November 2012-2013

Evergreen THE

November 14, 2012 Volume XLVIII, Issue 2

Greenhill recycling audit results

reen Team launches recycling initiative With an electric vehicle charging station installed over the summer and ecologist Amory Lovins’ TED talk presentation, Greenhill would appear extremely ecofriendly. However, other factors suggest that the school is not as green as it could be.

In response to a sobering recycling audit, the Green Team and Maintenance Facilities crew have spearheaded a movement to improve recycling at Greenhill.

As part of a new partnership with recycling company Republic Services, Greenhill began receiving regular reports, or audits, last year, which detail the exact amount of each material recycled or discarded as waste. The first audit was conducted last December, when Greenhill collected its trash and recycling over a 24-hour period and gave it to Republic Services to sort.

“What we wanted to do was give us a benchmark of where we stood,” said Bruce Thompson, Director of Facility Operations and Services.

The results proved that Greenhill has room to improve: 96 percent of the school’s trash consisted of paper and cardboard, which should have been recycled.

Green Team is a community group made up of parent volunteers, faculty, and students focused on improving the school’s ecological sustainability. As a member of this

group, Pre-K teacher Janice LaMendola headed the new recycling efforts.

“The results [of the audit] were not good. We were throwing out a sizable amount of things that could be recycled— almost an embarrassing amount,” Mrs. LaMendola said. “As a part of Green Team, [recycling] is something that is dear to my heart. I knew I could take hold of it and run with it.”

Greenhill’s partnership with Republic Services originally began when the Maintenance Facilities decided to install two new compactors, a small one for waste and a larger one for recycling. Whereas previously, recycling had to be sorted before being picked up, the new recycling compactor can hold all types of recyclable materials — paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastic bottles and containers, glass, wood, and metal.

Republic Services collects recyclable materials in the compactor and sorts them at its private location. This change has allowed Greenhill to streamline its recycling program and bypass separate recycling bins for different recyclable materials.

Therefore, this system eliminates confusion regarding which materials can be discarded in which bin. As an additional benefit, the compactors reduce our carbon footprint, they are picked up less frequently.

To brand this new recycling initiative, Green Team and the Advancement Office collaborated on stickers with Greenhill’s new recycling logo, “Keep Greenhill Green: Recycling 24/7.” The logo, developed through a school-

96%

of Greenhill trash is paper and cardboard.

According to the December audit,* Greenhill recycles

15% of its waste.

This was calculated from

529.65

pounds of paper and cardboard collected. *Date of audit: Dec. 15, 2011

cont’d on page 6

Statistics courtesy of Emily Wilson

story by Rachel Diebner

Look inside for a review of the Arboretum

AUTUMN ADVENTURE: The Dallas Arboretum boasts fairy-tale adventures, including a storybook pumpkin walk (left and right) as well as the Chihuly blown-glass exhibt (center).

Also in this issue...

News Debate Wins Big Seniors Rebecca Kuang, Andrew Spomer, and Ben Packer win two national tournaments and prepare for debates around Thanksgiving. page 4

Arts The Happy Alright Senior Quinn Breitfeller performs and records with his band, The Happy Alright. page 15

Special Report Curriculum Changes Content Editor Samantha Carp investigates the reasoning behind the removal of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer from the English curriculum. page 14

Sports Road to Recovery Senior basketball player Josh Dickerman pushes through injury to return to the court for his final season. page 21

Serving Greenhill since 1966

PAL program reaches out to freshmen Christian Holmes Asst. News Editor

Imagine walking into a new place, palms sweaty with fear and anxiousness, looking to the left and right for a familiar face that will give you needed reassurance. Although this may seem like an adequate description for giving your first C-Day announcement, there are always a few individuals who feel just this way on the first day of school: new students.

The Upper School’s Peer Assistance and Leadership (PAL) program tries to ease the transition of students new to Greenhill. This year, in addition to periodically meeting with each freshman advisory, student peer mentors, or “PALs,” have also been assigned to offer each new freshmen individualized attention through regularly scheduled meetings.

The idea for this change came from an annual conversation between Upper School Counselor and PAL sponsor Ron Nevelow and the freshman team leader, currently Berkeley Gillentine. While discussing other ways of using the PALs to help the freshman class, Mrs. Gillentine suggested giving every new student his or her own PAL. “He thought that that sounded like a good idea and his kids were on board, so it happened,” Mrs. Gillentine said. “It was a nice benefit to be able to help those kids who are new to our campus feel just a little more connected.”

Any new student can testify that acclimating can be both exciting and hard. A number of new freshmen, including Nicole Koonce and Whitney Pettijohn, said that one of their favorite

4141 Spring Valley Road, Addison, TX 75001

characteristics about Greenhill is the schedule.

“Having a different schedule every day that you can put electives and other activities into is really nice,” said Whitney, formerly a student at St. Alcuin Montessori School.

Nicole also pointed to the variety of different clubs, which meet during the Upper School “bagel break,” as an exciting feature.

But, Nicole does notice a difference in rigor between some of her old classes and those at Greenhill.

“So far, it has been a big adjustment getting used to the work load for two of my classes,” Nicole said.

Whitney also has had to adjust.

“Coming from a Montessori school, they take an individualized approach, so [you] get a lot of individual attention in classes, but now it’s up to me to request attention if I need it,” she said.

Prior to this year, Upper School students had to request a PAL to meet with them individually. All new Middle School students, on the other hand, were already being assigned PALs. In fact, when the PAL program was created, its focus was the Middle School. Greenhill’s PAL program began as a Capstone project by Amanda Zidell ’04, who, according to Mr. Nevelow, wanted Greenhill students to always feel as if they had someone to talk to. cont’d on page 9

evergreengreenhill.wordpress.com

The Evergreen Wednesday [11.14.12]

VIEWS

A MENTAL SURVEY

Rants & Raves A RANT to the appalling amount of litter around campus. Even Ke$ha, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Trashy Chic,” would disapprove of such disregard for our Greenhill environment.

A RAVE to the new Greenhill School apparel in the Buzz.

If there’s anything better than the Greenhill sweater sitting in the back of the closet, it’s the idea that another one — with a different font! — could one day be sitting right next to it.

A RAVE to more people trying out for girls’ soccer, an increase so great, that it has warranted the creation of a JV team. Hopefully our games will be as lively as ESPN Deportes’ GOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOAL!

A RANT to a deficit of decorum and courtesy shown by students, from not holding open doors to an increase of litter on campus. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer may be gone from the campus, but there’s no reason the theme of Southern hospitality should go with them.

A RANT to the dearth of useable dry-erase markers. Faded writing and angry tosses into the trashcan take away from our precious class time. Also, we really love doodling with them during break.

A RAVE to the fall drama, Almost, Maine, with its cutesy array of scenes, displaying relationships in a Love -Actually style.

The fake snow falling from the theater ceiling may also be the closest any of us is going to get to winter.

Evergreen staff Serving Greenhill

since 1966

editor in chief

senior editor

Anton Yu

features editor Laura Arnold

Rebecca Kim

sports editor

Ben Weinberg

Ashley Goldschmid Greer Goss

arts editors

Lizzy D’Apice Alex Weinberg

assistant features editors assistant sports editors Joseph Middleman Sofia Shirley

Varun Gupta Ben Krakow

A RAVE to the recent influx of speakers at Greenhill. We’ve had numerous speakers throughout the trimester, illuminating our minds on topics such as politics and social issues.

We haven’t had such a fun time learning since our last episode of Dora teaching us Spanish. So ... since yesterday.

A RANT to the muddy field-hockey field. It’s a hassle for the players, bystanders, and people who just need to get to their cars. It’s a field-hockey field, not a rice paddy.

Errata from Issue 10/03/12

4141 Spring Valley Road • Addison TX, 75001 • evergreen.greenhill.org

managing editors

A RANT to the cold temperatures in the Upper School buildings. This arctic ambience makes it difficult to focus on work. The Cold War was confusing enough when it was simply a metaphor.

content editor Samantha Carp

design editor Gabrielle Das

assistant views editor Shruti Rao

staff writers

Madison Goodrich Matthew Jones Catherine Leffert Christina Zhu

news editor

views editor

Rachel Diebner

Amna Kaiser

assistant news editors

assistant arts editors

Christian Holmes Sera Tuz

Sanah Hasan Tierney Riordan

staff photographers graphics staff Miles Andres Mary Lo

p. 5 A quote was misattributed to Johnny Thompson, Assistant Director of Admission instead of Bruce Thompson, Director of Facility Operations and Services. p.13 Spencer Kuiper is a junior p.19 The football game photographed was against Cistercian Preparatory School, not the Episcopal School of Dallas.

print advisors

Caroline McCulloch Eve Hill-Agnus Emily Wilson Michael Lu Borren Moe Ariana Zhang

Have a response?

Opinion?

Original idea? online staff

Andrew Fields Taylor Miller Danielle Stoler Isabet Tranchin

online advisor Pamela Kripke

business manager Morgan Pearlman

business assistant Blake Lieberman

MS writers

Tanisha Gupta Richa Sinkre Zanya Syed

MS advisor

Blake Harkey

Feel free to submit a letter to the editor.

Email us at:

evergreen@greenhill.org

Editorial Policy

The Evergreen is a student-run newspaper serving the Greenhill community. Its goal is to help the local community interpret campus, local, national, and international events. It serves as a forum for expression and change.

The Evergreen aims to fulfill this agenda with policies of integrity and upholds a stringent code of ethics that values honesty, accuracy, and responsibility.

The Evergreen reserves the right to edit submitted material for accuracy, grammar, and length. The Evergreen will not publish any material that falls under the Supreme Court’s definition of unprotected speech: works that are libelous, obscene, or invasions of privacy.

For these reasons, The Evergreen does not consider disciplinary actions suitable for print.

All accounts of deaths and other personal issues will be printed only with family consent.

Letters to the Editor are encouraged provided that they fall under protected speech. Any letters that are considered attacks on a plan or proposal will be shown to the person the letter most likely affects. All individuals will have a chance to respond to criticism in

a letter. Anonymous letters will not be published. Others will be printed on a space-available basis.

The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of two-third’s of The Evergreen staff, not necessarily that of The Greenhill School. Similarly, Letters to the Editor, Point Counterpoint, and columns do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Evergreen or The Greenhill School.

The Evergreen does not submit to censorship and believes in First Amendment rights for student journalists.

Suggestions, critiques, and complaints are welcomed and encouraged.

The paper encourages businesses to advertise in The Evergreen but reserves the right to refuse an advertisement.

wednesday, november 14, 2012

The

Evergreen

views

3

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor,

Editor, I am st Letter to the itself on being a fir ry ve y m g tin es As I sit here wri ng troubling. Greenhill prid This ethi to 12th grade. m up so g ay in w e at pl th l al es e contem go ar d e w an estion is: If ts in Pre-K school that star about Greenhill. My only qu ingling is so little interm e th er ve th lo is hy w , ity is great. I un to be a comm campus? t, always striving rent divisions on (HOH) a few times a year. Bu ffe di e th n ee th tw ill be gh H ei e e th lik of es rt iti ea Sure, we have H es a year. There are other activ few tim erthat is it: just a t that is not enough. look up to Upp bu s, unger students rcent true. But yo grade buddie e th at th ar he pe We constantly that this is 100 you first-hand influence, why don’t we have ll te n ca I s. er the School stitive ks of us as a po on? I don’t know e if everyone thin tivities to make an impressi ak m e: os op ac n to pr more designated estion, but I do have a solutio qu at th to er ns, answ different sectio uent.

HOH more freq HOH is to bond students from e relationships to If the goal of eetings for thos cy ore frequent m name everyone in their lega m be to ed ne t n’ ca there le op pe that most form. The fact school a red flag. be to a Pre-K to 12 hool ld go e w e us ca group shou be that just But if the sc I am not saying hunky-dory with each other. of the be all other sections ely everyone has to rtunities to interact with the lik un of nt po e amou gave us more op ople would be surprised by th pe school, I think would arise. at th s ip sh nd ie fr

tthew -Senior Kyle Ma

Weinreb

Dear Edi

tor,

G purpose reenhill’s syste , though m not for la of summer to ensur re e c while aw that students co k of trying. The ading does no ntinue to t fulfill ay from intent of books ov it s k s er the su chool, or at the eep their minds ummer reading s the stud m v is s e h m r a y r e p an r. Bu least en is overw ts do not even t does the schoo that they read d engaged re h o l hard som elmingly the ca ad their assigne achieve this goa ne or two se. Thou d l e ti b o m o e k s s gh I am ? Unfortu if most of to finish reason I an ,a m n the book nd many others y assigned book avid reader, I ately, this even fin s we are , do not s. I have d suppose read is s

d imply be discovered that it the cause we options, Though the list to read.

I do not li we are g I feel lik find that I still ke may not iven to choose e my req from co feel draw the sum uired bo nta m o n I procra er. Instead of d ks actually imp to any of them ins many ede me stinate r evouring . Ironica fro ea ll never en joyed re ding a book tha the books that I m reading duriny, ading in being fo t does n tr g u ly wan rc o th only mo ed to read a boo e first place ar t interest me. Stu t to read, e re k understa evidence that r that does not a only more disco dents that ppeal to nd that r eading is uraged. th By in which ea m it is insti ding should and ore of a burde em, they are giv e n tuted ha n m th u a

s n t be a requ a s many fl There is irement, pleasure. I be the sa a n but the w me for th o way around th ws. many wa ay e discuss e fact tha y io Instead o s to improve the ns to be as in-d t the “all-school” ep f b s book we choosing from econd required th as they are, b ook must a limited book for ut there choose. are I am con us would juniors a list, we s fi n h Hunger choose a book o dent that as Gre ould all be able d seniors.

Games o f quality to pick a enhill stu r , n line-up.

But to en Abraham Lincoln at least of equal dents, almost all y li sure this the book of , te V r a a m r y pire me , th s could b e require ere could be a Hunter, which rit as The In place fe w d to be o of discu students ver 250 p w limitations: Fo ere in the ssion w r examp presenta ho have not re groups in which ages. le, tion to a te d a th c hers stru e book e their ad that they ggle ach vis recomm have read the bo ory about their student could g to engage endation ok, and ive a sh c h osen b pr or s, hopefu presente d. lly inspir ovides their clas ook. This ensur t s in es m g ate others to I beli read som s with further reading eve that Greenh e of the if we are books willing to ill can truly ach ieve the loosen th purpose e reins o of summ n it. er

-Senior M

ackenzie

Merriam

Staff Editorial: Building clean-up is a mess At 3:45 pm on a Tuesday afternoon, chances are you’ll find Mr. Kasten singlehandedly putting up chairs in Upper School room 503.

He is clearing the space for the faculty yoga class that meets there, though it’s technically not his responsibility. As part of building clean-up, advisories are assigned in rotations to put up chairs on desks and clean up trash or leftover paper throughout the Upper School.

However, this system isn’t always successful.

The Evergreen staff believes that it is time to recognize that building clean-up is a broken system. Although it is meant to promote responsibility in the student body and keep classrooms neat, it does not accomplish either task well. The reality is that many students

don’t show up for building clean-up and chairs hardly ever end up on desks. Often, faculty advisors are left to do the students’ job, facing a whole pod’s worth of desks and chairs.

It is true that building clean-up collides with students’ school activities and commitments. After-school sports require students to leave immediately after their classes to get ready for practice. Five-mod classes such as AP languages, math, or science classes can also keep students after school.

In the flurry of after-school activities, it can be difficult to make time for, and remember, other commitments.

Another complaint against building clean-up is that it is simply unfair. Different advisors handle building clean-up differently,

and the responsibility is imbalanced. Some advisors delegate the task to specific students on certain days of the week, while in other advisories a few students fill in for all the others who don’t show up.

Advisors in the Upper School also penalize it in different ways: Some assign detentions for those who skip, while others utilize guilt, send stern emails, or bribe their advisees with baked goods.

Ideally, though, building clean-up shouldn’t even be necessary. If everyone did his or her own part, we wouldn’t need this system. Think about the greater good of our community and pick up after yourself. If you are the last student in a classroom, put up your own chair. And if no one was sitting in the

chair next to you, put that one up, too.

If we could all do this, we would spare advisors and students valuable time — and chances are it would teach us responsibility in a more effective manner.

