Fourcast Feb 2016

The Fourcast

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The Hockaday School 11600 Welch Rd. Dallas, Texas 75229 214.363.6311

hockadayfourcast.org Volume 66 • Issue 4 Thursday, February 11, 2016

What's the Buzz About Sex-Ed?

INSIDE news 2 features 7 photo essay 11 in focus 12 arts & entertainment 14 sports 18 perspectives 21 cast off 24

STUCO PRESIDENTS SHARE IDEAS p2

ILLUSTRATION BY HEIDI KIM

In light of the controversy around sexual education in America, the Fourcast interviews Dallas-area private schools to uncover differences in sexual education. p 12

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You can be proud to say this is your home. p 16

WOMEN PARTICIPATE IN GAMING CULTURE Upper School students share their experiences as female gamers p 14

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

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2/news Currently

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Fire erupts in portable seven p3

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Prentiss Grant recipients announced p3

Interesting facts about Valentine’s Day p4

PHOTO BY BONHOMME RICHARD

Student Council Presidents Share Ideas Dallas-area private school student governments model teacher and faculty collaboration

What’s happening in North Korea? p6

PHOTO BY AUTUMN NEUROHR

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HockaBriefs

A look at recent news on campus Astronomy Class  The semester astronomy class has a new curriculum starting this year based on a course taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Students will take data from a telescope in the Andes to get a more complete picture of the sky.

Habitat for Humanity  This year, Hockaday and

St. Mark’s are celebrating their 10th anniversary of building houses in West Dallas with Habitat for Humanity.

This year, the house is being built for Martha Davila. Davila came to Dallas from Mexico in 1980 and has been looking forward to having her own space ever since. The house has three bedrooms, living room, kitchen and two complete bathrooms. Volunteers started to build the house the week after Winter Break and it is scheduled to end sometime in March.

8:40 a.m. Dec. 6 Student Council Presidents from Dallasarea compare methods on governing the student body.

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BY MARY CLAIRE WILSON

n early December, in a conference room tucked away in the heart of the Episcopal School of Dallas, eight student leaders from across the Dallas metroplex came together in search of answers. These students, all Student Council presidents, came together in hopes of perfecting their student governments. According to senior and Student Council Preisdent Frances Burton, the idea for these “get-togethers” stemmed from a tradition that occured many years ago.

“The Greenhill dean, who is also their student council sponsor, said that a lot of student council presidents used to get together back in the ‘80s and just have these meetings every couple months just so they could share ideas, what they did and everything,” Burton said.

However, the idea of collaboration among individuals in leadership positions at Hockaday is not new or unique to students. According to Head of Upper School Terry Murray, collaboration is essential among faculty and staff in the Dallas area.

“We become stronger as a school when the schools around us are strong,” Murray said. “We don’t benefit from others not doing well and not teaching.”

Murray believes that excellence within the Dallas area education realm in paramount for Hockaday’s personal success.

Greenhill Student Council President Keaton Butowsky shares ideas similar to those of Murray. Butowsky spearheaded the program, along with Burton, because of his desire to better his respective council.

“Every year we try to build on what we have done and do better than that,” Butowsky said. “I was afraid that we were getting complacent and too satisfied with what we had. We had only been looking at the past years.”

The group of the student council presidents, which includes Hockaday, Greenhill, St. Mark’s School of Texas, Cistercian Preparatory School, Parish Episcopal School, Ursuline Academy and Jesuit Preparatory School, consists of both single-sex and coeducational institutions. This diversity allows for multiple perspectives on the issues that the group discusses.

Likewise, a group of Upper School heads from the surrounding Dallas area meet to discuss issues and initiatives. The list of schools is not as extensive as the students’, only containing the “core five,” nicknamed by Murray, that are Hockaday, St. Mark’s, Greenhill, ESD and Parish. However, Murray notes that the meetings follow a similar agenda to those of Burton’s.

“We meet once a month for lunch and we usually come in with an agenda.

What topics and initiatives are going on, everything from student issues to policy. I think that last time we were talking about tutors and the impact of tutors on campus,” Murray said.

For both students and faculty, these meetings have proved to be beneficial. St. Mark’s Student Council President JT Graass agrees and said it is a “give and receive” kind of experience. By inputting their plans from their respective schools, students were able to get a taste of what goes on in schools just like their own.

“I think the meeting was beneficial because all of us were able to share our ideas, helping every school out,” Graass said.

Like Graass, Assistant Head of Upper School Elizabeth Jones recognizes the necessity for these meetings, not only for students but also for faculty.

“I think it is really important, not only for student council, but for anyone in any role to reach out to others who are doing similar work in other places to learn more about that so they can bring some of the great ideas that other schools have implemented and have worked well in their student body and bring them back to our campus,”she said.

As for competition between schools, both parties stress that is it relatively unimportant when discussing these sort of internal matter. Butowsky compares it to the wheel: “There is no reason that [a] school has to re-invent the wheel when one is doing it fine. Just because we compete on the sports field does not mean we need to compete in these kinds of things,” Butowsky said.

Although healthy competition keeps people on their toes, Murray notes that competition is not what drives faculty during these meetings. Rather, faculty are driven by the desire to help others be the best they can be for their respective students.

“We are all trying to learn the best practices,” Murray said. “We are all trying to be the best stewards to our kids.”

Competition aside, Murray stresses the importance of the connections and relationships formed We are all through these types of meetings.

“You learn from the experiences. You learn trying to from shared experiences. And for me to go to a conference about being a Head of Upper School is learn the best nice, but actually sitting with someone who is Head of Upper School, and talk about what they are gopractices. ing through,” Murray, who talks fondly of his phone conversations with John Ashton, previous Head of Terry Murray Upper School at Hockaday, said.

Head of Upper School With both situations of collaboration at the student level and at the administrative level, all agree that it levels the playing field, creating a better whole and making a mark on their time as leaders of both student government and schools themselves.

Burton notes her ambitious plans to keep these meetings going through the end of the year and even “passing them on to [her] successors.” On the other hand, Murray appreciates the vigor that Burton and all of the other student government leaders have presented in these new initiatives.

“The student council, from what I have seen here with this group this year, is that they have embraced them very differently,” Murray said. “They have found ways to make those opportunities much more genuine and much more real so they can leave a legacy and leave an impact.”

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StuCo Installment Ceremony  The 2016-2017 Stu-

dent Council Installment Ceremony will take place on March 9 during conference.

Student Council speeches for all interested candidates were on on Feb. 7 and Form elections will be on March 1.

The results will be announced soon afterward.

Senior Community Service Drive  This year, the seniors have

decided to start a new drive in which they will donate many items to the students at W.T. White High School: college apparel, prom shoes, prom dresses, college preparatory materials and flash drives. Community Service Board Chair Allie Charlton came up with this idea after the head of W.T. White emailed her, hoping to have some sort of collaboration with Hockaday. The drive will start on Feb. 8.

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The number of years Burton has been involved in student government

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THE FOURCAST

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Prentiss Grant Awarded to Faculty Members

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n Jan.26, Mass Communications Department Chair Ana Rosenthal and Performing Arts Chair

NEHA DROMANRAJU & SHREYA GUNUKULA STAFF WRITERS

six infants in occupancy. Today, the CDC currentlyUpper cares School for 43 student-advisor children, ages sixconferences were cut short on Wednesday, Feb. 3 when weeks toeveryone five-years-old, with six faculty and the school’s buildings. A fire erupted shortly before 1 on campus evacuated staff members on the priority waiting list. For schoolthe officials. the first p.m., time inaccording its history, to however, CDC will not be able to accommodate all of those on the list. echnical Director and Auditorium Manager Robert Kallos and sophoThe CDC began whenmore a group of parCaroline Hogg were meeting in portable seven when they noents, consisting of Hockaday andglowing red and the portable filling with smoke. Imticed faculty the ceiling staff, appealed to the Boardmediately of Directors afterfor detecting these signs, Kallos sounded the fire alarm. quality child care on campus. Initially, Directorthere of Communications Susan Brower along with other was only one portable, but in another members of2005 the administration and security team responded to the situation. was added.

“The fire alarm sounded, which triggered a direct response by the Dallas Fire Angel DuncanDepartment has been the Director who arrivedofon campus within two to three minutes,” Brower said. the Child Development During Center this since its contime, all students in Forms I, II and III were meeting with both ception, and worked the Residence De- to schedule classes for the 2016-2017 school year. theirinparents and advisors partment prior.

Sophomore Neha Dronamraju and her mother, Nanditha Dronamra“Our mission is provide quality, on-with Mass Communications Department Chair Ana ju,to were in a conference site care for faculty and staff’s children so suite when the intercom announced for a schoolRosenthal in the publications that they can feel that children are bewidetheir evacuation. ing taken care of,” Duncan said. it was just a drill, as is usually the case, nine times out of 10,” “I thought But because the CDC Dronamraju has reachedsaid. its Nanditha limit, faculty and staffThe who are expecting Dronamrajus and Rosenthal evacuated with the rest of the occupants a child this year doinnot a 100 the have LLARC and percent the science building to the parking lot facing Forest Lane guarantee that theirwhere child will spot for theyhave wereaasked to maintain a certain distance from the building. Stuthe 2016-2017 school year. dents in Lower and Middle School as well as administration evacuated to the Upper School fields English Jennifer nearteacher Lower School.

McEachern is currently on waiting list. decided to close the classrooms in the main building Thethe administration “I called themdue lasttospring when I found the large amount of smoke. out I was pregnant,” sheAllsaid.

“I waswere hoping boarders evacuated to the parking lot behind the infirmary ofto get it for this spring, because I will be back fices. [from maternity leave] for April and and May,boarder but Sophomore Grace Zhang remembers her dorm mom, Jayne they were full for this year.”

Shackelford, barging into her room.

The CDC cannot grant faculty and staff “At first I thought it was a drill, but [Director of Inclusion and Community official spots because anWilson infant’s advanceTresa] shouted that it was not,” Zhang said. “Then I got really worried as ment from class totoclass is based develwhere the fireon was because I didn’t want my room to burn down.” opment rather than age.The evacuation for boarders lasted approximately 15 minutes.

“I am just in limbo right thereafter, now. I have Shortly however, Director of Housekeeping Carolyn Hoke nomy baby Jan. 2, and then know in April tified theI’ll boarding department of a second evacuation, followed by a third. whether or not he’ll have a place at the CDC The multiple evacuations in the dorms occurred because Hockaday is next year,” McEachern said. transitioning to a new alarm system. Thus, there are occasional issues with The fact thatthe Hockaday has a Child coding and communication between the old system and new one that may Development Center was a deciding factor continues on p4 for McEachern when she was considering workplaces.”

“That was definitely part of my decision,” McEachern said. “Having your baby on campus kind of changes the dynamic of being a working mom.

By state law, Texas child care centers are required to have at least 30 square feet for every child the center is licensed to serve.

Due to these laws, the CDC is unable to accept any more children.

Part of Chief Financial Officer JT Coats’ job is to oversee the financial aspects of the CDC. Her primary concern lies with the state of the two portables.

“They’re atrocious,” Coats said. “We really need a building.”

The idea of a building specifically for the CDC was one of the objectives of the Centennial Campaign, but it was pushed back due to higher priorities, such as teacher endowment funding and the Fine Arts building.

“If we can find ourselves a major donor, I’ve got plans to expand,” Coats said. “Right now we have 43 kids. We could expand to 60+ with a new facility.”

Coats’ plan is to maintain the portables in their current condition, and to continue the investment into the CDC until an opportunity for renovations arises.

“What makes the most sense is to get a donor, to get some funding, to get more support, to build and then to expand,” Coats said.

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ILLUSTRATION BY WENDY HO

Beth Wortley received the Prentiss Grant, an endowment fund which enables full-time faculty members to pursue their passions abroad during the summer and bring back a fresh perspective to their classroom the following year.

The Prentiss Grant was established in 1999 by Kennedy Prentiss ‘99, Paige Prentiss-Coulman ‘92 and their parents, Michael and Pat Prentiss. The family approached interim head Liza Lee, who was headmistress at the time, with a plan to give back to the Hockaday community.

Every year, the grant is awarded to a few faculty members, who fill out an extensive application outlining their passion, where they want to travel and why, along with their budget and itinerary. A committee reviews the applications, chooses the grant recipients and consults the school head for final approval.

Lee believes that faculty recognition is much needed and that the Prentiss Grant is a great avenue to reward the faculty for their hard work.

“Every year, I am thrilled to announce the recipients for the grant,” Lee said. “I think all of the candidates are deserving, and I believe it is a great opportunity for anyone to further discover themselves and truly pursue their passions.”

Wortley plans to travel to Edinburgh and Vienna to see world famous art festivals. With her extensive dance background, she hopes to draw inspiration from international dance forms and bring the rich culture and experiences back to her classes at Hockaday, or even bring her classes to the international experience.

“I would love to see a travel program for my students and help plan a trip to go perform in the Edinburgh festival—it would be a one of a kind experience for them,” Wortley said.

Inspired by previous recipients of the grant and their experiences, Rosenthal decided to apply for the first time this year, in hopes of pursuing her passion for typography, the printed page and the printing process to the fullest extent.

For the first part of her trip, she will be attending a typography workshop in Northern Italy at the Tipoteca Italiana Fondazione, a foundation established to preserve and foster the arts of letterpress printing and handset typography. Then, she will fly to Germany and visit Mainz, the birthplace of the printing press and various other cities. The last portion of her trip will be spent in Prague, a city rich in letterforms displaying art nouveau, and the art deco movement.

“The trip will allow me to be involved and appreciate the printing process. I’m planning to be able to use the experience with the publications that I teach,” Rosenthal said.

In general, the Prentiss Grant has been very beneficial to the school and faculty members. “[The grant] gives recognition to the faculty,” Rosenthal said. “It really made me appreciate what the school is doing for me, and when you feel appreciated, you feel motivated.”

Since its establishment in 1999, the Prentiss grant has been providing faculty members the opportunity to enrich their teaching experience and bring new ideas from their experiences back to Hockaday.

“I think that people who love schools and have good experiences with teachers always want to give to something that will make teachers’ lives richer,” Lee said.

FIRE FRENZY

ERIN THOMAS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AMANDA KIM STAFF WRITER

Tutoring Takes Failing School List into Account

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orty percent of Dallas Independent School District schools have been labeled as failing. In mid-December, the Texas Education Agency released the Public Education Grant List for 2016-2017. Schools can make the list by either having more than half of their students fail the State of Texas Assessments

of Academic Readiness subject tests or by receiving an “improvement required” rating from the accountability system, a label that places the school on the failing list for three years. The State Accountability System looks at the school’s student achievement, regarding STAAR testing scores, student progress from year to year, closing of the performance gap among students and, lastly, the student’s

postsecondary readiness for their future plans, including diplomas.

Students who attend a failing school have the option to apply for a transfer, but according to Texas Education Agency Information Specialist Lauren Callahan, this application may not always be fulfilled depending on whether or not other district schools are able to accommodate those new students.

However, the agency has measures in place to aid improvement required schools so students will not need the transfers.

“As soon as a campus is ‘improvement required’ for the first year, they start creating what is called a ‘targeted improvement’ plan,” Callahan said. “If they hit that list for a second consecutive year, then they would start implementing what is called a ‘turnaround plan.’”

According to Texas Education Today, a turnaround plan includes: writing a detailed account of the academic options available; collecting written comments from many different groups involved with the campus, including parents, teachers and a campus level committee; deciding whether the campus should become a charter for the district; and

lastly, a proposal regarding budget, financial and staffing resources needed to implement the plan successfully. If this is not successful and the school does not meet state accountability standards for five consecutive years, it must implement a board of managers who will oversee the performance of the entire district or close the campus.

The continually increasing number of DISD schools lacking certain standards poses the question: how does Hockaday choose schools to create tutoring programs with? The four schools that Hockaday students tutor at (William L. Cabell Elementary, Tom C. Gooch Elementary, Everrett L. DeGoyler Elementary and Sudie L Williams Elementary) are not continues on p6

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Love Around the World By the Numbers

4000

January 25

Couples married in mass wedding ceremonies on Valentine’s Day 2013 in the Philippines.

The day that the Welsh celebrate their Valentine’s Day, known as Saint Dwynwen, named for the patron saint of lovers. Searching for the perfect Welsh gift on this holiday? A love spoon with carved patterns and symbols has been a token of affection for women since the 17th century.

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The number of bay leaves that women in the 1700s in England used to place on their pillows on the eve of Valentine’s Day, hoping for dreams of their future husbands.

99

Roses given to represent eternal love in Taiwan.

108

The number of roses a man in Taiwan gives to his beloved one to signify the question: “Will you marry me?”

7th Day of the 7th Lunar Month The date on which China celebrates “Qixi Festival,” meaning “The Night of Seven,” usually in early August. This is the Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day.

July 13-20 The seven days in July that Argentinians set aside for “sweetness week.” During this week, both friends and sweethearts exchange kisses and candies.

1415 June 12 The day that Brazilians celebrate Dia dos Namorados, or “Lovers Day,” instead of the traditional Valentine’s Day. Music festivals and performances are held throughout the streets.

The year in which the first Valentine’s Day card originated when Charles, the Duke of Orleans, sent love letters to his wife in France while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

1990s

The decade that Denmark started celebrating Valentine’s Day according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Instead of exchanging the typical rose on this holiday, Danes give pressed white flowers known as snowdrops to friends and sweethearts.

SOURCES: ibtimes.com, travelblog.viator.com, todayifoundout.com, internationalteflacademy.com GRAPHIC BY MARIA HARRISON

continued from p3 have caused the alarm to go off multiple times.

According to Zhang, each of the evacuations spanned from 10 to 30 minutes.

The fire affected the portable, which houses Kallos’ office and serves as a theater storage space. Kallos shares this portable with Upper School studio art teacher Emily Howard.

According to CFO JT Coats, the fire resulted from an electrical malfunction and started in the ceiling above the light fixture. The fire damaged the ceiling; however, other damage was caused as well.

“The Fire Department also had to inflict some structural damage to the portable,” Coats said.

Because the fire sprinklers went off within the portable when Kallos sounded the fire alarm, Coats expects most of the items in the portable to be ruined. Things that may not have been directly affected by the water from the sprinklers may also have experienced smoke damage.

“We are hoping to salvage some things but it is very uncertain at this point how much,” Coats said.

