May 2012-2013 by The Evergreen, Greenhill School

Evergreen THE

May 15, 2013

Volume XLVIII, Issue 6

Power Lunch: The Team Behind Our Daily Bread

Photos by Ariana Zhang

PER ASPERA AD APPLES: Cafeteria staff members prepare for the day. Beginning near dawn and ending after lunch, the staff spends the day attending to myriad aspects of food preparation and service for Greenhill students and faculty. A typical day includes at least eight hours of cooking, cleaning, and serving in the cafeteria.

Francesca Riddick Asst. Sports Editor

t’s six in the morning, the sun hasn’t even reached the windows, and students and staff still have an hour before waking up to get ready for school. But the cafeteria workers are already in the kitchen, preparing for the day. They put out breakfast by 7 a.m., and students shuffle in to grab a breakfast taco to start their day. While students are in their first class, the crew whisks away hash browns and takes a pause for their own breakfast. Then they are back to preparing lunch for the young, hyper children that will be in around 11 a.m. Breakfast is a pre-game warmup; lunch is the real game, in the

fourth quarter, where the goal is to used to make breakfast and lunch. feed 1,400 people. This is where Across from the sinks stand two the hard work starts. I got floor large stoves, twice the size of a seats to see it all. normal range. On either side are We all know the shining, two deep fryers fiercely popping silver floors, the line that leads to grease bubbles, turning pale white the bar of main dishes, steaming potatoes into golden, crunchy so much they fog up the tater tots that are a glass covering them. We campus favorite. have seen the cafeteria Greenhill has a Lunch workers disappear community that feels is the real more like a family through the the doors game, where than classmates and into the kitchen, but the hard colleagues. That notion they quickly swing shut work starts.” carries into the kitchen. before we see what is behind them. Now is In the kitchen your chance. family, everyone has a One foot past those doors, you role to play, a position to fill. Ciro are almost overwhelmed by the Paul*, head of the salad department, gigantic cooking equipment filling is shoving a whole lettuce head and the room. A long, continuous sink other vegetables for the day’s salad lines the back wall, full of dishes over a shredder into a bowl close

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in size to a bicycle tire, and still has two more lettuce heads left. Jesús, Alfredo, and main chef Inocencio have thinly sliced today’s main-course meat, brisket, and are lightly saucing it before putting the slices onto bread. Most meats are done in-house. Our sliced turkey doesn’t come in brightly colored packages. Rather, when we eat a sandwich, the meat has been freshly sliced by the kitchen crew and put on display, awaiting the rest of its components. Another huge bowl contains the ingredients for an enormous batch of salad dressing, that is stirred with sheer arm-power to achieve a creamy consistency. With a tray of about 25 sandwiches, Inocencio crosses the cont’d on page 9

Upper School to implement online scheduling Ben Krakow Sports Editor

The days of messy, handwritten scheduling papers needing parent and advisor signatures will most likely be gone this fall. A new online program will replace the current process. Earlier this year, Laura Ross, Head of Upper School, headed a committee consisting of Steve Warner, Upper School Schedule Coordinator; John Simpson, Systems Administrator and Database Manager; Joe Monaco, Web and Media Services Manager; Marie Bigham, Director of College Counseling; and Rebecca Shuman, Assistant Head of Upper School. The committee heard pitches from several companies. The school will mostly likely go with Naviance, the same program the

College Counseling Office uses for junior and senior students and their parents. Instead of advisors having to hound advisees to get courseselection sheets in on time, there will be a date by which all UpperSchool students must have their course selections into the system. Mr. Warner will still oversee scheduling, but will not have to input everything from paper. Seniors will still have preference in system. The new system will make it easier for students, parents, advisors, and college counselors to communicate. “A student will put in their course request by a particular deadline, then the student, parents and advisor discuss at conference time, enter any notes or questions

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into the system, and then it goes to the college counselor for final approval,” Mrs. Ross said. Additionally, students will now be assigned their college counselor as freshmen before they make their course selections for sophomore year. “A student will know whom to talk to individually about the process,” Mrs. Ross said. The college counselors championed the new program, as it will allow them to easily look at their assigned students’ scheduling choices. The program will show which classes a student has been recommended for by their teacher from the previous year. For example, if a student is not eligible to take BC Calculus, the system will not let the student select that course. The new system will also

show a student’s trimester grades and GPA as well as graduation requirements. Mrs. Ross said the graduation requirements will be helpful when a student and his or her advisor work on seeing what requirements the student still needs to fulfill. A student’s other teachers will also be able to see his or her schedule. Much testing will occur before the system debuts in the fall. One thing that still needs to be solved is how to add and drop classes. Mrs. Ross and others on the committee realize there will be a learning curve for advisors and students, and, like with any new system, there will probably need to be adjustments. Training may involve teaching advisors how to use the system first, then having them teach their advisees.

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Also in this issue...

News Ugandan Visit

Five students from Uganda visited the campus on May 2. Features Editor Sofia Shirley details the foreign exchange. p. 4

Features Work Force Assistant Features Editor Varun Gupta profiles Greenhill students with jobs. p. 8

Senior Pullout Farewell, Seniors Senior advisors write letters to their advisees in commemoration of the last four years and anticipation of the future. p. 14

Special Report Service at Greenhill Greenhill’s community service program takes first place for integrated service learning. p. 15

Arts The Pianist Editor in Chief Rachel Diebner profiles senior piano prodigy Aaron Kurz. p. 16

Sports SPC Championships The Evergreen documents the spring SPC Championships in Houston, including a boys’ tennis championship. p. 20

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The Evergreen Wednesday [05.15.13]

VIEWS

Rants & Raves A RAVE to the Alumni weekend and its junior and senior seminars. An afternoon full of interesting presentations, no class, and fresh Sage Dining© black bean burgers is the ticket to our hearts. Come back anytime, alums!

A RANT to the plethora of SmartBoards that are not working. At this point, the “smart” in their name is more misleading than China’s “Great Leap Forward” or McDonald’s “healthy menu.” It’s time for these things to re-brand themselves. We recommend asking Kyle Matthew for advice on the process.

A RAVE to Greenhill’s Got Talent 2013. Greenhill students lit up the gymnasium with stand-up skill, angelic voices, mastery of Chinese instruments, and dance moves straight out of Bollywood. If Randy Jackson had been there, there is no doubt he would of found everything “really good, dawg.”

Staff Editorial So what did everyone think of the book? Silence. How many of you actually read the book? Silence. This scene shouldn’t be hard to recognize for veterans of the Upper School. It’s a ritual of every fall, like football games and Homecoming. One of the first F-days of the year, we split off into groups to discuss our all-school required reading from the summer. And just like a bad movie, there’s a predictable plot line: hardly anyone actually read it. The goal of the all-school book is admirable. It is the only time the entire Upper School comes together for a single academic purpose: reading a universally-appealing book for no reason other than to spark enriching discussion. But each year, faculty and students on the selection committee plough through countless titles to procure the perfect one for all of us, only to see their efforts met with a half-

A MENTAL SURVEY

A RAVE to all the teachers with candy at their desks. At this point, we might want candy more than Aaron Carter did circa 2000. As the old saying goes, a Butterfinger a day keeps the doctor away, so our obsession is nothing to worry about.

A RANT to the squeaky door in the writing lab. The annoying noise disrupts the zen of our writing process, which is not something we need during AP and exam season. Either this door relaxes, or we are taking matters into our own hands. Sleep with one eye open, Mr. Door.

A RAVE to the Facebook speaker during F-Day. It is always exciting to see Greenhill graduates doing great things, especially things that we enjoy. However, her message was clear: Even your photos with Martinelli’s sparking cider have no place on social media.

A RANT to the mass of SurveyMonkey emails flooding our inboxes. As much as we would love to help uncover the effects of CapriSun on the teenage digestive system, our time is limited. The good news is, we have a lot of future Gallup employees in our midst.

A RANT to the clubs that fizzled out at the end of the year. We may not like to admit it, but without the constant stream of emails about meetings, bake sales, or elections, we feel a little bit empty inside . . . and unpopular.

A RAVE to increased student service in the community garden. Before we know it, our assorted plants and vegetables will be reaching heights never before seen. Jack, from Jack and the Beanstalk, warns that with our botanist expertise there’s just no telling what we’ll find at the top. Content courtesy of Nick Kraus

Summer Reading: Boost student incentive to read

hearted — and that’s generous — response. The problem is obvious: students choose not to read because there is no incentive. There’s no tangible penalty for not reading. There’s also an obvious solution. But the one system worse than our current one would be the one that makes us write an essay or sit down for a test. Without a penalty or test, students will only read books they really want to read. Those in charge of summer reading understand that. Several students participate in the committee’s deliberations, and this year’s decision to have the student body vote between final choices indicates that summer reading leadership values our opinion. However, participation can go further. The committee is well-intentioned, but the reality is that students willing to devote time and energy sifting through multiple titles are the same ones that will read the eventual choice with no problem come summer. What

the summer reading decision needs is the input of students who wouldn’t otherwise participate. The vast majority of students will not join the committee — but that doesn’t mean they can’t nominate their own book to be taken into consideration. During the year, each advisory should submit a number of titles to the committee based on its students’ recommendations — a sort of application process, wherein students submit a book and a pitch on its behalf. Next, the committee can narrow down the long list of books into a select few. In addition to increasing student input, this would raise student investment. The larger the role we play in picking a book, the greater the interest in actually reading it. And rather than ending up with just one, the committee should leave it at a few. As admirable as the “one book fits all” philosophy may be, it simply is not feasible on such a large

scale. Instead, students should choose their summer reading book from a list, similar to the way junior-senior reading is already chosen. While we give up our chance at the ideal all-school discussion, choosing would give students the opportunity to directly cater their book towards their interests. This way, the system matches up students with books they actually care about: books from which they will get a true learning experience. Rather than silent classrooms on F-day, we would see rooms alive with interest and engagement — baseball fans, sci-fi aficionados, history buffs each given their own outlet through which to explore what fascinates them. The more input each student has, the more likely they will be to read the book. And the more likely they are to read, the more effective and beneficial the system can be. Then, the buzz of classroom A/C can be replaced by the buzz of enlightened discussion.

Evergreen staff THE

Serving Greenhill

since 1966 • 4141 Spring Valley Road • Addison TX, 75001

views editor

arts editor

asst. sports editor

Sanah Hasan

asst. news editor

Shruti Rao

Madison Goodrich

Francesca Riddick

managing editors

news editor

Ben Krakow Joseph Middleman

asst. features editors

backpage editor

Sera Tuz

sports editors

Varun Gupta Christina Zhu

Lizzy D’Apice

Miles Andres Mary Lo Ariana Zhang

design editor

features editor

double truck editor

asst. arts editor

business manager

print advisors

editor in chief

Rachel Diebner Alex Weinberg Ben Weinberg

Laura Arnold

Sofia Shirley

Christian Holmes

Catherine Leffert

Blake Lieberman

staff photographers

Eve Hill-Agnus Emily Wilson

online staff

Andrew Fields Lindsey Mahomes Danielle Stoler Isabet Tranchin

online advisor Pamela Kripke

Errata from Issue 4/3/13 p.1 Dr. Krawietz is from UT-Arlington, not UT-Austin. p.2 The football game cited as being against The Hockaday School was against St. Andrew’s Episcopal School.

wednesday, april 3, 2013

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Would the Greenhill community benefit from a restructuring of the schedule?

Many of Greenhill’s peer schools operate on a block schedule, which entails longer class sessions with fewer classes per day. The Hockaday School, Ursuline Academy, and the Episcopal School of Dallas (ESD) all operate on block schedules. Likewise, many schools start later: Ursuline starts at 9 a.m., and in the fall, Hockaday will transition from an 8 a.m. to an 8:30 a.m. start time. Would Greenhill benefit from a restructuring of the schedule?

Yes, the Greenhill community would benefit from a restructuring of the schedule.

No, the Greenhill community would not benefit from a restructuring of the schedule.

Before teaching at Greenhill, I never really had the occasion to think about scheduling—I just did the job I was told at the time that was convenient to my administrative overlords. On this campus, however, where I am blessed to think about many factors of student life, I am increasingly unsure that our current scheduling format is the most effective one for this campus. Let me begin by describing what happens in many Greenhill classes, no matter how long they are. During each class session, the teacher has to wait for students to arrive and prepare themselves—sometimes they are coming physically exhausted from Workout Challenge; sometimes they have moved quickly from chemistry to the far end of the English pod; sometimes they have had to stop at the locker room or restroom. Due to the myriad difficulties of just getting around, we teachers wait; we rarely get the chance to truly begin class at the stroke of, say, 11:45. Don’t misunderstand me—I’m not annoyed. I am merely searching for a better path forward. Ignoring the emotional and intellectual whiplash of moving from subject to subject, I am increasingly persuaded that the current schedule compromises my relationship with my students and worsens their relationship with each discipline. But let’s say that it’s a perfect day. Let’s imagine that all students arrive early. They’re rested. They have the book. They have something to write on and write with. Nobody has to pee. The teacher can then explain the path for the day, and in some way, encourage students to do their best. The teacher must cover the full breadth of the material, otherwise students feel as if their work was not necessary. While covering the material, though, the teacher has to provide time for students to explain their ideas, and even to explain their difficulties with the course. As a result, the teacher has to shift constantly between a variety of pedagogical tools in order to assess and make possible individual mastery of the material. Perhaps most importantly, the teacher must take the time to summarize what was covered each day. In 55 minutes. Thinking and learning are not track and field events. If any sports analogy fits, thinking and learning look most like cross country. Students need time to assess the terrain, to pace themselves, to be free to stumble sometimes and not worry that the entire race is lost. And most importantly, you need time to yourself; you need the challenge of independent work, without an adult correcting each step you make at each bend in the road. As a teacher and advisor, I sincerely believe that there might be benefits to a more patient path each day, to broader intellectual horizons as we journey together.

