Hebron Review Spring 2023

Puss in Boots and the Movie That Was Good

By Cotton Strong ’23

Puss: an affectionate term for a cat. Boot: a sturdy item of footwear covering the foot. These are two words we all know and love. But what happens when these two beautiful words are combined? Apparently, they create a cinematic masterpiece. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is an exquisite story of love, fear, death, and family. Though the movie is geared toward children, I cannot recommend it enough for people of all ages.

The movie is set in the Shrek universe, and similar to the Shrek movies, the film’s environment is shaped by fairy tale elements, which make the already interesting story even more colorful and engaging. The roster of characters draws anywhere from popular stories like Goldilocks and the Three Bears to simple nursery rhymes like “Little Jack Horner.” These elements combined with the exciting original characters such as the adorable but idiotic dog Perrito and the terrifying canine villain simply called “Wolf” or “Lobo”, make the setting and vibe of the movie extremely fun and intriguing.

The cast of the film is also solid. Antonio Banderas reprises his role as Puss from the Shrek movies, and all the other characters that have appeared in other movies are also played by their original voice actors. However, this movie brings many newcomers who all deliver. Florence Pugh is surprisingly good at playing a cockney gang boss version of Goldilocks, and her character is one of my favorite parts of the movie. John Mulaney plays the villain Little Jack Horner, and he balances the plain evil of Jack with his normal comedic nature incredibly well. Finally, Wagner Moura, known mostly for his role as Pablo Escobar in Narcos, plays the main bad guy, the Wolf, and he is uniquely terrifying for a kid’s movie. Each time his character appears, he whistles, and it’s a really good whistle, which might not mean he’s a good actor but it’s a really good whistle.

Without spoiling anything, the plot focuses on Puss, who, as a cat has nine lives, but has expended eight of them. Puss has always considered himself fearless, but once he realizes for the first time in his life that he is actually capable of dying, he is struck with fear. The movie focuses on him dealing with this feeling. A character coping with the concept of his own mortality isn’t an original concept, but it’s pretty dark for a PG movie set in a fairy tale world.

Overall, while Puss in Boots: The Last Wish may be childish on the surface, every aspect of the film makes it not only enjoyable but also an introspective work of art for adults and kids alike.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “‘Animation Is for Everybody’: Joel Crawford on the Emotional Resonance of ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (Exclusive).” A.Frame, aframe.oscars.org/news/post/puss-in- boots-thelast-wish-joel-crawford-interview. Accessed 8 May 2023.

2023 Oscars: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Cotton Strong ’23

Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chooses what they believe to be the best movies of the year in many different categories and metrics. They put their choices together in the biggest awards show in the world: the Oscars. As always, the Oscars this year had their fair share of snubs, surprises and weird speeches. It was also a big year for the Academy as a whole, as they announced a new show specifically for scientific and technical achievements, which unfortunately no one will watch because it is a very boring idea.

Leading up to the Oscars, there were many predictions about what would actually get nominated, as there were so many good movies over the last year. Among the things people thought were snubbed from nominations are films like Matt Reeves’s The Batman, which had incredible cinematography and original music, and the lesser known A24 coming-ofage movie Close. It was surprising to see blockbuster films like Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water among the actual nominees. While they’re not what people typically think of when talking about Oscar award-winning films, it was cool to see some more mainstream and popular films among the others.

This year the Awards were again hosted by talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. He’s not very funny. The show had its usual awkward bits that made it extremely hard to watch at parts. For example, Jimmy Kimmel thought it would be funny to read comments off of Twitter about some of the attendees. This was an alright idea until he decided to approach Malala, the world famous Pakistani activist who was there in a very serious capacity to support a documentary about Islamophobic domestic terrorism in the US. Kimmel asked her a question about Harry Styles to which she responded simply by saying “I only talk about peace”. Many people were upset at Kimmel for creating this awkward interaction that some perceived as being in poor taste. Other than that, his hosting job went relatively smoothly.

The actual awards went pretty much as expected, with few huge surprises. One award many people (just me) were upset about was the Best Animated Picture Award, which went to the stupid Pinnochio movie and not the incredible Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Aside from that, it was shocking to some that Banshees Of Insherin, which was nominated for nine awards, did not actually win anything.

The elephant in the room, though, is the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once, which was nominated for eleven awards and won seven of them, including three out of four of the acting awards- best supporting actress, best supporting actor, and best lead actress, as well as best screenplay, best directing, best editing, and the most important award of the night- best picture. Earning seven awards means EEAAO is tied with several other films for the place of fifth most Oscar awards of all time.

Overall, the 2023 Oscars were relatively average and went about as expected. However, it’s important to remember that Oscars as a whole have a flawed history for a lot of different reasons, and none of their decisions should ever be taken as objective fact. The Oscars make a lot of dumb decisions, like not giving Puss in Boots every single award, so just continue to like whichever movies you like.

Student Artwork

“2023 Oscars Recap: ‘everything Everywhere’ Dominates, Wins Best Picture: See Full List of Winners.” ABC7 Los Angeles, 13 Mar. 2023, abc7.com/2023-oscars-oscar-winners-everything-everywhere-all-at-once- michelle-yeoh/12920357/.

Left: Hugo Galindo ’25

Top: Alejandra Vargas Bermudez ’25

Bottom: Elesh Anthony ’23

Selena Gomez’s Focus on the Education and Advocacy for Mental Health

By Belle Beauchesne ’25

From a young age Selena Gomez has been in the limelight and the center of media attention. But the life of a celebrity is not always a glamorous one, especially when it is full of constant criticism and hate from the tabloids and trolls of social media. Gomez’s status as a celebrity has given her a platform that she has chosen to use to educate people about mental health, to eliminate the stigma surrounding it, and to show her support to others having difficulty navigating their own minds and emotions. This topic is very important to Gomez because she, too, has struggled with mental health issues in the past, specifically bipolar disorder, and she wants to help other people see that mental health is something that everybody should be thinking about. Recently, Gomez released a documentary on Apple TV called Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me where she talks about her ongoing battle with lupus, sheds light on a time when her depression and anxiety took over her life, and how she overcame her difficulties to become a much happier person.

In 2019, Selena Gomez visited two schools in Kenya which she helped fund through her donations to the WE Charity. While she was there, she talked about an idea she had to allow children and teens to have access to free mental health education through a curriculum that would be set in place in public schools. Gomez stated, “One of my, like, goals in life–I’ve had this in my mind for seven years– is to create a bill where it is required to have a therapy sort of class in elementary school on to high school. I just think, you know, when you’re a kid and you’re in kindergarten, they ask you how you're feeling and there’s like a smiley face or a sad face, and they're learning emotions and that's amazing, but then why would we not continue to talk about that? Feelings only get more complicated and it gets harder to navigate” (Selena). Once she returned from Kenya, Selena Gomez was determined to set her plan into action. She met with members of her team and talked about how to make progress on her idea. In that meeting, she said, “I would love to find a way to build a curriculum that can be taught in schools. There's so much to be said about being connected with your emotions and having that intelligence” (Selena).

First Lady Jill Biden holds hands with youth mental health advocate Ayanna Kelly, right, as they arrive at the White House Conversation on Youth Mental Health Wednesday, May 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Since then, Selena Gomez has worked to complete that goal of building and inserting a mental health curriculum in schools, while also creating the Rare Impact Fund, and co-founding Wondermind. The Rare Impact Fund was set in motion in 2020, and it raised $100 million dollars that went to creating accessible and free mental health resources for children and teens. Wondermind is a company co-founded by Selena Gomez that shares mental health tips, personal stories from other celebrities and their experiences with mental health, a mental health podcast, a weekly newsletter, emotionally engaging journal prompts, and much more tools to help people navigate their mental health.

After watching Selena Gomez’s documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, and exploring her website, Wondermind, I encourage people to use these resources to educate themselves on the importance of mental health, and be more mindful of what people are going through on a daily basis.

Works Cited

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. Directed by Alek Keshishian, starring Selena Gomez, 2022. Apple TV, https:// tv.apple.com/us/movie/selena-gomez-my-mind--me/umc.cmc.39yw4dp13gshxq5bt9fsl0o5y?action=play.

Hebron Academy’s Hydrogen Car

By Max Nazareth

’23

Last year, Hebron Academy began participating in the Horizon Educational Hydrogen Car program. The Hydrogen Car program is intended to educate students about alternative fuel and energy sources through a hands-on and exciting experiential project. The car takes about six to eight weeks to assemble, with only the regulated parts included in the kit. Currently, Hebron Academy has two hydrogen cars made by two different teams of students. Hopefully, both cars will be in good enough condition to race against each other on a track.

