The Razor - June 2019

Hopkins School 986 Forest Road New Haven, CT

Vol LXV, no. 7

June 6, 2019

www.therazoronline.com

English Legend Canny Cahn Retires after 17 Years on The Hill Katie Broun '19 Managing Editor Emeritus

After teaching at Hopkins for seventeen years, Canny Cahn, Psychology and English Teacher and former Razor Advisor, will retire at the conclusion of the 2018-2019 school year. Cahn worked with students in both the Junior and Upper Schools, and she touched many lives in the Hopkins Community as, described by Saira Munshani '20, “a teacher, friend and mentor.”

After attending Colgate University, double-majoring in English and Psychology, Cahn attended the Colgate Masters in Teaching (MAT) program. Although Cahn came to Hopkins in 2002, she taught for 44 years.

When describing her journey to Hopkins, Cahn recounted, “I worked in my MAT internship at a very rural school in central New York where the kids milked the cows before they came to school and set fur traps early in the morning." Afterwards, Cahn taught in Greenwich, Connecticut for two years.

Cahn and her husband, Tom Iampietro, also an educator, eventually landed at a boarding school in western Massachusetts that, "was all female and probably did what we all hoped a single sex school would do at that time. After twenty five years, we decided either we’re going to be 'lifers' and stay

another gazillion more [years] in one place, or come down here [and] have a new kind of experience ... and that’s what we chose.”

It was the Psych and English double major, and everything else that followed, that kept me going [at Hopkins].”

Canny Cahn enjoying her last year with her final advisory group.

Cahn explained the heart of her career path: “I really liked being around young people. That merged with my interest in Psych. I actually started teaching Psych earlier than teaching English.

Cahn's work affected the lives of many Hopkins students. The Razor Features Editor Emeritus Zander Blitzer ’18 commented on Cahn’s positive spirit: “I love [Canny]’s unequivocal positiv-

ity. She is the most supportive person to everyone she comes in contact with, especially on The Razor. Interacting with her always brightened my day.”

After having Cahn for Writing Semester, Sarah Lopez ’19 got to know Cahn both as a teacher and a person: “I’ve had her for one semester only! Just one, yet she makes it a point to greet me any time she sees me. She asks about things mentioned to her during the fall of junior year. She’s truly a legend. She is an extremely patient teacher even if she is a tough grader.

She wants to see her students improve.”

English teacher Brad Czepiel noticed Cahn's impact when her students came into his classroom. “Those students write with an economy and flare she helped them find with her broad tip green pen. Syntax and reasoning must be perfect with Canny, but she leaves zero room for pretension. That combination helps bring out individual student writing style.”

Cahn was able to bring some of her favorite stories into the teaching curriculum, and was also introduced to new novels because of Hopkins. “I am so happy Hopkins introduced me to Things Fall Apart, which I love. I get to do Shakespeare every year, and Jane Austen and I were never apart.”

Continued on page 3...

Stephen "Sparky" Clark's Departure From The Hill Sparks Nostalgia cessing did not exist, meaning all documents were written by hand. From that point forward, Sparky watched and helped Hopkins grow into the institution it is today.

Stephen Clark, better known as “Sparky,” will As the surroundings evolved, in particular with be retiring from Hopkins after nearly 33 years on The the implementation of more technology on campus, Hill. During his tenure, Sparky taught a wide array of Sparky remained a constant source of authentic teaching. math classes, watched Hopkins grow, and offered an Head of the Math Department Jeannine Minort-Kale said, honest voice to faculty and students alike. Sparky’s first “Sparky's math classes have occasionally been referred to days were when Hopkins was a smaller institution, just as some of the most challenging at Hopkins. What some beginning to make bigger developments. The Walter miss about this 'challenge' is that it is rooted in his high Camp Athletic Center (WCAC) was completed, but it expectations for students. He believes that they are capawas really “before we had any nice academic buildings ble of rigorous mathematics and has shown over and over again that he is willing to do whatever he can Jemma Williams to help them achieve at that level.” Although he dabbled in teaching English and Economics, Sparky is known for his work in the Math Department. He has taught almost all of the Upper School Math classes. Despite the many years he spent teaching mathematics, Sparky still found joy in it each day, “Every time I go back to a course that I haven’t taught for a few years, I am just as excited to teach it as I was the first time, perhaps even more, because I usually have a better feel and a different perspective on how the concepts fit together and connect to other courses. The beauty of math just never gets old.”

Sparky always took the opportunity to learn something new, especially if it is related to math. He often spent his summers taking Stephen Clark poses with his family at the 2019 Cum Laude Society classes at Wesleyan University, where he took induction for which his son, Ted Clark '09, served as the guest speaker. 25 courses in the Wesleyan Graduate Liberal Studies program and earned a Master of Arts in at Hopkins and we had many more trees,” Sparky said. Liberal Studies with a concentration in math. He laughed He describes the time as one when graphing calculators and said, “I’ve actually run out of math classes to take,” but were just beginning to make their debut and word pro- added how learning in the summer “provides just enough Saira Munshani '20 Senior Op-Ed Editor

Inside: News...........1-3 Features.......4-5 Op/ED.........6-7 Arts.............8-9 Sports..........10 Prizes..........11 Seniors........12

Features Page 4: Seniors Present Endof-Year Projects

Arts Page 9: Songs of the Issue - A Musical Year in Review

Highpoint Pictures

Stephen Clark retires after 33 years of service at Hopkins. structure to the day while still allowing plenty of time to relax.” Sparky strove to convey the joy of math to his students, and added “I hope I helped hundreds of Hopkins students find a way to enjoy learning challenging mathematics; good thinking is hard work, but it is also very satisfying.”

The correlation between hard work and satisfaction is not a foreign one to Sparky. The same attitude he Continued on page 3...

Seniors Page 12: A Celebration of the Class of 2019

Page 2

June 6, 2019

The Razor: News

Honoring Retiring Hilltoppers Gail Leamon Anushree Vashist '21 News Editor B u s i ness Office Manager Gail Leamon will be retiring after nearly twenty-four years on The Hill. Guiding the Business Office, Leamon directed staff, controlled daily accounting work, and managed student enrollment. Leamon has many hobbies which she hopes to continue in retirement, including playing the piano and painting: “I joined some art classes for oil painting and watercolor painting, which is something I enjoyed doing many years ago, and am excited to continue. In addition, I enjoy hiking, garBusiness Office Manager Gail Leamon retires from Hopkins dening, traveling, and I after 24 years. intend to volunteer each week at various local organizations.” Looking back at her time at Hopkins, Leamon said, “I will miss so many of the people I worked with over the years. I enjoyed and will miss my work and all the diverse duties and responsibilities which evolved over the years, making my time here very interesting and truly unforgettable.”

Highpoint Pictures

Linda Weber Orly Baum '22 Assistant News Editor

After five years at Hopkins, Linda Weber will retire from her position as Director of Strategic Marketing and Communication.

Weber’s role involved “overseeing all the publications, print and digital, at Hopkins.”

Weber had many visible accomplishments such as “the launch of the @Hop weekly newsletter, the graphic and editorial redesign of Hopkins’ magazine, Views from the Hill, the website reconfiguration to allow for mobile devices, and an emphasis on demographic digital marketing for Admissions.”

Weber’s favorite day of After her five years at Hopkins, Linda Weber moves on from the school year was The Hill and into retirement.

Orientation. “The incoming students are nervous and tentative, but their parents are just beaming and so proud. I usually tear up on that day,” she said. Weber also enjoyed the lunch Hopkins serves daily: “I have soup every day. They are amazing. It is really remarkable the variety of soups the chef comes up with—so many!” During her spare time, Weber enjoys many hobbies. “In the warm months, I swim half a mile a day. I also try to keep up with the latest books, movies, and new recipes,” she said. While thinking about her five years at Hopkins, Weber stated, “I’ll miss being in the midst of a really smart, curious and independent-thinking community that makes room for everyone.”

Highpoint Pictures

Gena Eggert Zoe Kim '20 Senior News Editor

Highpoint Pictures

Assistant to the Director of Admissions Gena Eggert will be retiring after working at Hopkins for fourteen years.

As part of the Admissions Office, she oversaw “all aspects of the admission process,” including but not limited to: processing application materials, scheduling interviews, and coordinating mailings and events. One of Eggert’s favorite memories on The Hill is the 350th celebration of Hopkins School.

Eggert will miss the camaraderie she enjoyed with her office mates, who “all had lots of stories to share about [each other's] lives and things that happen in the Admissions Office.” Looking forward Gena Eggert retires after fourteen years of service in the to moving to a warmer Admissions Office. climate, Eggert hopes to "get out more and explore new areas" with her dog, and engage in volunteer work at animal rescue organizations. Her favorite item on her desk was a hand-painted rock, given to her by a former student: something she plans on taking home with her to her life beyond The Hill.

Clayton Hall Juan Lopez '22 Assistant News Editor

Highpoint Pictures

Clayton Hall will be retiring from his adjunct position in the Math Department after a total of 50 years at Hopkins. Hall previously retired from full-time teaching in 2013.

