The Fourcast September 2018 by Hockaday Student Publications

THE FOURCAST

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THE MEME

REGIME

A look at how visual communication dominates modern society.

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photo by Michelle Chen • Web Editor

Volume 69 • Issue 01

A LOOK

INSIDE

DANCING HER way through D.C.

KEEP CALM and Gary On

Rachel Rohrich is like any other senior girl: she groggily rolls out of bed every morning at 7:30 a.m., slips on her clothes, fills her Yeti to the brim with home-brewed coffee and pets her two foster cats on the way out the door, starting her walk to a place where she’ll study what she loves until 5 p.m. But after this, the similarities diverge.

For the Hockaday boarders, summer vacation came to an end with a new beginning. Following the resignation of previous Director of Residence Department, Meshea Matthews, the Residence Department welcomed Gary Stollar as the new overseer and Dean of the boarding community.

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(DEB)UTING THE

MIDDLE SCHOOLER makes her mark

A TRICKY “sip”tuation

new athletic director

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ews

It is so cool to connect what you are learning academically to a real-world situation that you are really involved in working with other people. A Wild New Class p05

PHOTO BY ALEXA MAY

From Spywork to Sitcoms ➝ Story by Ashlye Dullye • Business Manager STRIKING A BALANCE • Upper School history teacher Tracy Walder leads a Model United Natons club meeting. She has to balance teaching, working with students, sponsoring various clubs and raising her child while simultaneously writing her book.

ended up doing it incredibly well,” DiMento said. Laura Holstein, Calamity Jane producer, is very involved in the process of making Tracy Walder’s book into a show. She often speaks with Tracy Walder to keep her up-to-date with the television series. “When it gets on the air, we hope it will shine a light on something that people didn’t necessarily realize,” Holstein said. “[We hope] that it’s also entertainment but for everyone. [We hope] it speaks star Ellen Pompeo reached out to Tracy Walder in [to the fact] that not just women, but women like regards to the television series. In August, Tracy you, women like us can go do [these jobs].” Walder flew to Los Angeles, California and met Pompeo at her house to discuss the television show’s future. “[Ellen Pompeo] is so normal. I mean you walk up to her front door and there were kids strollers and kids toys—she’s a mom. And she had on Lululemon shorts and a t-shirt and had just worked out,” Tracy Walder said. “The meeting lasted about three hours. And she could not have been nicer and more supportive. She’s a huge supporter of women and a voracious reader.” While Tracy Walder was on the senior retreat at Allaso Ranch in August, another production comPlanned Chapters pany, Beverly Timberman Productions, contacted her, explaining that they wanted to be added to the ABC deal by taking part in the production of the television series. This is not out of the norm—often times, successful TV shows have more than one production company behind them. Also, as a result of the ABC deal, the showrunner of “Desperate Housewives” and “Arrow” Wendy Mericle chose to be the showrunner for the television series. Production Companies “I really wanted to do a show about a woman Working on Show who was a real life hero and I sort of came to ABC with that agenda of trying to create my own show that would be with a woman at the center,” Mericle said. With both the television series and the memoir in progress, Tracy Walder is just trying to let it all soak in. “I am more in a state of shock because everything happened literally less than a month Hours Met with ago—there was so much not going on for so long and it was just all of a sudden, and then school Ellen Pompeo started. I am just trying to keep my head above water,” Tracy Walder said. One of the main focuses the television series plans to emphasize is the idea of female empowerment and the surge of women occupying traditionally men-held, governmental jobs. Timberman-Beverly Producer Katie DiMento, who is also assigned to work on Walder’s television Chapter Summaries show, wants the show to empower young women. “We aren’t trying to make this fancy. We want Included in Proposal to show that women can actually have this career I think if they want and the most unlikely person in her mind anyway ended up doing this, and

For the average person, writing a 30 chapter autobiography that even merits a television show would be a near, if not entirely impossible task, but for Tracy Walder, Hockaday’s very own ex-Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and Upper School history teacher, 30 chapters isn’t enough.

alder spends every free moment she has before and after school filling the pages of her upcoming memoir—which is supposed to make its debut in the summer of 2020—with details of her life as a student at the University of Southern California, FBI and CIA agent, history teacher and mother. “I am literally just regurgitating my life, just obviously in a more coherent way,” Tracy Walder said. The memoir begins with her life in her college sorority house, Delta Gamma. Even though the marketing agents ultimately decide the title, Tracy Walder is considering the title “The Sorority Girl Who Saved Your Life.” For the past two years, Tracy Walder has occasionally written for the Huffington Post, where—according to her—she was able to develop and refine her writing skills. This job prepared her to write her memoir—an opportunity that most first-time autobiography authors do not often get. Despite her extensive writing background, she still had her literary agent, Gail Hochman from the Brandt Hochman Literary Agency, hire collaborator Jessica Blau. Blau aids Tracy Walder with the creative portions of her memoir, especially when it comes to describing the much more regular, everyday parts of life. “Part of my job is to take out the boring parts of Mrs. Walder’s job, the boring parts of her life, brushing her teeth, for example, so that I can create a heightened sense of reality. That’s what good books and movies do: they show you life, but they take out the parts that aren’t interesting,” Blau said. When memoirs are submitted to publishers as proposals or outlines (which are approximately 80 pages), the full book is not submitted. Rather, upon signing with a publisher, the process of writing the book then begins. Tracy Walder started writing her memoir in 2016, and she plans for it to be published in 2020. Her husband, Dr. Ben Walder, had initially brought the idea to her to write the book. “My intentions were just to have a record about her experiences because she doesn’t really talk a lot about it,” Ben Walder said. “And

I thought it would be nice for our daughter to have something to learn about her amazing past, and just to show our daughter that the future is limitless and that she can do anything.” While writing takes up a considerable amount of time in her life, Tracy Walder ensures that her daughter and her job as a teacher her top priorities. “I’ll wake up at 4:30 a.m. and I’ll work on it; and then usually I eat lunch in my room and I will work on it at lunch. Then, after my daughter goes to bed around 7:30 p.m. I will work on it because I won’t let it interfere with her or school,” Tracy Walder said. While waiting for a publisher to purchase the book, Blau gave the proposal to Newman in hopes for a possible television series to be made of the book.

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I am literally just regurgitating my life, just obviously in a more coherent way.” Tracy Walder Upper School History Teacher

This past summer, on July 3, just before Tracy Walder boarded a cruise, her agent Elizabeth Newman called to inform her that not only had St. Martin’s publishing company wanted to publish the memoir, but also that the television world had caught wind of the up-and-coming book. Both the 21st Century Fox Media Company and the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) were interested in making Tracy Walder’s life story into a television series. After much careful consideration of both propositions, Tracy Walder decided on the deal with ABC. “I selected ABC for a few reasons. First, I had to consider which deal had the best chance of making it to a series production. The ABC deal had a network, a studio, a showrunner (Wendy Mericle) and producers (Calamity Jane and Timberman-Beverly) attached to it; whereas FOX simply came with the studio. The ABC deal, because all parts were in place, made the most sense,” Tracy Walder revealed. Soon after this advancement, head of Calamity Jane Production Company and television

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Looking ahead

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news

Study Hard, Play Harder

Study Hard, Play Hard

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Grand Jury Report Rattles the Nation

PHOTO BY VARSHA DANDA

The recent addition of the new Lower School playground allows students to engage in unstructured play.

PLAY TIME • A Lower School student relaxes on one of the new additions to the Lower School playground. This playground feature is just one of the many new structures on the recently-constructed playground.

t 11:45 a.m., Lower Schoolers swarm out of their classrooms, rushing towards the newly-built playground. Children line up to get on the newly added zip-line to race each other, while the older students turn the rotating, circular structure for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Although they this may simply look like a playground, these structures are carefully designed for the children’s development. This school year, the Hockaday Lower School welcomed their newest addition: the playground. Demolition of the old playground started during the first week of July 2018, and the final touches on the new playground will be completed by the middle of October 2018. The previous playground was in place for 18 years. Natural wear and tear exhausted it, and it needed repairs. The Lower School students needed change as well. Children, eventually tired of the same structures, began to venture onto the fields rather than continue using the structures. Fourth grader Lauren Haas believes that there were limited structures for the girls to play on. “The old one was much smaller. A lot of third and fourth graders ended up abandoning the playground to go to the field. Also, a lot of people fought over the swings, and they were getting tired of this,” Haas said. Randal Rhodus ’97, Head of Lower School, and

J.T. Coats, Chief Financial Officer, first started the research to repair the playground. After researching, however, Rhodus realized that building a new playground was actually more financially efficient than repairing the old one.

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I hope it is a common place people come to. I hope it will be a bridge between divisions.” Randal Rhodus Head of Lower School

Rhodus decided to establish a Lower School Playground Committee with Coats. The committee consisted of people who held different perspectives throughout the Lower School, such as Eric Inboden, Lower School Spanish teacher, and Valerie Hatter, Lower School Business Coordinator who also supervises recess. In December, the committee began consulting with four playground companies about different construction proposals. After tedious meetings with companies, the Lower School Playground Committee found a company that was right for them, Landscape Structures. The Lower School playground committee spe-

cifically chose this company because of its design options and its knowledge of child development. The company valued the School’s input and wanted to tailor the playground to match the School’s vision. “It was really important to build a playground that our students wanted, not what the adults wanted, because our students are the ones who will be playing on the playground all the time,” Rhodus said. The company discussed with students and faculty what their ideal playground included, and their thoughts on improvements. Landscape Structures then brought many prototypes according to their research, and the final design was selected by the students. All Lower School students voted for their favorite playground designs that were displayed in the Hoffman Commons. Each student had a chance to voice her opinion about an important decision for the school, using stickers to mark her favorites. Anticipation was at an all time high when the students returned to school in the fall. The construction was delayed for a week, so the girls had to watch it being built. Rhodus, however, saw a positive side in waiting. “The few extra days o waiting or our new playground to be ready were really excit[ing] for the girls. When [the girls] finally got to play on the playground on [August 28], they were overjoyed,” Rhodus said. “To hear their voices saying ‘this is the best playground ever,’ was so gratifying because we built a playground that they love,” Rhodus said.

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A Wild New Class

Rather than being separated into two zones, the new structure is joined as one, accommodating all ages. Although some structures are geared for specific ages, the playground overall has something for all ages. Junior Sabrina Fearon was surprised that even a teenager like herself could use and enjoy the playground. “It was cool that it works for us, too, the older girls, and it could be used for all ages,” Fearon said, pointing out the inclusive design of the playground. Rhodus believes that having this playground is crucial to aid in students’ unstructured play, meaning that children are not bounded by specific rules during play. This type of play helps them to strengthen their physical, social and cognitive development. For example, a child must use their upper body strength to climb a wall. They may be initially challenged by the amount of effort to climb up the wall, but after many trials, they accomplish the goal by successfully reaching the top. They not only develop their upper body muscles, but also a belief that they are capable of surpassing seemingly insurmountable obstacles. This is also true in other aspects, such as emotional or mental. “[In unstructured play,] students use their imaginations to grow their brain in a way that allows them to develop socially and emotionally, but also pull out pieces of mind they would not normally use or don’t have,” Inboden said. Both Inboden and Rhodus agreed that these skills that they learned in playgrounds will carry on until they reach adulthood. Social skills and creative thinking that are established when playing will be important skills that will be used frequently throughout the rest of their lives. Inboden already noticed the effects of unstructured play among students. At the beginning of the year, the students used the zip lines as they were. After couple of days, they developed a method of structured play that included coming up with original guidelines for racing each other. “When a student is creative [on a playground], you can translate that in to learning. When student is never given an opportunity, they aren’t able to explore their thoughts creatively,” Inboden said. Rhodus welcomes students of all ages to the Lower School playground. She hopes that the “playground reminds them how fun it is to play,” and that they enjoy it as much as she does. “I hope it is a common place for people in the Hockaday community to gather and will be a bridge between divisions. We welcome Middle and Upper Schoolers down to Lower School to play,” Rhodus said.

by Eugene Seong • Peoples Editor

TIDBITS AND TALES

Back to the Future

Latino Heritage Month Assembly

Hartman Fellow Assembly

One Fourth of the Way There!

St. Mark’s is hosting their homecoming dance on Sept. 29 at 8:00 p.m., which is much earlier than the usual late October festivities. The theme is “Back To the Future,” and the dance will be held at the House of Blues.

Isabella Yepes will reprise her role as planner of the Latino Heritage Month Assembly, which will occur on Oct. 1 during Conference. The theme for this year’s assembly is the Latinx Community in the United States.

Julie Lythcott-Haims, author of the acclaimed “How to Raise and Adult,” will address the students on Oct. 19 during Conference at the Hartman Fellow Assembly. Her book discusses the dangers of helicopter parenting and how to effectively raise children without hovering over them.

Friday, Oct. 26 marks the end of the first quarter and the beginning of a no homework weekend for Upper School students. Sadly, students will have many late nights studying for teachers’ last minute tests and papers before they reach this occasion.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY EMMA ROSEMAN, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, FLICKR, SAHASRA CHIGURUPATI

The Hockaday School

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

Your World

TODAY

PHOTO PROVIDED BY FLICKR

Grand Jury Report

RATTLES THE NATION DISCLAIMER: THIS CONTENT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES.

