November 2019 | The Evergreen, Greenhill School

the volume 55, issue 2

Everything Greenhill

november 13, 2019

Where there's smoke, there's In 2019, thousands of e-cigarette users have fallen ill, and at least 37 have died. Many of the victims are teenagers.

Students, counselors and administrators discuss this dangerous new addiction. page 8

News

Primer marks its 50th anniversary p. 2

Features

Q&A with Austrian exchange student Armin Sommer p. 7

Arts

Soaring participation in the Bollywood Dance Troupe p. 10

Sports

Lane Herbert on gender inequality in NCAA sports p. 12

Views

Staff editorial about course diversity at Greenhill p.15

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Graphic by Jothi Gupta

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News

Greenhill Primer celebrates its 50th anniversary

Photos courtesy of Tom Perryman and Greenhill's Cavalcade

HORTONS AND WHOS: For the past 50 years, Primer has served as a unique opportunity for younger Greenhill students to have time to grow. Primer is a transitional grade between Kindergarten and first grade. This program, while sometimes met with hesitance, is also valued as an enriching experience for the community.

Hayden Jacobs

Editor-in-Chief

Leah Nutkis

Managing Editor

P

rimer is the only grade at Greenhill that has a regularly scheduled dance party. It’s called “Bust a Move” and happens every afternoon at 2:45.

“It’s a way to get their giggles out while building their confidence,” Primer teacher Tracey Pugh said.

The 2019-2020 school year marks the 50th anniversary of Greenhill’s Primer program. Formally known as a type of transitional first grade, Primer serves as a bridge between a student’s Kindergarten and first-grade years. The program gives students what Greenhill faculty and students describe as “the gift of time.”

The Primer program began in 1971 under the direction of Greenhill founder Bernard Fulton and Head of Lower School Phillip Foote. There were seven students in the first Primer class. The course was initially designed to act as a developmental year for children who had finished Kindergarten, but weren’t “developmentally ready for the relative rigor of Greenhill’s first-grade program,” according to “From Humble Beginnings,” the definitive Greenhill history written by Assistant Head of School Tom Perryman ’81 and his brother, David E. Perryman ’83.

Primer’s first goals were to allow students the time to develop “horizontally” and not

“vertically,” giving the select number of students an opportunity to finish developing specific skills in a smaller class setting.

Primer students are able to “hit first grade running, with their social and school skills more honed than they would otherwise have been,” according to the Perryman account.

“

I have never had a parent tell me afterwards that Primer wasn't absolutely the best thing that could've happened to their child. There are certainly parents upfront who protest their kid being recommended for Primer, but once it’s done, they’ve never said anything but positive things."

Over the years, Primer has had its share of controversy, for the simple reason that some parents resist the suggestion that their child isn’t ready for first grade.

Greenhill’s launch of the Primer program began in an era when many Texas schools began implementing a “repeat” year to allow boys to grow for another year before stepping onto the football field. The year would eventually result in boys being older, and therefore taller, stronger and more developed,as they entered high school.

The developmental impetus for Greenhill’s Primer program was emotional,

not physical. It resulted in some students entering first grade at a more advanced age than previous years. Older students meant their development was further along.

Over time, the Primer program has more than proved its worth.

Past Primer students have been valedictorians, student council presidents and varsity captains. Last year, half of Greenhill’s awards given to graduating seniors were given to students who attended Primer.

Still, some parents remain hesitant to see their child placed in Primer instead of first grade. That hesitancy fades with time, Tom Perryman said.

“I never had a parent tell me afterwards that Primer wasn’t absolutely the best thing that could’ve happened to their child,” Perryman said. “There are certainly parents upfront who protest their kid being recommended for Primer, but once it’s done, they’ve never said anything but positive things.”

Today’s Primer’s classes have just under 20 students. Primer students get to take part in activities unlike any other in the Lower School. One of their most popular events is the Primer Pie Contest. The contest takes place every November on election day and features pies submitted by individuals and groups from all divisions of Greenhill.

The selection process for Primer involves an extensive observation process.

Kindergarten students born between March 1 and Aug. 31 are watched in the classroom,

at recess, and during co-curricular classes such as fine arts, languages, and physical education. Observations are performed by teachers from Kindergarten, Primer and first grade, said Head of Preschool Netra Fitzgerald.

“There are very specific behavioral attributes we look for during these observations,” Head of Lower School Michael Simpson said.

Primer students are not selected based on academic performance, but instead are considered because of where they are socially, emotionally and developmentally.

In addition to a child’s in-school observation, parental feedback is necessary to get a full understanding of the situation.

Parents provide this during their winter parent-teacher conference with their child’s Kindergarten teacher. The teacher will take this information back to the selection committee, who makes the final recommendation as to whether the student should enroll in Primer or first grade.

“We get their observations of how the kids work at home and in regards to selfregulation, self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision making,” said Fitzgerald, who is in charge of the Primer selection committee.

Fifty years after its launch, Primer is still going strong at Greenhill. The anniversary year will culminate next spring with a 50th birthday party. All Primer graduates in Greenhill's history will be invited to the celebration at Founders’ Place.

the

Evergreen news 3 A modern take on “Romeo and Juliet” fosters dialogue about mental health

wednesday, november 13, 2019

Photos by Amber Syed and Riya Rangdal

STAR-CROSSED: Greenhill’s fall production was a modern take on Romeo and Juliet. The production premiered on Nov. 7 and played through Nov. 9. The show has stimulated the conversation about mental health and destigmitizing mental illnesses at Greenhill. Romeo was portrayed by sophomore Will McDonald and Juliet by senior Kate Franklin.

Sonali Notani Managing Editor­

I

n the climactic scene of William Shakespeare’s classic play about starcrossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet both commit suicide. This fall, Greenhill’s theater students resurrected one of history’s most tragic love stories as a teachable moment about mental health.

“We want to bring to the forefront a very taboo topic,” Upper School drama and theater teacher Valerie Hauss-Smith said. “What we are seeing is [Romeo and Juliet] made a final decision about a temporary problem. We see what happens after someone takes their life as well, how the families coped and grieved.”

The topic of mental health emerged in dramatic fashion at Greenhill two years ago in a series of senior speeches.

The speeches resulted in the formation of the student group Hornet Mental Health, which adopted the catchphrase: “Start the conversation, create a brave space, end the stigma.”

The Greenhill production of “Romeo

and Juliet,” which ran from Nov. 7-9 in the Marshall Family Performing Arts Center, has continued that conversation.

Since the production dealt with sensitive topics—Hauss-Smith described the suicide as a moment where the two young lovers find their circumstances so extreme that they do not see any way out—Greenhill counselor Amanda Frederick came in and talked to the actors.

When the counselors came in to speak to the cast, they had a slideshow prepared on mental health, focusing on depression and suicide. The presentation helped students better understand some of the themes of the show, cast members said.

“The ending of Romeo and Juliet is often not taken seriously, but suicide is very serious and very final,” said senior Kate Franklin, who played Juliet. “The counselors helped us deal respectfully with these heavy topics in the show. We even learned the signs of mental health and how to help others that could be dealing with one of these issues.”

For the production, Romeo was played by sophomore Will McDonald, opposite Franklin’s Juliet.

“This is definitely the biggest role I have received so far,” McDonald said as opening night neared. “It has been a really fun process. Everyone is so supportive and constantly compliments each other.

I am both nervous and excited to bring this play to life.”

The play was modeled after the original Shakespearean version, with the same language and characters. However, it was also set in modern times so that the story would be more relatable to the audience.

“If we are performing Shakespeare, our goal is to deliver and act in a way that the audience comprehends everything,” Hauss-Smith said.

Furthermore, as part of the effort to modernize the production, Romeo played the drums and other characters played electric guitars and saxophones.

“I am excited for many parts of this show, but I think the coolest part is that it will be transposed and shown in modern

day,” Franklin said. “I really enjoy seeing Shakespearean productions updated and made relevant to society.”

To prepare for the production, students underwent intensive combat training over the summer from a stage fight choreographer and stage fight director. One of the directors, Lloyd Caldwell, has worked behind the scenes on many famous movies from the 1990s and early 2000s. The live fight scenes involved knives and fake blood.

“For most of us, this was the first time we did any combat training. It was really exciting to learn basic knife tricks, punches, and kicks,” senior Caroline Sasso said.

In addition to suicide, there were many other topics in the production relevant to Greenhill students.

“We are dealing with falling in love, relationships, parental pressure, unsupportive families, consent and reflecting on what the final moment of this play means,” Hauss-Smith said.

“Although the play is quite old, these topics are still relevant.”

Alumni

The voice of our news

John Burnett ’74 takes on the Southwest region for NPR

Photos courtesy of the Greenhill Communications Department and John Burnett

A DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS: John Burnett ’74 has gained journalistic renown as a news correspondent for National Public Radio. He has traveled the world, reporting on the American war in Iraq, the U.S.-Mexico border crisis and lighter subjects such as sacred music. Burnett credits his writing foundation and work ethic to his years at Greenhill.