We as students already struggle with other tasks like putting trays back from the cafeteria or re-organizing the Elliott Center after C-day meeting. If a teacher has to send a mass email to ask students to return borrowed materials, we obviously need more lessons in responsibility.

We should never forget that where we fail, someone else has to pull our weight. But the current building clean-up system is not the answer.

The Evergreen Wednesday [11.14.12]

NEWS

Destined to Debate Greenhill debate alum marc wallenstein serves as a prosecutor for the department of defense. see page 7 for more.

Debate expands its reach Photos courtesy of Aaron Timmons

A new speech program and Lower School club complement continued victories at national and state tournaments.

Winning weekend

intellectually stimulating environment,” Rebecca said.

“I think everything is interesting, especially the arguments involved. I really like analyzing information and seeing how it interacts,” Ben said.

Through all of the work they put in, debate becomes an integral part of debaters’ lives.

“I’ve played soccer at the highest level all my life, but it doesn’t compare to debate. Debaters have such an attachment to the arguments they spend months creating, and the environment is far more competitive and intense,” Andrew said.

Currently, Rebecca, Andrew, and Ben are preparing for two more prestigious tournaments close to Thanksgiving.

They are traveling to Chicago to compete at The Glenbrooks, which is another octa-bid tournament, along with the Northwestern Round Robin.

It’s not unusual for debate to win multiple tournaments in a given weekend, but to sweep several prestigious national tournaments in a weekend remains noteworthy. Senior Rebecca Kuang and senior partners Ben Packer and Andrew Spomer each won national tournaments the weekend of Oct. 18, earning one of the two bids needed to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, which will be held at the University of Kentucky in May. Andrew and Ben are partners in Policy debate, and Rebecca participates in Lincoln-Douglas debate. Rebecca won the New York City Invitational at the Bronx School of Science, while Ben and Andrew won the Heart of Texas Invitational Speech and Debate tournament at St. Marks School of Texas.

Both tournaments were octa-bids.

“There are only a couple of national tournaments on this scale each year and the octa-bids are the most prestigious regular season tournaments,” Rebecca said.

Andrew puts his win in perspective.

“This win was the equivalent of winning a major in golf or The debate program has recently added a speech tutorial, one of the grand-slam tournaments in tennis,” he said. training for a branch of debate in which students perform After only one loss in the preliminary round, Ben monologues at tournaments across the nation. and Andrew won 10 debates in a row. They went on to Aaron Timmons, Director of Debate and Speech debate for 22 hours over the course of three sponsor, began planning this addition two years days. They also spent hours preparing for the ago in response to both interest and talent in the tournaments beforehand. student body.

We as a “I spent about five to six hours every day “I saw students at tournaments from other school need doing research, giving practice speeches, and schools doing well tournament after tournament, and to do more drafting cases,” Rebecca said. work in mak- after seeing them perform, it became very evident Winning the debates requires knowing ing all students that many of our Greenhill students would more than your own information and adapting to others’ hold their own against the top-level competition that comfortable arguments. While both of their victories earned exists in this area,” Mr. Timmons said. presenting recognition from the debate community and a Speech gives students the chance to improve their ideas in a trophy, they did not draw the crowds that a sports their confidence and fluency in front of an audience. public manner. team would after a big championship.

“I am able to convey my ideas in a logical “Two teams worked for at least 50 hours for fashion, and my speaking style has improved,” said that debate and only three people watched,” Ben said. senior Naomi Freeman, who participates in Original Oratory However, all three debaters agree that debating is events. “My self-confidence has increased to the point where I intrinsically rewarding for students with a common passion. can give a C-Day speech to the Upper School.”

“I can spend a weekend discussing history, philosophy, At tournaments, speech students present 10-minute and current affairs with some of the smartest high schoolers theatrical monologues (Dramatic or Humourous and college students in the nation. Debate just provides a very Interpretation) or 10-minute long speeches focused on a current event or social issue (Original Oratory).

“We work on character-text analysis and blocking, just like you would with a show,” Mr. Timmons said. “We work line by line, bit by bit. It’s about storytelling and doing everything you can to tell the best story to move an audience.”

Whereas some students prepare multiple speeches throughout the year, many students work on perfecting just one speech that they perform at every tournament.

“Since my speech doesn’t change, I basically practice it continually to make sure that my memorization and movements are consistent, and maybe spend a little more time editing and making changes to things if I have a tournament,” said senior Hava Kane, who competes in Original Oratory. “My speech this year is about authenticity and what it means to be authentic.”

Students who compete in Humorous Interpretation, such as junior Rania Blaik, prepare a comedic monologue and usually switch between multiple characters.

“The audience needs to know the differences between your characters in order to comprehend the story correctly, so you have to work extra hard to distinguish characters through voice, facial expression, body stance and the ways in which

Speech option

“

CLEAN SWEEP: Senior duo Andrew Spomer and Ben Packer and solo competitor Rebecca Kuang show off their trophies.

these characters move,” Rania said.

According to Mr. Timmons, humourous monologues are often performed by students involved in theater.

“I think it is mutually reinforcing. A lot of kids in theater would do really well in Forensics,” Mr. Timmons said.

Both Mr. Timmons and his wife Cindi Timmons, local speech tutor and Greenhill substitute teacher, help students prepare their speeches.

“Mrs. Timmons especially has worked with me on editing my speech to fit the criteria that judges are looking for, and has critiqued my gestures and movements to make sure that I look presentable and not awkward as a speaker,” Hava said.

While students have the option to participate in both debate and speech, the time commitment is a legitimate consideration, according to Mr. Timmons. Naomi is one of the students who experienced this difficulty.

“I did both speech and debate, but it took too much time, so I dropped debate because I was better at speech, it takes less time, and it’s more fun,” Naomi said.

Going to the same tournaments has brought the debate and speech students closer, according to Mr. Timmons.

“It is really exciting because [we] now have more of a team environment that spans multiple events,” Mr. Timmons said.

He sees this having a larger impact on the team.

“If we, as a program, can get people to be more comfortable in speaking and communicating in a variety of ways, we serve a broader group of students, hence the broader community of Greenhill,” he said.

There are currently about 40 students participating in the speech program. Some students, such as Naomi, are enrolled in the speech tutorial, which meets once a rotation, while others, like Hava, work on their speeches during their own time.

“There are no limits to where this can go,” Mr. Timmons said. “I think a class would be really helpful in the future.”

Lower School debate In an effort to lay the foundation for students’ confidence and public speaking, the debate program debuted a debate club for third and fourth graders in October. Previously, the earliest exposure students had to speech was through a seventh grade required elective.

“We as a school need to do more work in making all students comfortable in presenting their ideas in a public manner,” Mr. Timmons said. “Part of my goal is to make sure they have the skills to do well in life.”

Twice a month after school, Mr. and Mrs. Timmons teach students about debate and public speaking. They will cover debate skills, storytelling, interpretation, and public speaking.

“It will help in the long run, and students [will] have some skills that teachers will see in classes,” Mr. Timmons said.

Fifty-five students from the third and fourth grade combined attended the first two meetings in October. At the last meeting, students debated about whether the school mascots should be hornets or peacocks.

“There were arguments about ‘Well, that would cost a lot of money.’ And there’s the ‘It would be a slap in the face to Mr. Fulton’ argument. I was impressed. There [were] the ‘Peacocks seem to be diverse’ and ‘If you look at the makeup of the peacock it seems to represent the student body with the diversity’ [arguments],” Mr. Timmons said. “I was blown away.” story by Ashley Goldschmid and Sera Tuz

The

wednesday, november 14, 2012

Local & State Elections

Evergreen

news

5

Presidential elections took center stage this month, but local and state elections actually can have a greater effect on local communities. Managing Editor Greer Goss offers a look at some of our local winners, particularly regarding their positions on education.

Photo courtesy of texansforjason.com

Photo courtesy of www.lupevaldez.com

Photo courtesy of sessions.house.gov

Photo courtesy of tincymiller.com

Photo courtesy of Hispanic Republicans of Texas

Jason Villalba

Ted Cruz

Geraldine “Tincy” Miller State Board of Education

United States Representative

Dallas County Sheriff

Texas House Representative

Republican Ted Cruz is Texas’ newest United States Senator. The Tea Party-endorsed Cruz was Solicitor General for Texas from 2003 to 2008. As Solicitor General, he was essentially the lawyer for the state in front of the Supreme Court. The first Hispanic to hold that position in Texas, he is also the youngest person to hold the position in the United States.

According to his website, Cruz aims to repeal the Health Care law, “reduce the size and spending of government,” “defend the constitution,” and “pass a balanced budget amendment.”

Republican Geraldine “Tincy” Miller has been a member of the State Board of Education for 26 years. During this time, she has been an advocate for children with dyslexia and helped to pass the Texas Dyslexia Law, which requires public schools to support students with dyslexia by providing them with a knowledgeable teacher and a parent education program. Miller also helped ensure that the Children’s Textbook Fund was monitored and used for textbooks and not for other expenditures. She also advocated better science and math classes by encouraging more lab time.

Reelected U.S. Representative and Republican Pete Sessions has made his mark in Congress as a member of the House Rules Committee. Sessions is states-rights oriented when it comes to funding in education.

“I believe that the federal government should get out of the education business and give the power to the state and local authorities who best know the curriculum,” he writes on his website.

Additionally, he writes that he believes every student, regardless of their financial situation, deserves a quality education.

The face of reelected Dallas Country Sheriff Lupe Valdez may be familiar to students and faculty on campus, as she spoke to True Colors, Greenhill’s LGBTQ alliance club, last year.

Valdez, a Democratic candidate, was the first female sheriff in the state of Texas when elected in 2004.

In 2005, she became Dallas County’s highest-ranking law enforcement officer.

She made headlines not only as the first female sheriff in the state of Texas, but also as the first Hispanic and openly gay sheriff in the United States.

The only candidate in the country to be endorsed by Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Villalba is the newest Texas House representative for District 114.

Villalba was a part of Romney’s National Hispanic Steering Committee in 2008.

According to his website, Villalba aims to work on “increasing funding for public education” as well as “providing for increased local control of Texas’ independent school districts,” among other educational initiatives. He plans to restore some of the money from budget cuts and return it to education.

United States Senator

Pete Sessions

Lupe Valdez

Student-run mock debate and election boost political awareness Madison Goodrich Staff Writer

Political Action Club (PAC) and the Greenhill debate team hosted a mock Presidential debate and election to inform students about politics and the basics of voting.

During the mock debate, students heard both parties’ stance on various topics, such as foreign policy, health care, and student loans. Seniors Hebah Khan and Andrew Spomer and junior Nick Kraus represented the Democratic side while seniors Katie Sanders and Brian Wiora and junior Jake Eberts represented the Republican side. Director of Debate Aaron Timmons and senior Jaime Jaramillo moderated the debate. Students had the opportunity to submit questions ahead of time that would be incorporated into the debate.

According to Hebah, it is important for students to be politically aware.

“Having a platform where you have different viewpoints being discussed in a public way, and you having the opportunity to engage that platform, can let you reflect on what you know about those issues and which issues you should know more about,” Hebah said.

By the numbers

281

students voted in the mock election out of the 301 that registered

The mock election was designed to give students a real-life election experience. In order to vote, students had to register in advance. Registration took place during check in and lasted for several days. The mock election was hosted on national election day with “I voted” stickers given to voters to simulate the process and make voting a more realistic experience.

PAC deliberately left the voting process slightly ambiguous, with minimal advertising, to imitate actual voting and force students to take the initiative to vote.

PAC members, working in shifts, were in charge of counting votes. This year, 301 of the 468 students in the Upper School (64 percent) registered, 8 percent less than in 2008.

“A lot of people may have said they made up their mind, but they’re on their own when they get in that booth on voting day, and they might not really know,” Hebah said. “This is a chance for them to really reflect on what they think about these issues.”

Hebah said she hoped that everyone, especially seniors over 18, would gain a better understanding of how to vote and what they are voting for.

60

percent of registered students voted for the Barack Obama-Joe Biden campaign

3

students voted for Jill Stein-Cheri Honkala, the Green Party ticket

6

news

The

Evergreen

wednesday, november 14, 2012

Recycling program revamped, more eco-friendly continued on from page 1 -wide contest, has been placed on every recycling bin on campus.

“It brings a little ownership to the recycling program, because it’s got Greenhill’s name on it,” Mr. Thompson said. “It’s just a pride thing.”

The cafeteria has also taken part in Greenhill’s environmental mission, according to Ed Bogard, SAGE Food Services Manager. The cafeteria staff members produce meals through batch cooking, where they prepare the food in large quantities. After the food has been served, any qualified leftovers are saved and served the next day, instead of being thrown away. The cafeteria staff members wash dishes with Apex, a biodegradable dishwasher detergent. On top of being more ecologically safe, the detergent is packaged in cellophane, an environmentally friendly, plant-based plastic. In addition, the cafeteria food is cooked with herbs and spices from Greenhill’s community garden.

“We’re doing everything in our power to do more and more and more as far as saving and sustainability,” Mr. Bogard said.

When the school hosted the ISAS Arts Festival last spring, the cafeteria replaced its plastic eating utensils with utensils made out of biodegradable cornstarch. Mr. Bogard said that the utensils were “a little more expensive, but very, very

Photo courtesy of Janice LaMendola

IT’S NOT EASY BEING GREEN: Mr. Brigham and a class of fourth graders visit Republic Services’ recycling center.

green. That was a big deal for us.”

Even some of the youngest students have become involved in Greenhill’s quest to be more green.

Recently, the fourth grade class took a field trip to Republic Services’ recycling plant, where they experienced how recyclable materials get sorted and processed within the center. Later, they learned where the

materials go after being processed.

For example, Republic Services sells their recycled plastic bottles to Patagonia, which uses the bottles to create their fleece apparel.

Mrs. LaMendola organized the field trip for the fourth graders because once a week they are responsible for collecting all of the recycling in the Lower School.

“I’m hoping they’ll take ownership of it a little bit more,” she said.

According to fourth grader Elijah Read, spending a day at the recycling center impacted the fourth graders’ perceptions of recycling.

“Now I’m being really careful what I throw out and what I recycle,” he said.

According to Mr. Thompson,

the community needs to work on taking the extra step to place recyclable materials in the correct bin. “[Our goal] is to put recycling on the forefront so it’s just habit to put it in the recycling if it’s recycling or the trash if it’s trash, instead of just putting it in the first bin you come to,” he said.

After seeing the numbers from the first audit, Green Team has spread the results, starting with a presentation to all faculty.

“This information is powerful.

You see it, and you’re like, ‘Wow, we’ve got some work to do,’” Mrs. LaMendola said. “It was definitely an eye-opener.”

It has instilled a motivation to become more conscious of the environment within the community.

As an added benefit of this recycling revolution, the school’s work in recycling will help Greenhill reach its goal of becoming a LEED certified school. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a program developed to create green, energy-efficient buildings. As part of obtaining LEED certification, the school must achieve a certain recycling quota. Since the first audit, Greenhill has reached this quota, but the community has become more conscious about becoming more eco-friendly. The next audit is scheduled to be returned within the next month. story by Rachel Diebner

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Alum applies love of debate to career for Dept. of Defense Catherine Leffert Staff Writer

Marc Wallenstein ‘98, former Greenhill debater, has turned debating into a living as a prosecutor for the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Military Commissions as of November.

Wallenstein’s specific field is prosecuting alien belligerents who have been accused of war crimes and terrorism offenses.

According to the Office of Military Commissions, his duty is to “coordinate investigative efforts, prepare charges, and represent the United States before military commissions.”

“My office is prosecuting two cases. The first is the prosecution of Khalid Sheik Mohammad and several other individuals accused of perpetrating the September 11th attacks, [along with] another man who has been accused of masterminding the bombing of the USS Cole,” Wallenstein said.

(The attack on the USS Cole occurred in Yemen in 2000 and resulted in the deaths of 18 soldiers.)

However, Wallenstein could not discuss further details about the cases.

“Attorneys are ethically prohibited from talking about the specifics of pending cases that they’re working on,” he said.

Wallenstein attended Harvard as an undergraduate and Yale Law School. After passing the bar exam, he worked as a law clerk at a federal district court in Manhattan for a year.

Although he wanted to be a prosecutor, he kept clerking.

