The Razor - December 2019

Hopkins School 986 Forest Road New Haven, CT

Vol LXVI, no. 4

Decmber 19, 2019

www.therazoronline.com

Hopkins is Sick of the Tampon Tax–PERIOD. Anushree Vashist '21 News Editor Sophia Neilson '23 Staff Writer Do you know that in 38 states women have to pay a tax known as the “Tampon Tax” on feminine hygiene products? Do you know that many women don’t have access to these products at all? As PERIOD.: The Menstrual Movement, confronts the lack of access to feminine products across the country, Lizabeth Bamgboye ’20 is working to bring local change.

Rehab Senanu Liz Bamgboye '20 poses for the #whywerally photo campaign.

Twenty-one-year old Harvard student Nadya Okamoto started the organization when she was 16 years old. PERIOD. is particularly focused on the Tampon Tax as well as the general lack of access to sanitary goods for women across the globe. This year PERIOD hosted 60 rallies in every state and four nations, for an unprecedented National Period Day on October 19, 2019.

After hearing about the event through Instagram, through tough things but I’m still here strong, and presBamgboye acted as the logistics coordinator for the Con- ent and nothing is going to take the confidence away from necticut Rally. The Hartford Courant me.” Senanu called She was responsiher experience ble for tasks such “amazing,” addas securing pering, “it was the first mits and acquirtime that I sang at an ing needed equipevent that was not ment. school-related.

It Bamgboye was was a new environalso responsible ment but [everyone for weekly conwas] so welcomference calls with ing. As I progressed founder Nadya through the song the Okamoto.

The more comfortable I organization is felt.” youth-run, with As Bamglittle adult overboye continues her Liz Bamgboye '20, among other activists in the local community, join the sight. This taught activism, she hopes National Period Day rally. the volunteers a lot to “destigmatize” and about “how to communicate with adults and bureaucracy, “raise awareness” about period poverty and other women’s and being [their] own representatives” said Liz. issues. She already has "a lot of conversation,” especially Activthrough the peists, legislators, riod.ct social media performers, and page that allows the students such as movement to “enRehab Senanu ’20 gage with the comalso participated munity” by spreadin the New Haven ing awareness and Rally. After Bamgencouraging people boye reached out to to be “more open her, Senanu got into [talking] about volved so that she [period poverty].” could “sing [her] On The Hill, she heart out for the hopes to “pop the protest.” She sang bubble” by working “Four Women” by with student clubs Nina Simone, “an SHOUTTE (Screen homage to differ- Liz Bamgboye Host Outreach to ent colored womUnderstand and Hopkins students make posters for PERIOD. in Upper Heath. an who had gone Talk about Traffickthrough tough events in their life.” She added that “the ing and Education) and ERRO (Equal Rights, Respect, last persona in the song, Peaches, really tied everything and Opportunities) and by initiating conversations on lack together and emphasized the point that yeah I have been of access to feminine products and other women’s issues.

Hopkins Goes Green with Composting Anjali Subramanian '21 Assistant Features Editor Annika Sun '23 Staff Writer After a three year hiatus, Hopkins is composting again. There are two avenues for composting in the dining hall.

The first is in the kitchen, where Director of Dining Services Mike King implemented the program Waste Not. King explained, “Out of date food and production wastes, such as lettuce hearts, ends of vegetables, and melon peelings, go into the compost.

We measure and track the amount we use on a daily basis.” Hopkins also uses green bins in the dish drop area, where students can dispose their food. These bins are filled with food scraps every week. All of the waste from those bins is sent to Blue Earth Compost in Hartford, CT. “Everyday after lunch, the crew takes everything that is in the green bins and any waste from the kitchen and puts it into receptacles that Blue Earth Compost picks up and takes to their own facility,” said King.

“We fill 11 to 12 bins every week which is about 500 pounds over the course of a five day week.”

Inside: News........1-2 Arts..........2-3 Features....4-5 Op/ED.......6 Sports........7-8

Blue Earth Compost collects food waste from residents and businesses around Connecticut. The company then composts the food scraps and other organic wastes, and sells the resulting soil. In composting, organic matter is decomposed. Organic matter can be anything from left over food to lawn clippings. These materials are decomposed, and then turned into nutrient-rich soil.

Composting has many benefits for the environment such as decreasing pollution and conserving water sources. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than twenty-eight percent of what we throw away, and should be composted instead.”

Composting organic material keeps it out of landfills where it would release methane, and helps prevent climate change.

Director of Facilities Liz Climie chose to partner with Blue Earth Compost, as she felt there was a need for Hopkins to get involved in composting. “We decided to bring composting back to Hopkins for a few reasons.

Continued on page 2

Features, Page 3: The History of Student Parking at Hopkins

Connecticut Food Bank Honor for Hopkins

Connecticut Food Bank After two decades of participation with the Connecticut Food Bank in the annual Connecticut Food Bank Fundraiser, Hopkins received the Distinguished Philanthropic Award in Schools for the third year in a row. The CFBF kicked off in early November and continued through mid-December.

Arts, Page 9: The Hopkins Holiday Crossword

Sports, Page 11: Winter Sports Picture Page

Page 12: Senior Wishlist!

The Razor: News

Page 2

Hopkins Goes Green with Composting ier and more accessible in Connecticut, so we can improve Continued from Page 1 It is the right thing to do for the environment and it re- our air, water, and soil.” Founded in 2013, they make composting a more realistic goal for loduces the carbon footprint of the school. cal businesses and companies that want It is such an easy and cost effective way to compost, but do not have the means. for Hopkins to do their part in protecting There are a few things that the environment,” said Climie. “ComHopkins students need to do to keep the posting decreases landfill waste and program running.

King expressed: “It’s cuts down on air pollution.” Climie beimportant that the student body underlieves the impact on Hopkins will be “a stands that only biodegradable material reduction in the waste stream that goes can go in the green bins because they into the regular dumpsters.” Additionare part of the solution.”

