Nov/Dec 2014 Issue by Gilman School

the newspaper of gilman’s middle school

volume c

issue 3

november-december 2014

ALL WRITE. ALL RIGHT.

proudly serving Gilman School for 100 years

GMSers PROVE THERE IS MORE THAN ONE SANTA America’s social fabric torn by

‘OUI, OUI, FRENCH C! Ben Levinson & Max Verheyen, B&G Staff

HOMELAND & ROLAND PARK - The Francophiles of GMS spent the day of December 10 strolling in lovely art galleries and lunching in a delightful, velvet-upholstered bistro...and we never left Baltimore City. Accompanied by Mesdames Abruzzo and Summers and Messieurs Abrams, Anderson, and Burke, GMS’s French C students and eighth grade Art students spent that morning on the annual tour of the BMA before filling their bellies at Petit Louis. Once at the BMA, the group immediately proceeded to the 18th-19th Century European Pre-Impressionist art exhibit. While the art in this gallery was outstanding, our focus on the trip was the Impressionist movement of 19th century France. The first piece we saw from this era was a replica of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker.

Ben Levinson, B&G Staff

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - The basic verbs of law enforcement have always been ‘serve’ and ‘protect’. Sadly, a few recent events wherein police have seemingly done the opposite of these words have made world headlines, causing the global society to turn its focus on the Land of the Free. And what has made these stories most upsetting is that the same unusual situation has kept repeating itself: police officers using excessive and even lethal force against citizens. It does not help matters that the cops have all been white and the civilians have all been black. The responsibility of a newspaper and its reporters is to inform its readers. Unfortunately, some news stories are so emotionally charged that simply “informing” often seems inadequate. To that end, in the form of several articles, The Blue & The Gray staff intends to report on recent events, hoping to provide as much fact as possible. The most recent tensions focused on law enforcement and race are not new. It was only two years ago that people were protesting the death of Trayvon Martin

Haywood, B&G Staff

ST. LOUIS - Even people who do not watch football know who the St. Louis Rams are. But not many know who Ariyana Smith is. This brave college basketball player was one of the first athletes to protest the decision not to indict the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 11. On November 29, Smith, the star player at Division III Knox College in Western Illinois, walked out of the line of players as the National Anthem was

Above, eighth gr aders Noah Seth (left) and Isaac Lee play with the Bell Choir; below, seventh gr aders Ethan Forrester (left) and Aidan Collins perform solos with the Middle Ts.

NBA superstar LeBron James warms up before a December 8 game wearing an ‘I Can’t Breathe’ t-shirt.

St. louis suburb of ferguson remains heart of recent racial turmoil by

Nathan Hedgecock, B&G Staff

FERGUSON, MISSOURI - On August 9, Michael Brown, an 18-year-old young man, was shot by a police officer. Michael Brown was black. The cop was white. Brown had just stolen cigarillos from Ferguson Market and Liquor. Officer Darren Wilson saw him walking across Canfield Drive, so he called the dispatcher and reported that he had found someone who fit the description of the thief. Everything written so far has been fact. It is at this point that the tragic saga that has befallen this St. Louis suburb took on dozens of viewpoints. Different witnesses all have told different stories as to what happened next. Some say that Brown never moved towards Wilson but instead stood with his hands up, while others report him raising his hands but then dropping them

Zak Tini (’20) holds the piece of art he created as a part of Mr. Anderson’s Social Injustice art project, which invited GMSers to express their feelings through artistic media.

#ALLLIVESMATTER articles continued on pages 4 & 5

continued on page 6

by Jonathan

ALUMNI AUDITORIUM - Just before the winter break, GMS students put their musical talents on display for friends and family at the 2014 Winter Concert. At both the daytime concert, performed for the GMS student body on December 17, and the evening show for parents and families on December 18, the Bell Choir played, the Middlemen and Middle T Singers hit the risers, and the Sixth Grade Band, String Ensemble, Seventh and Eighth Grade Band, and Jazz Ensemble all took the stage.

photo courtesy of DAbrams

continued on page 3

‘A CHANGE IS U.S. athletes lift GONNA COME’... their voices in IT HAS TO peaceful protests

Cole Iampieri & Graham O’Brien, B&G Staff by

photo courtesy of DAbrams

GMS - During the holidays, nothing is better than bringing warmth and a smile to another person. This holiday season, GMSers and GMS teachers donated an incredible number of items to both the toy drive to benefit the House of Ruth and to be given to the Baltimore County Department of Social Services. Mr. Kelleher, who once again organized and oversaw GMS’s winter charity drives as a Student Council Advisor, said that he filled at least a dozen big black trash bags and estimated about 120 coats were donated. A wonderful coincidence happened the day Mr. Kelleher dropped off the toys at the Baltimore County Department of Social Services at the Drumcastle Center on York Road. A holiday party for a hundred homeless families was being held later that evening, which meant that the coats he brought in were distributed right away. “It feels great to give out so many coats to needy people, but I just wish the boys could come with us to experience how it feels to give to the

recent issues of r ace and justice

B&G Staff photo

Varun Maheshwari, B&G Staff

photo courtesy of APImages

‘IT’S BEGINNING TO SOUND A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS’

3 8

In what has become a wonderful tradition, the concert began with the Bell Choir, led by Ms. Nkeba. Her group played three songs, closing with “We Three Kings.” The Middlemen then sang its foursong set of “Awaken, Arise!,” “Silver Bells,” “Trioka,” and “Touch the Sky” from the movie Brave and featuring a solo by seventh grader Thomas Langston. At the Thursday evening concert, Mr. Lander conducted the String Ensemble, stepping in for Mr. Dechosa and directing the group in the playing of “The First Noel,” “Sivivon, Sov, Sov, Sov,” and “Greensleeves.” Ms. Eddinger, who helps direct the strings, played continued on page 2

PAGE HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS GMS Student Council members deliver Thanksgiving Food, Middle Ts sing holiday gigs, plus another Smyth Report

PAGE GR AND-BABY BOOM Five GMS Faculty grandbabies born in one week, and Ms. Park joins GMS Faculty ahead of Mr. Anderson’s sabbatical

PAGES #ALLLIVESMATTER B&G Staffers do their best make sense of senseless & to situations in Cleveland, Ferguson, and Staten Island

PAGE EASIN’ ON DOWN Cast announced for RPCSGMS Musical The Wiz, Devin Grinnage joins Class of 2020, and Music-8 goes to the BSO

PAGE ESPORTS EXPLOSION Contributor Calvin Watkins breaks down the rise of professional gaming, plus Khari Jones becomes a 2019 Hound

PAGE FACES & FUN This or That?, 3 Truths and 1 Lie, Zak Tini’s Who Would Win?, GMS-a-Grams, and a mid-term-themed wordsearch

PAGE POLAR BEAR HISTORY GMSers compete in first-ever interscholastic Polar Bear event, plus contributor Alex Lawson remembers ESPN’s Stuart Scott

PAGE WINTER SPORTS Hoops team starts 4-0, squash squad begins season 4-2, wrestlers win first two matches, while swim team starts 0-2

4 5

gms community

The Golden Globes Jim Harbaugh at Michigan Uptown Funk

GMS’s ‘ROCK STARS’ Middle Ts hit the road for the holidays

Max Verheyen, B&G Staff

PIMLICO - To kick off the holiday spirit at the end of 2014, the GMS community again worked together to make the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive a huge success. On November 25, GMS Student Council Representatives went to Brown’s Memorial Baptist Church after classes ended to drop off all of the food that had been donated by classmates and teachers over the span of two weeks. All nineteen boys, Mr. Downs, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Nelson, Mrs. Martin, and her husband arrived at the church and were met once again by Ms. Barbara Cole, the head of the church’s Our Place Soup Kitchen.

Graham O’Brien, B&G Staff

the Blue & the Gr ay Staff Finn Arthur Mr. Don Abrams, Mr. David Anderson, Mr. William Bolin Joe Adams, Mr. Owen Daly, Mr. Bryn Holmes, Evan Gilbert Mr. Andre Jones, Dr. Peter Kwiterovich, Jonathan Haywood Mrs. Dina Lansinger, Mrs. Liz Sesler-Beckman, Nathan Hedgecock APImages Cole Iampieri Photography Contributors Ben Levinson Varun Maheshwari Mr. Don Abrams & Mr. Cesare Ciccanti Graham O’Brien Technology Support Max Verheyen Contributors: Alex Lawson Thomas Muhly Calvin Watkins Mr. N.W. Gabbey, Faculty Advisor

Above, Ms. barbar a Cole is on hand to meet the GMS Student Council reps; below, eighth gr aders James Schloeder (front) and Keyshon Jones sort hundreds of cans and boxes.

photo courtesy of AJones

photo courtesy of ESesler-Beckman

ROLAND PARK & OWINGS MILLS - Once the girls there. the holiday season was upon us, GMS’s Mrs. Sesler-Beckman smiled and choral group hit the road for its annual said that the boys felt like “rock stars” slate of off-campus performances. on the stage. She added that everyone In an especially busy December, enjoyed himself and that it was a the Middle T Singers performed two worthwhile experience, one she hopes shows on Saturday, December 6. That will become an annual invite for GMS’s morning, they sang at the Pickersgill choral group. Retirement Community and then Luke Sabracos (’19), a first-year headed back to member of the Roland Park to Middle Ts, said perform at Roland that they added Park Country Christmas hats School’s Holiday to their usual Fair. black pants, white After their b ut t o n e d - d ow n second concert shirts, and bow of the day, the ties. Middle Ts were At these given tickets to holiday shows, spend on games, the Middle Ts activities, or lunch sang “Deep in at the annual fair. the Meadow,” On the “Like the Beat of evening of a Drum,” “Awake T h u r s d a y, and Arise!,” December 12, the “Silver Bells,” Middle T Singers “Troika,” and performed at the “Touch the Sky.” 4th Annual Civil Mrs. SeslerWar Dinner at The Middle Ts sit at the Fourth Beckman feels Garrison Forest Annual Civil War Dinner at Garrison that this year’s School, the second Forest School on December 12. group is strong straight year they have attended that as a whole and that all of the singers event. bring unique musical and personal Mrs. Sesler-Beckman said that the characteristics to the table, highlighting Civil War performance was great. The the choir’s strong chemistry. boys certainly seemed to gain confidence All in all, the Middle T Singers due to the support - and cheers! - from were right on key this holiday season.

