Fourcast April 2015

e HoCkaDaY SChOOl INSIDE PHOTO BY COURTNEY LE

TURNING THE PAGE TO A BETTER FUTURE Freshman Mary Orsak created an organization, Story Power, that donates books to DISD middle schools to increase literacy p9

Friday, April 17, 2015

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CONNECTING THROUGH THE SCREEN A new study reveals the effects of binge watching shows p4 BEADS BRING IN BUSINESS Three Hockaday juniors create a company called GCE Jewelry

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HOW-TO: MEDITATION Perspectives Editor Elie MacAdams teaches the correct way to meditate p19 MENINISM Staff Writer Ashna Kumar speaks on meninism, a new movement of the 21st century

11600 Welch Rd. Dallas, Texas 75229

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Volume 65 Issue 5

M

agic wasn’t the only thing in the air last December at Disneyland when a visitor who had unknowingly contracted measles exposed thousands of other people to the disease. Since then, at least 118 cases have been reported in California.

The spread of measles is not limited to the state’s borders; 176 cases have been reported nationwide, spanning 17 states and the District of Columbia. Cases have also been reported in Canada and Mexico. At least 130 of these cases trace back to Disneyland, an incident that occurred as a direct result of the refusal of some people to receive vaccinations.

This event, as recent as it was, spurred what is predicted to be another controversial issue in the upcoming presidential election of 2016: Vaccinations.

Vaccinations continued p6

 In today’s highly competitive society, grades

are perceived as a measurement of success. The Fourcast differentiates the definitions of academic success and innate intelligence. p12

48 Hours on the Streets

PHOTO BY KRISTI ROY

Vaccinations Cause Controversy

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

Students simulate homelessness in Dallas

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o most students, spring break features sleeping in, relaxation and vacations. But for a select group of Hockaday students, their spring break took a different turn. They slept on the streets.

This group of girls slept outdoors and trekked miles under the sun—but this wasn’t a camping trip. Rather, these Hockaday students were simulating what it would be like

ILLUSTRATION BY LILY SUMROW

ACAdeMic iNtelligeNce: not alWays the ansWer

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news p2 features p7 photoessay p11 infocus p12 arts & entertainment p14 sports & wellness p18 perspectives p21

UNDERSTANDING POVERTY After experiencing the poverty simulation trip, junior Claire Noble reflects on her experience. to be homeless, living on the streets in poverty.

From March 11 to 13, five students—juniors Rajya Atluri, Noor Adatia and Claire Noble and sophomores Wendy Ho

and Abby Fuller—accompanied Director of Service Learning Laura Day on the poverty simulation.

Poverty continued p7

02

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL APRIL 17, 2015

NeWs Terry Touches Down in Dallas Terry Murray was officially introduced to the Hockaday community on March 23 and will be replacing John Ashton as Head of Upper School, effective July 1.

PHOTO BY CLAIRE FLETCHER

Prentiss Grants Awarded to Lower School Teachers

In

mid-January of this year, four teachers in the Hockaday Lower School Department received Prentiss Grants: Julie Harrison, Karen Roberts, Kelly Turner and Martha Zavaleta.

The Prentiss Grant, which funds educational international trips for teaching, is awarded on an application basis and is used to fund summer educational opportunities for teachers.

With the trips just two months away, the teachers have created ways to bring their experiences back to the classroom.

Turner, a second grade teacher, who will be traveling to Greece, teaches about Greece in her classroom and hopes that by creating a blog, she can give her students a better understanding of the country.

“I’m excited to get some first-hand experience and then bring it back to my students,” Turner said. “We usually use pictures from online for the class, but I think first-hand photos will be better.”

Harrison, who also teaches second grade, will be traveling to Greece with Turner. She said that she and Turner have the opportunity to create their own itinerary while in Greece. “[Turner] and I are making our own program, so I’m really excited to explore,” Harrison said.

“I want to bring back some artifacts, something small enough that also won’t break, to show the girls. And, of course, plenty of stories as well. Even if we are just hiking around somewhere, I’d like to really be able to describe for my students what it is like.”

Zavaleta plans to attend the Chautauqua Institution during the Redefining Europe Session in Chautauqua, New York. In this program, she will learn about European culture and hear lectures regarding topical issues.

Roberts will be participating in a research program conducted by the Little Cayman Research Centre in the Cayman Islands. She will be aiding scientists in their coral reef research, mainly recording data and researching. She hopes that she can inspire her students with this trip.

“I want my students to learn to take risks,” Roberts said. “I want them to learn to get out of their comfort zone and to never stop learning.” F Alexis Espinosa Editor-In-Chief

HOCkABrIEFs

O

n the morning of Mon- I liked but also a school that kind day, March 23, Terry of fit me,” Murray said. “I was Murray was dropped looking for a school that when I off to Hoak Portico by walked on campus, I went, ‘Man, I his wife and walked into the really belong here.’” building with a backpack over And Hockaday was perfect. his shoulder. Hours later, filled Early in the selection prowith nervousness and excite- cess, the various candidates for ment, he attended his first Upper the position had the opportunity School assembly, where he put to tour the school. Murray also on his new gifts: a cap with the had the chance to sit down with words Hockaday stitched across Upper School students, and this the front and a green and white interaction is what drew him Hockaday windbreaker. Stand- most to the job. ing in front of approximately 483 “I was so excited to come students and 75 faculty members, [back] because I had such a great he was formally visit with the kids last introduced as the time. It was short, but it next Head of Upper was just really comfortSchool, effective able – we laughed, and July 1, 2015. we were just kind of After current joking back and forth,” Head of Upper Murray said. “I didn’t School John Ashfeel like I had to show ton announced something different.” that he would be Describing the MOVING ON leaving Hockaday community as “caring,” The number of miles to become AssociMurray noticed the it takes to travel from ate Headmaster of camaraderie amongst Murray's previous St. Mark’s School Hockaday girls. school in St. Louis to of Texas, Hocka“The younger girls Hockaday. day began looking were very comfortable for a replacement. Murray came with who they were and their across the opening through a spaces, and you don’t always get national job search conducted to see that in schools,” he said. “It through a search company. was nice.”

“I was looking around the Throughout the interview country at different opportuni- process, Ashton and Murray ties, and I was looking very care- shared various phone calls and fully because I wanted something have gotten to know one anoth-

PASSING ON THE JOB Ashton passes the title of Head of Upper School, a position he has held for six years, on to Murray.

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er, and Ashton is confident that Murray’s perspective “is a healthy thing to bring to the school.”

“I am very excited for the school to have found and identified an educator and a person like Mr. Murray with a perspective that fits so well with Hockaday,” Ashton said. “[His perspective] is a thoughtful, deliberate, playful, human-centered and willing to try thing.”

After reading his biography and hearing Murray speak, junior Frances Burton, who will assume the role of Student Council president next year, is looking forward to collaborating with Murray.

“I don’t really know him yet, but based on his bio and what Mr. Ashton said, it seems like he has a lot of the same ideals as Mr. Ashton, which I really like,” she said.

“I’m really excited to see where he takes the Upper School.”

An advocate of single-sex education, Murray first began his career at a Jesuit all-boys high school, and is now a parent at a single-sex school.

“I’m drawn to single-sex education, particularly for girls,” he said. “I’m a big fan of empowerment and finding ways for young women to find their strengths in society.”

Murray continued p4

Briefing

STUDENT COUNCIL

Members of the 2015-2016 Council were inducted in a candle-lighting ceremony on March 2. The Executive Council consists of junior Frances Burton, president; junior Gabria Pearson, vice president; sophomore Joy Nesbitt, treasurer; and freshman Paloma Renteria, secretary. Parliamentarian and Form I President will be elected in the fall.

Other members of the 2015-2016 Council are: junior Brianna Buford, Form IV president; sophomore Taylor Toudouze, Form III president; freshman Samantha Watson, form II President; junior Catherine Jiang, Academic Council president; junior Manisha Ratakonda, Athletic Board chair; junior Allie Charlton, Community Service Board chair; junior Rajya Atluri, Convocations Board chair; junior Karla Salinas, Fine Arts Board chair; junior Brittany Tovar, Honor Council chair; junior Sarah Chan, House Council president; junior Hallie Gu, Student Diversity Board chair; junior Caroline McGeoch, Student Relations Board chair; junior Lydia Li, Technology Board chair; and junior Erin Thomas, Fourcast editor-in-chief.

Courtney Le Managing Editor

NEWS: Netflix Studies / Page 4 • Your World Today / Page 5

PHOTO BY CLAIRE FLETCHER

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

THE FOURCAST 03

NeWs

APRIL 17, 2015

Immigration Reform Issue Threatens Families Texan Judge Overturns President Obama's Proposed Immigration Reforms

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ophomore Naidu Hernandez is seeing history repeat itself. Families across the nation will be torn apart if the federal government doesn’t step in.

“I’ve seen in the news – this was a couple years ago: this mom and dad were deported, and their kid was two or three,” Hernandez said. “They didn’t even have time to decide if they wanted to take him with them.”

These stories hit close to home for Hernandez, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico 25 years ago. More recently, at the school Hernandez attended before Hockaday, her mother faced discrimination due to her race during an argument with administra-

tion, when the principal threatened to call the immigration authorities.

“My mom was like, ‘do it!’”

Hernandez said. “The principal thought that she was illegally here, but she wasn’t. The principal didn’t know that.”

However, some kids face very different situations. When it comes to those circumstances, Hernandez has just one question: “what’s going to happen to the kid?”

A question she may very well ask, in light of Texan judge Andrew S. Hansen’s

overturn of President Obama’s recently proposed immigration reforms. On Feb. 16, Hansen challenged the reforms as they applied to Texas, claiming that they had overstepped boundaries between federal and state legislation.

The majority of these proposed federal reforms focused on undocumented immigrants currently in America. One specific change is the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans Act, which would protect the parents of

children born in the United States by preventing their deportation.

Without these changes, keeping families together is the main goal for m a n y organizations that support immigrants and refugees, such as Mosaic Family Services.

Mosaic provides counseling and protection for immigrants, refugees and victims of abuse and

Immigration Reform

ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH CHAN

violence. They also serve as advocates for anti-trafficking and youth outreach. The Hockaday Human Rights Committee visited Mosaic on March 21 to help clean the family center and give gifts to the children there.

Meijken Westenskow, who works at Mosaic as the legal director, feels that the overturning of these proposed reforms “touches on one of the greatest tragedies in our current immigration system.”

“Judge Hansen halting the executive action has been tremendously deflating for immigrant communities,” Westenskow said. “These actions have a potentially life-changing impact on immigration communities.”

Hansen was not the only judge who disagreed with these reforms. Twenty-five other states ruled similarly, for a variety of reasons, including stronger state economies and federal border security.

For Texas, reasoning centered more on the former. The state government claimed that it wanted to decrease the number of driver’s licenses being sold to illegal immigrants, since the licenses cost more to print than they are sold for.

However, for the families they would affect, the reforms mean so much more– they would help families stay together.

Senior Elizabeth Bell, copresident of the HRC, has been keeping up with the news about the overturn of the reforms. “It seems like [Obama]

proposed reforms that would help people,” Bell said, on those immigrants already in the country. The reforms proposed “a whole list of different conditions that would help them” to stay in America.

The reforms were meant to focus on immigrants who “[do] not have a criminal history and [have] strong ties to the United States,” Westenskow said. These strong connections can include having children who are citizens, having come to the United States as a young child or having strong employment connections.

Looking to the future, Bell acknowledges how difficult it is to make a hard-and-fast rule when it comes to a family’s legality. She suggests using a “case-by-case basis and paying attention to the situation.”

Hernandez had a firmer stance on the issue, though less on the legality of it and more on the ethicality. “Texas has a lot of issues and a lot of things to deal with, not just immigration,” Hernandez said. “I just have a thing against families being separated in general.”

Because she is in contact with so many families through Mosaic’s legal department, Westenskow knows firsthand the struggles they go through to stay together. “Many parents make tremendous sacrifices to raise their children here in the United States,” she said.

President Obama met with immigration advocates on Feb. 25 to try and further the reforms. F Maria Katsulos Staff Writer

Women Make Impact on STEM

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igerian physicist Rabia Salihu Sa’id has only four hours every day to study the effects of deforestation on temperature. Bayero University in Nigeria, where Sa’id does her research, provides her four hours of electricity and thus only four hours per day to conduct her studies.

“Think! You are concentrating, and the power goes off!” Sa’id said, in an interview with the National Public Radio. “The ideas are gone by the time you come back. It’s difficult —you have to start all over again.”

Though Sa’id faces great limitations, she was awarded by the American Association for Advancement of Science for her deforestation work in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

Sa’id illustrates how women in many different countries are making progress in STEM fields. As stated by the National Science Foundation, women earned 40 percent of science and engineering doctoral degrees in 2006, compared to eight percent in 1958. Furthermore, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the percentage of female secondary teachers in Zimbabwe increased from 29 percent in 1986 to 82 percent in the 90s.

Though women have made improvement in STEM fields, there is still much to be desired.

Dr. Tererai Trent, a Zimbabwean woman, who found an unlikely but successful education in America and spoke at Hockaday last year, has worked to build a school in Matau, Zimbabwe, to contribute to this improvement.

“It is very clear that there are very few women [in Zimbabwe] working in the STEM fields,” Trent said.

She attributes the problem to the fact that many middle and high schools worldwide do not integrate STEM fields as part of the curriculum.

“For example, due to funding and poor curriculum, many rural schools in Zimbabwe are not proactive about math and science courses,” Trent said. “By the time many girls get to college, they will not pursue any field that requires math because they lack the mathematical tools needed.”

Another issue observed by Trent is the lack of mentorship and female role models in not only Zimbabwe but the world as a whole. In a study done by Midlands State University in Zimbabwe, 98 percent of Zimbabwean female students interviewed said the “lack of exposure to women role models in mathematics” nega-

tively influenced their interest and participation in the subject.

“Because there are very few STEM female mentors, young women are at a loss as they fail to find support and role models, who could encourage them to pursue STEM fields,” Trent said.

The rise of women in STEM fields contains much untapped potential, as women make up nearly half of the global workforce. Trent believes that both Hockaday and the Matau school, as well as many other schools everywhere, “can do [their] part and enable girls to access STEM fields [with a] well defined middle and high school curriculum that focuses more on STEM fields, as these subjects prepares the girls for higher education.”

According to Trent, the women working in STEM fields ultimately ensures gender equality and benefits society as a whole.

“Supporting girls’ early learning in STEM disciplines is important to ensure gender [equality] in our society,” Trent said. “Women should be part of the STEM workforce because they have so much to offer to the world.” F Jenny Zhu Staff Writer

WaRd April 17, 11:45 a.m.

Student Diversity Board Forum

April 22, 7:30 p.m US Choir Concert

May 2, 7 p.m.

Senior Prom

May 12, 6 p.m.

Athletic Banquet

April 17-19, 7:30 p.m.

US Spring Play

April 27, 2:40 p.m.

US Dance Assembly

May 4, 5:30 p.m.

Senior Dress Photo

May 13, 6 p.m.

Austin Street Dinner

April 20-21, 8:30 a.m.

US ERBs

April 28, 7:30 p.m.

US Dance Concert

May 4-15 AP Exams

May 14, 6 p.m.

Publications Reception

April 21, 11:45 a.m.

US Choir Assembly

April 30-May 1 SPC Championships in Fort Worth

May 11, 3 p.m.

Underclass Recognition Assembly

May 18 Spring Community Service Hours Due

04

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

NeWs

APRIL 17, 2015

The Basis Behind the Binge A recent study reveals new findings about watching Netflix

I

t’s Saturday night and sophomore Emma Deshpande has been in her bedroom for the past three hours watching Netflix from her laptop. It’s dark and the only thing that can be heard, besides the video she is watching, is the sound of her munching on oreos and ice cream.

She is not alone. Seventy four percent of the Upper School spends two or more hours at one time slumped in their bed or couch watching Netflix on their laptops, according to a survey of 210 students.

Chad Bingo, a senior at Siena College in Albany, N.Y., who is majoring in actuarial science and marketing and has been studying the phenomenon of binge-watching, specifically through Netflix, wouldn’t be surprised by this number.

“It isn’t that uncommon for people to watch an entire series in a weekend, and that’s what we were trying to explore,” Bingo said.

Bingo, whose work was featured recently on the National Public Radio last February, said it is extremely difficult to define “binge-watching” since episodes are of different lengths. He has been researching the actions of Netflix and television viewers along with his marketing professor Raj Raj Devasagayamsince his sophomore year.

When Bingo researched the term “binge-watching” before he started this study, he did not find anything published in scientific journals.

The term was mainly used in popular media.

Deshpande is an avid Netflix viewer but does not see herself as a binge-watcher.

“I consider myself a Netflix enthusiast,” she said.

Unlike other scientific fields, extensive research is

still yet to be done on this topic.

“We haven’t really seen anything, which is one of the reasons why we are pushing this,” Bingo said. “It’s becoming very popular for the public and everybody else, including myself, to watch this way, but no one has really dove into why people are doing this.”

At first, Bingo’s research focused on why people view so much TV and why they watch episodes back-to-back.

Between his sophomore and junior year of college, he started conducting focus groups and surveys.

He asked his focus groups questions such as, “have you ever felt addicted to a show?

Who is your favorite character?” And he discovered a common theme in the answers.