How Does it Work?

The hydrogen that serves as the fuel for the car is stored in hydrogen cells, or in this case the HYDROSTIK. The hydrogen cell is essentially the gas tank of the RC car, and the hydrogen is like the gas. We get the hydrogen by taking distilled water and utilizing a process called electrolysis to separate the hydrogen molecule and the oxygen molecule (2H2O + Energy = 2H2 + 2O2).

The hydrogen stored inside the cell is then used to charge the car battery. With the process of hydrolysis, the hydrogen can be combined with oxygen to create energy with a byproduct of water (in this case, 2H2 + 2O2 = 2H2O + Energy). The battery is then used to power the motor, steering, and all other components of the car.

Why does it matter?

Hydrogen as a fuel source for vehicles has many of the same benefits as electric cars: they run quieter, have zero emissions, etc. However, they do have some advantages over their electric counterparts: being able to have a larger range, as well as typically being significantly lighter than electric, yet still heavier than traditional gas-powered vehicles.

Unfortunately, using hydrogen as a fuel source is not completely “green”, because the hydrogen is currently used as a method of storing energy. When turning distilled water into hydrogen, we introduce energy into the system. This energy may come from places that are not considered “green”. We also require rare metals for our car, such as lithium and platinum, while not being “green,” there is a possibility that these materials were also sourced unethically. Platinum, in fuel cells, is also known to degrade unevenly, leading to still usable platinum being thrown out when the platinum has only partially degraded.

Winter Sleepover at the Outdoor Center at Marshall Pond

By Juan Diego Perez Lete Reynoso ’24

This winter, I had to choose between going to Boston and going on a camping trip. After thinking about it a lot, I decided to go camping. Jose, Andres, Andrea, Nola, Jake, and Martha were all going on the trip with me. We started on a Sunday morning, and Mr. Tholen and Ms. Waterman showed us the entire system, what we were going to eat, what we were going to bring, and what we were going to do. Afterwards, Jose, Andres, and I went to have breakfast and prepare our backpacks. When we arrived at the dining hall, the people who were going on the Boston trip were leaving, so we took the opportunity to say goodbye. Then, we had breakfast and prepared our backpacks with a lot of excitement. The backpacks were large camping backpacks, so it was very interesting to pack our things and all of the food. After packing, we headed to meet with Mr. Tholen and Ms. Waterman. They gave us a brief lesson on how to cross-country ski. It was very fun to learn, but also harder than usual because we didn't know how to do it and had heavy backpacks. At first, we fell a few times, but thanks to Mr. Tholen and Ms. Watermen, who were excellent teachers, we managed to learn how to do it.

We started our trip and it was like a new world—everything was covered in snow and filled with incredible, giant trees, all with a great vibe. It was very fun to explore while skiing, because we were full of adrenaline. That's when I fell in love with cross-country skiing, not just for the skiing itself, but for the views, the people, and everything in between. It was my favorite part of the trip.

We arrived at the cabin, and it was very beautiful. We were surrounded by trees and everything was covered in snow. Inside the cabin, it was very cozy with a kitchen, some couches, and a platform above for us to sleep on. After we settled in, we all went to a frozen lake for a walk. While we were setting up the campfire and making hot chocolate, Andres, Andrea, Jose, and I went to the lake again, this time with our skis. Andrea stayed at the lake while Jose, Andres, and I went cross-country skiing through a good part of the forest. We had a lot of fun and then returned to the cabin. We rested for a while and then started making the food. Everything looked very delicious, all cooked by ourselves, chopping cilantro, tomatoes, getting the beans ready, and so on. It was a very good African recipe. When we finished cooking, we started to eat. Luckily, we had brought giant tortillas, and I made a very good taco with them. The food was really tasty and we enjoyed making it.

Later, we took a break and walked to the lake, which was already dark, so we used our headlamps. We got there and had a moment of silence with everything turned off. I was able to reflect on many things. It was a unique moment, very impressive to see all the shadows and the lake. After reflecting, we stayed there for a while talking and then went back to the bonfire. We were given some marshmallows, and we started burning them, eating them, and making s’mores. We stayed for a while making marshmallows, and then we went inside the cabin to talk more comfortably. We set up our beds, and Jose, Nola, Martha, Jake, and I went to sleep. To be honest, I couldn't sleep much; it was very uncomfortable. But since Andrea couldn't sleep either, I stayed up talking with her. We woke up, cleaned up everything, packed our backpacks, got ready, and left. The way back was also very nice; we enjoyed skiing while admiring the nature. I enjoyed everything, and I had a great time. It was one of the best experiences I've had at Hebron Academy. I thank all the people who accompanied me on this trip because the people made the trip much better.

Benefits of Fasting for Physical and Mental Health

By Kaan Uslular ‘23

Fasting is practiced by various religionsfor example Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Islam. Even if they have different philosophies and rules, they practice fasting. I identify as a follower of Islam. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which are the main and foundational acts of worship of the faith. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset, which requires abstaining from food, drink, drugs, and sexual intercourse.

Fasting has numerous benefits for mental and physical health. First of all, the body relaxes when you don’t consume any nutrition. When the digestive system slows down, it starts focusing its energy on cleaning the body and healing itself. This process is called autophagy. “Auto” means self and “phagy” means eat. So the literal meaning of autophagy is “self-eating.” Autophagy is an evolutionary self-preservation mechanism through which the body can remove dysfunctional cells and recycle parts of them for cellular repair. That’s why scientists support intermittent fasting as well, which is a popular type of fast that requires less commitment than prolonged fasting.

Our body goes under mild stress, which makes our cells adapt by enhancing their ability to cope. In other words, they become strong. Your blood sugar levels drop and your body uses the blood sugar reserve in your liver. Fat produces ketones, which is a type of chemical that your liver produces when it breaks down fats. This process increases your mental alertness. As a result, there are countless benefits.

Personal and spiritual growth is huge. Fasting led to positive affective experiences of an increased sense of achievement, reward, and, most importantly, empathy for the people who can’t afford the food you find every day. I would strongly recommend you try it one day. I’ve learned a lot from it.

Maxted, Anna. “Fasting Diets: Why Do so Many People Love Them? Because They Work, Darling.” The Times & The Sunday Times: Breaking News & Today's Latest Headlines, The Times, 10 Sept. 2019, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fasting-diets-why-do-so-many-people-love-them-becausethey-work-darling-tvkbdlhn5.

Leaves and Snowflakes, Fall and Winter Sports Recap

By Caden Dufour ’24 and Ryan Johnston ’24

As teams move into spring, we look back on the fall and winter sports seasons. This year has truly been a year of rebuilding, with new administrators from the top to the bottom. Every team has tried their hardest and faced tough adversity along the way. We look forward to a successful season of sports next year and wish great luck to the spring sports teams. While acknowledging that everyone loves to win, we recognize that you can learn a lot from losing as well.

The cross country team had a lot of highlights over the season. The team had to battle through incomprehensible adversity due to only having six people on the team, one of whom was injured for the entire season. We saw bright spots, however, with 8th grader Kellen showing he can not only hang with but thrive with the rest of the team. However, the team wouldn't be what it was without Coach Tovell. The team was able to train to succeed, and this mindset led to the team growing more as a group and having fun while doing it. Although the cross country season was not as expected, it brought the tight knit group together allowing for an even stronger season next year. Speaking of a tight knit group, both the field hockey and the football teams were extremely bonded as groups this fall.

The Varsity Field Hockey team has come a long way at Hebron Academy. From a long season of defeat last year, the 2022-2023 season has introduced a new level of attitude and energy to the team. Led by Coach Southard and Coach McKee, the team was unified despite its losses. With a record breaking amount of injuries in one game, the ability of everyone on the team to step up to a challenge was unheard of until then. In hopes of continuing this energy into next year's season, the team will continue to work hard and continue to play aggressively. Carrying this aggression into the football season, our eight-man football team was extremely successful. The Boys Varsity football team came to the season with aspirations for a NEPSAC championship. The team in the season prior had gone 1-5, a very disappointing season. However, this year the team started off strong winning the first two games, followed by a devastating loss to Holderness School on Homecoming weekend; however, they bounced back and finished out the season by winning the next three games. Hebron football finished the season 5-1. Throughout the season the team had built great team camaraderie, and created a winning atmosphere for the years to come.

The Hebron Golf team had an interesting story this year. With almost an entire team of non-returners, the team did surprisingly well against some of the best. Captain Gabriel Cote was able to shoot three under par to win against a scratch golfer from Brewster Academy. The team ended up placing 3rd at MAISAD. While the team might not have had the most successful record, the personal growth among the team gives hope for a dominant next season. Similarly, the Hebron Mountain Biking Team was also made up of many individuals who were new to the sport.