In his time, Hall taught many students: “I have taught all ages at Hopkins and most of the courses offered in the curriculum for grades 7-12. In the last ten years, I have taught mostly eleventh and twelfth graders." During his time on The Hill, he was happy to be a part of the Hopkins Community: “I have greatly enjoyed, and will sincerely miss, working with the ‘hopeful youths’ of Hopkins. I have especially enjoyed seeing them at reunions and hearing about all of their wonderClayton Hall retires from his adjunct position in the Math ful accomplishments.” In Department after half a century on The Hill. his free time, Hall loves to reconnect with his former students: “This past fall, I saw a bunch of them at Washington University in St. Louis. I also invite them back to Hopkins for a free lunch and we usually have our photo taken in front of their class banner.” During his retirement, Hall hopes to be closer to his children. “My wife, Mary, and I are planning to move out of state and live near our children, Clayton III '05, Erin '08, and Emily '12,” said Hall.

He also wants to keep pursuing his current passions: “We hope to continue teaching and to do more hiking and biking in the White Mountains and at Acadia National Park.”

Good luck to all faculty and staff moving on from The Hill!

The Razor: News

June 6, 2019

Cahn Moves on From The Hill Continued from page 1 Cahn's teaching style made students feel engaged and excited to learn something new every day.

Elizabeth Roy '20 recounted that, "class is never boring with Ms. Cahn. Even though she was my teacher in ninth grade, I still love visiting her and talking about

crashed constantly. We didn’t really have a set formula for sections–at least one that I perceived. And people kept coming and going. Over 17 years we developed a sort of an esprit de corps. Editors trained younger people to move up, and everyone came to appreciate the importance of pulling together, participating, Highpoint Pictures attending Productions, supporting each other, and really laughing over bagels and spreads.”

Features Editor Katherine Takoudes ’20 commented on Cahn’s leadership: "Although she claimed her only role on Razor was to provide bagels for Production, she knew all the ins and outs of journalism and formatting.”

Munshani ’20, one of Cahn’s students and a staffer on The Razor, agreed with Takoudes: “Canny had a way of making me feel at home in her classroom, whether it be playing games at the end of class, setting up a new issue of The Razor, or having early morning conversations. One of the most important decisions I made while at Hopkins was with her guidance, and, without her clarity and honesty, I don’t know if I would have made the best choice in the end. Canny didn’t tell me what to do, which is one of the best qualities about her. She never told me the answers but she taught me how to find them myself.”

“The Razor advisers were always a happy team,” Cahn explained. “I started 17 years ago paired with the great Phil Stewart. When he went off to grad school, I was lucky to be joined for many years by the amazing Liz Gleason. Our advising team Canny Cahn will retire after seventeen years at Hopkins. grew even stronger two years ago with the addition of Jenny Nicolelli. Now Sorrel Westbooks and life. She’s a teacher you always go back to.” brook has stepped up to complete the advising trio."

Ayelet Kaminski ’22 agreed: “I love how Ms. Cahn's post-Hopkins plans are varied.

Cahn always makes class as engaging as possible with “Like every English teacher, I will work on the Great her unparalleled sense of humor, enthusiasm, and American Novel, except it’s not that great. I have a willingness to help us learn. She always knows how Good American Novel I completed, and I am hopto make a bad morning better and my friends and ing to get published when I have time to focus on I are so grateful to be in her English class. There’s that part of the business. I am actually starting a secnever a boring or un-fun block with Ms. Cahn.” ond book. I have a million organizations for which I Michelle Grutzendler '22 was “inspired want to volunteer in the central Maine coastal area. with Ms. Cahn’s ability to bring a smile to ev- There’s an animal shelter…and garden organization… eryone’s face, and with her love for reading and with my name on it. And the house we’ve bought writing that is displayed in all of her classes.” just happens to have a greenhouse and a chicken English teacher and colleague Alex Werrell coop already there. The waters are within sight to commented on Cahn’s astute eye for literature: “Can- where I want to kayak and where I want to spend ny is one of the best readers I’ve ever encountered. a lot of time walking and exploring and convincShe devours the Pulitzer and Man Booker shortlists; ing my husband that the outdoors are okay places.” rare is the book that flies under her radar or escapes Head of School Dr. Kai Bynum associates the reach of her Kindle. If anyone is stumped for a Cahn with “wisdom. She has an orbit of wisdom sursummer reading recommendation, she can give you rounding her and her students all want to soak up as 20 she has read in the Chloe Sokol '20 past three months alone.

In addition to being a teacher, Cahn was also an advisor to a group of seven seniors in the Class of 2019. Advisee Emma DeNaples ’19 is grateful for the relationship: “She has been an amazing advisor. She was always a bright, positive light to start my day.

She always has a funny story to tell or some strange food she wants us to try. She’s relentlessly supportive and she made my Hopkins experience so much more fun.”

Advisee Caroline Viselli ’19 agreed: “Ms. Canny Cahn poses with fellow retiree, Stephen "Sparky" Clark.

Cahn made me feel like part of the Hopkins family since freshman orientation in 2015. She brightened up my much of it as possible. She will be missed on The Hill.” morning when I was tired or feeling overly stressed.

As Cahn leaves The Hill, she parts with these I was so fortunate to have a person on campus who words: “I have never worked with better colleagues. understood me and I could rely on for anything. My And I am leaving way too many friends behind whom advisor group and Ms. Cahn graduated together!” I am counting on to come and visit up in Maine. But I In addition to advising seniors, Cahn was wouldn’t be who I am if it weren’t for Hopkins students, also the head advisor for The Razor for 16 of her 17 and all of the students that I have gotten the chance to years at Hopkins. “ I advised the paper at my last know. I feel younger than my friends who don’t teach. school, so that was a natural segway,” she said. “When I feel goofier. I feel more intellectually challenged...

I came [to The Razor], we were using software that just and it’s all because of the energy I get with you guys.”

Page 3

Sparky Retires Continued from page 1 applied to his teaching is one that carried over to athletics as coach of JV Boys Soccer, basketball, and golf for a number of years.

Sparky spent 31 years, with only a few seasons off, coaching JV Boys Soccer, and recalls that one of the “best moments of his life” was a long hoped-for victory against Taft Boys Soccer. Sparky remembers Taft’s team being full of bigger and more experienced players than Hopkins’; however, after a few lucky goals, Hopkins was able to come out on top. Sparky vividly replayed his reaction and how “at the end of the game I just went and lay down in the middle of the field, and looked up at the sky.”

What encompasses Sparky’s

however, teaching brings out a different side of him. “Teaching releases me in that indescribably energizing give-and-take of careful thought, organized, logical reasoning, and thoroughly random, unpredictable social banter and storytelling,” Sparky reflected. Sparky added a vibrant energy to the classroom. “Sparky’s kind, gracious, positive energy convinced me that I probably should take this job, and for the last 25 years he has continued to radiate those good vibes, making my easy decision look very smart in retrospect,” said fellow math teacher David McCord.

In terms of Sparky’s plans for next year: “I will prob-

Emma Regan '20

Sparky explains the Law of Sines to his Pre-Calculus BC class. entire experience at Hopkins is the work of a team. Whether it be on the field or in the classroom, “I love the good will of the group. I love feeling like part of a team that simply enjoys being together,” he emphasized.

Sparky is often seen with his arms stretched wide, an apple in each hand, and a content smile as he walks around campus. He has a deep love for Hopkins and the community. Head of School Dr. Kai Bynum said: “He is one of the best teachers, mentors, coaches, colleagues, and friends we have had at Hopkins, and he impacted more lives than he can imagine. Personally, I always appreciated his authentic presence and lively spirit on campus.

I know I will always get a pure perspective and honest voice when I speak with him, which is often a difficult thing to deliver.” Sparky’s authenticity shone through whether he is teaching, interacting with faculty, or simply walking around campus.

His goal with students was that they learn to be better thinkers, even if that comes with a challenge: “Good learning isn’t necessarily easy. Learning to think is hard work, because thinking well is hard work, and you become a better person and student because of it,” he said.

In the process of relaying this message to his students, Sparky learned more about himself through years of being at Hopkins. Sparky notes that he is not the most extroverted person;

ably play a little more golf. I want to take classes--maybe something like lifetime learning at Wesleyan. I would like to travel a tiny bit more. I suppose I am most looking forward to the flexibility of doing whatever seems right at that moment.” Sparky may be leaving behind the school, but he hopes to maintain the same spirit and feeling of unity he gets from being at Hopkins: “That sense of being what you do, instead of just having a job, is what I hope I can sustain the rest of my life.”

Sparky’s teaching, coaching, and presence have impacted much of the Hopkins community, and he will be greatly missed: “I will never forget Sparky and his contagious energy and love for math,” said Amanda Leone ’20.

As someone who played many roles on campus from constructing new courses to coaching three teams to teaching for many years, Sparky is deeply rooted at Hopkins.