King stated ally, Climie explained that composting that “the next step is for the student does more than create soil, since “the body to be more aware of the compostmethane produced from our scraps is ing program, and that will make it more also being used to generate power for successful. Any kind of composting a community in central Connecticut.” program is only as good as the people According to King, “the Blue www.blueearthcompost.com Earth Compost company was chosen be- Blue Earth Compost helps Hopkins who use it.” Next time you are in the dish drop area, take note of the signs cause they were doing everything right.” further sustainability efforts above the green bins: “If people are goBlue Earth turns Hopkins’ food waste ing to drop their wrappers into the wrong bins then it is into “usable and sterilized material that they sell.” Blue going to cause a problem for the program in the future.”

Earth’s states that it’s mission “is to make composting eas-

December 19, 2019

Hopkins Brings Swimming to New Haven Locals Chuck Elrick

How to Compost!

What To Do • • •

What NOT To Do

Throw away any nonbiodegradable mate- • rials in trash bins outside of the dish drop Throw leftover food in the green bins • Napkins can be thrown in the composting bins as well

Do not throw away ice cream wrappers or yogurt cups in the dish drop area Do not throw away leftover food in the trash bins outside the dish drop area

For four Saturdays in November, Chuck Elrick organized swim lessons at the Hopkins pool for first to third graders in New Haven. Swimmers from the Hopkins Varsity Swimming Team guided and taught participants to float and swim.

Hopkins Brings Delegation to Brown Model UN Eleanor Doolittle ’20 Editor-in-Chief Juan Lopez ’22 Assistant News Editor On November 8, Hopkins students traveled to Brown University for Model United Nations (MUN). History teacher and MUN adviser David DeNaples said, “We brought our usual amount, 20 students. We always go to Brown. It is a smaller, shorter, and close conference.”

Arin Shrivastava ’22 elaborated on the different committees: “In each conference, there are a few types of committees. General Assembly, or GA committees, are large committees that discuss larger issues and write resolutions to solve them. Specialized historical committees are more or less GAs applied to historical scenarios. Finally, crisis committees are devoted to actively solving specific issues (such as revolutions, wars, etc), and as such have events known as crises (say, someone invades someone else) to keep things more fluid and interesting.”

At Brown Model UN there are several committees that are not present at other Model UN conferences. Charles Wang ’22 explained, “My favorite aspect of Brown is the way they run and organize crisis and specialized committees. Every year they have very interesting topics, and the specialized/crisis committees are all less than 25 people.” Finnbar Kiely ’22 noted, “A common misconception is that Model UN conferences only involve simulations of actual UN committees and organizations, whereas actually, there are a wide array of topic options that extend beyond the traditional purview of the UN.” Kiely said, “At Brown, I represented a counselor on the Providence City Council after the election of a corrupt mayor.”

At Brown, Shrivastava was involved in the crisis committee Accelerando 2030, explaining “[Accelerando 2030] specifically discusses how humans should tackle space exploration.” Before students attend Brown, they must first write position papers which should explain their stances on the subjects they are arguing

at the conference. Kiely said, “To prepare for the conference, we write position papers, an approximately two-page synopsis summarizing the importance of an issue, the opinion held by the party we represent, and potential solutions to the issue.”

When writing their position papers, students take into consideration the

monopolies in Mexico, redressing the political, social and economic inequalities in Mexico through land reform and working with the United States in trade and war.”

DeNaples explained, “[At a Model UN conference such as Brown] each of our students is a ‘delegate’ and they all will join different committees. The com-

David DeNaples

Hopkins students travel to Brown University for a Model UN conferemce person whom they were assigned to represent. Wang explained, “You need to research a lot on your committee, as well as the person (or country) that you are representing and that person’s position.

Then, you combine your ideas and research into a position paper and submit it to the chair prior to the conference. [For the Brown Model UN conference] I represented Ignacio Bonillas, ambassador to the US. The main topics in our committee were forming a new constitution for Mexico, addressing the presence of foreign

mittees address a variety of issues, like the World Health Organization, the High Commission on Refugees, and UNICEF. The goal is to establish a block of like-minded delegates and pass a resolution that addresses the issues.” Repeat attendees gain valuable experiences which they build on in subsequent years. Wang, who attended Brown in 2018 as his first Model UN conference, explained “Last year at BUSUN, I was a part of the Icelandic Althing of 1262 committee. This committee was a specialized/historical committee of around 25 del-

egates, and not designed for new people.

Doing research for Icelandic Althing was also very challenging due to the obscure time when it occurred and the lack of primary sources on that topic. That committee ended up being so wonderful and as interesting as it was fun and stimulating.

Although I was not prepared for what was to come, I learned very quickly and became a key delegate in that committee”.

The Brown conference allows participants to improve upon their Model UN delegate skills; Wang stated, “[The Brown] Model UN [conference] has taught me to speak out and speak up about my concerns and wishes in society. Model UN tests my ability to work with others to improve the situation and achieve peace. Model UN also gives me the opportunity to replicate history once again and to become experts in a topic that I never would have studied in school.”

Kiely agreed, saying, “I developed my debate and problem-solving skills [at Brown MUN], and have learned how to cooperate with people who hold dramatically different views.”

Another attendee of the conference, Evie Doolittle ’23, explained “Brown UN was something I had never done before, but everyone there was super friendly and welcoming. My favorite part was getting to meet the student activists from different charities.”

Students who go to the Brown Model UN conference are given free time in between meetings for their committees.

Kiely said, “Outside of the committee sessions, which are usually about 3-4 hours each, we have the option to take tours of Brown, hang out with friends, or just catch up on homework and missed assignments.”

DeNaples encourages students to attend Model UN conferences, especially Brown: “[Brown is] a perfect way to ease into the MUN season, especially for new delegates. Jessica Dunn, the other Model UN faculty advisor, added, “I encourage students to join MUN because it’s fun!

They get to simulate real-time diplomacy, learn about international issues or historical events, and improve public speaking skills.”

FEATURES

December 19, 2019

Christmas Entertainment Guide Craigin Maloney ’21 Staff Writer

The Comedy Released in 1989, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is a classic. Featuring Chevy Chase as Clark Griswald, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” tells the story of a father desperate for a classic American family Christmas. His unflinching dedication to being the ideal “family man” leads to many laughs. Head Adviser of the Class of 2021 Marie Doval described herself as “crying from laughing so much throughout the movie.” Zane Franz ’21 says that National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation strikes “the right balance of slapstick and actual jokes.” The movie is rounded out when Clark Griswald’s cousins move their camper onto his front lawn, and Griswald’s holiday bonus doesn’t end up coming through. When asked who she would recommend this movie to, Head Librarian Faye Prendergast enthusiastically replied: “Everybody! It’s hilarious!”

