Volume 11, Issue 5
11.9.2015 A PUBLICATION BY HOLDERNESS STUDENTS FOR THE HOLDERNESS COMMUNITY
Building a Better Holderness Campus Master Plan Nears Approval Carter Bourassa ‘17
For a few days last spring, you may
recall a committee that came to the Holderness campus to begin work on the Campus Master Plan. Most returning students probably remember this happening, but don’t know very much of what the Master Plan involves, or even what a “Master Plan” is. The Campus Master Planning Committee, led by trustee Mr. Robert Kinsley ‘87, came to our campus to see what improvements could and should be made to make Holderness School a more effective, functional, and beautiful space. The Committee’s work is extensive and looks at improvements over three phases: • Phase I covers the next one to five years, • Phase II covers between five and fifteen years, • Phase III goes out twenty years.
Members of the Committee spoke with students, faculty, and staff on how they felt the school could be improved. Using this information, the Committee came up with a list of possible improvements. What became clear to the Committee was the need to add an academic and science facility, improve the athletic facility, renovate chapel, build new dorms and add a student center. The primary issue, however, is the location of these new buildings. The Campus Master Planning Committee had the difficult task of finding space. Near the backstop? Across the road? By the football parking lot? At the Head’s House? These were some possible locations that brought about many other questions. The Campus Master Planning Committee also has to figure out the best way to design the buildings. The Committee determined that the buildings should take advantage of
• Waffle maker out during lunch Students and teachers responded • More big cups to a survey about what improve- • Allow students to take 1 season to work out with Tony Mure ments they would like to see around campus. Campus Master • Day student facilities (showers) Planners, good luck trying to • Hoverboard race team include these recommendations • Locks on doors • Regular intervis in the plan. • A practice turf The Picador: Volume 11, Issue 5
our location and feel connected to the world around them, much like the recent Weld renovation does. The Committee also wants to find a way to incorporate the fantastic views of the mountains surrounding Holderness into the campus view. Although the Master Plan is still in draft form and all plans are tentative, some of the main improvement proposals over the next decade or so include: • Academic/science building • New or updated athletic facility • Chapel renovation • New dorms • New student center • Additional turf field • Improved entrance, pedestrian area at Weld The Campus Master Planning Committee will be back on campus in a few weeks to follow up and continue working on the Campus Master Plan. • • • • • • • •
More sleep-ins in schedule No Saturday classes More turtlenecks Adirondack chairs all around campus, nice wooden ones. Bring back honey dijon Better vegetarian options Student Center not in Weld Soccer games on the quad 1
Love is Love: Sarah Berube Speaks from Experience
Sarah Berube ‘18
When I first arrived at Holderness,
there were many overwhelming parts of the community that returning students quickly helped me understand. One of these unique Holderness traditions was the walkback culture. I began to wonder if I would ever get walked back, not because I was worried there were no boys interested in me, but because I was unsure if any girl would be. Not long after I experienced this confusion, a male student approached one of my friends and expressed his interest in walking me back. When she told him that I am gay, his response was, “Oh, that’s hot.” I was shocked. I could not believe that a meaningful part of me that I had struggled with for years could be belittled like that. His words reminded me of how insensitive some people can be to the LGBTQ community. Having come out a year and a half ago to my parents, friends, and others I deeply care about, I thought nothing could possibly be more difficult than the challenges I had then faced. Yet, I soon realized that being one of the few openly gay students at Holderness would be almost equally as hard. When I found out that The Picador was going to publish articles about sexuality, I was very grateful to see that Holderness students were open to talking about the topic. The school I had previously attended had many unsupportive peers and nothing like the Alliance. In fact, one of the main reasons why I applied to Holderness was that there was an Alliance club supporting students like me. However, as I continued to read these articles, I found myself disagreeing with some of the points made by the writers. I decided to speak about the issue as an openly gay student and describe what it truly feels to be one in this community. In the last article, the writer argued that homophobic religions and cultures aren’t relevant to Holderness. He claimed that he hasn’t re2