Sarah Luan

Photos and Graphics Director

O

n a recent November afternoon, listeners of National Public Radio’s popular afternoon drive-time news show, “All Things Considered,” heard a familiar voice reporting from a tiny Texas Panhandle town changed by immigrants drawn to jobs at a local slaughterhouse.

That familiar voice belongs to veteran NPR reporter John Burnett ’74, honored by the Greenhill School Alumni Board last spring as recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award.

As NPR’s Southwest correspondent, Burnett has traveled across the country to report and write a variety of interesting and important stories.

He has spent thirty-three years at NPR. His body of work includes coverage of America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, reporting on Mexico’s bloody war against drug traffickers, and more off-beat stories such as reporting a series on sacred music in America called “Ecstatic Voices.”

Currently, Burnett mainly covers immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border.

“I’m really excited about digging in and doing some investigative reporting,” Burnett said. “I’ve loved working on the border. There are a lot of great immigration reporters now and there’s a lot of attention on this [topic], so hopefully we’ll break some news.”

Throughout his travels around the U.S. and the world, Greenhill has remained a touchstone for Burnett.

During his time at Greenhill, Burnett never knew that he would pursue a career in journalism, but he did love to write. He is thankful for his teachers that urged him to keep writing and for his Spanish teacher that helped him develop his speaking skills.

“Christine Eastus was the teacher that really encouraged me to write, and Joe Gonzalez encouraged [me] to speak Spanish,” Burnett said. “I speak Spanish now, and I use it constantly, so he was also a good influence.”

Assistant Head of School Tom Perryman ’81 has vivid memories of Burnett at Greenhill and the example he set.

“I remember John as one of those ‘cool big kids’ that are so important to younger students at Greenhill,” Perryman said in an

email. “He was one of the leads in our school production of ‘Finian’s Rainbow’ in spring 1974, and I recall him being one of the guys who went out of his way to be nice to us young ‘actors.’”

Perryman shared another vivid memory of Burnett: “I remember first hearing John on NPR while driving one day (a long time ago), and thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh! I recognize that voice! That must be OUR John Burnett! That was pretty cool!”

Burnett said he especially values the work ethic he developed from his time at Greenhill, an ethic he still applies to his job.

“Greenhill really taught me how to work and taught me a really good study ethic, which has served me my whole life,” Burnett said.

While events along the U.S.-Mexico border dictate much of the reporting that Burnett does these days, he still has the heart of a general-assignment reporter, with all the varied experience that entails. He has especially fond memories of working on his series “Ecstatic Voices.”

“I went all over the country and recorded a huge array of sacred music: from Catholic nuns to sacred trombones to Muslim call to prayers,” Burnett said. “It was just such a fun and satisfying series to write.”

One of Burnett’s favorite stories he wrote was about a street musician in Mexico City named Carlos Garcia. The instrument he used, which was a simple leaf, fascinated Burnett.

“He was playing beautifully with tone, vibrato and with feeling,” Burnett said. “I was completely and utterly charmed by Carlos and I’m glad I was able to expose to him to a larger audience.”

There have also been stories that Burnett found difficult to write. Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, was one of those.

“All of our utilities, our public security, our sense of security and well-being, everything just dissolved in the flood waters and the city came apart,” Burnett said. “There was a wildness that I’ve never experience in my own country.”

Burnett finds it especially difficult to write stories about mass shootings. He struggles with putting aside personal grief, he said.

“You’re dealing with such an outpouring of grief and a lot of times there is just a mob

of reporters there,” Burnett said. “We’re grieving for our country, for Texas and for innocent people. You have to work through the personal grief, and I think reporters hate covering mass shooting events more than anything else.”

Through his high-profile work for one of the country’s most popular radio

platforms, the former Greenhill student still lives his alma mater’s ethos for life-long learning.

“You continue to just ask questions and educate yourself for the rest of your life,” Burnett said, “and continue to [learn] new information, which is wonderful.”

Special Report

Life in the aftermath: Dallas tornado affects Greenhill students

Photos courtesy of Cameron Russ, Natalie Park, Jonah Lee, Varun Gande and Jeffrey Harberg

THE AFTERMATH: Ten tornadoes swept through the Dallas Fort Worth Area in late October. The images shown above depict the effects of the damage inflicted upon residential homes, restaurants, shopping centers, stores and more. Many Greenhill families were forced to relocate to temporary homes and Greenhill is still recovering from the trauma of the event.

Chloe Wetzler Videographer

T

en tornadoes swept through the Dallas-Fort Worth area in late October, disrupting lives and destroying thousands of buildings and homes.

The tornadoes affected many Greenhill students, especially those living in the Preston Hollow area. The area was hit by a category EF3 tornado, according to the Enhanced Fujita scale. An EF3 is characterized as a “severe” tornado with wind speeds ranging from 136 to 165 mph.

The tornado outbreak hit the Dallas area on the night of October 20 and left at least 150,000 people without electricity and hundreds without a home, authorities said.

Among the Greenhill students who lost their homes were Allie and Megan Zlotky, both sophomores. The chimney of their family’s house fell into their living room and one of their bedrooms. Their parents’ bedroom and bathroom were flooded after a sprinkler pipe in their home exploded.

“During the tornado, I was in our bar, which is downstairs,” Allie Zlotky said.

“There were windows in the room, so the tornado sounded really loud. I was so scared because it all happened so fast. When we got out of the bar, half of our house was ruined.”

The Zlotky family will be out of their home for 6-12 months. In the meantime, they will need to live in a rental home.

“It was a very traumatic experience for my family and me,” Allie Zlotky said. “I’ve lived in my house for almost half my life, so watching it get destroyed by the tornado was difficult for me.”

Upper School math teacher Michael

Legacy had his house hit by a tornado while he was across the street eating dinner at a neighbor’s house.

“At about 8:55 the winds started picking up, the noise started getting louder,” said Legacy. “We grabbed their dogs and raced into the center of the house. We barely got the doors closed before it hit.”

Legacy waited in the house while the tornado hit.

“The sound is just the most amazing thing,” Legacy said. “The wind was so fierce that it was just this howling sound… which was what was really upsetting the dogs.”

Half of Legacy’s home is unlivable. The roof sustained damage and there were many fallen trees scattered across his lot. Despite the damage, he is still living in his house.

“There are people who have lost their homes and I’m fortunate that mine is livable,” Legacy said.

The Lee family, including brothers Jonah ’20, Jadon ’24 and Jacob ’26, were in the direct path of the tornado. Senior Jonah Lee said that his family’s home was badly damaged.

“All of the windows are smashed in and some of the roof is damaged,” Jonah Lee said. “Something fell on my garage and it got smashed down. Two of our cars were totaled and two others are in the shop. Those are the biggest monetary losses.”

Sophomore Alex Little said her house was badly damaged by the tornado as well.

She stayed up until two in the morning helping her mother patch up windows that were destroyed.

“All the trees in our neighborhood had collapsed, so the roads were blocked off,” Little said. “Most of the houses’ roofs were gone or destroyed in some way.”

Kerry Shea, Greenhill director of marketing and communications, lost her home as well. It will take 12-18 months to rebuild their house, she said. During the tornado, Shea hid in a closet with her three children, all Greenhill students: Kiera ’30; Redmond ’30 and Sloan ’30.

“We could hear the creaking of the rafters as the roof lifted off,” Shea said.

“There had been a beam that went through our kitchen ceiling which was only about ten feet from where we were.”

The home was badly damaged, Shea said, with a large portion of the roof blown away and severe water damage inside.

“I took a week off to try and manage everything,” Shea said. “Fortunately, being at Greenhill, I was able to do that. I would say that the entire community really rallied together. I feel like the support of everybody here was amazing.”

Senior Varun Gande said his family also lost their home in the storm. The Gande family, including sister Varsha ’22, took cover in one of the bathrooms while the tornado passed through.

“The bathroom didn’t get affected at all, but we all were just scared beyond belief of the sounds we were hearing,” Varun Gande said. “The whistling, the hail, it was just pounding and pounding.”

When it was safe for Varun Gande and his family to exit the bathroom, they went to investigate the damage done to their home.

They were in shock.

“We had heard a lot of crashing sounds, but we didn’t think it would be that severe,” Varun Gande said.

Parts of their roof were blown off and the dining room was open to the sky. Trees and debris were strewn around their yard.

Interior ceilings were still intact at the time, but have since caved in due to rainfall, Varun Gande said.

The Gande family lives near St. Mark’s School of Texas, which was also badly damaged by the tornado. St. Mark’s did not resume classes until a week after the tornado hit, which gave their students the opportunity to assist in recovery work at their school and others in the area.