The Rom Com/ Tear Jerker Picture this: Assistant Head of School John Roberts is sitting home on the first day of December break, trying to decide what to watch. As he scrolls through Netflix, he lands on “Love Actually.” Two hours and twenty-five minutes later, the end credits are rolling and tears are running down his face. In his words, at the end of “Love Actually” Roberts is “definitely crying. The movie came out to a world still traumatized by 9/11 and its aftermath. The message of universal love was really powerful at the moment, and is no less so today.” For some, the movie has a slightly less powerful effect, but is still quite enjoyable. Caroline Asnes ’21 would “recommend ‘Love Actually’ to people who like cheesy rom coms with substance.”

“Love Actually” tells the story of nine seemingly unconnected Brits, who all have one thing in common: love.

Math teacher Adam Sperling puts on “Elf” when his wife “tries to hide the remote so we can only watch Hallmark movies.” “Elf” tells the story of Buddy (Will Ferrell), who spends his whole life believing he is an elf. He is shocked to learn that he is, in fact, a human, which explains why he is massive and not proficient in classic elf skills, such as making toys. Buddy decides to travel to New York City to not only find and bond with his father, but also to rekindle a dying Christmas spirit. Although many find this film lovable and funny, Jack Kealy ’21 believes “Elf” to anyone who likes “wholesome family movies that might be lacking in depth.”

The Classic Although students may not be familiar with “A Miracle on 34th Street,” Math teacher John Isaacs believes it features “the greatest Santa Claus ever.” “Miracle on 34th Street” tells the story of a man by the name of Kris Kringle who is hired to play Santa Claus in Macy’s department store. Questions about his mental health arise when he claims to actually be Santa, which leads to a court case. Kringle needs help from the friends he made along the way to prove that he is, in fact, Santa. Isaacs thinks to like this movie, you “have to like the old time classics.” Arushi Srivastava a’20 disagrees. Although it has been a long time since Srivastava has seen it, she remembers it as “kind of boring.”

The Heartwarming Comedy When asked what her favorite holiday movie was, Biology teacher Kellie Cox replied with: “‘ELF.’ ELFELFELF. Because HAVE YOU SEEN IT? It’s hilarious. ”

Students Seize Spots in Siberia

Assistant Head of School John Roberts explained the process for spot eligibility: For decades, upperclassmen “Everyone who submits a have driven themselves Hopkins. How- completed application by ever, in recent years, student spots in August 1 is eligible for the Forrest and Siberia gained popular- best spaces. [Karen] Silk ity, culminating this year, where stu- and I will meet sometime in dent parking spots filled up less than a early August and simply do month into the 2019 - 2020 school year. a ’draft’ for who gets what.

Out of the four parking lots We will assign spaces to the on campus - Thompson, Knollwood, rising seniors first and move Forest, and Siberia - students park in to the rising junior class aftwo: Forrest and Siberia. Typically, se- ter all eligible seniors have niors are assigned spots in Forrest and been assigned to a space. We Morgan Bloom ’20 and Lauren Gillepie ’20 write “seniors” and “roll toppers” on their cars in the front of Siberia, while juniors continue to assign spaces are given spots in the back of Siberia. throughout the year and unpractices in the evening.”

In order to obtain a parking spot til the parking inventory is all used up.”

Luca Breahna ’20 submitted his on campus, students must submit a copy Roberts continued, “there is no form two weeks before school started, of their license, current insurance, and pay advantage for getting the forms in by May and was assigned to spot 273, near the $115 for each Term of parking. In an email 2 - but there is a disadvantage if you haven’t middle of Siberia. “I honestly love walkto the Classes of 2020 and 2021 last May, completed the process by August 2.” ing up from Siberia because as you head Senior Amanda through the parking lot, you see all of Leone ’20 turned in your friends getting out of their cars, and her parking forms as get to join them on your walk to campus.” soon as they were sent Students who did not submit their out. She explained: “I parking applications over the summer or submitted my park- at the beginning of the year were unable ing application the to get a spot on campus for the 2019-2020 day after it was re- school year. In an email on September 27 leased, just to be on to the Classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022, the safe side so that I Roberts explained “with amazement” that could get a good spot. he assigned every student parking spot on I was assigned to campus. “Typically, student parking spaces spot 208 at the front are not fully assigned until May… I do not of Siberia, which is know what conditions caused the spots to be perfect for heading taken so fast - I only know that there are no Chloe Smith ’20 amd Courtney Banks ’20 decorate their cars for up to morning as- additional on-campus spots for students.” the new school year semblies and leaving (Continued on page 4) Katherine Takoudes ’20 Senior Features Editor

Page 3

Diversity Board Initiatives

Julia Kosinski ’21 Features Editor Founded in the fall of 2015 by former Hopkins students Grace El-Fishawy ‘18 and Josh Ip ‘18, the Hopkins Diversity Board is dedicated to “furthering the interests of all Hopkins students as they relate to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion” on campus. As a 20 person student organization, the Diversity Board meets every other Tuesday to plan their initiatives. While the Diversity Board organizes many all school events and is recognized as an established group on campus, most of their work is in the preparation and planning that take place behind the scenes.

Each year, Board members form small groups to facilitate and plan a specific initiative. One of the longest standing initiatives is Real Talk, an Assembly presentation series designed to provide a platform to amplify community voices and promote self-expression. This year, the Real Talk initiative is facilitated by Hannah Szabo ’21, Geneva Cunningham’21, and Elena Brennan ’20. When asked about the goal of the initiative, Brennan responded that “we want to highlight the diverse range of experiences within our community and ignite a dialogue regarding those experiences.” According to Szabo, “Real Talk presentations are incredibly valuable as they give everyone who hears them a chance to consider the role their own identity plays in their lives.”

Community members who wish to participate in Real Talk fill out a Google form outlining the topic they would like to present and the method they intend to use.

