V40 Issue 3

Cheater, cheater...

Photo by Alexandra Warner

news

p.2-7

council becomes a new addition to the school’s disciplinary process

elections elicit response across the community

Environmental club promotes student action

Reusable water bottle count skyrockets, information about recycling spreads

S tory by Iris Hernandez News Editor

It is a race against time. Seniors Jack Massey and Jake Swift chug reusable bottles full of water from the senior hall refill station on Nov. 17. Cheers erupt as the bottles are empty and ready to be refilled again. The upper school is now a few bottles closer to getting a free dress day.

The Environmental Awareness Club announced to the upper school that if the water bottle refill station numbers in the senior hallway are raised from 22885 to 23371 refills by Nov. 18 the upper school would receive a free dress day. The free dress day took place on Dec. 5.

“I think it will encourage people to be environmentally conscious because it shows how easy it is to reuse a water bottle instead of single-use,” senior and member of the EAC Rohan Schlehuber said. “It also lets people see how easy it is to save 1500 plastic water bottles in half a month. I think it is important to care about these things because it helps create a better environment for us to live in in the future. ”

Free dress days are seen as a hot commodity by students. So, many took this challenge seriously and rose to the challenge.

“I believe our community needs to be more centered around reusability and environmental awareness, and the refill challenge was a great way to achieve this,” Swift said. “It’s also nice staying hydrated and getting a free dress day. I made sure everyone in the senior hall drank water. I also drank four gallons of water a day to break our goal.”

But the EAC does not care only about water, they have plans to involve the lower school as well to decrease art supplies waste.

“The lower school marker drive we are working on is for lower schoolers to donate used markers to be then sent to Crayola to be properly recycled and refilled if possible,” Schlehuber said. “As well, we want to continue to promote upper and lower school connections and teach younger kids about the envi-

ronment.”

The EAC has been running for 40 years at ESD. Former English teacher Greg Randall, who retired last year, was the EAC’s original sponsor. Upper school history teacher Marc Salz volunteered to take over Randall.

“I really believe in trying to leave a better planet than was [once] there,” Salz said. “I don’t pick up every piece of trash on campus, but if you tracked me all day you would see me bend over and pick up pieces of trash that aren’t mine.”

For some, like Salz, recycling is important and allows them to optout of creating more waste that will eventually harm the environment. However, some people have noticed that the recycling on campus has not been well separated from normal waste.

“Part of the problem is some of the students are not well educated or not interested in differentiating [the recycling],” Salz said. “And if you provide bad recycling, it destroys the whole recycling load.”

ESD recycles cardboard, plastics and paper. The recycling program has been in operation since the 1980s. The

“Judging on the amount of recycling we have picked up daily, I would probably agree that ESD has a good awareness of recycling,” Director of Facilities Jay Michael said. “But often, contamination will cause the school to pay more in fines than in years past. It would be good to remind everyone of what is and is not recyclable.”

Michael said that the school has

reusable water bottles were filled in senior hall

been fined by Republic Services, a solid waste collection company, when the recycling is contaminated. The fine is usually 30 percent of the normal monthly recycling cost. When Michael’s staff identifies contaminated recycle bags, they place them in the trash dumpster to avoid the monetary fine.

“We have found food, drinks, foam board and styrofoam in the recycle bins,” Michael said. “Those are typical examples of contamination.” Recycling and trash collected at ESD are not separated prior to it going to either the landfill or recycling facility.

It is important, then, to separate before it is picked up by the facilities staff. Yet, this is a very common issue; according to recyclops.com, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that one in four recycling items has been contaminated.

“We have been fined by Republic Services, when contamination takes place,” Michael said. “Often, if my staff identifies contaminated recycle bags, we place them in the trash dumpster to avoid the monetary fine. We have found food, drinks, foam board and styrofoam in the recycle bins.”

Thirty-two percent of Americans recycle according to the EPA. According to a poll taken on Dec 5, 64 ESD community members recycle.

“I recycle because personally I believe that we have the power to help our environment,” Sophmore Aubrey Fomin said. “I am contributing to the effort to keep our Earth healthy. I believe it is so important to take care of our planet, and by recycling I can help to do that.”

RECYCLING HAS A HISTORY

The first known humans to recycle were the Japanese in the ninth Century. They began to recycle when they started to make paper, so, in reality, paper and recycling have always gone hand in hand.

Today most people have the convenience of supermarkets, easy transportation, and credit cards. But in the 1800’s, people did not have these things, making reusing or saving materials much more common and practical.

The popularity of recycling has gone up and down throughout the years. In the early 19th century, many cities separated trash from reusable materials and sold it to companies. However, once the 1920s rolled around, this trend died down. There was no separation from trash and recyclables.

Recycling picked up again around the second world war when people were encouraged to recycle paper, cloth and rubber. And when the war ended, so did recycling. It then gained traction once again in the 1960s when people first began to see recycling as an aid to the environment, yet most households sent their waste to landfills.

President Lyndon B. Johnson passed legislation during this time to preserve the environment.

Recycling in the past was much different than the current way we recycle, which originated during the 1970s. People across the country became concerned about the trash and recyclable materials that littered the landscape. This mass effort to recycle was a direct response to the creation and high consumption of single use products. Corporations became involved and released prorecycling ads. Then in 1971, Oregon became the first state to pass a beverage container deposit law, which increased the cost for bottles by five or 10 cents, in order to incentivize returns. The money was refunded when recycled. Curbside recycling began a decade later in Woodbury, New Jersey. It soon spread across the country.

HYDRATION STATION

A senior fills up a reusable water bottle at the station in senior hall.

Upper school students celebrated a free dress day on Tuesday, Dec. 6 after filling 486 reusable water bottles. The free dress day was awarded to students by Environmental Awareness Club in an attempt to decrease plastic bottle waste.•

A poster made by the EAC to advertise the challenge. Photo taken by Maddy Hammett

Discipline

Midterm

Source: Dec. 5 poll of 125 upper school students

DOWN TO EARTH

Make Christmas a season of goodwill, not landfill

The clock strikes early Christmas morning, and a surge of kids rush down the stairs to rip and tear apart the wrappings of their awaited presents . As luminous and vibrant wrapping paper floods the floors, ribbons tossed and thrown and bows stuck to walls, the trash of Christmas possibly outweighs the amount of joy and gifts in the holiday season.

Every year, the loads of trash and food waste during the holidays surpasses the amount of waste produced during the rest of the year. This issue has been festering as more and more trash, food and decorations turn into waste and feed landfills.

The general waste produced by worldwide families during the holiday season is approximately 3 million tons, which is estimated to be about 43 pounds per family according to The Commercial Waste Trade. However, during the rest of the year, the average American produces approximately five pounds of trash per day, leading to 35 pounds per week. This can include wrapping paper, glitter, ribbons, plastic and even toys.

In 2016, according to the same study, we threw away approximately 227,000 miles of wrapping paper, which is enough to wrap the Earth 11 times. Additionally, if we took the estimated amount of Christmas cards bought that year, they would be able to stretch around the world 500 times. And if we continue to add tin foil and plastic, that’s an extra 4,500 tons of tin foil and 125,000 tons of plastic wasted and thrown away.

“Every year to recycle and reuse, my mom collects all the trash we had,” sophomore Mae Zimmer said. “We reuse wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows for next year”.

The United States plays a huge role in feeding this issue. The average American increases their waste production to seven pounds a day, becoming 49 pounds a week during the holidays. With our population of approximately 300 million people, this is estimated to be 2.9 billion more pounds of garbage generated during the holidays relative to the rest of the year, according to Brightly Eco Blog. The majority of the trash consists of wrapping paper, turning out to be 2.3 billion pounds wasted a year. Another majority of the trash wasted, are Christmas cards. It is estimated that 1.3 billion cards are sent each year. Though this might not strike as an issue, this emits the same amount of CO2 as powering 22,000 homes’ energy use for one year.

“I do think that Christmas cards aren’t really being used anymore,” Zimmer said. “I think many have switched to e-cards since covid”.

Frivolity has always been prominent, but it is exemplified during this time of year. Greenpeace, an independent global campaigning network, recently found that as little as one kilogram of wrapping paper emits three and a half kilograms of carbon dioxide during the production process because of the use of one and a half kilograms of coal to power its production.

Investing in eco-friendly and biodegradable wrapping paper, ribbons and even some toys, could help decrease the amount of waste created during the holidays.

“My wife and I recycle everything we can during this time of year,” John Gallo, biology teacher and head of the biology club, said. “We reuse the same Christmas tree, gift bags, boxes and electron-

ics and try to limit our waste”.

Fake Christmas trees have a greater environmental impact than using real ones. Artificial trees have a carbon footprint equivalent to around 88 pounds. They contribute to the epidemic of plastic pollution globally. Though these numbers may already seem high, they only keep increasing annually according to The Commercial Waste Trade. The impact of trash and waste is extremely harmful to the environment as it depletes the ozone layer, kills ecosystems and harms our world as a whole.

Gallo suggests that if you plan on using a fake tree, plan to keep it in the years to come, as doing that helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and waste produced.

“When we used to have a real tree we would participate in the city’s composting program at the end of the season,” Gallo

said. “Now we used a passed-down fake one, but we will continue to use it for as long as we can”.

Beyond that, it’s important to keep in mind to reuse decorations and make more eco-conscious choices. For example, buying a real tree, biodegradable decorations and overall, being mindful of how you use your materials.

As the third most populated country in the world with close to 332 million people, it is important to be aware of how we go about using, saving and consuming during the holiday season. It’s important

to understand how we can better our Christmas and how we can do that while also protecting the environment.

In addition to all the waste and trash that is thrown out during this time of year, we throw out 230,000 tons during the year and during the holiday’s it escalates. This amount of waste contributes to the landfills which are slowly taking over parts of our land.

Over the past five years, the increase in food waste has gone up by 80 percent annually. Though this might not seem as much of an issue as it may be, a study done by the University of Manchester reported that our combined Christmas dinners produce the same carbon footprint as a single car traveling around the world 6,000 times. This is because of the use of coal, gas ovens, fireplaces and microwaves being used an excessive amount. According to the Waste and Resources Action Program, this waste would be associated with more than 25 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

“Food waste is such a big issue in this country,” Gallo said. “It’s hard to eliminate it completely, but trying not to cook more than can be eaten is crucial.”

On a smaller scale, the United States produces 70 billion pounds of food waste annually, again the majority of that percentage comes from family dinners and get-togethers during Christmas, according to Brightly Eco Blog.

These numbers aren’t going down. With the assistance of immense food advertisements and the encouragement to buy more food than needed, the waste of food in the U.S. continues to skyrocket.

“Every year we do these meal plans,” Zimmer said. “We try to plan out the amount of food for everyone so we don’t waste, and we just eat the leftovers”.

However, there is hope as every problem has a solution. Minor changes to decorations, food and habits during the Christmas season can drastically make a difference one family at a time.

One thing done commonly in households is reusing wrapping paper, ribbons, charms and tissue paper, instead of throwing them out. In addition, using eco-friendly wrapping and tissue paper that are biodegradable help.

Another way to help is by making and sending e-Christmas cards. New rising websites like the Paperless Post and Blue Mountain allow for a customizable and environmentally friendly Christmas card.

One of the major contributors to excessive energy usage are holiday lights. Every year, Christmas lights consume enough energy to power 400,000 houses for a year. However, to combat this issue, switching to LED lights, which are more eco-friendly, saves 80 percent of the energy than usual Christmas lights.

“You can also recycle electronics,” Gallo said. “Many bring old or even newish electronics, including Christmas lights, to an electronic drop off location.”

Lastly, to help with food waste, plan out meals with the number of people joining, volunteer leftovers, and use the actual food waste as soil fertilizer.

“Personally I recommend that people try to be more aware of the waste, food and non-food,” Gallo said.

It is possible to reuse, reduce and recycle during the festive season and it starts with the little things. It’s important to make tiny changes to better your Christmas season by helping the environment too.

“Thinking about minimizing the waste situation and doing what you can makes a big difference,” Gallo said. “Do what you can to limit the waste stream, reducing, reusing, recycling.”

CHRISTMAS TREES Roughly 30 million live trees are produce and end up in landfills every year in the U.S.

RIBBONS

Roughly 38 million miles of ribbon are used for wrapping presents every year

S tory and photos by Sophia Sardiña Staff Writer

TOO MUCH RUBBISH About 3 million tons of trash accumulate annually during the Christmas season

REUSABLE DECOR CommercialWaste.com suggests using old wrapping paper to create new Christmas decor and crafts

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

On average, Christmas lights consume enough energy to power 400,000 house for a year

Discipline Council makes students accountable

Heil hopes to bring down the number of community violations

S tory by Iris Hernandez News Editor Photo Illustration by Maddy Hammet

The discipline council began its operation at the beginning of this school year and held its first case on Monday, Oct. 31. While the council is new this year, Head of Upper School Henry Heil has been wanting to implement it since he first started at ESD in 2017.

Heil hopes that the council will crack down on common misbehaviors that teachers see in the student body. In a perfect execution of the council, they would run out of cases because the repeat behaviors are non existent.

“There was a tangible frustration last spring because we were back to normal essentially with the relaxation of standards,” Heil said. “So, [the faculty] had a conversation [at the end of the year]. And what came out of that was that a discipline council could address a lot of the issues the faculty were frustrated by.”

Talks about establishing the council started in July and it was implemented in August. This year’s council is being treated as a trial run because there was no time to hold elections for leadership positions. The council members are representatives from each grade that were elected the previous year. The council consists of seven seniors, four juniors, one sophomore and one freshman.

“They are going to hear [community violations] and [disciplinary violation] cases that Mr. Heil and Mr. Laba are going to send to the council or recommend that they look at,” upper school math teach-

er and disciplinary council sponsor Lisa Bottoms said. “They are going to send recommendations to the administration on what they think the consequence should be. These students have already been found ‘guilty.’”

The discipline council will not handle every case, as some might be too sensitive.

Heil and Laba will have the final say and will also be able to follow the council’s recommendations or decide the outcome based on their own personal opinion.

Heil predicted an uptick in cases for the council during October and November, because teachers would be confident that their community violations would be dealt with, which was one of their concerns last year. As of Dec. 6, the upper school had accumulated 1050 CVs and 21 disciplinary violations. The number of cases for the council could, potentially, be very high. As of Dec. 7, the council has reviewed five cases.

“I am a little worried only because with the workload that a lot of us have, waking up early and then having to hear these cases is a bit overwhelming,” senior Linda Edwards*, a Disciplinary Council member said. “It definitely takes a lot of dedication to be on the disci-

pline council, but I think we’re all up for the challenge.”

However, the Disciplinary Council holds an important job. It is meant to uphold the idea of having fair judgment by peers.

“I think it’s important to hold everyone accountable [for] their actions, especially with CVs or tardies but it is a little concerning that we have to be the ones to discipline our peers and not an adult figure,” Edwards said. “I’m worried about the divide that it would create between the students. I do think it’s important to have a discipline council because people need to face consequences to their actions, especially irresponsible ones, but all in all I think it’s difficult to be the person to bring down the hammer.”

Some students, however, do not agree with the council’s existence.

“Personally I don’t think the discipline council is necessary,” junior Tucker Robertson said. “I think that the Honor Council was enough but the discipline council is giving too much power to students. Disciplinary violations should be handled in the original manner where they go straight to the grade deans and Mr. Laba.”

LIFE OF AN INFRACTION

1. An infraction takes place

2. The infraction is reported

3. The case is looked at by Assistant Head of Upper School Jeff Laba or by Upper School Head Henry Heil

4. Laba or Heil decide whether or not to send the case to the Discipline Council

5. The Council sets a meeting time and place

6. The Council reviews the case

7. The Council decides a verdict

8. The verdict is sent to Heil or Laba, they evaluate it and make a final decision

9. A decision is put into place and the student is made aware of the consequences

Cadaver lab

Forensics and anatomy classes traveled to the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth to observe a lab involving cadavers on Dec. 1, a field trip that was first established last year.

Anatomy and biology teacher Max Auge and Science Department Head and psychology and forensics teacher Amy Henderson thought the lab would be an opportunity for students to learn and observe the body’s anatomy, especially for those who want to continue their education in the sciences field.

“Forensics [deals with] autopsies all the time,” Henderson said. “[The doctors] talk about the stomach contents, and they can kind of narrow down the time of death, and we talk about that in forensics, so it relates to autopsies and time of death.”

UNT usually receives around 1500 bodies a year donated for research, but there are around 20-20 cadavers in the lab. Each body is covered, and a card is placed on top displaying their age, medical history and cause of death, but no other personal information is given.

“[During a dissection] doctors will uncover the body and will describe the dissection process,” Henderson said. “They will open up the cavity and show the heart and the lungs.”

This year, senior Katye Dullue and the rest of the group was able to see one completely uncovered body and see and hold organs of different cadavers including a liver of an alcoholic, a brain, a heart, the lungs of a girl who smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and a breast containing cancer. The class also went into the

bioskills lab (something the group last year didn’t see) that had the equipment doctors use to operate on the cadavers before performing on a live body.

“The cadaver lab was super cool and interesting to see,” Dullye said. “It was such a weird experience touching all of the different organs because they were all different textures and sizes. I [held] a [brain] up to my head to compare, and it’s crazy to think that those brains fit in someone else’s head.”

Henry Heil moves on

After six years at ESD, Head of Upper School Henry Heil will move on to his next endeavor. On Nov. 18, an email announcement was sent out to the school’s community that Heil had accepted the head of school position at the Brookstone School in Columbus, Georgia, a private 3K-12 college-preparatory school with a total student body of 820. Heil will continue serving ESD until he begins his work at Brookstone on July 1.

During Heil’s time at ESD, he led revisions to the honor system, introduced a student-led discipline council and improved student health and wellness and learning support programs, all while connecting with students.

“I love coming to work here,” Heil said. “I love walking through chapel, I love going to sports events, I love going to performances, I love going to see our shows, I love everything I do here. I don’t know what I would miss the most… I want to enjoy the next six months and really make the last year a memorable one.”

In a chapel talk on Tuesday, Heil reflected on his time at the school. He started by saying he was a new member of the Class of 2023, leaving the school with the seniors. It

ended with a standing ovation from the entire upper school.

“If I could put myself in [a senior’s] shoes, it would be like graduating,” Heil said. “The school I’m going to is very much like ESD, so that’s comforting. It’s going to be a different role, and that’s going to be scary. I’m excited about the possibilities and excited about the community... So I’m nervous, but in an exciting way.”

Christmas music

The holiday season is the music program’s busiest time of the year with the most performances. Band, strings and choir have five concerts combined in the first semester. To kick off the festivities, the upper school orchestra performed for an open house admissions event on Dec. 4 from 12:15 to 1 p.m., and the Choir had their first holiday performance at NorthPark Mall on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m.. Tonight, The school holds its largest orchestra event of the year, the All School Band and Strings Holiday Concert, which will be held in the Bell Theater at 5 p.m. The annually held concert gains participation by the whole ESD community, as performers range from second grade all the way up to seniors. This holiday event is run by strings teacher Adrian Demian and Band Program Director Doug Jordan.

“This event is one of my favorites of the year, since it brings our community together,” Demian said. “We have a lot of talented musicians at the school and I love to have them come together for the concert.”

Choir also performed during Lessons and Carols on Wednesday. Jake Kelton, a senior in the choir, has been singing with the choir since he was a freshman, and performed at his last Lessons and Carols this past Wednesday.