“Fortunately for me, my judge sat in Honolulu so I had to take one for the team and live in Hawaii for a year,” Wallenstein said.

He then worked in Washington, D.C. at a law firm for three years.

“Around year three when I was still waiting for these jobs to open up, this opportunity came up to prosecute for

the Department of Defense, which is a completely different government agency and a completely different job,” Wallenstein said. It never occurred to me to work for the Department of Defense, but they were hiring and I jumped at the opportunity to work on these extremely important national security cases.”

Wallenstein transferred from St. Marks School of Texas to Greenhill in ninth grade.

“Greenhill was a better fit for me,” he said.

Wallenstein wanted to be a prosecutor from a young age, as his father had been a prosecutor. Debating at Greenhill further encouraged this dream.

“I did debate in Middle School and Upper School and I found it extremely satisfying. And that probably got me thinking about law school,” he said.

As a former debater and an expert in the field of non-citizen terrorism, he was able to assist senior Rebecca Kuang with the September/October debate topic, “Resolved: The United States ought to extend to non-citizens accused of terrorism the same due process rights it grants to citizens.”

“Mr. Timmons gave me [Wallenstein’s] email and I asked him a ton of questions, and he advised me on the best arguments on the topic. I think it was largely because of Marc that I was in finals of two national round robins and the champion of one national tournament,” Rebecca said.

Wallenstein has enjoyed working for the Department of Defense so far.

“The thing I enjoy most is that I get up in the morning and I go to work and my job is to do good for a living,” Wallenstein said.

Wallenstein offers advice to Greenhill students and future jobseekers.

“If you want to be a doctor or architect or lawyer or anything, I would encourage you to go and try and talk to someone who’s done it for a career,” he said.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Timmons

WINNING SMILE: As a Greenhill debate student, Marc Wallenstein calls his parents to tell them that he won an $8,000 scholarship, the chance to intern at Lincoln life, and a bust of Abraham Lincoln from a national tournament.

School launches MyBackPack app Sanah Hasan Asst. Arts Editor

Senior Naomi Freeman excels at science competition as a semi-finalist for her revolutionary cancer research

Photo courtesy of Naomi Freeman

Cell Search:

Rachel Diebner News Editor

Senior Naomi Freeman’s work with cancer cells earned her a spot as one of 322 semifinalists in the Siemen Foundation’s Siemens Competition of Math, Science, & Technology this October.

Over 2,000 high-school students across the country participated in the competition administered by the College Board. Contestants conduct an original research project in the fields of mathematics, engineering, or biological and physical sciences and present their work in the form of a research paper.

For her research project, Naomi contributed to efforts to find a treatment that would isolate and destroy only cancer cells, rathing than killing healthy cells in our body along with the “bad” cells.

After months of extensive research, Naomi discovered a way to inject zinc oxide nano-particles into platelets, which deliver them directly to cancer cells to kill them.

“It’s like a drug delivery system,” she said. “It’s pretty cool.”

She conducted her research at the physics department of University of North Texas (UNT) over the summer. She attained the position when a friend who had previously worked there connected her with Ben Urban, a current Ph.D. student at UNT who is writing his dissertation on the same topic. She has referred to him as her mentor throughout the process.

Naomi spent Wednesday through Saturday at the lab and worked on her senior Capstone project Mondays and Tuesdays.

“I had no vacation this summer,” Naomi said. “But it was definitely worth it.”

IN HER ELEMENT: Naomi Freeman uses a microscope and fluorescent laser to examine cancer cells for two prestigious high-school science competitions.

Her work at UNT was hands-on: She was the one to mix the platelets and zinc-oxide nano-particles and inject them into the cancer cells.

Afterwards, she did imaging on the cells and studied the results.

“I ended up with a lot of pretty pictures of cancer cells,” she said.

Her final research paper ended up to be 20 pages long.

Naomi is not the first Greenhill student to have participated in the Siemens competition. As Naomi worked on her research, she maintained contact with Alice Jiang ‘12, who entered last year and became a regional finalist, asking her for advice along the way.

Alice now attends Rice University as a member of the class of 2016.

Naomi said that her dad has fostered her lifelong love of science.

“He got me a microscope when I was five, and my curiosity grew from there,” Naomi said.

Even though she did not make it into the regional and final stages of the Siemens competition, Naomi hopes to do better in the upcoming Intel Science Talent Search, a competition very similar to the Siemens competition. According to Naomi, the major difference is that Intel requires contestants to submit their high school transcript, letters of recommendation, and essay responses. According to Naomi, Intel takes into account the individual as a whole, rather than just their experiment.

“It’s intense, but I think that would be a benefit for me,” she said.

In an effort to increase families’ accessibility to vital student information, the school has created a new, free app called Advantage that will be available in the app store the week after Thanksgiving break.

Greenhill purchased this app, which works with any Android, OS, and iPhone system, from SeniorSystems, the current provider of the MyBackPack system. Advantage directly links to MyBackPack, offering access to grades, comments, and schedules. The account login is the same that students use for all of their Greenhill accounts.

Parent accounts include the additional feature of viewing their tuition balance and the directory. According to John Simpson, Systems Director and Database manager, one of the best features of the app is this easy access to the directory. All emails and phone numbers are formatted as links, so families can contact members of the Greenhill community with a single click.

“Although you can already download the Blackboard app, installing Advantage has all of your information ready and is a lot more efficient,” Mr. Simpson said.

The Evergreen Wednesday [11.14.12]

HOMETOWN HEROES Greenhill faculty and staff has served in the military both in the us and abroad. The evergreen celebrates our heroes this veteran’s day. see page 11 for more.

Q & A:

Legend Ron Ivery reflects on path to Greenhill

What do you like most about working here?

Very obvious: the students, the faculty. Just you guys, the kids. You really make my day. I feel a part of y’all’s family. I’ve been here a long time, seen a lot of things. I think the maintenance department is great and I like the people I work with.

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

I have three brothers and three sisters and I was the oldest. I was the boss. We were raised in this big house in Ennis, Texas. Four first cousins lived there too because their momma died. A total of about 14 lived in that house. I still have some first cousins that live down there. I’m real close to my family. We were all like sisters and brothers.

Did you all go to the same school?

We went to the same school, brought up in a church. Back when we were very young the school wasn’t integrated. It became integrated when I was in sixth or seventh grade.

What did you do before Greenhill?

I graduated high school. I didn’t go to college. I wanted to go into the military. I got a job and moved to Dallas. I was at a steel company and it wasn’t a fun place to work. People falling and getting hit with beams and getting hurt. It was a very dangerous place to work.

Why did you want to go into the military?

I got talked out of going to the Army and the Marines so I went to the Navy. That was a decision that I really struggled with, because I didn’t like being around a lot of water. Most of my close classmates went to college. I wanted to get away, I wanted to see some stuff.

How old were you when you moved to Dallas?

I was 21. I stayed in Dallas with some first cousins. At that time a job was hard to find. I kept going to the unemployment office. Then one lady called me and gave me a job at an insurance company, I was just printing and stapling a bunch of papers. It was my first time getting out from my family, getting an apartment. I worked there for a few years then I got another job at a steel company.

How did you get started at Greenhill?

I started here because of a friend of mine from my hometown I was raised with. I had been living in Dallas. I was in the gym playing basketball and he popped in and called me over and handed me a piece of paper. He told me to call this guy, Charlie, at Greenhill and said they needed somebody in the gym. So I came on out here and had a little interview with him. He wanted to hire me. He liked the way I smelled. I had cologne on. And we went from there.

How does this job affect your personal life? Any family members you can’t see?

No. I have some great hours. I referee high school basketball. I’ve been doing that 20 years and the season is about to start. I coached basketball at my church and now I ref basketball for all of the public schools. And I’m very active in church. I found space to have time for those things; which is also very important. I been married for 20-something years now. My son lives in New Orleans and I have a granddaughter.

What do you pride yourself in?

I pride myself in that I feel appreciated by the students and faculty. You don’t want to be anywhere where you don’t feel appreciated. There’s not a time that I could walk into the building and not feel appreciated.

Do you have any role models that you strive to be like?

I was raised in a home where my father was hardly around. So my mom and my grandmom and my sisters and my uncles raised us. My brothers and sisters and cousins all grew up together.

There was love and there was strength. There were some role models around the neighborhood.

There was a police officer that I thought was a role model. And a mailman. I was raised around a bunch of coaches. I was strong and athletic. I was a running back for football.

Is there anything else you want to tell me?

I’m a minister. I preach a lot. I speak a lot. It’s been a long time, twenty-something years now.

That was great and exciting, Biblical school. I graduated there and took a couple of courses at Dallas Theological. I feel very blessed and fortunate as a person with just a high school diploma and lots still going on to keep me occupied. I try to stay busy as much as possible, even though I’m getting older. I love it here. I love you guys and watching you grow up. This is the best job I’ve ever had.

Story by Catherine Leffert

Photos by Miles Andres

EVERYBODY LOVES RON: Admired legend and maintenance worker of 31 years, Ron Ivery discusses the relationships that have shaped this life, both past and present.

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Seventh grader starts jewelry business Sanah Hasan Asst. Arts Editor

What started as a goal to raise money for an iPhone eventually evolved into Lily Couture, a small jewelry business founded by seventh grader Lily Barnes.

“I went over to one of my family friend’s house, and she had 15 cases of beads. I thought they were so beautiful, and I asked her if I could take some home,” Lily said.

Lily began making bracelets in fifth grade, but at that point she was experimenting with different designs and not selling her jewelry.

During the iPhone craze, Lily was one of the children in her grade that did not have the phone. She, like many of her other classmates, wanted one badly. That was when she decided to sell her jewelry.

“My sister got a little Nokia bar phone as her first phone, but I didn’t want that. My mom promised me that she would get me an iPhone before my Bat-Mitzvah, but I wanted one earlier. If I wanted it earlier, I had to earn the money myself,” Lily said. Since she was not allowed to sell her jewelry at school, Lily spread the news to her friends outside of school to see if they wanted to purchase her bracelets. At first, Lily sold her jewelry for $5, but as her business picked up, she began selling them from $5 to $20.

Debbie Barnes, Lily’s mother, helped in the early stages of Lily’s business.

“I always supported her, but originally I was worried that she wouldn’t sell many bracelets. I spread the word to my friends because I wanted her to have a few customers. I was surprised when I found out how popular her business was.

She started collecting her money in April and by August she bought her new phone,” said Mrs. Barnes.

Lily makes each bracelet unique and never repeats a design.

“I like to experiment with my designs. I usually make a lot for myself to see what looks good, and it’s always fun to mess

around with the colors and designs. If I don’t like something, I’ll just break it apart,” Lily said.

During the summer, Lily held two trunk shows.

“I was at Songbirds Society, a hair place, and I saw some people showing clothes and jewelry. I asked my mom if I could show some of my stuff there. She asked the owner of the place, and I ended up doing my first trunk show there,” she said.

Lily raised over $500 at her first show. Her second trunk show was at a restaurant called Dive, and was just as successful.

Her mother helps to set up different trunk shows but once she is at her show, Lily runs it. For Lily, that means staying at the shows for four to five hours, collecting orders from customers, and making custom bracelets on the spot. Despite her long day at the trunk shows, Lily enjoys her time there.

Mrs. Barnes lets Lily take initiative with the business.

“Lily’s two trunk shows started off with the salon and restaurant owners asking me to display her jewelry. After giving Lily their info, I stepped out of the picture and let her handle everything,” Mrs. Barnes said.

Lily Couture has received a lot of attention outside of Greenhill.

“I think it’s really cool that I have business cards and people end up finding my email. I get a lot of orders from grandparents who want bracelets for their granddaughters,” said Lily.

Lily tries to make bracelets as often as she can to keep up with her high demand, which means she has to think about practical things like inventory.

“Making jewelry has been really fun, but I never realized how many supplies I had to get. The whole thing has just been a really good experience,” she said.

Lily plans on making jewelry for as long as she can.

Already, Lily Couture has made over $1000. Lily now has a running jewelry business, and an iPhone to keep track of her company’s emails and orders.

She donates 50 percent of her profits to Operation Kindness, a charity for homeless cats and dogs.

Photo by Miles Andres

BEADING DREAMS: Seventh grader Lily Barnes shows off some original designs she sells at her business, Lily Couture.

PAL program offers freshmen individualized attention cont’d from page 1 This year, there were 38 new Middle School students and 28 new Upper School freshmen, each of whom was assigned one of 35 PALs. The PALs meet with their PALees approximately three times to check in about how each student is transitioning to Greenhill. These meetings can continue if the student wants or needs them.

Requests for Lower School students come indirectly from teachers or administrators. According to Mr. Nevelow, PALs typically meet with these students once a week for on average 30 minutes. Currently, there are 11 ongoing requested one-onone assignments in all three divisions.

Since the program’s second year, PALs have also met with each freshman advisory. Art Hall, sponsor of the Upper School Peer Leaders club at the time, asked Mr. Nevelow and the PAL program to take over their role of periodically speaking with and guiding freshmen advisories, because Mr. Hall believed the PAL program was better suited to the task.

Two PALs periodically meet with each freshman advisory, discussing academic and social issues such as school traditions, school dances, and goal setting.

PAL senior Caroline Gold said her task as a freshman advisory is also to encourage cohesiveness in the group.

“I try to make sure that everyone [in the advisories] is included in the conversations, even the new kids,” Caroline said. “As a PAL, I try to guide my advisory to reach their own conclusions when they have a problem.”

Mr. Nevelow emphasizes this empowering focus as the goal of the PALs and the program.

“Our primary role is to empower people. A lot of people think our job is to give them the answers: Tell me the problem, and I’ll tell you what to do. That’s not the way we do it,” Mr. Nevelow said. “Our job is primarily to help them come up with those answers.”

According to Mr. Nevelow, some students enter the PAL program under the misconception that being a PAL means giving others advice.

“If you give advice, you’re assuming you’re smarter than them or they’re not capable of doing it,” Mr. Nevelow said.

“You’re making them dependent on you.”

Instead, a PAL might steer a student towards coming up with his or her own solutions by asking the right questions. This is a skill Mr. Nevelow teaches in his PAL class in the spring.

Only rising upperclassmen can sign up to become PALs. To enter the spring training class, students must first fill out an application, receive parent permission, secure two faculty recommendations, and then interview with Mr. Nevelow.

According to Mr. Nevelow, the purpose for the long application process is to make sure the applicant knows what responsibilities he or she will be taking on, and to see if he or she is a good fit for the program.

After the spring class, PALs sign up for supervisory classes (practicums) in the fall and winter trimesters of the following school year. These practicums allow Mr. Nevelow to check in with the PALs. If a PAL has any concerns with an assignment, they can also bring it to the group for discussion. Mr. Nevelow said that, following “the PAL way,” he tries to have the PALs work out how to best approach worries or issues amongst themselves as well.

Junior Virginia Dollins, who has been a PAL since third trimester of last year and is paired with a new freshman, said that for freshmen, balancing school work and Upper School life is one common concern.

“Organization and staying on top of schoolwork is a challenge for all incoming freshman, so it’s important to know how to manage your time,” she said.

PAL junior Miles Andres said he agrees.

“When a new student first encounters the ‘Greenhill workload,’ it can be a little daunting,” Miles said.

However, managing these challenges is why the PAL program exists.

“PALs do our best to help our PALees better handle not only the stresses of schoolwork by guiding them and offering tips like how to manage your time, but also social life in the hopes that they will have as good a four years as possible,” Miles said.

However, the program is not thinking about expanding these oneon-one assignments further in the Upper School. Mr. Nevelow said the reason only new freshmen were assigned PALs is because in the past, new non-freshmen were less responsive to the PAL’s assistance.

Caroline, who was assigned to new juniors last year, offers a rationale.

“I showed my new juniors around and tried to eat lunch with them twice during the first trimester,” she said.

“But they probably don’t need PALs as much, because they’re just acclimating to a new school, not a new school and high school.”

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Pumpkin Patch and Chihuly Exhibit Tierney Riordan Asst. Arts Editor

Cinderella’s carriage is said to turn back into a pumpkin at midnight. At the Dallas Arboretum’s Pumpkin Village it is eternally midnight­­­­­­­­—­this is, until November 21. The Pumpkin Patch Village is a vast collection of pumpkins and pumpkin-themed activities, designed to attract the whole family.