Classes resumed the next day as scheduled, and art classes are now held in portable eight instead. Portable seven was fenced off with caution yellow tape and is currently not accessible. Coats is waiting on an official report from the City of Dallas Fire Department.

More immediate cautionary measures are under way in response to this incident. According to Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs Blair Lowry, the other portables are under investigation to ensure they are safe. Another fire system test that had been pre-planned before this incident is scheduled for Winter Break.

To see pictures of the fire go to hockadayfourcst.org.

SONYA XU PERSPECTIVES EDITOR AMELIA BROWN STAFF WRITER

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YOUR WORLD TODAY | North Korea Raises Suspicion with Nuclear Development Activity

North Korea Tests Hydrogen Bomb PHOTO PROVIDED BY HIGH CONTRAST

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5.1 seismic wave earthquake shook the town of Sungjibaegam in North Korea on Jan. 6

CHINA

near the Punggye-ri nuclear site.

North Korea’s state news agency announced hours later that they had successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test.

Was this hydrogen bomb test staged by North Korea?

If successfully detonated, a hydrogen bomb has the potential to do widespread damage.

According to Upper School Science Department Chair and physics teacher Marshall Bartlett, hydrogen bombs are deadly.

“These weapons are designed to terminate societies,” he said.

However, according to the United States Geological Survey, the 5.1 seismic effect was equivalent to the range of past atomic bombs that North Korea has tested. In 2006, 2009 and 2013, North Korea tested other nuclear weapons that yielded earthquakes with seismic readings of 4.3, 4.7 and 5.1, respectively. They claimed these to be atomic bombs.

The difference between an atomic bomb and a hydrogen bomb, also known as a fusion bomb, is the amount of energy each releases. According to Bartlett, with an atomic bomb, the uranium or plutonium inside the bomb explodes when a charge ignites and squeezes the material inside close enough together. The nuclei are so tight that if one splits, the others would too in a chain reaction.

By contrast, if hydrogen is used to bind itself, a substantially larger explosion occurs because there is more energy. Thus, a 7-magnitude earthquake would be expected from such a large explosion.

Across the world, there are 337 monitoring stations that record seismic events. Taking the magnitude of the earthquake from the explosion and the seismic waves detected into consideration, the amount of energy that resulted from the explosion can be reconstructed. This explosion released about 10 kilotons of TNT, but a hydrogen bomb explosion is about a thousand times greater. Instead, a fission bomb, which is an improved atomic bomb, may have been tested. But even if a hydrogen bomb was detonated, other factors must be taken into consideration.

According to the head of Temple University Japan’s Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies, Robert Dujarric, the larger the size of the bomb, the less useful.

Furthermore, Dujarric said that one must consider if the bomb is strong enough to survive the missile launch and whether or not the vehicle carrying the bomb can survive reentering the high temperatures of the atmosphere.

“If the answers are negative, the bomb is pretty useless, though conceivably it could be dropped with a big airplane, but that’s much less effective,” Dujarric said. “This being said, even if there are doubts about the quality of the weapon, most

NORTH KOREA

Magnitude: 4.7 May 25, 2009

Magnitude: 4.3 Oct. 9, 2006

Magnitude: 5.1 Jan. 6, 2016 Pyongyang

Magnitude: 5.1 Feb. 12, 2013

SOUTH KOREA people in the potential target aren’t reassured knowing there’s only a 5 percent chance the device will work.”

The United States tested hydrogen bombs in the 1950s during the Cold War. If North Korea were successful, it would join a very small group of countries including the U.S., France, Great Britain, China and the Soviet Union in having the technology of a hydrogen bomb.

Why did North Korea test this bomb?

The general population of North Korea, under communist dictator Kim Jong Un, has little to no ties to the outside world.

According to Upper School history teacher and former CIA agent Tracy Walder, North Korea stages many of their actions.

“It’s North Korea, so you have to realize they manufacture what they want the world to know,” she said.

In addition to having limited communication with the outside world, North Korea is not a member of the International Atomic Energy Association. As a result, they have the capability of testing nuclear weapons without running into sanctions from other countries.

According to Walder, many stories have leaked about Un’s ineptness. Based on information from defectors, people who have escaped the country, Un is said to have different intentions than his father, Kim Jong Il. “He’s said to have executed a lot

of his family members, party members. We never heard about that with Kim Jong Il, and so I think this is another way to pump up his chest a little bit,” Walder said.

Dujarric agrees. “[The North Korean government] want[s] [the people] to feel awe at the achievements of [Un],” Dujarric said.

The test also could have been intended as leverage to receive aid from South Korea and other countries or to deter an attack from the United States and South Korea.

January of 2016 Map showing the magnitude of past nuclear tests.

What does this mean for other nations?

Even North Korea’s closest ally, China, was not notified of this test beforehand.

Thus, this relationship is weakening because of some of North Korea’s recent actions.

“Now it’s becoming even more difficult to talk to North Korea because even China is backing off,” Walder said.

China is not the only one affected. Other countries, such as the United States and Japan, also play a role.

“It strengthens the U.S./ROK alliance, helps bring Japan into the strategic picture and creates instability,” Dujarric said. “But China doesn’t want the DPRK [North Korea] to collapse, so it won’t do much.”

In the past, China has served as an intermediary between the United States and North Korea.

The United States has tried to negotiate, but fortifying relations

with North Korea have not been effective. Both the Clinton administration and the Bush administration have attempted to negotiate with North Korea.

In 1985, North Korea ratified the United Nations Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

However, eight years after the signing of this treaty, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused North Korea of violating it.

North Korea then agreed to freeze and dismantle its nuclear weapons on the condition that it would receive aid from other nations to build two nuclear power stations in 1994.

The Pyongyang talks between the United States and North Korea in 1998 resulted in the U.S. demanding to inspect a facility that they believed was used to make nuclear weapons.

North Korea agreed and allowed the United States to inspect the site in exchange for the their involvement in increasing potato yields in North Korea. The United States, however, did not find any evidence of nuclear involvement.

In 1999, President Bill Clinton agreed to relieve the economic sanctions on North Korea. However, two years later, Pyongyang threatened to resume missile tests.

In 2003, North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and reactivated its nuclear development.

Dujarric doubts that North Korea would intend on actually using the hydrogen bomb if they had one.

If they were to strike, he believes that the U.S. could easily retaliate.

Nevertheless, the fact that North Korea is attempting to create or test this bomb is alarming.

For South Koreans, especially the younger generation, threats from the North are normal. Eunice Lee, a graduate student at Korean University who studied Korean History for her undergraduate, attests to this. “Often...many people in our generation think this issue is not the main issue for our lives,” Lee said.

Sophomore and boarder Dana Choi, who has lived in both South Korea and the United States, sees differences in how people perceive each side.

“I feel that in Korea we actually don’t really care,” Choi said. “I feel like Americans care more about it.”

Because South Koreans are so used to threats from the North, Choi sees this as something that is not out of the ordinary.

“They’re surely a threat,” Dujarric said. “Are they the biggest threat around? No.” Update: In Dandong, a Chinese city close to North Korea, an object that appeared to be a rocket was seen on Feb. 6. According to KCNA, North Korea’s news station, North Korea had successfully launched a satellite in orbit.

To learn more about this update, visit hockadayfourcast org or scan the QR code.

SONYA XU PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

PHOTO PROVIDED BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONSS

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NICOR

PHOTO PROVIDED BY J.A. DE ROO

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ROMAN HARAK

NORTH KOREA (Left) North Korean women are marching as a part of the army. (Center Left) The statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are located on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang (Center Right) Portraits of the Eternal President, Kim Il-sung and the Eternal General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, Kim Jong-il (Right) Image of the North Korean flag

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PHOTO PROVIDED BY ARUNA KONEY

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Campaign Central As the race to the primaries comes to a close, the number of candidates drops, but the competition continues to increase.

Republicans After the Iowa Caucus on Feb. 1, Ted Cruz came out as the winning candidate with 28 percent of the votes. Behind him was Donald Trump with 24 percent and Marco Rubio with 23 percent. Shortly after Ted Cruz’s victory, Mike Huckabee dropped out of the election, having received only two percent of the votes. This leaves nine candidates who are still running in the election. Trump, having won seven delegates in Iowa, is still in the lead for the Republican nomination with support from 33 percent of the polled voters in a national poll conducted

by USA Today. Behind Trump is Cruz with 21 percent, Rubio with 13 percent, and Carson with eight percent. Be on the lookout for the South Carolina Republican primary on Feb. 20 and the Nevada Republican Caucus on Feb. 23.

10:30 a.m. Jan. 23 Junior Eshani Kishore tutors Bethany Castillo at Gooch Elementary school every Saturday morning. that that the tutoring has heightened, as it has at Gooch.

“They were able to mentor the scholars, inspire them and help the scholars believe in themselves and believe that they could do it and to have a vision of college in their future,” Smith said. “So I think it just had a whole lot to do with [the school’s improvement.]”

Accoriding to Day, it can only take one supportive companion to make a difference.

“It could be that student from Hockaday sitting next to that one kid, who finally listened for a semester, who changes that kid’s life,” Day said. “That’s the thing that I want our students to know.”

Although most of Hockaday’s programs give tutors less time with the kids than the Gooch program, Day emphasizes the impact possible during their sessions with the kids.

“If you are in the middle of working with a kid, the thing is that you [shouldn’t] do the work for them; like if they can’t read or can’t do something, let them figure it out, let them sound it out, that kind of thing,” Day said. “Having them be in control of that is important.”

The tutoring experience not only impact the students, but the tutors as well.Besides creating meaningful relationships, it helps put things into perspective.

“When things aren’t going well for you, and you get to go give back, you get over yourself for a second, and I think that’s something that’s helpful,” Day said.

DAY OF PROMISE

ISAS

FINAL EXAMS

St. Mary’s Hall in San Antonio

17-18

April 7-9

April 11

MEGAN PHILIPS FEATURES EDITOR

March

March 10

PHOTOGRAPHY RECEPTION

March 6

SAT

8:00 a.m.

March 1

FORM ELECTIONS

US STUDENT COUNCIL SPEECHES

NO CLASSES

WINTER BREAK

Feb. 12-15

Sources: USA Today All percentages up to date at press time.

11:45 a.m.

HEIDI KIM STAFF WRITER

Feb. 17

Hillary Clinton came out victorious at the Iowa Caucus with 49.9 percent of the votes, followed closely by Bernie Sanders with 49.6 percent of the votes. Afterwards, Martin O’Malley pulled out of the presidential campaign after gaining only 0.6 percent of the votes. This leaves only Clinton and Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination. Clinton continues to be the leading Democratic candidate across the board, having won 23 delegates in Iowa. USA Today’s national poll shows that Clinton is far ahead with support from 50 percent of the polled voters, with Sanders at 36 percent. Events coming up for the Democratic party are the Nevada Democratic Caucus on Feb. 20 and the South Carolina Democratic primary on Feb. 27.

11:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.

Democrats

currently on the PEG list. Director of Service Learning Laura Day takes the failing labels and other school necessities into consideration when deciding where to create partnerships.

“There is a group called Commit! and they work in all of the Dallas area. It’s like a non-profit with these very smart people who are trying to, as an outside entity, help DISD schools,” Day said. “So myself and women from there founded what we call the P3 Network: Private, Public Partnership.”

As part of the P3 network, service directors from all of the private schools and the principals of the elementary and middle schools meet to discuss what is happening in the community, and how the private schools can help.

“We come together and share what is going on or what schools don’t have people helping, or what schools are failing and need help or who doesn’t have a reading program, so we all work together,” Day said.

Each private school then goes on to work with different schools, allowing the private school community to best impact the schools that need programs. “[The process] is a lot more thoughtful than anyone knows,” Day said. “So as time goes on, if I add a new school, I don’t just randomly add a school, I add a school because there is a school that has said ‘Oh, we need help.’”

Although there is a lot that goes into deciding which schools need the tutoring the most, practicality of time and location must

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continued from p3

be considered as well. Because there is only an hour and 15 minutes allotted for students to leave campus during the day, tutor and come back, the selection of schools students can hold programs with during the school week when most of the programs are scheduled, is limited.

Hockaday students have made an impact on Hockaday’s partner schools whether they have been labeled failing or not, and Day encourages students to continue their work even if results are gradual.

“I meet with the principals all the time, so I know what we are doing and why we are doing it, and I can see the gains,” Day said. “I think a lot of people don’t see the gains immediately; in [the] long term, the schools that we have been working with are starting to be excellent schools.”

Before Hockaday started their current weekly three-hour program with Gooch, the school received less-than-satisfactory testing scores. Now, Gooch is passing and holds three distinctions, a result that Gooch counselor Valerie Smith attributes to the tutoring program.

“I think that the tutoring and mentoring had a whole lot to do with that because the scholars, especially then, really had gaps in their skills and were really behind,” Smith said. “The big three-hour time block made it possible to do targeted tutoring and to target specific areas that according to the data, we knew certain scholars needed to work on.”

This type of tutoring is an important aspect of a student’s success, but tutors can impact more than just the student’s scores.

Mentorship can give students motivation to push themselves and aim to use the skills

NO US CLASSES April 8

SPRING BREAK 19-28

March

EXAM REVIEW DAY March 16

11:45 a.m.

US STUDENT COUNCIL INSTALLATION

March 9

US PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION OPENS March 2

WINTER FORMAL

8:00 p.m.

Feb. 20

DAISY DAY

Feb. 17

10 a.m.

WINTER SPC Feb 11-13

FOURWARD

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

1/features Y

Currently

Juniors publish art book to benefit the hungry p9

New substitute teachers join the community p8

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

THE FOURCAST

07

Sophomore directs first original play p8

Bobby Patten’s successful 16th coaching season p9

Senior Class Bonds over College Decisions The Class of 2016 celebrate admission decisions from colleges PHOTO BY MERCER MALAKOFF

a

Alumna of the Issue In 2012, Janie Cooke ’89 and her business partner Caroline Nix started O-Venture, a leather accessories company aiming to design convenient accessories for women.

You can find their products, including their Big O Rings and Ossential and Big Ossential Card Cases, which made Oprah’s List of Favorite Things in 2014, in over 700 stores or online at o-venture.com.

What inspired you to start O-Venture?

We were sitting at break-

fast one morning and we said [we] lost our keys all the time and maybe if we could find a way to never lose our keys again and give [a] woman an extra hand that we would be onto something.

2:45 p.m. Jan. 15 Seniors congregate around the Wall of Acceptances to celebrate each others’ college decisions.

H

BY ESHANI KISHORE

eart rate elevated and hands trembling, senior Nathalie Naor opens her decision email from New York University at 4 p.m. on a December school day and begins to read: “Dear Nathalie, congrats on your acceptance to NYU!” Seeing the word “acceptance,” Naor screams and tears up as members of the class of 2016 hug and congratulate her. She later taped the email to the wall for everyone to see. This year, the Class of 2016 has decided to post acceptance letters from colleges on a “Wall of Acceptances” to support one another and to

and recognize the class’ many accomplishments.

Senior Sadie Lidji created the wall in early November when many of her classmates received word from schools they applied to in the early decision/ early action round. Lidji noticed that some of her friends’ acceptances did not merit the same amount of attention or congratulations that acceptances from more highly-selective colleges did.

“Some of my friends had gotten into schools and had not been publicly congratulated,” Lidji said. “Even though they weren’t showy or fancy schools, any acceptance is still something to celebrate.”

To even the playing-field of college acceptances, Lidji constructed a sign for the wall of acceptances and explained her idea for the wall in her gradewide Facebook group on the day before Early Decisions and Early Actions were released.

“Since the wall allowed everyone to be acknowledged and receive the same congratulations, people in my grade were in favor of it,” she said.

The response to the wall was an overwhelmingly positive one.

“Teachers noticed and respected how the wall was able to bring a lot of positivity to our grade,” Lidji said.

But not all letters bring good news. Recognizing the inevitability of rejection in the college process, the senior class also created the ritual of “hitting the gong” after not being admitted to a particular college.

The idea was born when seniors Nicole Calonne, Sunila Steephen, Ellie Johnson and Manisha Ratakonda were brainstorming possible activities for seniors who were rejected from an institution in the Class of 2016’s Facebook group.

Senior Nicole Calonne took the initiative by purchasing the gong and placing it in the senior hallway. After a senior hits the gong, other seniors typically encourage the rejected senior or offer her a hug.

Calonne says that hitting a gong eases some of the negative feelings that come with a rejection.

“Hitting the gong makes you feel incredibly empowered and supported,” Calonne said. “I know that regardless of a rejection, I have the support of my grade.”

Lidji agreed. “Both the gong and the wall of acceptances make the [college process] less of a game,” she said. “This way, we can celebrate as a grade when it goes well and commiserate with the gong when it doesn’t.”

Form IV Dean Rebekah Calhoun supports the class’ initiative and applauds the seniors for making the “Wall of Acceptances” and the gong happen.

“What makes this class different is that these girls made [the college acceptance wall and the gong] happen,” Calhoun said. “In the past, other senior classes have talked about the idea but haven’t made it happen.”

Calhoun believes that the way the seniors have supported one another throughout the college process reveals incredible resilience and unity on the

part of the class as a whole.

“Applying and hearing back from colleges is intense, but I am so proud of how these girls have supported each other throughout the process,” she said.

Like Calhoun, Director of College Counseling Carol Wasden commends the seniors for supporting one another when decisions are both positive and negative.

“The level of support in this senior class is phenomenal, and by the end of the [college admissions] process, every senior is going to have an acceptance letter on that wall,” Wasden said.

The rejection gong and college acceptance wall have generated positive feelings among the class’ members, and thus far in the process, seniors have not heard any complaints about either of the two rituals.

It allows us to “I think that the wall has made everyone feel a lot happier because it allows us to bond and to feel bond and to supported throughout the process,” Lidji said.

In fact, seniors came together in defense of feel supported the wall when a Facebook commenter argued the acceptance wall fostered an unhealthy sense of throughout the competition and caused rejected students to feel academically and personally insufficient. process.

Seniors responded to the commenter by saying that the wall had given them a safe space Sadie Lidji to for their victories to be publicly acknowledged.

Senior Wasden agrees and believes that negative emotions such as anger and disappointment are natural parts of being rejected, rather than feelings triggered specifically by the wall.

“Whether there is a wall or not, these feelings are still going to happen,” Wasden said.

