The Picador: Volume 7, Issue 1

The Picador A

P UB L I C A T I O N

B Y

TH E

S T U DE N TS

F O R

T HE

H O L D ER N ES S

S C H OO L

C O M M U N I TY September 23, 2011

Volume 7, Issue 1

Congrats to the Men and Women in Black

By Katie Leake ’12 This past Sunday the whole school arrived at the turf field for a couple hours of fun-filled competition. The students were all split up into random teams labeled by colors including, red, navy blue, dark green, yel-

low, orange, black, kelly green, white, silver, brown, pink, light blue, purple, and fuchsia. Within these groups everyone went through six stations.

The first station was called the relay tent race. The object of this station was to get

ten of your teammates into a tent while changing into Holderness apparel. This task may seem easy, but trust me, competing against another team of ten turns competitive very quickly.

Station two was the raw egg toss. This contest was vigorous, and truly demonstrated who was nimble and quick.

The third station was the Crisco ascent relay. This relay was a tough battle and was hilarious to watch.

Following station three, there was a sponge water and bucket relay. This relay consisted of ten team members running back and forth

Inside This Issue:  MOVIE REVIEWS  AN UPDATE FROM MR. MAC  SCHOOL SPORTS  HOROSCOPES  SHOUT OUTS

Quote of the Week: “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”

- Jim Rohn

(Continued on page 2)

Schralp the Gnar at the Plymouth Skate Park

By Oliver Nettere ’12 and Justin Simpkins ’12 Last Sunday a daring crew of Holderness kids headed down to Plymouth for the grand opening of the Plymouth Skate Park. Sponsored by Redbull, it was quite the event.

The Holderness Varsity Skate team gathered at 9 in the morning where they boarded their party bus and

headed off to the park. All the skaters who had already arrived went silent with fear when Charlie Sheffield stepped off the bus and onto the concrete. It was game time.

The event organizers really stepped up and provided free food and skater music: Linkin Park, Blink-182, and Metallica.

The contest was organized in

a jam format, which meant skaters could take as many laps through the park as they wanted while the judges (including Tony Hawk, Shaun White, and Randy Jackson) scored their every tricks.

Perry “Big Airy” KurkerMraz managed to kickflip his longboard, and Mr. “Dogtown” Casey ripped the bowl. Riggs Alosa won the scooter round by default,

because he was the only one who showed up with a Razor™.

The course included a 25foot drop-in which gave you just enough speed to clear the 10-foot gap over a pool filled with sharks. If you survived the first obstacle, the momentum launched you off a ramp and sent you flying through a flaming hoola(Continued on page 2)

The Picador Super Sunday (Continued from page 1)

between two buckets trying to squeeze enough water into one of them to make it overflow.

Station five was the human pyramid. This task wasn’t complex, but it was difficult.

Each team had to build a tenperson pyramid and then stay in formation for ten seconds.

Station six was the apple bob wheelbarrow relay. The objective of this relay was for two teammates to wheelbarrow their way across the field. Once the team reach the other side, the person with her hands on the ground had to bob for an apple. The team then had to return to the other side before the next two team members could commence.

Finally, the last station was the burlap bag relay race.

Skate Park (Continued from page 1)

hoop. The final feature was a 50-foot-long down-up-flatdown-flat-down-up rail, which no one except for Thorn Merrill landed.

The finals came down to Charlie Sheffield, Thorn Merrill, and a Plymouth local. Unfortunately, Charlie hit a pebble and stopped suddenly before the killer rail.

The Plymouth kid fell dropping in and dislocated his appendix. Thankfully both of us (Simpkins and Ollie) are certified WFRs and were able to relocate it. This left

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Thorn all by himself, and he was able to clear the park with ease.

The first annual Plymouth Skate Jam was a rockin’ success. A thank you goes out to Mr. Casey for organizing the party bus. There will now be weekly trips to the meat grinder (a.k.a.

Plymouth Skate Park) for anyone who is brave enough. It is a hundred yards past Rite Aid and is sure to require signed parental liability forms when the authorities realize how radically cool it is.