“We were finding that there is this whole relationship that we are forming with the characters. That, we believe, is what is causing it,” Bingo said. “It was as if [the viewer and character] were dating.”

The feeling he discovered that people were experiencing after finishing a series was similar to that of finishing a book.

“Have you ever read a great book? You know you finish the final page in the book, and you close it, and that’s it? You are never going to get that feeling of reading it for the first time again, and if it’s the end of a series, you will never get anything else other than that,” Bingo said. “They were feeling this [empty feeling] because they wouldn’t be able to see their favorite characters anymore.”

In some instances, Hockaday students are a testament to Bingo’s findings. Sophomore Asiyah Saeed feels this emptiness after finishing a series that has aired for multiple seasons,

such as “Psych” and “Monk.”

“Short series, you don’t get as attached, but shows that have been going on for years and have a lot of episodes, and they are really good shows, you feel sad when they are over,” Saeed said.

This, however, isn’t always the case. Deshpande does not relate to the characters from satirical shows such as “Arrested Development,” but she, like Saeed, feels connected to characters from certain shows.

“On a really dramatic show like “One Tree Hill” and “The West Wing,” you kind of grow to be attached to these other characters,” Deshpande said.

Some characters are so impactful that students think about them outside the realm of Netflix. Sophomore Ellea Lamb sometimes see things that remind her of her favorite TV show characters.

“The other day, I saw a dress and was like ‘hey, that looks like something Blair Waldorf would wear,’” Lamb said.

Bingo’s survey targeted four focus groups of a variety of ages: the first was high school seniors over 17, the second group included people between the ages of 40 and 80 and the other two focus groups were parents and young professionals ages 25 to 35.

The minimum age requirement for a research subject at Siena College is 17 years old. Thus, younger groups could not be surveyed. Although the ages of people surveyed were variant, the results were consistent throughout all four groups.

One of the first things Bingo’s survey found was that people

thought about characters from their television series during the day and paid special attention to certain characters whenever the show was on.

“People were admitting to feeling addicted to shows in each bracket,” Bingo said.

However, Bingo could not entirely explain why this occurred.

Furthermore, he has recently released another survey

Burton will particularly miss Ashton’s commitment to stuFurthermore, as an educa- dent life and his close engagetor, connecting with students ment with the school.

“He’s just very involved in is extremely important to Murray. For the past 13 years, he being more than just the Upper has been a head soccer coach, School head,” she said. “He goes history teacher and dean of to sports games and outside students for the Mary Institute of school events, and it really makes you feel like he cares and St. Louis Counabout more than just try Day School, an the normal duties of independent school running a school.” of 1,200 prekinderThis summer garten through 12th marks the end of grade students in St. Ashton’s sixth year Louis, Mo. at Hockaday, but his “I come from with the a world where I’m “I am going connection school will be longheavily involved lasting. in student life, to miss you At the professionand I need to be girls. Really, al level, he will parable to continue I have about ticipate in maintainsome of that role, the Hockaday-St. even though a lot 483 reasons ing Mark’s alliance. And of times heads of I can list that at the personal level, Upper Schools are relationship to drawn away from I will miss.” his students and faculty that,” Murray said.

Upper School members will only “My hope is to be Head John Ashton continue to grow. able to find a bal“I’ll [continue to] ance where I can be be a parent here, and the administrative role but also have that contact I’m looking forward to that beand interaction with student cause this is the school for my daughter,” he said. “We believe life and student activities.”

While Murray may be as- in the mission so much.”

Additionally, Ashton plans suming a new role, he won’t be forgetting his old ones. Rather, on attending as many Hockahis 23 years of experience will day events as possible, includhelp him become a well-round- ing the next four commencement ceremonies until the ed leader of the Upper School.

“Maybe I don’t get to have current Form I class graduates.

This school has taught my own team or I’m not going to be teaching a course in Ashton a number of valuable this role, but if I do this job as lessons that he will always a teacher or coach would, I can carry with him.

“I am going to miss you collaborate well, rely on the resources of those around me, girls. Really, I have about 483 build good teams and trust reasons I can list that I will the adults and students in this miss,” he said. “These past six community to do the work that years at Hockaday have been a professional highlight for my they need to do,” he said.

Hockaday looks forward to career, which I feel incredibly its future, but it will also miss fortunate to have because I Ashton’s accomplishments. have loved so much of it.”

Since Ashton first came to Hockaday as the Associate Head of Upper School, he has developed “a greater ability to be very comfortable trying things without having to perfect things.” Under his leadership, the Upper School has explored and expanded, and Ashton aspires to do the same at St. Mark’s next year.

“Some things we’ve done we’ve gotten right and some things we haven’t,” he said. “I think we operate best that way- to try things and see if they work, and if they don’t, we deviate them.”

Murray shares this philosophy with Ashton, and he wants to continue the efforts

that are already being done, while learning and growing in the process.

“I’m just thrilled to be here.

It’s kind of the place I want to be,” Murray said. “It’s different enough that it’s going to challenge me but it’s also comfortable enough that I feel like I know what this school is about in some ways.”

During the first few transition months of the 2015-2016 school year, Murray will do his best to get to know the faculty.

And by the end of year, he hopes to walk around the hallways and call the students by name.

“It’s going to be about building relationships, supporting teachers and their

Murray continued from p2

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that is expected to be completed by May and will try to define “binge-watching.”

Bingo is currently waiting for 400 plus responses.

“We have an idea [of the results]. We think something is there,” he said. “We believe that this is it, but we need hard data to back it up, which is what we are trying to do right now.” F I

BY L TION ILLUSTRA

Sonya Xu Staff Writer

spaces and making sure you guys are well-supported and that you have a voice,” he said.

Like Ashton, Murray will be leaving behind a school he loves greatly, but he is thrilled to begin a new chapter of his life. His family is referring to this opportunity as “a big adventure.”

“I can’t wait to get to know Dallas; it’s a new city for our family,” he said. “I have a tendency to stay places, and I hope to do the same thing here and find a home here.” F Inaara Padani, Copy Editor Claire Fletcher, Photo Editor

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

THE FOURCAST 05

NeWs

APRIL 17, 2015

YOUR WORLD TODAY: A Look Into Indiana's Controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act

RFRA Creates Controversy over LGBT Rights Indiana’s recently passed Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or Senate Bill 101, has further divided the nation on the issue of same-sex marriage that to anything. Back in the Jim Crow Era, people used religion to justify their racism,” she said. “I don’t think you can use religion to justify your discrimination.”

lic accommodations and public services to people who are gay or want to have a gay marriage,’” Benedetto said.

Social media efforts also raised awareness of the isPHOTOS PROVIDED BY GAGE SKIDMORE (TOP) AND JUSTIN EAGAN (BELOW)

If a same-sex couple were to walk into Memories Pizza, a family-run restaurant in Walkerton, Ind., and ask the owners to cater their wedding, the response would be “no.” In light of Indiana’s recently passed— and subsequently amended— RFRA, the nation has taken sides in a debate that extends beyond who will or will not get a bite to eat.

Prior to its amendment, Indiana’s RFRA contained a provision that, according to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community, promoted discrimination.

Supporters of SB 101 asserted that the law was similar to legislation that the federal government and 19 other states have passed since 1993, which begs the question: who is right?

Two Sides to Every Story

Center: An example of a tweet regarding Indiana's RFRA. Top: Gov. George Pence speaking at Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 27, 2015 in National Harbor, Mass.

Bottom: Protesters gather in Indianapolis.

Protesters Take Action

Immediately after the bill was put into law, protests in the form of economic, social and political nature erupted across the nation.

Large corporations, who openly opposed the RFRA before its revision, claimed that they would rethink their business in Indiana.

The 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship Game took place on April 6 at Lucas Oil stadium in Indianapolis as scheduled. President of the NCAA Mark Emmert warned, however, that the association could move future events.

Benedetto believes that this pressure is what motivated Pence to send the bill back for revision. The amended version of the bill was instituted on April 2.

“Large companies were starting to say, ‘I don’t know if we can come to a state that would deny free access to pub-

sue, with opponents tweeting hashtags like ‘#BoycottIndiana’ and supporters tweeting ‘#StandWithIndiana.’

Ultimately, the former party was successful in its efforts to change the bill’s language, which reveals the huge impact that social media can have on political affairs.

“People always make fun of social media, and they call it Slacktivism, but honestly I think so much change in such a little time has happened because of people and media,” Nyatanga said. “You’ve got to protest, and you’ve got to make noise. People don’t listen unless you force them to.”

Some individuals, however, resorted to hateful comments aimed at both Indiana’s government and Memories Pizza. The O’Conners received hundreds of threatening phone calls, emails and reviews, forcing them to close the shop—but only temporarily.

Following the closure, supporters of Memories Pizza

Digging into the Problem

While the LGBT community recognized improvements in the bill’s language, they still bashed the overall intention of the law, which does not contain any LGBT non-discrimination protections.

Nyatanga understands religious sentiments but would prefer that no such law exist.

“I respect people’s rights to have opinions and beliefs, but I don’t have to respect your opinion or belief if it disrespects my existence,” she said. “I don’t necessarily think there’s a compromise besides letting people live how they want to live.”

Despite the fact that a solution has yet to be found, Benedetto has noticed that talking about same-sex marriage and attempting to understand the other side’s logic could move us one step closer to establishing a happy medium.

“Causing these discussions to happen is showing that the American public has certainly been shifting since the ‘90s and the ‘80s and the ‘70s on this particular issue,” he said.

To cultivate conversation, he suggests asking questions such as “why is it gays feel threatened?” and “why do Evangelical Christians feel as threatened as they do?” and truly attempting to hear everyone’s argument instead of just “brushing that off the mat.”

The issue of same-sex marriage is certainly one of importance, but both Benedetto and Nyatanga have observed that this controversy causes us to lose sight of the bigger picture.

“We get so focused on things like the wedding cake or who’s going to take the wedding picture, and yet, as we saw a few months ago, several homosexual people were picked up by ISIS and thrown off of buildings to execute them,” Benedetto said. “We start to lose focus a little bit on where those issues are, and it becomes kind of like that “first world problems” meme.”

Nyatanga expressed that legalizing same-sex marriage is simply a Band-Aid, and the more pressing issues that affect the LGBT society have yet to be resolved.

“Gay marriage is kind of heralded as the big progress for gay people, but honestly, it’s really not; it’s just a placeholder because if anybody were really to research and care about these issues, the biggest thing that plagues LGBTQ members is homelessness and violence and death,” she said, listing off statistics such as: “Forty percent of homeless youth are members of the LGBTQ community.

Forty-one percent of transgender youth attempt suicide. One in eight transwomen of color is killed. One in 11 transwomen, not of color, is also killed.”

This presents a new challenge for the American public— one that surpasses the division between the community and targets the lifestyle of people in this country, a problem that will hopefully be addressed by the end of this century.

“It’s nice to see people married, but I’m also very tired of seeing names of young trans people and young LBT people all over the news,” Nyatanga said. “It’s too many names to remember, and I’d rather celebrate these people in life than in death.” F Inaara Padani

Copy Editor MAP BY INAARA PADANI

Indiana’s Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed the unrevised RFRA on March 26.

“This bill is not about discrimination, and if I thought it legalized discrimination in any way in Indiana, I would have vetoed it,” Pence said, in a broadcasted speech on the same day he instituted the bill.

The daddy-and-daughter duo of Memories Pizza, Kevin and Crystal O’Connor, supported Pence’s statement, and said that their religious beliefs would not allow them to cater a same-sex wedding. However, the restaurant would have no problem with serving a samesex couple.

Upper School history teacher Lucio Benedetto emphasizes that the debate over the ethicality of Indiana’s RFRA stems from two First Amendment rights that are being pinned against each other: freedom of religion vs. freedom of speech. “[Indiana] didn’t have a law before, but they decided they were going to have one to protect people in small businesses who, for instance, did not want to provide these kinds of services,” he said. “The law became particularly controversial because there was certain language in the bill that seemed to justify discrimination in these cases.”

In various interviews with CNN on April 1, many florist shop owners in Georgia said that they would not provide floral arrangements at a samesex wedding, since this violates their personal beliefs and therefore inhibits the freedom to openly express religion.

While the Bible identifies homosexuality as a sin, it also recognizes adultery and failing to honor your mother and father as sins. Southern Georgia flower shop employee Melissa Jeffcoat, however, admitted that she would serve a customer who committed adultery but would not serve a gay person.

“It’s just a different kind of sin to me, and I just don’t believe in it,” she said.

This triggered angry responses from members of the LGBT community, who discredited such beliefs, claiming that this unrevised law would open doors to further discrimination and violate the freedom to identify as anything other than heterosexual.

Student Diversity Board Chair and senior Anesu Nyatanga does not see the validity in denying service to a “willing and paying customer.”

“If they say our religion doesn’t support the belief of homosexuality and the rest of what the LGBTQ stands for, then I feel like you could adopt

created an online GoFundMe page that collected more than $840,000, according to NBC News. While the funds will be used to benefit the family business, the owners plan on giving some of the money away to charitable organizations.

Hockaday alumna Taylor Lacerte ‘13 currently attends Indiana University in Bloomington. While she personally did not witness any physical protests or boycotts, she did notice the pervasiveness of the issue.

“It was actually mentioned in a lot of my classes,” she said.

“It was very prevalent in our newspaper, which is the Indiana Daily Student. Bloomington is one of the more progressive cities in Indiana, so a lot of the restaurants have actually put up hearts that are rainbow that say, ‘We serve everybody.’”

With election year around the corner, Benedetto also attributes the prominence of the controversy due to the current political situation.

“The Democratic Party wants to make as big a deal of these anti-gay Republican governors and fuel on the fire.

Republicans are trying to appeal to that base of Evangelical Christians that still does not want gay marriage to be legal,” he said. “Sometimes politics can cause more partisanship than there needs to be in these situations.”

The amendment specifies what the law cannot do and marks the first time that Indiana has ever used words such as “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in its legislation.

RAINBOW ACROSS THE STATES The colored states are states

that do not have any RFRAs, while the uncolored states are states with RFRAs currently in place. As of 1993, 21 states have adapted such legislation.

06

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

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NeWs

APRIL 17, 2015

20 percent of students are first generation Americans, immigrating from China, Russia, Mexico and others.

29 percent of students live 11-30 miles away from Hockaday.

20%

29% 36 percent own one pet.

50 percent of students sit together for dinner with their family 0-3 times per week.

50%

36%

A Look into Hockaday’s Upper School

16%

Responses from a recent Upper School student survey.

44% 85% 16 percent speak a foreign language at home, including Bengali, Spanish, Armenian and others.

44 percent of Upper School students have one sibling.

85 percent shower in the evening.

Source: Upper School Survey of 209 students

Vaccinations continued from p1 This event, as recent as it was, spurred what is predicted to be another controversial issue in the upcoming presidential election of 2016: vaccinations.

Although the majority of the American people support mandating specific vaccinations, many consider the possibility a breach of their civil liberties, including the right to govern one’s own body. The movement against enforced vaccinations was especially fueled in 1998 after British medical researcher Andrew Wakefield published a fraudulent study drawing a connection between autism and the MMR vaccine, which is for measles, mumps and rubella.

Though his findings were disproved, the damage done to the American public was irreversible, leaving an audience of skeptics when it came to scientific claims.

GRAPHICS BY LUDA GRIGORYEVA, SARAH CHAN AND HEIDI KIM

Upper School history teacher Tracy Walder believes the government should exercise the right to mandate specific vaccinations.

“It boils down to public health,” she said, citing the 1905 Supreme Court case of Jacobson v. Massachusetts.

Henning Jacobson, a Swedish immigrant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was fined for refusing to receive a smallpox vaccination on the basis that he had fallen sick after receiving a vaccination as a child.

After bringing his case before the Supreme Court, Jacobson lost on the principle that the government should be allowed to take action for the common good. Walder related the case back to today, saying “[anyone who is not vaccinated] is endangering the health of the public.”

Her views align somewhat with those of senior Bridget Colliton, president of the Young Democrats Club.

Colliton, though an advocate of the government being able to mandate specific vaccines, believes that Americans should be able to refuse vaccines on the basis of maintaining their civil liberties. However, in “[being] given the choice not to get vaccinated, [these people] should be given additional responsibilities,” she said, such as home schooling and intermittent check-ups.

These responsibilities would be enforced by the federal government on the same principle, equating one’s right to not receive a vaccination to another’s right to visit public places without the fear of contracting a disease.

Juliette Turner, president of the Young Republicans Club, disagrees.

Noting the difference between protecting the American public and infringing upon its’ rights, Turner primarily focuses on the importance of protecting state sovereignty.

A believer in “limit[ing] the overreach of the federal government,” she said, under the umbrella of health care, the issue of vaccinations should be left up to the states.

“Nowhere in the Constitution does it stipulate that the federal government should be in charge of personal health,” she said, declaring said right a states’ right in reference to the Tenth Amendment.

Turner ultimately views the prospect of the enforcement of vaccinations unconstitutional and believes that “the federal government cannot dictate to all citizens.”

Because many Texans have adopted views similar to those of Turner, the number of children statewide opting not to take vaccines has jumped from 2,314 to 38,197 in the past decade, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

A recent poll by CNN suggests otherwise, however, re-

porting that not only does 60 percent of the American public support the barring of unvaccinated children from public school and day care, but 78 percent support the government mandating vaccinations.

