrap it up soon, but she is taking her time to find the right school for her.

For students going through this process Clark suggests to “take it all in stride.”

“You know, try not to let the process overwhelm you, but rather motivate you to do your absolute best that you can, but check in with yourself often, because it is hard, and utilize your resources and support systems throughout the process, because it’s not something you can do alone,” Clark said.

As Kowalewski sifts through her offers and talks with different schools, there are many aspects of the school that need to work well to find the school that is the best fit for her.

With three offers already on the table for Yeaman, it took him a while before he found the school he wanted to go to. “ After I visited W&L and the coach offered me [a spot], I immediately knew it was the right school and fit for me, and I didn’t hesitate to take the offer and commit over the other schools,” Yeaman said.

And the relief and joy of choosing the best fit for Kowalewski will come along with the weight coming off of her shoulders when she decides, along with other students who will choose how their future unfolds with the college and team of their choice.

One of the “happiest moments of [his] life,” was when Baker committed to the college of his choice. “I felt like the last 12 years of learning just how to play the sport, the last 6 years of adding size and athleticism, the countless swings at a stationary baseball on a tee, and all the effort in general finally paid off,” Baker said. “I have had a set of goals for the sport since middle school, which were one: make varsity, two: make a specific club team, and three: commit somewhere, and it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my back to have finally completed the last goal.”

Sports

December 10, 2021

23

Superstitions take the field Athletes and fans engage in superstitions, curses, pregame rituals to reduce anxiety

By Charlotte Tomlin Asst. Web Editor

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uperstitions have compelled the population since the dawn of time: knocking on wood to prevent accidentally jinxing yourself, Friday the 13 is the ultimate “bad” day, never walk under a ladder, the list goes on. However, athletes always manages to take it one step further. Superstitions continue to rule in the sports world, for both fans and players.

Superstitions Tennis player Serena Williams, the renowned athlete, will not change her socks during a tennis tournament and instead opts to wear the same pair throughout the entire tournament. Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, who played for the Chicago Bears for 13 seasons, ate two chocolate chip cookies before every game. The late Jerry Tarkanian, a successful NCAA men’s basketball coach, was known for chewing on a towel during games as a superstition.

Superstitions can get a little strange. Jason Terry, former Dallas Mavericks point and shooting guard, wore the shorts of his opponents as pajamas the night before the game. He had a pair of shorts from every team in the NBA. Barry Fry, former English soccer player and coach, peed in every corner of his home stadium in order to rid the stadium of evil spirits. Former LSU head football coach, Les Miles, would eat turf during games. On The Zone radio show in 2010, Miles talked about his strange snack.

“I have a little tradition that humbles me as a man, that lets me know that I’m a part of the field and part of the game,” Miles said during the show. “You should have seen some games before this. I can tell you one thing: the grass in Tiger Stadium tastes best.”

On a less worry-inducing note, famed basketball player Michael Jordan would wear his UNC basketball shorts under his NBA shorts for good luck, which explains why his shorts were always longer than the normal length. NASCAR doesn’t allow peanuts in the shells at the racetrack, an old superstition dating back to real safety concerns: peanut shells on the track would cause numerous accidents.

And some Eagle athletes are true superstition believers as well.

“Superstitions definitely work,” sophomore and varsity lacrosse and basketball player sophomore Sean Browne said. “For each game, I wear ‘Space Jam’ underwear and wear my socks inside out. I fold my socks over so the Nike sign is upside down.”

Superstitions get many ESD athletes game-ready. Some wear specific clothes or accessories during the game, while others eat certain foods or drink certain drinks before game time.

“The night before each game, I sleep with my lacrosse stick next to me,” sophomore and varsity lacrosse and football player Hunt Sands said. “It helps me get ready for the game.”

Other superstitions happen right before game time, a final wish for luck before the game.

“I have to tie my cleats a certain way before each game,” junior and

varsity soccer player Ella Sjogren said. “They feel strange if they’re tied a different way. Also, before every game, I always encourage the team to do the final cheer on the field. It gets everyone game-ready.”

Pregame rituals Many professional sports players have pre-game rituals that center their focus on the game.

Wayne Gretzky, professional hockey player, always puts on his uniform in a certain order. During warmups, he would always shoot his first shot wide to the right.