Eighth grader James Schloeder said, “It felt really good to help people who weren’t as fortunate as us.” After arriving at the church, the GMS reps started bringing box after box of food into the church that has been the recipient of GMS’s Thanksgiving Food Drive for more than twenty years now. Tyler Witherspoon (’19) said, “It felt really good, and it was pretty funny that we had so much food that the table broke.” In addition to all of the cans and boxes and jars of traditional Thanksgiving foodstuffs, GMS students were asked to bring in $2.00 each, the total being used to purchase chickens to accompany the meals put together by Our Place for families in need. After all the GMS donations were sorted, the boys headed back to GMS, knowing that they had helped to make Thanksgiving special for so many families. Thanks to GMS students and faculty for your generosity and for living in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

photo courtesy of AJones

Holiday concert putting the (continued from page 1) ‘giving’ in the ensemble, and Mr. Lander was thanksgiving with excited to work with some students who do not take Band with him. The Sixth Grade Band played two songs, “Manhattan Beach March” and the well-known “Can Can.” Mr. Lander was especially proud of the boys because “Manhattan Beach March” is and advanced song for younger bands. photo courtesy of DAbrams

Fall

Jim Harbaaugh in San Francisco

FIVE MINUTES AGO

The Excitement of Winter Storms

OUT

our headmaster’s guide to what is trending...or not!

While the stage was being prepped for the the next band, Tem Koleosho (’21) gave the first of three holiday readings. Between other later acts, Avery Merlo (’19) and Saijai Kaushal (’20) read two other holiday passages. The Faculty Singers took to the risers to sing “Masters in the Hall” and then reprised “Mozart’s Fa-La-La,” the song they had sung at the 2013 concert. Mr. Burke, one GMS’s new teachers, sang bass with the Faculty Singers and said that he really enjoyed the experience. photo courtesy of DAbrams

the SMY TH report

photo courtesy of AJones

issue 3, november-december 2014

Mr. Lander returned to the stage for a third time, leading the Seventh and Eighth Grade Band in “Florish for Wind Band” and “Cumberland Cross,” in which John McGowan (’19) played a solo on the flute. The Middle T Singers and Mrs. Sesler-Beckman came back to the risers to sing “Deep in the Meadow,” which featured solos by the seventh grade trio of Aidan Collins, Ethan Forrester, and Owen Kleis. The chorus then sang the beloved “Linus and Lucy.” To finish off the show, Mr. Lander directed the Jazz Band as it played Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” in which every member had his own solo. If you did not notice while it was happening, Mr. Lander had a busy day. After the concert, he admitted that he had not been as stressed as he usually is before this concert; however, the Thursday night show was still a bit chaotic. After all, he conducted four different groups. Mr. Lander expressed how proud he was of the boys and truly believes that the performers put forth their best effort. Congratulations to all of the performers and to all of the musical directors for their hard work - and thanks to everyone who shared his talent at this special time of year! Top, K awann McPherson (left) and Colby Wasson (center) play trumpet with the Sixth Gr ade Band; bottom, Lucas Yim (front left), Robert Fuchs (standing), and the String Ensemble perform three songs.

gms community

Evan Gilbert, B&G Staff

B&G Staff photo

GMS - At the beginning of the second fibers as an undergraduate Art student at semester, Mr. Anderson will be teaching Maryland Institute College of Art. Her specialty is weaving and installation, and art still - but in Finland. Last year, he was awarded the Riepe she concentrated in ceramics. Looking forward to being in a Family Sabbatical, an endowed award given to one Gilman teacher each year. GMS classroom, her focus will be for the students to During the second experience the semester, that importance of the teacher spends process of making time away from a piece. the Gilman She has taught classroom, often at different schools traveling and while a student pursuing personal before coming to projects related GMS, including to their teaching at Mt. St. Joseph’s fields. High School. Mr. Anderson Ms. Park will be in Ms. Park jumped right in to co-teach Art Finland for a full classes in November, readying for Mr. landed the longterm substitution month, staying Anderson’s semster away from GMS. with a friend who teaches art at Aalto position at Gilman because her professor University in Helsinki. While there, Mr. in graduate school told her about GMS’s Anderson will be working with some upcoming need of a art teacher for the Finnish middle school teachers while second semester, after which she met Mr. Anderson and Dr. Kwiterovich. also visiting and observing classes. Welcome, Ms. Park - and ‘Hyvää In his absence, Ms. Rachel Park will take over in room 214. Ms. Park studied matkaa,’ Mr. Anderson!

RECLAIMING A LIFE AND A PURPOSE FORMER NBA PLAYER HERREN VISITS GILMAN TO SPEAK ABOUT PERSONAL ADDICTION ORDEALS by

Evan Gilbert & Jonathan Haywood, B&G Staff

FAC ARENA - Sometimes, life comes down to second chances. Or third. Or fourth. Or fifth. Chris Herren, a former NBA guard and one-time college star, spoke at Gilman School on November 5, about his struggles to overcome drug and alcohol addiction and about where his life is now. For nearly half of his life, Herren has battled his addictions, oftentimes at the cost of his professional and personal lives. During his basketball career in college and the pros, he overdosed four times on different drugs. One of those times, he was thought dead for more than fifteen seconds. Amazingly, though Herren was addicted to drugs, he never missed a basketball game because of his addiction, even if this meant that he missed pregame warm-ups as he waited outside an arena for someone to bring him drugs. Herren also explained that there were even times when he could not play without some type of drug in his system. His addiction grew so bad that he took drugs before his own mother’s funeral, and he even left his pregnant wife’s side as she went into labor to go get drunk. Having grown up in Fall River, Massachusetts, Herren started his college career as a hometown hero at Boston College but broke his wrist in his very first game. He missed the entire 1994-1995 season and then failed two drug tests, causing his expulsion from B.C. Herren then transfer to Fresno State University. Though his issues with drug use were not yet over, he ranked fifth in the nation in assists in 1998-99, and he finished his career second in the school’s career assist records. Herren had kept his life together enough to be drafted by the Denver Nuggets as the 33rd overall selection in 1999. In a moment fit for Greek tragedy, he was then picked up by the Boston Celtics, so he returned to Fall River

for the 2000-2001 season. While back in Boston between these professional seasons, Herren’s drug use continued, as did his run-ins with the law. In 2004, he was arrested for possession of heroin, and he continued to purchase heroin and crystal meth. For the Nuggets, he had played in 45 games and averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 assists. While donning the Kelly green for the Cs, he had a career high of 18 points against the Dallas Mavericks on April 6, 2000. In the next six years, Herren bounced around European leagues, playing for seven teams in six different countries. In 2008, Herren attended rehab with the support of his friend and NBA Hall-ofFamer Chris Mullins, who also battled alcohol addiction during his playing career. As of right now, Herren has been drug and alcohol free since August 1, 2008. Since that time, he has decided to put his family and his own sobriety first. Herren’s personal story is the subject of the ESPN ‘30 for 30’ film Unguarded, and he co-wrote his memoir, Basketball Junkie, with journalist Bill Reynolds. His playing days behind him, Herren now travels the country speaking at schools, including Gilman, about his mistakes, urging other young athletes not to follow in his footsteps. In 2011, he helped form The Herren Project, an organization whose mission is to help those in need as they try to overcome addiction and to lead lives of sobreity with programs and initiatives specifically aimed toward young people. Herren now lives in Portsmouth, RI, with his wife, who stayed by his side through thick and thin, and their three children. In addition to his public speaking efforts and his work with The Herren Project, he runs the Hoop Dreams basketball clinics for kids of all ages and sizes.