PINS FOR SERVICE Members of the discipline council are get a pin for their service. They are able to display their pin on their blazers that are worn on Wednesdays for Eucharist. The pin is bestowed upon them in a chapel ceremony.

anatomy students take a class photo at the cadaver lab on Dec. 1 at UNT’s Health Science Center

2 HEIL MOVES ON Head of Upper School Henry Heil’ accepted a position as head of school in Columbus, Georgia. 3 CHRISTMAS MUSIC The upper school choir sings during lessons and carols in the competition gym on Dec. 7 Photos and stories compiled by Grace Worsham, Elizabeth Siegel, Phoebe McMillan, Iris Hernandez.

*These students names have been changed at their request for privacy reasons.

Blood drives save lives, community takes action

Students and faculty donate blood, alleviate nationwide blood shortage

S tory by Elliot Lovitt Copy Editor

With a small poke of a needle and 10 minutes of one’s time, a life can be saved.

The selfless and vital act of donating blood is one that many participate in, but few know the true impact of their donations.

On Monday, Nov. 14, Carter BloodCare came to campus to host a blood drive, coordinated with students from National Honor Society along with the club’s sponsors Susan Weil and Amy Henderson. Students at least 16-years-old could participate and could receive three hours of community service for donating.

Upper school history teacher and Junior Class Dean Claire Mrozek was among these donors. Mrozek donates at least once a year through the school’s blood drive.

“I just do it through the drives here because it’s really convenient,” Mrozek said. “Sadly, there are tragedies every minute, and there’s not an awful lot I can do beyond this. The more supplies that medical professionals have that they need, the better the chances are that if my family or I ever need it, there’s going to be a ready supply.”

After blood is donated, it goes through extensive testing to ensure that it is hospital-ready. Carter BloodCare’s headquarters are in Bedford, Texas, so the blood from the school’s drive, along with all of the company’s other drives is sent to their headquarters after collection.

“Those units will come back and then as soon as they’re in, all of our lab techs start the whole process for testing,” James Black, Public Relations Specialist at Carter BloodCare, said. “There are several tests that they go through, just looking at

health markers for different diseases or viruses, the count for hemoglobin, if this particular unit of blood is something where it might make sense to separate it and process it for platelets for plasma or red blood cells.”

If blood tests indicate a recent Covid-19 infection, for example, then the plasma from the donation could be separated and utilized to treat a sicker patient with Covid-19. Once the blood has been tested and determined suitable for usage, Carter BloodCare will store it until receiving a request from a hospital in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, when they will send the blood out.

“The need for blood and for platelets is so critical right now, that typically as soon as [the blood is] ready, it goes out the door,” Black said. “It’s on its way to a hospital that needs it. Typically the testing and processing of everything might be about two days. [The testing is] just to make sure that everything is safe in the blood that is going out.”

The United States has seen a dire need for blood donations since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. On Jan. 11, the Red Cross declared a national blood crisis with a 10 percent decline in donors and a 62 percent decline in blood drives since the pandemic.

“There is still a ripple effect that

we’re going through from when the pandemic hit for two years straight that hit us really, really hard,” Black said. “A lot of the locations, like the high schools and businesses, that would host our blood drives were shut down. Everybody was learning from home or working remotely, so people weren’t there to do the drive, and there was also the question of social distancing.”

In Texas, the two consecutive February freezes in 2021 and 2022 were detrimental to Carter BloodCare and other blood-collecting organizations. Carter facilities were shut down for three days as a result of the 2022 freeze to keep both workers and donors off the roads. On an average day, the company collects blood from around 1,500 donors, so a three-day shutdown lost potential blood from almost 5,000 people.

“We’re still seeing those repercussions from the past few years, affecting the community blood supply,” Black said. “In the holiday season, when high schools are on break and when families are traveling and they’re out of town, people don’t automatically think, ‘I need to go donate blood,’ so there’s a slump during the season, and that really hits us too.”

Carter BloodCare tries to raise awareness of the urgent need for blood during the holiday season, as

A tradition’s grand return to campus

For the first time since Covid-19, Grandparents Day is back

Like every other school day during lunch, sophomore Katelyn Hurt walks into the survey, grabs a plate and goes through the hot lunch line. She gets her food, grabs a glass of water and heads to find a table. She sits down and starts to talk to people sitting next to her. Today is different though— she starts to talk to her grandparents.

For the first time since 2019, Grandparents Day for the middle and upper schools was back and took place on Nov. 17. Kam Bakewell, director of the ESD fund and special projects proposed changes to this traditional event to make it more meaningful for students and grandparents, and also to try to increase participation.

“Our numbers in attendance for upper school [for Grandparents Day] have kind of gone up and down and most recently before Covid-19, we’re back going down,” Bakewell said. “And so we wanted to kind of rethink ‘okay, how do we do this?’”

Bakewell proposed that only grandparents who have students in the ninth grade and 12th grades be invited. And, different to previous years, grandparents were invited to only attend chapel, lunch and one class after lunch.

“They get to go to chapel still which is an important part of our grandparents tradition [and] they can visit a class if they want to, [but] they don’t have to,” Bakewell said. “We still have [the] photography man, so they can still get their picture.”

According to Bakewell, lunch is an important part of the day.

“[It] allows us to have them go through the servery and have lunch with their grandchild,” Bakewell said. “Thinking about my own parents, they love to just sit down and hear what’s going on with them.”

Although attendance was one reason for the changes other factors were considered as well

“[Grandparents Day] is something that grandparents really like, but it also disrupts the school day quite a bit,” Assistant Head of Upper School Jeffery Laba said. “And so we’re trying to balance those two.”

The lower school did have a Grandparents Day last year. Senior Edie Dahlander made two videos for the event: one for lower school and one for middle and upper school to show all grandparents what happens on campus on a regular school day

“[They consisted of] videos of like classes, sports, lunch, just everything that kind of goes around here in the daily life,” Dahlander said.

“Grandparents love their grandkids and being involved in what they are doing in their daily life [and] so I think this way they could see kind of like a lot of different aspects of student life.”

While the administration hopes these changes made the day more meaningful and increased attendance, it also meant that sophomores and juniors were excluded from the day.

Sophomore Daniella Woodhouse was disappointed that she couldn’t spend this day with her grandparents. Being new to ESD last year, her grandparents have never been on campus.

“For the sophomores and ju-

niors it was really upsetting because when sophomores were freshmen we unfortunately did not experience Grandparents Day on campus due to Covid-19,” Woodhouse said. “So we will only then have one year of experiencing Grandparents Day on campus and I really wish I could show them the ESD school campus before leaving my senior year.”

By the time sophomores and juniors are seniors, some grandparents may not be able to attend the event.

“If your kids are in sophomore or junior year, you’re going to have to wait until they’re in [senior] year,” Dahlander said. “And then it’s not insured that [your grandparents] [are] gonna stay or that the grandparents are gonna be able to [go].”

In a Dec. 5 poll of 120 upper school students, 87 percent responded that their grandparents didn’t come to Grandparents Day, and in a different poll of 104 upper school students, 72 percent responded that they didn’t like the changes to the event day this year.

Sophomores and juniors had a regular school day on Nov. 17, but they got a special pizza lunch as the servery was being used for Grandparents Day.

Although these changes are upsetting some, the administration thought it would also be a good idea for grandparents to come at the start and end of their grandchild’s time in upper school.

one of the best gifts to give is the life-saving donation of blood. According to Black, one donor’s blood can be used on up to three patients in need, so a little goes a long way. The Carter website displays the varying levels of need for different types of blood with O-negative, the universal donor, at the most critical level. O-negative blood can be used on anyone regardless of blood type, so in emergencies when a patient’s blood type is unknown, having donated O-negative blood is crucial.

Donating blood is a simple and costless process, and it has a deep impact on the community. For some, however, the act of donation can seem daunting. Mrozek offers tips for mitigating stress about giving blood.

“It’s a little icky, but I’ve figured out coping mechanisms,” Mrozek said. “I used to bring a magazine, and I would just put the magazine over my arm so that I didn’t have to think about it. Now, I can just read something on my phone. It ‘hurts’ isn’t the right word. For me. It’s just the concept is challenging. But again, it’s one of those things that is mind over matter where I know it’s such a good thing to do.”

Aside from temporary fatigue and weakness, donating blood only has benefits; it not only saves lives but also gives donors a free health check-up.

“Don’t think of it as donating blood; think about it as saving lives,” Black said. “And ask yourself, whose life are you willing to save? Because when you donate blood, that’s what you’re doing. If you think about it, if something were to happen to your best friend or a coach or favorite teacher or someone in your family and if they needed blood, would you be willing to donate to help them?”

“They thought it would be nice to sort of have a ‘book-end’ like [effect when] you come freshman year and then you come senior year,” Laba said.

But sophomores and juniors with a freshman or senior sibling did get to bring their grandparents to their classrooms that day. Also, some grandparents of sophomores and juniors had already made travel arrangements before these changes were announced, so they and their grandkids also attended the day’s events.

“I’ve had a couple of grandparents who already made their airline tickets and their grandchild falls in 10th or 11th grade,” Bakewell said.

“I’m not going to turn them away, so they’re going to join us on that day.”

Sophomore Katelyn Hurt was one of those students who was able to attend Grandparents Day with her brother Hunter Hurt who is a senior. Their grandparents, Patricia and Jeff Hurt, have attended Grandparents Day in the past and noticed a big difference: there were less grandparents on campus.

“It does feel less crowded, so that’s nice,” Patricia Hurt said.

“[Lunch] is a nice part of the day to share and also see what the cafeteria is like.”

The Hurts also enjoyed other activities besides lunch that took place during the day.

“I think that it’s great that you do the photos cause it’s a nice memory,” Patricia Hurt said.

Jeff said that he enjoyed being able to walk around the school and see the new changes on campus.

Katelyn was able to be one of the few sophomores who got to partake in the day’s activities. She, however, felt that their time with her grandparents on campus was not enough.

“It felt kinda short because I only had from 12:50 p.m. to like 1:30 p.m.,” Katelyn said. “I wish I had more time.”

“Don’t think of it as donating blood; think about it as saving lives. And ask yourself, whose life are you willing to save?”

James Black Public Relations Specialist, Carter BloodCare

S tory by Brooke Ebner Staff writer

FAMILY LUNCH

Sophomore Katelyn Hurt sits with her grandparents and brother, senior Hunter Hurt, during lunch. “I liked that got to see my grandparents and talk to them in the middle of the school day and tell them about my day,” Katelyn said. Photo by Brooke Ebner

Seniors address educational inequity

Capstone Project partners with United to Learn, serves local schools

S tory by Elisabeth Siegel Managing Editor

Every year, each grade completes a community service project. For the senior class, that means completing the Senior Capstone Project, a chance to serve a single organization in the community and showcase everything they have learned about service. Its purpose is to make a lasting impact on the Dallas community, encourage communication, maintain the value of service and enhance teamwork. The Class of 2023 chose to partner with the nonprofit organization United to Learn, whose mission is “changing lives by transforming the relationship between schools and community” to close opportunity gaps across 50 Dallas Independent School District elementary schools and raise awareness of inequity in education.

U2L’s vision is all about developing purposeful leaders through two avenues: student achievement based on participation at elementary schools and leadership development through partnerships with businesses, high schools, faith-based organizations and engaged individuals. Their initiatives aim to follow four pillars: social-emotional learning, learning environment, literacy and community activation.

“Our schools need support and love, and our teachers need to know that they’re appreciated and taken care of by our community,” Sarah Burr Bogaert, U2L Director of Community Activation, said. “Our students need to feel that support and be able to have not only aspirational learning environments but the aspirational volunteers that are working alongside them, to help expose them to new things in

the world and to be able to take larger steps. And then also to know how important education is.”

U2L matches its community partners with local elementary schools. At ESD, seniors are serving Stephen C. Foster Elementary School and F.P. Caillet Elementary School. The purpose is for the schools to communicate the needs that their budget doesn’t cover or their kids’ needs, such as winter coats, shoes, food or other necessities.

“Our vision for having the independent school partners, specifically ESD, is to create an open and honest conversation with their partner campuses,” Bogaert said. “Everything United to Learn is a listen-first model. We want to hear directly from schools because not every school is the same… I was so honored that ESD seniors had chosen us to participate with because, to me, [it takes] such a caring heart to say, ‘Hey, this is our community, and here’s how we can take care of each other.’ It’s truly a reciprocal relationship.”

Another aspect of the Senior Capstone Project is having impact-style classes to work alongside the partner schools. For example, students who take Spanish classes have helped tutor students at Foster Elementary for years.

“We would teach them English, but we were also learning Spanish,

so the benefit was mutual,” senior Grace Exall, a Foster Elementary tutor, said. “I think they’re a great partner and I’m glad that we can work with an organization that our school has had experience with.”

Last month, the seniors donated supplies for a Foster Elementary “Care Closet” in order to ensure wraparound support for all the families and students at the school. The collected items included mouthwash, sheets, soap and more.

“We should realize the privilege we have to even be able to donate,” senior and Community Service Council Co-President Bridget Wang said. “Some people are not as fortunate as us to have [supplies] needed to just live in everyday life. It is important for us to give them the resources that we already have and spread holiday cheer.”

Upcoming activities include teacher appreciation bags and other resource drives. Seniors will also participate in the winter and spring Community Campus Days, events where volunteers transform and revitalize learning spaces by doing projects such as planting gardens or painting murals.

“We’re so excited about the partnership with ESD and I’m excited to see where it can go and how it can grow,” Bogaert said. “I do believe that the students of ESD are the ones who are going to foster and push this relationship forward. Creating their own relationships

with students at Foster or Caillet is where they’re going to be able to feel and see that benefit.”

The senior leaders of the Community Service Council are working with Senior Capstone Coordinator Laura Gomez to implement their activity ideas. Gomez has seen the project evolve from building houses with Habitat for Humanity into 2014 and into the year-long tradition it is now.

“This is my first time working with United to Learn, but I’ve seen so many great things happen with our Spanish classes and some of our other school organizations that have worked with them,” Gomez said. “I went and did their fall festival a few weeks ago, and it was awesome. The thing that I love the most is that they are literally just a few miles away from our campus. It’s great to serve within our community, right here.”

It is clear that the U2L community gets the job done. According to last year’s volunteer report, they had over 1,000 volunteers on campuses. During Covid-19, one of the most challenging periods for students and educators, U2L avoided over 50 percent of the loss experienced across other Dallas ISD Title I schools. The 27 established U2L schools achieved literacy growth of 39 percent over the five years before the pandemic.

“I really do think year after year, it’s gonna get stronger and stronger and people are gonna find more and more creative ways to get involved,” Bogaert said. “Just looking at that data within and of itself, it’s very moving to know how much the community is really getting out into our schools and being motivated.”

Viral Unrest

Protests broke out in China on Nov. 26 after a Nov. 24 fire killed at least 10 people in an apartment building in Urumqi. Due to China’s strict zero Covid-19 lockdown policy that began since the start of the pandemic, residents were trapped and could not leave their apartments. China announced on Dec. 7 that they were loosening restrictions, and, according to Reuters, infected people with mild symptoms will now be able to quarantine at home and the testing for people traveling domestically will be dropped.

The Iranian government suspended the morality policy on Dec. 4 after months of protests. Iranian took to the streets in September after the death of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, while in the morality police’s custody. So far, the protests have accumulated about 90,000 protesters and 531 deaths, according to Reuters. It was also stated that the policies would be reviewed and decided by Dec. 15.

Caught in the Act

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa faces impeachment charges after theft allegations emerged. Allegedly, he stole $4 million and hid the cash in his farm. Ramaphosa admits to a theft, but denies the amount of $4 million and claims it was only a bit over $500,000. The allegations arose in June after a former spy reported Ramaphosa was under investigation. Ramaphosa has refused to step down. The African National Congress met on Dec. 4 and 5 to discuss the future of the party and presidency. According to National Public Radio, the president will find out in coming days if he will face an impeachment hearing.

After 38 years of dormancy, the world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa on Hawaii’s Big Island, has erupted. The eruption, which has released lava from about 28 fissures, began on Nov. 27. Residents were warned an hour before the eruption started.

Scientists have studied this volcano in great detail and were able to monitor the signs of an impending eruption. The flowing lava has the potential to reach Daniel K Inouye Highway, however lava flow is unpredictable. No efforts are likely to be made to stop the flow of the lava in order to save the highway.

a quick overview of international events compiled by News Editor

Iris Hernandez

“The students of ESD are the ones who are going to foster and push this relationship forward.”

Sarah Burr Bogaert U2L Director of Community Activation

Photos by Elisabeth Siegel.

The latest on midterm results

S tory by Katherine Mote Business Editor

TEXAS GOVERNOR

DALLAS COUNTY JUDGE

GEORGIA RUNOFFS

Generally, the least politically active generation is the youngest eligible to vote.

As one approaches their 18th birthday, there are signs everywhere advertising how to register, the importance of voting and pushing the public to become involved in America’s democracy Sometimes, it’s hard for students to fully grasp the responsibility to vote, which races they should be researching, establishing who’s on their ballots and how to be fully informed when it comes time to submit their ballot. Before the midterms, the Political Science Club at ESD hosted a debate to inform eligible young voters on party platforms showcasing representatives for both sides of the Texas gubernatorial race. Midterms generally are difficult because they don’t receive nearly as much media attention as the presidential races. Regardless, as first-time voters, many students struggle with which positions are up for election and since the election, it’s just as critical to realize who won, what they stand for and how citizens can learn for next time so because of this we culminated the most critical election results for the average ESD voter from the most recent midterms.

Photo credits; Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a “Get Out The Vote” rally at the Fuzzy’s Pizza & Italian Cafe on Oct. 27, 2022, in Katy, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images/TNS)

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins spoke about the resurgence of COVID-19 and about the use of masks during a press conference at the Dallas County EOC, Friday, June 19, 2020.

In this photo of May 11, 2022, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) walks out of the Senate Chambers during a series of votes in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/ Getty Images/TNS)

The most well-known election in Texas, and one of the highlights nationwide, probably was the battle between incumbent Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke. With extreme polarization and increased media coverage, this race was divisive among neighbors and friends. On Nov. 8, Abbott was declared the winner with 54.8 percent of the votes. Some heavy-hitting ballot items included gun and abortion regulation. With the recent Supreme Court decision to reverse Roe v. Wade and Texas’ own law banning abortions after six weeks, many voters were anxious to take to the polls from both sides of the aisle.

The Political Science Club had an Abbott and Beto debate.

“[Senior] Maddy Hammett played the part of Abbott and [junior] Barrow [Soloman] played the part of Beto,” upper school history teacher Marc Salz said. “What was interesting, is I don’t think either of them was arguing their own political perspectives. They were just going out and trying to find the positive [on each candidate] and that’s the main thing that we want when we have these conversations.”

The club held this debate a week before election day and the room was full of underclassmen who wanted to hear from both sides without bias. The political science club was founded on the idea that they weren’t Conservative Student Union and they weren’t Progressive Student Union, they were established as a space for everyone.

“Beto’s issues focus a lot on women’s reproductive rights and the failures of Abbott’s governorship in terms of, the storm issue and guns in schools, and then Abbott was mostly focusing on border security and the safety of children,” Salz said. “[The students in the debate] understood what was important and they addressed that.”

Political Science Club member and senior Amber Donahue turned 18 just before the midterms and paid special attention to dialogue around elections.