This final relay was challenging and involved a tremendous amount of teamwork. The purpose of this relay was to have five team members put one leg inside a burlap bag. On the whistle the team had to walk across the field without falling. And not to brag or anything, but my team did really well.

Everyone came out and competed hard, because we were told the prize was outstanding. They were right.

The winning team got their choice of either Bruins or Celtics tickets for this winter.

Now, I think congratulations are in order for the winning black team; you all did a superb job! Super Sunday was an excellent way for incoming students and returners to bond and get to know each other. We are all looking forward to the next Super Sunday this winter.

Volume 7, Issue 1 Faculty Profile M r. M a c R e f l e c t s o n H i s S a b b a t i c a l Ye a r i n E u r o p e

By Mr. Macomber Anna and I walked up to her new K-6 school in Geneva, Switzerland and looked around the paved lot where scores of kids ran around greeting each other, yelling (mostly in French), and playing games. The parents were also greeting each as old friends. Anna stayed close to my side as we both stood next to the fence trying to figure out where to go. I overheard one woman speaking in English (it turns out she is from Algeria) and asked her where the 5th grade teacher stood. “Miss Caroline” was over on the other side. Anna bravely joined her line (in silence) and went off to her first day of school.

When I picked her up that afternoon she was in a good mood, and I asked how she dealt with the Frenchspeaking part of the day.

“They paired me up with a girl from Greece,” she said, “and she translated for me.”

Just as many of you did at Holderness, Anna survived her first day with the help of a new friend.

Anna’s school is the first case study I am investigating in my year away from Holderness. My project is to visit and study international schools as a means to better understand what a global education could look like at Holderness. Anna attends a bilingual school. Monday and Thursday classes are taught

in French, and Tuesday and Friday classes are taught in English. At our first parent meeting, we met parents from Portugal, Chile, Sweden, and Turkey, as well as Switzerland. However, even though the parents had many different backgrounds, they voiced

the same concerns that I have often heard at meetings in Holderness, NH: they wanted to know why there was not a more structured science curriculum and why there were not trained teachers in drawing and sports.

Anna has a longer school day than students at Holderness.

Her classes meet from 8-4, except on Wednesday when school ends at 12. Anna's day may be longer, but she has less homework as there are work periods in the day. The kids also have sports, art, hip -hop dance, theater and German once a week along with their regular classes in math,

science, literature, and reading.

All the schools get an hour for lunch, and I saw bunches of high school kids munching on Big Macs and fries at a local McDonalds yesterday.

Of course, I was only at the McDonalds to snag some free

wi-fi as the Internet is not as ubiquitous (look it up) here.

Martha and I are making the transition to a European lifestyle. She works with Rosetta Stone every day and has signed up for a beginner French class nearby. Of course, when they asked for a parent “captain” at the 5th grade parent meeting, she raised her hand (the school has a parent board of captains from each grade that meets once a month). Already she is involved in improving education here; I think she will be working hard to create a more structured science curriculum and hire trained teachers in art and sports!

I am reading articles and books on global education and setting up visits to international schools. In a week I am going to an English-style international boarding school in the Alps. It’s actually a bit like Holderness with a large ski program, required 3-day expeditions in the mountains every month, and a motto about the balance of mind, body, and spirit. There is, however, at least one difference. The tuition is 86,000 Swiss Francs - that’s more than $100,000 US dollars.

Speaking of the Alps, Chamonix is only an hour’s drive from our apartment, and Mont Blanc shines over us on a clear day. To the left you can see a picture from my phone from one of our bike rides. We should get in lots of hiking, biking, and skiing this year.

Meanwhile, Sam and Clark are back in New England.

Sam is up at Burke Mt. Academy in Vermont, and Clark is in Hoit with you all.

Those two are on their own independent adventures as well. I will try to send some more updates and share what I learn as the year goes on.

From my readings, the key to a global education is to consciously think globally and act locally. More on that later.