‘b’ is for

baby

Four GMS Faculty members welcome new grandbabies in the same week by

Cole Iampieri, B&G Staff

GMS - If you are a teacher at GMS and your first name begins with a ‘B’, chances were you became a grandparent during the first week of December 2014. On December 1, Mrs. Klug’s son Jeremy (’97) and his wife, Courtney, welcomed their first child, Madeline Klug, into the world at 8 pounds 6 ounces. That same day, Mr. Smith and his wife became grandparents for the second time. Their son Lorne (’95) and his wife welcomed June Smith to the warm California sun. Former GMS Science teacher and Gilman’s Director of Admissions Mr. Gamper and his wife, Mary,

became grandparents that same week when their daughter Liz gave birth to Madeline Harker Forte, weighing 6 pounds 15 ounces. And back here in GMS, we were thrilled to congratulate Mr. Kelleher and his wife, Martha, as they became grandparents, too. Their son Jack (’07) and his wife, Emily, are now the proud parents of their two daughters, Abigail and Charlotte, twins born on December 12 in Atlanta. (Don’t worry, Mr. Burke and Mr. Holmes - you both have a few decades before you become grandpas.) Congratulations to all of our new grandparents!

Daly FAMILY NOW HAS a starting 5 B&G Staff reports GMS - If Mr. Daly plays center and his wife, Kim, plays power forward, their family is now set to take the court. On Saturday, January 3, Mrs. Daly gave birth to their third child, a daughter they named Sienna Elizabeth. Sienna came into the world weighing seven pounds and two ounces and was 21.25 inches long. Mr. Daly says both Sienna and her mom are doing well - and that baby Sienna will be playing point guard for the family team for now. Congratulations, Dalys!

photo courtesy of ODaly

Ms. Park joins GMS Faculty as Mr. Anderson prepares for sabbatical and trip to Finland

toy & coat drives (continued from page 1) homeless people because I really enjoyed into Dr. K.’s office a little. it,” Mr. Kelleher said after donating all It took thirty minutes to unload the coats on behalf of GMS. four carloads of goods, all of which Aleksei Guzman and Varun was warmly received by House of Ruth Maheshwari, along with other Student representatives who were so appreciative Council members, manned the stations of how many toys and baby supplies were most mornings, logging in all of the donated. items ranging from coats to Matchbox As Mr. Jones put it, Christmas, cars to huge bundles of diapers. Hannukah, and Kwanzaa do not come “In the mornings, it could get a little in boxes, but it is when people in our overwhelming with all the donations,” community come together to help the said Aleksei, “but just realizing how less fortunate that the true gifts of the much people are giving is great. I think holidays are given. the coolest toy was definitely the air “It was the best experience, besides hockey table donated by Jordan Benardi seeing my son, the entire holiday break. (’20).” I am so happy that Gilman donated so “Every coat was good,” he added much this holiday,” said Mr. Jones. with a smile, “but the best ones were the GMSers should feel great about ones even I tried on and liked.” helping the less fortunate in such huge Mr. Jones enlisted the aid (and the numbers. Thanks to everyone who cars) of Mr. Burke, Mr. Downs, Mr. played the part of one of Santa’s elves and Howard, and Dr. Mo to take the toys to contributed in the weeks leading up to the House of Ruth. winter break. “The location of the House of Ruth was not publicized,” Mr. Jones said, “but somehow, we managed to find it. We had so many toys that it would not fit in the room that was designated for the toys.” He explained that, in perspective, what GMSers had donated and what they dropped off that afternoon would have filled Ms. Morcomb’s office entirely to waist level The alcove between rooms 101 and 102 could barely and perhaps spill over contain all of the items GMSers brought in. photo courtesy of BHolmes

issue 3, november-december 2014

world beat

How have the recent events regarding law enforcement, race, and protests made you feel?

student speak

What if that was someone I knew?

Sort of embarrassed to live in America.

They have made me feel uncertain That the protests are unnecessary. of how the police are trained. Sad. In all honesty, the emotions I feel do not matter. Individual opinions only matter when they band together.

Confused.

That the police are not being treated well for doing their job, protecting the people and themselves. Mad.

It has made me feel less trusting toward law enforcement and their ablilty and judgment.

I am disappointed and sad for the families.

Disappointed. Scared.

Inferior and underappreciated.

I think that it is unfair that just because of race people treat you differently.

It made me feel kinda made because it added on to the black stereotypes.

If they had not made it onto the news, there would have been no riots.

It has made me feel really annoyed that the world is just watching and no one is taking action.

They make me sad.

Confused.

All of the talk that everyone is equal, and this is what happens?

It made me feel like people of color will always be accused.

Make all officers wear body cameras.

Frustrated.

It has started to make me not trust police because of what they are doing.

Disappointed in our country.

If you had the opportunity, what would you change to make sure situations like this never happen again?

I would make stricter gun laws so fewer people would have access to guns. If fewer people have guns, fewer people will die from them, and even one person saved is worth it. Ban all guns.

Nervous.

We are making too much of a deal just because of race. If we are all about equality, then why do we not make a big deal when a white cop shoots a white guy?

The officers should be using stun guns.

Limit the usage of certain weapons via restrictions for certain incidents. Have greater consequences if it happens again.

I would make sure people are correctly informed about events.

It seems like police jump to conclusions too fast.

I would strengthen the bond between the public and law enforcement, making sure people know that law enforcemenr are the good guys, not the bad guys.

We need stronger juries so that I don’t know. No one can ever stop making people racist or sexist. Everyone should try his best to stop it, but it will never go away. the police don't get away with the I wish there was a way that officers who wrong things they've done. Make police officers did wrong would serve their punishment. less trigger-happy. Fix the grand jury system. Somehow make race not important to people.

Sort of embarrassed to live in America.

The videos on the web and the protests are quite scary.

Surprised: I did not know this stuff still happened in this day and age.

What has happened is terrible, but the protests are generalizing police officers as terrible people and African Americans as constantly abused, both of which are not true. Pick non-racist I would try to enforce rules police officers. Make certain chokehold s are illegal about resisting arrest.

Tell police officers to use their tasers until they can get back-up.

Don’t spread it on the news.

If this continues to happen, the world will tear itself apart. Humans will end life.

I now feel afraid that a police If this never happened, cops officer could kill me even if I was hold ing a fake gun. The disregard for human The world is not perfect. These in particular African protests show how insecure we I think it is being made a bigger deal than in necessary. life, Americans, is reprehenI t i s sad and needs attention but maybe not thi s much. are with each other and have sible and unacceptable. me feel like I am unsafe. The recent events have made me question I don't know what to believe. how we define ourselves as a country.

They are a bit scary considering that there have been protests as close as in Baltimore City.

Don't do something illegal. That put them in the situations which caused their deaths.

If only people understood that it is not important what I wish that policemen race or skin color a person is but the person inside.

would keep abusing their power. The problem is not the police. The problem is that we have too many people living in poverty and can’t find a way out of it.

I honestly don’t know.

didn’t have the right to kill people without reason.

I would change police training and hiring to examine pasts more thoroughly. I don’t think you can change anything.

Any police officer who shoots an unarmed victim must be brought to trial.

ferguson (continued from page 1)

by putting their hoods up. On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida, neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, a mixed-race Latino man, fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and cited self defense for his action. Originally, Zimmerman was questioned for five hours and was then released under the protection of Florida’s Stand Your Ground self-defense statute, which prohibited the police from making an arrest. After thousands of protests, Zimmerman was arrested on criminal charges and tried with second-degree murder and manslaughter. He was acquitted of these charges on June 10, 2012. Fast forward to August 9, 2014: in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, 28-year-old white police officer Darren Wilson fatally shot Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black male who had recently robbed a convenience store. Three-plus months later: in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 22, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was fatally shot by white police officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmack. Loehmann was not indicted. Shortly after this event, a New York grand jury decided not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo, the policeman responsible for the death of Eric Garner, which was the result of a banned chokehold that ended Garner’s life. Deep breath. Count to ten. All of this built up to the situation we are in now. Such massive protests have not been seen in a long time. Thankfully, the recent protests have been mostly peaceful. Still, people around America are angry and afraid. Last year marked the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, but exactly how far have we come since then? According to statistics published by the NAACP, blacks in America are incarcerated at nearly six times the rate of whites, and though five times as many whites are using drugs as blacks, blacks are sent to prison for drug offenses at ten

and moving towards Wilson. tried to decide whether or not Michael Although so much of this remains Brown’s stepfather intended to cause riots. unclear, even months later, everyone Some witnesses said Brown’s stepfather around the world knows two things for yelled expletives urging citizens to burn certain: Wilson fired 12 shots, and Brown property. There have been many violent died from those gunshot wounds. riots since he allegedly did this, but some In the widely reported and disputed were happening even earlier. aftermath, what has angered many people When Officer Wilson was not was the state grand jury’s decision not to indicted by the state’s grand jury, the indict officer Darren Wilson on charges protests continued with another reason of murder or manslaughter, even after added to that of Michael Brown’s death. three months of Here at deliberation. home, Mr. Wilson now A n d e r s o n can only face came up with federal or civil a project for charges related GMS students to the death of who wanted Brown. to express Although their emotions it occurred four about these months ago, recent events Brown’s death in art. About continues to fifteen students impact the St. participated Above, funer al services are held for Michael Louis suburb Brown in St. Louis; below, prosecutor Robert in the creation and the rest of McCulloch is facing new allegations. of personal our country, artwork to and ripples from express a this event have statement about spread across the social injustice. globe. The posters Hundreds and paintings of students in will be displayed Missouri walked at the Festival of out of school on the Arts Family December 9 to Day Art Show protest not only and perhaps will the shooting of be hung even Michael Brown earlier in the but also the Middle School. apparent failure of Missouri’s criminal It is unlikely that Ferguson will rest justice system to punish one human who easy anytime soon. Just last week, the had taken the life of another human. ACLU, the NAACP, and other advocacy About five-hundred students from groups have asked for a new Darren McCluer, McCluer North, and McCluer Wilson grand jury, citing St. Louis South Berkeley walked over five miles to County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch the Ferguson Police Department. This mishandled the first one. protest was organized online and held on In the coming months, it is likely what was many of the St. Louis schools’ that McCulloch’s actions in court will first day back in session after the grand fuel the next chapter in this tragic saga, jury’s decision. one in which everyone is a victim - and Since then, Ferguson Police have there is no hero. photo courtesy of APImages