“There are a lot of extremes,” Donahue said. “I heard a lot of younger kids who

A position that typically doesn’t hold a lot of attention or weight was recognized in this election cycle. The position of judge was extremely overlooked in the pre-Covid-19 era, but as statewide restrictions took place, so did protests from the judge. The incumbent, Clay Jenkins, has been the Dallas County judge since 2011 and maintained his position with a winning percentage of 29 percent over Lauren Davis. When Covid-19 related mandates were being controlled by Gov. Greg Abbott, citizens saw how much power the county judge had over what was actually implemented and how it affected the people of Dallas County.

“I think that the judge position is one we didn’t realize had so much power until Jenkins was put in a place to use it,” senior Elizabeth Sawers said. “We did some projects in AP Government about the midterms and that really helped me realize what positions were up for election including Dallas County Judge.”

If some of these positions had been up for election during the presidential election they wouldn’t have gotten as much attention as they did in the midterms. When the president is up for election it seems to cloud the other elections and, even though the gubernatorial race took the most press, there was still an extreme focus on local government and what they can do for citizens.

“We did one project where we were told to take pictures of yard signs around our houses and then do research on that candidate and their opponents,” Sawers said. “I liked seeing how even though we all live in similar proximity to each other there were so many races that were different because of our districts. I was happy that Dallas county rallied behind Jenkins who did so much for the Dallas people in the midst of Covid-19.”

Presidential control has Presidential control has a heavy influence on legislative control, especially during midterms. What would normally be a shifting senate in a Democratic presidency to Republican control unusually remained in favor of Democrats. While Texas didn’t have any seats up for election, a state that was crucial in this national election was Georgia.

“I think it was really interesting to see so much media attention around a senate race that would normally only interest the people in that state,” senior Blair Brennan said. “With such a close race nationwide to determine who would have control over the senate, it was really cool to watch what happened in Georgia.”

While the outcome of Georgia didn’t ultimately break the tie or push the democrats to get the majority of 50 seats, it was still an interesting election to watch because of how close it was.

“Because of the narrow margin that Raphael Warnock held in the November midterms, the state of Georgia [held] another election for this position on Dec. 6,” Brennan said. “While it was a close election with Warnock having won his special election in 2020 and Herschel Walker picking up a lot of press and supporters as it came down to the line, it changed how the senate will operate next year with Warnock’s win.”

A 50-50 split with the democratic vice president would’ve given the majority to the democrats. A 51 to 49 split will also give control to democrats but will no longer require a power-sharing agreement on committees which can significantly increase the speed of legislation.

“Getting to see this Georgia election really helped me realize how important our votes are,” Brennan said. “The margin in the midterm and runoff were so close and it really shows the impact of a few more votes potentially stopping a runoff.”

p.8-16 life

A bad case of senioritis

Seniors see a decline in motivation after turning in applications, accepted by colleges

After committing to Southern Methodist University for soccer in the seventh grade, senior Truth Byars immediately feels a weight lifted off of her shoulders. In her remaining years of middle and high school, she rarely feels the pressure that most other students who haven’t gotten into college feel, which sometimes affects her motivation to do work.

While it came early for Byars, it’s common for students to experience this feeling, often called senioritis, during their last year of high school. Students usually see a decline in their motivation to do homework and other assignments sometimes leading to a drop in grades.

“With this, I felt that even if I did not do my best in school, I still did not have to worry as much compared to people who were still waiting to get into college,” Byars said. “I knew I could always rely on my athletic abilities.”

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, Senioritis is defined as “an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences and lower grades.” Lindy Grosvenor teaches AP comparative government, AP U.S. government, AP macroeconomics and a regular U.S. government class and has a majority of seniors in these classes, so she’s familiar with senioritis.

“I would say that [seniors] develop a little bit of apathy towards getting their work done,” Grosvenor said. “Definitely not apathy towards their grades, but wanting to continue to do work. I think [these feelings] come in waves.”

Teachers are affected by senioritis mainly by this drop in motivation to do work outside of school. Seniors still stay focused and engaged during class.

“[Seniors] don’t lose the ability to stay engaged in class,” Grosvenor said. “I do think that our kids are great at staying engaged; they still want to discuss things, so it’s just

more of the outside of class work.”

Although students may not turn in as many assignments, teachers are generally understanding of senioritis, and encourage students to persevere.

“Teachers are understanding of this feeling, and they are aware of it,” Senior Katherine Hess, who has submitted all her applications but has not received any decisions yet, said. “They try to keep encouraging you to keep going.”

Some of the effects of senioritis can include lower AP exam grades. It’s common for seniors to blow off AP exams which can be disappointing for teachers who know they could have done better.

“I have had students who I know did very well in the class and didn’t put forth any effort in the AP exam,” Grosvenor said.

“Some [seniors] will have a very low score, which is not reflective of their knowledge at all.”

In addition, according to the University of The People, some colleges have a policy that students admitted to the college must maintain their GPA to a certain extent.

If students let their grades slip too much, they could end up not being able to attend even if previously accepted. However, this is the worst case scenario.

“Personally, I am not worried about my senioritis,” Byars said. “Although I might not have any motivation to do my work, it always gets done at some point.”

Because some seniors have their required courses out of the way, this opens up their schedule for more elective courses and easier classes resulting in a lighter workload.

Truth Byars senior

“Comparing my senior year classes and my junior year classes, my classes this year are slightly better because I have all the credits I need and can take more elective courses,” Byars said. “So with that said, I do have a little more freedom this year and less work.”

Hess also has a lighter schedule this year, but this only came after turning in all of her applications.

“At the beginning of senior year [the workload] is not light because you have so many college apps, essays and you may or may not be done with your ACT or SAT,” Hess said. “But once that’s over it’s definitely a lighter schedule, especially compared to junior year.”

Senior Jake Kelton is already accepted into Belmont University and has recently experienced senioritis. However, it’s effect hasn’t had many consequences because of his lighter schedule this year as well.

“You work hard and get into college and kinda want to just chill,” Kelton said. “But for the most part, the workload is a lot lighter so I mean, it’s not that hard to keep up with everything.”

Having a lighter schedule lends itself to boredom for some, but for many, it allows them to focus on extracurriculars. For Kelton, he gets more time to work on his music.

“I don’t really have homework this year, ever, so outside of school, [having a lighter schedule] is nice for me because I’ve got more time to work on my music,” Kelton said. “But for kids that don’t do sports or anything like that, I can understand if they’re just looking for stuff to do.”

Although senioritis is known

to hit at the end of the year, some seniors have felt it early this year, whether it’s left over exhaustion from the year before, the stress from completing college applications or an increase in students applying early decision.

“The majority of the work you’re doing senior year is college applications, and it takes so much time and effort,” Hess said. “I feel like I use the majority of my effort for college apps. Once they were done I felt relieved but also like I needed a break.”

Grosvenor has noticed over the years that the seniors’ dips in motivation come in waves. They normally arise after college decisions come out or after breaks throughout the school year.

“Certainly right after everyone had submitted most of their college applications, there was a wave. They think, ‘I’ve applied to college, I don’t need to worry about it anymore,’” Grosvenor said. “Then they kind of regroup, and I’m sure there’ll be another wave probably after Thanksgiving and definitely after spring break.”

By the end of the year, most seniors will have experienced or will be experiencing senioritis especially since most will be into college. Kelton predicts it will be worse because everyone collectively feels a decline in motivation.

“These feelings definitely hit harder later on,” Kelton said. “Once everybody has gotten into college, and everybody has the same feeling it’s just gonna get worse. But I also think that teachers will assign less work.”

Senioritis is a completely normal and common feeling for seniors to experience. The burnout from years of school hits the hardest especially in their last year as they’ve accomplished their end goal of submitting college applications and getting accepted into college.

“We have all worked so hard the past four years to do our best in school,” Byars said. “When we get into college, we all feel like all our hard work is done.”

S

tory by Easterly Yeaman Arts Editor and Social Media Manager

“Even if I did not do my best in school, I still did not have to worry as much compared to people who were still waiting to get into college.”

percent of seniors have experienced senioritis

percent of seniors’ academic performances have been affected by senioritis

Photoillustration by Easterly Yeaman

Rally Days provide a unique way to honor seniors

The class of ’23 enjoys the planned events despite changes over the years

S tory by Maddy Hammett Co-Editor-in-Chief

Tradition is a word that is used often on campus. For seniors, traditions are in no short supply. Before the school year even formally starts the senior class begins their ‘lasts’ with a final all-grade trip to ESD’s ranch, Wolf Run, for leadership programming. And from then on, the class participates in rally days as another final way to celebrate the students before matriculation. During these days, seniors are allowed to dress in parent-association-chosen theme clothes and the day is complete with catered lunch and games in the courtyard attached to senior hall.

Changes were recently made to this long-standing tradition. While they were once held monthly, they now take place only four times a year. With the changes, the students appear to appreciate the rally days more.

Senior class dean Marcella Garcini remembers when rally days were held more frequently. She finds that now, with them being held less frequently, the class is more engaged.

“Since being here, I remember having rally’s every single month,” Garcini said. “Honestly that came to a point where the kids were not excited anymore.”

Garcini cites the expense for the activities as also being one of the reasons why they were planned to occur less frequently.

“There was [once] a time where we had an armadillo race,” Garcini said. “The expense was getting out of control.”

Senior rally days are funded by both the ESD parent’s association and the school. According to Garcini, the association is integral to

fundraising in order to sponsor these days.

“[The parents association] does a lot of things,” Garcini said “They do all the fundraising. I think their work is really important, especially for the rally days.”

Beyond the strain of previous expenses, teachers had found that more rally days were also distracting to the regular school day.

“The kids go late to class,” Garcini said. “They tried to control that a little bit more, so they have four a year.”

Alumni also remember the rally days fondly, feeling they were a crucial part of the senior experience at ESD. They remember them for their ability to bring the entire class together.

“I loved rally days,” Alumna Victoria Hammett ‘17 said. “It was the highlight of my senior year. I think it was so great to watch all of the parents get involved and to see the whole community come together.”

As underclassmen, the days are another part of being a senior that they look forward to. Since it’s been marked as a tradition, the days hold a greater degree of importance to younger students.

“I think it’s part of a tradition now,” Garcini said. “ It’s something that people are expecting. I think when you are an underclassman you are looking forward to the rally days. And it’s always fun.”

Members of the current senior class have enjoyed the two rally days they have had so far in the year. Complete with a state fair dress theme, chicken and waffles

Victoria Hammett ‘17

food truck and mechanical bull.

Those who celebrated birthdays during that rally day received a custom monogrammed boot jack. Of the two rally days, this was senior Jake Swift’s favorite.

“I don’t even think it can get better than what we had,” Swift said. “We had over the top decorations, great dress days, great food, great games. You know, we got it all. We’ve got good parents who do it all.”

Community members especially enjoy the days for their ability to bring parents of the celebrated seniors to campus. The teachers and students enjoy the bonding that occurs across the whole com-

munity, not just from within the senior class.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Garcini said. “You have the parents here for the kids they are celebrating. I think just for celebrating the senior class, you know the kids are being celebrated for birthdays. I think it’s a good gathering. It’s the whole class together.”

Rally days have been, and will continue to be important to those who have been an ESD senior. Those who have been a part of them enjoy looking back and remembering the days.

“Rally days were a crucial part of senior year,” Hammett said “I think rally days are super important for making great memories before everyone graduates. I look back on the pictures now and it’s just really great to remember all the fun we had on [rally days.] I think the best part was just getting everyone together.”

Birthday celebrations transform with time

Chapel announcements, locker decorations commemorate students’ day

S tory by Jamie Henderson Staff Writer

Four pairs of hands are placed on 6-year-old Emma Konen’s shoulders and head. Nerves bounce around her brain as the sound of the prayer fills her ears. After it ends, she stands up and turns around to face the sea of lower schoolers staring back at her. They all begin to sing to her and her accompaniment on the altar and then they clap. Before she knows it, it ends and she is back in her pew surrounded by her kindergarten friends. Konen, now a senior, looks back fondly on her lower school birthday celebrations.

People celebrate birthdays in various ways, but at ESD the way one gets to celebrate depends on

the student’s grade. Starting off in the lower school, students get a multitude of celebrations.

“Birthdays and birthday blessings are a big deal in the lower school” Assistant Head of Lower School Amy Cuccia said. “Everyone gets excited to celebrate.”

During a birthday celebration, kids in beginner, pre-K, kindergarten and primer get a birthday crown with their name and age they are turning. Students in first through fourth grades get a sticker saying the same. Lower schoolers and their parents pick a day they would like the child’s birthday celebrated on and, on that day, their name and age is called

my third birthday and it was a very happy day,” Nelson said. “I was sitting next to my friends Lyles Etcheverry and Andrew Carrie.

in chapel. The birthday kid can invite family and friends to this celebration and they go up to the front to receive a blessing. During this celebration, the child kneels as each invited guest places a hand on them and the chaplain leads the blessing. They then stand and face the congregation as all the kids and teachers sing happy birthday to the children at the front. There is also a prayer said for the kid’s guests. The parents have the option of bringing treats to celebrate with the class.

Middle school enjoys birthdays as well and even has a birthday committee, which was started by two sixth graders, Lexi Mercado and Maggie Heil started at the beginning of this school year a couple weeks in. “Our goal for this was to make sure that no one’s birthday got forgotten or no one got left out,” Mercado said. “Everyone’s birthday should be celebrated.”

They evenly divide up the work. Mercado gets to school later and she usually does the cards with the birthday person’s favorite color or some sort of personalization. Everyone has the opportunity to get their locker decorated, but they explained that usually the boys don’t like their lockers being decorated and they just get a personalized card.

“We go in early to decorate the lockers before the people get there.” Mercado said, “The group of people that help decorate lockers are so sweet and we all have fun doing it.”

Middle School also practices birthday blessings, but when the students stand up it is only in their pew with no family or friends present. Like the lower school, they also get to bring a birthday treat. Although in upper school students hit

some milestone birthdays, the only celebration is a birthday blessing in chapel which is when the students stand up in their pew with everyone else who celebrates a birthday, or half birthday, that week. But there is confusion about what the official rules are for bringing treats.

“Students are not allowed to bring outside food to lunch because of allergies and it looking too much like a party and everyone wanting to do it” Spanish teacher and senior dean Marcela Garcini said. “You are, however, allowed to bring something homemade.”

High school milestone birthday include Quinceañeras and Sweet Sixteens as well as turning 16 — when one reaches legal adulthood and a person can get a driver’s license and a job. Junior, Charlotte Wilson, began to apply for jobs when she turned 16 and landed one at Tyler’s.

“ I was excited about having a real job and having that responsibility.” Wilson said. “My job ended up being a big change in my life but it was overall a great experience, and i would definitely recommend that people get a job when they turn 16, as it was a great learning experience.”

Seniors are celebrated four times a year with Rally Days, when parents pick a theme and arrange food, activities, and gifts according to the theme.

“Being here my whole life I have gotten to celebrate throughout all the grades of ESD,” senior Emma Konen said. “Although a lot less happens in Upper school, it doesn’t bother me because birthdays are more exciting and mean more to a little kid than someone who has had many birthdays.”

A ‘FAIR’ TIME Senior Hunter Hurt celebrates his birthday with seniors Katherine Hess, Amber Donahue and Reagan Grady during September Rally day. “I had a blast,” Donahue said. “The only thing missing was Big Tex himself.” Photo provided by Lyles Etcheverry

PRETTY IN PINK

Senior Audreann Nelson reflects fondly on the birthday traditions she has experienced at ESD over the years. “That was

“

I look back on pictures now and it’s just really great to remember all the fun we had on [rally days].”

fashion

Jesi Geier

Carol of the Buc-ees

Sophomore Jesi Geier sports red socks to match the Buc-ee’s sweater, a famous chain of country stores and gas stations with locations throughout Texas. But Buc-ee’s is not just any convenience store, it is viewed as a Texas rite-of-passage and travel spot beloved by many for its beaver merchandise and snacks. “I just found this in my dad’s closet and decided to wear it,” Geier said.

Charles Liu

Deadpool is coming to town

Junior Charles Liu references Deadpool, a Marvel Comics character, with masks, grenades and katana blades patterned across the sweater. The anti-hero is a trained mercenary with accelerated healing grafted into his DNA, making him invincible. There are a plethora of Deadpool comics along with two films. “In middle school, I had a Deadpool and Marvel obsession, so I decided to buy this sweater,” Liu said.

Layne Scheinberg

It’s Lit

Senior Layne Scheinberg rocks a blue Hanukkah-themed sweater instead of the typical Christmas sweater worn around campus. The background is adorned with Chai (a Hebrew word that means “life”), dreidels and Stars of David. A gold menorah pops in the middle. “I think that my sweater adds a bit more diversity,” Scheinberg said.

Jett Bowling

Mele Kalikimaka

Senior Jett Bowling takes a unique, summer turn on the ordinary ugly Christmas sweater. Instead of red or green, the sweater has a patterned blue background. Two pink flamingos lounge on the beach dressed in Santa and elf outfits. Instead of a pine tree, a palm tree is wrapped with lights and ornaments. “The only word I would use to describe it is ‘sleigh,’” Bowling said.

Managing Editor Elisabeth Siegel features the most festive holiday sweaters during the student council 12 Days of Christmas Dec. 1 to 12.

crash

A virtual world

AP Psychology class visits SMU to observe a VR experiment

Senior Jackson Bloomfield throws a right hook into his competitor’s liver, knocking him to his knees before he executes a jab, cross combo — one, two, three KNOCKOUT. The stadium erupts as Bloomfield raises his sore hands in victory. The crowd’s cheers and his racing heart envelope his ears.

Bloomfield pulls off the headset and adjusts his eyes to his kitchen wall. He looks down at his unscathed hands and T-shirt and shorts. It felt so real. It was reality, virtually.

VR has become popular in the gaming and entertainment industry over the past few years. The technology continues to advance and captivate many across the world, incorporating human senses untouched by regular video games.

so many different ways,” Nguyen said. “People are [using VR] for therapy for example. Say we are working with a client who is afraid of flying, one of the techniques that has been used a lot in clinical work is called exposure therapy and that’s where you expose a person to their fears in order to help reduce that fear. It is a lot easier and a lot more affordable if you have a clinic that has VR where you can plug them in and put them in that airplane cabin so they are already there versus having to buy a ticket, go through airport security, etc.”

According to Techjury’s website, global VR video gaming revenues reached $22.9 billion in 2020 and 70 percent of VR headset-owning consumers have bought a game on it. Currently, virtual gaming is vastly popular and is becoming the new and improved video game. As with any technology though, there are dangers if used excessively.

bye bye Balenciaga

Led by Tyler Adams, the United States Mens National Soccer team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in eight years.

On Nov 21, the team first played Wales and tied 1-1 after Timothy Weah, pictured below, scored the goal. Next, the U.S. tied with England, 0-0; however, England had a 67 percent chance of winning. The U.S. then beat Iran 1-0, putting them in the Round of 16. In the first Round of 16, the US lost to the Netherlands and was eliminated on Dec. 3.

Pete’s new girl 3

2 ole, ole,ole, ole

“I used [VR] during Covid-19 to do boxing virtually online,” Bloomfield said. “I enjoy boxing, and I have a punching bag in my house that I use quite often. My boxing game on VR allows me to put what I practice to use without actually having to go out and box. It allows me to interact and get the full physical activity without actually getting punched.”