ally witnessed a constant theme of myself as insults, it hurts. homophobia in today’s society. ConAs I mentioned earlier, I am very sidering the wide range of regions thankful for the actions the Alliance Holderness students come from, I takes. In order to raise awareness of concluded that this statement could the LGBTQ community, the Allinot be more false. Students at Hold- ance makes announcements in the erness come from 27 different states assembly and holds weekly meetand 10 countries, and the culture in ings. About a month ago, posters many of these places is very hostile were added around the school statto gay people. My roommate’s story ing questions such as, “Is Holderis an example of this. Three years ago, ness a safe place to come out?” To at the high school she had attended my surprise, some students went on in Chesterton, Indiana, there was social media ridiculing these efforts. a violent incident that occurred in The writer of the last article even response to a teacher’s small poster described these posters as someon the side of her desk with a quote what excessive. What these students supporting gay rights. When one of don’t realize is how much these supher students told his parents about portive, thought-provoking actions the poster, the word got out fast. mean to gay students, closeted or Soon enough, an organized protest not. These efforts empower us. They led by the Klu Klux Klan was held make us feel more comfortable to outside of her school. Of course, I be who we truly are. Perhaps most know for a fact that incidents like importantly, they create a bridge bethis won’t occur on our campus and tween us and the rest of the school. that most students in our school are Coming out to someone you care supportive of LGBTQ students here, about and who cares about you may as demonstrated by the number of be one of the hardest things for a people who identified themselves gay person. It is definitely true that as allies and courageously stood up many people in Holderness have during the recent assembly. Nev- been supportive of my coming out. ertheless, this story is noteworthy Thanks to these understanding peobecause it is an example of how stu- ple, I have found it somewhat easy to dents at Holderness come from dif- come out here. But, there are always ferent places where people believe bumps along the way that I have not that being a homosexual is wrong. It yet gotten used to facing. Some stuis also important to note that some dents’ insensitivity to the LGBTQ students here practice religions that community is one. The communiconsider homosexuality a sin. As a ty here is very small and word gets result of these influences, some stu- out fast about almost anything. This dents, even those who I consider can create a tough situation for gay my friends, are very against gay stu- students, both closeted and not, bedents. Given these circumstances, cause being judged constantly can the argument that Holderness has be hurtful. I am aware that my sexno connection to homophobic cul- uality is not supported by everyone tures is not only misleading but also and that it can be a difficult concept inherently false. for some to grasp. Yet, the fact that The writer also pointed out that Holderness students are in the prohe and his friends had never made cess of learning more about acceptdiscriminatory remarks towards gay ing the LGBTQ community is very people. However, I have heard stu- encouraging. The love and support dents here say, “That’s so gay!” I have that the Holderness community heard people call others “faggot” gives to gay students and faculty what seems like thousands of times. members means the world to us. I Even when I’m around my peers believe that Holderness School is who know that I am gay, I hear these not an entirely safe place to come remarks. Every time I hear people out, but I also believe that we are on using labels that I use to identify the right track to becoming one. The Picador: Volume 11, Issue 5
Scheduling time to breathe Brooke Hayes ‘17
After 6 full days a week, booked
up with classes, games, and meetings it can sometimes seem like we have forgotten what it means to take a moment for ourselves. Running from practice to sit-down to study hall is far from relaxing. And, for me, at least, by the time Sunday finally comes I need to take some “me time.” In the past two years I have found yoga to be one of the most effective ways of ridding stress. By taking one hour to breathe and feel, I am more apt to refocus and be that much more productive. This article is not a persuasive piece encouraging everyone to go hop on a mat, but rather a petition as to why this practice should be incorporated as an option into our schedule. One student suggested a “Yoga for Athletes” class option, while others agreed that Sunday morning could be another useful time. Trying to find the space to add another commitment into our already crammed schedules, though, does often
discourage branching out. But, my hope in writing this article is to gain support regarding this topic and provide Sunday morning yoga as an option for those who would like to pursue it.
You might be wondering why anyone would ever consider this, but yoga has actually been scientifically proven to reduce stress, something we all feel this time of year. Concentrating on breathing and controlling your heart rate ultimately leads to lower blood pressure and a healthy heart. The
atmosphere created during a class is still and calm, allowing our minds to wander without the interruption of outside factors present during the rest of the day. Even if just for an hour, it is somewhat of an escape, a time to focus solely on the in and out of each breath. For those of you familiar with yoga and passionate about making this available, please get in touch with me. I am curious to see how many of you want to make this happen. More than anything, this is a plea to gather a decent-sized group and collectively reduce stress. My hope is to gain the support of enough community members to present a proposal to our faculty and prove why this is a necessary addition. I asked one student why she thought yoga should be a weekly option, and her response was, “For me, it’s stress relieving and if there is anything that Holderness students need- it’s stress relief.” Please let me know if you are feeling the same way!
