February 2017 | The Evergreen, Greenhill School

february 8, 2017 volume 52, issue 4

the Everything Greenhill

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What can we learn from conflict?

A Greenhill club starts a conversation on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict

Graphic by Drake Heptig

Annika Squires Views Editor

Although thousands of miles away, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict hits close to home for many Greenhill students.

On Dec. 23, 2016, the United States abstained from voting in favor of Israeli settlements, a decision that members of Congress both praised and criticized. The next day, former Secretary of State John Kerry addressed the public in a landmark speech, condemning Israel’s “illegal” settlements, which he said were a serious obstacle towards achieving a two-state solution.

Another Perspective, a Greenhill club aimed at discussing controversial issues, decided Greenhill students needed a platform to voice their concerns and learn about the conflict in a non-partisan way. In early January, club presidents, juniors Anusha Kurapati and Maya LaRosiliere, organized a dialogue on the conflict, inviting members of the Greenhill community to speak on the issue.

Senior Josh Rudner, who plans to join the Israel Defense Forces after graduation, and alumna Carmel Abu-

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Greenhill responds to The Bachelor p. 4

News

zaid ’14, a Palestinian-American, presented their conflicting perspectives on the issue in separate sessions over the course of two weeks. Another Perspective organized the speaker-series after students expressed concern over not being able to talk freely about their views on the conflict.

“I don’t want [Another Perspective’s dialogue] to be a summarization. I want conflict. For so long at Greenhill we’ve been taught that civil discourse means ignoring and allowing thought processes we question, that we should not confront them,” Anusha said.

For Greenhill students, the topic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be painful. Students like Josh and Carmel have been personally affected or have family members who have been directly affected by the conflict.

While Greenhill has both Jewish and Muslim students with active organizations, there have been few forums to discuss this conflict. According to a number of students, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is highly contentious at Greenhill and as a result, students tend to avoid speaking about the subject. cont’d on page 5

Greenhill changes the financial aid process p. 6

Serving Greenhill since 1966

Feat.

Teachers share their perspectives on deadlines p. 7

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I don’t want this to be a summarization. I want conflict.

For so long at Greenhill we’ve been taught that civil discourse means ignoring and allowing thought processes we question, that we should not confront them.

Arts

Greenhill alumna creates Latina-focused makeup line p. 13

Sports

A student athlete’s view on trash talking in sports p. 16

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Rants & Raves

the

Evergreen staff editor-in-chief Zayna Syed

executive editors

A RAVE to the compliment board in the history pod. The new installation allows for students to take or leave a compliment as they see fit. If you’re having a bad day, just take a compliment as you leave, feeling good about yourself because someone truly thinks that “your heart is as big as Texas.”

A RANT to students mixing vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in the cafeteria.

Contrary to popular belief, dropping chicken salad in the hummus does not make it healthier. Nice try though.

A RAVE to Political Action Club (PAC) streaming the inauguration in the lecture hall. While some stress ate and felt sad about the future, others cheered for the peaceful transfer of power... Class bonding at its finest.

Ellen Margaret Andrews Ben Schachter

managing editor

Joseph Weinberg

copy editor

Simra Abedi

design editors Areeba Amer Arhum Khan

arts editor

Alice Zhang

backpage editors Sophie Bernstein Maya Ghosh

features editor

Radhe Melwani

news editor

A RANT to being too loud during lunch.

Remember that time in third grade when your teacher told you how important it was to use your inside voice? You better, because we’d like for our eardrums not to bleed all over our grilled cheese next time 40 people decide they need to shout over one another for 55 minutes at lunch.

A RAVE to Maintenance for all they do for us. Greenhill has one of the most beautiful campuses, and it’s always necessary to appreciate the people behind that beauty.

Next time you see a maintenance staff person cleaning up after our very messy ways, be sure to thank them. They definitely deserve

A RANT to to all the random leftovers we find in the Upper School. The carpets aren’t hungry, so stop trying to feed them by dropping your food everywhere.

Come on, seniors... We know you guys are extremely unmotivated right now, but please just care enough to take your food back to the cafeteria.

Abbas Hasan

sports editors

Lili Stern Jordan Sternblitz

views editor

Annika Squires

asst. arts editor Samar Ahmad

asst. views editor Ross Rubin

staff manager Josh Rudner

online managing editor Areeba Amer

A RAVE to the humorous spirit on the walls of deferral and rejection. It’s college decision season and we all know what that means: The senior locker room is going to be filled with happy and sad tears alike. The only thing getting us through all of these are the snarky jokes students can see on either wall.

A RAVE to a rave to the Yale Whiffenpoofs.

A RANT to the open study rooms in There’s nothing better than listening to the library. Why let kids use these open the angelic voices of 15 college guys sing study rooms when you can reserve them without instruments. They were even nice for absolutely no reason? Oh and please enough to stay and have lunch with us! The don’t worry about opening those rooms Princeton Nassoons killed it last year, the for children who actually need to use Whiffenpoofs rocked our world, whoever them. We’ll just cram for our physics is coming next, the bar is set pretty high test outside near the Lower School for you. Good luck! playground.

Content courtesy of Allie Frymire, Julia Halm and Richa Sinkre Photos courtesy of Emily Wilson/Communcitations Office, and Sudeep Bharghava

Staff Editorial: Personal finance for all

Greenhill students are encouraged to follow their own paths and develop as unique individuals. However, we are still, for good reason, required to take certain classes by the time we graduate. According to the handbook, every student has to successfully complete up to Algebra II in math, level three of a language, and we have similar requirements for history, science, and English. Each of these core class standards are daunting, yet manageable and they are accompanied by less rigorous requirements like at least one trimester of computer science and one trimester of Wellness. These mandatory classes not only ensure that all Greenhill students have a strong academic foundation; they prepare us for our life after

high school. We, The Evergreen staff, believe that Greenhill has a moral responsibility to add a new mandatory trimester elective: personal finance.

Alumnus after alumnus can attest to the importance of at least a rudimentary understanding of economics and to the lack of preparation that Greenhill students receive. While it’s true that we offer a personal finance class and, starting next year two AP economics classes, these classes are only taken by a handful of students. This year, for example, only four students are taking personal finance.

The reasons are clear: college counselors discourage students from taking a personal finance class in place of a standard math course, telling us colleges view them as non-essential classes.

Doubling in math isn’t realistic for most students, so the vast majority of seniors end up graduating without ever having had any formal instruction in personal finance.

While some students may not want to squeeze a finance class into already busy schedules, it is an essential class. If we don’t learn filling out tax forms, 401ks, or managing our housing, food and Redbubble budgets how can we call ourselves prepared for college and living in the “real world?”

We understand that adding yet another mandatory class will be a burden on both the administration and the students.

However, we only have to look at what we are already doing as a template for implementing this course. Personal finance can

online assistant editor Mira Jungerman

online broadcast editor Christian Quintero

staff writers

Samar Ahmad Suman Chebrolu Stephen Crotty

business manager Rishi Vas

advisor

Nureen Patel

be offered in the summers and during every trimester of the school year, just like Wellness.

There should be no prerequisite: anyone from incoming freshman to third trimester seniors should be able to take the course.

If finding enough current faculty to teach the class proves impossible, Greenhill should invest in a practical alternative on Global Online Academy or another online classroom.

It is Greenhill’s responsibility to prepare us for life after high school and the creation of a mandatory, onetrimester class to teach students about taxes, banking and budgeting is the next major step that we must take.

asst. advisor

Dr. Amy Bresie

staff photographers Simra Abedi Sudeep Bharghava

staff artists

Grace Doyle Drake Heptig Amy Yang Shreya Agarwala

Have a response?

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Students’ take on Trump’s first 100 days in office The first hundred days of Donald Trump’s presidency will be the most impactful to his success during his four-year term because it will determine his ability to lead the country and uphold his promises. Firstly, it is important that Donald Trump recognizes that he will not be able to achieve every one of his goals, and that he must choose his battles wisely.

Obama made many empty promises during his campaign, such as pulling out of the Middle East, lowering taxes and bringing together both political parties. As a conservative, I think that many of his existing goals for his first hundred days are admirable, such as repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act and imposing term limits on Congress.

Immigration Ban Trump delivered on one of his most controversial campaign promises on Jan. 27, 2017 when he signed an executive order temporarily suspending refugee programs for 120 days and immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days.

-Mark Knowles, senior

Donald Trump is now Commander in Chief of an incredibly divided nation. During his first 100 days in office, I hope that he can find a way to unify the American people. A crucial aspect of achieving this unity is earning the trust of the public, which will come with the establishment of his own political sophistication. While he clearly has no desire to be a traditional politician, I think a huge factor going forward will be his professionalism. Although his unprecedented rise to power came, in part, because he ran as the anti-establishment candidate, he must address the pressing concerns of his people in a more controlled and compassionate manner, and ultimately find ways to bring Americans together despite their vast differences. He is faced with the difficult challenge of accommodating those who oppose him while simultaneously appealing to his voter base and addressing the issues that brought them to the polls last November. I do believe that Donald Trump has the potential to positively impact our country, but he must first change the way he operates and prove his legitimacy as a polished politician.

-Madison Cook, senior

Dakota Access Pipeline Trump signed a pair of presidential memorandum that cleared the way for two controversial pipeline projects to begin again. The Dakota Access Pipeline, most of which has already been built, had sparked intense protests from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota due to the Native American group's Ato a planned portion of the pipeline.

I’ll try to be realistic in this paper given that me and our current president, Donald Trump, are polar opposites, and because I only have 100 words, I’ll jump right into it. Looking at Trump’s agenda, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) appears to be at the top. I’m pretty split on this. The ACA has done some pretty great things for people when it comes to making healthcare more accessible, but it definitively has driven up premiums and made it more difficult for certain groups to have healthcare. The second thing on Trump’s agenda is tax reform, which is where I find myself most at odds with Trump. He wants to cut corporate tax to somewhere between 15 percent and 20 percent (based on how much influence congressional republicans exert over him). This, amongst other things, would put more financial stress on the middle class and help the upper class avoid more taxes. Much of my disagreement with Trump comes down to me disagreeing with “Reaganomics”.

Illegal Immigration Trump issued an executive order to construct a wall along the southern border on Jan. 25. The order also increases federal funding for resources towards detention facilities for illegal immigrants near the wall.

A different executive order involving immigrants ordered border patrol agents and immigration officials to begin deporting undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, regardless of whether they reside in areas where immigration laws are typically not enforced.

-Chris Eckert, sophomore

I don't know what I want Trump to do so much as I know what I don't want him to do. I don't want him to repeal Obamacare, because I think leaving millions of people without health insurance is the scariest thing he could do.

I would like him to appoint a Supreme Court justice who is not stuck in the 1950s when it comes to women's rights.

I want him to stop threatening via Twitter and be the president he promised. This is not a pageant, not a reality TV show and not your campaign. This is the presidency and it affects everyone. So for the love of God, delete your Twitter and start taking this crap seriously. ​

Mexico City policy Trump issued the Mexico City policy, which rescinds federal funding for groups that perform or promote abortions overseas. This policy has been instituted by every Republican president since Ronald Reagan.

I just want Trump to get away from all the media drama and do his best to make America the best country it can be for every American. I want him to focus on the economy and increasing the amount of jobs available for people. I hope he can do that and stay out of the media. I hope he keeps this country safe and makes it flourish economically like it did before. I also hopes he works on his public image (it's not doing so well) by being presidential and looking out for every individual in this country.

-Doug Kreitling, senior

-Sarah Nuñez Lafontaine, junior

*These are some of the executive orders that President Trump has signed. As of Feb. 2, 2017 President Trump has signed 18 executive orders.