Virtual reality is not only used as immersive games, but actual science experiments. The AP Psychology class traveled to Southern Methodist University for a field trip on Nov. 10Phoyont being conducted by SMU clinical psychology graduate students. The students cannot release their hypothesis yet, but they want to understand how teens react to common situations with their friends.

“[VR] is kinda like video games,”

house

has been under fire for photoshoots depicting children holding Teddy bears in a sexual context. Social media users discovered that, earlier this year, Balenciaga had a campaign in which a court document of the United States v. Williams case was visible. United States v. Williams was a 2008 Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that advertising child pornography was illegal.

child is full of woe”

On Nov. 23, Netflix released a “Wednesday,” a supernatural comedy that is a modern twist on the character Wednesday Addams from the Addams Family in a school setting. Jenna Ortega plays Wednesday, and throughout the show, she works to solve a mystery. The show has an 8.5 on IMDB and more than 50 million people have watched it.

“They are doing research on different peer pressure,” Head of Science Department Amy Henderson said. “Kids are mainly counseled on ‘okay these are the type of things you should say,’ which [psychologists] have been doing for years, however, now they think they actually can counsel and imitate it better if you are actually in the situation, and you see your friend next to you pressuring you, because it’s so real. They are seeing if this VR of counseling people in a real-life situation could actually help.”

Students who went on the field trip got to use the VR headset to see what it is like to be peer pressured in a scene. The students also learned about college and graduate school syllabi and the differences between classwork in high school and college, especially at SMU. Senior Jackson Bloomfield, who went on the field trip, said the experiment felt very real.

“I had a simulation of peer pressure, and it felt more real because virtual reality can put you in situations where you can cheat, steal, lie and do other activities that can get you in trouble,” Bloomfield said. “My overall experience was very good because it gave me an opportunity to see how virtual reality can be used as more than a video game.”

VR has a variety of uses in the psychology field, and fifth-year SMU graduate student Jamie Nguyen has participated in a variety of labs relating to VR, including one testing prejudice. In it, participants are put in a situation where they needed to help or talk to someone they had prejudice against. Another lab currently being conducted at SMU is focusing on training surgical skills to people in remote areas.

“They practice it through VR on a whole other continent, and there are several labs out there that are teaching those kinds of skills,” Nguyen said. “I just finished conducting a systematic review on VR projects that help reduce prejudice. When people are put into situations, and they are trying to interact with people they have a prejudice against, they may have to try and build things like empathy or just getting to know the person in VR and that can help reduce their prejudice toward a group of people.”

Nguyen’s dream job is to work for Meta, using VR in ways it has never been done before. She isn’t sure what Mark Zuckerburg, Meta’s CEO, has in plan for the future, but she knows VR can improve ways of life and become an affordable option for clinical work such as therapy.

“I honestly feel like VR can take us in

Henderson said. “People can get sucked into video games, and you feel like you are there. Well, virtual reality takes it so much further than that where you actually really are there, and you can reach out and touch something that’s not really there. Yes, a video game sucks you in, but what you are seeing in virtual reality is real, even though it’s not.”

Any teenager between the ages of 15 to 17 who is interested in participating in the SMU peer pressure experiment can apply to participate in the study by emailing them at vstar@smu.edu or calling them at 214-768-1787. They must have a caregiver’s consent prior to beginning the experiment and follow a series of additional steps.

“The first step is to give our lab a call or an email, then we talk about consent over the phone and that’s to make sure you and your caregiver agree to do the experiment,” fifth-year SMU graduate school student Jamie Nguyen said. “After you both agree we send you both surveys to fill out online and privately. After you complete those surveys you are scheduled to come to our lab. We run through the VR scene, we do some more surveys, and then we also do an interview which is usually with a graduate student. Then after the interview, we give you $70 and your caregiver a $30 Amazon gift card.”

1On Nov. 27, comedian Pete Davidson and model Emily Ratajkowski were photographed at a New York Knicks game. In August, Davidson and reality TV star Kim Kardashian mutually ended their nine-month-long relationship. In September, Ratajkowski and film producer Bear-McClard finalized their divorce. Although Ratajkowski and Davidson have not made anything official, fans suspect they are dating.

Fashion

Balenciaga

“Wednesday’s

S tory and photo by Grace Worsham Co-Editor-in-Chief

“I honestly feel like VR can take us in so many different ways.”

Jamie Nguyen fifth-year clinical psychology SMU graduate student

Photo by Jamie Squire/TNS

Photo by Flickr

Photo by Vlad Cioplea/TNS

PRESSURE TO PARTY

Southern Methodist University clinical psychology graduate students working on a virtual reality experiment allow psychology students to experience peer pressure through scripts and virtual reality. “My overall experience was very good because it gave me an opportunity to see how virtual reality can be used as more than a video game,” Jackson Bloomfield said.

Photo by Stu Foster/TNS

arts

New publication introduced this winter

The Academic Journal spotlights student and faculty scholarly pursuits

S tory by Elliot Lovitt Copy Editor

The new Academic Journal, Aquillae , launched Dec. 7 after months of designing, editing and intensive planning by the editors of Itinerary, ESD’s student-run literary magazine. The journal went to press on Monday, Nov. 14. Unlike Itinerary, which solely features creative pieces from students and faculty, the Academic Journal spotlights academic pieces: science reports or history essays, from students, faculty and alumni.

Emily Lichty, former Itinerary editor-in-chief and 2022 ESD graduate, designed the templates for Aquillae during the spring semester of the 2021-2022 school year.

“The Academic Journal was really Mrs. Cernoch’s idea,” Lichty said. “I think she saw it as the next step for ESD publications, especially since Itinerary would get so many academic submissions that we couldn’t really do anything with.”

Upper school English teacher and Itinerary and Aquillae sponsor Heather Cernoch has wanted to create the journal for the last six years after attending a Columbia Scholastic Press Association conference in New York City. After being proposed to Eric Boberg, former ESD Chief Academic Officer, the journal was greenlighted.

“I was [at the conference] representing Itinerary (ESD’s literary-art magazine, which I also advise), and I attended a session on academic journals,” Cernoch said. “I realized an academic journal would provide an excellent opportunity to showcase ESD’s academic prowess since the literary magazine spotlights our creative writers and artists. I wanted a place for academic disciplines to showcase their work. Most high schools don’t have academic journals, and it felt like a scholarly, intellectual pursuit — I was intrigued immediately.”

While Itinerary has more room for creative design to highlight the

artistic pieces, Aquillae has a more professional look that presents strictly academic work. Additionally, a brand new Itinerary format is created each spring whereas the Aquillae layout will last for many years.

“We wanted to keep the academic journal professional, simple and really clean so that it can be used for many years to come,” Lichty said.

“[We wanted to] let the work speak for itself and contribute to the professional tone we were looking for. We didn’t want it to seem too artsy or creative. I think we just wanted to keep it kind of along the lines of publications like The Atlantic or more professional and scientific publications.”

Cernoch began collecting works to feature in the journal last year by sending a “Call for Papers” email to the upper school faculty which asked teachers to submit vetted student papers.

“We ended up receiving two academic pieces from faculty members [Dr. Civello and Fr. Bostian], four essays from Class of 2022 alumni, four essays from current ESD students and one academic photo from a current ESD student,” Cernoch said. “I thought it would be a 56-page magazine, but it ended up being 84 pages in the end.”

The name of the journal, Aquillae, comes from the Greek word aquilae which means eagle. After the Itinerary staff voted aquilae their favorite name choice from a list of potential titles, Lichty and Cernoch decided to add an extra “l” to the word so that it would become a play on words with “quill” in the middle.

The quill, which represents scholarship, further emphasizes the academic nature of the journal.

“Getting to work one on one

with [Mrs. Cernoch] was a really amazing opportunity,” Lichty said. “I think that really helped stimulate both of our creativities, but it definitely was challenging because we had to make a lot of decisions; coming up with the name was incredibly difficult. There was a lot of pressure on the both of us to come up with a name we were excited about and that we could see being captured by this publication in the future.”

Itinerary has released a new magazine every spring since 1981 when teacher Fran Hillyer was asked to create a literary magazine for the school. The magazine has developed into an award-winning publication from the National Scholastic Press Association and the CSPA over its 41 years of existence with at least 27 awards from these associations.

Cernoch hopes that Aquillae will follow a similar path.

“Itinerary is a nationally known publication; schools across the country look to it as an exemplar magazine as we’ve won many national awards from Columbia University and the National Scholastic Press Association,” Cernoch said.

“I’m hoping our peer schools can look to Aquillae too as inspiration to create academic journals of their own. Perhaps we can collaborate or even start a dialogue with other schools regarding the academic pursuits of our students, faculty and alumni.”

In the fall, magazine editors will work on formatting submissions to Aquillae while soliciting submissions to Itinerary, and in the spring, the staff will create Itinerary while teachers submit select students’ work to the academic

journal. While the literary magazine’s submissions are open to all of the upper school students and faculty, only teachers can submit students’ (or their own) work to the academic journal.

Current editor-in-chief of Itinerary and Aquillae, Sophia Ukeni, spent hours designing and formatting the journal.

“It was nerve-racking to jump into the Academic Journal without prior experience in designing a structured/simple magazine like it,” Ukeni said. “I wasn’t sure where to start since I’m more used to the creative freedom of the Itinerary magazine. I love the fact that ESD offers opportunities like these for students to create such amazing pieces of work outside of the classroom. I look forward to seeing more students utilize resources in ESD’s publications, as they hopefully get inspired by this academic journal.”

Junior Kate Eastin was featured in the journal for her essay written for AP World History last year. Using books and databases, she researched the Ottoman and Chinese Empires.

“Between my rough draft and final draft I had to make many changes including adding and deleting paragraphs,” Eastin said. “The submission process was pretty simple after I made those revisions. I’m very excited that my work gets to be published because I think the academic journal is a great place for students to showcase their academic work.”

Lichty was not only the editor-in-chief of Itinerary, but also the 2021-2022 Eagle Edition co-editor in chief. She is optimistic about the future of the journal.

“We have a really fabulous publication program at ESD,” Lichty said. “Obviously, I loved participating in it. It was one of my favorite parts of high school, so I hope to see the Academic Journal blossom and grow like the Eagle Edition, Carillon and Itinerary.”

The school’s brand new Academic Journal was distributed on Dec. 6.

Arts Editor Easterly Yeaman visited various stores and attractions in downtown Dallas.

“We have a really fabulous publication program at ESD.

I hope to see the Academic Journal blossom and grow like the Eagle Edition, Carillon and Itinerary.”

Emily Lichty ‘22 former Itinerary editor-in-chief

ACHIEVING AQUILLAE Layout editor for the Academic Journal Abby Baughman works hard to perfect the design of the journal. “Creating the Academic Journal was very rewarding because I had to do a lot of design work from scratch,” Baughman said.

Photo by Elliot Lovitt

POST CARDS FROM DALLAS V.40

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I jumped in the car with my mom to make a trip to downtown Dallas.

I figured this was the perfect time — late November weather with early Christmas decorations but not the holiday crowds. Although it was a bit gloomy out, I was excited to explore the area which is so close, but for some reason has always seemed so far.

Our first stop was the Dallas Farmers Market. I go a lot during the spring and summer, so I was excited to see all the Christmas decorations for the first time. When we arrived, we took a stroll through the indoor portion which is filled with food stands, small food markets and stores selling clothing and various accessories and crafts. Christmas trees and large red and green ornaments caught my eye as we walked through. I grabbed a grilled cheese from Scardellos, then headed to the outdoor market, The Shed, which hosts small local farmers and businesses every weekend to sell their homegrown produce, various foods and handmade crafts. With “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” playing over the loudspeakers, we perused the entire area and ended up getting honey, hot cocoa, treats for our dogs and some fresh

FARMERS MARKET 11:00 A.M.

Our next destination was the downtown Neiman Marcus, which is their flagship store that opened in 1907. Right as I walked into the store, I quickly spotted Santa Claus at the end of the long red carpet I stood on. It was lined with Christmas-themed items and decorations. Something that really surprised me about this store was that they don’t just sell luxury clothes and accessories. The bottom floor has many displays filled with Christmas-themed foods, books, kids’ toys and more. We ventured up the next four floors; they were equally decorated as the first. As we kept going up, it got quieter and quieter as the top floors house the store’s most exclusive and expensive items. When we returned to the bottom floor, we talked to Santa Claus, who knew a lot about the history of what he said was one of the first luxury department stores. His claims about the store’s fame were right as we also met a woman who had traveled with friends all the way from Tulsa, Oklahoma just to shop at the renowned store. If not for shopping, the famous Neiman’s in downtown Dallas is a great place to get into the Christmas spirit and meet Santa.

If you are looking for sculptures with deeper meanings, the Nasher Sculpture Center across from Klyde Warren Park is the place to go. For me, walking into the open-air garden scattered with iconic sculptures was a nostalgic experience. As a kid, my parents would take my brother and me there to run around and enjoy the fresh air; however, I never got to fully appreciate the art until now. One of my favorite sculptures that always freaked me out as a kid is “Bronze Crowd” which is a group of headless bodies standing in two rows. Polish artist Magdelena Abakanowicz witnessed both the Nazis and the Soviet Union take over her home country. Her sculpture, made in 1990-91, represents how a crowd follows a leader or consensus without thought. I suggest revisiting if you haven’t in a while like me, or making a trip if you’ve never been before.

street

Across

The

is a must see for anyone traveling downtown. Sitting on a small grassy lot surrounded by tall buildings sits the enormous, detailed, fiberglass eyeball (it is 30-feet tall was made in 2007 from 8,000 to 9,000 pounds of fiberglass, 9,000 pounds of steel, resin and paint), something you wouldn’t expect to see walking the streets of downtown. After staring at it for a minute, I began to wonder what it truly meant. Funnily enough, when I looked up the history and meaning behind the sculpture, I found that the artist, Tony Tasset, said there is absolutely no deep or hidden meaning behind it —he just made a sculpture modeling his own eyeball. Deeper meaning or not, if you’ve never seen Eye, I strongly recommend stopping by while downtown and eyeing it for yourself.

WARREN

Klyde Warren Park is an essential part of the downtown Dallas experience. After its opening in 2012, the park became one of the most frequently visited locations in the city, connecting Dallas’ Uptown with the Arts District. What makes it unique is that it is a deck park built over Woodall Rodgers Freeway. It was raining when I visited, so I decided to stop by the following weekend to better enjoy it. I thought it best to go at night to see the huge Christmas tree which lights up the park. So I headed downtown again last Saturday and stopped by the park after dinner. Recently, The Salty Donut, a popular gourmet donut and coffee shop in Bishop Arts, opened another location near the park. To celebrate their opening, they gave out free coffee and hot chocolate. The park is a great place to bring your family, friends and/or dogs, to eat some unique food from the food trucks, have a picnic, exercise or just relax with the view of the city surrounding you.

the

from Neiman’s is the iconic Eye.

Instagram-worthy sculpture

S tory and photos by Easterly Yeaman Art Editor and Social Media Manager

The easy way out

S tory by Abby Baughman Life Editor, Lauren Shushi Staff Writer and Alexandra Warner Views Editor

Honor Council

Every year, ESD students gather in the chapel at the beginning of the school year to sign the Honor Code; the core of which is Honor, Respect and Integrity. Cheating, or giving oneself an unfair advantage over peers, is strictly forbidden by the Honor Code.

“I think that the ESD culture is that there is an Honor Code and people sign [it],” Head of Upper School Henry Heil said. “Teachers use best practices in the classroom to take away temptations from students and that students cheat when they feel great pressure and they have an opportunity. That’s not ESD related. That’s anywhere in the country, and that’s life too.”

When a teacher suspects a student of cheating, they must first gather proof. Once the evidence is collected, the teacher talks to Assistant Head of upper school Jeff Laba and calls in the student for a conversation. Laba then meets privately with the student and informs him or her that the case will be heard before the Honor Council AP Physics teacher Matthew Varvir has taken students to the council and said it is stressful for everyone involved.

“I would say a lot of the time when this comes up, I have fairly strong suspicions,” Varvir said.” On one hand, you want the student to do what you think is best. It would be great if they just openly tell you, ‘yes, I did this, I shouldn’t have done that.’ If a student is very forthright like that, we [still] would go to the Honor Council, but that goes a long way, even for the Honor Council — admitting goes a long way.”

According to Laba, the teacher ultimately has the decision whether or not to send the case to the Honor Council.

“If they decide not to go to the Honor Council, then they can’t punish the student for cheating,”Laba said. “Only the Honor Council can do that. A teacher can’t [punish cheating] on their own. So once they [decide], they inform me.”

The Honor Council is an organization run by studentelected members. There are three representatives from each class, and the student body president is also a member. These members decide the case’s veredict and consequences. Upper school librarian Mary Jo Lyons is the faculty advisor to the Honor Council.

“I love that the students are empowered; they have the power to do this,” Lyons said. “It’s their honor. They run that trial. My role as the advisor in hearing is only to sit and observe and answer if they have a procedural question or if I see they’re getting stuck on something. But I’m not part of the conversation. I’m not helping them deliberate or discuss what’s going on, and I love that.”

The students on the Honor Council do not know any details about the case before they meet on the morning of the trial. First, Laba comes into the room with the faculty member who brought the incident to the Honor Council and explains the case to the students. Then, the teacher explains their perspective and presents evidence. The Council has the ability to ask the teacher questions.

“I’ve taken several students to the Honor Council over the years, and I think they’re less likely to cheat again because they see what a serious thing it is, especially if they’re found guilty,” Head of the History Department Mary Hansell said. “I think the students that have never gone do not understand how serious it is and how the consequences can be severe as well. I think that maybe needs to be better communicated so that students understand the consequences.”

After the teacher leaves the room, the Council discusses the case. The student is called in and stands in front of the Council and explains their perspective on the case.

“Talking to the Honor Council was kind of stressful,” student Rose Pierce* said. “I plead guilty to cheating, and it was pretty short overall. I think [the] Honor Council is a good process, but I didn’t really enjoy going, obviously.”

Lastly, the council discusses the verdict and gives a recommendation for a disciplinary action or consequence.

“I think it’s good leverage to have [a student-run Honor Council],” sophomore Honor Council member Parmida Zandinejad said. “I want to emphasize that we’re on the student’s side, and we understand as students where you guys are coming from and the pressure that you have in your lives. So we’re not out to get you in any way.”

If the student is found guilty and still believes they are innocent, they have 24 hours to appeal to Heil. They can also appeal if they believe their punishment was too harsh.

“Nothing [is] at all unique about cheating at ESD,” Heil said. “I think what’s unique about ESD is the way that our Honor Council is structured. It’s one of the most effective and impressive Honor Council structures I’ve ever worked with, and I’ve worked with quite a few. If there is uniqueness in ESD’s system, it’s more about the students’ engagement and the students’ ownership of it rather than the adults’ ownership of it. I think that’s really important.”

But not all believe that the disciplinary actions given after someone is found guilty of cheating or lying are as serious as they should be.

“What seems to have been the case is [that] the [Honor Code] has

been compromised without any math teacher Mike Beidel said. where you have kids who really code of the community, and again’ versus something substantial they’ve done in violation of the

Psychology

With sweaty hands and an looks at the cheat sheet she smuggled during a test. This detrimental tiple factors: not studying the parents and teachers to receive quences of earning a poor grade.