Although Greenhill did not have time off, students went out of their way to help those in need. Junior Sheela Vasan said she took time away from her studies to aid victims.

“Seeing what some families are going through right now is just heartbreaking, because their entire lives were just uprooted in a matter of 20 minutes,” Vasan said. “We got lucky and now it’s our job to help those who need it.”

Vasan was not hurt by the tornado, so she is able to provide resources to victims.

“I think just doing any small thing we can, like making dinner for someone, doing their laundry, just some reminder of what it’s like for life to be normal, can really help,” Vasan said.

The tornado had more than just a physical impact on students, but an emotional one, too.

“It’s definitely changed my outlook,” Varun Gande said. “This experience made me realize the true value of having power, having a roof over your head, having all these things. All these things mean so much to us, but we take them for granted.”

Evergreen Online assistant arts editor Emma Light contributed to this report.

Features

Greenhill’s Dynamic Debate Duo

Cindi and Aaron Timmons coach debate around the world

Photos courtesy of Cindi Timmons

A PASSION FOR DEBATE: Cindi and Aaron Timmons at the World Schools Debating Championship (WSDC) in Thailand in July (left), and coaching Greenhill students (right). Aaron Timmons was named one of the "top debate coaches of the 20th century" by the National Speech and Debate Association in 2000. Cindi Timmons was elected chair of the WSDC in October.

Khushi Chhaya Staff Writer

Nate Stitt Staff Writer

W

hen top high school debaters from around the world converge on Hamburg, Germany in midNovember for the EurOpen 2019 competition, a pair of familiar Greenhill faces will be in the middle of the action.

From Greenhill to Germany, and countries as distant as Thailand, Aaron and Cindi Timmons have travelled the world coaching some of the country’s brightest students.

For more than two decades, the husband-and-wife duo has helped guide Greenhill’s highachieving debate program to victory in scholastic competitions.

Aaron Timmons has been a fixture in Greenhill debate for 26 years, while Cindi has played a vital role since 2009 as a volunteer and parttime instructor and coach. In the latest in a string of honors, Cindi was recently elected chair of the international World Schools Debating Championship, which will be held in Mexico City next summer.

Both are quick to share credit for their success.

At Greenhill, that credit is shared with full-time instructors and coaches Eric Forslund and Demarcus Powell.

Aaron and Cindi Timmons see a higher calling in their passion for debate, a discipline they view as one of the most valuable academic pursuits a student can undertake.

“Sometimes we're so consumed with the here and now and our own little space, we don't really understand some of the bigger pictures of what is going on both around the country and around the world as well,” Aaron Timmons said. “I think debate helps provide an avenue to do that.”

“Something for Everybody” Greenhill’s debate program began as a small after-school club in 1978. In 1987, the decision was made to expand debate with a fulltime instructor and a class during the school day, Aaron Timmons said.

Since the arrival of Aaron Timmons at Greenhill in 1993 and the addition of Cindi in 2009 after her retirement as a distinguished coach at public schools, Greenhill debate has expanded to reflect more diversity in students and debate formats.

The Greenhill debate program begins as early as third grade. Students specialize in one of three types of debate: Policy; LincolnDouglas and World Schools. Aaron Timmons focuses on LincolnDouglas, with Powell assisting; Cindi Timmons coaches World Schools; and Forslund coaches Policy.

“The different formats of debate that we are now doing represents the school well but also, as importantly, serves the different needs of students that we have,” Aaron Timmons said. “Not everybody is a Policy debater, not everybody is a Lincoln-Douglas debater, not everybody is a World-Schools debater. But I do think it’s good to support debate formats that serve all of our students.”

The World Schools format has teams ranging from three to five people. The topic changes often, so debaters must be well rounded in art, politics, foreign policy, economics and other topics.

The Greenhill coaches “match the student with the format that’s best for them,” Cindi Timmons said.

Policy debate is a two-on-two format in which one team proposes a plan to solve an issue and the opposing team argues why that

plan should not be implemented.

In Forslund’s estimation, Policy debate is the most intense format, because competitors dive into a yearlong topic.

“There’s a lot of strategic calculations that you have to make,” Forslund said.

In Lincoln-Douglas debate, individuals compete on topics that tend to have a heavy emphasis on logic, ethics and philosophy.

For Powell, the newest member of the Greenhill debate program, Aaron and Cindi Timmons’ enthusiasm and commitment are inspiring.

The skills that the Timmonses bring to their teaching and coaching complement each other, Powell said. Cindi Timmons is able to see the person behind the debater and help each student through a social lens. Aaron Timmons becomes more focused on the debate and guides the students through the argument itself.

“The way that Mr. and Mrs. Timmons coach is extremely unique in the sense that they care about every single individual person and their success,” said sophomore Aimee Stachowiak, who has been active in Greenhill’s debate program since third grade. “So it’s not measuring you to anyone else, it’s rather seeing what you’re already good at and what you need to grow on.”

Passion Reflected There are many reasons why Greenhill debate is so successful, current and former debaters said.

“The passion that the coaches put in is reflected on the students,” sophomore Ashley Shan said. “Because we know how much work they put in, we feel—not obligated—but almost like it is our duty to work as hard as they do and live up to their legacy.”

The dedication of the students

is shown through their willingness to continue competing in the activity, regardless of the time that it requires.

“Time management is among the most important things I’ve learned at Greenhill,” said Josh Leffler, a senior in Policy debate.

Former students describe the lasting impact of their involvement in Greenhill debate.

“The reason that I became a lawyer is through debate I realized I enjoyed developing arguments and that I was good at developing arguments,” said Lindsay Harrison, a Greenhill alumna who won the U.S. Debate National Championships in 1996 and who, as an attorney, has delivered winning arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court. “Mr. Timmons, probably more than anyone, is the person who helped me to develop that perspective.”

Hall of Fame In yet another measure of their success and standing in the international scholastic debate movement, Aaron and Cindi Timmons are currently co-head coaches of the 12-member USA Debate team.

The USA Debate program includes a 15-member development team, with Greenhill sophomore Cameron Kettles among its members.

In addition to coaching USA Debate, Aaron and Cindi Timmons run the Global Debate Symposium summer program in Colorado each year. This program allows debate students and faculty from around the world to study debate and polish their practical skills.

“The ability to offer an institute which reaches out and values diversity, which hires diverse instructors, which is willing to take kids of whatever economic need is necessary to support them in their training, is very rewarding,” Cindi Timmons said. “It’s a way to live

what we believe.”

Aaron and Cindi Timmons met in 1983 at the Texas Forensic Association state convention and became friends while competing as rival coaches. Aaron was hired to head the Greenhill debate program in 1993, and he and Cindi were married in 1997. Several years passed before Cindi became involved with the Greenhill program.

“Coaching together allows us to occasionally travel together, while working collaboratively to problem solve things that maximize the chance for our students to succeed,” Aaron Timmons said.

Working together at Greenhill and USA Debate also means they’re able to play off each other’s strengths to make their teams as successful as possible.

“She is incredibly bright, a great coach, and is probably better at dealing with the human side of the team building and things along those lines, because I can be singularly focused,” Aaron Timmons said.

This combination of strengths and personalities has led Aaron and Cindi Timmons to become globally recognized debate coaches. Aaron Timmons was inducted into the National Speech and Debate Hall of Fame in 2006 and Cindi Timmons in 2012.

For Aaron Timmons, his Hall of Fame induction is a constant reminder of how far he has come from his humble beginnings, and how rewarding his work as a debate instructor and coach has been. “[We have] a program where we get to create the program, we get to create the curriculum, as well as hire the faculty members that we work with that share our vision,” Aaron Timmons said. “And this part is important: having a diversity of students from all over the country and increasingly the world that are coming in creates an amazing learning enviorment for all.”

the

Evergreen

wednesday, november 13, 2019

features

7

with

Armin Sommer

What was your initial reaction to learning that you were going to spend your year at Greenhill?

I was pretty happy. I wanted to go to Texas and chances were pretty slim that would happen. When I learned, I was pretty happy. I had been told by some friends that went through the program that Greenhill is a very good school and that I should be very happy. I wanted to do debate in the U.S. and because Greenhill is the best place to do that, I am very happy about that, too.

What activities are you involved in?

Of course, I am doing debate and I have been playing baseball. I will play for Greenhill in the spring. I am also in the Math Club.

Besides that, I haven’t done too much. Debate, of course, is delightful to the utmost. I enjoy Math Club because I like math and playing baseball here is quite different from in Austria.

People here are way better.

Were Greenhill students what you expected them to be?

It’s kind of different in Europe. It’s a bit more competitive in schools and people are a bit more toxic. I didn’t think that would be different here, but it is different. I like seeing that people actually try to help each other. When I don’t understand something people actually try to help me.

Photos courtesy of Armin Sommer and graphic by Sarah Luan

FROM AUSTRIA TO TEXAS: Armin Sommer enjoys competing with the debate team, attending events like Homecoming and hanging out with his host family and other friends.