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The Picador School Sports Review Varsity Field Hockey: Holderness Varsity Field Hockey began their season with a 4-1 win over NMH this past Saturday. Scoring two of the four goals was senior and captain, Carly Meau, starting at right wing for the second season in a row. Another returning varsity player, Tess O'Brien, held the team together at center midfield and assisted in many scoring plays. O'Brien's direct hits on corner plays were extremely valuable at the offensive end. Possibly the most notable player of the game was the starting goalie, Abby Guerra. Guerra's agility and coordination left NMH goalless for nearly 50 minutes of the game.

While the varsity veterans proved their worth yet again, they wouldn't have won without the help of the new athletes who joined them at the start of the season. Starting at right defense, Maddy Cicoria has impressed the coaches and captains with her defensive ability. Lindsey Houseman is another new varsity player with great stick skills and the potential to be a true varsity star at midfield. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Holderness' win over NMH was that all players on the team, starters and subs alike, got at least 10 minutes of playing time on the turf. Having such depth to a team will be helpful during the most tiring and challenging of games. Congratulations, ladies.

- Abby Slattery ’12 Varsity Football : As a temporary football player this fall, I would like to inform the Holderness community that during my two days of practice, the Bulls football squad for the 2011 campaign is looking great. The team is led by senior captains Austin Baum, Connor Smith, and Alex Trujillo, all of whom worked hard over the summer to get ready for the season. The Bulls have also welcomed many new faces to this year's team, including post-graduates Parker Sutherland, Alex Poore, and Bryan Donahue.

Jesse Ross will be the quarterback for this year's team, and although as a junior he has much to learn, everyone has faith that he will be able to win the Bulls many games this year. One more player who can physically not be missed is "Big Mike" Hogervorst, a 6'10" Dutch sophomore (not to be confused with "Big Mike" Oher, offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens and main character in The Blind Side). After a decent year last season, the Bulls hope to go above .500 this year and BEAT TILTON. - Keith Bohlin ’12 Girls Varsity Soccer: Although the first leaves of autumn have only just started to fall, the girls varsity soccer team is already looking forward to a successful season. With the leadership of captains Ariana "Princess" Bourque and Nicole "The Ging" DellaPasqua, this team has the potential to make it to the playoffs. Ariana's speed, touch, and affinity for headers will help to keep things running smoothly in the midfield and on offense; Nicole's skill, IQ, and ability to anticipate will keep the defense anchored. While both players are very valuable, our captains won't be the only athletes guiding this team to victories. Everyone should expect to see sophomore phenom Rebecca Begley score a few upper 90's this year, and don't forget to keep an eye out for the gazelle-like Sarah Bell, who will be stopping balls all day as an outside defender. Talent runs deep in this special group of top-tier athletes. The first home game is on September 24th at 4:30 on the Lower Fields against Vermont Academy. Be there or be square!

- Maggie Caputi ’12 Boys Varsity Soccer: With only six players returning to the boys varsity soccer team, a lot of spots need to be filled. Returning players include, Thany Alexander, Charlie Defeo, Will Marvin, Olayode Ahmed, Gavin Bayruther, and me. A few key pick-ups have already been made, most notably Tino Tomasi and Oliver “Sunshine” Lowe. In addition, look for Logan Slattery, a freshman, who will be hustling in the midfield.

The intimidation factor has been increased with the addition of a few hockey players. Connor Loree, Shawn Watson, and Francis Parenteau have been rotating in at defense.

The regular season started off with a victory on the Turf against strong rival New Hampton; the final score was 3-1. As these athletes continue to build and develop together as a team, we will be unbeatable! Looking ahead at the season, we have a lot of home games. You can look forward to watching some tough games on the turf against Andover, Exeter, KUA, Middlebury JV, and other NEPSAC teams.

- Ryan Rosencranz ’12 Page 4

Volume 7, Issue 1 Dorm Reports Boys’ Dorms Day: Day dorm has been recently enjoying the ginger snaps that Ben Coleman's parents generously donated.