Despite his final decision to retire and enjoy some flexibility, Sparky cherishes many aspects of Hopkins: “I will miss walking out on the grass of the soccer field, the sounds and smells and changing light of the passing seasons, I will miss walking up and down the stairs between Baldwin and Thompson.

I will miss all the happy chatter of students in my classes, and all the laughter I hear upstairs in Heath and in the dining hall. Above all else, I will miss being in the classroom."

FEATURES

Page 4

Seniors Present Work at Project Fair knew the original writing would be challenging because it takes a lot of creative energy. But creative writing in Spanish brings the extra challenge of grammar and vocabuEach spring, seniors have the opportunity to design lary. I had to decide whether to prioritize meaning, meter, and orchestrate independent projects of their choice. The or rhyme, and it was painful sacrificing one of the three.”

Isabel Vlahakis ’19 explored the influence fashion project process culminates in the Senior Project Fair at the and politics had on each other during the French Revoluend of the school year. Students show off their hard work to tion by writing a research paper and using her knowledge faculty, alumni, parents, and other students. On May 20 in to “make what could have Heath Commons, 36 seniors preCici Liu ’20 been a dress from that time sented 26 unique projects ranging period.” Vlahakis recalled from written work, to ventures in that last year in AP Euroentrepreneurship, to a machine pean History she “watched that harnessed Hopkins’ own food a video about how fashwaste to create sustainable energy. ions have changed and The Senior Project Proinfluenced each other, gram grants seniors the time which really inspired and freedom to explore in depth [her] senior project.” a subject of particular interest.

Raven Levine ’19 colMaliya Ellis ’19 wrote short stolaborated with Emma Deries and sonnets, some originally Naples ’19 to write, film, in Spanish, and others originally and edit an original movie in English, and then translated that follows a high-school each into the other language. senior “through a week in When asked what inspired her her life, dealing with the project, Ellis responded, “I spent academic stress of school, last summer doing community and the difficulties of service in Ecuador, which left prom as a gay teenager.” me with both a renewed interest Levine was not only exin Spanish and a whole lot of incited to “be able to tell a teresting experiences to unpack. I more in depth story with a wanted to reflect on those experilonger run time” than was ences via creative writing, logipossible in the Hopkins cally in Spanish, the language in film classes, but was also which I experienced everything.” motivated by what her She continued, “I’ve project represents. “The also read a lot of literature in For their Senior Project, Nate Stratton ’19, Jamie Donovan central character, Altranslation, and it’s never quite the ’19, and Noah Slager ’19 recorded a podcast. ice, is a character whose same as the original, so I wanted high school experience reflects my own in many ways. to understand that process through myself.” When asked Continued on page 5... about the challenges of her project, Ellis described how “I Julia Kosinski ’21 Features Editor

June 6, 2019

Decades of Music: Commencement Songs Anjali Subramanian ’22 Assistant Features Editor

Each year at Hopkins Commencement, one of the many school songs, such as “Marching Song,” “Pomp and Circumstance,” and “O Hopkins School,” is performed by musicians in Concert Choir and Orchestra. One of the first and most well known Hopkins songs is “Marching Song.” “Marching Song” was composed by former Music teacher, Mary P. Reid, and former English teacher, Victor Reid, in 1942. Performing “Marching Song” became a tradition to wish seniors off, but it is not the only song played. Hopkins instrumentalists and vocalists perform pieces of their choosing, some of which have been performed for years.

The history of “Marching Song” began when it was published in 1942 and shared with students and faculty members. According to school archivist Thom Peters, the Head of Hopkins Grammar School at the time, George Lovell, was “quite fond of singing and thought everyone should know how to sing.” However, “Marching Song” was not played as much after Lovell retired in 1953.

Peters said the song was only “repopularized around 2006 by School Psychologist Josh Brant, and former faculty member Silas Meredith when Meredith heard a recording of it and rewrote the harmonies.” While Meredith reinitiated the performances of the “Marching Song,” he wasn’t the one to discover it; instead, it was discovered by a former Hopkins teacher, Dana Blanchard. English teacher Ian Melchinger explained: Judy Rosenthal

Hopkins Rallies Around Grilled Cheese sions, team building events and every year at least two of my staff travel to Kohler, Wisconsin to study cheese On May 17, 2019, the Hopgrilling techniques, product identikins community rallied around the fication and grilled cheese history.” dining staff for the twelfth annual Over the past few years, the Jack Lubin Grilled lunch tranCheese Extravagan- Katherine Takoudes ’20 sitioned za. The lunch, which from a meal recently turned into of grilled a day long celebracheeses to tion, features grilled a day long cheese sandwiches, celebration a vegetarian roastthat earned ed tomato soup, the title of an curly fries, and “extravagansteamed broccoli. za.” Julia An The tradi’21 said the tion started twelve day owned years ago when up to its title Jack Lubin ’12 was by “the sheer a player on the Juamount of nior School Basegrilled cheesball team coached es made that

by Assistant Head day.” Pearl of School John Miller ’22 Roberts.

Every Students line up outside of the servery for the 2018 Jack Lubin Grilled Cheese Extravaganza. agreed and year since, Hopkins students listen to Dining Hall. Senior Ashley Chin explained that “grilled cheese is only Roberts recount the story in the As- ’19 described his appearance as served once a year and curly fries are sembly on the morning of Grilled “iconic.” “He’s a Hopkins hero,” she a rare occurrence, so when they are Cheese Day. Roberts explains how said, “someone we all aspire to be.” served together, it is no wonder that every day during Junior School baseThe dining staff put in hours we all get so excited.” King broke ball practice - the period before lunch of work to prepare this year’s grilled down the numbers behind the ex- Lubin would ask Roberts if there cheese sandwiches, which were quick- travaganza: “the dining staff prepared was grilled cheese for lunch that day. ly consumed by students in a matter 1400 sandwiches, using about 120lbs In 2007, Roberts informally named of hours. Director of Dining Services of the highest quality natural pure orGrilled Cheese Day after Lubin to Mike King explained that the din- ganic, sustainable and conflict-free commemorate his energy and enthu- ing staff begins training for the day American cheese and 140 loaves of siasm for grilled cheese. Now, twelve months before May: “We have nu- the healthiest white bread available.” years and thousands of grilled cheeses merous staff meetings, training sesContinued on page 5...

Katherine Takoudes ’20 Senior Features Editor

later, the day earned the title Jack Lubin Grilled Cheese Day Extravaganza.

Last year, Hopkins was honored with a visit from Lubin, who spoke in Assembly and ate plenty of grilled cheese sandwiches in the

Teddy Glover ’21 plays at Commencement in 2018.

“Meredith heard the song because Blanchard, who once headed up the Admission office and taught English in the 1980s, sang it to him over the phone. Meredith then invented the three-part harmony arrangement that was sung at Prize Day before the unfurling of the banner.”

Peters remembered the song was “first performed at Prize Day in 2007 with a voluntary group ensemble of faculty members. When Meredith retired, former Head of School Barbara Riley did not want to see the tradition die. She asked Melchinger to take the reins and continue the tradition of assembling a group of faculty singers to rehearse and then perform ‘Marching Song’ at Prize Day.” However, after eight years the tradition ended because Melchinger “asked Dr. Bynum to let go of this not-yet-firm tradition, so we have some room to create new traditions.”

Since the end of “Marching Song,” the Hopkins Arts Department developed new musical traditions. Students in the Hopkins Orchestra join the Commencement program by playing a combination of both traditional and popular songs.

Judy Rosenthal

Concert Choir performs at Commencement in 2018.

Continued on page 5...

Page 5

The Razor: Features

June 6, 2019

From The Hill to the Real World: Majors and Careers Emmett Dowd ’21 Assistant Features Editor

With the Hopkins school year coming to a close, the Class of 2019 is looking to what their future holds. When going on to college from Hopkins, one of the biggest questions, if not the biggest question, is always “What am I going to major in?” To find out what talents and interests graduates will pursue, The Razor sent a survey to seniors asking what they are planning to major in, and what careers they are considering. Sixty-five students responded, giving us a wide range of

interests and hopes for their futures.

The most popular college major chosen was “other,” winning the poll with 23.2 percent of the total voters. Second place was medicine, at 23.1 percent. Other popular majors included business, arts, and engineering.

Zaryah Gordon ’19 explained what field she hopes to major and eventually work in: “I really want to major in biological sciences, and then eventually become a gynecologist. Being able to help out women and girls and keep them healthy would be such a great career—women are great! I want to keep them healthy.”

Caitlyn Chow ’19 elaborated on

The class of 2019 has diverse career plans, with “Other” capturing the most responses.

Many students in the class of 2019 are thinking of majoring in medicine or business.

her future college major: “Business analytics because I love combining mathematical models and real-world data to drive decisions. It’s also heavily related to the automotive/AI industry that I’ve always been passionate about, and with such a degree I would have more opportunities to work abroad in places like Hong Kong!”

Less popular majors included astronomy, philosophy, neurobiology, and diplomacy.

In a second question, The Razor asked seniors what job or occupation they want in the future. Though the “Other” category captured the most responses, students saw themselves entering a variety of fields.