One of the most popular Kodak moments is in front of a life-sized horse-drawn carriage. Continuing with the storybook theme, numerous larger-than-life storybooks reside along pumpkin-lined paths. The tales range from sweet (Cinderella) to menacing (Headless Horseman).

If you follow the pumpkin strewn paths, you are sure to come across one of the pumpkin huts, decorated with squashes and gourds ranging from summer squash to Muscat. Continue on, and you’ll realize the sheer enormity of pumpkins across the entire Arboretum, put there by workers and volunteers alike. However, if you are lucky enough to spot one of the decorated pumpkins, such as one that had its stem turned into a nose, it becomes apparent that despite the amount of work they had, the decorators never lost their sense of humor. If you happen to hear children screaming nearby, don’t be alarmed; they’re sure to be the squeals of delight from children frolicking around in the hay mound.

And if you’ve finally happened upon the hay mound, glance to the right and you’ll spot

the Tom Thumb Pumpkin Patch, where you can buy your very own pumpkin. However, if you do wish to purchase one, I would suggest bringing a strapping young person along with you to carry the load, as the Pumpkin Patch is far from the exit. The Pumpkin Village also offers daily activities, including a Hay Bale Maze and The Great Pumpkin Search.

On your way around the Arboretum, you may notice some interesting additions — the Chihuly Glass Sculpture Exhibit. This exhibit was scheduled to stay only until the end of November, but due to popular demand the Arboretum extended its stay until December 31.

The works are full of life and color. The Sun, one of the largest structures, does its namesake proud, especially at night when the yellow and orange spirals are lit in a dazzling display. Further on, the Red Reeds seem borderline demonic. This work consists of menacing larger-than-life scarlet reeds that could be mistaken for Lucifer’s living room decorations. However, Chihuly balances these out with some practically angelic pieces. The Neodymiums are water lily-esque flowers, placed in fountains, and surrounded by actual lily pads. Other water-themed pieces include the Freeze Framed Water. This work is actually two similar pieces, placed in front of small, cascading waterfalls, and in which the artist attempted to mimic the water falling. This art is spectacularly strange, and you would think that they would all be easy to spot. However, some of the pieces, such as Blue Reeds, seem

Photos by Tierney Riordan

GLASS ART: Chihuly’s work is owned by more than 200 museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

to be hiding in plain sight. They are placed in and around bushes, and it takes a double take to notice that they are not real, reminding us of the bizarreness of nature for being able to confuse these works as actual plants. However,

one piece that is definitely not hard to notice is the Yellow Icicle Tower. It is based on the yellow yucca plant, but standing 30 feet high, Chihuly’s masterpiece somewhat outstrips the original.

Former teacher inspires students Richa Sinkre Tanisha Gupta Zanya Syed

MS Writers Adam Holt, former Middle School English teacher, has taken a break from teaching in order to pursue his dreams of becoming an author. Mr. Holt is also currently coaching Greenhill JV Boys Volleyball.

Recently, he also came to visit the sixth grade and speak about his current work, which he describes as an adventure book with a touch of science fiction.

“They asked me some questions and we talked a little bit about what my days were like. They asked me about procrastination and what I do when I have writers block. And then I read to them and they gave me feedback on my writing,” Mr. Holt said.

As a full-time author, Mr. Holt described his schedule as a regular routine.

“My writing schedule is pretty basic. I try to write from nine to noon straight, but my work doesn’t stop there. For the rest of the day I do things like reading online information or reading about screenplays. I found that I am occasionally up until two in the morning when I get deeply involved in my story. However, I always set time apart for my Greenhill activities,” Mr. Holt said.

Mr. Holt also shared his concerns about writing novels.

“I thought about J.K. Rowling, for instance, and how much time she invested in Harry Potter without knowing if that was ever going to be worth anything to anybody. I could be wasting my time; nobody could like this; everybody could hate it. But the thing is, if you believe in it, you’re enjoying it, you might as well do it. Who cares what anybody else thinks? That’s true of a lot in life. If it’s valuable to you, then it’s valuable,” Mr. Holt said.

Mr. Holt leads by example, instructing

Photo courtesy of Adam Holt

DEEP IN THOUGHT: Former Middle School teacher, Adam Holt, ponders his next work.

others to take a risk and follow their dreams.

Current sixth-grade student Ross Rubin said he was thrilled to have his former teacher return.

“I realize that what Mr. Holt is doing is very difficult and he is an inspiration to me and my classmates, because if he can be successful doing something he loves, so can all of us,” Ross said.

Mr. Holt knew he wanted to follow his creative writing passion in college.

“When a colleague suggested the SMU [Master of Liberal Studies] program, I recognized what I had been looking for,” Mr. Holt says. “I found a program that would broaden my knowledge base as a teacher, and along the way help me discover what I most wanted to pursue, which was creative writing.”

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ayne Hines, Upper School French and Spanish Teacher, enlisted in the Air Force during the Vietnam War at the age of 24. He received basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.

“Any time the phone rang, I was expecting orders to go to Vietnam, but, after basic training and training as a finance specialist, I spent the rest of my service time at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi,” Dr. Hines said.

“Young men may think that they have a lot of stress in their lives now, but if you have the draft hanging over you with the possibility of going to Vietnam, that’s quite stressful, ” Dr. Hines said.

Dr. Hines served in the Air Force for four years.

“I think that military service can be quite helpful for individuals who need some guidance in their lives,” Dr. Hines said. “During their service time, they have the opportunity to straighten themselves out and become more aware of what they want to do later in life.”

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ichael Manes, Head of the Fine Arts Department, was drafted to Vietnam at the age of 25, where he served 19 months in the U.S. Army. After advanced infantry training, Mr. Manes was assigned to a military police unit patrolling the Saigon River.

“Our job was to patrol the ocean-going ammunition vessels that anchored in our harbor, trying to keep swimmers from bombing the ships. It didn’t seem dangerous at first, but we did get shot at and we routinely found bodies floating in the river,” Mr. Manes said.

After serving on the battlefield, Mr. Manes became a chaplain’s assistant, capitalizing on his Masters Degree in Music. At Long Binh post, he played the organ and piano for worship services.

He also established two choirs, one for prisoners, the other for soldiers. For his work with the prisoners, he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal by the Army.

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avid Lowen, Upper School History Teacher, enlisted in the Army when he was 17 and served for three years, both as a clerk typist and trained in the Combat Arms.

“They [U.S Army] make you very gung-ho. I wanted to be in the action because you get caught up in it,” Mr. Lowen said.

He then volunteered for Vietnam, but was stationed in Germany for 18 months.

“It’s different than just going over there for a week…I still keep in contact with my old army buddies,” Mr. Lowen said.

In Germany, Mr. Lowen served as a training sergeant, and worked in the army intelligence department.

“Going into the military actually helped me become a man, in that it taught me responsibility and showed me that I can do things on my own. It’s hard at 17 to have grown men, six inches from your face, screaming at you. It gave me the confidence that I could get through about anything.”

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alph Price, Director of Security, served in the Air Force from 1978-1982. Officer Price was trained at the Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, TX, where he learned how to maintain a T-38 Training Jet. Before each training session, Officer Price checked if the plane had a full tank and functioning motor.

“It was time to do something. I was bored with college, so I joined the Air Force. [It] taught me discipline and a life-skill,” Officer Price said.

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ony Brigham, Fourth Grade Science Teacher, served in the Air Force from 1970-1976.

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He worked as a medic in a hospital and was also a medic on a helicopter that lifted pilots out of wrecked aircraft.

“We were in Okinawa where the planes were coming back from bombing North Vietnam. I was lucky enough to get to fly rescue that day. [A plane] crashed and burned on the tarmac, but we got the pilot out,” Mr. Brigham said.

“Everyone’s job is equally important, even if you are not walking through the rice patties of Vietnam or the deserts of Afghanistan. Even if you are a cook, in the motor pool, or in the supply, you have as much to do with the effort as anyone else,” Mr. Brigham said.

“Its probably the best and most important thing I did in my life.”

G

illian Glengarry, Fitness Center Director, served for the U.S Marine Corps for four years on active duty and two years on reserve duty.

“I knew this was something I really wanted to do,” Coach Glengarry said.

While she trained at a Marine Corps duty station in California, Coach Glengarry traveled to Virginia and Maryland on weekends to compete as part of the U.S Marine Corps Track and Field team.

“I remember one time they woke us up at two-o’clock in the morning. We had all our gear ready and lined up on the flight deck, waiting to see if this was going to be our time to be called to duty,” Coach Glengarry said. “You have to be mentally ready to go at any given time. War might break out and you may have to drop everything and go.”

R

obbi Holman, AV Coordinator, served in the U.S Coast Guard in 1991, and in the Army from 2001-2002. At age 18, Ms. Holman enrolled at the Coast Guard Academy.

“I believe in service and I think that everyone has to contribute to make our community, the United States, a good place to live,” Ms. Holman said.

Ms. Holman joined the Army in 2001 and trained at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

“I was injured in the army, and that’s why I got out, because I was in a training accident,” she said. “You learn that you can do so much more than what you thought. You would be up at five in the morning and you would have done all these things, and look up at the clock and it was 8 a.m.”

Ms. Holman has only one regret.

“I got out right before 9/11 and I was really bummed about that, because you join the Army to defend your country.”

N

ate Adams, Assistant Director of Facility and Operations, served for 13 years in U.S Naval Aviation.

Mr. Adams, a communications supervisor for an aircraft carrier, delivered commands from President George H.W. Bush, Sr. to his naval troops.

In 1998, Mr. Adams was part of the first naval crew to fly with the Air Force fleet on missions. Additionally he relayed real-time underwater traffic information to a submarine from his aircraft carrier.

For these missions, Mr. Adams learned how to pilot and safely control aircraft as part of the largest naval aviation fleet.

“I was the guy who carried the briefcase of nuclear missiles,” said Mr. Adams.

His missions required extreme physical training to test his ability to react in risky situations.

“I was absolutely scared. It [shows] if you’re really capable of what they are asking you to do,” said Mr. Adams.

During the Afghanistan War, Mr. Adams traveled to the United Arab Emirates for Operation Desert Shield. There,

Photos courtesy of David Lui, Ralph Price, and Gillian Glengarry

VENERABLE VETERANS: Faculty members who have served include Mr. Lui (top), Officer Price (bottom left), and Coach Glengarry (bottom right).

he patrolled sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean to protect goods shipping to the U.S.

D

avid Lui, Chinese teacher, served for two years in the Taiwanese Army. He was stationed in Taipei, Taiwan for almost a year.

After boot camp, Mr. Lui took an exam to earn the officer rank. He was also part of an infantry troop that guarded the city of Taipei.

According to Mr. Lui, teamwork and leadership are two important qualifications for an officer, because the soldiers need to follow the officer’s command. “You have to have this authority [so the] soldiers execute your commands,” said Mr. Lui.

P

aul Yang, who works in the Tech Department, was born and raised in Taiwan. In Taiwan it is customary for men to serve two years in the military. Mr. Yang, began serving in an Air Force base located in the middle of Taiwan at the age of 21. He first worked as a guard, protecting military ammunition, and then he led a group of nine soldiers through various training exercises.

Mr. Yang joined during a period of tension between China and Taiwan. He said he believes that everyone shares a responsibility to take care of each other.

“Sometimes I was assigned at midnight, when you can’t see anything and have to do everything alone. [But] even if it was a rainy day, sunny day, or windy day, I had to be there,” Mr. Yang said.

He served for two years.

Story by Varun Gupta

12

The

Ev

Roughly 50 years since they we peacocks have become as iconic as investigates the life and time Peacocks at Greenhill Peacocks debuted on the Hill sometime in the mid 1960s. At the time, Greenhill had quite a menagerie of animals: Shetland ponies (named April and Daisy), a baby goat, a rooster, ducks, rabbits, and even a monkey.

Jane Kittleman, a retired Lower School teacher, was partially responsible for their advent on campus.

“We had city children [at Greenhill] that didn’t get to be around animals. I felt strongly that [having animals] was something we needed to do,” Ms. Kittleman said.

According to her, students could take the animals home for the weekend with a note from their parents. At school, the students learned how to care for them and would even feed the baby animals with bottles.

Ms. Kittleman learned about peacocks from a contractor, Mr. Reed, who was remodeling Ms. Kittlemans’ home at the time. He told her that peacocks will stay wherever they grow up and need little monitoring. Ms. Kittleman had realized that pigs would grow too large to easily have on campus, and she saw an opening for this exotic creature. She persuaded Mr. Reed to give the school a couple of peachicks.

“There really wasn’t any feeding to do, and we had all the water already. The peacocks took care of themselves; they’re pretty independent,” Ms. Kittleman said.

Peacocks have lived at Greenhill ever since.

Peacock Whisperer Over her four years at Greenhill, Jackie Bruner, Administrative Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer, has developed a love for the peacocks. When she took over the position from the late Penny Nicholson, Ms. Bruner was asked to take care of the peacocks as another facet of her main job, just as Ms. Nicholson had done. Of course, she had no idea what to expect.

“I just read up [on peacocks] and did online research, and I’ve learned a lot just by observing them,” Ms. Bruner said.

In the mornings, Ms. Bruner feeds the peacocks a mixture of birdseed and cat food.

In the afternoons, she hands out peanuts as treats. When she calls with a clucking noise, they pop up one by one from surrounding bushes. She coaxes each one by name until they gather around.

Ms. Bruner names almost all of the peacocks, with the exception of the few who are named by Lower School students. A group of peachick siblings take their names from the TV show Brothers and Sisters: Sarah, Kitty, Justin, Kevin, and Tommy.

“You usually can tell [the gender] by three or four months from the feathers on their backs. The females have solid backs with one-color feathers, whereas the males’ feathers have a scalloped color on them,” Ms. Bruner said.

However, this isn’t always the case. Because of Huey’s white plumage, she initially appeared to have a scalloped back. Accordingly, Ms. Bruner named her Huey, to match her brother Dewey. But Huey is actually a female. When she realized this, Ms. Bruner considered changing the name. But Huey, who responds to her given name, will likely remain Huey.

The tradition of caring for the peacocks has a prestigious legacy from Ms. Nicholson, who gave her name to the Penny Nicholson award that is presented annually to the staff member that goes above and beyond due to a deep love of Greenhill. An avid bird lover, Ms. Nicholson owned a denim jacket and jeans set with large embroidered peacocks. Ms. Bruner has a fragment of both hanging above her desk.

Students and Peacocks Peacocks capture the imagination of Greenhill students from a young age­.

Primer teacher Tracy Pugh recounts an amusing dialogue between her students who were observing peahens laying eggs.

“Look, he’s laying an egg,” said one primer student. “Now we don’t have to go to the grocery store, because we can just get our eggs at school.”

Another student interjected, “You can’t take this egg, because there might be a baby peacock in it.”

“Just put it in the refrigerator and there won’t be any baby peacocks,” a third student chimed in helpfully.

Mrs. Pugh recalls frequent incidents when the peacocks look at themselves in the window outside the primer classroom, drawing the students’ attention.

The birds, under the impression that their reflection is another peacock, start squawking at themselves in the mix-up.

“The kids start talking back and think that the peacock understands them,” Mrs. Pugh said.

Many Lower School students prize the feathers as much as the animals themselves, and try to find them on the ground during molting season.

“The feathers are a treasure for the kids. Mr. Ron [Ivory] brings them up here for the students,” said Laura Flanagan, fourth grade humanities teacher.

Lower School students also have the opportunity to visit Ms. Bruner in the mornings and feed the peacocks with her.

vergreen

wednesday, november 14, 2012

re first introduced to campus, the the Greenhill hornet. The Evergreen es of our resident pheasants.

Peacocks on the Rise/Brink of Extinction The peacock population has fluctuated over the years, from too many to a scant few. According to the January 1998 issue of The Evergreen, during the 1996-97 school year, eight peacocks disappeared. With the population down to only two peacocks, Lorene Friedman, mother of Bradley ’96, Nicole ’96, and Danielle ’02, spearheaded an effort to repopulate the campus with the birds.

Ms. Friedman acquired 10 peachicks, some India blues, some green Java peacocks, and some Spaldings, hybrids of the India blue and Java green that are differentiated by their white and blue markings. She raised the chicks in her home in the summer of 1997. During the 1997-98 school year, she brought them to Greenhill and put them in a coop Trevor Theilen ’01 built as part of his Eagle Scout project.