When highly pushed by extrinsic an act of academic cheating by cheating is sorely looked down the student and the school, at behind why a student has cheated

“I felt pressured to get an by cheating,” Pierce said. “I think of the pressure parents or teachers Other circumstances that be when the line between getting the material blurs. Common tremely high-stakes assignment may all lead to cheating.

But cheating does not only conducted on students beginning Dr. Donald McCabe, who is widely of academic integrity and graduated that more than 60 percent of demic cheating in some form.

“I think a lot of students cheat even think about it as bad if it’s normalized to just look up to ask a friend about it. It’s the Council, but small stuff gets by Since the work one turns tion of one’s effort and is consequently cheating can devastate the system dinejad believes that cheating also understands the pressures

“As a student myself, and I someone took the easy way out Zandinejad said. “There’s a lot it’s completely understandable all at once, they’re stressed out they want to take the easy way

While the reasons behind passed over, the Honor Council give out just consequences that

“The Honor Council has ishment based on certain situations,” creased punishments, and we’ve think that that’s a nice aspect.”

This system is beneficial because may naturally foster a competitive to be tempted to cheat. Heil Honor Code to maintain the the code.

“Research shows that having Heil said. “That’s just as a reduces it. Every school I’ve Code, and understanding and process is really important. We’re that we’re doing it right and doing

Technology

Looking side to side, student video linked in the exam. Realizing through the search bar, Green remaining — the perfect scheme

As society has advanced from ing software, technology has cheating students but also has to find ways around cheating

“I think all schools realize ers have tried different kinds ers have challenges with students in class.”

High school is filled with stress from homework to projects to tests and, of course, extracurriculars on top. For Mark Green*, the pressure was too much and the temptation to cheat on his final seemed like a good idea. Or was it?

any kind of consequence,” upper school said. “I can think of recent examples of that really have compromised or violated the what they get is ‘you better not do that substantial in consequence for what it is that the code of the community.”

an anxious temperament, Rose Pierce* smuggled in under her skirt for answers detrimental decision was an accumulation of multhe night before, feeling pressure from receive better grades and fear of the consegrade.

extrinsic factors, this student engaged in by taking a cognitive shortcut. And while down upon for its overall harmful effects on at times, the thought process or reasons cheated is not taken into account.

A, and the only way I could do that was think most kids, like I did, cheat because teachers put on them to get good grades.” could lead to a student cheating may getting a good grade and working to learn traits such as poor study habits, an exassignment or test or a low expectation of success happen in high school. A research study beginning in 1990 and still continues today by widely considered the “founding father” graduated from Rutgers University, shows university students openly admit to acacheat in minor ways because they don’t it’s smaller,” Pierce said. “For example, something you don’t know on Google or the major cases that get sent to the Honor by a lot.”

in at school is expected to be a reflecconsequently graded with this supposition, system that schools need to run on. Zancheating is a fundamentally unfair practice but pressures an average student faces. think for everyone, it would be unfair if out while you were up all night studying,” lot of pressure for us in high school, and understandable that when kids have a couple of tests out with sports and they’re overwhelmed, way out.”

behind why a student cheats are sometimes Council strives to focus on the student and that match the “crime.” the ability to adjust the student’s punsituations,” Zandinejad said. “We have dewe’ve also added on punishments, but I aspect.”

because schools, especially private ones, competitive environment that can lead students highlights the importance of having an integrity of students in accordance with having an Honor Code reduces cheating,” baseline. It doesn’t eliminate it, but it been at in my career has had an Honor and reevaluating other councils with our We’re always reevaluating to make sure doing it as well as we possibly can.”

student Mark Green* clicks on the YouTube Realizing he could search for answers Green finished the exam with 30 minutes scheme for an A on his final exam. from computers to phones to now cheathas not only allowed teachers to catch has generated opportunities for students prevention.

[cheating is] a problem, and all teachkinds of approaches,” Hansell said. “Teachstudents getting distracted when they’re

The technology department at school has set up software for teachers and students to prevent cheating. This system has been around since the spring of 2017.

“In upper school, we use TurnItIn to scan papers and make sure that it’s not downloaded from the internet or you’re not sharing it with a friend, and of course we use LockDown Browser,” Director of Technology Bryan Barnett said. “In middle school, we use a teacher app to access software where they can look at students’ screens when they’re in class to make sure they’re on track.”

Although these cheating prevention software have been placed to prevent these actions, students have found ways around it using artificial intelligence or other “hacks.”

“During Covid-19, we had just come back to take our [winter] exams and [our teacher] had been online the entire year, so none of us knew anything,” Green* said. “He linked a YouTube video to the exam because our test was online, and the exam was on a LockDown Browser, so you couldn’t search up anything regularly, but you could on YouTube. So I just YouTubed a bunch of videos and found all the answers.”

The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem. There was a spike in cheating all over the United States when the pandemic hit. According to an article by National Public Radio at the University of Georgia, cheating cases more than doubled, from 228 students in the fall of 2019 to more than 600 in 2021. And Ohio State University reported 50 percent more incidents of cheating compared to the year before.

“Covid-19 was the worst time to learn anything, and it was mainly because it had been difficult with [our teacher] being online for most of the school year, and then sometimes we would be quarantined too,” Green* said. “There was no normal, and the entire class felt stressed [to] keep a good GPA, so I think most of us cheated.”

Students have found ways to cheat with the use of artificial intelligence. As society progresses, technology has become more advanced, allowing students to find ways around prevention software. Some even have websites that write essays for them, such as Paper Typer and Essay Bot. English teachers may be able to easily figure out when students use AI when they turn in papers.

“[Students] had to work together in groups and present on different aspects of the chapter in ‘Homegoing’ and so when [this student] did her chapter, the information was just off and it was very simple and the writing was bad,” English department chair Tolly Salz said. “I knew immediately it wasn’t her work because she is a much better writer and thinker… and [after] some searching, she had copied the whole thing and pasted it from one of the websites.”

Salz used TurnItIn, a plagiarism detection software, to confirm that her student plagiarized on her project. The software scans students’ work for matched text by comparing the work to a large database of student work, publications and materials on the internet. Salz likes the application because she wants students to understand that citing a source to help their argument is only “helping their credibility.”

“[Anyone] can access information at any time and any place,” Salz said. “It’s what you’re doing with that information that I am more interested in. Are we, teachers, creating assessments that allow students to use their voice to use that information in a way that’s new? If we don’t have compelling assignments, that is where the websites and copy and pasting seems enticing.”

Many cheating or plagiarizing misconducts go to the Honor Council; and many of those students who own up to their mistakes when asked are given a day of separation. But Salz would like to propose an alternative idea for students who have been caught cheating and admit doing so to their teacher.

“The teacher and the student should talk about the situation and [work something out] in order to make amends [or a] restitution,” Salz said. “Together the teacher and the student go to the Honor Council and say, ‘This is what happened and this is what we have decided. We want to let you know and are taking care of it.’”

Salz believes this system will bring trust between the student and teacher and “a sense of accountability and restoration.” As technology continues to grow, the battle between cheating and prevention will continue to grow.

“I wish we could do something to improve [the problem] because I was always annoyed when I was a student back in my day that I would study so hard, and then I would see kids look at each other’s papers,” Hansell said. “It’s just that sense of unfairness, and I wish we could remove as many temptations as we possibly can and then hope that the Honor Code would make kids think twice.”

Schools have created honor codes in hopes of preventing lying and cheating, technology helps hinder this behavior.

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As Halloween ends, the multinational cafe chain skips over Thanksgiving and whips out their Christmas cups and decor on Nov. 3. While their seasonal menu does include the fall themed favorite pumpkin spiced latte as well as a toasted caramel bruleé cold brew, those drinks are overshadowed by the outlandish Christmas themed drinks. The environment, the seasonal menu filled with options for a Christmas feeling coffee and the red and green colors decorating the cafe made me want to start singing “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” when I sat at the table with my toasted white chocolate mocha. When I asked at the checkout what the employee’s favorite, pretty holiday drink was, she recommended the toasted white chocolate mocha. Although the little red peppermint flakes were not included like it showed on the menu, this coffee was delectable. It was rich in the white chocolate flavor, but the warm temperature combated the thickness of the chocolate and it slid down my throat, warming my insides on the way down. I decided to not stir in the whipped cream on top so that with each sip I had a little burst of something cold and sweet followed by the warm and rich coffee. If it were only a tad less sweet, and had been presented as the picture, this drink would have been the perfect holiday morning drink.

5350 W Lovers Lane

SUMMER MOON - Peppermint Mocha Moon Latte

Before doing this review, I had never been to Summer Moon. I’ve always thought of it as the small, probably mediocre cafe that took over the Starbucks I went to sometimes on my way to school. But when I walked into the cafe, I was greeted by friendly and accommodating staff, and they’re Thanksgiving decor was still up, which I appreciated. Summer Moon in reality is a popular chain that started in Austin, now with locations in many Texas cities, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kansas, and it is still expanding. The shop has a good variety of seasonal drinks on their menu with Christmas cookie, gingerbread, and chestnut flavored drinks, but here I played it safe and got what they call the Peppermint Mocha Moon Latte. And I’m happy I made that decision. Decorated precisely and beautifully, this cup of coffee was a peppermint hot chocolate for someone who needs caffeine. It gave me the same feeling as a wonderful Christmas morning opening gifts with the family by the fire, or snuggling up by the Christmas tree to watch Elf or Christmas Vacation with my sister. The cafe itself and the look, taste and feeling of the drink was perfect and easily my favorite of the five seasonal drinks I tried.

4343 W Northwest Hwy #390

Personally, I have always loved Drip Coffee and think they have one of the best cups of coffee in Dallas. I was disappointed that they only had one seasonal special, an eggnog latte, although I’m sure if I asked for a peppermint or pumpkin drink, they would have been accommodating as they always are at Drip. Instead, I went with the hot spiced apple cider that is on their menu year r holiday classic, since I am not a huge eggnog fan. I felt that some sort of cider drink was necessary for this review anyway. I have never been a super huge fan of hot cider, and this experience didn’t quite make me one either. It was just the right temperature when it came out, and the ratio of the sweetness coming from the apple flavor to the biting taste of cinnamon and spice was on the spot. Other than that, it was just a regular apple cider, and the lack of seasonal drinks to choose from made this experience at Drip my least favorite of the five.

4343 Lovers Lane

La La Land Kind Cafe is always one of my favorite places to be. The

and pristine café and the staff of angels make it feel like it’s more than just a coffee shop. Within the name, you can tell they most likely are not able to keep the job if they are not welcoming or kind which really does make the place feel warm and welcoming to its customers. Their regular menu already has many fun flavors and pretty drinks, and this year, they offered two fall-themed seasonal drinks and five themed for Christmas. At one of the shops, I needed to test a more fall and tra ditional flavored coffee, and I also thought I would review at least one iced drink. The pumpkin-spiced iced latte came out beautifully prepared with a smile on the barista’s face, but it was not my favorite this time, surprisingly. It was a little strong on the pumpkin flavor and a tad too milky, making it kind of sticky on the back of my throat. La La Land, to reiterate, is a great café, but unfortunately, this drink fell short of my expectations. It wouldn’t stop me from recommending La La Land to anyone though.

W Lovers Lane

5600

This café is popular amongst many ESD students since it is in close proximity and is on many students’ routes to school. This was my first time at White Rock, and I enjoyed my experience thoroughly. The employees were very kind, and it was decorated for Christmas, making it feel cozy and festive. I or gingerbread latte, another crucial flavor during the holiday season. It came out in a cute red mug with a perfect foam heart on top. It did burn my tongue the first sip I took, but that was my own fault, not having waited for it to cool off. After a few minutes, the following sips were delectable. The gingerbread flavor was not overpowering to the coffee flavor, and just the right amount of milk was added to balance the flavor. I definitely would suggest this coffee shop and this drink to coffee drinkers this holiday season.

5930 Royal Lane

around Dallas to review holiday drinks. The review features a combination of coziness and hospitality of cafés as well as the taste and feeling these drinks arouse in hopes that our readers will indulge in the Christmas flavors this holiday season.

I llustrations by Callie Hawkins and Grace Worsham

WHITE ROCK COFFEE - Gingerbread Latte

DRIP - Hot Spiced Apple Cider

LA LA LAND - La La Pumpkin Spiced Iced Latte

beautiful

STARBUCKS

Toasted White Chocolate Mocha

hallway chatter

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

By Grace Worsham Life Editor

Class of 2023 GroupMe

p.17-21views

MADDY HAMMETT: MERCURY IS IN RETROGRADE

Garcini Upper

Chocolate milk and sugary drinks should make a comeback

The old chocolate milk dispenser and sugary drinks remain a legend among ESD students. From a poll of 86 students taken on Dec. 5, 74 percent of students prefer the chocolate milk dispenser over the cartons, and 80 percent of students want the dispenser to return to the dining commons. Similar attitudes are expressed towards the sugary drinks that are no longer available in the cafeteria.

“HALF

PRICE

BURRITOS AT QDOBA TUESDAYS”

The chocolate milk dispenser in the cafeteria should make a comeback; it is beloved among the ESD student body and better for the environment. The sugary drinks must also return, because forbidding sugar increases temptation and can cause eating disorders. Most importantly, students can be trusted to make healthy decisions even in the presence of sugary drinks.

The chocolate milk machine was one of the many losses of Covid-19, removed to limit multi touch surfaces. But Covid-19 concerns are no longer relevant excuses to restrict the drink machines. With the water, tea and lemonade dispensers, ESD currently embraces a similar risk.

While Covid-19 concerns are no longer as predominant, new environmental concerns are. During the

first semester of the 2022 school year, approximately 7,800 ESD chocolate milk cartons have ended up in landfills, with a predicted total of 18,000 by May 2023. But this is merely a choice. Other schools have transitioned from cartons to dispensers, such as Bluestone Elementary School in Harrisburg, Virginia. Originally, Bluestone discarded 39,000 cartons each year, and on average, students only consumed 70 percent of each carton. The combined carton and milk waste was combated by the addition of a dispenser. Students can now decide their desired amount of milk, and use reusable cups to drink the milk. Unfortunately, ESD has backtracked in their waste reduction efforts.

The drinks machine machine was another school lunch loss. It dispensed a blue raspberry flavored drink, limeade and black cherry drink options; it was removed in 2018 to make room for “fresher” options in the cafeteria, but its absence invites other issues.

The removal of the sugary drinks machine in school settings creates temptation. Coined as the “forbidden fruit theory,” banning an object of desire only increases desire, according to the New York Times Upfront. This can be the case with sugary beverages, potentially leading to increased consumption in high school students outside of school hours.

Instead of banning items, J. Justin Wilson, the senior research analyst at the Center for Consumer Freedom, recommends health and physical education in schools. This approach teaches students to make healthy choices, opposed to making arbitrary boundaries. And, ESD requires both health class and fitness credits. Students are prepared to make independent decisions for their lunchtime drinks.

With the removal of sugary drinks or unhealthy treats from school environments, professionals worry that students will develop a worsening body image or obsession with dieting. Schwartz performed a study at a middle school by placing restrictions on “unhealthy snacks,” only to observe an increasing desire to lose weight or diet in the young teens.

But, many still argue that the high sugar content of such beverages outweighs psychological concerns. Director of Sports Performance, Phil Mosley, acknowledges the risk of sugary drinks for one’s health, with too much leading to body fat or high blood sugar.

While these concerns are valid, they must be viewed within a greater context. High school students are independent and responsible; they can assess the risk of sugary drinks and manage their health accordingly.

“I was very surprised when I saw Weston get on the stage [at JSB]. I soon realized that he had run on from the side when I saw the security chasing him and snatching his collar [because he climbed on stage] while he was doing the splits. Young M.A. and her crew then let him back on stage to show everyone his cool moves. After dancing back and forth on the stage, he attempted to do his first backflip; he was unsuccessful but tried to play it off with the worm and other dance moves. He next tried to distract the crowd from his fall and began doing the splits and running across the stage again. After those moves he attempted one last time for the back flip and was even less successful on the second attempt. I felt really bad for him, but he seemed like a real crowd pleaser. The overall experience of him on stage was very funny though but gave me second hand embarrassment.

Marlene B. Schwartz, Ph.D., and Kathryn E. Henderson, Ph.D., published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry the link between obesity prevention and eating disorders in middle and high schools.

Madison McCloud ‘23

SAGE is not inherently opposed to sweet treats and sugary drinks either. They support the “all foods fit” motto, stressing that less nutritious items can be incorporated into a well-balanced diet, with a prime example being the offered chocolate milk.

With this mindset, a sugary drink machine would fit perfectly into the cafeteria. After returning the chocolate milk dispenser and fountain drinks to the cafeteria, the SAGE drink options will be complete

Jamie Henderson discusses the emotional weight students carry during the winter months, coined as seasonal depression

Katherine Mote and Maddy Hammett compare the pros and cons of daylight savings time, in light of the recent time change

“The old chocolate milk machines tasted better than the current chocolate milk cartons.”

Sophomore Libby Miller

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

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.

If you aren’t at at least one of the games tonight you don’t belong at ESD. ”

Charlie King ‘22

KENSLEY EWING: BASICALLY MADDY, THE COWBOYS ALMOST WON THE PLAYOFF GAME BUT THE REF WAS IN THE WAY THE WHOLE TIME

Conversation between juniors Kensley Ewing and Maddy Hammett

Let’s talk in Australian accents for the whole day.

Addie Click ‘24

Elliott McCabe ‘23 to the class of 2023 GroupMe

Photos by Grace Worsham

“Dawn Eatherly gave Riley Calvert a CV for not wearing formal uniform but she actually gave one to his identical twin, Fletcher, instead.”

Marcela

school Spanish teacher and senior class dean

Nepotism vs Talent

S tory by Elisabeth Siegel Managing Editor

Bella Hadid. Gigi Hadid. Kendall Jenner. Lila Moss. Kaia Gerber. Lily-Rose Depp. These girls, considered some of the most influential and recognizable faces in today’s fashion world, haveimpressive resumes, from walking during fashion weeks in Milan, Paris and New York, to becoming the face of Chanel or being known as the “muse” for designers like Riccardo Tisci and Karl Lagerfeld. Magazine covers, runways and commercials have become a part of their daily life.

What these models also have in common is nepotism: when those in power or influence favor and often give jobs to their relatives. The fashion industry has turned into a game of politics and luck. Most aspiring models run to multiple castings and are grateful for any job they can get to help them pay their rent. Others were simply born with “it:” the connections, fame and money to make a name for themselves just because their family consists of some of the most influential TV stars, models or public figures. Many argue that the so-called “nepotism babies” drive away creatives with less money and networking access. But skill and nepotism are not mutually exclusive.

Many nepotism babies have undeniable talent or have had the proper training paid for by their parents. If they prove they have what it takes, they may deserve their spots in the fashion industry. Instead of automatically raising nepotism babies directly to the top, the industry should treat them as they would treat any other aspiring model who can, through hard work, earn notoriety. As long as they recognize their privilege, the talented nepotism babies should be treated as equals.

The least that nepotism babies can do is admit their privilege’s impact on their career rather than claiming they are self-made. Kendall Jenner, who was only 11 when her family’s reality show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” started, claimed the opposite: that nepotism actually made her career harder.

In a 2021 “KUWTK” reunion with Andy Cohen, she said her name made “her job a little bit harder” and that she actually “ran all over, not only New York City but all over Europe, trying to get a job and make [her] way.” But in the same interview, she also claimed that she “presented the cutest little modeling book to [her] mom when [she] was 14 [who] then did her Kris Jenner things and made it all come to life.” It is hard for me to believe that Jenner would be named the “world’s highest-paid supermodel” by Forbes Magazine if it wasn’t for her birth-given celebrity status.