“If someone is admitted to college and is excited about it, they run down the hallway and scream or post about it on social media,” she said.

Regardless, the wall and gong have promoted positive feelings, and seniors have already worked together to plan other activities like the “Wall of Acceptances” and rejection gong.

These include the ritual of watching the sun rise and set as a class, which is intended to further strengthen the class’ bond of sisterhood.

“We’re a very sentimental group of girls, and we thought that we could come together and watch the sun rise and the sun set together,” Lidji said. “We really want to experience senior year together as fully as we can, so I know we’re going to do it.”

‘‘

What has been the most rewarding part of starting your own business? Most of the stores we sell in are female-owned businesses, they are all businesses that they have all started and they are working every day to give back to their community and make a difference. So I think the most rewarding part is being in contact with all of these women who are so inspiring.

What has been the coolest experience you have had because of your business? We really modeled a lot of our basic business ideals off of Sarah Blakely, who started Spanx. In all of her Spanx catalogs she highlights female entrepreneurs twice a year, and she calls it her Leg Up Award. When we started our business, we applied for that and we won it in 2013.

What advice do you have for students who aspire to start their own businesses?

 I think the only reason I am

here is by remaining flexible. If you remain creative in the way you are, problem-solving and flexible in the way that you do things, there is kind of no limit to where you could end up.

MEGAN PHILIPS FEATURES EDITOR

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JANIE COOKE

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FEBRUARY 11, 2016

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HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

Sophomore Floods Scene with First Playwright

mental illnesses varying from night terrors to anxiety as they are stuck at a therapist’s office stuck with one of the doctors and the office receptionist as a result of a flood, is her first as director.

Lowry, who is a creative writer and member of the Drama Club, has been writing original plays since eighth grade and has been interested in all aspects of performance for as long as she can remember.

“I have always been interested in drama,” Lowry said. “When I was in Lower School, my mom got me this old book of plays that I would bring to recess and act them out with my friends.”

Upon completing “Flooded!,” Lowry worked with the Drama Club and Head of Upper School Terry Murray to arrange for it to be performed at Hockaday. With her directorial debut, she hopes to spread the message that mental illnesses, even the lesser-known ones, affect people everywhere.

“I am a member of the Drama Club, so I got in touch with the president, Maria Zhang. I asked her if it was maybe something we

could think about doing through Drama Club,” Lowry said. “We got it passed through her and then passed it through Mr. Murray.”

After seeing an email from Lowry soliciting actors, Upper School English teacher Sarah Traphagen, who has been acting since high school, asked if she could audition for the role of Dr. Susan, the therapist. Soon after, Lowry casted the play with Traphagen playing Dr. Susan.

Through attending both auditions and rehearsals, Traphagen believes that Lowry completely embodies the roles of both being a playwright and a director.

“The play is beautifully written,” Traphagen said. “She took what could be very difficult topics and turned it into a comedy; that’s what I really love about the play.”

Through writing the characters as seemingly healthy people with slight quirks, Lowry hopes to expose more people to the reality and humanity of mental illness.

“When you think of mental illness, you think of things like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder,”

Lowry said. “But you do not think of something like night terrors, which affect so many people, and all of these things that are not quite as threatening.”

Upper School drama teacher Emily Gray, who has been advising Lowry throughout the production, shares the sentiment.

“This play will help to show that it is okay to talk about things,” Gray said. “None of these things need to be dirty little secrets. When we talk about them, they suddenly become not as big of a problem.”

After finishing writing in late September and holding auditions open to the entire Upper School, faculty and staff included, Lowry casted the play, which includes students ranging from freshmen to faculty members, and began to hold weekly rehearsals during Y periods with the complete cast.

According to Traphagen, the attention Lowry pays to each character, rehearsal and the play as a whole will make for a successful show. “[Lowry] paid a great deal of attention to each character and what they go through and have to process,” Traphagen said. “She has a vision...she tells us that ‘we need to get to know our characters’ as well so there is that mutuality to it.”

Similarly, sophomore Paloma Renteria, who plays the role of Kait, a girl diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder, believes

PHOTO BY AMANDA KIM

A

far cry from being the shy new kid, sophomore Grace Lowry has written and is directing her original play, “Flooded!,” recruiting faculty and students alike to act in her production. The play, which focuses on six patients with

3:50 p.m. Feb. 11

that Lowry has thrived in the role of director and has successfully executed her vision thus far.

“Grace is an awesome director. She is an amazing writer,” Renteria said. “She has a really good idea of what she wants to do. I think she is going to put on a really great show.”

Lowry and the rest of the Drama Club are aiming to have performances of the play for the entire Upper School in the beginning of April.

Exact dates and location have not been decided. To get

The cast of “Flooded” rehearses for their spring performances of Sophomore Grace Lowry’s original play.

caught in the storm of “Flooded!,” keep an eye out for emails about the performances.

KATIE O’MEARA STAFF WRITER

The New Year Brings New Teachers As the second semester begins, many students transition into their new semester courses, some meeting teachers for the first time. This year, however, as Upper School science teachers Dr. Katie Croft and Brandi Finazzo and Upper School English teacher Jennifer McEachern depart for maternity leave, four substitutes take their place.

Holly Gardner

Started: Jan. 5 Departs: April 8 Teaches: English I and II

Stefan Rinaldi

Started: Jan. 19 Departs: May 26 Teaches: AP Biology

Though she is on her 15th year teaching at Ursuline, Holly Gardner, subbing for Mrs. McEachern in the English Department, swears she is “team Daisy.” When she’s not teaching, Gardner is working with refugees, teaching ESL to new arrivals at the Catholic Charities of Dallas, a large industry that brings in and invites refugees from all over the world. This is not just a hobby that Gardner enjoys – Gardner has fostered six children that are all refugees. “Being a substitute teacher means there’s no meetings and little paperwork, just students and the classroom,” Gardner said. “That’s why I love it so much.” As a teacher, Gardner believes that she is passionate about what she teaches: literature. She likes to be spontaneous, and she “likes to go with inspiration, no matter what the lesson plan is.”

Princy Sebastian

Starts: Early March Departs: May 26 Will Teach: Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

Calling all fantasy sports fans: you’ve got a friend in Rinaldi, who is teaching AP Biology in place of Dr. Katie Croft and Brandi Finazzo. Growing up in San Jose, California and spending his high school years there, Rinaldi also is a San Francisco 49ers fan, enjoys fitness and hikes and listens to Kid Cudi.

Currently, Rinaldi is at Southern Methodist University pursuing a doctorate degree in molecular and cellular biology, which he began after completing his undergraduate at Gonzaga University in Washington. Having mentored Hockaday students at labs at SMU, Rinaldi described them as “some of the most hard working students [he’s] ever met” and said that he is looking forward to teaching here. Even though he described himself as a “slightly tough” teacher, he said he is also “motivating, energetic and reliable.”

Dr. Haley Speed

Started: Jan. 19 Departs: May 26 Teaches: Neuroscience

Would you enjoy watching “House” while crocheting, with soft classical music trickling in the background? You’re not alone – Princy Sebastian would enjoy this mashup of all of her favorites, too. Sebastian was born in India, but moved to the United States for high school and college. She completed her undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin, and continued her schooling at the University of North Texas, where she received a master’s degree in biological sciences.

In her free time, Sebastian plays tennis, listens to classical music and enjoys cooking. At Hockaday, Sebastian will be teaching all sections of anatomy in place of Brandi Finazzo, and she says she is excited to teach students who are “truly interested in learning.”

ILLUSTRATIONS BY LILY SUMROW

Born and raised in Lost Gap, Mississippi, a town so small there’s no Wikipedia page about it, Dr. Haley Speed says that she was “essentially raised on a farm.” She attended high school in Mississippi, deeming herself a “band geek” who is able to play the guitar, piano, clarinet and flute. When she’s not “doing science,” she is painting, drawing or playing music, if not listening to it. When it comes to musical artists, Speed says her favorite band is Led Zeppelin, and it has been since she was 14 years old. And her music preference? “The louder the better,” she said. Speed drives her classes with “discussions and stories,” and is especially intrigued and excited to hear the thoughts and interests Hockaday students will bring to the table in Neuroscience while she substitutes for Dr. Katie Croft.

CHERYL HAO STAFF WRITER

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

THE FOURCAST

09

Students’ Art Book Feeds North Texas

Little did they know they would feed hungry North Texans not with food, but with their artwork.

After a year of joined effort, on Dec. 20, 2015, juniors Brenda Lee, Lauren Hoang and Wendy Ho released their worldwide, collaborative art book called “Places.”

Hoang knew this was the charity she and her colleagues wanted to be involved with because “the North Texas Food Bank passionately pursues a hunger-free community and they strive to be the best nonprofit, while providing access to nearly 175,000 nutritious meals every day.”

The girls thoughtfully chose to keep the project from the food bank until they make enough to give a significant donation.

“We have not contacted the food bank; however, we would

like it to be a surprise to them once we sell out of the books we have right now,” Ho said.

After contacting commissioned artists through DeviantArt, the trio brought together 65 illustrators from 17 different countries. Lee and Ho were among these 65.

“I was amazed to see how many of our favorite artists were willing to help,” Ho said. “If you just reach out you will be surprised to see how many respond to the cause.”

To compose the deep blue, notebook-sized soft-cover book, each of the 65 artists made drawings of landscapes or landmarks with the letters NTFB featured.

Although they had many artists contribute to the final product, Lee, Hoang and Ho designed and published the book on their own.

“We worked on weekends and texted about it for about a year gradually, but at some points we had to work hard to meet a deadline,” Lee said.

Throughout the creation of the book, they have sold incomplete pre-orders in order to fund their work since May of 2015.

To gain publicity, the trio has resorted to social media, specifically Tumblr, an online blogging platform, Storenvy and DeviantArt. One of their advertising techniques involved hosting giveaways on these social media platforms. In these giveaways they had people share their link for a chance to win a copy of the book along with postcards and bookmarks.

Kel Ho, an artist from Singapore featured in “Places,” said that art can make a difference in other ways as well.

“Other than raising money for charity, I think art is great for education and information,” she said. “[It] opens up people to new ideas.”

Currently, “Places” has sold 30 copies and has made $700 in profit, the equivalent of 2,100 meals.

PHOTO BY EMILY FULLER

I

n 2012, three sophomore Hockaday students ignited their passion for the North Texas Food Bank. After a day of volunteering, they left the Bank inspired and knew they wanted to do something to help. By sophomore year they figured out how.

3:15 p.m. on Jan. 28

The book, which sells for $30, can be ordered through their web site, places.storenvy.com/products.

A digital version is also available for $12.

“This project showed me that if you are passionate about something, there is nothing stopping you from doing it,” Hoang said.

Juniors Wendy Ho, Lauren Hoang and Brenda Lee published a collaborative art book for charity.

“You just need to go out and ask for help and the help will come.”

EMILY FULLER STAFF WRITER

Swim Team Dives into a New Season after SPC Win

T

he air in the Hockaday natatorium, warm and dense with the unmistakable smell of chlorine, echoes with rhythmic splashes as the swimmers make their way up and down the pool. Bobby Patten, head coach of the

varsity swimming and diving team since 2001, sits on the edge of a diving board on one end of the pool to watch the students’ progress. After several minutes, more and more girls reach the end of the pool and stop, treading water in place and chatting amongst themselves.

“Let’s do 12-50, fast down, easy back,” Patten said once all of the girls have stopped at the end of the pool. The sounds of splashing fill the room once again.

5:30 p.m. Feb. 3

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PHOTO BY XXXXXX

Varsity swimming Coach Bobby Patten gives swimmers coaching advice during practice.

During the weeks leading up to the 2015-2016 Southwest Preparatory Conference Winter Championships, which begins today, the Hockaday swim team has diligently prepared for the biggest meet of the season. As the swim team came away with a first place finish at last year’s SPC meet, the swim team faces some pressure to perform well again; however, for many swimmers, working hard on the team and having fun at the meet are more important.

Senior Ellie Tippen, one of the captains of the swim team, was surprised by last year’s victory.

“Last year, we all expected it to be a building year,” Tippen said. “It

was really exciting when it all came down to the last few relays, and our diving team helped us a lot too.”

This year, Tippen believes that there is more pressure on the team to do well. Many girls have improved greatly from the beginning of the year due to a generally excited atmosphere in the swim team.

“There’s some people who, at the beginning of the year, didn’t know how to swim, and now they’re on the A relay,” Tippen said.

Rachel Grabow, assistant coach of the varsity swimming and diving team, also agreed that the whole team has worked hard all season, and thus the level of effort exerted by the team will not change significantly in anticipation of SPC. As the meet draws nearer, the team will transition to more speed work and sprint practice instead of distance and endurance work.

Until Patten and Grabow receive the SPC entry sheet showing which events everyone will swim and their seat times, Grabow believes that it will be hard to predict the team’s performance at SPC. “In our normal season, we don’t swim against teams from Houston or Austin until we get to SPC,” Grabow said. “Until that time, it’s unfair to put pressure on the team.”

Instead, Grabow encourages the girls to personally improve their times. Especially in a sport like swimming, Grabow believes that competitors “can’t control what’s happening in the next lane.”

Patten agrees; for him, swimming represents a miniature version of life.

“You can’t control anything around you,” Patten said. “But what

you can take care of is what you are ready to handle and how you respond or react to situations.”

The swim team’s current attitude is not surprising considering both the dedication of the team and the experience of its coaches. This year marks the 16th year Patten has been coaching the Upper School swim team at Hockaday. Patten is an off-campus coach who is at Hockaday four to five days a week during the swimming season. After the swimming season draws to a close, Patten will come to school once or twice a week.

In early January 2001, Patten received a phone call from a Hockaday parent. The former swimming coach had recently left, and the team needed a coach to help them finish off the season. Patten agreed to coach the team for the remaining six weeks.

“That was my commitment,” Patten said. “I didn’t think I would go beyond, but I really enjoyed it.

Now, it’s 16 seasons later.”

During these 16 seasons, Patten has influenced the swimming careers of many Hockaday alumnae. Meaghan Watters Pedersen ’08 started competitive club swimming at the age of 8 and was captain of the Hockaday swim team her senior year. She later went on to swim at Yale University. According to Pederson, Patten’s approach on swimming was a focus on quality versus quantity. “[Patten] really focused on shorter steps, pacework and sprints.

My club coach really emphasized distance,” Pederson said. “I grew up swimming club, but with this alternate training approach with Bobby,

I swam a little better. It reduced overuse injuries and was really refreshing.”

As a club swimmer outside of school, Pederson appreciated the opportunity to be a part of a supportive team at Hockaday and cheer on teammates at meets.

Pederson’s sister, Keegan Watters ’10, shared this sentiment. Watters also swam competitively in a club throughout her Lower, Middle and Upper School years and continued swimming at Amherst College.

Watters remembers Patten as always having a stopwatch in his hand and challenging her to maintain her goal pace during difficult sets. According to Watters, Patten was able to successfully optimize the limited time and pool space the team had considering the large size of the team. “[Patten] spent so much time planning, writing and executing different workouts for each lane,” Watters said. “He challenged everyone during practices, from the year-round club swimmers like me and my older sister to girls who had never swam before.”

For Patten, passion and simply enjoying the sport is a very important part of swimming successfully, and he keeps this in mind when coaching the Hockaday team.

“We’re pretty fortunate that swimming is something we’re able to focus and spend time on, and I think our end goal should be to have fun,” Patten said. “I hope more than anything that the girls want to do it because they want to do it.”

ELIZABETH GUO STAFF WRITER

Daisy Duels

A look into the tussles and quarrels of the Upper School community.

VS. SINGLES

BY HEIDI KIM

VS.

VS. V-DAY BLUES

It’s that time of year again. The day that single people dread for 364 days: Valentine’s Day. Aisles are stocked high with oversized chocolate boxes with obnoxiously large pink and red bows. Cards that have punny lines like “BEE my Valentine” now consume the shelves of convenience stores. Frantic people are shuffling in and out with “I’m sorry, I forgot” flowers. Pink and red heart-shaped balloons bonk your head and make your hair all static-y when all you wanted was to buy a gallon of Blue Bell ice cream for yourself. Sigh.

WINTER FORMAL

FRESHMEN

Winter Formal is creeping up faster than ever. It’s the event that the freshmen have been waiting for all year.

But with great anticipation comes great stress. Many big questions are looming over everyone’s head. Who do I ask? What color dress should I get? Should I use a pun to ask? Where should I get my flowers? What do you think the freshmen bus will be like? The rush to find dates causes anxiety among the grade. But soon enough, all will result in a picture perfect night (pun intended).

STUDENT DRIVERS

SPEED BUMPS

It’s 8:26 a.m. You’re jamming out to “Hotling Bling” when all of the sudden your head hits the roof of your car and the Starbucks coffee sitting in your cupholder splashes all over the dashboard. Frustrated, you trudge ahead at a mere five miles an hour, only to repeat the process. Over. And over.

And over. By the time you get out of your car, your skirt is drenched in coffee and you’re late to class. The speed bumps have won again.

PHOTOS BY HEIDI KIM AND PROVIDED BY HAILEY MOUNT

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

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FEBRUARY 11, 2016

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

HUMANS OF HOCKADAY | A Look Into the Lives, Passions and Secrets of the People at Hockaday

Q

What is your love story?

The Fourcast features a segment based off of the widely acclaimed series Humans of New York. Each issue a broad question is presented, and the responses of a different group of Humans at Hockaday are featured. This issue focuses on married couples at Hockaday.

THE BOUREKS

THE POWELLS

est. 1989

est. 1983

“For the longest time, I’d always look at him and think “I love you, I love you,” but I never told him. I’d always make him really good grilled cheese sandwiches. One Friday, I made him one. We had spent all afternoon playing cards. He asked me, “Hey, do you wanna go to Midnight Yell?”

When they turned out the lights [at Midnight Yell], he kissed me, and I knew he was the one. We first met at a Friday the 13th dance. It may have been on Friday the 13th, but it was lucky for us.”

“I [Elayne Powell] used to babysit him for Rosie Mae Bell. But then he grew up, and I didn’t see him anymore. When I came back [to Hockaday], he was working there. I didn’t realize he was the game guy that I used to babysit.

I even used to help him with his girlfriends haha. Then I guess, we just, you know, fell in love with each other.’