Later start times would be fantastic, at least for me—I drive an absurd distance from Frisco daily to get to school. If an 8:30 a.m. start meant switching over to a block schedule, though, I would still choose to deal with leaving my home at 7 a.m. to get here by 8 a.m. A block schedule certainly has its merits. There would likely be no need for fivemods anymore, as experiments or language lab recordings could easily be done within the larger sets of time allotted for each class. We could maybe write English drafts in class, with feedback from the teacher. And there’d be less walking around to do. Even so, there are serious drawbacks I saw when attending schools with a block schedule that I feel heavily outweigh the benefits. The first of these drawbacks is one of time and attention. Frankly, 90-minute long classes can be downright painful. I know several people (myself included) that can scarcely put up with a single five-mod. I am sure that teachers dislike the haze that can set in during the final 10 minutes of their classes that would have already ended any other letter day. From my personal experience, “breaks” in the middle of class that are intended to combat such fatigue either disrupt the class further or fail to materialize altogether. One of the best things about Greenhill’s current schedule, as seemingly hectic as it is, is flexibility. Having a second period break gives students the ability to make up assessments or talk with teachers that would be significantly more difficult to replicate in a block schedule system. What would I do if I needed to talk to my science teacher today, but didn’t have a free period until tomorrow? Relatedly, absences can be much more traumatizing, even short ones; missing an A-day because of sickness means you will have potentially missed almost an hour and a half of your AP Physics class, rather than 50 minutes or so. For classes that require regular reinforcement, block scheduling poses a serious logistical difficulty. I can think of several labs performed in AP Biology that require daily attention; if I can only visit the science building every other day, a serious issue arises. Foreign language classes especially would suffer; daily repetition is key, but having class as seldom as two times in one week makes that rather difficult. This is arguably true for a huge range of courses, from music to mathematics. Ultimately, a block schedule isn’t terrible, but I feel it would put undue stress on the student population to change our system—not only adjusting to the transition, but to the disadvantages of the schedule itself.

– Upper School English Teacher Joel Garza

– Junior Jake Eberts

The George W. Bush Presidential Center opened its doors to the public on May 1 at Southern Methodist University. History teacher Genie Burke comments on the reaction in the Dallas community.

Dear Editor, Ever since SMU began its aggressive campaign in the early 2000s to bring the George W. Bush library to its campus, there has been debate about whether or not it was “good” for SMU and the larger Dallas community. Some people thought “no.” A group of professors from SMU submitted a letter to the Board of Trustees expressing their concerns and, ultimately, protests, about housing Bush’s archive at the University. I remember thinking, what an ignorant letter from such a smart group of professors. Their worry that SMU would somehow turn into a “conservative think tank” seemed baseless. Had any of the signers of the letter ever been to a presidential library? It seems unlikely that few if any of the protestors understood the purpose of a presidential library. None of the 13 libraries have been built with a policy agenda in mind; they have been built to preserve history. It matters little if the people who work at SMU, live around the museum, or plan to attend the museum cast their ballot for Bush in 2000. It does not matter if they think Gore was robbed of the election or if they disagree with Bush’s No Child Left Behind program, his actions in Iraq, or the war on terrorism. The preservation and access to archives are important to citizens whether they are supporters or dissenters of a president. We have had 44 presidents, and only 13 have libraries. It’s part of our history, and as time unfolds, the Bush archives will be vital to understand the early stages of the post-9/11 world. I have heard one too many people disparage the fact that the Bush Library is in our community. It has made me sad at times, and at other times frankly angry. I have heard some say they would not step foot in the doors. Why, are they afraid they will “catch” conservativism? Last summer, I spent a week at the Truman Library in Missouri, studying in the archives. I was amongst a group of teachers from around the country, and one day, five

educational directors came from the libraries of Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter and Reagan. I watched them interact with each other, and I could tell there was a tight bond amongst them. They took turns presenting to us and were not averse to gently ribbing each other’s libraries, but it was crystal clear that they afforded each other a great deal of respect. The representatives from the Kennedy, Johnson and Carter libraries did not shun the ones from the Nixon and Reagan libraries and vice-versa. I was particularly interested in Nixon library’s director. She didn’t apologize for directing an education program at an institute named for our only president to resign the office of the presidency. In fact, Watergate never came up in her presentation. There was a lot more to his presidency that is part of our history, and it does not go away because some might find it distasteful. I just have to wonder: What do the protestors of the Bush Library propose be done? Do we lock up the volumes of correspondence, documents, photos and artifacts, or just burn it all because they don’t agree with it? Whether I am teaching American history or government, I am conscious that it needs to be taught with an acknowledgment of all sides. It troubles me that educators in particular protest the library – the very place that can inspire healthy discourse and inspire research. From the interviews that I saw, it seems that Bush welcomes all to the library and museum and welcomes dialogue about the policy decisions he made in the eight years he was president. And I look forward to many field trips with my students; it is a welcome addition and an invaluable resource to the Dallas community.

-Genie Burke, Upper School History Teacher

The Evergreen Wednesday [05.15.13]

NEWS

new dress code the Upper School Dress code is Being Revisedcess to focus on the message a student’s clothing sends rather than specific rules. see page 6 for more.

Ugandan students visit, encourage cultural awareness Sofia Shirley Features Editor

On May 2, five students from Uganda spent a day shadowing Greenhill students, in a visit that kicked off a partnership between Greenhill and the organization Empower African Children. Empower African Children is a Dallas-based nonprofit that aims to give Ugandan children “the opportunity to fulfill their potential.” In a country where less than 20 percent of students graduate from secondary school, Empower African Children gives scholarships to Ugandan children for the Taibah International School. The organization also has a touring dance troupe, Spirit of Uganda, that aims to show the resiliency of the Ugandan youth and their culture. Greenhill’s five visitors, Percy, Yudaya, Miriam, Noeline, and Sharon, attend Taibah International School. They visited both Parish Episcopal School and Ursuline Academy of Dallas prior to visiting Greenhill. Ursuline helped put Greenhill in contact with Empower African Children because of Greenhill’s focus on diversity and multiculturalism. Ursuline students have visited Uganda in the past, which is something Greenhill is looking to emulate. So while on this trip Greenhill took

advantage of their presence in Dallas, the school is looking to move forward with this collaboration and take it to a new level. The visiting girls were each paired with a Greenhill student whom they followed throughout the day. While they were just observers in some classes, other classes took advantage of their presence and made them a part of the lesson. In Ms. Daniel’s second and fourth period AX9 classes, the day’s lesson plan was replaced with a full-length discussion with several Ugandan girls. Ms. Daniel’s experienced the richness of cultural blending for herself when she swapped schools and homes with a German teacher for a year as part of the Fulbright program. While in Germany, she also went through teacher training on how to have an effective discussion through different cultures and help students learn through each other. “We started off with simple, non-threatening questions like where is Uganda on the map, what kind of animals

you see in Uganda and in Dallas, focus on schoolwork. Also, the what kind of foods they eat, and Taibah International School that the then I purposefully turned it towards girls attend has a strong Christian some questions about the cultural and Muslim presence, but several differences,” Ms. Daniels said. of the girls had never met a person Her AX9 classes discussed of Jewish faith prior to coming to how most Americans only speak Greenhill. English and expect others to cater Sophomore Brianna Houston to them when they travel, while the hosted Yudaya, and said she loved girls from Uganda all spoke four how welcoming Greenhill was to six languages. One, Percy, spoke towards her buddy and how Yudaya Luganda, Lusoga, was able to contribute Lunyankole, Swahili, to conversations during and Kinyalwanda. class. As Americans The girls also spoke “I was enlightened we have a about the violence in to see the cultural particular picNorthern Uganda and ture of what it differences between the the AIDS epidemic in means to be on two [places],” Brianna Southern Uganda. the continent of said. When Ms. Daniels These girls Africa. [This] is asked her classes how particularly choose to about breakmany students knew ing down the represent their country someone personally stereotypes.” in Spirit of Uganda. The affected by AIDS or New York Times review impacted by violent described it as a “special activity, only two pleasure” that “gets the students raised their hands, in stark audience dancing toward the end, a contrast with the girls from Uganda, sea of arms lifting in the air to the who have been affected more rhythms of the drums.” directly. Empower African Children However, the visitors also finds children for scholarships and presented a strong view of Ugandan for the dance troupe by sending culture. Uganda has roughly 50 employees to nearby Ugandan tribes, prompting a comparison villages. with the 50 states in America. “Two workers for Empower Throughout the African Children came to my day, students learned village looking for talented people. fascinating contrasts My parents weren’t able to produce between the two the scholastic materials for me, cultures. For example, so [Empower African Children] girls at public school phoned me in 2008,” Percy said. in Uganda can only The girls have toured in Illinois, have hair one inch Tennessee, Pennsylvania, California, long, because long Texas, New Mexico, New York hair is considered and more. According to Percy, her distracting and favorite part is dancing, singing, doesn’t show a meeting new people, and the food.

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“The food is so good. Pizza, hamburgers, fries, and Chinese food. I love Chinese food,” Percy said. The girls’ zeal for food was evident during a pizza lunch that in the lecture hall. Noeline asked if she could get a second slice, wolfed it down, and then asked if she could get another. When the girls go on tour, they miss the first trimester of school. But since the Spirit of Uganda troupe contains about 50 members ranging in age from eight to 18, they travel with books and teachers to help them. They learn on the road and try to get as much of a cultural education as possible. “While traveling, we go to some educational sites and write down what we’ve learned, and we visit schools like this and sit in on their classes. Even on tour we are studying,” Percy said. The girls began practicing for their 2014 tour last December by learning the choreography and setting up the show. Overall, however, this partnership is about a cultural exchange. “As Americans we have a particular picture of what it means to be on the continent of Africa,” said Art Hall, Director of Equity and Inclusion. “People [picture] walking miles and miles for water and protruding bellies. [This] is about breaking down the stereotypes about what it means to live on the continent of Africa.” He likened this to someone basing their ideas of America on a newsreel on Detroit. “It’s not an allencompassing view of what it means to live in America.”

Photos by Ariana Zhang

COME TOGETHER: Our Ugandan visitors were hosted by freshmen Francesca Riddick and Madison Goodrich as well as sophomores Vanessa Akinnibosun, Brianna Houston, and Lindsey Ingram. In addition to following their Greenhill hosts for a day, the Ugandan students also visited Parish Episcopal School and Ursuline School of Dallas.

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wednesday, may 15, 2013

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New dress code to focus on self-reflection, not hard rules Sera Tuz

News Editor

Graphic by Sera Tuz and Ariana Zhang

Beginning next fall, the Upper School dress code will replace hard-and-fast rules with broader guidelines. This is in an effort to promote gender equality and encourage self-reflection within the student body and the clothes they choose to wear. Although nothing is finalized yet, the new dress code will no longer have specific rules about the length of skirts, widths of straps, and even facial hair for boys. “[The new dress code] is more of a guideline,” said Laura Ross, Head of Upper School. “We are framing it in the concepts of our core values of honor, respect and compassion. A dress code should be about respect for yourself and your community,” Farid Matuk, Upper School Diversity Coordinator, approached Mrs. Ross in the fall to propose reevaluation. “[The current student handbook has] about ten things that only apply to girls, and the only thing that solely applied to boys was facial hair,” Mrs. Ross said. “[Mr. Matuk and other faculty] were worried that the way our dress code was structured, it was disproportionately focused on girls.” Jack Oros, Dean of Students, said it was the dress code’s language that needed an update. “The plan is to be gender neutral. As the dress code stands right now it really is female biased,” he said. “Although new rules are not currently in place, next year will serve as an experiment for these changes to the dress code.”

Library to renovate over the summer Ben Weinberg Managing Editor

This summer, as part of the school’s yearly campus audit and renovation process, Greenhill will make significant physical changes to the interior of the Montgomery Library. In addition to library renovations,which will include reworking shelves and workspaces throughout the building, the school has planned additions in the Fine Arts building and several other buildings on campus. According to Head of School Scott Griggs, the changes in the library will focus on the school’s desire to create more student workspace while redistributing the growing collection of resources and archives in a more efficient manner. Part of the plan involves creating a second floor in the southeast wing of the library, similar to the loft space in the Technology wing. This new space will be devoted to conference rooms and a new meditation room, freeing up archive

and shelf space downstairs. This summer’s renovations are an annual occurrence for the school: each year, a small percentage of the budget is devoted towards smaller-scale construction projects designed to enhance the campus. According to Mr. Griggs, this year’s projects are relatively light in comparison to those of recent years. The school had initially planned on renovating or even entirely reconstructing the track. However, due to the changes in Athletic Department leadership for the coming year, the decision was made to hold off for a year, allowing incoming Athletic Director Chad Wabrek to assess the situation himself and add his input. In addition to the library, renovation plans for the summer include improvements to Middle School lockers as well as a restructuring of MS computer labs in anticipation of the revamped Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program.

Photo by Madison Goodrich

SHELF LIFE: In addition to restocking books and reorganizing the main floor layout, the library will add a second-story loft to the wing pictured above, giving students a new study space.

There had already been discussions about how the guidelines were not enforced to the same degree by all faculty. “Mr. Oros would sometimes see [a student] was not in dress code, but he would know that they had been to four classes already,” said Mrs. Ross. “If every person is not invested in [the dress code], then there is no point.” Rather than have an arbitrary teacher call out these students, the new system will be more moderate. There will be conversations rather than confrontations about the clothing a student chooses to wear. However, with less restrictive rules, students may choose to take advantage of the more liberal guidelines. If a student chooses to consistently dress inappropriately, Mrs. Ross said she wants a close teacher or peer to talk to this student about why they are choosing to represent themselves this way. “Having a conversation with someone you already have a relationship with will be more about what you are trying to say about yourself,” she said. Once Mrs. Ross was on board, Mr. Matuk began leading a committee to discuss gender roles not only in the dress code but also on a larger scale. The committee, comprised of various faculty members, has met three to four times since the fall. “[The committee] talks about what we are trying to accomplish with the dress code. There was a question of if we really believe in it as a community,” Mrs. Ross said.