The Hebron Mountain Biking Team started with seven guys who have never touched a bike before, and three who have biked a lot. They practiced for about two weeks then went to their first race where Sam Levit ‘24 got 2nd, David Tripp ‘24 4th and Jose Lopez ‘26 7th. After weeks of practice and with more experience under their belts, at the final race at Mt Abram, the team did very well with Sam in 1st, David 2nd, Jose 4th, and Ryder 7th. We ended the season with trail maintenance. David, Jose, and Sam build new jump lines on the Hebron trails, giving Hebron one of the best trail systems in the state. While the mountain bikers were busy on the trails, the Boys Varsity Soccer team recently came off a MASIAD championship in the 2021-2022 season. The team started out with a win against Berwick Academy; however, the team struggled as they played stiff competition. The team started to truly find success at the end of the season, beating Tilton and tying Gould. The Boys Varsity Soccer tried to replicate the season they had the previous year but fell just short. The team is looking forward to improving next season with the aspiration of getting a MAISAD championship in the 2023-2024 season. On the other hand the Boys Junior Varsity Soccer team came out to a slow start, but by the second half of the season they were dominant. They suffered tough losses against teams like Holderness with a 3-2 buzzerbeater loss. However, they turned it around with two big wins against Hyde at the end of the year. They beat Hyde the last game of the regular season 3-0. Then beating Hyde again, 4-0, sending Hebron to the finals, where they then played against rival school Kents Hill in the finals! Although the boys lost 1-0 in the final game, they showed their strength and ability to play to the final whistle. They weren't alone in this hustle. The middle school soccer team was extremely competitive this year, playing many class A public schools and beating a very impressive Lewiston Middle School as well as narrowly winning a game against Bonny Eagle 2-1. The Hebron Middle School team played a total of three games this year, but showed to be promising for the future Hebron soccer program. This future is bright for the Hebron Varsity Girls soccer team, as they are an extremely young team. Coaches Mrs. Hanby and Mr. Willer pushed the girls as hard as they could. Winning a couple of competitive games against Hyde. Beatrice Money ‘23 was a huge part of the success in this team saving over one hundred and fifty shots and giving promise for years to come around this young core group. The varsity team wasn't the only team to keep it competitive, the Girls Junior Varsity kept it competitive every game. There was tremendous growth and development among the team. The girls also expressed their enjoyment of the season and how much fun they had. While they didn't have the season they were hoping for, they were able to make the most of it.

The Hebron 2022-2023 Basketball team started the season with high hopes and a willingness to give it their all on the court. The team, day in and day out, put in their hardest effort at practice, always going the extra step to improve their skills. When asked about the team, the 6 '6 senior from Georgia, Giorgi Maglaperidze, said, “The team chemistry has come a long way from the start. We knew each other's strengths and weaknesses each game, connecting on a more personal level as a full team.” Basketball players were scarce, with only thirteen team members due to injuries in the season. However, these players were extremely dedicated to achieving excellence. Coach Amory Weld said, “this team has come a long way; towards the beginning of the season, games weren’t competitive, and teams had already marked Hebron as a win on their schedule. But as the games continued, the team found a spark. Making games extremely close, losing in the final seconds of numerous games.” The team had a defeated season but felt as if the season was a success due the ability to grow not only as a team but as individuals.

There were even more obstacles for our Boys Varsity Hockey Team. They have been through their fair share of great triumphs and heart-wrenching losses. The Jacks came into the season with hope and energy with some wins early on and even proving they can hang with the big dogs only losing 2-1 to Holderness and 6-3 to Kent. The team started to shape up, catching a few wins before going into winter break with the team eager to hit the ice in January. With a solid return to play, the team started to get back into the swing of things. We saw vital players to the team starting to take injuries. In a matter of a week the Jacks lost seven of their players including their starting goalie. This hit the team hard; with not many guys able to come back to the roster, the Jacks pushed through. Many younger players had to step up to fill the shoes of the injured players. Although the season might have ended poorly the development of returning and

The COED hockey team, on the other hand, might not have been planned, but the Boys JV and Girls Varsity team meshed well together. Hebron had Sofia Gaultieri ‘23 and Lily Beauchesne ‘23 announce their commitments to the collegiate level! With the success of the older players as well as the younger newer players, the team saw a big win at Senior Night, which they won 8-6 against Berwick Academy. With both the leadership of Coach Cockrell and the hard work of the team, the COED Hockey team saw tremendous growth and equivalent success.

The success did not stop there with both Alpine skiing teams having a successful season. The team had a total of fourteen dedicated members, striving to do better every day with a little help from Coach Stokes. She was hard on the team, making them put in extra hours in the offseason or on the course. This paid off as Hebron girls brought home the championship, and Maja Mulley ‘24 was named MAISAD female skier of the year. The boys team was also extremely competitive with freshman Wolfe Egan ‘26 getting 5th place at the MAISAD finals.

We would like to thank Robbie Schroder ‘24, David Tripp ‘24, Kali Salazar-Perez ‘24, Giorgi Maglaperidze ‘23, Sia Anthony ‘24, Gabe Cote ‘24, Regina Morales Muriel ‘25, Hannah Sullivan ‘24, and all of those who helped write this, along with Blake Tripp ‘24 for the pictures.

Student Artwork

Right: Kate Dilworth ‘25

Left: Autumn Tracey ‘24

Right: Giorgi Maglaperidze ‘23

Left: Abrielle Johnson ‘23

“Smart” Is Overrated

By Kali Salazar-Perez ’24

In the eyes of many, being considered “smart” is something that one dreams to achieve. These same people who dream of being described as “smart” will tell you all about how you are on the pathway to college and an “amazing life.” Although being smart can be an attribute and a wonderful gift, it is not necessarily always what one would imagine. In fact, being smart is hugely overrated because being smart emotionally will put stress on your soul, being smart academically will stress your mind, and being smart in both realms will stress that “amazing life” you were once promised into burnout.

As someone who may not always be the most academically intelligent person in a classroom, but almost always the most emotionally intelligent in a room, I can assure you that being smart is overrated. The more in touch you are with your own emotions and everyone else’s, the more you start to read into things and develop anxiety about just about everything around you. Then those anxieties are then corrected by all of the knowledge you have, telling yourself exactly what caused these soul-crushing emotions and how to fix them. It is quite honestly a vicious cycle that does not complement the “you’re so mature for your age” comments adequately. The stress being intelligent puts on one is not just due to overthinking, “The drawbacks of higher [emotional quotient (EQ)] also include lower levels of creativity and innovation potential. People with high EQ tend to be great at building relations and working with others but may lack the necessary levels of nonconformity and unconventionality to challenge the status quo,” (Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic PhDAdam Yearsley, 2017). Oftentimes, these symptoms of ‘nonconformity’ and ‘lack of challenging the status quo’ can lead to loneliness and anxiety. These mental health issues can even carry into the classroom of students and cause immense dilemmas.

Since a classroom is where one learns, it makes almost perfect sense for someone who is labeled “smart” or “intelligent” to succeed in the classroom or school setting. Unfortunately being smart is also an overrated term in the context of academics. One could argue that it is a benefit and will provide you with all of the tools to succeed in life, but at the end of the day, at what cost are “smart” students succeeding? More often than not, these high achieving students who have been considered “Gifted and Talented” since primary school, have coasted along what is a rigorous educational course for others. This causes an “inability to see themselves beyond their role as the “smart student” in class” (Davidson Academy, 2021), which, when complimented with harder courses as the years advance, and the ever growing population

Concorde Staff “Managing Finance, Stress and Health as a Student” July 30, 2022 concorde.edu

of intelligent students around the world that they feel they compete with, causes insecurity, perfectionism, anxiety, and even depression. All of those concerns just from being titled “smart.”

Now, imagine how overrated being labeled “smart” must sound to a student who is both emotionally and academically intelligent. The vicious emotional cycle only rotates faster than it would normally! The pressure of fitting into the “smart” category weighs down on their shoulders, eventually leaving them burnt out, while those around them push forward. “Furthermore, this chronic stress appears to persist into the college years, and researchers warn it may contribute to academic disengagement and mental health problems among emerging adults,” (James, 2015). In comparison to what people see on the outside, having the label of “smart” hovering over one’s head truly is not as much of a win as people assume.

In any dictionary, the word itself, “overrated,” has the definition, “Overrated; rated or valued too highly” (MerriamWebster). Taking this definition into account, being considered “smart” in both an emotional or academic manner is rated far too highly in both students and adults alike. There should be no reason that academic validation is equivalent to one's entire self worth. Nor should the label and prestigious comments about an ‘easy-dream life' have a chokehold on the mental health of people all around the globe. Smart is an overrated concept, and it should not define students.