Terry Bourek,

Middle School Math Teacher

Elayne Powell,

Food Services Facilities Supervisor

THE KRAMERS est.1999

“We went to London; I think that’s the one that always gets the girls. Then I took Mrs. Kramer to the Imperial War Museum, and I think that always throws students. When we got married, we didn’t tell anyone until right before we left, so when we got back to Hockaday, they made us walk across Graduation Terrace through a tunnel of field hockey sticks and other objects. Sort of corny, but nice.”

THE GERBERS est. 1977

“He was very complimentary, and being so far away from home, he made me feel very special. He made me comfortable. He used to train horses, but in order for him to come and marry me in Argentina, he sold his horses to buy the ticket. He traded his three horses for me. How romantic is that?”

Steve Kramer

Marcela Gerber,

Upper School History Department Chair

Lower School Spanish Teacher PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE BOUREKS< POWELLS< KRAMERS, AND GERBERS

Paris Letters Unite Schools Senior Nina La Barba reaches out to Paris students through letters after the November attacks.

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PHOTO BY MOLLY WARING

1:45 p.m. Jan. 26

fter the Paris attacks on Nov. 13, the world expressed its sympathies to those affected in many ways: Facebook added a feature to watermark profile pictures in the colors of the French flag, and images of the “Peace for

Paris” logo circulated on many social media platforms. Here at Hockaday, sophomore Ameya Chavda sought a more personal way to connect with those affected with her own voice.

Chavda asked Upper School French teacher Catherine Berryman to see if she could help her form a connection with a school near the attack sites.

“I wanted to communicate to [those affected] that their lives will be better,” Chavda said.

Berryman in fact knew someone who was friends with Nick Chriss, an American English teacher at Grande Chancellerie de la Legion d’honneur, an all-girls boarding school in Paris located just 200 meters from an apartment building raid on Saint-Denis street where French officials searched for suspects the day after the attacks, waking students and teachers at 4:30 a.m.

In an email correspondence to Berryman recounting details of the school’s reaction, Chriss wrote, “We woke up to the sound of machine guns. We felt like we were in a war zone. It was horrible.”

That’s when Chavda knew she wanted to write letters to these girls.

Before the idea of the letters, Chavda had considered making a video, but decided against that plan because to her, the written word is more powerful.

“Those kinds of videos cannot convey our emotions and feelings as well as writing can,” Chavda said.

“I also felt like writing letters gives a more tangible voice to us students rather than making things.”

Chavda wanted both Upper and Middle School students involved in this project and extended an invitation for them to write letters in French or English during the week after Thanksgiving Break. During the holiday break, she, with the help of Berryman, sent 71 letters to the students of corresponding ages at Grande Chancellierie.

“When I was looking through the letters, I was really amazed at how thoughtful they were and thought they were very appropriate and genuine,” Berryman said.

According to Berryman, two all-girls school communicating to

one another added another element to the intensity of the letters.

“I think because it was an allgirls school, it made it much easier to relate,” Berryman said.

In her own letter, Chavda expressed her sympathies and admira-

tion to the students at Grande Chancellierie for being courageous.

“I told them that their situation wouldn’t just unite France, but it could unite two schools from two different countries that share a deep caring for each other,” Chavda said.

These letters were received by Grand Chancellierie on Jan. 13. Chavda and other Hockaday students who wrote letters have not yet received responses.

NOOR ADATIA NEWS EDITOR

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

In honor of Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, The Fourcast asked Upper School students to spread the love in the community with the third enstallment of Fourcast Hearts.

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FEBRUARY 11, 2016

Sex

ual education has been present in the United States since the 1800s. The National Education Association promoted it to be part of school curriculums nationwide in 1892.

This was reaffirmed in 1912, when the same organization pushed for teachers to be trained on how to teach sex and sexuality in schools.

This idea was not fully supported until the 1960s, when support for sex education in schools became a more widespread idea.

According to Planned Parenthood, it wasn’t until the 1980s when two divergent beliefs about sex-ed in schools became prevalent.

“One was based on the belief that medically accurate and comprehensive information about sexual health would decrease risk-taking behaviors among young people,” Planned Parenthood said on its website. “The other was based on the erroneous belief that medically accurate, comprehensive information would increase risk-taking behaviors among young people.”

In 1981, the U.S. government passed the Adolescent Family Life Act, a measure that advocated for sexual abstinence until marriage. Since then, over $1.5 billion has been spent on abstinence-only education, with not many results to show for it.

Recent studies across the nation have shown that abstinence-education might actually be harmful to students in the long run. Because of this, many schools in the past 10 years have begun to withstain from abstinence-only education and transition to a more comprehensive approach.

What is Sex-Ed?

Sexual education is the exploration of issues and topics that relate to human sexuality. Beyond the actual mechanics of how sex works, sex-ed deals with emotional responsibilities, sexual reproduction, relationships, protection, health awareness and much more. In the United States, this topic is controversial because of the two differing philosophies about the subject: comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only sex education.

Abstinence-only sex education is a widely advocated view that calls for teaching students that the only way to guarantee the prevention of pregnancy and sexualy transmitted infections is by abstaining from sex. Proponents of this type of education often take a religious position, citing the belief that sex before marriage is a sin.

According to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, comprehensive sex education “includes age-appropriate, medically accurate information on a broad set of topics related to sexuality including human development, relationships, decision making, abstinence, contraception and disease prevention.”

Comparing comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only sex education can be difficult, especially when external factors such as race, socioeconomic class, religion and location come into play.

Researchers from the University of Washington completed a study in April of 2008 that compared the health risks of adolescents who received the differing types of sex education. Principal investigator Pamela Kohler said that “in comparing abstinence-only programs with comprehensive sex education, comprehensive sex education was associated with a 50 percent lower risk of teen pregnancy.”

This was confirmed by University of Georgia professor Kathrin Stranger-Hall who also performed a study comparing comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only sex education.

“Teens in states that prescribe more abstinence education are actually more likely to become pregnant [than teens who receive comprehensive education],” Stranger-Hall said.

A different study by the University of Pennsylvania in Feb. 2010, however, showed that students taught abstinence-only education, delayed having sex.

With manys studies about each of the views, it is difficult for educators to determine what is truly the best method to educate students.

To many, sex education is a hard topic to talk about. The word sex makes people uncomfortable. The Fourcast contacted a variety of schools in the Dallas area to begin to understand their perspectives on how sexual education is taught. After contacting Cistercian Preparatory School, The Greenhill School, The Episcopal School of Dallas, The Ursuline Academy, The St. Mark’s School of Texas and Highland Park ISD, only Cistercian, Greenhill and St. Mark’s were available for comment by press time.

Nationwide Requirements for Sex-Ed In Schools Today

In the United States today, only 23 states require that sex education is taught in school, and of those, only 20 of them require both sex education and HIV education. Many states also have stipulations that if they do teach sex-ed, they must follow general requirements, but only 13 states require that the information taught to students is medically accurate.

According to a study done by the Guttmacher Institute updated on Feb. 1, only two states prohibit promoting religious practices within schools when talking about sex education: Louisiana and California.

Because of this, many schools use the Catholic teaching of abstinence-only education as the basis of their sex-ed program. This differs from the 27 states that require abstinence to be a emphasized topic of discussion.

Because research shows that abstinence-only education has not been effective, the government has put in new laws to change the perspective on sex education.

For example, the Appropriations Act of 2010 halted federal funding for abstinence-only programs in schools and provided nearly $190 million in funds for “evidence-based teen pregnancy-prevention programs and more comprehensive approaches to sex education,” according to Planned Parenthood.

In Texas, the sex-ed requirements are different. According to the Texas Freedom Network, Texas sports one of the highest teen birth rates in the nation, but the state still focuses on an “abstinence-only” system.

But this is slowly changing.

Data from the Texas Education Agency suggests that there is a rising movement that shifts away from this abstinence-only education. While in most districts throughout Texas abstinence must be taught, many schools have also begun to supplement this study with information about contraception and disease information.

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Sexual Education at The Hockaday School

At Hockaday, the sex-ed program starts in fourth grade with a puberty video, and moves progressively through the next eight years, hitting almost every grade level. In sixth grade, the actual biology of sex is first introduced with the addition of the male reproductive system, an introduction to genetics, and a discussion on HIV/AIDS as part of an study of the immune system. This is taught by the Upper and Middle School health teacher Rebekah Calhoun. In ninth grade, the curriculum begins to change course.

“We don’t have focus as much on parts and functions, but we’ll review that if we need to,” Calhoun said. “It’s more about intimacy, dating, relationships, STDs, what you need to know before you engage in sexual activity, conception [and] contraception.”

This is also accompanied by information about sexual assault, both as it relates to drug and alcohol abuse and how it relates to reproduction and other things to be aware of.

In eleventh grade, the focus of the class is to look ahead at how sexuality might fit in your future life.

“No one gets to college and takes Sex 101, so everybody gets there and is supposed to know,” Calhoun said. “We want to make sure that every student has a really solid foundation and knows how to take care of herself.”

This conversation includes information about communication and relationships. Calhoun believes that it is necessary for students to understand the basics in order to ensure that they are prepared for the real world.

“I think that knowledge is power,” Calhoun said. “When you have a good foundation of scientific information and you have talked through the social and emotional pressures of it, then when you get into those kinds of situations, you have the tools to make the right decisions for you.”

Sexual Educatiom at the Cistercian Prepatory School

Cistercian is an Roman Catholic all-boys private school in Irving. Their sex education differs from many other private schools in the area due to their religious affiliations.

Head of Theology and Religion Fr. Joseph Van House described the program as holistic and character- based.

“We really aim at making sure the fundamental medical knowledge that is necessary for life is available, but for us sex-ed is a lot more than the material instruction on how things happen,” Van House said. “It comes to be about ‘what is a good life and how do you want to live it’ and ‘how does sexuality fit into that.’”

The program focuses on “chastity,” or the discipline of harmonizing one’s sexuality with a good and wise life (including such things as one’s marital status), rather than mere “teen abstinence from sex.”

“One of the reasons that we focus on chastity rather than abstinence is that spiritually and philosophically it makes more sense to talk about what a person is doing rather than what a person is not doing,” Van House said.

Cistercian’s program is taught both in health and in theology. In fact, the topic is first introduced in theology class in fifth grade when discussing the Virgin Mary.

“The teacher won’t connect all the dots because most don’t know from their parents what sex is,” Van House said. “But they want to give some equipment for when their parents explain it to them.”

Cistercian puts a lot of value in supplementing the information that parents have introduced to them. Cistercian maintains that parents are the proper sexual educators of their children, and seeks to empower rather than replace them in that role.

The program also stems to more than just the biological aspects of it.

“I can say that by no means my primary objective is educating them sexually,” Van House said. “And, to some degree, overemphasizing it can be counterproductive.”

With this in mind, they must skirt the fine line between giving students too much information, and giving them the tools to live in the real world.

Van House believes that teaching chastity “confidently, clearly, firmly, intelligently [and] lovingly” is the best possible touchstone for sexual education today.

Sexual Education at The Greenhill School

Greenhill focuses on a sex-ed program that bridges across all the disciplines of learning. Upper School Counselor Priya Singhvi teaches a required health and wellness course for all incoming freshman and new students. “[The biology] organically comes up in English class, civil rights movements class, in equity and inclusion conversations, in gender studies and in my wellness course,” Singhvi said.

The required health course that Singhvi teaches is a trimester long course that covers a variety of topics: what is a healthy relationship, sexualy transmited diseases and sexualy transmited infections prevention, the gender spectrum, intimacy and boundaries and much more.

Through this class, Singhvi brings in people from outside school for demonstrations and aims to “give resources where [students] can advocate for themselves.” These are meant to empower students.

Greenhill’s sex-ed program begins in Middle School when they learn about how the actual biology aspect of is explored.

“In the Middle School, it’s a lot about boundary setting, healthy relationships,” Singhvi said. They do, however, start a conversation about gender differences in Lower School.

“I hope that by the time they graduate, students have enough of an overview that they can ask questions,” Singhvi said. “And I hope that they are asking questions to adults who have their best interests at heart.”

Greenhill also provides the means for the community to learn about the LGBT perspective.

“We have outside resources and community speakers that help teach the curriculum from exploration from the LGBT community to safe practices to anatomical perspective,” Singhvi said.

This is the only course that students take throughout their high school experience to learn about sex-ed.

“We don’t have a continued course every year,” Singhvi said. “The hope is that these conversations are happening in lots of classrooms and that they are naturally happening in advisory.”

Sexual Education at St. Mark’s School of Texas

Director of Counseling Barbara Van Drie, teaches about sexuality in her AP Psychology course.

“We cover physiological and psychological aspects of sexuality, including topics such as human development, reproduction, sexual behavior, romantic relationships, intimacy, sexual orientation, gender identity, decision-making, communication, sexual abuse, sexual aggression and more,” she said.

In addition, this past month, recognizing that parents are the primary sexuality educator of their sons, the Counseling Office provided educational presentations to Middle School parents on communicating with their sons about sex.

“We wanted to equip them to communicate with their sons on sexuality,” Van Drie said.

For more information about sex-ed programs in various schools in Dallas, go to hockadayfourcast.org STORY BY ASHNA KUMAR, STAFF WRITER | PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MANISHA RATAKONDA

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Women Play Video Games, Too

Upper School survey confirms stereotypes of gaming culture, and where women fit in PHOTO BY NOOR ADATIA

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Daisy in the Arts Senior Sadie Lidji’s YouTube channel, defense360, has nearly 3,500 subscribers and garners around 2,000 views per video. Read more about her YouTube career below.

How did you first get into YouTube?  When I was in sixth grade, I got really obsessed with stop motion animation. I started experimenting with it a lot and putting that on my YouTube channel. As time went on I started to delve into vlogging and the act of using YouTube to record my life, while also connecting to people.

How do you get ideas for videos?  I have a notebook that

I always carry around and whenever a thought strikes me I’ll write it down and turn it into a video. Sometimes I just pick up my camera and vlog in the moment and edit it into a video later. I usually try to make it off the top of my head and turn that into a video. I also talk about my version of current events – like right now, I talk a lot about senior year.

2:45 p.m. Feb. 5 Upper School students play video games on different eletronic devices during Y period.

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BY ERIN THOMAS

unior Addie Walker has been playing video games since she was 7 years old. Raised in a tech-savvy family with a hardcore gaming enthusiast for a brother, video games were a part of her childhood – from Pokemon then to the Sims 4 now. Even so, Walker does not call herself a gamer. The question is, why? According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, Walker is not alone. The report revealed that 49 percent of all Americans play video games, and this population is almost evenly split between men and women – 52 and 48 percent, respectively.

Only six percent of the female pool, however, admits to labelling themselves as a gamer.

Walker believes that this is largely due to skewed advertising. “[Video games] are always advertised to boys, and when you do see them advertised to girls, it’s like ‘oh, take care of a kitten!’” Walker said.

“When you’re young, you get it in your head that girls don’t play video games.”

Junior Asiyah Saeed also grew up playing video games, specifically those for the Nintendo DS and 3DS, as well as for the PSP. Saeed is not surprised by these statistics.

“It’s true, a lot of girls do play video games,” Saeed said. “When I went to my first football game, I had my PSP in my bag, and I made a reference to Portal or something like that, and one of the St. Mark’s boys was like, ‘wait, you’re a girl! Why do you like video games?’ And I’m like, ‘It’s 2015, can’t you get over it?’”

Saeed’s passion and interest in video games inspired her to write about them for her junior research paper, specifically focusing on inaccurate portrayals of video games in the media.

“Games are not any different from books or movies, they are just more interactive…[but] they are seen as really, really bad in comparison. I wanted to challenge that stuff, like school shootings and murders, behavior and other negative stereotypes like that,” Saeed said. “As if games were the culprit of it all.”

But according to an Upper School survey of 105 students, 40 percent believe that women do not call themselves gamers because ‘it’s a guy thing.’

“Mass media leads us to believe that men are the only gamers in our society as they are often portrayed in television or in movies,” an anonymous student said in the survey. “We rarely view females playing video games in media and as a result, our understanding of gaming culture is skewed.”

Maeve Duggan, a research associate at the Pew Research Center, has written several acclaimed articles about media in the 21st century. In her “Gaming and Gamers” article, published in December of 2015, Duggan touches on how public attitudes towards games--like the ones Saeed mentions in her JRP--are often complex and uncertain.

“In recent years, major debates have emerged about the societal impact of video games and the effect they have on the people who play them,” Duggan wrote. “Among the disputes: whether men predominate in gaming; whether games portray women and minorities poorly; whether violent games promote aggressive behavior; and whether games encourage positive attributes such as problem-solving skills, communication and teamwork.”

Thus, a negative stigma exists concerning gaming culture, and perhaps this contributes to why women are less inclined to call themselves gamers.

Saeed also notes that female dissociation from video games is due to sexist portrayals of women.

“A lot of video games have sexist portrayals of [women], or there are really flushed out characters of them [or] the drawings of them are very inappropriate,” Saeed said. “A lot of girls have turned away from that because they think that it’s inappropriate to like them.”

In 2014, the hashtag #womenaretoohardtoanimate went viral after Ubisoft announced that there would be no female character options in neither “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag” nor “Far Cry 4.”

Alex Hutchinson, the game director, claimed that the animation process for female characters was too difficult without improved technology.

“We did our best,” Hutchinson said in an interview with Polygon. “It’s frustrating for us as it is for everybody else, so it’s not a big switch that you can just pull and get it done.”

Game developers and fans refused to believe this, however. Jonathan Cooper, a Naughty Dog animator and former “Assassin’s Creed III” animation director tweeted about the reality of designing female characters.

“In my opinion, I would estimate this to be a day or two’s work,” he said in a tweet on June 11, 2014. “Not a replacement of 8,000 animations.”

Women have Senior Virginia Beshears, who enjoys playing video games in her limited spare time, agrees that been pushed because of reasons such as this, women are reluctant to play video games. out of this “Men push women out of spaces that are universal, but become stigmatized,” Beshears said. culture.

“There are so few video games with women in Virginia Beshears leading roles. Lara Croft [the female protagonist Senior of the Square Enix video game franchise “Tomb Raider”] used to be a big deal, but as we’ve moved on, she’s not a thing anymore. That’s because women have been pushed out of this culture.”

While some are reluctant to call themselves gamers for one reason or another, there is no denying that women are an active part of modern gaming culture. And when it comes down to it, it is evident that women play video games not to impress men or to make a statement, but simply because they enjoy playing them.