Hopkins Keeps Rallying for Grilled Cheese the table shares the fries and grilled cheeses.”

Alessandro Amoedo ’20 said he “typically goes With hundreds of kids lining up outside to the middle line, which is often shorter because of the doors to the Dining Hall, students shared the line is capped at the end by the sandwich bar.” their tricks for getting the best grilled cheeses.

In recent years, the dining staff has celOnce inside the servery, Ian Dailis ’20 explained ebrated Grilled Cheese Day by giving students that the “stanthe option to take Liana Tilton ’19 their grilled cheese dards of civilization cease outside with paper and Darwinplates and places ism takes to sit on the quad. over because King summed up everyone just the final moments wants to get of the extravaganas many of za: “At the end of the curly fries the day we clean and grilled the last remaining cheeses as strands of meltpossible.” ed cheese off the Ann suggestwalls, high five and ed her methgroup hug, and go od of “gethome for the weekting a squad end. On Monday, together and the planning for Seniors enjoy grilled-cheese sandwiches on the patio. arriving to the next year’s Annual dining hall early. One person fills a plate of curly Jack Lubin Grilled Cheese Extravaganza befries while another gets the grilled cheeses. Then gins again in earnest. This we do, for you.”

(Continued from page 4)

Home-Grown Commencement Music (Continued from page 4)

According to Arts Department Chair Robert Smith, “Before the Hopkins Orchestra existed, we used to have a brass quintet play all of the music for Commencement. The group’s name was Colonial Brass, and it consisted of professional brass players from the New Haven area.” He continued, “At that time, JoAnn Wich was the choral director and her late husband, Bill Wich, played trumpet with the quintet. The Orchestra took over that duty back in 2011 or 2012 and has played ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ for the procession ever since.” The Orchestra also plays a recessional piece which Smith chooses “based on student interest.”

The Hopkins Concert Choir also performs at Commencement. Choral teacher Erika Schroth and her students prepare “two pieces that

change from year to year, and for both of those pieces, seniors in the choir come up in their robes to join in the singing.” Her singers also perform “Irish Blessing” in which “the seniors remain in their seats, and the remaining freshman, sophomore, and junior vocalists sing to the graduating seniors.” Schroth noted that students “really love” the performance of a Hopkins song at Commencement, and find it “very meaningful.”

The “Marching Song” represented the Hopkins community for many years and is remembered by many. According to Peters, its “references to battle” and “defying rivals” made it sound “like a song to be sung by fans in the stands.” Although “Marching Song” is not played at Commencement anymore, new musical traditions have caused Peters to believe that Lovell’s “legacy as a promoter of singing for everyone will continue.”

Paige DeVoe ‘19 detailed her hopes for a future occupation in medicine: “I would like to work in the field of medicine because I have always loved studying science, especially biology, and I believe that it is a great way to give back to our communities and a great opportunity to discover new cures to illnesses.”

Majors and jobs can seem far off for seniors. As Audrey Braun ’19 said, “Honestly I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up… but I think that’s ok because so many people change majors and career paths well into their lives and we are just high school seniors-we have plenty of time to figure it out.”

Learning From Senior Projects (Continued from page 4)

she had gained: “I learned a lot of technical things from this project.

I also learned more about directing a larger group of actors, something which I had not done before.”

Tellides was excited to share his insights into Hopkins’ past: “I learned that Dr. Lovell narrowly avoided a boiler explosion while performing repairs. I also

Although seniors were given the option to substitute their project for a course, finding enough time to complete their project to their original expectations proved to be a common challenge. Theo Tellides ’19, whose goal was to digitize and index 70 years of Razor archives explained that “it took a lot longer to index articles than initially planned so I only digitized one year per decade.”

George Kosinski ’19 partnered with Eliot Carlson ’19 to recreate ten small-scale Renoir paintings. Kosinski also felt the pressure of limited time: “Renoir uses many layers and washes Naomi Tomlin’s ’19 project titled “Yellow Berry” uses in each of his visual and written art to explore her childhood fears. paintings, so it was hard to replicate that in the learned that The Razor was once limited time we had.” Benjamin a lot more inflammatory, with arWashburne ’19, who worked with ticles complaining about rising Alex Hughes ’19 to convert food tuition, and a column called ‘The waste from the Hopkins dining hall Mug’ that was devoted to roastto methane and electric current via ing a particular senior each issue.”

With the school year nearly anaerobic and aerobic digestion faced a unique obstacle: “My nose over, next year’s seniors are ponderfaced the greatest challenge of the ing their own projects. Olivia Wen project, as it was incredibly stinky.” ’20 said, “The senior projects this Despite long hours at year seemed like such rewarding exthe computer screen, Levine was periences. I am excited to have the happy with the outcome of her opportunity to explore something project as well as the experience I’m passionate about next spring.”

Page 6

Opinions/Editorials

June 6, 2019

Who Cares About Consent?

Sophie Sonnenfeld '21 Op-Ed Editor Who cares about consent training regarding intimate contact? We all should. Similarly, we all should care about good dental hygiene, and driver education. However, flossing after meals does not prevent food poisoning and signaling before a turn does not prevent a crazed driver’s road rage. Well- intended consent education does not protect a potential victim from a predator’s assault.

On April 15, the Hopkins club ERRO (Equal Rights, Respect, and Opportunities) led a ‘Consent Assembly.’

ERRO should be saluted for their helpful educational initiative, but we risk falling victim to thinking this effort should be celebrated as mission complete. For Hopkins to responsibly provide sexual assault education, the school must: 1) include the key audience and 2) include the key topics.

First, the limited key audience refers to 140 students who many would argue are in the height of forming an understanding of sexual consent and also often predators’ most vulnerable targets.

Yes, according to RAINN, (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the victims most often at risk are 12- and 13-yearolds. But the Junior School was missing! Where were our seventh and eighth grade students? Where were the most impressionable of our hopeful youths?

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, of which 30% were between the ages of 11 and 17 at the time of their first completed rape. On top of this, only 12% of child sexual abuse is ever reported. It may be courteous and comfortable for us to sidestep the topic of assault and rape, but I can assure you that rapists won't conform to the same common courtesy. The exclusion would have been understandable if the Assembly delved into challenging topics, such as rape or domestic violence.

Continued on page 7.

The Complexity of Happiness Sarah Roberts '20 Managing Editor A few weeks ago in my Dark Romanticism class, we read Ursula K. Le Guin’s work of short philosophical fiction “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas.” The narrator describes a summer festival in the utopian city of Omelas, a city whose prosperity depends on the perpetual misery of a single child held captive in a basement. The blissful community is extremely advanced and its citizens are intelligent, sophisticated, and cultured. Everything about Omelas is so colossally pleasing that the narrator decides the reader can’t possibly be convinced of its existence, as they have been conditioned by society to think that the community would be composed of “simple folk.” The narrator explains, “The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates,

The Aftershave of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.”

After reading this, I found myself thinking a great deal about happiness and returning to the text for assistance. I started noticing my friends partaking in competitions of “who slept the least?' or “who is the most stressed?' as if either of those titles is admirable. I started to wonder why we automatically associate happiness with simplicity. Why do we treat pain like it’s an accomplishment? Why is it just so hard for us to believe in a town like Omelas?

The reasoning has much broader implications than an anomaly occurring in our school or in Le Guin’s short story. We’ve all heard the saying that “ignorance is bliss.” This concept borrows from the idea that happy people might be afraid to look into the ugly truth of things that more often than not lies under the surface. Ignorance makes it easier to accept things at face value and may leave you happier.

This may lead to the conclusion that happy people must be irrational, delusional, or foolish.

But, to me, it seems rather that society has a fundamental ignorance about the importance of bliss. We often erroneously think the “deep” people are the ones who brood. The darker the movie, the less redeeming the ending, the more creative it is. The more damaged the painter or the musician’s life, the greater their artistic achievements This assumption should not and cannot be a universal truth. Achieving bliss is not a result of ignorance, but rather of increased consciousness of hardship. It requires emotional depth to be positive and hopeful in the midst of adversity. Happiness simply equips us with the tools to combat misfortune effectively.

In truth, negative emotions stem from the most primitive part of the brain, the autonomic nervous system, that responds to fear and threat, “fight or flight.” Seeing the negative is easy; formulating a cognitive strategy to positively respond to challenge requires much higher-order functioning in the brain. When we are positive, our brains allow us to create new patterns of suc-

cess and widen the number of possibilities our brains can process.

The real story of happiness is that every person has a range of potential – in terms of intelligence, athleticism, musicality, productivity, etc – and we are more likely to reach the upper bounds of our brain’s potential when we’re feeling positive, rather than negative or neutral. For instance, dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps us experience pleasure, has an additional benefit: it activates our cognitive learning centers, allowing our brains to function as intellectual sponges.

Everyone experiences this at some point, whether it was recent or will occur in the not-so-distant future.

For example, if you were stressed for your biology final and crammed for it the night before, you may remember the information while taking the test but can’t remember any details three days later.