He would then drink a diet Coke, a glass of ice water, a Gatorade, and another Diet Coke. Before stepping on the ice, he would cover the blade of his stick with baby powder. The pre-game ritual translates a little differently for ESD athletes.

“Before every lacrosse game, I have to listen to ‘Bricks’ by Migos,” junior and varsity lacrosse player Lily Tollison said. “It really gets me in the zone, and I’ve never lost a game when I listen to it.”

Junior Caroline Ragan, varsity field hockey, basketball and lacrosse player, has an elaborate hair superstition that stems from a childhood hairdo.

“I have to put my hair up first using the same kind of hair tie every time. My left braid has to be done first and it has to be longer than the right braid, which is done second,” Ragan said. “I do this because two braids has been my lucky hairstyle since I was little, so I updated it to a ponytail with two braids since I am older. I’ve always worn something to make me stick out so my parents can see me.

When I was younger I wore these huge bows that were neon.”

Some athletes have superstitions that began many years ago and carried them all the way through high school.

“I must wake up at least two to three hours before I run a race and eat three small flour tortillas,” senior cross country runner Kai Robinson said. “Along with eating the tortillas, I always wear the same pair of navy and white striped running socks when I run a race. I have been doing both of these [rituals] since freshman year.

I wake up early to eat so I have some fuel to use during the race.

As for the socks, I always wear the same pair because I believe that they give me good luck. While wearing the socks, I have had great races and some not so great races.

However, I believe that without the socks I would not be as lucky, and I would not have been able to run as well as I have.”

Curses However, superstitions extend beyond just the players. Fans of sports all across the world engage in superstitions that they believe in. Many fans believe in the infamous Madden curse, where if a player appears on the cover of the Madden NFL video game, those players have troubling or shortened seasons once their games hit the shelves.

“I totally believe in the Madden curse,” sophomore and lacrosse, football and basketball player Logan Lear said. “I mean, Patrick Mahomes was on the cover [of

THE SCIENCE BEHIND SUPERSTITIONS

SOCK STAR Sophomore lacrosse player Sean Browne rips a shot during a game with Texas Nationals, sporting his lucky upside down socks. “I wore my socks inside out accidentally for a tournament a couple years ago,” Browne said. “We ended up winning the championship, so ever since that tournament I’ve worn my socks inside out.”

Photo provided by Sean Browne.

“Madden”] in 2019, and then he dislocated his knee in the game against the [Denver] Broncos.”

However some student athletes disregard the idea of the Madden curse completely.

“I think it’s really coincidental,” Ragan said. “I don’t believe that by putting certain players on the cover of the game, they will get injured.

Many have escaped the “curse” I guess but it’s more of a jinx or just coincidence. Everyone gets hurt, and the best players who work the hardest have a high chance of getting injured. They work the hardest and that’s why they get the farthest and are normally on the cover. The evidence is there for the Madden curse to be real, but it’s definitely just a coincidence.”

“Curses” take another form with the ManningCast curse.

When an active player appears on the Manning brothers’ Monday Night Football show, they are “cursed” and lose their next game.

Travis Kelce, Russell Wilson, Rob Gronkowski, Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady and Josh Allen have all suffered the ManningCast curse.

When golf great Phil Mickelson appeared on the show on Monday, Nov. 15 for the Rams vs. 49ers game, he confirmed his belief in the ManningCast curse.

“No, I believe that it is a thing, and that’s why I’m not playing next week,” Mickelson said. “I didn’t know if it would carry over to golf or not. I think it’s real.”

The Drake curse is yet another “curse” that has swept the sports’ world. The Drake curse is when Drake, a famed rapper, shows support for a team and the team loses their game, often horrifically.

In 2015, tennis player Serena Williams looked as talented as ever during the U.S. Open.

Drake showed up to support Williams in her match against unranked Roberta Vinci. Vinci

Superstitions are beliefs that certain actions or events will bring good or bad luck, resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown or trust in chance. A common superstition is the avoidance of the number 13: many buildings skip the 13th floor, while some airlines don’t have a 13th row.

But what is the source of superstitions? An article in the International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences said, “superstition has its roots in our species’ youth when our ancestors could not understand the forces and whims of [the] natural world.”

The main cause of superstitions is anxiety. According to medicalnewstoday.com, superstitions relieve anxiety for many people, allowing people a sense of control over their lives.

upset Williams in the match, and Drake witnessed (or caused?) the whole situation. Other victims of the Drake curse include Conor McGregor during UFC 229, the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2019 NHL Playoffs and the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2019 college football championship.