Model Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of actor Johnny Depp and model Vanessa Paradis, walked her first show for Chanel at 16 years old despite having no experience and only being 5-foot-2. In an interview with Glamour Magazine, she denied her advantage. She said if “somebody’s mom or dad is a doctor, and then the kid becomes a doctor, you’re not going to be like, ‘Well, you’re only a doctor because your parent is a doctor,” ignoring the fact that all doctors have to go through years of medical school and training and cannot just network their way into a job. The first flaw of being a nepotism baby is not recognizing your innate power. One can still appreciate their style and work, but her lack of self-awareness may turn people away. Nepotism babies can be successful and good at their job, but the first step is respecting their peers who need to work 10 times harder.

When talented nepotism babies recognize their advantages, they become much more respected in the eyes of the public. Bella and Gigi Hadid, some of the most recognizable faces in the fashion industry, undeniably warrant their careers.

It’s true that they inherited their runway-ways from their mother Yolanda Hadid, a “Real Housewife of Beverly Hills” model. Not only do they have great style and looks, but they are also respectful and acknowledge their birthright. In an interview with Vogue Australia, Gigi said that she knows she comes “from privilege” and that she “wanted to stand next to [other girls] backstage and for them to look at [her] and respect [her] and to know that it’s never about [her] trying to overshadow or take their place.” Though many of the opportunities they’ve been given are because of their mother, the public looks at them with high regard because, instead of victimizing themselves, they compose themselves with humility.

Without a famous family to fall back on, aspiring models, actresses and other professionals are at a disadvantage. Self-made Italian model Vittoria Cerretti shared on Instagram how hard it is to “see a nepo baby walk past you,” and it takes years for normal people to get recognition, but nepotism babies “get it free by day one.” Most models like Ceretti have to deal with rejection and don’t have wealthy, prominent families to fall back on. But although the issue of nepotism takes away jobs from the regular public it is inevitable that parents always want to give their children the best opportunities available.

Unfortunately, the fashion industry is not always a place of merit where the best opportunities are well earned. When this favoritism takes place, designers, the media and the public should treat nepotism babies as they treat other models. And when nepotism babies take the top spots, they should remain cognizant, at the very least, of their families’ influence on their success.

Seasonal depression takes toll, school should respond

When it comes to feeling sad or depressed during the winter, 53 percent responded that they tend to feel more sad or depressed during the winter, according to a Dec. 5 poll of 121 upper school students. Sixty-eight percent reported that they tend to feel more anxious or stressed during the winter. Sixty-six percent said that they do not and 15 percent said that it was not from a professional but from someone they trust.

When it comes to feeling sad or depressed during the winter, according to a Dec. 5 poll of 121 upper school students, 53 percent responded that they tend to feel more sad or depressed during the winter. Sixty-eight percent reported that they feel more anxious or stressed during the winter. Sixty-six percent of upper schoolers reported that they do not seek professional help when dealing with these feelings. And of the 15 percent that did receive help, after having reported these feelings, they did not do so through a professional.

Now, with the days becoming much shorter and the weather turning colder, a large percentage of students reported an increase in feelings of sadness and admitted

to overall worsened mental health. The school should be proactive and help students get equipped with the proper resources and tools to combat seasonal depression and help improve the mental lives of many. The term seasonal depression is also referred to as seasonal affective disorder, which some medical professionals refer to as SAD. With people indoors a lot more and with less exposure to sunlight, people can develop a milder version called “winter blues.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic’s website, five percent of adults in America experience SAD and 10 percent to 20 percent of Americans experience the winter blues. It is more common in women, younger people, people with preexisting mood disorders or with relatives suffering from it already. Living far north or south of the equator or in cloudy regions can also affect how common it is.

Some symptoms to watch out for are increased sadness or anxiety, carb cravings, weight gain, extreme fatigue, loss of interest in activities that interest you, lack of energy and feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness.

student’s stress is added to with upcoming winter exams. Students can feel more anxious or hopeless.

out of 121 students said that they tend to feel more sad or depressed during the winter

The National Institute of Mental Health published that exposure to sunlight is crucial for vitamin D production, which promotes serotonin — a mood stabilizer. During the winter months, we get approximately four hours less of sunlight than during the summer months. Our bodies, therefore, produce less vitamin D. Some people who suffer from SAD, may benefit from light therapy which exposes patients to white fluorescent light covered in a plastic screen to block ultraviolet rays. This light is 20 times brighter than a regular light and can help lessen symptoms of depression.

At ESD, on top of shorter days,

To help these students cope with these feelings, there are a few actions ESD can take. First, more time in fresh air and sunlight during the day. Teachers can hold more classes or activities in any of the campus’ beautiful outdoor areas. Secondly, we should utilize advisory time in a way that benefits students more. Advisors could do mental health check-ins once a week to see how their advisees are doing emotionally. Students can also take charge of their own mental health by going straight to a trusted adult or medical/mental health professional when they start to experience symptoms. If emotional issues are taken care of when first symptoms appear, hopefully, they won’t become too disruptive in everyday life.

Seasonal depression needs to be taken seriously and actions should be taken to alleviate students of this weight they feel they have to carry alone. Make sure to pay attention and look out for these changes in your community and loved ones as the seasons continue to change.

“Nepotism babies can be successful and good at their job, but the first step is respecting their peers who need to work 10 times harder.”

Elisabeth Siegel senior

O pinion by Jamie Henderson Staff Writer

views

Should we keep daylight savings time? Con: no Pro: yes

Since its national implementation in 1918, daylight savings time has been an idea that has been widely contested. Its inception came with a wartime desire to save an hour’s worth of fuel each day to light lamps and coal to heat homes. As Americans began to change clocks, daylight was preserved, allowing for less energy spent on heat and light. Since then, the debate over daylight savings time has reignited each fall and spring as people fall to their respective sides and, seemingly, refuse to budge.

Although the implementation of DST comes with some negative effects, ultimately, the policy allows for a better economy, promotes active lifestyles and provides longer daylight hours which allows for more safety from crime and traffic incidents. All of these benefits outweigh the day or two of discomfort we feel from changing our clocks twice a year.

One of the many benefits of DST and one of the chief reasons why the practice continues is that it promotes safety through the policy’s ability to decrease traffic incidents and crime. According to a 1995 study in the American Journal of Public Health, there are far fewer fatal vehicle crashes during DST. According to this same study, crashes involving pedestrians fall by 8 percent to 11 percent each year during DST and crashes for vehicles fall by 6 percent to 10 percent. Beyond avoiding vehicle-related injury, DST also has been proven to decrease crime rates. Economist Jennifer Doleac, Ph.D., and Nicholas Sanders, Ph.D. in a 2015 paper published for The Review of Economics and Statistics, also found that robberies drop about seven percent overall and 27 percent in the evening hours after the springtime change. According to Sanders and Doleac, most street crime occurs in the evening from around 5 to 8 p.m. Better lighting provided by DST makes it easier not only for crime to be detected but also has been determined as the cause for less crime during these hours overall. Keeping this in mind, it becomes clear that the minor inconveniences of DST are worth enduring.

Daylight savings time has also been found to be good for the economy. With more light time, more people are shown to shop after work which has consequently increased retail sales. According to a recent analysis of credit card transactions by JP Morgan Chase Institute, there is a visible difference in consumer spending during DST. The analysis compared spending in Los Angeles with spending in Phoenix, Arizona. Arizona was chosen in the study since they have chosen to not follow DST. After the analysis, it was found that in the spring, the additional hour of evening daylight in Los Angeles managed to boost card spending per person after the spending was compared with Arizona’s. On a more microscopic level, the golf and barbecue industry also report benefiting considerably from the extra hour of daylight. The golf industry reported that just one month of DST was worth $200 million to $400 million because of extended playtime. The barbecue industry in 2007 also reported an estimated $59 million saved because of fewer robberies. The benefits to the economy are so considerable that Chambers of commerce are the largest figures in voicing opposition against anti-DST legislation.

Daylight savings time has also worked to promote more active lifestyles. When the day becomes lighter later in the spring, more people tend to participate in activities after work. According to Hendrik Wolff, Ph.D., a professor of Environmental Economics at the London school of Economics and Political Science, because of DST, an additional three percent of those who would typically stay indoors, begin to engage in more outdoor activity.

From its beginning DST has been debated and questioned. DST was even repealed nationwide in 1919 and then maintained by some cities which soon became known as “chaos of clocks.” To repeal DST nationwide, or at least attempt to, the main effects were chaos and confusion, not an extra hour of sleep in the winter as the proponents of repeal argued. The chief issue with repealing DST is that it would lead to a lack of uniformity, something that time must follow. DST has been in place for a prolonged period of time. To attempt to repeal it now, nationally, would be to only create confusion and change in only certain places.

To be entirely honest, I am not immune to the negative effects of DST. Begrudgingly, I have come to appreciate it. Being a person who loves the comfort of routines and habits, I understand that something seemingly simple can feel like a seismic shift. After researching and understanding, however, it has been made clear to me that the benefits largely outweigh the little bit of discomfort it initially causes.

The dreaded time of year has finally come, a time of diminished productivity and accidentally waking up an hour before your alarm. Daylight Savings Time is an archaic structure that was implemented during World War I to save an hour’s worth of fuel each day. For decades following, DST was maintained by a few cities, such as New York, but in 1966 it became an established part of our country’s daily life. Nowadays, countries that still use DST are outnumbered as it has begun to phase out worldwide in countries like India, Turkey and Mexico. Within the United States, it’s up to each state whether or not they want to participate in biannual time shifts. Arizona and Hawaii, as well as American territories such as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, do not observe DST.

DST should be eliminated: it’s bad for your health. Not only does it change your circadian rhythm by changing your sleeping pattern and internal clock, but it also increases the risk of heart attack by 10 percent on the Monday and Tuesday following the time change according to A 2012 study by University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Martin Young. For these reasons alone the United States should commit itself to remaining in the summer savings time year round and halt the changing of the clocks.

Additionally, there are excess auto and workplace accidents within the first week of the springtime shift and male suicide rates rise following the time change in the winter, according to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

Something we can all relate to is DST reducing productivity. Not only do we lose an hour of sleep on the Monday going into DST, but our circadian clock doesn’t adjust to DST right away, and the majority of the population has decreased productivity, decreased quality of life and increased susceptibility to illness for a short period following the change, according to Dr. Till Roenneberg a German chronobiologist.

Lastly, DST is expensive; changing the clocks cost Americans $1.7 billion in lost opportunity costs based on hourly wages, according to Utah State University. In totality, the U.S. economy loses $434 million annually between health issues, decreased productivity and workplace injuries, according to the Lost-Hour Economic Index. With all the data considered, I have an undoubtedly personal bias against DST.

While the original idea of DST helped save energy, a century later, it does the opposite. With our use of computers and technology, we use much more energy currently than we did almost a century ago, regardless of whether or not the sun is up. This makes the amount of energy saved from DST negligible and increases energy use in some cases. While we can debate DST time having minor inconveniences, eventually, we have to ask ourselves why we put so much energy and effort into something that is narrowly impacting our population in a positive way. If 175 countries in the world have decided to phase out DST, why should we even continue forward with this conversation of keeping it?

Given all our personal and statistical reasoning, we can all agree that DST once held a purpose, but it’s time for this antiquated construct to die and the U.S. should maintain the summer savings schedule year-round.

percent of students agree with the changing of clocks twice a year

percent of students disagree with the changing of clocks twice a year

B y Katherine Mote Business Manager

Story and Graphic By Maddy Hammett Co-Editor-in-Chief

I llustration by Maddy Hammett Illustration by Maddy Hammett

We both are enthralled, like most teenagers, by all different genres of music, from folk to R&B, from Tupac to Taylor Swift, from piano lessons to ballet performances; we have found connection because of it. Music is something that unites: a universal truth to which we all respond. Loosely inspired by Bob Dylan’s new book published this November, “The Philosophy of Modern Song,” we felt moved in the same way Dylan has. We have decided to, like Dylan, select some of the most meaningful songs to us and dissect the lyrics to relate them to our growth throughout school and our feelings surrounding senior year.

Maddy: “What’d I do with all this faith?”- The Bleachers “I don’t know what to do with this faith, ‘cause ain’t no faith could take your place.” I remember this song being the first song that shuffled from my phone the morning after our senior retreat. I remember the night that preceded it as being filled with intense, abstract emotions. There was a sudden realization that all of this — all of high school — was suddenly coming to an end and that the “lasts,” as we would soon call them, were coming all too quickly. This song and the “faith” that is continually mentioned symbolized for me all the emotions I was feeling that lacked direction — the emotions that lacked any definite resolution. I learned, with this song, acceptance and the realization that every relationship I had made in these years would be irreplaceable. And with that, to not try too hard to replace them: rather, appreciate them for all that they have been. I learned that with these people and these

relationships near to me now, I have to take time to be grateful for them.

Maddy: “Dead Sea”- Lumineers “I don’t gamble, but if I did I would bet on us.” Originally written for one of the band member’s wife, this is a love song in its truest form. The song tells the story of when Wesley Schultz, lead singer of the Lumineers, was told by his wife that he was her dead sea. He kept her afloat. During high school, I found this same kind of love platonically with the group of people around me. This song taught me how necessary it is to be able to lean on your friends and how necessary it is for them to be able to lean on you. I learned that in repressing difficult feelings there is only more hatred, more frustration and the feeling that you’re sinking.

Grace: “Drive” - Alan Jackson “Maybe one day they’ll reach back in their file and pull out that old memory and think of me and smile.” My parents raised me on country music, and this song has always been my anthem. I remember sitting on my dad’s knee and helping him drive the boat like it was yesterday; Alan Jackson encapsulated that liberating feeling when he sings in the song, “A young girl, two hands on the wheel, I can’t replace the way it made me feel.” I haven’t always agreed with the idea that time flies because some periods of my life have been so monotonously slow that I could feel the tick of each second passing by, but other times years have flown by without the blink of an eye. I have promised myself to keep those “old memor[ies]” close to my heart, “to think of [them] and smile,” because each stage of your life is beautiful. Each memory of your life makes up who you are, and I can never forget the first time I felt like I could fly.

Grace: “Wildflowers” - Tom Petty “You belong somewhere you feel free.” Throughout my childhood, I always desired to be older, to gain the next privilege, to gain the next step toward freedom. I was in fifth grade when my sister was a senior in high school, and when I saw her walking down the halls in cowboy boots and a yellow shirt, I couldn’t help but imagine how it would feel. I craved her freedom, but now that I am teetering on the edge of complete independence it’s scary. Now, it is no longer how much I feel free, but where I will feel free. Tom Petty sings in his song “Wildflowers,” “You belong somewhere you feel free,” and I have been recently contemplating if this next chapter of my life, this next school, this next city will make me feel free. Yet, I know deep down it’s not the place that will make the difference. In order to be free, you have to be who you truly

“We both are enthralled, like most teenagers, by music. Music is something that unites: a universal truth to which we all respond.”

Worsham

are and not be afraid

Maddy and Grace: “Back Down South” - Kings of Leon “Go on, take my hand when we see the band, baby’s gonna be a big one.” In the fall of junior year, we attended a Kings of Leon concert together in east Dallas. The tickets were cheap, bought last minute in an act of spontaneity and of our love for the band. The encore included this song and while we had heard it before through car speakers, watching it live felt transcendent. This song felt like home and still does. When we leave, we both know we can revisit this song and feel connected to the place and the people we come from. Wherever we go for these next four years, we know we can always come “back down South,” and we can always find each other through the songs we have shared.

BeReal is inauthentic in practice

its creative ways but the question posed is if the app’s user’s are truly being “real.”

When I first heard of the app, personally, I was pretty hooked.

In a time where social media is taking over, the next big thing is always being sought after. What is better than an app that lets people capture the moment they are in, full display at that specific moment in time? The social media app market is getting very competitive as Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok are on the rise. However, there is no other app like Bereal.

The sensational platform hit the app store in 2020 but it wasn’t until mid 2022 when the app really started to take off. Hooking teens by the fun playful actions, users can take a selfie while simultaneously a back camera photo takes what they are looking at. Randomly each day, the notification hits everyones phone alerting them to “be real.”

Each user has two minutes to take the photo while in the app. Enticing users to participate, no person can see other peoples “be real” until they have taken their own. The new app has taken over the social media scene for

I always liked the concept of seeing what other people were doing at a given time, as everyone is curious. The app was something new that I had never seen. Something I noticed, however, were the easily manipulative features that could ruin the aspect of being truly real as that is the app’s purpose.

Timing is everything. The app has the unique feature of giving users a random time to post each day with a notification. The intent behind this is to not give people a chance to be prepared for the alert and capture them at a random place in time. However, this is avoided by the people who care about their social media presence too much. In the app, people can post later than the time that is given. For example, if the app notification goes off at 3.00 PM, a user can wait until 7pm to post and it will say “posted four hours later.”

The first problem with the app is that the moment you set up to take a photo, everyone begins to act differently. In a sense, every photo is not truly real be -

cause everyone begins to pose or act interesting for the moment about to be captured. If the true purpose of BeReal is to capture the moment of people in that act of time then right now, it is failing. The app gives you two minutes to take the picture before you can be “out of time.”

In those two minutes people can go to take a photo of something that is interesting or change the way they are posed in that given moment of time. Social media being real is inevitable. No matter how authentic we want people to be, they will always change how they are acting or their appearance to look better in the eyes of others.

In my opinion, the ability to post your photo hours after the allotted time defeats the purpose of capturing what people are doing in a given moment. With my experiences with the app, I have seen friends post a day later which in my opinion just ruins the app. If we truly want to “be real,” we have to embrace our environment and post whenever the app says. In saying that, I know that some people have practice or things to do, so taking a BeReal at a stringent time may not be possible. As a fix, I think people should

only be able to post during the period or no time at all. If the users post hours later are they really being real?

Getting the community together is a great accomplishment by the app as I must say. The feature of letting your friends take a picture of their live time reaction is a great installment in the vein of “being real.” However, following the trend, there’s always something that challenges the true authenticity of the app. Users can have pre-made reactions to the post their friends make. The app allows people to take selfies for each reaction that are funny, surprising, and many more. With this, comes the problem of it not being taken in real time. These reactions are pre-made so this feature further promotes the main idea that nothing is really real about what people are doing on the app.

I can admit I am an active user of the app. As a whole, the concept of the app is genius. It has taken 2022 by storm with its sudden popularity. All I am proposing is that if the main purpose of this app is to truly be real along with its users, then it is not achieving the purity it strives for.

to stand out — a “wildflower” in a field of weeds.

Co-Editors-in-Chief Grace Worsham and Maddy Hammett reflect on their favorite songs of upper school

Photoillustration by Grace Worsham and Maddy Hammett Co-Editors-in-Chief

O pinion by Christian Rockamore Guest Writer

Maddy Hammett and Grace

“In my opinion, the ability to post your photo hours after the allotted time defeats the purpose of capturing what people are doing in a given moment.”

