May 2022 | The Evergreen, Greenhill School

Volume 57, Issue 6

the

Evergreen

May 18, 2022

Everything Greenhill

Dallas Is Growing, and It’s Growing Fast

Shifting populations and demographics are changing the city – and Greenhill.

Page 10

Photo by Khushi Chhaya and Emma Nguyen

Spring Musical

Engineering

Senior Section

Greenhill Theater performed its production of “The Little Mermaid,” weathering expected and unexpected challenges. Page 6

As Maria Suarez moves on, she and her students reflect on campus computer science, engineering, robotics and gender disparities in STEM. Page 10

The Evergreen commemorates the Class of 2022 as seniors remove their pandemic-tinted glasses and transition to life’s next chapter. Page 21

Informing Greenhill since 1966

4141 Spring Valley Road, Addison, TX 75001

2

News

Now Hiring: Greenhill Teachers Emma Rikalo, Pooja Sanghvi

F

or Greenhill students, the end of each school year is marked by familiar rituals: final grades, awards, honors, class elections and graduation ceremonies.

For Greenhill administrators, the end of each school year is marked by a ritual that unfolds largely behind the scenes: the process of filling faculty vacancies to ensure a smooth start to the new school year in August.

The process has gotten more challenging at Greenhill and other schools across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A National Education Association survey earlier this year found that 55% of educators were thinking about leaving the profession – a sharp increase from 37% last summer.

“It hasn’t affected our outcomes in the sense that we have been very happy with the candidates we’ve hired in the last several years,” said Head of School Lee Hark. “At the same time, one thing that I’m seeing is that the candidate pools are smaller. There’s just fewer people to choose from, so we’ve been very fortunate that we’ve attracted good people.”

In recent weeks, the Upper School has seen a number of faculty job applicants on campus as the hiring s e a s o n c u lminates with the end of another school year.

like Greenhill,” Hark said. “Out of all those postings, we get a lot of applicants coming from our website, and some from these other firms.”

Once applicants are selected through these different postings, screening calls are conducted by division heads to get a general sense of each candidate’s qualifications.

Following this, an applicant will then be asked to do an initial interview. During the pandemic, these interviews began to be conducted over Zoom, something Worcester said will continue as restrictions ease.

The Right Fit Once the applicant pool has been narrowed down to the finalists for a position, the process ramps up. The second round of interviews, post-pandemic, are in person.

Candidates are invited to the Greenhill campus, and if the candidates are out of

Teacher Shortages

Finding Candidates The process begins each January when Greenhill

administrators ask employees to indicate whether or not they are returning the following year. Once hiring needs are determined, through this and other means, the process can begin.

There are a lot of people involved in the hiring process, including the Human Resources Department and department chairs, Hark said.

“Beginning this year, it’s been more localized within each department, so I’m in charge of looking for all of the faculty for positions that we have in our division,” Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester said. “I pull resumes down from the systems and typically set up a shared folder with the department chair to say, ‘You know, I have a pretty good feeling about this.’”

!

Beginning this year, it’s been more localized within each department, so I’m in charge of looking for all of the faculty for positions that we have in our division.

I pull resumes down from the systems and typically set up a shared folder with the department chair to say, ‘You know, I have a pretty good feeling about this.’”

The hiring process begins by looking at initial applications through headhunting firms such as Carney Sandoe, or through job listings posted on the Greenhill website.

“There are several search firms that connect candidates to independent schools

Chair Darryn Sandler said. “You can read the body language as well as if the teacher is engaging and how willing the students are to be engaging with the teacher.”

Last year, due to the pandemic, faculty job candidates didn’t have as much interaction with students.

“I think when I visited I didn’t have Sonia Chin the opportunity to talk to students very much,” Upper School science teacher Sonia Chin said. “But I thought it was nice to talk to the Hill Guides.”

After their visit, Greenhill asks the applicant to write a short response to questions dealing with how they would handle common situations with parents and students, said Worcester.

Graphic by Emma Nguyen

state, the school flies them in and pays for their trip.

A full day of interviews is conducted to allow candidates to interact with people from all facets of the school. Typically, the candidate will meet and talk to Hark, Worcester, Director of Education Jason Yaffe, Dean of Students Jack Oros, Assistant Head of Upper School Rebecca Shuman and relevant department members.

The candidate will also meet with Equity and Inclusion Director Marcus Ingram and other members of the Department of Equity and Inclusion.

“It’s a full day and they are in meetings from 8 a.m. to 4 [p.m.],” Worcester said. “It’s pretty jam-packed with different things.”

While the candidate is on campus, small groups of students are chosen by the department heads to meet the candidate. The students give feedback to the administrators and department head.

Candidates are also asked to teach a demonstration class, after which students will offer feedback.

“You can usually get a sense of how the class feels when you’re watching the person teach without necessarily saying anything to them,” Upper School Math Department

The K-12 teaching profession was experiencing declining numbers before the pandemic, but the demands of working in the education field during the COVID-19 era have accelerated the trend.

A 2021 survey conducted by the Education Week Research Center found that 48% of principals and district leaders reported difficulty in hiring e n o u g h full-time teachers. In a separate Education Week survey, 91% of teachers reported experiencing jobrelated stress “sometimes, frequently, or always.”

An increasingly important component of the hiring process is diversity, equity and inclusion.

According to Worcester and Hark, Greenhill’s commitment to diversity means they want to continue to make the school’s teaching staff more representative of the student body, and to ensure instructors are educated about diversity, equity, and inclusion work.

“You’ve got to be conversant in [diversity, equity and inclusion issues],” Hark said. “You’ve got to have exposure to these topics – or be willing to learn more – to be considered a serious candidate at Greenhill.”

!

You’ve got to be conversant in [diversity, equity and inclusion issues]. You’ve got to have exposure to these topics – or be willing to learn more – to be considered a serious candidate at Greenhill.”

Although the many moving parts and the short time frame of the hiring process can make the process difficult, Worcester says it’s a critical part of the education process.

“It’s complex, it’s complicated, it’s challenging, but it’s important, and you want to get it right,” Worcester said.

For the Hornets This Week !"#$%&'($%')* Final Upper School Community Time

!+,-.#$%&'($%')/ Senior Surprise Preschool/Lower, Last Day of School

0-1#$%&'($%'23 Upper School, Last Day of School Upper School Honors Assembly

This Month ($%'24 Baccalaureate

($%'25 Commencement

($%'43 Memorial Day

Summer & Next Year 6,78')5 Flag Day

6,78')/ Juneteenth Father’s Day

6,9%'5 Independence Day

6,9%'/ Eid al-Adha

:,;<'2 Preseason Starts

:,;<'24 First Day of School

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Evergreen Ever the

News

3

Mixing Artistic Mediums: Olivia Block ’89

Photos courtesy of Olivia Block ‘89

SOUND ART: Olivia Block ‘89 opened her “Sightings” exhibit at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. It displayed Sonambient sound sculptures that provide a unique experience for viewers.

Nate Stitt

O

livia Block ’89 is a prominent figure in the realm of mixed mediums between sonic and visual art.

She most recently opened an exhibit called “Sightings” for the Nasher Sculpture Center in downtown Dallas. Block’s work with Sonambient sound sculptures allows viewers to be physically immersed in her artistic mind.

Wherever the viewer steps in the room Block established, a different sound occurs as light hits distinct areas of the floor.

“She really is an internationally recognized electronic musician,” former Head of Fine Arts Michael Manes said.

Greenhill Roots Block began her artistic journey as a singer in the Greenhill Choir.

“Strangely, I didn’t study [visual art] at Greenhill,” Block said. “In Middle School I was much more focused on music, first studying percussion, then participating in choral assemblies.”

Manes directed one of the choral groups Block was in.

“She was a very quiet student, but a good singer,” Manes said. “Olivia was very supportive and was always there. She really got her foundation in music.”

In Upper School, Block faced a lack of stability at home alongside increased social pressures. This led her to battle depression throughout her teen years.

“Social interactions suddenly felt fraught with meaning that I couldn’t control,” Block said. “Additionally, I couldn’t understand why it seemed that as I grew older my value or lack of value [as] a woman seemed to be tied up in my physical appearance.”

Those feelings, Block says, kept herself absorbed away from school. Still, she looked for other mechanisms to contend with her feelings – primarily music.

“I listened to music all the time back then,” Block said. “The emotional qualities of my favorite music gave me a kind of language to express my own experience,” Block said. “In listening to so much music, I noticed the way the physical properties of

sound affected me, how the production of the recordings made an impact in the sound of music.”

Block says she missed a lot of classes.

She says she felt fortunate to be at a school where teachers were understanding and supportive.

At graduation ceremonies, Manes awarded Block a choral award for consistent, excellent dedication to the program in solo and ensemble.

“Thankfully, I graduated, and because of the expertise of some amazing teachers, some of the books and lessons still managed to penetrate my distracted teenage brain,” Block said.

Sensory Experiences Block decided to postpone college to play in bands and waitress in recording studios in New York City and Austin. She learned audio engineering skills and developed an interest in making experimental music with four-track recordings.

“I learned about art, and particularly sound art, a new field of art at that time,” Block said. “Those studio experiments ultimately led to my solo sound and music career.”

Block’s first solo sound piece, “Pure Gaze,” was released by Sedimental record label in 1998.

She then moved to Chicago and enrolled in the School of Art Institute to take sound classes. Block also studied composition at Chicago’s Roosevelt Music Conservatory, where she learned how to score highly specialized music for orchestra.

“Later in my life I got a degree in biological anthropology from Northwestern University, studying genetics and primates,” Block said.

While in Chicago in the 1990s, Block discovered Harry Bertoia. A furniture designer and prominent sound art sculptor, Bertoia inspired Block through an LP release of his Sonambient sound sculptures.

“I listened to those ethereal metallic chime sounds and became enamored with Bertoia’s work,” Block said.

In time, Block began creating multisensory art experiences, utilizing both sonic

and visual media.

Global Success Block teaches in the Sound Department at the School of Art Institute in Chicago and at the Sound Arts and Industries program at Northwestern University, her alma mater. She performs at events ranging from installations to concerts, most recently in Germany. She also created the “Sightings” exhibit at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas.

Block says she often took her students to visit Sonambient sound sculptures in downtown Chicago at the Aon Center in the 2010s. In 2015, she electronically recorded and processed those sounds and planned to send them through 60 speakers at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, which led her to the sound and light installation at the Nasher.

According to the Nasher’s website, Sightings “utilizes sound sculptures’ ability to create a palpable sonic space while allowing the audience to activate the sonic experience by moving about the room.

Block complements the changing aural environment projecting the silhouettes of the movement of the sounding sculptures across the floor and up the walls of the Corner Gallery at the Nasher.

Senior Ashton Higgins attended the exhibition’s opening.

“I thought it was interesting the way she was able to match up the lights and connect it to the music, especially considering we could really only see a blank room which somehow adjusted the sound based on the location,” Higgins said. “The technical work that went into making the room wasn’t on a loop as well, and I thought it was incredibly precise.”

Block used a multi-speaker array to diffuse sounds throughout the room to create a “sonic ocean.”

“This was a dream for me, spending time with these pieces, watching them move and listening to the way each separate metal rod would activate others to make complex sound sequences,” Block said.

The exhibition, shared with Bertoia’s furniture, lasted from early January to late

April.

“I wanted to include the shadows from one of the Sonambient sculptures, reflected on the gallery floor, to signify the absence of the sculptural object itself and the absence of the artist Harry Bertoia,” Block said.

“The light invited people into more physical interaction with the piece. As their shadows were cast on the wall, they would move to change the shadows and in doing so would set off the sound sensors, creating more sound.”

Block also reunited with Manes for the first time in over 30 years when he saw her at the exhibition’s opening.

“What I admire most about Olivia is that she translates her passion for visual art and music and Olivia Block combines them together, and has done so with incredible success and a field that often doesn’t get the recognition it deserves,” Manes said.

!

I wanted to include the shadows from one of the Sonambient sculptures, reflected on the gallery floor, to signify the absence of the sculptural object itself and the absence of the artist Harry Bertoia. The light invited people into more physical interaction with the piece.

As their shadows were cast on the wall, they would move to change the shadows and in doing so would set off the sound sensors, creating more sound.”

Following the exhibition’s recent closing, Block says she plans to continue her teaching and hopefully expand her work to reach broader audiences.

“I love hearing young artists express ideas, and viewing the world from their perspectives,” Block said. “I try to help each artist realize an artwork to effectively reflect that point of view. Otherwise, I will continue making albums and installations. I want to do work that is ecologically focused, utilizing landscape architecture techniques, creating spaces for animals and humans to enjoy.”

Evergreen Ever the

4 News

Interfaith Lunches Foster Connections

Aman Jaleel

U

pper School affinity groups have initiated interfaith lunches in recent months to build community among students and provide space for discourse.

After a February hostage incident at Congregation Beth Synagogue in Colleyville, Muslim Student Association co-leader Saara Bidiwala decided to reach out to the Jewish Studies Club to provide support.

“We wanted to show solidarity and make sure that we were there to support each other because it’s very scary,” said Bidiwala, a senior.

Bidiwala says the inspiration for the lunches came from her conversations with former Christian Saara Bidiwala Student Coalition leader Pearson Brooks ’21, who had helped with interfaith events during his time at Greenhill.

The February incident at the synagogue became “the impetus for me starting this up,” Bidiwala said.

The expression of solidarity was particularly important because of the history of conflict between Muslims and Jews around the world, students said.

“It was really nice to have another group reach out,” said Jewish Studies Club co-president Kayla Rutner. “There’s so much stigma between Muslims and Jews [and] I don’t know why we clash because honestly, the religions are just so similar.”

The leaders of the Jewish and Muslim student groups met with each other to plan the first interfaith lunch on Feb. 9.

“Making sure that all the arrangements and communications were made for the event was at the forefront of my mind,” Bidiwala said. “In the back of my mind, however, I was really excited to see what this

could turn into.”

For science teacher Hennah Abubaker, co-sponsor of the Muslim Student Association, interfaith lunches can influence the way students approach different religions.

“My biggest goal is for kids to learn some tolerance and learn how to celebrate other faiths,” Abubaker said.

!

My biggest goal is for kids to learn some tolerance and learn how to celebrate other faiths.”

At the first lunch, Muslim and Jewish student leaders educated attendees on their respective traditions. After the presentations, members reflected on similarities between the two religions.

“Being in a diverse environment is important,” said senior Johrdyn Tarpeh, copresident of the Christian Student Coalition.

“I think we need to take advantage of that because we do get to see different religions, ethnicities and types of people on campus.”