What is the best part about being here so far?

I think it’s probably the people. People have been so nice and so welcoming. Greenhill really does have a mentality of kindness.

The people here are truly kind.

Do you have a favorite teacher or class?

Dr. O[umanar], of course, and Vector [Calculus] is probably my favorite class.

What did you think of Homecoming?

What’s it like living with the Head of School?

Awesome! The whole thing with the mums and garters is pretty cool, I have to say. The Homecoming game was pretty dope.

While the Homecoming dance in and of itself wasn’t too amazing, the pre- and after-party were pretty cool. We have a prom but that is quite different. It’s less of a party and more of a formal ballroom dance. People have less school spirit.

Actually, it’s pretty cool. Lee [Hark] is super cool. They are super nice. I am really enjoying my host siblings and so it is delightful to the utmost.

Do you have a bucket list?

For some things, yes. I want to see an MLB game, I want to experience Halloween and Thanksgiving here, and I am going to see New York over winter break. I am really looking forward to that.

What’s the biggest difference between your education in Austria and Greenhill?

Here, education is more specific. In Austria, you have a lot of classes, but here you really focus on certain areas of study and learn more. In Austria, I had more classes, but each class meant less. We also don’t have extracurriculars or school sports or arts.

What do you do on the weekends?

That depends. When I am not having a debate tournament or Homecoming or a baseball game, I am Skyping with my family or my friends from Austria. I sometimes meet with friends at the cinema or around Dallas.

Why did you initially want to take this trip and be an exchange student?

I plan on emigrating to the U.S. eventually. This is somewhat a trial about whether it is actually what I imagine it to be like. So far, that’s the case. I like the mentality of the people. People are more open-minded and encourage you to do what you want instead of holding you back. It is true y’all are living in more mental freedom.

Reporting by Cameron Kettles

the

Everg

8

E-cigarettes: students and struggle to define and comb Jeffrey Harberg Editor-in-Chief

Raag Venkat

Managing Editor

N

early one-third of Upper School students say they have used e-cigarettes and more than two-thirds believe Greenhill has a vaping problem, according to a survey completed by 270 Upper School students.

“That’s just high school, man,” one student commented in the anonymous survey conducted Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

Of the 270 respondents to the survey, about 86 students, or 32%, said they’ve vaped before. One hundred ninety-four students, or 72%, said they “agree” or “strongly agree” that Greenhill has a vaping problem. Upper School has a current enrollment of 472 students.

The Greenhill survey comes against the backdrop of rising health concerns surrounding the use of e-cigarettes. As of early November, there had been 37 vaping-related deaths reported in 24 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Nearly 1,900 cases of vaping-related injuries have been confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the deaths and injuries mount, Greenhill students continue to vape. In The Evergreen survey, 240 of 270 respondents—89 percent—said they know a Greenhill student who vapes.

Upper School Counselor Amanda Frederick said experimentation with vaping can be traced to more than just company advertising.

“I think it really stems from being part of a high school culture, something people feel like they’re supposed to experience,” Frederick said. “To a certain extent, I think [vaping] is more harmful than cigarettes because it seems like a much cleaner experience, which masks the negative side effects that come with it.”

Frederick also said that vaping can often be part of a larger issue. Some students use vaping to make them feel better

initially and mask pain or anxiety, but it doesn’t necessarily make them any better.

“We can get into a habit of not talking about issues when they come up, but just numbing them instead,” Frederick said.

Dean of Students Jack Oros agrees that there are external factors that lead to student vaping. Students used to smoke cigarettes to look cool with their friends. Now, that same social pressure exists with vaping.

“I hope everyone gets through that phase in their life, but the problem is that someone doesn’t know if their body gets addicted, and that’s the scary part,” Oros said. “One doesn’t know how it’s going to affect them.”

“A big, ‘cool’ thing” E-cigarettes, or “vaping”, work by heating a liquid to produce an aerosol that users inhale into their lungs. That liquid can contain nicotine, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabinoid (CBD) oils and other addictives and substances that can produce a brainaltering “high” and keep users hooked.

E-cigarette brands like Juul, Phix, Stig and others advertise themselves as alternatives for cigarette smokers trying to ease off tobacco. Juul Labs, manufacturer of the popular Juul e-cigarettes, has become embroiled in controversy by advertising on platforms frequented by underage teens and children. With its own social media accounts and a viral #juul hashtag, the company has come under investigation by the federal Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission in recent months.

Juul, while claiming nearly 80% of the e-cigarette market at the time, deleted its Instagram and Facebook accounts in November 2018. The company also stopped selling fruity and sweetflavored pods—blamed for enticing many teenagers to try vaping—in brick-and-mortar stores while continuing online sales.

New studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveal that curbing the sale of fruity flavors may be off base, as high school students cited mint-flavored pods as the most popular Juul flavor.

Graphics by Sarah Luan

Just how big is the problem? Th Youth Tobacco Survey this year rev school students and 11% of middle s e-cigarettes within the previous 30 d “I, among others, didn’t realiz said Wesleyan University student Li while at Greenhill, but knows many really know the risks.”

A current junior who has been v culture that exists at Greenhill.

“When I was a freshman, it was student said. “Seniors would buy Ju cool to be either super into Juuling o The student suggested that the ing e-cigarettes hasn’t had much of Greenhill students.

“Greenhill kids are very smart they understand what is happening entitled to the belief that whatever re in high school won’t affect them be won’t happen to.”

“Struggling to find

The Greenhill survey generate from students about the extent of whether the school needs to worry a “People do vape at Greenhill, reason [why] students vape; therefo lem,” one respondent said. “Howev a societal issue that has manifested So, what can Greenhill really d To administrators, the answer appear. From surveillance to conse continue fostering strong relationsh but still educate them about the dan “I don’t want to create a police of School Lee Hark said. “I don’t w they’re under surveillance; that’s not in my mind.”

However, nearly three out of f green survey said they think that Gr educate students about the dangers “I think Greenhill approached the way they approach most proble language at it and not really put any Over the summer, Upper Scho Kiang attended a workshop in Calif and the Brain institute that used kno explore functioning skills in teenage was a major topic of discussion, alo brain patterns.

Teachers, administrators, learn others from across the nation discus are combatting the vaping problem consensus on how to deal with the i “There are some schools that ha anything and if a student if caught w or suspended or something like tha some schools that are like ‘well, w with it, so we don’t really touch or i is also everything in between.”

green

administrators bat the problem

The federally funded National vealed that nearly 28% of high school students reported using days. ze that vaping was a problem,” ily Barnes ’18, who didn’t vape y students who did. “We didn’t

vaping for a year described the

s a big, ‘cool’ thing,” the junior uuls for underclassmen. It was or super anti-Juuling.” recent health scare surroundf an effect on the attitudes of

t,” the student said. “I believe g, but also Greenhill kids are eckless endangerment they do ecause they’ll be the person it

out what to do”

ed a wide range of comments f the problem on campus, or about the issue. , but Greenhill is in no way a ore, it is not a Greenhill probver, I would definitely say it is itself on Greenhill campus.” do to curtail vaping? is more complex than it may equences, the school wants to hips and trust with its students, ngers of vaping. state here at Greenhill,” Head want the students to feel like t the way to solve the problem,

four respondents in The Everreenhill hasn’t done enough to of vaping. the problem very similarly to ems, which is to throw a lot of ything into place,” Barnes said. ool Learning Specialist Grace fornia headed by the Learning owledge from neuroscience to ers and high schoolers. Vaping ong with drugs, addictions and

ning specialists, counselors and ssed the different ways schools m. However, there was not a issue. ave a zero-tolerance policy for with anything they are expelled at,” Kiang said. “And there are we just don’t know what to do it talk about it,’ and then there

9

wednesday, november 13, 2019

Results from The Evergreen survey administered Oct. 31-Nov. 1 “

”

Greenhill is working through similar issues as it tries to formulate a response to the vaping issue.

“We, as administrators and faculty, don’t know [how to combat the vaping issue] for sure,” Kiang said. “We don’t know how many students are making that choice or exactly what is happening, but we know there is that culture and we, like any school in the nation, are struggling to figure out what to do.”

“Ignoring it is not the answer” In the meantime, vaping has now taken its place alongside a range of other issues that weigh on Greenhill administrators and faculty.

“I feel a personal responsibility if something happens to one of our students in any way,” Hark said. “I don’t want something bad to happen and for us to say there are other things we could’ve done and didn’t do.”

Greenhill administrators and faculty say they are hopeful that they can curtail vaping at the school.

“Ignoring it is not the answer,” Hark said. “We can educate the students, making sure they have data-driven information in front of them—not fear-based—that teaches a possible reality if people use these products.”

Along with education, the Greenhill administration wants to dig deep and explore the causes of vaping, which stems from stress, anxiety, depression and other kinds of things students are struggling with today in increasing numbers, according to Hark.