Although Ms. Friedman helped the peachicks acclimate to campus by taking them out on walks everyday, the birds had trouble adapting. Three of the new chicks died because of harsh weather conditions that winter (Java green peacocks fare poorly in the cold). Six of the survivors eventually were removed for their own good. However, two males, Gilbert and Sullivan, remained on campus and helped increase the peacock population.

Currently, Greenhill has the opposite problem: overpopulation. The school tries to cap the number at around 10 in order to limit noise, cost, and droppings. There are currently 13 peacocks, including the three peachicks born last year. In order to keep the numbers down, the school frequently gives peachicks away and finds people who would like to keep them as pets. Last summer, retired preschool art teacher Paula Watson received two peachicks from the school.

Chris Brown, Curator of Birds at the Dallas Zoo, advises only keeping the males to stop reproduction. However, an all-male population would be kept purely for the beauty of their tail-feathers, whereas Greenhill would like to have a self-sustaining population of peafowl.

Ms. Bruner likes to keep the population at a ratio of six males and four females.

“I try to monitor the number of males and females. Obviously, I would prefer not to have any more babies right now, but you have to have some females around. We were down to two females before this year with nine males. It was a problem for the females this last spring. And for the males: They compete with each other a lot,” Ms. Bruner said.

As a last option to manage the peacock population, the school occasionally resorts to removing some excess, newly-laid eggs from the mothers’ nests so that they will not hatch.

13

Peacocks under Threat Wild dogs and jungle cats such as tigers and leopards commonly prey on peacocks in their natural habitat in Asia. In Addison, the peacocks’ deadliest foes are local coyotes. Last summer, a coyote attacked and killed Nora, a pure-white peahen. Another peacock, Tommy, Nora’s son, fell prey to a coyote the previous summer.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much the school can do to prevent these instances of gallocide, as the coyotes prowl at night. Peachicks stay with their mother in a hutch, located in front of the Fine Arts Building, for the first few months of their lives, but they can only stay cooped up for so long.

Hawks also cause ruffled feathers in the peacock community. While no hawk has attacked a peacock in recent years, they have been known to pick the babies up and carry them off.

“The peacocks know when the hawk is around — they’re afraid of [them].

Their necks will get all ruffled up when they see one, and they start squawking and carrying on,” Ms. Bruner said.

The threat of predators has loomed over peacocks since their beginnings at Greenhill. Ms. Kittleman recalls a fall drama rehearsal that was interrupted when the students heard distressed calls from the peacocks. They rushed outside to discover a pack of six wild dogs attacking the peacocks. Two or three peacocks were killed in the onslaught.

“In most cases when the predators come, [the peacocks] can fly onto the roof, but the babies have a harder time,” Ms. Kittleman said.

Peacocks on the Loose “Peacocks are very environmentally adaptable. They like to stay where they’re born,” said Ms. Bruner. But sometimes they stray out of Greenhill’s open gates and venture into Addison.

According to Ms. Bruner, sometime in the past four years two peacocks exited Hornet Road and marched right through the automatic doors of the Crowne Plaza hotel, waddled around the lobby, and settled on a railing. The CrownePlaza staff immediately called Greenhill to notify them of the escaped birds and security retrieved the escaped fowl. However, the Crowne-Plaza wasn’t too upset; the peacocks served as a novelty for the guests staying at the hotel, who snapped pictures during the peacocks’ brief stay.

More frequently, however, the peacocks hop the fence behind Greenhill and wander into the neighborhoods. The neighbors just call and Greenhill employees shoo the peacocks back onto campus. Once, a neighbor called previous Science Department Chair Richard Theiren, and he, along with Upper School Science teacher Barry Ide, went on a peacock retrieval mission. They grabbed and wrapped the bird in a blanked and drove it back to Greenhill in Mr. Theiren’s minivan.

Often, however, the peacocks return to campus on their own.

Because these occurrences are relatively rare, Greenhill doesn’t feel the need to take drastic measures to keep the peacocks within more defined boundaries.

Peacocks Fall Ill Generally, the peacocks at Greenhill are fairly self-sufficient. However, a few years ago, Ms. Bruner received an urgent call about a visibly ill peahen on campus that could hardly move or lift its neck. A maintenance worker drove Ms. Bruner and the bird to the vet. For the duration of the car ride, Ms. Bruner cradled the sick peahen in her lap to comfort it. Several hours later, the vet called with the test results and diagnosis: a severe kidney condition. The peahen was later put down.

When an elderly peacock developed arthritis and struggled to move around, Greenhill placed it in the Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and Farm Sanctuary in Hutchins, TX, which specifically works with injured birds. There, the peacock receives specialized care, including heat treatments to relieve the arthritis pain.

Story by Sofia Shirley Graphics by Rebecca Kim

14 special report

The

Evergreen

wednesday, november 14, 2012

Farewell, Huckleberry Friends Regardless of grade level, text choices for an English curriculum revolve around questions of literary merit and relevance, balanced with sensitivity to the students and their needs.

Graphic by Re be

cca Kim, Michae

Graphics by Caroline McCulloch

F

or the first time in so many years no one can recall how long, sophomores will not read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in their English class this year.

A series of lengthy discussions among the Upper School English department teachers prompted this change.

“We were looking for an African-American author to portray an African-American protagonist. Huck Finn is a masterpiece of American literature, but it does not fit that requirement,” said Linda Woolley, English Department Chair.

Last fall, the subject of teaching Huckleberry Finn was broached in a meeting among many of Greenhill’s African-American families.

“There are some African-American families who don’t have a problem with Huck Finn; they say it is beyond race, it portrays how we used to be, not how we currently are,” said Art Hall, Director of Equity and Inclusion. “But there were [around 20] AfricanAmerican families who thought, yes, but can’t we find a different book that doesn’t ridicule us in a way that makes us feel like this is a mockery of our history as opposed to a celebration of our past?”

The fact that the novel is controversial is nothing new. It has been a banned book for many years. NewSouth books, an Alabama-based publishing company, released a new version of the novel last year, replacing the 219 mentions of the n-word with the word slave.

At Greenhill, Mr. Hall brought the parent concerns back to the English department.

For Ms. Woolley, it was less about ousting Huckleberry Finn and more about finding a more sensitive depiction of an African-American.

“I would like to have a core text for English 10 that broadens the experience of the students, a portrayal of an African American male where the protagonist is a fully fleshed-out human being who goes through conflict and learns,” Ms. Woolley said.

The English teachers, all agreed that Twain’s work is powerful. However, some see Twain’s portrayal of Jim as two-dimensional.

“The problem is, Jim’s storyline is not really realistic. All of the realism given to Huck, Twain doesn’t use with Jim. Except in two instances, he doesn’t allow Jim to express rancor, frustration, and disappointment,” said English teacher Farid Matuk.

Huck does undergo a major transformation over the course of the novel.

“Huck goes from looking at Jim as this dumb Negro slave to looking at Jim as his equal,” Mr. Hall said. “[But] that is a tough pill for African Americans to swallow, because it is like, I have to wait for somebody white to label me as human before I am human.”

Some feel that the only time Jim is portrayed as a real human being is on the river, where Jim exhibits qualities of strength and selflessness. Mr. Kasten said he believes he can teach the text in such a way that students understand that Mark Twain was not racist, and that on the river, Jim is not a passive character.

“On shore the problems are solved by white people and Jim is a passive vessel to be acted on,” Mr. Kasten said. “But to counter that in class we also talk about how Jim on the river assumes heroic proportions. And he is far from a passive character.

But if you ignore that, we are left with a pathetic figure.”

Even though Mr. Kasten is confident he can use the book to promote tolerance and understanding, he understands why the book has been removed.

“It puts a special burden on AfricanAmerican students to sit in a classroom where people are repeatedly reading and

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therefore, of necessity, using the most demeaning and insulting word in our language,” Mr. Kasten said. “I think that requires special preparation on the part of teachers, and it requires building a context for what we are doing and why we are doing it.”

The English department met to determine if the story had a negative impact on the students. When I discussed the subject with many of the English teachers, no one disputed Twain’s merits. “[But] there are people in our Greenhill family who were hurt in the process of reading this novel,” said Tom Perryman ’81, Assistant Head of School and Upper School English teacher. “I feel strongly about issues of intellectual integrity, but I also believe strongly that there are times when your people and their responses to particular works of art outweigh those issues. When the experience of reading a work of literature proves to be genuinely hurtful, you can’t require that. That is just not right.”

On the other hand, teaching Huckleberry Finn can be a way to grapple with this past.

While the teachers noted that some members of the Greenhill family were offended, students surveyed in sophomore English did not feel the same way. After teaching Huckleberry Finn last winter, English teacher Dan Kasten surveyed his sophomores, who wrote anonymously about how comfortable they were reading the text. Out of the 30 students surveyed, all 30 agreed that the story should stay in the tenth-grade curriculum. story by Rachel Diebner “Issues like this should be dealt with, not talking about it doesn’t make it go away. If you have the possibility to talk about it, it makes you understand it better,” one student wrote.

Another student wrote, “Greenhill has its Greenhill bubble that many kids are secluded in. Reading Huck Finn opened my eyes to the cruelty of a past society. It is controversial and it makes us feel uncomfortable — but that is what we should feel.”

Finding a replacement for Huckleberry Finn has not been easy for some of the sophomore teachers. Andy Mercurio, sophomore English teacher, had used the novel as the centerpiece for his class.

“My sophomore curriculum was an exploration of the American dream and identity collectively, and Huck Finn was an essential part of that exploration. It wrestles with questions that were both specific to a particular point in time and that also resonate today,” said Mr. Mercurio. “Twain is looking at Reconstruction in America and asking very harsh question to America itself — who they are and who they hope to become.

Those are questions that are still relevant today, and no book asks them with the unflinching honesty of Huck Finn.”

To compensate for Huckleberry Finn’s loss, Mr. Mercurio shifted his curriculum to focus more on socioeconomic class. He has expanded his short story unit and added the movie The Grapes of Wrath.

“Huck Finn is irreplaceable. You can’t replace it on a one-to-one level,” Mr. Mercurio said. “I have to bring in the whole horn section.”

While Huckleberry Finn is no longer a core text, English teachers have the opportunity to teach the book in a trimester English elective. These are offered to seniors only. Ms. Woolley believes the text is more suitable for older students.

“There are moments that are difficult to navigate in the text; there are moments that are painful,” said Ms. Woolley.

No teacher has yet taken the opportunity to teach the text in a senior elective.

W

hen evaluating the relevance of their course selection, the Middle School English department decided to stop teaching The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, another Mark Twain novel.

“We were looking for something that can accomplish the same goals [that Tom Sawyer does] but perhaps engage more kids,” said Susan Bauman ’81, Middle School English Coordinator. “There have always been kids who love Tom Sawyer, and always kids who don’t. Some of the vocabulary was out of date. It was a simple story written in a complicated way.”

Because Katie Peterson has not taught at Greenhill in six years, and Jeffrey Boyd ‘06 is in his second year of teaching, the English department agreed it was the perfect time to switch books. Instead of Tom Sawyer, the seventh graders are reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. “It is current. It is still a male narrator, but he is more relatable than Tom,” said Ms. Bauman.

For the first time, seventh grade students will also read Maus II: A Survivor’s Tale: And Here My Troubles Began. This graphic novel by Art Spiegelman takes place in a concentration camp during World War II. Both the text and illustrations have an immediate impact. story by Samantha Carp

The Evergreen Wednesday [11.14.12]

ARTS

& Entertainment

Where’s the Beef?

At Hopdoddy Burger Bar in Preston Center. For details see p. 17

Names on the Marquee

Photo courtesy of Sterling Gavinski

Anton Yu

Editor-in-Chief

I

t was a Monday night at the House of Blues. Senior Quinn Breitfeller met up with friends Sterling Gavinski, a senior at Lakehill Preparatory School, and Bradley Barteau, a freshman at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. But they weren’t there to see a show. Their band, The Happy Alright, was the headline act.

Quinn paved the way for this musical career his freshman year, when he decided to teach himself he would play guitar, one song at a time.

“The first time I played, I sucked, obviously,” Quinn said.

“The first song I learned was ‘Wake Me Up When September Comes’ by Green Day. An easy song, but I didn’t think it was easy back then. I would learn that, keep practicing until I could play it, then learn a harder song and do the same thing.”

Green Day first turned Quinn onto music. It was Christmas day and Quinn was in seventh grade.

“I didn’t really listen to music, but my parents for some reason got me three CDs: one Nickelback CD that I thought was okay then and now hate, one All-American Rejects CD that I thought was okay then and now think is okay, and American Idiot by Green Day, which in my opinion is one of the greatest albums ever written,” Quinn said.

From Green Day, Quinn branched out in the pop punk genre, discovering bands like Fall Out Boy and Blink 182, another of Quinn’s main influences.

“I like the music because it’s fast and powerful, but also fun, and the message resonates with me because it’s all about having fun in the face of hard times,” Quinn said.

After mastering Green Day songs, Quinn challenged himself with more difficult blues and classic rock songs before returning to pop-punk music, following his musical taste.

“It’s a long and frustrating process,” Quinn said. “It’s just kind of perseverance.”

It took a year and a half for Quinn to be “any good” with the guitar, which, according to his own standards, meant he could start creating music on his own.

“It didn’t have to necessarily be good, but it was the point where you go from learning something to making something up and figuring out on your own on the spot what to play to make the music sound good,” Quinn said. “That’s when you go

from someone who just knows how to play a few things on an instrument to a musician.”

By the end of his sophomore year, Quinn took up the bass guitar. Meanwhile, Sterling was just starting his third year of guitar lessons at Zounds Sounds studio in Dallas. With school over for the year, Sterling locked himself in his room for a week and began writing songs with the intention of forming a band.

“I had written songs before, but these new songs were the first I felt actually represented me as a person,” Sterling said. “After recording some demos, which I played all the instruments on, I sent the tracks to Quinn, whom I’ve known since we were about five.”

We’re trying Next, Sterling contacted to figure out Bradley, a drummer he’d met and what we’re performed with at Zounds Sounds. doing, trying The trio — The Happy Alright — to develop our was complete. sound.

We need The lead-up to their first to keep writing performance, a private show at the so we can keep Barteau’s house in July, was quick evolving as — maybe, Quinn hints, a little too a band. ” quick.

“We were poorly rehearsed.

We had only had two practices. We kind of tried to do all the things professional bands do, like jump around, but it didn’t work,” Quinn said. “People still liked it, though. I’m not going to say that was our best performance, but we were pretty good out of the gate.”

Undeterred, the band took the show as an opportunity to improve. Following a few more private shows and additional rehearsals, The Happy Alright set their sights on what Quinn describes as their “first actual show”: the Battle of the Bands competition at the Door in Deep Ellum.

“We were a new band; we definitely needed more exposure.

We knew other bands were going to be there, and we thought we would be competitive,” Quinn said. “It was definitely a good experience, whether we won or not.”

They did win, though, less than four months after forming their band. Quinn said this came as a surprise, especially after watching some of their rival performers. He attributes their success to their energy and stage presence, an element they improved on after their first show.

Since then, The Happy Alright has performed at a number

“

of local venues, including Club Dada, the Prophet Bar, Poor David’s Pub, and Six Flags Over Texas.

The band has also contributed their talent to a number of non-profit events and fundraisers, including Vogel Alcove, ING Kid Rocks, the Lamplighter car wash, and Lakehill Preparatory School’s Trek for Tech.

As a result, the band has been gaining exposure in the local community. Last spring, The Happy Alright entered the 2012 Ernie Ball Warped Tour Battle of the Bands competition and online votes earned them first place in the pop-punk category and fifth in the all-genres category for Dallas.

Most recently, The Happy Alright participated in another Battle of the Bands event at the House of Blues in their Bringin’ Down the House Musical Competition on Nov. 12.

The band also released a self-titled EP in June. They recorded the EP—which can be found on iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, and other retailers—at the professional recording studios of Zound Sounds.

According to Quinn, the band recorded the entire EP in one day, over a continuous span of 10 hours.

