The Picador: Volume 11, issue 9

Volume 11, Issue 9

2.5.2016 A PUBLICATION BY HOLDERNESS STUDENTS FOR THE HOLDERNESS COMMUNITY

Sanders, Trump Lead in New Hampshire

Chae Hahn ‘17 he New Hampshire primary will be the first major testing ground for the 2016 presidential election. Because it is the firstin-the-nation primary that reflects the popular opinion of presidential candidates, its significance cannot be overstated.

Historically, the New Hampshire primary has attracted remarkable media coverage and had an impact on the overall results of the election. Statistics show that a victory in the New Hampshire primary significantly increases a candidate’s chance to win the final primary election. All eyes are on New Hampshire, as they are for each election cycle.

As of January 25th, Donald Trump is leading the Republican polls in New Hampshire, followed by Ted Cruz and John Kasich. Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, is leading the Democratic polls in New Hampshire, followed by Hillary Clinton.

With the upcoming New Hampshire primary which takes place on Tuesday, it is imperative that we know our leading candidates and their platforms. Whether we agree with their policies or not, we should nevertheless learn about them, thereby bursting the bubble we so often live in. With that being said, the policies of the two leading candidates of each party (in New Hampshire), Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are briefly summarized below.

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Bernie Sanders Plans on...

Donald Trump Plans on...

-Reducing wealth inequality by raising the minimum wage, investing in a youth job program, and reversing trade policies with China -Promoting job growth by investing in infrastructure -Making colleges tuition-free and debt-free -Tackling political corruption by getting “big money” out of politics -Pursuing a fair and humane immigration policy -Combating climate change by transitioning away from fossil fuels to renewable energy -Making it easier for workers to join unions -Expanding social security -Requiring companies to give their workers paid family and medical leave -Reforming Wall Street -Fighting for women’s rights, LGBT equality, and racial justice -Moving away from a policy of unilateral military action toward a policy of emphasizing diplomacy (pro-Iran deal - Certain types of semi-automatic guns must be banned (pro-background check) - women should have the right to choose (abortion rights) -Marijuana should be legalized at a federal level -Criminal justice reform is necessary (reducing the number of people in prison, tackling police brutality, abolishing private, for-profit prisons)

- Building a wall between the U.S and Mexico, and making Mexico pay for it - Enforcing mandatory return for all criminal aliens - Banning Muslims entering the nation - Enforcing stricter standard for admission of refugees - Enforcing requirement to hire American workers first - Negotiating a better, fairer deal with China to protect American industries and workers (harsher on China) - Replacing Obamacare with a “free-market plan” - Ensuring veterans have access to better health care - Building a stronger military - Fixing the broken mental health system - “The Trump Tax Plan” tax relief for middle class Americans, simplified tax code, business tax reform to encourage job growth - “Pro-life” - ban late-term abortions except in certain cases - Destroying ISIS and taking away their oil - Global Warming is a hoax - Americans’ Second Amendment rights must be protected, and therefore he opposes most gun control regulations - Minimum wage should not be raised - Recreational marijuana should not be legalized, but supports legalizing medical marijuana States’ rights must be protected - Iran Nuclear Deal must be replaced

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Seniors Reflect on Significance of Senior Thesis Topic

Maggie Barton ‘16

Anyone who has had to spend time

with a grumpy senior over the past few weeks has surely heard about the woes of their struggle to find the perfect “Senior Thesis” topic. Those of us who were lucky enough to take the year-long course have long passed this phase of our projects, and many of us are now confidently passionate about where our research has lead us. A few students from the pilot class reflected on what they chose to study. As May rolls around, and you begin to sign up for the seminars you wish to attend, be sure to check these out!

Kyra Borsoi: To fully understand the journey of my Senior Thesis we must go back to where it all began. When my mother first tried to play hockey in October 2003, she skated out there and was trying her best, until she fell backwards and fractured her wrist in 4 different places. A week after the incident, my mom started to have symptoms that corresponded to a disease she knew much about. On December 12th, 2003, she was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.

As I tried to find a topic, I realized that I still had no clue what my mother has gone through during the past 13 years of living with Multiple Sclerosis.

I decided to choose MS as my topic because I wanted to educate myself and others on what it’s like to live with

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MS. My mom is a hard working woman. She battles every day, and I want to share her story and many other stories of MS to show that while this disease is often a disability, you can always fight through the pain. There have been moments where continuing my research has been hard, however there is always a silver lining that there are researchers and doctors who are looking for cures.