Over the course of the year, the committee worked on a proposal to give to the Upper School Leadership Team, which is comprised of administrators, department heads and team leaders. “They gave us feedback, and we now have a new proposal that we are going to take to Mr. Griggs,” Mrs. Ross said. When it came to making the decisions about what is important to keep in the new dress code, Mrs. Ross said she asks, “What are we trying to teach here?” “For any rule, there should be intentionality about why you have it, and I think that was the point when we were [reassessing] the dress code. I want to make sure that we have rules that we are actually trying to teach something through,” she said. By focusing on the school’s core principles of honor, respect and compassion, Mrs. Ross said she hopes students will take into consideration that they are representatives of themselves and the school and will dress appropriately. “I think if we have a dress code that says, ‘Dress with a sense of respect for yourself and others in your community,’ I don’t think people are going to come to school on the first day not wearing any clothes.” Rather than giving a long list of things that are not allowed, the guidelines will also be more focused on students reflecting their personalities positively.

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wednesday, may 15, 2013

Departing Faculty

To honor this year’s departing employees, The Evergreen has compiled a collection of memories. Three of our retiring faculty members (pictured here in their first years teaching) are also Legends and will be especially missed on The Hill.

Dick Hall

Wayne Hines

Lorene Richardson

“Dr. Hines is a great teacher and an overall friendly person, and his positive energy on campus will be missed,” said sophomore Emma Pillow. “What I’ll miss most about Dr. Hines is his friendliness. Even though I only had him last year, he always says ‘hello’ whenever we see each other in the hallways (in French, of course!).”

“She is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and talking with her never fails to make my day a bit better. I’m really going to miss talking to her every day. I always look forward to seeing her at lunch. I think a lot of people are going to miss her. There isn’t really anyone else like her in the Greenhill community,” said junior Genny Taylor.

Director of Sports Center

Upper School Spanish and French

“Coach Hall has been here for so many years and established strong relationships with so many of us,” said junior Brent Rubin. “He also single-handedly gave Greenhill soccer the reputation it has today. His leaving will really make me want to do everything in my power to get the program to winning SPC again, because I know how much he cares about it.”

Ron Nevelow (A)

Upper School Guidance Counselor

“Mr. Nevelow’s teaching style is unlike that of any other teacher at Greenhill. When he tells us that we need to build trust within the PAL program, he doesn’t just sit back. He joins us. In fact, he actually tells us that the class isn’t his at all, but ours. Mr. Nevelow has inspired many of the PALs to become very deeply involved in ensuring that the program is well respected and successful.” -senior PAL Caroline Gold

Janet Arnold (B)

Director of Student Support Services

“Greenhill is losing an outstanding teacher who has helped me tremendously. Dr. Arnold has influenced my success as a student. I wish her the best of luck! Dr. Arnold’s guidance will be greatly missed.”-freshman Sophia Steckler

Jeffrey Boyd (C) Middle School English

In his own words: “I think my experience is unique in that I am leaving for a second time. I was an alum. This was home in many ways. That’s also part of what brought me back here. I didn’t know I was

going to go into teaching. I guess that kind of fuels my desire to go to grad school to hone my skills. I want to come out of it a better, more experienced teacher.”

Earl Dorber (D) Head of Athletics

“He’s definitely one to push you, especially to get the higher score; but he’s also a friend to all of us. He’s someone that we can relate to and that we can go to for anything. When I started, I thought it would be sort of daunting to have the athletic director as my coach, but I’ve realized that he’s really just the nicest guy.” -senior golf player Brian Broder

Cheryl McCracken (E) Middle School Computer

In her own words: “My favorite part, and the one I will miss most, is working with my students. I have enjoyed my classes, my advisees, and working with the Student Forum. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have had some part in educating those I believe will be the leaders for tomorrow.”

Jeff Hollway (F) Head Football Coach

“He tries to lead us to live by Greenhill’s ethics in football, and he wants us to be leaders. He’s not a coach who’s going to sacrifice character or respect or honor to be a better football player. He wants us to be a leader on and off the field.” -senior football captain Zohaib Hooda

Aditya Malhotra (G) Middle School Math

In his own words: “My fondest memory is the SPC tournament in Houston in 2010 when the boys basketball team made it to the SPC championship. Even though we did not win SPC, it was one of the most enjoyable and energetic athletic environments I have had the chance to be a part of at Greenhill.”

Taylor Gibson (H) Upper School Math

“Mr. Gibson will be missed next year. Working with him during the past two years has challenged me to think about how I teach and how to use technology to strengthen the class. I have been invigorated as a teacher by working collaboratively with him and will miss the chance to drop by his desk and talk about the purpose behind a certain lesson or other ways to approach a topic.”

Dining Services Cashier

-Melissa Battis, Upper School math teacher

Erin Mackenzie (I) First Grade Teacher

“In 2010 we were thrilled to have Erin join us again, but now as our new teammate [rather than a Teaching Fellow]. Since that time, she has been a very important part of our team. Erin brought great new ideas and a positive energy to the first grade. She always has a warm smile and is so fun to work with everyday. Erin is a part of our first grade family, and she will be greatly missed.” -First grade team

Elizabeth Bayer (J)

Middle School English and History

“She has tremendous teaching skills, especially of reading and writing, and a sophisticated understanding of how the brain works. She brings a sense of fun to her classroom while maintaining high standards for both herself and her students. And, finally, she is in-

terested in her students as people, and she is a great listener and support for all her students. We’ll miss her on the fifth grade team.” -Susan Palmer, Head of Middle School

Heather Farlow (K) Head Field Hockey Coach

“[Coach Farlow] is very dedicated to [field hockey] and always knows what’s going on in the field hockey world. She knows when to push us and when to let us have a little fun.” -sophomore field hockey player Emily Fine

Boyd Grayson (L) Middle School Science

“Mr. Grayson has been such a positive presence in the science building and as a Science Olympiad coach. He made me passionate about studying science, and I feel lucky to have had him as a teacher. We’ll miss you, Mr. Grayson!”-freshman Lauren Baron story by Sera Tuz and Rachel Diebner

Photos courtesty of Ariana Zhang, Communications Office, Wayne Hines, Joe Monaco, Sera Tuz, Emily Wilson and From Humble Beginnings

The

wednesday, may 15, 2013

Evergreen

news

New Cavalcade advisor to take over next year Alex Weinberg Managing Editor

The position of Cavalcade sponsor will change hands next fall as Visual Art teacher Lesley Rucker takes over for Photography teacher and current Cavalcade Sponsor Frank Lopez. The switch in leadership was first discussed during the 2011-2012 school year, when Mr. Lopez began formulating an idea to create a Middle School photography program, which will take effect next year. The scheduling commitments of this new venture will not allow Mr. Lopez to continue sponsoring Cavalcade. “I’m excited for this new responsibility,” Ms. Rucker said. “It’s a chance to bring my experiences and see how they can benefit the Cavalcade.” Ms. Rucker’s graphic design background includes professional work in editorial, retail, and corporate design. She worked with a host of Dallas clients, creating logo designs for entities such as Inwood Village before transitioning to art education. She began teaching at Greenhill in 1995. “Just since I’ve been at Greenhill, we’ve had Cavalcade sponsors with lots of different backgrounds, whether it’s photography, journalism, or whatever it may be,” she said. “Everyone has something unique to offer,

so what I’m able to contribute may be very different from what Mr. Lopez does.” With her design background, Ms. Rucker said that as Cavalcade sponsor she will focus on page layouts and dynamic cover graphics. However, Ms. Rucker said she will take her cues from the students for the most part. “The Cavalcade is primarily a student publication,” she said. “That’s really the beauty of it. All I want to do is give my help where I can, and let it continue to be a student-driven operation like it should be.” Ms. Rucker has started familiarizing herself with the inner workings of Cavalcade in order to prepare for her future duties. She has attended meetings and watched the students work to get a sense of what her role will entail. She has also begun getting acquainted with the software the Cavalcade uses. Rising editors-in-chief, juniors Kelsey Goldberg and Emily Orth, will work closely with Ms. Rucker at the start of next school year. Kelsey said she knows a different sponsor will push the publication in a different direction. “Mr. Lopez has been very involved with the technical details,” Kelsey said. “He knows how to work with the software and he handles most of the contact with the publisher. I think Ms. Rucker will be less of that and more of an influence in terms of layout and design.”

Emily also said Mr. Lopez has been instrumental regarding logistics and methodology. According to Emily, one of his major contributions this year was encouraging the staff to incorporate new technologies into their publication. The upcoming issue of the Cavalcade will feature QR codes throughout, designed to present information through a new medium. For instance, the sports section will replace the traditional paragraphs about each sports team with QR codes linking to video clips of captains speaking about their teams. “Adding the QR codes is one of the ways we really wanted to enhance the yearbook this year,” Emily said. “As opposed to having a lot of pages full of text, we can save room with the QR codes and use more photos. Hopefully those pages will be more eye-catching than they would be otherwise, so we can engage our readers better.” Mr. Lopez will now center his attention on his Middle School photography class. “I wanted to develop a program where we could get the students starting to learn how to speak photographically and artistically, and to share a common knowledge beginning in Middle School,” Mr. Lopez said. “That way, once they come to me as freshmen, they already have an understanding of concepts and values within a photographic [framework].”

This kind of a head start, one in which students can build a foundation in photography in Middle School, is something Mr. Lopez has experimented with before. In recent years, Middle School students have founded photography clubs in which Mr. Lopez took part. However, attendance inevitably tapered off. The new class offering will formalize the initiative. Though Mr. Lopez said he is still researching and developing a plan for the class, he knows it will focus on digital photography more than traditional black-and-white photography. He expects that students may use devices like iPods to capture images, and will learn how to alter their work digitally, whether through apps or computer software. “The hope here is to expose students to the methods of digital photography, all while introducing them to the basic principles of line, form, and value, which are essential to any of the arts,” Mr. Lopez said. Meanwhile, Mr. Lopez is finishing the upcoming issue of the Cavalcade with the current staff before he hands over the position. “It’s time for me to transition out of [the Cavalcade], and to give the true design professional, Ms. Rucker, the ability to take it from here,” he said.

Graphic by Sera Tuz

Sophomore leads eco-friendly run for students, faculty

Madison Goodrich Asst. News Editor

Sophomore Rachel Carp hosted a 5K run on the Greenhill Track May 11 to raise money for Greenhill’s Green Team. The proceeds collected during this run will go to the Green Team to help make Greenhill more environmentally friendly. Manju Menon, Chair of the Green Team, said she hopes this run will to bring awareness to the community as to what the Green Team does. “My Goal as director has been to bring the Green Team into the conscious of the school. We were very happy that this came from completely outside the Green Team,” she said. Rachel started planning this run over the summer at first for the sake of planning a 5K. “I was just talking to one of the parents from the Parents Association about my interest in planning a 5K and they also wanted to plan a 5K,” Rachel said. “It wasn’t something where we thought of the cause first and then decided to plan the 5K. I more just wanted to plan the 5K.” Once the idea of a 5K started to

develop, Rachel and members of the Parents Association brainstormed a cause that could be associated with this run. “Something that is very important is eco-friendly awareness. That’s something Greenhill spends a lot of time on,” Rachel said. A major challenge Rachel faced when planning this run is what cause to choose. “It’s difficult to choose something medical, because there are so many different options and choosing one always excludes another. [Eco-friendly awareness] it’s a really good cause that is easy for the whole campus to be involved [with],” Rachel said. The Green Team was approached by the Upper School Ecology Club and Parents Association and was told that money from the run would be given to the Green Team. Rachel spent a lot of time planning this run from getting Smoothie King to be a vendor to planning out the running course with Mike Krueger, former cross country coach. “I had to work online registration, the course, the materials to set up the course, t-shirts, race

bibs, how were gonna time the race, then publicity and getting volunteers to help,” Rachel said. Many of these ideas came from Rachel’s role in the Greenhill is Volunteering Everyday (GIVE) Council. Working with Sally Rosenberg, GIVE sponsor and Director of Service Learning and Community Service and Taylor Gibson, another GIVE sponsor, Rachel was able to organize the event. Other council members brought ideas where Mr. Gibson and Mrs. Rosenberg worked out the logistics. Green Team members also helped make the run a success. “We have several Green Team members that are actually planning to participate in the run and several members plan to be there to help out,” Mrs. Menon said. Although the Green Team is not sure where the funds will go they hope this run will remind students of the Green Team’s efforts. “This happened rather suddenly. There are several initiatives we have on-going. [We] really want to raise awareness within our own community and inspire the students to be involved in many different levels,” Mrs. Menon said.

Yearbooks will be available for pick-up after the Upper School Awards Assembly on May 30.

The Evergreen Wednesday [05.15.13]

STudent Spotlight Asst. Arts editor catherine leffert talks to freshman dallas dillon about his love for filmmaking, music, school, and family.

Skill Search:

photos by Hanna Arata

Having a paid job educates students in a different way than sitting in class, teaching them valuable skills in a workplace environment.

Varun Gupta

Asst. Features Editor

Every student occasionally procrastinates on a major assignment, forgets to check-in before 8 a.m., or loses their patience with a project partner. But these slip-ups have serious connotations when that student is an employee, where the stakes are higher and the gains are too. Some Greenhill students supplement their time in the Upper School by working at local retailers and businesses, where they learn valuable skills, such as customer service, expertise, communication, and responsibility.

Customer Service Senior Camille Ray gained real-world experience and learned customer-service techniques by working at Coffee House Café (located at the intersection of Frankford and Preston), for the first two trimesters of the school year. Once the “Open” sign lit up on her first day, a busy Sunday morning, Camille came through the door ready to brew coffee and write orders on a notepad. However, she has learned a lot more than that. Camille imitated the actions of her shift leader, received feedback from her co-workers, and has learned a lot about interacting with customers. At times, Camille experienced challenging situations when families approached her for a better table or complained about slow service. Just as a basketball coach is responsible for making sure all players get equal time on the court, Camille was responsibe for balancing the ratio of servers to tables in order to make sure they earned an equal distribution of tips. Camille also learned the importance of keeping a level head during stressful situations. “One day, the hot water in the restaurant went out, so we had to wait an hour and a half to resume service at the Café. People expected me to solve this problem,” she said. The skills she picked up on her job at the Coffee House Café may be helpful as she plans to major in communications and Public Relations next year.