What’s Happening in Pennsylvania

lthough the Pennsylvania grand jury released the findings of one of the most extensive priest abuse scandals in the United States Aug. 14, America is still dealing with the consequences. In a CNN report published on Aug. 16, the 1,400 page release told the story of over 300 priests abusing more than 1,000 children, mostly boys but some girls as well. These cases went back to 1947 and encompassed six different dioceses. A USA Today report detailed that the abuse survivors and children in Catholic schools at risk for priest abuse filed a lawsuit on Sept. 17 against the Catholic Church to ensure that the abuse would not happen again. Why are Americans hearing about this abuse over 70 years after it began? According to Upper School history teacher Lucio Benedetto, the Church has a long history of secrecy in the matters so that it does not disturb the faith of the laity or trust in clerical institutions. Church canon law argues that such matters should be dealt with internally. Before 2002, the Church ruled that abuse allegations were supposed to be handled internally; bishops could have been punished if they reported the abuse to the civil authorities. If the canon investigation found that the accusations were true, they often moved the priest to a different parish or dioceses, or called them back to Rome. The abusers were never punitively punished. The Catholic Church often spent millions in legitimate, possibly questionable, settlements out of court to provide some form of restitution to the victims, which in turn kept the allegations out of the public eye. Benedetto explained that due to the Church’s lack of transparency, it is truly unknown how many priests and bishops, beyond the hundreds already revealed in previous scandals in Ireland, Chile, Boston, Pennsylvania, Germany and Australia, in the Church have been involved in abuse or covered up the assaults. Since the events in Pennsylvania and across the United States have been occurring for over 70 years, many of the accused priests are either dead or not a part of the Church anymore. Even those who are alive cannot be charged due

to the statute of limitations. Victims have to press charges against their abusers before they reach the age of 50; otherwise, the statute of limitations will have expired. Only two priests are being prosecuted due to these limitations. “Even though there is substantial proof that crimes were committed and evidence to show abuse occurred, the statute of limitations in Pennsylvania is such that even those people that are still alive, the statute of limitation has expired, so they cannot actually be criminally prosecuted,” Benedetto said. Benedetto also said that Americans seeing these reports might instantly react negatively against Catholics, misconstruing that all priests are pedophiles, since anti-Catholic discrimination has existed in the United States long before the abuse findings. According to him, John F. Kennedy was almost not elected as President of the United States in 1960 because of Americans’ traditional prejudice towards Catholics. Father Tom Cloherty, Pastor of Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Plano, Texas, wants people to not let the evil found in these reports cloud their judgement of the Catholic Church. “It is not that we ignore the evil, but at least put it back out where you can see other things that are happening in the world,” Cloherty said. “Let the grace and the goodness of God be there that can show people that can overshadow the evil that is being done.” Attempting to remediate the abuse, many attorneys generals across the United States are deciding whether or not to summon their own grand jury to investigate priest abuse in their states because of civil lawsuits in the area. Benedetto believes that the use of civil lawsuits, which began in the 1980s, against the Church has been the most effective way to get the Church to cooperate with the civil authorities and bring unknown priest abuse to light. Upper School history teacher Tracy Walder thinks that raising the statute of limitations for these crimes could lead to more victims coming forward because they can prosecute their crimes later in life than before. “Sometimes it takes the victims a long time to come forward about these crimes,” Walder said. The Diocese of Dallas currently has coun-

A WORLDWIDE EPIDEMIC • Catholic Churches across the world are recovering from recent priest abuse scandals. The Pennsylvania grand jury report was just the tip of the iceberg.

selling set up for victims and families of victims of priest abuse, whether the abuse happened in Dallas or not. “The families and victims obviously get hit hard in all of this,” Cloherty said.

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It is not that we ignore the evil, but at least put it back out where you can see other things that are happening in the world.”

Father Tom Cloherty Prince of Peace Catholic Church Pastor

The Dallas Connection In April 1998, a Dallas jury convicted former priest Rudy Kos of molesting minors, mostly altar servers. According to the Dallas Morning News, Kos received three life sentences, 80 years in prison and $70,000 in fines. Before Cloherty worked at Prince of Peace, he was named the pastor of All Saints Catholic Church, the parish where most of Kos’ abuse occured, at the start of the Kos trial. “I had to deal quite a bit with families and victims of abuse that remained in the parish as well as a parish that was affected by all the abuse that was done there,” Cloherty said. However, these were not the only reparations the victims sought from Kos and the Diocese of Dallas. In July 1997, 11 plaintiffs sued Kos and the Diocese, who had to pay the victims and their families $23 million. In this lawsuit, the court found that the Catholic Church had covered up Kos’ abuse and desired the Church to admit guilt in their mishandling of the situation. Because of the Kos trial, the Diocese of Dallas implemented new safe environment guidelines to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults in the community. About 20 years later, Dallas is again confronted with the problem of priest abuse. In a letter to the Diocese of Dallas, Bishop Edward Burns announced that three men accused Edmundo Paredes, a former priest at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, of molesting them when they were minors. Before these confirmed allegations came forward, Burns suspended Paredes for embezzling funds, but Paredes left Dallas before anything could happen to him. “The moment the Church informed him that he was going to be placed under investigation, and of course because of the new rules that would mean a civil investigation under the Dallas Charter of 2002, he disappeared,” Benedetto said. The Church hired two private investigators to find Paredes, but they have been unsuccessful. It is believed that he is in the Philippines, where he is originally from. Because of the abuse findings, Burns has instituted four town hall meetings in various parts of the dioceses to hear the parish-

ioners’ opinions and has asked the parishioners to pray the rosary before Mass in October “for the healing of victims and the sanctification of priests.” He is also commissioning a researcher to read the Pennsylvania report and recommend changes to the dioceses. Cloherty understands the powerful emotions that victims, families of victims and Americans are feeling as they learn of the large-scale sexual abuse committed by the Catholic Church. However, he wants people to understand that not all clergymen are like that. “Yes, there are people who have done bad things, but don’t let them be the total representative of the Church,” Cloherty said. “Be open to see the goodness that people really do in and through [the Catholic Church].”

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Years Since First Priest Abuse Cited in Pennsylvania Report

Maximum Age for Victims to File Criminal Charges Against Abusers in Pennsylvania

Priests Able to be Prosecuted Due to Statute of Limitations

by Kate Woodhouse • News Editor

news

The Fourcast • Sept. 28, 2018

PHOTO BY SCOTT PEEK

hockadayfourcast.org

A Wild New Class

“ZOO” MUCH FUN • Students from Hockaday’s new course Anatomy, Evolution and the Zoo: Intersection of Biology, Design and Community Impact and students from W.T. White tour the Dallas Zoo on Sept. 7. The two classes work together to help solve problems within the Dallas community.

Hockaday takes iniative to implement community service into its classrooms.

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I think it affects me and the students in a way of letting us learn how community service is involved in our lives and learning how to work together in a group while problem-solving.” Laura Day Student Diversity Board Chair

versation on the program. “[The two classes are] going to get together every month and are going to be working with the Dallas Zoo on identifying problems that relate to animals or humans, or perhaps both, or maybe a human and animal interaction in the world,” Finazzo said. Junior Paige Anderson chose to take part in the biology course because it was a new class and seemed interesting. She described it as an “active class.” “I think it affects me and the students in a way of letting us learn how community service is involved in our lives and learning how to work together in a group while problem-solving,” Anderson said. Her experience thus far appears to be very well aligned with the vision of the program as stated by its founding faculty. According to Day, the idea behind this institute is to create social impact by building empathy and coming up with solutions while working on communication and collaboration. This vision is helping Hockaday create women of impact. Women involved in this program will both solve problems in the community. The subject of biology takes on a real world dimension at the zoo and widened view of problem solving with students

from neighboring schools. “It’s the idea that when you are doing service, it is not just to help people, but it is designing a way to teach the students how to problem solve before they go to college,” Day said. Additionally, from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, Hockaday is, in some way, incorporating community service into classrooms. Every grade in Lower and Middle School has an integrated theme connecting them with the service. While community involvement is a broader trend in all schools and companies around the area, Hockaday is pursuing the idea in various departments. So far this program has been installed in thirteen classes. A few of these classes include AP Photography, AP Environmental Science, Middle School science, Government, Contemporary Literature, Drama, Middle School Robotics and Orchestra. Each class has a different, flexible type of service built into its curriculum. For example, the Contemporary Literature class with Janet Bilhartz is partnered up with the AP English class at the Thomas Jefferson High School. The two classes are studying a program with the play “Sweat” and will participate in three classes together with the director of the play at the Dallas Theater Center. Day will then get a bus to take the whole group to see the play, meet the actors and crew on the set and get dinner. “It is so cool to connect what you are learning academically to a real-world situation that you are really involved in working with other people,” Day said. Although some of these community service programs are fairly new, both the faculty and the students are excited about the promise these programs hold to enhance the Hockaday experience.

On Sept. 7, students from Hockaday and W.T. White High Schools traveled to the Dallas Zoo to view different animals. See below for some of the crowd favorites. PHOTOS BY SCOTT PEEK

ions and tigers and Hockaday? Recently, a new Hockaday biology class partnered with the Dallas Zoo to experience interactions with animals and develop problem-solving skills. In the fall of 2017, Laura Day, Director of The Dr. William B. Dean Service Learning Program, and Brandi Finazzo, Upper School science teacher, started prepping an idea for implementing community service into the Hockaday classroom experience that would start in the 2018-2019 school year. This idea would later take shape as a new science course, Anatomy, Evolution and the Zoo: Intersection of Biology, Design and Community Impact. Finazzo helped facilitate this idea by teaching a year-long biology course designed to help integrate community service into the classroom. The students learn the basics of biology, while simultaneously learning to apply what they learned in different ways instead of a standard classroom experience. The traditional study of biology will be supplemented with field work in conjunction with local area partner schools. The biology class is a partnership with a class from W.T. White High School from a nearby Dallas neighborhood. Hockaday went with W.T. White to the Dallas Zoo on Sept. 7 to learn more about how humans and animals interact and how animals cooperate with each other. The idea is to interact and problem solve with a more diverse community of students. The diversity of thought that nearby schools can bring to the Hockaday community represent their community of students, their curriculum and their teaching approach. The partnership started with the idea of joining another school close to Hockaday, but who had completely different experiences than Hockaday girls. Finazzo’s enthusiasm is evident in her con-

Students viewed the giraffe of the Dallas Zoo in its enclosure when they went on their field trip on Sept. 7.

A cheetah rests peacefully in its habitat as students and teachers gather around to view the exotic creature.

by Julia Donovan • Staff Writer

PLAN ON IT Coffeehouse Oct. 6 St. Mark’s Homecoming Sept. 29

End of First Quarter Oct. 26

Fall Break Oct. 12-15 PSAT for Juniors Oct. 10

Cistercian Homecoming Oct. 6

Half-Day for Form IV Oct. 10

Hartman Fellow Assembly Oct. 16

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KATE WOODHOUSE, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, FLICKR, GINA MIELE, PONNETE KIM AND KATIE O’MEARA

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

rts & life

The Hockaday School

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“The delicious dessert, which was topped with a wafer, lychee and rainbow jellies, was the absolute perfect blend of both velvet and light textures.” Eating Outside of the Box p08

PHOTO PROVIDED BY RACHEL ROHRICH

Dancing Her Way Through D.C. ➝ Story by Paige Halverson • Managing Editor ON POINTE • Senior Rachel Rohrich poses in front of the Washington Monument for a photoshoot, supported by her partner Jordan Lovelace. Rohrich is currently living in D.C. to pursue her long-time passion of dancing with a company. She is dancing with the Washington School of Ballet during her senior year.

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Unlike most of the Hockaday Class of 2019, Rohrich isn’t spending her days on the Hockaday campus with her other 118 senior sisters, cutting the lunch line, throwing up the “XIX” after every assembly and enjoying her senior privileges. Instead, she is following her passion for dance at the Washington School of Ballet in their professional training program.

ven though Rohrich had never stepped foot in Washington D.C.—1,328 miles away from home—until her plane landed a few weeks ago, suitcases packed and farewells bid, she isn’t daunted. Her dance career has been building up to this opportunity to study the art form under the best in the country. “I love [The Washington School of Ballet’s] repertoire, which is very classical,” Rohrich said. “I am looking forward to the training and being in the same studio as a world class ballet company. It is going to be a full immersion.” Rohrich is also particularly excited about the company’s director, Julie Kent, who had a successful and long career with the American Ballet Theatre, and the head of the Washington School of Ballet, Xiomara Reyes. Kent recently became the Artistic Director of the Washington School of Ballet in July 2016, after being the longest serving ballerina in the American Ballet Theatre’s history. Because of Kent’s notoriety, her position has put the Washington School of Ballet into the spotlight. “I am so excited to be taught by such amazing faculty, headed by the beautiful Xiomara Reyes, who inspires me every time I take her class,” Rohrich says. Even though Rohrich is now dancing with some of the best in the country, ballet wasn’t always in the cards for her. Before dance, Rohrich tried a slew of different sports during her childhood, finally honing in on dance at the “older” age of 10. “I have always been very physical,” Rohrich said. “But what drew me to dance was the movements. It can never be perfect, and you always have something to work on. You can have some place to grow in your artistry and technique.” Rohrich’s progress and love for the art form has been duly noted by her long-time instructor Jacqueline Porter, who is the Founding Artistic Director at The Dallas Conservatory. “It was clear from her first lesson that she had unusual potential to dance at a top level because of her tremendous flexibility, high jump and lovely feet,” Porter said. “But, over the years, it has been her intelligence and her unusual ease in doing technically difficult work

that has set her on the road to a professional career.” Having attended Hockaday since 2005 and having danced with the Dallas Conservatory since 2010, Rohrich’s move to D.C. signals a big shift in her life. Not only will she share an apartment with a fellow dancer who she met in a previous dance program, this Texas native will be thrust into the bustling metropolis that is our nation’s capital.

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But what drew me to dance was the movements. It can never be perfect, and you always have something to work on.” Rachel Rohrich Hockaday Senior

“I am going to learn some good life lessons, but I will be following the dream,” Rohrich said. “D.C. is such a great area with a lush culture.” Rohrich started looking for apartments two weeks after her acceptance into the program in July and moved in just barely a month later, leaving her friends, family, cats, favorite local restaurants and the sacred Northpark Mall behind. “What I am going to miss about Dallas is the people. I grew up with Hockaday, and it will always be a part of me, “Rohrich said. Even though seemingly thrust into a big city for a year, alone, Rohrich’s roommate, Emily Potter, is a friendly face who danced with Rohrich during the 2018 summer dance intensive at Boston Ballet for five weeks. “Rachel has a very unique sense of humor and always knows how to make me smile,” Potter said. “She comes up with the best jokes and can always cheer me up no matter what.” Even though far away from the Hockaday halls, Rohrich’s studies don’t cease to exist. She has lined up a rigorous schedule with the help of Hockaday and the online program One Schoolhouse. Hockaday is a consortium member of the online school, so Rohrich is able to take a One Schoolhouse curriculum through the site and still receive credits for Hockaday.