Next, the Real Talk student facilitators review the application. Brennan described the process: “We work with presenters to find an appropriate tone and delivery to make their stories as widely accessible and impactful as possible. Creating presentations on more sensitive topics require deeper thought. In these circumstances, we reach out to adults on campus who can help guide us in the right direction.” Over the past few years, the initiative has expanded from a focus on racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity to a wide range of experiences. “Due to limited Assembly time, Real Talk is also launching an Instagram account, which will allow another platform to share your story,” added Brennan.

When Diversity Board was founded, it was primarily designed for high schoolers. This year members of the high school diversity board founded the Junior School Diversity Board which is open to all seventh and eighth graders.

Facilitated by Dhalia Brelsford ’22 and Cunningham, the Junior School Diversity Board meets every Tuesday during the twenty minutes of free time that the junior schoolers have after lunch.

The Junior School group is currently working on two initiatives: a poster campaign to showcase diversity in various forms, and an Assembly presentation to further inform their peers.

Brelsford described the challenges of starting a new initiative: “We only have twenty minutes each week together, so I have had to learn how to arrange my thoughts and talking points so that I only tell the Junior Schoolers what they need to know and ask for their opinions on it.

This is my first project so everything is new to me, but I definitely have learned a lot about facilitating and organizing.”

(Continued on page 4)

The Razor: Features

Page 4

Class of 2020 College Essay Hooks

December 19, 2019

The Class of 2020 shares a glimpse into their college essays as they near the end of their application journey...

Halfway up the mountain, my legs are burning.

- Graley Turner

A Path Not Recognized: The Influence of Islamic Science on Western Civilization. That was the title of my freshman year term paper.

- Khelan Parikh

13.18 seconds: that is the fastest I have ever solved a Rubik’s Cube.

- Evan Gerritz I’m scared of two things: girls and 90-mph fastballs. If you connect well with either of them, great things can happen. But, when one of them hits you in the chest, it hurts worse than anything else.

- Josh Seidner

When I walked onto the bus for the first day of 6th grade, everyone stared at me with an expression of disgust; they were all fixated on one thing - my hijab.

- Rayane Taroua I have a confession: I am addicted to the TV show The Amazing Race.

- Casey Dies

I played my first open mic when I was 15, at a run-down dive bar.

- Meggie Czepiel

I wasn’t meant for this country or this time period.

- ElRoy

As I sit opposite my sister at the kitchen table, I’m entranced by the golden ring she bears at her fingertips: a toasted sesame seed bagel.

-Anonymous

My family affectionately calls my grandmother “the crazy pickle lady.”

- Anna Simon

Playtime for the first few years of my life consisted of me following my brother, who was four years my elder, around the backyard.

- Griffin Congdon

Student Parking

(Continued from page 3) “It seems that a lot of members of the Class of 2021 are driving this year, and therefore need a parking spot. I know many juniors — [myself] included — got their licenses in late August or early September and were able to get some of the last on-campus spots.”

The history of crowded student parking dates back decades, beginning with the 1972 Day Prospect Hill and Hopkins Grammar School merger, which resulted in a larger study body on the Forrest Road property. A Razor article titled “Land Purchase to Relieve Crowding and Provide Area for Future Construction” from October 6, 1972 explained the purchase of a new wooded area, which decades later is now home to both the Forest and Siberia parking lots: “[the land] will serve to eliminate much of the overcrowding problem caused by the merger, and will provide an area for future development.”

A second Razor article from November 22, 1972 titled “Students Participate in Clearing Project for Road to Alleviate Traffic Congestion” elaborated on the purchased plot of land. Students helped Headmaster F. Allen Sherk “widen a path through the woods… in the hope of eventually constructing a road to relieve the crowded traffic.”

In 1988, Siberia was born.

Head Advisor of the Class of 2020 Scott Wich ’89 explained the story behind Siberia: “Siberia was added during my junior year to create more parking spaces on campus.

Its name was coined shortly after, as walking to your spot that far away felt like a trek to Siberia.”

School Psychologist Josh Brant ’88 thinks the current parking process is similar to when he was a student: “Kids were assigned a parking spot and you progressively move closer to school as your seniority increased. The teachers parked in the Lovell...and DPH [now Thompson] lot[s]. All the students parked in the Knollwood lot, but it was much smaller then. There was no Siberia.”

Every year, a few seniors are assigned to the parallel parking spots in between Forrest and Siberia, at the base of the hill leading up to the back of the Athletic Center.

Josh Seidner ’20 explained the accessibility of having a parallel parking spot: “It alleviates the pressure of parking. I can just pull into a spot and go. And with its proximity to morning assemblies and easy accessibility, I would happily argue that parallel spots are the best on campus.” Chloe Smith ’20 agreed with Seidner and highlighted how “one of the best parts of a parallel spot is not having to deal with parents’ cars backing up when leaving after practice.”

Zuse summed up the sentiment felt by many student drivers on campus. “I am just as confused as Roberts as to how all the parking spots filled up so quickly. Maybe we should have added another parking lot when we built the track,” she joked. Roberts agreed: “I wish we had a million more spots. How about we put a parking garage under the tennis courts next to Thompson Hall parking lot! Imagine a two level garage so that the tennis courts are on the garage roof and are at the same elevation as the quad!”

Arthur Masiukiewicz

“Lunch for twenty eight,” my dad likes to joke as we walk in the door.

- Katherine Takoudes Better safe than sorry.

- Ally Wang

Diversity Board

(Continued from page 3) perspectives and spark conversation. This year, In addition to planning discussions, ac- Clara Goulding ’21 and Magdalena Kombo ’20 tivities, and performances, the Diversity Board are working with the New Haven-based organialso aims to diversify the History and English zation Men Up to “better understand what kind curriculums to “ensure that every student’s of gender stereotypes Hopkins students feel reidentity can be represented in the curriculum stricted by.” Men Up specializes in working with and students are exposed to differing and alter- teens and adults to disempower the negative native ideas.” Khelan Parikh ’20, the student in connotations associated with masculinity. Komcharge of the initiative to diversify the History bo elaborated on the goal of their initiative: “we curriculum, described this initiative’s impor- want to understand how gender roles apply to tance: “When students learn to appreciate and different niches and interests within the Hopkins respect other cultures and perspectives, they community. For example, the gender stereotypes will ultimately understand more and judge less.” that HDA (Hopkins Drama Association) stuWhen asked about the process of dents feel restricted by might be a little different working with the History department, Parikh than the gender stereotypes of a varsity athlete.”