After the gathering, the leaders say they felt the lunch was successful. They decided to make the group lunches a monthly occurrence involving more Kayla Rutner affinity groups. A second interfaith lunch on March 3 brought together the Christian, Jewish and Muslim student groups along with the Non-Religious Student Association.

“I’ve [learned] more about other religions than I’ve ever known,” Rutner said.

“I’m glad that I got to experience it before I leave Greenhill.”

Prior to the March lunch, attendees posed questions to other affinity groups

Photo courtesy of Greenhill Communications

DIVERSE SPACES: Students have organized interfaith lunches between many faithbased affinity groups. They reflect on the intersectionality of their religious beliefs.

through an anonymous form. An ensuing discussion over lunch revolved around the questions.

“It was fun interacting with other affinity groups,” Muslim Student Association member Zoya Iyer said. “A lot of people that I talked to [at the lunch] I was already friends with, but faith isn’t something that is brought up in casual friendship conversations. It’s a good way to learn more about someone in your life.”

Freshman J.J. Arbuckle, a Christian Student Coalition member, shared a similar experience.

“This was a really good way of connecting with one another and learning about each other’s faiths, beliefs and differences, too,” Arbuckle said.

!

This was a really good way of connecting with one another and learning about each other’s faiths, beliefs and differences, too.”

Given the positive feedback from students, Bidiwala says she hopes that rising affinity group leaders continue to host interfaith lunches next year.

“I’d like to see the new leaders of the affinity groups come up with some other activities that are different than the ones we did this year,” Bidiwala said. “Just to make sure that people keep coming and keep the dialogue going in different ways.”

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Evergreen Ever the

News

5

Inclusion Council Launches Initiatives Gabi Appel

T

he new Upper School Student Inclusion Council has taken recent actions to foster a more inclusive campus environment.

The actions include the creation of three committees: the Calendar Committee, Speaker Series Initiative and Handbook Committee.

“The role of the Student Inclusion Council is to be student representatives and leaders, while offering insights and thoughts on how to make Greenhill a more inclusive environment,” said Assistant Equity and Inclusion Director Monsie Muñoz.

The idea to create the group was shaped by a cohort of Upper School students who attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

Monsie Muñoz The students helped get the initiative started and brought it to life, said Muñoz.

Muñoz also gives credit to Equity and Inclusion Director Marcus Ingram for taking the steps to bring the council to life and ensure the Greenhill community becomes a more inclusive environment every day.

The council is comprised of 10 Upper School students from all grades. Sophomores, juniors and seniors applied at the end of last year, and freshmen applied at the beginning of this year.

The application process included short answer responses, as well as a recommendation letter from either a Greenhill student or a student at a different school.

Student members of the council are chosen because they are motivated to make Greenhill a more inclusive environment, said Muñoz.

“When I came [to Greenhill] in eighth grade it was kind of hard for me to really feel like I was included in the school,” said freshman J.J. Arbuckle, a committee member. “I wanted to change that feeling for incoming [students].”

Arbuckle is also a member of the Calendar Committee, which ensures that all dates on the Greenhill calendar are representative of the school’s religious demographic.

Junior Aaron Johnson says the Calendar Committee has already spoken with Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester, Ingram, Assistant Director J.J. Arbuckle of Equity and Inclusion Ahmed Najm and Muñoz about updating the current calendar’s dates.

The Speaker Series Committee consists of seniors who

are working to bring diverse guest speakers to campus. The committee is currently curating a list of speakers who can more effectively engage and influence Upper School students, said senior Icis Barrientos, a member of the Speaker Series Committee.

“We have too many speakers covering the same topics,” Barrientos said. “We are working to find speakers who can get a genuine point across and have a good impact on our student body.”

Finally, the Handbook Committee is working to address past incidents, like a student calling their peer a racial slur, and preventing this from recurring. So far, the committee has approved three initiatives involving bathroom policies, inclusive language and steps to prevent bullying.

The bathroom policy initiative’s purpose is to ensure that teachers allow students to use the restroom at any time.

The inclusive-language initiative aims to eliminate racially insensitive language on the Greenhill campus. In the past, incidents involving the use of harmful language by students have occurred, and both students and administrators say they would like to put an end to it.

The goal of the anti-bullying initiative seeks to stop bullying on campus. Committee members are working with faculty and administrators to make sure acts of bullying are dealt with through punishment, to prevent them from recurring.

Next year, the Student Inclusion Council expects further changes with the involvement of new faculty members. With Najm leaving the school at the end of this year, Muñoz has already begun the search for a new assistant director of equity and inclusion to work with the council.

“I am looking for someone who connects really well with both students and faculty, as well as someone who will partner well with me on projects and is excited about collaborating,” Muñoz said.

Along with a new faculty replacement, there will be a new batch of seniors on the Speaker Series Committee. The senior members of this initiative are currently in search of Upper School students who are interested in carrying on the work next year.

“Anyone who is passionate about making a change or wants to advocate for what they believe in would be a great addition,” said senior Sydney Khan, who is working with her peers to find new members for the committee.

Council members say they hope Upper School students will embrace and expand these initiatives.

“Greenhill has a lot of work to be done, and it is going to take a long time, but this is an ongoing process.” Barrientos said.

Russia-Ukraine Update Russian forces bombed eastern Ukraine amid celebrations of Victory Day, a Russian holiday, on May 9. In Moscow, fighter jets overflew Red Square as nuclear weaponry was put on display. In a statement, democratic countries denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal aggression” and vowed to decrease their dependence on Russian energy.

Heat Devastates S. Asia Temperatures have soared to 140 degrees Fahrenheit in South Asia, with India and neighboring countries experiencing record highs of the century.

Extreme heat waves have resulted in dozens of deaths, the closure of schools and the sparking of fires. South Asia is a region hit hard by climate change, and inhabitants are struggling to cope as temperatures continue to rise.

Facebook Sued in Kenya In Kenya, a content moderator for Facebook, Daniel Motaung, filed a lawsuit accusing the company of the human trafficking of Africans. Motaung said Facebook was forcing Africans to work in dangerous conditions without compensation, and he alleged that he was traumatized from his job. The first video he ever watched as a content moderator showed someone being beheaded, and when he tried to speak up, he was fired, Motaung’s lawsuit alleged.

Macron Reelected in France French President Emmanuel Macron won reelection to a second term on April 24. He beat his right-wing opponent, Marie Le Pen, with 58.8% of the vote to Le Pen’s 41.2%. This is the second time Le Pen and Macron have run against each other, with the number of Le Pen voters increasing by 7.3% from her previous race.

Ousted Dictator’s Son Wins

Photo courtesy of Greenhill Communications

INITIATIVES FOR INCLUSION: The Student Inclusion Council was chosen by the faculty in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The group has launched several initiatives to foster a more inclusive environment.

The son of the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has won the Philippines’ presidential election in a landslide. Marcos won more than 30 million votes, more than double the total of his closest rival, current vice-president Leni Robredo, a former human rights lawyer. The late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was overthrown in the 1986 People Power Revolution after 20 years of rule marked by human rights abuses and corruption. Marcos Jr. and his supporters waged an aggressive social media campaign to rehabilitate the image of the ousted dictator. Marcos Jr. promised voters jobs and more agricultural investment if elected.

Arts

6

Spring Musical Takes Audience Under The Sea Evie Kwei

A

year ago, COVID-19 forced Upper School theater students to record the spring musical under strict protocols and share their work with an audience in an open-air venue. The 2022 spring production of “The Little Mermaid” aired in late April before a live Rose Hall audience amid easing pandemic restrictions, but not without some last-minute COVID-related drama.

Upper School Drama and Theater Director Valerie HaussSmith says she decided to pick “The Little Mermaid” because of its musicality, lighthearted nature and joyful plot. Hauss-Smith and many students say they were excited to finally perform for a live audience.

“I think it turned out very well,” HaussSmith said. “It really was a celebration of life.”

Double Casting The decision to undertake a musical was a change of pace for theater students.

“It’s been a while since Greenhill’s done a full [musical] production, so it was a little difficult at first, but we’ve really gotten into it throughout the semester,” said junior Teddy Robertson, who played Prince Eric.

Another unprecedented twist was the decision by Hauss-Smith to double-cast two lead characters: Flounder and Ariel.

The plan was for senior Kayla Rutner and sophomore Sanjna Kalisetty to alternate in

the roles over four performances.

“When it came to Flounder and Ariel, we saw that these two students that auditioned had potential to do the funny Flounder part and also the Ariel part,” HaussSmith said.

Even though Kalisetty and Sanjna Kalisetty Rutner had to learn two sets of lines, they both said they loved the experience.

“Kayla and I were able to find a system that really worked,” Kalisetty said. “We are able to communicate with each other, which made it a lot easier.”

Hauss-Smith notes that they were both very professional. When one of them would run scenes, the other was always taking notes.

“It [was] definitely a lot of work, but I’m glad I [did] it with her,” Rutner said.

Kalisetty and Rutner say they shared some memorable experiences while rehearsing. From chatting between scenes to hanging out during or after rehearsal, both of them say they enjoyed working with each other.

Final Curtain For Rutner, this was her final production with Greenhill theater, which she has been a part of for four years and eight productions.

“I’m kind of sad, but [it was] nice to be the lead as my last role,” Rutner said. “It’s cool to have a last hurrah.”

Photo courtesy of Robert and Helen Jackson

UNDER THE SEA: Kayla Rutner, left, Quinn Graves, center, and Sanjna Kalisetty perform in the spring musical, “The Little Mermaid,” as Ariel, Scuttle and Flounder.

Over the years, Rutner says her work in Greenhill theater productions has had a huge impact on her life.

“It’s pretty much made my high school experience, being a part of Greenhill theater,” Rutner said.

“The theater faculty and students are definitely like a family to me, and they’ve been a huge part of my Greenhill experience.”

Hauss-Smith recalls that as a freshman Rutner was always great at playing clowns during class.

“Her comedic timing gave her the opportunity to really shine, to play funny, entertaining characters,” HaussSmith said. “I think she thought she was going to play a crazy character Kayla Rutner again, and now, she’s a mermaid.”

COVID-19 Strikes Only days from opening night on April 21, COVID-19 once again forced a change of plans. Junior Erica Fulbright, who was supposed to play Sebastian, tested positive for COVID-19.

Fulbright’s positive test was further complicated by the fact that she was one of the few characters who did not have an understudy. Hauss-Smith decided to replace her with senior Hallie Sternblitz and junior Sydney Pitts. They had to learn all of their lines, blocking, harmonies, and dances in two days.

“It was insanely stressful and nerve wracking and I think that at first it definitely seemed impossible,” Sternblitz said. “But then I realized that everybody in the community was pitching in and doing everything they could to make this work.”

Immediately after receiving the news, everyone working on the show got together and began planning how to make it work, Hauss-Smith said. Despite the challenges, Sternblitz and Pitts say they were grateful for this experience and became close friends during the process.

“I wasn’t that close with [Hallie] before the show, but she’s definitely one of my role models and the sweetest person you’ll ever meet,” Pitts said.

Audience Reception Even with all of the challenges, HaussSmith says she believed that the musical would be a huge hit. Throughout the

three official showings, students of all ages attended, and Rose Hall was packed for every show.

Audience members praised the production’s technical elements and passion.

“I was really impressed by the level of technicality, and the singing capabilities of all the actors and actresses,” freshman Saida Bidiwala said.

The show also caught the attention of judges from the Schmidt and Jones Awards, which honors high school musical achievement in Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties. The panel of judges, consisting of theater professionals and teachers, nominated seven Upper School students for recognition.

!

It’s pretty much made my high school experience, being a part of Greenhill theater. The theater faculty and students are definitely like a family to me, and they’ve been a huge part of my Greenhill experience.”

“None of these nominations would’ve been possible without everyone pitching in,” Hauss-Smith said.

Looking Forward Both Hauss-Smith and Kalisetty say they hope that Greenhill theater will continue to grow and prosper. This year, with schedule changes, many athletes were able to participate in the program. Instead of being after school, the Spring Musical is now an elective during school hours.

“I am hoping to get as many people involved as possible,” HaussSmith said. “I’m really excited this year because we had athletes that could finally participate.”

HaussSmith has also set her sights on performing “Big Fish”, a lighthearted musical, next year.

Although not as well-known as a Disney musical, Hauss-Smith says she hopes that the compelling nature of the story will push people to see it.

Whatever the choice, Kalisetty says she is looking forward to doing more shows in person.

“We wanted this show to be a celebration, and I think we managed to pull that off,” Hauss-Smith said. “It’s unbelievable, the power of theater, and I hope to see that grow.”

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Evergreen Ever the

Arts

7

Madison Rojas Named Dallas Youth Poet Laureate Daniela Hallack

J

unior Madison Rojas first developed an interest in poetry during her early days in the Upper School English Department.

Rojas found poetry to be a new avenue of literary freedom that she saw herself being able to continue.

“I really feel that poetry had given me a whole new other way to express myself,” Rojas said.

Her passion for poetry recently resulted in her b eing named the Dallas Youth Poet Laureate.

“Knowing what my role in the greater Dallas community helped me reflect over my work,” Rojas said.

Discovering Poetry Rojas’ first poetry class was Multicultural Literature: Survey of Modern Poetry taught by Upper School English Department Chair Joel Garza.

She attributes much of her successes to Garza’s class.

“When I first walked into Mr. Garza’s class, I knew that I would view poetry differently,” said Rojas. “He kind of exposed me to a lot of other poems as well as interacting with many authors.”

Garza was fundamental to teaching her the ropes about the basics of poetry.

Garza also pushed her to the best of her abilities and encouraged her to continue h e r literary career. “ I f e e l like I modeled f o r Madison how a curious reader works through a draft,” Garza said.

Garza’s class proved to be a steppingstone for Rojas as she found inspiration in poetry. As Rojas furthered her study of poetry, she found comfort in relatable works, such as “The Poet X”

by Elizabeth Acevedo.

When she first experienced poetry, she had no in-depth knowledge of what it was. Over time, she found reading and writing poetry to be a liberating literary experience.

Beyond the relatability of poetry, Rojas also enjoyed the free-flowing nature of the form.

“I often feel as though poetry is the most freeing form of literary expression, which is so d i f f e re nt from all of the essays and papers we are writing in class,” Rojas said.

As she continued to grow, she says she found poetry was an outlet for her to show her true self.

“I thought it was really interesting especially since in years before, some of the poetry wasn’t really representative of my experiences,” Rojas said. “Prior to

that, I had only known poetry through the lens of white men.”

Being intrigued by the literary world himself, Garza hoped to share Rojas’s poetry beyond Greenhill.