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Every rose has its thorn

Grenhill students and faculty weigh in on The Bachelor franchise Every time I think about The Bachelor and its companion show The Bachelorette, I think about the Miss America Pageant in 1968. Protestors from the nascent women’s movement gathered to protest what they believed was a misogynistic tradition. They marched on the boardwalk of Atlantic City and erected a giant Freedom Trash Can which they then filled with all of the things holding them back: cleaning rags, diapers, bras, etc. I propose that it is time to dump the Bachelor and similar programming in the Freedom Trash Can. Not only does it paint women as conniving, bratty and scantily clad, but it suggests that the highest achievement a person can attain is marriage and a happy spouse, that having a mate completes a woman (or a man). Finally, the show perpetuates stereotypes about what kind of people are attractive and therefore, in this ABC universe, valuable. If they ever cast a woman who does not have six pack abs and flawless skin, perhaps I’ll reconsider. Until then, the Bachelor can keep his rose, or better yet, throw itin the Freedom Trash Can.

I think it’s silly to look to a show like The Bachelor for any moral/ethical implications because it’s such contrived entertainment. Do we question a show like Game of Thrones in the same way? Yes, the people who appear on the show are real, but the situations they are put in are not and each person is cast to fill a role: the wifey, the villain, the good ‘ole country boy/girl. When you consider that it’s very much a production and that the cast is being directed to react in certain ways in order to create a story, it loses its impact.

-April Burns, Upper School Spanish teacher

-Dr. Amy Bresie, Upper School History teacher I think that the show The Bachelor is generally immoral, but I also think that if people truly want to participate in it, then it is okay. Firstly, I don’t think people should get married for the sake of others’ entertainment. To me it just seems unethical and unorthodox. I believe that marriage is supposed to be a statement of an intimate relationship and it seems strange to use that as entertainment. Additionally, I find it hard to believe that the bachelor spends enough time with the contestants to truly know who they are. However, if there are people who know what they are getting into and they genuinely want to do it (not just for the money), then I don’t think anyone really has the right stop them. Personally, I would never participate in The Bachelor and I wouldn’t recommend anyone to participate.

-Joseph Vettoretti, sophomore

graphic by Drake Heptig

I think The Bachelor is stupid because you are set up with random people that you are told to chose from. So technically, you are forced into loving someone. The people on that seem pretty uneducated hence the point of the show. I guess it's entertaining though, because to be honest, reality TV is really funny. It hurts my head to watch people act dumb for a show or maybe the aren’t doing it on purpose and they are really that dumb.

-Jordan Lebowitz, sophomore

Upper School Science Department Chair Jeff Funkhouser responds to The Evergreen’s “Women in STEM” story

Dear Editor,

As Chair of the Upper School Science Department I want to respond to the Special Report in the Nov 16, 2016 issue of the Evergreen titled, Finding a Place, Women in STEM. One point the article made is that the elective AP physics courses, AP Physics 2 and AP Physics C, are disproportionately male. Consistent percentages between 25% and 40% represent a significant disparity compared to the overall female/male student proportion that is almost exactly 50/50 in the upper school. Unfortunately, this disparity is reflected nationwide as the article also pointed out. We at Greenhill are a microcosm of a national-level issue.

There has been one year in my 25 years of teaching AP physics courses where the number of females outnumbered males.

That was three years ago here at Greenhill when I had 10 females and 8 males. I thought I’d finally turned the corner and solved what has been an ongoing issue. But, the next year we were back to a 2 to 1 ratio, and the previous year had obviously been an outlier.

One solution mentioned in the article is more female science teachers. With contacts that teach AP physics all across the country, I am a good friend with at least a dozen female AP physics teachers.

Without exception in dual gender schools, males grossly outnumber females in their classes, too. So, this is not a simple problem for which the solution is having female teachers. It’s clearly a problem that starts considerably earlier than high school. An article published last week in the journal

Science (Jan 27, 2017 issue, pp 389-391) identifies that females as young as age six begin to identify ‘brilliance’ as a characteristic they do NOT possess. This belief seems to impact choices made in advanced high school courses, college majors, and ultimately, career choices. The authors report, “6-year-old girls are less likely than boys to believe that members of their gender are ‘really, really smart.’ Also at age 6, girls begin to avoid activities said to be for children who are ‘really, really smart.’ These findings suggest that gendered notions of brilliance are acquired early and have an immediate effect on children’s interests.”

I wish I knew how to inspire more female enrollment in AP Physics 2 and Physics C. We are working on a couple of steps aimed at that goal within the department. One thing I do know, in contrast to what the article implied, females are very well and equitably represented in all of the other AP science classes at Greenhill including AP Physics 1. The percentages vary some each year, but enrollment is always between 45% and 55% female across the other 140 AP science students. Females have been almost exactly half of all STARS participants and have completed about half of all Science Capstone projects in the past five years. End-of-year certificate and book awards are also made in equal proportions.

So, females DO show a high level of interest in STEM and demonstrate high quality work in their STEM classes at Greenhill.

This is unequivocally true and something that should be recognized!

The Bachelor became an overwhelming task for me every Monday night for two hours. Constant drama set on by jealousy and malice does not capture my interest, however, I continue to watch because I am fascinated by the possibility of two people establishing an authentic connection in the constant public eye. Honesty is a key component in a successful relationship, and I feel that the publicity of The Bachelor demands the truth of all participants' pasts. However, this integrity does not apply to their nature. Spending significant amounts of money for cocktail dresses and desiring fame, many partakers create false identities in order to win, which results in many relationships often feeling forced on the show. I don't believe that true love on the Bachelor is frequently obtained, but I continue to watch to be disproved.

-Ali Simenc, senior

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A Greenhill perspective on the Israel-Palestine conflict cont’d from page 1 “You kind of have to be quiet about being pro-Palestine at Greenhill,” said junior Sloan Touchet.

Junior Brooke Allen, who is Jewish and has represented Israel Lacrosse multiple times in the last two years, said both advocates of the conflict feel silenced.

“I think that some pro-Israel people at Greenhill feel silenced as do some pro-Palestine people,” she said. “[This is because] the people that take time to get educated on the issue often feel passionate about it.”

Sloan first became interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict when he noticed a classmate wearing a pro-Israel patch on his shirt sleeve. Patches like these were handed out to students who attended a Jewish Studies Club meeting during the 2014-2015 school year. That night, Sloan looked up the meaning of the patch and began researching the origin and current state of the conflict.

Students with varying opinions on the conflict agreed the issue is complex and difficult to understand. Furthermore, there is a noticeable lack of discussion about the conflict in their academic classes.

Senior Lea Meyers, who took “Understanding 9/11,” a course deconstructing the events leading up to 9/11, noted a lack of discussion about the conflict during the class.

“The only class I have been in that has discussed the Israel-Palestine conflict is [Understanding 9/11]. Even in that class, we spent around a day on it,” she said. “I wish we had spent more time on it in classes, because I don’t think I am well versed enough in the subject matter to have a good discussion about it.”

Josh doesn’t believe that the conflict should be taught in the classroom.

“Greenhill is my home and I don’t like talking about the conflict outside of Jewish Studies Club because I feel attacked in my home. Our dialogue isn’t constructive and it sometimes, but not always, lends itself to what I view as blatant anti-Semitism,” Josh said.

In contrast to the Greenhill curriculum, some students said that other classes discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in greater depth. Greenhill alumnus Nick Snyder ’16, who took Understanding 9/11 through Global Online Academy (G.O.A), spent multiple weeks discussing the conflict with

his G.O.A class.

“I had never talked about the conflict during classes at Greenhill but after taking the G.O.A., I came away with a thorough understanding of the conflict,” he said. “In addition, I had a student who lived in Palestine in my class, so it was really interesting to hear her perspective.”

When Carmel was a student at Greenhill, she felt that she had to be a “model Palestinian.”

“I felt that people disregarded my humanity. I remember people would make Facebook statuses whenever there was physical confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis about how Palestinians don’t value life, as if they didn’t know a Palestinian [person],” she said. “I had a good time at Greenhill. I had a positive experience, but I think that I tried to be this model Palestinian. I thought that if people knew me and liked me, then one day they would be pro-Palestine, and that’s just not how you break down systems of oppression.”

Senior Hayes Barton, while not Israeli, has become very connected to Israel as a result of his Jewish roots.

“I wrote a note and put it in the [Western Wall] as custom and I felt this feeling of connection to not just Judaism, but to the Jewish people. Thousands of thousands of thousands of people had come to the wall and put notes in there.

And that spoke to me. And throughout my time in Israel I just grew to love it like I love my home, because it is my home,” Hayes said.

Director of Equity & Inclusion Karen Bradberry believes that Greenhill has other issues to solve before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is addressed.

“How can we talk about the IsraeliPalestinian conflict if we can’t talk about empathy yet?” she said.

Sloan said that a lack of conversation in the courses offered at Greenhill has led to what he believes are personal accusations.

“There are a lot of people here who claim anti-Semitism when you say, ‘I’m proPalestine,’ and they turn it into, ‘You don’t think the Jewish people should have a state of their own?’ And that’s not necessarily [true],” Sloan said.

Another Perspective hopes to spark conversations that represent both sides of the issue. In the upcoming weeks, the club

Photos by Simra Abedi

OFFERING THEIR PERSPECTIVES: Greenhill alumna Carmel Abuzaid ‘14 (top) and Senior Josh Rudner (bottom) speak at the Another Perspective meetings. Carmel disussed her view as a Palestinian-American, and Josh discussed his view as a Zionist in America.

will host a third meeting on the issue in order to further discuss the ongoing conflict.

“What I hope for is the students who attended the presentations can become passionate about either side of the cause. I think this is the start of something bigger in regards to civil discourse. This conversation could have been more civil but I think it is a

great start that we can have knowledgeable and civil conversations even if people don’t see eye to eye on the issue,” said Another Perspective co-President Maya LaRosiliere. *Disclaimer: Josh Rudner is part of The Evergreen staff

Over 20 new courses in store for 2017-2018 Ellen Margaret Andrews Executive Editor

Although the second half of the 20162017 school has just begun, many Upper School teachers are already gearing up to bring over 20 new courses to the 2017-2018 curriculum. Students will have the chance to select from two new English courses, five Fine Art classes, six History courses, one Mathematics course, three Modern Classical Language courses, three Science courses and five Computer classes.

In an effort to expand and diversify its curriculum, the History Department will offer two new trimester courses such as Advanced Placement (AP) Macroeconomics and AP Microeconomics, as well as four other new trimester-long electives. Upper School History teacher Joni Palmer was extremely pleased to see the economics courses added to the curriculum.

“For students who really are interested in learning the introduction to the economic

theory, it really is a fantastic curriculum.” she said. “So in terms of preparing for a test, there is no change in priorities, there’s no change in the content that you would teach simply based on the test.”

Mrs. Palmer will also be reviving the Modern Africa class, and hopes to take a thematic and case by case approach to studying an area of the world she believes is often far too generalized.

“One of the things I really hope to do in this class is to talk about the challenging realities on the continent, but also to get beyond simply the narrative of poverty and struggle. There is of course a lot of more to an entire continent than a narrative of poverty and struggle,” she said. “We’re working very hard to add in new areas of study so that we can continue to expand student understanding.”

Debate teacher Aaron Timmons is also looking forward to teaching in the History Department next year, instructing

a trimester-long course called Race in the American Political Tradition. Mr. Timmons believes this course will cultivate important conversations of race and ethnicity, that he believes are sometimes disregarded in the required ninth and tenth grade history courses Atlantic Experience 9 and 10, respectively.

“Some of the things we will discuss kind of push back on the dominant narrative that many students have heard over the years, so it could be unsettling for some,” he said.

“I think we do a very nice job of asking Greenhill students to interrogate certain issues of race, of class, of gender, but I don’t think large we give students guidance on how to constructively disagree. There are ways we can fundamentally at the end of day disagree with one another. But we need to know how to engage with one another.”

Additionally, the course currently known as Problem Solving will go under a name change, to be called Mathematical

Decision Making next year. After taking over the course when he came to Greenhill last year, and changing the class’ curriculum in the process, Upper School Math teacher Youssef Oumanar felt like the name change would more accurately reflect the change in the subject matter. In the past, students would solve an abstract problem over the course of a trimester. However, Dr. Oumanar decided that students may be able to benefit more from covering a wide variety of practical problems that students could see as applicable to their daily lives.