Chris Sargent: When I started researching this topic I thought that I already knew a lot about the startup industry. After just one week of research, I realized that I actually knew very little. The journey these past few months has been terrific, and I have learned so much about entrepreneurship and startups.

“Entrepreneurship” and “startup” are words that I have heard around my house my entire life. My grandfather was an avid entrepreneur, and he found many startups. Recently, my sister and brother both got jobs at small startup companies. Throughout 2015, my family and I have been working on starting a startup company of our own.

This has taught me the hard work that is required to start a business. I have been truly immersed into the different aspects of the startup industry and am lucky enough that the research I’ve conducted in class directly relates to what I am doing for our business. I am excited to see where my research can take me in the next few months, and I am excited

for my internship, during which I will learn from entrepreneur experts. ` Annie Smythe-Hammond: I sat in front of my computer, boring a hole in its screen as I attempted to bully an answer out of it. Scrolling through multiple articles and looking back on past ideas, my mind kept coming back to the same thing: the Middle East. Since I was a part of Mr. Sheppe’s Modern Middle East class, the culture, conflict, and religion of this region has arrested my mind. Over the summer, I became well aware of the refugee crisis as the media turned its attention to the mass exodus in Syria and numerous other countries in the Middle East.

The journey and learning experience about this particular subject has been heart-wrenching, eye-opening, and allowed me to get out of the “Holderness Bubble.” As I researched, it was challenging at times to grasp such a complex situation and understand its history.

While still unsure of what my March Experience will consist of, I hope to be able to get a deeper understanding of the situation by getting directly involved with refugees, whether that is interviewing them or simply helping out with supply distribution. I picked this topic because this world is still growing and needs human compassion to be infused into its bones; I hope to be a small part of something bigger.

Senior Thesis Cont. Pg 3

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Senior Thesis Cont. Pg 2

Thomas Jackson: After a few failed topics, Ms. Barton brought parenting to my attention, and I realized that this would be an interesting topic. I have chosen this because I felt it would be interesting to learn about the best way to parent and guide your children so they may have better lives. Also, this would help me in the future when I have children, and I can apply some of the tools I have learned based from this research.

Starting out, I wanted to figure out how parenting styles would affect the success of children. This was a difficult question to answer because everyone sees success differently. In order to answer it, I would have to define what success means to me. I began to find myself focusing too much on parenting styles

when there are so many other factors that have an effect on a child’s success or the way they behave. With my research I learned that parent’s background, child’s environment, child’s personality and social class all play a major role in a child’s behavior and success. So, with extensive research I was able to develop a new question: Who is in charge, the parent or the child?

CJ Sturges: Athletics and sports has always been a part of my life, so my Senior Thesis being in this category is no surprise. I decided to extend my topic to not just be categorized to testing, but also to exercises and training techniques that will help any high school athlete perform their best.

Professional athletes are able to per-

form at their best because they know their limits and understand when they need a break. This is something that all athletes at any level need to be able to do. Personally, I hope that through my March Experience I can become more knowledgeable in this area and be able to know what my body is telling me just like professional athletes do.

My research has broadened my understanding of what it takes to push yourself to the next level. I hope that as my research comes to a close, I will be able to help others and possibly Holderness understand what they need to do in order to get to the next level. I not only want to improve myself as an athlete, but I also want to help others improve.

After all, what is the point of doing all of this if you can not help anyone else besides yourself?

Skiers Hit Mittersill Training Slopes, Share Reactions

Carter Bourassa ‘17

On Tuesday, January 19th, the East-

ern Ski Team was able to train for the first time at Holderness’s new training facility at Mittersill. Mittersill is an old ski mountain attached to Cannon that went out of business in the 1980s. The mountain remained as a backcountry ski area for a number of years until Holderness, in cooperation with a Franconia Ski Club and the US Ski Team, began revamping the ski area to create a new training facility. Over the past couple summers, the two training trails were re-cut and prepped. Although Mittersill is not completely done yet (a T-Bar lift and snowmaking on one of the training trails has not yet been installed), the Eastern Ski Team has been able to have several days training over at the new mountain.

How do the courses on the new slope at Mittersill compare to courses on the old slope (Gary’s)?

Tory Dobyns ‘17: You can fit more than 10 GS gates (courses are longer).

Cole Potter ‘17: Mittersill trail is better for GS because it’s longer than

[Gary’s] for training.