This statistic correlates directly with findings from a poll taken of 100 Hockaday students, where approximately 75 percent of students in the Upper School support mandating vaccines, as opposed to the 11 percent of the student body in favor of exemption based on personal beliefs. This takes into account that 13 percent of those polled proclaimed themselves to be indifferent or unaware of the political issue.

Expect regular doses of controversy to the American public as presidential candidates continue to debate over and take stances on the issue of vaccinations. F Hufsa Husain Staff Writer

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL APRIL 17, 2015

ffatUres 45 Hours on the Streets

FeatUReD

Hockaday students and faculty member simulate homelessness in Dallas PHOTO PROVIDED BY KRISTI ROYE

Poverty continued from p1

AN EYE OPENING EXPERIENCE Hockaday students visited the members of the homeless community in downtown Dallas.

7

Beads Bring in Business

At noon on a Sunday, juniors Caroline Slaton and Grace Warner sit down before a table covered with glass beads, clasps, statement beads, stones and pendants.

Each grabs either a piece of metal or stretch cord from a spool and begins to weave in different colored beads, forming two bracelets.

Later in the day, junior Emily Routman takes those bracelets and begins to plan the next trunk show.

GCE Jewelry, as in “Caroline,” “Grace” and “Emily,”

gain an unfair advantage.

In addition to these activities, the participants went on a scavenger hunt of sorts to find places and experience situations that homeless people face daily, like finding out where to get affordable health care, job services and transportation. To accomplish this, they took public transportation and trekked around downtown Dallas.

Later that day, the group was able to visit Austin Street Shelter, where they received a tour and were informed about all the programs that the center runs for the impoverished.

“That was really eye opening because I never realized how much Austin Street did, because I was involved with bingo and [other activities] but I never saw all sides of it,” Atluri said.

At the end of the second day and continuing into the next morning, the participants had a “reflection experience” where they journaled and discussed their experiences of being homeless.

“I think there’s a misconception sometime that homeless people are just lazy and that’s why they’re homeless. But being part of this experience made me realize how difficult it is and how much work it actually is. Sometimes we’d have to walk several miles and spend all day just trying to get a meal,” Atluri said.

Atluri also noted the mental, in addition to the physical, exhaustion that resulted from simulating poverty.

“I was exhausted every single day. I was so tired, and sometimes in my normal life, I don’t realize how exhausting it is to live the life of somebody else and literally it takes a toll on your body and on your mind," she said. "It’s also so mentally exhausting because you’re thinking constantly about money.”

Day said that this experience was one of the most enlightening things she had ever done and that in such a short amount of time the gropu was able to gain a very quick window of understanding.

For Day, the most valuable part of the trip was that although it was short, its effects were long lasting and will continue to affect Hockaday girls as future leaders.

“I [was] excited for Hockaday girls because they got to see all the problems and issues of what’s happening, so as future leaders, [this was a] cool way to think about how to solve those problems. There’s a lot of ways to solve this [problem], but you can’t solve a problem until you’re in it," Day said. "You can see how hard it must be, but if you don’t feel it, there’s no drive or understanding, and that’s what I think was the most valuable part.” F

Junior Aleena Tariq hopes to give girls the opportunity to make smart decisions about when to skip lunch to study and when to carry their books to the lunchroom.

Tariq first noticed a problem last year as Upper School students wandered to lunch without a clue of what the menu had to offer that day.

Even though the weekly food calendar was posted on SharePoint and the Hockaday website, most students found the task of visiting an external website strenuous.

So Tariq took action, and on April 29, 2014, she created an Instagram account that posts the lunch menu the morning before it is served. She named the Instagram “Hockalunch,” and it gained followers quickly. She currently has just over 300 followers and has posted over 140 menus.

Tariq follows a pattern to make posts consistent each day.

“I usually go to the Hockaday website and search for dining, and I screenshoot it, crop it and put it on a white background. I then log onto the Instagram and post it,” Tariq said. “Before, we didn’t know what we were getting into when we were going to lunch.”

Tariq speaks of having girls come up to her in the halls and thank her for the daily posts. She plans to continue the Instagram account throughout her time at Hockaday.

“I haven’t picked a successor yet,” Tariq said.

She plans to hand the account off to an underclassman in late spring of 2016.

Check out Tariq’s Instagram account: @HockaLunch. F Austria Arnold Staff Writer

PHOTO BY AUSTRIA ARNOLD

to go to restaurants, which are so expensive, or convenience stores The trip was put on through like 7-Eleven where they jack Citysquare, a nonprofit group, up all the prices since there’s no which is “fighting poverty in the competition nearby," Atluri said. heart of Dallas.”

"That’s not super healthy since it’s In the trip, the girls were sim- junk food,” Atluri said. ulating what it would be like to live To combat this issue, the at the current poverty line, which group went to 7-Eleven but pooled is equivalent to having a salary of its money together to buy bread, $10,000 a year, or $30 a day. peanut butter, and bananas for The group first met at Hock- their first dinner. aday but soon entered an unDuring the first night of the familiar world. Leaving by bus simulation, the participants slept from Hoak Portico, they were outdoors near a highway, but expedeposited south of rienced many difficulties Deep Ellum on I-30, caused by cold weather, “where there’s a ginoise pollution, bright ant homeless populights and water sprinlation," Day said. kler systems. While the In order to group was alone in the accurately simuelements with no “seculate poverty, every rity” or physical protecmember of the tion, the program was group was given still considered to be SIMULATING real and “fake” completely safe.

POVERTY money. The “fake” “There’s a pretty Amount of dollars money was used [well-known] organizaeach person in the for various activition that’s in charge of it group received to ties, and each perso they’re careful about cover all of their son in the group liability. There were no meals during the 45 received $7 to cover safety concerns,” Day hour trip all of their meals said. during the 45-hour On the second day, trip. the “fake” money was used for difFor the group, the limited ferent activities around Dallas. money for meals posed the first “This is the part I can’t really discritical challenge. cuss, but you had to have money “There’s no grocery store for various activities,” Day said. Day nearby since [the area was] a food plans to keep these activities secret desert, so you basically either have so next year’s participants do not

@HOCKALUNCH

Sunila Steephen Cast Off Editor

has had more than 300 orders and two trunk shows, one on Jan. 17 and the other on March 1.

In both trunk shows, GCE Jewelry was able to reach its sale goal, almost selling out of products.

Junior Sadie Lidji, who bought a beaded necklace from GCE Jewelry, gave the company a positive review.

“I bought it because I really love the design and also because I wanted to support friends and people my age in pursuing small business,”

FEATURES Music Predicts Personality/ Page 8 •

she said.

GCE Jewelry finds its inperson customers at Hockaday and its other customers through a shop on the online marketplace Etsy, as well as its Instagram page, gce_jewelry.

“We’re starting to get it out there,” Slaton said.

However, in the process, they have had to make financial sacrifices.

“We have to spend money to make money,” Routman said. “We dip into our personal funds to buy supplies. We still

need to find the balance of buying the right supplies for the demand of the customers.”

Slaton and Warner credit their spontaneous personalities for inspiring them to create GCE Jewelry.

Routman joined the company shortly after Slaton and Warner founded it.

“Basically, we went to JoAnn’s one day and were like ‘let’s make some homemade jewelry,’” Slaton said.

Bead Business continued p8

Which Animated Disney Movie Best Describes Your Life? / Page 10

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Music Predicts Personality A look into why we like the music we do and what it says about us

Bead Business continued from p7 watching Netflix,” Warner

“I always wanted the girls to be inspired and feel empowered from within,” Suzanne Warner said. “They did it their way and stayed true to their design DNA and core target market.”

Suzanne Warner has a hands-off but readily available approach to providing advice to the three budding businesswomen.

“Our relationship can be considered thought-proving,” Suzanne Warner said. “They receive a rhetorical answer from me for any questions they have. I would answer one question and they would move with it in many ways.”

Slaton, Warner and Routman passionately take the elder Warner’s advice and put it to good use.

“I think we are really looking forward to creating more of a name brand, hopefully selling our jewelry in several stores and reaching a wider network,” Routman said.

For GCE Jewelry products, go to https://www.etsy.com/ shop/gcejewelry. F

“

This spontaneity fits perfectly with their love for jewelry.

“I love necklaces, and I love stacking necklaces,” Slaton said. “I got tired of paying for nice jewelry, so I decided to make my own.”

While Routman, Slaton and Warner all make jewelry and help publicize, they split their work in other areas.

Routman’s is the company’s organizer. She drafts emails to possible buyers, runs errands, plans trunk shows and makes legitimate business decisions.

Slaton and Warner work more on the creative side of the company and are the primary makers of jewelry pieces.

When Etsy or custom orders arrive, however, there is a designated person to buy the supplies, another to make the piece and another to ship it.

Routman, Slaton and Warner find that they often collaborate informally by building off of and improving each other’s ideas.

“The first time we made bracelets, we kind of sat down and did it together while

said. “We would make something, one of us would take ideas from the other, build on it and make something else cool. We just really build off each other’s ideas, and it works really well.”

Slaton and Warner find that making jewelry for the company is a “huge stress reliever” and “very satisfying.”

Routman agrees that making jewelry is entertaining but also educational and helps build character.

“At first it was for fun, but now I think all three of us genuinely enjoy the business aspect of it as well,” Routman said. “We have learned so much about demand, suppliers and profit. This is really helpful to get a taste of ‘the real world’ of business. Maybe we will pursue a career in business.”

The three students are increasingly focused on growing their business.

“It’s a great way to make money. It’s something that we enjoy,” Warner said.

Although they do not have an official mentor, they seek advice from Warner’s mother, Suzanne Warner, who works in the fashion industry.

Catherine Jiang Sports and Wellness Editor

told, ‘but, you have actual goals and a career path,’ in response to me listing off a few genres.”

Toomey sees “intelligence” as something different. “Music allows me to expand my knowledge of what was going on when the song was popular or first came out.

The story behind the song has always fascinated me and helped me connect with the past. In that way it affects my intelligence,” she said.

Although the link between intelligence and music taste is not yet solidified, studies do show that music builds relationships with others because it is a common conversation topic. Rentfrow and Gosling found that “from the first encounters [between people], music was discussed more often than all other activities combined.”

Toomey credits music with many of her long-term friendships, “especially with people who hold music at the same level of respect and love that I do.” While a genre of music can supposedly predict if an individual is more outgoing or introverted, dumber or smarter, a single song can connect people and build a lasting relationship. F Charlsea lamb News Editor

1

2

3

Reflective and Complex: Blues, jazz, classical and folk Openness to experience, selfperceived intelligence, verbal ability, emotional stability and political liberalism

Intense and Rebellious: Rock, alternative and heavy metal Openness to experience, extroversion, athleticism, self-perceived intelligence, social dominance orientation and verbal ability

Upbeat and Conventional: Country, sound tracks, religious and pop Extraversion, agreeableness,cons cientiousness, self-esteem, political conservatism, self-perceived attractiveness, wealth and athleticism

Energetic and Rhythmic: Rap, hip hop, R&B and dance Extraversion, agreeableness, political liberalism, self-perceived physical attractiveness and athleticism Source: scienceblogs.com

?

 THE FINAL PRODUCT Routman, Warner and Slaton showcase pieces like these necklaces, designed by Routman, at their trunk shows.

GET A ClUe Match the laptop with the student.

SUMMARY OF THE RENTFROW AND GOSLING STUDY ON MUSIC AND P ERSONALITY

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY EMILY ROUTMAN

extrovert, athletic and high self-esteem—three adjectives that Toomey used to describe herself.

Similarly, Uppalapati currently listens to Cage the Elephant and The Story, which are both alternative bands.

Alternative music falls under the category of “Intense and Rebellious,” which lends the traits of verbal ability and self-perceived intelligence.

Although music tastes parallel personality traits, there has been controversy over whether music can predict human skills, such as intelligence. Virgil Griffith, an Internet and software researcher, conducted a study, which found that listeners of Beethoven scored higher scores on standardized tests than listeners of Lil’ Wayne.

However, Uppalapati’s personal opinion is that intelligence cannot be measured by music genres.

When talking with someone about college plans or future occupation goals and then discussing music, Uppalapati said, “when I mention anything alternative like punk or metal, sometimes I get a look as if they don’t expect someone to want to be a physician and still like Black Sabbath.” She explained that others view her music tastes as something below her level of intelligence. She continued, “I’ve straight up been

4

A) Marguerite Knowles B) Emma Desphande C) Anastasia Stewart D) Ashlyn Olsen

Answers: 1D, 2A, 3C, 4B

I

t’s 6 p.m.—Senior Samantha Rentfrow and Samuel D. GosToomey arrives home, ling, psychologists at the Uniready to start her home- versity of Texas at Austin, and work. Opening one of her studies from Roanoke College desk drawers, Toomey reveals in VA suggest that an individua collection of over a dozen of al’s taste in music is directly reher favorite CDs. U2’s simple lated to his or her personality. album cover, Beyonce’s black “My interests are as varand white “Sasha Fierce” cover, ied as my taste in music,” Upthe black bird of palapati said.

The Crows’ album, Many inBlake Shelton’s dividuals have smolder and Hila mixture of ary Duff’s “Metatraits and do not morphosis” sit on fit into a single the top of the stack. category, which She reaches down is why individuand pulls out a als may have Rolling Stones althe tendency to The stor y bum. Placing her like a variety of headphones into genres. behind the her ears, she plays being song has always said,That “Beast of Burden.” most inAccording to dividuals have fascinated me Psychology Today, a favorite song and helped me most people listen or a genre they to music of many tend to listen connect with different genres, to more than the past. not just one. Senior other genres.

Lakshmi UppalaToomey said Senior Samantha Toomey pati, who listens to that she enmusic recreationjoys music ally, supports this. from the Roll“It just deing Stones and pends on what I’m in the specified that “Beast of Burmood for,” Uppalapati said, den” is her favorite song. The elaborating on how her music Rolling Stones, a classic rock interest can vary in anything band, is an example of “Upfrom classical music to pop beat and Conventional” mupunk. Toomey agreed and said sic, according to the Rentfrow her music choices “have a ten- and Gosling study. Characterdency to change from month istics that define individuto month.” als who enjoy “Upbeat and Studies done by Peter J. Conventional” music include

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

THE FOURCAST 09

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APRIL 17, 2015

Alumna Broadens Her Career Alumna Sally Horchow enters the Broadway production scene like her father Roger Horchow and every show that she takes on. For some shows, Horchow must deal with all of the challenges that come with funding a Broadway show. “[Production] always involves raising money to get a show up and running, and then after that, you oversee all the ways in which that money is spent--like in advertising and marketing the show,” Horchow said.

Other times, Horchow takes more of an inventive role in the production of the musical or show.

“Sometimes, it’s more creative--like if you obtain the rights to a project and put the creative team together--or if you are involved with the casting,” Horchow said.

Within this creative team, Horchow works with the director to cast the production and later with the other various departments.

James Lapine, the director of the 2012 Broadway revival of “Annie,” worked closely alongside Horchow throughout the duration of the production.

“Annie” was Horchow’s first-ever show and went on to receive a Tony Award nomination for the Best Revival of a musical.

Lapine has worked in both theater and Broadway, amounting to more than 35 years of experience. Based on his experiences, Lapine believes that the duties of a producer err on the side of advertising.

“As a producer, one has to also keep an eye on the budget of a show and make important decisions about how a show is advertised and presented to the world,” Lapine said.

According to Lapine, the struggle with the production was portraying the disparity between rich and poor. Fortunately, the producers played a large role in making sure this happened.

“Sally Horchow and my fellow producers were greatly supportive in my efforts to rethink the show and at the same

time be respectful of it and honor all that is great about it,” Lapine said.

Most recently, Horchow and several other producers collaborated on a recent Broadway show, “The Heidi Chronicles,” which made its debut on March 19 in New York City.

“The Heidi Chronicles” is a musical based off of the original play created by Wendy Wasserstein, a famous female playwright. It spans 20 years of protagonist Heidi Holland’s life as she takes on the world of men, politics and feminism.

Under Wasserstein, the feminism-driven play won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best Play.

Although Horchow faced the challenge of matching the vigor and tenacity with which Wasserstein first produced the show, she noted the positive points about the revival of “The Heidi Chronicles.”

“Wendy Wasserstein was a beloved, talented playwright, and besides the fact that the play is so wonderful, witty, clever and poignant, there are many people who remember her fondly and are excited to see her work again,” she said.

Horchow and the other producers are thrilled to bring Wasserstein’s work to another generation of theatergoers.

Horchow worked alongside several other producers, as well as the rest of the cast and crew. According to Will Trice, one of the producers who worked with Horchow, everybody on a producing team brings something different to the table.

“Sally is extremely intelligent and passionate about [“The Heidi Chronicles”]. Her voice in the room is always insightful,” Trice said, attesting to Horchow’s love for production.

Although Horchow’s life now seems consumed by the world of production, she developed a love for design and lifestyle before her work in

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SALLY HORCHOW

C

areers are, for the most part, guided by professional experiences gained during adulthood. The last place you would expect professionalism to come from is an elementary school classroom.

But for alumna and Broadway producer Sally Horchow ‘88, skills she currently relies on were attained during her lower school days.

“Certainly learning to be a good decision-maker and a leader were skills that I learned at Hockaday, from day one in Mrs. Charlene Levering’s first grade home room,” she said.

While Levering played a meaningful part in Horchow’s development, her father was also instrumental in her success.