What Grinds Nick’s gears Day Student Parking
Nick Lacasse ‘16
The
distance between Hagerman and Weld is roughly one-fifth of a mile. That’s 1,056 feet and takes about 7 minutes at the average walking speed of 3 mph (according to walkingenglishman.com). From behind Livermore it is about 360 feet (about a football field’s length), which takes 3 minutes. Now, let’s say the average day student goes to their car from Weld 3 times a day. That’s 21 minutes of walking compared to 9, a 12 minute difference. Do you know what the average day student can do in 12 minutes? A lot, surprisingly. Let’s say the average time to walk to south side with a companion
The Picador: Volume 11, Issue 5
takes 5 minutes. That’s two “trips” to south side and some spare time every day. If you take Sunday off, that’s 12 “trips” a week, 624 “trips” a year. Let’s say us day students do other things with our 12 minutes a day. How about apply to college, study for a test, or participate in a club on campus? Those 72 minutes a week saved by parking behind Livermore could change someone’s life. Let’s look into the life of Nate Sampo. For the people who just read this and went “who is Nate Sampo,” he’s your average day boy. Nate Sampo used to park at Livermore, and he had time to start and participate Nick Continued Page 7 3
Dougie Shares His Fiery Opinion on Tabor Festivities Dougie DeLuca ‘16
Very soon we will be facing Tabor,
our rival, in a series of sporting events on Tabor’s campus. With Tabor Day comes things like the Tabor Day Sports Assembly, Tabor Day Dinner, and, last but certainly not least, the Tabor Day Bonfire. The latter of the three is what I am here to rant about. For those who have yet to experience this hellish night, I’ll fill you in. In the dark of the night, the freshman, sophomores, and juniors gather on the south side waiting for the seniors to come and light the fire, literally and figuratively. With a scream you have only heard in the most barbaric of movies, 70 or so half-naked seniors charge out of the darkness covered in warpaint. In their hands, a torch for the fire and enough paint to cover campus. Like an invading army, the seniors storm in slinging paint in every direction, covering everyone in a rainbow of color. After a quick minute of madness, everyone is half- naked, covered in paint, and overtaken by the savagery. With the motion of an overly wild senior, the whole mass races around the fire. Is this a scene from Lord of the Flies or just a Friday night at Holderness School? Once the initial surge of energy dies off, the cameras emerge. Before you know what is happening, Lord of the Flies becomes a photo shoot. With both girls and guys trying their best to show what they got, photographers rush around hoping to get photo creds in as many insta-
• • • • • • •
gram posts as possible. For the next hour, everyone switches back and forth between two mindsets: the go-primal mindset and the insta mindset. This is, in short, the Tabor Bonfire.
What is the point of the Tabor Night festivities? I may be wrong, but I am pretty sure they are meant to get us ready to give Tabor hell. After conversations with some of my classmates who have experienced the bonfire a few times over, I have come to the conclusion that in the midst of it nobody is actually thinking of Tabor. If anyone is thinking at all, they are thinking of how to be the most savage or how to get the best picture. I did not know that brutish instagram pictures will help us beat Tabor. Another thing, how did this thing become a photo shoot anyway? If we want to get in touch with our primitive side why introduce something so modern? I get that
these pictures capture a cool and memorable moment, but how many pictures do you really need? One or two pictures is fine, but to spend an hour taking pictures is not necessary. One more thing for those of us who love the bonfire because of the rebellious side of it - some people say that they enjoy the bonfire because they can go against everything the school stands for. If that is so, then why does the school continue to hold this event? Is it nothing but marketing for our school. Think of it this way, prospective Holderness students see all of these “awesome” pictures on social media. Seeing them does nothing but make these students want to come to our school even more. I am not saying this is a bad thing, but, come on, none of us are rebels because we go nuts in an event that is organized by the school. I am not in any way suggesting that the bonfire should be discontinued. Despite my complaints about it, I do believe that this bonfire is in many ways a staple of Holderness culture. Still, this does not mean the bonfire has to be exactly the same as it has always been. As a school we need to decide what we are going for: a fire dance, a photo shoot, or something completely different. It is clear that a lot of people have complaints and differing opinions about the bonfire. If these feelings are strong, we - student body - should try to organize the bonfire in a way that makes everyone happy.
Overheards
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“Can I just fall asleep and not wake up?” “Like this status if you think Stevie Wonder shouldn’t be blind” “Can he send the head’s day email the last block of the day?” “Art in the afternoon should be cancelled because of weather” “Aren’t some colleges legally obligated to accept me if I get denied from everywhere else?” “I’m not used to seeing Mr. Thatcher in dress code; it’s not right.” “Tony, will you give me a workout for OB?”