“When you’re recording, you have to nail it, or else you can really hear the mistakes. I actually learned that I played a whole part of my bass part wrong when I recorded it, which I had never heard when I listened to live videos,” Quinn said. “I probably did three to four takes of my bass guitar before I got it perfectly right.”

So far, Sterling has written all of the songs for The Happy Alright, including the six on their EP. However, Quinn said that they’ve begun to collaborate more as a group.

“Our upcoming songs we’re planning on writing together,” Quinn said. “We want to be more of a unit than just individual parts playing together.”

The band already has several new songs written, ready to be recorded. With these new songs, Quinn said he’s noticed a slight change in their sound.

“It pretty much happens with every band,” Quinn said about this exploratory period. “We haven’t quite figured out where we’re going as a band. We’re trying to figure out what we’re doing, trying to develop our sound. We need to keep writing so we can keep evolving as a band.”

For now, the band is on a short hiatus, while schoolwork and college applications take precedence, through December.

Their ultimate plans for the future are undecided. Meanwhile, Quinn is busy teaching himself to play the drums.

16 arts

The

Evergreen

wednesday, november 14, 2012

Q & A: Accomplished artist shares insight

Photo courtesy of roccoart.com

Artist John Rocco, who has illustrated book covers for the Percy Jackson series, animated for the film Shrek, and created multiple childrens’ books, visited Greenhill on Nov. 8 to discuss his work and hold workshops with Lower and Upper School students.

When did your interest in art begin?

It came late for me. I was a freshman in college and I shared a house with an illustrator named Fred Lynch. He would sit in his room and paint pictures and get paid for it. He was an editorial illustrator, and I just thought that was the greatest job in the world to be able to sit in your room, listen to records, drink coffee, and not have to go out into the awful weather.

This was Rhode Island in the dead of winter. He just sat in his room and painted pictures. I thought, ‘Now this is a career for me. I want to do that.’ So I started taking a lot of courses and studied and eventually I got into art school. I’ve been doing it ever since, working as a visual storyteller.

Tell me how your career as an author and illustrator got started.

My career as an author began when I was asked to illustrate a publication of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and I didn’t like that kid [the character]. I wanted to write my own version. So I took some courses in writing and started to write my own story, which then became the book Wolf! Wolf!. That was the first book I ever wrote. The first book I actually illustrated came when I was in college and bartending. I met Whoopi Goldberg one night and she saw my work.

She asked me to do a book with her, and so we did a project together based on the drawings of mine that she had seen. That came out in 1992. We collaborated on that book, called Alice. That’s how I got my start illustrating books.

Which type of project is your personal favorite to work on?

Books. When you’re working on a movie, especially a feature like Shrek, you’re there with a huge crew of hundreds. Everybody is part of this machine that’s trying to accomplish a goal, and you’re just one part of this body of organisms. Of course, everyone has their own visions and their own ideas. In some ways that’s a lot of fun, but in other ways it can be frustrating. When you’re working on your own book, though, it’s all you, beginning to end. It’s my vision and I can do it however I want. You have to work with publishers and marketers and all, but for the most part, what ends up as the final product is what I had in mind. That’s exciting. And at the end of the day, you own it and that’s yours. Whereas, working for a company like Dreamworks or Disney, you’re a paid employee. It’s a big difference. When you’re working for yourself, you get to make the decisions and execute your own vision, and I love that about books.

How did you get the opportunities to work on the successful projects you have?

Well, it’s interesting. With the Percy [Jackson series], the editor who did my original book, Alice, was working on the Lightning Thief when I decided to get back into doing books. I ran into him and said, ‘I’m getting back into book illustration’, and he told me he had a new book coming out that needed a cover.

It was knowing the right people. The people that I’d worked with before had liked working with me and I think that’s key. As you go through life and all the many varied careers you might have, you always have to present yourself as professional, do the best job you can, go the extra mile, and know that even if you don’t think it’s going to help you in the future, it very well could. That’s what happened with Shrek. The producer of that movie worked with me on a television series called Johnny Quest. I did professional work and helped him out, so when he started working on the Shrek movie, he asked me to help him with that too.

I did the best I could whenever I had the chance, and that translated into bigger and better things down the road.

What is your purpose in doing school visits?

For me, school visits are an opportunity to reconnect with the audience, the people who read my books. Also, for me, I learn about myself and my process when I talk about it. I have to distill it into simple terms a lot of times and sometimes you don’t know those things until you have to explain them to someone else. Then it makes you think, ‘Oh yeah, this is what I’m about, this is my process.’ It reminds you of that. Sometimes, in a way, it’s a little bit of a selfish reason and, in another way, it’s an opportunity to go out there and present your work. It’s a lot of fun. I get a lot out of it.

What do you have to say to young, aspiring artists?

Draw what you love to draw. If you love it, other people will. That’s something someone told me a long time ago that really helped me. This was Maurice Sendak. He wrote Where the Wild Things Are. When I was working on my first book, I was terrified and he said to me, ‘Look, don’t draw for Whoopi or the publisher or even for the audience. Draw what you love to draw and if you love it, others will too.’ I think that is unbelievable advice that is applicable at any level. You kind of have to go with what you know speaks to you. story by Alex Weinberg

Photo by Emily Wilson

ART CONNOISSEUR: John Rocco speaks with an Upper School advanced art class about his artistic process.

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wednesday, november 14, 2012

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arts

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DINNER & A MOVIE

WANT FRIES WITH THAT?: Dallas is full of great burger joints, but there may be a new sheriff in town as far as hamburgers go. Hop on down to the Hopdoddy Burger Bar and experience the flavor for yourself.

a table so that, once you order, you already have a place to eat.

If the order line is backed up to the door, expect to wait about 15 minutes before you reach the front. Don’t worry, though; there are TVs all around to help you pass the time. Once you have ordered and are seated, your food may be served in as few as ten or as many as 30 minutes. Again, get there early or be ready to exercise some patience. Regardless, Hopdoddy works efficiently and the wait staff is friendly and helpful, even when the mobs arrive.

Be assured that your meal will be worth any wait. I can’t speak for the kale salad. This is a burger place, so get a burger.

The menu contains about a dozen signature combos, or you can always create your own, like I did. I ordered the Classic Burger, which comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, and “sassy sauce,” to which I added cheddar cheese, bacon, and jalapeños. The patty was juicy, the bacon crispy, and the jalapeños fresh, not grilled or pickled, for a kick. The “sassy sauce” resembles any other special sauce: ketchup and mayo with some minor fix-ins. The burger was as good as any I’ve had in Dallas, so dress it up any way you want and go for it. My fries were good, but nothing spectacular; a Nutella and Chocolate Pretzel milkshake was spectacular. The shake is served with a fat straw and a spoon, two clues to the massive pieces of chocolate-covered pretzel that are mixed in. This milkshake is sweet and salty, creamy and crunchy. Highly recommended. What makes Hopdoddy’s food special are the little things. They make their own ketchup, chipotle ketchup, honey mustard, and barbeque sauce, which compliment the fries wonderfully. The soda fountain is lined with handcrafted, naturally sweetened Maine Root sodas, and everything is appetizingly arranged when it hits the table.

Two major flaws: 1) This is Preston Center, so parking gets pretty bad, especially as the night goes on. I haven’t been for lunch yet, but I’ve heard it’s just as packed; 2) This place is not cheap. My meal, consisting of a burger (with some add-ons), fries, and a shake, was $18 and some change. If you go with a friend and split fries you can cut your bill a bit, but don’t expect fast-food prices by any means.

Nonetheless, this is a special place. The attention to detail puts Hopdoddy over the top as one of the best burger joints in Dallas. For any burger fan, this spot certainly deserves a visit or two, or twelve.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar 6030 Luther Lane #100 Dallas, TX 75225 www.hopdoddy.com

Alex Weinberg Arts Editor

D

on’t feel like turkey this close to Thanksgiving? Skip the bird and go for the beef at Hopdoddy Burger Bar. Hopdoddy is a burger joint native to Austin, TX that recently opened a Dallas location in Preston Center, just off Northwest Highway and the Tollway. This is a family spot at its finest: interesting atmosphere, good service, and great food.

Fittingly for an Austin-born restaurant, Hopdoddy is rather distinctive. Its menu ranges from bison burgers to kale salad (but consists predominantly of different burger creations).

Its décor includes a sizeable central beer bar surrounded by walls covered in pictures of rural Texas landscapes. The dining area feels spacious despite the close-packed seating.

The place does get noisy, but no more than any other popular burger joint. Though there is no doubt Hopdoddy is a casual restaurant, the dim lighting at night gives it a fancier mood, which compliments the high quality food they serve. Overall, Hopdoddy feels like the place to be.

This means, of course, that it gets crowded. Hopdoddy does not take reservations or call-in orders, so, on a typical weekend night, plan to get to there no later than 8pm or be prepared to wait in a serious line. On a typical weekend evening, Hopdoddy is packed. When I went on a Sunday around 7pm, the order line, which already reached the sidewalk outside the door, was just starting to build. Service, nonetheless, is well run. As you wait in line to order, a hostess gives you a number and reserves you

Photos courtesy of MGM

THE NAME’S BOND, JAMES BOND: The latest Bond film, Skyfall, is as actionpacked as any of it predecessors, with plenty of fight scenes and exaggerated bouts of combat. All the while, the movie still manages to add its own flare to the tried and true James Bond film series.

M

ost things get old by the 23rd time around. James Bond is not most things. Skyfall, the 23rd movie in the James Bond series, is as thrilling and captivating as any Bond film before it. Whether he’s wrestling an enemy on the roof of a moving train or wrestling an enemy beneath the frozen surface of a lake, James Bond is as cool as ever.

The general premise of the film involves a terrorist attack on a British intelligence agency building, intended to pressure the head of the agency, M, into retirement. A man named Raoul Silva, a former agent who worked under M, is behind the strike, blaming M for his past capture and the torture that has scarred him. The movie follows Bond as he tries to track down Silva before he can kill M. The chase eventually leads to a massive showdown at Skyfall Lodge, Bond’s remote and vacant childhood home in Scotland. Here, Bond, M, and Kincade, the keeper of the Bond family estate, are faced with the improbable task of fending off Silva and his high-firepower cohorts, testing Bond’s loyalty to M with great personal sacrifice.

One would be hard pressed to find two consecutive minutes in this film without an action-packed or suspenseful moment.

With a run-time that approaches the two and a half hour mark, this fact makes the movie a bit exhausting. Nevertheless, the most pivotal, climactic scenes certainly stand out from the more superfluous ones, so crucial moments remain engaging.

That said, this is not a movie for those who don’t appreciate a lot of action.

But for Bond fans, or any film buffs for that matter, Skyfall is a must see. Not only is it a classic yet original addition to the Bond series, but it is also a cinematic masterpiece. Shot by shot, this movie is methodically filmed, and the results are beautiful on the big-screen. The imagery is absolutely striking, and it is hard not to appreciate the detailed planning that is evident in each brilliantly crafted frame.

I wouldn’t call Skyfall the best Bond movie yet.

Nevertheless, this rendition of the classic series certainly stands up to its company and holds its own. As a narrative, Skyfall is captivating, and as a film it is cinematographically masterful.

If you have the time, do not hesitate to catch it while it’s still in theaters. But if you miss it, don’t worry, because Skyfall ends the way all its predecessors have: with the timeless line, “Bond will return.”

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Review: Andrew Bird releases new album Tierney Riordan Asst. Arts Editor

Like with all good Indie albums, every song on Hands of Glory by Andrew Bird sounds like it could accompany a pivotal scene in any movie starring Indie darling Zooey Deschanel. The album, the singer-songwriter’s tenth, was released Oct. 30. The

Photo by courtesy of Mom+Pop Records

STORYTIME: Andrew Bird’s latest album, Hands of Glory, plays like a narrative, with sweeping highs and lows that leave the listener with an image to accompany the music.

opening track, “Three White Horses,” would be the emotional break-up scene. Bird’s lyrics speak of loss and goodbyes, and his anguished voice makes you feel a little of the sadness too, your heart beating along with the song’s thumping drumbeat.

The melody is melancholy and willowy. This break-up scene would take place in a forest clearing, preferably in a drizzle.

Sometimes Bird gets carried away in his own creativity.

“Beyond the Valley of the Three White Horses” is a mostly instrumental version of “Three White Horses,” but about six minutes longer. There isn’t much reason for a song to be longer than my mile time if it’s by anyone other than Queen. Parts of the song are also so slow that if it were on vinyl I would wonder if it was on the wrong RPM setting, playing three times slower than normal. However, the song has great violin sections with a haunting quality.

Many of the songs on the album have interesting additions, but additions that do not always work. The somewhat disturbing whistle sounds in “Beyond the Valley” are one example. Like when I hear a whistling kettle, my first thought is that I want the whistle sounds to stop as soon as possible.

In “Spirograph” the background melody strongly calls to mind whale noises. If you’ve ever heard whale sounds, you know that you would prefer not to be hearing whale sounds, especially in the middle of a lively ballad. This same risk that doesn’t quite pan out also appears in “If I Needed You,” which sounds like a mixture between 19th-century dance music and a ho-down. This is just confusing to a listener.

A song that finally succeeds is “Orpheo.” If “Three White Horses” is the break-up music, “Orpheo” is the reconciliation.

The violins and guitar strums accompany the main characters as they walk into the sun-filled end of the movie, leaving us with the notion that everything did, in fact, turn out fine. For we lowly folk not walking into the sunset, this music is perfect to accompany homework, and hopefully that will turn out fine, too.

wednesday, november 14, 2012

Greenhill alumna captivates as comedian, revisits Dallas An autographed photo of her sits by Mr. Warner’s desk, but her talent goes well beyond the confines of a picture frame. Just over a decade ago, Iliza Shlesinger ’01 was getting her start in comedy, performing with the Greenhill improv troupe in front of fellow classmates.

Now, in the midst of her burgeoning career as a standup comedian, Ms. Shlesinger will return to native soil on Dec. 1 to tape her first one-hour comedy special at the Lakewood Theater.

In 2008, Ms. Shlesinger won the sixth season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, becoming the youngest and first female winner of the show. She has also appeared on E! Network’s Forbes Celebrity 100 and TV Guide’s America’s Next Top Producer, and contributed to and written for programs such as History Channel’s Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black. She has also been featured

by Comedy Central Presents for her stand-up comedy.

In the midst of all these pursuits, Ms. Shlesinger said she has not forgotten her roots.

“I feel that Greenhill was the genesis of my comedy.

High school is where I was first challenged, tried new things, did the improv troupe, and really became known as funny. It’s through the relationships I was part of or observed in those formative years that I began to create my still-forming comedic point of view,” Ms. Shlesinger said and then paused. “I think,” she added with classic comedic timing.

Ms. Shlesinger will be performing her recorded onehour comedy special on Dec. 1 with two shows, starting at 7pm and 9:30pm. To purchase tickets, send an email request to ilizalakewoodtickets@gmail.com. Be sure to specify which show you plan to attend. story by Alex Weinberg

sports The Evergreen Wednesday [11.14.12]

Kicking & screaming

Winter sports begin with high hopes, expectations. p. 20

Field hockey rides confidence, chemistry to record wins Christina Zhu Staff Writer

Madison Goodrich Staff Writer

“We Will Rock You” blasts across the field. Marching in twos, with a battle-scarred boom-box named Helga hoisted on their shoulders, the girls’ field hockey team approaches their combat arena.

“We try to be intimidating, we try to be intense, and we step onto the field knowing this is our game,” said senior and captain Fallyn Sheff.

The result has been more than just successful — it has been record-breaking. Despite a first-round loss in the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Division-I tournament, the girls finished the regular season at 17-3-2, the most regularseason wins by a Greenhill field-hockey team ever. Before this year, the record had been 16 wins, set in 2008.

According to the captains, the field hockey team’s confidence in their playing ability has been the key to their unprecedented success.

To senior captain Mallorie Wise, the mood of the team has been especially important.

“I think the team chemistry makes a big difference this year,” Mallorie said. “Our team is really close, which makes it easier to play better on the field.”

According to Fallyn, the tone the team’s seven seniors have set, which makes practice and play enjoyable and fun, will hopefully carry on for many seasons to come, ensuring that the team grows even more.