As a child, Horchow and her two sisters (Regen Fearon ’80 and Lizzie Routman ’82) ate, slept and breathed the life of the theater. Horchow’s father, Roger Horchow, became a noteworthy producer after he sold his family company, the Horchow Collection, in 1988. His initial production, “Crazy For You,” went on to win the 1992 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Throughout her childhood, Horchow studied the tactics of her father. As an adult, Horchow realized that she was interested in the production business and joined her father.

“I have been watching and learning what I could all these years, as I had other jobs in other industries, from his handson experiences,” Horchow said.

Before she became a producer, Horchow dipped her toes in the water by assisting her father.

“I simply gave my opinions and consulted with my dad about the projects that he was investing in through his company, RH Productions, in which my two sisters and I are partners,” she said.

Now, as a producer, Horchow has filled the big shoes that her father set out for her.

Her job varies with each

IN THE WINGS Alumna Sally Horchow has started working on a Broadway production with the team behind “Frozen.” theater. She continues to carry out these passions to this day through a website called Joyus. com, where she is able to exercise her expertise in these areas, while simultaneously opening the new chapter of production in her life.

“I’m currently consulting with an online retailer based in San Francisco that uses shoppable videos. I am their Lifestyle Curator, and my job is to help the company roll out their new home and lifestyle category, by giving them product suggestions as well as hosting the videos for the products that I choose,” Horchow said.

On the Broadway side, Horchow looks onto a new horizon with yet another musical in her

future. Currently, Horchow is collaborating with several famous musicians to co-produce a musical that is affiliated with the award-winning “Frozen” team.

“My next show is a new musical by the husband-and-wife team behind “Frozen” and that famous “Let it Go” song, Kristen Anderson Lopez and Bobby Lopez. It’s called “Up Here,” and it will premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse this summer and then move to Broadway thereafter,” Horchow said.

Horchow always knew she wanted to produce, and as for her name in the industry, Horchow has definitely found her way. F Mary Claire Wilson Staff Writer

Freshman Turns the Page to a Better Future for Children Freshman Mary Orsak founded an organization that distributes books to help improve young adults’ education

E

ighty percent of high school students in the United States graduate, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Education.

This means that 20 percent of students are not graduating, and freshman Mary Orsak is working to help improve that number.

Last December, Orsak founded Story Power Incorporated, a non-profit organization that raises money for pur-

chasing books to send to Dallas Independent School District middle schools.

“We get books about inspiring women, and we put them into middle school libraries to help girls value their education and pursue careers that they otherwise might not have known about,” Orsak said.

Orsak first developed the idea for this organization during the summer before her

eighth grade year, while participating in the People to People program at Yale University in 2013. People to People is a program designed to build young adults into impactful leaders.

Orsak was nominated by Head of Middle School Linda Kramer. “[In the People to People program], they had us develop a program that we thought would help our community.

We went through a lot of the PHOTO BY COURTNEY LE

LENDING A HELPING HAND Freshman Mary Orsak searches for books for her charity Story Power Incorporated.

business steps,” Orsak said.

“They helped us get it started and then they sent us home to actually carry out the project.”

Orsak’s first project was to send a set of 10 books that Story Power had selected and purchased to each of the 36 DISD middle schools. Corey Lott, libraries and academic research department chair, said that the books will have a lasting impact.

“If children can be hooked on reading early, it can encourage a life-long love of books and learning,” Lott said. “You never know where the book that they’re reading will take them two days, four months or a year from now.”

Director of Service Learning Laura Day said she also believed that encouraging reading early will have a ripple effect to prevent and improve other problems.

“I love working in homeless shelters and providing food and all of that kind of stuff, but it’s kind of a band-aid. Improving literacy is really preventative to those other problems, which is why it’s so important,” Day said.

“I think we need more kids like Mary who come up with ideas and implement them. We have the power within this school to make a difference.”

Orsak plans to expand her organization to donate books to elementary schools and high schools.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to extend our impact.

We’re going to run a program

this summer at the West Dallas schools, where we’ll do a ReadA-Thon and inspire students just to read in general,” Orsak said. “We’ll promote it through book discussions and eventually have prizes for the school.

We’re also hoping to help their school libraries, whether it’s through painting shelves, organizing books or anything else.”

Orsak said she hopes to involve more Hockaday students.

Story Power will be hosting a book donation within the next few months. A date has not been set. The books will then be transferred to the DISD middle schools.

“What’s kind of neat about books is that not every story is a ‘pretty story,’ and sometimes the people in the books have to overcome real difficulties, just like in real life,” Lott said. “If the kids can read about inspiring people, hopefully they can feel motivated themselves to move forward and overcome any difficulty or circumstance.”

So far, Story Power has raised approximately $8,000.

“Our goal is to raise $20,000 by the end of the year,” Orsak said. “I really think that we can make a difference with each book.”

For more information on how to donate, visit www.storypower.org. F Courtney Le Managing Editor

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

ffatUres

APRIL 17, 2015

A Day IN the LiFe The Fourcast takes a look into the life of receptionist Elsa Vela 5:45 a.m

or if they have an appointment, I have to contact the person [they are visiting] and let them know they are visiting and are waiting for them in the lobby. And, on any given day, I answer anywhere from 125 to 200 calls per day. And, that increases if we have a special event taking place.

I start my morning and that’s when I start getting ready for work.

7:00 a.m. I arrive at work by 7 a.m., even though my starting time is not until 7:30 a.m.. Of course, I clock in at 7:30 a.m., but I like to get here early because I like to come in and kind of put my things away, put my desk calendar out and prepare my work area. I check my mailbox, and I’ll stop by the dining hall to get me a bite to eat for breakfast.

11:45 a.m. I eat lunch anywhere between 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. I grab my lunch tray, and I find a nice, quiet place away from everybody and anyone, and that’s just so I can recharge myself so that when I get back to the front desk, I am ready to take on the many tasks.

7:25 a.m.

3:45 p.m.

The shift change begins, and I get an update from the security staff member. They’ll update me if there is anything I need to know before I take over at 7:30 a.m.. Once they’ve updated me with what’s going on for the morning, I log into the security system, which consists of the Raptor, the security cameras and the campus map. I’ll also log into our phone console where I answer all calls.

I start putting away my stuff for the day, and I start tidying and cleaning up the front desk so that it will be ready for the next shift, which is security. I work very closely with them.

3:55 p.m. [Security] come[s] up, and then I also give them an update of what’s going on, or if there’s anything that they need to do once I leave after 4 p.m., so that they know what to do or how to handle packages or deliveries or what not.

7:30 a.m. That’s when all the fun begins. I come prepared every morning. I have to be on my toes the minute that I take over the front desk because I never know what the day is going to bring me. There are days that it’s an eventful day, and there are days that are not so eventful, but I have to be prepared for whatever comes my way.

Being the face of the school at the front desk, I wear many hats.

4 p.m. I go home and unwind for a little while. I put on my workout clothes.

6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Throughout the Day

 I do Zumba. Then, I stop and pick something up or I go home and fix me a small dinner, and then I just relax and listen to music or watch a little bit of TV. Then, I’m ready for a shower and bed.

All day long, nonstop, we have visitors, vendors, solicitors and parents. We have a little bit of everything. So, on any given day, we can have up to 61 plus guests who I greet, who I attend to, and I make sure they sign in and out. If they don’t have a badge, I have to scan their driver’s license in our Raptor system and provide a visitor badge for them. I give them directions if they are not familiar with the campus,

9 p.m.

PHOTO BY MEGAN PHILIPS

 I used to [go to bed] really early, but now I try to be in bed by 9 p.m. F Megan Philips Features Editor

Which Animated Disney Movie Are You Living?

After taking the quiz, add up the number of times you chose each letter and discover which Disney animated movie you are actually living

behindthehustle.com sweetcitycandy.com

fedical.com

www.galleryhip.com hdwallpapers4ipad.com

How would you best describe yourself?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Which best describes your family interaction?

A) B) C) D) E)

A) B) C) D) E)

A) They are super protective of you B) They are Interested in very different things than you C) You just roll on your own D) Family is cool, but it is all about your best friend E) LOVE the fam, don’t ever want to leave them

An explorer Chef, duh.

A superstar A typical successful employee Don’t want to grow up

Finding Nemo-A

Ratatouille-B

Slightly panicky Talented Confident Goofy Loyal

What scares you?

What is your pet peeve?

A) Large animals with big teeth B) Any kind of person who enforces rules C) The tough competition is the only thing that makes you nervous D) People sneaking up behind you E) Lower school moms in the parking lot

A) B) C) D) E)

Pronouncing really hard words Dirty hands Looking like a dork Slamming your fingers in doors Fighting with your friends

Austria Arnold Staff Writer

Cars-C

Monsters Inc-D

Toy Story-E

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

PhOtOESSAY

THE FOURCAST 11 April 17, 2015

PhOtOESSAY

1 isAS: FuN in the suN HOCKADAY JUNIOR ELLIE BUSH PHOTOGRAPHED THE 2015 ISAS EXPOSITION AT FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL FROM MARCH 26 TO 29. BUSH CAPTURED A DAY AT ISAS FROM DIFFERENT FINE ARTS PERFORMANCES TO HANG OUTS AROUND THE SCHOOL. 1. Greenhill dance showcase in the Fort Worth Country Day School gym.

2. Juniors Allie Charlton and Meg O’Brien jumped for the photo during the sunset.

3. Steel City Pops set up two stands during ISAS. Charlton and Bush enjoyed lemon and Hibiscus popsicles.

4. Architecture of the room where choirs from different schools gave their performances, including the Hockaday Show Choir.

5. Green field where people congregated every afternoon between performances.

2

4

3

To check out more of Ellie Bush’s photos, scan this QR code with your smartphone.

5

12

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

InFOCUs

APRIL 17, 2015

FRANTICALLY TAPPING ANONYMOUS HOCKAD HISTORY TEST. AFTER M COFFEE, SHE ANTICIPAT

WHEN HISTORY TEACH RETURNS HER MOST RE LETTER ON THE UPPER DISAPPOINTMENT.

“WHY CAN’T I JUST BE S

9 ways tO dem

According to a recent Hoc as these plague the minds smart. What students fail t intelligence and academic does not label her as an u WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE?

Howard Gardner, a psycholog University’s Graduate School of of multiple intelligences. Accor is “the ability to create an effec that is valued in a culture; a set for a person to solve problems in or creating solutions for proble ering new knowledge.”

There are many intelligence intelligence theory incorporate visual or spatial, linguistic, logi intrapersonal, kinesthetic, natu

Garner claims that all human b in varying degrees. But why a more than others?

Upper School Counselor Dr. Ma day’s society places more emph intelligences, more commonly include linguistic and logical in

“All of these things should be eq but I think logic smart and nu most,” Morse said. “Academics is than that to live a happy, succes

People with all different types o the ones that pertain to academ cessful. In fact, according to an in August of 2014 by Arthur E. P University, interpersonal and i better predictors of success than

Craig Bailey, Ph.D., a research a Emotional Intelligence, agrees w sis society places on academic in

“It comes down to this perceptio Bailey said. “And part of it is wh

Bailey believes that society valu doctors, engineers, scientists an

“Those are high-prestige fields,” think logically.”

However, there is more to succes

illustration by sofi mira

VISUAL OR SPATIAL

TYPES OF INTELLIGENCE

The ability to think in three dimensions, using spatial reasoning, graphic skills and an active manipulation. People with this kind of intelligence have an aptitude for jigsaw puzzles and mazes.

LINGUISTIC

LOGICAL

The ability to express the meaning of words fluidly and proficiently. People who exhibit linguistic intelligence enjoy reading, writing and telling stories.

The ability to quantify and execute complex mathematical operations. Strengths include abstract and symbolic thinking and reasoning skills. Logically intelligent people are drawn to math problems, strategy games and experiments.

EXISTENTIAL The capacity to think of the bigger picture and question the meaning of life. These people have a penchant for intellectual discussions and philosophical debates.

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

THE FOURCAST 13

InFOCUs

APRIL 17, 2015

HER PENCIL ON THE DESK AT THE END OF THIRD QUARTER, AN DAY JUNIOR ANXIOUSLY AWAITS THE RETURN OF HER AP U.S. MANY LONG NIGHTS OF STUDYING AND COUNTLESS CUPS OF ATES A GOOD GRADE.

HER STEVE KRAMER WALKS AROUND THE CLASSROOM AND ECENT TEST, SHE FLIPS IT OVER AND STARES IN SHOCK. A BIG RED RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE PAGE RESULTS IN HER IMMEDIATE

SMART FOR ONCE?” SHE MUTTERS.

monstrate your intelligence

ckaday Upper School student survey, she is not alone. Thoughts such s of 21 percent of Upper School students--they just do not think they are to understand is that there is a broad distinction between various types of c success. Yes, that student may have performed poorly on that test, but that unintelligent person.

gist and professor at Harvard f Education, developed a theory rding to Gardner, intelligence ctive product or offer a service t of skills that make it possible n life; the potential for finding ems, which is involved in gath-

modules. Gardner’s multiple es nine types of intelligences: ical, existential, interpersonal, uralistic and musical.

When students were asked why they don’t think of themselves as smart, they answered, “I just don’t know enough,” or “look at my grades.”

“Traditionally, school has been science, history, English, math, you know making an argument, analyzing data, that kind of stuff. That is to the point of neglecting all this other stuff,” Morse said.

In an effort to nurture interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences, Hockaday initiated the Whole Girl program in 2012.

“I think it’s important we discuss this, as a school and as a culture. We try to develop the whole girl, [and] we teach how to be productive members of society,” Croft said.

on of what it takes to succeed,” hat society hold as important.”

ues more “logical” careers, like nd lawyers.

,” Bailey said. “It’s because they

ss than logical intelligence.

According to Morse, everyone contributes to society through their different talents and gifts. It is okay if an individual excels in a few of them and “for someone else to be good in the others.”

Education engineers students to memorize formulas, analyze data and think critically. The question lies not in what students learn, but in whether or not what they are learning fosters all of the kinds of intelligence--not just the academic ones.

argaret Morse believes that tohasis on the more “academic” known as book smarts. These ntelligence.

associate at the Yale Center of with Morse about the emphantelligence.

“Memorizing all this stuff isn’t going to help you in the real world,” Shams said. “I think we tend to value smartness over intelligence at school. I think in the real world, intelligence is a little bit more helpful.”

WHY ACADEMIC INTELLIGENCE IS NOT ALWAYS THE ANSWER

Upper School science teacher Katie Croft, Ph.D., recognizes the need for students to be balanced individuals in regards to intelligence.

of intelligences, not necessarily mic merit, can be deemed sucn Australian study conducted Poropat, a professor at Griffith intrapersonal intelligence are n your GPA or SAT score.

Shams believes that even if Hockaday tries to develop the Whole Girl, there will always be a higher value placed on academic smartness rather than on intelligence.

FOSTERING INTELLIGENCE IN AN ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT

beings possess all intelligences are some intelligences valued

qually rewarded in our society, umber smart get rewarded the s so short sighted. It takes more ssful life.”

I think, because Hockaday’s such a hard school and we’re so academically-driven, a lot of people feel like they have to be smart,” Shams said.

To develop students to become well-rounded individuals, Hockaday boasts a curriculum that strives to balance academic smartness and intelligence.

Eugene McDermott Headmistress Kim Wargo believes that three of Hockaday’s four cornerstones--Courtesy, Athletics and Character--emphasize this notion of promoting intelligence in the classroom.

“I think by the fact that three of the four cornerstones have nothing to do with the traditional definition of intelligence are indicative of the fact that we were onto something,” Wargo said.

According to Wargo, character speaks to the “adaptive ability” of intelligence, while courtesy corresponds to interpersonal relationships. Because there were no competitive sports when the school was founded in 1913, athletics deals with kinesthetic intelligence.

Because teachers can assign a numerical value to a students’ smartness, students internalize those grades as indicative of their worth as a student and their success later in life.

“For some reason everyone cares about getting the grade and getting into college and they’re neglecting all these other things that are equally important,” Morse said.

Since other types of intelligence cannot be measured, they are often neglected.

“Intelligence has become increasingly hard to measure. It’s hard to measure something when I can’t put my finger on exactly,” Bailey said.

However, the journey to success does not lie in the grade on that AP Biology test.

Bailey stressed a “growing push” to recognize all of the intelligences as equally important. Despite society gearing people towards more logical-thinking careers, Bailey notes that all careers, and by extension, intelligences, are equally valued.

“I like to think of intelligence as a skill,” Bailey said. “It exists within us.”

All people have different intelligences. Some are more valued, and some are more common. But all intelligences exist within everyone, some just more than others.

“Unfortunately, I think that in this competitive, anxiety-ridden world, we all want to secure our place,” Morse said. “[But] let’s be good at what we’re good at, and let others be good at what they’re good at, and let’s be good together and work together to complete each other.” F Noor Adatia and Erin Thomas Staff Writer and Web Editor

“Ms. Hockaday clearly had some idea of intelligence,” Wargo said. “Our challenge is to hold and value these definitions, and sort of beat into all our heads that they’re all important.”

Wargo stressed the notion that people seem to overlook: Everyone is born with all intelligences to some degree.

While it is important to note that all these intelligences are important, not all students seem to think so.

If you are interested in learning about what makes you intelligent, scan the QR code with your smartphone to take the quiz. You are probably more intelligent than you think, just not always in the way you would expect.

Sophomore Sabah Shams feels that Hockaday’s rigorous curriculum and atmosphere causes people to doubt themselves and the value of their smartness.