Julia Cantin ‘17: It’s nice because it’s so much longer so we can actually have realistic training on it.

Sarah Berube ‘18: I like training on Gary’s because the lodge is close and the chair is short and the trail is challenging although a little short.

What’s your first impression of the new Mittersill Training Facility?

Stian Davenport ‘19: The new Mittersill training hill is definitely a useful aspect of our Holderness ski racing careers. I believe this will raise all of our chances in qualifying for the 2020

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Olympics.

Cole Potter ‘17: very pleasantly surprised by the steepness and width of the trail. It’s a wide trail and very long.

Julia Cantin ‘17: It’s nice to have something new to train on.

Aldie Anderson ‘18: The chairlift is comfortable... but slow.

Sarah Berube ‘18: Chairlift takes a long time, but I think the no lift lines and the long trail are good.

Tory Dobyns ‘17: I think it’s unnecessary for them to check passes over there because we are the only ones training there and if you forget your pass you have to ski all the way back over to Cannon.

What’s one improvement that you hope to see in the future?

Tory Dobyns ‘17: A place to warm up would be nice.

Stian Davenport ‘19: Put in a lodge with a restaurant.

Cole Potter ‘17: Snow quality.

Julia Cantin ‘17: Faster chairlift or a bigger chairlift.

Sarah Berube ‘18: Add a t-bar, faster lift.

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Gallery Review: The Edge of the Meadow

Noa Lin ‘17

The Holderness School Art Gallery’s

show, The Edge of the Meadow by Thatcher Hullerman Cook, contains beautiful, black and white, documentary photographs from a range of locations such as New Hampshire all the way to Darjeeling, India. Cook draws inspiration from the name given to an area in Istanbul named Tarlabasi.

Tarlabasi translates to “the edge of the meadow,” as the area is a place where the wealth gap is clearly defined: gypsies and the homeless on one side, and the mansions of the wealthy on the other. Cook brings this idea into a conceptual view that carries two meanings. First, the idea of “the in between” as all the photos were shot in between assignments, just as Tarlabasi is a place in between poverty and wealth. The second concept seen is a stark contrast between first and third world countries.

With photos ranging from the United States and Ireland to India and Cuba, the show encompasses both the familiar wealth we are accustomed to with

the poverty of the rest of the world.

Two Images that show this contrast well are Family of Coal Dust Diggers, and Barbecue. Family of Coal Dust Diggers depicts a child and mother sifting through coal dust looking for coal to sell. According to Cook, “after a long day, a family could fill a bag with coal and sell it for three dollars.”

This hard-work and poverty contrasts strongly with the carefree recreation depicted in Barbecue. This photograph shows a group of people enjoying a day swimming in a lake during a family barbecue, as the American flag waves proudly in the foreground. While being starkly different photographs in most ways, compositionally they are alike. In both photographs, Cook places the figures in the middle of the frame: a different framing approach than is the usual for Cook, who prefers to compose his photograph from the edges in. A purposeful shift in the horizon is present in both, giving the photographs more energy and visual intrigue.

Just as Tarlabasi bridges the gap between wealth and poverty, The Edge of the Meadow creates a profound dichotomy between our familiar, comfortable lives, and the cultures of the rest of the world.

What Makes Holderness Special?

Celine Yam ‘17

Everyone at Holderness has their fa-

vorite part of the school. One of my favorite parts of Holderness is Nacho Night. Every Thursday at 10:00, girls in my dorm rush downstairs into Mr. and Mrs. Lin’s kitchen for a fun-filled night of chatting, bonding, and munching on nachos! When I talk to other Holderness students, there are many different things people talk about. Some students come to Holderness because of our ski program (or other sports), other students come here to pursue a rigorous academic program. For some students, the relationships between students and teachers are a special factor. For others, the balance between friends, academics, and sports is what drew them to Holderness. I was talking to a few stu-

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dents in the sophomore class, and one of them mentioned to me that one of the deciding factors about where they would go to school was that Holderness allows students to participate in both sports and the theater, while students at most other schools would have to pick between the winter musical and a sport.

Walking around the dining hall, I often hear people talk about their jobs.

The Job Program at Holderness is something special that no other school has.

I hear a few complaints here and there before Pantry starts, but I hear students saying that Pantry is their favorite job.

Team Pantry in the winter during lunch time is always a blast! It is teamwork and team bonding and so much more!