“I read her work and encouraged her, nudging her to continue with things that went well,” Garza said. “We have some great writers on this campus, and writers need an audience.”

The Application The breakthrough for Rojas in her journey to finding a larger audience for her poetry came in the form of an email from Garza about the Dallas Youth Poet Laureate Award.

The Dallas Youth Poet Laureate is a program where a student is chosen to represent literature and poetry in the youth population and to provide a space for students to share their works of literature.

Rojas went through applications

and interviews to submit three poems titled “They Tell Us,” “To Carmela” and “Windowsill Prayers”, drawing inspiration from her personal experiences as a young girl. These p o e m s highlight t h e journey of growing up and watching loved ones battle their insecurities, Rojas said.

On April 6, Rojas’ hard work was recognized when she earned the title of Dallas Youth Poet Laureate.

At the award ceremony in Dallas City Hall, Rojas received a $1,000 award and a plaque.

“When I first got the email saying I had won the title, I was so excited and got to celebrate not only for myself but others,” Rojas said.

A Greater Impact Garza says the Dallas Youth Poet Laureate honor is reflective of Rojas’s hard work.

“Writers like Madison deserve readers that are active and engaged,”

Garza said. “I hope that I was such a reader for her during our fall course.”

A close friend, junior Shreeya Madhavanur, has watched Rojas experience her journey of self-discovery in poetry.

“She worked really hard and in silence,” Madhavanur said. “That’s the humble person she is.”

The wider recognition of her work has caused Rojas to reflect over why she enjoys poetry.

“I wanted all the readers of my poetry to know that poetry is for everybody, and I wanted the readers to feel like they could express themselves anyway they want,” Rojas said.

Rojas says she hopes she can share her achievements with her community w h i l e maintaining her true sense of writing.

“I hope my community is able to find t he ms elve s represented in literature,” Rojas said. “Hopefully other people can go out on a limb and try these things as well.”

Photo courtesy of Madison Rojas

THEY TELL US: Junior Madison Rojas, left, was named the inaugural Dallas Youth Poet Laureate. Upper School English teacher Joel Garza guided Rojas as she developed her three poems. Rojas received the honor during a ceremony at Dallas City Hall.

8

Features

A Year in Review

Reflections on COVID-19’s Impact in Another School Year Pooja Sanghvi

A

school year that began with COVID-19 and the lingering unease of never-ending restrictions is ending in a much more relaxed and upbeat frame of mind, with many people resuming their pre-pandemic lives.

After a year of hybrid learning, the 2021-2022 school year saw a return to in-person learning without a virtual option. The year began with masks being required indoors, and it is ending with a mask-optional policy across all divisions.

Along with the return of students, Greenhill traditions resumed throughout the year.

“I think at the beginning of the year, there was a little bit less freedom than we used to have before,” senior Prisha Gupta said. “But slowly and slowly it’s gotten a little bit more back to normal.”

Return to Campus The school year opened with vaccines widely available for everyone who was 12 and older. After online learning hampered people’s ability to connect in person with one another, administrators asked all Upper School students to resume in-person classes with masks required indoors.

“I appreciate that we had the restrictions in place [at the beginning of the year] to keep us healthy and they did not hamper or detrimentally impact the desire to reconnect,” Upper School English teacher Andrew Mercurio said. “The need and ability to connect was there in school and people just kind of naturally made it real.”

Many students hadn’t seen their classmates in a year due to strict COVID-19 restrictions, so being back in person gave them that school-type environment again.

“There was such a positive energy in the classes this year,” Mercurio said. “I have found it to be inspiring in terms of the way that we have been all together.

It was just a very positive environment, where it felt like everyone was genuinely just happy to be here.”

Teachers saw a difference in being able to teach, as well as the efficacy of their teaching.

“It’s so much easier to communicate with students and my colleagues,” Upper School math teacher Cathy Falk said.

“It’s just so much better being back in person.”

Traditions Resumed Even though many people felt like things were going back to normal, the COVID-19 delta variant posed a new threat.

“Even though people were vaccinated, and I was vaccinated, my life didn’t change a whole lot because my younger brother was too young to be vaccinated,” sophomore Zoya Iyer said.

A few weeks into school, as everyone was adjusting to the new normal of restrictions, October came around and the Greenhill Homecoming traditions returned. These included a week of Color Wars, dress-up days, the pep rally, turnabout games and even the traditional dance, although it was held outdoors to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

“I had been anticipating a high school homecoming for all of middle school, so I had a lot of built-up anticipation from missing it my freshman year,” Iyer said. “While the dance was still not what it usually was, it was so much fun to dance, play in a Homecoming game, and stand in the student section of the football game.”

!

There was such a positive energy in the classes this year. I have found it to be inspiring in terms of the way that we have been all together. It was just a very positive environment, where it felt like everyone was genuinely just happy to be here.”

Homecoming was the first major tradition that Upper School students experienced during the pandemic. Many students, after they went to the dance and joined the crowd at the football game, wanted a return to normalcy more than ever.

“Before Homecoming I was very cautious and I don’t think I changed after, but I noticed that people stopped caring as much,” sophomore Pearce Barnes said. “Especially after the dance, everyone was more focused on going back to a normal way of life.”

Omicron, another COVID-19 variant, rose significantly right near the winter holidays, briefly forcing the implementation of stricter protocols in the Greenhill community.

!

I had been anticipating a high school homecoming for all of middle school, so I had a lot of built-up anticipation from missing it my freshman year. While the dance was still not what it usually was, it was so much fun to dance, play in a Homecoming game, and stand in the student section of the football game.”

“After Homecoming, things seemed to be getting back to normal at Greenhill, so I started to look forward to a normal school year,” sophomore Krish Mysoor said. “But when Winter Break started inching closer and omicron started rising, I got worried that we wouldn’t get a normal

Winter Break.”

January was going to be the month the full school would adopt a mask-optional policy, but omicron delayed that.

“In terms of community-spread outbreaks, we never really had anything major,” said Mercurio, “other than the blip we had coming out of the winter holidays, where we had a bunch of kids sick those couple of weeks.”

Hopeful Future In February, omicron’s impact was determined to be less severe than the other variants of COVID-19. An email from Head of School Lee Hark announced that students across all grade levels would be allowed to follow a maskoptional policy on Feb. 15.

Spring Break marked a glimpse into the future, with a majority of Americans resuming travel habits. But that wasn’t the case for people with immunocompromised family members, who were more cautious than ever.

“Many of my family members are very high risk, so after Spring Break we were extra cautious,” said freshman Bette Tomecko. “Good for the people who got to vacation but it’s difficult always being affected by the outcome.”

Toward the end of April, another campus tradition – the gathering of Heart of the Hill groups – resumed after a hiatus of more than a year. Students from every division of the school got together and interacted as a community.

“I personally didn’t think it was that big of a step COVIDwise, because we’ve already been able to share spaces with lower and middle school students in the Fine Arts Building and library,” said senior Kendall Hashimoto.

The gathering of the groups was a bittersweet moment for some students, underscoring the absence of last year’s seniors and marking the first – and last – occasion in which current seniors would get to mentor their younger peers.

“We’ve never been the big kids in HOH,” said Barnes.

“We’ve always had [the Class of 2020] to look up to. Showing up and not seeing them as such huge looming figures was kind of saddening, because it showed how much time had passed.”

The mindsets of people have changed after two years of COVID-19, and they have learned to accept the reality of living in a pandemic, Mercurio said.

“I think that there’s been a permanent needle shift,” Mercurio said. “The needle has moved in a way that [COVID-19] is just going to be part of our lives.”

The optional mask policy is another reflection of this reality, with much of the Greenhill community choosing not to mask at school.

“I don’t think there’s really any point in continuing to put your life on hold to prevent COVID-19,” Iyer said. “It’s just going to be here now.”

As the year ends, students and faculty continue to reflect on how much has changed and progressed since COVID-19 became a part of daily life.

“I’ve never loved being with faculty and the kids more, but it’s just a heightened sense of awareness and the heightened enjoyment of it,” Mercurio said. “It was one of the most fulfilling and rewarding years I’ve ever had. This was a championship kind of year for the school.”

Graphic by Riya Kommineni

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Evergreen Ever the

New Year, New Courses Christan Park

T

he Upper School will be offering six new courses for students next fall.

New and returning academic courses are being added to fill gaps in the curriculum and help students diversify and expand their knowledge.

The courses include Military History, Struggles for Independence in the Nonwestern World, Modern Democracies, Design of Immersive and Interactive Art, Innovation Tech and Design Thinking, and Backpacking and Camping.

Hiring new teachers created the opportunity to offer the new history courses, said History Department Chair Amy Bresie.

“Since a lot of our offerings became very Western-centered, I hope that by offering such a wide variety of courses, students can find a topic that is uniquely interesting to them,” Bresie said. “I’m a firm believer that people are willing to invest more when they care about a topic.”

Junior Hannah Zhou agrees with Bresie, which is why they decided to take the senior seminar course on modern democracies in the nonwestern world, taught by Upper School history teacher Genie Burke.

“My biggest hope is that they really question if democracy is right for every place,” Burke said. “If so, how do you go about achieving that so it serves the people of the country and their needs?”

Innovation Tech and Design Thinking

allows students to create a machine for the new Valdes STEM + Innovation Center and investigate a human-centered problem.

Additionally, Design of Immersive and Interactive Art will explore 2D and 3D art installation, robotics and augmented performances using various mediums.

“I’m hoping to take [Design of Immersive and Interactive Art] because it combines technology and art,” freshman Bette Tomecko s aid.

“Hopefully, it [will

found the time, nor motivation, to pursue,” freshman Ali Agha said. “This gives me a path to doing so, and for that, I am both grateful and excited.”

Courses are a way for students to explore their interests and to find something that excites them.

“I’ve always loved that students can really find something that they’re passionate about, and I hope that these courses will satisfy their interests,” Head of Upper S c h o o l

allow] a ton of creative freedom as well as help merge computer science into my art.”

The new Backpacking and Camping course led by 10th Grade Dean Jason Gajderowicz is designed to integrate outdoor skill and fitness to provide a unique PE experience.

“Camping is one of those topics that I’ve been quite interested in but haven’t ever

Trevor Worcester said.

To introduce a new course, teachers have conversations with their department chair and then submit an application. That’s followed by a large academic group meeting in which the teacher discusses the course with the learning specialist, college counseling and Director of Academics Jason Yaffe, Worcester said.

“One of the things we did this year is

Features

9

we’ve begun to look at the entire school,” Worcester said. “We’ve begun to look at our curriculum, both in terms of sort of alignment and how that looks pre-K through 12.”

After the large group meeting, teachers are given time to reframe their course, if it is a viable option for the next school year, before all the details are discussed and set in the curriculum.

Another way new courses are offered is if a teacher decides to bring back a course that is no longer being taught. Courses that were stopped after a few years are usually due to scheduling issues and a lack of available teachers, Bresie said.

Tutorial courses are offered if students approach a teacher and express an interest in pursuing something Greenhill does not offer.

“But [student tutorial courses] might evolve into an actual course offering, because we really built this out,” said Worcester. “It is very possible that teachers can like student input, and even student initiation could lead to a course being proposed.”

New courses are also a way for teachers to further share their interests and knowledge with students, Worcester said.

“What I’ve always loved is the ability for teachers to find something that they’re passionate about,” Worcester said. “Maybe they’re content experts and had a focus on some graduate work and we don’t necessarily offer a whole course on it.”

Graphic by Erica Fullbright and Emma Nguyen

Student Council Officers Elected

Sydney Chien

T

he Upper School has elected a new slate of student body officers for the 2022-2023 school year.

The new officers selected in April voting are: junior Madison Rojas, president; junior Aaron Johnson, vice president; and junior Chancey Stefanos, secretary.

For Rojas, becoming president has been a long-standing goal. After losing the election for freshmen class president, she stepped into the role with a victory two years later as a junior.

“Though it sounds cheesy, I wanted to [be president] because I want to do as much as possible to make the rest of my class happy,” Rojas said. “We’re at school for up to 10 hours every day, so we might as well make it as good of a place as we can.”

To be student body president, the candidate must be a rising senior, while the vice president and secretary can be either a rising junior or senior.

In order to run, applicants were required to submit a statement of intent that included their qualifications and goals.

Next, all candidates delivered a speech to the Madison Rojas freshmen, sophomores and juniors in Rose Hall.

Following the candidate’s speeches, Dean of Students Jack Oros emailed an online ballot to the Upper School. Students had until the end of the day to vote.

After initial voting and an additional run-off election for president, Oros announced the elected officers.

Qualifications Stefanos says she chose to run for Student Council secretary after serving three years as a class secretary. She says her extracurricular involvement in various

activities also made her qualified for the position.

“I realized that I had experience nobody else did,” Stefanos said. “I’m comfortable with the role and know how to do it.”

In her speech to the student body, Stefanos focused on addressing common student concerns.

“If people feel like they can give you ideas and trust that you’ll relay them to the Student Council, they’re more likely to vote for you,” Stefanos said. “They know you’re giving them a say without necessarily being involved themselves.”

Sophomore Reyna Diamond’s expressed a similar view.

“My idea of a good officer is someone that’s personable and approachable, someone who can listen to student voices.” Diamond said.

Official Duties The president’s duties include working work closely with Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester and presiding over Student Council meetings.

“A big part of being president is that you meet with a lot of administrators,” Rojas said. “In terms of responsibility, I think the biggest one is making sure that you’re conveying what the student body wants for you to say in those meetings.”

Johnson will take on the role of vice president, which assumes the president’s duties if needed and organizes event planning subcommittees for various council initiatives.

As secretary, Stefanos will document meetings and update the events calendar.

She will also track attendance and manage copies of council resolutions.

“As class officer, you get to participate and provide your input, but scheduling and initiatives usually start with the student body officers,” Stefanos said. “There’s a big element of bringing people together when you’re the one in charge of class officers, making decisions for other people to make

their own decisions.”

Transition Underway To provide a smooth transition for rising officers, current president Jothi Gupta is leaving behind a folder comprised of the calendar, officer responsibilities and past meetings.

“My goal and my hope for the future is that each year Student Council is building off of the last so that it can really develop into something even stronger than it has been,” said Gupta, a graduating senior. “I hope that I’ve been able to kind of build that foundation so that each year it is growing.”

Another way Gupta provided guidance was by inviting Rojas to a meeting with Head of School Lee Hark.

“It was really helpful to sit in and observe their relationship,” Rojas said. “I’m going to have to set up these meetings a lot next year.”

Gupta says she is hopeful that the next wave of council leaders will continue to be intermediaries between students and administration.

