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So What is a Neutrino? Creating the Perfect Soft Serve Cone Page 9
Jeff Nadeau: A Photo Essay
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The Picador A PUBLICATION BY THE STUDENTS FOR THE HOLDERNESS SCHOOL COMMUNITY
November 4, 2011
Volume 7, Issue 4
Be Prepared to Be Impressed By Jacob Barton ’13 “Inventive and imaginative,” says People magazine. “[It] contains moments of shattering emotion and stunning virtuosity that attest to [Mr. Lockwood’s] myriad gifts as a writer,” raves the New York Times. “Energetic, inventive, and ambitious,” claims the Boston Sunday Globe.* Anyone who’s walked through Carpenter over the past few weeks probably heard the band and chorus playing in the basement. Those who lingered to listen can attest to the validity of the Quote of the Week: “The fellow that can only see a week ahead is always the popular fellow, for he is looking with the crowd. But the one that can see years ahead, he has a telescope but he can't make anybody believe that he has it.” - Will Rogers
above remarks. Both groups will debut in the Northeast on Friday. The band has just completed their first nation-wide tour, and this performance will be their first (and last) on the Hagerman stage in 2011. Combining various genres of music, ranging from hip-hop to folk, these musicians bring a revolutionary sound to the music scene. To open the show, Maggie Peake (vocals, guitar) sings “I Want You Back”, originally performed by the Jackson 5. Mr. Lockwood has composed a few original pieces to follow, including “Juper,” “Start Up,” and “Toofani.” Members of the band include Charlie Williams (guitar), Maggie Peake (guitar), Peter Saunders (bass), Henry Liu (cello), and Kangdi Wang (piano, nose flute). Hannah Slattery sets the beat on the drums.
Thomas Chau and Michael Yu rehearse with Mr. Lockwood
The Forge Is Open for Business By Chris Daniell ’12 Not all schools can boast that they have a forge on campus. Here at Holderness School, we can. Before last year, the forge sat in the woods, cold and underutilized, except for two weeks of the year during Special Programs.
Last year, inspired by my time there during AB, I asked if we could continue to use Charlie is featured in a couple the forge during the spring of solos, and Kangdi plays quarter as well. (Continued on page 2)
This year the program continues. With a blessing from the administration, the forge is open to anyone interested, every Sunday afternoon for two hours. In these two hours, prospective blacksmiths have the absolute artistic freedom to make whatever they want, bound only by their imagination and how well they can swing a hammer. So far, Sunday Forge has included everyone from An(Continued on page 2)
The Picador the fall concert (Continued from page 1)
both the melody and bass parts of most songs on the keyboard. Brass players include Ian Baker (trombone), Becca Kelly, and Logan Slattery (both saxaphones). Kai Lin, Will Tessier, and Jake Barton will join in on their trumpets. Other players include SeoJung Kim (clarinet), Quianyi Zhang (piano), Mr. Kendall (cello), and Mr. Lin (violin). The chorus sounds strong as well, singing such pieces as “The Water is Wide,� a tradi-
tional folk song that has, in the past, brought audiences to tears (of joy). Chorus members include Choa Lim, Thao Nguyen, Emily Soderberg, Youngjae Cha, Shihao Yu, and Thien Chau. These musicians have been practicing for months in anticipation for this event. You can hear them live at 8:30, Friday night, in Hagerman. * Reviews lifted from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.
the forge (Continued from page 1)
drew Walsh to Veronica Wu. Projects have included fire pokers, candlestick holders, letter openers, and much more. The popularity of this activity continues to increase, entertaining seven people last Sunday.
across the road from Teaford. See you there!
The forge is open to anyone who likes the satisfying clank of a hammer on metal and doesn't mind looking like a coal miner. Space is available every Sunday from 1 to 3 in the forge, next to Barton and
A Photo Essay By Charlie Williams A photo essay is a new idea for The Picador. The goal is to create a story through pictures in which the composition of the photographs matters as much as the subject. This week Charlie documented a day in the life of Mr. Nadeau, the Head Athletic Trainer.