We have also been hitting the protein powder so that we can keep our status as the "Most Appealing Dorm on Campus." Although there are only eight of us, Captain Shawn "The Hook" Watson struggles to maintain control over the number of females pouring into rooms 1, 3, and 4. Shout out to Ms. Moses, who has been staying positive with Day dorm members. GIRLS!!! Save a spot above your bed for the Day Dorm Bros holiday calendar coming soon. Follow us on twitter @daydormbros. #killingit - Gavin Bayreuther ’13 and Drew Walsh ’12 Webster: The best way to

sum up the life of Webster dormitory is NHL 12. You could argue that Madden 12 is the game of choice, but Keith Babus doesn’t let anyone else play. The room of married men is usually vacant from the hours of 8-10 PM, and Alex Poore has had his nose so far in the books he can smell the lettering.

Big Mike has been dougieing non-stop since arrival. We’re calling all you ladies out there to stop by Upper Webster for a seriously good time. Until next time, - Andrew Munroe ’12 Girls’ Dorms

dents are using them efficiently; we use them during the dorm meetings, for studying, and for just hanging around and relaxing.

Even though the dorm is pretty far away, there are constant walk backs, and we assume there will be more frequent walk backs after the tunnel construction is done.

Last Saturday was Xajaah's birthday so tell her "Happy birthday" if you haven't already. Finally, say hello to Maame, Raquel, Thao, Elain, Hope, Meg, and Coco, whenever you pass by. They rock!

often seen chatting with the girls. Isabelle and Molly have finally unpacked their room, and Mobay and Lauren are popping popcorn all the time.

The walk backs have been coming in hot, and the boys just love hanging out in upper Connell. Shoutout to Ms. Dopp for teaching us about the haters. It’s been a great start; we can’t wait for more!

-Rachel Huntley ’12 and Hannah Halsted ’12

- Sohee Park ’12

The New Dorm: For the first week, the new dorm has been terrific. Thank you Holderness for providing this awesome place. The common room and the new rooms are stunningly huge.

All of the new dorm resi-

Connell: Living with our new set of dorm parents, the Lins and the Glews (we still love you Ms. Henchey), has been awesome so far. Molly and Mason are everyone’s best friends, and Noah is

New England Sports

By Keith Bohlin ’12 Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox are having an extremely tough finish to their season. Less than one month ago they looked like they had a good shot at having the best record in the American League; now however, as of their 7-5 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday night, their record in September is 5-15. They are now six games out of first place in the AL East and only two games ahead of the once-out-of-contention Tampa Rays. This recent collapse could be attributed to many things, most clearly to atrocious pitching. In addition, it doesn't help that each night half of the starting lineup began the year on the Portland Sea Dogs. The Sox have a three-game series this weekend versus the Evil Empire before closing out the regular season in Baltimore. Hopefully, they will redeem themselves.

New England Patriots: The Patriots are off to a beautiful start this season after an opening win Monday night over the Dolphins, 38-24. This past Sunday they won again, beating the Chargers, 35-21. Tom Brady is off to a record breaking start after throwing a team and Monday Night Football record 517 yds. in one week. He also threw more yards in consecutive games (940) than anyone in NFL history besides Phil Simms (945). The defense has looked pretty good, although the secondary line has definitely been spotty at times. This week, the Pats will play in Buffalo at 1:00 ET against a 2-0 Bills team lead by Harvard grad Ryan Fitzpatrick. In other news, my two fantasy teams are off to hot 2-0 starts, thanks to strong efforts put forward by LeSean McCoy and Miles Austin. Looks like I’m in for another stellar year. Be sure to read the next issue for updates on the Patriots and my fantasy teams.

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The Picador Entertainment: The Movie Review

By Keith Babus ’12 Into Great Silence Tucked away high in the French Alps stands the Grande Chartreuse, the head monastery of the Carthusian Order. Visitors and motorized vehicles are forbidden, but after waiting eleven years for an answer, Director Philip Groning was permitted to begin filming a documentary of the monastery in 2005. Going by himself, Groning filmed for six months and was able to deliver a powerful showing of the life of a monk. There are no added sound effects to the movie, which has close to no dialogue for the monks all take a vow of silence for life. The daily lives of the monks are shown, and the viewer gets a firsthand look into the life of a person completely devoted to what he believes in. The bottom line is that the movie has stunning cinematography and is worthwhile.