Goulding described how they are “in described how “the Board’s job is to accurately present the student voice to the department. Last the process of creating a survey that is concise year we sent out a survey considering aspects of and not offensive to construct a workshop led by diversity like race, gender, and national origin to the Men Up group that will be tailored to the Hopthe high school Becky Harper kins community.” Creatstudent body to ing a survey gauge how often for the entire they felt their student body various backthat is both grounds were respectful represented withof various in the History identifiers curriculum. We and asks pohave analyzed tentially unthe results of comfortable the survey, and questions is plan to present challenging. it to the History “We want to Department.” be as considAlthough the Men Up program coordinator George Black leads a work- erate as posDiversity Board shop for Diversity Board members. sible everyone has yet to present their findings, Parikh believes that by “merely on the wider gender spectrum, no matter how talking with the History department about our they express or identify themselves. Designinitiative, awareness of the necessity of teach- ing a survey that appropriately addresses this ing history from multiple perspectives has in- sensitive topic has been difficult, but not imcreased on campus. When my little brother possible. We have also approached other senbegan his first day of ninth grade, his history sitive topics within gender stereotypes, such teacher announced her commitment to teach- as issues regarding consent and relationship ing the Atlantic Communities curriculum’s con- roles,” added Kombo. Before sending the surtent from as many perspectives as she could.” vey out to the entire Hopkins community, the Zoe Kim ’20, who is leading the ini- Diversity Board plans to share it with the leadtiative to diversify the English curriculum, be- ers of other diversity minded clubs on campus. lieves this process is important because “stu- Kombo and Goulding hope that by sharing dents should be able to learn their read literature the survey with SAGA (Sexuality and Genthat gives a perspective other than the white- der Alliance) and ERRO (Equal Rights, Remale-dominated one that dominates most high spect and Opportunities), they can ensure that school curriculums.” Diversity Board members the questions are respectful to all students.

Although the core of the Diversity develop ideas for additional or alternative books in the curriculum and then meet with teachers to Board is limited to 20 students, any student, rediscuss them. When asked about the challenges gardless of their identifiers can become involved of this initiative, Kim responded, “It’s tough be- in diversity, equity, and inclusion at Hopkins. cause a lot of the time the curriculum is based on Whether it is by participating in the biweekly teacher interest. Rather than a lack of interest in Tuesday meetings, helping to coordinate an inidiversity, sometimes our book recommendations tiative, or joining another diversity-themed club, just don’t align perfectly with the purpose of the there are many opportunities relating to furtherclass, or the teacher is unfamiliar with the book.” ing respect and representation of diversity at Since its founding, the Diversity Board Hopkins. As Cunningham stated, “ultimately, has also brought speakers like Jasiri X and work- we want to build a community where every shops like “The Truth About Hate” to share new student feel welcomed and their voice heard.”

OPINIONS/EDITORIALS

December 19, 2019

A Universal Basic Income as a Solution

Riley Foushee ’23 Staff Writer Despite unemployment levels at lows not seen since the 60’s and a continuously rising GDP, the average American is not benefiting from the growing U.S. economy. Wealth inequality continues to grow, with the top 1% of the richest men and women in America having more than $30 trillion in wealth than the bottom 50% of Americans. Twenty-five percent of all jobs are highly susceptible to automation, with many of these jobs being low wage jobs. With other economic crises such as the student loan crisis, the American people need a solution to their monetary woes. The most effective and realistic proposal would be a universal basic income.

A universal basic income, broadly, is a periodical payment of cash from the government to a set population. The amount and the beneficiaries can vary, but the principles are the same in all instances.

The universal basic income (shortened to UBI) has been supported by Nobel Prize winning economists including Milton Friedman and F.A. Hayek, civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., and prominent names in technology, like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. UBI today is Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang’s flagship policy, suggesting a payment of $1,000 a month to all U.S. citizens over the age of 18, no strings attached.

There are several benefits to a UBI, firstly being the economic effects. The Roosevelt Institute found that with a UBI of $1,000 per month, the economy would grow 12.56% more than the baseline over eight years, without any taxes and raising

the national debt. With a progressive income tax, the economy would grow 2.62% over eight years, still an improvement.

The labor force would also increase with 4.6 million jobs in the model sans taxes and 1.1 million jobs with a progressive income tax created. This would add between 2.9% and 0.7% more jobs to the economy.

Most Americans would use the

extra cash would allow those struggling to pay for the costs of their education to feel relief. Americans could also put the money back into the market. Those without financial issues would spend it, giving a boost to businesses in a community.

Socially, there would be many benefits as well. Those working jobs without pay, like stay-at-home mothers, would

UBI provides a solution to the monetary woes of Americans. money in one of two ways. The first would be into a savings account or to pay off debts. This would lessen the effects of a recession, as Americans would have more money in their bank accounts to prevent families from going bankrupt. Debts could also be paid off, such as student loans, a major burden for millions of young Americans. Cumulatively, there is $1.6 trillion in student loan debt today. Having

be financially rewarded for the work they do. Workers would have more leverage in negotiations, as they would have a safety net to fall back on if they are unhappy with their employment status. Those in poverty would have an increase in overall health, as they would have more money for healthcare and less overall stress as their financial insecurity would be at least partly relieved.

A UBI would alleviate these stresses relat-

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ed to healthcare and job insecurity, causing a ripple effect for a better quality of life.

Those opposed to a UBI make the claim that it would cause massive inflation. However, the money supplying the UBI would come from the existing market, whether it be through a progressive income tax, where the wealthy would have increased taxes, or a value added tax, where a tax is placed on a product at each stage of production. Other counter arguments include landlords raising rent to capitalize on the influx of cash to their tenants. However, the landlords would also be receiving payment, and their tenants, with their new cash, could afford to move if their rent was too high, forcing landlords to keep rents reasonable. There is also the case that a UBI would be an overreach on the case of the government. The current welfare system, though, adds many restrictions to what recipients can use the handouts they receive on.

A UBI lets recipients have more autonomy with their money, as the government can put no restrictions on it for it to be a true UBI. Basic income programs have had great success when put to the test.