“I really like stories,” Saeed said. “[Video games are] different than reading a book because you have an active input on what you’re doing, and you feel like you are accomplishing something. It was just really fun for me to get into that.”

‘‘

What does defense360 mean?  Oh God, it’s so bad. So I said

I started the channel when I was young, right? At the time, I really wanted to be sporty, which is kind of funny at this point because I have never really played a sport in my life.

Anyway, at the time I was on a baby soccer team and I was the defense position. So I made my username “defense360” because I could defend 360 degrees around me. It’s so embarrassing but it’s really funny because it’s kind of my creative identity now. I wish I had a cooler story for it but yeah, 360-degrees defense. Nothing gets past me on the field.

PHOTO BY AMANDA KIM

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Snubs and Surprises at the Oscars With the 88th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 28, here is what we predict

BY KATHERINE CLEMENT

Best Picture

Predicted: “The Revenant” or “Spotlight” My Pick: “Spotlight” I was wary about seeing Spotlight due to the heavy emotional baggage attached to the topic of child abuse. However, I came away from it in a dazed awe. As a print journalist I admit some bias, but from the acting to the writing to the directing, the film gives powerful rationale as to why we still need print news.

The groundbreaking journalism and dedication of the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team is immor-

talized with moving performances from Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo. In a style like Robert Redford’s “All the President’s Men,” the film masters the necessity for realism in the news industry combined with fast-paced drama necessary for a hit movie.

What makes Spotlight more fascinating is how it deals with the inner working of the news industry. In the midst of investigating the Catholic Church’s cover-up,

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Predicted: Sylvester Stallone, “Creed” My Pick: Mark Ruffalo, “Spotlight”

work in “The Martian” represents more than just an excellent performance for the genre. He proved that science fiction can be recognized by the critics if the roles are written to facilitate truly remarkable acting.

Predicted: Brie Larson, “Room” or Cate Blanchett, “Carol” My Pick: Brie Larson, “Room”

Last year, he transformed into an easy-going, family-man boxer in “Foxcatcher.” He later reprised his role as Bruce Banner (The Hulk) in the Avengers. “Spotlight”’s Rezendes departs from both of these roles and gives the narrative a singular hero to root for. He gives up everything for his job in order to get the story published. His performance conveys his manic, idealistic hope so powerfully that it embodies the reason why “Spotlight” was incredible. Ruffalo became the heart if the movie who we can all relate to, one that desperately wants to do the right thing and cannot figure out why our society conspires to hide the truth.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

plays too many roles that exemplify that word. I might be picky, but the monotonous pace of the films that she often stars in, particularly “Carol,” do not lend themselves to her true ability.

Larson, however, is Joy, a kidnapped woman who perseveres and creates a world for her son in the Room. Her maternal qualities transcend the screen and she forms a powerful rapport with her 9-yearold co-star Jason Trembley that truly convinces me of her desperation for escape, her love for her son and the power of hope.

The race for Best Supporting Actress was rather weak this year. While there has been significant buzz around Rooney Mara and Alicia Vikander, Vikander just emerged as the second frontrunner after her Screen Actors Guild win. Rachel McAdams was excellent (as always) in “Spotlight,” but was sometimes overshadowed by Keaton and Ruffalo. Vikander is the one bright spot in “The Danish Girl;” however, her work in “Ex Machina” was far more impressive.

However, Winslet plays opposite to Michael Fassbender and gives a performance just as convincing, sometimes dominating Fassbender in her role as Joanna Hoffman, Apple’s head of marketing. Cold and calculating behind large glasses, Winslet brings balance to Fassbend-

er’s slightly manic Jobs. Neither can survive without the other, her broad view and strategy counterbalancing his vision and drive.

A Closer Look at the Art Housed in the Metroplex

Alfred Sisley is not one of the more well-known Impressionists — at least to Americans.

What I learned when I visited Europe, however, is that most of Sisley’s true masterpieces are there. The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth recently acquired Sisley’s “The Kitchen Landscape,” a classic Impressionistic landscape that was painted in 1872. Unlike many of the more somber works that fill the Kimbell’s Impressionist collections, Sisley’s bright chromatic painting transports the viewer to a lovely country garden bursting with color and vitality. It is a refreshing acquisition that adds depth to the small museum’s already-impressive holdings.

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TREAT YO’ SELF Buy some plastic hearts filled with cheap chocolate. Eat it. Do not hold back. Indulging is acceptable when some of your friends are flaunting their painfully perfect relationships.

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BINGE WATCH Watch your favorite TV shows with your other sad, lonely friends. I recommend Orange Is the New Black (specifically S2, E6), or perhaps the Bachelor if you’re really hurting.

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The Masterpieces of Dallas and Fort Worth NEW IMPRESSIONS Kimbell Art Museum

Valentine’s Day dates back to 496 A.D, when the early Romans celebrated the festival of Lupercalia, a fertility ceremony commemorated every Feb. 15. In this particular festival, the men would sacrifice goats and dogs to the goddess of fertility and then whip their women with the hides of the animals they had slain – just for fun. Not very romantic.

According to Buzzfeed, 44 percent of Americans feel lonely, sad or depressed in the two-week period leading up to Valentine’s Day. If you’re sad, single and dreading V-Day, know that you are not alone.

This year, instead of staying in and crying about your romantic life, or lack thereof, pull yourself together with these uplifting things to do.

3 HEART SHAPED PIÑATA Hit it hard. Really, really hard. You gotta cover up your desolation and heartache. Studies show that aggression (in mild doses) actually releases dopamine, which makes you happy.

ILLUSTRATION BY SOFI MIRA

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Ruffalo is the soul of “Spotlight.”

Determined, idealistically jaded and initially believing in the good of humanity, Ruffalo’s character Michael Rezendes becomes increasingly embittered about the coverup throughout the course of the film. In one of his most powerful monologues, an argument with Michael Keaton’s Walter Robinson, he shouts that “they [the Catholic Church] knew and they let it happen. It could have been you, it could have been me, it could have been any of us. We gotta show the people that nobody can get away with it; Not a priest, or a cardinal or a freaking pope!”

Mark Ruffalo has the unique talent to melt into a character that makes me forget his past roles.

Predicted: Kate Winslet, “Steve Jobs” or Alicia Vikander, “The Danish Girl” My Pick: Kate Winslet, “Steve Jobs”

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Even the previews of Room bring me to tears. Larson has grown up a lot since the mainstream public last saw her as Jonah Hill’s love interest in “21 Jump Street.” Like several of the recognized films this year, her thoroughly convincing performance recognizes crimes plaguing our nation.

To address the buzz generated by critics around Cate Blanchett in “Carol,” her performance was far less of a reach for the accomplished actress. Called “bland” by some critics, Blanchett might have won in a dry year; however, she

feel like an action thriller.

“The Revenant” might win, coming off of the Academy’s adoration of Inarritu, but “Spotlight” brings up an issue central to our society that was overlooked, swept under the rug and was likely to be repeated until the heroes, a combination of crusading victims and honest newspaper men and women, shone a spotlight on a terrible epidemic.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Predicted: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant” My Picks: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Revenant” or Matt Damon, “The Martian” Feb. 28 will be the day that the meme finally dies. After five nominations, four of which were as Best Actor, Leonardo DiCaprio did everything in his power to secure his win: He slept in a horse carcass and ate raw bison liver.The majority of the film is silent and relies on DiCaprio’s riveting performance as he fights the vindictive force of the American wilderness itself.

On the other hand, one-time Oscar winner Matt Damon charms his audience as Mark Watney, a Robinson Crusoe-like astronaut from the not-too-distant future.

However, I was surprised when the Golden Globes labelled “The Martian” a comedy, as Damon contributed a dramatic and survivalist performance. We have seen the American government try and save Damon’s life before in “Saving Private Ryan” and “Interstellar,” but his

the team was forced to cover other events, like the 9/11 attacks, which were deemed more pressing by their editors and the nation.

Keaton’s performance deserved a Best Actor nod; however, it’s Ruffalo who steals the show.

The ensemble cast powerfully communicates director Tom McCarthy’s overall message and the writing flows in such a way that it makes a story centered around the power of the written words

Calling All Single Ladies: What to Do (And Not Do) on Galentine’s Day

DO NOT CRY …in public at least. Crying is a sign of weakness, and you must not be weak on this day. You may not have a significant other, but you have yourself – and in the end, the only person you can really make happy is you. So assert your newfound confidence and try not to drown in your sorrows. As Leslie Knope once said, “I am big enough to admit that I am often inspired by myself.”

This Valentine’s Day, know that you are perfectly okay by yourself despite societal pressures. You are going to be fine - regardless of your relationship status.

NEHA DRONAMRAJU STAFF WRITER

BY KATHERINE CLEMENT

DALLAS GOES DUTCH Dallas Museum of Art

UNTAMING THE WEST Amon Carter Museum of American Art

The Dallas Museum of Art exhibition of music in 17th century Dutch paintings only includes eight tiny paintings, but, its centerpiece is one of Johannes Vermeer’s last works, “Young Woman Seated at a Virginal.” Vermeer was one of the most technical painters of the Dutch Golden Age, using camera obscura, a technique that other painters perfected using a camera. Painting mostly in his own home in Delft, he only produced 36 identified works, making his work extremely valuable. For the first time since Vermeer’s famous “Girl With the Pearl Earring” was loaned to the Kimbell in the winter of 1982-1983, Dallas art lovers will have the opportunity to see his work. The exhibition will be on display until Aug. 21, 2016.

The Amon Carter Museum is one of Fort Worth’s best-kept secrets.

Many of its works highlight the scenic views of the American West. Originally, the Hudson River School movement only encompassed scenic landscapes of America in the East.

Artists like Albert Bierstadt pioneered a second wave of Hudson River School artists who painted the expanded West and used Luminist techniques. Also influenced by the Dusseldorf School’s paintings of Germany’s landscapes, Bierstadt in particular became known for these massive paintings that swayed national sentiment in favor of westward expansion. The Carter’s “Sunrise, Yosemite Valley,” painted in 1875, evokes the American Romantic theme of nature’s vast, untamed and massive power.

REPRODUCTIONS PROVIDED BY KIMBELL ART MUSEUM, AMON CARTER MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART AND WIKIPEDIA

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PHOTO BY YUNG-FANG LUDFORD

12:30 p.m. Jan. 30 The elite TPSMEA student orchestra practices in the main hall of the Eisemann Center.

TPSMEA Strikes Chord with Students

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t’s an ordinary Friday night at the San Marcos outlet shopping mall. Giggles fill the cool night air as eight girls, singing some offbeat melody, pile out of a vehicle next to the curb. But these girls are not just any rowdy group of friends looking to go shopping: they’re talented Hockaday musicians, selected by audition to participate in an yearly trip and perform in a special honor orchestra and

choir at the Evans Auditorium.

Sponsored by the Texas Private School Music Educators’ Association, this annual event has brought together talented choir and orchestra students from all over Texas, including senior Vivian Zhou and alumna Jessica Kong ‘14, to rehearse and perform advanced music and repertoire together. Some students remember the San Marcos trip fondly not only for the music they made, but for the nostalgic traditions and memories they had.

One is the shopping visit after a full day of rehearsals to the aforementioned San Marcos outlet, where highend vendors sell wares at discounted prices.

“We always have fun running around by ourselves,” Zhou said, “We have to get all our shopping done to be back on the bus by 10 p.m.”

Another are memories with the same teachers who go on the trip every year: Fine Arts department chair Ed Long, Middle School Spanish teacher Orlando Green and former TPSMEA Vice President, as well as Middle School orchestra director, Yung-Fang Ludford.

Like Kong, students spend time with teachers they may have not known well before.

“I got to really bond with [teachers]. I definitely wouldn’t have known Mr. Green if it wasn’t for TPSMEA,” Kong said.

Not only do the teachers get to know the students, but they also get to know the sound of their students’ singing voices. Surrounded by music for the weekend, both choir and orchestra girls have a tradition of singing on the bus.

“The choir girls always sound really good, and then the orchestra girls are singing their orchestra parts. It’s just kind of a fun thing that we do. We annoy the teachers and it’s okay,” Zhou said.

Food also plays an important role in memories made during the trip. After the first hours-long bus ride from Dallas down south, students stop at a certain Panda Express next to the hotel. On the second day, Ludford reserves spots for the group at a Mexican-Asian fusion restaurant. Taco Cabana is on the menu for the third day, after the final performance.

“Mrs. Ludford always get the sopapillas,” Kong said, laughing.

But Panda Express, the San Marcos outlet shopping malls and the sopapillas of Taco Cabana will no longer be recounted and revisited by students. The trip this year has relocated to the Dallas-Richardson area, where the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts presented the final performance.

The event has seen a huge growth in number of participants, and the previous auditorium did not have the space necessary to host such large concerts.

“I think the number one reason we moved is the facility,” Ludford said. “We couldn’t accommodate the

students, parents, friends, and family and also people from the community who wanted to come see us.”

The TPSMEA organization’s desire for a better sound quality in performance space also drove the move to the Eisemann. Ludford said, “When you come to the Eismann, you gotta know, that’s the place that holds world-class performances. They have state-ofthe-art sound. Everything is just totally different.”

The effect will be twofold, according to Ludford: not only will Eisemann attract more students who want to play in such a top-notch facility, but it will also provide students an experience similar to that of a professional instrumentalist. “Just like if you go to New York to play in Carnegie Hall, you feel like, ‘Oh wow, this is phenomenal,’” Ludford said.

Both Zhou and Kong, however, believe the move may damper the adventure of discovering a town far away from the DFW area.

“It’s a place that we already know. When we do have free time to go out and do whatever, it’s sort of, ‘Been there, done that,’” Zhou said. Kong echoed her sentiment: “It’s not the same experience as taking the bus down.”

Ludford, however, emphasizes that there is still undiscovered tourist attractions right at home. “Most students have been to North Dallas, HIghland Park and that area. But the concert is in Richardson - that area of Dallas has the Shops at Legacy, the Allen Outlet mall, and they don’t really know about that part of the world.”

But with the drawbacks of the relocation come some benefits. Zhou talks about her family, who will no longer have to drive for hours on end, 300 miles south, to watch the performance.

“It’s a show that’s much more accessible for friends and family to come watch and support, so they can actually see what you’ve been working on the whole weekend,” Zhou said.

No matter the location, students still have the opportunity to play with talented musicians from all over Texas.

“I always come away from it feeling like I’ve improved in some way,” Zhou said. “Whether that’s the way that I articulate or how I work with other musicians, there’s always a takeaway.”

And though returning veterans who have gone on the trip in the past years may lose some of their fondly-remembered traditions, new ones may form.

“I guess there’s a sense of familiarity,” Kong said.

“You can be proud to say this is your home.”

JENNY ZHU STAFF WRITER

Literature-Bias in Schools

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n 2014, a Goodreads survey of 40,000 adult readers showed that of the 50 most popular books for men, 45 were authored by men, and of the 50 most popular books for women, 45 were authored by women. Data like this proves that women choose to read books written by women and men choose to read books by men.

It is just a fact. But what happens in education when the classrooms are equally balanced between female and male students?

According to the list of recommended reading books for the AP Language and Composition test, only 22 percent of the novels were penned by women. This inherent bias toward books written by men may be due to the fact that more books have been written by men throughout history, but should selection committees be more sensitive to the gender of the students in the classroom?

This phenomenon is magnified in single-sex schools. Following an examination of four single-sex schools in the Dallas area, including the Hockaday School, Ursuline Academy of Dallas, Jesuit College Prepatory School of Dallas and St. Mark’s School of Texas, a gender bias in book selection is evident.

St. Mark’s English department chair Michael Morris does not perceive a gender bias in his book selection but he does “remain attuned to providing the boys with a variety of perspectives important to their character and their sense of expanding spheres of community.”

While Morris does not perceive a bias towards male-authored novels, a careful analysis of the St. Mark’s Upper School reading list shows that only one out of eight books taught are written by women.

The story at Jesuit is similar to that at St. Mark’s. English teacher and football coach Bob Wunderlick has also not noticed any explicit gender bias when selecting books but noted that he “probably [doesn’t] worry so much about some things in a work because [he teaches] all young men.”

However, Wunderlick does not think he “consciously [considers] an allmale audience” when selecting books for the Jesuit curriculum.

Within Jesuit’s 11 English courses, only one out of the 27 books taught is written by a woman.

This book is Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes” and is studied in Pre-AP English I classes.

The lack of female voices in male schools is apparent as only 13 percent of books read at St. Mark’s

are authored by women and only four percent of books read at Jesuit are authored by women.

Do all-girl schools, which are traditionally more sensitive to gender issues, do a better job of providing female voices to their students in their English classrooms?

The importance of gender emerges when exploring the book selection philosophy at Ursuline and Hockaday.

Megan Griffin, the chair of Ursuline’s English department, said, “One is almost always conscious of his or her audience when speaking or writing in this world, and when thinking about this idea in terms of text selection in a literature classroom, teachers are conscious of who their students are.

Our students are high school girls, so knowing this is one part of the decision-making process.”

Griffin’s perspective is reflected in the percentage of female-authored books in the Ursuline curriculum. Out of the 52 books read in Ursuline’s 12 literature courses, 18 are written by women, making up 35 percent of the total books taught.

This data shows that Ursuline students read nearly three times more books penned by women than their counterparts at St. Mark’s.

This same sentiment is mirrored at Hockaday. English department chair Janet Bilhartz said that she “[makes] an effort to include books written by women over the course of the year.” With 44 percent of books authored by women, the effort to incorporate novels by women is clear, especially regarding issues that many educational institutions view solely from the male lens.

In addition, the Diverse Books Club at Hockaday has attempted to highlight this issue of the lack of diversity in the books published and read in the traditional canon. President and junior Audrey Black has attempted to draw attention to lack of books by women as well as other underrepresented minorities.

At a single-sex school such as Hockaday, Black believes that “we should strive to study books that contain varieties of perspectives and characters, which reflect the various identities of our student body. The voices of women, and empowered women particularly, should be even more commonplace in the classroom.”