Christian Rockamore

Dear Editors,

Life can be difficult, and we all have days when we wonder who we are, why we are here and if any of this matters. And when I have days like this, here is something that reminds me why I matter. Perhaps this insight might help you on days like this, and help remind you why you matter. And it starts with God:

God is not just outside of you as a detached and transcendent observer. God is within you, experiencing through you. The Holy Spirit dwells within each of us. We are members of Christ’s Body through which God acts in the world. In God, we live and move and exist (according to Acts 17), and all things are currently held together in God’s life (according to Colossians 1). So not only is God over us as Father and not only does God walk alongside us as Christ, but God also acts in and through us as Christ’s Spirit. And I think this is true for everyone because all things are from God and through God and to God so that nothing in all creation will be able to keep us separated from God’s Love (according to Romans 8 and 11).

That means that what we feel, God feels. What we experience, God experiences in us and through us. We are not alone. But even more than that, we offer God a unique and unrepeatable opportunity to unite our particular experiences with God’s universal presence. God cannot experience what it is like to be us abstractly and universally. We must exist, and be a particular manifestation of God’s Life in the world, for God to know what life is like as us, from our perspective. In no one else, in no other place and time, in no other personality or collection of memories and experiences, is God able to experience exactly what it is like to be me or you or us. We add depth and richness and beauty to God’s Life, even as God makes it possible for life and beauty to exist anywhere at all.

This also means that not only do you matter. All your neighbors matter too. The people you love, and the people you merely tolerate. The people you like, and the people you don’t like to be around at all. The people who adore you, and the people who despise you. God lives in each and every one of you. You have never met an “ordinary person.” Every person you have ever met is a vessel of God’s life, full of Divine potential to do amazing things, if they choose.

This is why we hear Jesus tell us things like “whoever welcomes you, welcomes me.” When we include and care for and encourage others, we are including and caring for and welcoming God’s life in others. And as we learn to realize how much other people matter to God and in God, we begin to understand how much we matter to God and in God. By loving our neighbors in healthy and life-giving ways, we learn to love ourselves in healthy and life-giving ways. Allowing God’s Love to flow through us benefits others, benefits God and benefits ourselves.

This ties into our December virtue of Service: Because when we serve others we serve God in them. Perhaps the ultimate revelation of this comes from Jesus when he tells us that “whatever we have done for the least of his brothers and sisters, we have done to him.” Anytime we share our time and talents and resources to lift others up, we are lifting everyone involved into the abundant life God desires for us all.

So, you matter. You matter to God. You matter to others. You matter in the unfolding history of the Universe. You would not be who you are without God living in you. God would not be the fullness of who God is without God working through you. The world would literally not be the same without you. This is part of why it is important for us, for God and for the whole universe, for each of us to realize that we are children or God and God lives in us. And because of that you are beautiful, you are valuable and you matter.

Fr. Nate Bostain

Wingin’ it with Warner

Democratic climate change goals are unrealistic

B y Alexandra Warner Views Editor

Currently, the U.S. is trying to move from pollutants to clean energy. The Inflation Reduction Act that was passed in the Senate on Aug. 16 is trying to help encourage a transfer to cleaner energy. While this act does absolutely nothing for reducing inflation, it does create incentives to combat the climate crisis with clean energy. And though the Democrats have generated good ideas to steer towards clean energy. But how likely is it that the Democrat’s goals make these environmental changes happen quickly? Not very likely.

One of the key efforts Democrats are tackling in this act is clean commercial vehicles. They are creating incentives for people to buy electric vehicles. Last year, Biden directed the U.S. government to purchase only American-made, zero-emission passenger cars by 2027 and electric versions of other vehicles by 2035. Shortly after his inauguration speech, he stated, “We’re going to harness the purchasing power of the federal government to buy clean, zero-emission vehicles.”

Is it a realistic goal to have everyone driving electric cars? Not really.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, mostly trucks, account for about 27 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor of U.S. GHG emissions. And although it sounds like a great idea, making these cars are bad for the environment and not everyone can afford buying these expensive electric vehicles. Sure, you could use hybrids, but not everyone has access to chargers (especially those who live in an apartment), nor do their houses have the modern wiring for electric vehicles. Also, there are very few pre-owned EVs under $15,000. This EV movement can be taxing to less affluent people.

The hybrid idea is a good one, except for the fact that there aren’t enough vehicles available. California wants to ban the sale of gas and hybrids by 2035, and the IRA does not offer incentives for hybrid purchas -

es. People will then need to rely on public transit, which is not available or reliable everywhere. These cars are also bad for the environment. The batteries inside EVs are made of lithium-ion cells that power most electric vehicles that rely on raw materials — like cobalt, lithium and rare earth elements. These elements have been linked to grave environmental and human rights concerns. For example, mining cobalt produces hazardous tailings (leftover material after separating the ore) and slags (stony waste) that can drain the environment. And according to the New York Times, studies have found high exposure in nearby communities to cobalt which can cause respiratory problems and even lead to cancer. Extracting the metals from their ores also requires a process called smelting, which can emit sulfur oxide and other harmful air pollution. Around 70 percent of the world’s cobalt supply is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a substantial number of workers in these mines are children. The workers only use hand tools which puts them at greater risk to their health and safety.

And not to mention, what would happen to the toxic batteries when the car dies? According to Princeton University, only 5 percent of lithium-ion batteries are recycled. Most lithium batteries end up in landfills, where their hazardous components can leak into the soil and groundwater. We should definitely encourage recycling batteries, but it’s not happening currently. So, although buying electric vehicles sounds promising, there are many harmful environmental side effects these products can cause.

Not only is it unrealistic for the U.S. to turn to all electric cars, but we don’t have the electrical grid to withstand all the electricity to charge these vehicles. If Democrats want to quickly make a change for clean energy, they would need to improve the grid first and that would take a very long time. Instead, we should be turning to ways to create cleaner gas.

When you go on road trips, what do you always see? Trucks. One idea that the bill promotes, and I agree

with, are incentives for biodiesel. Biodiesel is made from cooking oil and animal carcasses which are used to power trucks. It is renewable and burns very cleanly. Although biodiesel doesn’t apply to all cars, it does apply to trucks which contribute to the majority of the GHG emissions with transportation. And yes, it is expensive, but the federal government is going to pay for every biodiesel gallon that is produced. This is a realistic goal that the Democrats should continue to promote instead of hoping everyone switches to electric cars.

Something that I found interesting was that the Democrats hope to turn to wind and solar energy entirely in order to get rid of coal and dirty fossil fuels. However, wind and solar aren’t reliable as they only account for around 20 percent of the energy generated in the U.S., according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. What if the wind doesn’t blow or it’s not sunny? No one would be getting any energy. The best option would be nuclear energy, but the Democrats don’t support this because of the events of Chernobyl. People are scared; instead, they should be researching nuclear power plants so circumstances don’t happen like this again. Nuclear energy is extremely clean and is a good, steady alternative to creating clean energy. As energy needs to peak and dip depending on the time of day and year, adding natural gas to nuclear energy helps create more power during those peaks. Democrats should turn towards creating incentives for more nuclear energy power plants because it will help improve the climate.

The biggest question currently being asked is: How can we store large amounts of energy? And if we knew how to, I wouldn’t be writing this article. We can store on a very limited basis, like from solar panels on a house, but that’s only on a very small scale. When energy is created, it is instantaneously used. If we overproduce, it goes to waste. Finding ways to store large amounts of energy is the next and biggest step we should and are taking, and it would not only help the country but the world and help slow the climate crisis.

Delaying Deadlines by Sarah Cabrales

sports

College football playoffs bring excitement

Top 4 teams announced Dec. 4, playoff games set for National Championship

S tory and graphic by Charlotte Tomlin Web Editor

When December rolls around, most people think about Christmas and New Year’s, holidays and family, even traditions and food. But, for college football fans, with the beginning of December comes the best time of the year: College Football Playoffs.

This year, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, the University of Georgia and Texas Christian University will face off for the title of the National Champions.

“My favorite part of the playoffs is the idea that no team has any second chances,”avid TCU fan and senior Blair Brennan said. “In turn, every player plays with no regrets making it a more enjoyable experience. I always love watching the game on Monday instead of doing schoolwork.”

On Nov. 1, before Week 10 of college football games, the preliminary rankings for the College Football Playoff were released. At number one stood the University of Tennessee, at the time an 8-0 team, followed by Ohio State, a common name in the playoffs. Next came Georgia, defending National Champions, with Clemson bringing up the rear, albeit with controversy.

“I’m super excited to see Georgia in the playoffs again this year,” Georgia fan and junior Caroline Bagley said. “I love watching them play.”

However, since Nov. 1, a lot has changed in the rankings. Georgia now holds the No. 1 spot, with Michigan, TCU and Ohio State following behind. For the first time ever, the Big 10 has two teams in the Top 4.

“Considering Georgia has been blowing it out of the water especially late in the season, I was not worried about the rankings, [because] I knew we would be number one,” football player and junior Charlie Neuhoff said.

It comes as no surprise that Georgia holds the number one seed, as they’ve maintained an undefeated record and defeated their biggest competitors, like Tennessee and LSU, soundly.

“I think the [Southeastern Conference] championship was a great game for [Georgia] and a real statement game going into the CFP,” Neuhoff said. “It got us some more

hardware as well as showing other teams that we aren’t going to hit the brakes for any team.”

Georgia is in the hunt for its fourth National Championship title. They’re coming off their season with a 13-0 record, led by 25-year-old Stetson Bennett IV, the oldest starting quarterback in the SEC— who is also a Heisman finalist.

The Heisman Trophy is an award given annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Four finalists are named and invited to the Heisman Trophy Ceremony on Dec. 10 to celebrate their achievements as players.

“At the beginning of last season Stetson Bennett stressed me out, and I wasn’t sure how we would do,” Neuhoff said. “He clearly proved me wrong and showed he deserved that starting role on the number one team in the nation. Hopefully, he can end this season going back to back and win Georgia another National Championship.”

Michigan, also undefeated with 13-0 record, has won 11 previous National Championships, the most recent being in 1997. In an interview with ESPN, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy revealed his team’s mission for the College Football Playoffs.

“That ultimate goal, we really weren’t shooting for that National Championship last year,” McCarthy said. “It was to beat Ohio State, win a Big 10 championship, but this year, we’re shooting for it, and we’re going to go get it.”

Led by Heisman finalist Max Duggan, this year is the first year that TCU has made it to the College Football Playoffs having maintained a winning season and finishing the regular season 12-1. TCU lost in the Big 12 conference championship against Kansas State.

“I have been a TCU fan my whole life,” Brennan said. “It is incredible seeing the team finally compete in the CFP and represent the city of Fort Worth on a national stage.”

After their playoff dreams were

Blair Brennan senior

up in the air when they didn’t make it to the Big 10 conference championship, Ohio State— led by Heisman finalist quarterback C.J. Stroud—was ranked No. 4 in the playoff rankings.

“I think the rankings are fair this year because there are no teams with two losses in the Top 4,” Bagley said.

TCU’s ranking was largely debated, as many people felt that they had an easier record compared to the rest of the teams in the playoffs.

“With the loss by University of Southern California, I felt a lot more comfortable in the frog’s CFP opportunities,” Brennan said. “The loss to Kansas State is sad because it ruins our perfect season, but in hindsight, I think it will fuel a comeback.”

Many fans are worried about TCU’s chances against the other College Football Playoff teams, especially returning national champion, Georgia.

“I am nervous,” Brennan said. “The SEC is a fantastic conference with a great history. However, at the end of the day, it is just another game — the players won’t let the moment get too big.”

However, for fans of those SEC teams, playing against other Power 5 teams is no big deal. The Power 5 consists of the top college football conferences: SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“I’m not too worried about going up against other Power 5 conferences,” Neuhoff said. “I believe the SEC is the best conference in the NCAA, and I think our win against Michigan last year in the Orange

Georgia is set to play Ohio State in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 31, at 7 p.m. Georgia remains the favorite to win the National Championship, according to ESPN, and is a 6.5 favorite

“I’m super excited that we made it to the CFP,” Neuhoff said. “I think we have a great chance of winning it all

TCU will face off against Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl, also on Dec. 31,

at 3 p.m. According to DraftKings, Michigan is favored to win by 9.5 points. However, Michigan realizes the threat that TCU poses to its National Championship dreams.

“Max Duggan, he’s a great player, but it will be awesome to see how he shapes up against our defense,” McCarthy said in his interview with ESPN. “I always look at other quarterbacks to see if I can take bits and pieces from their game and add it to mine. Max, he’s a tough dude. Seeing him run the ball, especially on those last couple of drives, it was really standing out and realizing, ‘Hey, it’s Big 12, but there will be opportunity for me to use my legs.”’

The playoffs give fans time to cheer on their team after the regular season, as well as spend time with their friends and families.

“My favorite memory of the CFP was Ringo’s pick-six against Alabama which sealed the game,” Neuhoff said. “I remember running around my house celebrating with my family.”

Beginning in 2024, the College Football Playoff will be expanded from a four-team format to a 12-team format, allowing more teams to compete for the National Championship.

“I like the idea of expanding the playoffs because it makes sure that the best teams are in the final,” Bagley said. “Especially because a lot of the most competitive teams are in the same conference, it makes it more fair.”

However, some fans aren’t a fan of the 12-team format, and instead, propose an alternative solution.

“I think 12 teams is good, but some games won’t be competitive enough,” Brennan said. “It will help represent more schools, but I think an eight-team playoff is better.”

Fans all across the country are confident that their team will take home the title of National Champions. “Frogs by 90!” rings through the streets of Fort Worth, while fans of other teams instead choose to focus on their team’s success throughout the year, and how that will manifest itself in the playoffs.

“Georgia will win the National Championship, no question,” Neuhoff said. “They are on a different level and should run through this CFP. The CFP is the best part of the football season, and I’m excited to watch Georgia win it all.”

Five senior girls signed to play collegiate athletics on Nov. 8. after a long recruiting process

For the first time, cheer is offered for a second season with the introduction of winter cheer

“It is incredible seeing [TCU] finally compete in the CFP and represent the city of Fort Worth on a national stage”

Signing Day recognizes students’ athletic achievements

Five senior girls sign National Letters of Intent to play collegiate athletics

S tory by Charlotte Tomlin Web Editor

For senior Camryn Kowalewski, Wednesday, Nov. 8 was the day that it all came to fruition. She walked into the Auxiliary Gym at 2 p.m. and sat down behind a table decorated with American University paraphernalia and adorned with her lacrosse stick. She was ready to take the step into the next chapter of her life. .

After a grueling recruiting process, preceded by years of hard work playing the sport she loves, Kowalewski signed a seven page contract, a figurative end to her high school years.

“I’ve been playing lacrosse since I was 5 years old,” Kowalewski said. “I have been waiting for this day since February, and it was so exciting to finally make it official today.”

That same day, five other senior girls signed their National Letters of Intent to continue their athletic and academic careers at the Division I collegiate level. Lacrosse players Kowalewski and Lily Tollison committed to American University and Radford University respectively; rowers Katherine Mote and Mia Harrington committed to Stanford University and the University of Miami; and soccer player Truth Byars committed to Southern Methodist University.

“It was a full circle moment to be able to sign with my friends because we all went through it together,” Kowalewski said. “We all were so proud of one another and glad we could continue to be there for one another.”

Committing to playing a sport in college requires a high level of commitment. Athletes are forced to prioritize their time, which may include leaving behind activities they love.

“I grew up playing soccer and entered high school playing three sports: field hockey, soccer and lacrosse,” Tollison said. “I enjoyed every single one of these sports, but it was my sophomore year when I realized that if I wanted to pursue lacrosse in college I would have to dedicate all my time to this sport to be the best player on the field I could be. I ended up quitting both soccer and field hockey and now

only play lacrosse.”

Even though Harrington and Tollison had to make a choice between continuing to play other sports, or just focusing on committing for one sport, Kowalewski had a different experience.

“Playing other sports did not affect my commitment to lacrosse,” Kowalewski, a field hockey captain and former member of the varsity soccer team, said. “It actually really helped me because it showed [the colleges that were interested in me] that I was a multi-sport athlete, but it also helped with the burnout that could have happened.”

For athletes like Mote, the decision to focus on only one sport came later in her high school career.

“Originally at ESD I played basketball,” Mote said. “I continued to play basketball freshman and sophomore year but chose not to play junior year in order to compete in the off-season and get stronger for the [spring] rowing season. I thought at that point it made more sense for me to just continue rowing and not play basketball anymore.”

Depending on the sport, Division I universities can begin to reach out and offer athletes on Sep. 1 of the athlete’s junior year. Most athletes commit during their junior or senior year, after a long recruiting process.

“I committed Jan. 24 of my junior year,” Tollison said. “The recruiting process was the hardest thing I have been through. This process was long, stressful and time-consuming. There were many moments when I compared myself to other players and doubted my ability to play Division I lacrosse. I spent days worrying about finding the right place for me, but after time, I found my home.”

However, for some athletes, the decision to commit comes earlier than junior year. For Byars, the signing was five years in the making.

“For me, the recruiting process

was very simple because I knew what school I wanted to go to, and once they knew I wanted to go to SMU, they gave me an offer,” Byars said. “I committed in seventh grade, which sounds early, but the great education and the community at SMU made me sure I wanted to go there. I committed two days before the Sept. 1 rule was created.”

In contrast to Byars, Harrington’s journey to commitment was shorter than her peers. For crew, the recruitment process begins on June 15 of the athlete’s summer going into junior year.

“I started rowing my sophomore year,” Harrington said. “I actually quit soccer my junior year because I wanted to dedicate my whole winter to rowing, training and lifting so I could be fast enough to win races [in the spring] because I knew I wanted to row in college.”

For many athletes, as soon as they step on the college campus, they immediately feel at home — which makes the decision to commit even easier.

“I fell in love with Radford University right when I stepped onto campus. Many say ‘when you know, you know,’ and that is exactly how I felt,” Tollison said. “I have always been a Virginia girl at heart, so I knew I wanted to be in Virginia no matter what. I felt so welcomed by both the coaches and the players. It was the best decision I have ever made. Signing with Radford means that I am committed to the team, the coaches, working hard in the classroom and being the best version of myself that I can be.”

For all five athletes, signing day was a chance to celebrate their accomplishments with their friends and families.

“When I was signing, all I could think about was everyone in front of me when I looked up,” Tollison

said. “I saw all of the people who have been supporting me since day one, and it was so great to feel that. I could not stop thinking about how thankful I am to be playing college lacrosse and how thankful I am for the people who helped me get to this point.”

On signing day, athletes choose a timeslot during the day to sign their NLI. They are allowed to wear their college’s merch throughout the day, as well as decorate their signing table to celebrate their signing. The athletes can invite friends and family to watch them sign.

“[On signing day] your coach sends you a NLI letter where you officially commit to the university,” Kowalewski said. “The day of, you get to wear your school’s merchandise, decorate the table with decorations like flags, hats, and for me, my lacrosse stick. My family, friends and coaches came to watch me sign my letter and support me.”

However, for some athletes, the commitment process is not over on signing day. For example, Mote must work all year to maintain her grades in order to be able to row at Stanford.

“Originally when I committed to Stanford in July, I was sent an application and filled it out within a week,” Mote said. “[I] received my acceptance the second week of August. Within my acceptance, there were a few contingencies including switching up my class schedule a little bit to add a few APs and drop electives like business management and accounting, as well as maintaining high grades throughout the year in order for my acceptance to still be valid.”

With signing day, all the hard work the athletes have put into their sport comes to a resolution.