Jeff starts off game-days by preparing the training room for taping and other things.
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Students filter in and out of the training room for about an hour, and Jeff gets them ready for their games.
Volume 7, Issue 3
Jeff starts up his new John Deere to begin the process of setting up the fields.
Jeff drives around to various fields, leaving water, ice, and other necessities for the players.
He watches each game, making sure that if someone is hurt, he can be on the field immediately.
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The Picador Curing Indecent Soft Serve Ice Cream Cones, One Cone at a Time he “needs to watch his figure,” he says he would be open for help from anyone at this point. Do not be afraid to offer the headmaster a little advice; he knows he needs it!
By Molly Madden ’13 Every day during lunch there is a massive line of Holderness regulars at the infamous soft serve machine. It seems, that even though there is already a large variety of beautifully made hunks of calories, people often prefer to make their own ice cream cones.
However, while you are teaching him a thing or two, be sure to thank him for the soft serve machine’s very existence. Back when the Weld renovation was still a work in progress, he fought to his wits’ end to get a soft serve apparatus in the dining hall. Without this hero here to fight for the sweet things in life, there would be no ice cream cones to make fun of.
The Holderness regulars, however, have produced some of the most inadequate looking ice cream cones the world has ever seen. Why are some so bad while others are so glorious? Mr. Flinders claims to be, within the Holderness community, one of the top ten ice cream cone makers. Because he is such a good Samaritan, he guides those who do not possess his impeccable talent and offers a few tips. “It’s all in the twisting of the wrist, and there should be slight horizontal and vertical movement,” he explains. “To prevent leakage from the bottom of a sugar cone, place a marshmallow or a chocolate chip in the bottom. That way there is no leaking and there is a sweet treat waiting at the bottom of the cone.” He also claims that getting greedy and making the cone too tall never ends well; “It gets sloppy,” Flinders scolds. His biggest beef with the machine is when people do not push the handle down all the way when they are done. “It destroys the crystal infraPage 4
“I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice-cream.” - Heywood Broun structure of the ice cream. Ice cream should not be melty; it needs to be strong enough to resist a good licking.” Another math teacher at Holderness does not possess the same level of talent as Mr. Flinders. Mr. Skelley has faced harsh criticism for the structure of his ice cream cones, but he says he would defend them to the death. “I am heads and shoulders above everyone and will not back down against anyone,” Skelley claims. “I have the most experience eating and making ice cream cones and come from a long line of ice cream artists.” In his eyes, the way to make a perfect ice cream cone is to fill the cone so it has a solid
foundation (just like in life, the key to success is to have a solid foundation). When creating the swirls on top, there should not be any gaps or holes down the middle. He encourages the public to not go too wide with the circles and to go bigger to smaller towards the top. And although Mr. Flinders claims, “Skelley should spend more time on his technique and less time eating it,” the Payback Man, himself, simply states that Mr. Flinders’ cones are “so J.V.” Mr. Peck has also faced similar criticism for his conemaking skills; apparently even the kitchen staff scoffs at his cones. Although he claims his are small because
The real professional of cone -making claims to be Mike Hogervorst. Getting an ice cream cone nearly every day, his cones have been envied by nearly everyone in Weld. His advice is as follows: “A good ice cream begins with a good base. Fill up the whole cone with ice cream, and then start making circles on top of it. But don't do it too fast; if the ice cream is coming out fast, just pull up the handle a little. It'll come out slower, and it'll be easier to make a good ice cream cone.” He added that he believes the reason the soft serve machine is so popular is because it’s like making a personal masterpiece every day. Mike said he never used to eat ice cream at home but realized how much he loved it when he came to Holderness. “It’s sort of all you can eat, and I like that very much.”
Volume 7, Issue 3 New Chinese Classes Promote International Community producing a portion of those Chinese-speaking Americans.”