“They have a great offering of many Advanced Placement courses and interesting science courses, which I appreciate,” Rohrich said. “The class assignments are also asynchronous, which means I can access it anytime, which is really important.” With dance from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Rohrich will have to juggle challenging AP courses like Neuroscience, Psychology and Calculus BC, with even more challenging dance classes during the busy Nutcracker season. To combat this, Rohrich has a plan. “We don’t have many breaks besides lunch, so it can be hard to study at the studio,” Rohrich said. “I usually head straight home after the day is over and open up my laptop to One Schoolhouse and start my work for the day. New assignments for the following week open on Fridays, so on the weekends I try to get as much work as possible so that I won’t be too overwhelmed during the week.” Rohrich isn’t the only Hockaday student who has tackled the challenging task of dancing by day and studying by night. Lily Bines ’17, a previous fellow dancer at The Dallas Conservatory with Rohrich for seven years, also followed the same route her senior year when she danced with the pre-professional program at Boston Ballet. “I knew that I needed to go to a bigger school with training that would help me become a more mature dancer,” Bines said. “I also wanted to experience dancing at another school where all of the dancers had aspirations similar to my own.” Bines knows full-well the challenges of dancing while keeping up with a Hockaday-level curriculum. “Studying online can be difficult because it requires a lot more self-drive, especially because you are usually given an entire week to do a certain amount of work and learn materials. If you don’t plan time to do your work and let it build up until the end of the week, it becomes very stressful,” Bines said. Now, Bines is a full-time student at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and dances in the ballet program through the Jacobs School of Music, which is the top college ballet program in the country.

Like Bines, Rohrich has every intention of going to college, but for this year, dance will take the forefront. “It really depends on what happens this year and what I want to do later in life, but I am still applying to college,” Rohrich said. “So whether I dance with a school’s program or a professional company depends.” The college process, naturally, will be a little different for Rohrich in that face-to-face meetings with her college counselor won’t be an option, so Skype and email will be her best friend. “Mrs. Skerritt is still planning to support me in the same ways as she would with a student on campus, which I am extremely grateful for,” Rohrich said. Even though Rohrich has a less than two weeks off in the entire year, including one for Thanksgiving and five days for Christmas, she isn’t looking back. “I am really eager to start and be immersed with dancers my age with similar goals,” Rohrich said. “Not only will I continue a strong academic curriculum, I am really excited and fortunate to have reached this point.”

BY THE

NUMBERS

40 4 16

Hours Rohrich Dances per Week

Pairs of Pointe Shoes Used per Week

Number of Bobby Pins per Bun

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

rts & life

The Hockaday School

“

“The delicious dessert, which was topped with a wafer, lychee and rainbow jellies, was the absolute perfect blend of both velvet and light textures.” Eating Outside of the Box p08

PHOTO PROVIDED BY RACHEL ROHRICH

Story continued from p01

“

But what drew me to dance was the movements. It can never be perfect, and you always have something to work on.” Rachel Rohrich Hockaday Senior

BY THE

NUMBERS

40 4 16

Hours Rohrich Dances per Week

Pairs of Pointe Shoes Used per Week

Number of Bobby Pins per Bun

The Hockaday School

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

Reviews & Reflections

Universal Pictures

What it lacked in entertainment, it made up for invaluable life-lessons. For instance, the main character, Lewis, is somewhat of an oddball. During his free time, he enjoys reading dictionaries to enhance his vocabulary. This, along with his odd physical appearance, makes him target for bullying at school. Although at first, he tries to conform to society’s expectations of “normal,” by the end of the movie, he has embraced his uniqueness and even found others with similar interests. Additionally, the movie hits on the idea of family, and what it truly means to be “home.” Although Lewis often struggles with the new reality that he is an orphan, at the close of the film, he seems to have found his place with his Uncle Jonathan and his uncle’s neighbor, Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett). All three are misfits of some sort, as they were all abandoned by their families in a sense. In turn, they form their own unit, as they joke that they are all the “black swans” of their families. This message truly enforces the idea that home is not a specific place, but rather, a mindset. I was pleasantly surprised that, despite the fact that the movie was geared towards young children, the cast was made up of some wellknown names. Both Jack Black and Cate Blanch-

ett have starred in other large productions. Going into the film, I did not have my expectations set high for the quality of the acting. So although the concept of the movie was somewhat childish, the actors and actresses were professional and completely invested into weaving this narrative. Ultimately, the plot of the film was mediocre and predictable. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I disliked the movie, but rather, felt indifferent towards the largely supernatural-focused storyline. However, that may simply be because I am not interested in that particular genre. An aficionado of all things magic might care to disagree. It did, however, have valuable messages concerning being confident in one’s own skin and finding one’s place in the world that was woven into the plot. This, I would argue, makes the movie a worthwhile watch for younger audiences. So despite whatever opinions you may have on witches and warlocks, “The House With a Clock in Its Walls” has an admirable agenda that might just warm your heart.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Upon first entering the theater screening “The House with a Clock in Its Walls,” I immediately noticed one thing: the children. Naturally, I began to question the content that I was about to view. And it didn’t help that I was surrounded by 5-year-olds. The movie itself didn’t do much to alleviate my initial fears. Set to take place in the mid-20th century, the plot follows 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) as he sets out to live with his Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) after the death of his parents. Eventually, Lewis finds out that there is more to his uncle’s creepy, old house than there seems to be on the surface. Ultimately, the plot was nothing to be excited about. It felt all-too-familiar to every other children’s movie ever created about the supernatural. Child meets seemingly crazy relative, child and relative bond over shared experiences, conflict arises, child and relative work together to defeat conflict and in turn, save the town and the entire race of humanity. Honestly, the plot was forgettable. There was nothing unique about it that makes it memorable for its audience. Not being too big of a fan of witchcraft and the mystical world myself, I often found that my eyes were glazing over during parts of the film. However, it did have some redeeming qualities.

“CLOCK-IN” TO THIS MOVIE

3 stars by Charlotte Dross • Editor-in-Chief

POPULAR PICKS BY ELI ROTH

TOP TRACKS FROM ‘SWEETENER’:

1. “no tears left to cry” 2. “God is a woman” 3. “better off” Cabin Fever (2002)

Hostel (2005)

Death Wish (2018)

The Green Inferno (2013)

4. “the light is coming”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DEVIANTART

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WIKI COMMONS

ARIANA GRANDE SWEETENS THE MOOD

5 After a dramatic pause on her career, Ariana Grande finally released her latest album, ‘Sweetener’ on Aug. 17. After a dramatic pause on her career, Ariana Grande finally released her latest album, ‘Sweetener’ on Aug. 17, 2018. Throughout her album, Grande sings about her fiancé, her happiness and her anxiety. She also sheds new light on the horrors of the Manchester attack that occurred in May 2017. And although the album is a bop, it is also full of various emotions as each track packed with advice. Her fourth studio album is about bringing a spark of happiness into someone’s life and sweetening the situation. And it’s no coincidence that ‘Sweetener’ is her first album with color on the cover rather than black and white. In a recent Twitter post, Grande said that for the first time, her life is in color as well. She opens the album with a brief, fourlined, acapella song ‘raindrops (an angel cried)’ which is a verse from the song ‘An Angel Cried,’ originally written by the band the Four Seasons. This track highlights her phenomenal vocal abilities and sets the tone for the album with a sweetened, soft sound. Furthermore, Pharrell Williams, an influential American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer co-wrote and produced six of the 15 songs on Grande’s ‘Sweetener’ album. Although her first song is a beautiful beginning to ‘Sweetener’, the transition from her

first to second track is an unflattering change of sounds. Grande’s soft acapella contrasted with Pharrell Williams’ staccato sound in the song ‘blazed’ is too abrupt and does not flow well together. In her third track ‘the light is coming,’ Grande explores her new musical abilities by rapping alongside Nicki Minaj—and does a fantastic job. As well as experimenting with her music style, Grande adds sound bites into her song. It opens with the clip of a man yelling “You wouldn’t let anybody speak.” Interestingly, this is from a 2009 CNN clip featuring an argument between a man and former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Spector. This song tactic is also used in Rihanna’s N.E.R.D album, which was produced by Pharrell Williams, showcasing Williams’ influence on the ‘Sweetener’ album. Her one minute, 14 second track keeps the listeners attentive throughout the short and sweet song. The simple title, ‘pete davidson,’ assures her fans that, although she doesn’t mention his name in the song, this love song is in fact about Grande’s new fiancé and soulmate. She enthusiastically celebrates her happiness in the upbeat chorus of the song. Grande also touches a difficult topic in her songs: anxiety. In the track ‘breathin,’ she opens up about her anxiety attacks and the importance of self-care. Grande takes a brave, bold step by writing about this challenging topic and how to face it. This track was so successful that

PHOTO PROVIDED BY WIKI COMMONS

it reached No. 4 on Spotify’s U.S. Top 50 chart. ‘Sweetener’ concludes with the track ‘get well soon,’ a melodic piece full of Ariana Grande’s usual bliss. The track is five minutes and twenty-two seconds, memorializing the date of the Manchester bombing: May 22. At the end of the track, she dedicates 40 seconds of silence to the victims. Her album earned No. 1 on the Billboard 200, although she already knew that this was going to happen—her seventh song is called ‘successful.’ She gloats “it feels so good to be so young and have this fun and be successful.” Overall, ‘Sweetener’ is about something bitter turning sweet, similar to the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Grande’s album is filled with songs about life and happiness, even after the Manchester bombing. She could have taken a sorrowful approach, but thankfully she turns the bad into good, which promotes healing for herself and others.

5 stars

by Kate Clark • Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY ELIANA GOODMAN

hockadayfourcast.org

arts & life

The Fourcast • Sept. 28, 2018

Colored Jellies

Wafer Cookie

Lychee

Bing Box 320 Singleton Blvd #180, Dallas, Texas. 972.629.9969.

OUT OF THE BOX DESSERTS

Calling all sweet tooths and foodies: a modern bingsu—also known as Korean ice—café opened in Dallas this past June. If you are a Korean ice aficionado, or just have a sugary craving for unique and decadent flavors, I’d highly recommend heading to the Bingbox located on Singleton Ave. in the ever-so-trendy Trinity Groves area. Even though the shop is surrounded by popular restaurants, coffee cafés and murals on the exterior, I would argue that the inside is even more adorable. Bingbox has a clean, white aesthetic that features bright turquoise pops throughout the whole restaurant; one wall even equips all customers with an ‘insta-worthy’ picture location—a quirky, detailed mural paired with a neon sign. The Bingbox staff was equally as inviting as the atmosphere, offering samples, flavor suggestions and a smile. The menu offers four main types of desserts: soft serve ice cream, smoothies, various tea drinks and their specialty—Korean shaved ice. According to the Bingbox website, they “represent an innovative take” on the classic bingsu dessert. They also use low-fat creams and milk bases to create a lighter texture for their range of snow cream flavors. Being a caffeine junkie myself, I had to order the Thai Tea Snow Cream. The delicious dessert, which was topped with a wafer, lychee and rainbow jellies, was the absolute perfect blend of both velvet and light textures. Since the dessert is a shaved ice infused with cream, it didn’t feel too heavy, but it still had a velvety texture and a vibrant pop of Thai tea flavor. I will say that it took a few minutes for the dessert to be made, but, it was worth the wait! You could easily catch a glimpse at the shaved iced being delicately made: I’m not sure about their exact technique, but it was a very intricate-looking machine that filtered the Thai tea into the base. It made the dessert feel very special. My friend opted for a soft serve swirl with chocolate

and banana. Not only was it some of the most beautifully prepared ice cream I have seen in my life, but it was thick, flavorful and the perfect texture. I had zero complaints about the Bingbox menu. Every single option is customizable, comes in a variety of flavors and is simply delicious. I would, however, like to comment on the only downfall of the dessert shop, in my opinion: the price. The cheapest option on the menu is $4 for a cup of tea, and the rest of the menu can climb up to about $9 because of added toppings. While the calories and expensive cost of the desserts are definitely a cheat-day rarity, I would ultimately recommend that anyone try Bingbox. The treats were delicious, the store itself was the quintessential location for a food pic to post, and it bodes well for a girls-night-out or family outing location. Head over to Trinity Groves to start your weekend off the sweet way.

4 stars by Eliana Goodman • Magazine Editor

From the FOURCAST Kitchen Magazine Editor Eliana Goodman’s Recipe for Ice-cream

3 1 2 3

Thai Tea Snow Cream, $7.00 Chocolate Banana Soft Swirl, $6.00 Insta-worthy wall

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. 2 cups of canned coconut milk 2. 1/3 cup of sweetener of your choice 3. 1/8 tsp of salt 4. 1 1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract

1. Mix ingredients in bowl. 2. Put in ice trays and let freeze. 3. Blend frozen cubes in a blender. 4. Embellish with toppings of your choice.

The Hockaday School

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

IN THE POP CULTURE WORLD

WHERE’S

MY MUM?

Two B’s in a Pod

Sports Editor Shea Duffy reviews the history and significance of mums. See the breakdown of Business Manager Ashlye Dullye’s mum from J.J. Pearce High School.

On Sept. 13, Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin were spotted at a courthouse marriage bureau in New York City, arousing speculation about a possible ‘secret marriage’. However, Baldwin later tweeted that she and Bieber haven’t yet tied the knot, discrediting an article in People Magazine reporting that the couple got married. Nevertheless on Sept. 18, Bieber serenaded Baldwin outside of Buckingham Palace with a song and his guitar. The couple was visiting the U.K. for London Fashion Week and had visited popular tourist attractions earlier that day.

In It to Win It Because Dullye is a Varsity Soccer player, her mum is adorned with a miniature soccer ball. Say My Name Say My Name Dullye’s name is printed in bold, sparkly letters across the front ribbon of the mum.

Lone Star State The great state of Texas lines successive ribbons of the elaborate display. Showing Texas pride is an essential element in all mums.

The Golden Age of Netflix Rom-Coms While the iconic 90s rom-com era has left classics like “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Pretty Woman” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” the age has long passed. It seemed as if the days of staying home on a Friday night with a pint of ice cream and “Clueless” were over. But recently, when Netflix executives noticed the popularity of old romantic comedies, the streaming company began releasing several original movies with hallmarks of a classic rom-com. With hits like “Set it Up,” “The Kissing Booth” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” Netflix is dominating in the romantic comedy genre.