In the struggling California city of Stockton, 125 residents below the median income line received $500 a month. Most of the spending went to bills, food, and clothes, dispelling the myth that the money will be spent on frivolous things. Alaska gives each resident $1,000 to $2,000 each year from the revenue of the state’s natural resources. The Alaska Permanent Fund, as it’s called, reduced poverty up to 20%. These two examples, in two wildly different scenarios, show the power of the UBI. And at the end of the day, free money sounds pretty good to all of us.

Fentanyl: All it Takes is One Time Kallie Schmeisser Assistant Op-Ed Editor ’22 A student, Jane, walks into an after dance party and the music is blaring. She sees a group of friends and makes her way over. One friend has some blue colored pills, saying they’re oxycodone. A friend cajoles, “C’mon what’s the harm, we’re all doing it!” Jane says she’s going to sit this one out, but then thinks, “Hey, what’s the big deal.” She tries it. Jane, who first drifted off to sleep, is dead. What happened? Unknown to Jane, the drug contained Fentanyl. Given Fentanyl’s toxicity, one time may end it all. By the time the medics arrived, it was too late.

“Today, Fentanyl is responsible for seventy-eight percent of all intoxication deaths in Connecticut.”

The risk of death related to Fentanyl increased significantly between 2012 to 2019. In 2012, Fentanyl was determined to be the cause of 4% of all accidental intoxication deaths in Connecticut. Today, Fentanyl is responsible for 78% of all intoxication deaths in Connecticut.

In other words, Fentanyl is the primary reason for acci- time someone makes the choice to ingest any form of ildental deaths in Connecticut, have skyrocketed from 357 legal drug, that person is put at risk of ingesting Fentanyl. in 2012 to 1088 in 2019. Fentanyl is flooding the market At the end of the day the common questions and making its way into many other drugs, from phar- such as: Will I get addicted?, Is one time really gomaceutical to “street” drugs. The Connecticut market is filled with a plethora of counterfeit https://commons.wikimedia.org pharmaceutical pills, which contain Fentanyl.

But Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid. It is fifty times stronger than heroin, and just one 2 milligram dose can be lethal. Dealers combine Fentanyl, an inexpensive additive, with many other drugs to maximize profit. Fentanyl’s wholesale price is $6 per gram and heroin’s wholesale price is $60 per gram. The street-level price for Oxycodone is $1000 per gram. Swapping two pills that look exactly the same, but differ greatly in cost, is profitable for dealers. Dealers also combine Oxycodone and Fentanyl to make a greater profit instead of using pure OxycoA lethal dose of fentanyl compared to a penny. done. Six hundred and sixty six thousand six hundred sixty six one-and-a-half milligram pills can be ing to matter?, or, Will I die? can all be answered simmanufactured from one kilogram of Fentanyl. In fact, ply. With Fentanyl pouring into the market, the answer these pills are often manufactured locally by drug deal- is yes. Yes, Fentanyl is highly addictive, and yes, one ers, using their own mixtures and pill presses. Since it is time could even kill you. Drugs that are not traditionso commonly present on the market, even smaller scale ally lethal may contain Fentanyl without the knowledge drugs, like cannabis, now have a much higher risk of be- of the dealer or user. With this uncertainty, taking any ing contaminated by Fentanyl than 10 years ago. Every drug is unsafe. Is that one time experience worth death?

The Razor: Opinions/Editorials

December 19, 2019

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Happy Holidays From The Razor!

Jennifer Nicolelli

Accepting My Political Identity Sarah Roberts ’20 Managing Editor

When we started to debate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in my 21st Century Democracy class, I was surprised by my initial and somewhat emotionally-charged response. I have always prided myself on my ability to focus on the facts when making logical judgments, but, in this case, my religious and cultural identity colored my vision.

In today’s political climate, we hear a great deal about iden-

The AfTershAve tity politics, whether it’s the right’s ‘unwarranted hostility’ towards identity politics or the left’s ‘excessive focus on niche concerns.’ Very generally, identity politics is the adoption of positions and views based on one’s race, sexuality, religion, gender, or ethnicity instead of a broader engagement in party-politics.

Despite the typical antagonism from the right towards identity politics during and around the 2016 election, many leftist politicians now make parallel claims.

They argue that identity politics seems to miss part of the complexity of a per-

Editor-in-Chief: Eleanor Doolittle Managing Editor: Sarah Roberts News..................................................................Zoe Kim, Veronica Yarovinsky, Anushree Vashist, Juan Lopez Features...............................................Katherine Takoudes, Julia Kosinski, Anjali Subramanian, Emmett Dowd Op/Ed.............................................................................Saira Munshani, Sophie Sonnenfeld, Kallie Schmeisser Arts.......................................................................................................................Lily Meyers, Zach Williamson Sports..................................................................................................Teddy Glover, Abby Regan, Maeve Stauff Editor-at-Large.......................................................................................................................Izzy Lopez-Kalapir Webmaster...........................................................................................................Arushi Srivastava, Nick Hughes Business Managers.......................................................................................Sophia Fitzsimonds, Sophia Cerroni Cartoonist............................................................................................................................Arthur Masiukiewicz Faculty Advisors..................................................Jenny Nicolelli, Elizabeth Gleason, Sorrel Westbrook-Wilson.

The Razor’s Edge reflects the opinion of 4/5 of the editorial board and will not be signed. The Razor welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to decide which letters to publish, and to edit letters for space reasons. Unsigned letters will not be published, but names may be withheld on request. Letters are subject to the same libel laws as articles. The views expressed in letters are not necessarily those of the editorial board.

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son. They assert that this way of viewing politics often assumes that groups such as African-Americans, Hispanics, and the LGBTQIA+ community don’t have interests apart from their group and that they don’t have worries beyond identity.

Though many claim American identity politics originated on the left, recent events show an even more potent display of this in Donald Trump’s Republican Party. Many opponents of identity politics blame this on the Democratic Party and a universal inability to recognize how the party’s obsession with heterogeneity encourages white, rural, working-class Americans to think of themselves as a disadvantaged group whose identity is being ignored.