“In Math, students will always ask, ‘Why are we learning this?’ The Mathematical Decision Making class is all about answering this question, and showing the students how relevant and powerful math is in today’s life,” Dr. Oumanar said.

In the coming months, students will have a chance to read new course descriptions and sign up for the ones that best fit their interests.

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Greenhill reevaluates financial aid process Financial aid packages to be released on the same day as admission decisions Graphic by Amy Yang

Abbas Hasan

News Editor

The Jones family has just been through the application process to send their child Max to Greenhill School. To their delight, Max received an acceptance. Now, the family must sign a contract stating that they will send their child to Greenhill. The family applied for aid, but they have no idea how much they will receive. If they sign the binding contract, they could put themselves in a dangerous financial situation.

Deans of Admissions from Dallas-area private schools met to discuss this issue last summer.

Administrators decided at the meeting that financial aid decisions should be released at the same time as admissions decisions (Friday before spring break). Previously, binding contracts had to be signed prior to receiving financial aid packages. While the effects of this change are still unknown, the Directors of Admission of the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Dallas (ISAAD) schools hope to make a fairer system for their applicants.

“

This lets families make an informed decision when choosing to attend a school based on their financial aid package.”

ISAAD is a consortium of different private schools in the Dallas area. This summer, they met to discuss the change to the financial aid program. Schools part of this consortium include: Greenhill School, The Hockaday School, St. Mark’s School of Texas, The Episcopal School of Dallas, Alcuin School, Parish Episcopal School and eight others. The ISAAD consortium has been in

place for about three decades, and the schools often help each other during the admissions process. For example, if a student takes a test with the Collaborative Academic Testing Services (CATS) group at one school, the student’s results will be sent to the other schools in the consortium.

Director of Greenhill Admissions, Sarah Markhovsky, was one of the proponents of the idea at the ISAAD meeting.

Greenhill had been discussing a change like this for about five years, but could not proceed without the approval of the entire ISAAD consortium. Colleges across the United States have been using this method for years in hope of being fair and retaining the students they want.

“This change lets families make an informed decision when choosing to attend a school based on their financial aid package,” Ms. Markhovsky said.

According to Ms. Markhovsky, one possible effect of this new administrative policy is a higher yield rate. Greenhill has maintained an average admissions yield of approximately 70 percent.

This decision has allowed the Greenhill admissions officers to become “need blind”. This means that they do not take into account a student’s financial situation when reviewing their application.

Greenhill is one of the only ISAAD schools to make this change.

According to Ms. Markhovsky, Greenhill operates on a committeebased admissions review, which allows for unique perspectives on why a student’s application may look the way it does. For example, if a student is coming from a lower socio-economic part of Dallas or is coming from a public school, the committee will take that into

account when assessing things like extra-curricular activities or testing scores.

“We are very mindful about different kinds of kids who apply to this school, because we are such a diverse place in so many ways,” said Ms. Markhovsky. “We don’t do any engineering of putting a class together based on need because we don’t know [their economic status]. So this allows us to accept whoever we want.”

“

We are very mindful about the different kinds of students who apply to this school because we are such a diverse class.”

While this change has benefits, it also increases the amount of work the Financial Aid office at Greenhill has to complete. Now, instead of waiting for decisions to be released before creating financial aid packages, the financial aid committee must work at the same time as the admissions committee to be able to release the packages on time.

“I am communicating with more families than I would have with the old process,” said Amy deBorst, Director of Financial Aid. “The extra communication is fine because I think it’s good to let families know about our financial aid process and for them to understand what Greenhill offers through aid is huge.”

According to Ms. deBorst, Greenhill’s financial aid office calculates a family’s need through the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC), which is completed after a family submits a financial statement to the school. Formulas and information collected from these different services allow the financial aid committee

to determine an amount of discretionary income that determines how much families will receive in aid.

“Our financial aid program is one of the best, if not the best, in our area,” said Ms. deBorst. “One of the distinctions our program holds is our dedication to our supplemental budget.”

While the intention of releasing financial aid packages on the same day of admission decisions was not necessarily to create an economically diverse class, that may be the result.

Greenhill students come from over 100 different zip codes, and part of this statistic is the importance of word of mouth. Families telling other families about the change in the financial aid process may contribute to more students applying from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

“We want to be a diverse community of learners. I think it could allow for us to have a more economically diverse community, and it feels more fair,” Ms. Markhovsky said.

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The homework problem How Greenhill teachers view deadlines

Graphic by Amy Yang

Simra Abedi

Copy Editor

A student comes home at 9:00 P.M. after an away sports game. She now has to study for her math test the next day and finish her English essay and lab report that are due at midnight. On top of that, she has Spanish and History homework to do. She was not given any extensions.

More often than not, students have hours of homework to complete on any given night. They are forced to balance extracurriculars, sports and academics after the school day is over, and for many, it can feel overwhelming.

Depending on the number of classes and extracurricular activities a student has, he or she could be assigned piles upon piles of work to do at night with minimal time to complete it. The result of this scenario: late assignments. Teachers at Greenhill have different responses when asked about extensions and late assignments.

Upper School English teacher Trey Colvin said that if a student has a valid reason to turn in an assignment late, he has them set their own deadline.

“To me, what’s more important than having it in by a certain date, is having a deadline. I will have [students] set their own deadline. We teach students that deadlines are a part of life. It’s a part of being college and career ready,” Dr. Colvin said.

According to Dr. Colvin, each class may have a different purpose for assigning homework, but to him, each assignment has a specific purpose, whether it be a completion grade or helping students develop certain skills.

“There’s never anything turned in just for the sake of turning something in,” Dr.

Colvin said.

However, some teachers believe it is equally important to use homework to have students fully process and understand the information being taught in class.

“I’ve always been interested in developing a student for the future. Content is the tool that I work with, but ultimately, what the student walks away with for their future to me is the most important. Some things cannot be developed in a 50-minute class period,” said Upper School Science teacher Andrejs Krumins. “In science, you have to develop certain skillsets like being able to analyze and being able to think critically. When I assign homework, it’s to develop those skills.”

“

To me, what’s more important than having it in by a certain date, is having a deadline. I will have [students] set their own deadline. We teach students that deadlines are a part of life. It’s part of being college and career ready,”

Although homework may be important for students to learn certain skills, many of them often feel overburdened with the amount of work assigned on a daily basis.

“I think that each teacher doesn’t realize that we get work in every single class and we have quizzes and tests in every single class and it adds up to so much, and it’s very very stressful. I get around four to five hours of work every night,” said sophomore Anaah Abedi.

Dr. Colvin, who said he believes students should have no more than 15 minutes of homework per class each night, points out the challenges associated with

assigning homework that fits a timeframe.

“To me, I don’t think a kid should have, for any one class, more than 15 minutes worth of work. The problem with that is, for example in English, people read at different speeds. What might be 15 minutes for you might be 30 minutes for another kid. So it’s very difficult to say ‘I think this assignment should take this amount of time’ and have that be the same for every student,” Dr. Colvin said.

Upper School Math Teacher Melissa Battis said there is a certain amount of trust placed in the student that they complete the work assigned to them, whether or not an extension is granted.

“Because the math department has solutions up online, I trust that a student should be doing the homework and checking the homework. The aspect of whether or not they have done it is going to show up more on the test than me needing to check it,” Ms. Battis said.

Dr. Colvin, who is quite flexible with deadlines, agrees with Ms. Battis.

“I would rather have a community where I trust people to do what is right than I am going to try and expose every single person who is taking advantage of it,” Dr. Colvin said.

Along with a system of trust comes the need to be firm on due dates. For some teachers, it can be hard to decide whether a student’s reason for an extension is valid or not, particularly when it comes to long term assignments.

“To me, a valid reason is health.

Family obligation also makes it really easy to give a student an extension. There’s always going to be a little bit of a gray area, but if a student has known, and this is why we have Canvas, that assignments are

coming weeks in advance, and the student has a busy schedule, like a sports game the night before, that is not a valid excuse,” Dr. Krumins said.

Upper School Spanish teacher April Burns said that when students repeatedly ask for extensions or fabricate reasons to try and get them, it can make it seem as though they are not taking the class seriously.

“There are some students that I think, because I don’t make a huge awful deal out of it, they think it doesn’t matter. There are students, especially freshmen, who are still learning the Upper School landscape, they mistake the fact that I don’t give them busy work every night for it being an easy class.

And that’s not the case,” Ms. Burns said.

In some cases, teachers have implemented policies to help the students so that they don’t feel the need to ask for an extension all the time. Ms. Battis points out that when it comes to daily grades, teachers try to account for assignments turned in late.

“The math department actually has a set curve for their daily grades so we try to bring that in. Assuming you check every day, a 64 percent is a C-. So we put in a curve to accommodate the fact that everyone is going to miss a few homeworks,” Ms. Battis said.

Teachers assign different values to homework based on how they structure their class. With that comes a difference in the leniency of extensions they grant to students, but many teachers understand that students have busy schedules, and will accommodate the students needs based on the circumstances.

“It’s a case by case basis. It has to be that way by virtue of the differences of our disciplines,” Dr. Colvin said.

8 features

the

wednesday, february 8, 2017 Evergreen Half a century on the Hill

Assistant Head of School Tom Perryman shares his experiences at Greenhill Chris Quintero

Online Broadcast Editor

When Tom Perryman ‘81 began his education at Greenhill, Lyndon B. Johnson was president and the Vietnam War was in full swing. Half a century later, Mr. Perryman remains deeply rooted in the Greenhill community, and his love for the school has only grown over the years.

“When I was about three years old, my mother decided I needed to get out of the house. And so they searched for the right fit and I ended up at Greenhill,” Mr. Perryman said.

He enrolled halfway through the school year in 1967 and remained at Greenhill until he graduated in 1981. As a student, he played football and baseball and captained both sports his senior year. His favorite subjects were English and History, and he admits that he wishes Greenhill had put more of an emphasis on the arts when he was a student.

“

I’m trying to find some way to make a new difference in the world and I have no idea what that’s gonna be.”

After leaving Greenhill, he attended Northwestern University and majored in English. Shortly before receiving his English degree an opportunity came knocking. After he graduated from Northwestern in 1989, he returned home with a job as a seventh grade English teacher at Greenhill.

“Mr. Phillip G. Foote was the Head of School at the time and was a real mentor of mine. He called me up in December of my senior year in college and I had no idea what I wanted to do then,” Mr. Perryman said.

“I’d done no career planning when he said, ‘I think you should think about teaching. I have a Middle School English position. Let’s talk about it.’ So I decided to give it a shot.”

While he may have had his doubts about teaching at first, Mr. Perryman noted it only took a couple of weeks to dispel any sort of hesitance moving forward.

“Within a couple of weeks, I was hooked. I still remember my first sixth grade advisory. I [can] name them all and see them all in my mind. I still run into them from time to time and I’ve had lunch with a couple of those kids who are now 43 years old,” Mr. Perryman said.

This was the first job offer he received and it would set a precedent for the rest of his career. Moving forward, he never applied for a job and has only ever been asked to take a position.

After six years teaching in the Middle School, he decided he needed a change and assumed the Head of Lower School position in 1990. When Philip Foote retired in '92, Mr. Perryman moved into the Admissions department. Peter Briggs came in as Head of School, and under Mr. Perryman’s tutelage, Greenhill began to focus on diversity and finding a greater balance between arts, athletics and academics.

“From ‘93 to ‘96, we really focused on bringing in students of color, student-

athletes and student-artists who could really triumph,” Mr. Perryman said.

In 1996, Mr. Perryman took the Assistant Head of School position.

“Peter Briggs realized he needed a right hand man that could reach out to people,” said Mr. Perryman. "His history at the school and consistent need to reach out to others was instrumental in connecting the teachers with the administration. " Mr. Perryman continued working as the Assistant Head of School until 1999 when he left Greenhill for a brief two-year stint and attended a seminary where he said he wanted to “wrestle with hard questions.”

He returned to Greenhill in 2001, per Mr. Griggs’s request.

“It was then that I realized my ministry was with kids. I had a passion for teaching kids,” Mr. Perryman said.