“Being in Student Council is really rewarding in that I am both a listening ear and an advocate for the student body,” Gupta said.

Echoing this sentiment, Rojas has deliberately kept track of things she’d heard people wanted to change throughout the past year, with intention of voicing those concerns and making tangible improvements.

“This year, Student Council did really well making [Homecoming Week] Color Wars a much bigger [event],” Rojas said.

She also helped organize advisory competitions this school year.

“The ugly sweater contest and pumpkin decorating contest were fun advisory activities that created a better Jothi Gupta sense of community in

our grade,” Diamond said.

The incoming officers say it’s important to address problems with the lunch menu, furthering similar initiatives to Student Council’s meeting with SAGE Dining toward the end of this school year.

“I learned that [SAGE] makes a menu before every trimester of the school year,” Rojas said. “I think we can have a town hall before each trimester, starting in the summer, so that students can provide their input on the menu and feel heard.”

Stefanos hopes to streamline the planning process for social events like Homecoming. “[Homecoming] sometimes feels really rushed, especially with how early it was this year,” Stefanos said. “We can have a more fun and organized Homecoming Week if we have more time to prepare. Everyone can also then get a say on what games we play, decorations and more.”

Ultimately, the new officers say they have high hopes for next year.

!

Though it sounds cheesy, I wanted to [be president] because I want to do as much as possible to make the rest of my class happy. We’re at school for up to 10 hours every day, so we might as well make it as good of a place as we can.”

“It’s rewarding to see people appreciate and care about the effort you went through to make something happen,” Stefanos said.

“If you do something and nobody’s into it, it just doesn’t feel the same. I’m looking forward to being able to organize things that people are actually excited for.”

Rojas shares Stefanos’ excitement.

“Aaron, Chancey and I are here to serve everybody at school,” Rojas said. “I’m always happy to listen to anyone that needs anything.”

the

Ever Evergreen Eight Years of Engineering and Empowering: Maria Suarez

10 Features

science instructor, Suarez has had to juggle her various classes throughout the year.

“The program was never expanded to hire a second person,” Suarez said. “The machine learning class has not been taught yet, because I just haven’t had the time.

We haven’t been able to teach level two of engineering ever again besides the year we created it.”

Despite these limitations, Suarez continues to make efforts at expanding the program.

“I tried to develop a program, in spite of that, to give the students an opportunity to grow more into the field,” Suarez said.

Sophia Li

W

hen computer science teacher and robotics faculty advisor Maria Suarez first arrived at Greenhill in 2014, the Upper School offered only one computer science course: Java programming.

In the years since her arrival, Suarez has overseen the development of nine other computer science courses, a collaborative makerspace and competitive robotics teams.

From day one, she says, her motivation was simple.

“The center of my education philosophy is the students,” Suarez said. “They motivated me and I’m motivated by them.”

As Suarez departs Greenhill for a teaching position in Southern California, she is leaving behind a program that is poised to flourish in the new Valdes STEM + Innovation Center under construction.

“Suarez was the one that built out the courses,” Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester said. “[When she came], there’s sort of a structure and vision laid out and then she’s the one that grows [computer science] from there and also into the robotics program.”

After eight years at Greenhill, Suarez says her motivation for expanding the program has stayed the same.

“I always think that when the kids want to learn more, that is energy to me,” Suarez said. “If you want to learn something new, let’s do it. I don’t think that there is any class that I developed that was my idea. It was the kids that wanted to do it.”

Building a Program Suarez was initially drawn to the school by an opening in the Math Department.

“I came to Greenhill to interview as a math teacher,” Suarez said. “When I mentioned that I created engineering and robotics at my previous school, they asked me, ‘Did you know that we have this computer science position open?’ I read the position description and I said ‘Yes, this is me.’ That is exactly what I wanted to do.”

After first teaching the Java course, Suarez says she knew that more than one class offering was needed to satisfy student interest.

“Every time the kids took a class, they wanted more,” Suarez said. “They were interested in computer science. Every time, I always listen to what the kids want to do. We need to listen and try to promote what our students want to learn.”

Sophomore Seth Lee says Suarez’s classes sparked his lasting interest in computer science.

!

Suarez was the one that built out the courses. [When she came], there’s sort of a structure and vision laid out and then she’s the one that grows [computer science] from there and also into the robotics program.”

“Suarez inspired me to continue with computer science as my own hobby,” Lee said. “She really set a positive environment and helped foster creativity.”

Former Director of Instructional Technology Chris Bigenho, who left Greenhill in 2018, had a vision to develop the critical thinking aspect of computer science.

He created a computer science graduation requirement which got approved in 2013.

When Suarez came in 2014, she began expanding Bigenho’s vision. The two collaborated to create the game design class

Empowering Education Photo Illustration by Nate Stitt

GETTING THE GOLD: Maria Suarez founded the robotics program, currently with three teams. Under her guidance, Upper School robotics has won multiple awards.

using Python.

“He was the one who had the vision that computer science should be something we need to be teaching and developing,” Suarez said. “Bigenho and I worked on creating a game design class together.”

In the same year game design was founded, Suarez began teaching an engineering class.

“I love to create, and that’s engineering,” she said. “You’re always redesigning, redeveloping and coming up with new ideas.”

On top of founding two new courses in her first year at Greenhill, Suarez also created a Robotics Club for students interested in pursuing an extracurricular computer science activity. The club became an official class four years later.

“When I started the Robotics Club, I started it for fun,” Suarez said. “But because robotics is so intense and takes up so much time, I felt that it was very important that we also created it as a class so that will show on the students’ transcripts.”

She created a higher-level engineering course, Engineering II, and an Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles course in her second year.

“To start the class, I did a [sample] group,” Suarez said. “It was very successful.

All of them got a five on the AP exam.”

Throughout the years, Suarez’s desire to expand the scope of the computer science program did not fade. Her next initiatives were a data science course and a machine learning course, both of which were officially approved in 2019.

As the number of computer science courses increased, Suarez says she decided to push for a larger classroom to provide students with ample working space. “[The current] computer science room has had three renovations,” Suarez said. “I take more and more space each time to allow the kids to have more space.”

“The first year we did AP Computer Science, I only had four kids,” Suarez said.

“Then the following year, I had eight. Then the next year, there were 16. Every year, I get more students.”

Greenhill’s robotics team has grown to include three teams since its founding and continues to earn titles at regional competitions. Kaavya Sampath, co-captain of the freshmen robotics team, attributes much of their success to Suarez’s guidance.

“She is really committed, not just to the program, but to her students,” Sampath said. “Most other teachers are not going to come for hours in their free time for a competition.”

Senior robotics member Xander Fermier echoes this sentiment. Suarez’s

!

I always think that when the kids want to learn more, that is energy to me. If you want to learn something new, let’s do it. I don’t think that there is any class that I developed that was my idea. It was the kids that wanted to do it.”

commitment to the program and working with students has further developed their teams, he said.

“Anything you see in the computer science department today is undeniably the fruits of her labor,” Fermier said. “None of the robotics teams were present [when] she joined. She worked with students to build those up, and now she’s coaching and mentoring the three current teams.”

As the Upper School’s only computer

Women made up only 27% of STEM positions and a quarter of computer jobs in 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported.

This gender disparity is also reflected in computer science classes, where only 25% of students identify as female, according to the Association for Computing Machinery.

“I didn’t really want to join [Upper School] robotics because there was only one girl at the time,” junior Emily Kim said. “[Suarez] definitely helped me get over that initial gender barrier. Now, a majority of people in robotics are women.”

Like Kim, Spence says Suarez helped her push back against traditional gender expectations.

“There has been a long-standing shortage of women in STEM jobs, and [Suarez] just creates a space where it’s okay for anyone to Emily Kim make mistakes and grow that way,” Spence said.

To Suarez, this sense of empowerment largely comes from her identity as a female computer science teacher.

“I think the fact that a female teacher is teaching these kinds of classes makes the girls feel comfortable,” Suarez said. “I think that helps to find a balance there and create an environment that the kids feel belongs to them.”

Although Suarez will be teaching in the Los Angeles area next year, students say she has made a lasting mark with her work at Greenhill.

“Every season comes to an end,” Suarez said. “My season here was to build a computer science program – a very amazing computer science program. We have a great program, and I hope the future is going to be even better.”

Student-Led Teams Greenhill’s computer science program now offers 10 courses, nine of which were developed by Suarez. According to current students, her classes are highly rewarding.

“I took the game design class as a mandatory graduation requirement, but I ended up learning so much,” sophomore Ava Spence said. “I didn’t think I would find the class as fulfilling as I did.”

Along with increased course offerings, Suarez says she noticed an increasing number of students taking her classes.

Photo by Zara Paul

ONGOING LEGACY: Construction for the Valdes STEM + Innovation Center is underway. It will provide resources to build on Maria Suarez’s classroom efforts.

Special Report

11

Graduation: The Final Chapter !"#$%&'()&"*+&"(,%(!+-(.%%/0-"(,%(.&""#1$22 Ria Agarwal, Emily Hu

A

fter 14 years in the community, senior Chloe Merriman approaches her final days as a Greenhill student. With plans to attend college across the country, she is leaving a place so familiar that it is a bittersweet experience for her.

“Graduating seems crazy because I’ve been here since Pre-K,” said Merriman. “All I’ve ever known is Greenhill.”

Merriman and the rest of the senior class will soon graduate and attend three end-of-year events: the Upper School Honors Assembly on May 20, Baccalaureate on May 23 and Commencement on May 24.

The Honors Assembly will be held in the Phillips Family Gymnasium and all Upper School students, faculty and senior families are invited. Although all Upper School students can receive awards, the assembly mainly serves to recognize the academic, artistic and athletic achievements of seniors.

Another important event for seniors, Baccalaureate, will take place at the Cathedral of Hope. This ceremony is a worship service for the graduating class. In addition to faculty and student speeches, Greenhill’s band and orchestra will play.

“When I first arrived at Greenhill, Baccalaureate traditionally was held at Highland Park Presbyterian Church,” Head of Upper School Trevor Worcester said.

“However, since then, we started rotating with different faith-based places to honor our religious diversity.”

!

Graduating seems crazy because I’ve been here since Pre-K. All I’ve ever known is Greenhill.

Finally, the Commencement ceremony is when seniors receive their diplomas, serving as their final send-off from Greenhill. In a return to pre-pandemic tradition, this year’s ceremony will be held at the Meyerson Symphony Center for the first time since 2019.

“Having graduation at the Meyerson is great because we’re returning to an old Greenhill tradition,” senior Arush Adabala said. “I can’t think of a better way to cap off high school.”

Planning Process The planning process for graduation begins the preceding summer and extends into the school year.

“By December, the diplomas had been ordered, and all contracts were signed,” Assistant Head of Upper School Rebecca Shuman said. “The contracts include location, floral arrangements, transportation and catering.”

In the months leading up to graduation, each senior’s credits and community service hours are reviewed, and diplomas are put on hold if graduation requirements are not met. Music is chosen and announcement orders are

Photo courtesy of Mikah Finley

SENIOR BREAKFAST: One of the Class of 2022 senior events this year was a breakfast with parents. Throughout the school year, seniors have enjoyed many events to celebrate their time at Greenhill and in Upper School.

decided as diplomas are signed by Worcester, Head of School Lee Hark and Board of Trustees Chair Augusto Sasso.

However, supply chain issues and product shortages have created changes to the timeline.

“Due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and variants, it is incredibly difficult to plan ahead like normal,” Shuman said. “Instead of being able to reserve venues three to six months ahead, I am lucky if I get 30 days.”

During Commencement, Worcester reads each senior’s name as they receive their diploma. To ensure names are pronounced accurately, he undertakes a different preparation process.

“Official names on diplomas often are different from how we address students on a daily basis,” Worcester said.

“To make sure I’m doing my best to pronounce them correctly, I gather voice recordings and practice each senior’s full diploma name, rather than their typical first and last name.”

Worcester is also responsible for introducing the senior speakers. Instead of limiting student speeches to the valedictorian and salutatorian, a tradition at other schools, any interested senior can submit a speech outline for consideration.

A committee consisting of all senior advisors, senior representatives and other adults decides who will give speeches.

“Commencement is pretty short,” Worcester said.

“You hear a couple of speakers, seniors receive their

Photos by Ravi Vasan and Sumana Kethu

ACTIVITIES ON THE HILL: Seniors celebrate their last Halloween as they dress up in costumes to march in the parade with Lower Schoolers. They also held a car wash on March 5 to raise money for the senior class gift.

diplomas, Mr. Hark typically gives a charge to the class and then it’s over.”

Senior Reflections In addition to graduation, relaxed COVID-19 protocols have allowed for more senior events throughout the year. These events include painting the Water Tower, holding parent cookouts and senior speeches to the Upper School.

Traditionally, Greenhill seniors sign their names on the Water Tower near the beginning of the school year.

“It is just a really good kickoff to the year,” Worcester said. “It’s sort of a signal that senior year is starting and it’s that optimism of what a good year this is going to be.”

Senior Will McDonald shares this sentiment, noting that it’s a great way to welcome everyone back to school.

“All of us getting to do something together as an entire grade was a good way to get the traditions going again,” McDonald said. “Especially after last year being so different, it got the year started a little bit more normally.”

Senior speeches, another important tradition, were given in Rose Hall during assembly time for the first time in two years. These speeches allow seniors to share their high school takeaways with the rest of Upper School.

!

All of us getting to do something together as an entire grade was a good way to get the traditions going again. Especially after last year being so different, it got the year started a little bit more normally.

“I would say senior speeches are probably my favorite tradition,” senior Jack Vawrinek said. “I get to see a side of these people I’ve known for so long that I’ve never seen before.”

For those who’ve been in the community for a shorter time, moving on can still seem daunting.

“Right now, it still just feels like high school,” McDonald said. “I don’t think it’s really going to hit me that I’m leaving until it’s the day of graduation. The idea that it’ll just be over seems almost impossible to imagine.”

Although leaving Greenhill can feel surreal, many seniors have high hopes for the next chapter of their lives.

“I’m going to my dream school,” said Merriman. “It’s going to be a big change, and I’m pretty excited to see what’s next.”

Everg Ever

12

the

Riya Kommineni and Emma Nguyen

U

pper School science teacher Sonia Chin didn’t expect to move back to Dallas after living in Philadelphia for five years. She had grown up in Plano, attended Plano Senior High School, and then moved to Austin for college.

“I never intended to come back,” Chin said.

Chin returned to the area for personal reasons and discovered that the Dallas she left years ago and the one that she came back to were radically different – the result of a surge of sustained economic growth that has transformed the Dallas-Fort Worth area and is fueling change at Greenhill.