“I felt really proud of myself [when I signed] because of the hard work and dedication I put in since I was little,” Kowalewski said. “It was a dream come true, and I am so grateful to have had my family, friends and coaches there supporting me and congratulating me. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

RIGHT: On Wednesday, Nov. 8, five senior girls signed to continue their dreams of playing collegiate athletics. ”I loved getting to spend that day with other girls that got to work super hard with along the journey,” Camryn Kowalewski said. RIGHT: Katherine Mote signs her NLI to row at Stanford. “I was really excited to make it official and become more deeply involved in the Stanford community.” Photos by ESD Communications.

“It was a full circle moment to be able to sign with my friends because we all went through it together.”

Cam Kowalewski senior

Rookies rock the roster

Varsity boys basketball team experiencing changes due to seniors graduating

Anew chemistry has developed in the boys varsity basketball team due to bonds being formed with a new roster. The team is also experiencing changes to their season because of the large number of seniors who graduated last year.

Nine new players were added to the team which has changed the program’s dynamic.

“We had seven seniors that [were in] the program last year,” Admission Officer and Boys Basketball Program Director Corey Henderson said. “Those seven seniors did leave a pretty huge hole in terms of experience, basketball savvy [and] kind of an understanding of what’s expected.”

On top of seven seniors leaving, some of this year’s seniors who haven’t played basketball in a few years decided to rejoin the team. Additional players who played on junior varsity last year also have moved up to varsity, and now the team consists of 14 players with only five varsity returners.

“We have six seniors this year,” Henderson said. “Out of the six seniors, three out of the four [new players] played JV last year, and one hasn’t played in like four or five years.”

Even with these changes, Henderson hopes that this new team will be competitive.

“I look at this as a challenge that I really haven’t had in four years,” Henderson said. “It’ll be a slow progression, however, we’ve got to quickly get these guys on board and get them understanding the terminology and understanding concepts and then see where it leads.”

The most veteran player on the

team, and one of the varsity captains, senior Christian Rockamore, knows he must step up and that it is his turn to take on that leadership role.

“I’m the only senior who has been on the team for a good amount of time, so [I’m] just learning to step up and take a leadership role,” Rockamore said.

“And [encourage] everyone’s willingness to compete and just be open to new things.”

Although the path to success may take longer than normal, a lot of hope still fills the air. Returning players like Rockamore have noticed changes to practices due to these switches in dynamic.

“I feel like coach Henderson is more lenient, but obviously he still applies a lot of pressure on us and holds us accountable,” Rockamore said. “I feel like he’s a little more lenient with certain things because he knows there’s guys that are new to basketball. So we’re just all working together to teach them the new things, but we’re still putting in the work that we need to be successful.”

A struggle that Coach Henderson faces with his team each year is how the winter season has many interruptions such as Thanksgiving, exams and Christmas. With the

new team this year, he thinks these breaks may be more of a challenge than in previous ones.

“I would say that the most things that we struggle with in basketball being in the winter is stopping and starting over four periods of time,” Henderson said. “However, when you have a new team, the continuity and the chemistry in the flow, you want to keep it going as long as possible because it builds momentum.”

Sophomore Kent Lanyon played on JV last year and is one of the four underclassmen on the team. He understands that while the captains are strict, they also take the time to make sure the new players understand the team’s expectations.

“[They yell] out when we run drills, [and] they yell out at new people and tell them what to do,” Lanyon said. “And after we do something, they’ll stop us and talk to us about what we did wrong or what we can do better.”

With having such a small team with nine new players, Lanyon also agrees that it will take some time for the team to get used to playing with each other. Although, Lanyon already feels like he’s connected to many of the other players.

“Once we get our rhythm down, and we [figure] out what we’re doing offensively, we’ll be good,” Lanyon said. “[What] I like about the team [is how] everyone is so close no matter the class [they’re in].”

Junior Logan Lear, another team captain, agrees with Lanyon that the team’s connection is important to their success. Despite there being so many new players, they all have already built a strong bond with one another.

“We’re all becoming like a family, and we do a lot better in practice and communicating in games,” Lear said. “It helps us [having] a strong connection as a team, and when you have a strong connection, like your family, you’re going to, in the long run, do a lot better, and hopefully that helps us win a championship.”

Henderson, who has been with the basketball program at ESD for 20 years, hasn’t encountered this challenge in four years. He thinks it’ll take a lot of teaching, but appreciates the competitiveness that the team carries.

“[In the next] two months, a lot of teaching [will be required], and we may take some losses, but I’m never afraid of competition,” Henderson said. “[The team] is really competitive, but when you’re new, as some of them are to basketball, [or] they’re out of basketball for a while, it’s always a shock factor that they have to get used to again.”

On the weekend of Dec. 2, the team participated in the Houston Christian - Mustang Classic Tournament in Houston.

“We just got back from Houston and the team’s getting better,” Henderson said. “We finished 2-2 and made it to the consolation championship, so the guys are starting to kind of pick it up a little bit and get it.”

S tory by Brooke Ebner Staff Writer

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” —Michael Jordan

TIME OUT Coach Henderson talks to the team in one of their four games at the Houston Christian - Mustang Classic Tournament the weekend of Dec 2. “They’re competing, they’re playing hard, [and] played four games in a matter of 48 hours," Henderson said.

Photo taken by John Cahoon

HALFTIME WITH HAWKINS

Some professional athletes abuse fame

Fame and fortune built from athletic career carries into further pursuits

S tory by Callie Hawkins Sports Editor

It’s not uncommon to see athletes pursue other careers once they retire from their sport, but at what point does it cross the line when athletes have taken their fame and confidence to a level that is too far?

All athletes, besides maybe Tom Brady, recognize the fact that one can’t make money forever by playing most sports. As we get older, we become less and less physically able to perform extremely well in high-contact, high-speed environments and therefore less and less desirable for teams to draft you professionally. So, it is smart to have a secondary plan or dream, as long as you have worked for that plan and are not doing it because of the popularity acquired from being a professional athlete.

Many athletes use their experience from their respective sport and take it into their other jobs, such as sportscasters, coaches, sports managers, athletic trainers, etc. Maurice “Mo” Vaughn played for 12 years in Major League Baseball on the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Anaheim Angels. His career ended in 2003 because of continuous physical pain from arthritis in his knees. After he retired, he created Vaughn Sports Academy, which started off as a training facility for young aspiring baseball players in Boca Raton, Florida, but has become much more successful and popular, having coaches available to give lessons online as well as a bigger and nicer facility to accommodate in-person training. Children of

all ages and expertise are welcome to play and learn about baseball at Vaughn Sports Academy.

One prevalent example of a retired athlete pursuing a career not having to do with sports today is the republican candidate for Georgia Senator Herschel Walker. Walker is a former exceptional football player. He played for the University of Georgia and won the Heisman Trophy in 1982 for his collegiate athletic performance. He played for three years and gave up his fourth year of college eligibility to play professionally. In the National Football League, he played for the New Jersey Generals, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. All in all, he became very well-known and famous for his achievements in football. He ended up setting records and won many awards and recognition in the NFL and the United States Football League.

“

great amounts of backlash and criticism. People based many of their critiques and arguments against him on the fact that he suffered many concussions as an athlete that may have damaged his brain. There are also claims of domestic violence that spark controversy, but that is not what we are here to talk about.

It is smart to have a secondary plan or dream, as long as you have worked for that plan and are not doing it because of the popularity acquired from being a professional athlete.”

Callie Hawkins sports editor

When I first visited his campaign website, I read through his message and was shocked not to see it mention politics. He mentions his role as CEO of H. Walker Enterprises and LLC and Renaissance Man Food Services, two food and service businesses, as well as how he has built his brand to include affiliations with different hotel chains, the United States military, schools, concessions and retail chains.

and politician we can compare Walker to. Bradley was an All Star in the National Basketball Association. He played for the New York Knicks and was on the Olympic team when they won the gold medal in Tokyo in 1964 while he was still in college at Princeton University. After he graduated, he went to the University of Oxford to receive his master’s degree and joined a professional Italian team while in Europe. When he graduated and came back to the United States, he signed a contract with the Knicks in 1967 and continued to play on the team for ten years. When he decided to run for senator, he had already been networking politically for years in New Jersey. Having received a degree in history at Princeton and a master’s degree in political and economic history at Oxford, even though he was a former athlete, he had built a strong reputation as a scholar to run for senator. He served as a New Jersey senator from 1979-1997 and was the Democratic candidate for president in 2000.

During the 2022 midterm elections, Walker faced off against Raphael Warnock in the election, which had to go into a Dec. 6 runoff. He had a lot of backing from his friend Donald Trump and his administration, and his campaign rallied a lot of support. But, like most politicians, he faced

EAGLE EYE

The only semi-political position Walker has held was under Trump as the chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition to meet with members of Congress and discuss the importance of fitness and nutrition. The businesses he runs are out of passion and experience; however, would he have been able to accomplish all of this without the fame and fortune he built during his football career?

Bill Bradley is a former athlete

Taking on varsity | Alden Rodgers

Walker was majoring in criminal justice at the University of Georgia and, after leaving his junior year to play football in the USFL, never finished to receive a degree. On Dec. 6, when the votes were recounted, the race was so close that the lead was taken by each candidate many times until the very end. Warnock came out on top with a very small leverage of 51.4 percent of votes to Walker’s 48.6 percent. We won’t see this time how Walker performs as a politician. But will he run again? His fame and fortune got him close this time, and maybe he will try to use that leg up again in the future.

What do you like most about playing soccer?

I started playing soccer when I was four. I wanted to start playing because my mom always had it on during the World Cup, and I always thought it was a neat sport, how it was different from other sports. I begged my mom to let me play and [when] she finally let me, I was super happy.

I really enjoyed club, and I played it throughout elementary and middle school. It was a good way to end my day after school. I did have times where I dreaded going to practice maybe after a bad game or just a bad school day, but that’s how all sports are. I never thought about quitting soccer. I stopped playing club in eighth grade because it was too much, especially for upcoming high school, and it was also the Covid-19 year.

I didn’t really expect to be on varsity, but being on varsity last year was extremely fun. It reminded me of playing in a club which I thoroughly enjoyed. At the beginning of the season, I didn’t start on varsity, however, I got moved up. All the seniors made it super fun, and it was a great experience. I always looked forward to practice and the games especially. I wish they were still here this year because that is something that I looked forward to all of last year. But I still think that varsity this year will [also] be fun because I have friends on the team, and there are some new players.

The thing I like most about soccer is that it is an outlet for me. I also really enjoy the games and the overall team. They always allow me to have a great time even if we aren’t doing too well. It really helps, you know, after school with the stress of it all. Soccer is a good way to get my mind off of anything that’s really bothering me, and it really always has been like that. I did have those days when I did not want to practice or didn’t want to go to the game, but once I had a good set mindset on it, it was like I never wanted to stop playing.

How was it, and did you ever think about quitting?

When did you start playing soccer and why?

How was being on varsity last year and what expectations do you have for this year?

I nterview and photo by Sophia Sardiña Staff Writer

For the first time, cheer continues through winter season

Team to cheer for basketball and compete for two national titles in January

tory by Phoebe McMillan Staff Writer

For the first time in the school’s history, cheer will continue for a second season in the winter as a competitive team and will perform at basketball games, making it the first ESD sport to be continued for two consecutive seasons.

In the past, the administration has worried that if cheer had a second season, it would take players away from other winter sports. However, most girls on the team haven’t participated in a winter sport in years past and would normally opt for personal fitness or playing a sport in the spring to make their athletic credit requirements instead. Only a few cheerleaders played either soccer or basketball last year, and almost, if not all, of those players continued with their sport this year instead of doing cheer. Other girls who decided not to participate In the winter cheer season participated in a spring sport or were juniors or seniors who didn’t need a second athletic credit. One athlete who didn’t do winter cheer is junior varsity cheerleader Tatum Croucher.

“Cheering in the fall season has always been super fun, and I think winter will be as well,” Croucher said. “However, I loved playing soccer last year, and I wanted to do it again this year because I like it just as much as cheerleading. I also know I would have thought I was missing out if I didn’t play soccer this season.”

Cheerleaders have had the opportunity in years past to meet on weekends to compete in a singular competition, but the problem many girls had with this was that it didn’t count as a sports credit, and there were very few practices. The competition also didn’t gather many participating teams so the

team often found themselves competing alone. Sophomore and Varsity cheerleader Ivy Runyon participated in the competition team last year.

“I enjoyed [being part of the competition] team last year, but there were so few practices that if you missed one you were basically taken out of half the routine,” said Runyon. “Practices were also so spread apart that we couldn’t improve or solidify our skills, and each time we got together to practice again it felt like we had to relearn the routine.

I’m glad this year it’s different, and I’m really looking forward to competing for a nationally recognized title.”

This year, cheer program director Megan Schroeder was granted the opportunity to pilot a basketball cheer team as well as a competition team under a few conditions. The conditions were that the basketball team would be made up of varsity and JV players from the regular season, and it wouldn’t count as a true sports credit, meaning participants would have to sign up for personal fitness, but complete their workouts during practices. However, for the competition roster, JV participants would have to try out to earn their spot on the roster as an alternate or one of the performing spots, since there is a maximum of 31 girls per team allowed to compete. A lot of girls on junior varsity who decided not to do winter cheer worried about not

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Cheerleaders practice their Rally Day routine at Express Cheer Dallas for the upcoming competition. “I love getting to look forward to practice every week,” Floyd said. “And getting to spend time with my team!”

making the competition team.

“I was on Junior Varsity, so I wasn’t exactly guaranteed a spot on the competition team. This was definitely something I thought about whenever I was thinking about doing cheer or soccer because I would have wanted to do both basketball cheer and competition cheer,” Croucher said. “I think that it will be a fun season for my friends who did decide to do it. Maybe I’ll cheer in the winter next year when it isn’t so new and I know a little bit more about it.”

This season, The team will compete in two National Cheer Association (NCA) competitions. Their first competition is the NCA holiday classic, taking place on Dec. 10 in Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, and their second competition is the NCA high school national championship which will take place at the same place on Jan. 21 to 22, 2023. The program will be competing at NCA high school level three, which will require many on the team to solidify new stunts and tumbling skills in order to win.

The team began practicing the week of Nov. 8 and the first basketball game they will cheer at will take place in January on a date that hasn’t been determined yet. A lot of planning and strategizing is required for coaches Megan Schroeder and Charleigh Berry to get this program running smoothly, but luckily practices every night aren’t

necessary for the basketball season. Since halftime routines aren’t performed for basketball, There isn’t as much of a need for long and frequent practices. Girls who are doing basketball cheer but not competition cheer have only been to about three practices so far since the season hasn’t started yet and they don’t have much to work on yet. Thanks to the relaxed schedule of the winter season, athletes have more time to focus on other extracurriculars and academics.

“I loved cheering during the fall,” Runyon said. “Learning a new routine each week was always so much fun, but to be honest, after so much hard work I’m happy to have a break. Without practice every day, it takes away some stress on schoolwork since I get home much earlier and I’m not as tired. I think having a less busy schedule is good for the whole team since we have already had a full season with daily practices.”

Another benefit of the winter schedule is that cheerleaders can perfect their technique and maintain their skill levels for tryouts in May and the next football season. Only about three girls on the team do cheer outside of school, so it is hard for most to keep what they’ve learned for the next season.

Although this new program has many great benefits, the biggest focus of the cheer team is bringing spirit and support to those they cheer on. The winter cheer season is aimed towards bringing more spirit and student attendance to both men’s and women’s basketball. Sophomore Ella Floyd, varsity fall and winter cheerleader, views winter cheer as a positive addition to the cheer team.

“I did winter cheer because it’s a great way to keep my skills up,” Floyd said. “I had so much during the fall season that I wanted to continue doing it.”

“The hardest part for me has been the unknown. Since we have never done it before, and I am making the best plans and decisions I can without having gone through it once.”

Megan Schroeder cheer program director

S

Photo by Megan Schroeder.

student athletes participating in the first season of winter cheer this year

Views Editor Alexandra Warner

Sports Editor Callie Hawkins

Web Editor Charlotte Tomlin

Social Media Manager Easterly Yeaman

Staff Writers

Brooke Ebner, Jamie Henderson, Sophia Sardiña, Lauren Shushi, Charlotte Traylor, Phoebe McMillan Cartoonist Sarah Cabrales

Faculty Adviser Ana Rosenthal

Q2) Find the roots of the equation 4x-5(√2))(2x+3)+32=0.

Q3) Find constants a and b such that 2x5-3x3+ax2-5x+b is divisible by x2-2x-3.

CONGRATULATIONS TO Patrick Adams for answering all three problems correctly from the last issue

MISSION STATEMENT

The Eagle Edition is a student-produced newspaper published six times a year with the intent to educate in a professional manner and provide a voice for the Community. The Eagle Edition has earned Gold and Silver Crowns from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Pacemaker Awards from the National Scholastic Press Association and Gold Stars from the Interscholastic League Press Conference. Circulation is 1000 copies, and the student population is 782.

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The Eagle Edition is partially funded through advertising. The editorial board reserves the right to refuse ads not in the best interest of our readers. Ads are sold in 1/8 page increments. Please contact the Business Manager: motek@esdallas.org.

EDITORIAL POLICY

The staff abides by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics. 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. All images in the Eagle Edition are student produced, republished with permission, are in the public domain or fall within fair-use practices for criticism and news reporting.

Eagle Edition vol. 40, issue 3

The Episcopal School of Dallas 4100 Merrell Rd. Dallas, TX 75229 eagleedition@esdallas.org (214) 358-4368

SOPHOMORE CLASS LEADER PROFILE

DAY IN THE LIFE | SOPHOMORE JOHN SCHINDEL

-Step 1 6:00 a.m.

Early Bird

John Schindel rises with the sun. After getting dressed and ready, he heads downstairs and straight out the door. He typically does not have breakfast at home, and instead grabs a protein shake from school once he arrives. This way, he can enjoy an extra ten minutes of sleep before his long day.

-Step 2 7:30 a.m.

A Productive Morning At 7:30, Schindel arrives at school. He heads to the library, to study and talk to friends, before the first period begins. On other days, he heads to meetings with teachers or student council, because Schindel is one of the three sophomore class leaders.

-Step 3 10:05 a.m.

Class time

After F-period, John heads to one of his favorite classes: honors English II. “[My class] is very small, with just seven people,” Schindel said. “The in-class discussions we have are very enjoyable.” Honors chemistry rounds out his morning, where the class observes color changing leaves as part of their study on chemical reactions.

-Step 4 2:30 p.m.

Discipline Duties

As a member of the discipline council, Schindel makes time to judge student cases and decide appropriate punishments. Gathering his blazer and tie, he heads to the hearing. “[I am happy to have] been considered for the discipline council,” Schindel said. “And I am glad that I am part of this new tradition at ESD.”

-Step 5 3:00 p.m.

Journalism with John As a staff member of the Carillon, Schindel has two pages to organize this year, a spread on science and a spread on unique clubs. It is Schindel’s first year in the yearbook. “I am excited about the science spread I am working on,” Schindel said. “The information and pictures are both really cool.”

-Step 6 7:00 p.m.

Well Deserved Rest After school, Schindel heads straight home. Usually he participates in off-season lifts, but with exams and injury recovery, he is resting this month. He plays football and throws discus and shotput for track, so the winter provides a time to rest. Finally, he heads home to study, rewind and prepare for the next day.

S tory by Charlotte Traylor Staff Writer, P hotos by Charlotte Traylor Staff Writer