Laugh

➝

I Love You “A Latte” The coming of fall means many different things, one of them being the return of Pumpkin Spiced Lattes. See staff artist Angelina Chouchair’s interpretation of fall and the internal struggle between drinking lattes and doing pilates.

by Angelina Chouchair • Staff Artist

Presale for tickets to Michelle Obama’s arena book tour launched Sept. 20. The former First Lady will be visiting the nation’s largest stadiums to promote her upcoming memoir, “Becoming”. The tour was met with such overwhelming popularity that Obama added two venues to her 10-stop tour, which includes the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Dec. 17. While fans are calling ticket prices “Beyoncé-priced,” some say they’re worth it, as Obama plans to donate 10 percent of ticket sales to charity.

Show Some School Spirit The J.J. Pearce High School’s mascot is the mustang, so naturally it embellishes various different parts of the mum. by Shea Duffy • Sports Editor

PHOTO PROVIDED BY WIKI COMMONS

DUFFY

Have a

A Conversation With Michelle Obama

PHOTO BY SHEA

s fluorescent lights illuminate the field, hundreds of fans cheer as the home team crosses the end zone. The band’s loud music and the cheerleaders’ synchronized backflips help celebrate the touchdown. Welcome to a typical Texas high school football game. Every week, masses of High Schoolers gather under the ‘Friday Night Lights’ to cheer on their school’s football team. One of the most important features of the Homecoming game is the mum. The humble beginnings of the Homecoming mum date back to the early 1900s, when boys would present their date with a chrysanthemum flower to solidify their ‘ask.’ In the 1970s, the previously-used real chrysanthemum was traded for a massive silk flower adorned with ribbon, beads and streamers. The tradition of the mum remains today and has tripled in size—and significance. Typically, the mum is gifted to the girl the night of the football game, allowing her to showcase it around her neck for the night. At some schools, the girls, in exchange, gift their date a ‘garter,’ a smaller mum for the boy to wear around his arm. Since Hockaday is an all-girls school, girls are asked to homecoming dances all over Dallas. The mums come in all different styles and sizes, ranging from foot-long ribbons to floor-length tangles of embellishment. While some schools create identical mums for the boys to order for their dates, other schools encourage personalized mums that suit the pairs’ personalities and interests. The custom of the Homecoming mum and its significance in Texas culture has been around for decades, and it will surely remain in years to come. After all, “everything is bigger in Texas!”

arts & life

hockadayfourcast.org

The Fourcast • Sept. 28, 2018

CITY SLICKER

Worth the Wait?

PHOTOS BY KELSEY CHEN

The restaurant scene in Dallas has always been vibrant. Because of this, there are quite a few places with wait times that can reach up to over an hour. The ultimate question is whether or not to brave the chaos that ensues. While pies continually fly off the shelves at Emporium Pies, and foodies snatch reservations at R+D Kitchen again and again to snap insta-worthy photos of carefully crafted sandwiches, it’s still hard to know what is worth the hype. From barbeque to brunch, here are the best spots in Dallas—where the food is worth the wait!

Breakfast Bites: Overeasy 1914 Commerce St. Saturday hours: 9 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Sweet Tooth: Emporium Pies 2708 Main St. #110 Saturday hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Dinner Dining: R+D Kitchen 8300 Preston Center Plaza Saturday hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Taco Time: Velvet Taco 11730 Preston Road Saturday hours: 9 a.m. to 4 a.m.

You Are What You Meat: Pecan Lodge 2702 Main St. Saturday hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

by Kelsey Chen • Staff Writer

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

MEME THIS: The Power and Potential of Internet Memes In the summer of 2014,

a girl from Houston, Texas woke up after a house party, clothes disheveled, with no memory of what happened the night before. A few weeks later, people began to text her pictures of herself, unconscious and undressed. Soon, the photo began to appear on social media. Her name is Jada. Twitter users began to use the hashtag #Jadapose to mock and mimic her pose in the picture, in which her legs are splayed apart while she’s clearly passed out. The photo became viral, gaining popularity as a meme and even a trendy dance move. A month later, Jada filed a police report on sexual assault, and the evidence was shared across the internet. There is no exact date for when memes took over social media, but in this day and age, the internet seem to be flooded with them. Far too often, people do not pause and think twice before liking or retweeting a meme that they think is funny, nor do they consider the repercussions. Memes have become a powerful tool in modern day communication, and its power has only begun to be recognized.

Types of Memes Hockaday Students Look At

THE ORIGIN OF MEMES

Everday Life Memes (66.84%) Political Memes (5.26%) Celebrity Memes (6.23%) Niche Memes (12.63%) Other (8.95%)

When asked if they knew what a meme is, 189 out of 190 Hockaday students responded “yes” in a recent survey. But do we really know the complicated history and multiple definitions of the word “meme”? Many pieces of academic writing about memes compare them to organisms, living and adapting to their environment. The Smithsonian Magazine, for example, describes memes not as “elementary particles but as organisms,” in the article “What Defines a Meme?” This common simile for memes most likely originates from the creator of the term himself, Richard Dawkins. In 1976, Dawkins published his scientific book, “The Selfish Gene,” in which he explored the question of whether altruism exists in a generally selfish world. The book dedicates a chapter to memes, which he defines as “a noun that conveys the idea of a unit of cultural transmission.” The book created a stir within and out of the scientific community, and academics still disagree on what constitutes a meme. Regardless of the exact definition of the term, the pictures and videos that the average modern person would define as memes do seem to spread and evolve as Richard Dawkins claimed years ago. Today, many of us use the word meme to talk about internet memes, not to describe a cultural unit. An internet meme is commonly referred to across the web as a picture or video accompanied by text. For the purposes of this article, the word “meme” will describe individual internet memes.

Platforms Hockaday Students Look At Memes On

WHAT DO YOU MEME?

Instagram (75.28%) Twitter (8.06%) Tumblr (5.91%) Reddit (3.76%) Other (6.99%)

Do Hockaday Students View Memes as a Way to Learn About Current Events?

Yes (64.74%)

No (35.26%)

No matter how hard your teachers, grandparents and the librarian try to convince you to pick up a book instead of your phone or laptop, research shows that people these days don’t read as much anymore. In a survey conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2016, the percentage of American adults who read literature for pleasure reveals a sure decline. But it doesn’t end here. In February 2018, The New York Times published a special report, “Welcome to the Post-Text Future,” which predicted a society where text will have a secondary role in digital communication. The report argues that with the rise of multimedia, the very memes that friends are sending to each other via direct messages (DMs) are not only driving a decline in the consumption of books, but of text at large. Admit it or not, reading itself is falling out of fashion, replaced by a dazzling array of images, videos, audios and the steady stream of memes that are changing the very way we communicate. Memes add new layers to our day-to-day speech with images and videos. In a survey sent out to the Upper School by The Fourcast, 59 out of 190 students answered that they spend 50 to 80 percent of their time on the internet looking at memes. One of the participants, senior Dawn Grillo, is a meme enthusiast who loves to collect and send memes to her friends via DMs. She often finds herself referencing her favorite memes in real life and laughing about them with friends.“Memes are my main way of communicating,” Grillo said. “Sometimes I think, ‘If there weren’t memes, would I be a boring person?’ Probably.” Grillo’s reason for using memes in her conversations is simple: the visuals in memes enhance everything she says. She believes that referencing memes that relate to everyday situations provides visual representations of her message, especially if she’s making a joke. “[Jokes] are ten times funnier if there’s a meme to go with it,” Grillo said. As memes become increasingly meaningful in our conversations, their utilization has extended beyond DMs and text messages and even into the classroom. Melanie Clemmons is an assistant professor of Digital/Hybrid Media at Southern Methodist University and a new media artist. Her artwork has been exhibited around the countries and overseas from the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York to the House of Electronic Arts in Basel, Switzerland. During Clemmons’ lectures, there’s a good chance that she’ll show a meme about the material she’s teaching. Clemmons believes that using memes can provide a good break from the “concept-heavy, philosophy-heavy information” her students are expected to retain from the class, as well as articulate this information more effectively. On top of that, Clemmons believes that memes are something that the class can bond over. “People are noticing that someone in the class who they haven’t met before laughing at the same memes as them, then they may connect, and that creates a better community for our class in general,” Clemmons said.

STORY BY MICHELLE CHEN AND NIAMH MCKINNEY

in fo

ocus

The Fourcast • Sept. 28, 2018

ARE MEMES SERIOUS BUSINESS? Not only are memes changing the way we communicate, they are also altering our method of acquiring information as they become another avenue for businesses and individuals to profit and advertise. Last year, Gucci launched its famous #TFWGucci marketing campaign, in which the company recruited meme creators and artists to make memes about Gucci products. British online publication Highsnobiety calls these memes “a solid affirmation of the cross-cultural dominance of meme culture and a progressive demonstration in how memes can be optimized to sell product.” Clemmons considers memes as a good form of advertisement for companies, to an extent. “I think brands are smart for using [memes] because it captures people’s attention and it shows that they’re paying attention [to their consumers], but to me, it has to be good, otherwise it feels embarrassing,” Clemmons said. According to Instagram meme creator Link Lipsitz, a St. Mark’s School of Texas alumnus and a junior at New York University, businesses use memes as advertisements surprisingly often. Lipsitz runs a meme account (@i.am.link) with nearly 60,000 followers. Lipsitz points out that entertainment companies are paying meme accounts to create sponsored content that features images from their shows. Other industries are doing the same with their products. However, he concludes from past work experiences that this form of advertisement is not as effective as companies believe it is because people are becoming more sensitive to sponsored content. “So many companies are pouring money into social media, but I don’t think that the return on investment is that great,” Lipsitz said. “Our generation can spot when something is a paid post. People will think the post is funny, but not enough to go watch the show or buy the product.” While corporations are using memes as a way to intrigue target consumers, meme account owners themselves are also creating products to intrigue their audience. The products in this industry range from tea-sipping Kermit t-shirts to Tide Pod socks, and have grown more and more competitive over the years. However, it is increasingly difficult to make money this way. The industry faces the challenge of an increasingly temperamental and fast-paced internet culture.“I think anytime there are new mediums like social media, there’s potential for volatility,” Clemmons remarked. Artists like Clemmons are exploring memes as a potential art form. Clemmons believes that the more absurd the meme is, the more artistic it becomes. “The memes that I would consider to be more artistic than others are the ones that really look at the context of the meme and take it as far as possible,” Clemmons said. Clemmons also looks at memes as a source of inspiration. “I use meme aesthetics in my practice...I think it works really well whenever you have those trends in your imagery, it’s like a nod to the medium,” Clemmons said. Whether you view memes as art or as business potential or as something else entirely, it is hard to diminish them as just jokes. From influencing politics to business to art, this new form of expression has been recognized as a serious topic and even archived by U.S. government institutions like the Library of Congress.

MEMES IN POLITICS According to The Washington Post, countries such as China and Russia have cracked down on memes, especially memes that allegedly make fun of the current heads of the country. In order to censor derogatory memes about Prime Minister Putin, Russia made it illegal in 2015 to “publish any internet meme that depicts a public figure in a way that has nothing to do with his ‘personality.’” Comparably, Chinese media, which is already heavily censored, completely banned posting, or even sending, pictures of Winnie the Pooh because the cartoon character had been used since the 2013 election to mock the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. In this regard, memes are used as a way to rebel against their governments. Likewise, memes can be used to suppress certain groups of people. Pepe the Frog acts as a well-known example of how a humorous image can quickly be transformed into a hate symbol. Pepe made his original debut in 2005 as a cartoon frog featured in a comic strip titled “Boy’s Club.” Shortly after, members of the alt-right shared re-workings of the character as Adolf Hitler and a Klu Klux Klan member in anti-semitic and racist memes. Clemmons thinks that memes can potentially be used for political activism. “There’s a fine line between some types of political activism and hate speech, which is what you see with the alt-right,” she said.In September 2016, the Anti-Defamation League, an anti-bigotry group, added Pepe to its online database of hate symbols. Pepe’s creator Matt Furie even killed off the character in his comic strip, depicting him in a coffin, according to BBC News. Clemmons believes that the nature of memes and the way that memes spread information make them a dangerous political tool. “If somebody shares [memes] with misinformation on them, because of the nature of memes, because of how quickly they can become viral, then this information gets shared so fast it just starts to become part of the collective unconscious, whether or not it’s true,” Clemmons said. “Memes are more dangerous than articles are because memes can be understood and ingrained so quickly, like wildfire.” In contrast, memes have also created spaces for communities to connect online, with groups for different types of cultural identifiers. Their members often use the humor of memes to cope with difficult situations or injustices directed to their communities.For example, people-of-color-related online groups can provide coping humor for their communities. In an editorial for Wired Magazine, writer Ludmila Leiva claimed that the memes from these online groups provided “invaluable tools for fostering solidarity and healing” that helped her cope with with the Trump election, while simultaneously making her laugh.