INTERPERSONAL

INTRAPERSONAL

KINESTHETIC

The ability to effectively communicate with others and establish strong relationships by picking up on verbal and nonverbal gestures and understanding the moods of others. People with this kind of intelligence can be good leaders and communicators.

To have a strong understanding and appreciation of oneself. Intrapersonally intelligent people enjoy self-reflection and are very self-aware.

To excel in body movement and physical control. Possessing superior hand-eye coordination and dexterity, kinesthetically intelligence people are good at sports and physical activity.

NATURALISTIC To have a sensitivity for living things.

Naturalistically intelligent people have a knack for the outdoors, specifically for plants, animals and the environment.

MUSICAL The capacity to differentiate pitch, tone and rhythm. People who are musically intelligent are sensitive listeners and are good at creating and recognizing music in various forms.

Source: Howard Gardner's "Multiple Intelligences"

14

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL APRIL 17, 2015

A&E A Look Through the Lens

Murphy Makes a Beiste Move

CONCERT

Lana del Ray Lana fans await her concert, part of her Endless Summer Tour series. She will be performing on May 9 at the Gexa Energy Pavillion.

SCREEN CAPTURE FROM SADIE LIDJI’S FILM “SOMETHING NOT UNLIKE MYSELF”

pOpCharT

T

he Film Room is a hidden Up until last year, Hockaday cubby hole in the Liza Lee girls only had the option to take Academic Research Center. the Beginning Film class at St. Beyond study rooms and Mark’s School of Texas. Juniors offices, the small Advanced Film Sadie Lidji, Lexie Chu, Whitney class of eight quietly brings its vi- Middlekauff and Nathalie Naor sions to life. were the last and largest group In its essence, filmmaking at of Hockaday girls to have taken Hockaday is both solitary and col- the class at St. Mark’s during their laborative. While the entire class freshman year. shares scripts and provides feedBut now, the film program back, the final voice of a film rep- has made a return with Upper resents the filmSchool film teachmaker’s vision. er Glenys Quick.

Films bring us “We’re the to tears, challenge new generation,” us to think, push Chu said. the limits of what we believe and Recognized take us to unimaginable places.

“It’s impressive H o c k a d a y ’s how far Hockaday film program befilm has come in gan in 1972, using just two years,” Lidji only a Super 8 mm said. camera and led by Lidji has been Fine Arts Departrecognized by Dalment Lead Chair las International Ed Long.

Film Festival twice “At the time, for her films “Kiss film stood as a cru- CAMERAMAN Fine Arts the Boys and Let cial 20th century Department Lead Chair Ed Long them Die” (2014) media,” Long said. started the film program in 1972. and “Something “And at that time, Not Unlike Myself” an average high (2015). “Something school student had read six books Not Unlike Myself” was Lidji’s sixth and seen 300 feature length mov- film. Dynamic and twisty, the film ies.” tells the story of an overworked, Long stopped teaching film teenage ballerina who is pushing when the orchestra program at herself to her limits to be the best Hockaday began to grow, consum- in her company. It focuses on the ing his time, and the film class moment when her “ex-best friend” eventually died out. comes back and has a warning for PROVIDED BY CORNERSTONES

Glee continued p16

The Hockaday film program makes a comeback with its largest class since 2012

From the peak of its success in 2010 to its series finale in 2015, Glee has always been known as the show about a ragtag group of kids dealing with the ups and downs of a small public school in Ohio by banding together through a shared love for music.

However, on January 16, the show took on a more serious note when its character, previously known as Shannon Beiste (Coach Beiste), made the decision to do something he had been afraid to do his entire life: to be honest with himself and everyone else. This decision was not only a significant event on the show but also in broadcast television history.

During this significant episode, Beiste was shown in tears, telling character Sam Evans about his big decision.

When Beiste returned on February 13, he announced that he now identifies as Sheldon Beiste. Although the members of McKinley High, including the cold hearted Sue Sylvester, welcome him with open arms, Beiste finds himself a victim of tormenting by the members of Vocal Adrenaline, the rival glee club from Carmel High. To teach the kids a lesson, Sylvester plans an elaborate performance with a group of transgender vocalists to show Beiste that he is accepted and loved by all of them despite what others might think.

This episode is important not only because Glee made TV history but also because it signifies how awareness for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning Intersex Asexual (LGBTQIA) issues has increased steadily. “If we are lucky, this will begin a common practice of telling the stories of an often minimized group. Recognition of transgender people’s existence and legitimacy is certainly a fundamental step [towards] trans* people being treated like human beings,” sophomore and Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) member Audrey Black said.

The majority of Hockaday students acclaim Glee for having Coach Bieste shown dealing with this difficult experience because it not only highlights the reality of the difficulty that comes with making such a big decision but also because it says something positive about the future, “Showing the realities of the lives of minorities in the media is important because it gives said minorities affirmation that they are seen and that they deserve to be seen.

SOMETHING NOT UNLIKE MYSELF Junior Julia Pasquinelli plays an overworked ballerina in Lidji’s film.

her about dance and the events that transpire from that. “[The film] was honestly inspired by the portrayal of female friendship on screen, which is a really interesting dynamic that I don’t think has been tapped into often,” Lidji said. “I wanted to try to portray a complicated female friendship that broke down.”

“Something Not Unlike Myself” focuses on the theme of perfection, hammering out the dangers of pushing yourself too far, obsession and trying to be the best.

“It’s a theme that everyone at Hockaday can relate to,” Lidji explained. “Hockaday has a culture of perfectionism and working until you almost--or do--break. Everyone here knows the feeling of pushing yourself to the limit and the destruction it can cause.”

Currently, Lidji has shifted her focus to one of her ongoing projects: a collection of “secret journal entries” from girls around the world paired with music.

“It has taken me a year to get enough entries, which I collect through my YouTube channel,” she said. Lidji will show the final cut soon at the gallery of alumna Tally Dunn ‘86.

Nathalie Naor is not currently in the Advanced Film class due to scheduling conflicts. However, she has produced several films this year, like the “City Lights” Winter Formal video and had her film

Film continued p16

FOOD

MUSIC

MOVIES

With summer just around the corner, be sure to make your way to Steel City Pops. Known for their allnatural gourmet popsicles, Steel City Pops will make your taste buds go crazy.

For locations visit steelcitypops.com

The latest Mumford and Sons’ album debuts on May 4. After releasing their hit-song, “Believe,” this British folk band promises success in their new album.

When Disney bought Marvel, it decided to choose one of the franchise’s less powered heroes to begin with. The enormous success of Iron Man spawned a renaissance across the industry.

Currently, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the second highest grossing franchise of all time, but on May 1, that is expect to change. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is action-packed, with some moments of humor, and gives a satisfactory follow-up to the perfection that “The Avengers” was.

Steel City Pops

A&E: Why Do You Make Films? / Page 16 •

Wilder Mind

Avengers: Age of Ultron

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” TV Show Review / Page 17

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

THE FOURCAST 15

ARTs & EntERtaInMEnT

APRIL 17, 2015

Redesigning the Fashion Statement A look into why women dress the way they do, and the pressure that goes along with it

O

n March 19, the senior class from both St. Mark’s School of Texas and Hockaday met for the annual senior dinner--attire business formal. The invitation, along with the strict dress code, created a panic amongst the form as girls debated what business attire entailed, what would be appropriate and how they would be perceived.

All over the world, many women professionals face constant scrutinization by the media and public for their attire.

Most recently, First Lady Michelle Obama faced heavy criticism for her clothes on a diplomatic visit to Japan. This pattern has caused many women to speak out against what they believe is a sexist attitude.

Hockaday students experience it when they leave campus to compete in both Model United Nations or debate tournaments, as well as other activities.

Junior Rajya Atluri, who has competed at Model United Nations competitions for three years, said that she has seen an unfair focus on girls and their clothing at these events.

“It’s always the girls who are called out for what they are wearing, for either being too revealing or inappropriate, but I’ve never seen a boy being called out for not wearing his suit or the wrong shoes,” Atluri said.

She went on to say that this has an impact on the girls, their performance and even how they are viewed by the other competitors.

“I think it makes the girls really uncomfortable during conferences. They have to be so aware of their clothing at all times,” said Atluri. “When [administrators] make our clothes so important, it takes away from the actual substance of the competition and also allows the boys to make comments like ‘she only won because she was wearing a short skirt.’”

The American Psychological Association’s Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls states that “sexualization occurs when a person’s value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior.” They conducted an experiment by having girls take a math test, once in a swimsuit and once in a sweater. The results showed that the girls performed significantly worse when wearing the swimsuit.

Their conclusion was that when girls have to focus on their attire or bodies, they give less attention to their academic pursuits, simultaneously creating a culture of negative body image.

This new dress code debate has also been part of the world-wide discussion on moving blame away from girls in instances of sexual assault. Senior Emily Graue said that when girls are taught that their clothing can be distracting to others, it perpetuates the notion that they are responsible for making others comfortable for their behavior.

“If people are still policing girls and telling them how to sit and what to wear, then that shows a society that is still

ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH CHAN

wrapped up in controlling girls, which is a huge problem,” Graue said.

Graue believes an easy fix to this facet of the problem is to change the way in which attire and dress codes are talked about.

“We need to change the

language around dress codes and shift the focus from being appropriate or not revealing too much to be about formality and fitting the occasion,” she said. “If we change the manner in which dress codes are explained and enforced,

then we can weed out the body shaming and create a healthy discussion.” F

It’s completely normal.”

Tindall herself reacted positively to the announcement of Cumberbatch’s engagement and subsequent marriage.

“I was really happy for him,” she said. “He’s been single for a

really long time, and I know he really wants kids. I think he’s going to a be a great future dad.” F

Avita Anand Business Manager

Cumberbatch Meets His Cumbermatch Celebrity obsession: We love them, but do they know who we are?

B

enedict Cumberbatch, star of the critically acclaimed BBC television series “Sherlock,” as well as 2015 Academy Award nominee for Best Actor, married theater director Sophie Hunter on Valentine’s Day of 2015. But, instead of cheers for the happy couple, his adoring fans around the globe shed tears, begging the question: Why do people feel personally attached to celebrities—especially when they don’t know them personally?

Upper School counselor Dr. Margaret Morse believes that with the rise of social media and celebrity engagement in platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, people can catch a glimpse into their idol’s personal life with just the click of a button. Such daily interactions could give a sense of intimacy.

“When we are constantly seeing someone everyday, even if it’s just on a screen, it’s like they are a part of our lives.

When we read a celebrity’s tweets or see an interview, we feel like we’re seeing the real them, as opposed to a character they play in a show,” Morse said.

As an avid fan of Cumberbatch, junior Walker Tindall first became interested in the actor when she saw his performance as the titular character on “Sherlock.” She was drawn to him by his good acting and intelligent, down-toearth personality.

“It’s kind of weird that we get obsessed with people we don’t even know,” Tindall said.

“But once you start to watch someone’s movies or interviews or read things about them, you feel like you know them.”

Tindall suggests that reading news about celebrities could also have something to do with celebrity culture. Reading about celebrities makes people feel invested in those celebrities’ lives, almost as if they’re friends with them. So when something big happens to them, they feel personally affected because it’s like it’s happening to a friend.

But the way the media features celebrities might also contribute to why we feel so close to them.

The way stories are written and celebrities are featured affects the way the public relates to these stars. And often, the headlines used to gain readership make the reader feel like they know intimate details about these personalities.

Zoë Ruderman, features editor of People Magazine, is familiar with the use of keywords to gain readership.

“Whenever we have exclusive content, which is frequently at People, we make sure to tout that word. Exclusive access is a huge part of what the brand offers its readers, and we’ve found that they’re especially compelled to click on a story or buy an issue when people.com or People Magazine is the only place they can get it,” Ruderman said.

However, writers need to have caution when creating headlines; words such as “shocking” and “reveal” are extremely marketable, but if the content is not actually as surprising as proposed, readers can fall prey to false advertising.

Ruderman agrees that social media influences the public’s obsession with the rich and famous.

“Being able to follow Beyoncé on Instagram and see intimate photos from her vacation only gives people the feeling of being even more connected to her. It gives us an inside look at their lives and makes us want more,” Ruderman said.

Being so easily connected to today’s stars puts their lives at a personal, reachable level for their fans, possibly explaining the recent increase in the public’s interest in celebrities.

While these connections can manifest themselves as negative emotions, the seemingly personal bond between celebrities and their fans can be expressed positively.

“Being a fan of someone

or something is definitely not unhealthy,” Morse said. “Unless you’re truly delusional and think that a celebrity is actually your [soul] mate, then that could be a problem. But everyone has crushes on celebrities.

Amanda Kim Staff Writer

16

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

“Curiosity” recognized by the Dallas International Film Festival this year.

The film only became a comedy after Nathanael Warford, Naor’s family friend and actor, who according to Naor is “one of the wittiest people I have ever met,” began to improvise in sections of her script. “Curiosity” shows a teenage boy’s quest to find his cat, recounting an unfortunate situation in which the boy becomes the metaphor.

“Music really influences my films,” Naor, a pianist, said.

“The tone of the music sets what my film style and story will be.” For “Curiosity,” Naor chose two songs: Mr. & Mrs. Smith’s “Death’s Toll” and Johnny Ripper’s “Cat Soup.”

A musician, Naor was not originally in the film program.

However, she decided at the last minute to take the beginning class, after experiencing how film and music compliment each other.

“I was in Israel with my father and saw a Woody Allen film called “To Rome With Love,”” she said. “I had always loved his films, but what really struck me about this film was the amazing music from French composers that he paired the film with in order to create such an amazing work.”

The Animators

Whitney Middlekauff has a distinctly whimsical style. Last year, she was recognized by Dallas International Film Festival for “Rolling Alone,” a charming story of a cotton ball who investigates the deer statues that hang out by Hockaday’s pond.

This year, Middlekauff returned to the pond for “The Great Puddle,” detailing a duckling’s triumph over his fear of water.

“It’s the only place that you can really film at Hockaday without looking like you’re at Hockaday,” she said. Most of Middlekauff’s films are short and utilize voice-overs.

However, Middlekauff and Chu teamed up to experiment with stop-motion animation in their film “Delivery.”

“Delivery,” a colorful and light-hearted story, explores the ocean and the sky. Chu and Middlekauff devoted an entire weekend to creating the props for each shot and retaking the scenes. Eventually, they had to tape a camera to the ceiling of Hockaday’s Green Room, which is used for special effects, in order to capture their vision for the film.

Chu produces a high volume of films. In addition to being the executive producer of The Fourcast’s “Artscast,” she has made films for the North

Texas Food Bank and assisted most of the other Advanced Film students with their work.

“At first, I was interested in directing, but over time I realized that I was more interested in producing,” she said. “I want to try new things, tell stories and show others how I see the world through film. It’s truly amazing what you can do with film: create, discover, convey. It all started here at Hockaday film.”

SCREENCAPTURE FROM LAUREN KIM’S ‘‘UNCONDITIONAL’’

Film Program continued from p14

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

ARTs & EntERtaInMEnT

APRIL 17, 2015

Future of the Film

Over half of the current film students plan on majoring in Film and Media Studies in college. The others plan on minoring or keeping it as a lifelong hobby.

While Lidji told a compelling story about stress in “Something Not Unlike Myself”—a “tenement of Hockaday culture,” she still wants to continue to focus on the central issue of representation of women in the film industry. “Something Not Unlike Myself” had an allfemale cast, a trend that Lidji would like to continue in all of her films.

Junior Anastasia Stewart just finished her first horror film, “Sleepy Reaper,” which tells the story of Bo, a teenage girl, who starts having repetitive dreams in which her dead father kills her in differ-

UNCONDITIONAL Senior Lauren Kim’s film tells the story of a young girl who dresses as a princess for children’s parties because she likes to be adored. ent ways each time. Confused, scared and about to finally get to live her life, Bo tries to figure out what is going on before it is too late.

But now, Stewart wants to mainly focus on representation of women in films.

“I want to focus my next project on women and their portrayal in films because it is such a huge problem,” Stewart said. “I want to say something about how women should feel empowered to do anything.”

Chu wants to make films that show women in a realistic light.

“My current drive for pursuing film in the future is for Asian and female representation within the film industry,” she said. “It’s really important that we have a voice, and film is a great way to broadcast and shape new ideas.”

“I want to say something about how women should feel empowered to do anything,” she said. F Kate Clement A&E Editor

Why Do You Make Films?

Students from the Hockaday film program tell The Fourcast what motivates them to pursue film “Right now I am just focused on presenting an idea powerfully to an audience, but I hope in the future to make people think about important social topics.”

Freshman Shelby Shultz Beginning Fil

“I love being able to make a statement and express myself through a really interesting and flexible medium.”

Senior Lauren Kim Advanced Film

Glee continued from p14 “Showing the realities of the lives of minorities in the media is important because it gives said minorities affirmation that they are seen and that they deserve to be seen. It can also give the majority a sense of compassion for said minorities, leading to their humanization, and hopefully equal rights. Recognizing these struggles on a TV show can show trans people that they are not alone,” form IV

CArtOon

“I make films as a way to communicate to the world about what’s in my head, my ideas, my opinions. Everyone needs a voice and I portray mine through films. Of course, I also love it and making films makes me happy.”

“Because I get a lot of joy from bringing something that was once just in my head into the real world in an effort to connect to fellow human beings.”