On the other hand, you probably remember your favorite song lyrics from more than a decade ago; information that was important to you at some point in your childhood, but is essentially useless to you now. Nonetheless, your brain retained the information. You remember that information partly because of the musical patterns, and partly because your brain’s learning system was activated by the dopamine released when you heard the song.

Many of us attribute how happy we are to our genetics, our environment, or a combination of the two. There is no doubt that both factors have an impact, but one’s general sense of wellbeing can be surprisingly malleable. The habits you cultivate, the way you interact with your peers, how you think about stress – all

"We often erroneously think the 'deep' people are the ones who brood. The more damaged the painter's or musician’s life, the greater their artistic achievements" of these things can be managed to increase your happiness and your chances of success. Nonetheless, happiness is most definitely something hard to achieve and we cannot simply choose to feel it.

This then leads to the degeneration of one of our most commonly held formulas for success. Conventional wisdom holds that if we work hard, we will be more successful, and if we are more successful, then we’ll be happy. If we can just ace that class, or win that award, or get into college, then happiness will follow. Despite the near-universal acceptance of this blueprint for success, this formula now appears backward: happiness fuels success, not the other way around. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work.

If Le Guin’s short story teaches us any one thing concretely, it’s that happiness is complex and not easy to accomplish. It is something that cannot possibly be unraveled in only 1000 words. Not only are the words themselves hard to define – what is happiness, what is ignorance, what is pain – but their relationship is so intertwined that achieving the level of serenity of Omelas always seems out of reach.

June 6, 2019

Page 7

The Razor: Opinion/Editorial

America’s Recycling Crisis: Let’s Keep Track of Our Trash Eleanor Doolittle ’20 Editor-in-Chief

In early 2018, China passed a bill that forever changed the worlds’ recycling, leaving countries like the United States without any place to send their recyclables.

The National Sword policy, also known as the “Green Sword Act”, bans the acceptance of several types of solid waste, such as plastic. The act also places extremely strict limitations on the amount of any recyclables China accepts from foreign countries. Further, the quality of recyclable waste China accepts needs to meet higher standards.

Greasy pizza boxes are no longer acceptable. Even a single piece of trash mixed in immediately disqualifies the entire load of recyclables, dooming it to the trash. Because there are fewer materials people can now recycle, it is quite easy to toss a non-reusable plastic carton into recycling, “contaminating” the entire load. Due to the increased limitations on what China now deems “recyclable,” we as a nation are unintentionally creating even more waste.

The stated purpose of this new policy is to improve China’s air quality and raise environmental standards. Unfortunately, this policy puts the United States and several other countries in a very complicated situation, as China bought our recyclables for the past twenty-five years. China now accepts only 1% of our plastic waste for recycling. No other country will buy large quantities of our plastic recyclables. The recycling market is quite expensive, and the US produces massive amounts of waste. When we take our blue bin to the curb with its week’s worth of recyclables - plastic bottles, the empty

grape jelly jar, cardboard takeout bins - where is it going? Since no other country or corporation is offering to buy the recyclables, much of this material is being lumped in with the trash, and then sent off to the incinerator.

Kallie Schmeisser

Eleanor Doolittle ‘20 shows her love of recycling

When Allison Mordas, my excellent Environmental Science teacher, explained what the National Sword policy meant for the United States, I was surprised and discouraged, but several questions also piqued my interest. What is the point of ‘going through the motions’ of recycling? Why are we still distinguishing the

waste between a blue and green bin if it is all going to the same place? The United States is a consumer culture, and the amount of garbage we produce in just a day is absolutely ridiculous. Now all recyclables that could be salvaged and reused for another purpose get thrown into the incinerator, a process akin to the giant pit in Toy Story 3 where Woody and the gang almost burn to death. The incinerator burns the exponential amounts of trash we create in a giant fiery hole in the ground until it is reduced to ash, all while completely obliterating our atmosphere with the carbon that gets released. Any other form of disposal would be too expensive for any city to afford. However, cities do not want to say, “Put everything in one bin, as recycling is essentially pointless now.” Now that we have a sudden influx of waste to add to the incinerator, the future of air quality in the United States seems dark and gloomy. Pun intended.

America’s recycling crisis should not be blamed on China - a country no longer willing to be the world’s dump. Rather, the fault - and the responsibility to change - is entirely our own. We create the insane amount of trash in the first place, due to our “throw it away” culture.

The first step is to lessen the amount of trash we create.

There is no more justification for printing out a million copies in the library, or buying plastic Aquafina bottles with the excuse, “I’ll just recycle them after.” As a society, and as a school, let us make conscious decisions to minimize unnecessary garbage. Make the little effort that will pay off in the long run: print your paper double-sided to save a tree, or decline that plastic straw at a restaurant to save our sea turtles. Hopkins, let’s keep track of our trash.

Jon Schoelkopf ’22

Who Cares About Consent (Continued from page 6) However, while ERRO provided straightforward definitions of consent using videos such as the viral ‘Tea Video,’ as well as hypothetical instances of microaggressions and personal stories, there was no mention of domestic violence or rape.

As helpful as this first stage was, the next stage must address the key topics oddly missing - the undiscussed elephant in the room. By not exposing members of our community to the horrific realities of rape, we risk leaving them underprepared to identify and respond appropriately when faced with dangerous situations. Of

course, people don’t get to choose if they’re raped.

On May 22, the Myth of Miscommunication Workshops at Yale generously visited campus for an optional follow-up seminar planned for twenty five students. Their mission is “to create a space for exchanging thoughts, experiences, and techniques on the subjects of sexual pressure and bystander intervention.” While such education on sexual etiquette is useful for respectful partners and bystanders, only 33% of rapes are committed by a current or former spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, or intimate partner. Additionally, not everyone is only a bystander in such situations. Surely the sophisticated, prominent TV anchor Matt Lauer and his victims did not need a lesson in etiquette when the doors to his office locked in the victims from a button hidden under his desk.

We often mislabel phenomena by the tools we use to appraise it. In science, the observer effect, the theory that the measurement observation of a phenomenon alters the outcome, is parallel to implementing problematic consent education. In understanding something, we often get caught up in the measurements instead of the phenomenon itself. Consent education is often lost in concerns about packaging, and loses sight of the product. As campus reports of sexual assault are growing, consent

education is becoming the most popular method for schools around the nation to skirt the actual problem of assault to discuss sanitized, obvious recipes for respectful conduct.

In health classes, we are taught how to take birth control and how to apply a condom and also how to say “no,” but suppose the aggressor doesn’t care about those lessons?

Sure there are sometimes grey areas over consent. An anonymous woman, “Grace” reported an incident on the website babe.com where actor Aziz Ansari attempted to pressure her into non-consensual sex. While “Grace” claimed to have expressed verbal and nonverbal cues to indicate she was distressed, Ansari responded saying the two engaged in sexual activity, “which by all indications was completely consensual.” Many media defenders of his at The New York Times and The Atlantic supported Ansari, labelling the alleged victim an insensitive woman destroying a man’s career while some even around Hopkins wrote it off as a ‘bad date.’

We have a problem with the way we understand and educate about sexual assault. It’s the word consent.

Relating consent to assault encourages us to reduce violence to a mere miscommunication. And when we equate assault with a miscommunication, we accept that both the predator and the victim are responsible - even equally responsible. Our minimalist consent education teaches us, as a situation escalates to say, ‘No thank you.’

Yes, it is helpful for our classmates to understand how to avoid mixed signals from confused consent communications. However, the concept that assault could be prevented through a greater understanding of consent is just as naive as believing we would protect ourselves from murderers by saying ‘Oh no, not now thank you.’ Though ERRO’s program was a great start, our school is egregiously neglecting the duty to provide our students with basic survival education. Our students are only equipped with a basic education on consent when most people will have to face harassment, assault, and rape at some point in their life. The palliative of consent is branded as a cure-all elixir that functions only as smoke and mirrors to distract us from true progress.

ARTS

Page 8

Students Kick Off Summer with Spam Jam

June 6, 2019

Fine Arts III Illustrates Class of 2019’s Legacy George Kosinski

After the festivities of Prize Day, the Hopkins a capella groups will host Spam Jam underneath the graduation tent at 7:00pm on June 6. The event features performances by Hopkins’ three a cappella groups: Triple Trio, Spirens (pictured below), and the Harmonaires. It marks the culmination of the hard work the three groups have invested in their songs over the course of the school year. The event is a great chance for students to enjoy music of all different genres, with works ranging from jazz (“Fly Me to the Moon” from Triple Trio), to indie-rock (“Dirty Paws” from the Harmonaires), to pop (“Toxic” from Spirens). Spam Jam is a positive space to enjoy music from friends and classmates, and is a staple of Hopkins’ end-of-the-year events that students will not want to miss!