“The more challenging issue is finding out what’s driving students to use those products and learning what we can do as a school to reduce or eliminate the use, and what, if anything, we’re doing to exacerbate these problems,” Hark said.

They also want to explicitly clarify their stance on vaping as a mental health issue rather than a disciplinary issue.

“We want to make sure you can talk to someone and find healthier coping skills,” Frederick said. “If there’s other stuff going on, we don’t just want to dismiss you because you were vaping. We want to actually find out why you want to do it and if there’s anything we can do to help you and make a lifestyle change, versus just getting you in trouble.”

Oros agrees.

“Find other ways to get that ‘high’,” Oros said. “You don’t need to have the alcohol, drugs or vape pens. Find other ways to cope with your issues or have fun.”

As Greenhill sizes up the extent of its vaping problem, administrators hope to give students the information they need to protect themselves from poor decision-making.

“Every student is going to be offered choices in life and it’s an opportunity for students to demonstrate their judgment,” Kiang said.

“I hope that going forth, students use their critical thinking skills and their knowledge to make good choices not only for themselves, but for other people.”

The junior student who described the vaping culture at Greenhill said school administrators should make amnesty a centerpiece of its efforts to combat the problem.

“There should be a policy about amnesty,” the student said. “If someone is like ‘I’m going through nicotine problems,’ they’ll come to school after trying to quit, going through nicotine withdrawal, and it’s so stressful. So, I think there needs to be more understanding with Juuling in general, like, what to do with the addiction part of it, because no one knows how to handle it.”

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“

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Arts

Bollywood Dance Troupe welcomes new members Sumana Kethu

Arts Editor

A

s Indian films gain larger audiences in America, Greenhill’s Bollywood Dance Troupe is experiencing a similar surge in popularity.

On special occasions, the Upper School group performs dances to Bollywood songs on the Rose Hall stage. The troupe is currently practicing for a Nov. 20 performance during Upper School Community Time.

The group has more than doubled in size over the past year, and many of those new members are boys — a break from the past, when the troupe had consisted of mostly girls.

This year’s troupe is led by seniors Sid Kalisetty, Vinay Vas and Mohan Desai, and junior Sheela Vasan. The leaders work together to decide on songs to perform, and Vasan choregraphs dances with the help of YouTube videos and the rest of the group.

“I joined because I like dancing and Bollywood,” said Vas, who joined the troupe last year. “I felt like it would really fun because I like embarrassing myself.”

Many members of the South Asian Student Association (SASA), which is sponsored by 11th grade dean Cathy Falk, are a part of the Bollywood Dance Troupe. SASA gives a presentation to the Upper School to celebrate both the Diwali and Holi festivals.

“I think [the Bollywood Dance Troupe] makes people a lot more excited about seeing different cultures because people get really excited to watch us perform,” said senior Mohan Desai, who joined the troupe last year. “They get to see entertainment in a

Photo by Amber Syed

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Mahek Gupta, Vinay Vas and Sheela Vasan (left to right) rehearse for the first Bollywood Dance Troupe performance on Nov. 20.

different culture.”

Last year, the troupe performed twice with nine participants in their first performance and 13 in their second. This year, the troupe expects 32 students to dance in its Nov. 20 performance. The troupe will form in four groups: returners from last year and a few other experienced dancers; lowerclassmen; upperclassmen and the entire Bollywood Dance Troupe.

“I wanted to join freshman and sophomore year, but I didn’t feel like I really con-

nected with the people,” said Desai, who joined last year. “But last year, I knew more people on the troupe. Sid and Vinay also expressed their interest in joining, so we all decided to join together.”

Two years ago, the group consisted of only girls. Last year, the troupe saw an increase in boys’ participation, but still contained mainly girls, since there were few boy dancers with experience in Bollywood dancing. However, this year there is an almost equal number of girls and boys in the

troupe.

“We’ve always wanted to join because we’ve watched the girls doing it, so we thought we should spice it up and join,” said Kalisetty, in his second year with the group.

The troupe’s November performance in Rose Hall will celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.

“I always like embracing the Indian side of me, and I enjoy Bollywood songs and movies so celebrating that with people who feel the same way is fun,” Desai said.

The troupe has been practicing three times a week for around 20 minutes in either a classroom or the Choral Hall in the Marshall Family Performing Arts Center.

However, about two weeks before their first performance, they will start to practice more often, possibly even daily, troupe members said.

For many dancers in the troupe, the first performances were the most nervewracking.

“I was really nervous for my first performance [last year],” Desai said. “I knew the dance and we practiced a lot, but all the girls last year had danced growing up.

The boys had never danced before, so it was completely new for us. We made mistakes, but we were more focused on showing how much we were enjoying ourselves.”

The troupe will dance for the Upper School early next year for Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. However, the date of the performance has not yet been determined.

“I have my Bollywood Dance Troupe family,” Vasan said. “I have so many people who I would probably never be friends with, and I love them all.”

wednesday, november 13, 2019

the

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arts

DINNER & A MOVIE

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Sonali and Riya eat at Magic Time Machine and review “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” Sonali Notani Managing Editor

Riya Rangdal Managing Editor

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o say we were excited to watch “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” was an understatement.

Sonali and I had been planning to watch this movie for two weeks. I had already watched the first “Maleficent” movie, so I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next to Aurora and Prince Phillip, the main characters.

When the day arrived, we scurried frantically to our seats five minutes late. (Sonali just had to get a large popcorn and Sprite that she definitely wouldn’t finish.) As we shuffled awkwardly past the people in our row, we were able to catch glimpses of the opening scenes. Aurora, played by actress Elle Fanning, was walking among the Fae in the Moors (her kingdom). Since Sonali had not seen the first film, I had to keep catching her up on the context of the story.

In the first film “Maleficent,” the audience is introduced to Maleficent as she peacefully lives in the Moors. However, it wasn’t until the Moors were attacked by humans that the Maleficent we know today was born.

Maleficent rose to defend the Moors and her “daughter,” Aurora, from the humans who wished to utilize its agricultural abundance for their own selfish needs. Along the way, Prince Phillip, Raven and other characters were introduced.

As the sequel to the original “Maleficent” movie, the storyline follows the conflict between the humans and the Fae, mystical and magical creatures that are solely located in the Moors’ Kingdom. After the celebration of Prince Phillip and Queen Aurora’s betrothal, things take a turn for the worse.

Maleficent is accused by the evil queen of setting the king under her spell, but later we learn that she is not the culprit!

Eventually, Maleficent encounters more of her own

kind, the Dark Fae, and they plan to use her to go to war against the humans.

Riya and I were glued to the screen. There were plenty of surprises, losses and moments of happiness. At one point, I turned to my side and saw tears trickling down Riya’s face; she will never hear the end of that. We were filled with joy watching the final scene (thank goodness there was a happy ending).

Riya and I have two pieces of advice for anyone wanting to watch this movie: you need to watch the first Maleficent movie (otherwise you will be confused the whole time like me); and you need to be prepared for great laughs and moments of tears. Then you are all set!

Since we were in a fairy tale mood, we decided to take a trip over to The Magic Time Machine for dinner. The second we walked in, we were mesmerized by the decor and creativity of the restaurant’s interior. We couldn’t wait to take our seats and eat.

I ordered the chicken alfredo and Riya ordered the grilled chicken breast. While waiting for our food, Riya and I discussed our favorite characters from the movie. Riya’s was Maleficent, because her mysterious and dark aura intrigued her. I, on the other hand, loved Phillip’s mother because of the inverted role she played. The queen started off as a seemingly innocent and accepting person, but once the plot thickened, her true role was revealed.

It was also interesting to see how the audience’s thoughts changed regarding Maleficent and the queen throughout the movie.

When our food finally arrived, we could hardly wait to dig in. The chicken alfredo was delicious (I still couldn’t finish it though). Riya enjoyed her grilled chicken as well and we had no space left for dessert. All throughout dinner, Riya and I were discussing our favorite extras in the movie (Riya loved the little mushroom boy).

Graphic by Raag Venkat

After stuffing ourselves with our meals, we went out to the car and resumed our discussion of the movie. We noticed that the ending didn’t seem to leave a cliffhanger for another film, but we both hope that the creators make a third movie.

Overall, we had a great night, and both recommend watching “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” before it leaves theaters. Otherwise, the dark Fae may come after you as well!

Dior meets Dallas Amber Syed tours the “Dior: From Paris to the World” exhibit at the DMA Amber Syed Executive Editor

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here’s something magical about walking through the large doors of the “Dior: From Paris to the World” exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA).

The intricacies of hand-sewn pearls onto cream and silver fabrics matched with the unique geometric silhouettes of dresses truly took my breath away.