Today, Mr. Perryman remains Assistant Head of School and teaches one English course each trimester, which he says is his favorite part of the day. Having been at Greenhill so long, he admitted to getting “that itch” again when asked what the next step was.

“I don’t know what I do next. I’ve never planned my career. And so I’m starting to think, what do I do next? I’m trying to find some way to make a new difference in the world and I have no idea what that’s gonna be,” Mr. Perryman said.

Photo by Radhe Melwani

wednesday, february 8, 2017

the

Evergreen

features

Greenhill teachers go to school

9

Behind the scenes of Faculty Development Days Suman Chebrolu

Staff Writer

To most students, a “Faculty Development Day” means a day off from school—an extra day to sleep in, catch up on homework or finish that Netflix series. However, for faculty, this is when their version of the “school” begins.

These are days dedicated to building cultural competencies, attending meetings and completing work.

There are four development days throughout the school year: one at the beginning of the school year, two during the school year and one towards the end. On these days, faculty follow regular school hours, which means they are on campus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The goal of [Faculty Development Days] is largely to provide a larger chunk of time to take a closer look at topics that would improve the quality of teaching, and learning” said Jason Yaffe, Director of Academics.

During these days, teachers spend a small portion of the day to work on whatever they need to, whether it is preparing the next unit, grading papers or writing comments. However, most of the day is dedicated to larger meetings between departments or the entire faculty.

“In a school like this with so many different responsibilities and schedules, it is almost impossible to get all faculty together on a normal school day,” said Laura Ross, Head of Upper School. “We do [development days] for things we feel are important for the whole community.”

Graphic by Amy Yang

These days also allow teachers to meet about how to support learning for certain types of students, such as those who are struggling with a certain curriculum.

For example, last Faculty Development Day, faculty and staff broke into small groups to discuss learning styles, cultural competencies and understanding oneself as a teacher.

“[The goal is] to be aware of the emotional lives of our kids, the learning styles of our school, general cultural backgrounds and making sure we are thoughtful educators across all levels,” Mrs. Ross said.

However, Faculty Development Days are not always centered around academics.

“We try to be better depend-

ing on the need. Sometimes it is content-based, like looking at better ways to teach the students.

Sometimes it’s about improving the environment of the school like something related to politics or equity or things like that,” said Upper School Math teacher Youssef Oumanar.

Teachers also participate in group activities to further their

understanding of the discussions.

“For [Faculty Development Days] to be effective you have to be hands on. [Teachers] should not just listen. Part of it is a small lecture but the other part is always hands on so we are involved. We will always break down into small groups to do activities,” Dr. Oumanar said.

Greenhill sometimes brings in outside speakers, but mostly rely on resources and people already on campus.

“The model of professional development that we’ve gone to is not to bring in an outside speaker,” said Mr. Yaffe. “Instead, workshops are hosted by our own people who know our community, culture, needs and [have] the trust of their colleagues.”

It also allows facuty to develop connections they don’t form on regular school days.

“Just like a book study to sit down with people with whom I don’t usually interact and be able to take on issues actually gives me a more well-rounded understanding,” said Laura Hudec, Upper School Latin teacher.

Ultimately, students benefit from Faculty Development Days, aside from it being an extra day off. The lessons and work teachers do on these professional development days aid students and affects teachers’ style of teaching overall.

“Some of it, when done well, professional development feeds the adult soul,” said Mr. Yaffe. “[It] puts them in a better place to teach and connect to all the students in the room?”

In the Spotlight...

Josh Rudner Staff Manager

We continue our “In the Spotlight” series, a chance to get to know one randomly selected Upper School student each issue.

This conversation was with senior Tyra Thompson.

On any given weekend, you can find Tyra Thompson listening to music, watching TV or knitting hats for the Ronald McDonald house. While it may not be the most popular pastime, Tyra said she loves doing community service whenever and however she can.

“Sometimes I knit hats and give them to the Ronald McDonald house. I started knitting in between the summer of sixth and seventh grade when I attended college readiness summer program called the Future Leaders Program and they taught us how to knit,” Tyra said.

She’s made about 30 hats since she began and she has even had the pleasure of delivering the hats herself. However, this hobby is just a part of Tyra’s passion for giving back, a lot of which she does through the South Central Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc. “The South Central Business

and Professional Women’s Club, Inc. focuses on community service and on the importance of Negro women in America and in our own community. Throughout the year, the youth section of the club has to find different community service projects that relate to each of the year’s goals,” Tyra said.

“

It just made me realize that you have to appreciate what you have. Even when things get tough, or when you’re stressing out about school or exams. You have to have a positive outlook and be grateful that we even get an education.”

This year, Tyra serves as the Vice President of the youth section. She and her fellow volunteers organize events across the Metroplex. In recent years, they’ve helped out at the North Texas Food Bank, participated in the March of Dimes and have raised enough money to send 4,500 toothbrushes and 5,000 pencils to children in Ghana. Tyra said that the position is really important to her.

“It’s important to me because it allows me to do activities that I don’t normally do and its brought

awareness into my life,” she said.

“Had I never joined the club, I would have never been exposed to community service. I used to not want to [volunteer], but now it’s a way for me to give back to the community in more ways than one.”

Tyra said that at first she wasn’t interested in the organization, but that participating is a family tradition.

“My grandma has been involved for a long time. She is the president of the adult section,” said Tyra. “I actually didn’t want to participate when I was growing up because I saw how much time it took away from my mom and sister’s social lives but then they made me join and I ended up liking it.”

Now, months away from graduating and moving on from her current position, Tyra said that the club has changed her outlook on life.

“It just made me realize that you have to appreciate what you have. Even when things get tough, or when you’re stressing out about school or exams. You have to have a positive outlook and be grateful that we even get an education,” Tyra said.

Photo courtesy of Tyra Thompson

SERVICE QUEEN: Senior Tyra Thompson is the Vice President of the youth section of the South Central Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc. Tyra regularly knits hats for the Ronald McDoonald House.

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Sensibly un

Greenhill tackles c

Joseph Weinberg Managing Editor

Lili Stern

Sports Editor

As an independent school, Greenhill is not required nor restricted by Texas State Education laws as to what they must (and must not) read as part of the curriculum. Thus, Greenhill is tasked with selecting what books students read and discuss in the classroom across all age levels. With this freedom comes responsibility for Greenhill’s administrators, who are faced with the challenge of deciding what literary subjects and themes they want covered in certain grade levels. The Evergreen takes a closer look at the factors that influence these decisions.

Lower School The Lower School faces challenges when attempting to design a Social Studies curriculum that is informative, yet appropriate for the young children being taught. According Head of Lower School Michael Simpson, this task of shaping the curriculum becomes especially relevant during the fourth grade’s unit covering the Civil Rights Movement. The fourth grade team is responsible for accurately portraying this unit, which contains some of the most graphic parts of American history.

“We’ve done professional development with the fourth grade team about [the Civil Rights Movement] so we know the best way to approach the topic,” Mr. Simpson said.

The unit can sometimes cause a stir among parents who worry if their children are ready to tackle such a heavy topic.

“We’ve had parents of color come to us concerned about [the unit] and we talk to them about why we think it’s appropriate,” Mr. Simpson said.

Although some say the Civil Rights Movement is a little too dense and inappropriate for children aged nine and ten years old, the Lower School administration believes it fits in perfectly with the fourth grade’s theme of leadership. The Lower School hopes that parents see the advantages of having their kids study such an important unit of history, despite some of its controversial topics.

“We feel that teaching [the Civil Rights Movement] fits within the mission of our school in terms of social justice, equity and inclusion and the honor, respect and compassion we are trying to teach our kids,” said Mr. Simpson. “We tell concerned parents how covering a topic like the Civil Rights Movement applies to the overall leadership theme of the fourth grade.”

That being said, the fourth grade team does censor some of what they teach and show students relating to the topic.

“We are careful with the images that we show,” said Mr. Simpson. “It’s not good practice to show beatings or fire hoses at this age, but rather we want them to see people leading, protesting and giving speeches.”

According to Mr. Simpson, a couple of years ago, a child’s parents would not let their child read the required summer reading book about the Civil Rights Movement for all fourth grade students. The Lower School rarely sees instances like these and attempts to convince parents to have faith in the curriculum.

“If the parent is ever really adamant about not having their child read something, we would press them pretty hard about the side effects of that choice: having their child step out of class,

not reading what everyone else is and feeling left out,” he said.

“We hope they would consider that aspect of it.”

The Lower School ultimately strives to incorporate and reinforce Greenhill’s mission statement.

“We want to prevent our students from shying away from differences. We really just hammer respect, honor, compassion to our students,” said Mr. Simpson. “We work really hard on preaching inclusion.”

Another major aspect of the Lower School curriculum that forces teachers to evaluate what is appropriate to share are current events.

“Most of the controversial topics comes up in current event discussion when kids ask questions and they are not brought up in our actual lessons,” said third grade Humanities teacher Hannah Harkey. “If something comes up in class that I think crosses the line, I will tell my students that it is above their third grade news level and I tell them that if they want to talk about it individually, we can continue that conversation. We have to be respectful of the fact that not all families share news at home in the same way.”

Mrs. Harkey acknowledged that there are certain lines she doesn’t cross.

“There are real and scary things that have and continue to happen in our world. It’s difficult because in third grade they have a lot of questions and they are curious specifically about these kinds of subjects,” Mrs. Harkey said.

A large portion of the third grade Humanities curriculum examines immigration, bringing many sensitive topics into the classroom.

“We do a whole unit on immigration and there are a lot of reasons people immigrated and came through Ellis Island and a lot of them are not pretty,” she said. “Some of [my students] have never heard things like the word persecution so we always approach things with a lens on history and fact. We want to encourage open discussion in a safe enviornment, but we also want to be respectful of the fact that different families choose to share difficult news differently. We work hard to make sure that we’re being careful around content that their 8-year-old mind is not ready for.”

Middle School This question of how to approach controversial material comes to the forefront of discussion in seventh grade, when all students read Sherman Alexie’s Absolutely True Diary of a PartTime Indian, an account of a teenage boy growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. The book has sparked a nationwide debate given its use of vulgar language and description of poverty in many modern Native American communities.

“The book we’ve had the most discussion about with parents has been True Diary, and then on a little bit lesser scale To Kill a Mockingbird,” said Head of Middle School Susan Palmer.

“Both of those are interesting to parents not only because of the language, but because they tackle tough subjects: racism, justice, discrimination, with True Diary from from the Native American perspective.”

Middle School English teacher Katie Peterson originally proposed the book.

“We want to talk about topics like racial justice and poverty

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wednesday, february 8, 2017

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controversial texts

in the Middle School and the sorts of books that cover those topics are generally very predictable,” said Ms. Peterson. “The thing that stands out about True Diary is the voice of the book and how easily the kids can relate to it.”

She acknowledged that some parents question the choice.

“True Diary is a lot of reality at one time for some parents,” said Ms. Peterson. “It’s just so different than anything else their kids have ever had to read for school.”

It discusses subjects such as alcohol abuse, violence, bullying and sex. The book also contains crude jokes and homophobic slurs.

“There’ve been parents who say, ‘We don’t speak that way in our home.’ And of course we don’t speak that way at school either, but at the same time, it’s an authentic voice of a teenage boy,” said Ms. Palmer. “Just because you read it doesn’t mean you have to say it.”

The consensus of the book among seventh graders has generally been positive, although some were initially shocked by some of its content.

“

One of our students said to her mother, ‘You don’t stop reading a book just because it makes you uncomfortable.’ And that’s kind of been my mantra of all of this going forward. We have a great responsibility to help kids tackle tough things.”

“I’m surprised we were assigned to read it in school,” said Jack Vawrinek. “We use the Internet so it’s not like we’ve never heard this stuff before, but it was a little awkward at first talking about it in a school setting.”

Seventh grader Carla Caballero appreciated the book.

“The book doesn’t sugarcoat anything. It gets right to the point and we need to hear that,” said Carla. “In most of the other books we’ve read, the protagonists always get what they want but this book was all about portraying reality and how everything is not always perfect.”