Sara Amar

George Kosinski ’19, Melody Parker ’19, Catey Lasersohn ’19, Francine Giaimo ’19 , Lien Har ’19 (L-R) and Nina Barandiaran ’19, Minjae Ko ’19, and Naomi Tomlin ’19 (not pictured), the graduating seniors in the Fine Art III Class, began work on the 2019 senior banner in the final weeks of school. Every year, artists in the senior class collaborate on a banner that is revealed to the entire school on Prize Day. The tradition originated in 1941. The artists and Arts Teacher Peter Ziou, the Fine Arts III instructor, keep the design of the banner a secret. It displays the talent and hard work of the artists, as well as the legacy of the Class of 2019. The last name of every senior is included on the banner in a design that represents the personality of the graduating class.

Summer Reading Guide-ance Each summer, a team of students and faculty work together to put together a Summer Reading Guide to give book recommendations and encourage the community to read during the free time they find during the summer. Below, students and faculty share their thoughts on the importance of summer reading and give suggestions from the Summer Reading Guide. This year, the Guide features a bookmark to encourage students to broaden the diversity of their summer reading.

Why Read “Reading allows you to enter a world: maybe that of one person, one town, one people, one whole slice of history. Maybe it’s a world of imagination (poetry, fiction, drama), maybe a world rendered in brilliant detail and clarity and with a clear rationale for understanding (non-fiction). All are essential for wrestling with what it means to be a human being living now in 2019.”

- David McCord Math Teacher “The benefits of summer reading include having something to do on days when you have no plans and keeping your brain active throughout the summer. When you come back, you won’t find it hard to have reading as a homework assignment. It’s different from reading during the school year because you do not have to do a certain amount of reading in one night and you can spread it out so it makes the reading more enjoyable and makes it feel less like a chore.”

- Emma Maldon ’22 The Bookmark “My main goal for the prompts was to create a list that would introduce a new narrative to the reader. I wanted students to break from what they would normally select, at least for one book. Also, books are windows into experiences.”

- Lilly DeLise ’20 Creator of the Summer Reading Guide Bookmark “I think the Bookmark will help the student body be able to have a better understanding of the power of perspective.

It’s easy to pick a book that feels familiar, but you can learn more from picking something out of your comfort zone.

Likewise, you can learn a lot from getting to know people that differ from you, and books are a great way to do that.”

- Hannah Szabo ’21

Diversity in Summer Reading “The goal each year is to make the Guide more diverse and inclusive. This year, the team was able to incorporate the brilliant bookmark idea, inspired by Lilly DeLise, which encourages students to explore and think about how they choose the books they read. When we consider how we make choices based on our preferences and/or identity, then we can be more aware of how to diversify our experiences and learning.”

- Becky Harper Director of Community and Equity “If we each read only things that we knew, then reading would become a monotonous process and we would risk losing the thrill of encountering a new world composed from the written word.”

- Miya Segal ’21 How to Choose What to Read “In my opinion, the best way to read is to find books that you’re legitimately interested in. If you don’t like the book, it is really going to be a struggle. So, don’t try to go Joey Rebeschi ’21 for the shortest book on the list, aka the Communist Manifesto (unless you’re into Marxism). Reading really can be a pleasure, but only if you are really interested in the book.”

- Sawyer Maloney ’21 “The Guide is filled with recommendations from other Hopkins students, as well as Hopkins faculty. It repMaloney poses with The Big Short resents the “combined wisdom” of the amazing

by Michael Lewis.

Hopkins reading community. Year after year, I am always impressed with the depth and breadth of what Hopkins students choose to read, and the SRG is the best place to tap into that wisdom.”

- Faye Prendergast Head Librarian

“I typically stick to my favorite genres: mystery, dystopian, and non-fiction, yet I do try and branch out and try other genres. The Guide is helpful because it exposed me to many different genres that I wouldn’t otherwise have access to.”

- Owen Lamothe ’22 Book Recommendations “A few short stories and essays that changed my life and perspective are: God is Dead, Einstein’s Dreams, Becoming, We Should All Be Feminists, and James Baldwin’s Collected Essays. There are many more, but these are shorter reads that I hope Zach Williamson ’22 everyone gets Harper enjoys We Should All be Feminists to experience.”

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

- Becky Harper Director of Community and Equity “I devoured Educated by Tara Westover in less than 48 hours because I couldn’t put it down. This book has been top of the New York Times’s best-selling list pretty much since it was published, and I’m not surprised. Tara Westover’s story is more than incredible, and if you’ve never read a memoir before, this is a perfect place to start.”

- Prairie Resch ’21 “Read Ellison’s Invisible Man; Rushdie’s Midnight Children; Abbey’s Desert Solitaire; Plato’s Republic; Bishop’s poetry, Didion’s Essays...so many great things!

And above all of those, read the epics, which crystallize an entire age: The Iliad, Aeneid, Mahabharata, Divine Comedy, Paradise Lost, Don Quixote, War and Peace, Moby Dick, Middlemarch...reading is bliss!”

- David McCord Math Teacher

The Razor: Arts

June 6, 2019

Page 9

Songs of the Issue Jonas Brothers: “Sucker”

The Carters: “LOVEHAPPY”

Khalid: “Saturday Nights”

Roc Nation

Ella Zuse ’21 Assistant Arts Editor

Zach Williamson ’21 Assistant Arts Editor

Lily Meyers ’20 Senior Arts Editor

On October 29, 2013, Jonas Brothers announced their breakup. After eight years together, five albums, and a Disney Channel television show, Joe, Nick, and Kevin Jonas decided to leave the band and pursue solo projects, pop bands, and marketing companies. Joe Jonas became the lead singer of the band “DNCE,” Nick Jonas embarked on a solo career, and Kevin Jonas started The BLU Market.

Recently, Jonas Brothers reunited after a six-year hiatus to record a new single. On March 1, “Sucker” earned the band their first number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The song features vocals from all three brothers as they sing to a special someone “they’ll go anywhere blindly” for.

“Sucker” marks the beginning of the Jonas Brothers’ comeback. Since its release, they released a second single, “Cool” and performed together at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. The Jonas Brothers also announced “The Happiness Begins” tour, beginning on August 7.

Additionally, the band debuted a new brand image. They chose to leave behind their dramatic black-andwhite album covers from the late 2000s for more vibrant, sophisticated images of the band. In the tour’s promotional image, the brothers wear bright, patterned shirts, posing in front of elaborate gardens. Nick and Kevin Jonas also seem to be in more leading roles, as they are featured in the front of their signature triangle formation.

The content of their singles provides a contrast to the youthfulness of old hits like “S.O.S.” and “Play My Music.” All three Jonas brothers are married, and their music video for “Sucker” features their wives Priyanka Chopra, Sophie Turner, and Danielle Jonas. The video depicts the six of them running through the halls and gardens of a palace, starkly contrasting the garage setting of their “Year 3000” video in 2006.

While Jonas Brothers adapted their image, the boyband dynamic remains. Their rapid success proves their fans crave both the nostalgia and the fresh sound in “Sucker.”

Beyoncé and Jay-Z had a whirlwind 2018. A month prior to Beyoncé’s ground-breaking Coachella performance in April, the pair had announced their second joint tour, “On The Run II,” which ran from June to October across fourteen countries, grossing over $250 million. Following one such show in London, the duo surprise-dropped their first joint album, EVERYTHING IS LOVE, a triumphant declaration and reassurance of the long-lasting relationship between the two superstars. The album is credited to THE CARTERS as a duo. The album is a conclusion to the trilogy begun with Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Jay-Z’s 4:44, both of which saw the couple grappling with Jay-Z’s infidelity and its repercussions.

A standout track from EVERYTHING IS LOVE is its closing, the boisterous “LOVEHAPPY,” on which the duo trades verses about Jay-Z’s cheating scandal. The lyrics speak for themselves, with the two recounting the process of forgiveness. Beyoncé sings in the song’s hook, “Love is deeper than your pain / And I believe you can change, baby / The ups and downs are worth it / Long way to go, but we’re workin’.”

“LOVEHAPPY” reflects a greater theme of EVERYTHING IS LOVE. Songs such as “Sorry” from Lemonade (“better call Becky with the good hair”) and “Family Feud” from 4:44 (“nobody wins when the family feuds”) find the Carters at differing stages of acceptance of his infidelity, anger, and contemplation. Respectively, “LOVEHAPPY” sees the couple in a state of, as the title suggests, happiness in love. “LOVEHAPPY” and EVERYTHING IS LOVE serve as a reminder to listeners that marriage and relationships take effort and compromise, but also serve to solidify Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s status as the ultimate power couple. As Jay-Z himself said about the recording of his first album with his wife, the pair “used [their] art almost like a therapy session and [...] started making music together.” The Carter family is no longer divided.

Singer-songwriter Khalid released his first song, “Location,” shortly after graduating high school, and he released many successful songs about his experience as a teen and a young adult since. In his second complete album, Free Spirit, Khalid grows from the years described in his first album, American Teen. Although he may have gotten older, many of the characteristics of his teenage life have moved with him.

The last song on the album, “Saturday Nights,” is one of the songs that discusses this continuation. Khalid sings, “And all the things that I know/ That your parents don’t/ They don’t care like I do.” He describes how, during the teenage years, confiding in each other is a more comfortable and caring experience than confiding in their parents.