“The Drake curse is a real thing,” Sands said. “The only reason Kentucky hasn’t won a national championship since 2014 is because Drake is a Kentucky fan. If he’d take off his Kentucky sweatshirt, they would win.”

Wide-reaching superstitions Playoff beards, where a player stops shaving when their team enters the playoffs and shaves when they are eliminated or win, have taken the sports world by storm. The tradition started in the NHL, when players grew beards in the playoffs for the Stanley Cup. The playoff beard has extended not just to other sports, but to fans as well. Fans of the St. Louis Cardinals grew beards in solidarity with the team as they entered the world series playoffs.

In the community, playoff beards often take the shape of eccentric haircuts for male athletes.

“For last year’s season, JV lacrosse cut our hair into mullets,” Lear said. “It brought the team together and made every game so fun. We went 10-0 because of the mullets.”

Many athletes see the benefits of superstitions, and encourage other community members to develop their own.

“I think everyone should have a superstition,” Sjogren said. “It gets you prepared for the game, and really hones your focus so you’re ready to compete when the time comes. Not to mention, [superstitions] are just really fun.”

“

FOR EACH GAME, I WEAR ‘SPACE JAM’ UNDERWEAR AND WEAR MY SOCKS INSIDE OUT. I FOLD MY SOCKS OVER SO THE NIKE SIGN IS UPSIDE DOWN.”

Sean Browne Sophomore

Stuart Vyse, author of “Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition” and former professor at Connecticut College, explains the benefits of superstition in an interview with the British Psychological Society.

“There is evidence that positive, luck-enhancing superstitions provide a psychological benefit that can improve skilled performance,” Vyse said.

Superstitions provide an outlet for anxiety in many people, and may even enhance performance. In a poll of 163 ESD Upper School students and faculty members, 48.5 percent consider themselves to be superstitious, while 34.4 percent have a sports superstition. .

24

Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

HALFTIME WITH HAWKINS Photo by Emily Lichty

Idolatry distorts sports fans’ views of athletes

Bad decisions cause confusion and false perception of people who tend to inspire others

By Callie Hawkins Sports Editor

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eroes. Inspiration.

Following in one’s footsteps. Everyone looks up to someone who inspires them, whether it is a parent, a grandparent, someone in their preferred future job, etc.

Many athletes have someone in the professional world who they can look up to. Incredible football players inspire young boys. Simone Biles is an idol to young gymnasts.

Think of Alex Morgan and Lionel Messi; there is not one soccer player in the world who does not know their name.

Now, imagine if they did something widely viewed as something bad. On Nov. 2, former Las Vegas Raiders football player Henry Ruggs III caused a major car accident that ended with the death of a young woman. He had been

driving at 156 MPH, while having twice the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration when he ran into the back of 23-year-old Tina Tintor’s car. Raider fans, and more generally football fans and the public, were appalled at what had happened. Fans were ashamed, and it has been a hot topic of discussion.

My dad brought it up at the dinner table the night after it happened and used what happened as an example of what would happen to my siblings and I if we made poor decisions. At first my sister and I had no idea who Henry Ruggs was, but when my little brother heard the name, he was shocked. He had picked Ruggs for his fantasy league and was upset when he found out this player he aspired to be like had done such an awful thing and that he was

probably never going to play again.

But it’s not like this is the first time something like this has happened. Things like this happen all the time in general and within the sports world. Henry Ruggs is the most recent and one of the most extreme examples.

One recurring example of this kind of thing is the use of drugs in sports. Growing up, every good parent advises against the use of drugs, and when a fan finds out that the only reason their favorite athlete was so good was because he was on steroids that enhanced their performance, it’s distorting to one’s viewpoint in life. It messes with one’s aspirations, how one thinks of people and their mindset toward humankind. Many baseball fans experienced this throughout the late 90s to the early 00s during the Major League of Baseball

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Percent of students have had someone they look up to do something irresponsible Source: Dec. 7 poll of 163 upper school students

experienced what is now called the “Steroid Era”.