The Picador: Volume 11, Issue 5
Snaps of The Week picador_snaps
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Syran Refugee Crisis Makes Holderness Connection Maggie Cunha, Maggie Barton
This
year there has been a huge amount of coverage on the Syrian migrant and refugee crisis. So far this year members of the European Union have received 395,00 new asylum applications, many of which come from citizens of Syria, Iraq, and other countries. While this crisis has resulted in a huge influx of people into the EU, it can seem somewhat removed from Americans’ every day lives. Germany has been one of the leaders in accepting refugees and migrants and they are predicted to take in nearly 800,000 people by the end of 2015. New sophomore Philipp Heinrichs, who lives in Germany, shares his firsthand experience of the crisis with us: Philipp: I live in a small city called Heinsberg. Heinsberg has a population of 40,000 people. Four months ago we got 400 refugees from Syria, who live in a huge gym now. My dad has three stores near the gym, and he was not enthusiastic when they came to us. But then he rented out a house for them and donated money. Now there are six people living in a big house and that gives me a good feeling. Many people have different opinions about the crisis, and some people think that we should not give them places to stay because this is our country. Conversely, there are people who say that we have to give them food and gyms because we are a social country. So there are different opinions,
and this is the reason people started protests against and for the refugees. We also had a couple people attack some of the refugees, and the whole country was shocked about what they did. The police arrested them quickly. It caused a lot of shame because many people from other counties heard about it. Currently 303,443 asylum seekers are in Germany. The government has to find ways to stop this otherwise more and more people will come from Syria, and the process will never stop. The refugees all have documentation so that we know their name and age. Next to the gym is a supermarket, and when my mother and I had to buy food we saw a few refugee children who wanted to buy candy and soft drinks. The problem was they had no money. We stood at the end of the line, and the kids were up front and trying to reason with the cashier but couldn’t speak German. There was a taller boy with only one euro, which was not enough. My mom went to the front and wanted to pay for their items. The cashier told us that the kids had been there earlier and wanted nothing to do with them. As a result, he said that
it was wrong to pay for them and yelled at my mom, which was very inappropriate. Nevertheless, my mom paid for the candy, and the rest of the people had the same opinion and bought them more candy. This is a very good example of how our population thinks differently about the crisis and the treatment of the refugees. I also have an older sister, and she goes to my former school. The Head of Hchool decided to offer refugee students language classes so that they can communicate with us. After this decision, my sister reported as a volunteer and began to give classes. She told me that it’s fun and gives her a feeling of being a good person because she can help people in need, and she knows that what she does means a lot. The refugees are very friendly and want to learn our language, which is a nice step.
Redefining Leadership: What’s Your Definition? AJ Chabot ‘16
I don’t like change. I think it’s pretty safe to say that many of you reading this would agree with me. The most obvious change this year, besides the new students and faculty, has been our schedule. What are these advisory blocks, and leadership blocks, 6
and conference blocks? “They’re community. just overscheduling us... I have no When Mr. Ford began thinking time now... Why do we always have of the block, he realized he would to be doing something?” Are all not have the time to focus as much complaints I’ve heard in passing on it as he’d like to without switchthis fall. In this article, I am going ing positions, thus he is the Directo focus on the leadership block, tor of Leadership. He is “really exsharing Mr. Ford’s thoughts as well as those of other members from our Leadership Continued Page 8 The Picador: Volume 11, Issue 5
Nick Cont From Page 5 in the Engineering Club. Being able to write that he was the founder of the Engineering Club will be a big boost on his college application. However, Sampo now has trouble doing this because he is wasting all of his time walking from Hagerman to Weld. Poor Sampo. Now Sampo won’t get into college, causing his parents to banish him, and working odd jobs unrelated to engineering. Now Sampo is emotionally bruised and hates his job. Thanks. Let’s look at a different scenario. Take Chris Caulder. The perfect specimen of a day boy, Chris shows up to school and then goes home. Exciting, right?! Let’s say he parked at Hagerman and, therefore, did not have the time to study for his AP Micro-Economics test. This causes
Chris to fail the test. This sends his life into a downward spiral. Chris decides to run away into the hills. Thanks, another wayward drifter of a day boy.