Going to friends for guidance and support is a prominent part of growing up for many people, and Khalid captures this in his album. While the issues he alludes to may be more personal or weighty for him, the idea of going to friends for support applies to a variety of aspects in teenage life. He sings about how parents may not understand, so going to someone at a similar place in life for advice could prompt a more emotional and caring response.

Beyond advice, friends can also be people to confide in about anything, with the ability to reveal true feelings instead of worrying about an outward appearance: “I guess there’s certain dreams that you gotta keep/ ‘Cause they only know what you let ‘em see.” The “them” is outside of their connection.

Khalid’s message can resonate with his large young-adult audience, and, in itself, will provide guidance.

For many, music and song lyrics can be a way to rewind on a rough day, and on “Saturday Nights,” Khalid conveys that you do not need to go to an adult for guidance--they cannot connect the way friends can. Advice and comfort can come from whoever and whatever connects with you.

Artist of the Issue: Nate Stratton ’19 Lily Meyers ’20 Senior Arts Editor Nate Stratton ’19 has been a prominent part of theater at Hopkins.

Having been in twelve plays and musicals as part of Hopkins Drama Association (HDA), Stratton has been an involved part of the HDA community, and a familiar sight in Hopkins theater productions.

His involvement in theater started during eighth grade in the show Comedy Tonight. Since then, he has stuck with acting, explaining that his “drawing skills are laughable and dancing passable at best.”

Stratton’s favorite role was been playing Ram Sweeney in Heathers: The Musical (High School Edition).

He recalled, “Sweeney and Kurt Kelly (Jamie Donovan ’19) are a match made in heaven.” The pair won an award for Best Performance by a Couple or Dy-

namic Duo or More in a Musical at the Connecticut HALO awards last year.

When he thought back to his ex-

on stage and times like these are what inspire me to be the best performer I can be.”

Stratton has been involved in theater outside of Hopkins as well. He has had parts in various films made by Yale undergraduate students. In addition, he did auditions for film acting jobs in New York City after getting a talent manager in tenth grade, on top of keeping up with his normal schoolwork.

However, he stopped Stratton and Donovan as Ram Sweeney and Kurt Kelly in Heathers: The doing auditions beMusical (High School Edition). cause “the whole experience was tirperience in Heathers, he said, “My favorite ing and I wanted to spend more time moment has to be the song ‘You’re Wel- with my theater pals here at Hopkins.” come.’ It was the most fun I’ve ever had Stratton thinks back fondly on

the friendships he has formed and peers he has grown close to over the years through rehearsals and performances. He reflected, “My all-time favorite memories are definitely rooted in the friendships I’ve made while participating in Hopkins Theater.

The community in Lovell is incredibly kind and supportive, and it’s been a gift to work so closely with all these talented high-schoolers who share a similar passion.” He continued, “It sounds cliché, but they are the ones that made the experience memorable for me beyond just one moment in any particular show.”

Stratton plans to continue acting in college. However, he also looks forward to “exploring additional creative exploits during my college years.” Still, he said, “acting of all kinds will always hold a special place in my heart. Who knows, maybe I’ll end up making a living off of it.” Stratton’s presence on stage and within the HDA community will be greatly missed next year.

SPORTS

Page 10

June 6, 2019

Athletes of the Issue

Chris Borter: Charismatic Captain creates an atmosphere that we will beat any team that steps on the same field as us 30-0.”

As a captain, Borter feels honored to have led the team for two years. He leads by example and encourages his teammates to play with

Maeve Stauff ’21 Assistant Sports Editor Hopkins Varsity Baseball Captain Chris Borter ’19 joined the team freshman year, but initially started playing baseball when he was three years old. During his first two years on the team, he was primarily a shortstop.

However, as many pitchers graduated, he explained, “We really needed a pitcher at the end of my sophomore year.” He continued, “I think I have evolved into a pretty dominant pitcher because the team has helped me have trust in everyone in the lineup, with people making contributions left and right. We’ve all stepped up.” With his 90mph fastball, Borter’s years of dedication and passion for the sport have molded him to become the team’s main pitcher.

For Borter, baseball is a huge part of his life. “Before every game, I write my grandfather’s initials in the dirt on the mound before I pitch because he was one of my biggest role models and one of the main reasons I’ve come to love baseball. I still feel like he’s at the field with me whenever I play.” Borter explained how his pre-game ritual motivates him before he plays.

Borter pitches not only for Hopkins, but also to celebrate the memory of his grandfather.

Borter spends lots of time in the batting cages to perfect his swing, and countless hours to improve his grip and timing of throwing each ball.

Last year, he was voted to be a junior captain along with Jake Rizzuti ’18 because of “his serious approach to the game, leadership skills, and competitive work ethic,” Coach Rocco DeMaio explained. His confidence in himself and the team has led him to be the leader he is today. Teammate Jordan Shand ’19 explained, “He instills a sense of confidence in each player during our pregame speeches that

even worse.” Borter, along with co-captains Jack Dove ’19, and Kyle Meury ’19, have worked very hard to ensure that they won’t feel this way again. Their hard work has paid off as they’re the #1 seed in the FAA playoffs.

Sara Chung: Softball Standout Abby Regan ’22 Assistant Sports Editor Varsity Softball captain Sara Chung ’19 has been playing softball since she was eight years old.

throughout my six years, skill-wise and personalitywise. I loved getting to know so many different people and learning from them. We have had so many graduated players that I learned from

Peter Mahakian

Peter Mahakian Captain Chris Borter ’19 winds up to deliver a pitch. confidence. Borter explained, This season has “you have to have a short been remarkably successful -term memory. You can’t think for the baseball team, which about mistakes because the has lost only one league best players fail most of the game. As a result of Borter’s time. If you’re not confident, charisma, the Hilltoppers apor are playing scared, you’re proach the playoffs with congoing destroy yourself.” fidence. “Borter just has that However, his experience on confident mentality where the baseball team has had its he’ll always find a way to ups and downs. Last year, win. It has rubbed off on a in the FAA championship lot of the guys this year and I against Brunswick, they suf- think it is one of the reasons fered a devastating loss. He why we are so successful” explained, “Losing in the fi- said teammate Phil Delise ’20. nals last year was a terrible Next year, Borter will confeeling and not being able to tinue his baseball career get a championship for Riz- at the Division-III level zuti before he graduated was at Middlebury College.

Captain Sara Chung ’19 takes a swing against Loomis.

She started by playing for the Orange Little League because she was encouraged by her friends and she wanted to try something new. At age twelve, she began playing travel softball for a tournament team and later for a showcase team.

By the time she started at Hopkins, she had plenty of softball experience, but she said the leadership of her coaches and the older players was most important to her growth as a player. Chung shared that, “the team has grown a lot

and became so close with.”

Chung said “It’s really fun and rewarding to train and get better in all aspects of the sport though.”

Chung’s favorite parts of Hopkins softball are all the fun memories she’s made on and off the field.

She said, “At the end of each seasons games we always have a fun practice with slip and slides and water balloon wars and a piñata. We also had an exciting practice last year just after it had rained and we practiced diving for an hour by diving into mud.”

The 2019 NBA Playoffs: Hopkins’ Loyalties Teddy Glover ’21 Sports Editor As late May turns to early June, excitement fills the air: school begins to wind down, summer starts, and the NBA playoffs are underway once again. As the first two rounds are now completed, Hopkins students were sometimes forced to change their loyalties to accommodate the four remaining teams: the Portland Trail Blazers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Toronto Raptors, and the Golden State Warriors.

Spencer Littman ’21 is a diehard Duke fan. In fact, he even picked the team he would be supporting the rest of the way based on his Blue Devil loyalties: “I’m supporting the [Portland Trail] Blazers because they have two Duke players on their roster whom I really like.” Other Hopkins students also selected their favorite of the remaining teams based on the players. Yahn Galinovsky said, “I support Steph Curry cause he’s just a flat out animal and–hot

take–the best player in the NBA.” Evan Alfandre ’21 explained, “I’m rooting for the Milwau-

contributed considerably to anti-Bucks sentiment. Many who follow basketball in this area are Boston CeltGetty Images ics fans, so when the Bucks bounced the Celtics from the playoffs in the Eastern Conference semifinals, fans like Ayuka Sinanoglu ’19, who “was supporting the Celtics because they were [his] team” and Colin Gernhardt ’20, who was sad that the “Celtics are out,” just want to see the Antetokounmpo of the Bucks battles Kawhi Leonard of the Raptors.

Bucks lose. Josh Seidner ’20 explained kee Bucks because I think Giannis Antetok- this position clearly: “Unfortunately I was supounmpo is a great player and a great person.” porting the Boston Celtics, and they lost secHopkins’ geographic location has ond round to the Bucks, so I’m not rooting for

On the field, she said scoring the winning run in the 2016 FAA Championship was one of her favorite memories.