Another more recent and prevalent example of the same kind of distortion of idolatry in the sports world is Aaron Rodgers. In Aug., at the beginning of the 2021-2022 NFL season, Rodgers dodged questions about the vaccine and claimed he was “immunized” to Covid-19. On Nov. 3, during the routine Covid-19 test for the players, Rodgers tested positive. This wasn’t quite as extreme as other instances, but still, many of his followers and fans were disillusioned by his lies and his choices.

The cautionary lessons of Rodgers, Ruggs and drug use in the MLB are constant reminders of the dangers of idolatry. Distorted perceptions of athletes can lead to unattainable expectations.

Sports

December, 10 2021

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Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas

Off-season athletes remain on the grind Lifts, workouts provide opportunity to stay fit prior to spring season

DOING THE HEAVY LIFTING Senior varsity baseball player James Wharton lifts weights during an pre-season lifting session in order to stay in shape before the spring season starts. “Practices during the season are focused on more specific aspects of the game,” Wharton said. “It’s crucial that the fundamentals and the strength conditioning are completed before the season starts.”

Photo by Sloane Hope

By Sloane Hope Business manager

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or many athletes, the winter season means the beginning of sports like soccer and basketball.

For others, it means the start of preparation for spring sports.

With after school practices, lifts in the weight room and conditioning, the winter provides a time for spring-sport athletes that are not participating in a winter sport to stay in shape before the start of the season.

Many players call this period “offPRE-SEASON season,” when in reality, it’s anything SETS THE TONE but. To varsity FOR THE REST women’s lacrosse OF THE YEAR captain, junior Camryn Kowaleski, IN TERMS OF pre-season plays SPRING SPORTS a large role in determining the fate of the upcoming Camryn season. She believes that stick work and Kowalewski conditioning are Junior pivotal to the team’s overall success.

“Preseason sets the tone for the rest of the year in terms of spring sports,” Kowalewski said. “It’s a great way to bond while working hard and getting stronger as a team. We always encourage people

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to play sports in the winter if they want to because it helps them stay in shape and be with other girls who work hard, but we try to emulate that atmosphere in the offseason for those girls that choose not to play a sport as well.”

According to Kowalewski, a normaloff-season practice for her and the women’s varsity Lacrosse team includes stick-work drills, sprinting and endurance running and injury prevention weight lifting.

“We usually do a lift on Monday and Wednesday and running on Tuesday and Thursday,” Kowalewski said. “However, we do stick work in the form of wallball every day. We will do drills from time to time, but wallball is a consistent way to make sure everyone is getting practice with their stick.”

As for the lifts, Kowalweski says they are an integral part of the preseason process, noting that working your muscles is just as important as working your heart.

“Everyone, regardless of how much weight you use, gets stronger from the lifts twice a week,” Kowalweski said. “Coach Mosley does a great job at integrating exercises that benefit everyone, no matter what sport. We work hard in the weight room for an hour twice a week and you really see it pay off.”

Senior lacrosse player Eli Huggins notes that the preseason practices are about more than just getting fit. In practicing with the team for a few months before

the season actually starts, the players are more bonded going into the season, allowing for a more seamless transition into the regular practices.

“I definitely think that preseason gives us a chance to really get to know our teammates and connect with them before we actually start getting into the nittygritty of the season,” Huggins said.

“I know it can be pretty daunting to be new to the team, or even the school, and thrown into the season in the spring, so it provides a valuable opportunity to form relationships with the guys that you’ll be practicing with for the rest of the year.”

In addition to simply being out on the field practicing with teammates, the men’s lacrosse team makes a point to incorporate team building and bonding exercises into their off-season workouts, something that can’t be said about every team.

“On the days that we don’t have a lift, we do this thing called the Taco challenge,” Huggins said.

“Basically, it’s a giant competition that lasts the whole preseason. At the beginning of preseason, we all got divided into four teams, each with a senior team leader, and we do different competitions with them throughout the preseason.

We do mile races, push-up challenges and other things. At the end of preseason, our coach takes the team with the most wins out for tacos! It’s a really fun way to incentivize players to work hard

and just bring the team together overall.”

Director of Sport Performance and middle school physical education instructor Phil Mosley coaches both in-season and offseason lifts, acknowledging that the latter is crucial for laying the foundation for future seasons.

“It’s a time when ideally, you’re not playing your sport,” Moseley said. “We need to get in the weight room and work on getting stronger, more powerful, and more explosive so that you’re able to handle the rigors of your season when it starts.”