The Middle School administration anticipated awkward conversations or jokes with the introduction of some of the book’s more controversial material. To counter this, they have instilled full trust in teachers to help students grasp the difficult concepts.

“We won’t send kids home to read particularly strong passages independently so we can do it together at school and we can deconstruct together,” said Ms. Palmer. “Our English teachers have been really good at talking about the benefits of every choice of fiction that we have.”

Even if some of the books in the Middle School do bring a certain level of discomfort, Ms. Palmer does not think that should disqualify them from being a part of the curriculum.

“One of our students said to her mother, ‘You don’t stop reading a book just because it makes you uncomfortable.’ And that’s kind of been my mantra of all of this going forward,” said Ms. Palmer. “We have a great responsibility to help kids tackle tough things. Literature is a wonderful lens through which to view humankind and the important themes of humanity.”

Part of the decision to have the kids read a book like True Diary has been to expose them to parts of society

and the world that they otherwise might not know or talk about. That goal seems to be working according to Ms. Palmer.

“I’ve had kids after they read True Diary say to me, ‘Why were we not informed? What is happening with Native Americans today?’” Ms. Palmer said.

Upper School In the Upper School, teachers and administrators are responsible for bringing global, diverse perspectives to the classroom through texts and historical study. Often times, the faculty selects texts that push the envelope covering topics and themes such as alcohol, drugs, sex, language and poverty.

However, despite the challenging nature of some texts and historical topics, Upper School teachers and administrators alike believe that the perspectives portrayed in books and documents are valuable.

“Kids will sometimes be challenged by a text, but if there’s language in the text, or situations in the text, it’s not ‘Oh hey, look at this it’s really cool,” it’s ‘What’s going on here?’” said English Department Chair Linda Woolley. “I think students gain a level of respect and understanding.”

According to Head of Upper School Laura Ross, the Upper School curriculum strives to cover many perspectives, including those of Native Americans, the white lower class and slaves. As such, Mrs. Ross believes that fleshing out and analyzing texts that grapple with difficult situations can be a valuable way to understand these unfamiliar perspectives.

“Sometimes people feel like, ‘Do you have to really read about this stuff in explicit ways to get the point?’” she said. “And I think that the gut punch of reading something really hard and then talking about it in a guided academic setting is sometimes a way that helps people process difficult societal issues.”

Ultimately, the English Department strives to expose students to great literature that asks hard questions, even when it is uncomfortable.

“Great literature deals with the world in all of its beauty and all of its ugliness,” said Upper School English teacher Andrew Mercurio.

Similarly, the History Department operates on the principle that the ugly is essential to understanding the past.

In Texas, the most recent history textbooks refer to slaves as ‘guest workers,’ and according to History department chair Dr. Amy Bresie, that is a disservice to students.

“I’d rather have uncomfortable conversation than let someone think she was a guest worker,” Dr. Bresie said.

As in the English department, these uncomfortable conversations often involve colorful language and description of what was once a hard reality for a group of people. Like the English Department, the History Department leans into discomfort.

“So often we have a very polite society, and we don’t like to talk about things that make us uncomfortable,” said Dr. Bresie.

“And that’s fine, except it’s not. If we’re not talking about things like racism and sexism and anti-Semitism and homophobia, if we’re not using these words and examining what they mean and using the context, I think we’re doing a real disservice.”

Graphic by Amy Yang

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the

Special Report Bring in the Boys

Examining the gender makeup of the Parents’ Association

Ben Schachter Executive Editor

Alice Zhang Arts Editor

The Greenhill Parents’ Association (P.A.) has historically been an organization dominated by female leadership with few active male members. However, a recent shift has seen Greenhill fathers taking a more active role in P.A. initiatives and activities.

The Greenhill P.A, which seeks to involve Greenhill parents in the school community, meets twice a year in person to discuss ideas and coordinate events.

The P.A., which every Greenhill parent is automatically a part of, has approximately 400 regular volunteers and 150 board leaders per Leslie Krakow, President of the P.A. and mother of junior Eli Krakow.

According to Mrs. Krakow, more male volunteers are nominating themselves to board positions, or are being nominated to chair school events than ever before. Mrs. Krakow feels that this can be attributed to both the P.A.’s concerted effort to involve every parent in the school as well as the different family dynamics of today’s society.

While there has never been a male P.A. president before, Mrs. Krakow is hopeful that things will change in the next few years.

While Greenhill’s P.A. has always encouraged each parent to volunteer for school events, only five men currently serve in leadership positions. Furthermore, Greenhill’s biggest annual fundraiser, the gala, has never been chaired by a father. The lack of male representation in the P.A. can be partially attributed to the fact that the vast majority of fathers work full-time.

“It’s not always easy because I have a full-time job too, so it’s a little different than people who don’t have a job and volunteer.

You’re a little more available when you don’t have another job,” said father of junior Colton Bobbitt and active P.A. member Michael Bobbitt.

Mr. Bobbitt, who has volunteered with the P.A. in a variety of different ways during Colton’s time at Greenhill, has found that his full-time job prevents him from undertaking some larger commitments with the P.A. What allows some of the women that do a lot with the P.A. to do as much as they do is the flexibility in their schedule that comes from not working or not working full-time.

However, that has changed recently.

“The increased role of men in the P.A. mirrors what I think is happening in American society, in terms of more involved fathers and more flexible working couples involving themselves in their children’s school lives,” Mrs. Krakow said.

Michelle Garza, mother of Ruby Garza ‘26, Leo Garza ‘28 and Desmond Garza ‘29 is an active volunteer in the Lower School.

Although she works full time, she still holds a leadership position in the P.A. “I am pretty for fortunate in that I have a job that allows me to work from home. It’s definitely easier when you have a job like mine where it’s more flexible because I can schedule things around and most of what I do is done online or over video conferences.

I don’t travel very often and I don’t have to be downtown at a meeting at a certain time,” she said.

With women being a family’s main provider becoming more and more common in today’s more modern economic landscape, both Mrs. Krakow and mother of junior Joseph Weinberg and 2014-15 P.A. President Julie Weinberg said there has been an increase in the number of men active since its inception. Mrs. Weinberg attributes this in large part due to a shift in gender roles.

“Gender roles are sort of evolving in a way that is much different than what they were 10 or 20 years ago,” Mrs. Weinberg said.

On top of men being able to get more involved because of a changing society, male involvement has also increased because of new gender non-specific P.A. initiatives that mandate volunteering through the P.A. For instance, the Athletic Department asks that parents of student-athletes in grades 7-12 volunteer at least twice during their child’s sports season, a task organized by the P.A. Furthermore, P.A. leadership has created specific annual events that they ask fathers to chair and volunteer for in a certain capacity. Hornet Night is an event that has become traditionally chaired by dads.

“We found out that [the men] really love

Graphic by Shreya Agarwala

Hornet Night, and they really like to help out at [sporting events],” said Theresa Jones, Events Manager and P.A. Liaison.

Additionally, the P.A. has found volunteering roles for men so that they can feel comfortable working with an organization that is predominantly female.

“For Friday on the Hill [the dads] will come in and grill hot dogs and hamburgers and do [traditionally] manly stuff,” said Ms. Jones.

This year Hornet Night was chaired by Mr. Bobbitt as well as John Morgan, father of junior Grant Morgan. Some women active with the P.A. find that while women are more than capable of running successful and exciting events, the addition of more men to the P.A. leadership has the potential to offer a different dynamic, in part because so few men have been active in the past.

“The men bring a lot of energy, out of the box thinking and creativity, which I think appeals to the kids. Since they haven’t had a historical involvement with the P.A. they often bring a fresh outlook,” Mrs. Weinberg said.

In fact, Ms. Jones said that having one father on the gala committee this year has expedited parts of the planning process.

“This year we do have a man on the gala committee, and he changes the whole dynamic,” said Ms. Jones. “Women like to sit and chat about the decision that we make, and he’s more like, ‘Why can’t we just do this?’ It makes us come to a consensus faster sometimes.”

Fathers who have done work with the P.A. have had no issues working in the female-dominated organization.

“[The leadership] knows what they want to accomplish and they make it easy to get things done by having good instructions when you show up to volunteer,” said Adam Maul, Primer Room Parent and father of Primer student Elle Maul.

In fact, Mr. Bobbitt received compliments for his work as a room parent when Colton was in third grade.

“At the end of the year, Ms. Hall said, ‘Wow you’re one of the best room parents I’ve ever had,’ and I said, ‘Why?’ She said, ‘Well, because you didn’t get into the messiness of the classroom. You just do what we needed.’”

Overall, the P.A.’s female leadership see only positives that can come from the addition of more men to the P.A. One goal now is to get men who are already active into roles to encourage more men to volunteer.

“There are about three or four men that consistently volunteer, and we are trying to put them in more visible roles to help them get more experience,” Ms. Jones said.

Mrs. Weinberg said a male P.A. president could attract more men to the organization.

“I think that having a male P.A. president would absolutely draw more men into the P.A. I think that sort of role model would likely get more dads involved,” Mrs. Weinberg said.

With more fathers moving up the P.A. leadership ladder, Mrs. Krakow feels that this could happen in the near future.

“We have watched the progression of Greenhill dads from occasional volunteers to fathers assuming leadership positions and serving as program chairs. It is my expectation that more fathers will continue to move up the P.A. leadership ladder.”

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Greenhill alumna starts Latina-based makeup line Zayna Syed

Editor-in-Chief

Self-identified “makeup junkie” and Greenhill alumna Regina Merson ’99 has always struggled with finding a makeup brand she could relate to. Even though she’s an avid consumer of beauty products, (“you name it, I bought it”), she couldn’t find a brand that expressed the nuanced sides of her personality as a Mexican-American woman, or in her words, as a “Latina.”

“One of the reasons I hoarded so much makeup was because I felt like I had to hobble together a collection that was reflective of who I was,” she said.

About four years ago, Ms. Merson started developing her own makeup line named Reina Rebelde, geared specifically toward Hispanic-American women. The line officially launched in August 2016 and is exclusively sold online with products ranging in price from $15 to $20.

“I thought that there was a real need in the market and there was a deficit in how the industry was speaking to Latinas as a whole and our experience in this country,” she said.

The brand celebrates the complex identity of Latinas in America, which can often times seem contradictory. It comes at a time where Hispanic-Americans are the largest minority group in America according to the 2015 U.S. Census.

“We speak Spanish, we speak English, we’re pulled in all these different directions.

I think it can be messy, but in how messy it is, it’s also a really beautiful and empowering thing,” said Ms. Merson.

The brand name itself, Reina Rebelde, is a testament to the duality of a Latina identity. According to Ms. Merson, reina, or “queen,” speaks to the feminine side of Latinas and their obsession with beauty.

Rebelde, or “rebel,” addresses the strength of Latina women, who she said often “run the show” despite the patriarchal culture in Latin America.

“It’s meant to be a juxtaposition of the fact that this woman has both sides of this personality and she carries them with her at all times,” said Ms. Merson. “She’s always a queen, she’s always a rebel, and the makeup line channels this theme throughout it in the way products perform.”

Ms. Merson started Reina Rebelde after getting laid off from her job as a bankruptcy attorney at Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP. Growing up, she was a part of Greenhill’s Debate team and always wanted to be a lawyer. After graduating from Yale University with a B.A. in History, she attended the University of Chicago Law School, believing that a career in law would “constantly be interesting and intellectually challenging.” However, after practicing, she decided that she wanted to pursue something more creative.

“I figured out that I really wanted to do

Photos courtsey of Regina Merson

LAWYER TURNED ENTREPRENEUR: Regina Merson (top), former bankruptcy attorney, started her own makeup company from scratch, featuring her brushes (bottom left) and various forms of makeup.

something that dealt with people on a more granular level and was more creative.”

Ms. Merson accredits Greenhill for encouraging her creative instincts by nurturing an inclusive environment where students feel safe to be different.

“Greenhill was always very cutting edge in having a very inclusive environment,” she said. “I think Greenhill always made me feel at home.”