However, this class of Americans consistently characterizes itself as a disadvantaged group, even when history shows it wasn’t, regardless of the presence of the left’s doctrine of diversity. This cynicism from America’s working class directed at perceived political elites has been at the crux of every populist movement in American history, from Andrew Jackson up to Donald Trump. These movements tend to take shape around the identity of white working-class men, who become a symbol for the “common man.” Yet, this in itself is a paradox. The unique and representative common man who embodies American exceptionalism is neither unique nor representative. Epitomized as a white working man of rural origins, he becomes the synecdoche for America itself, a reductive analog of universality.

Regardless of where one stands on the current issue, the United States was undeniably founded on identity politics. There simply was not a time before identity politics in a country in which full-citizenship and political rights were only ever granted to specific groups, such as white land-holding men, and not to the whole. It is not an exaggeration to say that every major event in the history of the United States was a direct consequence of identity politics.

Wherever one chooses to start examining the events of American history, power struggles based on identity will inevitably emerge as a central force. Whether it be the forced resettlement of indigenous peoples by European settlers, or the English Separatists of the Mayflower who started a new society based on their religious beliefs in which church membership would be a requirement of representation, there is identity politics. Next, consider the centuries-long legalized, systemic enslavement of black people while white people remained free, an institution grounded in identity politics. Or, consider the patriarchal systems that prevented women from voting until 1920, and still perpetuate wage inequality as well as government-led attempts to assert control over their bodies. Again, identity politics.

This much is clear: nothing about our current political situation is new — not identity politics, not white resentment, not even hatred as a kind of ideological tenet. There are only two new changes to the ubiquitous American rhetoric of identity: the modern voices that reshape it in ways that unnerve and perturb those who used to be its primary contributors, and the rising influence of identities that aren’t white and male. Movements such as Civil Rights, second wave feminism, and LGBTQIA+ rights bring a perceived sustained threat to the ‘true American identity.’

Throughout American history, different identity groups fought over what and who would define the American people. Although identity politics from the left may likely prove an insufficient tool against identity politics from the right, it is not true that identity politics is inescapably divisive. Difference is a part of life, to which division is only one response. Inclusion is another: not just condoning but embracing difference, fighting for the rights of all, not just the few.

With regard to my own political dilemma, I still am unsure of how to continue. I know it would be implausible for me to completely ignore my personal instincts and biases, but to accept them blindly would be doing myself a disservice. Rather, it seems best to move forward consciously recognizing and respecting all aspects of my identity and others’ (political or otherwise).

December 19, 2019

ARTS

Community Art in Keator Gallery Lily Meyers ’20

Students Perform “Music of Winter” at Battell Chapel Evangeline Doolittle ’23 Staff Writer

On November 8, this year’s Community Gallery Show focusing on collaborative collage opened in the Keator Gallery. Between the opening and the last day of the exhibit on December 19, members of the Hopkins community stopped by to contribute to the collages on their own, with a friend, or as part of a class. Arts teacher Jacqueline LabelleYoung described the inspiration behind the exhibit: “I wanted to go with an idea that could pull in any member of the Hopkins community regardless of how they might feel about their art skills. You can walk into the gallery for five minutes, find a chunk of blue, for example, and stick it on the wall in a section that calls for blue and walk out knowing you’ve contributed a small bit to a larger work that could turn out to be quite beautiful.”

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On December 17, the Hopkins Orchestra and Concert Choir filled a packed Battell Chapel with euphonious music. The theme of this year’s concert was drama. Robert Smith, the Head of the Arts Department and Director of Instrumental Music, shared, “This concert was about selling the musical drama and raw emotion written into the pieces. We performed compositions that evoke mirth, sadness, wonder, excitement, perhaps even more than that.” Erika Schroth the Direct of Choral Music and conductor of the Hopkins Concert Choir exclaimed, “I think there’s something for everyone!”

This semester, the Orchestra pivoted from their standard routine.

Smith noted before the concert, “We changed our format this time around to really play up the drama in the music. I think the audience is going to love the unexpected moments in the concert, and it will set the stage for even more creative performances in the future.” Jackson Weisman ’20, a clarinetist, echoed this theme: “We played

pieces selected to exhibit the spectacle of drama like a historical battle recreation... This allows for the audience to have listening experiences they would not expect from a

were excited to share their love of music at the elegant chapel. A first-year soprano in the concert choir, Caterina Cassin ’23 described, “ It was rewarding to perform in such an Jemma Williams

Students in the Orchestra and Concert Choir perform at Battell Chapel.

high school orchestra.”

Musicians shared the same zeal for this performance.

First-year Alto One in Concert Choir, Julia Brennan ’23, exclaimed, “The pieces I enjoyed performing the most were ‘Kaisa-isa Niyan’ because of its incredible tempo and harmonic crossovers, and ‘Winters Night’ because of its calming aura that truly allows you to feel the atmosphere around you, it really takes you to a different world in my opinion.”

Those in the Orchestra and Concert Choir

amazing venue and formal setting. The extravagance just adds to the sense of accomplishment.” Amanda Wang ’23 described the feeling: “You gather around with so many other talented musicians just like you and share the warmth, power, and love of music.”

Many of the seniors in the Orchestra were nervous as well as excited about their last concert.

Weisman ’20 said, “I do not usually get nervous before performances.

Continued on page 8

Students Perform and Direct One-Act Plays in Lovell Hall said, “I was thinking of ways to include Post-Its in the scenery and remembered that Zach Williamson ’22 Hopkins math teacher, Dr. Dan Gries, is also an accomplished visual artist. Dr. Gries’ Assistant Arts Editor work is based on color theory and algorithms where colors positioned in a certain patOn December 5 and 6, the Hopkins Drama Associa- tern give the effect of a gradient. He and I worked for a few weeks planning out stage tion (HDA) put on Post-It Notes, a set of eleven one-act plays, di- flats covered with Post-It notes according to one of his algorithms.” Props used in sturected by Mike Calderone and students within the HDA community. dent-directed scenes also included Post-It notes. Calderone continued, “I asked all of the Eight HDA members directed their own one-acts, including Margaret Toft ’21, student directors to incorporate post-it notes somewhere in their plays: on a clipboard, a Leah Miller ’20, Petey Graham ’20, waitress pad, or a students’ textbook.”