The Nordic Team always sings throw-

back songs during each shift. The other day I was sitting at breakfast and heard a student say that “sit-down Pantry is the best job ever!” Pantry is just one part of what makes Holderness special.

Here are a few other things that students love about Holderness: “I love sledding down the ski hill” “Springtime at Holderness is something else in itself!”

“My coaches are the best” “AB is awesome” “OB was the most fun I never want to have again” Holderness is all of these things and so much more!

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Climbing in Popularity, Students Scale Walls of Ice

Lolo Zabaleta ‘18

Earlier this year, Coach Thatcher

introduced the sport of ice/alpine climbing to the members of the Holderness community. Perhaps it’s the fact that Thatcher chose to elaborate on the possibility of encountering severe winter conditions during the season that discouraged more than four people to come forward. However, it must be understood that the most severe thing to happen this season was a slight incident involving a small chunk of falling ice and a nose.

Falling ice, a given in ice climbing, isn’t really a threat, especially considering that helmets are worn at all times. I won’t deny that ice climbing can get dangerous, depending on the terrain, weather, and ice involved; but as an introductory high school sport, caution is taken as to where, when and what type of ice we climb. So, without the more dangerous aspect of the sport, it sounds more fun, right?

The biggest similarity between rock and ice climbing is that it pays to be lazy. Technique is all about using the least amount of energy to get to the top of walls that are hopefully increasing in difficulty as the season goes on. So it really doesn’t matter if you have 12 points of doom attached to your feet

or not, the climbing concept is the same. The differences are fairly obvious, winter vs fall/spring/summer, axes vs bare hands, and ice vs rock.

The differences also include the rating systems of climbs and the fact that the actual techniques required for the two sports are very different; high feet are handy on rock and very unhelpful on icy ledges. The team ice climbs up in various notches (Franconia, Kinsman, Crawford, etc...)

3-4 days a week, as well as Rumney now the ice is in. Occasionally we’ll take hikes and attend information sessions on alpine climbing and/or mountaineering. Goals for the season are still up the air, but there is hope of doing a winter ascent of Mt. Washington (or something along those lines), backcountry skiing, and even offering weekend ice climbing excursions for other interested Holderness students.

What Grinds Nick’s Gears: Valentine’s Day

Nick Lacasse ‘16

Chris shakes and shivers in fear, the

fire in his living room cast frightening shadows of the devil dancing and demons mocking. He hears the faint noise of chains shaking, coming closer and closer until the chains loudly reach his door. Knock goes the door... Chris doesn’t answer. Again - 3 knocks. Bam! The door busts open and in comes a ghost. “I AM THE GHOST OF VALENTINE’S DAY PAST!” Yet, Chris doesn’t feel fear, he is Chris Caulder.

The ghost of Valentine’s Day past kicks off the trilogy of viewings and takes him to a year before, February 14, 2015.

Where you ask? The Day Boy Room, where Chris sits silently secluded with just the day boys. The ideal Valentine’s Day. No girls, no flowers, but chocolate

would be welcomed. Chris is then taken by the young Valentine’s Day ghost of the present. The ghost shows Chris eating happily at dinner with his happy girlfriend. Both smiling and cheerful.

Chris then journeys off with the Valentine’s Day ghost of the future. This ghost shows Chris the most encouraging image he had seen yet that night.

Chris sees himself surrounded with the day boys... No girls, no flowers, but chocolate is in abundance.

Nicks view of this story: Point? Synopsis? Hypothesis? Educated guess behind this story? The most promising Valentine I saw in that story was the day boys. I can only suggest that for Valentine’s Day everyone choose a day boy instead of a significant other. One to cherish, love, and post Instagram

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pictures of with cute inspiring captions.

Valentine’s Day is the worst holiday.

I hope it’s hereditary and my children and their children hate it too. It is a very un-inclusive holiday, where only if you have a girlfriend or people who love you it’s fun. No one loves me – I’m a day boy so obviously it isn’t fun.

Of all things on this earth I don’t think I would want to wish a happy Valentine’s Day to a human first. I have the biggest urge to wish a happy Valentine’s Day to my two cats, Sugar and Cocoa.

They love me unconditionally, just like I love them. The only thing they require for love is food and water... only one step more than a plant. I’m especially sad about this Valentine’s Day because I can’t spend it with Chris Caulder.

Brooke’s alright though, I guess.