THE DARK SIDE After her rape case became a meme, Jada chose to step forward in response with the hashtag #IamJada. Speaking on local and national media, the teen chose to reclaim her image in the face of internet virality.”Everybody has already seen my face and my body, but that’s not what I am and who I am,” Jada said during an interview on a Houston television station. Jada’s story reveals the dark side of memes. While a simple photo paired with a joke may seem harmless, the meme isn’t so funny anymore when it becomes a tool of ridicule and cyberbullying. Upper School counselors Ashley Ferguson and Jessica Hooks both agree that memes can be closely linked to cyberbullying. “If the intent [of memes] is to cyberbully and the intent [of memes] is to hurt someone, you’re going to accomplish that. When you create the meme, it’s all about what purpose do you want this meme to serve,” Ferguson said. Apart from the potential of cyberbullying, the way that memes address mental health can be controversial. Scrolling through social media, any viewer will likely catch sight of memes that address depression, anxiety or other mental disorders. If these memes represent accurate information, they can allow those who are suffering from a mental condition a platform to openly speak about their mental health. “It can be a force for good, because you’re sharing more information about mental health, and people are talking about it more,” Clemmons said. There’s a good chance, however, that these memes are not accurate representations of the mental conditions themselves. In a web article published in 2013 on Psychology Today titled “Why Memes Are a Bad Idea,” psychologist and philosopher Paul Thagard Ph.D. argues that “the lumping of all cultural entities together as memes neglects the variety and complexity of mental representations.” Therefore, memes can only go so far in representing the whole picture in terms of mental disorders. Hooks not only believes that memes can misrepresent mental disorders, but she also thinks that they can be an obstacle to more meaningful conversations regarding the topic.“The meme can sometimes encourage silence, because I can just create this or put this out here, and I don’t have to then talk about it,” Hooks said. “That’s not really coping.” On the other hand, meme creators like Lipsitz, who often puts himself in his memes, receive online hate from malevolent social media users. To deal with these haters, Lipsitz either ignores them or blocks them on his account. “People call me fat Draco Malfoy, and I get DMs from people saying some crazy things. And if it gets really dark, then I do what I have to do to protect myself, but I don’t really take a lot of the hate seriously, because my haters are my greatest motivators,” Lipsitz said. When Lipsitz puts himself in memes, he represents his true self and nothing else. He believes that this authenticity not only prevents him from creating a discrepancy between his social media and real-life presence, but also helps him withstand the hate. “There’s nothing that people are going to say online that can hurt my feelings. I was the only out gay kid at St. Mark’s for years, you think I can’t handle the hate?” Lipsitz said.

The rise to power of internet memes still proves to be a controversial topic. They are, after all, just another form of jokes. But the cultural significance of memes proves much larger than a few laughs and a retweet. They might be revolutionizing our way of communication. They might be the new market, or the new political tool. They might be a mechanism of cyberbullying.

But the question remains: What now?

Clemmons believes that being aware of what information we’re offered is the key in the future for memes. Hooks and Ferguson agree.“You get to look and read whatever you want, but what you believe is your choice. The responsibility is on you to then go the extra step in research,” Ferguson said. After examining the many roles memes play in our society, maybe it’s time to reconsider their potential for the future. As for now, however, it doesn’t seem like people will ever delete their favorite memes, because they’re just “so relatable,” right?

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

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The Hockaday School

We should all want to be able to learn from the community and from each other.”

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Keep Calm and Gary On p17

PHOTO BY ELIANA GOODMAN

No Campaign, No Gain ➝ Story by Eliana Goodman • Magazine Editor SPREADING THE WORD • Junior Tosca Langbert participated in Julie Johnson’s Texas House District 115 campaign over the summer. From this experience, she saw behind the scenes of election campaigns and further increased her passion for politics.

The rustling sound of paper and note-taking-induced hand-cramps don’t typically coincide with the summertime season. But some Hockaday students, who interned at political offices this summer, spent the majority of the time taking notes, surveying and blockwalking. After keeping up with the hustle-and-bustle of a political campaign, Hockaday students Kirsten Kirk, Tosca Langbert, Elizabeth Roosevelt and Nisha Singh have much to talk about. Kirsten Kirk

hile Kirsten Kirk has been a politically informed person for as long as she can remember, after the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, she became an outspoken political advocate. This past April, Kirk did a fellowship with Students March, a gun sense campaign, where she planned to organize school board meetings, petitions, public meetings and fundraisers. Kirk then used these ideas and her passion for stricter gun laws as catalyst to found the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of Students Demand Action (SDA). “I just realized that the best way to manifest my ideas and get them started was to start my own branch of SDA,” Kirk said. “[SDA] takes their passion, their anger, and a sense of betrayal by the government and they turn it into something productive.” With the addition of Kirk’s DFW branch, there are currently 56 chapters of SDA nationwide. Their goal is to “make change... end gun violence and build safer communities,” according to their website. Kirk also interned for Nathan Johnson’s campaign over the summer. Johnson, a Democratic candidate running for Texas Senate District 16, is actually one of Kirk’s family friends. Since she already knew him well and agreed with Johnson’s policies and beliefs, Kirk said that once the opportunity had risen, interning for him just made sense. At her internship, Kirk input data and cut turf in addition to completing the more traditional intern jobs, like making copies. Kirk uses her experiences with policies and Johnson to encourage others to become politically involved. “What do you have to lose? If you think you can advocate for a change, or even become a stepping stone for someone else to make a change, you should absolutely explain yourself and stand your ground on things that are important,” Kirk said.

Tosca Langbert When Tosca Langbert was 15, she considered becoming a precinct chair, a member from each party who tries to encourage constituents in their districts to vote. She has been politically involved for a long time, whether it be reading the news, talking about politics, debating with friends or even attending a semester away in D.C. at the School of Ethics and Global Leadership. Langbert says that current events are always prevalent in her life. After hearing about Julie Johnson’s campaign for Texas House District 115 from her father, Langbert knew that a smaller campaign would be a good summer internship opportunity. Johnson’s campaign was just starting out over the summer, so Langbert helped design a youth involvement program to help get local kids involved with the campaign. When she wasn’t working with the youth outreach program, Langbert block walked, called voters and cut turf. “It’s nice having the knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes of a campaign. Seeing the research being done and getting to know the candidate—that was the intimate connection with the campaign I really valued,” Langbert said. “I’ve spent so much time reading and debating about politics, it was so nice to actually be a part of the action.”

“The thought of being a super opinionated woman is intimidating... I want to be likeable, but I think that sacrificing a little bit of likability for control is worthwhile,” Langbert said. “Empowering people to take that little tiny fraction of control they have and to use it wisely is a very productive use of time.”

Elizabeth Roosevelt Elizabeth Roosevelt has been politically active since she was about nine years old; since then, she has gone with her family to Capitol Hill in D.C. and met with Congressmen about various bills, usually focused on health care. “It’s a rare opportunity that I am lucky to have, so I try to do things like that whenever I can,” Roosevelt said. The majority of the time, when she’s not at Capitol Hill, Roosevelt reads the news, pays attention to local election races and follows certain issues, researching ways that she can become involved. For example, if there is a health care bill that she really believes in, Roosevelt will see if there is anything she can sign or do to help pass it. Delving deeper into her political advocacy, this past summer Roosevelt interned in Congressman Pete Sessions’ office in D.C.. She attended hearings, took notes, answered phone calls, recorded constituents’ opinions on divisive issues and even gave tours of the Capitol to Texas visitors. I’ve spent so much time reading In doing her work with Sessions, Roosevelt and debating about politics that it gained a better knowledge of how politics, both in was so nice to actually be a part and outside of the Capitol Building, work. of the action.” “Honestly, I got a better understanding of what goes on in the government. It was so cool Tosca Langbert to see what goes on in the daily life of a staffer. I Senior learned that I have a lot more to learn, but that’s okay,” Roosevelt said. “I learned a lot of responsibility, especially if a staffer gives you a task like going Hockaday students are all taught from a young age to be resilient women; however, the idea to a hearing or taking notes, and that taught me of women being taught to be leaders is not always better time management skills.” Despite initially feeling some hesitation the status quo. Women comprise only 19.3 percent of the House of Representatives and 19.4 percent about spending two weeks alone in D.C. interning of the Senate. Having worked with a female candi- for Sessions, Roosevelt now cherishes her time in his office and values her political experiences date, Langbert encourages women to make their so much that she doesn’t regret her choices for voices heard.

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a second. If anyone might feel nervous speaking their opinion on controversial topics they believe in, Roosevelt encourages them to take a leap of faith and go for it. “Do not be afraid of what other people think, that was a big thing for me. I think it’s so important just to know that there are other people who feel the way that you do, and that’s a huge factor in what goes on in politics,” Roosevelt said. Nisha Singh Over the summer, Hockaday senior Nisha Singh interned at her local congressional district campaign, District 24. She campaigned for the Democratic candidate, Jan McDowell, and also interned on Ed Meier’s campaign before the primaries happened in March. According to Singh, there was a big difference between the two campaigns: Ed Meier, who was the Democratic candidate in District 32, had a lot of media support and attention compared to McDowell’s. Singh initially became involved with campaigns and political advocacy since she is only 17 and cannot vote herself. “I am active in politics in the sense that I’ve always wanted to learn more and feel like I identify with a particular side of the spectrum more so than the other…and it is your responsibility to see where you lie and bring about change that you want,” Singh said. “[Despite being unable to vote], I realized at the end of 2017... that I can make a change. There is a lot more power in the people than we might believe.” Outside of her campaign internships, Singh is involved with an organization called SAAVE, South Asian American Voter Empowerment. She has been working with them for a while, computing South Asian voting statistics and reaching out to South Asians about voting. She works actively to help encourage this community to vote. “Many South Asian Americans don’t feel that this is their country and that they have weight in what happens. I’d already been working with them, and with those connections, I reached out to campaigns that were happening here to see what changes I could make,” Singh said. From doing hands-on work with politicians and SAAVE, Singh gained a lot of experience and appreciation for political public figures. According to her, there’s a lot more than people realize in creating a campaign that people truly want to invest themselves in. “Because I watched people from Texas who worked so hard for Texas, I think I took ownership that this is my home. And nothing can disconnect me from that,” Singh said.

people

hockadayfourcast.org

The Fourcast • Sept. 28, 2018

faces & places 2

FRESH FACES.

4 1. Lyse Herrera’s son, Quinn Herrera, is all bundled up for a photoshoot. 2. Jamie Dock Burke, son of Claire Cothren, naps peacefully atop a fur blanket. 3. Margaret Elizabeth Goldberg shows off her big smile to the camera. 4. Twins Helen Grace

McEachern and Wray Elizabeth McEachern gaze into the camera lens. 5. The McEachern twins let out a large yawn as the camera shutter clicks.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CLAIRE COTHREN, CHRISTINA GOLDERBG, LYSE HERRERA AND JENNIFER MCEACHERN.

resh new faces pop on the Hockaday campus very frequently, however not in they way that you might think. The Child Development Center, otherwise known as the CDC, is bursting at the seams with the newborns that teachers are bringing in everyday. The summer was not only a summer of fun for many students, but for teachers, a summer of newborns. Many teachers and staff members have had babies this past summer, while some are back from maternity leave many are still at home enjoying the new life that they have brought into the world. Dr. Claire Cothren, an Upper School english teacher, recently had her first baby, a boy named Jamie Dock Burke. She is back from maternity leave and her baby is thriving in the CDC. However, she has no need to worry about him during the day, as the CDC takes care of everything she needs. In fact, she often gets pictures throughout the day so she is able to keep up with him but also concentrate on her school day as well. “I get updates every couple minutes so I know if he has taken a nap or if he has had to change his clothes, and sometimes they send pictures of him interacting with his little friends, so they make it much easier,” Cothren said. “Honestly it is kind of nice in the middle of the day having somebody else take care of him.” Lyse Herrera, the Upper School Registrar, has also recently had a baby. Her boy, Quinn Herrera, was born this past July. Herrera is still on maternity leave but will be back in late September. Quinn is Herrera’s second child, and she has been adjusting to life two children. Her older child, Deacon, is three years old, and loves his brother, Quinn. “[Having a second child] is a fun new normal for sure… and just like finding your groove again once you have made changes…its so fun though!” Herrera said. Even though Herrera has already had a baby she finds that going from one child to two is also a big jump, Herrera finds that having a new baby is always a happy change. Christina Goldberg, the Annual Giving Manager from the Development Offices, had her baby in late July. She had a baby girl named Margaret Elizabeth Goldberg. This is her first baby, so she is trying to cherish all the tiny little moments. “I think the best part about having kids is getting to see her grow and all the little milestones, and her first big smile and the first giggle.” Said Goldberg Goldberg has been trying to have her first baby for a while. She is excited for her daughter to be able to be friends with Stephanie Stone’s four month old baby, Georgia. Both Goldberg and Stone were friends during their time at Hockaday and hope to pass on the torch to their daughters. All new moms look forward to passing their traditions onto their newborns, and creating new memories with the babies. The teachers are appreciating their maternity leave and trying to spend as much time with their new babies before they have to come back to school. They are truly enjoying the precious moments that make having a smelly, crying newborn all the more worthwhile, like seeing the smile on their tiny faces when they come home from a hard day. by Sahasra Chigurupati • Castoff Editor

The Hockaday School

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

A Day in the Life of

Erika Herridge Apart from adhering Band-Aids and taking temperatures with a thermometer, have you ever wondered how Erika Herridge, the Director of Health Services, spends the rest of her day? We were curious, too. To answer that question, The Fourcast sent staff writer Erin Parolisi to the Health Center to follow Erika Herridge and uncover what happens after all the patients have been treated.

Rise & Grind!

8:45 A.M. IMPORTANT CALLS | On average, Herridge and the other nurses make around 15-20 calls to parents, teachers and staff regarding student concerns. These calls concern topics such as EpiPen and medication management, concussion management, ImPACT testing, insurance management for residence students and various other issues.

8:30 A.M. GOOD MORNING | Herridge arrives at the Health Center and starts her day by checking in with the day shift nurse that is on duty and reading over the communication binder from the night shift nurse. Then she chats with the other nurses to see if there are any medical or administrative issues to address or any parent phone calls to respond to and sets tasks for the nurse to accomplish that day.

9:00 A.M. FIRST PATIENTS | After Herridge is finished prepping for her day, her first student patients begin to arrive at the Health Center, and she treats them as they come by.

4:00 P.M.

Ring, ring!

CLOSING UP | As the number of patients start decreasing, Herridge prepares for the night shift nurse. She makes sure that she has said everything in the communication binder about the boarding students. In particular, she reports if any of the boarders have to go to the doctor. If a boarder does have to go to the doctor’s office, she has to will fill out the necessary paperwork for that girl, which includes insurance information and recent history of medical concerns.

w 10:00 A.M. NO BREAKS | Around 10 a.m. is advisory, which means the Health Center is filled with students that did not want to miss class but still want to visit the nurses office. Herridge continues to tend to the students, which are typically 60 students a day, and takes care of their needs.

5:00 P.M. UNTIL TOMORROW | As Herridge’s day in the Health Center comes to an end, she begins to prep for the next day and makes a list of what she needs to accomplish. After this, she hands over her responsibilities to the night nurse, however, it is likely that Herridge will receive calls on evenings and weekends, especially from the night weekend nurse regarding a resident student.