More than 1 million people have moved to Dallas since 2010, making it one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States. Frisco and McKinney in suburban Collin County respectively ranked No. 1 and No. 4 on a list of the 15 fastest growing cities in the U.S. released earlier this year by Rocket Mortgage. In the next decade, another 1.9 million people are expected to move to the area.

All this growth is reshaping the culture and demographics – in communities and Greenhill.

The growing diversity of the metroplex has been reflected in Greenhill’s own student body. As a co-education and non-sectarian school, the school profile has attracted many students hailing from out of state.

“The demand for admission into Greenhill is at an all-time high,” Head of School Lee Hark said in his recent State of the School speech, “in part due to the explosive growth of the Metroplex, but also due to the outstanding reputation we have built over the past 70+ years.”

Development While Dallas is currently one of the fastest growing urban centers in the United States, its roots are as a settler town in North Texas. Since then, it has become a major hub of the American South as a mecca for culture, innovation and business.

“Dallas is expanding pretty quickly,” said freshman J.J. Arbuckle, whose family moved to Dallas from Napa, California in 2020.

At the turn of the century, DFW had a population of more than 4 million people, solidifying its status as a major American metroplex. In recent decades, the suburbs of Dallas, notably Plano, Frisco, Allen and McKinney, have also rapidly expanded.

Today, the DFW metroplex is home to nearly 6.5 million people.

!

The demand for admission into Greenhill is at an all-time high, in part due to the explosive growth of the Metroplex, but also due to the outstanding reputation we have built over the past 70+ years.”

The reason for the recent growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area can largely be attributed to the comparatively lower housing costs in contrast with other primary urban areas, economic opportunities, an expansive public school system, and increasing diversity of residents.

“Dallas is Dallas,” said junior Karrington Barnett, who lives in the suburbs of Dallas but frequents South Dallas. “It’s a relatively diverse place, I don’t have any issues with it.”

For Arbuckle, economic opportunity and Dallas’ centralized location attracted his family, which moved here to join the industrial growth of the city.

“My dad’s company opened another office [in Dallas], so that was the main reason why we moved here,” Arbuckle said. “Also, it’s kind of a central area of the country, so we’re not too far from the West Coast, not too far from the East Coast, and not too far from the Midwest. So, I think it was just a pretty good location too.”

Public Space With urban growth comes the consequences of a larger population driven primarily by cars.

According to a study from the geolocation company TomTom, Dallas’ traffic congestion rate – meaning the average travel time spent in traffic compared to travel time spent uncongested – is at 17%, trailing just behind Houston, McAllen and Austin.

The traffic has made junior Erica Fulbright, who has lived in different areas of Dallas her entire life, adjust her schedule to make it to school on time. Her commute takes more than an hour.

“It’s like if you leave at 7 a.m. versus 7:10 a.m., that could be the difference from getting to school early to arriving exactly at 8:40 a.m.,” she said.

But while the congestion in Dallas is bad, Fulbright says the heavy emphasis on cars as transportation or the suburban expansion hasn’t come at the expense of public infrastructure, at least not in her neighborhood of DeSoto.

“There’s a playground that I used to go to that was down the street from my house,” Fulbright said. “There was a library that my mom used to take me to, and they would read to all kids. So, they had a lot of I feel like kidfriendly public institutions that were like a walk away.”

Freshman Sophie Fiedelman says Dallas’ infrastructure supports a communitycentered culture.

“In my [Preston Hollow] neighborhood, it’s mostly been the same young families moving in,” Fiedelman said. “A lot of people who lived a lot further had moved to be closer to everything where they needed to be.”

Fiedelman, who has also lived in Dallas her entire life, adds that the influx of newcomers has affected the housing market greatly.

“That sounds like it can be bad for people who have lived here and want to move, and they can’t afford to,” Fiedelman said. “I think it’s good though. They’ll get a lot more people in business opportunities.”

Upper School Latin teacher Laura Hudec says that these opportunities and the affordable housing market encourage people to move to the city.

“Whenever you have an economic downturn, I think people really think about ‘Am I happy living here? Like if I could live anywhere, where would I want to live?’ Dallas is pretty fantastic for that,” Hudec said.

In recent years, Dallas has also launched infrastructure reformation projects

focused on land use in the city, specifically for green public spaces. According to The Trust for Public Land, only 7% of city land is used for parks and recreation, compared to the national average of 15%.

The Trust for Public Land also ranked Dallas parks and their amenities below the 50th percentile for amenities like dog parks, bathrooms and playgrounds.

The lack of green space even earned Dallas the title of “The Worst Outdoor City in America” by Outsider magazine.

Barnett thinks green space could be improved.

“I feel like some places in Dallas you can definitely find [space], but it’s literally concrete. There’s some green space in Dallas but it isn’t as amazing as it could be,” she said.

Dallas’ growing economy and population boom influenced revitalization projects to begin again, according to Hudec.

!

It’s like if you leave at 7 a.m. versus 7:10 a.m., that could be the difference from getting to school early to arriving exactly at 8:40 a.m.”

“Dallas is really working hard in the suburbs on creating identity again,” Hudec said. “Everything just blew up within a couple of years, and they realized, ‘oh my gosh, nobody has any identity. They don’t have any pride in where they live.’ So, they started making things like Mockingbird Station, creating places of meeting along [U.S. Route] 75.”

Still, for Chin, the area’s reliance on cars to get to places stunts recreation revitalization and growth, particularly for the youth population.

“You can’t really do a lot of stuff in a place like this,” Chin said. “What I can do as an adult with unfettered access to cars and money is so different than the limitation of living in that little bit of Plano as a kid who didn’t have access to a car.”

With urban sprawl comes relative isolation for those who don’t have access to a car.

“People really kind of stay around the same areas, like we don’t really go too far out of the area and we stay within the people we know so we don’t really meet new people that often,” Fiedelman said.

Junior Hannah Zhou agrees. Zhou, who has lived in Dallas for most of their life, recently obtained their driver’s license in 2021, allowing them to explore the city better.

green

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

“Texas in general is very car heavy,” said Zhou. “If I did not have access to a car, I would not be able to [do anything]. Not going having a car in a place like Dallas is really bad.

Everything is so inconvenient when you have to walk everywhere, because things are a mile from each other.”

Cultural Identity Even though the population is vast and there are dozens of different neighborhoods and communities, it is difficult for many residents to define what exactly the culture of Dallas is.

Compared to other Texas cities with a clear-cut sense of identity, some Dallasites feel that their city struggles to have a notable cultural identity. “[The culture of Dallas] is plastic,” Hudec said. “I don’t mean to come off as negative, but it’s true. Everything looks good and shiny on the outside, but we aren’t looking inside of it. As long as everybody looks happy and prosperous and the economy is good, we’re not pointing out the fact that it’s not good for everyone.”

For people like Bresie, the city’s culture has grown immensely.

“I used to say that Dallas had no culture,” Bresie said. “But now, there has been this conscious effort to grow spaces where people can come together, there’s been growth in art and music, and we have this ethnic and racial diversity. Dallas is a place that is searching for what it means to be a city.”

In particular, the art movement in Dallas has received notable acclaim, from museums like the Nasher Sculpture Center, to eclectic music venues like the Factory in Deep Ellum and the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

The increasing diversity of Dallasites has also brought an evolving food scene, ranging from Texas-style barbeque to niche cuisines like Ethiopian and Laotian food.

“The diversity of the area means there’s a lot of different cuisines to try and that means there’s always something new to try, which is really exciting,” said freshman Bette Tomecko, who has lived in Dallas her whole life.

The Promise of Change There have been unintended consequences with the growth surge, including gentrification that has driven up home prices and property taxes and forced

long-time residents – many of them people of color – to relocate from their neighborhoods. “[Gentrification] is destroying their communities,” Hudec said. “Even when I started teaching 25 years ago, there were distinct communities in Dallas that are no longer there because of this gentrification.”

Zhou says gentrification has also influenced Dallas’ population growth, like who moves to the city and where they settle.

!

There has been this conscious effort to grow spaces where people can come together, there’s been growth in art and music, and we have this ethnic and racial diversity. Dallas is a place that is searching for what it means to be a city.”

“In Frisco, there were a lot more Asian people in my community now versus when I got there in Pre-K,” Zhou said. “More Asian American people are living in previously white spaces. But that also means there are more spaces that are super white and privileged and elite. Gentrification kicks people out of their homes, but it also brings more people in from outside of the state.”

For a diverse and high-performing school like Greenhill, this population surge and economic growth has had a welcome impact: a record number of admissions applications this year, school officials said.

Emerging from nearly two years of COVID-19 restrictions, the school’s admissions staff ramped up in-person events this spring to encourage and accommodate the soaring interest in the school – with much of the interest coming from people who have moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, or are planning to move, from other states.

“I can tell you that it’s probably more of a Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex thing than it is a Greenhill thing, although I do think that once families move here they quickly realize that Greenhill is a very unique school in this particular market; that we’re co-ed, nonsectarian, no-uniform-wearing and diverse… which there aren’t a lot of around these parts,” Associate Director of Admission for Middle & Upper School Johnny Thompson said in an email response to an Evergreen writer.

Thompson continued: “I will say [that] with more and more companies moving into Texas, COVID restrictions being less and less (again here in Texas), cheaper taxes, cheaper property to purchase a home, no state income

13

tax, there are a lot of reasons to move to Texas.

But if you’re looking for a school that possibly looks like the one your child came from, that’s where we might fit in, and hence that’s why we’re probably seeing more out-of-state applications.”

One striking example of the impact of out-of-state arrivals on Greenhill is the current work underway on campus on the new Valdes STEM + Innovation Center, which honors Rosa Olimpia Valdes, the mother of Dr. Ralph de la Torre. Rosa Olimpia Valdes was raised in an orphanage in Cuba and put herself through nursing school; de la Torre cites her as the inspiration behind his own career in the medical and healthcare industries. De la Torre is currently chairman and chief executive officer of Steward Health Care, a communitybased care organization in Massachusetts.

In his comments at the February groundbreaking ceremony for the STEM center, de la Torre said that after moving to Dallas he was impressed with the achievements and message of Greenhill as a school, which led him to enroll his sons at Greenhill.

De la Torre and a longtime Dallas-area resident, E. Pierce Marshall Jr. ’86, are the lead project donors for the new STEM center that is the centerpiece of a campus building surge.

The fundraising campaign is being led by Hark, and it will also see the construction of new athletic facilities.

The shared cause that has brought together a longtime Texas family and a recently arrived family with stories of oppression and immigration fresh in memory is a microcosm of the diverse forces that are driving the growth and change across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. De la Torre alluded to these changes – and Greenhill’s place in this changing landscape – in his comments at the STEM center groundbreaking in February.

“It is going to revolutionize Greenhill,” de la Torre said of the $71 million Growing Stronger Together campaign that is fueling the campus transformation. “Between the STEM + Innovation Center, the endowment growth, and the new athletic facilities, I think this is going to be the best campus in all of the Dallas area.”

Amid the changes underway in Dallas — and Greenhill — Bresie says the city will always remain a place of community for her.

“To me, Dallas is where my people are,” Bresie said. “Dallas is 4141 Spring Valley, because that’s who I’ve chosen to share my life with, but I think it’s hard to define because it’s still a city that’s searching for itself. I’m actually excited to see what we do next and how Dallas crafts itself.”

Graphic by Emma Nguyen

14

Evergreen Ever the

Arts

More Than a Fanbase Why Everyone Loves Harry Styles

Ava Iwasko

W

hen Harry Styles announced the release of his latest album and its first single earlier this year, the response of his fans was intense and emotional. It’s the sort of spirited reaction that distinguishes the bond between Styles and his impassioned fans.

Styles will release his third solo album “Harry’s House,” on May 20.

“As It Was,” the album’s first single and music video, was released on April 1.

Going into the release, senior Maddy Schlegel already knew they were going to love the song, simply because it was coming from Styles. “[When] he released a little snippet of the song in the teaser, I already knew I was going to love this song because there’s not a single song by him that I don’t like,” Schlegel said.

For sophomore Ava Klein, the release of “As It Was” was a surreal experience. Although she was supposed to be playing a tennis match when it dropped at 6 p.m., March 31 in the North America Central Time Zone, Klein lucked out and stepped away in time for the premiere.

“There’s this feeling,” Klein said.

“My heart was racing.

It’s really overwhelming, but it’s such a good feeling.”

Freshman Claire Brophy had a similar reaction when “As It Was” was released.

“I was waiting for the YouTube livestream to begin, and when I heard that beginning voiceover, I screamed,” Brophy said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing.’”

Styles’ fans seem to embody the “fangirl” stereotype of obsessiveness and hysteria. But is that all being a fan really is?

The Start of an Era Klein says she was originally a fan of One Direction and only became a fan of Styles in 2019. The early days of the pandemic solidified her love for Styles and his music, Klein said.

Like Klein, Brophy was always a “Directioner,” although she never got into the band’s solo music until the pandemic.

“I was obsessed with ‘Fine Line.’ I listened to it incessantly,” Brophy said.

“It was almost like the birth of an era.”

Even though Schlegel became a fan when Styles released “Lights Up” in October 2019, they found the same comfort in Styles during quarantine that new fans did.

“For me, I was really stressedout during quarantine,” Schlegel said.

“Listening to his music made me feel like it was all going to be okay. With finding people in my life that also are fans of Harry, I felt more connected to people in a time where I really needed that human connection.”

A Modern Artist The stereotypical fangirl obsesses over certain artists because they like

their music or find the artist attractive. ideas of toxic masculinity, especially However, Klein was so drawn to Styles’ when he chose to wear a dress on the emphasis on peace, kindness and love cover of Vogue in 2020. that she co-founded the Treat People “For all the commotion it caused, with Kindness Club (named after one of it helped break down gender norms,” Styles’ songs and his personal mantra).

Rudelman said. “But truthfully, I “I like the message that he’s trying think that we are far away, and more to send that we should treat everyone work needs to be done. He has helped with kindness and that we don’t know pave a way towards what someone’s been through so we eliminating toxic should always be there for them,” masculinity, but Klein said. “The messages behind his we need to make songs resonate a lot with me and what more of an effort I believe.” to continue this Klein is not alone. Junior Helen process.”

Jackson is also drawn to Styles’ Styles is commitment to spreading love. also perceived “It’s everything he stands for that as a comforting makes me an even bigger Harry Styles presence by many fan,” Jackson said. “It makes me want queer fans. Styles himself has said in to listen to him more, because it really interviews that he has “never felt the does make him a better person and a need to” label his sexuality to the public, better artist.” a statement that resonates with many Fans particularly love the speeches queer fans.