By Alex Lehmann '13 Holderness prides itself in its inclusion of many different cultures and nationalities within the school community. This year there are over a dozen countries represented within the student body, and events like Canadian Thanksgiving dinner and the Chuseok celebration further promote the community's diversity. Another major contribution to the school's globalization efforts this year is the addition of Mandarin Chinese classes, taught by Dr. Jonathan Higgins. The introductory classes are the first Eastern language classes ever to be offered at Holderness. The introduction of Chinese classes to the language curriculum has been several years in the making. The idea originated within the school's Intellectual Life Committee, a group of trustees and faculty members tasked with organizing and maintaining the school's intellectual objectives. According to Academic Dean Peter Durnan, several years ago the committee decided to add a non-Western language to address the school's, “desire to educate more globally-minded students.” After much deliberation, the choices were narrowed down to Arabic and Mandarin. Mandarin was the language that was eventually chosen for inclusion in the school's curriculum. Dr. Jonathan Higgins was chosen from a large pool of potential candidates to teach the classes. A New Hampshire
Higgins is also glad to be at Holderness because he simply loves teaching. “I enjoy teaching Chinese,” he said, “so I jumped at the opportunity to be able to teach it to high school students.” The student response to the class has been equally positive. Students universally seem to enjoy the class, citing the unique and unconventional nature of the offering to be among its greatest strengths.
native, Dr. Higgins said he was inspired to learn Mandarin while visiting China, after he and a friend (who already knew the language) came across a farmer in the Chinese countryside. Higgins explained he was fascinated by the vast cultural differences between his American upbringings and the Chinese farmer's way of life; he decided to learn Mandarin Chinese so that he could fully understand the differences between the two cultures.
Mandarin teacher, according to Durnan. Beyond his knowledge of the language, his technological savvy also distinguished him from other candidates for the position. “We consider ourselves very lucky to have hired him,” said Mr. Durnan.
Others say it increases the attractiveness of the school to potential students and adds more culture to the daily life of students. “I think it's a good thing to add an unusual and interesting class and provide an offering that other schools may not have,” said David Bugbee.
The Chinese classes are bound to change the school's culture and expand students' underDr. Higgins said he is very standing of the world. Mr. excited to be teaching the Durnan said he has seen the classes at Holderness. He be- effects of the new classes on lieves that the ability to speak the school already; he said that and understand Mandarin Chi- many of the students are ennese will be an important skill thralled with their new lanfor those going into the Ameriguage undertakings. Higgins spent many years livcan workforce in the near fuing in China, and even today He also said, “Our Asian stuture. maintains his connection to the dents see that we are taking East through his Chinese wife “China will play an important part in their world and taking and his friends who have rerole on the world stage for the their culture more seriously.” foreseeable future,” he exmained in China. plained. “Americans who can As Chinese classes allow us to In addition to teaching at Holbetter connect with Asian speak Chinese fluently will derness, Higgins also teaches classmates, Holderness takes have the opportunity to be a at Plymouth State University; another step closer toward a part of exciting business and his college teaching experidiverse and globallyeducational partnerships and ence factored heavily into his connected community. exchanges in the years to appointment as the Holderness come. Holderness should be Page 5
The Picador School Sports Review Mountain Biking Holderness students awoke to a blanket of fresh snow on Sunday morning. Despite feelings of joy, there was one question on eveyone's mind: “What will the Holderness Varsity Mountain Biking Team do now?” After sleeping restlessly on Sunday night, Coach Tiaan van der Linde made a decision: the team would do some crosstraining by Nordic skiing on Monday afternoon. First, the group got set up with the most technologically advanced equipment, supplied especially by Rossignol. Then, after skiing the lighted loop twice, the group realized they needed to attempt something more challenging; they decided it was time for the alpine ski hill. Reaching speeds of 60mph Clark Macomber was clearly the fastest. This ended abruptly, however, when he hit a tree with his face; you can still see the wound. Up until now speed was thought to play a heavy roll in Nordic skiing; Peter Ferrante and Justin Simpkins, however, proved this wrong by throwing back flips and 1080’s on their twin tip Nordic Skis. They will no longer be snowboarding, but you can expect to see them at Loon paving the path for Freestyle Nordicking. This week the team will focus on longer rides in preparation for a big race this weekend. Some riders are taking the race more seriously than others; you can expect to see Alex Lehmann wearing a full skin suit around on the day of the race, while Gibson Cushman and Clark Macomber have plans to ride in their aerodynamic SpongeBob suits. You can catch the team racing back to campus at 5:58 covered in mud, just in time for sit-down dinner, as they need all the practice they can get for the championships on Saturday. - Justin Simpkins ’12 and Isabelle Zaik ’12