MARY ORSAK STAFF WRITER

Ideal Valentine’s Dates

BY BRENDA LEE

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

THE FOURCAST

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CULTURE POPS | The Fourcast’s Favorite Restaurants, Movies, Music, TV Shows and More

The Icing on the Cake (Bar)

This is Good PHOTO PROVIDED BY RCA RECORDS

PHOTO BY AMELIA BROWN

This is Acting Sia

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he hypnotic glow from the gold, metallic letters, listing flavors ranging from red velvet to Italian cream, draws me closer to the assortment of the pastries on the other side of the dark blue door. Through the window I can see an unavoidable display of cake-covered countertops. Finally, after I give in to my sweet tooth, I face a new challenge inside the shop: how do I only pick one flavor when they all sound so good?

The Cake Bar at Trinity Groves is a Southern-style pastry shop filled with a variety of homemade cakes, cookies, pound cakes, quick breads and ice creams. Experienced baker and founder Tracy German was inspired to open this dessert hotspot after selling cakes from her house for 14 years. German strives to bake the types of cakes that people used to eat from their own kitchens with sticky fingers from licking the batter off the spatula.

“Making food for people is a very personal thing,” German said on the official Cake Bar website.

“It connects you to every person.”

Growing up in Augusta, Georgia, she watched her mother improvise recipes to concoct a multitude of flavorful sweets.

“She was the best scratch baker I knew,” German said on the official Cake Bar website. “She didn’t need to follow a recipe, and if she did, she changed it to make it her own.”

Also, German encourages customers to submit family recipes so she can recreate them and feature them as cake of the month. With this idea, she wishes to honor old memories, but also to form new ones.

Once you narrow down their large and tempting menu you may be left to choose between a classic chocolate chip cookie, a mysterious slice of hummingbird cake or a full-sized red velvet cake. After the decision is finally made, customers can enjoy the shop’s warm, bakery feel which feels almost as if you had just walked into the heart of your grandma’s kitchen after she has baked a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. You can tell that everything comes straight from the kitchen in the back of the shop and that each slice is cut from the dozens of cakes displayed on the countertops.

There is usually a small mid-afternoon crowd, which gives you the perfect amount of time in line to debate which flavor to choose. But post-dinner the shop gets a little overcrowded, making it difficult to find indoor seating.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with dozens of voices trapped in this small space, customers sometimes struggle to enjoy their cake in this buzzing atmosphere.

When all the tables inside are occupied, the patio, which overlooks the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge along with the rest of Downtown Dallas, is a good spot

Hail, Caesar? Fail, Caesar!

Hail, Caesar!

The Coen Brothers

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he story-within-a-story subgenre is tricky to pull off, but can be enormously rewarding and refreshing when done right. But unfortunately, the Coen brothers’ new film, “Hail, Caesar!” barely fits the bill.

“Hail, Caesar!” follows studio “fixer” Ed Mannix (Josh Brolin) managing the scenes of Capitol Pictures in post-World War II Hollywood. When well-intentioned-but-airheaded actor Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), the star of Hail, Caesar (the film within the film), goes missing, it’s up to Mannix to find Whitlock and save the day.

While it’s a signature Coen brothers style to develop the plot loosely, their trademark falls flat here. What could have been a clean, sharp movie was instead bogged down by numerous subplots, and in fact, the whole movie

seemed like an amalgam of smaller bits and pieces, rather than an interconnected whole.

And it’s rather unfortunate, too—phenomenal actors like Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes stud the bill, but what’s the point of casting them if they aren’t given enough material to exercise their acting chops?

This problem of continuity remained throughout the film, and quite frankly, made the “plot”—if you could even call it that—quite hard to follow. In the interest of full disclosure, I will say this: I fell asleep halfway through the movie—only for 10 minutes! Granted, this may have been due to the movie starting at 9:45 p.m. (well past my bedtime), but I believe that it was due to the overwhelming lack of organization and cohesiveness. Instead of following a film of sharp dialogue and fast paced

to sit and enjoy your pastries and the view.

Servings are generous. Each slice of cake is put into a clear container, making it easy for those who want a cake to-go. However, it would be nice if the shop offered pastries on dining plates for those who wish to enjoy their sweets in the shop, rather than just in the plastic to-go boxes.

The menu includes many traditional flavors such as red velvet cakes and chocolate chip cookies along with a variety of unique flavors such as piña colada cakes, toffee pecan cookies and maple bacon pound cakes. Each slice is moist, fluffy and crafted with a balanced icing-to-cake ratio.

Although I usually feel like I need a glass of milk to wash down any rich, chocolate dessert, the Cake Bar’s German chocolate cake is not too rich nor too sweet and could stand on its own. Another less traditional option to try is a slice of their hummingbird cake, a mix of pineapple, banana, toasted pecans and cinnamon, iced with cream cheese frosting. Although it seems like an unusual combination of ingredients, they all work together to enhance each other and

the result is a cake that tastes like homemade banana bread, sweetened with several layers of frosting.

But if you are looking for something less sweet and rich, you will also find zucchini, sweet potato and pumpkin quick breads on the menu. To compliment their pastries, the dessert bar also offers traditional ice cream flavors such as vanilla, chocolate and butter pecan.

Before you fill yourself to the brim with whatever pastry you select, you can’t forget to pose for a picture with your dessert of choice in front of the iconic, flashy Cake Bar sign.

The variety and creativity on their menu will certainly accommodate any sweet craving.

scenes, I basically paid $10 to fall asleep in a dim, warm theater.

Perhaps the larger narrative was a bit messy, but the more minute details of Caesar truly indicate the well attributed talent of the Coens. Whimsical storytelling is a main component of the film and creates genuinely interesting subplots, like DeeAnna Moran’s (Scarlett Johansson) accidental pregnancy, Hobie Doyle’s (Alden Ehrenreich) foray from the western countryside to the silver screen and Burt Gurney’s (Channing Tatum) flirtation with “The Future”—see the movie, and you’ll find out for yourself.

Additionally, what would a movie about Hollywood be without the color and pizzazz of its real life counterpart? The Coens spare no details of ornamental and exquisite particulars; for example, richly colored silk dresses, lavishly built movie sets within the film and synchronized swimmers all work together to create a visually appealing motion picture.

Furthermore, it’s undeniable that the superstar bill of actors paid off—from leading roles to bit pieces, every part was acted to its

fullest, creating the most believable characters in the most unbelievable situations. Clooney is a startling facsimile for the daffy Whitlock, and even relative newcomer Ehrenreich’s performance was outstanding, unabashedly sweet and genuine.

And though not billed as a comedic movie, Caesar is sharply and subtly funny, gaining laughs consistently throughout the movie. Most notable is a scene in which Mannix calls in a variety of religious figures (from a priest to a rabbi) to discuss if a “reasonable American” will find the religious tones of the Hail, Caesar film offensive. The ensuing talk of God and His existence is a far cry from derivative and boring.

While “Hail, Caesar!” might take the slow route—and not without a few storyline U-turns and roundabouts—to get to its (quite) whimsical destination, the visual composition and the dry wit of the film could potentially make up for the sluggish journey.

AMELIA BROWN STAFF WRITER

$$ 3011 Gulden Ln #117 Closed Monday Tuesday–Thursday 11:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

Friday–Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

SUNILA STEEPHEN BUSINESS MANAGER

Sia set the bar high last year with her hit “Chandelier.” A top-10 single, it peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and dominated the airwaves in late 2014 to early 2015.

So you’ve probably heard of Sia – but you may not know that Sia was initially known for her songwriting rather than her singing.

Although she had released songs prior to “Chandelier,” it wasn’t until last year that she established herself as a singer as well as a songwriter. Her powerful lyricism and her unique vocals are both showcased in her latest album, “This is Acting,” released on Jan. 29.

In an interview with New Musical Express, Sia revealed that she called the album “This is Acting” because “they are songs I was writing for other people… I didn’t go in thinking ‘this is something I would say.’ It’s more like play-acting.”

But that’s not to say that the music is not genuine. With her instantly recognizable voice, Sia adds her own unique twist to the album. Just as her previous album “1,000 Forms of Fear” focused on Sia’s struggles with alcoholism and bipolar disorder, there is an obvious theme with “This is Acting.” That theme – liberation from fear and insecurity – resounds in each and every song.

The first two songs on the album, “Bird Set Free” and “Alive,” were supposed to be for Adele. It’s a fact made obvious from the first listen; the opening piano notes in “Bird Set Free” sound eerily similar to Adele’s hit “Someone Like You,” and the steady background tempo in “Alive” parallels “Rolling in the Deep.” Nonetheless, Sia makes the songs her own with her raspy timbre and strangely appealing voice cracks. Along with the songs “Unstoppable,” “Cheap Thrills,” “Reaper” and “Fist Fighting a Sandstorm,” the theme of confidence rings loud and clear. In “Unstoppable,” Sia describes herself as “a Porsche with no brakes,” and in “Reaper,” she sings to Death, “no baby, not today.”

The album mainly deals with Sia regaining confidence, but those who enjoyed her previous tracks about depression and harmful love will still find something to enjoy. The songs “House on Fire,” “Broken Glass” and “Space Between” are more similar to the songs on “1,000 Forms of Fear” and speak of breakdowns due to toxic relationships.

Although some songs tell depressing stories of unhealthy relationships, listeners will be uplifted by the tracks “One Million Bullets,” “Footprints” and “Summer Rain,” all of which are significant departures from Sia’s usual tunes about abuse. Sia sings about separating herself from toxicity and finding herself through healthier love. Her vocal fry – that trademark croakiness of her voice – comes through strongly on “One Million Bullets,” but not annoyingly so. It’s the only song on the album that was not written for another artist.

“Move Your Body” and “Sweet Design,” on the other hand, were clearly written for different singers (Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, respectively). Their fast-paced tempos and Latin dance rhythms contrast sharply with the rest of the album, making them seem out of place. It’s perhaps my only criticism for “This is Acting,” as the rest of the songs tie in nicely together to form a cohesive work of art.

Sia’s strong delivery and powerful lyrics provide listeners with a triumphant experience – as I listened to Sia describe herself overcoming insecurity and finding freedom, I felt liberated as well. If you enjoy intense vocals and well-written songs, “This is Acting” is definitely for you.

The album is available on iTunes for $9.99.

AMANDA KIM STAFF WRITER

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

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Why early morning workouts are good p20

Winter Formal season reveals drop in food p20

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

Students travel to Florida for horse show p19

Women’s Hockey league takes off p20

Track and Field Athletes Swing into Pole Vaulting Athletes learn new skills in hopes of competing in the SPC competition in late April PHOTO PROVIDED BY DR. JEN FORE

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FourScore

A look into the numbers that define athletics.

80

The number of points that the varsity basketball team scored in its game against Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth. on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

12 p.m., March 7, 2005 Dr. Jen Fore shares a photo of herself pole vaulting while a student at Wright State University in Ohio.

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BY CLAIRE FLETCHER

ith the addition of Upper School science teacher Dr. Jen Fore, Hockaday athletes are learning how to swing themselves over nine feet in the air in order to compete in the pole vaulting event.

“When they interview you for positions at private schools, they ask you if you are interested in doing outside things. I started researching the track team and how they have done in the past at SPC. I noticed that there were no pole vaulters,” Fore said.

Fore started pole vaulting her sophomore year of high school and competed at the collegiate level for Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

“One of the reasons for my interest was because the guys were doing it.

You get one a stick and fling yourself in the air, looked like fun and right up my alley,” Fore said.

According to Upper School Track and Field Coach Laboris Bean, students would have to travel to Lovejoy High School in order to practice. Since Fore joined the athletic department, she and Bean started working on the team in the fall and scheduled small training sessions for students to learn the basics of pole vaulting before the start of the spring season.

“It is more of a training session because it is a blackout period for track right now. So I can only train two girls per session,” Fore said. “I am trying to hold two sessions per week to give the basics because pole vaulting is a highly technical sport which takes years to practice.”

Senior Allie Charlton, who previously competed in the hurdles and discus, has attended a couple of these sessions with Fore and plans on competing in the pole vaulting event for upcoming track and field season.

“We practice in the long jump pit. We run with the pole and plant in the sand to practice the jumping motion, but we can not actually practice going over the bar yet,” Charleton said. “Even though I haven’t done any real pole vaulting yet or competitions, I like challenging myself.”

Pole vaulting incorporates a lot of moving parts that contribute to the high level of technicality. Fore separates pole vaulting into five parts: the run, the plant, the drive, the swing and the fly away, all of which involve trusting a narrow pole to support the runner’s weight.

“One of the most important things is that a lot of the girls have fear about taking off. You have to teach them that the pole vaulting mat will catch them,” Bean said. “Getting the girls over their fear is probably the biggest challenge.”

Charlton has experienced the difficulty of completing various specific movements while launching herself into the air. The force from the plant throws the runner into the air, where she then has to complete a series of specific motions.

“It’s a lot of physics, so you plant the pole and suddenly you are being propelled forward. Getting used to that feeling and completing all the elements in the air is difficult,” Charleton said. “I’m not scared about jumping through the air, but I’m worried that I won’t be able to somersault or flip in the air over the bar.”

The problem with holding these training sessions, however, is the lack of a pole vaulting facility at Hockaday. Right now, students are meeting with Fore on the Hockaday track to perfect the basics, but practice sessions will move to another location when the season starts.

“It has been a problem. We may end up practicing at St. Mark’s three times a week,” Bean said.

Additionally, the girls may take advantage of the pole vaulting facilities at Jesuit Preparatory School, which is right down the road from Hockaday.

Fore has been working with Upper School science teacher Leon de Oliveira, who specializes in physics, on developing a plan to construct a pole vaulting facility at Hockaday. De Oliveria has also constructed several pieces of equipment, like plant boxes, to help students practice.

“I have researched some designs and figured out different ways that we could go about it. I’ve gone and looked at a couple of schools like Greenhill,” de Oliveira said. “Some of the pit designs that I have seen use old tires as a base to level the ground and the pit is put on top of that. I was looking at using old palettes to support the base as a fairly economical option.”

The National Collegiate Athletics Association does not have any formal requirements for the construction of pole vaulting pits – the only guidelines to the padding and the landing You have to teach them pertain bed. Without any formal model to follow, de Oliveira has looked into a vathat the pole vaulting riety of options that do not require reconstruction of the entire track facility. mat will catch them.

Despite not having a facility for this season, the addition of a pole Getting the girls over vaulting team will not only bring a new the fear is probably the sporting event to Hockaday, but help aid the track and field team during the biggest challenge.

SPC tournament. In the past, the Hockaday team has not been able to accuLaboris Bean mulate points for pole vaulting, which Assistant Athletic Director help contribute to the final total.

Head Track and Field Coach Charlton attests to the fact, noting that fact that very few schools have female pole vaulters. Bean agrees.

“It’s like swimming and diving for Hockaday. [Diving] is a really big contributor to their points for SPC. In track, not having pole vaulting takes away points,” Bean said. “A large [number] of schools, like Greenhill, get a lot of points from pole vaulting, so we have to make up for those points in other events. This should equal out the playing field.”

‘‘

The time that it took junior Carolina Campbell to swim the 500 freestyle at the Greenhill Invitational at St. Mark’s on Thursday, Jan. 21.

7

The number of knee guards that the varsity basketball team has used over the course of the winter season.

7-0

The final score for the game that varsity soccer won against Oakridge School on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

THE FOURCAST

19

Students Compete at Winter Equestrian Riding Festival

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faults, hunters are judged based on aesthetic and position. Shore competed as a hunter in the child’s division.

Fletcher, who has been riding for 12 years, placed in the top third out of 110 competitors, while Stewart, who has been riding for 10 years, did not place as she got injured the first day. Shore, who has ridden for six years, placed third in the flat and eighth in jumping twice.

As riders generally do not need to qualify to compete, making WEF open to all riders who can make the trip to Florida, competitors range from “past Olympic riders to young pony kids,” Stewart said.

Stewart said she has always wanted to go since she started getting seriously into riding at age ten. “The people that you get to see when you’re there, it’s just amazing.

You get to see so many professionals that you hear about, and you look up to.”

Top-placers in WEF can win points or cash. Riders win points each week if they place in the top eight, with competitors winning more when placing higher. However, Fletcher, Stewart and Shore were not there solely for the prizes but rather mainly for the experience.

“This is where all the riders in the Olympics and in the World Cup come to compete,” Fletcher said. “It’s a really cool experience because I could be warming up to go in the ring, and right next to me will be someone who competed in the Olympics before or is really, really famous.”

Stewart mentions that watching others in general, regardless of their level, is beneficial.

“They don’t necessarily have to be people that are better than you.

Riders always make mistakes, so you can look at other people’s mistakes and learn from them,” Stewart said. “It’s fun to watch the flawless professional people, but it’s also good to watch the amateurs and the juniors.”

Shore has also learned much from WEF, including how to ride

11:30 a.m. Jan. 22 Senior Claire Fletcher competes with her horse Diego at the Winter Riding Equestrian Festival.

CATHERINE JIANG WEB EDITOR

Apr. 15 Varsity track and field to SPC North Zone at Greenhill.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 15 SATURDAY, APRIL 16

Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin.

SATURDAY, MARCH 12

Varsity swimming and diving at Greenhill at 6 p.m.

home from school to visit.

“Maybe later I might be able to bring one of my horses up, and I could ride during the week.”

While she will not be doing it as intensively, “it’s something [she’ll] probably continue doing for the rest of my life.”

Stewart agrees, as she does not think that she will ever be professional, but she hopes to always have riding in her life.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let it go,” Stewart said. “Even if I take a break for a little bit, I think I’ll always find my way back.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 31 SATURDAY, APRIL 2 Varsity track and field to 88th Mar.

Varsity track and field to 20th Mar. 12 Annual Volunteer Relays at Bowie High School in Arlington.

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SATURDAY, MARCH 5

Varsity track and field to Lovejoy Invitational in Lovejoy,

JV and V basketball vs.

Greenhill at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.

you compete at another school, you must swap horses with that hosting school, and you only get four jumps on a horse that you have never ridden before youmust compete.

While Fletcher does not find the “catch-ride system” appealing, Stewart finds it exciting.

“It’s really testing your ability as a rider to be able to adjust your ride to fit a horse,” Stewart said.

Stewart has committed to riding at the Savannah College of Art and Design, which has one of the top college equestrian programs in the country.

While Fletcher will not be riding for a college team, she hopes to keep riding when she returns

SAT. & SUN, MARCH 5- 6 Mar.

Mar. 2

Mar. 5

her horse regardless of its mood.

“Normally [my horse is] pretty chill, but after an extreme change in weather, horses tend to get riled up,” Shore said. “She was so pumped to be out of her stall that she ran down a line in five strides that was supposed to be six. Eventually we got her calmed down before we competed.”