Styles frequently makes while “[Openly accepting the performing live shows that queer community] is not invite all people to be their something that musical authentic and true selves. artists necessarily will do,” Although Brophy was Schlegel said. “It’s more not able to see Styles live common now, which is during his Love on Tour great, but he’s so adamant performances in 2021, about accepting people and she could still feel the loving people.” love and acceptance in the The sense of arenas through videos on community social media.

Styles has “It’s just a room of people that share the same interests, love the same things and love the same man and it’s a really beautiful thing,” Brophy said. “You feel like you’re a part of it, even if you didn’t actually get to go.”

Styles’ openness and gender-fluid fostered fashion in recent a m on g years is another his fanbase reason why fans has further love him. Especially bridged the gap with starting his new between distant beauty brand, Pleasing, social media Klein thinks Styles is interactions normalizing the gender among fans to fluidity of clothing, real in-person makeup and nail friendships. polish.

Klein says Jackson even that she became sees Styles’ gender best friends expression and with someone fashion choices as after bonding an innate part of his over being fans identity. of Styles.

“Now, you can’t “I feel say ‘Oh, I’m a Harry like we’re all Styles fan, but I don’t connected in a like how he dresses,’” way because we Jackson said. “It’s can relate,” Klein a part of him. He’s said. “I make so broken so many many friends barriers.” through that.

Styles’ broader Making those contributions to connections with making society a people is really more accepting special.

He’s and open space the reason that is clear, even to happens, which those outside of makes me really Styles’ fandom. thankful that I Junior Gabe found his music.”

Rudelman Brophy had a says that similar experience Styles is with making friends dismantling through her interests in Graphics by Ava Iwasko

One Direction and Styles.

“It’s so great to find people that share those interests, that aren’t going to come at you for caring and that want to fangirl and squeal and freak out on the same level as you,” Brophy said. “I think it’s beautiful that Harry can bring people together.”

Stan Culture While Styles’ fans feel an immense sense of community within the fandom, many find that others outside of the group do not understand why they love Styles to the extent they do.

“It’s just that you love his music,” Brophy said. “You love who he is. You want to see him [perform] live. It’s a beautiful thing and it doesn’t have to be creepy. I think people make it that way.”

Schlegel believes that societal criticism of teenage girls’ interests is a big reason why what is known as “stan culture” is not as widely accepted as more “masculine” interests such as sports.

Being a “stan” is generally thought of as being an obsessive fan that is overly invested in a well-known figure.

While any person could be a part of “stan culture,” teenage girls are usually the ones who are criticized for taking an interest in a particular celebrity, especially if that person is a man.

Jackson has been subject to judgment from this cultural double standard when she is told by friends and family she only like Styles because she wants to date him. In reality, that has nothing to do with her support of him, Jackson said.

Schlegel says society holds many misconceptions about what it really means to be a “stan.”

“Being a fan isn’t just burying your head in a device and refreshing Twitter all day to see what people are saying,” Schlegel said. “Some people run [social media] accounts or small businesses making [fan merchandise]. There’s a lot that goes into it, and a lot that’s been left out of the conversation.”

Despite the negativity that will inevitably be found online when a person is fully immersed in a fanbase, Jackson says she loves being a part of the One Direction and Styles fandoms.

“No matter what kind of day I’m having, they are always there – their music is there, or you see new photos, or you look back at an old One Direction video of them losing it on stage,” Jackson said. “Every little thing shows who they are and what they stand for, and it makes me happy inside. You have to love what makes you happy.”

While the conversation on what it means to be a “stan” has only started in the past few years, Klein says she has been a target of questions on “stanning” celebrities ever since she was little and became a Justin Bieber fan. But at the end of the day, Klein says people like what makes them happy and there is nothing wrong with that.

“I definitely get a lot of people thinking that it’s weird or that I’m crazy for liking him this much,” Klein said.

“But it doesn’t matter what other people think. I’ve got no apologies.”

Sports

Sibelle Zambie’s Hoops Journey

Khushi Chhaya, Emma Hoffman

F

rom a young age, sophomore Sibelle Zambie loved sports. She watched her older brothers play football and basketball from the sidelines, eager to join in.

Seeing Zambie’s enthusiasm, her father got her involved in basketball.

“We started our own [basketball] team and [my dad] coached us,” Zambie said. “We were called the Carebears. I picked out the jerseys, and that’s where it all started.”

Zambie went from playing on the Carebears to competing for lower and middle school athletic teams before finally committing to pursuing basketball at a high level.

Coming out of the 2021-2022 winter season, Zambie boasts a #1 ranking for most points-per-game for girls basketball players in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She was also nominated as the VYPE Dallas/Fort Worth Private School Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Finding Her Passion Growing up, Zambie dabbled in many sports, including volleyball, softball, cross country and track and field. When the time came to narrow her focus, Zambie knew she felt the most passionate about basketball.

“I think what set basketball apart was that I was good at it and my brothers played basketball, which set the tone for me to play as well,” Zambie said. “I kind of followed in their footsteps and it was also something I was also really passionate about and enjoyed doing.”

For Zambie, multiple back-to-back trainings each day in the summer can be tedious. Regardless, she finds joy in the details of basketball, with footwork being a major cornerstone.

!

I think what set basketball apart was that I was good at it and my brothers played basketball, which set the tone for me to play as well.”

“There’s a lot of little details that go into certain movements and situations,” Zambie

15

said. “I like really breaking down the details and making quick decisions in games. I like the fast pace and complexity of the sport because there’s so many different things that you can get better at.”

Greenhill Recruit Zambie transferred to Greenhill in the 2021-2022 school year. As a new student, she believes that befriending her fellow teammates facilitated a seamless transition.

“I really love it here,” Zambie said.

“The biggest thing has been the support.

Everybody’s willing to help you out, from the students to the faculty to the coaches.”

When it came to joining the girls varsity basketball team coached by Darryn Sandler ’95, Zambie says she felt anxious to play alongside teammates she didn’t know.

“I was a little nervous, but as soon as I had a lunch with some of the girls I knew I would fit in,” Zambie said. “We had our first practice and from there this was the most fun season of basketball I’ve ever had.”

Zambie’s high performance and leadership make her a role model for many of the younger players, Sandler said. “[Zambie] is the best scorer and shooter on the team,” Sandler said. “Her biggest impact is wanting to help the younger kids and making sure that she and the team are having a good time while trying to get better each day.”

Zambie also participates in club basketball in the Amateur Athletic Union basketball circuit. While challenging, Zambie says tougher competition allows her to improve.

“I was really excited to see [the award nomination] because it showed me that hard work pays off,” Zambie said. “My motto is ‘hard work beats talent.’ I think what you put in you will get out. It motivated me to just work harder and keep improving, because that’s how I got here in the first place.”

NCAA Dreams Zambie’s family is proud of the strides she has taken on and off the court.

“Of course, we as a family feel very proud of Sibelle when she is playing basketball,”

Photo courtesy of Sibelle Zambie

A TEAM PLAYER: Sibelle Zambie connected with her teammates on and off the court allowing her to smoothly transition to life at Greenhill as a new student.

father Edward Zambie said. “It is easy to see the points and many baskets she scores as the outcome, but we see the hard work, the discipline, the hours of practice and the desire to achieve in each of her baskets.”

Edward Zambie says he admires his daughter’s attitude toward challenging situations.

“I am most proud of Sibelle’s willingness to try new things with confidence and risk ‘failing,’” he said. “You never really fail when you try to reach your goals.”

In the future, Sibelle Zambie says she aspires to play Division I basketball in college and possibly pursue medicine.

For now, she is striving to improve her basketball skills and provide more leadership to the Greenhill team.

“I think it’s about a positive mindset,” Sibelle Zambie said. “I want to make everyone feel confident in their abilities, even if they don’t feel like they have a big job on the team.

Everyone is important to the team team and our success and I want to continue that spirit.”

Photos courtesy of Sibelle Zambie

FRESH OFF THE COURT: Training with multiple coaches outside of school, Zambie works hard to improve her skills and fulfill her goal of playing college basketball.

Evergreen Ever the

16 Sports

Summer Workouts to Start on June 6 Eitan Hahn

W

ith the school year and athletic seasons coming to a close, summer training is right around the corner.

Sports performance summer training for Upper School athletes will begin on campus on June 6.

The morning workouts will occur Monday through Thursday, both in the High Performance Center and outside fields. All athletes can sign up for general workouts, except for football players, who have workouts designed specifically for them.

Sports Performance Specialist Ramiro Mendez says the objective of these workouts is to reduce the risk of injury.

“We want our athletes to be safe, strong and healthy,” Mendez said. “We want to work together with them to make sure they are being taken care of and getting what they need.”

Director of Sports Performance Jessen Houston says the training allows students to improve their individual ability and performance in preparation for upcoming sports seasons.

“The more time I put in, the better I get, the better athlete I am, the better I can perform on the field, the stronger I am,” said junior Josh Titens, varsity football captain.

Athletes develop skills such as speed, conditioning, strength, power, mobility and coordination. Students and Sports Performance coaches say that workouts also provide a sense of community and form connections between athletes who attend.

“When you put in that much work with someone, I think it builds a bond that really translates to the field,” Titens said.

The bond created during summer workouts is especially important for freshman athletes, students said.

“It’s a good way for [freshmen] to get to meet the Upper School athletes and have those role models for them,” said junior Maya Harrington, who plays varsity field hockey.

Freshman Campbell Sims, a varsity volleyball and soccer athlete who was new to Greenhill this year, says these connections with other athletes helped her feel like a part of

the community.

“I met people and that made it a lot easier,” Sims said. “I wasn’t as nervous coming into the season because I was able to be introduced to people.”

Houston says that Sports Performance coaches emphasize these summer workouts because of athletes’ time commitments during the school year. When athletes are in

season, High Performance Center workouts are limited and sometimes need to be moved around due to game and practice scheduling.

“When we get you all twice a week, sometimes once a week during your busy in-season schedules, it just doesn’t afford us the appropriate opportunity to fully enhance your athletic performance,” Houston said.

!

When we get you all twice a week, sometimes once a week during your busy inseason schedules, it just doesn’t afford us the appropriate opportunity to fully enhance your athletic performance.”

During the summer, however, these workouts can be longer and occur more often.

“The offerings that we have in the summer are four times a week, so that gives us a much more consistent opportunity to improve all components of fitness,” Houston said.

Greenhill athletes, especially those competing in a fall sport, are strongly encouraged by their coaches to attend these summer workouts. Consistent and hard work in the summer can lead to success during the season, Mendez said.

“It’s a process of building up and getting stronger, so it takes time,” said Head of Athletics and Physical Education Jarrett Shine. “It’s not like something that can happen overnight. I want our student athletes to start when summer workouts are in session.”

Summer training is open to athletes who want to enhance their athletic abilities, form special connections with their teammates, and develop as student-athletes.

“Training sometimes can be challenging,” Mendez said.

“We have fun, but we also learn to encourage and push each other. We grow in character, and we grow as people.”

Graphic by Emma Nguyen

Leading Lacrosse

Underclassmen Captain Boys Lacrosse Team

Photo illustration by Khushi Chhaya, Aman Jaleel, Chloe Nguyen, Helina Tedros

Khushi Chhaya, Chloe Nguyen

S

eniors usually take the reins when captaining sports teams. But what if there aren’t any?

The boys lacrosse team had no senior members this spring, so the torch of leadership passed to junior and sophomore players.

This year’s team had four captains: junior Lincoln Underwood, sophomore Jadon Lee, sophomore Zain Crumedy and sophomore Mateo Lanzillotta. Without seniors, the young captains say they had unique experiences surrounding team bonding and competing.

“The team chemistry is great,” Crumedy said. “Last year, there were a lot of seniors and a lot of freshmen, so we butted heads a little bit. But [this year] we’re all really close. Everyone’s friends and we all sit together at lunch here at school.”

The four team captains were chosen through a nomination and election process by their teammates. Half of those initially nominated ended up becoming captains. The elected captains were also team members who play club lacrosse.

Given the team’s dynamic, the coaches and captains chose to prioritize experience building.

Boys lacrosse closed their 2022 season with 4 wins and 7 losses, finishing in 5th place in the Southwest Preparatory Conference Championships. After not performing as well as previous years, the team hope this season served to set a foundation for better prospects in the future, Underwood said.

“I think it was beneficial for us to gravitate towards a longer approach focusing on learning the fundamentals and figuring out the aspects of the game for people who were newer to the sport,” Underwood said.

The absence of senior captains quelled a natural power imbalance that came with large age gaps, players noted.

“I think there’s a real brotherhood in our team,” Lee said.

“There’s really no sense of ‘Oh, I’m older than you, so I get more rights.’ We all see each other as equals and treat each other as equals.”

Crumedy says that equality, alongside respect, is the key to a successful team and a victorious season.

“Everyone [liked] to be a part of the team, and everyone wanted to succeed together,” Crumedy said.

Underwood echoes this view. The environment was friendlier with less pressure, he says. The general sentiment of the team was one of encouragement and a desire to improve.

“In lacrosse, you need everyone to be connected,” Underwood said. “When everything is connected and everyone is in cooperation, the team works more efficiently and wins.”

Like the other team captains, Underwood will continue to play for Greenhill lacrosse and hopes to create a stable foundation for future teams and seasons. “[I want to be] focusing on what we can do to improve ourselves and then trying to help younger people,” Underwood said. “I think this will be crucial to success in the future and trying to build some sort of program. That way we can come back to something to be happy and content about.”

The captains say they expect the team’s chemistry to remain harmonious in the 2023 season.

“We’ve all gotten used to everybody being the same and on the same level,” Lee said. “So, I really think the addition of freshmen and all of us moving up won’t really change much. It will just be like adding more to the family.”

Photo courtesy of Jadon Lee

YOUNG LEADERS: Lacking seniors, the boys lacrosse team had one junior and three sophomore captains.

Ever Evergreen Suarez Vaults His Way to Trinity

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Aria Kutty

the

s a younger sibling, senior Adrian Suarez always copied his older brother.

“Anything my brother did, I wanted to do,” Suarez said. “And do better.”

His efforts to follow in his older brother’s footsteps led Suarez to pursue pole vaulting as a high school sport at Greenhill. While his brother didn’t excel at the sport, Suarez did.

Now, after a year-long search, Suarez has committed to continue his pole-vaulting career at Trinity College in San Antonio.

“I chose Trinity because the coach was really interested in me,” Suarez said.

“I remember him saying that they already had way too many male vaulters, but they wouldn’t pass someone like me up.”