According to some of the older players, what they’ve Photo by Mary Lo seen from the freshmen so far has provided reason for more FIELD OF DREAMS: Senior captain Mallorie Wise attacks the goal against St. Andrew’s of Austin. Mallorie and fellow senior optimism. captain Fallyn Sheff have helped lead field hockey to their winningest season and best finish in the SPC in seven years.

“The freshmen are really good,” Mallorie said. “Abby [Shosid] is doing a great job. She’s starting every game at “That’s something I did in high school, so I brought it here.” aim to score three goals in a game, while the defense’s objective forward and Amelia [Jones] is doing a great job, too.”

According to her players, creating that sense of closeness within is to stop the other team from crossing the 25 yard line.

Mallorie also sees the team’s underclassmen continuing the team has been a major priority for Also instrumental to the team’s unprecedented success the same habits Fallyn pointed out. And as a result, she feels Coach Farlow. has been their year-round commitment, according to the team will be in good hands for the future.

“Our coach has been focusing on us being Coach Farlow.

“Once the seniors leave there will be a chance really good teammates, working really well “Different girls have participated in camps and work on We try to be for all of the younger freshman to come up and do together, and having good team chemistry, ” their skills in the off season,” she said. “Most of these girls have intimidata good job,” Mallorie said. “So I do see a future Fallyn said.

“That way, the young team next year been playing field hockey since the seventh grade, and they’ve ing, we try to for them.” can continue the habits that we have created this worked hard on getting better.” be intense, The team’s upperclassmen have played a year. ” According to freshman Naya Sharp, the team saw what and we step major role in building that future for them.

Fallyn also pointed to the team’s hard work happens when they lose their determination and forward onto the field “All the seniors are really close with the throughout the entire season. momentum.

And experiences like that have served as valuable knowing this younger kids, which I think is a big difference from “This year we are very determined, ” Fallyn lessons. is our game.” when I was a freshman,” said Mallorie. “When I said. “We are really working hard in practice and “After the Hockaday play day, our level in practice and was a freshman, we didn’t talk to the seniors and in the games, and we went right into the season our energy level went down, and then we lost two games that so we wanted to make it where we were closer with the younger saying, ‘Let’s do this.’” were really important to us against Hockaday and Fort Worth kids as well.” To help promote team bonding, the field hockey The use of smaller targets or milestones as goals has been Country Day,” Naya said. “After those two games we realized we team has used a “sister” program, where each senior and junior instrumental to that success. In each game, rather than simply were a little big-headed and we need to get back on track to the pairs with an underclassman sister. aiming to win, the squad sets specific objectives they want to way we were doing things before, the way we were practicing, “They’ll bake each other cookies or make a sign or accomplish. These objectives are based on things they can and our energy level. So ever since then we’ve been back on something like that,” Head Coach Heather Farlow said. improve upon from the past. For instance, the offense could track with our wins and even our ties.”

“

Boys’ Volleyball

GREENHILL AT THE FALL SPC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Boys’ volleyball finished second in the SPC, after finishing second in the North Zone during the regular season with a record of 25-7 (6-2 in counters). Greenhill beat St. Mary’s Hall of San Antonio 3-1 on Friday and Fort Worth Country Day 3-0 on Saturday to face St. Mark’s School of Texas in the finals. The two schools have faced off in each of the two previous boys’ volleyball championship games, with Greenhill taking both. The Lions ended the Hornets’ bid for a third consecutive championship with a 3-0 win in the finals.

Boys’ volleyball was led this season by a strong core of five seniors: Brian Broder, Grant Unell, Davis Owens, Zac Cooner, and Ghonhee Lee. In addition to their veteran leaders, the team featured three juniors and two underclassmen: sophomores Chandler Notley and Grayson Taylor.

Boys’ Cross Country Boys’ cross country finished eighth at the SPC meet. Senior captain Ryan Duffy led the team by finishing eighth overall — first among North-Zone runners.

Girls’ Cross Country Girls’ cross country finished tenth at their meet. Freshman Abigail Grindstaff had the team’s highest finish, at 25th overall. The team’s SPC delegation was composed entirely of underclassmen.

Girls’ Volleyball

Coming off a regular season in which they finished undefeated in conference play, girls’ volleyball earned the first overall seed in the Division-I tournament. They defeated St. John’s of Houston in the first round and Houston Christian in the semifinals, matching up against St. Stephen’s of Austin in the championship round.

Greenhill lost 3-1, earning them a second-place finish in the SPC, their highest finish in Head Coach Tatiane Deibert’s three years with the team. Girls’ volleyball won their most recent conference championship in 2005.

A relatively young squad, this year’s team featured only two seniors — Melanie Andrews and Shelton Taylor — while playing five underclassmen — sophomores Caila Pickett, Alex Drossos, and Hayley Isenberg, and freshmen Nicole Koonce and Dani Milner.

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wednesday, november 14, 2012

Winter Sports Preview

Boys’ Basketball

Despite a preseason marked with early injuries and adversity, boys’ basketball retains high hopes of making noise in an especially competitive Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC). The squad will be without key players senior Josh Dickerman and junior Matthew Jones for the beginning of the season due to injuries sustained in football. Matthew expects to return after Thanksgiving, while Josh, who hopes to return by Christmas, earned All-SPC honors as a sophomore and All-SPC North Zone last year as a junior.

As a result, Head Coach Jaye Andrews said he will look to his younger players — particularly sophomore Chandler Notley and Auston Evans — to step up early on. Auston aims to build on the success of last season, when he earned All-SPC honors as a freshman.

Due to the team’s relative youth, Coach Andrews will not decide on team captains until after the first few weeks of the season.

Instead, he will pick captains on a game-togame basis to start. He said he hopes to see leaders emerge.

If the team wants to win SPC, they will have to overcome powerhouse St. John’s School of Houston, which has won both of the last two SPC boys’ basketball championship.

St. John’s is led by junior Justice Winslow, who is the number nine overall recruit for the class of 2014 in the nation for basketball.

Greenhill athletes are quickly transitioning from fall to winter sports.

Check in on basketball, soccer, and swimming to find out what’s in store for the Hornets this season.

season as starting goalkeeper. Coach Krauss said he believes this team has the potential to compete for an SPC title, as he expects to see a lot of parity in the conference. Several top competitors, including St. Mark’s School of Texas, lost key players from last year.

If the combination of valuable experience and further overall improvement can come together, Coach Krauss and the players feel they can return to the Division-I standard that’s been set by the boys’ soccer program in the past.

Girls’ Soccer The girls’ soccer team is leaning on their core of veteran players and an influx of new, young talent for a winning combination this season. The team will likely begin the season without two-year starter junior Laura Arnold as she recovers from illness. Head Coach Paige Ashley said the team will miss Laura’s versatility, as she has a unique ability to play almost any position on the field. In order to build team chemistry and adaptability, Coach Ashley plans to experiment with various lineups and players through the beginning of the season, finding the right combinations in time for counter-game season. To win SPC, the girls will most likely have to compete with top teams like Hockaday, Fort Worth Country Day, and Kinkaid. The program is also adding a JV squad for the first time in several years, thanks to the several new underclassmen joining the program.

Girls’ Basketball

Boys’ Swimming

Head Coach Darryn Sandler has made creating chemistry among his players a priority, as a squad that graduated nine seniors last year enters the season with SPC ambitions.

Returning starters junior Rachael Sklar and sophomore Hayley Isenberg are expected to lead the team this season.

“In the summer league, those were the two that seemed to lead us,” Coach Sandler said. With only three other varsity players returning, Coach Sandler acknowledged that the leadership of those with experience, however limited, will be critical. Coach Sandler and the girls still expect to hold their own at the Division-I level against tough SPC opponents like Kinkaid and St. John’s.

After a tie for sixth place in SPC last year, Head Coach Jim Montgomery, in his thirteenth year at Greenhill, has high expectations for his boys’ squad. Coach Montgomery said he expects juniors Zach Freeman and Ravi Narula to offer valuable experience as upperclassmen. Seniors Mick Riley and Sam Levinger will captain the boys’ squad. Sophomore W.T. Greer and freshman Nicolas Suarez, both new to the varsity swim team, are expected to be valuable additions. Five team members also swim outside of school for club teams. According to Coach Montgomery, Cistercian Preparatory School and St. Marks will be among Greenhill’s toughest competition during the SPC tournament.

Girls’ Swimming

Boys’ Soccer After finishing in Division II for the first time in over two decades last season, boys’ soccer is aiming to learn from the experience and leap back into Division I this year. As only three players from last year’s squad graduated, the relative experience of this season’s squad should help them out. Returning captain junior Brent Rubin will lead the defense for the Hornets. Other captains may be added through the course of the season, according to Head Coach Gregory Krauss. While the team will lean on Brent in the back, senior Nimay Kulkarni is expected to lead the attack, with senior Weston Shosid in his second

By the numbers

0

Coach Montgomery and the girls’ swimming team are aiming for a return to the top three in SPC this season, coming off of a second-place finish last February.

Juniors Logan McGill and Geralyn Lam, along with freshman Whitney Pettijohn ,should lead a girls’ squad now missing Claire Brandt ‘12, last year’s top swimmer. Claire is now swimming at Texas A&M University.

As of Nov. , the coaches had not yet decided on a captain for the girls’ squad.

Photo courtesy of Holly Scott

KICKING IT: Sophomore Torri Hayden sprints downfield in a soccer game last season. With a more experienced squad this year , girls’ soccer has set high expectations for themselves.

Members of the varsity swim team competing in diving this year, after the graduation of Dawson Ray ‘12, last season’s only Greenhill diver.

621

Points scored by senior Josh Dickerman in the last two seasons on the varsity boys’ basketball team, the most by any player. See p. 21 for more on Josh.

5

Girls on the varsity swim team who received All-SPC honors last season. Three of these swimmers, all juniors, return to the squad this year.

Stories by Ben Krakow and Varun Gupta

1059

The total height in inches of the varsity boys’ basketball team. Players’ heights range from 5’6” (junior Philip Rasansky) to 6’6” (sophomore Chandler Notley).

wednesday, november 14, 2012

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Senior fights to get back on court after leg injury Joseph Middleman Asst. Features Editor

Ben Weinberg Sports Editor

Senior Josh Dickerman is no stranger to getting knocked down. As a four-year varsity basketball player and a starting running back for varsity football, Josh has taken his fair share of hits over the years, and he’s gotten up just as many times. That’s what made it all the more frightening for Josh and his teammates when, during a game at Holland Hall in Tulsa, OK, Josh got knocked down, and didn’t get up immediately.

After medical consultation, the trainer confirmed that Josh had dislocated his ankle and broken his fibula. His football season was over. Basketball was in jeopardy, too. With practice a month away, varsity boys’ basketball faced the prospect of going into a competitive Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) without its starting forward and leading scorer.

Worse still, Josh would have plenty of time to do nothing but mull over his injury — and what it would mean going forward.

“All I could think about was that I’d never be able to play football again and may not be able to play basketball,” Josh said.

Josh found out later that he would be out of commission for weeks, on crutches and in a leg cast. Neither Josh nor his doctors are certain, but Josh hopes he could be back on the court by Christmas. In the meantime, the basketball team must find a way to compete without one of their star players.

Head Coach Jaye Andrews is preparing to take the court without Josh for the foreseeable future.

“It will be tough without him, but I believe we will still be successful. When he returns I hope it will be like a shot in the arm and propel us forward,” Coach Andrews said.

For the first few weeks of the season, the team will look to their other more experienced members to fill the void. The squad has only two other seniors, Jake Goldberg and Brady Kahn. Junior guard Regis Johnson, in his third year with the varsity squad, is also pushing himself to step into a leadership role early on.

Missing a proven and experienced leader on the court could spur a coaching staff to move a player as quickly through the recovery process as possible. Not in this case. The same qualities that make Josh so valuable make Coach Andrews cautious about bringing Josh back onto

Photo by Miles Andres

GETTING BACK IN ACTION: Senior Josh Dickerman, a starting forward for boys’ basketball, is in the midst of recovering from a leg injury sustained in football. He aims to return to basketball as soon as possible. Josh led the team in scoring last season, earning All-SPC honors.

the court too soon.

“I will be very protective of Josh coming back, because this is not the end of the road for him. He plans on playing in college and I want to be helpful to him in taking the next step in his career,” Coach Andrews said.

The college aspect is a complicated factor affecting Josh’s hopes for the rest of the season.

Josh said that he plans on playing basketball in college, and has been contacted by multiple schools already. Coach Andrews, for one, has no intention of putting a potentially bright future in jeopardy.

“We’re not the end game for Josh,” Coach Andrews said. “It’s not like this is his senior year in college.”

Josh’s competitive nature has him thinking a bit differently about his injury and recovery.

While Coach Andrews is set to err on the side of caution, Josh said he wants nothing more than to get back on the court as soon as possible.

“I would like to be back before Christmas at the latest. Until then, I will do what I can to prepare for the season,” Josh said.

This will be neither easy nor simple.

Josh and his doctors expect him to have his leg cast off by the end of Thanksgiving break, but that will still mean the end of his recovery. Josh will have to undergo extensive physical therapy to recover and strengthen his leg before basketball is a possibility again.

“I am doing everything to get my leg back to where it needs to be. Before therapy all I am able to do is take seated shots,” Josh said.

The sidelines are certainly a new environment for Josh. As last year’s leading scorer and a starting forward, Josh admitted that the transition has been especially difficult.

However, he said he refuses to feel sorry for himself.

“This is just going to make me better,” Josh said. “I will still be able to play.” Josh, his teammates, and his coaches all know that he will eventually be able to play — it’s just a matter of how soon. If he reaches his targeted return date, the team will have their senior forward back when conference play begins, enabling them to compete at full strength throughout the countergame season.

Photo courtesy of Louis Andres

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wednesday, november 14, 2012

Behind the scenes: Facilities for more than just students Anton Yu

Editor-in-Chief

As Greenhill athletes spiked, shot, and sprinted their way through the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Championships in Fort Worth on Saturday, participants in the 33rd annual Southern Karate Championships sparred their way to victory in the Phillips Gym on campus. According to Richard Hall, Director of Sports Center, renting Greenhill’s athletic facilities to outside groups and events like this is both lucrative and a way to market the school.

Greenhill’s facilities have attracted professional teams such as the Dallas Mavericks, who hold a week-long basketball camp on campus every summer, and FC Dallas, which practices throughout the year on the school’s fields. Luke’s Locker, Greenhill’s partner in hosting the annual 6-Mile Relay, holds its summer invitational meets on campus.

From 2004 to 2007, the Dallas Cowboys also conducted a summer clinic at Greenhill for underprivileged children.

Mr. Hall said he has to “turn down a number of requests every week,” with the biggest challenge being fitting events around Greenhill’s schedule.

Typically, Mr. Hall said, the outside groups, most of which are club sports such as

volleyball, soccer, swimming, and basketball, involve current Greenhill students.

Renting out the facilities generates revenue for the school.

According to Chief Financial Officer Melissa Orth, the gross revenue from renting out facilities for this year is $217,000. Of this revenue, 42 percent comes from the fields, 34 percent from the gyms, 18 percent from the pool, and six percent from other facilities. After deducting direct expenses — for example, hiring additional security for the karate tournament — the net revenue is $127,000. This net income goes to support the indirect costs of the facilities, such as energy expenses and upkeep, and to fund the general operations of the school.

“The way we price our facility rental is based on market. So we look at: what are pools in the area going for? What are gym spaces going for?” Ms. Orth said. “We price at market. Occasionally, when we have a nonprofit organization come to us — for instance the American Cancer Association comes to us and wants to hold a run out here — sometimes we’ll only charge them an incremental out-ofpocket.”

Mr. Hall highlighted three additional goals of the sports center: to bring groups onto campus, to identify prospective students

and families, and to promote exposure in the community.

“We get a lot of students who come here for our facilities, and that helps to identify prospective students and put Greenhill out in the community,” he said.

Mr. Hall said the idea of using the Sports Center to generate revenue primarily originated in 1994, when Dallas was one of nine cities in the United States hosting the FIFA World Cup. Greenhill, with its newly upgraded fields, served as a training site for the teams from Nigeria and Brazil.

The school has always had field space, and had held soccer camps on these fields through the ’70s and ’80s, but Mr. Hall points to the growth of the indoor facilities — specifically, the founding of the Phillips Family Athletic Center in February 1999 — as the take-off point for the Sports Center as a whole.