An important aspect of lifting is the prevention of future injuries.

Often, the lifts do more to train your muscles to withstand injury then to increase muscle mass.

“Injury prevention is the number one reason we lift weights,” Mosley said. “Lifting weights helps against injuries because it trains the body to handle forces similar to those you would experience in your sport.”

Another major difference between in-season and off-season lifts is how long they are and how physically demanding they can be.

“In-season lifts usually only last 30 minutes whereas off-season lifts run for about 45 minutes to an hour,” Mosley said. “Off-season lifts are longer because there is more training volume in the weight room whereas in-season lifts are shorter and less volume because the majority of athletes’ time is spent playing and practicing their sport.”

EAGLE EYE

Queen of the courts

Dual-sport athlete Reagan Grady excels in volleyball and basketball

Q A Photo by Maddy Hammett

Interview by Maddy Hammett Copy Editor How did you get involved in both of these sports?

What was the biggest highlight of your volleyball season?

What are you looking forward to most for this upcoming basketball season?

I’ve been playing volleyball since fourth grade, and I’ve been playing basketball since I was three. My sister is older than me, and she was just playing basketball with my dad one day and I decided that I would shoot around with them. My dad looked over at me then and he said ‘I think that’s the basketball player of the family.”

“The biggest highlight of my season was definitely meeting new people. Coming in as a new student, having try-outs before school really gave me an opportunity to meet girls before school started. I became close with a lot of girls on the team, which was really special.

The friendships I made were definitely the most important part of the season to me.”

“I look forward to just playing with new teammates. I came to ESD not knowing a lot of people as a new student, so I am excited to make more connections. We don’t have many upperclassmen on the team besides us juniors, so I am really looking forward to leading the team and taking the underclassmen under my wing along with the other captains.”

Sports

December 10, 2021

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Athletes balance horseback riding and school life Competitive horseback riders reflect on how they manage school work with their busy schedules

By Alexandra Warner Views Editor

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unior Ellie Parra takes a deep breath, looks at the course ahead, and gently kicks the horse to begin moving. Her months worth of training has led up to this horse show, The Hidden Lake Farm Thanksgiving Show.

Parra’s horse, Sir Cedric, gallops towards the first flight, a hurdle, and leaps over the obstacle cleanly.

One down seven more to go.

Horseback riding is an uncommon sport in our community. Two students in particular are junior Ellie Parra and senior Mallory Mahoney, who participate in competitive horseback riding. They both started riding at a young age and have gone through the ups and downs of managing school with their sport.

“From freshman to junior year I would ride three times a week, but I only ride once a week now,” Mahoney said. “As a senior, it’s really hard to balance my time for riding, school and social things. But I still try to ride whenever I can.”

Mahoney has been riding since she was 9 years old. Although her love for riding hasn’t changed,

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riding has become less of a priority to her due to schoolwork. Parra’s training schedule, however, hasn’t changed, even with her school workload.

“Since I was 10, it was [from] school straight to the barn, and [I was] there until it was dark every day,” Parra said. “I’m probably at the barn around 30 hours a week just because there’s so much to do. [Your horse is] a pet you have to take care of, so you have to feed them, clean their stalls, go to the vet; it’s like a full time job.

So as my riding and school load has progressed, I’ve just kind of learned to manage it.”

When it comes to horseback riding, the athletes have to learn to manage their time. Mahoney has come up with specific strategies to get all of her work done so she has time to ride.

“Managing time with riding is hard, especially during senior year, but I always find a way to make time for it because it makes me so happy,” Mahoney said. “I do a lot of planning ahead, [and] I will sit down and do all of the [homework] that’s on my schedule for the upcoming week.”

Because horseback riding is not a sport offered through school, Parra believes that the school hasn’t taken into account the hard work of the sport. “[The sport] is so unrecognized because it’s not like football or lacrosse where if you have a game the teacher will understand,” Parra said. “It’s such an obscure thing and no one’s really interested or takes into account how much work it is aside from just the actual sport. It takes a lot of time, and no one really recognizes it.”

To fulfill the six sport credits every student should complete during their high school career, students need to participate in a school sponsored sport or personal fitness program. Student athletes, however, can get an exemption if they participate in a sport at a high or competitive level outside sport.

However horseback riding does not receive any sport credit.