“They were more doing it for fun or to get out of other events in track.”

Because of this, as a sophomore, Suarez was pushed into a leadership role.

“I had to try to be in somewhat of a leadership position, [even though] I did not know how to pole vault at all,” Suarez said.

“I was still struggling with knowing how dedicated I was to [pole vaulting].”

Even as he continued to pole vault, Suarez dreamed of becoming a college football player.

“Freshman and sophomore year I really wanted to be a football player in college,” Suarez said. “But at the end of my junior year I went from an all-right vaulter to being like, ‘I am good enough where I can actually do this is college.’”

Uncertain Beginnings

Collegiate Dreams

Suarez’s journey as a pole-vaulter began in Middle School.

When Suarez first joined the program in seventh grade, there were two main senior leaders on the team.

One of them was JT Herrscher, who holds the Greenhill Adrian Suarez school record for pole vault.

“There was JT Herrscher and Katie Goodwin, who were silent leaders,” Suarez said. “They never really practiced with us, but JT’s presence had a huge impact on me.”

When they left, there was a leadership vacuum, Suarez said.

“No one on the team at the time really wanted to be a great vaulter,” Suarez said.

It was near the end of his junior year – late in the typical recruiting timeline – when Suarez started to reach out to coaches and colleges. He had interest in schools such as St. Olaf (Minnesota), Chapman (California), University of Redlands (California) and Trinity .

Eventually, Trinity emerged as his top choice. Suarez says he was impressed with the coach and the facilities.

His recruitment was aided by his success for the Greenhill team. His personal record is 14’ 8”, which is the third highest jump in Greenhill history. Suarez aims to set a new personal best by the end of his freshman year at Trinity – a goal he shared with the Trinity coach.

“I remember the first time meeting the coach in person,” Suarez said. “I asked him ‘what is the school record? You know, I am going to be the one who breaks it.’”

A

Sports

17

Photo courtesy of Adrian Suarez

VAULTING TO VICTORY: Senior Adrian Suarez committed to Trinity College for pole vaulting. In addition to pole vaulting Suarez acts as a mentor to younger athletes. haven’t had before.”

Suarez has been a mentor to Thomas on and off the track.

As a senior, Suarez has embraced “He has also helped me a lot with being his leadership role and has taken on okay with my body,” Thomas said. “I am really the responsibility of mentoring the skinny, but he was also really skinny when underclassmen on the team. he was my age. He has helped me be more “The best thing about having [Suarez] as confident in my body and my figure.” a mentor is how nice and supportive he is,” Through pole vaulting, Suarez says he freshman Bowen Thomas said. “He treats me has learned many life lessons. as an equal and tries to help me be the best “Unlike in other sports, everything version of myself. He takes time out of his day in pole vaulting is on you,” Suarez said. to help me and is someone I will always look “When you do good, you really, truly feel up to and aspire to be like.” that rush and feel that energy and feel that Thomas and Suarez, while separated by accomplishment or [failure]. There is no one age, have bonded throughout the course of to blame but yourself, and I truly love the the season. sport because that instills values in [vaulters] “He’s kind of the kid that I took under that affect everything else we do in life.” my wing,” Suarez said. “He is a great kid and is very positive. That motivates me in a way that I

Senior Mentor

18

Views

!""#$%&'($)*+,$-.$/0$1&20 Helina Tedros

A

s a 16-year-old girl who lives in Texas, I have always known that my right to an abortion would be limited in a historically conservative state.

However, that sentiment does not encapsulate the shock I felt after learning of the leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v.

Wade ruling in support of abortion rights.

The draft written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito would give states the power to end abortion rights.

Alito made clear that he was against Roe v. Wade and the 1992 Supreme Court abortion rights ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the draft reads. “Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”

I cannot say that I am surprised because abortion rights are exactly what the Supreme Court’s conservative majority would label as a priority.

Instead of revisiting troublesome gun laws after so many mass shootings, the court’s majority has set its sights on abortion. Conservatives have cheered the Alito draft. Yet, without stricter gun laws, free healthcare for all, raising minimum wage, offering birth control and improving mental health care, how can anti-abortion advocates say that they are truly pro-life?

When right-wing justices use the term “pro-life,” it implies that they are in support of current human life, such as the mothers who go through pregnancy. It implies that

they care about America’s mental health crisis and the millions of low-income households who are dying at the hands of expensive healthcare. To be clear, “pro-life” is a hollow term for many conservative justices.

In reality, they are pro-birth.

Simply put, other pressing issues have been put on the backburner by Supreme Court conservatives while they ruthlessly go after a women’s right to bodily autonomy.

For many Supreme Court justices, women’s rights do not hold the same weight as human rights. Because these rights affect a woman’s access to personal agency, many conservatives have deemed it acceptable to encroach on these rights.

The court’s consideration of overturning Roe v.

Wade comes at a time when many Republicancontrolled states are trying to restrict access to abortion through new legislation. In response, Democrats in Congress are trying to codify the progress women gained in the Supreme Court rulings in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v.

Casey.

Democrats in positions of power should do everything in their power to codify the protections of the earlier Supreme Court rulings.

A women’s right to her body has always been a politicized subject. However, a woman’s right to choose an abortion is only her business. There is no reason for older men to make the decision about what women should do with their bodies.

Abortions are entirely circumstantial.

There are a million and one reasons a woman could choose to have an abortion and not one of these reasons concerns anyone besides herself.

Many states have trigger laws in place if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned. Texas’ trigger law, for example, would make all abortions illegal with very limited exceptions.

A removal of the Roe v. Wade protections by the Supreme Court would not stop abortions completely. Rather, it would just stop safe abortions, placing both the mother and baby at risk of further harm.

As of now, abortions are still legal in most states. If Roe v. Wade gets overturned, the sacrifices of Americans who have fought for this right were all in vain.

!"#"$%&!'()*+&,$-.+$&"'$&/0(1".(2&3%%)$ Payton Blalock

F

ollowing the leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision, advocates on both sides of the spectrum have emerged to voice their opinions.

Overturning Roe v. Wade would redirect legal power to individual states when it comes to abortion rights, rather than leaving the power in the federal government.

The specific state being examined by the Supreme Court is Mississippi, which seeks to criminalize abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

As a religious female conservative, I’ve always found abortion a difficult topic for me personally. Both sides resonate with me in different ways, and I have bounced back and forth between being “pro-life” and “pro-choice” several times.

It’s difficult for me to get behind the concept of abortion for personal and religious reasons. I believe that life begins at conception, and the idea of getting to choose whether to have a child you conceived makes me uncomfortable.

But not everyone shares that discomfort with me, and I would be naïve to expect or demand that everyone agrees with me when it comes to abortion.

Abortion is inevitable in America, and abortions will be performed regardless of whether they are legal or not. It is objectively pointless to outlaw abortions because all that does is outlaw safe abortions.

On a global level, it is estimated that around 45% of all abortions are performed under unsafe conditions, and one-third of those take place under the least-safe conditions. While the majority of these take place in developing countries, it is almost certain that more unsafe abortions would be performed in America if abortion was completely banned.

However, I do believe that empowering states to make decisions about abortions might be beneficial and ultimately satisfy more people in the end.

The conclusion that I have come to is similar to that being advocated by the state of Mississippi: a smaller time window for legal abortions, but still a sufficient amount

of time to make a decision on whether or not to terminate a pregnancy.

For individuals who do not want a child, tighter guidelines on abortion would promote safer sex practices and more caution around the possibility of becoming pregnant. But it is still plenty of time to know if you are pregnant and carefully consider what your next step is.

To put it simply, I do not fully disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Not because I want abortions across the country to come to a complete halt, but because I think that states should have more flexibility when it comes to enforcing abortion laws.

State governments are generally more beneficial than the federal government because they respond more efficiently to the wants and needs of the people within their jurisdictions than the federal government can.

Although the law would impact different states in different ways, I do not believe that the effects would be as detrimental as people think they would be.

If a state as conservative as Mississippi is pushing only for the ban of abortions after 15 weeks, I cannot imagine that the right to get an abortion would disappear completely in any state.

Overturning Roe v. Wade should not impede any woman’s ability to receive an abortion; it just provides the flexibility to satisfy a particular state’s majority.

While Democrats find it egregious that Roe v. Wade could be overturned, I believe that taking abortion to the state level could resolve national disputes regarding abortion and help make the problem more personal.

That’s an outcome I support.

Editorial: Expand LGBTQ+ History Curriculum

G

reenhill’s English and history curriculum is clearly extensive.

Especially given junior and senior English and history elective classes, the options seem endless.

With teachers adding new courses each year covering subjects they are passionate about, each offering dives into a unique area, giving students the chance to learn about what they care about.

These courses also encompass the stories of many different – and often underrepresented – groups. Offerings in the English Department include Women’s Writings, Race and Subjectivity in Literature, Social Class in Literature, and Multicultural Literature. In the History Department, students can take Women’s History, World Religions, and various courses focusing on history from a nonWestern lens.

The next step in developing a representative, well-rounded curriculum is to integrate LGBTQ+ studies into the History Department.

As a group that has long been hidden in the shadows, the history and legacy of the LGBTQ+ community is integral to

the arc of American history and should be treated as such.

Senior Julian Iwasko recently gave a presentation to a portion of the Upper School for his Capstone Project entitled “Integrating LGBTQ+ Studies in Upper School Education.” In this year-long research project, Iwasko worked to create an extensive semester-long curriculum for a class on LGBTQ+ history – something that the current Greenhill course catalog is sorely missing.

Our history classes currently give us the background knowledge, context and tools to understand current events, but that doesn’t exist for queer history. Queer history also often goes untold as those who identify as LGBTQ+ may have needed to hide to survive. The lack of a wellstructured and thought-out curriculum covering queer history is a loss, both to our knowledge of these events and to members of the LGBTQ+ community at Greenhill.

Representation matters.

Thoughtful and well-developed representation is key to success. It is important that all students can see themselves reflected in what they learn.

To have a personal connection to the curriculum makes it that much more meaningful and impactful. Greenhill’s mission strives to prepare and inspire students to live authentic, purposeful lives.

How can students do this if they don’t see their authentic selves mirrored in the school that is supposed to support them?

Thus, the implementation of queer history at Greenhill should not just be limited to junior and senior electives. Rather, queer history should be incorporated across all Upper School departments and grades.

While we recognize it is impossible to expect the curriculum to wholly catalyze every student’s growth, it should at least promote exposure to perspectives that have been suppressed.

Queer representation in the curriculum also establishes the reality of the LGBTQ+ community at Greenhill. Often, issues that we learn about can seem nebulous without proper grounding. Localizing and making queer history accessible supports those in our community by clearly establishing a presence grounded in reality; it makes queer history visible to both the LGBTQ+ community but also for all students to

comprehend.

We acknowledge that the goal of school curriculums should not be to “indoctrinate” students. Students have the right to develop their own perspectives. But we believe schools have a moral obligation to expose students to untold stories.

When microaggressions or offensive comments are made, they are most often from a place of ignorance. Queer representation in curriculum can help bridge that gap and prevent a lot of the insensitive language that we see being used. Education is a key factor in mitigating negative stigma, stereotypes and misconceptions.

The more that our community knows about various groups, the more we understand each other. Greenhill is wonderfully diverse, but we must see that diversity in every aspect of the school, including the curriculum.

This is why we at the Evergreen implore Greenhill School to re-evaluate its curriculum and the quality of representation within it. Doing so will increase the quality of education that students receive and better prepare them for life beyond school.

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Evergreen Ever the

19 the Evergreen Ever staff Views

A Letter from the Former Editors Jothi Gupta, Diane Lin

W

e owe the production of this paper to the staff behind it. Every one of our issues took a team to create, and we have certainly had an excellent one. To our section editors – Pooja, Emily, Sophia, Josie, Ava – the growth in your skills as writers and page designers has been a joy to watch. Thank you for diving headfirst into this, way back in May 2021, with little idea of what to expect, and truly giving it your all. We’ll miss the endless giggles from your area of the Evergreen Room.

We know you’ll be great senior editors.

Emma, Nate, and Khushi, our wonderful design team, thank you for the year of graphics and photos and design guides. Emma, your flexibility and willingness to re-upload the sports graphic at least three times per layout was always immensely appreciated. Nate, wrangling a photo team for the first time was no easy feat (although we’re still looking for that missing camera). Khushi, your contributions with the fronts, specials and backs while managing it all made our jobs infinitely easier.

Saara, you may be our content managing editor in name but you’re the resident AP Style encyclopedia in truth. Thank you for the proofs and edits and your dedication to detail, in every word you have written and every mark you have made.

Cam and Avery, you are unparalleled.

Cam, thank you for the endless good ideas and

quick thinking, for two years of excellent edits, for the endless depth of knowledge you have.

Every successful story, you have played a role in.

Avery, you have been a central pillar of layout.

No one knows the pain of white space better than you. Thank you for tackling the beast of our Centerpiece, for staying the late nights, for being someone who has always been there with unfailing reliability.

Mr. Jones, words cannot capture how immensely thankful we are for you. This paper, as it is, would not exist without you. So, all we can think to say is simply, thank you. As editors and staffers come and go, you have been the constant through our four years and this paper, and this staff are so successful because of you.

And to each other, we couldn’t have asked for a better partner in this difficult, yet rewarding, endeavor that has been our leadership of the newspaper. We were a dynamic crisis-solving, design-guiding, InDesign-fixing, white space-evading, Backpage-managing, meal-planning duo. Thank you for all the late nights spent at layout, writing the budget list or talking through stories. Thank you, for without this strong partnership, the paper wouldn’t be what it has become this year.

The above words aren’t enough to capture the gratitude we have for the members of the 2021-2022 Evergreen print staff. Thank you for every letter printed on every page, for every file in the drive, for every laugh and moment of stress in between the first idea of

Evergreen Print

a brainstorming session to the piles of papers, fresh from the printers. Thank you for having us as your editors-in-chief. It has been nothing short of an honor.

Khushi and Nate, we hope we’ve been a good example. We’ll leave you with just a few essential thoughts: the Zolli’s Mac and Cheese was a favorite; everything that can go wrong will go wrong; and don’t forget the itemized receipt. More than anything else, never forget the responsibility to the staff, the community, and to yourselves: You have to report as thoroughly and accurately as possible.

We know the next six issues under you will be great, and we can’t wait to read them. They’ll be part of a long legacy of documentation of Greenhill news, as the school grows and changes over time.