Junior Sadie Lidji Advanced Film

Junior Anastasia Stewart Advanced Film

“I make films to bring my stories and ideas to life.”

Lyudmila Grigoryeva

Junior Lexie Chu Advanced Film

“I make films in hope that they will have an impact in someone's life.”

Junior Anna Kate Benedict Beginning Film

student Katie Miller said.

Although many people are fully supportive of this ground breaking episode, there is still some controversy that has followed. Two anonymous sources expressed strong feelings of disapproval towards the episode. “Deuteronomy 22:5 says a woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God,” one source said when

“I make films because of the ability to create. There are so many genres and ideas to explore! The world of filmmaking is limitless, and I appreciate how I can do anything, try new ideas.

I’m a huge fan of experimental films because there are no rules.”

asked why she did not approve of the episode.

“I mean it’s different and sort of exotic, but we hold up these sort of people as a significant part of the population, when the majority of America will rarely see this,” an anonymous junior said.

Some viewers find the episode unsettling and unrelatable, “I understand it’s raising awareness, but I don’t think the majority of America, which is Fox’s viewers, can relate to this

Junior Destanye Brooks Beginning Film

or find any meaning in it,” the anonymous junior said.

Regardless of the controversy behind the episode, there is no doubt that Glee took a huge leap in broadcasting history. For the first time in history, a character made the decision to be honest with themselves on TV, allowing Fox’s viewers all over the world to be a part of the experience. Glee’s leap symbolizes not only a more diverse future for television but also symbolizes a more open, accepting so-

ciety in the years to come. a significant part of the population, when the majority of America will rarely see this,” an anonymous junior said.

Some viewers find the episode unsettling and unrelatable, “I understand it’s raising awareness, but I don’t think the majority of America, which is Fox’s viewers, can relate to this or find any meaning in it,” anonymous junior said. F Heidi Kim Staff Writer

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

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ARTs & EntERtaInMEnT

APRIL 17, 2015

REVIEWS: PS 214 • “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” • Kendrick Lamar

Good Public School Food PHOTO BY ASHNA KUMAR

Lamar Stuns Listeners with New Album

Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly”

Public School 214 3700 McKinney Ave., Dallas, TX 75204

F

rom the moment I entered Public School 214, I felt right at home. Maybe it was because all the waiters and hosts immediately smiled at me or that the entire place gave a sense of familiarity (maybe it was the school theme?), but the entire experience has completely changed my expectations of dining.

From the service to the food, everything exceeded the standards I had before walking into the restaurant.

Originating from California, PS 214 opened in late January and has been doing so well ever since that they will soon be expanding to a new location in Addison, PS 972. Each of the “Public School” restaurants are numbered after the area code of the city they are located in. The restaurant seems to be popular with a younger crowd.

To add to the “classroom” experience, the entire far wall of the restaurant is covered in shelves full of globes. And on either side of the shelves, there are bookshelves filled with textbooks.

The menu, designed like a com-

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” Cult survivor comedy “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” could certainly be described as eccentric. Created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, the team behind “30 Rock,” the show was originally set to air on NBC but has now found a home in the streaming world.

The comedy’s first season was made available on Netflix on March 6 of this year.

From the moment she is rescued from an Indiana doomsday cult, Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper), the show’s title character, approaches the world with a kind of fresh optimism that is both exciting and contagious.

Though still emotionally damaged by her 15-year confinement, Kimmy decides to leave Indiana, where she will “always be a victim,” for New York. Through sheer bravery and persistence, Kimmy finds

position book, has a variety of appetizers that include Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower and Fiery Calamari, a choice of soups and salads, sandwiches, burgers and a separate section for different types of entrees. The burgers range from bison to lamb. The brunch menu, designed to look like a scantron sheet, has more “breakfast” foods. These include chicken sausage and cheddar grits, fried jidori chicken and waffles, and fire roasted vegetable hash and eggs.

Even though it was a busy Sunday during brunch, PS 214 seated us almost immediately.

As an appetizer, I ordered the Chorizo Mac and Cheese. This was unlike any pasta I’ve had before. Instead of the regular pasta with cheese, they added kale and salt and vinegar chips.

This made for a very interesting dish with a variety of flavors and textures normally not present in a simple mac and cheese serving. The salt and vinegar chips added a little crunch to the pasta, as well as a sour twinge to it. It took a couple of bites to get used to this new taste, but overall it was a nice twist to a classic dish.

As an entree, I ordered the stuffed French toast of the day: Nutella and bananas. Two slices of French toast with a hearty helping of Nutella in between and cooked bananas on top.

The entire thing was served with ice

FRIED GOODNESS This fish and chips dish is the quintessential meal of PS 214, classic with a sophisticated twist.

cream on the side. While this wasn’t the most healthy of dishes, it made for a unique outlook on a simple idea.

And while I have never been a fan of bananas, this dish made me want to never stop eating them.

My mom, a strict vegetarian, was unsure of what she wanted to eat, so the restaurant made her an “off-themenu” dish: poblano peppers stuffed with Quinoa, with a side of rice and mint.

She devoured the entire thing in minutes.

My brother ordered a traditional, can’t-go-wrong-dish: fish and chips.

PS 214 added their own flavor to it by grilling the lemon served on the side and using Sriracha ketchup instead of normal ketchup.

This is by all means the place to go if you want a unique spin on traditional food. While the food is a little heavy and very filling, the menu has enough options to make anyone happy.

Continue your school experience and learn the art of flavorful and truly different food. F

$$ 214.585.9478 Open 10 a.m.–11 p.m.

Monday – Sunday

Big Smiles for the Big Apple an apartment owned by oddball, drug-selling landlord Lillian (Carol Kane), moves in with failing actor Titus (Tituss Burgess) and gets hired by the rich, narcissistic Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski), all within her first day.

All these characters, however, are not as they seem, and their complex backstories are developed in great stride within the next 12 episodes, which center around Kimmy’s adaptation to her newfound modern life.

One such plotline development was that of my personally favorite character, Titus Andromedon, a gay African-American who moved from rural Mississippi in order to pursue his acting dream but now works in a robot costume, passing out flyers in Times Square.

The reason why Titus’s character is so likable is that he not only breaks past the stan-

dard stock character of the gay best friend, but he is also funny and witty. He gives Kimmy a makeover, yet before doing so jokingly says, “I must make you over. It is the pact between my kind and yours, and in exchange, you buy us brunch sometimes.”

As the show progresses, Titus continues to carve out his own unique brand of humor, singing Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” at a funeral, coining the term “snowbesity” (when you can’t judge the appearance of a person because they’re wearing a snow coat) and writing my new favorite song, “Pinot Noir.”

With that said, the show certainly has its shortcomings.

In contrast to superbly complex Titus, the character of Kimmy’s love interest, the Vietnamese Dong (Ki Hong Lee), lacks depth. He is an on-screen Asian

stereotype, skilled in math yet possessing broken English.

But the problem is not simply the stereotype--the issue is the fact that the show doesn’t move past the stereotype, breaking it with specificity and audacity. Viewers need to know more about Dong past first impressions, and the lack of perspective on Dong’s character leaves a lot to be desired.

Thankfully, the show has already been promised another season, set to air March 2016, to further fill in gaps such as these that producers left open-ended in the first season. I’m excited to watch even more of Kimmy Schmidt, who, armed with her light-up Sketchers and her copy of “The Baby sitters Club,” is not just unstoppable, but like the title, “Unbreakable.”F Jenny Zhu Staff Writer

“To Pimp a Butterfly” is perhaps not the most charming name for a rap album that addresses serious themes like racism and the negative consequences of having fame and money. I decided to give the album a go, despite my unfamiliarity with the hip-hop genre, after a friend recommended it to me. Besides, a fluttering, bright orange Monarch didn’t seem to be the type of butterfly Lamar was referring to, so my curiosity was piqued.

The album’s main track, “Wesley’s Theory,” is trippy and features Lamar rapping to a funky beat in the background-which was a slight discord to the ear. However, it is evident that Lamar had carefully crafted the song’s lyrics by drawing from his childhood experiences. The song includes several musical interludes with George Clinton and Dr. Dre, whose voices serve to add a new dimension and layer of complexity to the track.

Lamar continues his magic with “Mortal Man,” a smooth, dreamy piece of art that pays tribute to Tupac, the late rapper and a personal inspiration to Lamar. Tupac’s voice broadcasts loud and clear right in the middle of the 12-minute song and describes how blacks still face many of the same problems that Tupac’s ancestors had to overcome.

Going back to his roots in “Institutionalized,” Lamar raps about returning to the neighborhood where he grew up.

The overall feel of the song is psychedelic and a bit melancholic, with the combination of cool, glassy jazz and sad guitar notes, almost like something you would listen to after a bad break-up.

Lamar’s fiery song, “The Blacker the Berry,” greatly contrasts with “Institutionalized,” but addresses some of the same themes. It reads more like a rant than a lyrical song as Lamar almost manically and angrily raps about police brutality and racial stereotypes surrounding African-Americans.

“To Pimp a Butterfly” is structured as a series of separate and connected vignettes that aren’t just your average rap songs. The album provides a platform for Lamar’s social commentary, as well as a place for him to weave in parts of his own experiences growing up.

At the same time, he uses effects, detours and guest artists to keep the experience fresh and engaging for fans. After listening to the album, it’s clear that Lamar, like a butterfly, has blossomed into a confident, bold young man who is unafraid to voice his thoughts and opinions. F Eshani Kishore Staff Writer

18

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL APRIL 17, 2015

spOrts Making Time for Mindfulness

9-3

Research supports the importance of mindfulness: a new way to find time in the day for yourself PHOTO BY CLAIRE FLETCHER

Score of JV lacrosse’s away game at ESD on April 12. After playing various teams from all across the Dallas Metroplex, the team currently remains undefeated.

10

Number of days until varsity golf competes at SPC, which occurs several days before track, lacrosse and tennis SPC. Varsity track, lacrosse and tennis will compete from April 29 to May 1 in Fort Worth.

23

Number of runs varsity softball scored in its home game against ESD on March 31. ESD scored 22 runs. With this game as a victory under its belts, the team has qualified for SPC.

3

Number of varsity track and field relay teams that competed in Texas Relays at the University of Texas at Austin from March 25 to March 28. The teams were composed of girls from all forms.

An Early Start to Working Out Children enrolled at the Child Development Center begin exercising at a young age

O

n a typical busy day, happy,” Burton said. “Sometimes junior Frances Burton in the morning when I’m removes from morning ally tired and really don’t want classes to student coun- to take on the day, I’ll just smile cil meetings during conference, and force myself to be positive which often run into lunch, to for five minutes and it just picks her afternoon classes, to track my attitude up for the day.” practice after school and alThe study relates to the most immediately to homework growing practice of Mindfulwhen she returns home. But ness, a movement which proalong the way, she doesn’t forget motes living in and accepting to smile. the present, by working on slowFrom the start of the school ing down the brain and controlday at 8:30 a.m. to the time they ling emotions. return home at 6:30 p.m. or even later, Hockaday students A New Type of Exercise endure a hectic Recently, the proschedule. Accordcess of mindfulness ing to Burton, the has been attributed to process of comincreased relaxation pleting the day’s responses of the brain. work and moving According to Women’s on to tomorrow’s Health Magazine, worwork overrides IN MEDITATION rying about the past the importance of Number of minutes activates the sympataking breaks.

English Department thetic nervous system Yes, Burton Chair Dr. Deborah (the fight-or-flight reis stressed. But Moreland’s students sponse), but the pracshe manages her meditate before each tice of mindfulness cramped schedule class. works the parasympawith a technique thetic nervous system, written by Gretchen Rubin called “The Happiness which triggers relaxation reProject,” which features a study sponses.

Upper School health teachabout the influence of actions er Rebekah Calhoun has heard on emotions.

“If you act happy and smile, about the growing incorporaeven if you’re not feeling that tion of mindfulness in educaway, it will start to send mes- tion; for example, Hockaday sages to your brain that you feel has tried to incorporate mindfulness into its Whole Girl Pro-

FINDING TIME Sophomores Maria Katsulos and Heidi Kim find time for themselves to practice mindfulness by performing bridges.

5

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n a sunny morning in April, a cluster of energetic toddlers gathered around Angel Duncan, director of the Child Development Center, as she explained the directions for a game that involved playing with a parachute. As Duncan explained the directions, the children felt excited and ready to play; little did they know that the parachute would help them land in a healthy place.

Research conducted by My Gym, a New Hampshire-based children’s gym, revealed that these types of activities may help young children build lifelong exercise habits without

them even knowing it.

My Gym claims that their programs are based on extensive psychological and physiological research.

According to Michelle Burns, the owner of My Gym, their method aims to keep fitness fun and interactive, “while still developing motor coordination, flexibility and balance at an early age,” she said.

Hockaday’s CDC shares many goals with My Gym. Their activities come in the form of games that introduce children to the idea of exercise and educate them on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.

And Hockaday goes a step

SPORTS: How-to Meditation / Page 19 •

further than My Gym by offering education on nutrition, anatomy, health and wellness for young children.

“During physical education class, gym teachers focus on educating children on the different parts of their bodies, such as the names of the different muscles and bones,” Duncan said.

But Hockaday’s CDC is aware of the physical limits of its “littlest ones.” Infants, whose ages range from five months to two-years-old, complete a series of relaxing movements that are collectively known as Brain Gym and are beneficial to these kids in

Keeping Medications in Mind / Page 20

gram.

“The huge thing is that it can hopefully relieve some of the negative impacts and negative health consequences of sustained stress and sustained engagement of the stress responses,” Calhoun said, describing the program.

Guidance counselor Dr. Margaret Morse became familiar with the ideas of mindfulness by reading other psychology publications like “Buddha’s Brain” by Rick Hanson and “Whole Brain Child” by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Bryson, which introduce the connection to depression and anxiety.

“Depression is being upset about the past and anxiety is being worried about the future, and mindfulness is all about being present in the moment.

It’s not that you don’t have those thoughts, it’s about not letting them consume you,” Morse said.

Calhoun recognizes the health benefits of mindfulness, which can decrease stress. “I think [mindfulness] is helpful, but I don’t think it would work for everyone. I think anything that helps us to manage that stress response and regulate it and get back to that homeostasis [could work],” she said.

Meditation continued p20

more than one way.

“These gentle movements cross the midline of the body to calm the infants when they are crying,” Duncan said. “Another benefit of Brain Gym is that it is proven to help form the skills needed for reading comprehension,” Duncan said.

“Although these infants are still too young to truly work out, the CDC strives to foster healthy habits for children at a young age by introducing [children] to the ideas of nutrition and fitness,” Duncan said.

Gym continued p19

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Right Time to Replace A mere month after beginning her 2014 track season, junior Greer Christie felt a sharp pain shooting up her shins every time she took a step: shin splints. Christie admittedly attributed her injury to not only a vitamin D deficiency but also a failure to replace her worn-out shoes, which she knew she should have done. “I thought that they were really cute, therefore I opted not to [replace them] even though they were damaging my legs,” she said. “I knew the risks of injury that could occur if I didn’t replace my worn-out shoes, but I chose to ignore those facts.” After suffering from shin splints for about four months, the problem worsened into a full-blown stress fracture.

Mileage wears down any shoe, no matter how great or expensive it is. Equipment becomes less effective, and even dangerous, if not replaced at the proper time. Social Media Director Sydney Yonack conducted an investigation on when it’s time to replace your sports equipment:

1 RUNNING SHOES

2

3

4

SWIMSUITS

SWEATBANDS, HATS AND HELMETS

YOGA MAT

Despite huge advances in fiber technology, chlorine will eventually deteriorate a swimsuit.

NorCal Swim Shop advises that a swimsuit be replaced whenever it begins to feel loose or baggy. If you are looking for a more durable swimwear, NorCal recommends polyester suits, as they tend to have a higher resistance to chlorine.

According to Greatist, a website that promotes healthy lifestyles, shoes should be replaced after 300 to 500 miles. For those who do not keep track of their total mileage, there is a different way to tell that your shoes need the boot: 1. Place one hand inside your shoe and the other palm-up on the sole of the shoe.

2. Press the fingers of the bottom hand into the sole.

According to TotalBeauty, it is very common to overlook cleaning your sweatbands, hats and headbands. But collection of sweat overtime can cause bacteria to grow and breakouts to occur on your forehead or along your hairline. To avoid this from happening, wash sweatbands and hats after each use (if you actually sweat in them), and wipe down helmets after a hard bike ride.

6

5

John Paul Ouvrier of Fitness4Charity recommends replacing exercise balls and bands after two years of use, or when you start to notice the plastic losing its color and becoming brittle. Failure to timely replace these could become dangerous: balls break and bands snap.

3. If you can feel your fingers pushing through, the shoes need replacing.

•Mat does not maintain a uniform thickness from top to bottom •Little pieces peel or flake off •Unpleasant smell

EXERCISE SOCKS

EXERCISE BALLS AND WORKOUT BANDS

A yoga mat must be replaced, just like any other piece of gym equipment. According to TotalBeauty.com, your mat can no longer provide the necessary stability and cushion when you notice any of the following:

Michael Aish, co-owner of the Boulder Running Company Denver Tech Center, told Fitbie that once the elastic in your exercise socks is so worn down that the sock bunches, it is important to find a new pair of socks. Failing to replace baggy socks could result in blisters. Also, if fabric is thinned on key areas of the foot (i.e. ball, heel) you are missing out on the important cushioning that socks offer.