The facilities, Mr. Hall said, are also open, free of charge, to members of the Greenhill community, including students, faculty and staff, parents, and alumni. The Fitness Center is available when open during the day, and the track is always free to use. However, requests must be placed for the fields, tennis courts, and swimming pool, due to less flexible schedules.

By the numbers

217

Thousand dollars of gross revenue Greenhill will bring in this year by renting out their athletic facilities.

23

Groups that have rented Greenhill athletic facilities for the 2012-2013 school year, according to Director of Sports Center Richard Hall, current as of Oct 18.

3

Groups renting Greenhill facilities for sports not offered as teams by the school. These sports include martial arts like kendo and karate.

Opinion: Team sports require serious commitment, community buy-in Ben Weinberg Sports Editor

We hear it all the time. Coaches preach it; captains spread it around; C-Day speakers repeat it: Greenhill needs more athletes.

This isn’t anything new or unreasonable.

For a relatively small school to compete in sports takes buy-in from just about everyone.

Naturally, every team could always use an extra guy or girl. So we hear it all the time: for non-athletes, try picking up a sport; if you’re on one team, try joining another. We hear it so often that we can become numb to the meaning behind it.

We commonly point to Greenhill’s pyramid of Arts, Academics, and Athletics.

All deserve respect and participation from all students. But as any athlete can argue, the nature of athletics makes participation in a sport somewhat different from participation in a class or an art. We cannot just play for a team — we must commit ourselves to that team.

Otherwise, we are not making a difference.

While classes certainly deserve our best effort, sports demand it. A player does not simply owe it to himself to work his hardest.

In a class, the student is the one — usually the only one — that deals with consequences of

his effort or lack thereof. By virtue of playing for a team, an athlete owes it to others to always put forth his or her maximum effort.

For that reason, students cannot take the idea of joining a sport lightly. It is a large and legitimate commitment, and must be treated as such.

The word commitment is thrown around all the time. So let’s truly define it.

Commitment, in the context of sports at Greenhill, means dedicating yourself to your team and its success. Committed players are at practice giving 100 percent whenever they can. And when they can’t, they do what needs

to be done to make up for it. Committed players make decisions with their team’s best interest in mind. In order to be truly committed, players must take seriously their responsibility.

I don’t mean this as a deterrent, but instead as encouragement. When we put in the necessary work, great things can happen — record seasons and SPC titles, for instance.

Teammates, coaches, and fans alike appreciate it. And there’s something special about walking off the field knowing that, win or lose, you gave your all — for yourself and your teammates.

For that feeling, the effort is worth it.

wednesday, november 14, 2012

AFTERWORDS

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Wrapping us in a bubble

If school involved nothing more than math problems and historical facts, we could all save money and be homeschooled. But school is more than just sitting in class; it’s where we learn to interact with others. These lessons are valuable, even when they hurt.

This Halloween, Middle School students were prohibited from dressing up with friends.

This was an effort by the administration to

prevent exclusion. When I was in seventh grade (before this rule was imposed), I dressed up as a Tootsie Roll while three of my friends paraded around in matching elf costumes. I was hurt — why hadn’t the girls asked me to join? When I talked with my elf friend, she was not mad, just oblivious to the fact that I had wanted to join. It wasn’t a fun experience, but it made me more conscious of how I treat others and reminded me not to take everything so personally. If Greenhill had forced my classmates to dress up independently, I would have missed these essential lessons.

In an effort to spare hurt feelings surrounding dances, it has been proposed that freshmen should have dinner and pictures together as a class instead of individual homecoming groups. While the sentiment of inclusion is nice, the dynamic will be no different than daily lunch in the cafeteria.

Separating into smaller groups, on the other

hand, teaches us how to interact with new people.

Junior year, my homecoming date was part of a different social group and I Protecting connected with people feelings I never would have stints our talked to otherwise. ability to If there were a cope with mandatory grade-large challenges.” homecoming group, I would have just talked to my regular friends.

Forcing everyone into one group ensures that no one will be left behind, but it also prevents students from developing new relationships.

The Helen Misura Award is presented to two fourth-grade students at the end of the year who exhibit qualities of scholarship, citizenship, and leadership. There have been grumblings that no one should receive this

award because so many kids are deserving, and students and parents have been upset if they are not chosen. In the short term, yes, not selecting two children would make the other 78 a lot happier. However, protecting feelings stints our ability to cope with challenges, and it is a missed opportunity to award truly outstanding behavior. Everyone remembers that one award they received that nobody else did. What made it special is that you were singled out and chosen from the masses. If everyone is a winner, no one triumphs, and there is no incentive to be the best.

Greenhill’s heart is in the right place: Who wants their child’s feelings hurt? However, these recent proposals and actions prohibit us from learning valuable lessons. It is impossible to live without pain and disappointment. By pretending cliques do not exist, Greenhill is both delaying the inevitable and denying us the chance to learn in a safe environment.

words of that fellow Greenhillian as trivial; I know now just how relevant a point it was. I’ll be good as new in a few weeks, but recently someone pointed out to me how blind we seem to have become regarding people who are not considered by society to be fully ablebodied.

Fortunately, modern medicine in our country has helped remedy or eliminate disabling diseases such as polio, which still has appeared within the last century. Polio has become so rare in the United States that it was considered eradicated by 1979. However, such diseases still make their mark in countries where medicine isn’t as advanced or accessible.

In Pakistan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan, polio is still a concern. In October, efforts by various organizations attempted to vaccinate over 25 million children in an initiative to eradicate the disease in Nigeria. For many of us, a lastminute trip to the doctor may be tedious, but it’s certainly achievable. Some, whose parents

are doctors, don’t even have to leave the comfort of their own homes. But this isn’t the case for everyone, even in our own country.

With skyrocketing medical costs and many left uninsured, a trip to the doctor’s office can do a lot of good, but also a lot of damage to the family’s savings. That’s I’d gladly if proper run figurem e d i c a l eights for care is even an entire accessible, as practice if it sometimes meant I could it isn’t. So this play injury-free. ” Thanksgiving, while I’m attempting to balance a forkful of pie in my left hand, I’ll remember that I have a lot to be thankful for, and nothing to complain about.

became more educated that I realized that, as a Muslim, my religious values align more with conservatives than with liberals, meaning that I lean right on the political spectrum.

Which To look at two is more hot-button issues important today will make to me: my point clear: how he According to many handles Islamic scholars, social issues or Islam considers how he handles homosexuality my people? a sin and forbids abortion.

I hesitate to equate myself or my religion strictly with Republicans, however, because there are important nuances. For many Muslims, it is acting on a homosexual feeling that is considered sinful. Similarly, on the issue of abortion, many scholars say that women are allowed to prevent pregnancy and have an abortion when the woman’s life is in

danger. Still, while Islamic values are somewhat more progressive than the GOP platform, it remains true that Islam leans right.

So most Muslims vote Republican, right?

Actually, no, they don’t, and therein lies the irony.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations released a study showing that 78 percent of Muslims voted for Bush in 2000, just one year before 9/11. But a 2011 Pew Research Center survey showed 70 percent of American Muslims identify as Democrats or lean towards the Democratic Party. I don’t know a single Republican Muslim and I know a lot of Muslims.

Why? Because we’re scared. Since 9/11, a wave of Islamophobia has hit the United States. There have been death threats, antimosque incidents like the burning of a mosque in Joplin, Missouri, and hate crimes, like the horrific murder of a mother of five Shaima Alawadi in California. We feel targeted and we don’t feel like we can practice our religion

openly and freely.

So when people ask why I don’t vote conservative, the most simple answer is this: By choosing not to vote conservatively, I choose not to impose my social values on the entire nation. It would be hypocritical of me to ask the nation to let me follow my religion freely and peacefully and then vote to limit gay rights or ban abortion. I believe everyone has the right to do what they want with their lives in this country, myself included.

Instead, I vote to improve Muslims’ standing in the nation and in the world. As an American Muslim with the right to vote, I can’t afford to forget my fellow Muslims when I’m choosing a candidate.

We need a candidate who will stand up for real equality, one who won’t alienate Muslim Americans by authorizing drone strikes and keeping Guantanamo Bay open.

So although I was alone when I voted and no one could see who I chose, I picked someone not for my values, but for my people.

So, why do I want to go to college?

Because, barring some cosmic event like the Mayan Apocalypse, it’s almost guaranteed I’ll be attending some university next year.

Greenhill, after all, is an (expensive) college prep school.

The answer, for me at least, is the atmosphere and environment, the intellectual undercurrents and the opportunities for personal growth. (It’s not just me: In a Pew Research survey from last year, 74 percent of graduates from four-year colleges indicated their education was “very useful in helping them grow intellectually”; 86 percent that it was a “good investment personally.”)

To which I respond, well, why isn’t Greenhill like that? After all, Greenhill is a (rigorous) college preparatory school.

Sure, colleges may provide more opportunities for intellectual enrichment through cutting-edge research and a more varied, less strict curriculum. But numerous students find research positions themselves,

and Greenhill does offer a range of elective classes and tutorials as long as students demonstrate interest. Plus, we always have the Internet, books and other sources to learn about anything we’re passionate about.

Maybe it’s just me, but I became a little envious when I read senior Rebecca Kuang’s quote in our debate story on p.4 about the intellectual vibrancy of the debate culture.

Because I don’t see that discussion and debate among students on campus. And I know we’re perfectly capable of engaging in intellectually stimulating conversations.

For example, I’ve been completely blown away this year in my AP Literature class by our discussions in class, and by my enthusiasm and willingness to join in on them. (I recently received my first mid-trimester comment complimenting me on my participation in class.) But it’s because we’re required to write “thought pieces” on the reading each night: In effect, we’re forced to actually think.

So, what do I want? Impromptu debates

about Marxism in Romania or monotheism in west Asia? Well, yes — but more practically, take advantage of all the opportunities and resources you have, including your friends (and teachers). Our staff raved the number of speakers brought on campus this past trimester, but the number of students attending nonlunch events (especially when free pizza wasn’t provided) was rant-worthy.

There were only a handful of nonvolunteer students who heard Dr. Amory Lovins, one of Time magazine’s top 100 most influential people of 2009, speak in the theater after school. Furthermore, all of the 39 seniors who had taken AP Government last year were invited to listen to Jeffrey Toobin, who wrote one of their books, an insider look at the current Supreme Court; only six students attended the event. The list goes on.

The opportunities may not be as numerous or as evident as on college campuses, but they’re there. It’s just up to us to take hold of them.

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Giving thanks for an able body

Ever year around Thanksgiving, each member of my Heart of the Hill Legacy Group shares what he or she is thankful for. Previous discussions have spanned a large spectrum, from family to football. When I was younger, one older member would explain every year that he was thankful for being able-bodied. A relatively healthy and injury-free youngster, I was uninterested by this response, and instead looked for stories about the eccentric family

pet or outside-of-school activity.

However, perhaps by some twist of fate, this field hockey season I have been plagued by injury. From a severely sprained ankle for which I had to spend days on crutches to a fractured wrist that put me in my first cast (on my writing hand no less), I’ve spent practically every day in the athletic trainer’s office, which was unknown territory before this year.

My injuries will heal. They aren’t even the worst on campus at this very moment. I can’t imagine spending weeks on crutches or having to stay home days at a time, lying on my bed due to a concussion.

However, being unable to do basic things like walk, write, or brush my hair without pain, even for that short amount of time has, made me realize just how much I took the small things for granted. I’d gladly run figure eights for an entire practice if it meant I could play injury-free.

Perhaps I should not have dismissed the

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Islam and politics: a voting dilemma

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Last Friday, I stood in line to vote at the library I’ve been visiting since I was little. It wasn’t a long line, but I still had time to weigh my decision in my mind, like I have so often in past weeks. Because unlike some, I am not dedicated to either major party candidate. I ask myself: Which is more important to me? How the candidate handles social issues, or how he handles my people? Every time, without fail, I choose the latter.

It wasn’t until I took AP Government and

Food for thought

As I stress over every last detail in my college applications, there has been one nagging question in my mind. What’s the point of college?

It’s an incredibly pertinent question as well, with national student-loan debt surpassing credit card debt and rising toward $1 trillion.

A recent issue of Time magazine reported that 80 percent of adults and 41 percent of highereducation senior administrators said that a college education is not worth the cost.

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wednesday, november 14, 2012

Review: Classic Toys Exhibit

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isiting the Classic Toys exhibit at the Old Red Museum downtown was like venturing into my grandmothers attic: both are small, cramped spaces filled with trivial, yet fascinating junk. Despite its small size, the exhibit is packed with hundreds of toys, from Lincoln Logs to Toss Across, that highlight the classics of the 20th century and were best-sellers for more than a decade. And, at the end of the exhibit, you get to create your own clothespin doll, whirly gig, or button spinner.

Even with my genuine interest in the exhibit, I found myself in and out the door in less than 20 minutes. Not because it wasn’t intriguing or thorough, but, because I felt like had seen all the toys before. I think the museum is better suited for younger generations, growing up with Zhu Zhu Pets, who cannot remember the days when toys were not battery operated, or for older generations who want to reminisce on childhood games of Chutes and Ladders.

Consequently, the exhibit seems to be the perfect place for grandparents and grandkids to spend an afternoon over the upcoming Thanksgiving Break.

Honestly, as an Upper Schooler, I would not go all the way downtown just for the Classic Toys exhibit. But, if you find yourself there over the break, it’s one activity that won’t break the bank, with admission prices at only $2 for kids and $4 for adults. And the museum itself is an amazing building. Built in 1892, the space was initially a local courthouse and contains over 100 beautiful stained glass windows as well as a newly renovated, original clock tower. If for no other reason, stop by to check out one of Dallas’ most historically authentic, architectural gems.

The Old Red Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 100 South Houston Street Dallas, TX 75202.

story and graphic by Gabrielle Das

Blast From the Past: Teachers talk childhood toy favorites Cristina Perez

US Office Coordinator I grew up in a big family, so big that we rarely got the opportunity to go toy shopping.

Somehow, I convinced my parents that I needed a Cabbage Patch Kids doll. I remember the trip to Kmart, with sky-high shelves that towered over me, full of cute, round faces. I had endless options to pick out the perfect one. I don’t remember which doll I took home, but I do remember the smell of plastic when I opened the box and the birth certificate I filled out as the proud, new owner of a Cabbage Patch Kids doll.

Leslie Sinclair-Worley MS Science Teacher

It was a magical screen that kept me entertained for hours: the Etch A Sketch. No batteries, no power cord, no assembly necessary. It was portable and quiet, important selling points for my parents. It was suitable for long car rides, nights with the babysitter, or for days without power as we sat out a hurricane (a relatively

common occurrence living in south Louisiana).

What fun it was, screw driver in hand, to reveal the inner workings of my favorite toy. But what a mess! There was magic silver powder residue all over the kitchen table and me. Though my favored toy met its end in the name of scientific investigation, I still remember it fondly.

Herman Card

Physical Education Coach I was always a fan of a variety of toys. My favorite was the Tonka Trucks and G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu grip. I also received a lot of cowboy stuff. One year I was fortunate enough to dress as a real cowboy. Some other toys I was blessed to have were a banana seat bike with the high handle bars, a real tricycle, and a bag of glass marbles. Steel-wheel skates for outdoor skating was another toy that everyone had on their list.

Michael Simpson

Head of Lower School My favorite toy growing up was the plastic Toy Soldiers. I had hundreds of these figures and

they would battle anything else that came their way: King Kong, Godzilla, a much larger bionicman action figure, and my sisters’ Barbies. They died in various acts of valor (or torture), such as jumping out of second-story windows or cars, being drowned, chewed by the dog, buried, hammered, sawed in half, or covered in glue-and, on one occasion, nail polish. In addition to helping me learn to develop interesting and suspenseful plot lines, playing with my army men helped me become a sound-effects expert.

Paula Hall

3rd Grade Humanities Teacher Growing up in the ’80s, I played with Barbie dolls. I loved combing their hair and changing their clothes. My best friend Elena had really good accessories like the Barbie McDonald’s, dollhouse, convertible, and swim club. I had the horse and that was about it. Last summer my mom gave me some of those old Barbies in the same suitcase and now I watch my own daughters comb the same hair and dress them in the same clothes I did when I was a kid. I guess that’s why they are considered ‘Classic Toys’.