Nightshift A morgue doesn’t seem like the place for a prostitution ring, but in this hilarious comedy from 1984 it’s just that. Michael Keaton stars in his first movie along with Henry Winkler. Both give hilarious performances while remaining realistic, unlike movies starring the frat pack of today. Winkler plays an unassuming mortician who has switched to the night shift at the morgue. There he meets the fast-talking and creative Michael Keaton who decides he wants to start pimping from the morgue. Winkler hooks up with his “lady of the night” neighbor, and the three of them create the business together. It is seriously an entertaining movie and shows why Michael Keaton became a star.

Shout Outs

By Kristina Micalizzi ’12 and Shawn Watson ’12 Veterans To Love: SC & TA: No license? No problem!

SM & CL: This celeb couple is back for their senior year.

CH & OJ: Who’s hair is longer now?

KD & MG: Chilling in the back seat SB & NR: #SQMLAKE

New Flames: New Fame: JS & WG: La Petit Princess and her New Black Team: Bruins or Celts? What a big England Gangster win!

BC & ON: Reunited CM & AP: Prowess for the PG's AS & NL: A home run for el Presidente LH & CD: Picking the first lily of the day

FP & SW: Trading in the skates to play some football, eh?

FS: Breaking the beep test and Big Sam's dancing record!

JS & PB: Taking the Gold and Silver for XC Miss S: Good luck with Alumni Wknd!

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Volume 7, Issue 1 Horoscopes

By Sara Mogollon ’12 Capricorn (December 22January 19): It's time for you to have a talk with someone close to you and stop being aloof. Since you are energetic, blow off some steam through exercise. That shouldn’t be too hard when you have sports six days a week!

Aquarius (January 20February 18): Be sure to take care of the free spirit within you. Decide this week whether you want more freedom or more responsibility and then take some bold steps to accomplish your goals. Stay clear of daydreaming in class, no matter how boring the lesson. Instead, make your week really exciting by planning something big for your first free weekend off campus; you’ll find a little vacation is all you need to get out of that slump.

Pisces (February 19March 20): As that cold, fall air pushes you inside more and more, it also is pushing you towards comfort food.

Try to resist the food urge; hot chocolate isn’t the only warm thing on campus.

Don’t let annoying disagreements get to you; you have always had a knack for resisting pressure.

Aries (March 21-April 19): You are totally on top of things this week, especially in school. Your optimism

allows you to totally overlook what others say or think; keep it up, even when those around you are in bad moods. Your smile is your best secret weapon; it sends that positive message and helps you look your best at all times. Although occasionally you can get irritable and withdrawn, your positive outlook always returns quickly.

Taurus (April 20-May 20): Speed up your projects this week; it’s the perfect way to receive an excellent effort.

Be wary, however, of working in groups; your full potential can only be recognized when you are forced to progress on your own. Independence! When it comes to walk backs, you aren’t emotionally prepared for a serious relationship. To help you work through any difficulties, reach out and vent to someone. After a short talk, you will find yourself on top of everything once again.

Gemini (May 21-June 20): Don’t take advantage of your longtime sweetheart; unless you encourage him and let him know how much you appreciate him, he may lose interest in you around the 2nd. Venus, the planet of style, will be on your side until the 22nd. Stop by your nearest shopping mall (Tilton?) to get some fashion inspiration for dress code.

It’s a good time to start

working on your back-toschool style.

Cancer (June 21-July 22): Your reflex to question everything may slow you down; make sure not to turn a golden opportunity into a real downer. You also can’t take on all the chores on your own; learn to say no, so you aren’t overwhelmed. Swallow that pride and make it known that you need to help.

Leo (July 23-August 22): Be careful with that frivolous attitude; your love of pleasing others may come back and bite you. Also, make sure you put forth your best effort during your Saturday game; the love of your life may be watching!