The Evergreen is older than either of us and will exist beyond either of our times at Greenhill. The paper holds within its pages decades of student work, a full school years’ worth of memories put into every six issues. It has carried dozens of names on its masthead, with many more to come. Being a part of something greater than ourselves, leaving our mark as EICs, has been both exciting and humbling, but above all else, fun. It has been a privilege to serve as the Evergreen’s editors-inchief.

Jothi Gupta and Diane Lin Evergreen Editors-in-Chief, 2021-2022

Editors-in-Chief

Khushi Chhaya and Nate Stitt

Executive Editors

Ava Iwasko and Emma Nguyen

Managing Editors - Content Sophia Li Emma Rikalo Pooja Sanghvi Valerie Xu

Managing Editor - Design Emily Hu

Creative Director Helina Tedros

Associate Editor Ria Agarwal

News Editors

Evie Kwei and Christan Park

Views Editors

Gabi Appel and Aria Kutty

Features Editors

Sydney Chien and Riya Kommineni

Arts Editors

Eitan Hahn and Daniela Hallack

Sports Editors

Aman Jaleel and Chloe Nguyen

Graphic Artist Erica Fulbright

Cross Platform Chief Staff Photographer Chloe Nguyen

Staff Photographers Evie Kwei Zara Paul Jailynn Robinson Anisa Walji

Social Media Editor Stephanie Rojas

Business Manager Kaden Alibhai

Assistant Adviser Amy Bresie

Adviser

Gregg Jones

Have a response?

Opinion? Original Idea?

Photo by Chloe Nguyen

PASSING THE TORCH: The 2021-2022 Evergreen Editors-in-Chief Jothi Gupta and Diane Lin reflect on their time leading the staff. The pair say they are grateful for the experiences and life lessons they gained from overseeing the paper.

Our Editorial Policy The Evergreen is an independent, student-run newspaper serving the community of Greenhill School. It is printed six times during the school year. Print circulation is 800 copies. Past issues are archived at issuu.com/ghevergreen.

The Evergreen staff upholds a code of ethics that values honesty, integrity, accuracy and responsibility. Our mission is to help the local community interpret campus, local,

national and international events through articles and editorials written and edited by students.

The Evergreen welcomes letters and emails from readers. We reserve the right to edit submissions for accuracy, grammar and length. The Evergreen will not publish material that we judge to be libelous, obscene, invades privacy or constitutes hate speech.

Anonymous letters will not be published.

The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of The Evergreen staff, not necessarily that of Greenhill School.

Advertisements The Evergreen welcomes advertisements, but we reserve the right to refuse an ad.

Business inquiries should be directed to Kaden Alibhai: alibhaik24@greenhill.org

Email the Editors-in-Chief chhayak23@greenhill.org stittn23@greenhill.org

Corrections and Clarifications We pledge to correct our errors.

To request a correction or clarification, please email Khushi Chhaya: chhayak23@greenhill.org

20

Evergreen Ever the

Views

Rants & Raves RAVE to the return of Greenhill pizza days. Don’t get us wrong, we like the other lunch options, but pizza days have always been a staple. Get ready for the long lunch line, and Mr. Oros watching all of us like a hawk to make sure we don’t cut!

A

A RAVENT to some of our most cherished teachers leaving. This one is bittersweet because we know our departing teachers will do incredible things in the future. You all have positively impacted our lives in numerous ways and we are sad to see you go but wish you great luck!

RAVE to the end of AP exams. After two weeks of sleepless nights, we can all finally take a breather – at least until scores come out in early July.

Still, there is no better feeling than walking out of your last exam and knowing you’re done!

A

RAVE to the return of Heart of the Hill. After two years away from our HOH groups, it’s nice to connect with other grades again. Recently, our younger friends brought along their favorite books to our HOH meeting. We loved reading to them and giving them piggyback rides!

A

A RANT to the 8:30 a.m. start next year. Goodbye to 10 precious minutes of beauty sleep: You will be dearly missed. We are mentally preparing to leave for school earlier so we can avoid being late to class or losing out on a parking spot.

RAVENT to the seniors graduating. While we will miss you all, we are equally excited to see what your next chapter holds. A special shoutout to our Evergreen seniors. Good luck on all your future endeavors, and don’t forget to drop by and visit sometimes!

All, we are equally excited to see what the next chapter holds.

A

RANT to limited parking. It seems there just aren’t enough spots to accommodate all faculty and students who drive. Parking across campus is not ideal either.

The worst feeling is seeing the spot you claimed in your head taken by somebody else exactly one minute before class.

A

A RAVE to the end-of-year festivities. From the Spring Musical to the Senior Surprise, we’re glad that traditions are returning after two years of the pandemic. These traditions mark the end of the school year – and with only a few days left, we can practically smell the scent of sunscreen and hear the ocean waves calling.

A RAVENT to cool mornings and warm afternoons.

While it’s nice to have many clothing options, the changing weather is unpredictable and causes confusion. Should we wear shorts or pants when it’s 50 degrees in the morning but 80 degrees in the afternoon?

The Evils of China’s “Zero-Covid” Policy Sophia Li

W

hen I visited Shanghai in 2018, the city was alive.

The streets hummed with familiar Chinese tunes, and scents of my favorite braised foods made me feel at home. Four years later, the lively cosmopolis etched in my memory has turned into a living nightmare.

For two years, China has managed to tread below 100,000 COVID-19 cases – until it could not. In April, cases began to skyrocket to 25,000 each day, with Shanghai being a superspreading hotspot. As China began to face a credibility crisis, officials reinforced the country’s strict commitment to virus control, and the “zero-Covid” policy began its creeping influence on everyday life.

China’s “zero-Covid” policy is the government’s attempt at eliminating all traces of the virus, primarily through lockdowns. Shanghai became the first city in China to enter total lockdown, on March 28, with other cities like Beijing following a similar track.

But the reality of an absolute lockdown is sickening.

Across China, victims of government lockdowns struggle to acquire food and are turned away from hospitals that exclusively accept COVID-19 positive patients.

As someone with a grandpa who battles a neuromuscular disorder, I know that regular medical checkups are critical to ensuring his body is not at risk of total collapse. His neuromuscular system could fail at any moment and being able to access life-saving treatment is the bare minimum.

Some Shanghai citizens have already died in the silence of their own homes because treatment for non-COVID-19 illnesses is being withheld. I fear that the same will happen to my own family members in China.

Before COVID-19, my family would travel to China

at least every two years. Due to tight travel restrictions and lengthy quarantine periods, I have not visited my relatives for over three years. The “zero-Covid” policy has cleaved families and forced Chinese citizens to fight the virus alone.

In addition to a crippling medical system, people have struggled to maintain a stable food supply. Some days, families are fortunate enough to receive a ration of dumplings and broth, while other days, there are no meal delivery trucks in sight.

Meal delivery services often exclude rural communities, leaving those families to go hungry or find alternative sources of nourishment. For the elderly and low-income households, a lack of technological expertise means they cannot outcompete online grocery shoppers who hoard bulk products.

The evils of China’s “zero-Covid” policy extend beyond just Shanghai. Across China, families overseas are being separated, young children are going to bed hungry and ill patients are trapped behind padlocked doors.

Perhaps the greatest evil lies in the fact that China’s dystopian reality has no end in sight.

Politically ambitious government officials are quick to jump on President Xi Jinping’s bandwagon and support dehumanizing policies to prove their loyalty.

Millions of Chinese netizens have used social media platforms to share their own horror stories, with some viral videos showing Shanghai residents screaming complaints from their apartment balconies. The Chinese people are sick of fighting for survival.

The Chinese government has its own reasons for implementing a stringent COVID-19 containment policy.

Being the most populated country in the world, a large-scale outbreak would be devastating for the economy and social stability.

Regardless, there is no reason why containment efficacy must come at the expense of a person’s well-being. China has yet to approve the two most effective messenger RNA vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer.

In addition, many older Chinese are still unvaccinated, as authorities have given preference to working age individuals.

If Xi’s top priority is to control a nationwide outbreak, why are basic safeguards being ignored in favor of lifethreatening policies?

Once again, the Chinese government has failed at considering the humanity

behind its tactics, while leaving powerful elites unscathed. For the ordinary citizen, total lockdown comes at a price too high to pay.

the

Evergreen Everything Greenhill

Graphic by Khushi Chhaya, Alex Little, Emma Nguyen

22

Everg Ever the

Senior Section

The Next Step:

1

Student attending colleges in Canada

12

Students attending colleges in the Pacific West

22

Students staying in Texas

Austin College (1) Babson College (1) Barnard College (1) Bates College (1) Boston College (1) Boston University (2) Brown University (2) Bucknell University (1) California Polytechnic-San Luis Obispo (2) Carnegie Mellon University (3) Centre College (1) Chapman University (3) Colorado College (1) Colorado School of Mines (1) Cornell University (2) CUNY-Hunter College (1) Dartmouth College (1)

Denison University (1) Duke University (5) Elon University (1) Emory University (1) Emory University-Oxford College (1) George Washington University (1) Georgetown University (2) Goucher College (1) Harvard University (2) Indiana University-Bloomington (2) Loyola Marymount University (2) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1) Middlebury College (1) Morehouse College (1) New York University (3) Northeastern University (2) Northwestern University (1)

green

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

23

: Class of 2022

9

Students attending colleges in the greater Boston area

5

Students attending colleges in New York City

25

Students attending college in the Southeast

Occidental College (1) The Ohio State University (1) Purdue University (2) Rice University (2) Salisbury University (1) Santa Clara University (1) Southern Methodist University (3) St. Olaf College (1) Swarthmore College (1) Syracuse University (1) Texas A&M University-College Station (1) Texas Christian University (2) The University of Texas at Austin (9) Trinity University (2) Tulane University (4) Union College (1) University of British Columbia (1)

University of Arizona (1) University of Arkansas (1) University of California-Los Angeles (1) University of Chicago (1) University of Miami (7) University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (4) University of North Texas (2) University of Oregon (1) University of Pennsylvania (3) University of Pittsburgh (1) Vanderbilt University (3) Wake Forest University (1) Washington and Lee University (1) Washington University in St. Louis (4) Williams College (2) Yale University (1) *List provided by College Counseling, current as of May 10

24

Evergreen Ever the

Backpage

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

A Senior Sendoff The Start of Something New

My sweet advisees, thank you for committing to the cumulative hours and hours of meditation moments, cooking videos, and live penguin cams. Thank you for our moments of frivolity, like Karaoke Fridays, Just Dance-offs, and innumerable TikTok recordings. Thank you for joining together in messy times and in challenging times, in the face of tragedies and crises, and even a pandemic. Thank you for taking chances and exploring unpredictable opportunities, all of which have made you effective leaders and community changers. You have each made me so proud to say that you were my advisee.

- Mrs. Hudec Seniors, it truly has been a pleasure starting my first year at Greenhill with a great advisory group. Although you have had multiple advisors through your Upper School years, I am incredibly grateful that you welcomed me anyway. I have enjoyed our gatherings and conversations outside the MPAC and will miss them.

I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope that you will come back to Greenhill and share the wonderful things you are doing and the difference you are making in our world!

- Ms. Ornelas Congratulations, Sandler Advisory! Thank you for the competitive Taboo games and teaching me about 7-Eleven hotdogs (I do not eat meat anymore!). I’ve watched you learn and grow over the last four years and become the people you are today. I want to express my gratitude and admiration for all you’ve accomplished in your time at Greenhill, especially given the unusual circumstances you encountered during high school. Enjoy the adventurous, formative years ahead and embrace all opportunities – expected and unexpected – with open arms. Thank you for the time you shared with me on your journey at Greenhill.

- Mr. Sandler

Pandemic notwithstanding, you have arrived! You’ve come a long way since your ninth grade introduction letters and the real journey is only beginning! I hope that you each go forth and do great things.

Be all you can be! Remember that you are most fully human in relationship with others, relationships grounded in love and service. In problems, be the solution. In conflict, bring peace. In arguments, give ground. Make the world better by what you do and by who you are. I know that you can! It has been a pleasure to live and learn with you.

- Mr. Park

What a journey! I have thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

I fondly recall that first day when you all awkwardly sat in my office. Spending COVID in the Lecture Hall, you came together as a group and enjoyed being together.

Moving back in the office was like coming home.

Those times were and are like sitting around the living room after a good meal.

Now I can’t get you to leave!

You treat each other like brothers and sisters, and I relish the conversations – both the light-hearted and the deep ones. I wish you all the best!

Hello small but mighty advisory. I know I have only been with you for a year, but it has been more than a pleasure captaining our ship. You are a delightful menagerie of individuals, and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed our time together this year. Not only are you the tallest advisory but in my opinion, the best advisory. The spirited conversations we had were oftentimes the highlight of my day. Thank you for sharing your talents, interests and humor. I look forward to following your successes and adventures in the years ahead!

- Ms. Burke

What a journey! 1 classroom + 2 names + 3 advisors + 4 new students – 1 Abhi = the MarMarGalkhovsky Advisory.

You are a wonderful bunch of “eclectic” (and not gullible?) kids who, when it comes down to it, actually care about each other. We will miss you and wish you all the best!

- Mrs.Markhovsky & Ms.Mariel Mis queridos padawans, you are now ready to be Jedis. A friend once told me that life is like a metro. We all took a ride on the Greenhill metro. Some got off after a year, and others jumped in. Our wagon is unique because of each of you. I will never forget our walks, our real conversations, and the experiences that brought us together through laughter and tears. Now you are ready to get off at the next station. Go take the next train, make friends, fall in love, live, and change the world! Perhaps we will get on the same wagon again in the future. #ideawall #2022 #beyourself

- Mr. Oros

Dear Chu Advisory, Happy Quesadilla Wednesday! I am grateful to be your advisor and have enjoyed our conversations, our walks, and our games (i.e., playing gartic phone and skribblio). Some fun moments include being the live audience for the Golden Calves podcast, making and reading faux-kus, practicing the “It’s Gonna Be Me” dance, painting our Arush pumpkin, and more! I am in your corner and always will be, so know that I will continue to support you even from afar. Best of luck on your next adventure, and I hope you keep in touch!

- Mrs. Chu

- Sr. Luna+ Ms. Muñoz I’ve been looking at the pictures I’ve taken of you on the first day of school over the past four years. I can’t believe those baby-faced freshmen are about to graduate. Most of the effects of the pandemic have been unequivocally awful, but I don’t regret the hours that we spent together. Between rounds of Among Us, Uno, and the card game that only Diane understands, we grew into a (slightly dysfunctional) family.

I am unspeakably proud of who you have become. I want you to explore the world and go on adventures, but know that you always have a home in Room 401.

- Dr. Bresie

Graphic by Emily Hu and Emma Nguyen