Looking forward, Shore will continue riding and try to reach higher at competitions like WEF. However, Fletcher will not be riding on a college team, as she points out that college riding is very different from what she does now. According to Fletcher, college riding has a “catch-ride system,” which means that when

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2

Feb. 29 Varsity tennis away vs.

Greenhill at 2:30 p.m.

MONDAY, FEB. 29

SATURDAY, FEB. 27

JV and V track and field to Greenhill Relays at Greenhill.

Feb. 27

home at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Stewart chose to follow this schedule -of missing school and its many burdens -- for two additional weeks, all to pursue her passion of horseback riding, for a chance to compete at the annual Winter Equestrian Festival.

“Flying back and forth was definitely straining,” Stewart said.

“I got a little sick the second week, and I’m pretty sure it came from being in such an enclosed area for hours every weekend, but I knew it was worth it because balancing riding and school is something that I think is really important.”

But Stewart is not alone. Senior Claire Fletcher and freshman Emma Shore also competed at WEF. Fletcher followed a similar schedule, flying to Palm Beach on Thursday, Jan. 21, missing school the next day and flying back Sunday night. She chose to miss a whole week of school between the second and third weekend by staying in Florida.

Balancing both schoolwork and the competition can be difficult, but for Fletcher, who has had plenty of experience, it is not too stressful.

“I’ve been traveling back and forth from horse shows like this since the fifth grade, when I went to Arizona for two weeks,” Fletcher said. “I just have to be really on top of my schoolwork. I do it in between riding my horses.”

Because it is within the international circuit, WEF has competitors coming from all over the world, from South America to Europe. Although the entire competition lasts for 12 weeks from Jan. 13 to April 3, riders are allowed to choose which weeks they want to attend.

Both Fletcher and Stewart competed as jumpers in the amateur division, in which competitors jump over obstacles ranging in height from 1.20 meters to 1.40 meters.

While jumpers are judged based on time and number of

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CLAIRE FLETCHER

fter packing up her last few items, senior Anastasia Stewart left for Palm Beach, Florida at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7. She missed school the next day and spent the entire weekend there, finally returning

SATURDAY, APRIL 16

Lake in Austin.

at St. Mark’s.

Apr. Varsity crew to Texas Rowing 16 Championships at Lady Bird

SATURDAY, MARCH 19

Mar. J Varsity track and field to 19 Bradley V. Urschel Invitational

FRIDAY, MARCH 11

Mar. Varsity softball vs. ESD at 11 home at 4:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5

Mar. Varsity softball vs. Casady 5 away at 4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 4

Varsity tennis at Holland Hall at 4:30 p.m.

Mar. 4

4:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 1

Mar. Varsity softball at Canyon Creek Christian Academy at 1

MONDAY, FEB. 29

Varsity golf to Jesuit Dallas Invitational at Brookhaven at 8:30 a.m.

Feb. 29

Feb. 25

Varsity tennis vs. ESD at 4:30 p.m.

THURSAY, FEB. 25

FOURWARD

20

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

s&w

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

History Begins with the NWHL PHOTO PROVIDED BY SARA MELIKIAN-CREATIVE COMMONS

7 p.m. Jan. 16 Women’s Hockey player Hilary Knight joins teammates on the ice during a game

T

hough freshman Chaucer Langbert always planned to cut off her ice hockey career in college, she now has a chance, if she so chooses, to pursue the sport she loves to a professional level.

In October 2015, former Northeastern University hockey star Dani Rylan, alongside Hockey Hall of Famer Angela Ruggiero, founded the National Women’s Hockey League.

Women have been playing hockey competitively for decades; the man who gave his name to the National Hockey League’s championship trophy, Lord Stanley of Preston, encouraged his daughter Isobel to play back in the early 20th century. Now, Isobel will donate her name just like her father has: the NWHL will compete in March during its first-ever playoffs for the Isobel Cup. While there have been women’s major leagues (most notably the Canadian Women’s Hockey League) in the past, the NWHL is making history by being the first-ever women’s league to pay their players a salary.

Although Rylan originally intended on working with the CWHL to expand further into America (currently all but one of their teams are based in Canada), she ended up beginning a brand-new league, much in the style of Internet start-up businesses.

She started with a dream: what she has now is a job as commissioner of a League inspiring young girls all over America to continue playing hockey at a new level in a novel way.

Though Langbert’s career goals may be off the ice (she hopes to

become a neurologist one day), her teammates and other girls playing hockey can now seriously think about continuing the sport for a living.

NWHL Director of Communications Savanna Arral says that was a huge goal since the League was first envisioned.

“They have heroes now who look like them and who act like them and do the same things as them,” Arral said, adding that the League will show young female hockey players that they “can reach that pinnacle in their career.”

Langbert, inspired by her father’s love for hockey, started playing four years ago and currently plays on the Dallas Stars 16U Girls Elite team.

“There are lots of [college] scouts looking,” Langbert said. “It’s a great game and most girls are looking for D1 colleges they can play hockey at.”

Director of Athletics Tina Slinker, who coached several basketball players to post-college professional careers, commends the reach that professional sports leagues have for young girls. “[Women’s professional leagues] open their minds to the possibilities for women,” Slinker said. “Just being who you want to be to the highest level, whatever that is.”

While Langbert is happy just playing on her elite team, she’s looked for footage of NWHL games and players to help her hone her game. It can be difficult to find videos on YouTube of these players, but Arral confirms they’re working on expanding their reach.

“We partner with some kind of organization or charity or foundation for every single game we have,” Arral said. “[We] do a lot of cross-promotion and give each other mutual exposure.”

Apart from charitable partnerships, however, the NWHL also has corporate partners. Dunkin’ Donuts is an official sponsor. Another is the NHL, which Langbert points out is a league easier to access in sports markets with less emphasis on hockey like Dallas.

The NWHL participated in the yearly NHL outdoor game, the Winter Classic. This year, the NWHL and the CWHL mirrored the showdown between two NHL rivals, the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens, with the NWHL’s Boston Pride playing against the CWHL’s Montreal Canadiens.

Though the shortened game ended in a tie, Arral thought that the amount of exposure the League achieved and the awareness that the game developed for women’s hockey is invaluable.

“If we could just get a couple of these mass platform opportunities every single year, that just boosts our exposure so much more,” Arral said. “The NHL was really incredible in giving us that opportunity to play hockey on that kind of stage.”

For the NWHL, that stage will continue through the end of their inaugural season. They had their first All-Star Game over the weekend of Jan. 22 to 24, anticipate a highly competitive playoffs season in March and are working on the NWHL Awards for this summer, inspired by the offseason yearly NHL Awards.

As the NWHL moves forward, their slogan – History Begins – becomes truer every day. This league goes beyond inspiring girls to lace up their skates: it inspires them to aim higher and achieve their greatest potential.

Winter Formal Shows Drop in Food Intake, Rise in Exercise Winter Formal season consists of shopping, creative “ask” ideas and fake tans. It is a time of excitement and celebration, but for many it can also be a time of stress and unhealthy dieting.

According to Food Services Manager Tori Reynolds, food consumption during the weeks leading up to Winter Formal drops as much as 15 percent.

“We hope that everybody is eating, [and] we try to offer as many healthy options as we can to help,” Reynolds said.

However, many parents contact Reynolds before big events such as Winter Formal and ask her to put their daughters on 500 calorie diets – something that is extremely dangerous for any growing teenager.

According to Reynolds, Upper School students should be eating no less than 1,000 calories a day, especially if they are physically active. In terms of dieting, Reynolds recommends focusing on incorporating lean proteins and vegetables.

Beginning in February, the cafeteria serves less main food courses and instead includes more vegetables and salad bar options.

The drop in food consumption happens during lunchtime as well as during dinnertime for boarders.

“It seems like when it starts to get warmer, everyone wants to eat healthy all of a sudden,” Reynolds stated. Hockaday boarding has been packed with unhealthy snacks throughout the year until February, when students choose to start eating healthier.

According to eighth grade volleyball coach Jenny Francuski, who works at the Wellness Center, more students are beginning to workout as well.

“I don’t think it’s busier in [the Wellness Center], but we do see a wider variety of people during this time,” Francuski said.

According to Francuski, many students who come in to workout right before Winter Formal or Spring Break are not seen again until another dance or event comes up.

In order to see results, however, Francuski recommends that students begin working out at least one month prior.

“Start a little sooner, and it’ll be a much healthier expectation for your body and for whatever goal you are setting,” she said.

Seniors Darla Montelongo, Nicole Calonne and Nathalie Naor have taken great strides to tone their bodies before Winter Formal, but do so in a healthy manner.

“We decided to start working out at least one month before Winter Formal to get really fit and toned, but now that we’ve been doing it for three weeks, we’ve noticed that it’s not just for Winter Formal or Spring Break,” Calonne said. “Now we want to incorporate working out into our lifestyle in order to be healthy.”

The group usually does cardio for at least 15 minutes, followed by weight training. Occasionally, in order to keep things fun, they even have kickboxing classes with coach Kathy Fechtman.

The seniors have chosen not to go on diets, but Naor believes that working out has caused her to be more careful about her food choices.

“Everytime I eat something, I always think about how many workouts it’ll take to burn the food off. But even then, I still treat myself to dessert every once in awhile,” Naor said.

For any students who have questions about becoming healthy and toned individuals, contact either Tori Reynolds or Jenny Francuski for more information.

MANISHA RATAKONDA SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

MARIA KATSULOS COPY EDITOR

GRAPHIC BY MANISHA RATAKONDA

WINTER FORMAL SERVING SIZE A tray of food with recommended serving sizes, in comparison to a tray of food containing 15% less than the recommended serving sizes.

Manisha’s Mind Social Media Director Manisha Ratakonda writes her opinion on various sports issues, both globally and at Hockaday.

Whoever coined the term “Good Morning” must have been cracking a joke, because the phrase itself is an oxymoron. Hell to me is just an infinite morning filled with the never-ending sound of my marimba alarm, the incessant taste of mint toothpaste and cold tile floors.

It is my belief, however, that “morning people” are made, not born. And as an athlete, I haven’t had much of a choice but to become a “morning person.” During crew and swimming seasons, I am required to attend morning practices that are held at the crack of dawn. I struggle to lift a two-pound blanket when I wake up, so the thought of having to physically exert myself at daybreak is painful and somewhat ludicrous. But once I’ve had enough coffee, mornings don’t seem so bad after all.

Early mornings are different while still dark outside. During fall and spring morning rows, the water is reminiscent of glass, and when the sun rises, the sky looks like strawberries and cream.

Meanwhile, during the winter season, morning swims involve plunging into cold water (which hopefully makes up for the fact that I never actually completed my ALS ice bucket challenge.). When it’s 40 degrees outside, swimming sounds extremely unpleasant, but morning swims wake you up better than any cup of coffee.

Even though it may involve you getting an hour less of sleep, nothing makes you feel more accomplished than starting your day off with a workout (And sometimes as a reward, the cafeteria serves pancakes for breakfast. They are quite dank.).

Now, I’m not saying that I’d like to wake up at the first blush everyday. I mean, sleeping is, after all, one of my top 10 hobbies. But waking up early every once in a while to exercise can be a refreshing experience. So to all my fellow non-morning people, I ask you to give mornings a chance.

p

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

2

Currently

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

THE FOURCAST

21

/perspectives Y

A debate on pancakes versus waffles p22

A response to Donald Trump p23

Why you should vote, even in Texas p23

A perspective from an introvert p22

e

A Feminist in “Disguise”

Senior Katherine Clement

when 22 percent of women worked and many women only worked until they got married. She has been a Presidential Candidate since 1992, running as an Independent, before any female candidate made it onto the ballot. She became a TV news reporter in 1985, when only 13 percent of reporters were women.

Barbie was an astronaut in 1965, 18 years before Sally Ride went into orbit. She was a Fortune 500 CEO in 1963, nine years before Katharine Graham became the first female CEO of the Washington Post in 1972.

She became a surgeon in 1973, when only seven percent of surgeons were female and nine percent of doctors were women. She has served in all major branches of the Armed Forces.

In 1989, she was an officer in Operation Desert Storm, when women made up 13 percent of the Army and nine percent of

its officers. She achieved her highest military rank as Sergeant in the Marine Corps in 1992, commanding a squadron of eight soldiers, when women made up seven percent of the total Corps. Barbie became an engineer in 1996, noting the gender gap in the field, when women only constituted nine percent of it.

Barbie is accomplished, despite her appearance. Society believes that few women who look like Barbie cannot be intelligent, showing a focus on physical characteristics over intellect. These changes cause people to focus on Barbie’s appearance rather than Barbie’s abilities that are within each of us. The power of Barbie was always in the imagination of young girls who used her to envision their futures in space, the operating room, the Oval Office or even in Malibu.

Barbie has come a long

way since she debuted in 1959 as a “teenage fashion model.” However, with the diversification of Barbie’s appearance, I fear that more emphasis will be placed on young girls and their mothers finding Barbies that match their daughters’ physical traits rather than letting them imagine their potential through their Barbies. Regardless of her non-normative appearance, Barbie is a trailblazer for what women can achieve.

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID

It’s your job not to let them troll you!

Look at this sesame seed!! it’s coming for me!!!

Upper School history teacher Lucio Benedetto in reference to boys.

Pipette it up!

Junior Ellie Pfeiffer’s during advisory about her fear of sesame seed bagels (she’s allergic to them).

What is your favorite day of the week?

Joy Nesbitt: Saturdays because they’re lit.

Dr. Croft: Lit...like literature?

Biology teacher Stefan Rinaldi in reference to the electrophoresis lab.

Dr. Croft:

Junior Joy Nesbitt in response to an ice breaker question when new biology teacher Stefan Rinaldi visited biology teacher Dr. Katie Croft’s class.

LAST TIME I CHECKED, YOU CAN’T DATE YOUR PS4.

Junior Neha Kapoor in relation to a friend’s ex-boyfriend.

Kate: I woke

up in a new Bugatti.

Kate’s Mother: Is that a numeric system?

Junior Kate Jones singing the lyrics to “Bugatti.”

All the cool kids are writing hendecasyllabic instead of dodecasyllabic poetry these days.

Upper School Spanish teacher Luis Gallegos referring to new styles of poetry in Renaissance Spain.

Editor’s Corner Editor-in-Chief Erin Thomas answers the troubling questions of Upper School students.

Q: How do I become a better writer?

- Sophomore Paloma Renteria

PHOTO BY KATIE O’MEARA

There has been much controversy around the deeper meaning of toys in recent years.

From the rise of engineering toys specifically for girls, like GoldieBlox, to accusations of gender stereotyping with certain toys, like the association of girls with princesses and boys with superheroes, it seems fitting that America’s most iconic doll has finally been pressured into changing.

Mattel has responded to the continual complaints from the public (and rarely the girls actually playing with them) by unveiling more diverse body types for Barbie, splitting her figure into Curvy, Petite, Tall and Original and expanding to seven different skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles as part of the 2016 Barbie Collection.

I am not against the diversification of Barbie. In fact, I applaud Mattel for representing more of America’s women. However, in the process of feminists protesting for the diversification of Barbie, they have reduced her to the exact thing women have been fighting against: a woman who is defined by her body, not her intelligence, career or character.

It is grossly oversimplifying to believe Barbie is just high heels and blonde hair.

Barbie was created in 1959

A: I’m no English teacher, but I’ve written a fair number of essays in my day. That’s not to say I’ve done well on all of them...but I’ve learned from my experiences all the same.

Perhaps the most obvious way to become a better writer is to write more. I’m not saying you need to write an in-depth, 10-page analysis of every single book you read, but it wouldn’t hurt to search some prompts on the Internet. Not only will these help boost your creativity and imagination, but you will get the practice you need to develop more writing skills.

The second most obvious way to become a better writer is to read more.

If you read more books, your handy-dandy brain will catch on to new words and ways to structure sentences.

Before you know it, you will be incorporating everything you have learned into your genuine writing style.

It’s also important to (excuse my pun) get the editor off your shoulder. In all of my 17 years of living, I have realized that my greatest pieces of writing are often the ones where I just sit down and write. Don’t worry about awkward transitions, misplaced commas or cliche conclusions. You’re never going to fall in love with what you write until you fall in love with the very idea of writing it. After that, the writing part is easy.

STAFF STANCE | An Outdated Stigma

UPPER CLASSMEN

45.7 percent

12.6 percent

4.3 percent NOT GOING

UNSURE IF GOING STAG

16.7 percent

GOING STAG

TAKING A DATE

33.3 percent

14.3 percent

4.9 percent

68.2 percent

FRESHMEN

GRAPHIC BY MANISHA RATAKONDA

Fine Arts Department Chair Ed Long ritually tells a story to his History of Art and Music classes about a past student who took not one, not two, but THREE dates to Winter Formal. Unlike this girl, most of us will most likely not take three different people and change into three different dresses throughout the course of the night, but will instead struggle in deciding whether or not to take a date at all.

Dibs on dates start manifesting with the theme reveal video. Possibly even earlier.

The most difficult decisions to make during this time of year are not which dress to wear for Winter Formal or where to go for pictures, but whether to take a date or not.

At least for some, an unsaid judgement seems to exist surrounding the idea of going alone.

Beliefs surrounding whether a stigma exists in going stag is pretty split. Approximately 48 percent of

upperclassmen surveyed believe that there is a stigma around going alone, 44 percent believe that there is not and the rest are not sure. Regardless, it should not be embarrassing or looked upon any less to go by yourself. It’s truly the experience that matters.

To give you a better picture: about 90 percent of the freshmen will be attending Winter Formal and 68.2 percent of them indicated that they will be going with a date.

On the other hand, for upperclassmen, 45.7 percent plan on going stag, 33.3 percent with a date and the rest are unsure.

So in reality, no matter what you choose to do, you are not alone.

Upper School students answered in a variety of ways when asked why they decided to take a date or not.

Many students feel an obligation to take their homecoming date or believe that it’s simply the norm to take a date or significant other.

At the same time, some believe that enough students attend without a date that there is no longer a stigma. Others noted that they took a date one year and decided to go alone another.

Regardless of the fact that you take a date or decide to go alone, this is our dance. This is our chance to have fun. And if having a good time means going with a group of friends, by yourself, or with a date, why not go for it? What matters is the experience of the dance and enjoying it.