Now, Ms. Merson is “living the startup life” and does everything from tailoring the colors in her products to managing the budget and marketing her brand. Although she does not make the products herself, she

works with a chemist in her manufacturing company to ensure that each product is produced the way she envisioned it. Ms. Merson said that her job now is equally stressful and time-consuming as it was when she was a bankruptcy attorney.

However, she feels that the grunt work helps her understand her business better.

“I’m a very process oriented person. I like to see how the sausage is made,” she said.

This attention to detail allows her to connect with consumers all throughout the United States, and in some cases, abroad.

Ms. Merson said people often buy her products because they personally relate to

the message of Reina Rebelde. She tries to encourage this by featuring clients on Reina Rebelde’s social media accounts.

“I think it’s important, now with social media, to use that to tell someone’s story,” she said. “Yes, it is about the makeup. Yes, she looks beautiful. But by the way, she’s also accomplished all these amazing things against a lot of odds.”

Although Reina Rebelde is tailored towards Latinas, with Spanish words scattered throughout the brand’s website and packaging, Ms. Merson hopes that nonLatina women will use her products to learn something new about Hispanic culture.

Many of her products contain allusions to important events in Hispanic history, such as the eyeliner “Zapatista,” named after Emiliano Zapata who gave birth to the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, a rebel army in the south of Mexico.

“Maybe they’ll be compelled while they’re waiting in line getting their salad somewhere, to Google it,” she said.

“There’s so much about Mexican culture and other Latin-American cultures that’s misunderstood in this country, and very much put into one bucket. And I think that’s done a tremendous disservice to everybody.”

While Reina Rebelde’s message focuses on Latina empowerment, Ms. Merson admits that it can be difficult to create a brand that accommodates every Latina, especially since the demographic is so diverse.

“It’s hard because you can’t make everyone happy. There’s some lighter skinned Latinas, there’s some darker skinned Latinas, there’s Afro-Latinas,” she said. “For me, the emphasis is really on intense, bold colors that very much announce, ‘Here I am, I actually have makeup on my face.’ I think most Latinas want people to know they’re actually wearing makeup. I’m that way too.

It’s on. I’m not trying to pretend for it not to be on.”

Senior Isabel Chavez, a Latina and makeup lover, recognizes the difficulties in speaking for an entire group of people. At the same time, she believes that the mission of Reina Rebelde is important.

“I understand if people don’t agree with her [categorizing] all Latinas, just because it is kind of dangerous to speak for an entire group. But I don’t see it as harmful, I see it as kind of cool. I don’t know. It’s just kind of badass,” she said.

Still, Ms. Merson sees the makeup line as an extension of her own experiences.

“I think it’s really important to be authentic to who you are, and for me the authenticity lies in being inspired by my experiences as a Mexican-American woman who’s from Mexico, who immigrated here, who was educated here, who had a career here,” she said. “But I still feel very much tied to my Mexican roots, and I think that’s something that will always be apparent in the line.”

Reina Rebelde’s Bestsellers

A one-swipe lip wand of high-density color for a bésame mouth with a stay-put intensity that won’t bleed or feather.

Four highly saturated and pearlized eye shadows in a long-wearing, velvety smooth pressed powder that remind the world que tu eres La Jefa de tu vida.

High-shine lips for a high-shine mujer.

Intensely pigmented, long-wearing lip gloss that won’t dry out lips.

A luxurious and multi-use face palette featuring a pearlized blush, gorgeous highlighter and bronzer.

Photos and descriptions from www.reinarebelde.com

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The stories around the corner A look at independent bookstores in DFW

Sophie Bernstein

Backpage Editor

Inside the open doors of Deep Vellum Books, Anne Hollander, one of the co-founders, greets customers as they enter the intimate, book filled space. When a customer asks for a novel with “good vibes, something to make her think but not overly academic,” Anne springs to action, walking to just the right shelves.

With a moments reflection, she can recall the shipment of books the store last received, each selected with care. She knows the words that line the spines on the shelves, and she has stories about the local artists whose paintings and work sit on display around the room. She knows the coffee shop down the street, Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters, which supplies the coffee they sell. Anne knows Deep Vellum Books.

Most Greenhill students know of Barnes & Noble and Half-Price Books, but the local literary scene boasts some smaller bookshops too. With the approaching arrival of Interabang, an independent bookstore to open in the Preston Royal shopping center

in May, Dallas is now home to Deep Vellum Books, The Wild Detectives, Lucky Dog Books and Serj Books & Local Food, in addition to The Last Word Bookstore in Fort Worth.

Greenhill librarian Sonja Hayes said that independent bookstores have a more cultural atmosphere as opposed to larger corporations.

“At your larger bookstores, you don’t have that personal feel like in smaller bookstores. The vibe is different in your larger chain bookstores,” she said.

In a 2014 article for Slate, Zachary Karabell wrote that “sales at indies have grown about eight percent a year over the past three years, which exceeds the growth of book sales in general.” Additionally in a 2016 piece for the Dallas Observer, Karen Gavis wrote there is “a counter surge of independent thinkers and bookstores around Dallas.”

However, according to a survey conducted by The Evergreen, only 36.4 percent of the 173 students that responded said that they knew of any independent bookstores around Dallas. The survey was emailed to all Upper School students and recieved 173

responses out of the students in the Upper School.

“Not really. My first resource is the usually Greenhill library, and then if not, I’ll try to find what I need at Barnes and Noble,” said senior Geli Kane when asked whether she felt like she knew of independent bookstores around Dallas.

O’Bryant Vinson ‘16, who reports reading at least 30 minutes per day, said that current Greenhill students should be more aware of independent bookstores.

“I think the average Greenhill student is open minded enough to find a book at an independent bookstore that you won’t find at a large store,” he said.

“There’s a surprise factor that you can’t find at large stores.”

Some of these local shops have a clear message for high school students.

“Shop at your independent bookstore. Find one in your community and do everything you can to support it, and that support doesn’t just have to come from buying books. It’s attending events that they have. It’s showing up and talking to the people in the community who are there in the store,” Anne said.

Graphic by Drake Heptig

he t and

goes to...

As the awards season rapidly approaches, The Evergreen asked film and music connesieurs within the Grenhill community to give an “Evergreen Award” to their favorite work.

Joel Garza, Upper School English teacher, gives an Evergreen Award for “Best Picture” to Moonlight.

Michael Haskins, Upper School Science teacher, gives an Evergreen Award for “Best Album” to Views by Drake.

Jack Oros, Upper School Dean of Students, gives an Evergreen Award for “Best Picture” to Hidden Figures.

Crystal Duckert, Upper School English teacher, gives an Evergreen Award for “Best Album” to Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper.

Michael Legacy, Upper School Math teacher, gives an Evergreen Award for “Best Picture” to Arrival.

Karin Thomas, Upper School English teacher, gives an Evergreen Award for “Best Album” to Lemonade by Beyoncé.

Corbin Doyle, MS/US Visual Art teacher, gives an Evergreen Award for “Best Picture” to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Andrew Mercurio, Upper School English teacher, gives an Evergreen Award for “Best Album” to Hardwired...To Self Destruct by Metallica.

Reporting by Natalie Gonchar and Alice Zhang

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Teachers in tune They grew up with each other. There are lots of funny stories. They were already becoming good friends at three years old and are still best friends today,” Mr. Paraskevas said.

As their two sons entered high school, the children joined the same sports teams and became even closer.

“They played sports together, football and baseball, and [Mr. Donnell and I] would sit together at their games,” Mr. Paraskevas said.

In addition, Mr. Donnell and Mr. Paraskevas share similar beliefs and priorities, which brings them closer together professionally and on a friendship basis.

Ross Rubin

Asst. Views Editor

Brian Donnell, MS/US Band Director, opens his car door as he waves to his neighbor, MS/US Orchestra Director Nicholas Paraskevas. Both men start their engines, take the same route only to arrive at the same school and proceed to walk into the same building and sit at their adjacent desks.

Both of these men, Mr. Donnell and Mr. Paraskevas, are Greenhill Legends in the Fine Arts Department in addition to being best friends.

Mr. Paraskevas and Mr. Donnell first met when Mr. Paraskevas moved to Greenhill as a part-time orchestra teacher in 1990. He recalls that Mr. Donnell showed him the ropes to teaching at Greenhill.

“I came in as a new teacher midway through the first semester, so I had very little orientation to speak of.

Mr. Manes and Mr. Donnell kept me going. They told me, ‘This is what you need to know.

This other stuff you don’t need to worry about right now,” Mr. Paraskevas said.

To return the favor of introducing him to Greenhill, Mr. Paraskevas recommended Mr. Donnell and his family live in a vacant lot half a block away from his house when they were searching for a house closer to Greenhill.

The proximity of their two houses allowed for their newborn children to gain a quick, strong bond. The two sons shared many fond and funny memories growing up.

Photo by Areeba Amer

BEST BUDS: Teachers Brian Donnell and Nick Paraskevas have been friends for 27 years.

“I would drive them back and forth from sports practices and they would the back seat giggling and talking be in about things that I didn’t understand and I could never understand, but it was fun. And it was a nice connection with lots of great memories,” Mr. Donnell said.

Their sons Michael Paraskevas ’10 and Foster Donnell ’10 went through Greenhill (Pre-K to twelfth grade) together and spent time together outside of school as well.

“Michael Paraskevas was always at our house and Foster was always at their house and I think in Middle School and Upper School they probably ate two dinners a

night, one at each house,” Mr. Donnell said.

During both times of happiness and hardship, the families were able to trust and support one another.

“One night our daughter got very dehydrated, so in the middle of the night we needed to take her to the hospital. We asked if we could leave our son, Michael, with the Donnell’s, and they said of course.

That gave us the opportunity to go and take care of our daughter. Everything turned out okay,” Mr. Paraskevas said.

Mr. Donnell and Mr. Paraskevas’ friendship grew as a result of their sons’ friendship.

“We have gone to things together, mostly things involving the kids.

“

Mr. Donnell is a man of great integrity. He stands up for what he believes in no matter what. We do share many core values, and that has been a source of affirmation both for us personally and for our kids.”

Even after their sons left the house, the two music teachers are still great friends in school and outside of school.

“We talk a lot about all sorts of things, and I’ve always enjoyed his conversations, the long conversations about baseball, what the Cowboys need to do in the offseason, trends in music, whatever it is. Often times, it’s after everyone leaves and we’re still here doing some work and before we go home and we just sit and talk,” Mr. Donnell said.

An enlightened review of NxWorries’ Yes, Lawd!

Arhum Khan

Design Editor

Producer Knxwledge and singer/ rapper Anderson .Paak know their sound.

The collision of hip-hop, R&B, funk, and soul works perfectly for their duo NxWorries.

Their debut album, “Yes Lawd!” is a collage of beautiful samples and smooth vocals. Knxwledge is known for his layered intricate sampling that transforms gospel records into beautiful and complicated beats. .Paak is known for his ability to produce a carousel of sounds within multiple genres. “Yes Lawd!” is indicative of the duo’s chemistry.

“

With the flexibility in .Paak’s voice and diverse nature of Knxwledge instrumentals, NxWorries has created a unique recipe for success.”

The 19 tracks on the project never surpass the three-minute mark.

It almost sounds like a beat tape Knxwledge would release in general, but it contains a strong coherence. He is able to focus on a sound throughout every song while showing off his skillful range. .Paak compliments these songs extremely well. His raspy and weathered singing sounds manufactured for Knxledge’s music.

One of my favorite things about Anderson .Paak is his ability to tell stories. He touches on love, relationships and heartbreak throughout the entirety of the project. However, as he creates vivid images, .Paak’s approach is very effective. For example, on “Get Bigger/Do U Luv,” he sets

up his life as a seventeen-year-old kid chasing what he thought was the love of his life. The details in the story range from the cars he saw that day to the turkey in his sandwich for lunch. As he concludes the song, these small vignettes evoke as much emotion as possible.

Gems like “Khadija” make “Yes Lawd!” a magical album for me.

With the soft drums and melodic bass line, .Paak sings about life’s hardships and the ultimate comfort of his mother in the end. This is one of the more mellow songs on the record, but it still sends grooves down my spine. Similarly, “Wngs” and “Kutless” possess a calm nature that is unbelievably soothing.