Should Hebron Have Uniforms?

By Anna Frumiento ’24 and

Sofia

Gualtieri ‘23

This year at Hebron, we have a pretty relaxed dress code. It consists of hoodies, T-shirts, cardigans, and sweaters for the top. For the bottoms, we are allowed to wear jeans, skirts, dresses, and khakis. Even though our dress code is not strict, students still do not follow it. They will show up in sweatpants and hoodies, which makes it seem like they do not care and are not in the right mindset to learn. Even though the teachers try to reinforce the dress code, it is never successful. A solution to this problem would be to make the students wear a uniform.

It is common for private schools to have a uniform, so why doesn’t Hebron? It looks much more professional to look around and see all the students dressed nicely. Wearing a uniform makes it seem like the students put in effort to come to school and didn’t just roll out of bed right before class. It is also a good look for us as a school when future students come to tour. Seeing everyone looking nice gives off a good impression and might make them more interested in coming here.

Some people may argue that wearing a uniform takes away from the creativity of choosing an outfit each day. While this is true, it only applies to a few students. Most don’t put much thought into their outfits and just throw something on before going to class. Throughout the most recent years here, the dress code has become much more relaxed and seems to not even exist anymore. If we don’t establish a more strict rule, it is just going to get worse from here.

Having a uniform at Hebron would also improve student attendance in the mornings. For some students, picking out an outfit takes up a good amount of time each morning, so having an already planned uniform everyday would speed up the process of getting ready. Now, we understand that most students would not be excited to wear a uniform, but we would recommend for it to be more on the comfortable side but still extremely presentable for the academic day.

Winterlude, How I’ve Missed You

By Mason Hatfield ’24

Hebron Academy prides itself as a place deeply rooted in tradition. Every time the victory bell strikes, tradition rings through every century-old fiber and flake of wood on campus. Recently, a prospective tradition arose. It was the cold, hard grip of winter, 2021. Everyone was on Zoom and needed a break, so Hebron gave the students a week of fun classes to lower the students' stress levels. This week-long interlude occurred in January, and with January being the staple winter month, it was dubbed Winterlude. For a recurring phenomenon to be considered a tradition, it must be passed down. The folks of Hebron Academy in the 2020-2021 academic year passed on Winterlude to the cast of the 2021-2022 year.

Winterlude comes at a crucial time of year; the months in between Christmas and March break are an absolute grind. Last year’s Winterlude came at a perfect time, so it was honestly a savior of sorts. Students were stressed with a myriad of assignments, and a long way to go before their endless suffering subsided to the beauty that March break is. Winterlude ‘22 consisted of numerous events, from anything as close to home as baking techniques, to further away events such as a trip to Broadway musicals. Personally, I toured eight colleges in the New England area for my activity. It was an incredible experience that I would never have been presented the opportunity for without Winterlude. Overall, Winterlude is a much needed period of unwinding for all.

Mario, Maria Di, et al. “The Big Debate: Should School Uniforms Be Banned?” Resources for English Language Learners and Teachers | Pearson English, 30 Nov. 2021, https://blog.pearsoninternationalschools.com/the-big-debate-shouldschool-uniforms-be-banned/.

Unfortunately, just as quickly as it arose, this new tradition died. There was no Winterlude ‘23, and it was an absolute travesty. Instead of strolling along the streets of Boston, dreaming of my bright future and how exhilarating college will be, I was stuck taking an AP Biology exam. Without this wonderful week of lowstress endeavors I spiraled down to the depths of solitude. Out of all of the possible two-month stretches a year can have, the two months between Christmas break and March break is the only stretch worthy of being described as Monday. That stretch is similar to when your phone only charges at a certain angle, or when both sides of your pillow are warm. January-March is a soggy-sock time of year, and the only thing that helped wring it out was Winterlude.

The good news is that we all survived the wretched month of February and the tastes of January and March we got. We have made it to the home stretch, the end is near, and the swift spring breeze dried my Winterlude-yearning tears. While we mourn the loss of Winterlude, we must look ahead, to bigger and better things. Summer break is upon us, and we must not linger on missed opportunities, so let’s finish this year strong. However, next year, Winterlude strikes back. Winterlude will happen again.

The Importance of Affirmative Action

By Aaron Han ’23

For high school seniors like me, it is almost impossible to go a day without thinking or talking about college admissions. With the admission season–an important part of high school that students will eventually face– wrapping up, everyone should know about affirmative action. College affirmative action is taking someone’s racial background into consideration when deciding on their admission. This race-conscious admission policy is aimed to promote equal opportunities to minority groups.

Colleges have been using affirmative action as their way to increase campus diversity for quite some time now; it began under the pressure of the civil rights legislation during the 1960s to counteract segregation. However, nine states have since then voted to ban affirmative action over the years, including California as the first. At the end of last year, the

Three ambitious Hebron Academy students attempt to read books at Harvard University.

Supreme Court case: Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard started. With the conservative majority in the Supreme Court filing lawsuits against Harvard University and University of North Carolina, the case is expected to result in an outcome this summer.

Currently, Harvard, representing private institutions, and UNC, representing public institutions, are the only forces holding back the national ban for affirmative action in admission for higher education.

Affirmative action tries to create equal opportunity for all students. Just by looking at the policies of affirmative action, some might think that it is only in favor of the minority groups. However, that is not the case considering that the playing field is not even to begin with. Students of color are affected by systematic disadvantages and one of the most prevalent causes is segregation. Segregation is very much still affecting people of color’s lives everyday. While white students live in areas with easy access to quality education, minority groups live in other segregated areas where the access to education and the quality of it is not comparable to those of white communities. Anyone who knows about segregated communities knows that it is very difficult to move out in search of better opportunities because of the systematic cycle that was built for the minority groups living in them. The systematic disadvantages minority groups face span further than just segregation. Colored communities’ economic disadvantages cannot be ignored, and other targeting political policies are factors as well. By allowing affirmative action, the admission system is acknowledging the unfair starting point for students of color compared to white students. Affirmative action is by no means going to even out the playing field for students of all races, but it is an important step to get there.

Race is normally one of the first features people notice about each other, and it is one of the most impactful things that people identify with. Someone’s racial background is their everyday life, not a single second do the students of color stop being colored, and every life story of theirs has race as a part of them. If colleges really want to know about their applicants, and eventually make the decision to whether or not accept them as their student, they should consider racial background as part of their decision making process.

“Affirmative Action Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 12 Apr. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/12/us/ affirmative-action-fast-facts/index.html.

Thoughts on ChatGPT

By Kali Salazar-Perez ’24

For the small population of students and educators that have not yet heard about the world’s leading AI software, OpenAI, otherwise known as ChatGPT, it is probably astonishing that while the “flying car” fantasy has not been achieved by today’s scientists, the ability to code and communicate with AI has. Surely when thinking of the term AI, any person immediately jumps to the movie Terminator where artificial intelligence hunts down the human race. ChatGPT, on the other hand, poses different questions and concerns, particularly in the realm of academia.

ChatGPT’s platform expanded exponentially from the day it was released on November 30th, 2022, with a total of “over 1 million users within one week of its launch” (Ruby). The platform allows for its users to type in any question they may have, and generate an artificially intelligent answer instantly. While some are using this technology to do their homework or ask questions conversationally, due to ChatBOTs highly sophisticated artificial intelligence, the software is now able to pass tests ranging in difficulty from the AP Biology exam to the Bar Exam. This level of knowledge does not seem to be approaching a plateau anytime soon either. ChatGPT is expanding to mobile devices, and only continues to develop its database of information with every use. So how does this affect the education system and academic setting? Are people happy about this technological advancement?

The answer to these questions will always be dependent on who you ask. While some educators believe that ChatGPT is taking the purpose of education and derailing it into an entirely different path, other teachers believe that “ChatGPT [is] an opportunity to redesign what learning looks like” (Ceres). Some fear that they could lose their job to ChatGPT’s coding abilities, and some fear that the software truly isn’t as different from The Terminator as we hoped it would be. ChatGPT is an incredibly versatile resource that has the range to help someone in just about anything. Some educators find this resource to be a disaster for college exams, and their teaching methods, while “other educators who reject the notion of an educational apocalypse suggest that ChatGPT might not be breaking education at all, but bringing attention to how the system is already broken” (Ceres). An example of this ‘broken system’ would be the increasing issue with copyright infringement.