Imagine that Winter Formal came before Homecoming. If we asked a date to our dance, would we expect an ask in return for the Homecoming dance?

Do what makes you happy. And if happy means going stag or with a date, go for it. No matter what you choose, don’t let some stigma or fear of judgment tell you otherwise.

22

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

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HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

STAFF STANDOFF | Waffles or Pancakes?

WE LOVE IT, WE LOVE IT NOT

WINTER BREAK starts tomorrow!

WINTER FORMAL is next week!

Award season: Watch the Oscars on Feb. 28.

A waffle is like a little surprise; it is a mountain range of crunchy batter with a new treat hidden in each valley. Waffles are made with pancake batter, but with a little something special. They have an extra layer of grooves which packs in a tasteful crunch. A pancake, on the other hand, is exactly what you expect it to be – a little flat cake made in a pan. No surprises.

Originally developed in Belgium during the early MIddle Ages, waffles are a European delicacy that have survived the test of time.

Great food never grows old, and such is true of waffles.

These sweet breakfast creations have a grid of infinite bowls that hold your toppings of choice. Jams and syrups and anything you want rest perfectly in these tiny ideal cups. Often, a pancake absorbs the topping and becomes a soggy, saturated mess. However, the waffle remains crunchy and firm.

From my kitchen, I can guarantee you that waffles are far more fun to make than a simple pancake. While you can flip a pancake, the room for error is huge. You can flip the pancake too high and get it stuck on the ceiling or flip it a little too far to the right or left and land it on the floor. The process to make a waffle is almost impossible to ruin.

You pour a little batter and then you shut the waffle iron. And slowly, the magic happens. Little puffs of batter rise out of the edges of the iron. That is what I call perfection.

A lovely light on the waffle iron flashes once the batter has been perfectly cooked. This eliminates the mystery out of an evenly cooked breakfast. No need to stress about repeatedly checking your waffle. And if you do choose to indulge in two waffles, you are promised that they will be cooked the exact same. Unlike waffles, pancakes in a short stack rarely match in size, thickness or otherwise. Waffles have a standard – a very high standard I might add.

Waffles can be made into hundreds of different shapes and can be packed with chocolate chips, fruit or whatever else you can chop up into small pieces. Bacon, anyone? Talk about a win-win in both the sweet and savory department. They are also a completely acceptable lunch or dinner time food. In fact, “chicken and waffles” is considered a Southern classic, but many question whether the combination dates back to the 1800s or simply the 1920s. Regardless, a sweet waffle with a little chicken on the side is hard to beat.

Even though “to waffle” means “failing to make up one’s mind,” there is actually nothing to make your mind up about waffles. So next time you see waffles pop up on the menu during your next breakfast outing, you will know what to do.

Vs

AUSTRIA ARNOLD CASTOFF EDITOR

Steaming hot, golden, tall and stacked…I know what you’re thinking. Pancakes.

To start off, it’s really not socially acceptable to eat more than one waffle. Pancakes, on the other hand, are made to be stacked.

Don’t get me wrong, I love blueberries, whipped cream and chocolate chips, but why have those when you can instead just have two extra pancakes?

Pancakes’ smooth, flat surfaces allow for an even distribution of butter and syrup, while the holes in waffles are little minefields of syrup pools. Too syrupy, too sweet and they fill up way too fast.

The only thing worse than congealed syrup pools? Clumps of butter.

Spreading butter on waffles can often be likened to driving through the new and improved Hockaday parking lot. Not to mention, the bendy nature of pancakes allows them to wrap foods, like sausages, which has resulted in the infamous invention of pigs in pancake blankets. I mean, c’mon, how do you beat that?

What place do you associate waffles with? Belgium. What place do you associate pancakes with? Everywhere in the entire world.

Buttermilk pancakes from America, crepes from France, scallion pancakes from China, Dutch babies from the Netherlands and Uttapams from India. The list goes on and on; therefore, pancakes are found and widely loved everywhere you go.

To me, foods that are accessible at any time are a definite plus.

In order to make pancakes, all you need is pancake mix and a hot surface, so living in a city with over a hundred degree summers, that hot surface could be your neighbor’s sidewalk or your car’s hood.

Waffles, however, require a complicated and specific machine.

Struggling, broke high school students do not have thirty dollars to spare on an useless machine.

My birthday (January 28) is also on National Blueberry Pancake Day which behind Christmas and Fourth of July is the next most important holiday in this country. So basically, blueberry pancakes is an essential factor in America heritage, culture and identity. To add to the patriotic point for pro pancake, George Washington, the founder and father of the United States of America, was an avid pancake fan.

Clearly, history is in favor of the pancake.

Pancakes are simply way cooler. Due to their disc-like shape, they serve as better Frisbees, so you get the best of both worlds of eating and playing with your food. Get this – the largest pancake recorded is 50 feet wide, and the largest waffle is only a meager 8 feet wide. But even when pancakes are small, they are incredibly cute.

Silver dollar pancakes, as their name might suggest, are just pure money in your mouth.

To whoever still doubts the power of the pancake, you clearly have never tried one before.

AURELIA HAN STAFF WRITER

Inside the Introvert’s Mind

Spring Break and Easter are the same week.

Exams are next month :(

Sophomore Shreya Gunukula My normal Thursday afternoon is every introvert’s nightmare. In the next four hours, I will have to recite a poem in front of my English class, pick up my PSAT scores and attend a meeting about classes and summer programs that will impress one of the many coveted Ivy League colleges.

At Hockaday, we are bred to be leaders. We are pushed to take the hardest classes, stand up for ourselves and use our resources to create success. Our mission statement emphasizes leadership, but this competitive environment can create many problems for introverts. But who exactly are the introverts?

Anyone can be an introvert.

Whether they are the life of the party or take the life out of a party, introverts are not defined by how they spend their Saturday nights; introverts are

self-proclaimed because introversion is simply a mind game. Introverts can do anything that an extrovert can.

The difference is what’s going on behind the scenes. At a glance, I probably look exactly the same as my extroverted friend at a party, but that’s because no one can see the second party going in my head with millions of thoughts. Unlike my spontaneous extroverted friend who is probably going to go to another party now, I am constantly wondering if I look okay and thinking about how I’m acting.

I have officially mastered the subtle head bop to music because I’m too self-conscious to dance and I am the queen of excuses of why I can’t come to the next party full of strangers. I enjoyed myself that night with a small circle of friends, but now I’m tired and I need to recharge on my own at home, preferably with a box set of Gilmore Girls.

Although I have the quirks of an introvert, I don’t have to “break out of my shell” as many Hockaday English teachers have commented in my essays in order to be happy or successful. In fact, contrary to popular belief, introverts can be the professional, confident Daisies that are portrayed in our school catalogues. It just takes a little bit of inside knowledge.

After 12 years at this school, I have learned that the key to surviving Hockaday as a person who can even get nervous texting in a group chat is

to take your time and change anything that makes you uncomfortable.

Being social, outgoing and using your extroverted side is entirely possible for an introvert but only in relatively short bursts, so take your time in between your moments of glamour. Leave the party early. Ask for an extension on that spoken poetry assignment. Anytime you feel stressed, take your time to think through the anxiety. Remember that no grade, person or college is worth harm to your mental health.

Changing anything that makes you uncomfortable includes friendships. As an introvert, it’s hard for me to make close friends that I really trust, but I do know who to stay away from. Most introverts aren’t known for exuding self-confidence and it can be overwhelming to live in a world where every test grade, extracurricular activity and homecoming after party is scrutinized and compared.

With this already immense pressure in mind, anyone who adds to my insecurities, has an unhealthy competitive streak or creates drama is not my type of person.

In addition to changing your friendships, you can also change the curriculum. Introversion is not the new “my dog ate my homework.” You can’t use it to get out of assignments or classwork, but I think it’s okay to find a way to restructure something that was created for the extrovert.

Maybe you could smuggle in a visual aid into a seven minute verbal speech to support your argument or ask a teacher to balance group work with individual work.

However, the biggest piece of advice I can offer to an introvert who roams these college-driven hallways is: feel free to be both a leader and a follower in school and everywhere else. While entirely possible, being a leader can be extremely hard for an introvert. Hockaday has a tendency to over-promote starting our own path in life.

We are encouraged to start our own clubs, non-profits and award-winning independent studies.

Too often in this frantic race to found businesses and choose internships that will surely impress the top colleges of the country, the introverts are left behind because we are content with following people who can speak on our behalf and joining pre-existing clubs that still cater to our passions. I argue that the decision to follow leaders is equally important to being one.

At Hockaday, we are always taught to stand up for what we think is right, but standing can be a little challenging for introverts; we also need to embrace sitting down and thinking about a solution to the problem before our extroverted friends go running to fight for their rights.

p

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

Voting Day Blues (and Reds)

Senior Sunila Steephen Texas. Home of Dr. Pepper, America’s Team and the one of the lowest voting turnouts in the country.

Voting participation in Texas has been on a precipitous decline for the past few years, and we’ve moved down from 47th to 49th in the country, only ahead of Indiana.

Yes, this means that even North and South Dakota beat us.

Guys, this is really embarrassing. We have Blue Bell, the coolest music festivals and killer queso, and we’re about to throw away our sterling reputation for low voter turnout? Come on. We can totally do better than that.

On the eve of a new year accompanied with a deluge of tweets, texts and news coverage about primaries, it turns out that our votes are incredibly important during these elections – it’s been eight years since an election without an incumbent, and we have the power to influence the results either way.

I recognize that this sounds idealistic, especially for Texas voters, because it’s a fact that Texas is indisputably red (it hasn’t gone blue since Bill Clements’ gubernatorial election in 1979.). We’re not a swing state. Why even vote?

In the interest of full disclo-

sure: yes, I am a Democrat. And yes, I plan to vote in the next election.

For my fellow Democrats, I realize that we are voting in a losing battle. But it’s worth it to try, right?

If you have the ability to vote and don’t, you have no power to complain about any failures of an elected official – you, too, have failed if you do not exercise a fundamental American right to attempt to change a perceived flaw in the system.

But on the other side of the coin: not voting in Texas if you’re a Republican because “it’ll be red anyway” shows a high degree of complacency and, quite frankly, is lazy. Imagine if every Republican stopped voting in Texas because they assumed that everyone else would vote for them. It’s a version of the bystander effect, and in this scenario, no one wins.

To everyone: voting is a civil right. Things are rarely free in

By the Numbers:

In the 2012 election, Obama won 26 counties.

In the United States presidental election in 2012, Republican candidate Mitt Romney won 38 electoral votes from the state of Texas, while Democratic incumbent Barack Obama won zero.

Voting in Texas

Democrats In 2014, 28.5 percent of registered voters turned out to vote in Texas midterm elections.

In 2014, 406,594 ballots were cast in Dallas County for future governor Greg Abbott.

“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said, reading from a piece of paper about Muslim immigration released by his campaign.

I pressed pause. Fifteen seconds had passed in a video of Trump speaking at his campaign rally on Dec. 7 in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and I just didn’t want to hear more.

The emotions came one after the other as I attempted to stomach his words.

I immediately felt angry. “A total and complete shutdown!?” If such an outrageous scenario were to actually happen, who would it apply to? Syrian refugees struggling to escape the war that has torn up the place they used to call home?

Muslim-American citizens returning from a trip overseas? Muslims serving in the military? My own mother and father? Me? Next came the frustration. As a

WEB EDITOR Catherine Jiang BUSINESS MANAGER Sunila Steephen SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Manisha Ratakonda NEWS EDITOR Noor Adatia FEATURES EDITOR Megan Philips ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Katherine Clement SPORTS & WELLNESS EDITOR Mary Claire Wilson PERSPECTIVES EDITOR Sonya Xu CASTOFF EDITOR Austria Arnold PHOTO & GRAPHICS EDITOR Claire Fletcher COPY EDITOR Maria Katsulos VIDEO EDITORS Emily Fuller, Mary Orsak STAFF WRITERS Ashna Kumar, Eshani Kishore, Heidi Kim, Jenny Zhu, Aurelia Han, Cheryl Hao, Elizabeth Guo, Katie O’Meara, Shreya Gunukula, Neha Dronamraju, Maria Harrison, Amelia Brown

STAFF ARTISTS Mahima Agrawal, Sarah Chan, Annabelle Folsom, Wendy Ho, Heidi Kim, Sofi Mira, Brenda Lee, Lily Sumrow ADVISER Ana Rosenthal

Religion Trumps Politics

Senior Inaara Padani

MANAGING EDITOR Inaara Padani

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Mercer Malakoff, Madison Smith, Molly Waring

Republicans

Muslim, nothing is more exasperating than being placed in the same category as Islamic terrorists. If you ask me, those people are not Muslims. Their true religion is violence and hatred. They kill innocent people in the name of Islam — and the Islam that I know, the Islam that has nurtured me for as long as I can remember, the Islam that has helped me grow closer to God, does not sanction such inhumane crimes.

All of this bitterness was initially directed toward Trump, at least until I decided to click play again. And that’s when I felt hurt.

Sure, Trump’s words were, and still are, offensive. But the cheering, whistling and applause that followed his statement — that’s what was truly upsetting.

For months, I’ve always wondered how Trump continues to lead the polls almost every week without fail. Some of his comments and tweets are the opposite of what a presidential candidate should be saying; they’re insensitive and prejudiced.

But I’ve realized that Trump’s success comes from his choice to abandon the concept of political correctness and state what some people in this country actually feel and believe: According to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in early December, Americans are more afraid now of an imminent terrorist attack since the weeks following Sept. 11, 2001.

Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed “believe a terrorist attack is somewhat likely or very likely in the next few months.”

Perhaps one reason that many

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Erin Thomas

SOURCES: TEXAS ALMANAC, DALLAS OBSERVER GRAPHIC CREDIT: INQVISITOR, PIKTOCHART

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America, and if you have the right credentials, this literally comes at zero cost to you. Feeling busy that week? Found yourself recently relocated to South Dakota or the U.S. Virgin Islands on the eve of an election? Never fear – if you’re unable to make to make it to the polling station that day, absentee voting ballots exist for you to vote on time in this country! And even better: you can vote by mail, or do early voting, if a jam-packed schedule won’t permit you to mosey on down to the nearest station. As such, there is literally no excuse for not voting.

Voting is a true fundamental right, and regardless of any falsities or biases you see in politics, one truth remains: your vote matters and counts more than you think it does. It’s a mark of a true American.

And besides – it’s high time that we beat South and North Dakota at this once and for all.

The number of counties in Texas:

THE FOURCAST

Americans are feeling this way is because recently, nearly every news source has written an article or two intertwining the words “bombs,” “shootings,” “radical Islam” and “Muslims.” These articles became even more commonplace following the events in Paris and San Bernardino.

Of course, hearing about such unjust tragedies would make anyone worried and afraid. So when an influential public figure like Trump says that Muslims should be banned or at the very least placed in a national database, he’s appealing to the masses by making them feel “safe.” He’s using a fear-mongering tactic to garner more support for his campaign. He says that he wants to “make America great again,” yet he’s simultaneously going against the constitutional rights of Muslims

and violating the ideals that America stands upon.

Many don’t realize that this is exactly what groups like ISIS want.

They want to create a divide between Islam and the West. They want Muslims to feel like they don’t belong so that they can recruit more people for their cause. If we want to stand up to terrorist organizations, then staying united is the best way to do so.

As a Muslim, I am guaranteed the freedom of religion, just like any other American citizen. But how am I supposed to practice this freedom when my own country fears it? I’m tired of feeling afraid when I go through security at an airport. I’m tired of feeling like I have to apologize for the actions of some. I’m tired of feeling like I have to hide my religion. I am a Muslim, but I am not a terrorist.

So don’t classify me as one.

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EDITORIAL POLICY The Fourcast is written primarily for students of the Hockaday Upper School, its faculty and staff. The Fourcast has a press run of 1,200 and is printed by Dallas Offset, Inc. It is distributed free of charge to the Hockaday community.

Businesses who wish to advertise in The Fourcast should contact Sunila Steephen, Business Manager, at ssteephen@ hockaday.org. We reserve the right to refuse any advertising which is deemed inappropriate to the Hockaday community.

Opinions will be clearly marked and/or will appear in the perspectives section. Commentaries are the expressed opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of The Fourcast staff, its adviser or any member of the Hockaday community. Unsigned editorials that appear on the opinions page will reflect the official position of The Fourcast, but not necessarily the position of the Hockaday community.

The Fourcast staff may cover student, staff, faculty or alumnae deaths as the staff is made aware. We reserve the right not to cover a death based on relevance, timeliness and circumstance.

Corrections and clarifications from previous issues will be found as designated in the news section.

Any questions or concerns about should be addressed to Erin Thomas, Editor-in-Chief, at ethomas@hockaday.org.

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The Fourcast

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 11, 2016

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HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

How It Feels to Be a Black Girl In honor of Black History Month, The Fourcast is featuring Senior Brianna Buford’s poem, inspired from her trip to the Student Diversity Leadership Conference that took place last December in Tampa, Florida. Her experience there “made [her] proud to be a black girl, but also made [her] ponder [her] struggles throughout [her] life dealing with the identity.” Buford performed this poem, “How It Feels to Be a Black Girl,” at Hockaday’s Coffeehouse on Jan. 9.

How It Feels to Be a Black Girl When I was in first grade, I told one of my only black friends at the time that I wanted to be white.

That I was tired of looking different from everyone else.

This is how it feels to be a black girl.

When I was around the same age, I told my mom I wanted “white people hair.”

I wanted it to be straight and smooth, Not like the coarse knotted stuff I had on my head.

She told me my hair was beautiful, But I didn’t believe her.

This is how it feels to be a black girl.

Every time I have a crush on a boy, I always have to ask myself: I wonder if he likes black girls?

Because we have heard way too many times, “Oh I don’t date black girls, but You’re still pretty, for a black girl.”

I see people on social media, Sucking on glasses to get “Kylie Jenner” lips, Darkening their skin to get the best tan, Braiding and locking their hair to achieve the newest trends.

All the while, I used to hate the size of my lips, The darkness of my skin, And the cornrows I wore as a little girl.

Although the world seems to only appreciate my features, Then labels me as angry when I disagree, I am an unapologetic black girl, Unapologetically beautiful, Unapologetically me.

And that is how I feel to be a black girl.

PHOTO BY MERCER MALAKOFF DESIGN BY AUSTRIA ARNOLD AND CHERYL HAO