My favorite track might have to be “What More Can I Say.” Knxwledge masterfully uses pretty warm violin strings with a strong bass rumble while .Paak pleads about the chains of love saying “I keep trynna tell you, you can’t keep me on a leash.” The best part is when after a minute, the horns beautifully enter transforming and progressing the track.

Knxwledge and Anderson .Paak work so well together because they allow each other to shine. On songs like “Another Time,” I can hear why .Paak’s voice is so special. His range and special sound is a hybrid that’s unheard of, but his ability to write cannot be overlooked. On “Sidepiece” and “Starlite” .Paak sings to his seeming lover about commitment and ambition.

He has a talent for lyricism, and that’s proven by his solo releases like “Malibu.”

Songs like “Suede” and “Link Up” were released a year before “Yes Lawd!,” but they most certainly

have served as an identifier for NxWorries.

These songs made everyone excited for what was yet to come. They are the more hype songs on the album possessing a soulful dance emotion.

Maybe unconventional, but you can still bump them at the function.

I certainly was not let down by the release of “Yes Lawd!” I think NxWorries is doing something extremely special and I am most

Graphic by Arhum Khan

definitely a fan. It’s always a difficult thing to create a new sound in today’s music, so this project is refreshing and exciting. I’ll have “Yes Lawd!” on repeat for a while, but I just can’t wait for what’s coming in the future.

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Sports It’s all about the mindset A look at sports psychology at Greenhill

Stephen Crotty Staff Writer

A penalty kick in soccer is one of the most challenging mental tests in sports.

With just 12 yards of grass separating a player from a 192 square foot goal and a goalkeeper, the biggest obstacle is one’s confidence, focus and motivation. Greenhill has made cognizant efforts to prepare for these types of mental tests in all sports.

Sports psychology is not just a tool for professional and Division I athletes anymore. Both public and private high schools all over the country are attempting to teach their studentsathletes newer, more efficient ways of dealing with competition anxiety to order to encourage greater success.

According to Chad Wabrek, Head of Athletics and Physical Education, sports psychology maximizes a student-at h lete’s chance for success by combining mental preparation w i t h

physical preparation.

“I think of mindset. In the end, sports psychology comes down to mindset of each individual athlete. We’re n o t adding staffing, we’re not doing things like that. We’re just looking at how we can better attack mindsets as it relates to student-athletes,” Coach Wabrek said.

Coach Wabrek has not implemented any special programs related to sports psychology, electing instead to delegate the legwork to coaches so they can implement ideas for their individual sports.

Stacey Johnson, Head Coach of Upper School Track & Field, recognizes the role that greater focus, psychological readiness and mental preparation plays in a sport like Track & Field.

“To be able to run a race like the 400m is a tough thing to do.

Graphic by Drake Heptig

You have to be able to be confident in yourself to mentally be able to go out and trust that you can do it physically,” Coach Johnson said.

Although Coach Johnson does not have a degree in psychology, he does try help athletes cope mentally with the pressures of competition.

“We’re not sports psychologists by any stretch of the imagination, but we try to do what we can to help kids to develop confidence and help them be less anxious,” said Coach Johnson.​ Among student-athletes, some students see the variation in mental tactics used and some see none at all in their respective sports.

Colton Bobbitt, a varsity letterman, believes that there isn’t any element of sports psychology taught by coaches.

“I don’t think Greenhill talks about sports psychology. I have never had a meeting where the coaches talked about the mental aspect of the game. I think Greenhill should try and educate athletes on how to have a better mental game,” Colton said.

According to Coach Wabrek, the atmosphere of youth sports has changed dramatically over the years, citing examples

such as earlier participation rates and athlete informality with coaches. Greenhill’s best interest is to keep up with these changes.

“When I was your age, if a coach said ‘Run five laps,’ we ran five laps. Kids are smarter now, they want to know ‘Why are we doing things?’ Now kids want to engage and they want to understand, and I love that,” Coach Wabrek said.

Another one of those changes is the branding the Athletic Department has used to foster a competitive identity. Greenhill has taken steps to strengthen the school’s competitive structure and contribute to a definition of “Relentless Effort,” a key component of Greenhill’s sports culture and psychological identity. This is evident through branding on the fields as well as building walls and signs of words related to Greenhill’s athletic philosophy in the locker room and High Performance Center.

Despite all the online curriculums, branding and psychological study, the essence of sports psychology remains simple.

In the end, it is about questioning what can be done to combat mental challenges associated with competition. “‘How do I deal with adversity now?’

‘How do I keep my emotions in check with the game on the line?’ ‘How do I know how to calm myself down?’ At this point, I, personally, as Head of the department, want to start identifying, I want to say ‘What does sports psychology mean as it relates an athlete here at Greenhill?’” Coach Wabrek said.

Op-ed: Trash the trash talk

Ellen Margaret Andrews Executive Editor

If there is one action in the sport of basketball that often proves to be a player’s kryptonite, it is taking a charge. A charge transpires when a defensive player sets him or herself directly in the path of a running offensive player, attempting to have the offensive player run into them. If done correctly, a referee will call a foul on the offensive player, which causes a turnover.

Charges are often some of the more violent moments that a spectator might see during a basketball game, and yet sometimes, the most exciting. Players are frequently taught to yell in the process of taking a charge, in order to better their chances of receiving a call in their favor.

In the past, I disliked taking charges because I feared I would hurt myself, or execute them so poorly that referees would have no choice but to call the foul on me.

However, as I’ve overcome my so-called “charge-aversion,” I’ve been exposed to an aspect of the sport I’ve loved since I was two years old that both concerns and disappoints me greatly. Recently, after either attempting or successfully taking a charge, yelling in the process as I’ve been taught, I’ve received discouraging comments from opposing players. I’ve been called a “phony” and a

Photo courtesy of Allen Einstein

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT: Trash talk and unsportsmanlike action came to the forefront at a 2004 Pistons-Pacers game, infamously dubbed the “Malice at the Palace.”

“f***ing joke,” among other disheartening remarks.

Sure, I could be the target of infinitely worse comments as many athletes I know have. Players I know have received personal attacks from their opponents, and often times these are the sort of attacks that would lead one with no choice but to defend him or herself and respond. I certainly agree that players have the right, and often times

should stand up for themselves when they hear verbal assaults. However, at the end of the day, I do not believe anyone should have to respond in the first place. I believe that trash talking has no place in sports.

Athletics are as mentally challenging as they are physical, but for someone’s frustration to manifest itself through anger or disrespect directed towards another competitor is inexcusable. If an athlete is

looking to mentally discourage an opponent, he or she should focus on being over-prepared for the competition. It is equally frustrating and exhausting to face someone completely prepared to counter your tendencies or someone who is superiorly conditioned to you, evident of difficult training a player has done off the court.

Frustrating an opponent in this manner, however, does not offend him or her nor does it bring hostility to the game. A player who demands respect in a decent manner, such as outworking another competitor, will only improve the quality of the game.

It will encourage those whom he or she has frustrated to prove themselves by emulating their opponent’s actions.

If we as athletes can work to break the vicious cycle of trash talking, we can establish a foundation of respect on our fields of play.

We can begin to remember that after all, we play sports because it establishes healthy lifestyles. We play sports because of what we can learn from our teammates, as well as our opponents. We play sports to because it is fulfilling to outcompete someone else, fulfilling to accomplish goalskj and fulfilling to do that which we once thought we were unable to. If anger and frustration must be a part of sports, we must look at healthy and positive ways to let them out.

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Greenhill’s X Factor

A look at star athlete Xavier Bryant’s influence on Greenhill Athletics Samar Ahmad Asst. Arts Editor

The night of August 26 is considered a historic moment in Greenhill history. That night, the Greenhill Hornets Football team defeated St. Mark’s School of Texas for the first time in 13 years. This, among many other memorable moments this year, has been a result of the sheer effort junior Xavier “X” Bryant puts in on a day-to-day basis when out on the football field or the basketball court, according to teammate Konnell Woods.

X has not always played the sports that he is recognized for today. In fact, he played soccer up until fifth grade, before switching to basketball. His dad had always wanted him to play football. X, however, never quite took an interest in the sport until his sophomore year. Upon joining the Greenhill community, former Head Football Coach Tom Williams identified X as a player he needed on his team.

“Coach Williams really influenced my decision to play football. He said that I would be good at it because of my background in basketball, and that playing football would help me with basketball,” said X. X’s commitment throughout the years stems from both the

Photo courtesy of Patrick Green

BALLING OUT: Xavier Bryant dribbles up the court in a win at a home game against Episcopal School of Dallas during the 2014-2015 season. As a junior this season, Bryant is averaging 22.5 points per game.

success he has seen as well as the support of Greenhill’s fans. X said that initially he was not very good at basketball, describing what he did as “just running up and down the court.” However, after getting a feel for the game and witnessing personal growth at a fairly rapid rate, he identifies the energy that he gets from the activity as an essential source of motivation.

The effort X puts in is met by the encouragement of many, thus keeping him motivated while playing.

“I really like the feeling of

playing in front of big crowds as that atmosphere of the fans who support me keeps me going,” X said.

While X can’t quite put his finger on what it is that he loves so much about basketball, he recognizes its influence on his life. Basketball and football have become ingrained into his life, in terms of both his schedule and his character.

“I really don’t know why I love sports so much. It’s just something I’ve done my whole life and it affects me greatly,” he said.

His basketball coach at Greenhill for the past three years, Coach Joey Sims, believes that the best part of working with X is not only his talent, but watching him grow significantly as a competitor and a leader.

“His basketball IQ is through the roof. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever had the opportunity to coach. He’s a heck of an athlete, and he definitely makes our team and other people better,” said Coach Sims.

Now, as coaches from around the nation come to watch him play,

it is clear that his long-time passion for sports has not only affected him growing up, but will pave the path to his future. With stats like 1000 receiving yards this past fall, X has attracted the attention of multiple universities. While he does not have any offers for football yet, he foresees that he will have some after the summer due to his success. For basketball, X has an offer from Sam Houston State University and is anticipating more.

“Now that [college coaches] are starting to contact me, it’s all about really improving and getting stronger, faster. Going to Greenhill is also a plus over other potential players,” X said.

With so many options to choose from, X is keeping an open mind and working on his craft. He says that he would enjoy playing both football and basketball in college, but recognizes that being a dual-athlete would be hard to balance at certain schools.

“I see sports as something to get me somewhere. I’m just focused on my progression through life. I would like to get school paid for, and maybe play at the higher level after that. At the end of the day, I’m just trying to succeed in life, and get a good education and job,” X said.

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Graphic by Amy Yang

Coaches pursue alternative methods to ensure student-athletes do not drink Radhe Melwani Features Editor

Maya Ghosh Backpage Editor

It is both illegal and against school policy to drink and do drugs as a minor, so many coaches take extra precautions to ensure the safety and well being of their team. These coaches try to dissuade athletes from breaking the rules by talking to their teams often and sometimes even enforcing their own punishments in addition to the school’s.

Until two years ago, the Athletics Department required student-athletes on both varsity and junior varsity sports to sign extensive contracts affirming they will be drug and alcohol-free. However, Athletic Director Chad Wabrek dissolved the initiative two years ago.

Mr. Wabrek said the school gives disciplinary action to students and studentathletes that break the rules specified in the student handbook, which includes [penalty] for using drugs and alcohol. Now, there is no set policy for coaches when addressing drugs and alcohol and the methods coaches take to dissuade usage vary from team to team.

Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach Darryn Sandler often talks to his team in order to instill a sense of dedication and stop drug and alcohol use amongst team members.

“If an athlete chooses to use drugs and alcohol, they are acting selfishly because they are not mindful of the impact it has on their team. I talk to my team often so that they know that these actions not only affect themselves but their teammates as well,” Coach Sandler said.

Junior Ariana Luterman, a Varsity Cross-Country and Track athlete, shares a similar outlook. “[Not drinking is] not just an obligation to my team, but it is an obligation to myself.