Day Student House Leader Sam Meau was forced to park behind Hagerman. Let me remind you that Sam is the epitome of Holderness School day boy. He is supposed to
stay between the Holderness lines. However, while staying in line and walking from behind Hagerman, Sam lost track of time and didn’t get to apply to college. Sam graduated but the shame was too much, and he now spends his time ushering teeball games. As you can see, nothing good will come from parking behind Hagerman. Parking there WILL result in reduced quality of life. I have parked behind Livermore today, thus allowing me the time to write this article, apply to college, and eat breakfast. Moral of the story - I will not move my car behind Hagerman when there are empty spots behind Livermore because parking behind Hagerman causes depression, sore legs, and grinds my gears.
New Show - Edwards Art Gallery Miraku Kamei XI is a Japenese potter and makes tea ceremony pottery. Kamei is a fifteenth generation potter working in the tradition. Stop in and enjoy the art work! Congratulations Ms. Boutwell! Welcome Addision Ann!
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Leadership Cont Page 5 c i t e d to have the time” because as we all know “to get anything done at this school, time for things needs to be set aside.” His general image of the block’s purpose was to have another assembly per week that would focus on the greater umbrella of leadership. Having over 20 options for speakers and presenters, he has worked very hard in finding the right speakers for our school. Realizing some will be better than others, he is above all appreciative “of everybody’s efforts in making this work.” Also realizing that many people see it as an interruption in their usual Tuesday, he is “sensitive to the forty minutes [he’s] taken, but knows it will only get better.” Some of the honest, blunt feedback I have heard sounds something like this, “I wanted to fall asleep” or “well that was pointless.” I don’t think anyone should place blame on the sleepers during the
Mindfulness assembly; the speaker’s voice was the epitome of the kind of voice that puts people to sleep. “And, that’s why she practices mindfulness,” Mr. Ford noted. Given lack of sleep, upcoming tests, and other worries on our minds, Mr. Ford is aware that leadership assemblies may not be our primary focus. He does, however, believe that “even the most cynical kids in the room, although they may not be grabbed by the power of the talk right away, will realize its importance later on.” This, Mr. Ford said, is why he goes to reunions because people always come back and thank Holderness for the foundation it set for them, often without realizing it. Other schools may have a similar leadership curriculum, only they don’t have time set aside for it - most of it happens through residential life and advising. Colleges across the board are trying to figure out character development and leadership,
Darielle Matthews: My favorite presentation so far was the one about being a bystander because I loved hearing everyone’s thoughts on courage and bravery. Everyone’s responses really opened my eyes and made me realize I don’t know everyone as well as I thought, and I, in fact, have a lot to learn about the people in this community. Sometimes I wish the presentations could be more relatable and interesting. I like when they are hands-on instead of someone talking at you all the time. I just think that aspect would make the Leadership Block more enjoyable. I think that the general school opinion is that it takes up a lot of people’s time. In my opinion, the break between lunch and classes is essential for a happy learning environment because it allows people to catch up on homework and relax. 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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aiming to add value and substance to a liberal arts education. Lastly, Mr. Ford explained how, “the school has made a commitment to talk up the language of the three C’s: Character, Curiosity, and Community. The leadership block allows this to happen it allows us to talk our language.” Ideally, “it would follow a pattern of focusing on the five leadership qualities: initiative, fairness, dependability, caring, and empathy.” There are, on the other hand, many topics of equal importance that come up in the school such as diversity, outreach, and athletics, and this block is “nimble” enough to accommodate for any of them. Mr. Ford’s ultimate goal is to “have every single member of the school mentally and physically set aside this forty five minutes to contemplate Holderness Leadership. What does Leadership at Holderness mean to you? Write a letter to the editor for our next edition.
Ms Dahl: My first impression was that an entire block dedicated to Leadership would be a tough sell. I liked Wessler and Speak About It the best – those two presentations brought up issues that are important for us to think about. I would like to be able to use the time to meet with teachers and students on occasion. Special Programs work when the time comes. Maybe some more interactive assemblies and student-led assemblies. I much prefer having these presentations part of our academic day rather than at night. Sarah Rogers: I love the Leadership Block because it gives the school time to reflect as a group and learn about controversial topics that affect the general population. I thought that the consent assembly was the most engaging of the year due to the fact that it captured the school with a heavy yet prevalent topic while keeping it light and humorous at the same time. While some Leadership Blocks are much more interesting than others, I think they are generally popular with the school. I do find that the Leadership Blocks where we meet as a whole school tend to be more interesting than those when we split up.
Editors Maggie Barton AJ Chabot Maggie Cunha Dougie DeLuca Carter Bourassa Chae Hahn Brooke Hayes
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 5