“I submitted a form for an exemption since horseback riding takes up so much of my time,” Parra said. “I thought they would allow it but they told me no. So now I have to do something for a school sports credit along with

MISSION STATEMENT

Editors-in-Chief Emily Lichty & Gina Montagna

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horseback riding.”

Coach Evan Hadrick is the new Physical Education Department Chair, his job includes granting sport exemptions.

“It is not common for students to receive an exemption, as they are reserved for students competing at the highest level of competition [like] national teams, Olympic development teams or high state ranking,” Hadrick said.

“It is difficult to get an exemption because physical education and sports participation are part of the curriculum at ESD. We provide quality facilities and highly-qualified coaches [along with] non-sport alternatives in our personal fitness, lifetime fitness, outdoor education and mountain biking courses.”

Parra’s coach, Dominique Miller, has been coaching her for four years. She understands the hard work and dedication it takes to do the sport and thinks schools should respect it more.

“I think riding is a very different sport that should be given even more consideration than most sports,” Miller said.

“For most sports you need to be in good shape, well trained and

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mentally up to competing. An equestrian sport requires that of both the horse and rider. This partnership takes time to build, and many hours of blood, sweat and many tears of frustration, sadness and joy.”

According to Miller, horseback riding is a team sport, but it is different from most sports because it requires teamwork between the rider and their horse. If they don’t cooperate with each other, communication and performance can be off.

However, if the two have a good relationship, they will make a great team.

“It takes kindness, hard work, passion and dedication to be a really good horsewoman because [it’s] not only about being an athlete,” Miller said. “The horse is part of the team and needs full care like an athlete. They are incredible animals that give so much, but for you to get the best from them, you have to give a lot physically, mentally and emotionally. It can be a lifelong passion that requires dedication over years to truly make a talented and gifted horsewoman.”

The opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of the adviser, faculty or staff. This is a student-run publication and a forum for student voices.

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28 Eagle Edition

Episcopal School of Dallas | December 10, 2021

what’s ?

in your holiday closet Warm knit beanie

To keep Amber’s head warm on the crisp winter days.

Charlie Southern T-shirt

A simple and essential tee to last the whole season.

St. Nicks Choice Elf Ears

A funny ears headband for holiday gatherings

Christmas Tree Socks

An affordable and cute accessory from Target.

DO+BE Sweater

A representation of Donahue ‘s New York fashion sense.

Coca Cola T-shirt

Relaxing Santa, a design from retro Coke cans.

Brandy Melville Cara Skirt Bought from Urban Outfitters

Present Slippers

To rock after a long day of exams.

Steve Madden Booties

Noticed-R Rhinestones boots which Donahue got from her favorite mall, North Park.

Candy Cane Socks Something she always associate with Christmas and long boots.

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s junior Amber Donahue walks into her friend’s secret Santa party, all eyes turn to see her. She is glittering in her shining silver Steve Madden 4-inch booties and her red Brandy Mellville plaid skirt. When the party comes to an end, she slips off her eye-catching shoes and replaces them with comfy red and gold slippers, a perfect fit for relaxing.

“My sister and I are all really into fashion so I usually try to have a cute Holiday outfit with my red plaid skirt and those sparkly boots, cause I mean look at them,” Donahue said.

Personal style affects the kind of holiday wear someone chooses. Donahue, despite living in Texas, enjoys winter New Yorkstyle fashion.

“My personal style tends to be more like New York fashion since my mom was born and raised there,” Donahue said. “I am used to traveling and wearing sweaters like the green one, boots, jackets and long coats.”

Christmas clothing, music and decorations add to the holiday spirit, but wearing Christmas attire when celebrating the holidays can enhance the feeling of unity and happiness.

“Christmas clothing means I am participating in the holiday spirit and makes December feel like the whole month is a celebration,” Donahue said.“[Christmas clothes] is especially important to me for traditions with my family and doing it all together.”

Clothing gifted during the holidays by close friends or family members can often give important meaning to the items. Donahue has a festive collection of Christmas socks that have great importance to her for that reason.

“Most of the socks I have gotten over the years [are] from Target or gifted by family members,” Donahue said.

When the Christmas season comes to an end, the dazzling heels and plaid skirt are neatly placed in their rightful home, a special shelf in her closet, until next December, when they will be displayed at the next Christmas event.

By Iris Hernandez Staff Writer