The Dior exhibit, which ran from May 19-Oct. 27, featured extravagant creations from Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Giangranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri. It showcased 200 “haute couture” dresses. (The literal translation of “haute couture” is high dressmaking; it’s a synonym for high fashion in contemporary culture.)

The DMA billed the exhibit as a “revolutionary celebration of modern femininity” that came about post World War II. As I walked in through the entrance of the Dior Exhibit, I was captivated by two walls of uniquely structured black colored dresses. In the first room of the exhibit, videos explained how they make everything from hand-sewn brown purses, to leather shoes with red hearts stitched in. To my right were rooms filled with colorful dresses from each designer.

Each dress embodied the culture of the time. One of my favorite looks was a structured red coat with black ribbon accents. Looking at this coat, I could visualize a woman from the

1950s walking down the streets of New York wearing the coat on her way to an important meeting.

In the next room, I saw this beautiful long black gown with black sequences. I imagined someone like Audrey Hepburn wearing this gown on the red carpet for a movie premiere.

I thought I had seen the best of the exhibit. That is, until I walked into the largest room with dresses on display in every direction.

At first, I noticed dresses resembling a Sari, the classic Indian garment for women.

I also noticed clothing inspired by various other cultures, such as traditional African wear, and traditional Chinese wear.

As I reached the end of the room, which took about 15 minutes due to the large number of people looking at the display, I found a wall of outfits that were actually worn by celebrities on the red carpet. One of these looks was worn by none other than the gorgeous businesswoman and singer “Riri”— Rihanna—whom I love. I could hardly believe that the couture white coat and dress in front of me was worn by such an icon on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival.

As I walked out the doors of the Dior Exhibit, I realized I had gained a few new things: 100 new photos on my camera roll, feet pains from walking around the exhibit for so long and an insight into the world of couture fashion unlike anything I had experienced before.

I loved every minute of it.

Photo by Amber Syed

COUTURE CULTURE: The main display of dresses at the Dior Exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art features intricate designs worn by notable celebrities such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

Sports

Taking aim at NCAA sports gender inequality

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n September, an NCAA Division I women’s field hockey game between University of Maine and Temple University was abruptly stopped in the first overtime period so the field could be used to set up for the football team’s pre-game fireworks.

Yes, you read that right.

Lane Herbert The Sports Lane A game between two Division I teams, locked in a tied battle, was canceled in a ten-minute-decision-making overtime period so a fireworks display could be set up for that afternoon’s football game.

The unmistakable takeaway: Even at elite NCAA levels, female and male sports teams are not treated equally in 2019.

The game was being played at Kent State University, a neutral site. The players, understandably, were stunned. “This has got to be a joke,” some were quoted as saying afterward.

The teams were given the option of returning to the field seven hours later to play the last ten minutes of their game.

Since the game was at a neutral location, both teams had traveled from out of state and could not stay to finish. As a result, NCAA rules required the unfinished game to be reported as a scrimmage.

When I read about this recently, I was stunned. How could it be that 10 minutes was too much to ask for? It’s disappointing that this question even has to be posed in 2019.

I had more questions.

Do you think a men’s sports game

would be terminated in overtime so that the fireworks for a women’s competition could be set up? Do you think that there would even be fireworks for a women’s game?

Most importantly, should some sports be regarded as more important than others?

Honestly, I cannot remember a time where a men’s sports competition had to be cancelled to make way for a women’s competition. When have you? Ask yourself these questions because they are not solely applicable to the sports world. Gender inequality is a major problem in today’s social atmosphere.

The issue isn’t even about inequity anymore.

It’s about respect. It’s about what the athletic administration of these respective schools wants to express to the public. It’s about the school respecting their athletes.

It’s about the athletic administration seeing field hockey and football players as athletes.

Not female or male athletes, but as athletes that deserve the same respect and status.

This incident highlighted the general lack of respect for female athletics. And it demonstrated that respect for all athletes should be given equally as a right, not as a privilege.

I recently talked about these issues with Channy Cornell, a sophomore field hockey goal keeper at Smith College. Channy graduated from The Oakridge School in Arlington in 2017. When I asked her about the Temple-Maine game that was cancelled, she said her team viewed the incident as incredibly rude and disrespectful.

Channy also mentioned that Smith College had not budgeted a bus for her field hockey team to travel to the NCAA tournament at the end of last season.

Channy and her teammates viewed this as their school not even expecting them to do

Photos courtesy of Channy Cornell

STICKING TOGETHER: The Smith College field hockey team celebrates winning the 2018 New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championship.

well enough to make it to the tournament.

Channy’s story highlights how gender inequality is not just one isolated event.

There are so many events and incidents that happen in our lives. It is important to bring them to the surface and confront them.

If there is one thing I want you to remember, it is that inequality is not a rare event. Believe it or not, there are people who believe that gender inequality is a thing of the past. Well, I’m here to burst your bubble, because that is simply not true.

Female athletes are faced with inequality every day. I firmly believe that change can happen, but the first step is recognizing the problem.

Every athlete that steps on the field should be respected as equal to every other

athlete. Each Division I sports team should be given the same respect every time they step on the field. By canceling a game in progress, athletic administrators are insulting the 60 to 70 minutes played before that overtime period. Every run, every 100% sprint, every lost ball, every tackle and everyone’s effort to compete has been insulted by the cancellation of the game.

Female athletes, just like their male counterparts, put in time before the games, after the games, on weekends and between classes. They make the same sacrifices as any other sport would. No matter the sport, no matter the game, no matter the length of time, and especially no matter the gender, there should never be a cancellation of one sports game in progress for another.

wednesday, november 13, 2019

the

Evergreen

sports

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Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Previews Cross Country

Cross Country has participated in eight non-SPC meets this season. They started the season in Tomball at the Heat Wave Relays on Aug. 17. The Girls Varsity 2x2 mile relay group placed first out of 59 teams, and the Boys Varsity 2x2 mile relay group placed 16th out of 74 teams. This season has challenged the team, but despite injuries on both the boys and girls teams, the Hornets are confident they will be successful at the SPC meet. Last season, the boys placed sixth in SPC and the girls placed third.

“All of us have had SPC in the back of our minds,” senior Maddie Hatfield said. “We’re also a championship team so it’s good to have that confidence walking into SPC, knowing that we could walk out with a ring and a trophy.”

Boys Volleyball

Boys Varsity Volleyball currently has a record of 12-15, including 2-5 in SPC games.

The team has not had many injuries this season, so they have their sights set on the championship game at the SPC tournament. Junior right-side hitter Max Chow said the team is more skilled than last year. He believes that opponents will have a harder time defending because they can’t focus on a single Hornet player. The boys have struggled with maintaining their energy during games, but they are learning to be more determined.

“I can truly say this year we are a family,” Chow said. “Everyone has each other’s backs and the bonds we’re building now will definitely last.”

Football

Varsity football finished the season with a record of 1-9. The team had a promising start to the season with a win against the Valliant (Oklahoma) Bulldogs. Although the squad won’t be playing in the SPC tournament, the football players said they’re hopeful and working to improve every game as individuals and as a team. Sophomore quarterback Bennett Broaddus said this season’s focus was teamwork and centered around their core values of four to six seconds of maximum effort, “We>Me” mentality and intentional execution in game play.

“I really enjoy home games because the energy just can’t be matched,” Broaddus said.

“And also, the overall atmosphere, win or lose, is unmatched. There’s nothing like putting on a Greenhill jersey and playing in front of your friends and family.”

Girls Volleyball

Girls Varsity Volleyball currently stands at a 15-14 record. They started off their season with a tournament in Houston, where they bonded as a team on and off the court. Some of their highlights have been beating All-Saints’ Episcopal School, Trinity Valley School and Casady School. Only four players from last year’s team have returned out of the 14 members on the squad. There have been a few injuries this season, but the team is working to fill their spots and perform on the court. Although team members feel it is too early to determine how they will play at the SPC tournament, they are hoping for a successful outcome.

“We are all really close off the court and always have fun no matter what we are doing,” freshman Lexie Stone said.

Field Hockey Field Hockey currently holds an overall record of 8-7-1. They started their season with a 1-0 win against All Saints’ Episcopal School. The team used the pre-season to bond as a team in hopes of making the final season of this year’s seniors their best one yet. The field hockey team believes that they can excel in the SPC tournament, since they stand at a 4-2 record in conference counter games.

“We’re a strong team especially when we come out and play our best, so I think if we go into the tournament with the right headspace and mindset, then we’ll be able to do really well,” sophomore Claudia Hurst said.

Standings as of November 6 Story by Sumana Kethu

Photos courtesy of Jo­­­­e Monaco

Views

senior columns

A letter from the end of the bench Just sayin’ hay hayden jacobs editor-in-chief

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’m not the best shooter on the basketball team.

Nor am I the best ball handler. Or rebounder. Or defender, for that matter.

I’m also slow and undersized.