Expertise Sophomore Griffin Olesky has a passion for running. He runs cross-country and track in school and trains for half-marathons on his own time. In eighth grade, Griffin expanded upon his passion and called up his favorite

athletic store, Luke’s Locker, to ask about potential job opportunities. Now, three years later, Griffin is still selling cross-country footwear at Luke’s, and he has become an expert on proper shoe terminology. To formally diagnose a customer’s foot, Griffin has learned an extensive list of terms, such as pronation, supination, and stability boosts. He is able to help treat a customer’s gait and foot structure for maximum comfort and jogging effectiveness. He juggles a busy schedule, as his shift runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Saturday. “It’s not really hard when you like what you’re doing, so that hasn’t been an issue,” Griffin said. Griffin carries his knowledge with him outside of work. “One thing that I notice differently is now what size shoe people are wearing,” Griffin said.

Communication Instead of working at a store where she has to check in and out, sophomore Torri Hayden works from home for a makeup franchise, Mía Mariú. This work has taught her marketing strategies and the value of money. As a beauty adviser, Torri has a flexible schedule, and every week she creates orders from the company’s online catalog based on customers’ likes and dislikes. According to Torri, advertising the product and giving out samples of skin care products has helped her learn the importance of building a strong customer base. Like many businesses, Mía Mariú has spread by word of mouth. Last year, a Greenhill parent approached Torri, asking her to organize a package of Mía Mariú cosmetics for senior students. Little by little these techniques help strengthen her client pool. By working over the phone, via email, and in-person, Torri has learned communication skills to be a proactive salesperson, persuading new customers to add to their order. She has created a Facebook page with weekly deals and coupons for Internet shoppers. Torri earns minimum wage, plus interest based on the order’s amount. So when the marketing strategies are successful, she sees immediate effects in her paycheck. “Money was a major initiative to start. I feel accomplished with a job, and also feel like I am getting things done by myself,” said Torri. Torri said she enjoys learning new ideas

to improve her sales and wants to pursue marketing in the future.

Responsibility Sophomore Danielle Black hopes to gain the responsibility that will prepare her for a life away from home through her work at Le Peep, a breakfast and lunch café. As a hostess, Dani is expected to complete a set of chores such as cleaning tables, receiving orders, and ringing up customers at the register. Even a simple task such as answering the phone requires employees to demonstrate professional judgment. “It was complicated and none of the workers wanted to do it,” Dani said. Dani has to effectively budget her time between the part-time job, school, and sports. As an outfielder on the softball team during the spring, she plans her work schedule around daily practices and Friday night games. Dani sees her job as a step in increasing her independence. Rather than borrowing from her parents, Dani displays an adamant attitude in paying for her own luxuries, like paying cash from her wallet for movie tickets. As Dani has gained an appreciation for working, becoming more responsible has allowed her to enjoy school life and her responsibilities at Le Peep. The four years of Upper School can leave a lasting impact on Greenhill students, especially with the addition of real-world work experience. This year, Camille Ray, Griffin Olesky, Torri Hayden, Dani Black, and many more student employees have taken advantage of business opportunities to learn about functioning in a work environment.

Why do students get jobs?

Greenhill at a glance*

21% 25% 33% 39%

of freshmen have jobs of sophomores have jobs of juniors have jobs of seniors have jobs

Of the students with jobs, 6% found their job through the Internet,

42% through family, 26% through friends, and 26% through open application.

Nationwide, approximately

16%

of high school students currently have jobs, compared to in 1990.

36%

*based on a survey of 273 Upper School students

The

wednesday, may 15, 2013

Evergreen

features

Behind the scenes of the cafeteria cont’d

Photos by Ariana Zhang

SLICE ‘N’ DICE: A SAGE Dining cafeteria worker carefully prepares lunch for Greenhill students and faculty members on Wednesday, May 8.

cont’d from page 1 room and puts the tray in one of two ovens that already has six of its ten shelves full. The floor is so slick I stay close to the wall and avoid unnecessary movements for fear of falling, but the crew seems to glide as though they had rollers on the bottoms of their shoes. Through all the feverish activity, the crew is focused, and moves like clockwork. Occasionally Ed, SAGE Food Services Manager, comes in and tells the staff they are doing a good job, and in the midst of the seriousness, small smiles break out on each crew member’s face. But they are instantly back to work. They anticipate each others’ moves, easily passing each other with large trays and pans hovering inches apart. It’s the first half, five minutes left on the clock: Everyone is in position, ready for when the Lower School comes running in. The hard work and focus doesn’t stop until after the last people file out of the cafeteria around 2 p.m. and the crew starts to break down the stations. They wipe stations clean, leaving polished stainless steel, absent the colorful food that occupied these stations no more than half an hour ago. For a lot of the cafeteria workers, the day is not over once they are done serving the Greenhill community. Many of the men have another job to go to afterwards. Ciro Paul, Antonio, a dishwasher, Alfredo, a cook, and Juan Carlos, the one who prepares all the stations and is quick

to refill our food when a dish is running low, all have second jobs, giving them about two hours at most to relax before going to work again. On their feet since 6 a.m., they will not rest until 10 or 11 p.m. “They work all day,” Ed said. Students may see some of our kitchen staff working at the Fuzzy’s down the street from the school. Because of their extensive work schedules, when the crew members have time to themselves, they indulge in activities that make them happy. When asked how they spend their free time, many answer, like Antonio did, “Sports. Anytime.” Many like to watch and play soccer on the weekends, as well as listen to music. For some of the team, weekends also mean valuable time with their families. Hizuki, assistant caterer to Kimberly Rojas, is recently married. Others say their leisure hours mean

“playing with my kids”—especially those who work more than one job. Though it is hard to be away from their families at home, they have created a family amongst themselves. Many have been at Greenhill eight to 18 years. Two or three times a year, Ed has a special lunch for all the workers. He goes to a Mexican market, where he purchases tortillas, meats, sauces, and extras, and the whole crew makes tacos together. The whole purpose of these lunches, said Ed is “to tell them thank-you.” Ed has been working with SAGE and much of his staff for seven years. “They are very hard workers,” he said. “I am very honored that I get to work with them every day.” *The Evergreen uses first names in this article to reflect the names by which we know them on campus.

IN HOUSE: Much of the cafeteria staff has worked together for years.

10 features In the Spotlight

We continue our “In the Spotlight” series, a chance to get to know one randomly-selected Upper School student each issue. On any given day, you might see freshman Dallas Dillon wearing black jeans, his clear-framed glasses, a sweater, and on occasion a scarf. He’s clearly artsy, but one thing that comes less naturally to the eye is that Dallas’ forté is making films. Film Life: This year, Dallas had the opportunity to help a senior at Southern Methodist University with her final film project. On set behind the camera, he was in charge of many others on crew who surpassed him in age. He was his own boss for the most part, for example, changing positions to get different angles and shots, based on what the director wanted, and what he personally thought would work well. “A director has to do a lot of working with actors, and that’s not something I understand [as well]. I’m more of a visual person. So I’d like to be a cinematographer or camera operater.” Each summer, Dallas and his family go to Malibu, CA, as his mother’s production company, Morning Dew Pictures, is based out of Los Angeles. “Last summer I worked

with my mom’s company a lot. It’s a lot of reality TV. I worked mostly on what they call sizzle reels,” Dallas said. A sizzle reel is a preview that introduces the basic premise and characters of a show, to persuade companies to produce it. Dallas also tries to do as much cinematography and film work as he can in Dallas. He has worked on music videos through connections he made through Morning Dew Pictures. Dallas hopes to get more involved with his mom’s production company in scripted work. Music Career: Dallas has played bass since the fifth grade and also picked up electric bass. He works with The Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra as a bassist and he intends to continue with it for the rest of his high school career. “I love playing in large and floor orchestras. The pieces are a lot of fun. I don’t want to be a professional, though. I’ll probably record and maybe play at bars or upright bass in college.” School Dynamic: At school, Dallas enjoys humanities, such as English. He is also involved in the Latin program. “It’s a lot of fun, and we’re a wild bunch,” he said. He participates

Evergreen

wednesday, may 15, 2013

Photo courtesy of Dallas Dillon

The

THROUGH THE LENS: Dallas Dillon practices his filming skills to pursue his love of cinematography. During the summer he travels to Malibu to work with Morning Dew Pictures, his mom’s Los Angeles production company.

in national competitions for Junior Classical League in Latin. “I always try to take the hard tests that no one takes. So even if I get last, I still place,” he said.

Family World: If one walked into Dallas’ house, one would see white walls, wooden floors, and a minimum of décor—a sharp look he calls minimalist. “If you came to our house, you would definitely notice. I like simplicity, I just take to it,” Dallas said. On the other hand, according to him, his room is a cozy haven and maintains a “messy piece of his childhood.” One might find in his room old nutcrackers that he used to collect as a kid. One might

App Review: Superlatives Best Dressed Instagram

Instagram wins “best dressed” app. Whether actual artists or not, users can appear artistic by taking average photos and making them above-average by adding a filter. Simply select an artsy filter like Willow or Sierra to add a golden or black and white tint to your photo. Instagram’s layout is also the best dressed. It is easy to view your news feed, view your own profile, or search for other people. You can also “like” and comment on others’ photos. Overall, this easy-to-use, “artsy” app is perfect to dress up your typical photo.

Class Clown Snapchat

Snapchat is the class clown app. Once your friends create accounts, you can send them selfies. A selfie is a photo taken by yourself using your phone. You get to decide how long the recipient can view your photo before it vanishes (1-10 seconds.) A quick practical joke. To add more humor to the photo, you can draw on top of the photo. Take a picture of yourself making a funny face and draw on a mustache and goatee, or send a picture of yourself pretending to sleep and draw zzzz’s coming from your mouth. You are sure to make the recipient laugh. Whoever sends the funniest snapchat is the class clown!

Most Creative Vine

Vine is the most creative app. With this app you take short video clips and compile them to make a longer stop-motion video. “Viners” make creative videos by piecing together short clips to form the illusion of a continuous film. Make an immobile object mobile or make a crazy basketball shot appear feasible, with the ball bouncing off many objects and landing miraculously in the hoop. This app gives average people the opportunity to make something creative that their followers talk about at school for days to come. story by Joseph Middleman

even come across an old teddy bear Dallas fondly recalls from his toddler years. “In preschool at Highland Park Presbyterian Day School, we were given a Build-a-Bear workshop bear and had to take him home and write a story about him. My mom took the bear to her hairstylist and he, having a shocking amount of bearsized clothing, dressed the bear up in different outfits.”

Dear to Dallas Painter: Ellsworth Kelly Food: Meat and potatoes Director: Stanley Kubrick Animal: Labradoodle story by Catherine Leffert

wednesday, may 15, 2013

The

Evergreen

senior section

memories compiled by senior advisories

The

Map Key (Students per State) 8+

5-7

2-4

Top Three States

Total Number of Applications

Average Number of Applications per Person

Number of Early Desicion I Applicants

Eve

ergreen

wednesday, may 15, 2013

Number of Students Attending College with a Classmate

Number of Students Taking a Gap Year (Bayyinah Dream Program, Israeli Defense Forces)

List Accurate as of May 10, 2013

American University (2) Art Center College of Design Austin College Barnard College Belmont University Boston College Brown University Case Western Reserve University Chapman University Colby College Colgate University College of William and Mary Colorado College Columbia University Cornell University (2) Dartmouth College (4) Davidson College Duke University Elon University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - AZ Emory University Georgetown University (2) Hamilton College Hofstra University Indiana University at Bloomington (2) Johns Hopkins University Kenyon College

Lehigh University Middlebury College New York University (5) Northwestern University (2) Oberlin College Oxford College of Emory University Pitzer College (2) Pratt Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Southern Methodist University (4) Swarthmore College Texas A&M University (3) The University of Georgia(3) The University of Texas, Arlington The University of Texas, Austin (9) The University of Texas, Dallas (3) Trinity College (CT) Trinity University (TX) Tufts University Tulane University University of California at San Diego University of Chicago (2) University of Colorado at Boulder (3) University of Houston University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Miami (4) University of Michigan University of Missouri University of Pennsylvania (3) University of Puget Sound University of Richmond University of Southern California University of St. Andrews University of the Pacific University of Virginia University of Washington Vanderbilt University (3) Washington University in St. Louis (4) Wesleyan University (3) Yale University

14 senior section

The

It has been a journey over these past four years, although some things have stayed the same. You are still a group that knows how to use your voices and is confident in your own opinions, but those opinions have matured. We have argued, discussed, debated and laughed until we cried. Take a moment and reflect back to where you were when you stepped on to the Upper School campus. Now think about who you are now. You are more thoughtful and have learned to fight for change. This is not the end: keep growing, keep thinking, keep challenging, but do it with care, respect and thoughtfulness. If you have learned anything, I hope it is to think before you act and think before you speak. When you do, you can bring profound change to those around you and to the institutions of which you are a part. Thank you for all the laughs and conversations, whether in the classroom or the hallway. Come back and tell me how you have chosen to change the world for the better.

Evergreen

Dear Advisory, (letters from senior advisors)

this opportunity how lucky I have been to have had the 11 of you in my advisory. As I sit down to address you all at the end of your senior year, I am filled with mixed emotions. On one hand, I am so proud of you and excited about the wonderful experiences each of you will have next year. I know you have worked hard and will have an amazing time. On the other hand, I am a little sad to send you off. I’ve watched each of you grow so much over the past four years. The changes came gradually, but as the days and weeks went by, I witnessed you mature into cool, interesting young adults. I love how you guys made advisory yours. In my opinion, that is how it ought to be. From hacky-sack to Twister, from assassin to rock/paper/scissors, your collective creativity, imagination and vision have made advisory fun. Thank you, and I will miss each of you greatly!

Of the seven advisories I have had at Greenhill, you have the distinction of being absolutely the biggest. There have been a total of 17 students in the Currier Advisory over the last four years, just not at the same time. Despite the revolving cast of characters (and you certainly do qualify as characters), there has been a sense of belonging that is hard to explain. We have 12 very different personalities, but we have always respected and supported each other. You are all good people, considerate and full of heart. Our recent advisory dinner was proof of how much we enjoy each other’s company. This was the first advisory dinner I have had where everybody lingered well after the food was gone. No matter where you go after Greenhill, you will forever remain the Currier Advisory, and you may visit the Currier Candy Can whenever you are back on campus! Let’s reconvene for another dinner party four years from now! Between now and then, I wish you peace, contentment, and joy. Stay in touch!