times the rate of whites arrestees. These statistics only show the disparities in actual arrests and sentencing, so an equally important question is what exactly are police officers being taught in police academies? In the United States, the markmanship test in a police academy trains a police officer to shoot for the chest region, where an officer has the best chance of stopping a target. If a police officer is under pressure in the heat of the moment, it will be because of this training that any shot fired has a high chance of fatality. Therefore, if a target is actually that great of a risk, he will likely be moving quickly, and the officer will be under intense pressure. Accordingly, officers are taught to shoot for the chest-mass area. This begs the question: why don’t officers use non-lethal weapons when a situation is not definitively dangerous to themselves or the public? The ‘simple’ answer: officers are not required to put themselves at greater risk than necessary. That means that if there is a borderline-threatening situation with a dangerous target that the officer does not want to get any closer to than necessary, an officer might shoot instead of trying to use non-lethal enforcement. No one wants to put our police force in any more risk than necessary, but is it not the duty of our armed officials to protect all citizens? The Constitution promises “liberty and justice for all,” but is everyone being protected equally? The job of the police is brutally difficult, for sure: the hours, the pressures, the intense conflict. Regardless, as is so often the case in the world, the actions of a few has tarnished the reputation of the many. When people start using the word ‘trend’, we have a problem. The specter of police-related deaths in America being between 400 and a thousand every year is frightening. What is certain is that as much as race matters, it really should not when a police officer of any color is dealing with a citizen of any color. This is America, after all.

photo courtesy of APImages

law enforcement (continued from page 1)

issue 3, november-december 2014 world beat

NYPD OFFICER NOT CHARGED IN DEATH OF GARNER FAMILY OF TAMIR RICE URGES FOR PEACEFUL by Finn Arthur, B&G Staff PROTESTS IN CLEVELAND STATEN ISLAND - At around five in police officers following the death of stemming from a February drug raid.

athlete protests (continued from page 1)

photo courtesy of APImages

being played prior to their game at As the NFL continued to discuss Fontbonne University - which happens the situation, its executives decided to be in St. Louis. to not fine the five players for their Cell phone video captured Smith expression. raising her arms in the now famous Following these incidents in the gesture of surrender and walking across greater St. Louis area, many other the gymnasium to stand in front of the protests in the world of sports have American flag hanging high above her been publicized, including athletes on the arena wall. from both colleges and professional She then knelt down, hands still organizations. above her head, and remained there. Most notably, prior to a December As the final notes were sung, she 8 game, several Cleveland Cavaliers fell face-first onto the ground as if she and Brooklyn Nets players wore had been shot and killed. She lay there Five St. Louis R ams are announced before a t-shirts during pregame warm-ups game in the ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ gesture. for more than four minutes, even as that said “I can’t breathe.” Since then, her team and their opponents gathered several other NBA teams have worn Jeff Fisher said that his players were on the court before the opening tip. exercising their right to freedom of similar t-shirts in pregame warm-ups The junior forward then walked out speech. He admitted that he was unaware bearing that statement. of the arena and did not play in the game. of what the players planned to do but did Strictly speaking, the players have When asked about her silent protest not have any issues with what they did. violated NBA policy by wearing these afterwards, Smith said, “I could not The St. Louis Police Officer shirts, but NBA Commissioner Adam go to a city where something like this Association was less accepting of the Silver made it clear that no player will be happened and not do anything,” referring statement the Rams players had made, punished or fined for his actions. to the failed indictment in the Michael publicly stating that these specific players If the NFL or NBA restricted its Brown case. chose to ignore the evidence that led to respective players from speaking to their The next day, a similar protest the decision of not indicting the officer. audiences, imagine the impact that would received all of the headlines when St. The chief of this association cited be felt regarding freedom of speech. Just Louis Rams Tavon Austin, Stedman having received a call from Kevin because LeBron James or Deron Williams Bailey, Kenny Britt, Jared Cook, and Demoff, Chief Operation Officer with plays basketball for a living, that does not Chris Givens came out of the tunnel the Rams, offering an apology on behalf make them individuals who do not feel with a message to send. or think about things that happen outside of the Rams organization. As these specific players were When the police association was of an arena. announced to the home crowd together, asked about the apology, the association Back at Knox College, Ariyana they emerged with the “hands up, don’t denied every word of it. Smith had initially been suspended by shoot” gesture - the same one adopted The National Football League was the college for one game because she had nationwide after there was no indictment then called into question, having to left her team. in the Michael Brown incident. That suspension was lifted the next decide whether or not to fine the players The same one used so powerfully by because their actions were not acceptable day. Her teammates unanimously agreed Ariyana Smith. and in accordance with NFL player that what she had done was “brave and After the game, Rams Head Coach conduct policies. noble.”

Max Verheyen, B&G Staff

CLEVELAND - On November 22, 2014, twelve-year-old Tamir Rice, an AfricanAmerican, was shot while holding a very realistic looking airsoft gun. Two police officers, 26-year-old Timothy Loehmann and 46-year-old Frank Garmack, had received a dispatch call about a teen brandishing a gun in a neighborhood park. After arriving on the scene, the officers allegedly asked Rice to “drop his gun.” Loehmann then fired two rounds, shooting Rice in the chest. Rice died shortly thereafter at Metro-Health Medical Center and was buried on December 3, another seemingly unnecessary death involving an officer and a African-American male. As news agencies began to report on this event, in the all-too-recent wake of the Michael Brown death, a 911 call was released on which the caller twice said that what Rice held looked like a fake gun. Relaying the call to police, the dispatcher never mentioned anything about a fake gun, instead only saying that the individual in question was “armed.”

photo courtesy of APImages

Legally, there is a gray area in the the afternoon on Thursday, July 17, Eric Michael Brown. Garner needed paramedic care. Many people from different Garner case: by putting his hands up, Within the hour, he was taken to the backgrounds agree that the two officers he effectively stopped the officers from local hospital in the Tompkinsville region who arrested Eric Garner used excessive handcuffing and arresting him. Pantaleo of Staten Island not breathing. A short force and that the grand jury erred in and the assisting officers on the scene time later, he was declared deceased. not indicting the officers on the count of will say that Garner’s gesture was an act of resisting arrest. In this community, Garner was second-degree murder. Instead, had Garner let the officers known as a “neighborhood peacemaker” Along with the widespread belief and “a generous, congenial person.” that the police overstepped their bounds take him into custody, he could have sued for wrongful arrest or filed a complaint That morning, he noticed an for investigation. altercation between two individuals. And he would still be alive. He tried to break up the fight when Was it understandable that Garner NYPD officers were called in to stop resisted being taken to the department? the squabble. Of course. He had been through the Garner had a history of run-ins motions of this kind of arrest many with the law, including more than 30 times and was understandably upset arrests dating back to 1980, and the by a routine encounter with police that officers called to the scene arrested escalated far too quickly. He justifiably him for selling untaxed cigarettes. questioned the law itself. What ensued was a shocking and What cannot be questioned is disturbing turn of events, all caught that Pantaleo was wrong in the violent on camera by bystander Ramsey Orta. Garner put his hands up in a Eric Garner’s daughter Emer ald (center left) maneuver he chose to use against a gesture whose intent is still being visits a makeshift memorial in Brooklyn citizen. The chokehold move is not where two NYPD officers were recently shot. allowed for a reason, likely because debated after his death. The first officer who moved in in the physical manner of their arrest of it puts too much pressure on the vital to restrain Garner administered a Garner, the protests against the incident regions of an arrestee, and it definitely “chokehold,” a type of move used to and the decision of the grand jury not to should not have been used against a subdue resisting lawbreakers but one indict the officers have formed a more person like Eric Garner, who appeared to particularly outlawed in New York State. peaceful coalition than the riots that be passively resisting. And in the aftermath, are people Witnesses say they saw Garner immediately followed the verdict in around the country right to protest gasping for breath and exasperatedly Missouri in late-November. saying, “I can’t breathe” as many as six The family of Eric Garner has against the actions and the verdict? They are right because it is a times before passing out on the sidewalk. continued to thank those who are Garner died from “acute artery supporting them and what they have right. We know that the Constitution clogging and cardiac arrest,” both of called “a protest against injustice guarantees all people freedom of speech, and if their protests do not infringe upon which were most likely caused by the everywhere.” lack of oxygen to his bloodstream and to A civil lawsuit, for wrongful the laws or the liberties of others, then his serious chronic asthma. death, was filed by the Garner family they should be able to protest. Better than the protests, though, In the aftermath of this incident, against Officer Daniel Pantaleo in there seems to be a more widespread early December, a case that is currently would be some assurance that a simple agreement about the culpability of the pending. Pantaleo has another wrongful arrest would never again end in the loss NYPD officers than the Ferguson (MO) arrest civil suit pending against him, of a life.