And, for the reasons I’ve just stated, I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that I don’t get in the game that often. Nope. Backup, substitute and even benchwarmer would all be good words to describe my role on Greenhill’s varsity basketball team.

But, here’s the thing: That really doesn’t matter to me.

I don’t care because being a part of the team, and the benefits that come with that, make my lack of playing time more than worth it.

The skills I’ve learned from my seat at the end of the bench have helped me grow in ways that no other experience can replicate.

Basketball has made me a more confident person. It has helped me develop a stronger work ethic. And it has helped me learn what it means to compete.

I believe everybody should find a competitive group, club, or team that helps them grow in the same ways that being a part of the basketball team has helped me.

Working as a team toward a common goal teaches us how to cooperate with others. It teaches us how to handle adversity and how to deal with setbacks. It teaches us how to both fail and succeed.

Had I ever decided to quit basketball because I was upset my peers were better than me, or because I thought I was

Live fast, drive slow lola the showgirl lola frenkel online associate editor

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hen I got my license on my 16th birthday, I was ecstatic. Finally, I was free to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. No need for a parent in the car anymore, I could just hop in and drive.

I had been looking forward to this day for what seemed like forever. To me, driving was like freedom. This concept had been on my mind for at least a year since I got my permit on my 15th birthday.

On my first day driving to school, I was picking up my friend and inadvertently went 37 mph in a 20-mph school zone and

ended up with a ticket. That didn’t take long.

I was completely embarrassed, angry, and more importantly heartbroken. My perfect birthday had been ruined. The day after I got my license, I had gotten my first ticket.

What are the odds?

It seemed like someone was out to get me. My parents grounded me for a week and didn’t let me drive my car, I was devastated. This new freedom was so quickly torn from my grasp and I couldn’t forgive myself. How could I be so stupid?

Looking back at this situation, I have grown up a lot. I can see why I was so upset and hurt by my actions.

When I remember this time in my life, I am disappointed for being so harsh on myself. I shouldn’t have called myself stupid so many times or cried so much about such a simple thing. The real moral from this story is that everyone makes

No plans? No problem! because i syed so amber syed executive editor

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hen my life starts to get chaotic, I always turn to the same place for some comfort: the notes app on my iPhone.

I’m a list person.

I have a list from 2016 with song names I wanted to remember for later (one of them was Zara Larson’s “Never Forget You”).

Another list documented my trip to Taiwan from 2017, where I listed everything from the people I met to long descriptions of the very tasty boba there. I even listed the phrases I learned from the Japanese class I took at their school.

Our Editorial Policy The Evergreen is an independent, student-run newspaper serving the community of Greenhill School. It is printed six times during the school year. Print circulation is 1,000 copies. Past issues are archived at issuu.com/ghevergreen.

The Evergreen staff upholds a code of ethics that values honesty, integrity, accuracy and responsibility. Our mission is to help the local community interpret campus, local, national and international events through articles and editorials written and edited by students.

I probably have over 100 lists titled “Homework to do:” outlining an extensive list of assignments that are color-coordinated by class and level of importance (however, very rarely did I actually get through these lists. I’m always too exhausted from making the lists to actually do anything on them).

Writing lists simply makes me feel organized and “put together;” they make me feel like I know what I’m doing, even when I feel like my life is all over the place.

However, over time, I’ve learned that sometimes things just don’t go as planned.

There have been times where I’ve spent weeks on projects that I deemed as “my finest work yet,” until I realized they didn’t even answer the question the teacher was asking in the first place (and I’ve had to start over from scratch). I’ve spent hours planning for parties where I’ve fallen sick the day of and had to miss out on the event I had been looking forward to for months.

My plans may not always work out, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The Evergreen welcomes letters and emails from readers. We reserve the right to edit submissions for accuracy, grammar and length.

The Evergreen will not publish material that we judge to be libelous, obscene, invades privacy or constitutes hate speech. Anonymous letters will not be published.

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

We welcome advertisements, but reserve the right to refuse an ad. Business inquiries should be directed to Vinay Vas at vasv20@greenhill.org.

entitled to more playing time, I would’ve given up such an incredible experience.

Unfortunately, though, I think this occurs far too often for students. Kids quit because they’re not the star.

My role on Greenhill’s basketball team has served as an important reminder for me: Everyone can’t be the best at everything they do. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to see what you’re gaining from riding the bench.

Trust me, I know. But if you avoid getting caught up in your spot on the depth chart, you’ll be able to reap the true benefits of whatever activity you might be involved in.

So, let yourself be an extra in the musical, the slowest on the cross-country team or the last chair in the band. I promise there’s value in each of these positions.

Then, hopefully, like me, you’ll see the beauty in the seat at the end of the bench.

the

Evergreen editors-in-chief Jeffrey Harberg Hayden Jacobs

executive editor Amber Syed

managing editors Sonali Notani Leah Nutkis Riya Rangdal Raag Venkat

photos and graphics director Sarah Luan

arts editor

Sumana Kethu

features editor mistakes.

The week without my car, my parents drove me to school, and I was able to contemplate my actions while sitting in that passenger seat, and review how I got my first ticket. The short answer is that I wasn’t sure where I was, I was excited, and I wasn’t completely paying attention.

Since this incident, I have had many car troubles. Sure, I’ve gained knowledge from the situation, but everyone messes up every once in a while. I learned from my first ticket…

And from my first accident…

And then from another ticket…

Oh, and also from the time I backed into my garage.

There’s a first time for everything, and although it may not be pleasant, everyone has moments when they don’t make the best decisions. Now, I understand that it’s okay to be human and make mistakes--as long as you learn from them.

Cameron Kettles

news editor

Caroline Greenstone

sports editor Lane Herbert

views & backpage editor Natalie Gonchar

online editor-in-chief Sonia Dhingra

online executive editor Jothi Gupta

online broadcast editor Tej Dhingra

online associate editor Lola Frenkel

The most “perfect” moments are often not planned. Sometimes the best moments are the ones you don’t plan for. Sometimes the best moments are the ones when you are driving in your car with friends on a rainy day in sweatpants with no concrete plan in mind. Or, sometimes the best moments are the fifty seconds from a soccer game, when your teammate scores the winning goal, and the whole team rejoices in the center of the field.

Plans are only good when you don’t expect too much of them.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop making my “homework to-do” lists, or my “songs-to-listen-to-later” lists. It’s just in my nature. But I have learned to embrace the inevitable twists and turns that come with most plans.

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, or on the situations you want to be perfect. There’s fun in chaos; there’s excitement in the unknown. You can make the best out of any situation—you just need to have the right attitude.

online arts editor Mila Nguyen

online science & tech editor Victor Le

online sports editor Davis Gutow

online asst. arts editors Emma Light Alyssa Miller

online asst. sports editors Brent Ladin Spencer Jacobs

videographer Chloe Wetzler

staff artist

Ethan Brockett

Corrections & Clarifications

business manager

We pledge to correct our errors. To request a correction or clarification, please email us at: evergreen@greenhill.org

Gregg Jones

Vinay Vas

adviser

asst. adviser Amy Bresie

wednesday, november 13, 2019

the

Evergreen

Rants & Raves

rants & raves

15

A RANT to split Hoco week!

Writing as a senior I would like to say that the fact that I no longer can laugh at PSAT memes is rant-worthy enough for me, but now the PSAT has also divided up our Homecoming week? As a senior I have one less day to dress up, which hasn’t happened the past three years. Now don’t get me wrong, PSAT is very important for our academic careers, but there is no need for the two events to overlap.

A RAVE to the new Mario Kart phone game! My inner child was overjoyed when the Mario Kart game hit the App Store. Now you can take a break from homework, dinner and socializing by just making a few clicks on your home screen…. Usually new versions of classics don’t go over well, but for once I am happy with the modern reboot.

A RANT to small numbers of students dressing up for Hoco week! Now we seniors have been waiting four years to celebrate Homecoming as seniors, but over the past few years, fewer and fewer students are going all out! Homecoming is the time to let your inner kid out, to dress up however you want and show school spirit.

A RAVE to longer breaks!

I hope I’m not the only one who enjoys a few extra days off during holiday breaks...

Those extra mornings sleeping in and those extra nights of Netflix binging will truly make all the difference. Yet I can already say I won’t be any more ready for that first day back on my beloved campus.

I’m here to make RAVENTs happen (half rant, half rave that is)! So, let’s talk pick ems… we have all heard of them, we have all responded to them, but most importantly what happened to them? We miss those daily random questions that were so unrelated that it distracted us from the stresses of school. You were gone too soon #makepickemsgreatagain

A RAVE to the new Evergreen Online! Sorry not sorry to self-promo our new and improved website! With new content and layout we are back and better than ever for the year.

So if you’re ever dying to be in the know of what’s happening on campus and in the community, our website is a just a few clicks away (there’s no excuse we know y’all don’t really use the phone cubbies anyways)

A RAVE to sweater weather!