•Mat slides/ does not maintain traction •Joint soreness - A quality mat should be able to protect your ankles, wrists and other joints.

It is recommended that a yoga mat be replaced every six to 12 months if used often.

7 ROAD-BIKE TIRES There are many signs that could indicate when it is time to replace the tires on your road bike.

Livestrong provides signs that signify that tires are in need of replacement:

But what exactly is the risk of not replacing your shoes so often? After all, running shoes are not cheap, but there could be consequences associated with not getting new shoes as often as you should. Greatist said that once the shoes have been worn enough, the cushion wears down.

The cushion in the insoles of your running shoes acts a as shock absorber, taking pressure off your joints and bones. Failure to replace shoes in a timely manner could result in overuse injuries such as shin splints, which are minor, or more long-term injuries like tendonitis.

•Several flat tires within a short period of time—it is likely that there is small hole (or multiple small holes) in the tire.

•Hard or cracked tires—if you have not used your road bike in some time, it is important to check the tires before using. Tires can crack or become hard as a result of changes in temperature or humidity.

•Dark spots or exposed string—these demonstrate weaknesses in the tire.

MapMyFitness, a free fitness-tracking app, has partnered with Zappos, a website widely known for its shoes, to help track shoe mileage. Just input what sort of shoes you have, log your mileage, and the app will tell you when it’s time to replace your worn out sneakers.

•Worn down traction—if the ridges in the tire are not deep (compared to newer tires), it is important to replace the tires. Loss of traction can result in loss of control and possibly injury.

PHOTOS BY CLAIRE FLETCHER

Gym continued from p18

How-to Meditation A study done by Harvard-affiliated researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital has shown that meditation (done consistently for several weeks) makes considerable, positive changes in brain regions associated with self-awareness, learning, memory, empathy and stress.

Concentration meditation, which is focusing on a single thing such as your breath or an object, particularly trains the brain to control focus. However, by noting sounds, your breath, sensations in your body or thoughts, the general practice of meditation is meant to make you aware of the present moment.

According to Yoga Journal’s Practical Guide to Meditation issue, the purpose of meditation is to “observe these distractions without judgment and without trying to change what you notice.” By observing distractions but not letting them overwhelm you, people who meditate begin to see thoughts, feelings and sensations as temporary.

Routine meditation is especially helpful for those who deal with anxiety disorders; it teaches them how to “handle distressing thoughts without being overpowered by them.”

The best way to experience the effects and benefits of meditation is to make it a routine. According to Yoga Journal, “you’re training your body and mind to turn inward repeatedly—to persevere through one bad day or a series of tough days in order to better savor the great sessions.”

Perspectives Editor Elie McAdams lists the steps to performing one type of meditation: visual technique:

1

Establish a space: usually with a lit candle, a dark or dimly lit room, a comfortable spot, a pillow to sit on and a blanket.

2

Pick a time: some time when your mind is relatively clear; the best time for meditation is probably at the beginning of the day rather than the end.

3

Assume the correct position: spine erect and eyes closed in a comfortable, seated position.

4

Begin clearing your mind: To get into the meditation, bring awareness to your breath. Count up to four with each breath in, then four counts with each breath out. Continue doing this until it’s the only thing you’re focusing on.

5

Once your focus is centered, bring your attention to your spine. Imagine that each breath is creating space between the vertebrae in your spine, elongating your spine.

Begin visualizing a warm ray of light slowly filling your spine, dissolving and dispelling any heaviness in your body. Imagine the light filling your spine in the same way that light filters through the leaves of a tree, slowly shining through and making your spine brighter and more light-filled.

6

Continue this practice for five to 10 minutes.

PHOTO BY CLAIRE FLETCHER

Upper School history and economics teacher Joni Palmer, whose daughter is enrolled in the CDC, agrees with Duncan and believes that “having an active lifestyle is a very important part of being a healthy person.”

Palmer’s 14-week-old daughter, Renee, is already very active around the house.

For this reason, Palmer does not specifically “focus on modeling exercise or activity for her daughter” at this time, but she believes that it is crucial to establish a healthy lifestyle at a young age.

Palmer said that children who are accustomed to being active—playing outside, hiking, walking, participating in team sports, taking dance lessons,

etc.—will grow into adults who want to continue to be active.

Although the CDC’s fitness program currently addresses the needs of its children, Duncan is open to the idea of tweaking it in the future—or even modeling a fitness plan like My Gym’s.

“We briefly discussed the idea of offering exercise classes for parents and children to do together, just like My Gym,” Duncan said.

Most of all, Duncan is interested in exercising children’s brains just as much as their bodies. “Physical exercise is very important, but we’re equally interested in the children’s cognitive and emotional development, in raising whole, healthy children.”​ F Eshani Kishore Staff Writer

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Keeping Medications in Mind Assistant News Editor Faith Isbell investigates the effects of our most popular over-the-counter medications the-counter medications leads consumers to believe that we are capable of self-medicating, or treating, ourselves and our conditions. But if we are not informed or careful, self-medication can be dangerous, Hockaday nurse Erika Herridge said.

Herridge said she believes that the safest way to go about treating a condition is to first consult your parents, your doctor or your school health center rather than self-medicating.

“People tend to rely on just taking a pill,” Herridge said.

“However, you should really try to figure out the root cause of your condition rather than just taking medication.” Herridge listed dehydration, lack of sleep and poor diet as common causes for conditions like a headache or a stomachache.

“Rather than immediately taking medication, you should first see if you can fix [your condition] naturally,” Herridge said.

She also noted that Hockaday rules require students to take all medications, with few exceptions, in the nurse’s office.

The Student Handbook states that “students may not keep medications on their persons, or in their book bags, lockers or luggage,” and “students who provide their personal medications, supplies or equipment to other students will be subject to discipline.”

PHOTO BY FAITH ISBELL

A

Hockaday senior, who agreed to speak under the alias Amelia, was in her third day at a local soccer training camp in Dallas.

Amelia had already endured two long days of sprints, drills and scrimmages and was surprised when she felt a sharp, pinching pain in the back of her mouth.

Unlike the common athletic injuries of pulled quads or sore backs, Amelia was sensing the beginning of a toothache.

“I wasn’t going to let a silly toothache keep me from playing,” Amelia said.

As she had done many times before, Amelia reached into her bag, shook out a few pills and swallowed.

Over the course of the day, Amelia took six Advil, six Tylenol and four Aleve. It was the most medication that Amelia had ever taken in a day—and she did not think anything of it.

Neither did her parents.

For Amelia, a dedicated student, a lifelong athlete and a recent soccer commit to an Ivy League school, self-medication is the norm.

Like Amelia, we all get those headaches, muscle aches and cramps every once in a while. It seems that something can always be fixed by simply “popping a pill.”

Our wide access to over-

UNFORESEEN SIDE EFFECTS Medicating oneself without being informed of the medication’s side effects and risks can be dangerous and result in serious consequences.

The average Hockaday Upper School student falls under the dosage for adults and children (12+), but Herridge adds that students should take into account any height or weight

parameters for the drug’s use.

In addition, be sure to read the label and note any potentially common or severe side effects.

With any over-the-counter medication, Herridge advises

that you contact your doctor if you are experiencing any severe or persistent symptoms.

The following information is provided by Drugs.com and WebMD:

Painkillers

Cold Medicine

Feminine Relief

WHAT IS IT? There are two categories of non-prescription painkillers: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen. NSAIDS include Advil, Aleve and Motrin, and acetaminophen includes Tylenol. NSAIDS work by reducing the hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body, and acetaminophen works by changing the way the body senses pain and by cooling the body’s temperature.

WHAT IS IT? A well-known example of cold medicine is Vicks DayQuil Multi-Symptom Cold/Flu Relief (Dayquil). Dayquil is a combination of analgesic, cough suppressant and decongestant. The analgesic and cough suppressant work by targeting the brain to decrease pain from congestion and reduce coughing, and the decongestant works by constricting blood vessels and reducing nasal swelling.

WHAT IS IT SUPPOSED TO TREAT? NSAIDS and acetaminophen are used to reduce fever and relieve minor pain and inflammation from conditions such as headaches, muscle aches, toothaches, backaches, arthritis, menstrual cramps, the common cold and minor injuries.

WHAT IS IT SUPPOSED TO TREAT? Dayquil is used to relieve pain from congestion and reduce coughing caused by the common cold, the flu or other conditions.

WHAT IS IT? A well-known example of feminine relief is Midol PMS Maximum Strength (Midol). Midol is a combination of acetaminophen, pamabrom and pyrilamine. The acetaminophen works as a pain reliever and fever reducer by changing the way the body senses pain and by cooling the body’s temperature, and the pamabrom works as a diuretic by allowing the body to get rid of unneeded water and salt through the urine. The pyrilamine works as an antihistamine by reducing nausea and vomiting.

(Advil, Aleve, Motrin, Tylenol)

ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS THAT I SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR? Some common side effects include abdominal pain, gas or bloating, blistering skin, rashes, swelling of the body, nervousness and dizziness.

WHAT IS THE RISK? The biggest risk with NSAIDS is severe or fatal gastrointestinal bleeding. If taken in more than the recommended dose, or for prolonged periods of time, NSAIDS can increase the amount of acid in the stomach and reduce the amount of protective mucus that the stomach maintains. The biggest risk with acetaminophen is liver disease and liver failure. If taken in more than the recommended dose, or for prolonged periods of time, acetaminophen can cause liver damage.

Meditation continued from p18

Finding Time for Yourself

The first step of mindfulness is to find a comfortable place and focus on breathing.

One of the suggested activities in the article from Women’s Health Magazine is yoga, due to the concentration on breathing.

“Breathing, as in focusing on deep breaths, is a very good place to start. It’s something that you can do immediately in any situation,” Morse said.

“It’s not just breathing; it’s deep breathing and focusing on the air going into your lungs and then holding it and exhaling.”

The positive benefit of mindfulness is the mobility and the ease of the practice; for example, the core of mindfulness, breathing, doesn’t require

(Vicks DayQuil Multi-Symptom Relief)

ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS THAT I SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR? Some common side effects include dizziness, lightheadedness, drowsiness, nausea or abdominal pain.

WHAT IS THE RISK? Dayquil contains dextromethorphan (DMX), which is a common active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough suppressant cold medications. DMX has gained a poor reputation as a recreational drug for its powerful dissociative, or hallucinogenic, effects. If taken in more than the recommended dose, or for prolonged periods of time, DMX can lead to acute or chronic liver failure and can be potentially fatal.

a large amount of time.

“You just start small; breathing is something that you can do immediately and in any situation,” Morse said. “You can always just breathe.”

After regulating breathing, focusing on the minute details helps stop nervous feelings by slowing down the thought process. “You focus on the presence of what it’s like to have air in your lungs or for you to really stop and see what you really look like,” Morse said. “It’s about trying to slow down in the moment. If you physically slow down, then your brain slows down and stops racing.”

Creating a Mindful Community

(Midol PMS Maximum Strength)

Incorporating mindfulness into the community or a daily

WHAT IS IT SUPPOSED TO TREAT? Midol is used to treat the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), such as tension, bloating, water weight gain, headache, muscle pain, cramps and irritability.

ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS THAT I SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR? Some common side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, nose or throat, constipation, blurred vision and restlessness.

WHAT IS THE RISK? Midol contains acetaminophen, which can lead to liver disease and liver failure. If taken in more than the recommended dose, or for prolonged periods of time, acetaminophen can cause liver damage.

Sources: Drugs.com and WebMD:

routine begins with an awareness of the practice. Calhoun tries to incorporate a moment of self-reflection at the start of her health classes.

“I do this with my class every once and a while. I say ‘I don’t want you to do anything.

I just want you to sit there and be for 10 minutes,’” Calhoun said. “It’s not about thinking about anything; it’s not about doing anything; it’s just take a deep breath and just be.”

But with the busy schedules of the average Hockaday students, there is a limited amount of time in the day, and that makes it difficult to create time to reflect and rest. Calhoun is not sure, however, that adding mindfulness to the health curriculum would be effective.

“Having it in health class is easy. My concern with having it

in health class is that it becomes something that we only do in health class, and we don’t take it out of the room,” Calhoun said.

“I’ve done it some as a still, quiet movement when I talk about stress with my freshmen. I feel like if I take that time to do that every class, people would love it, but I don’t think they would take it out of the class and do it somewhere else.”

On the other hand, English Department Chair Dr. Deborah Moreland incorporates meditation into her class time.

Burton, one of Moreland’s students, appreciates the action of meditation in class, but she also agrees with Calhoun.

“We meditate for five minutes at the start of class, and I really enjoy that. It actually helps. But I could never see myself doing that outside of class,”

Burton said.

The main issue with incorporating mindfulness into the daily routine is the cultural idea that we always need to be working on or accomplishing a task, and the uneasiness associated with doing nothing.

“I think people don’t know how to do that very well because we are so wired and so busy. I think we have lost that art of being alone and being still, being quiet and being by ourselves,” Calhoun said. “We, as a culture, not just a Hockaday thing, but an American thing, are okay to do health things if they are convenient, but if they’re not, we just don’t have time for it.” F Claire Fletcher Photo Editor

21

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THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL APRIL 17, 2015

PersPectLves Dear Zayn Malik

StudentView

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%

Sundresses and Wedges

33

%

Graduation

22 % 9 %

Flowers

Rain Boots

D

Junior Manisha Ratakonda

ear Zayn Malik,

Will you marry me?

But in all honesty, my email is mratakonda@hockaday.org—feel free to hit me up.

The first time we met was in March of 2012. I was in the eighth grade, and you were 19 years old. It was basically love at first sight.

During spring break, my friends and I waited in line for more than four hours to win tickets for y’all’s meet and greet. The day eventually rolled around. We were ready to meet our future husbands.

I remember tearing up when the security guard opened the door for me and said, “your turn.” Everything in my life had built up to this moment. Album in hand, I

walked in calmly--careful to make my first impression unforgettable.

I casually said “hi” to Liam and Louis and gave them highfives before I got to you. And then, we finally met. We made eye contact for a solid three seconds before I literally became faint. Everything started moving in slow motion, and my vision had become somewhat impaired. I tried to act relaxed, but it clearly didn’t work.

“Are you okay, babe?” you said to me.

No, I was not okay. This was all too much for a mere eighth grader to handle. But I decided to play it off cool.

“Ye-hes,” I replied.

You held up your hand for me to high-five, and at that exact same moment, I swear I heard the angels singing from the heavens.

But now the year is 2015, and we have both come a long way since then. I grew a few inches taller, you got a few tattoos. I left middle school, you left your band. But hey, no hard feelings.

After being in the spotlight for five years and producing four albums, it is somewhat understandable that you have decided to call it quits. You left the band to become a “normal 22-year-old who is able to relax

PHOTOILLUSTRATION BY MANISHA RATAKONDA

The Fourcast asked readers, “What’s your favorite spring perk?”

Here are the results based on a poll of 217 responses.

and have some private time out of the spotlight.” While this seems somewhat impossible to do considering your fame, on behalf of all the former One Direction-obsessed

middle schoolers, we wish you the best of luck.

XOXO, Manisha

THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID Waterboarding.

You should try it.

History teacher Steve Kramer during a lecture in his AP Euro class about the use of waterboarding in the Boer War.

NEXT ISSUE: What’s your favorite end of school year event?

I GOT INTO COLUMBIA, WHAT A DISASTER!!!

Senior Katie Mimini’s reaction to her college acceptance.

Jesuit cancels school for

video games.

Senior Anesu Nyatanga, in response to Hockaday’s uncertain cancellation of exams.

“Isn’t the 95 Theses the thing Martin Luther King wrote?”

A) Form Day B) Senior Splash Day C) Ring Day D) Graduation

Sophomore Hannah Sung, in response to Addie Walker asking what the 95 Theses was.

Last night I was reading about early Islam and...

Senior Emily Graue in Literature and Philosophy class, talking about her cultured life outside of Hockaday.

TWITTER

I want to be one of those kids who invents something spectacular in their college dorm room and then proceeds to make a billion dollars.

Check your email soon for the survey!

PHOTOS BY SONYA XU PHOTO COURTESY OF ABBY AGWANOBI ILLUSTRATION BY HEIDI KIM

Senior Phoebe Smith (@phobiwankenobi) wants to be the next Mark Zuckerberg.

STAFFSTANCE

T

his issue marks the last one for the Fourcast seniors. In honor of that, as some of us prepare to jump into the next chapter of our lives (college!), we’re focusing on how our perspectives of Hockaday have changed since freshman year.

No one truly knows the benefits of all girls’ education quite like those who have experienced it. However, often the benefits are not truly understood or appreciated until the final year of all girls’ school— or even after graduation.

In our first few years of attending Hockaday, we started out narrow-minded: most of us were embarrassed about attending an all girls’ school. Our judgments of our environment and of each others’ differences are what separated us into petty high school cliques. In those first years, we lamented about

having to go to school with only girls—notoriously the gender that is the cause of all drama (not true).

The journey to senior year is difficult but rewarding. In this year, we start to become proud of our all girls’ education. It continues to contribute to the strong and confident girls that we are. By our final year in high school, our growth as a class reaches its apex: at Allaso, we mend old disagreements and speak freely

about our love for one another in a no-judgment zone.

Somewhere in the timeline of senior year, we realize that we’re all on the same team.

We don’t resent each other for being different.