3:15 P.M. AFTER SCHOOL | Even though the school day for the Lower and Middle School is over, this does not mean the students stop checking in to the Health Center. Whether it’s students coming from the gym, athletics or Happy Haps, an after-school care program, Herridge takes care of all her patient’s medical needs.

10:30 A.M. FIRST ROUND | It’s 10:30 a.m. and time for Herridge and the other nurses to make their first check in at the Lower School. Herridge goes to the playground and chats with the students, teachers and the Lower School Office to see if they need anything. She then goes to the dining hall to provide care and gives out any medications the Health Center keeps for the Lower Schoolers.

Goodbye!

2:00 P.M. PLANNING | Herridge continues by catching up on any projects going on in the Health Center, which include preparing for upcoming field trips and monthly maintenance on the nine AEDs around campus. At this time she also sets up meetings.

Afternoon fuel 11:20 A.M.

PHOTOS BY ERIN PAROLISI

1:00 P.M. CHARTING | Herridge is halfway through her day and logs on to the Health Center’s web-based charting program Magnus Health to record all the students’ visits from that day.

SECOND ROUND | Middle School lunch has just begun, so Herridge and the other nurses start to head over to Middle School to see if anyone needs anything and to administer medications to students who take them during the school day.

by Erin Parolisi • Staff Writer

people

hockadayfourcast.org

The Fourcast • Sept. 28, 2018

Keep Calm and Gary On

PHOTO BY EUGENE SEONG

Gary Stollar stirs up change in the Boarding Department with his new position as Interim Director of Residence Life.

CONVERSING WITH OTHERS • Gary Stollar and Laura Day talk with one of their advisees, junior Erica Hulsey. Stollar and Day began co-advising this 2018-2019 school year. Although they have only been advising together for a little over a month, the two are quite the dynamic duo.

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rior to his succession, Stollar devoted the majority of his time to serving as the Middle School history teacher and a member of Residence Department’s international program. Stollar’s enthusiasm for world history defined his love of international studies, and eventually, his interests in global cultures bonded with his commitment to encourage diversity of learnings. “I was attached to boarding because all of our international students are boarders. [Learning about other cultures] has always been an interest of mine,” Stollar said. The Hockaday Residence Department is home to students from 13 different countries, including but not limited to Saudi Arabia, China, Korea and Germany. In addition, boarding hosts domestic students from 12 states and one United States territory. Aside from his vast devotion to the international program, Stollar is also a strong contributor to the creation of a comfortable, home-like environment for all students. Believing in the benefits of communications between different cultures, Stollar aims to maintain a balance in the Resident Department where Hockaday girls can learn and thrive. “We have 79 girls this year, and about half are

international. It is a great mix, and I get to work more broad-based,” Stollar said. “[The Resident students] all come from a different perspective, and the respect that [they] show each other along the way, to me, is quite impressive.” In addition to Stollar’s dedication to maintaining boarding’s home-like atmosphere, the community responds to his succession with multiple expectations. The start of every school year usually marks the emerging concerns about stress and mental health issues, which have also accumulated an increased awareness in boarding. Stollar hopes to put mental health issues on the forefront this year.

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We should all want to be able to learn from the community and from each other.” Gary Stollar Interim Director of Residence Life

Hockaday senior and House Council President Maria Sailale voiced her opinions on the aforementioned topic on behalf of the student leadership

in boarding. Sailale joined the Hockaday Residence Department as a freshman and has been re-elected by the boarding community for two terms as the House Council President. “Because [boarding] is on campus and we don’t really get to go home, we’re just accompanied by all the stresses 24/7,” Sailale said. “The Upper School has two new counselors this year, and I think boarding should make mental health more of a priority and have that availability.” Accordingly, Stollar addressed his aspirations to make boarding a safe environment where students can balance stress, rest and are able to recharge. “I wish the community could live up to our four cornerstones. But keeping the balance outside of ‘scholarship’ is essential,” Stollar said. “I would like, at Hockaday, to help the students to achieve balance so that they have the appropriate amount of time to re-energize, to go have fun, but to also give them the space they need to prepare so that they do well.” Apart from the need for more attention to be brought to the issue of stress, the Residence Department also anticipates many smaller changes. For instance, the community welcomes more cultural diversification. Hockaday sophomore and residence

student Barbara Lou, who has been a boarding student since her enrollment in eighth grade, has suggested more changes be made. “There’s a lot of things going on this year,” Lou said. “I would hope to have more real and legit cultural dinners, like the Hawaiian dinner we had a couple years ago.” Expectations have raised following Stollar’s taking of the reins. While the new director is welcomed with anticipation for the upcoming year, the boarding community also welcomes new possibilities and energy. “We should not only be lifelong learners in an academic sense,” Stollar said. “We should all want to be able to learn from the community and from each other. And I can learn from [the boarding community] on my path of education. For me, it’s exciting to take this step.”

by Emily Wu • Views Editor

BOARDER LINE The 2014 movie “Interstellar” not only featured shocking information about space but also had an experienced cast as well. Throughout the movie, the female scientist, Murphy Cooper, impressed audiences with her astonishing intelligence and abilities. Although she is a fictional character, Murphy may as well found herself a reincarnation at Hockaday—junior Hope Fu. During the past summer, Fu, along with 36 other gifted science students, joined the Summer Science Program and completed a self-directed research report on an asteroid near the earth.

WELCOME TO OUR CRIB

Most people are usually impressed by Senior Emily Ma and her brilliant skills in filmmaking. Nevertheless, what people rarely know about is that Ma actually created an environment for herself in which her inspirations roam: a room of lights. Inside her room, Ma set up a purple light, painting the room with a unique, colorful aura. “I constantly feel like everything around me is a sense of inspiration, and by having that light instead of a normal yellow light, it can put me in the mood,” Ma said.

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Why did you choose to study astronomy and physics?

I’m interested in cosmology because I think the stars and the universe can answer a lot of questions that humans have had for a long time. Questions such as ‘How was life originated and where are we in this universe?’ One of my favorite quotes is ‘Astronomy teaches people humanity,’ and being aware of the vastness of the universe makes people realize how trivial and special we are.

What was the biggest challenge you encountered during the research?

One of the [biggest challenges] is observation timing. Basically your daily routine has to accommodate with the optimal observation time for the asteroid, which is usually 2 a.m. when it crosses the Prime Meridian. It’s a lot of hours, and each night’s observation takes around 10 hours of analyzing and programming.

What was the accomplishment that you’re the proudest of?

I’m really proud of one of my simulations. After calculating the six orbital elements of my asteroid, we ran a simulation to determine its fate in the next 50 million years. So it’s actually surprising that about 10 percent of my test particles had a close encounter with or crashed into the earth. It just makes me feel like my orbital determination may have an impact on the large scale.

Sept. 16, 2018: the Biggs Dining Hall was crowded with boarding students and Hockaday families. On this warm Sunday afternoon, the Hockaday Residence Department hosted the annual Boarder Buddy Dinner. As the new boarders nervously stepped into the house-council reception area, the returning students greeted their boarder buddies and casually chatted with them. The Boarder Buddy Dinner symbolizes the beginning of a strong-bond between a boarder and a local family. Building the Bond

INSPIRATION LIGHTS

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Will you continue the research in the future?

I hope so, but I currently can’t find an observatory. I’m very interested in proving the accuracy of my programs and applying it to other main-belt celestial objects or comets.

by Emily Wu • Views Editor

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

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ports

The Hockaday School

You should express yourself to different people and good things will happen.” Middle Schooler Makes her Mark p19

PHOTO BY ARUSHI MUKHERJEE

(Deb)uting the New Athletic Director ➝ Story by Kate Woodhouse • News Editor CLEAN SLATE • Athletic Director Deb Surgi and senior Isabella Shadle as well as the rest of the Upper School Athletic Board (not pictured) discuss ideas for the future of the Hockaday Athletic Board during their second meeting of the 2018-2019 school year. Surgi makes sure to take copious notes that she will later be able to refer back to.

When junior Abby O’Brien was asked to pose in a photo with Deb Surgi, Hockaday’s new Director of Athletics, she muttered to herself, “But what if I’m not an athlete?” Upon hearing that comment, Surgi immediately stopped the photoshoot and left her office to confront the group of girls standing outside.

ho said they are not an athlete? Who said they are not an athlete?” Surgi asked in a forceful yet endearing voice. “There is an athlete inside all of us.” Surgi’s initial reaction to this question epitomizes what she has accomplished at Hockaday in her two months here: putting athletics at the forefront of the school. Athletics is sometimes seen as the forgotten cornerstone. With minds focused on the rigorous classes that Hockaday offers, students often glance over the final cornerstone. Since her first day on July 5, Surgi has proposed and implemented many new ideas to change this mindset. Senior and Athletic Board Chair Meredith Jones loves that Surgi wants to change so much in the athletic department. “I think that everyone can already see this ‘we can do anything’ attitude from her,’” Jones said. Before she came to Hockaday, Surgi served as the Director of Athletics at The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania for 13 years; however, her journey in athletics began long before she stepped foot on the Hockaday campus. Surgi originally worked as the Dean of Students at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans and coached volleyball at Loyola University in New Orleans until 1996. When a friend of hers approached Surgi about being the Director of Athletics at Moorestown Friends School in Moorestown, New Jersey, she applied for the position. After several interviews, she got the job and became the first female Director of Athletics in a South Jersey, co-ed school. After a total of 22 years of being the Director of Athletics first at the Moorestown Friends School and then The Baldwin School, Surgi decided to make the switch to Hockaday because she liked the challenge of changing the culture around athletics here on 11600 Welch Road. “I was intrigued and excited by the challenge of reinvigorating a culture and giving students at Hockaday what they deserve in terms of athletic culture and athletic facilities,” Surgi said.

Surgi’s most noticeable change in athletic facilities thus far is the new coaches’ suite near the entrance of Penson Athletic Center. She wanted to establish better communication by having the coaches closer together. Surgi imagined the change when she was looking at the coaching offices. She proposed her renovation idea to Hockaday administration and collaborated with them as the renovations occurred. Before, the coaches with administrative responsibilities worked all over the athletic facilities; now, the coaches’ suite offers increased communication and a meeting place for students and coaches. Surgi even hosted a crew team meeting in her new office.

“

We just want to make it easy for people to spread the spirit.” Deb Surgi Director of Athletics

Since Surgi had not yet started her position at Hockaday while they were making the renovations, JT Coats, Hockaday’s Chief Financial Officer, and Ed Rys, Hockaday’s Director of Facilities, spearheaded the operation. Coats functioned as the project manager, working with the designers and construction crews to price the renovations and pulling in all personnel needed to complete it. However, she could not do this alone. “It’s not just me,” Coats said. “It’s Mr. Rys; obviously, Coach Surgi was well involved. Coach Johnson played a big part in it, and Dr. Coleman ultimately is where the buck stops.” Along with the creation of the coaches’ suite, Coats also decided to replace the tile and toilet partitions in the bathroom area of the Girl’s Locker Room because Coats had already planned this change before Surgi wanted to renovate. Coats plans when small renovations to the facilities will occur long before they happen in order to make sure Hockaday allocates enough funding for these measures. While less apparent at first glance, another of

Surgi’s changes will help Hockaday’s athletes: she has hired a sports turf management company to ensure that Hockaday’s fields are properly maintained. Hockaday recently sampled different lawn mowers to determine which one would be best for creating an even playing field and promoting growth. Hockaday is also replacing some of the old, wooden benches with metal bleachers, adding gravel to the bleacher areas, putting in awnings with an adorning Split-H and installing a media box with a video tower on the field hockey, soccer and lacrosse varsity fields. Currently, Surgi is entertaining two bids for skinning the softball diamond, otherwise known as stripping away the grass infield and replacing it with dirt. Besides the Episcopal School of Dallas, Hockaday is currently the only school in SPC North Zone that plays on a grass infield. Collegiate softball teams even compete on a dirt infield. “When I talk about giving the student-athletes what the deserve and what they need in terms of best practice, [the new dirt infield] is one of those things,” Surgi said. Not all of Surgi’s changes involved the sports facilities, though. Surgi, in collaboration with the communications department, is creating a new Hockaday Athletics website that displays team schedules, a list of alumnae playing collegiate sports and the newly-created team stores, where anyone can purchase Hockaday athletic gear all year long. “We just want to make it easy for people to spread the spirit,” Surgi said. Surgi also promoted Jennifer Johnson to Assistant Director of Athletics, announced to the Hockaday community Aug. 23. Johnson, who has worked at Hockaday for 16 years coaching field hockey, lacrosse and soccer in Middle and Upper School and coordinating Upper School Physical Education, now works closely with Surgi to implement her many new projects and schedule games for every sports team. She will also continue to be the Department Chair for Health and P.E. “[Johnson’s promotion] is the best move, I think, for the program,” Surgi said. Johnson loves Surgi’s passion, enthusiasm and education-based athletics philosophy. With

both Surgi and Johnson, the athletic department will likely make even more changes. “Big things are in store for athletics, and it’s a really exciting time,” Johnson said. Students also appreciate the changes that Surgi has made since she became the Director of Athletics. Jones sees Surgi’s “can do” attitude as a major addition to the athletic program. Jones has met twice with Surgi to talk about how to increase school spirit around athletics. While her ideas are still in the planning stage, Jones wants to institute a “Player of the Week” and theme nights at games to draw in all ages of student fans, not just Upper School students. “I really like Surgi’s motto, ‘If you can think it, we can plan it, ’” Jones said. “She really wants to get stuff done and make change right away.”

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Years Surgi has been an Athletic Director

Months Surgi has been at Hockaday

Students on the Athletic Board

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sports

Tips & Tricks on How to Recover From a Hard Workout

The Fourcast • Sept. 28, 2018

Superwoman Suárez

Middle Schooler Makes her Mark Fifth-grader Sena-Ter Asom excels in the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics.