Trey Colvin

Barbara Currier

This is my sixth advisory, and it will be a very special one for me, as I will be graduating with you. It does not seem possible that only four years ago you arrived as nervous freshmen worried about whether to push or to pull the doors. What a change has taken place! You are now self-confident and caring, moving on to college and then to conquer the world.

What a thrill it has been to watch your transformation, day by day and year by year, into as fine a group of young women and men as I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I will miss you more than you realize. You’re probably getting way too much advice already, but I’m going to add a few suggestions you can file away with the rest. Here’s my list:

At college, I urge you to pursue your passions and major in an area that will allow you to lead a full life. I challenge you to take an active role in all aspects of college life. Work on the newspaper, campaign for a political candidate, or protest things that you find unjust. The college experience is more than just hitting the books or beginning to celebrate the weekends on Thursday night. Greenhill has prepared you well to face the world, so take an active role. Please do not be strangers. Come back and see us often, or, in my case, email me. From the bottom of my heart, congratulations for your past successes and best wishes in all your future endeavors.

I love you to bits! Each of you as individuals and as a group ... a smart, stubborn, dependable, willing-to-take-on-anything-and-only-complain-a-little-bit group of fabulous people. Yes, I love you to bits. You have been (fairly) understanding about last-minute lunch cancellations, and have always shown spirit and volunteerism when we have been given a task. You all have taken turns in leadership roles on various occasions and have even held advisory when I was not present. I will not forget the surprise get-together you had for me with “Genie in the Bottle” playing and a cake after one rare and frustrating advisory. I think about the senior trip when I readily volunteered you all to ride the Greenhill bus with me both ways. I knew you wouldn’t complain (that much), and we got to be together, right? Who needs air conditioning and a professional bus driver ... not the Burke advisory! I really do think I am the luckiest advisor of them all. I look forward to having you all in my life for a long time to come. Andre does too. Genie Burke

Melissa Battis

I want to take

wednesday, may 15, 2013

· The people who care about you have made an enormous investment in your welfare. Thank them. Strive to be worthy of what they have done for you. · Know why you’re going to college. Resolve to become a more conscious human being. Ask big questions and be suspicious of simple answers. · Build some quiet time into every day. Look at the sky. Feel the breeze on your skin. Be awed. · Reject cynicism. Find people and ideas you can believe in passionately. Love your precious life. Be well, my friends.

Working with you has changed me. Thank you. My affection for you shades into that absolute, unconditioned truth that loses value when made public. Get out there and do better than me. Follow your heart. Have the courage to say no (even when I didn’t). Be generous in spirit. Mind your words. And if you ever need help and I’m the person who can, whether it’s a flat tire or a dark night of the soul, call. wf

It has been my great pleasure and privilege to have been your advisor these years. It is with admiration and appreciation that I recall your growth, maturity and achievement here at Greenhill School. I am proud of each of you. I shall miss our comradeship and the friendship we have developed. Connor, your quiet wit and humor are your trademark. Kayla, sharks forever! Remy, your frankness and humor went hand-in-hand. Hebah, your ability to lead in discussions of current topics impressed all of us. Thayer, your blossoming sense of humor has inspired and awed our advisory. Molly Pluss, is what I call you. Your leadership and utter determination has shocked all of us at least once during our time. Brian, your hard work and dedication has been an inspiration to everyone. I shall miss you all! As your futures materialize, Greenhill will always cherish your presence and be available for any assistance that you may need. Please stop by often and reconnect with your school, and especially me!

Wayne Hines

Dan Kasten

Vince Mikulski

It is hard to believe that we gathered together for the first time in my office four years ago and here you are now! You have amazingly expressed yourselves through dancing, singing, playing instruments and making us laugh; demonstrated your athleticism on the court and on the field; captured the student body through writing, pictures and song; followed passions outside of school; dominated in national debates; stepped up as leaders in our community—and you did all this while achieving academic success! You should be proud of your accomplishments. I am thankful for our unique and dynamic, always-changing group. I enjoyed playing horse with the recycling bins and stress balls, rapping and ukulele jam sessions, your office transformation plans, the “Parker Gang,” nose goes, random trivial information, and talks about lunch (still waiting), to name a few. Thank you for these fun memories. Take time to soak in more memories as you head to the finish line. When you leave, remember to stay true to yourself, be good to yourself, and be good to others. Big hugs to each of you!

Our four years together have gone fast but, as with many things, the time was proportional to all that needed to occur and be accomplished. You have each matured and grown in ways that, I admit, have surpassed my expectations. Now, in your older and wiser years I cherish our time together as a group during advisory or with you individually around campus and in my office; it makes me smile when I see how successful you each have become. You have migrated from being a dysfunctional group to a delightful one. You consumed a lot of cereal. I hope my next group picks a different snack, as cereal will be reserved just for you. Four years of teaching and learning, four years of growing and exploring, four years of pride and preparation—it’s time for you to go now, take with you the memories of advisory, high school, your friends, your accomplishments, your challenges and defeats. Learn from them all and know that reconnecting is easy. I am just a text, a phone call or email away. “Have a fabulous day!” Much love.

There is a destination in sight now, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. You all have made it through various years here at Greenhill, but our journey, yours and mine, hopefully, will continue for years to come. And so, for the “assigned” seating in the Language Lab every advisory these past four years; for the hungry, hungry hippo bowl; for the discussions on core principles; for the open comments and trust during advisory time knowing “what is said in the language lab, stays in the language lab”; for your unique perspectives on all things Greenhill; for the collective detention for missing building cleanup; for the hugs and lectures, the laughs and tears, and for so much more, I say … thank you. Thank you for letting me in to your lives, thank you for laughing at my jokes, thank you for making memories with and for me, particularly during this, your senior year. You have been, are, and always will be near and dear to me. Ave atque vale. Hail and farewell.

Honelynn Parker

Mama Shu (Rebecca Shuman)

Trevor Worcester

15 special report

The

Evergreen

wednesday, may 15, 2013

School of Service Photos courtesy of Communications Office

Sanah Hasan Arts Editor

Madison Goodrich Asst. News Editor

Earlier this month, the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education awarded Greenhill’s community service program first place for its success in integrated service learning. “It’s nice to get acknowledgement from entities out of our school,” Director of Service Learning and Community Service, Sally Rosenberg said. “Getting this award has been a pat on the back for me, because I know that I must be doing something right with our program, and students and faculty should feel proud.” According to Mrs. Rosenberg, merely a decade ago, it was uncommon for schools to integrate community service into the curriculum. Students, at most, had to submit hours required for graduation. However, Mrs. Rosenberg was a strong proponent of students getting more out of the volunteer process. As a result, Greenhill made the transition to a more service-learning focus. The road to achieving an integrated service-learning and community-service program has not been an easy one. “When I started 20 years ago, I always felt like I had to push students to get involved with the community,” Mrs. Rosenberg said. “Now, it’s completely different: I have kids coming into my office all the time, bringing me ideas of what they want to do to help.” Mrs. Rosenberg’s initial goal was to start community service at the youngest age possible. “Whenever I walked into the CDC, I always saw the children helping each other out. They have an innate desire to help, so I decided to introduce the concept of volunteering to them,” she said. “We are simply expanding on a child’s natural desire to want to help.” Twenty years later, every gradelevel, from Pre-K through 8th, has its own community service project. It’s not uncommon to see Greenhill buses chartering students from Lower and Middle School to various volunteering sites. In many cases, older students collaborate with younger kids on service projects. For example, 8th graders deliver meals with kindergarteners to Meals on Wheels, and the Lower School works in the Greenhill Community

By the numbers

Garden to pick fruits and vegetables for donation. Although community service was already a large part of Greenhill’s values, when it was incorporated into the new mission statement, it became firmly established as one of the guiding principles for students. If parents resisted the idea of their children doing community service, Mrs. Rosenberg had the new document to back her up. “I just pulled out the mission statement and showed them that ‘[Greenhill] encourages service’, so if volunteering and stepping out of SERVING IT UP: On Community Service Day this year, the Upper School participated in a wide variety of projects a comfort zone was uncomfortable, around Dallas: clockwise from top left, sophomores Alex Bryan and Adam Konig clean up a site, Amna Naseem then maybe Greenhill was not helps out at a food pantry, and junior Jamie Palefsky works with younger children at an area school. the right place for them,” Mrs. Rosenberg said. classroom setting offers; however, I favorite part of the course was a class step out of their comfort zones In the Upper School, students have the opportunity to take service- still think that it’s important to take field trip to the We Over Me farm in and choose an agency where they would like to be a volunteer for more formal classes when learning a South Dallas. learning classes. “We took a field trip to We Over the day. Many of the departments foreign language in order to learn the “When I was young, my mom in the Upper School have classes basics before attempting to interact me farms, an organization at the Paul that incorporate both community with native speakers,” senior Remy Quinn College. They turned their never exposed me to a lot of service. football field into a farm. Our class I made it a goal to myself when I service and core subjects taught Guasque said. The Science Department took a field trip down there to help started this job to introduce service in the department. The English Department offers a course offers a course called Science them out and work on the plots and to everyone. I want the kids to class called Blended Nations: Voices and Sustainability. This course the aquaphonics system. That was a come into the Upper School already trained in volunteering. Students of Contemporary America. This class allows students to learn about the good class bonding experience.” Many colleges offer similar are going to face things that make is available to seniors during second environment and grow food for trimester and offers students 10 those in need within the Dallas area. courses for students who seek both them uncomfortable, but they need A typical class day for a community service aspect and an to know how to deal with it.,” Mrs. hours of community Rosenberg said. this course involves actual classroom experience. service. Mrs. Rosenberg’s involvement “I have been attending a lot of the students going to In the Math the Greenhill garden conferences these past few years, and with community service started Department, I have kids or working on labs in I have seen what service learning when she and her husband helped Financial Analysis, taught by Upper coming into class. All foods grown looks like on a collegiate level. From expand a non-profit organization, the students are the information I’ve learned through Equest, a therapeutic horse-back School Math my office all by given to North Dallas the various meetings, I’ve noticed riding center for the disabled. Department Chair the time, bringing Shared Ministries. “I remember that being the first that our service program is already Michael Legacy, A c c o r d i n g similar to that of a collegiate level” time I actually stepped my foot into is a course where me ideas of what community service. After that, I went senior Nina Mrs. Rosenberg said. students have the they want to to While attending various on to the Junior League of Dallas, and Punyamurthy, this opportunity to learn do to help.” course has allowed service events, students are given I spent a lot of my time volunteering about taxes, and her to help others the opportunity to help people in through the organization and seeing become certified so in need as well as the community while learning and parts of Dallas I had never seen,” she they can complete learn about how to being exposed to different cultural said. 1040 EZ forms for Prior to her arrival at Greenhill, sustain plant life in demographics. people in need. Once “It was the holiday season, Mrs. Rosenberg started off with a students are certified they have the the environment. “It’s taught us how even in and I had these students who were BFA in technical theater, but she later opportunity to work on tax returns and can also earn community service Dallas, not everyone is as privileged decorating bags to put toiletries in made the seemingly spontaneous as we are. A lot of the time when for Meals on Wheels. They wrote switch in careers. hours from this course. “I always thought I was destined The Modern and Classical people think about starving children ‘Happy Chanukah’ or ‘Happy Languages Department offers a they always think about third world Kwanza’ on the bags. Within the for Broadway, but my husband course called Service Learning countries but they don’t really think Greenhill community we celebrate would constantly tell me that staying in Spanish. Students create their about what’s happening in the city everything and everyone. I want up late for work wasn’t a good idea own volunteer service project in we live in. Hundreds of children our students to understand that the since I wasn’t a night person. It a Spanish-speaking environment, go to bed with an empty stomach real world is not always as accepting just so happened that while I was and they must consistently because they just don’t have the as we are. The kids just needed to working with the Junior League, volunteer there for at least two days money and in Dallas we have urban understand what demographic they and really starting to get involved with the community, Greenhill sent deserts so there isn’t a place to find were serving,” Mrs. Rosenberg said. per cycle. The lessons students gain in out an ad in the holiday newspaper “We spent the majority of the fresh produce within a 5 mile radius. time at our community service sites With the community service, we’re Lower and Middle School build up for a community service director. I and not in the classroom, so I think it able to provide those resources that a to an annual community service day took the job, and here I am almost in the Upper School. Upper School 20 years later,” she said. allowed us to have a more authentic lot of people don’t have,” Nina said. Senior Sydney Thompson’s students have the opportunity to experience than a traditional

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15,545

Total number of community service hours completed by students in the Upper School as of May 1.

Number of aluminum cans collected by the fourth grade. This is equivalent to roughly $750, which will go to protect endangered species.

620

The highest number of community service hours by an Upper School student this year, achieved by junior Ravi Narula.

The Evergreen Wednesday [05.15.13]

ARTS

& Entertainment

Break a LEg

For an in-depth look at this year’s Student Production, turn to p. 18

Keys to Success PIANO PRODIGY: Aaron Kurz performs a piece at Carnegie Hall at the age of 11. He is currently a senior and recently performed in a competition in Kazakhistan.