Citizens of Cleveland organize in protest at Public Square on November 25, days after the Tamir Rice shooting.

Also learned later was that Rice had taken off the orange plastic cap on the airsoft gun and was waving and pointing it at people in the park while shouting. Rice also allegedly reached for his gun when the officers told him to put his hands up. Recently released surveillance footage supports this. Not helping matters, Officer Loehmann had previously been deemed that he was an emotionally unstable recruit and unfit for law enforcement service in Independence, Ohio. Protesters in Cleveland and around the nation have contended that Rice was shot because he was African-American and that the officers used unnecessary force when confronting him in the park that day. Blame has been heaped on the two officers, but obviously, part of the problem was that the 911 dispatcher never informed the two officers that Rice held what appeared to be a fake gun. Local protests started shortly after the shooting, but they remained relatively peaceful. After the officer involved in the Ferguson, Missouri case was acquitted, however, there was a very violent protest that went from Cleveland’s Public Square to the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway. All along, Tamir Rice’s family has publicly asked all protesters to remain peaceful saying, “We ask for the community to remain calm. Please protest peacefully and responsibly.” Like Tamir Rice’s family, people must be hopeful that this division in our soceity can be and will be mended. To that end, Americans of all races and backgrounds must actively try to promote equality for and harmony among all.

student activities

photo courtesy of-DAbrams

It was here that we were briefly to go right inside and sit down, eager for joined by Mrs. Shafer (P ’16, ’18), our meal. After receiving bread and butter Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs at the BMA, who told and getting our drinks, the food started us about the behind the scenes work at coming out. There seemed to be equal a museum, as well as more information orders of the appetizers, which were beignets de crevettes or the soup de about Rodin’s most famous sculpture. jour. The potato From here, we leek and squash went to the famed soup was to die for Cone Collection, a and the beignets massive collection de crevettes (a.k.a. of Impressionist shrimp fritters) were artwork, Oriental incredibly crunchy rugs, and other and sweet. beautiful collectibles Next came from around the the main courses. world. Croque monsieurs The entire seemed to be the conglomeration overwhelmingly was purchased over popular choice, while many years by Dr. students Clarabelle and Miss Above, Morgan Zinn poses like a several Etta Cone, sisters Rodin statue of Honoré de Balzac; chose the quiche or the from a large and below, Keyshon Jones (left) and lorraine wealthy family from Kenny Ihenatu look at a sculpture. omelette du jour. There were very few North Carolina that students who chose had made the family the salade au saumon fortune in the textile as their meal. business. You know what Fortunately for came next. That’s citizens of Baltimore, right: dessert time. the Cone Sisters Mousse au chocolat moved to Charm City was the obvious in 1871, and during choice, with only the early 1900s, they a few students traveled extensively choosing the fruits throughout Europe, de saisons over the making inroads in decadent chocolate. the art world and And when the last bowls were becoming friends and patrons of several cleared, our marvelous day in France had now-famous artists. The sisters never had to work and come to a close. When asked to reflect on the trip, M. used their incredible wealth to travel and to purchase many fine pieces of Burke said, “I think the BMA has a great original Impressionist art, all of which collection, and I’m really happy we take was bequeathed to the Baltimore this trip. I especially love the continuity Museum of Art upon their deaths, with between this trip and the spring break the stipulation that none of the artwork trip to France.” John Maragakis agreed, saying, “All could be sold to other museums; it must of the art in this museum is incredible.” all stay at this Baltimore museum. After seeing the incredible art, which He added, “I loved the chocolate mousse.” The eighth grade would like to thank includes pieces by Matisse, Pissarro, van Gogh, and Rodin, we were ready for our our chaperones, Dr. Kwiterovich, Ms. dejeuner. By noon, we were settled in at Alexander, the wonderful Mrs. Shafer, and the staff of Petit Louis for another Petit Louis. The middle of the restaurant was great trip! Fantastique! reserved for the GMSers, so we were able

CAST A NNOUNCED FOR

THE W IZ SHOW DATES ARE FEBRUARY 20, FEBRUARY 21, AND FEBRUARY 22 at RPCS’s SINEX THEATER Dorothy AMMAR A ELSVIER Aunt Em SOPHIE ALLEN Uncle Henry ALEX LAWSON Addaperle AJÉE ROBINSON Scarecrow LUKE SABR ACOS Tin Man ALEX DeVITO Lion NOAH SETH Gatekeeper ETHAN HOSKINS The Wiz THOMAS LANGSTON Evillene OYINADE OYENUSI Glinda NATALEE HUBER Lord High Underling SEAN KIM ENSEMBLE MEMBERS Addy Br anson, Julianna Brunn, Eliza Cr anston, Max Cortezi, Elizabeth Currie, Daniel de Leon, Erica Dougherty, Gr ant Emry, Payten Flanigan, Ethan Forrester, Elizabeth Goodale, Nia Green, Kiki Gushue, Corky Hovermill, Audrey Herskovits, Sa ad Jalisi, Caroline Kleis, Owen Kleis, Daniel Khurgin, Ben Levinson, Emily Malis, Meredith McGowan, Jasmynn Moore, Max Pollak, Mackenzie Pitruzzella, Sophie Regales, Ben Richardson, Caroline Stole, Daphne Sugiuchi, Manayzha Williams, Morgan Zinn FEATURED DANCERS Morgan Alexander, Maeve Corcor an, Kolbi Forsey, Sadé Johnson, K athryn Kleiser, Avery Menefee, Ler ato R agontse, Fr ancesca Shek, Natalie Shmerler, Becca Sturtz, Taja Washington, K ayla White

‘russian’ to the BSO by

William Bolin, B&G Staff

MT. VERNON - As a special part of followed before a short intermission. GMS’s eighth grade Music elective, After the boys and teachers had each class attends a performance at stretched their legs and returned to their the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra seats, the Shostakovich symphony was pertaining to that semester’s study. played. Its spooky tone grabbed the On the evening of November 13, attention of the audience. the BSO featured Russian composers, Even after the final note was playing Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave, played, the trip was not over. The GMS Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1, students were able to meet conductor and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. Five. Marin Alsop, mother of sixth grader Music-8 student John McGowan Auden Alsop, and had the chance to ask said, “It was Ms. Alsop about a tremendous the pieces they had experience.” just heard. The wonderful The students evening began also met the with Mrs. Seslerpianist and lead Beckman and her percussionist. The students meeting musicians showed in room 206 with the boys where they food to share for practice and the dinner. Students instruments they also presented their use. projects based on The trip was one of the three then brought to composers featured a close, and the Mrs. Sesler-Beckman’s first-semester boys returned to in that concert. students look spiffy on the After they Music-8 Gilman. steps of the Meyerhoff. were full and had McGowan finished the presentations, the students, added, “It was especially cool going accompanied by Mrs. Sesler-Beckman, backstage. Also, it was cool to see the Mr. Dechosa, Ms. Dimaio, Ms. music we studied performed live.” Landauer, and Ms. Wegloski, headed to Mrs. Sesler-Beckman organized the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. this special night on the town many The group, looking nice in coats and years ago and said, “The trip is always ties, took some pictures to commemorate lots of fun, but this year’s was especially the evening and then took their seats. tremendous because my advisee Alden Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave was Alsop’s mother is the conductor of the the first piece, a wonderful march orchestra that performed, and she took that features a variety of tempos. the kids on a amazing tour, which really Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 made it special.” photo courtesy of ESesler-Beckman

bma-petit louis trip (continued from page 1)

hound found 2020

‘He’s a nice one: Mr. Grinnage’ by

Finn Arthur, B&G Staff

GMS - One old American adage says recently completed a piece of art in Mr. “nice guys finish last.” Anderson’s Social Injustice Project, and Well, we GMSers all know one nice he has enjoyed spending more time in the guy who is going to finish first. Art Room as a member of Art Club. Devin Grinnage joined GMS this In addition, Devin is a serious past fall, and it took no time for his photographer. He has been taking new classmates and pictures for a year teachers to recognize now, and he enjoys him as one of the taking black-andnicest kids in the white photos. entire Middle School. Mr. Anderson Every time you chose three of see Devin, he has a Devin’s photographs smile on his face, and to be part of the he greets everyone annual Traveling with his totally Art Show that leads friendly attitude. His up to the Middle cheerful presence is School Fine Arts one that people like Festival each spring. to be around. Outside of Before coming school, Devin enjoys to Gilman, playing football on Devin attended Devin Grinnage: artist, athlete, a recreational team Westminster Middle photogr apher, and Super-nice guy. and passing the time School. He and his family live in with his other friends. Westminister, so he has faced a much Because we are not looking down longer commute each morning. when we walk the halls, even his new At GMS, Devin, an advisee of Mr. GMS friends might not realize that Downs, says that his two favorite classes Devin wears a size 18 shoe, which truly are Science with Ms. Dimaio and Math makes him a big brother to siblings who with Ms. Alexander. are 2 and 4-years old. His favorite hobbies while in Always with a smile, Devin is a great school are expressing himself on the person with a friendly personality to athletic courts and fields and expressing boot, and the Middle School is so pleased himself on a page in Art Club. He to have him. Welcome to GMS, Devin! B&G Staff photo