Although students have cheated on assignments and tests for years, ChatGPT has only made it that much more difficult for teachers to handle issues such as plagiarism. Due to ChatGPT’s ability to draw from information all over the web, there have been innumerable cases of students using this software to get by all of their homework or even job training without any citations or accreditation to the sources the software pulled from.

“ChatGPT.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Apr. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ChatGPT.

When a software such as ChatGPT has as highly sophisticated artificial intelligence that it has, the uses for it are endless. From essays, papers, and tests, to spell checks, speeches, and official documents, ChatGPT is mind-blowing to say the least. Whether or not this software development will better or worsen the academic world today, is unsure. What is sure is that the next steps that software designers, educators, students, and anyone who is involved with ChatGPT take, will be instrumental or detrimental for the future of artificial intelligence.

A Forsaken Promise, a Frightening Future

By Forest Pelletier ’23

The recent approval of the Willow oil drilling project calls into question the future of our country. Humanity has begun to face the consequences of our species’ rapid development as well as overindulgence in our discoveries. We are currently witnessing the beginning of various environmental problems that we have caused and exacerbated. A notable few of these issues are sharply contrasting extreme weather, rising temperatures causing deadly heat waves, ocean acidification that puts in peril components of our food supply, and abundant waste and pollutants that we can’t seem to bring ourselves to deal with.

The Willow project was originally approved by the Trump administration in 2020 and put down by courts in 2021. Oil drilling is designed to bring petroleum oil to the surface, and natural gasses, as well as petroleum gasses, are released as a result. This project will lead to almost 300 million tons of carbon emissions, as well as various other harmful particulate matter. It would, of course, also provide some economic benefit and a dense energy source after it has been constructed three years from now. But projects like these are not unusual. In fact, what's more concerning is the response. This decision breaks the president's campaign promise to stop drilling on federal lands. Once again, this is not unusual; lying is commonplace in the political world. However, it raises questions such as if our country and our world have the capability to deal with this complex problem we have created for ourselves. The capability to cooperate with each other and resist private interest lobbying and misinformation. Most importantly, are we capable and willing to put serious effort and funding into resolving this mistake for the sake of our world? After all, if we were smart enough to have reached this point, we should be smart enough to fix things before the damage becomes more irreversible than it already has.

Image above: Photo provided by ConocoPhillips in 2019, it showcases a drilling camp at the site on Alaska’s North Slope

Hockey is for Everyone

By Barbora Prochazkova ’23

It’s difficult to avoid labels. The problem is that they’re everywhere. To specify this issue, being a girl hockey player in a school where the majority are boys is more competitive than anyone can imagine. Working “smarter and harder” doesn’t signify success but highlights the passion for the sport and a character’s dedication. Who would say that doing a “boy” sport will be easy? To answer this complex question: no, it is never easy. And it will hardly change. A boy achieves higher strength and is slightly better than a girl can ever be. Girls wrestle with these disadvantages every day. So where does the dedication in girls’ hockey come from? What is the point of doing something when the success line is thin?

Since Hebron had a problem recruiting girls to the team this year, the chances of increasing numbers were more than unsuccessful. It was a tragedy for the girls; however, with some conversation, the Athletic Director and the girls concluded to join Hebron’s JV boy’s team and make it a coed hockey team. Since the number of students decreased last year, this was a pragmatic decision.

The coed hockey season started sharply in January after returning from winter break. Building some team dynamics in the line-up and improving individual skills had been the main goals for the team. Coach Cockrell was preceded by his motto “play with heart,” or more literally, “by heart.” After every game, a player who showed their heart in the game was rewarded with a little speech earning an anatomic heart until the next game. That helped with game involvement, positive reinforcement, and the creativity of the players who wanted to hold the heart for a little while.

Girls had quite a challenging season with the boys. Comparing each other's skills and techniques, even the way of thinking in the game is differentiated. With the injuries that the girls experienced, including broken wrists and thumbs, neck injuries, concussions, and torn ACL, the game became mentally tough and was playing with everyone’s mind. The problematic creation of being there for themselves and others was tiring and frustrating, but the way everyone put themselves aside to prioritize the team was impressive. Remember, the team always comes first.

Can girls play hockey? From the perspective of a girl, I would say: “YES!” Some might disagree, some might agree, and some might not even care. That’s how the labels work. People won’t see the hard work you put through the process. They just review the result — the product they’re expecting to get. Do they need to analyze the whole product — you? No. But they’re still doing it. There’s no stopping the judgmental process. The talking, gossiping, and assumptions are the obstacles in your path to your goal. To score, you have to pass through the judgment and create an unbreakable bubble that will be your safety and challenge at the same time. That becomes the character worthy of leadership and sportsmanship in between being strong support for your teammates. Your cool is your strength. And the mental game always beats the physical one.

Are Zoom Classes on Snow Days a Good Idea?

By Lucy Diffin ’25

The earth-shattering time period of COVID-19 introduced quarantine, no school, and Zoom calls to the majority of the population. Waking up everyday at 7:00 A.M. just to stare at a laptop screen for seven hours with no real human engagement is a memory that is burned into my brain. Returning to in-person school came as a relief like no other as the world healed from COVID.

While Zoom was quite the opposite of fun, it did help connect students to school and provide some sense of normalcy during the time of social distancing. However, now that the pandemic has fizzled out, does Zoom still serve a valued purpose? There has been some controversy around the idea of having Zoom classes on days when getting to school is not possible due to inclement weather. Living in Maine, it is bound to snow, and oftentimes school is forced to close because of the travel implications. When school is canceled twice a week, it can start to affect coursework and lesson plans for classes. This raises the question of whether the school should continue to hold classes online.

Snow days are exciting and a good way to relax and break up the school week, as well as catch up on schoolwork or spend time with family. Many students value snow days and enjoy the time to themselves. In my opinion, replacing snow days with online classes would be met with a negative outcome and frustration from students and teachers. Students will not want to be online, so the struggle of everyone turning on cameras and staying awake would become apparent. Hebron should not implement online classes on snow days, as it will be met with negative backlash.

Humanity Has Become Its Own Worst Enemy

By Hannah Sullivan ’24

The global impact of poverty has and will continue to damage our environment, population, and economy. The drastic effects of climate change have brought snow to Barcelona and Hollywood, as well as heat to the Arctic. The rich are getting richer while the rates of poverty are skyrocketing, and the living conditions of those who are less fortunate are getting worse. It is certain that efforts need to be made toward the prevention of this suffocating epidemic of population growth and poverty to better the lives and futures of not only those less fortunate but also the human species. It is humanity’s duty as inhabitants of this globe to act upon our moral, economic, and environmental obligations in order to mend the aforementioned issues through donations, promoting green energy, and aiding in the advancement of education.

World poverty is something that is not an “easy fix”, and the matter will take years to mend. Humanity is morally obligated to aid in the betterment of society and donate to those less fortunate. Middle and upper-class citizens must demonstrate selflessness as well as equip the mindset of treating others how they would want to be treated in regards to this obligation. Watching or listening to the news and seeing towns in shambles with limited access to things as basic as drinking water is something that middle-class citizens cannot relate to, but should sympathize with. People who are born into poverty have no choice but to live that lifestyle. This boy comes home from school to a place that barely looks habitable, and there is little to nothing he is able to do about it. It’s no question how draining a long day of school or work can be, and many cherish the time they have in their beds and homes to reset. How would you feel if you were that boy, who is forced to reside in a place such as the one in the image? No clean sheets on your bed, no steaming hot shower after a long day, and most likely, barely a meal to sustain yourself. If you were that boy, you would want someone who is more fortunate than you to give up some of their money to help you. The saying “Treat others as you wish to be treated” seems like a basic mindset, but applying that mindset to a matter such as aiding in the prevention of global poverty truly will make a difference. If one is in a position to donate to a charity such as UNICEF or the American Red Cross, then by all means one should, out of selflessness. Most middle-class Americans have money set aside for luxuries such as dining out or buying new clothes. For example, Peter Singer wrote an article in regard to donations to charity, and highlighted that refraining from dining out for a month would save middle-class Americans about two hundred dollars. If the capability to be selfless and put others first is available, that opportunity should be taken. It’s as simple as making a decision to not go to a restaurant. We are morally obligated to act upon the honorable mindset of treating others as we wish to be treated, putting others before ourselves, and demonstrating selflessness through donations.