Boys JV1 Soccer We are it. Led by captains Nate Lamson and Michael Finnegan, we have acquired a straight ballin’ record of 9-2. In other words, nobody steps to us, except Exeter and KUA. JV1 soccer is where it’s at and y’all should be jealous. It is predicted our final record will be 13-2. - Mike Finnegan ’13
Girls JV Soccer The women of the Girls JV Soccer Team were recently named the Women of the Year. Many skeptics say that women cannot compete with men athletically. This year the Holderness girls JV soccer team changed that stereotype. With a 7-2-2 record we have become invincible. Our crew of Amazonian, yet attractive, athletes have baffled the critics. - Molly Monohan ’13 Page 6
Volume 7, Issue 3 JV Field Hockey The JV field hockey girls, or the “underdogs,” as I like to call them, often do not get as much credit as they deserve, even though they have one of the best records in the school. But despite the lack of publicity, these girls still keeps smiles on their faces during both their games and rigorous practices. The team is led by fearless captains Iashai Stephens and Caroline Plante, two out of the four returners on a team that is mostly made up of newcomers. Each girl brings something unique to the team, whether it be Sarah Garrett’s excellent stick handling skills or Carson Holme’s awesome scoring technique. A shout out goes to our amazing coaches Ms. Stigum and Ms. Stuart. Keep up the good work, JV Field Hockey!!! - Kendra Morse ’13
New England Sports By Keith Bohlin ’12 The New England Patriots: Since my last article, the Patriots have given fans hope, and then taken it away. In week six, the Patriots beat the Cowboys. It was a close game until the final seconds; the Pats were down 16-13 until a classic fourth-quarter comeback drive, led by Tom Terrific, to put them up 20-16. The Cowboys had a few big plays in the final 0:22 but came up short. There were no players over 100 yards rushing or receiving, as it was mainly about the defenses in week six. After their bye during week seven, the 5-1 Pats tried to maintain sole possession of first place in the AFC East by defeating the 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers owned the game the first quarter, only allowing New England to run three plays in a total of 1:24 game time. Multiple times the Steelers found themselves with a ten-point lead, the largest deficit the Pats faced all season. Once the Pats finally began to click, it was too late in the fourth quarter to come up with another amazing comeback, and they fell to the Steelers, 25-17. It is worth describing the final play of the game, in which Brady dropped back but fumbled when hit by Brett Keisel. As the ball rolled on the Patriots’ 15-yard line, it was punched by Polamalu so hard that it went through the back of the end zone! I’m no expert, but last time I checked, that is illegal, not that the final two points made much of an impact on the game. Again, no player had over 100 yards rushing or receiving. However, there were a couple of firsts for the Pats in week eight: Tom Brady was held under 200 yards passing, and Kevin Faulk played in his first game since 2009. It is also worth mentioning that the Pats still possess the worst pass defense in the league… This upcoming week, the New York football Giants travel to Gillette for a 4:15 matchup. New England needs to win this one to guarantee their spot on top of the AFC East. The Boston Bruins: After the first three weeks of the season, the Bruins began struggling, sitting at 4-7 with only eight points. They are tied for last with the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference. In the past few weeks, the Bs have lost to Carolina (twice), Montreal (twice), and San Jose. Their only wins have been against Chicago, Toronto, and Ottawa. Rask has yet to win a game (0-3), while Timmy Thomas has allowed 19 goals in the eight games he has played. The offense has struggled some too, considering that the Bruins are 26th in the NHL in goals per game and 25th in power play percentage. Tyler Seguin is a bright spot on offense though, having scored a team high 4 goals along with 6 assists. Boston will go up against Toronto this Saturday, and will then face the Islanders, Oilers and Sabers at home next week. Hopefully their upcoming five-game home stretch will help them get on their feet and back into the playoffs!