PHOTO BY MOSES ASOM

meter dashes ensured that she would be booking a flight for a trip to Des Moines. Sena-Ter Asom’s love for track began when she was six years old, mostly as a way for her to stay active in the summertime. “I have been involved in track since I was a baby,” Sena-Ter Asom said. “All of my siblings ran track, so it was expected that I would too. It wasn’t until last year when my dad told me ‘You have long legs, you would be a good long jumper’ that I tried it out.” Her parents Moses and Angela Asom began to realize she had a gift as her collection of gold medals grew. They brought her speed to a competitive level in 2016 with both Texas Action Track Club and Proskills Track Club, located in Allen, Texas. “She’s very hardworking and disciplined— we never have to push her,” Moses Asom said. “She has already plotted out what she needs to do each year to accomplish her goals. She loves to benchmark where she needs to be in order to succeed.” The discipline and work ethic acquired from participating in competitive sports definitely translates into athletes’ everyday lives. Moses Asom credits Hockaday for these skills and realizes that the school and her extracurriculars, such as the robotics club and soccer team, have made her a leader inside and outside of the classroom. “[Hockaday] has given her the skills of discipline and determination,” Moses Asom said. “It sets girls up for their future, it gives them skills that they can use today, tomorrow and for the rest of their lives.”

“ EYES ON THE PRIZE • Grinning with pride, fifth-grader Sena-Ter Asom flaunts her lustrous new medal after placing 4th in her division’s long jump event at the 2018 AAU Junior Olympic Games on Aug. 4th.

taring down the red strip of track ahead of her, fifth grader Sena-Ter Asom takes a deep breath. Legs a blur, she sprints as fast as she can down the 40 meter runway leading up to the pit of sand determining her fate. As soon as she sees the crisp-white takeoff board, she leaps in the air, squeezes her legs together and lands in the sand. An official immediately measures her distance. With a long jump score of 13 feet and 11.25 inches, she has placed fourth in the 10-year-old age division at the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic games. Sena-Ter Asom competed at the AAU Junior Olympic Games at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, from July 28 to Aug. 4. Her

success was the product of a summer’s worth of track meets and practice, her long jump achievement distinguishing her as a top youth athlete in the United States. “My experience [at the Junior Olympics] was long, but worth it,” Sena-Ter Asom said. “I knew it was worth it when I stood on the podium and got my medal after such a long week.” Qualifying for the Junior Olympics is not an easy feat—the journey began in Abilene, Texas. In order for Sena-Ter Asom to make it to Iowa, she was required to have placed in the top 6 of her long jump and running events at the AAU Track & Field Regional Qualifier Meet, taking place from June 28 to July 1. Her high scores in the long jump, the 200 and the 100

I knew it was worth it when I stood on the podium and got my medal after such a long week.” Sena-Ter Asom Fifth-grade Junior Olympian

Gina Hunter, Sena-Ter Asom’s fourthgrade math teacher, testifies to this element of her character, praising her achievements in the classroom. “Sena is a great student,” Hunter said. “She is a very compassionate young lady and collaborates great with her classmates. She’s a hard worker.” Her father acknowledges the lessons learned from participating in the sport, especially in relation to the diverse representation within the community. “She loves talking to different people that she meets at [track events]” Moses Asom said.

“She has learned to relate to kids with different backgrounds than her.” Because of Sena-Ter Asom’s rigorous summer training schedule, it doesn’t leave her much time to do what most 10-year-olds her age are doing. “I miss out on things I like to do in the summer, like going to birthday parties and staying home and resting,” Sena-Ter Asom said. “Sometimes I get sad, but it ends up being worth it. It brings me joy when I win.” This process is not unfamiliar to the Asom family. Sena-Ter Asom, the youngest of four, has been surrounded by athletes her entire life. Her siblings Mimi, Yima and Anase—all Hockaday and St. Mark’s alumni—have participated in collegiate soccer at Princeton, Dartmouth and the University of Chicago, respectively. While they are large motivators for the youngest Asom, she realizes the unique aspect of her own athletic talent. “When I see my siblings, I am like ‘Wow, that’s what my siblings did’” Sena-Ter Asom said. “But I want to go my own path instead of following the three ahead of me.” Her parents similarly recognize this element of their daughter’s life and praise their youngest child for her own achievements. “Ever since she was little, she has been very observant of her older siblings,” Angela Asom said. “She loves that she has her own experiences that she can have conversations with them about. I wouldn’t say there is pressure for her to be successful. I think it is important that she can watch Mimi on ESPN and have her as a role model.” Sena-Ter Asom has her own goals for her athletic career. She hopes to attend the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, only 10 years away. Her success fuels her for the years to come, an indicator of all the hard work she will have to put in to achieve her goals. “What I want to say is that you should be yourself and do what you like,” Sena-Ter Asom said. “You should express yourself to different people and good things will happen.”

by Shea Duffy • Sports Editor

TIPS & TRICKS: recovering from a hard workout

Meal of a Champion

When in Doubt, Ice it Out

Counting Sheep

Hydration Station

The most important part about recovering from workouts is what you put in your body after putting in work at the gym. Foods rich in protein are also crucial to rebuild muscles broken down in the workout. Mixing proteins with foods high in carbohydrates offers an even more efficient way to create more muscle mass and get more out of the workout.

Foam rolling, stretching, ice baths, and cryotherapy are helpful in rejuvenating muscles after a workout. Promoting blood flow and breaking down scar tissue, foam rolling helps maintain normal muscle length and reduce pain and soreness, while also offering aid recovery. Exposure to freezing-cold temperatures after exercise immediately reduce swelling while flushing lactic acids out of your body.

Rest is a key element in maximizing your workout. Sleep allows your body time to repair and grow muscle tissue, as well as restore energy levels. Giving yourself time to recover is essential—feeling tired, lacking energy and motivation and a decline in progress are telltale signs that you are not letting your body rest. Avoid over-exerting yourself by giving yourself rest days in between workouts to prevent injury and to give your muscles the time they need to recover.

Hydrating with water and liquids high in electrolytes, such as Pedialyte and even pickle juice, is essential in restoring electrolyte levels and preventing muscle cramps. Signs of dehydration include muscle cramps, nausea, headaches and fatigue, but thankfully, it is easily preventable.

The Hockaday School

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

PHOTO BY MENAKA NAIDU

Superwoman Suárez

Girls Run the World • Cross Country coach Alejandra Suarez, already bonded with her Middle School team, proudly fist-bumps eighth-grader London Rhodus after she finished a grueling two mile run during practice.

Alejandra Suárez teaches Upper School Spanish classes, coaches cross country and runs the language department: all before 5 p.m.

t’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s Señora Suárez, simultaneously running the language department, coaching cross country and teaching Upper School Spanish classes. World Language Department Chair Alejandra Suárez recently joined the coaching staff of the Hockaday Athletics department. She now holds the title of Head of Middle School Cross Country, another addition to her already busy schedule. Suárez started her running “career” with encouragement from other coaches, and she ran her first half marathon last spring. “I find it to be a fascinating sport because it’s so individual that it helps you to push yourself and do something new almost every day,” Suárez said. Beginning as an assistant coach for varsity and junior varsity cross country, Suárez was moved to Head of Middle School Cross Country, but still serves as a crossover coach. She attends every varsity meet on the weekends and most of their practices. Due to her organization and constant enthusiasm, Suárez has learned to juggle all of her responsibilities. She smoothly transitioned into the cross country world by memorizing all the many times the girls needed to run and attending every preseason practice at 6 a.m. “I love it, anybody that wants to do it, I would encourage them to because it’s so fulfilling,” Suárez said. LaBoris Bean, Athletic Coordinator and Head Cross Country Coach, offered Suárez the position on the coaching staff. “With a high energy level and the love the kids have for her, it was a perfect fit. I’m glad I chose her

because everything is definitely coming together,” Bean said. Bean and the Athletic Department’s goal to easily transition the middle school runners into the upper school cross country program is thriving under Suárez’s assistance.

“

With a high energy level and the love the kids have for her, it was a perfect fit.” LaBoris Bean Athletic Coordinator Head Cross Country Coach

Suárez’s love for working with girls helps her excel as a coach. “She has definitely brought to the program more motivation and different little games she plays with the girls,” Bean said. “She encourages them individually and not necessarily as a group all the time. If she realizes that one person is falling back, she will accept the challenge and say, ‘Okay, let’s see if you can get one second faster,” Caroline Petrikas, eighth grader and middle school cross country runner, enjoys the support and new dynamic that Suárez brings to the team. “I think we are definitely going to be closer and more supportive as the season goes on and I think we’re all going to get faster with her encouragement,” Petrikas said.

A typical middle school practice starts with a stretch and dynamics. The girls then do a long run or sprints on the track. Suarez always runs with the girls on the long runs. The practice finishes with a stretch out. Suárez enjoys interacting with the girls outside the classroom and seeing them give everything they have into their sports, as well as schoolwork. “What I really enjoy the most is at the end of the day finishing with such energy from the girls and it’s just fulfilling,” Suarez said. Suárez plans to stay in middle school, where she plays a part in building the foundation for the young athletes in their exploration of the incredible world of running. Her ability to ignite hardworking attitudes within her team makes her a strong leader and coach for the girls. “Long-term, middle school, I want them to have fun and I want them to really enjoy the process and really learn that they can do things that they never thought they could do before,” Suárez said. Suárez can often be seen making her way down to the cross country fields, with energy radiating off of her. Her love for the sport, the girls and Hockaday is shown through her constant smile and joy. “It’s so rewarding in every aspect and as I say, they make it so easy. My teachers, my girls, the students, I mean just being here- it’s magical,” Suárez said.

by Ava Berger • Staff Writer

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2 4 8

Miles Run During Middle School Meets

Middle School Cross Country coaches

400 Meter Sprints Run Each Practice

FOUR WARD JV Volleyball vs. FWCD School Oct. 11

Varsity Field Hockey vs. Pembroke Hill School Oct. 27

Varsity Cross Country Oct. 26

Varsity Volleyball vs. Greenhill Oct. 2

Varsity Field Hockey vs. ESD Oct. 9

JV Field Hockey vs. Greenhill Oct. 17

Hockaday Crew Regatta Oct. 27

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hockadayfourcast.org

The Fourcast | Sept. 28, 2018

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iews

In actuality, evidence shows that prepwork and expensive tutoring doesn’t impact scores to the extent as expected.” In Defense of Standardized Tests p23

Listen Between the Lines: Movies With an Agenda Story by Charlotte Dross • Editor-in-Chief People often say that the newspaper is a dying industry. While I personally do not agree with that stance, there is no denying the fact that there are many more outlets through which people now receive their news. Ever since Steve Jobs stood before the American public on Jan. 9, 2007 and announced Apple’s plans to release a new, foreign product—otherwise known as the iPhone—the world has never been the same. Although this event occurred just over a decade ago, an immeasurable amount of change has happened since then.

in reality, this is not true. Additionally, the show seems to glaze over the issue of bullying altogether. Despite the fact that Patty is tormented because of her weight, once she drops 50 pounds, she is suddenly transformed into the new Regina George. However, unlike Debbie Ryan’s character, not all victims of bullying can simply undergo a physical transformation and magically become the most popular girl in school.

“

Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that “Insatiable” does not have many redeeming qualities.” Charlotte Dross Editor-in-Chief

This seems to be the general opinion of the public. According to Variety, a weekly American entertainment trade magazine and website, “neither the show’s punchlines nor its characters are sharp enough to transcend their clichéd foundations.” The very exaggerated, often silly plot and events ultimately take away from the seriousness that the show is trying to tackle. Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that “Insatiable” does not have many redeeming qualities. For all of the very real issues that it seems to highlight—such as body image, lack of self-confidence and bullying—it doesn’t seem to offer any tangible solutions. On that note, “13 Reasons Why” received lots of feedback—both negative and positive—when it first hit Netflix on March 31, 2017. Although show producer Selena Gomez was attempting to encourage dialogue about the effects of bullying on younger generations, this attempt ultimately backfired. First and foremost, “13 Reasons Why” romanticizes the idea of self-harm. The whole premise of the plot is a dead girl speaking to all those who have ever wronged her with the aid of cassette tapes. The fact that a love story is also entwined into this already-complicated plot only further complicates the storyline. By incorporating these elements into a show that focuses on such a sensitive issue, “13 Reasons Why” ultimately

glorifies the idea of suicide. Further, the show fails to bring up any discussion about mental illness or depression. If the producers are going to put out a show whose plot revolves around a high school girl committing suicide, then they could at least address the issues which drove her to do so and how to prevent these in the future. Instead, the characters constantly play the blame game as they all try to dodge responsibility for the consequences of their actions. However, not all productions have ineffective agendas. In the past year, in particular, there has been a spike in movies with messages promoting racial equality. First screening in theaters on Feb. 16, 2018, the movie “Black Panther” was unlike many others in the sense that the majority of its

HIDDEN MESSAGES • Today, it’s hard to find a movie or T.V. show that doesn’t seem to push a certain agenda, whether it’s obvious or discrete. As viewers, we must learn how to filter out these messages and form our own opinions. ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELINA CHOUCHAIR

or one thing, the rise of smartphones has skyrocketed. Nowadays, it is an extreme rarity—almost unheard of—that someone might be seen sporting a Motorola RAZR or the 2007 Blackberry Curve. As the general public slowly began to accept these new forms of technology, they became more open-minded about where they received their news. Fifty years ago, there were four major news outlets: the newspaper, the television, the radio and word of mouth. Meanwhile, in the 21st century, it is not uncommon to see people basing their judgments and opinions on various news apps, websites, magazines and even movies. Now, movies do not serve as news outlets in the sense that they provide the public with information that they wouldn’t have otherwise known. However, in the past few years, the film industry has been seen taking a bold approach towards various political and social issues. By tackling these matters head-on, the industry has shown that they are willing to shout their beliefs from the rooftops—although they may not always be the most popular beliefs. Although some of these movies do portray an effective message, not all are successful in accomplishing this goal. This allows the question to arise as to whether or not the canon of “movies with an agenda” is getting watered down. Recently, there has been an increased buzz around the Netflix original T.V. series “Insatiable.” Earning a whopping 11 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it is not hard to see that this show has not been a fan favorite. And reasonably so. Although the show attempts to address the very relevant issue of body-shaming, the script, along with the less-than-mediocre acting, has nearly the opposite effect. After protagonist Patty, portrayed by Debbie Ryan, is punched by a homeless man of all people, she must have her jaw wired shut for three months, resulting in her losing a significant amount of weight. She is then transformed into a pretty and popular girl seemingly overnight. Although I’m sure that it was not the intention of the producers to promote fat-shaming, the show arguably turns this all-too-real issue into something of a joke. The fact that the protagonist loses weight from having her jaw wired shut suggests that the act of losing weight can be as easy as getting punched in the jaw—when

cast were African-American actors and actresses. Additionally, the Black Panther was the first superhero of African descent in mainstream American comics. Eventually, the movie went on to claim the title at the No. 2 superhero movie of all time, according to Deadline Hollywood, an online magazine. On a similar note, the film “Crazy Rich Asians” has critics raving, not only for its frequent comical relief and the extravagant displays of wealth on set but because of the fact that the cast is comprised entirely of Asian actors and actresses. Both “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians” both push very relevant agendas, not only through their diverse casts but through their striking plots as well. These two movies truly exemplify what a well-executed movie should be. Ultimately, beneath the surface, many movies and television shows have underlying messages, both positive and negative. Even the most well-meaning T.V. series often have degrading meanings hidden in their plots and scripts. As a whole, we must learn to come to filter out the derogatory content that we are so often exposed to. That is simply a fact that we must come to terms with because of the age we that we live in today.