In third-world countries, and even in the United States, having no stable source of income is debilitating. Every day is a struggle for families and individuals that are forced to get by without proper access to things like education or healthcare. Those more fortunate, and the general middle-class economy, have economic obligations to contribute to the halt of poverty. Population growth is directly linked to increased poverty rates (Roberts), and it is humanity’s responsibility to help put an end to the cycle. Family planning, as well as reproductive rights and healthcare for females, is an effective way to prevent a mass increase in population. While these rights seem basic and somewhat general, they are not accessible to all, which makes it difficult for these less fortunate women to educate and protect themselves. Education on matters such as family planning enables women to safely determine how many children they want or can have (Roberts). Additionally, access to reproductive rights is a key component in managing the population. Rape is not uncommon, and without access to support and medical care, women will be forced to carry a child they not only don’t want but also can’t financially support, adding to the population. Monetary standards are not the only determining factor of being in a state of poverty. The general population takes for granted access to things such as clean water and sanitation—resources necessary to live comfortably (World Bank). Donations and support made to charities that aid in providing reproductive rights for women, education, and healthcare are financially beneficial in solving world poverty and lessening the collateral damage of rapid population growth.

In relation to the need for family planning and education of women, climate also has a remarkable impact on population growth. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is achieved through bending the population curve (Roberts). The emission of about one hundred twenty gigatons (equal to one hundred twenty billion metric tons) of greenhouse gasses can be prevented through these strategies of lessening population and poverty. Efforts and donations being made to lessen the population in turn have positive environmental effects. Promoting and investing in green energy allows for the avoidance of drastic climate change and will gradually close the gap between the richest of rich and the poorest of poor (Rosling). I disagree with Garret Hardin’s view that “If we don’t leave room for excess capacity as a safety factor in our country’s agriculture, a new plant disease or a bad change in the weather could have disastrous consequences” (Singer). Recent research has shown that the richest 10% of the population is responsible for almost half of the total lifestyle consumption of CO2 emissions (Roberts). The collateral damage to our agriculture does not stem from the lack of room for “excess capacity,” it stems from the wealthy population negatively impacting our climate. Humans are the most damaging factor to our environment, and preventing that detrimental impact caused by them will eliminate the need for an “excess capacity as a safety factor.” Lowering the percentage of the rich population that is continuing to damage our environment is where efforts should be made. Preventing the accumulation of massive wealth through taxing the rich will diminish the effects on agriculture (Roberts). Both the promotion of green energy and the prevention of the extremely wealthy need to be acted upon in order to save the climate and the impoverished. Humanity has an environmental obligation to support green energy and reduce greenhouse gasses because of the impact donating and participation have on the population level, which will in turn lessen poverty rates and gradually close the space between the impoverished and the wealthy.

Increased poverty rates and overpopulation have drastic effects on almost all aspects of the current world. Humanity must do everything it can to prevent the disastrous effects that will come as a result of ignoring the issues relating to the economy, climate, and poverty rates. The consequence of pushing aside these factors results in increased temperatures, millions of families and children left without access to basic resources, and skyrocketing population growth. It is the responsibility of humanity to be held accountable for taking action regarding the population’s moral obligations to sympathize and donate to charities for those impoverished, the economic obligations to aid in the funding of women’s health and education, and the environmental obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen population growth.

Works Cited

Garrett, Hardin. “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor.” The Garrett Hardin Society - Articles, Psychology Today, 1 Sept. 1974,

https://www.garretthardinsociety.org/articles/art_lifeboat_ethics_case_against_helping_poor.html.

“Going above and beyond to End Poverty: New Ways of Measuring Poverty Shed New Light on the Challenges Ahead.” World Bank, https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/immersive-story/2018/10/17/going-above-and-beyond-toend-poverty-new-ways-of-measuring-poverty-shed-new-light-on-the-challenges-ahead.

Roberts, David. “I'm an Environmental Journalist, but I Never Write about Overpopulation. Here's Why.” Vox, Vox, 26 Sept. 2017,

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/9/26/16356524/the-population-question.

Rosling, Hans. “Global Population Growth, Box By Box.” Hans Rosling: Global Population Growth, Box by Box | TED Talk, Ted.com, June 2010, https://www.ted.com/talks/ hans_rosling_global_population_growth_box_by_box#t-584728.

Singer, Peter. “The Singer Solution to World Poverty.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Sept. 1999, https:// www.nytimes.com/1999/09/05/magazine/the-singer-solution-to-world-poverty.html.

Dr. Martin Luther King and the Power of Love

By Maja Mulley

’24

Love is a powerful thing. It has the ability to create bonds, give hope, and support wellbeing. Dr. Martin Luther King once said “Power at its best is love,” which is a bold but relevant statement. Love is a tool which everyone should keep in their tool box. Love holds great influence, which is the number one characteristic of power. Self-efficacy and ability to cooperate with others are traits of power but also love. Power is the ability to control people and events, but love can be the best weapon to use when working for favorable outcomes.

The first valuable characteristic of love that overwhelms power is the ability to create bonds. The tendency to form a deep emotional bond to another individual is a universal feature of human life. We attach to others with shared experience and common interest, and we fall in love. In relationships, we commit to spending quality time together, trying new things together, sharing thoughts and feelings with our partner, asking each other questions, telling each other if there's something we need, and listening to our partner when they talk to us. These are relevant to power in the sense that they help one connect deeply with their audience, followers, or partner. To influence a group, you must have some sort of emotional intimacy or connection.

Love from family or friends gives a person the will to keep pushing and the hope of a better outcome. If everyday struggles become overwhelming, the distraction of love can soothe the soul. Love is a powerful tool. It gives people hope, which is the ability to keep striving forward in the face of adversity. Even when we have shortcomings, we will always have loved ones who will support you and continue to love us, no matter what. Some people may say that power is ultimate control over people and the environment, but it is not. It is self-reliability and confidence that comes with love, which is built up by peers. Knowing we will always have people who have your back is a safety net. It gives us continued hope.

Love, no matter what form it comes in, helps people incorporate safer behaviors into their everyday lives. When we know we have people out there who love us, we want to stay safe so they don’t have to worry or be upset. Recent scientific studies have also shown love reduces anxiety and lowers the chance of developing depression or another form of mental illness. It is supportive to your mental health and wellbeing. Being your strongest, healthiest self is the ultimate power move.

To reach a conclusion, Dr. King was right. Power at its best is love. Love gives you the ability to form connections with those around you, it is a light of hope during dark times, and it is crucial for the human mind. How could it not be powerful?

"Image of Martin Luther King Jr." NAACP, naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civilrights-leaders/martin-luther-king-jr.

A Catalyst for Change

By Nola Goodwin ’23

In her essay We Should All Be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes, “I am angry. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change.” It often seems that anger and the feminist movement have been forever intertwined—both for better and for worse. Women are criticized for being “overly-emotional,” and the stereotype of the “angry feminist” remains incredibly prevalent, despite changes in the movement over the decades. As examined in a variety of feminist texts, the trope has impacted not only outsiders’ views of feminism, but the way that leadership and action is handled within the movement itself. For example, both Adichie in We Should All Be Feminists and bell hooks in her piece ain’t i a woman tackle its role in their own perceptions of the fight for equal rights and of intersectionality as a concept. I myself have seen and felt the impacts of this anger in my own life and the lives of those around me. Anger may not always be justified, but in the context of gender and feminism, it has certainly led to some incredibly nuanced conversations.

Chimamanda Adichie writes in her essay that “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls. ‘You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful, otherwise you will threaten the man’” (27-28). Throughout the history of the feminist movement, but specifically in more recent years, this fact has become more mainstream. There has been attention drawn to the differences in the words we use to refer to young girls and boys, even if the issue is not even close to eradicated. bell hooks comments on this in her own work, but she provides an interesting perspective. Of course it is not only men perpetuating the problem, taking advantage of language, it is society as a whole. hooks says, though, that women have been roped into worsening this issue. Patriarchy is a form of imperialism, of indoctrination, and “one measure of the success of such indoctrination is that we perpetuate both consciously and unconsciously the very evils that oppress us” (120). In other words, the issue is deeper than simply a double standard. Language has been used as a weapon with which to gain more power for the patriarchy. In conducting my own research through a school-wide poll, I found that, of those who responded to the survey, roughly 83% of people answered yes to the question “Have you ever witnessed or been subject to the stereotype of women being over-emotional?” As hooks would explain, this pattern, this stereotype of women is not simply a consequence or a sideeffect of sexism, but a choice that was made somewhere along the line. That choice to make this trope mainstream has not only made it harder for women to move up in society, but played an active role in pushing men towards the top. By demonizing women’s emotions and the expression of those emotions, society has pushed the idea that men naturally make better leaders, and that they are more equipped to handle the tough decisions that come with positions of power.