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The Picador Opinion Does The Picador Allow Students to Express Their Opinions? By Emily Magnus ’88 On Tuesday I received the following submission to The Picador from Alex Trujillo. It is printed exactly how I received it.
not write controversial articles; it just means that they need to make sure that everyone in their audience understands what they are saying – no hidden meanings, no inside jokes.
Second, I would never want a student’s writing to be “diluted or filtered.” In fact, the more detailed a student’s piece is, the better. Details are what will help tell a story and/or prove a point. Articles for The Picador need to be well-researched, no Hm. Here’s the issue. This “student paper” is a fallacy. It is not a student paper. It is filtered, watered-down, and censored. matter what the topic, no matter whether or not I agree with a writer’s perspective or not. The key to getting an article pubThe things that I want to say cannot be said in our “student paper” because they would be considered obscene, or inappro- lished in The Picador is not writing what is appropriate or what supports the opinion of the administration. Rather, it is imporpriate, or too blunt, or too critical of the system, etc. tant to state your opinion clearly and back it up with facts and I floated around many topics. I drove James Robbins (one of statistics. our fine and talented editors, no sarcasm intended) crazy with my reluctance to turn something in. Why? Because I would get Which brings me to the one point on which I agree with Alex: Chelsea Stevens is a good writer. As Alex points out, she four hundred words in and realize that my article was diluted writes well-crafted, humorous submissions for the Tufts Daily. and filtered in order to be school-appropriate. Her writing is detailed and provides readers with new informaYou want to see an example of what student papers should be tion or at least a fresh perspective. Yes, her writing drips with like? Go check out Chelsea Stevens’ work in the Tufts Daily sarcasm, but it also is well-organized and has conclusions. (class of ’10). She says exactly what she thinks, without fear of The Picador is not for venting or whining; it is, however, a retribution from the administration or any other superior place for thoughtful, well-researched debate. If any student power. She has the freedom to say whatever she pleases and wants to write about her distaste for chapel, and she takes the the talent to articulate it, and the result is a series of wondertime to thoughtfully plot her argument and compose a solid, fully crafted and humorous submissions to the student-run well-researched article, we will publish it. newspaper. So, here was my challenge: write something for The Picador. Write something controversial.
My daughter was reading “The Dork Diaries” to me the other night, and although it isn’t exactly highly intellectual reading material, the main character said one thing that stuck with me. She said, “When life presents you with challenges, you can either be a chicken or a champion.” As some of you know, I own 13 chickens, so I am familiar with chicken behavior. Do you know what chickens do when they are challenged? They fluff up their feathers, make a lot of noise, and then run the Alex is not the first, nor will he probably be the last, student to other way; they don’t stand their ground or strategize; they just accuse The Picador of being “filtered, watered-down, and cenhysterically cluck and then find a place to hide. I challenge you sored.” With permission from the senior editors of The Picato not be a chicken. Figure out what is important to you, figure dor, I would like to respond to Alex’s comments. out how to say it, and then write your ideas in organized, coheFirst, The Picador is not just a student newspaper. On the mast- sive paragraphs. Then you will be a champion. head of the paper, it is clearly stated that The Picador is “A publication by the students for the Holderness School Community.” This does not mean that students cannot voice their opinions; however, it does acknowledge that the readership of the paper extends beyond the student body. Parents, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, and prospective students also read The Picador. When students write articles for the paper, they need to remember their audience. This does not mean that they can The widespread censorship sinks its teeth everywhere in our system. It invades the student-leader meetings, and deters us from solving actual problems. I wanted to write about my distaste for chapel that I am required to attend twice a week. This school emphasizes, quite frequently, how against change it is. How it is “counter-cultural.” Well if culture allows me to say what I actually w…
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Volume 7, Issue 3 N e u t r i n o s C a s t D o u b t o n t h e S t r u c t u re o f t h e U n i v e r s e stones of modern physics. But the entire model is predicated On September 13th, a group of on the postulate that nothing physicists working for the can go faster than light. European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) announced The recent experiment out of a preliminary experimental CERN, called OPERA, was result that, if confirmed, may intended to investigate the radically alter our understanding of space and time. By Mike Carrigan
oscillation properties of tiny particles called neutrinos-- the smallest pieces of matter that we know of and also the most abundant particles in the universe. In the experiment, a beam of neutrinos was sent
In 1905, 26-year-old Albert Einstein published a paper in the German Annals of Physics that shattered Isaac Newton’s mechanics framework and introduced the revolutionary concept of “spacetime.” According to Einstein, the three dimensions of space (length, width, height) and the fourth dimension, time, are not separate, but are instead intricately interwoven in a kind of fabric.