Rachel Diebner Editor in Chief

Meet senior Aaron Kurz, piano virtuoso. His love of piano started at age two: After his mother played a Baby Mozart video on their home TV, Aaron toddled to the piano and played the notes he had just heard. As a three year-old, Aaron began his first formal lessons. He started off playing solely for fun, “like anyone else.” He practiced for ten minutes a day in two fiveminute sessions, because he couldn’t concentrate for any longer. At age nine, he participated in his first competition. From there, he was hooked and has competed in countless competitions since, garnering dozens upon dozens of awards. By age 11, he had performed at Carnegie Hall, competed in his first international competition, and appeared on FOX TV’s Good Day morning show. At age 14, he became the youngest member of the Van Cliburn Foundation’s Musical Awakenings program, which aims to introduce classical music and composers to young children in low-income areas. He was selected after the artistic director viewed his performance videos on YouTube. Now, at age 17, the piano prodigy continues to compete on the international level. Love of music touches every area of his life, he said. To see Aaron practice is to understand his passion. During lessons and individual practices, he concentrates on two to three pieces for the entire duration, playing and replaying, identifying his mistakes and brushing up on the more difficult parts. When he comes across a mistake, however, Aaron doesn’t stop or even pause:

He merely repeats the section with a competitions are a matter of luck. “To a degree, [competitions] are single hand. Without a background in music, it is difficult to tell whether a crapshoot. There have been a lot of he is reviewing or whether the times where I thought I really should notes are written into the song—the have won, and there have been other speed and agility makes it seem so times where I’m like ‘I got away with natural. Not to mention his face: that one,’” Aaron said. However, Aaron’s ultimate throughout the entire session, if he feels frustrated at all, his face does hope is to use these competitions not show a trace of it. He remains to improve as a performer. At a certain point, professionals stop completely calm, relaxed. in competitions His sheet music is evidence of participating the work that goes into practices: the because they already have built up pages are layered with markings in such a wide audience. “The end goal here is to perform vibrant colors, each one indicating on the world stage and have people feedback from a different lesson. Before playing a new piece, listen to you,” he said. If his web audience Aaron often is any indication, he has researches the certainly achieved success composer and the Who would as a performer. His YouTube time period of the I be if I channel, Aaron Kurz, has piece and listens weren’t nearly 1,000 subscribers to others play playing piano?” and well over one million it before sitting video views. down at the piano According to Aaron, himself. the number of views on his “Once you get to a certain level, everyone can channel skyrocketed after he posted play the notes well,” he said. “So the a performance and another website question is how do you make the linked to the video. The clip has piece come to life and can you make nearly 700,000 views, more than all of his other clips combined. it appealing to the listener.” “I think I just got lucky— it On a typical day, Aaron practices for roughly two and a half pretty much just snowballed,” Aaron hours, with weekly hour-and-a-half said. “I’m sure there are a lot of great lessons. In the summer and before [pianists] out there who don’t have competitions, his practices range a lot of views because they haven’t gotten that one little thing that set from three and a half to four hours. “When I don’t have motivation, off the snowball.” His audience is one of global my practices go virtually nowhere. I’ll go, ‘Oh look, I just spent two magnitude: he has received and a half hours, and I got nothing comments in French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, and his done,’” Aaron said. Yet his motivation skyrockets viewers are from destinations around the world— Brazil, Australia, just before a competition. “I’m an incredibly competitive Mexico, and France, to name a few. “Most people [who comment] person,” he said. “I will work a thousand times better if I am either are pretty educated in piano, so I’ve trying to win something or trying to actually gotten a decent amount of suggestions that I’ll use,” he said. be better than someone.” However, when he receives the Even so, he admits that at times,

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occasional nasty comment, Aaron said he doesn’t have to do anything: his viewers jump immediately to his defense. Just as loyal as his viewers, Aaron replies to nearly every comment. “The idea is that if someone comments and then you respond to them, they’ll remember you,” he said. “Plus, when someone gives me a compliment, I do want to thank them.” Additionally, he maintains an online presence via his personal website, www.aaronkurz.com. The site includes a full biography, a seemingly endless list of his awards, media coverage, and upcoming events. He also maintains a blog, which he uses to update his viewers on events, competitions, and other piano-related happenings in his life. Aaron’s time commitment could seem impossible to juggle. He says otherwise. “It’s not as bad as people think it is,” he said. “It’s just like a sport during the school year.” Although the time commitment isn’t overwhelming, it certainly doesn’t mean it’s easy, Aaron said. “It’s definitely one of the hardest parts, just deciding how much piano I can do,” he said. “As much as I enjoy it, I still want to have other parts of my life. My grades would definitely be higher if I didn’t do piano—usually school is the biggest sacrifice there.” There have been a few times in his life when Aaron has wanted to quit, when the pressure of maintaining his grades and his piano has become nearly unbearable. Yet he has always returned to piano. “Well, what would I do if I quit?” he said. “I couldn’t imagine living without it—it would be so foreign to me. It’s almost what I am, to a degree. Who would I be if I weren’t playing piano?”

Photo courtesy of Aaron Kurz

Aaron in Asia Last week, Aaron traveled to Kazakhstan as one of 12 competitors in his age group—and the only one from North or South America— for the Astana Piano Passion Competition. The competition, inaugurated this year, is the largest in Central Asia. More than 120 students from 20 different countries and three age groups entered the competition, and 30 flew to Kazahkstan to compete in the final stages, all expenses paid. To enter, contestants submitted a CD of three recorded pieces, which judges reviewed. In the final stages, the contestants play in two live rounds. In the first, contestants play a 30-minute piece of their choice. Half advance to the final round and play a concerto with a live orchestra. “The feeling that you get playing with 50 or however many other instruments is really unmatched by anything I’ve done,” Aaron said. “It’s going to be really, really cool.” However, this weekend does not come without sacrifices. “I’m missing AP week, and I have two APs that I’m going to have to make up. Oh well: you can’t really turn that down,” Aaron said. Although this isn’t Aaron’s first international competition, it is the only one he has traveled out of the country for. The others have either been held in the country or been digitally-conducted, based upon electronic recordings rather than live performances. The first-place winner receives $10,000 and the chance to travel and perform in international music festivals across the globe. The competition’s official results will be released May 16.

F OO D Simple theater-going is a thing of the past. Popcorn. A movie. Done. But no more. Today, going to the movies is an experience, complete with full-service restaurants and a myriad amenities. I visited three of the top dine-in theaters around Dallas—Movie Tavern, Studio Movie Grill, and iPic Theaters—to find out what distinguishes one from the next. At each theater, I bought a standard ticket, saw a mainstream movie, and ordered a cheeseburger and French fries. Here’s what I found:

Movie Tavern Movie Tavern is perhaps the most creative of the three in terms of programming, but doesn’t achieve the same standards of food and service quality as some of its competitors. The menu is large and ranges from Thai chicken flatbreads to house-baked cookies. However, my meal was relatively bland. The burger patty was dry, while the bun was soggy (probably a function of having soaked up any and all juices). The fries were good, but nothing spectacular. I was pleased that Movie Tavern offers in-theater ordering and dining, and with the politeness of the servers and relative speed with which my food was brought out. However, I had some qualms about the service as a whole. I finished eating early in the movie, but my halfeaten, mostly unappetizing burger remained in front of me for the entirety of the film. After the movie ended I was also left sitting awkwardly in the lit theater until my server finally brought me the bill. Nonetheless, what Movie Tavern may lack in five-star food and stellar service, it compensates for in a unique lineup of regular events, including Movie Tavern Breakfast & a Flick, is an innovative Retro Cinema, and theater, and it Tavern Arts. Breakfast & certainly stands a Flick hits the Tavern at out from its 9 am on Saturdays and competition in Sunday, and combines that regard. a traditional movie showing with a full breakfast menu, complete with pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Retro pays homage to old-school film by playing classic blockbusters on the big screen. Times vary by location. Tavern Arts is perhaps the most unique offering. Both of Movie Tavern’s Fort Worth locations partner with local companies to host opera performances, concerts, and special

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release screenings inside the theaters. Movie Tavern is an innovative theater, and stands out from its competition in that regard. Still, it is outshined by others when it comes to details. It’s is worth the trip if one wishes to take advantage of its unique events. Otherwise, skip it for better food and service.

Studio Movie Grill Studio Movie Grill (Studio), the pioneer of dine-in theaters, has fewer distinctive offerings and characteristics, but consistently provides a quality dinner-and-a-movie experience. Studio has in-theater Studio is a food service, and the good ol’ standmenu is rather expansive by. The food is in comparison with tasty, the thecompetitors. The food aters are nice, is freshly prepared, with and the service attention to detail. The is friendly and cheeseburger was much organized. better cooked than that at Movie Tavern, and the sweet potato fries hit the mark. They even offer tasty sweet potato tots. The service is pleasant, as servers make frequent (but discreet and non-intrusive) visits throughout the movie, ensuring that all beverages are filled and no empty food baskets are left sitting out for long. I got my check halfway through the movie, so the bill was paid and I was ready to go as soon as the film ended. A nice touch. Unlike Movie Tavern, Studio’s programming is mostly just standard movie screening. Occasionally, Studio will devote an evening to horror movies or documentaries, for example, but their offerings are just the usual, nothing extraordinary. Studio is a good ol’ standby. The food is tasty, the theaters are nice, and the service is friendly and organized. If you’re looking for something new and different, look elsewhere, but if you’re looking for a reliably enjoyable trip to the movies, complete with a good meal, look no further.

iPic Theaters iPic Theaters, on the other hand, aims to be a spectacle. Aside from movie theaters, the iPic facilities include lounges, a sports bar, and a separate restaurant. While the décor is upscale and luxurious, an evening at iPic can be excessively complicated, not to mention pricey.

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arts

Walking into the main entrance, one would be hard pressed to guess that iPic is a theater. The lobby is dimly lit, everything is modern and chic, and people fill the sports bar and restaurant, sipping cocktails and chatting. iPic appeals to a younger audience with its main attraction, the theaters. Still, nothing here is average. The movie theaters feature full-size screens, but contain fewer seats than the average theater. That’s because each seat is a luxury lounge chair that reclines and even comes with a blanket and pillow. Well, let me clarify. Those are the premium seats. In order to get those seats, you’ll need to reserve online beforehand and shell out a few extra dollars. I was not aware of this reservation process before I showed up, but apparently premium seats typically sell out at least a day in advance of the show time. That means that if you’re not a good planner, you‘ll end up in the non-VIP seats, like I did. To be sure, those are still nice but they’re lower down in the theater, don’t recline or come with bedding, and, worst of all, don’t include intheater ordering. I had to get my food from the restaurant outside the theater and carry it in to my seat. I know, it isn’t so tough, but the normal tickets aren’t terribly cheap either, so I’d like a little more service than I got for the money I paid. My burger was good, but didn’t taste as fresh as the one I had at SMG. I expect my meal might have been better prepared had I ordered it from VIP seat as opposed to the restaurant, which seems to be designed as a grab-and-go place for lowly moviegoers like myself. The fries, however, were the best I had of the three theaters I visited. If you’re going to go to iPic, you might as well go all out and splurge for the premium seats; otherwise, the experience is incomplete. Those tickets will run you $25 alone, and that’s before food costs. Basically, iPic is all about the allure. It’s certainly unlike any other movie-watching experience. However, the need to reserve a seat ahead of time complicates what is elsewhere a very simple process. If you choose to skip that hassle, you’re not getting anything you wouldn’t get at Studio. So if you’re seeking to be wowed by a deluxe trip to the movies and you don’t mind breaking the bank, iPic may be for you. If you don’t have the money to spend, or just don’t feel like jumping through all the hoops, save time and energy by opting for Studio or Movie Tavern instead. story by Alex Weinberg

Graphic by Mansi Gaur

The

wednesday, may 15, 2013

18 arts

The

Evergreen

wednesday, may 15 2013

Two faces of student production Photos by Sanah Hasan and Ariana Zhang

DIRECTOR’S CUT: Seniors Kyle Weinreb and Ruthie Banks instruct and encourage the actors for their student-directed and written plays, McMatthew’s and Not My Monkey’s, respectively .

Sera Tuz

News Editor

Crumbs are swept away and students are shuffling through the hallways to get to their next class. As actors trickle into the theater and, fifth period begins there is no teacher in sight. But rehearsal is in session. “Okay, let’s get started. We’re going through a lot of scenes today, so let’s all move [to the stage],” announces senior Kyle Weinreb, director of one of this year’s student productions, entiled McMatthew’s. Kyle sits in one of the blue swivel chairs upstage, the seat usually filled by Synthia Rogers, Upper School theater director. “Does anyone have a copy of the new script?” several students echo. As everyone settles in, Ms. Rogers peeks over the balcony from her upstairs office, not saying a word. Kyle runs through multiple scenes, making tweaks, building his end vision. Fifth period ends and sixth begins, with a new set of actors and a new director, senior Ruthie Banks. Ruthie gives her actors direction where needed, but also encourages them to explore and evolve their characters on their own. Ruthie, too, sits in Ms. Rogers’ blue chair, and occasionally rolls her way to center stage, where she demonstrates how to properly die. After a long back-and-forth with the actors about how the dead body should be dragged across the stage at the end of the scene, Ruthie swivels back to the edge of the stage with a contented sigh. From the catwalk, junior Ryan Gupta, lighting designer, gives his own directions to the actors. He calls out where the lights end on the stage, and eventually makes his way downstairs to put tape down for further

reinforcement. Again, from the corner of the balcony outside her office, Ms. Rogers peeks in to check on the work being done. Though their directing styles vary, both Kyle and Ruthie have strong theater and acting backgrounds and hope to pursue this passion in the future. That’s exactly why they were chosen to write and direct this year’s student productions. The senior directors are approached by Ms. Rogers a year in advance. If they accept the offer, they are expected to work on writing their plays throughout their senior year. The third-trimester Theater Production class is offered two periods, one per production. This means that casting depends on who is in the class that period. Once the class meets at the beginning of third trimester, the director goes through auditions with the students in his or her class in the same way it is done for the fall drama and spring musical. For this year’s productions, both directors decided to take a comical approach in their plays. Ruthie’s play, Not My Monkey, is a comical murder mystery centered around a penniless circus with a bizarre cast. “As the financial situation gets worse, tensions run high, and someone snaps, taking matters into their own hands,” Ruthie said. McMatthew’s, Kyle’s play, focuses on a lesbian couple that manages a fast-food restaurant. As in Ruthie’s play, money becomes a problem, and the business is in danger of foreclosure. Because of their lazy staff, the managers decide to incentivize their employees with an Employee of the Month program. “Full of plot twists and rich characters, McMatthew’s is a story you will not want to miss,” Kyle said.