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Candidates Choose Faculty Running Mate

Taylor Dobyns ‘17

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ith 2016 election only 10 months away, presidential campaigns are well underway. Despite the media’s obsessive coverage of the candidates, Holderness students are still largely uninformed The United States as a whole has one of the lowest voter turnout rates of developed countries. Even in a presidential election primary the turnout rate is generally less than 20% of eligible voters. Despite extensive media coverage of the candidates, most of us know far more about their personalities than their policies.

Many Americans don’t see how a candidate’s ideas, despite how appealing they sound, will actually translate into real change for them. Holderness students don’t differ from the general public, and many don’t see the relevance of candidates and their positions to their daily lives. What if Holderness students thought about the issues the leading candidates stand for in relation to their daily life at Holderness? Might this grab their attention and help them think about the upcoming presidential election? Below are some of the likely changes each candidate would make at Holderness School, and since no candidate has chosen a running mate, below are faculty members who might provide balance.

Bernie Sanders

Hillary Clinton

The only self-declared socialist member of Congress, his vision is for greater distribution of wealth and resources and is a climate change hawk. He advocates change and reform through social activism and tells high school students to “argue with their parents and teachers”.

Under his vision, Holderness would be accessible to all through government-subsidized tuition, students would be heavily fined for leaving on lights and contributing to global warming, dress code would certainly be eliminated, and we may even get real maple syrup in Weld.

Sanders would likely chose Ms Sparkman or Ms Disney; he feels no need to pander to the middle, he would only align himself with a true champion of the under represented and socially conscious.

She is a staunch supporter of women’s rights, wants to raise the minimum wage, and thinks “everyday Americans need a champion”.

She might further increase the ratio of female to male student job leaders that already exists, see students be paid a fair wage for their work on the jobs program, and send senior leaders to pay back each morning to make sure “every day” student rights are well represented. She is smart and her politics are palatable to many Democrats, but she has serious likeability factor. Ms Connors, beloved by all, could really help her out.

Donald Trump

He wants to build a wall on the border of Mexico and have the Mexicans pay for it, ban Muslims from entering the country, and refused to participate in a debate in which he did not like one of the moderators.

One could easily imagine a Trump Holderness campus with no worries about students wandering off to PSU as we would have a wall separating our campus from the surrounding community, there would be no international students. Ms Stigum would be a great choice for Trump, as she would add credibility and seriousness to his campaign. She could also provide an hourly analysis of his poll numbers.

Ted Cruz

He is a favorite of the evangelicals and the Tea Party. In April 2015 he told supporters to “pray against a court decision legalizing same sex marriages,” and he supports the death penalty but also supports lowering minimum and mandatory sentences on drugs.

We can imagine that a Cruz Holderness would certainly have daily chapel, eliminate the LGBTQ Alliance, and abolish the two strikes rule. Cruz is very smart but uptight, and he needs someone easy going and fun to loosen up image. Mr Flinders would be a great choice for Cruz.

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Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio is a young and snazzy Republican. Although his poll numbers don’t support the claim, he is considered a very viable candidate. Rubio is strong on family values, prioritizes national defense, thinks we should have a permanent presence in Iraq, and believes in climate change but doesn’t think it is caused by humans.

Rubio’s vision would likely increase the number of sit down dinner nights, heighten campus security by adding full time security guards, and allow gas-powered scooters on campus. He had a lot of charisma and youthful energy but needs experienced elder statesman. Mr Durnan or Mr Barton would be a great choice for a running mate.

John Kasich

Ohio governor and New Hampshire Republican favorite, picking up numerous local endorsements. Kasich favors rehabilitation and treatment for non-violent offenders and would like to move away from income tax towards more consumption-based taxes.

Kasich’s first change at Holderness would be to increase the students from Ohio and eliminate almost all expulsions except for extreme cases and instead develop a reform program for repeat disciplinary offenders. Finally the meal plan would not be part of tuition. Kasich has great middle-of-the-road politics but is considered boring and lacking charisma. Mr Houseman would provide the energy and charisma that Mr Kasich lacks.

Jeb Bush

Ben Carson

He talks about family values, economic growth, and supports being tough on crime. Jeb Bush comes from a family of politicians, and his policies are very similar to those of his brother. He has a lot of funds behind his – raising 103 million dollars – that could help him in future campaigning.

A Bush Holderness would eliminate the application process for all legacies and everything else would fall into place. Bush is criticized for being uninspiring and awkward.

Inspirational, relaxed and smart, Mr Sheppe would provide much of what Bush lacks.