While the researchers were not originally interested in the speed of the neutrinos, they quickly realized that the neutrinos were arriving at the detector sooner than expected. Careful calculations revealed that the neutrinos were, apparently, going about 13,000 miles per hour faster than light. If true, these data invalidate Einstein’s Special Relativity and cast doubt on much of what we think we know about the structure of the universe. This result is preliminary, however, so a healthy dose of skepticism is in order. Efforts at CERN as well as at Fermilab in Chicago will either confirm or refute the OPERA findings within the coming decade, so stay tuned.
This theory, known now as Special Relativity, makes startling predictions about space and time that are consistent with experimental results obtained over the last century, making it one of the corner-
Shout Outs CP + JN = You can’t handle the truth
447 miles from the CERN facility outside Geneva, Switzerland, to a detector buried beneath the Grand Sasso mountain in Italy.
In and Out In
Out
Studying
Kinney and Marv's Xbox
AS - Loving the bling. All of Payback is invited to the wedding!
Shoveling snow
Carving Pumpkins
The Patch
Dipping
AG + AB - Bowdoin bound. Roomies forever?
Sorels
Sandals
MA - Fiesta en Ibiza!
Submitting
Standardized Testing
College meetings
Conference Blocks
Citgo
Irving
Juniors in Hagerman
Juniors in the Library
CM + JB = Hypnosis tells the truth HM + GB = Finally settling down
- Kristina Micalizzi ’12 and Shawn Watson ’12
- @magsthemuggle, @haha_the_haha, @stephiesmeckie, @halezie Page 9
The Picador Movie Reviews By Keith Babus ’12 Children of Men It is hard to come by a movie that differentiates itself from the usual dribble of reused scripts; one that stands out as original and refreshing. However, Children of Men manages to be one of the best movies of the last five years. Set thirty years in the future, women have been unable to give birth for two decades, and the ensuing chaos has left the United Kingdom as the only stable country. Clive Owen plays a bureaucrat who is given the responsibility of bringing the only known pregnant woman (Claire-Hope Ashitey) to a group of scientists who are trying to cure infertility. The film's storyline is filled with a great deal of hope but remains suspenseful. The trials that Owen is put through keep you on the edge of your seat as you pray that he will keep Ashitey safe. The cinematography is stunning and the score fits the movie perfectly. One of the greatest scenes in recent filming takes place as two sides of a battle part and Owen guides Ashitey through with her new-born baby. According to Wikipedia, the film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing at the 79th Academy Awards. It won two British Academy Film Awards and received the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film. This movie is a must see and one that will stay in your memory bank for a while.