Cliques begin to break apart; they’re replaced with an unspoken bond between W each girl in the seRO UM nior class. We’re fiYS L I YL nally able to love and CB I H P GRA appreciate the disparities that make each of us unique, interesting and special.

As cliche as it sounds, when you enter Hockaday, you don’t just enter a school. You enter a sisterhood. Underclassmen: you may not be able to understand this idea right now, but just wait.

By the end, you’ll understand just how much you got out of Hockaday. With each experience as a class, we learned how to trust each other. We learned that these are the people we can count on: the 122 sisters that can pick us up when we’re so sleepdeprived that we can barely move; the sisters that back us up in arguments (albeit Facebook arguments) over sexist or jaded beliefs; the sisters who all face common struggles (like bodyimage and self-esteem), yet still come out unscathed and stronger. Having 122 sisters to count on has made it all worth it. F Elie MacAdams Perspectives Editor

22

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

WE LOVE IT, WE LOVE IT NOT

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

PersPectLves

APRIL 17, 2015

STAFFSTANDOFF

EXAMS ARE WAIVED (Thank you Pete Delkus)!

Are Humans Getting Smarter?

A

s a teenager living in the 21st century, it is clear to me that humans are getting smarter.

With advancements being made in the world of technology, we now have access to an abundance of information at our fingertips. While it is impossible to retain all of the information available to us, a study done by the Imagining the Internet Center at Elon University in North Carolina has proven that using the Internet actually makes us smarter.

According to the study, three out of four experts said that the use of the Internet cultivates human intelligence, and two out of three experts said that the use of the Internet has improved the reading, writing and knowledge levels of its users.

While technology has been more readily available to our generation than to previous ones, our accessibility to it does not make us dumber.

Using technology, such as a calculator, has made our lives easier, but it does not have an effect on our level of intelligence. According to a study that was published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, adults who used calculators to do arithmetic problems were just as successful in solving future problems as were adults who solved the arithmetic problems without a calculator. If technology such as this has been proven to have no effect on our intelligence, then why wouldn’t we choose to take advantage of its benefits?

Shows such as “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader” only further prove the point that our generation is smarter than past generations. Adult contestants on the show are rarely smarter than their middle school opponents, which represents how a generation that grew up around technology is smarter than a generation that didn’t (no offense).

Additionally, smartphone apps are being used to foster education. Duolingo, an app that teaches its users foreign languages, has about 40 million users. An Effectiveness Study done on the app by the University of South Carolina concluded that the improvement in language skills that its users experienced was “statistically significant.”

With Lower School students at Hockaday already learning how to code computers, it is clear that our generation and future generations will be smarter than past ones. Sorry, mom and dad. F

Excited to welcome our new Head of Upper School TERRY MURRAY but sad to say goodbye to Mr. Ashton.

We can’t wait for our NEW HOBLITZELLE! Meanwhile, we’ll be icing our backs after every assembly in Hicks :(

Vs.

T

here is no doubt that we live in a highly advanced society. The world we exist in today is filled with knowledge and experiences that were not even fathomable half a century ago. However, with each new innovation, as our iphones and gadgets grow closer to artificial intelligence, the average human seems to be getting dumber and dumber.

Due to the fact that the infinite world of intelligence, known as the internet, is available to us at our fingertips, the amount of information that we actually retain is minimal. Nobody fully absorbs knowledge from online news snippets or google searches—the ability to ‘look something up’ should not be confused with actual intelligence.

Furthermore, as technology makes everything in life easier and faster, we stop learning how to perform some very fundamental tasks. Simple mental math was never learned or practiced because the calculator was there to do it for us. Similarly, many people don’t know how to get from their homes to school or work without a GPS. Technology has made it possible for us to not use our brains, but still survive, even thrive, in this world.

If you have ever seen any of the thousands of YouTube interviews, where comedians ask random people off the street simple questions like, “who was the first President of the United States” or “what is a prime number,” and see them unable to answer, then you know what I’m talking about. These videos and other measures like the game show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader” help show that many adult Americans have jobs and live their lives without needing their basic middle school education.

In fact, the belief that education and school are essential to success, a sentiment that was ingrained in the American dream, is dwindling. People have begun to forego higher education to begin their careers early.

The respect and love for education and knowledge is slowly seeping out of our culture.

While our generation has a lot to offer, including a great passion for social justice and speedy typing skills, there is no denying that the measurable academic intelligence we each possess is less than that of previous eras. F Avita Anand Business Manager

Manisha Ratakonda Graphics Editor

A Very Potter Mistake

Sophomore Amanda Kim

Hockaday’s inability to maintain a think it’s safe to say that everyone would love another COMFORTABLE glimpse of the magical world TEMPERATURE INDOORS; of Harry Potter. Well, Potwe’re looking at you, terheads, you’re in luck: David bio room.

Yates, the director of the final

I

Beware the fast approaching AP EXAMS!

four Harry Potter films, is set to direct a spin-off movie of the series, featuring minor character Newt Scamander. To add to the excitement, J.K. Rowling herself wrote the script. No further information has been released.

Now, almost everyone has read the Harry Potter books (and if you haven’t, I suggest you stop reading immediately and go do so now), and I like to consider myself a great fan of the series.

Even eight years after the

publication of the final book, Muggles today still enjoy the magic of Rowling’s most popular books. The United States Quidditch Association, in which over 100 colleges compete, held its first “World Cup” on April 11, which you may have seen on Snapchat.

The Harry Potter brand is estimated to be valued at over $15 billion, making Rowling the first billionaire author. British news source The Mirror deduced in July 2014 that Rowling made approximately $800 per word for the Harry Potter books.

While I’m happy that the legacy of Harry Potter remains to this day, I have many questions that I haven’t been able to rid from my mind since finishing the books, and if they aren’t answered in the upcoming movie, I’m going to have to go see Ms. Rowling and demand some answers.

First of all, why didn’t any of the wizards/witches use ANY muggle technology? I understand that the series was set in the 90s, so people weren’t exactly rocking 4G LTE, but there definitely were phones at the time, and I’m 110 percent cer-

tain that Sirius Black would have survived The Order of the Phoenix if he just had a cell phone with him.

While we’re on the topic of unnecessary deaths, may we discuss the murder of Harry Potter’s parents? Why didn’t Hermione take her time-turner thing she obtained in the third book and go back and kill Voldemort so that never happened?

One excuse for this might be that time-turners have a limit to how far back they can go, and that I would understand—but I have far more than one issue with this event.

Harry Potter was a 1-yearold boy when he witnessed the death of his parents (so he should have been able to see the Thestrals from day one, but I digress). While not exactly fresh out of the womb, he was still a tiny kid. Why didn’t Voldemort just punt him out the window or something? It probably would have killed him, with or without “the power of love.”

Also, why didn’t anyone just go out, buy a gun and kill Voldemort to begin with? All of Harry’s pain and sadness

could have been easily avoided had someone just purchased a shotgun. While I understand that his horcruxes would have kept Voldemort alive, many of the deaths in the final battle would’ve been prevented if someone just sniped the Dark Lord while Harry was off gossiping with dead Dumbledore in God’s train station or whatever.

Finally, my biggest question: how the heck did the basilisk get around Hogwarts in the second book? I know that Hermione discovers that it has been traveling via the pipes, but seriously, how big are the pipes at Hogwarts? Have you ever seen a working plumbing system? Those pipes are at most a couple inches in diameter. That snake was at least 5-feet wide.

Unless everyone at Hogwarts goes to the bathroom at exactly the same time every day, there is really no excuse to have pipes so big.

While it might seem like a lot, these are just a few of many questions I have for the lovely Miss Rowling. J.K. (can I call you J.K.?), I implore you to answer these questions in your upcoming film. F

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL

THE FOURCAST 23

PersPectLves

APRIL 17, 2015

Yes All Men!

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SCREEN SHOTS BY MANISHA RATAKONDA

Alexis Espinosa

MANAGING EDITOR

Courtney Le

WEB EDITOR

Erin Thomas

BUSINESS MANAGER

Avita Anand

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

Sydney Yonack

Sophomore Ashna Kumar

COPY EDITOR

S

ome men say it’s hard to be a man in the 21st century. Because of this they created meninism, a movement that calls for an anti-woman outlook. Meninists believe that the injustices that men feel come from female privilege.

Meninists first emerged in early 2001 as a subset of male feminists who, in their mission statement, explained that they were “opposed to all forms of misogynist behavior and sexist attitudes.” But as time went on, they stopped talking about men’s rights in a healthy way.

The social movement soon morphed into an outlet that blamed women by, according to BBC news, expressing “the difficulties of being a man in the 21st century.”

The difficulties meninists refer to include violence and sexual assault against men, disproportionate prison sentences for similar crimes committed by females, the perceived injustices of divorce courts and the resulting limitation of fathers’ rights.

The supporters of this newer adaption of meninism call themselves “men’s rights activists.” In order to make their point, they started to use social media to complain.

From mimicking anti-rape posters in a negative way to mocking abortion and domestic violence, these men’s rights activists started publicizing their views in an honestly disturbing way.

But it turns out that most meninists have many of the same ideals that feminists have. At it’s core, feminism is about eradicating gender in-

Inaara Padani

NEWS EDITOR

Charlsea Lamb ASST. NEWS

Faith Isbell

FEATURES EDITOR

Megan Philips

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Kate Clement

SPORTS & WELLNESS EDITOR

Catherine Jiang

Twitter Frenzy A compilation of a few tweets under the hastag meninism that ask for gender equality. equality and dismantling this idea of the “patriarchy.” Many meninists are confused; they think that feminism is about making women greater than men instead of its true purpose: making them equal to men. While many believe that meninists are starting a modern gender war or a sexual revolution, meninists are unknowingly fighting for the same ultimate goals that many women are.

The big problem? Many men’s rights activists don’t realize this.

One of the biggest complaints that meninists have are about the double standards that women have for them. While many women actively preach that every body type is beautiful and that women should not be objectified and characterized by their body parts, many men feel that the same considerations should be applied to

them. Women often have mental checklists that contain the different attributes they want in a man, hoping to manufacture a perfect robot. Men have to be tall. Men have to have abs.

Men have to be strong.

There are also a lot of criticisms of comic books and movies oversexualizing men that promote unrealistic expectations of a man’s physique.

Many of the Marvel movies have faced this review due to their propensity for having extra-long shots of their actors’ bodies. While many women also face the same oversexualization, meninists want there to be more discussion about it from the male point of view.

These are valid complaints that men have, but rather than tweeting rude commentary on the feminist movement and wearing outrageous T-shirts, they should go about their social revolution in a different way.

Being negative and putting something down never gets you far in life, and it certainly doesn’t make you seem superior to anyone else. A better way to go about getting their point across would be through documentary films that spark conversation and interest. One of these documentaries would be Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s “The Mask You Live In,” a film that explores the stereotypes that young boys grow up with–that they have to appear masculine, that they must repress their emotions and that they must act in a powerful way. A film like this expresses the actual problems in society instead of the current way meninists are conducting their project.

If meninists change their process and stop belittling feminists and women, I believe that their cause could be effective and better educate the community as a whole. F

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

W

e encourage anyone from the Hockaday community— alumnae, parents, faculty, staff and students—to submit Letters to the Editor. Selected letters will be published each issue in regards to the previous issue. We regret we cannot acknowledge all submitted letters, but we sincerely appreciate them.

Letters to the Editor must be signed.

Please email letters to aespinosa@hockaday.org or mail to The Hockaday School, attention: The Fourcast, 11600 Welch Road, Dallas, Texas 75229. All of the letters must be typed, double-spaced and must not exceed 200 words in length. The Fourcast will not alter the meaning or intention of any letter to the editor, but may edit for grammar, spelling and space.

PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

Elie MacAdams

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Claire Fletcher

GRAPHICS EDITOR

Manisha Ratakonda CASTOFF EDITOR

Sunila Steephen

VIDEO EDITOR

Maria Katsulos

STAFF WRITERS

Noor Adatia, Austria Arnold, Hufsa Husain, Amanda Kim, Heidi Kim, Eshani Kishore, Ashna Kumar, Mary Claire Wilson, Sonya Xu, Jenny Zhu STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Yuhan Jiang, Erica Jones, Nicole Klein, Nina La Barba, Cher Qin, Madison Smith, Molly Waring STAFF ARTISTS

Sarah Chan, Annabelle Folsom, Luda Grigoryeva, Wendy Ho, Lily Sumrow ADVISER

Ana Rosenthal

www.hockadayfourcast.org Better news than your newsfeed.

Updated daily.

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 Avita Anand, Business Manager, at aanand1@ 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 should be taken up with Alexis Espinosa, Editor-in-Chief, at aespinosa@hockaday.org.

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24

HOCKADAYFOURCAST.ORG

THE HOCKADAY SCHOOL APRIL 17, 2015

CAStOFF

WALL OF SHAME: Hockaday students share their most embarrassing stories

“So I'm really afraid of heights, but I had never really realized that until Mo. Although I hadn't quite discovered my phobia, I knew one thing for sure: I had NO interest in climbing the Mo Pole and negative interest in jumping off of it (catching the little bar was just a non-issue, I just wanted to get back to Earth).

So I asked my counselor if I could climb up halfway because he was giving me grief about needing to set goals for myself, and I couldn't just not do it. He said I could climb halfway up and he would let me back down. Seemed fair.

As I reach the halfway point, I let him know I'm about ready to come back down. He said, "Yeah, sorry, I can't let you down. Just climb all the way up." At this point, the tears were already welling up in my eyes because I was just so done already.

After about five minutes, I reach the top and sit down, with a nice view of Middle of Nowhere, Texas (I'm not an outdoorsy person. At all.) and realize that there is no way I will be able to jump off of this pole. I couldn't even stand up! I tried to convince my group to go on without me because I would be awhile.

Between my heavy sobs, I was already planning how I would manage to survive for the rest of my earthly existence on top of the Mo Pole because jumping was NOT AN OPTION. I cried a lot up there. Like sobbing crying, not a cute cry. Complete waterworks. For 15 whole minutes.

Somehow, someway, Dr. Croft was able to convince me to gracefully slide off of the Mo Pole rather than jump. I was just so done with everything that I agreed to slide off (jumping was still not an option.) Dr. Croft is now my advisor and without her comforting and convincing, it is likely that the fire department would have to have been called to get me down from the Mo Pole, so thanks Dr. Croft.

And I never want to go camping again.”

“Over Christmas break, I went to a really low-key white elephant party and wasn’t really paying attention to my food intake, and I ended up eating waaay too much candy. Then, somebody put on "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls, and I danced so hard I threw up.”

—Virginia Beshears, Form III

This year, I was at a St. Mark’s football game, looking very cute, and I had my hair up in a ponytail. My friends and I were standing on the bleachers, and all of a sudden I couldn’t move my head. I jerked it forward a few times and wasn’t able to go very far, when I realized my hair was stuck, somehow, in the pants of the boy standing behind me on the next bleacher.

I got one of my friends to get my hair out, but I still don’t know how my hair got in the boy’s pants, who the boy was, or if he realized what happened.

—Wallis Jacobson, Form III

“One time, in my freshman year English class, we had to write poems, so I wrote mine about human rights and included a line about Kim Jong Ill. I read the poem aloud in class, and I read the line as Kim Jong Three because I actually thought that it was Kim Jong Three instead of Kim Jong Ill. And then, my class and teacher laughed at me for a solid five minutes, and I couldn't figure out why until Mr. Vaughn, out of breath, broke it to me that it was in fact Kim Jong Ill and not Kim Jong Three. I've never forgotten.”

—Caroline Greenblatt, Form III

“Last year, I was working on my English papers in class, and I needed help from Mr. Hudson, who was not in the room. Once he reentered the room, I turned around (with open arms) and yelled, “Mr. Rochester!”

This was then proceeded with awkward silence. Disclaimer: the essay was about Jane Eyre.”

—Evan Miller, Form III

—Caroline Bhupathi, Form III

“One time, my friend convinced me that George H.W. Bush invented vinegar in the late ‘70s. I did not realize until a while later that vinegar is much older than the ‘70s.”

—Anna Kate Benedict, Form III

“So in 3rd grade, we were playing games in pairs, and I was paired with the boy I had a crush on. I really had to pee, but I didn't want to leave so I kind of peed myself right there and didn't say anything until we had to leave for lunch. I just sat there until my teacher figured it out and sent me to the computer lab to wait for my mom to bring me new clothes, but while I was in there, the fourth graders came in so I went and hid in the back of the computer lab. But then, when my mom came, the [teachers] couldn’t find me and had to evacuate the lab and send people to find me, and long story short, they found me behind some printers, crying and covered in pee.”

—Sofi Mira, Form III

“I was a seasoned flyer at this point, at the young brisk age of 14, and I like to sit and sleep through the flight. On this flight, I woke up when we landed and my pants were completely soaked. I was like, “What happened? I never ordered a drink!”

And then it dawned on me that I had peed my pants on a three-hour flight. I had another connection so I couldn’t get my pants [from my bag], and I was in the unaccompanied minor section so I had lie to the lady at the desk, and I asked if she could get me pants, preferably from my suitcase. She asked me, “Why?” So I told her that I spilled soda on my pants. They bring my pants and just before I change, the lady stops me and she goes, “You know, I was thinking. If you spilled it on your pants, wouldn’t the front be wet and not the back?” And then I looked at her and ran into the bathroom.”

—Anesu Nyatanga, Form IV