issue 3, november-december 2014

campus life

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF by

Varun Maheshwari, B&G Staff

photo courtesy of DLansinger

photo courtesy of MTully

B&G Staff photo

Khari Jones knew he had some big and sometimes bad. People don’t know footsteps to follow when he came to what I can do, and I want to make a name Gilman School this past fall. for myself.” After all, not every GMSer has an All in all, though, he loves having a older brother who is a starting cornerback brother like Cyrus because he gets great at the University of Alabama. advice from him...not to mention season Nevertheless, much like his brother tickets to the Alabama games. Cyrus (‘12) did when he joined GMS as Some of Khari’s hobbies include an eighth grader back in 2007, Khari has shopping, playing basketball, playing already had a big influence on Gilman. At football, watching sports, and hanging first, Khari had not planned on attending out with friends to have a good time. Gilman despite Cyrus’s successes here. Khari definitely made an impact Luckily for us, he changed his mind and on GMS’s interscholastic football team chose Gilman over this past fall starting some other school at cornerback and whose colors are at wide receiver, black and orange. becoming a favorite Khari decided target of fellow to come to Gilman, newcomer and having previously quarterback Jayden attended The Mt. Umbarger. Washington School, Khari’s best because he loved the memory when Gilman community’s playing football positive influence. outside of school was Right away, every when he got a crucial person made him feel pick on third down to like he was at home, win for his team. He even though he was Khari will have no trouble being a also plays cornerback star in his own right at Gilman. new. sometimes just like “I liked Gilman, and I wanted to his brother. follow in my brother’s footsteps to create Perhaps the funniest moment in his a name for myself, too,” he said. entire life, though entirely accidently, Through the first half of the year, was at the 2012 Gilman-McDonogh Khari has loved the education at GMS banquet. While at the podium, Khari and the helpfulness of each teacher, said, “Roll, Tide!,” spilling the beans that especially how he can go to them for Cyrus was going to Alabama. Just seeing extra help. He loves being in Mrs. Sesler- his big brother’s reaction made Khari Beckman’s advisory, and his favorite crack up. classes are L.A. with Mr. Byrne and “Overall,” he says, “I should have Math with Ms. Kolkin. come here when I was younger.” Being Cyrus’s brother was a fact Better late than never, Khari. GMS Khari knew he could not hide from. He welcomes you and hopes that you have said, “Everyone has a predetermined a great time throughout your Gilman opinion about me. It is sometimes good career!

Above Left, Mr. Byrne, with did-it-himself ugly sweater wearer Mr. Marner, gets in the holiday spirit sporting what turns out to be the ‘winning’ fashion statement in Ms. Morcomb’s inaugur al Faculty Ugly Holiday Sweater Contest; above right, a proud Mr. Byrne accepts his Elf on a Shelf prize; below, Noah Seth (’19, center) speaks on behalf of GMS at the 2014 Thanksgiving Convocation. B&G Staff photo

Seventh Annual Lacrosse Bingo Night raises $5500

hound found 2019

William Bolin, B&G Staff

LUMEN CENTER - The triumpant call of ‘Bingo!’ was heard many times on December 5 at the Annual Lacrosse Bingo Night. Gilman’s varsity lacrosse coach and beloved former GMS teacher Mr. Matthews has organized and hosted the event for the last seven years now. Held on the first Friday of December each year, the 2014 event raised approximately $5,500. Some of the big prizes this year included a baseball bat signed by O’s catcher Matt Wieters, a football signed by Raven’s kicker Justin Tucker, and a Tory Smith signed jersey. Some Gilman lacrosse apparel and equipment were won, and some alumni who played lacrosse for Coach Matthews donated gear from their respective

college teams. There were also smaller prizes like shirts and gift cards. What the lacrosse program does with the money raised varies from year to year. The event was originally started to finance the varsity lacrosse team’s spring break trip, specfically to pay for airfare to Florida. In years when Coach Matthews and his team are not planning a major trip, they donate the money raised on this night to a worthy local charity. “I like how there are people from all parts of the Gilman communtiy and how the older students, specifically the lacrosse players, interact with the Lower School students,” he said, adding his hopes that the same good turnout for the event continues in future years.

ESPORTS: GAME ON! by

Calvin Watkins

When I walk into school on a Monday established with professional teams, morning, I hear most kids talking about comprising the best players in the world, Joe Flacco missing a pass that would have competing in scheduled matches. Not won the game for the Ravens, or whether only were there pro teams, but also or not the Cavaliers will get to the finals amateur teams started competing against now that they have LeBron back. each other in ranked ladders or openI come into school thinking about bracket tournaments. Amateur players how Optic Nadeshot missed the flag were even recruited to play for pro teams. capture that could have led to Optic Halo and Smash Bros. brought a new Gaming to win the series, or if Elevate level of relevance to esports, but that will dominate the league once again this was nothing compared to the release of year after reforming. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2010, If you are curious of what I am which immediately became the biggest thinking about, the answer is esports, competitive game in the world, gaining otherwise known as professional gaming. the biggest following of any game. I have been The rise of following this many pro teams medium for about that are still two years now relevant today, but only recently including Optic realized just how Gaming, FaZe, underground it is and Team EnvyUs as a whole. Most to name a few, people believe that coincided with watching someone C.O.D. 4’s release else stare at a screen to the global and mash buttons market. for hours on end is A sold-out Staples Center hosts the 2013 At this time, as good of a use of League of Legends World Championship. the world’s best time as searching for the pot of gold at gamers began to make their livings off the end of a rainbow. of playing games at a professional level, Despite this widely held belief, making six-figure digit salaries as C.O.D. esports are some of the fastest growing pros, Halo pros, or League of Legends pros. sources of competition and entertainment In 2013, the League of Legends World in the world. Championship was held in a sold-out Like most every athletic sport, Staples Center. The Lakers are so bad esports had very humble beginnings. right now that they might not always sell The idea surfaced as early as 1972, when out a home game there. amateur tournaments were organized Competitive gaming has moved for the original video games like Atari’s away from television in the last few years, Space Invaders. These tournaments were shifting to online streaming sites such as very small, taking place in arcades, video Twitch.tv and MLG.tv. Tournaments game stores, and even at universities. now have as many as 25,000 people The first tournaments were relatively watching in person, as well as up to 2.3 small, with as few as ten participants, and million others watching online. offered modest rewards like discounts on Pros have become celebrities, signing games or a free accessory. autographs, getting interviews, and Gaming tournaments continued like securing huge fan bases that are dedicated this until the 1990s, when games began to to supporting their favorite player or offer online access. Tournaments could professional team. now be held online, allowing hundreds Despite esports’ rapid growth, many of players to compete in games like people still describe it as requiring “no Starcraft, World of Warcraft, and Quake. skill” or being “a waste of time.” To They were even televised for the world these naysayers, I recommend watching to watch. a match or two, like the Complexity vs The entire esport scene exploded Impact match from last year. with the release of the original Halo and After watching one, you will see just Super Smash Bros. Melee, bringing forth how interesting it can be and why there dozens of esports celebrities like Puckett, are millions of people around the world Flamesword, Legit, and Courage. captivated by the competitive side of In many countries, leagues were their favorite pastime. photo courtesy of APImages

issue 3, november-december 2014

faces & fun

THAT?

3 truths & 1 lie Do you know your fellow GMSers well enough to tell fact from fiction? MAXX BUNCE, 6th Grade

JACKSON, SHELBY 7th Grade

He has ten pets. He used to attend Calvert School. His grandfather fought in Vietnam. He never learned to tie his own shoelaces.

He is half-Uruguayan. He went to Hawai’i over the summer. He owns stock in the Algerian Exchange. His favorite movie is The Bourne Identity.

CAMERON WARD, 8th Grade

WHERE’S JJ?

tv show title plexer s b d b a a d

list

Mr. BURKE, Teacher

His favorite drink is red Kool-Aid. His extended family lives in the Black Forest. His sisters are part Japanese. His favorite hockey team is the N.J. Devils.

He likes folk music. He has never ridden a horse. He used to own a piñata business. He used to run around looking for dandelions instead of playing during Little League.