Contributors Nate Lamson, Senior Editor Haley Mahar, Senior Editor James Robbins, Senior Editor Jake Barton, Junior Editor Jeff Hauser, Junior Editor Charlie Williams, Junior Editor Chris Daniell Molly Madden Alex Lehmann Justin Simpkins Isabelle Zaik Mike Finnegan Kendra Morse Molly Monahan Keith Bohlin Mike Carrigan Kristina Micalizzi Shawn Watson
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Keith Babus Sara Mogollon Maggie Caputi Hannah Halsted Steph Symecko Ms. Magnus, Advisor Mr. Solberg, Advisor Mr. Carey, Advisor Holderness School PO Box 1879 Chapel Lane Plymouth, NH 03264 Phone: 603.536.1257 Fax: 603.536.1267 E-mail: info@holderness.org
Volume 7, Issue 3 Horoscopes By Sara Mogollon ’12 Capricorn (December 22January 19): Sometimes life turns out to be stranger than fiction; oddly-positive, freak occurrences bring a little light to your busy life. This will be a period of time during which you cannot back up arguments or beliefs with solid facts; just let everything roll. This will work to your advantage and help you figure out new ways to solve old problems. Aquarius (January 20February 18): Muddled thinking is rare for you; however, at the start of the week you will have to slow down to understand what is at stake. Don’t be any less sure of yourself; it's temporary. The solution is to find your center and stay grounded. This may take minutes or days; just remember to wait until your feet touch the ground before rushing off to the next thing. Pisces (February 19-March 20): You intuition is razorsharp this week, so trust your instincts. This will give you the leverage to turn a dream into reality. Congrats! But before you get too excited, make sure you haven’t missed an important piece of the puzzle; this will ensure your success. It will take a moment’s pause to get you on the right track, but it will be worth it. Aries (March 21-April 19): Because you are so wrapped up in that specific project or person, you are missing an essential detail in your life. Take a step back and figure out what you missed. In other
way by the weekend. Virgo (August 23-September 22): It may be hard to see the purpose behind certain developments. Could there be another meaning from the explanation a friend gave you? If so, dig for more information. Don’t let your sudden lack of faith affect your week in a negative way. Sure, the start of the week is confusing. Get a better grip and all will end up well. Improvements are here to come!
words, dot your every “i” and cross your every “t”.
Cancer (June 21-July 22): Just when you start to get comfortable this month, curve Taurus (April 20-May 20): balls will be thrown in your You are suffering from infordirection. This week is going mation overload or somebody to be a tough one, even though just isn’t explaining himself or you thought you had things herself well. To see the probfigured out. You will have to lem more clearly, take a step work to get things to back on back; much can be achieved track, but by the weekend, this week by taking the time to there will be a pleasant surtalk it out. Unfortunately, you prise. might have to wait before getting all the answers. Be patient Leo (July 23-August 22): Where am I going? When? and all will be revealed. And with who? If you find Gemini (May 21-June 20): yourself asking these quesNormally, you have a sharp tions, be reassured it’s the mind. The start of this week, right approach. Neptune is in however, will be confusing; the works, trying to spin in what is fact and what is ficdoubt and confusion. This betion? Most likely people are ing said, if an incongruity feeding you conflicting stories. should present itself, don’t You may feel frustrated as you ignore it. Face it. The lighter try to make progress, but don't side of life touches you this give up; November will be an week. There could be some overall improvement from exciting news heading your October.
Libra (September 23October 22): Make sure you keep a firm grip on what you know to be true this week. People may try to tell you that you don’t know how it is, but you need to show them you have the upper hand in all situations. Keep your priorities in line, and all will go well. Scorpio (October 23November 21): Pay attention to the details this week. At first, it will feel like you are trying to navigate through a fog, and it might be difficult to discover the truth. However, perseverance will pay off. Sagittarius (November 22December 21): This week you will have a considerable amount of control over things. If you chose to share some of your latest plans with others, it will probably inspire them to set goals as well. Light-hearted approaches to challenges this week are advantageous. In the end things will most likely work out in your favor.
