February 2019 | The Evergreen, Greenhill School

Page 1

february 20, 2019

the

volume 54, issue 4

evergreengreenhill.org

Everything Greenhill

Roaming coyotes given chilly welcome on campus; school hires trappers Leah Nutkis Staff Writer

Graphic by Areeba Amer and Sera Tuz

Photo by Jeffrey Harberg

DIGITAL DISTRACTION Campus phone policies range from inconsistent Upper School tolerance to total Middle School ban

Read the stories on page 5

In early January, two furry guests made themselves at home on the Greenhill campus. The reaction to their arrival wasn’t the typical warm Hill welcome. “With the lack of activity on campus these last two weeks, two coyotes seem to have gotten comfortable on our grounds,” wrote Head of School Lee Hark in a Jan. 3 email to faculty and parents. “We have contacted a trapper and will have them relocated as soon as possible.” The concerned reaction to the Greenhill coyotes was a reminder that even on a campus that emphasizes ecological coexistence, there are limits to tolerance and harmony. Greenhill’s 75-acre campus is home to many different types of flora and fauna. Just in the avian family alone, the school hosts birds from the school-staple peacock to the less-renowned yellow-rumped warbler, one of more than two dozen species of birds spotted on campus by Upper School history teacher Matthew Giorgio. “Last year, I spotted 26 species of birds on campus while walking to and from lunch, the Lower School building and the parking lot,” said Mr. Giorgio. “We have such diversity of our trees. Birds will come and flock to [our trees] because they’re host to different types of insects, so that type of relationship with flora and fauna on campus is amazing.” With so many different animals and plants, there are always animals that can raise concerns, especially in an area with young students. And that was the case with the New Year’s coyotes. In the first two emails, Mr. Hark urged members of the Greenhill community to “please be aware of your surroundings. If you see these animals, do not approach them. I will send word when they’ve been removed.” cont’d on page 6

Neutrality is no longer an option: Pulling the veil off the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Harrison Heymann Staff Writer

Amber Syed Staff Writer

On Jan. 8, Brian Zhou spoke to the entire Upper School during his senior speech about the importance of social awareness, dialogue and serving community. As he talked about difficult topics students tend to avoid, he mentioned what he termed “ongoing genocides around the world—in Myanmar, in Yemen, in Palestine.” “I mentioned Palestine very briefly in my senior speech, referring to the conflict as one example of ongoing yet invisible injustices around the world,” said Brian. “I brought up the [conflict] as an example of many different social issues that tend to go unaddressed at Greenhill.” Rarely do Greenhill students address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, partly

Views

because students fear offending their peers or teachers. However, this is beginning to change as the issue’s relevance is growing exponentially. This discussion may become increasingly common at Greenhill and force students to have an opinion on the issue as a political debate over America’s role in the conflict heats up in Congress, on college campuses and throughout the U.S. At the heart of that debate is a movement known as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS). The BDS movement was founded by Palestinians in 2005 and describes itself as “a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality.” It accuses Israel of “occupying and colonizing Palestinian land, discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes.” It aims to isolate Israel internationally, likening its policies to those of the white-minority

News

Senior Caroline Simpson Head of School Lee Hark responds to changes in se- gives his first State of the nior speech protocol p. 2 School Address p. 4

Informing Greenhill since 1966

apartheid regime in South Africa. Israeli government officials and their allies in the U.S. and elsewhere have denounced BDS as an antiSemitic movement committed to Israel’s destruction. The Texas House of Representatives targeted the BDS movement and its supporters in April 2017 legislation. House Bill 89 states that a “government entity may not enter into a contract with a company for goods or services unless the contract contains a written verification from the company that it does not boycott Israel and will not boycott Israel during the term of the contract.” “Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies, and we will not tolerate such actions against an important ally,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at the time. In fact, Bahia Amawi, a PalestinianAmerican speech pathologist who lives

Features

Lower and Middle School classes conduct a project to prevent bird strikes p. 8

Arts

in Austin, said she was required to affirm she would not boycott Israel during the term of her job contract; when she refused to comply, she lost her job, the New York Times reported. Beyond Texas, the BDS movement is creating political conflict across the United States. Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate approved a bill that will grant federal protection to states that ban contracts with individuals and companies who boycott Israel. The bill is currently in the U.S. House of Representatives, where the new Democratic majority includes some ardent supporters of the boycott against Israel. Dispute over the boycott movement now permeates college campuses. The University of Michigan is currently pursuing disciplinary action against three instructors whose support for the boycott

Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular on campus p. 15

cont’d on page 6

Sports

Examining Greenhill’s role in the college athletics recruiting process p. 18

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