Although their productions are both comedies, Kyle and Ruthie went through different experiences throughout rehearsals. “The best moments, at least for me, were during the first read-throughs of the play, when my cast was reading all the jokes for the first time,” said Ruthie. Ruthie found inspiration for her play through books and television. After growing up reading murder mystery series like Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie and watching the comical murder mystery show Murder 2, she decided to write one of her own. Kyle was inspired by Russell Grindstaff ‘12’s play last year, MAD. “It was very character-driven. Whenever I saw someone or something that was funny, I wrote it down. Then the characters started coming to me.” Ms. Rogers has found that the biggest challenge for student directors is finding the right dynamic with their peers. “I think it’s a real challenge for them because this is, after all, their peers. But there’s a lot of enthusiasm and lots of energy. They are learning, it’s their baby, but there’s also a big learning curve. Many, many directors return and say, Ms. Rogers ‘how do you do it?’ They get to see it from the other side,” she said. During a student production rehearsal, the balance of power shifts. Actors are used to getting direction from Ms. Rogers; now, they have to respond to directions from their peers. “My biggest difficulty by far is asserting myself as a director,” “My class is great, but as with any group of teenagers, they need guidance if anything is going to get done. I did not want to be the bad guy, so for the first week or two I kind of let them do their

own thing.But now with Ms. Rogers’ help, I have learned to assert myself and take control of the class, and it has greatly benefited the progress of the play.” As for Kyle, he said his biggest difficulty was writing the play itself. “I did have writer’s block a couple of times, but I learned from a director that I met at South by Southwest last year that your first draft is probably going to be bad. And you just need to write,” he said. “I had a lot of friends and faculty that I trusted read it and give me their thoughts about the direction it should go. It was missing the plot twists and all that stuff at first, but I am lucky to have a lot of helpful friends who got it to where it is today.” Be sure to check out Kyle’s and Ruthie’s plays on May 17. Both directors promise many surprises and twists!

Graphic by Mansi Gaur

sports The Evergreen Wednesday [05.15.13]

AdVAnced Archery

Middle Schooler Chase Brown makes his mark in archery p. 21

Fast Forward Freshman phenom flies full speed in sports Laura Arnold Design Editor

With about 10 minutes left in the first half of, the Hornets are down by a goal. It’s time to put in their “secret weapon.” Freshman Naya Sharp sprints in, as a ball travels deep into the field hockey team’s offensive end. Simultaneously, all the athletes on the Greenhill bench leap off their feet and shout in unison, “Go, Naya! Go, Naya! Run!” At 5’1” Naya zooms past the opposition’s defense, and seconds later reaches the ball with hardly any players nearby. Regardless of what transpires afterward, more often than not, the first person to the ball is no surprise. While Naya is known for her track expertise, her speed has helped her in other sports as well. As a freshman without any prior experience in field hockey, she attended pre-season because a friend convinced her. “At first I wasn’t all for it, because I had just finished my track season and I wanted a break,” Naya said. But despite having no previous involvement, she made the varsity team and quickly became known as the team’s “secret weapon” because of that remarkable characteristic: her outstanding speed.“When Naya was in the game we would tell her to run, and we would hit the ball as far as we could in her direction,” said senior field hockey captain Mallorie Wise. “No one could catch her. She is incredibly fast.” When she was younger, Naya tried a plethora of other sports, including basketball, soccer, and volleyball. “My first sport was soccer, and my coach would run me up and down the field,” Naya said. “That’s how we first discovered I was fast.” At age seven, Naya began

Photo courtesy of Naya Sharp

NEED FOR SPEED: Freshman Naya Sharp has impressed teammates and opponents with her speed and skill in track and field hockey. Naya finsished SPC with three third-place finishes and two fourth-place finishes.

running track. Naya has restricted herself to only a “At first, track was nothing few sports in order to keep her focus serious to me,” she said. “I was just primarily on track. a seven-year-old girl “My parents and who loved winning. Now I have decided that it that I am older, I like would be best if I cut my Naya is an list and focus on two or track a lot more than extremely hard three sports,” she said. just because I win. [It] worker. She is is definitely my favorite Track and Field dedicated to Head Coach Stacey sport, and that probably being great at Johnson says Naya has a has to do with the fact what she does.“ bright future. that it is an independent sport. Don’t get me “Naya is an wrong, I love team sports, extremely hard worker,” but track allows you to focus more Coach Johnson said. “She is dedicated on yourself rather than a group to being great at what she does. She of people.” has big goals for herself and is set on Since entering high school, achieving them.”

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During track season Naya attends practice for Greenhill every day in addition to club practice at least three times a week. Coach Johnson took note of Naya’s everpositive attitude. “[Naya] is always laughing around with her friends and dancing around,” he said. “She keeps things light and fun when it isn’t time to go to work.” In the early stages of the spring season, Naya suffered from a hamstring injury. “Naya’s injury was tough for our team, but they have persevered and continued to grow. During her time off the track she was the biggest cheerleader for her teammates,”

Coach Johnson said. After spending three weeks on the sidelines, Naya returned for the first time at the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Championships on May 3. “With the limited work, it is hard to be as sharp as you want to be, going into a big meet,” Coach Johnson said. Naya competed in five events, placing third in three events and fourth in two. She described her meet as “going okay.” “Naya is special, because she has the desire to be a champion,” Coach Johnson said. “She believes she can win every time she steps on the track, and she is disappointed when she doesn’t win. But she doesn’t dwell on it. She takes the losses, and it fuels her to work harder at what she does so that she can win the next time.” Naya’s brother, junior Jalen Sharp, plays football for Greenhill. Naya said she always enjoys watching his games. “I go to all of Jalen’s football games, and I am no doubt his number one fan,” Naya said. Jalen is also a member of the Greenhill track and field team with Naya. “It’s great being on track with my sister,” Jalen said. “It is nice to be able to cheer her on when she runs. Of course I like being able to see my little sister compete, and a win puts a smile on my face.” When asked about whether he or his sister was faster, Jalen was quick to defend himself. “The rumors [that Naya is faster] are false,” Jalen said. “Yes, she is fast, but she is not faster than me.”Naya, however, won’t commit. “Of course Jalen and I will have different answers about this, but I won’t say,” Naya said. “I think it is safe to say Jalen will stick with football, and he will leave running track to me.”

Opinion: Relationship between coaches and players a two-way street Ben Krakow Sports Editor

Many questions have come up since the scandal at Rutgers University unravelled. Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Rice was fired after he was caught on tape at practices, pushing, yelling homophobic slurs, and throwing basketballs at his own players. Many want to blame him for his actions. And in no way, shape, or form should coaches in any sport be doing anything close to what Rice was doing to his players. But with all the media blasting him, it has made me think about the situation. It is not as simple as placing all the blame on him: the coach-

player relationship is two-way street. In order to make a successful relationship between the two, both sides need to show the proper respect for each other. Yes, Rice did display terrible judgment in his actions. But he was frustrated because of the lack of effort and execution in practices and games from his players. The players did not respect their coach enough to want to play hard for him. On the other hand, Rice clearly did not trust his players very much. When a coach does not trust his or her players, the players do not want to play hard for the coach. After this

scandal, many athletes including myself are wondering whether our own coaches trust, respect, and believe in us. Players will respect their coach if the coach is honest, loyal, and respectful. The coach has to convince his players to “buy in” to what they are teaching. In my time at Greenhill on the cross country and track teams, I have come to learn that I am much better off when I communicate consistently with my coaches. They trust me and give me more responsibility. In talking with other athletes at Greenhill, some have been annoyed

with the fact that their coaches will not give them responsibilities. In several cases, this has stemmed from previous times when the coach gave the athlete a task to complete. They trusted them with the responsibility. The player did not follow through. Thus, they lost the coach’s trust. In the Rutgers situation, if Mike Rice had trusted his players to come through for him, he likely would have not felt the need to get in his players’ faces to get them to do what he wanted. This is partially the players’ fault, though Rice deserves his share of the blame. Even if he did not trust

his players, there were other ways for him to get his point across. Coaches and players in any sport need to work together as a team in order to have success. Again, it is a two-way street. Many questions linger in my mind about the coach and player relationship. What happened at Rutgers is unfortunate and should never happen anywhere. Yet the media and most people in this country blamed it all on Rice. I think we all need to think whether we trust and believe in other people that we interact with.

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Photos courtesy of Greenhill Communications, Camille Ray, Grant Solomon, Colby Denesuk, and Casey Holiday

Hornets Take Houston RAISE THE BANNER: The Southern Preparatory Conference (SPC) resulted in Greenhill boys’ tennis taking home the gold. Clockwise from far left Senior Brennan Baker battles it out with a St. Andrew’s Episcopal School defenseman. Junior Jasmin Lawrence jumps hurdles. Junior Ryan Gupta sinks a put. Junior Emily Koehler awaits a pitch. Junior Grant Soloman hits a serve.

Boys’ Tennis Undefeated. Varsity boys’ tennis carried this distinction through Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) at the Memorial Park in Houston, where the team won three games to defeat Kinkaid in the championship match. Pre-game and post-game traditions were a major part of the weekend. On the bus ride to the tennis center, the team listened to “What Is Love” by Haddaway, silently meditated, and exploded a can of Moster to prepare the players for the match. Juniors Hank Golman and Grant Solomon won doubles to secure the SPC championship. Grant has never lost a set in SPC since the beginning of his high-school tennis career. At the completion of senior Nathan Zhu’s final season and the team’s first place SPC championship, the team gathered in a circle and shouted a “hoorah” chant to end on a high note.

Girls’ Tennis The girls’ varsity tennis team earned a spot on the podium with a silver medal after losing 4-1 to The Hockaday School in the finals. The starting line-up consisted of senior Mallorie Wise, sophomores Jenna Reisler and Julia Reisler, juniors Rebecca Sostek, Kelsey Goldberg and Angela Hillsman, and freshman Abby Shosid. This well-rounded team wrapped up the regular season with an 11-4 record.

Track and Field Teamwork highlighted the track and field team’s successful showing at SPC in Houston. Starting with 100-meter sprints and finishing

with shot put, competitors in all events contributed to capturing fourth place. Senior Ryan Duffy had a memorable end to his Greenhill Track career, coming from behind to steal gold medal honors in the 800meter sprint with a 1:57.60. Ryan finished third overall in the 1,600meter run with a personal record of 4:32. The 4x400-meter relay team of Ryan, freshman Justin Estrada, junior Tre Albritten, and sophmore Paulo Springer finished third overall. The team of Justin, Paulo, Ryan, and senior Jeremy Auerbach finished fifth overall in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 8:34.18. Freshman Naya Sharp had a trio of top-four finishes in the 100meter dash (12.52 seconds) and long jump (16’11.25”) and fourth in the 200-meter dash (26.16 seconds).

Softball The softball team entered SPC with a 6-12 record including 3-5 in SPC counter games. The Hornets concluded their season with an 8-7 victory over St. Andrew’s Episcopal School to place sixth in Division II.

Baseball

Inning after inning, the baseball team slugged a series of homeruns to close the season with fifth place at the SPC Division II Tournament in Houston. On Saturday, the team retired with a 10-2 victory over Oakridge School, wrapping up their season with a 9-12 overall record, including 1-5 in SPC counter games.

Boys’ Golf The top five boys’ golfers

traveled to the Woodlands, TX to compete for an SPC title. For two rounds of golf the team finished sixth overall after a combined score of 623. Junior Jassem Setayesh led the team, shooting 77-72. Sophomore Reed Russ shot 72-79, freshman Evan Haynes shot 79-80, senior Captain Jordan Olschwanger shot 84-80, and senior Sam Levinger shot 86-83. Next season, Assistant Coach Mike Krueger will take over as Head Coach for boys’ golf coming from Cross Country.

Girls’ Golf At the SPC tournament in Houston, the four-member girls’ golf team placed sixth as a team and set a school record. Juniors Casey Holiday and Olivia Jones, and sophomores Caroline Early and Madison Pidgeon brought in their personal bests to the clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon, when they shot 588 as an overall combined score.

Girls’ Lacrosse Girls’ lacrosse came up short during SPC and ended their SPC season with an eighth-place finish. They finished the tournament winless from an early setback to Episcopal School of Dallas, and later to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. They still have the girls’ state lacrosse tournament to play this month. story by Varun Gupta

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Middle School student pursues passion for archery Christina Zhu

probably telling him that I won archery once during field day [in Sixth grader Chase Brown steps high school], and I never picked up up and gets ready to shoot. The a bow again. He started telling me humming sound of people talking that he needed better equipment, falls to a dead silence as he sets his and asking me to take him to the feet and takes an arrow out of his archery range. I’m pretty much just quiver. Chase notches his arrow following his lead.” and draws it back. He takes aim and In the past year, Chase has come pulls the arrow back so that his first in first place at two tournaments: knuckle is behind his ear. He pauses, Texas Archery Association Junior takes a deep breath. His eyes are Olympic Tournament and Shoot focused on the X at the center of the Your Way Across Texas. target, which is 50 meters away. In Unlike the bows we imagine his mind, the people behind him, from Robin Hood, modern bows are staring at him, anticipating his shot, much more complex. Most are made fade away; all he can see is the X. of carbon and other metal alloys. Although Chase started archery There are two types of bows: recurve six months ago, he is currently and compound. Of the two, Chase ranked fourth in the nation. uses a compound bow, the more His passion for archery started complex type. at a birthday party at Rough Creek “Before, when I was winning Lodge in Glenrose, Texas. tournaments, my equipment was “We did a whole bunch of inferior in the division I was shooting activities there, and one of the with. I was using a pin, which had activities was archery. Right there little pins of light to aim at the target, I just fell in love with it. It was so while other kids had scopes on their much fun,” Chase said. bows, which magnify the target The next step was when aiming at it,” Chase buying his first bow. said. “The difference in “I had saved up I had saved equipment made it harder money for something, up money for me to compete against and I thought, ‘I think for something, them.” I’ll get my first bow.’ At an outdoor archery and I thought, ‘I I just shot it in the think I’ll get tournament, archers shoot backyard, and me and my first bow’.“ at targets set up on hay my friend from the bales 50 meters away. Each birthday party excelled hay bale has four targets, at it. We later found two on the top, and two on our local archery range, the bottom. Archers are in Texas Archery Academy,” Chase groups of four, and two people at a said. time shoot at their designated target. Chase took the initiative to start After shooting all their arrows, the up archery, and his mother, Debra archers score their targets, and are Brown, has been helping however ranked accordingly. she can. Though archery is a solitary “It was all him,” she said. “The sport for the most part, there is a only influence I had on him was sense of bonding among the archery Asst. Features Editor

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community. “The environment is pretty friendly. The only time it gets competitive is during tournaments. Everybody is very nice and they’re all talking or asking if they can try each other’s bow. But when you step up to the line to shoot in your groups of four, the mood immediately changes,” Chase said. At some tournaments, Chase has competed against college students. He recently tied for first place with a collegiate shooter, who had five more years of experience. They went through four intense sudden-death rounds until a winner emerged. Qualifications are tournaments that allow top competitors to try out for the Junior World Cup Team, a five-member team that takes the top five archers in the nation. Part of qualifications is a team round, where archers form teams of three and compete against other teams. “You have to find other people and you really bond with those people and become friends, because they’re your team and you have to trust them and cooperate with them,” Chase said. When Chase met his archery friends at Shoot your Way Across Texas, he didn’t realize that they would remain a constant force in his life. “When I met some people there, I thought this would be a one-time thing, but they asked me one thing which was, ‘Oh! Are you going to be there next week?’ And that opened a huge door for me,” Chase said. It was also other archers who first noticed that Chase was using substandard equipment, while still getting first or second place.