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The Picador A PUBLICATION BY THE STUDENTS FOR THE HOLDERNESS SCHOOL COMMUNITY
A Letter From the Editor Dear Holderness Community, In my four years at Holderness School, no one topic has been more widely discussed than students’ frustration and confusion regarding late lights (quality of weekend activities, a close second). The purpose of this week’s letter is to request a better definition or explanation of the term late lights for future reference; display and organize the current criticisms of the system in place; and to spearhead some revisions that originated directly from students. First, the handbook does not have any mention of the term “late lights” in its entirety. As a community, we need a definition of what constitutes a late light. The person on duty has many a times stated that any light brighter than an alarm clock is a late light. This includes computer lights. While this seems harsh to begin with, this person did not mention, until later on, that the following are also considered late lights: doing homework in the dorm’s telephone booth; using the bathroom; sleeping in another person’s room; and getting some well-deserved, nostalgic, pillow talk in with your roommate, even with the lights off. Second, who on campus is eligible for late lights? One major complaint is that students believe that the person on duty needs to go around the entire campus, rather than flock to the “target dorms” like Niles and Webster. Male students on campus believe that the females are not checked for late lights. While early bedtimes are certainly more common in girls’ dorms, there are most definitely females that stay up later than midnight, at least once a week. How these girls are never caught is beyond me. Third, students affected by late lights feel as though they are being penalized for trying to finish their homework at night. People who take more than one Advanced Placement or Honors class cannot realistically finish their homework before midnight every night. This is why they believe late lights are harsh, unsympathetic, and trivial. Late lights make certain people look bad on the absence list, when they are actually diligent workers. Think about this: what’s the difference between a student that goes to bed at 11PM and gets up to do their homework at 6AM and a student that goes to bed 1AM with all their homework done and gets up at 8AM? Each student finishes their homework and sleeps the exact same number of hours. The only difference is that the teachers label the latter as irresponsible because his/her name appears on the absence list. A student’s sleeping schedule should be conducive to his/her sleeping preferences, patterns and discretion. During a normal week, losing some sleep due to homework load is inevitable. Whether it be staying up late and hiding from the person on duty, or getting up in the early hours of the morning, the choice should be left to the student, without fear of punishment or public ridicule. Now, let’s just take a second to think about the implications of revised late light regulations. For a brief moment, imagine that late lights were taken away completely. What do you picture? Well, in my opinion and foresight, I see just about the same situation as now, with a little twist. The studying habits and sleeping schedules of students would not change. Students wouldn’t come to the realization that without late lights, they could party all night long and take a stroll down to Plymouth. Students would still work thoroughly and conscientiously to finish their homework at night, yearning for the moment that their head can finally hit the pillow, but maybe with a little less stress and a little more freedom, comfort and light. If you have made it to this point in the letter and you are still seeing eye-to-eye with me, then please stop reading because you, most likely, understand what needs to be done. If not, then here is a more “realistic” proposal: new underclassmen should be put to bed, with lights out by 11PM every night. I am not going to be overdramatic and state that late lights serve absolutely no purpose, because I truly believe that the new, young students in our community need sleep to stay on track in the new environment that is Holderness School. Also, I also believe that they don’t have enough homework for the late night overlap to become a problem. Therefore, a structured, black and white bedtime is suitable. Where does this leave returners? Well, I believe that all dormitories should initially hand them the key to freedom and responsibility. The returning students should be able to stay up as late as they want, as long as rowdiness, noise level, and dorm etiquette do not arise as problems. The students should retain the privilege, unless they disrespect this contract, in which case, the dorm parent could implement the old late light system. In my opinion, the late light system seems to be flawed in its current state. However, there is something positive to be said about the idea of quiet, bountiful, non-interrupted sleep in the dormitories that the late light policy was put in place to foster. With this said, the current late lights do not regulate students’ bedtime hours at all. They are just a hassle, something that most people would like to follow, but realistically cannot. We need a change soon, or more and more people will feel glum, negative and sardonic, like Andrew Munroe who commented, “It’s as if sleep is a just another commitment.” -Nate Lamson ’12