Co-captain Sam D’Errico ’20 said, “Sara’s intense yet kind spirit and energy makes her a great captain. She knows what needs to get done and makes sure the team is right with her for every play. I think most of the girls on the team aspire to be like her.” Teammate Hannah Ceisler ’22 added, “Sara is a great captain because she is always positive and cheering everyone on, no matter what the score is.” As a captain, Sara said, “I really try my best to lead by example and put my best effort in to do well for the team. I also think it’s really important to encourage the younger and newer players to have confidence when playing—it’s such a mental sport you need to be in a confident mindset to succeed.”

Chung is not just a mental leader but a great player as well. Coach Angelina Massoia said, “On the field, Sara stands out in every aspect of her game.

She pitches tough, fields her positive well, is our #3 batter, and runs the bases with speed and instinct.”

In the beginning of her softball career, Chung said, “I spent a couple years stressed about hitting for a better batting average and stressing myself out about pitching strikeouts. I think it’s important to just be there for the moment, get as good as you can skills-wise.”

Chung said she hopes to take her Hopkins softball experience with her to Cornell University, where she wants to continue playing softball. She commented, “Hopkins Softball has taught me a lot about myself and has helped me grow into a competitive athlete and leader. I will miss the program and team that has really shaped my Hopkins experience.”

anyone anymore. If anything I’m anti-Bucks.”

Other fans chose to remain neutral, such as Fiona O’Brien ’21, who said “I don’t follow the playoffs but go New York Knicks,” and Ella Zuse ’21 who stated, “I am not supporting a specific team this NBA playoffs. Because the Mavericks are not playing, the outcome does not matter much to me.”

However, if Hopkins students can agree on one thing, it is the hope that the Warriors do not win the playoffs. Emma Maldon ’22 “[doesn’t] want the Warriors to win but I think they will anyway.” Alfandre agreed, saying “I want a change from the Warriors winning constantly.” However, Alfandre also acknowledged the sad truth that many other Hopkins students realize: “I think that the Warriors will win because they have too many stars on the team and they have experience in the finals.”

Galinovsky added another hot take: “The Warriors are going to win because they are a dynasty and the best team since the ’96-’97 Bulls.

COMMENDATIONS

June 6, 2019

GRADE 12 Mary Brewster Thompson Scholar Norman L. Stone Award Donald Ferguson Award Donald Ferguson Award Michael J. Theobald Prize John A. Wilkinson Award F. Allen Sherk Award Gerald F. Stevens Memorial Scholarship Edward A. Bouchet Scholarship New Haven Spotlight

Ethan Silver Elise Aslanian Charles Mason Sarah Lopez Samuel Jenkins Nathaniel Stratton Madeleine Walker Jordan Shand Michael Christie Zachary Blake, Caitlyn Chow, Bruno Moscarini, Margaret Mushi, Noah Sobel-Lewin, Benjamin Washburne

GRADE 11 Mary Brewster Thompson Scholar George Blakeman Lovell Award Harvard Book Prize Yale Book Award Andrew Rossetti Prize Mount Holyoke Book Prize Kenyon College Presidential Book Prize Smith Book Award Wellesley College Book Prize Ellen Patterson Brown ‘62 DPH Award The University of Chicago Book Award St. Lawrence University Book Award William and Mary Leadership Award George Washington University Book Award

Sarah Roberts Alex Weisman Yasmin Bergemann Elizabeth Roy Deniz Tek Rayane Taroua Margaret Czepial Sophie Cassarino Julia Tellides Courtney Banks C. Burton Lyng-Olsen Anne Marie Dooher Lilliana DeLise Emma Regan

GRADE 10 Mary Brewster Thompson Scholar Stanley Daggett Award

Abigail Fossati Ella Zuse

GRADE 9

Mary Brewster Thompson Scholar Stanley Daggett Award

ENGLISH

John B. Smith Prize for Excellence in English in Grade 8 Brown University Book Award Elizabeth Tate Prize for Excellence in English in Grade 11 Elsie Church Award for English and Dramatics Elizabeth Lewis Day Prize for Excellence in Imaginative Writing The Susan E. Feinberg Prize for Excellence in Critical Thinking Through the Written Word George Gillespie Prize for Excellence in Literary Scholarship Helen Hope Barton Prize for Excellence in English in Grade 12 The Karen Lee Pritzker Prize for Creative Writing Major James Dudley Dewell Letter Writing Prize Baldwin Prize Essay, Middle School Baldwin Prize Essay, Senior School

Kenneth Hopkins Rood History Prize Julia B. Thomas History Prize DeLaney Kiphuth Prize in History Gerald F. Stevens Award

Lydia von Wettberg Award Simeon E. Baldwin Leadership Award Kristin Ridinger Taurchini Award

Laila Samuel Ingrid Slattery Tanner Lee

GRADE 7 Lydia von Wettberg Award Simeon E. Baldwin Leadership Award

Jonathan Perez Rose Robertson

THE ARTS Paul W. Schueler Prize for the Visual Arts Drama Award The Charles Ives Music Prize Choral Music Award Scholastic Art Award National Silver Medal in Photography

Francine Giaimo Sam Jenkins Sophia Colodner Katherine Broun Kate Loffredo

THE CLASSICS Clare McNamee Latin Prize Junior School Latin Prize Jeremiah Peck Greek Prize

Noah Schmeisser Isabel Clare Clare Chemery

Ingrid Slattery

Anna Simon Katherine Takoudes Leul Abate Naomi Tomlin Emma DeNaples Maliya Ellis Sofia Schroth-Douma Lizabeth Bamgboye Melody Cui Maisie Bilston Alexandra Zyskowski

HISTORY

Miko Coakley Julia Kosinski Elena Brennan Connor Hartigan

MATHEMATICS

Edgar M. Babbitt Junior School Mathematics Prize Edgar M. Babbitt Middle School Mathematics Prize Edgar M. Babbitt Senior School Mathematics Prize John M. Heath Mathematics Prize

Rhea Ahuja Sam Brock Ethan Silver Amber Jaffe

MODERN LANGUAGES

Cyrus Kenkare Lucas Alfaro

GRADE 8

Page 11

Edward R. DeNoyon French Prize Denise M. Katz French Prize The Spanish Literature Prize The Hispanic Letters Prize The Chinese Letters Prize The Italian Letters Prize

Connor Hartigan Yoon-Young Kim Maliya Ellis Siraj Patwa Liana Tilton Olivia Capasso

Harold Shelton Kirby Science Prize Rensselaer Medal Aracy Belcher Biology Prize Josiah Willard Gibbs Prize Fairfield University Excellence in Science and Math Award

Upper School

SCIENCE

Jasmine Simmons Parker Connelly Cameron Murray Siraj Patwa Nathan Ahn

ATHLETICS

Dorrance Award The Hopkins Award Robert Wyant Memorial Award Jerri Trulock DPH Sportsmanship Award William DeGennaro Outstanding Male Athlete Award Outstanding Female Athlete Award John A. Doughan Award John A. Doughan Award Jordan William Sebastian Award Jordan William Sebastian Award Jordan William Sebastian Award

Jack Dove Maliya Ellis Michael Christie Paige DeVoe Owen Sherman Sara Chung Sana Patel Olivia Capasso Elise Aslanian Jordan Shand Douglas Guilford

Junior School Hopkins Grammar 1660-1972

Mrs. Day’s 1916-1938

Day 1938-1960

Prospect Hill 1930-1960

Day Prospect Hill 1960-1972

Hopkins School 1972-Present

Walter Camp Award DPH Sportsmanship Award

Arcadio Cerezo-Lizarribar Miko Coakley

Page 12

June 6, 2019

Congratulations Hopkins Class of 2019 From the 2019-2020 Razor Staff Jemma Williams

Class of 2019 College Matriculation List American University (2)

Dartmouth College

Muhlenberg College

Union College - NY

Amherst College

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

New York University

United States Coast Guard Academy

Boston College

Fordham University

Northeastern University (2)

Vassar College

Boston University

Franklin & Marshall College (2)

Northwestern University (2)

University of Vermont (2)

Bowdoin College

Georgetown University (8)

University of Notre Dame

Villanova University

Brandeis University (4)

Grinnell College

University of Pennsylvania

University of Virgina

Brigham Young University

Hamilton College - NY (2)

Providence College (2)

Washington University, St. Louis (3)

Brown University (2)

Harvard University

Reed College

Wellesley College (3)

University of California, Berkeley (2)

Haverford College

University of Richmond (3)

Wesleyan University

Case Western Reserve University

Indiana University, Bloomington

University of Rochester (3)

Wheaton College - MA

University of Chicago (2)

Kenyon College (2)

Sarah Lawrence College

Williams College (2)

Claremont McKenna College (2)

Lafayette College

University of South Carolina

University of Wisconsin, Madison (3)

Colby College

University of Maryland, College Park

University of Southern California

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Colgate University

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

University of St. Andrews

Yale University (15)

Columbia University (4)

McGill University

St. Olaf College

University of Connecticut (6)

University of Michigan

Syracuse University

Numbers listed after colleges indicate

Connecticut College

Michigan State University

The American University of Paris

that multiple Hopkins students will be

Cornell University (3)

Middlebury College

Tufts University (4)

attending those institutions next year.