When people make those decisions, they have to understand the impact it has on the team,” Ariana said.

While Coach Sandler often talks to his team, Boys Varsity Golf Coach Mike Krueger doesn’t talk to his team about drinking and

drugs unless it is before a school dance or a major function.

“I talk to my team about the hazards of drugs and alcohol, but in the end, everyone makes their own decisions. If somebody makes those choices, I let the school punish them,” Coach Krueger said.

The typical punishment for students who break alcohol and drug policy was once a one week’s suspension from sports according to the training rules. The training rules were abolished two years ago. Now, the athletic department and the school partners together in order to give adequate disciplinary action that varies case by case.

Further action taken is often taken by coaches in order to ensure that their team takes their actions seriously.

“After student comes back to practice, I still don’t feel comfortable letting them back in the rotation until after two to three weeks,” Coach Sandler said.

Girls Varsity Volleyball Coach Tatiane Deibert has another method of dealing with players who have been punished by the school.

“For me, I will take the understanding over the punishment. The punishment is just a small picture of it,” said Coach Deibert. “I think the understanding of your teammates and knowing that they are right behind you and they depend on you is more important. I think that is much bigger than just drinking.”

Coach Deibert believes that every student has a chance to redeem himself or herself as long as they take responsibility for their actions and their consequences.

“One of my athletes came forward and said, ‘Coach, I wanted to just blend in and I did it and it was silly and I am very sorry.’ I was very proud of her. She was very young and she learned from that. She earned my trust even though she broke our commitment and let her teammates down at that time. We had a great conversation which was a good growth opportunity which as young adults or teenagers is important,” Coach Deibert sa id.

Forming a comfortable relationship with each individual player to prevent illegal choices is a sentiment that is expressed by

multiple coaches.

“I think that really forming that trust with each individual player is important, everyone has a role and everyone is important. If each individual feels valued

in what their role may be, there may not be a need to feel that they need to be doing these things on the weekends or whatever it may be,” said Girls Varsity Lacrosse Coach Stephanie Finley.

wednesday, february 8, 2017

the

Evergreen

A questioned journey

In the days and weeks leading up to winter break, I got asked three key questions over and over again. “Are you serious?”

“Why would you do that?” “Are you sure that’s safe?” These questions immediately proceeded the statement, “I’m going to Iraq over the break.”

The questions are valid. Iraq is not yet

entirely safe, and it is scary to think of going there. I usually responded by saying “We’re going on a religious trip. I’m really excited about it!” At the time, it was an acceptable answer. However, after having been on the trip, I can tell you all that answer is nowhere near sufficient. So here’s my new answer to you.

First, here’s a little bit of background.

Most of you have probably heard of the name Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam.

This trip I went on, known as “ziarat” or “visit”, was a journey to the shrines of the family and extended family of the Prophet as well as some other key figures in the history of Islam who helped shape the religion.

Another huge part of this journey was learning how Christianity, Judaism and Islam are all connected. Along with hearing

Living in La-La-Land

Ryan Gosling is a beautiful man. As I left the theater after watching La La Land, I was pleased. It wasn’t the best movie ever, but it was fun to watch. I’m a brown kid living in the south during Trump’s America, so it’s fun to escape. I didn’t want to be the

guy to bring up how Gosling was the classic white holy savior hero trying to restore pure jazz while awkwardly patting old black men on the shoulder. So when La La Land received a record 14 Oscar nominations, I wasn’t complaining—it’s just the way it is.

But now I think La La Land is deserving. It will probably win best picture and a bunch of other stuff. This so called musical is the definition of our generation. What says Hollywood better than whitewashing and masculinity while (dare I say it) appropriating jazz. Its tacky commercialism and mood is the synthesis of our culture. An average and rather subpar, amateur performance, musically praised and upheld to be the greatest work in the world. It

Standing as a voice for everyone

On Saturday, January 28, I was getting ready to watch Netflix when I got a text from my sister. She told me there was a small but growing protest going on at Dallas Fort Worth Airport in response to the detention of 50 passengers who had just arrived from the Muslim countries that President Trump (single tear) had selected for his “ban” list.

And though I was tired and in desperate need of relaxing evening, I decided to go anyway. I’m not one to miss out on a protest, particularly if it’s for a cause that’s close to my heart.

When I got to the airport at about 5:30 p.m., the protest was a few dozen people and the chants had not yet begun. We crowded around the arrivals gate at Terminal D and we planned on waiting until the innocent men, women, and children were released. In the following hours, our numbers grew and grew until we reached well ovr a thousand people. There was no room to move or think or breathe but it was exhilarating nonetheless. We chanted with no end in sight, repeating phreases like “Say it lound andsay it clear, refugees are welcome here” and “Show me what democracy looks like-

Any given Sunday

Not only was August 25, 2016 the first day of my senior year here at Greenhill, but it was also the day I lost hope for the 20162017 Dallas Cowboys season. The fragile Tony Romo came out of that Thursday preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks with a broken bone in his back, while the rest of us left that game with broken hearts.

Another mediocre season was on the rise.

Another year of jokes, ridicule, and mockery of “America’s Team.”

Everyone knows what happened next.

And by next, I mean for the following five

months. Fourth round draft pick Dak Prescott, filling in for Romo, along with fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliot at running back, took the NFL by storm and led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and the top seed in the National Football Conference (NFC) heading into the playoffs. Picked by many to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, the Cowboys began the playoffs after their bye week at home against the Green Bay Packers.

To spare all readers who are like me and would set the paper aside at this point, I’m going to skip the majority of the game and focus on one player: Green Bay Packer kicker, Mason Crosby. With the score tied at 28 and 1:33 remaining in the game, Crosby, whose longest field goal this year had previously been 53 yards, booted a 56-yard field goal through the uprights to take the lead. After a great drive with some questionable coaching decisions, the Cowboys tied the game but left time on the clock for the Packers. Crosby, again facing tremendous pressure, nailed a 51-yard field

afterwords

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speeches highlighting key similarities, we devoted almost an entire day to offering prayers in honor of prophets from all three religions. Even though I knew going in that the three religions have a lot in common, I learned so much more about what we share.

Now, to address the three pressing questions of everyone who I told I was going. The danger of Iraq means nothing when you are standing next to and praying next to the family of the Prophet, the leaders of Islam and learning about who they were, their teachings about life and how they gave their lives for and/or because of Islam. I have never found a stronger sense of inner peace then when I was standing next to the son and grandson of the Prophet. So yes, Iraq is dangerous, but as a Muslim and especially as a Shia, I have never be more at peace with

myself or felt more confident in Islam then when I was in Iraq. I have never felt more at home then when i was standing next to the son or grandson of the Prophet.

Yes, there were a lot of hardships, inconveniences and heartbreaking aspects of this trip. This experience was eye opening in more than just a religious ways. Driving through the war torn parts of Iraq and seeing what terrorism has done to this country was eyeopening, humbling yet ultimately inconsequential to the overall journey itself.

I will always be grateful that I went on such an incredible journey, and while I’m not the most religious person in the world, I hope to use the new knowledge I have gained to share what the real Islam is all about.

bothers me that this is literally the best story there was to tell—a full feature length film about a white couple’s miscommunication issues to say the least.

I liked it because we are living in a La La Land. I wasn’t escaping during the movie; this mindset is normalized. The white, male, American dream is Ryan Gosling in this movie and is all I know. A rich business man and crappy TV celebrity can become the president. He doesn’t have to be the president of the Harvard Law Review unless he’s black.

At the end of the day, La La Land is most certainly the best picture we collectively deserve. We are blind to the cycle. We accept Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s good, not

great acting because the powers that be give them trophies. That’s how these become the most important stories we decide to tell.

Then, people go home to a movie like La La Land to feel empowered and fulfilled.

As much as it annoys me, I’m the hypocrite. I liked the movie and its emotion.

So when I’m writing a script or making a movie, I’ll think of what type of stories I really want to tell. It might be the honest experience or the template of a classic Ryan Gosling. Only one wins Oscars. Until we wake up together, I think La La Land will always receive success—we don’t deserve better.

this is what democracy looks like.” I stood alongside strangers and peers (shout out to Annika and Zayna) and our collective determination towards justice carried us into the late hours of the night.

The most exhilarating part, though, wasn’t the crowd or the chanting or the often times hilarious and relevant posters that people brought with them; the best part of the night was the intense and palpable spirit of intersectionality. As I and fellow volunteers passed out food and water to the crowds, it warmed my heart beyond belief to see old men and women standing in the crowd amongst the millennials. There were little children (and even some babies) participating in the protests and their excited (albeit exhausted) faces warmed my heart.

As the protests continued into the early

hours of the morning, I decided to stay the night and lend support to those family members of the detainees who could not bring themselves to go home. I met an SMU student, Osama, whose Syrian parents were being held by the police in the customs room. He sat with me and with others throughout the night. We tried to keep our conversation on the lighter side and we ended up learning a lot about one another.

That night there were people who identified as Hispanic, African American, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and gay, and there was not one argument to be had. We stood united in the face of adversity and pledged to continue standing together during what will be a difficult four years for millions and millions of Americans. Needless to say, the night turned out better than a Netflix season.

goal as time expired to break the tie a second time and win the game.

As a die-hard Cowboys fanatic, by no means am I attempting to make stomachs turn by reliving this tragedy. In fact, let’s flash forward one week. Green Bay is in the conference championship game against the Atlanta Falcons, with the winner going to Houston two weeks later for the Super Bowl.

Green Bay’s first drive of the game ended with Crosby trotting out onto the field to attempt a 41-yard field goal. First quarter, little pressure, right? No good, wide right.

He made two 50+ yard field goals while he was practically drowning in pressure just the week before, but flat out missed this one.

Similar to how the Dallas Cowboys enjoyed a 13-win season and had their world come crashing down against Green Bay, Mason Crosby came in clutch one week and then disappeared the next. The saying in football is “any given Sunday,” because and anyone can beat anyone and anything can happen on any given Sunday. The fortunes

of the Cowboys and Crosby both changed so quickly, and it’s important to see life like that too. Don’t get too excited about the highs or too down about the lows, because every day is a new day. While I hate to combine Annie and football, I’ve learned that the sun really will come out tomorrow. There’s always something to look forward to and, as cliché as it sounds, sometimes you just have to live life.

While I wish it hadn’t taken a Cowboys defeat to teach me this valuable lesson, I’m glad I got something out of that miserable day. The Cowboys will be back next season, just like how Mason Crosby will be lining up for field goal attempts in Green Bay. Even though their respective seasons didn’t end the way they had hoped, a new beginning is on the horizon. Just like them, my goal is to try to not get caught up in what life throws at me, because I know that anything can happen on any given Sunday.

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Evergreen

wednesday, february 8, 2017

Greenhill Love Letter Fill in the blanks before you read the letter to create a funny note for your Valentine (this can be a friend, family member, soulmate or pet).

My dearest __________, (your Valentine)

I __________ you almost as much as I __________ Greenhill. Since I met (same action verb)

(action verb)

you __________ years ago, you have always been my favorite __________ , other (noun)

(a number)

than Hugo the Hornet. You are as __________ as the peacocks, and as __________ (adjective)

(adjective)

as our fearless leader Mr. Griggs. When I see you, my heart __________ as fast as (action verb)

it does when I’m late to __________. For you I would suffer through __________. (least favorite class)

(something you hate)

Some friends are __________, but to me you are green and gold. (color)

Love always, __________, (fave GH catchphrase)

__________ (your name)

What should you do on Valentine’s Day? I’m flying solo.

START: Who are your fellow adventurers?

“Me” time

Hang out with the one person who truly matters: yourself!

Loved ones, who else?

Your Soulmate

Your Family

Movie Date...

Aww! So cute.

Casually touch hands while reaching for popcorn at the movies.

Make breakfast in bed for relatives, and delight your whole family! Consider something chocolate-y.

Your Friends

Tree hugger?

Picnic at the Arboretum with your best buds!

Smell the roses while enjoying excellent food!

Party animal?

Throw a party/ gathering and hang out with the only people who are almost as awesome as you!

Graphics by Drake Heptig