Virgo (August 23September 22): A project assigned to you will spark your curiosity and give you a chance to show off your hidden talents. And that new friendship you just began become more invested in it.

Turns out your new friend has better advice on that new someone than you had imagined.

Scorpio (October 23November 21): If you have a desire to master something new, go for it. Embrace all that is new! If you want your name in future history books, then you have to be extraordinary.

Keep in mind, however, that every action you do, will always have an opposite reaction; in order to rise up, you have to plunge downward at some point. Just make sure your pursuits don't cause your grades plummet.

Sagittarius (November 22December 21): Get ready. As Mars rockets towards Leo, your inner go-getter pushes you to do some brave stuff, even for you. Recently, the same problem keeps reoccurring and you haven’t had time to resolve it. This week could be the perfect time to give it your full attention; resolving that itch may clear away all bad vibes and bring you new energy. However, because of the attention you are putting into this problem, you may be forced to put something else on hold; just make sure you keep everything in check.

Libra (September 23October 22): You are totally ready to invest yourself in that new interest; don’t be afraid of starting friendships just because you put 100% of yourself in them. You can’t be afraid of enjoying yourself this week, even with so much work.

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The Picador A PUBLICATION BY THE STUDENTS FOR THE HOLDERNESS SCHOOL COMMUNITY Holderness School PO Box 1879 Chapel Lane Plymouth, NH 03264

A Letter From the Editor

Phone: 603.536.1257 Fax: 603.536.1267 E-mail: info@holderness.org

Now that the first edition of The Picador has been published, I would like to share some thoughts on the writing goals that we, as the editors of the paper, hope can be successfully accomplished throughout the year. First, we need the support and feedback of our readers. When I went to Bowdoin College for an interview this summer, the interviewer shared that the college is very proud of its newspaper. This might not come as a surprise to you; however, what she said next, caught my attention. The interviewer stated that the defining characteristic of the paper is its ability to draw in students. She noted, without any embarrassment at all, that the paper is always riddled with grammatical errors and writing that is, in many cases, sub-par. However, the ideas and articles in each and every edition are for the students and about the students. The woman remarked, with a sense of pride, that the paper is not something that the writers are always censoring or sweating over; if the wrong professor or alumnus gets a look at it, it doesn't matter. Instead, Bowdoin sees its paper as a place for students to get engaged and think intellectually and emotionally about their college life.

Contributors Nate Lamson, Editor Haley Mahar, Editor James Robbins, Editor Katie Leake Oliver Nettere Justin Simpkins Abby Slattery Keith Bohlin Maggie Caputi Ryan Rosencrantz Gavin Bayreuther Drew Walsh Andrew Munroe

Dear School,

With this said, we are asking you to tell us what you like about this first edition. What sections do you like? Are there certain columns that you never feel compelled to read? Once we hear the honest opinions and voices of our readers, we can improve our writing and style. Finally, it is our goal to have a lot of opinion oriented articles this year. Please, if you are inspired to write, argue or express your opinion about anything on campus, write your thoughts down and send them to us. I am sure that you all remember the string of opinion articles exchanged in last year's paper by Alex Trujillo, Derek Pimentel and Mr. Solberg. That is when the paper is truly at its best - investigating, reporting, and reviewing our times as students at the Holderness School.

Sincerely, Nate Lamson ’12

SoHee Park

In and Out

Keith Babus Kristina Micalizzi Shawn Watson

In

Out

Sara Mogollon

Matthew Neville Kinney

Neville Longbottom

Steph Symecko

Weld's West Wing

Webster Room

Hannah Halsted

Mr. Ford

Fordo

Ms. Magnus, Advisor

Super Sunday

Sleepy Sundays

Open Dorm

Intervis

Dressing for Business

Dressing for the Beach

Country Music

Everything Else

Larry's Desserts

Your Hot Summer Bod

Rathbun Common Rooms

Doors

Hashtagging

Real Jokes

Mr. Solberg, Advisor Mr. Carey, Advisor

- @magsthemuggle, @haha_the_haha, @stephiesmeckie, @halezie