LIKE AND COMMENT

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Soc ia Med l Spo ia tligh t ultz Senior Sarah Sch lby Schultz drops sister She estern ‘18 off at Northw her first year for ty ersi Univ of college.

GRAPHIC BY SHREYA GUNUKULA

The Hockaday School

Sept. 28, 2018 • The Fourcast

STAFF STANDOFF

A Tricky “Sip”tuation

We Love It, We Love it Not

Over the past few months, the nation has debated whether or not straws should continue to be used in spite of their ecological damage. In this issue, writers of The Fourcast take a stance on if straws should continue to be used, particularly in everyday situations.

If using negotiabstraws at home reusing le for you, c is nonin the dthem by pu!inonsider ishwashe g them metal str, or buying raws.

Con-Straws

Fat Straws supports my life. For all those dreadful evenings with 30 pages of APUSH readings, a math problem set and an english paper on “The Great Gatsby,” it was these refreshing drinks that gave me a wind that I needed to complete my work. But while those sweet, colorful straws carry the energizing milk tea into my mouth, it would be truly appalling for me to picture those straws wreaking and destructing the world. Emerging from your darkest nightmare, straws have the potential to be dementors— feeding not on souls but on lives. While these little straws deliver drinks to our mouths, they also strip a sea turtle of its life, whose nostril and portion of throat was completely blocked and injured by a plastic straw. A disturbing video depicting the above scene emerged on major media outlets in late 2015. First posted on the Facebook page of an organization called Plastic Pollution Coalition, the eight-minute video has over 89,000 views on Facebook now. In this extremely-upsetting video, two scientists started off by attempting to extract a short plastic straw from a sea turtle’s nostril. Despite its shocking opening, the following content of the video is even more bombastic and alarming. Crimson blood streamed out of the turtle’s fragile nose as the scientists pulled at the straw, while the turtle continued to shake its head in unimaginable, horrible pain. The short video created an internet-wide debate on the importance of protecting the environment. But for me, what it really created was a fear. It was not a completely out-of-blue scare of something on the internet. I’ve always thought about fear as a biological gift, something that guarantees most animals the ability to sense danger and to dodge them. When the sea turtle trembles in pain with blood rushing out of its nose, the fear that awakened inside of me was simple—the pain was as real as the burning in my throat, and I was frightened by picturing a human with a straw deep inside his or her nostril. This imagination is indeed very unlikely to be real. Under very rare circumstances will we ever witness such a disturbing injury on humans. But isn’t it frightening enough to realize that it is not uncommon to encounter a sea creature who suffers from similar pain? According to the Strawlessocean foundation, an estimated 71 percent of seabirds and 30 percent of turtles have been found with plastic in their stomachs. Accompanying this horrifying rate is the mortality rate of 50 percent after a sea animal consumes plastic. Each day, about 500 million straws are used. Therefore, a straw, a rather mundane item that is too light to sink, is extremely dangerous. But it is not only our lives where straws exist. They can also exist in a seagull’s stomach, a fish’s bladder or a turtle’s nose. So the next time when an adorable red straw waits peacefully in the bin at Fat Straws, I will not be so quick as to fetch it. After all, paint is not the only thing that makes a straw red.

by Emily Wu • Views Editor

our s y w frome, strao be g r gin ghtma tial t ot on r e Em t ni oten ng n kes the p feedi es. r a d ve ors— liv ha ment ut on de uls b so

Fall Break Congratulations for making it half way through the first quarter! It’s finally the time to sleep in, catch up some shows and eat---enjoy your reward for keeping up the hard word.

Pro-Straws

In the past, you would accept a straw from your waiter or waitress without hesitation. But now, that straw might be accompanied with a dirty glance. Now, more than ever, people all around the world are becoming more aware of the environmental repercussions of straws. The anti-straw movement went viral this summer, after a video of a sea turtle with a straw painfully lodged in its nose appeared on social media. Since then, some large chains such as Starbucks and influential celebrities like Tom Brady have pledged to stop using plastic straws. Starbucks has completely banned straws in the state of Washington and has replaced them with plastic lids, which are recyclable. However, a study conducted in August 2018 by Ipsos, a market research company, and Buzzfeed News showed that 59 percent of Americans “would prefer to always receive a plastic drinking straw when they order a beverage at a fast food restaurant.” Furthermore, 74 percent of Americans report “that they have used at least one plastic straw in the last week.” These statistics, which heavily lean towards the pro-straw side, are ones that I can relate to. I prefer to drink from a straw when I go out to restaurants because of sanitary issues. Also, to be honest, the chance of me spilling my drink on myself, the table or others is pretty high without a trusty straw. Some companies, such as Snappy Salads, have been using paper straws for a while. These straws are undeniably better for the environment, due to their ability to be recycled. Additionally, there are numerous plastic straw substitutes, including metal ones that can be washed. But there are some people that still aren’t convinced. The main argument for the prostraw community is that people with disabilities sometimes need straws to drink. Some say that they don’t like the inflexibility of the metal straws, while others find issue with paper straws due to the straws becoming softer the longer they remain in the drink. As someone with a brother with special needs, we use straws pretty frequently in our house. However, my family reuses our straws by putting them in the dishwasher, an option that many don’t consider. We have also ordered metal straws for everyday use. I do believe that the anti-straw movement has good intentions. I realize that straws are harmful to the environment and to sea animals. But we also have to consider those who need straws simply just to drink. The best course of action, in my opinion, is to limit the number of plastic straws available at restaurants and to recommend using paper straws or discounts for bringing your own metal straws. If using straws at home is non-negotiable for you, consider reusing them by putting them in the dishwasher, or buying metal straws. This way, we still keep environmental damage in mind, while being able to continue using straws.

by Ponette Kim • Copy Editor

Homecoming The last weekend of September will begin glamorously with the 2018 St. Mark’s Homecoming. Not going? Keep calm and read the upcoming Fourcast web story for suggestions of other fun things to do!

Cold Season Leaving the warm embrace of summer, we are welcomed by autumn’s “breezes,”and lots of tissues, too.

Early Application Deadlines Seniors, we are almost there! Time to stress about yet another deadline on top of your usual english papers.

October SAT/PSAT It’s standardized tests season again. Get ready to sharpen your pencils and whip out those T1-84 calculators.

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f EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Charlotte Dross

MANAGING EDITOR Paige Halverson WEB EDITOR Michelle Chen COPY EDITOR Ponette Kim MAGAZINE EDITOR Eliana Goodman BUSINESS MANAGER Ashlye Dullye NEWS EDITOR Kate Woodhouse PEOPLES EDITOR Eugene Seong ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Niamh McKinney SPORTS EDITOR Shea Duffy VIEWS EDITOR Emily Wu CASTOFF EDITOR Sahasra Chigurupati PHOTOS & GRAPHICS EDITOR Kate Woodhouse STAFF WRITERS Ava Berger, Kelsey Chen, Kate Clark, Julia Donovan, Erin Parolisi STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Cirrus Chen, Jenny Choi, Varsha Danda, Nancy Dedman, Arushi Mukherjee, Menaka Naidu, Sarah Schultz STAFF ARTISTS Angelina Chouchair, Cameron Ooley, Anoushka Singhania FACULTY ADVISER Nureen Patel

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 1,500 and is printed by Greater Dallas Press. It is distributed free of charge to the Hockaday community. Businesses who wish to advertise in The Fourcast should contact Ashlye Dullye, Business Manager, at adullye@ hockaday.org. We reserve the right to refuse any advertising which is deemed inappropriate to the Hockaday community. Opinions will be clearly marked and/or will appear in the perspectives section. Commentaries are the expressed opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of The Fourcast staff, its adviser or any member of the Hockaday community. Unsigned editorials that appear on the opinions page will reflect the official position of The Fourcast, but not necessarily the position of the Hockaday community. The Fourcast staff may cover student, staff, faculty or alumnae deaths as the staff is made aware. We reserve the right not to cover a death based on relevance, timeliness and circumstance. Corrections and clarifications from previous issues will be found as designated in the news section. Any questions or concerns about should be addressed to Charlotte Dross, Editor-in-Chief, at cdross@hockaday.org.

The Fourcast • Sept. 28, 2018

ILLUSTRATION BY ANOUSHKA SINGHANIA

hockadayfourcast.org

Standardized Tests • Recently, there have been many changes in the higher education landscape, specifically to standardized tests. Are these tests beneficial indiactors of a student’s academic preformance in school, or should they be tossed out altogether?

In Defense of Standardized Tests

rom “terrible” to “rigged” to “a complete scam,” in recent years, standardized tests have been described in a plethora of negative ways by students and educators alike. After just finishing the taxing process myself this month, I can attest to this, but are they really as wasteless as some claim? Even though these tests may strike fear, excitement and anxiety (the list goes on and on) in the minds of any student planning to apply for college, the SAT and ACT are crucial for this process. A new “revolutionary” idea is emerging that the College Board should scrap these tests altogether, claiming that they don’t accurately reflect a student’s academic capabilities. I get it. Who wants to sit through a fourhour-long, expensive test on a Saturday, under the hazy glow of fluorescent lights? Still, complete eradication is not the answer. The SAT and ACT, by design, test the skills and knowledge that students acquire from rigorous high school curriculums. The highest scorers on both tests are those who push themselves, pursuing the most rigorous classes and coursework, regardless of socioeconomic or racial backgrounds. Without these tests, how can these universities know the difference between an “A” and a “B” across thousands of high schools throughout America? The difference in grading scales for the high schools in which these universities receive applicants from is so vast that these uniform tests become one of the only ways that the universities can find a fair equalizer. In fact, when paired with a student’s GPA, the SAT and ACT are one of the strongest ways

to predict a student’s success in college. With thousands of applications to consider, admission counselors are assigned the daunting task of evaluating these students, who, without these test indicators, look very similar. Even when looking holistically at a student’s teacher recommendations, extracurricular commitments and even GPA, results can often not reflect a student’s true academic standing.

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In actuality, evidence shows that prepwork and expensive tutoring doesn’t impact scores to the extent as expected.” Paige Halverson Managing Editor

The critics, in which there are many, claim that success on these tests depends on the socioeconomic background of the student and whether or not he or she can afford expensive tutoring and prep-classes. In actuality, evidence shows that prep-work and expensive tutoring doesn’t impact scores to the extent as expected. In a 2009 study conducted by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, it was found that prep courses only improved SAT scores by as little as 5 to 10 points in critical reading and 10 to 20 points in math. It is true, though, that there is a slight correlation between the socioeconomic class of a student and their GPA, due to an unequal quality in schooling across America. Also, there are stud-

ies showing that the higher the scores students report for high school courses, the higher the family’s income and parental education. This is a major problem in our education system, but the standardized tests do more good than harm, and our focus should be on improving the schooling each student receives rather than a specific test or exam. Also, the College Board has become increasingly accepting towards all different types of test takers. Now, all College Board tests accept accommodations for students with documented learning disabilities including test anxiety and ADHD. With the approval of the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), a student can receive a multitude of accommodations including the use of a computer, extended time and extra breaks. Even with the benefits of these standardized tests, test-optional schools are popping up over the nation. In reality, these universities, such as George Washington University, Bowdoin College and many more are not as flexible as they seem. Many competitive test-optional schools still require students to submit standardized tests, but give the students more options when it comes to choosing which qualifying exam to take. More still are only test-optional for students who reach a certain GPA or possesses a specific class rank. Even when a school is test-optional, the vast majority of students still choose to send in their scores, potentially putting those without scores at a disadvantage. When schools choose not to require standardized tests in their application, they are not tapping in on a valid and extremely important source for evaluating their applicants on whether they are capable enough to attend the university. Only time may tell if these tests will continue to haunt generations to come, but at least for now, sharpen your number two pencils, grab your ID, charge your TI-84 calculator and get studying.

by Paige Halverson • Managing Editor

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Sept. 28, 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ The Fourcast

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The Fourcast The Hockaday School 11600 Welch Road Dallas, Texas 75229

The Hockaday School

FAR AND WIDE 02

03 by Sahasra Chigurupati â&#x20AC;˘ Castoff Editor

As soon as the school doors close, Hockaday students are quick to scatter to all corners of the earth. See some of the exotic destinations that students traveled to this summer.

3835 miles from Dallas. Photo by senior Alexandra May who traveled to Iceland this summer.

3804 miles from Dallas. Photo by junior Madeline Petrikas when she went to the Galapagos Islands for a community service trip.

8045 miles from Dallas. Photo by junior Varsha Danda at the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates.

6643 miles from Dallas. Photo taken by junior Karen Lin in Kyoto, Japan at the Fushimi Inari shrine.

GRAPHIC BY PAIGE HALVERSON

4461 miles from Dallas. Photo by junior Meg Wilson at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. 8870 miles from Dallas. Photo taken by junior Celese Gierhart at a temple in Thailand.