Similarly, the idea of this anger has been targeted specifically towards the feminist movement as a whole. The idea of the “angry feminist” is prevalent and can influence how women identify themselves. Men, too, are taught they do not want to associate with the movement, or even are not allowed to because of their gender. In response to my question, “Have you ever heard of or encountered the ‘angry feminist’ trope?” I found that 81% of people responded yes.

Of those that answered yes, I asked a follow up question: “On a scale of one to eight, how harmful do you think the trope is?” Of those 50 people, only four responded with a number less than five. Although not everyone may be consciously aware of their own biases towards feminism, public perception has certainly been shaped by the language used in our day-to-day lives, in the literature and art we consume, and the way in which the news is presented to us. In describing her first encounters with the term feminist, Adichie writes: “...that word feminist is so heavy with baggage, negative baggage: you hate men, you hate bras, you hate African culture, you think women should always be in charge, you don’t wear make-up, you don’t shave, you’re always angry, you don’t have a sense of humour, you don’t use deodorant” (11). Much like Adichie herself experienced, the way feminism is presented to the general public— specifically young girls—steers them away from a movement meant to liberate them. As hooks would say, it makes us complicit in our own oppression. Changing the language used to describe feminists will not solve all of the problems, but it is certainly a first step; if only in recruiting more people to the cause. Writers like Adichie and hooks are taking that step; they are reclaiming language, and reclaiming the anger that they have been villainized for experiencing. After all, is anger not the natural response to being treated as lesser? As hooks would suggest, women’s collective emotions, their anger—at the system, and not at each other—is a powerful force. Perhaps one of the only forces that will create true change when harnessed properly.

ain’t i a woman focuses on an incredibly important obstacle to the success of the feminist movement down the road. It is not a lack of knowledge or an inaccurate portrayal in the media—though those are certainly challenges that must be tackled—but the pitting of women against each other; a tool of the patriarchy. More specifically, it is the issue of white, exclusionary feminism, and the fact that Black women and women of color face different issues on top of misogyny. Although hooks does not use the word “intersectionality” with the same prominence that it now has, she clearly discusses and unpacks just how important the idea is—not only to fighting racism, but to fighting sexism as well. The two work hand in hand, making it so that one cannot be ignored in the context of the other. hooks states that “To black women the issue is not whether white women are more or less racist than white men, but that they are racist. If women committed to feminist revolution, be they black or white, are to achieve any understanding of the ‘charged connections’ between white women and black women, we must first be willing to examine woman’s relationship to society, to race, and to American culture as it is and not as we would ideally have it be. That means confronting the reality of white female racism” (124).

"We Should All Be Feminists Cover." Goodreads, 1 Jan. 2012, www.goodreads.com/book/show/22738563-we-should-all-be-feminists.

The key idea in this is that, as a movement, we must see society and culture as it truly is, not an ideal version. When looking at it through the lens of what we would like to see, or what would be easier, we miss the biggest issues. It would be easier if sexism alone was all that needed to be tackled, but that is not the reality. The reality is that certain members of the movement, despite being feminist, can also be racist, homophobic, or classist. Those issues must also be taken into account in the fight for equal rights for women because they are all inherently connected. They support each other, and make the situation worse for specific people. Throughout her book, hooks brings this idea to light, specifically in the context of the inner workings of the feminist movement. As much as we would like to believe that all feminists constantly support each other, that is not the case. Feminism has potential to create real change—more than it already is—but it cannot, will not, progress until women themselves are able to unpack the anger, the bigotry, that we use against each other. Until we are able to direct that anger where it needs to be directed.

Throughout my own life, I’ve witnessed male friends and relatives comment that they do not identify with the feminist movement because of their gender, or because they do not identify with the way its leaders have acted—with anger. Society still seems to be hanging on to this idea that men cannot be feminists. That being a feminist is an inherently female trait. Yet, everyone, often including feminists themselves, seems to forget the impact that patriarchy has had on men. We forget that they feel the need to hide their emotions and become overly masculinized to fit a specific ideal, as Adichie explains (26). bell hooks comments on this as well: “Unfortunately, our over-emphasis on the male as oppressor often obscures the fact that men too are victimized. To be an oppressor is dehumanizing and anti-human in nature, as it is to be a victim” (114). Women, feminists, are generally the ones criticized for being angry, but should not everyone be? Patriarchy may benefit men, but that does not mean that the downsides do not exist, and that men should not be angry about them. Adichie and hooks begin to reclaim their anger throughout their works, and so should we. Anger is a force to be reckoned with, and the catalyst for real change.

Work Cited

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. We Should All Be Feminists. Anchor Books, 2014. hooks, bell. ain’t i a woman: black women and feminism. Routledge, 2015.

"We Should All Be Feminists Cover." Goodreads, 1 Jan. 2012, www.goodreads.com/book/show/22738563-we-should-all-be-feminists.

Pluto in Parentheses

Sara Levy ’23

Venus,

The hottest planet in our solar system, But Mercury is closer?

The world is full of mysteries:

How did the universe become one?

When did it become what it is now?

How was humankind started?

Yet I can’t help but wish there was life elsewhere, Mars, maybe.

Anyone fancy a vacation?

How about Neptune?

Why is Neptune the farthest?

(Sorry Pluto)

Why is Jupiter the largest?

So many questions, so little answers .

It’s unfair, really, I have questions, Oh so many questions, Most have no answers.

So I’ll just be left Wondering,

Wondering until I am unable to. I can change

By asking these questions of mine, Asking for answers, But is it worth it?

I feel like Pluto.

She’s that one friend that no one likes but is still invited over to the parties, Yet there aren’t any parties. I’m just forgotten. And it’s cold.

So Cold.

NASA, et al. Image of Pluto. https:// news.arizona.edu/story/ cracked-frozen-and-tippedover-new-clues-plutos-past.

And she’s beautiful like Saturn, Unique with her rings, Still, Pluto is so far.

Pluto’s closer to Saturn than she is with Mars, But do people even notice that? Obviously,

But no one ever thinks about it. No one thinks about how Pluto feels. They just think, “Oh well, she’s probably used to it” Sadly.

Then there’s Jupiter, This large planet, Everyone’s drawn to it. Jupiter has ninety-five moons, Even the moons are closer than Pluto is to any planet. Pluto does has five moons, But what for?

It’s not like Pluto has any sun that needs to be blocked out.

Uranus, The jokes write themselves, But is it all a joke? Is life just one huge, Lifeless Joke?

I wouldn’t be laughing. Hell, Pluto won’t be laughing at anything. There’s no attention that far out in space. At least earlier in Pluto’s life she was considered a planet, Considered a friend, But now she’s been pushed away, And it’s cold.

NASA. Image of Saturn, www.sciencealert.com/behold-our-latest-view-ofsaturn-from-hubble-in-all-its-stunning-glory.

A Boy

By Jake Paderewski ’23

A boy gazes upon a tree not scaled. His eyes dart from branch to branch, leaf to leaf, The unknown wonders he has yet to find, Cascading towards the dirt, he finds grief.

A man gazes upon a fair woman.

Though years of adornment present, no words are said, Consumed by pity, he is quite human. Absence, new, filled with no one in her stead.

An elder gazes upon a drab life. He knows now, he was but a cog to God, Illusive in nature, may there be strife?

Death at hand, life is no more than facade.

The sky gazes upon yet dirt and stone. For what is life unless to be alone?

“Little Boy Looking up at tree” West End Stock Photos 2023

Student Artwork

Right: Sylvie Gill ‘26

Left: Lollo Hansson ‘23

Top: Jose Hinojosa

Lopez ’26

Right: Autumn

Tracey ‘24

Yellow

By Regina Morales Muriel ’25

Is it just me, or are there songs that you can relate to a person or a moment in your life? Every time you hear it, you think of them. I always remember what I feel for that person when I hear this specific song, and start thinking of them and the significance of the song. I think this is really amazing to relate to because you never forget what you felt before. What makes the song “Yellow” by Coldplay my favorite is that it never gets boring, and it never gets old. I believe there are some songs that we give so much meaning they turn into part of our memories.

The lyrics of the song “Yellow,” in my opinion, talk about how your significant other makes you feel, how you would do anything for that person, and what you like about them. What I really love about this song is its rhythm. Coldplay managed to make a rhythm so good that it gives me a boost of emotions from time to time; he allows the guitar and drums to have their special moments, and I believe that is what gives the song its final spark. It allows me to have that feeling explosion in my mind, and gives me butterflies in my stomach. “Yellow” was one of the first songs that led Coldplay to success, and helped people know their name. This song allows its audience to open up and feel the emotions they have in their minds. The beat gives them that extra little push.

