Evergreen THE
May 16, 2012
Volume XLVII, Issue 6
Farewell Braemer family
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I’m losing a professional colleague, but I’m also losing a really good friend, and I think a lot of people are going to feel that way as well
F
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rom his first moments on campus, David Braemer, Head of Upper School, felt the tight-knit bond of the Greenhill community and knew he wanted to step on board. He remembers describing the school’s dynamic energy and the warm welcome he received to his wife, Timiny. “There was a real sense of community,” he told her, and asked if they could go if he were accepted. Sure enough, he got the job, so with a two-year old daughter and another baby on the way, the Braemer family said goodbye to his position as Dean at Durham Academy in North Carolina and moved to Dallas. Nine years later, they are leaving Dallas and moving to Ensworth School in Nashville, where Mr. Braemer has accepted a position as Head of School. cont’d on page 5
Student, community respond to tornado destruction Ashley Goldschmid
IN TRYING TIMES: The house of sophomore Gabi Jackson was damaged by one of the many tornadoes that touched down in North Texas earlier this year. Gabi (center) and her friends hold up cards for Gabi signed by Upper School students. The cards displayed messages of support for Gabi and her family.
Managing Editor
Fifteen seconds seems miniscule but that’s all it took for sophomore Gabi Jackson’s life to change forever. In the time it takes to pour a glass of water, a tornado ripped through her house in Lancaster, Texas, destroying most of it in the process. Gabi was in her parents’ closet with her mother, sister, and the three babies that her mother takes care of in her home day care. As they huddled close together, they nervously waited for the tornado to pass, but there was no doubt when it actually struck. “When we heard the tornado, it sounded like a freight train. It came and shook our house, caused a panic, and then left just as quickly,” Gabi said. While Gabi was going through this trauma, most Greenhill students were gathered together in different safe places on campus. Chatting away and playing games on their cell phones as they waited to be released, students were oblivious to any immediate danger that other people were facing. Gabi did not go to school that day because that morning she had gotten her braces on. It was the sole reason that caused her to experience that nightmare but looking back at the situation she is glad she did. “I really do not think I could have come home to that, I’d rather have been there,” she said. Fourteen years ago her family built that house, it had great sentimental value and worth and Gabi remembers many memories that were made and shared in that house over the time span. “It is incredibly hard to be in a house for 14 years and then it all of a sudden is gone,” Gabi said. “It kind of felt like a death, because you have no idea what to do anymore and you cannot believe it actually happened to you.” Once it was safe to leave the closet, Gabi’s mother, ShaKima Jackson, walked through the
Serving Greenhill since 1966
house, pushing aside any fallen debris along her way. At first there was hope because majority of the interior of the house did not have much damage but once her mother walked to the front of the house, that hope vanished. “My mom screamed the worst scream I have ever heard when she walked to the front of the house and saw the damage, and when she told us it was safe for us to follow, her voice was shaking,” Gabi said. The front of the house was blown in and, upon surveying the initial damage, their instinct was to get out of the house quickly in fear of it caving in. When it was deemed safe for them to reenter, they tried to salvage anything they could find. “My mom got together all of our photos because they were not replaceable,” Gabi said. “When I walked into my room, I burst in to tears. All of my clothes and earrings were gone because the tornado sucked my whole window out.” In the following weeks, Gabi was able to start rebuilding her prized hoop earring
collection with the help of others in the community. Her field hockey coach was the first to contribute a pair of earrings and the contributions kept coming after that. Unlike the majority of her wardrobe, everything needed for school was still in her house. “My laptop was safe and my backpack was still sitting in the same spot I left it in my room before the tornado,” Gabi said. When considering the damage of the surrounding homes, Gabi said she feels that her family was lucky. “We have it better than a lot of people because our house is still standing so we had the chance to go in and collect our items, while many other families did not get to have this chance,” she said. The two houses on either side of Gabi’s had severe damage. One was a two story house originally that after the tornado was only one story and the other house was completely caved in and barely anything was salvageable. cont’d on page 17
4141 Spring Valley Road, Addison, TX 75001
In this issue... News Debate Wins
Editor-in-Chief Anton Yu reports on the Greenhill Debate team’s multiple successes this school year. page 5
Arts Visual MasterMind Upper School visual arts teacher Frank Lopez wins a Dallas Observer MasterMind award. Arts Editors Alex Weinberg and Lizzy D’Apice report. page 7
Features Diving Deep Managing editor Greer Goss and staff writer Nick Silverman explore the depths of the ocean by detailing the experiences of scuba divers on campus. page 16
Sports Going for Gold Senior Claire Brandt will compete against the nation’s top swimmers in the upcoming Olympic trials. Arts Editor Alex Weinberg reports. page 21
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