Photos courtesy of Debra Brown

STRAIGHT SHOOTER: Sixth grader Chase Brown (above) holds up an impressive target he shot through. Below, Chase (middle) takes his aim.

“They said to Chase that if he wanted to get even better he needed a coach and better equipment,” Ms. Brown said. Chase aims to become part of

the Junior World Cup Team and travel the world for international tournaments. Chase is also setting his sights on the 2020 Olympics, when he will be 19.

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AFTERWORDS

Is that your final answer?

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I recently had to choose between attending a huge milestone in my sister’s life continuing to pursue one of my longest lasting dreams. When I realized that the semi-finals and finals of the State Cup tournament for club soccer

were set for the same weekend as my sister’s graduation from college in Philadelphia, I had to question which event was more important. I had dreamt of winning a state title since I put on my first Sting Soccer Club jersey at age nine. Oh, the irony that witnessing my sister win State Cup when she was around my age fueled this strong desire. Now, my team had earned a spot in the opening weekend of the state tournament, and we had to win those games before even considering moving onto the finals weekend. I couldn’t imagine letting my teammates down by not working my hardest (after all, my dreams weren’t the only ones at stake), but I also couldn’t imagine missing such an important moment in my sister’s life. I didn’t want to put such a huge

goal in my life to rest. On the other hand, I had to go to my sister’s graduation because I was taught to make family a priority. Don’t adults always teach you when you’re young to put your family before yourself? I thought they always told me to follow my dreams, too. What, then, is truly the “right” thing to do in a world riddled with clichés and generalizations as a basis for advice? How could I be expected to make a “good” decision? I couldn’t win. When I asked for advice, people would say things like, “whatever is supposed to happen will happen” or “it will all turn out for the best,” which simply furthered my confusion. Ultimately, I did not have to decide, as my team did not advance after a disappointing loss. However, I learned that even the strongest,

most straightforward principles from youth are not always enough to make a decision. These ideals often conflict, and people respond with empty advice like, “it will all work out in the end.” If I chose to put family first then I would have to abandon my dream and teammates. That doesn’t sound like everything “working out” to me. As a result, I knew that I had to get information. I didn’t want advice; I wanted fact. In order to make an informed decision, I needed my sister’s input. She said that I should pursue my dream and miss her graduation. No matter what I chose, I would be disappointed with having to miss something important, but my sister’s decision justified my own. I knew that I had to make the choice myself, but with her help, I could relax again.

Silence can be really uncomfortable. For the first minute or so of my meditation session in Mr. Kasten’s Inner Light seminar, that was all I thought about—how weird it felt. The moment itself was pretty unusual: 20 students in a silent confined space, mocked by the sunny Friday afternoon outside. Because of the scheduling lottery, I’d never been a part of Mr. Kasten’s famed meditation sessions, so when the opportunity presented itself as an Alumni Day seminar, I jumped at it. With some ambient flute music and the tolling of a bell, we were off on 15 minutes of

intra-cerebral exploration. When class ended, I wasn’t quite sold. The experience had been nice, but mostly because it came right after a series of lectures. I emerged from the seminar fairly refreshed, but not quite as enlightened as I’d hoped. Fortunately, Mr. Kasten had sent us off with handouts that listed a few good tips for relaxation and meditation. This jogged my memory as I emptied my backpack later that afternoon. I decided to try meditation one more time—and what better place to do so than in the shower? That sounded weird. Bear with me. I’ve never taken much time to ponder the quasi-sanctity of the shower. Usually, I have about five minutes between when my alarm goes off and I have to leave for school, so the shower is about getting in and out as quickly as possible. But in reality, it’s perhaps the most intensely personal place I know—one where I am, for all intents and purposes, isolated. In the shower, the glass doesn’t just keep the water in. It keeps everything else out. The sounds and thoughts of the outside world drown in the

white noise of the water. It’s difficult to explain meditation, because, at least in the way Mr. Kasten teaches, it’s somewhat of an oxymoron. Meditation is about clearing the mind, ridding oneself of the stresses and strains of the daily grind. Our stresses are so ingrained into our lives, though, that avoiding them takes work. Essentially, meditation means actively thinking about thinking about nothing. That was where I struggled the first time. I was too caught up in the foreignness of the experience. So I got in the shower, turned the water on: the usual routine. Except this time, instead of just getting in and out as quickly as possible, I lingered. More accurately, I sat down, back against the wall, and closed my eyes. In doing so, I ignored the weirdness and embraced the relative peace of it all. In Judaism, there’s a tradition in which, during certain parts of prayer, those praying take three steps back, pause for a few seconds, and then step forward. The symbolism of the action is the brief removal of oneself from the material world in order to focus on the sanctity

of the prayer. To me, my version of meditation attempts to accomplish something similar. Yes, I am comparing religious prayer to taking a shower. As I sat in deep thought on the tile floor, I was perfectly conscious. Thoughts were still buzzing through my mind: Can I get by without doing my math homework again? Do Spanish speakers actually use the past perfect subjunctive? Is Alex stealing my clothes again? However, I wasn’t processing them so much as observing them. Had I been properly processing, I would have realized the absurdity of it all. It’s a good thing I closed the bathroom door. But I got out of the shower feeling much better than when I entered. I didn’t resolve any of the stresses or problems in my world. I just removed myself from them temporarily, sealing myself off in hot water behind a glass door. Sitting down and breathing was my way of taking those three steps back. Thank you, Mr. Kasten. From now on, I’ll be setting my alarm ten minutes earlier. Hopefully Eco Club won’t come after me.

One month ago today, I opened my laptop to find my Facebook news feed flooded with statuses regarding the recent tragedy at the Boston Marathon. “My heart goes out to Boston,” one read. Another: “My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the Boston Marathon.” In the midst of the chaos that ensued during and after the marathon, it seems but a triviality to focus upon these “thoughts and

prayers” statuses. Yet for the past month, they have nagged at me. Perhaps it stems from the fact that I don’t post much on Facebook in general. Or perhaps it stems from my more quiet, reserved attitude. But I must pose the question: Is this an appropriate way to respond to a national tragedy? In an age of rapidly advancing social communication, it is an important thing to consider. What concerns me is not the message. The words themselves are compassionate. What concerns me is how and why we post. First, consider how we post. These statuses lie scattered amongst things that carry no weight or importance. The gravity of the sentiment is lost amongst selfies, “to be honest” statuses, and funny YouTube videos. Our words become just as trivial as the content they are surrounded by. If a status about Boston lands in the news feed next to a post about The Vampire Diaries or Torchy’s Tacos, what are we really saying about Boston?

But why we post is far more intriguing— and far more troubling. Likely, none of your Facebook friends lives in Boston or was affected by the tragedy. And even if they were, a simple phone call would be a much more personal way to offer condolences. So if the purpose of posting a “thoughts and prayers” status isn’t to directly console the victims of the bombing, what is it? Is it not to proclaim to your hundreds upon hundreds of friends how “sincere” and “caring” you are? All of us are deeply saddened by the innocent civilians who were killed and injured in this act of terror— there is no doubt about it. But posting a thoughts and prayers status is not an appropriate way to react to an event of such significance. Take a minute to think about the events of the Boston Marathon. Imagine the terrified looks on the faces of the runners, who were knocked to the ground just steps away from the finish line. Imagine the gut-wrenching

emotions of those just behind them who could do nothing but watch. Imagine the amount of courage finalists had to muster to plunge back into the race, straight into the face of danger, to help the injured rise again. Imagine the town, streets splattered in blood, deserted and trembling with fear while the perpetrators lurked somewhere in the city. Far away from all of this, we sit clicking away at our keyboards. It’s too easy to type a few words into the status bar and hit “post,” counting the accumulating “likes” like coins in a piggy bank. It isn’t sincere, genuine, from the heart. If you want to show your support, act. Organize a bakesale, donate emergency blankets, or set up the classic lemonade stand. Or quietly let the events of this past month shape how you see your own life. Pay homage by taking a minute to appreciate your family, your house, your city, your safety. But don’t post something on social media. Do something more meaningful.

A few weeks ago, my computer died. It didn’t fall asleep; it didn’t freeze temporarily; it just quit on me. I took it to the Apple Store and they replaced my hard drive, which revived my computer to some extent, but all my memory was wiped. The bad news: Everything I’ve ever used my computer for between the time I got it (the summer before my freshman year) and the time it died, was lost. Years of documents— homework, papers, notes—gone. Thousands of music and movie files—legally and illegally obtained—gone. The good news: I didn’t lose anything I was working on at the time, or really anything

of vital importance. I’m just thankful this didn’t happen a few months from now, when I’ll be elbow deep in college applications. And while at the time this seemed like an insurmountable, world-shattering calamity, I can actually say, in retrospect, that I am better for the experience. We live in a technological world, and increasingly so. When alumna Brooke Oberwetter, an online security expert for Facebook, came to speak to the Upper School, she explained that the cost of a gigabyte of digital storage has dropped from $300K to $0.10 in a matter of just three decades. Digitization of information is more affordable and accessible than ever. Accordingly, our lives are more virtual than ever, as we constantly update, tweet, and surf. Moreover, many students have become dependent on technology within academics. According to a study released in 2011 by CourseSmart and Wakefield Research, 73 percent of college students surveyed said they would not be able to study without some form of technology. Many of the students said they used technology to complete learning tasks traditionally done on paper. In addition to the

unsurprisingly large majority of students who used technology to research and write papers (81 percent and 82 percent, respectively), 70 percent of the students reported they use keyboards rather than paper to take notes and 65 percent said they use digital devices to create presentations. Technology was also a preferred method for getting in touch with teachers, as 91 percent of the students cited email as a method for seeking extra help from their instructors. At first glance, this seems like progress. If we employ new technology effectively such that we ease and expedite our daily lives, then nothing is wrong with that. But maybe we’re past that point. Maybe we don’t know how to assign value to things that aren’t high-tech. Think about it. What is an in-class presentation these days if not accompanied by a PowerPoint or Prezi? What is a teacher’s lecture if not facilitated by a SMART Board? Why does a lack of technological deployment automatically seem second-rate? As soon as we start thinking this way, we have become confined by technology. We rely on our laptops to do so much and keep track

of it all. Most of us can’t imagine losing all that information all at once. I thought I would be lost. Instead, I found myself liberated. While my computer was broken, I took a break from the screen. Rather than reading from an online textbook, I cracked open the real thing. Instead of chatting over the Internet, I chatted across the dinner table. It sounds ridiculous, but during that time, life felt a little more real than usual. I realize technology is essential for a lot of us; it certainly is for me. I don’t pretend to think I can completely kick my dependence on my computer, but having spent some time without it, I can see the advantages of cutting back. I’m not proposing that we all go cold turkey and totally relinquish technology. That would be unreasonable. But in the past couple weeks, I’ve made a conscious effort to turn my computer off as often as possible. Powering down and closing the door to the digital world opens up a whole new side of life, one we all too often miss. Also, it’s good for battery life. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

My (unlikely) meditation room

Facebook isn’t from the heart

When useful becomes overused

wednesday, may 15, 2013

With summer just around the corner, The Evergreen has devised three unique suggestions to splatter a bit of color across your summer. graphic and story by Lizzy D’Apice

If you missed the 5K Saturday, have no fear. Another 5K is coming your way on June 22. At 9 a.m. sharp at Dallas Fair Park, the colorful “Run Or Dye” will commence. Don’t like running? No problem. Run, walk, skip, or dance your way to the finish line. Be showered with colorful powdered dye by “color crews” along the way. At the end of the race, you’ll be drenched in color from head to toe, and you’ll have the biggest smile on your face. Life is too short to live in black and white, so register for “Run or Dye,” where it’s all about living life in full color. For more information, visit www.runordye.com.

If you’ve seen the movie Princess Diaries you may recall a scene where Mia and her mom throw darts at paint-filled balloons stapled to a canvas. To try it at home, you’ll need deflated balloons, paint, and a clean, empty soda bottle. Fill the bottle with the desired paint color, and then blow up the balloon. Then quickly place the balloon lip over the soda bottle and flip it to fill the balloon with paint. Remove the balloon from the bottle and tie the balloon off. Fill as many balloons as you want, and then staple the balloons onto a blank, white canvas. Grab your darts, and enjoy your colorful experience.

Summer’s all about getting out of the city and hanging out with your friends. Head to Fun on the Run, Fort Worth’s paintball park. This park offers a wide variety of themed courses to explore, from the “The District” (don’t worry, it’s in no way similar to The Hunger Games), “The Woods,” and the “Snipers Resort.” Dodge in and out of trees, roll through the grass 007 style, or if you’re not one of competitive nature, sit back and watch your friends attack each other. At the end of your visit, you may have a few hard-earned bruises, but you’ll be splattered with so much paint that Van Gogh would be proud. For more information, visit www.paintballfunontherun.com Photos courtesy of www.runordye.com, futurecnc.code.arc.cmu.edu and www.allpaintballsupplies.com