When I listen to the song “Yellow,” I remember a very special moment in my life. My aunt, Ani, and my uncle, Aro, had just gotten married that day. The wedding venue looked incredibly beautiful, the bride and groom looked amazing, and they made each and every one of their guests feel welcomed and at home. The couple were having their first dance. I had never gone to a wedding before, and I was really excited to experience one, see what it felt like, and see how the bride looked. I had always liked the song “Yellow,” but I had never given myself the time to actually listen to it. While they were having their first dance to this song, I was actually listening to the lyrics for the first time. Watching them dance to the rhythm of the song, and seeing the love and affection they have for one another made me cry and caused shivers to run down my spine. There was a part of the song where the drums and guitar started their solo, where there were no lyrics and it was only rhythm. Confetti exploded and the couple started to spin around in circles, and as the song had its final spark the dance did as well. Their wedding was such a magical day for them, but everyone in the room, including myself, felt it as well. For the next two weeks, whenever I had the chance to listen to music, the first song I chose was “Yellow.” It made me believe that love exists, and that when you feel amazing with the right person, everyone in the room feels it, too. Memories can be moments, but they can also be songs.

“Arcade” - Duncan Laurence

By Jannick Brodersen ’25

"Arcade is a story about the search for the love of your life. It's about the hope to reach something that seems unreachable” (Wiwibloggs). The song is written by Duncan Laurence, a Dutch singer and songwriter, and it is inspired by the heartbreak of a loved one of Duncan's who died. The genius composition of this song, with its rhythm mirroring the text and the mood created by the instruments perfectly fitting the theme, is just crazy.

It starts with a short, slow, and silent piano intro. In the background, you can hear a voice singing the same melody the piano plays. All this has a small reverb effect on it, which conveys to us the sad, calm, yet powerful mood. In the next tact, the small voice in the background is replaced by the clear and leading voice of Duncan Laurence.

He starts the verse with the lyrics: “A broken heart is all that’s left, I’m still fixing all the cracks” (Laurence). He is still recovering from the loss he is writing about. He still has to fill all these gaps and “cracks” that have emerged, as he lost a loved one he probably spent a lot of time with.

He keeps singing, and while the piano still plays the same melody, the voice in the background comes back. With that, the piano starts playing another two notes that repeat over and over again. At the same time, Duncan Laurence sings the same notes as before, but an octave higher. All that combined creates a small build up which doesn’t lead to the verse yet, but ends with an electric guitar playing four different notes. This creates a sad and empty feeling because the guitar plays completely alone without any other instruments.

After that, we have the same melody and chord progression with the piano and the voices. In addition to this, the same guitar plays, and there is a small kick drum in the background plus snaps, playing in a consistent drum pattern. Again, this creates a build-up to a real drop and, of course, the refrain.

The snaps and the silent kick drum change to louder claps and a more powerful drum. Duncan Laurence also starts the drop with singing notes that sound like a sigh, and all the instruments we had before are fuller and more powerful. All this happens while the song itself, due to the genius songwriting, sounds calm, expressing the theme of the song.

A new, but short, verse begins. The next drop almost sounds the same as the first one, and after that there is a very small transition to the ending of the song. This part of the song has the same instruments, drums, and singing like the drops before, but it has a different structure. It starts off with only Duncan Laurence’s voice, a chorus, and drums, and one of the first tacts is without anything but the main voice. All of this contributes to the genius composition of the song because the silence makes the last drop sound more powerful than anything else. In addition to that, there are a few more drums that give the ending a faster pace, and there are strings that did not appear in the song before. This again makes the drop feel more powerful.

The whole song ends with silence. It ends like it began: with the chorus in the background, the piano, and the reverb effect that lets everything sound more unique. This could mean the song is an endless feeling that repeats over and over again. I am still wondering if you could make an infinitive version of the song, because the end is exactly the same as the beginning.

All in all, the song fits perfectly to the main theme and the reason why Duncan Laurence wrote it. I think this masterpiece will always be a very good song because of the power that hides inside it. It is not very clear how long it took him to write “Arcade,” but because it’s based on an experience he had earlier in his life, it is possible he has been working on it since then. You can clearly hear the effort and time he put into the song through the genius composition.

Break Free

By Clemens de Maizière ’23

In a world of limits and boundaries, sometimes we all need to break free. The song "Something Just Like This" by Coldplay makes everything feel so quick and open, as if there were no boundaries or obligations. The beat picks up, and the song begins. All by myself, I sing it out loud: "But she said, 'where do you want to go?’” I feel light, happy, and free. Nothing can touch me when the chorus begins. I have power in my choices and the power to choose. As the song continues, my body wants to stop the running water, and go outside to find another great adventure. I might not make that choice, but the song only knows what I want to share with it. Together we are happy, and in that moment, I simply listen while the song plays. It has something special and unique. I know what it is, but the words are shy. So, I let the song play in the shower and in my head.

After its release in 2017, the song found incredible success, and "Something Just Like This'' became famous. At that time, my song was now your song. It was your neighbor's song. The song belongs to everyone now and is well-known. It is my shower song, on repeat on Spotify. Of course, I shared it with a couple of people, and they liked it. After a couple of months, others asked me if I knew this song. Indeed, I smiled with them and shared a lyric or two. It is my shower song. I don’t wonder if they listen to it and sing it out loud. I know they do because I can see their Spotify list. Even as the years passed, the song continues to play for us all.

Arcade by Duncan Laurence Album Cover. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ File:Arcade_(Duncan_Laurence_song).png.

I revisited this song on my Spotify list in 2020 when the pandemic was at its peak. This song helped me focus and continue to stay positive during the sudden school closures in Germany. When we were all quarantined, life did not look the same. We were limited and suffocated by our isolation and social-distancing restrictions. Music, then, became the escape from reality- and Coldplay reminded me that I have choices. I could choose to sing and dance while the song was streaming on Spotify.

As I reflect, Covid isn’t as scary as when we were in the midst of it, but this song still brings me to a place where I can escape from the pressure of school and its expectations of writing essays about songs in the shower. Songs like this can turn a bad day into a great day. I have listened to “Something Just Like This” at least 1000 times. But who's counting? Let's play it one more time.

“This is Me Trying” - Taylor Swift

By Martha Morrill

’24

Have you ever heard a song that captivates and leaves you wanting more? For me, that song was “This is Me Trying” by Taylor Swift. This song has clever lyrics and a beautiful rhythm that immerses the listener in the story it vividly tells. Furthermore, the song has a deeper meaning than what may be seen on the surface. The song is about the struggles of mental health and trying your best but feeling like no one is noticing.

I similarly struggle with the idea that my best is not good enough. Sometimes simple tasks can be draining and hard for me to find the motivation to do them. I can become crippled with anxiety, and things like public speaking or tests can cause me to be overtaken with fear. Because of this, I struggle with feeling like I am not living up to my potential or could be trying harder. Swift beautifully relates to this with lines like “I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting” and “They told me all of my cages were mental, So I got wasted like all my potential” I have always loved the way Taylor Swift turns simple ideas into beautiful song lyrics, and I think this song exemplifies that. I love Swift’s comparison of her mental health to a shiny wheel and how she feels they are rusting with time and that she has lost her potential. I viewed “They told me all of my cages were mental” as an ode to the hate many women are given and the stereotypes we are constantly compared to. Sometimes I feel like if I voice my opinion or show anger, people see me as hysterical or crazy, and I choose to repress my emotions to avoid this.

This song also touches on subjects such as suicide and the fact that everyone struggles underneath the surface with lines such as “Pulled the car off the road to the lookout / Could've followed my fears all the way down.” This line references suicide and the difficult choice of choosing not to at the last moment. That decision takes incredible effort but is often overlooked since it is a decision that is often hidden or may be taken for granted. This line reminds me that everyone is trying their best and that trying can look different for everyone. I think that everyone deserves a second chance and should be appreciated for all that they do, especially since it is impossible to know just what someone is going through underneath the surface.

I choose to listen to “This Is Me Trying” when I need to take a step back and remember all that I do and all that everyone around me is doing to stay afloat. It helps me to justify taking time for myself and helps me to appreciate the effort I put into each day. I think the perfect shower song contains not just a catchy beat but also an uplifting message. “This is Me Trying” is that song for me, and I am very grateful to have found such a beautiful song that resonates with me.

"Folklore Album Cover." Wikipedia, taylorswifts.fandom.com/wiki/This_Is_Me_Trying.

Editors:

Nola Goodwin ’23

Cotton Strong ’23

Junior Editors: Hannah Sullivan ’24

Mason Hatfield ’24

Graphic Designers: Nora Tobey ’24

Kate Dilworth ’25

Faculty Advisor: Barbara Waterman

Special Thanks To: Erin Leist

Spring 2023