GMSWordSearch

once a time

Be the first to tell B&G Staffer Jonathan Haywood where he is hiding on campus and you get to help him hide for the next issue!

park

8th grade GMS NOSY HENS JOKE -A7th grade GR A MS BERRY HEN LEGS

See if you can figure 6th grade out these scrambled COWMAN PRANKS HEN GMS identities... IT’S MID-TER M EX AM TIME! MATH ESSAY MULTIPLE CHOICE FRENCH SCIENCE GEOGR APHY SHORT ANSWER HISTORY SPANISH LANGUAGE ARTS STUDY LATIN TRUE OR FALSE MATCHING

SWIMMING (continued) waterhounds swamped in opener at mcdonogh McDONOGH - In its first meet of the 2014-2015 season, GMS fell to the host Eagles, 116-36, on December 10. McDonogh finished first in every individual heat on the afternoon, and their team experience was obvious. In the 100 medley relay, GMSers top Neddy Wight (’19), Bodie Breza (’20), Max Verheyen (’19), and Jacob Diaz (’19)

finished in second with a time of 57.30. Verheyen also took a second in the 100 IM (1:04.48) and in the 50 back stroke (29.73). Fellow 2019er Jake Diaz swam a 12.57 in the 25 free, good for third place. GMS swam a second-place time in the 200 free style relay with eighth graders Chase Baker, Saad Jalisi, Enzo Metsopoulos, and Andrew Diehl.

issue 3, november-december 2014

sports

entire sports world mourns the loss but celebrates the life and courage of espn’s stuart scott Alex Lawson

photo courtesy of APImages

In 2007, Stuart Scott was diagnosed AVON, CT - On January 4, 2015, sports broadcaster and TV personality Stuart with cancer. About his initial reaction, he Scott died. Just 49 years old, Scott had said: “I knew I heard the doctor correctly. I bravely battled cancer for seven years, all the while remaining true to himself and still couldn’t comprehend…in my mind… in my soul. And after about two seconds, to his career. What will not die is the era of sports it hit harder than the pain itself. He is talking about me. I said to the doctors broadcasting Scott ushered in. Scott came to ESPN in 1993 to after they told me all of this: ‘Look--I anchor the new channel of ESPN2. At need to see my kids. I’ve got to see them.’ the time, the sports broadcasting world At that point, I just had to see them. And was somewhat bland and very white. anybody that has kids understands this. When Stuart Scott came on the set, he It’s that feeling of whenever anything immediately brought a style to ESPN that is going bad in my life, I need to see my children. I need to was unprecedented. smell them, I need As his colleagues to touch them, I need and hundreds of pro to hug them. They athletes have attested become like water. in the last week, You need water to Scott refused to fit survive. And to me, a mold on camera, for me, I believe that instead speaking to there are moments a younger, decidedly in your life where more African you need your kids American audience. to survive. And at Before him, that point, before I broadcasters did had another surgery, not say “Boo-yaw!” I had to, I had to, see or make references my kids. I had to see to the Wu-Tang Clan while voicing Broadcasting tr ailblazer Stuart my kids to survive.” Scott worked baseball highlights. scott, accepting the Jimmy V Award at the 2014 ESPYS back in July. out to get stronger to But Stuart Scott did so emphatically, and it changed the fight the cancer. After a chemotherapy session and an intense workout, he broadcasting game forever. One of ESPN’s primary studio hosts would still be able to show up on set was black. No longer would broadcasters and be an analyst on ESPN. Through reserve their cultural references to movies his indefatigability, Stuart Scott set an and TV shows African Americans had example for cancer fighters everywhere. Stuart Scott received the Jimmy never seen. With Scott came “Pookie and V Award for Perseverance at the 2014 Ray-Ray and all them all.” The sports media had a friendly face ESPYS and delivered an inspiring and a style familiar to African American acceptance speech. In it, he said, “When athletes, allowing Scott to become friends you die, it does not mean that you lose with some of the greatest players of all to cancer. You beat cancer by how you time. In his twenty-plus years at ESPN, live, why you live, and in the manner in Scott interviewed high-profile athletes which you live.” Stuart Scott lived because of his such as Tiger Woods and LeBron James and became close friends with artists children, Taelor and Sydni. He fought the hardest of all for them. such as LL Cool J and Lil Wayne. Most teenagers do not think their Sports broadcasting needed integration into African American dads are cool, but all of us who got to culture, and Stuart Scott provided the know Stuart Scott over the airwaves key to that door. After all, he stepped know that he was the epitome of his own into a career when 80 percent of all NBA famous catchphrase. He was truly “cooler than the other players and 70 percent of NFL players are side of the pillow.” African American.

BASKETBALL (continued) 2014-2015 GBA STANDINGS

as of January 12 W

Blue Jays

Tigers

Terps

Terror

Blue Jays Bears

Greyhounds

POL A R VORTEX GMS’s Polar Bears take part in first-ever interscholastic competition at Friends

TEAM OFFENSE Blue Jays 45.7 ppg Bears 41.5 ppg Tigers 39.7 ppg TEAM DEFENSE Terror 27.3 ppg Terps 37.5 ppg Tigers 39.0 ppg

hounds nip mustangs, 29-26 by

Evan Gilbert, B&G Staff

CATHEDRAL - Gilman used a balanced scoring attack to defeat Cathedral, 29-26, on Wednesday, January 7. GMS maintained the lead the entire game and led by as many as 10 points before turnovers allowed the Mustangs to keep the game close. The Mustangs hit two 3-pointers and two free throws late in the fourth quarter to bring them within three points. Coach Downs drew up a play to inbounds the ball to a place where Cathedral could not steal it and also get off a shot. William Godine secured the inbounds as time ran down. Jalen Rucker had 9 points, Khari Jones scored 8, and Godine added 6.

Ben Levinson, B&G Staff

FRIENDS SCHOOL - On Thursday, an “agressive, high-scoring game.” December 18, 2014, is a day that will go A highlight for the Polar Bears, says down in the annals of GMS History as Mr. Adams, was having the athletic a magnificent, fantastic, jaw-dropping, “superstars” cheering at the game and purely magical event occured: Polar having the entire GMS community give the Bears a rousing ovation at Bears went interscholastic. Assembly. Polar Bears Asher Cordish Director Mr. (’19) said it best. Adams says that “It was really fun while at the AIMs to be a part of this conference, he got absolutely historic to talking with moment.” Friends School About the Kickaball Director monumental event, Mr. John Watts. hee added, “If An idea was I could go back born, and the first in time, I would ever Friends v. go back to that Gilman Kickball game and play for Game was planned eternity.” on the teachers’ The Polar Light Rail ride Bears have plans home. to compete against The game started out slow From right, seventh gr aders Jack Friends again in Houley, Connor Vogel, and Aaron but quicky picked Lieberman take it to the Quakers January, this time at Gilman. up speed to become on the kickball field. photo courtesy of JAdams

WRESTLING by

Finn Arthur, B&G Staff

gmsers notch 7 hounds win 6 of 11 pins in tri-meet matches in opener BOYS’ LATIN - On January 9, GMS participated in a four-hour long, 40-plusmatch meet against the teams from both Glenelg and the host Lakers. The entire meet was too long to document all of the matches, but easily the most impressive individual performance of the day was turned in by Charles Tini (’19), who won on a pin in 13 seconds against Glenelg and then scored a second pin in the second round against his opponent from Boys’ Latin. Five other GMSers won one of their bouts that afternoon by pin: George Cassels-Smith (’20), Daniel de Leon (’19), Robbie Franklin (’20), Kenny Ihenatu (’19), and Isaac Lee (’19). Ben Muher (’20) won his Glenelg match on points (6-5) . Five Hounds then won on points against Boys’ Latin: seventh graders Zack Anderson (13-0), Dante Chavez (7-3), and Sam King (4-1), and eighth graders Ethan Hoskins (8-2) and Nichi Pandey (10-0). All in all, the Hounds gave it their all against two of the best Middle School wrestling teams in Maryland.

SEVERN SCHOOL - The Hounds started off the 2014-2015 season on a good note, with some excellent, hard-fought matches and a good team win, taking 6 of the 11 matches against the Admirals on Wednesday, December 10. GMS’s first pin came from Charlie Edwards (’20), who won his match in the second period. The Hounds’ five other match wins came on points. Seventh graders George CasselsSmith, Owen Johnson, and Zak Tini all won their matches to put Giman up, 4-2, after fellow 2020ers Ben Muher and Matt Rodgville came up short on points. Severn then took control, winning three straight battles via pins. Trailing 5-4, GMS’s two remaining wrestlers knew that they had to win to keep Gilman in contention. Max Carneal (’20) responded in a big way, winning his match by a thirdperiod pin. To end the day, Dante Chavez (’20) dominated in his match, getting standups and reversals in bunches.

coach byrne’s squad ready to take on the best WRESTLING ROOM - The early season practices this year on the wrestling mat have been packed with intense competition. GMS’s 2014-2015 wrestling team has 40 competitors, including 21 returning wrestlers from last year’s squad. The new blood has quickly learned the ropes with the daily regiment of sprints, push-ups, sit-ups, and of course, wrestling. Coach Byrne enters his second season as the head coach and will work with Coaches Buchanan and Legg.