Guess what time it finally is? It’s finally cold enough for us to switch from our 90-degree wardrobe to our slightly different fall wardrobe.

Yeah, the temperature hasn’t dropped that much, but I am willing to rave the fact that I can finally wear my sweaters without overheating. So how many days is it until winter break?

A RANT to all the backpacks in front of the Dining Hall! We have all pushed our way through to get into the cafeteria before the lines form, but now we have to worry about the sea of backpacks scattered in front of the main entrance too? As much as I enjoy laughing at my friends when they trip over a North Face bag, it’s getting a little out of hand.

A RANT to HW on No HW weekends. We have all felt that gut wrenching moment when you check Canvas after a long weekend (even worse when it’s at night) and see that you have a plethora of assignments due the next day. With the inconsistency of how many assignments teachers can assign over breaks, it leaves students scrambling to get everything done and enjoy their time outside of the Greenhill gates.

Staff-Ed: Will a new schedule cause us to lose our unique courses?

E

ven with the various changes to next year’s Upper School schedule, The Evergreen believes that Greenhill should ensure that it continues offering its diverse, unique courses to students.

During the 2020-2021 school year, when the Upper School switches from a trimester schedule to a semester schedule, students will not be able to take as many classes per year as previously possible. Additionally, with the block schedule that will implemented in the fall, it is unclear how daily scheduling will work.

It makes sense that Greenhill would consider reducing the number of classes they offer, since students will not be able to take as many as before. However, if we

Corrections & Clarifications On page 1 of the Oct. 2 issue, the URL listed for Evergreen Online is incorrect.

The address is: https://evergreen.greenhill.org

begin to get rid of our unique courses, we will begin to lose part of Greenhill’s academic identity.

In the History Department, for example, Greenhill offers classes such as Understanding September 11, Sports and Society and Radicals and Extremists in U.S. History. These are classes designed

by Greenhill faculty who are incredibly knowledgeable about these subjects. This is the norm for our elective-style classes.

All the trimester-long history courses cover broad ranges of important topics. How could Greenhill decide whether keeping Cold War: Global History and Politics is more important than Geopolitical Game Theory? The decision shouldn’t

deleted in the concluding sentence in the “Dinner & A Movie” feature. The final sentence should read: Just like us, Dora has grown up and experienced a taste of the real world.

In the story “Trustee grants enable faculty enrichment” on page 3 of the Oct. 2 issue, the title of editor-in-chief Jeffrey Harberg was misspelled in Harberg’s byline.

On page 12, a formatting error resulted blurred information in the Greenhill fall sports schedules. The schedule is reprinted on Evergreen Online at: https:// evergreen.greenhill.org/fall-sportsschedule/

On page 11 of the Oct. 2 issue, an editing error resulted in several words being

On page 15, in the Rants & Raves feature, the word “receive” was misspelled in a

be made.

This is true in the science and English departments as well. Marine Biology, Meteorology and Science and Sustainability are all classes that would appeal to different students’ science interests. To decide that some are worth keeping and others are not would limit the number of students who are passionate about the science class they’re taking. With English classes, Literature of Detective Fiction, Women’s Literature and Sublime Darkness: Gothic Literature and High Romanticism have the same effect.

These classes provide a far more memorable academic experience than a yearlong class that students of a certain

“Rave” about the girls volleyball team.

On page 15, in the Rants & Raves feature, the word “risk” was misspelled in a “Rave” about the new doughnut shop on Belt Line.

On page 15, in the Rants & Raves feature, a “Rant” about the library study rooms incorrectly implied that the Montgomery Library staff was responsible for the use of some rooms by administration staff displaced by remodeling work in the Three Chimneys Building.

grade are required to take. This is necessary for classes such as ninth and 10th grade English and history classes where a certain set of material and skills need to be instilled in students. However, once students reach their junior and senior years, they should gain the freedom to dive deeper into topics that pique their interests.

When prospective Lower School parents listen to Greenhill’s admissions presentation, they are told about all these Upper School classes that their child will get to take years later. They elevate Greenhill from other schools and provide a unique experience to our students. No matter the schedule, they need to stay.

Have a response?

Opinion?

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16 backpage

Evergreen the

wednesday, november 13, 2019

Greenhill allows all students to express themselves through their outfits by not having a dress code, with guidelines, of course. So, this issue, we decided to highlight some of our own fashionable Upper Schoolers by asking what inspires their day-to-day style.

Emma Merriman I am usually inspired by up-and-coming and editorial brands. I worked at Forty Five Ten over the summer, and I think this experience in retail exposed me to more unique and lesser-known brands that have more of a creative lens than traditional clothing brands.

Brands such as Rodarte, The Row, and Ganni inspire me, because they incorporate whimsical and American street style with some influence from the rest of the world, particularly Norwegian street style. While working retail, I tended to wear brands like these a lot especially since my coworkers dressed in a similarly whimsical way. At school though, I tend to wear more basic outfits from fast-fashion brands like Urban Outfitters since it tends to be more comfortable and “normal”. However, I try to spice up my outfits at school by wearing creative/editorial makeup by using colorful eyeliner, glittery eyeshadow, or a mix of both. I also think people-watching is a great thing to spark inspiration for outfits. Going through runway and preview photos from fashion week, paying extra attention to spot fashionable individuals out and about (especially in the downtown area), or following “influencers” on Instagram always helps me to spark creative outfit ideas.

Jonah Lee Most of my outfits are inspired by streetwear and retro sneakers. I wear a lot of basic pieces that are easy to layer, allowing me to come up with many different outfits. I especially like colder weather so that I can experiment with mixing different items. I take a lot of inspiration from modern street fashion influencers such as Jerry Lorenzo.

He is able to create an interesting casual style by layering oversized and boxy tops onto each other. Although a lot of his daily wear is considered casual with jeans and a hoodie, he also is able to dress up an outfit by adding one bold or standout piece to the outfit. My favorite outfit for the fall would be a colorful oversized tee with black skinny jeans and white sneakers. This outfit allows me to accent some interesting graphic tees while keeping the rest of the outfit tasteful yet quiet. For the colder months I would also add a white or grey hoodie under a flannel. Adding a colorful flannel on top of a neutral colored hoodie adds a splash of color to the outfit, and they can be found anywhere from Nordstrom’s to the thrift stores.

Molly Fagelman I’m inspired by fashion every day, from runways or blogs to people at school, but my personal style isn’t very unique. I dress similar to most people my age: generally athletic leggings and t-shirts, or sometimes a tennis skirt. However, if I’m dressing up more for school, I’ll choose ripped jeans paired with a dressy top. When I feel confident, I’ll wear a cute dress with Vans or Converse. On the first day of school, I wore a Brandy Melville dress with violet Vans, and it made me feel confident because I wasn’t wearing something basic like every other day and got more compliments because of it. I’m also inspired by many celebrities’ styles, such as Gigi Hadid and Cara Delevingne and fashion magazines like ELLE and British Vogue.

Jem Hoare I get a lot of the inspiration for my outfits from people on TikTok and Instagram who have outfits that I like. I usually go out and buy things that I see on other people and then style them to fit my personal style. I also usually base an outfit off one specific part of the outfit. One of my favorite things to wear are my red camo pants, because I really like the silhouette of the baggy pants with the cinched ankles. I used to be super uptight about if my clothes went with my hair color but at this point I’ve stopped caring. It’s about to be neon green and nothing goes with neon green. Also chains.

Q&A with volleyball player Meredith Roberts Q: Come up with a poem about girls volleyball on the spot.

Q: How do you spell the sound an elephant makes?

MR: I feel like there would be a silent ‘PH’ in there. And then you give it a little ‘ oomph’.

Then you kinda go with your gut and use your diaphragm like how they teach you, or something, when you sing in a choir.

MR:

Very Optimistic Lovely Laughing Energetic Yeet Bee Athletic Loyal Life of the party

Q: Is a hotdog a sandwich? Why or why not?

Q: Who would you want to play you in a movie about yourself? Why?

MR: Yes, it is because if you think about it, it is kinda the same concept as a meatball sub.

But you just eat it differently. So, if someone argues that a meatball sub isn’t a sandwich they are lying.

MR: Obviously I would want an academy award winner because I wouldn’t trust anyone else. So I would probably want Meryl Streep.

Q: What part of a kid’s movie completely scarred you?

MR: In “A Bug’s Life,” those grasshoppers, who had really, really sharp teeth. Also, Shark Week has screwed with me in life. The ocean?

I can’t go in there.

Q: When did you start playing volleyball?

MR: I started playing when I was really really young. I started playing seriously in eighth grade. I continued in high school because I just wanted to get better.

Q: How do you feel about your volleyball announcements’ immediate popularity?

MR: Immediate popularity? I would say honestly I don’t really know. At first, it was really really fun. It still is fun. But now, I think that people have stopped coming to the games because of the announcements. Like they just get more and more annoying each time.