Like Trump, Carson is not afraid of being politically correct. He was previously a neurosurgeon. He is pro-life and does not think the government should be involved in education. Additionally, he has stated he only thinks guns should be allowed in certain parts of the country and is very opposed to gay rights.

At Holderness Carson would constantly educate us on the dangers of marijuana use and drinking, as he is very opposed to drug use. He is a huge advocate for private school, charter school and homeschooling and would likely increase the number of students at Holderness . While Carson’s ‘anti-PC’ attitude is appealing to some, he frequently makes extreme comments that offend many people; some have criticized him for being homophobic and racist. Carson would benefit from a smart, steady, moderate, politically-correct counterpart – Ms. Berry would be an excellent choice.

Agree? Disagree?

Finished Reading?

Write a Response picador@holderness.org The Picador: Volume 11, Issue 9

Recycle The Picador 7

I Am Not Broken An Anonymous Addition to the Discussion of Sexuality at Holderness They call me cold. A tease. A prude,

too full of myself. What, you think you’re too good for us, they sneer.

No, I don’t. I don’t think that at all.

Cold I may be, but too full of myself? No. The reason I do not want to have sex with you is much deeper.

Fifth grade was the first time that I can re- member girls wanting to go out with boys, to kiss them, to hold hands and go to the school dances and awkwardly shuffle around to Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepson.

I felt no desire to do any of this.

Hey, I thought, whatever. I was a late bloomer anyway. My time with boys would come.

Sixth, seventh, eighth grade passed, and still nothing. I went through that awkward middle school phase and still thought that I would eventually fall in love with someone. I had to, right? That’s just the way things were. Girls were having their first kisses and boys were slathering themselves in Axe, trying to catch the eye of that one girl in their math class. I felt more and more like an outcast.

I came to Holderness and this feeling became painfully acute. The whirlwind of walk backs and hookups and who’s dating who was overwhelming to say the least. I felt,

and still feel, trapped and alone and with no place to turn for help. As more and more of my classmates asked people on walk backs and got walked back, I just sort of felt… empty. People would say that they wanted to have sex with someone or wanted to date them, and I just sort of wondered… why? I feel no attraction towards anyone. Not sexual, not romantic, just… nothing.

Realizing that I was not capable of feeling something that everyone else could hurt more than I can say.

I wondered if I was gay. I wondered if something inside me was broken. I wondered if something was innately wrong with me. I hated myself for the longest time.

And, then the summer of junior year came, and I found two words: Asexual and Aromantic. Finally I had a name for what I am. It wasn’t a massive revelation, it was just sort of like… oh. Like a key perfectly matched to a lock. I had found a name.

Despite the fact that I now know what it is I feel, that I know I’m not alone, that I know that I am not broken, every single day is a challenge.

Holderness does a fair job of not assuming heterosexuality and being open to gay and lesbian students, but what the large part of the com-

PURPOSE STATEMENT The Picador is a publication that serves to inform the Holderness School community and stimulate discourse through the thoughtful and respectful exchange of ideas, featuring the dynamic and insightful voice of the Holderness student body.

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Editors Maggie Barton AJ Chabot Maggie Cunha Dougie DeLuca Carter Bourassa Chae Hahn Brooke Hayes

munity doesn’t realize is the pressure that exists to date.

Almost every day it is brought up in some way. In the dorms, at lunch, sometimes in classes event, I am faced with a massive amount of pressure to hook up. To walk back with someone. To date, to kiss, to have sex, the very act of which repulses me to the point of an anxiety attack. The rumor mill runs constantly, and it is so incredibly difficult to not crumble under the pressure of a world painfully focused on relationships, sex, and love. It’s agonizing, and every pointed question I get about whether I’m dating anyone only makes me feel more separated from everyone around me. Please God I want to cry, please, please, please don’t ask me any more questions.

This article is not meant to be an attack. In light of the growing discussion at Holderness of sexuality, gender, and acceptance, I wanted to offer a different perspective. I also want for the Holderness community to keep an open mind, and to realize that, yes, people like me exist. I am not broken. Please stop calling me a prude. I ask lastly that if someone in your dorm or friend group doesn’t want to talk about sex or dating or relationship, leave them be. Please.

Visual Editors Moti Jiang Yiyang Mao Yoomi Ren Keying Yang Faculty Advisor Mr. Herring

Holderness School Chapel Lane PO Box 1879 Plymouth, NH 03264 603-779-5200 picador@holderness.org

The Picador: Volume 11, Issue 9