Prior to the first match of the year, Coach Byrne said that there “has not been enough time on the mat to really see who the leaders of this team are.” He added, “We have some tough competition down the road, against some really talented, really well-coached teams.” Even so, he was confident that his squad would be able to “stand and fight with the best of them.” Overall, the Hounds have a great chance in the following weeks and will hopefully do well, just like they always do.

issue 3, november-december 2014 sports

SQUASH by

SWIMMING waterhounds fall to dons, 87-66

Varun Maheshwari, B&G Staff

yellow jackets again hounds dominate too much for hounds dons in 5-0 victory MEADOW MILL - Recent history repeated itself on January 7, as GMS dropped all five top-seeded matches to Calvert. In lower-seeded match play, eighth graders Brandon Ahearn, Varun Maheshwari, and Avery Meyer scored the only Hound wins in this rematch that went 14-3 overall in favor of Calvert. Even without top-seed Charlie East, the Yellow Jackets were dominant. Cullen Little filled in at #1 for Calvert and outlasted Ned Gildea (’20), 3-2.

MEADOW MILL - On December 18, GMS snatched another team win, easily handling the Dons, winning all five of the top-seeded matches and going 12-1 overall in match play. Since the Loyola squash team only had eight players, Gilman’s lower-seeded players had the chance to play their higher seeds while the Dons’ top seeds played two matches apiece. Each Hound won his match by a 2-0 game score as GMS advanced to 4-1 on the season.

gms sweeps st. paul’s calvert hands gms shut-out loss in third victory MEADOW MILL - On December 12, GMS lost its undefeated record to the incredibly talented and experienced Calvert School team. In the #1 position, Ned Gildea (’20) lost to one-time U.S. champion Charlie East, and all other Hounds followed suit. Some individual games were well-fought, but the Yellow Jackets emerged the clear winners, in the process spoiling the Hounds’ undefeated season. Only a few GMSers took a game off of their opponents in the series. Gildea said, “Charlie East is always hard to play because he is a really good player, but it’s always fun to play him. He’s super funny and a great guy. I play him at least once a week because I train with him.” Gildea played East to final set scores of 11-8, 11-6, and 11-5.

ST. PAUL’s - GMS grabbed another ‘W’ on December 9, beating the Crusaders, 5-0 (11-4). In the best match of the day, Avery Meyer (’20) lost a well-fought battle to Alex Breschi in the #6 position. They played every game to 9-9, but Meyer dropped two of the three games. In other matches, the Hounds were dominant. Seventh grader Ned Gildea won his #1 match, 2-0, against Forbes Arbaugh. Eighth graders Brandon Ahearn, Freddie Allner, Sam Bloomberg, Grant Emry, Folahan Koleosho, Varun Maheshwari, Graham O’Brien, and Parker Pearce all won their matches, 2-0, as did seventh graders Eli Webb and Dodge Woloson. With the team win, the Hounds moved to 3-0 on the season.

gms starts season with hounds do not drop a 3-2 win over eagles single set to quakers GREENSPRING - The Hounds won their first match of the season, defeating the rival Eagles on December 3. GMS squeaked out a 3-2 win in the top-seeded matches and came away winning 11 of 19 close individual matches. In the most intense and evenly played match, GMS’s #1 Ned Gildea (’20) battled hard but fell, 3-1. Eighth grader Grant Emry also faced a quality opponent but came away with a 3-1 victory. Eli Webb (’20) won his very well fought match, 3-0, but eighth grader Freddie Allner lost, 3-0.

MEADOW MILL - GMS smashed the Quakers in a 5-0 victory on December 4. All five of the Hounds’ top seeds won by a 3-0 set score, and every other GMSer won his match by a 2-0 set score. After recently playing an evenly matched contest against the Eagles, Friends did not have the experience to compete against the skilled GMS roster. At the top three ladder positions, Ned Gildea (’20), Grant Emry (’19), and Freddie Allner (’19) all looked great in their respective matches to pace GMS’s team win.

B&G Staff reports LOYOLA POOL - On January 7, the WaterHounds faced the WaterDons for their second swim meet of the winter season. Being held on Loyola’s home turf - or in their home water, actually - GMS put forth a good fight but lost by a final score of 87-66. Gilman eighth graders Neddy Wight and Max Verheyen both swam well at the meet with Wight finishing in second in all of his swims and Verheyen earning three seconds and one first. The Hounds started out well enough on the afternoon, placing second in the 100 medley relay. GMS’s top quartet of Wight, Bodie Breza (’20), Verheyen, and Jacob Diaz (’19) finished with a time of 1:01.48. Later, the eighth grade team of Chase

Baker, Saad Jalisi, Enzo Metsopoulos, and Andrew Diehl swam a 2:07.77 in the 200 freestyle relay and finished in third. Although GMS’s team lost, this was really a strong meet. The overall score was much closer than the December 10 meet at McDonogh, which shows how much the team has improved, even after the long holiday break. Coach Dimaio said, “I think we had a great meet with having two days of practice and eating candy for two weeks straight.” She added, “It was great because no one missed his heat, and we had everyone cheering at the end.” The WaterHounds will face both the Dons and the Eagles once again this season, hosting both rematches in early February.

gms swim team will rely on experience and numbers in 2014-2015 season by

Ben Levinson, B&G Staff & B&G Staff reports

GILMAN POOL - In years past, GMS’s WaterHounds have endured a lack of success fit for one of those inspirational, ‘we-almost-won’ sports movies. They have either lost horribly or come achingly close to victory, only to lose by a few points in the last individual heats. Not anymore. Under the coaching leadership of Coaches Shock, Vaughn Smith, Dimaio, and Martin, the WaterHounds plan to dominate this year. Since the swimming team is a seventh and eighth grade interscholastic squad, several members on the 2014-2015 roster are returning members and know the sport and the competition well. Max Verheyen (’19) was a team leader as a seventh grader and is back and stronger than ever. Ranked 61st overall in the country for Boys 13s swimmers, he is sure to be a strong component to the team’s success this winter. Andrew Diehl (’19) also swam for GMS last winter and has shown great leadership already. Rounding out the team’s 2019 triumvirate, Neddy Wight is new to the team this year, a fact that does not in any way affect the quality of his

leadership. All three of these swimmers were integral to the water polo team’s success this past fall and are happy to be in the water for a second straight season. Coach Dimaio says that she is “very excited” about the season “because there is a lot of potential in this team.” She added, “We also have a larger group, which is excellent in swimming, especially for relay points. I’m really excited about the different levels of ability on the team, and I’m excited about seeing the returning guys from last year continue to grow.” Coach Shock agrees, saying, “I’m also very excited about the large size of the team. We have 29 guys on the roster. We’re looking for everybody to improve by ten percent, to get ten percent faster, and we want to achieve that by doing the little things right.” Although the team could probably get by on its incredible coaches and amazing student leadership, the team has the largest roster in recent memory and some definite goals to match. With these exciting prospects, GMS’s swim team seems ready for an electrifying season!

SWIMMING CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

BASKETBALL strong first quarter paces hounds to win by

Evan Gilbert, B&G Staff

hounds r ace past gms opens season lakers in 53-21 win with home victory by

OLD GYM - The Hounds beat the Dons, 48-40, on December 9, thanks in part to a strong first quarter. GMS jumped out to a 20-10 lead at the end of the first period, even though the Hounds initially trailed, 3-1, the first time they had fallen behind this season. The backcourt duo of Khari Jones and Jalen Rucker paced the Hounds’ offense, scoring 8 and 7 points, respectively. Gilman’s defense was strong in the second quarter, letting up only 3 points. All that remained was protecting the lead in the second half. The third quarter was a high-scoring one for Gilman and Loyola as both teams

put 16 points on the board. Though the Dons outscored the Hounds 11-4 in the final quarter, two 3-pointers and 5 made free throws by Loyola were not enough to close the gap. Rucker finished the game with a team-high 11 points, Jones had 8, and William Godine chipped in with 6 points, all scored in the third quarter. James Schloeder added 5 points, and Cameron Alexander, Andy Andrews, and Aleksei Guzman all scored 4. Cooper Motley led Loyola with 16 points. GMS improved to 4-0 on the season with the win.

BASKETBALL CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Thomas Muhly

OLD GYM - Led by Aleksei Guzman’s 11 points, GMS crushed its Roland Park rivals, 53-21, right before Winter Break. The Hounds held the Lakers scoreless in a 10-0 first quarter as James Schloeder paced the attack with 4 points. Both Andy Andrews and Khai Wilson hit three-pointers. In the second quarter, Guzman, Zach Franks, and Jalen Rucker helped GMS begin to pull away. Khari Jones scored 6 third-quarter points, and Guzman continued to add to his highlight reel with 4 more points, including an old-fashioned three-point play. GMS led 41-10 going into the final period and cruised to the win.

Thomas Muhly

FAC ARENA - The Hounds opened up their 2014-2015 season with a convincing win at home, defeating Glenelg Country School, 47-32. GMS’s starting backcourt duo of Jalen Rucker and Khari Jones paced the attack, scoring 10 points apiece. Leading 19-18 at the half, the Hounds used a 10-3 third quarter to stretch their lead to 8 points. In the pivotal third quarter, Jones scored 4 of his points, and Will Godine and Alexsei Guzman chipped in with 3 points each. During the fourth quarter, Gilman continued to pull away, courtesy of solid ball control and timely free throws.