Zach Williamson ’22 Brooklynn Brockenberry ’21, GrifIn the process of rehearsals, fin Congdon ’20, Drew Slager ’21, student directors involved with Graley Turner ’20, and Eli Calderone Post-It Notes aimed to include new ’22. Directors, with the exception of warmups and others familiar to seaToft, who wrote her own one-act, soned HDA members. Toft, for exselected their scenes from a collecample, used warmups foreign to action of one-acts entitled Great Short tors in her scene to help them learn Comedies. Miller’s selection, Home to trust their instincts and develop for the Chalidays, centers upon a their characters. Elizabeth Roy ’20 suburban Jewish family that comes reflected, “We would often do charhome to find that their house has acter work where you start on one been robbed. On why she chose her side of the stage as one character and scene, Miller remarked, “When leafcross the stage while saying a line. ing through the options, I thought On the other side we turn around it was hilarious and different than and become a different character bea lot of the other ones I had seen.” fore repeating the cross with a new The one-act plays in line and different physicalizations.

Post-It Notes center upon relaShe really challenged us to think on tionships, both romantic and plaour feet.” Anand Choudhary ’22, an tonic. In selecting the production’s actor in one of Calderone’s scenes, Roy, Eveland, and Toft rehearse their one-act, Just Zoo It. one-acts, Mike Calderone endeavWho’s a Good Boy (which centers on ored to keep this thread throughout; he commented, “In the past, I was able to find one dog’s quest to find a missing tennis ball), was intrigued by new techniques introa series of one-acts written by the same author that tied them all together. But this duced into rehearsals as well. He said, “Many of the warm up exercises we’ve done time, even though I found the plays in a collection of one-acts, they were not writ- have concentrated on ensuring that subplots, the relations between the protagonist and ten by the same author nor were they written under a similar theme. I did, however, other characters, don’t overtake the wider plot of the scene. Of course, there’s also choose scenes that highlighted moments in the course of the characters’ personal and that warm up where we just run after the ball with our tongues out and paws up!” romantic relationships: the first meeting, the first date, marriage, getting old together.”

Toft wrote, directed, and acted in her own one-act, entitled Just Zoo It. It also Another theme of the production came from Slager’s one-act, entitled Post-Its stars Roy and Ty Eveland ’22, the former of whom aided Toft in the script-writing pro(Notes on a Marriage), which follows the arc of a relationship from beginning to end cess. Roy said of Toft and her direction, “She’s a very generous director and performer. as told through the Post-It notes a couple leaves for each other. The set of Post-It Notes Continued on page 8 included two twelve-foot stage flats covered with over 1,000 Post-It notes. Calderone

December 19, 2019

The Razor: Arts

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Music of Winter Concert at Battell Chapel

this was my first performance in Concert continued from page 7 This year, however, that was different be- Choir, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

Everyone was excited to perform cause I am a senior. As this was my last winter concert, a new element of end- this year. Bass Two Section Leader Sam ing with success was in the front of my Brock ’21 explained, “This judgment-free, mind.” Eleanor Doolittle ’20, the harpist, growth-intensive atmosphere gives the said, “The orchestra has been a great part choir a strong feeling of unity, and allows of my life at Hopkins. I am grateful for us to really challenge and apply ourselves the opportunity to play in such a beauti- to our music.“ He continued, “My mindful concert every year, and for all that Mr. set has changed - I’ve come to understand Smith has done for the orchestra.”

Some of the freshmen in the orchestra were both confident and nervous about their first highschool performance. Wang, mentioned, “I was definitely nervous about learning more difficult music that I’m not familiar with usually playing.” She continued, “I’ve been playing the violin for about seven to eight years now, and it’s common for me to feel nervous before performances when the music is difficult. However, I do believe that Jemma Williams growth is a process, and that pracSchroth conducts the 2018-2019 Concert Choir. tice makes perfect.” Benjamin Card ’23 said, “I was nervous about some of the that being confident in myself is what truly slow sections because any screw-ups on lets me pursue what I want. This isn’t just those would be obvious.” He continued, “I my journey - Hopkins music has given was really excited about playing the pieces many of my peers a new belief in themthat we’ve worked really hard on for a huge selves and their abilities that has boosted audience, and taking them from a small them to amazing heights.” Murphy noted, room to a huge chapel.” Singers in the con- “The best thing about Concert Choir is cert choir also expressed worries about their that we all come in from our various classfirst performance. Julia Murphy ’23 said, es focused on singing and we all get the “I was nervous about the concert, because chance to push all of our academic stress

Winter One-Acts

aside. It’s also a fun place to connect with people in different grades with whom you wouldn’t normally get the chance to talk.”

The mentors and students have both agreed that some of the pieces were harder than others however they were especially excited for the pieces that included both the orchestra and the Concert Choir.

Schroth explained,” The students were very excited for a piece that involved both the Concert Choir and full orchestra, a piece called, ‘Sogno di Volare’ by Christopher Tin (featured in the video game Civilization VI - that’s a first for us!).” Murphy emphasized, “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to perform music with such amazing instrumentalists.” Cassin exclaimed, “I love Sogno Di Volare because it is a gorgeous and dramatic piece that we have worked hard on, plus we did it in collaboration with the orchestra.

The music itself is beautiful but getting to perform it with such a talented group was an enormous privilege.”

The concert fulfilled its theme of “musical drama and raw emotion,” that showcases the talents and hard work of so many Hopkins students. Wang said, “The orchestra is like one big family, and going on this journey of performing great music together is super enjoyable. I appreciate that everyone is so supportive and willing to help each other grow.”

(continued from Page 7) She always asked Ty and me to try new things and give feedback on the script.

We worked as a cast for the first few weeks to workshop scenes and adjust jokes. It really feels like a play because even though we worked hard to make a good show, we still had a ton of fun with it.” Toft enjoyed the process of drafting her own piece; she remarked, “Writing my own show and directing it was quite the exciting challenge. Once I had written the piece and stopped making changes to it, the directing and acting was a breeze in comparison.” She continued, “I’m so grateful to Mike for allowing me to build my own show from scratch, and I learned so much from the experience.”

Directing their own pieces has provided seasoned HDA actors with a challenge different than those presented by working on a show under the direction of Calderone or Hope Hartup.

Slager commented, “Directing was a position that was so much harder to fill than I ever expected. I never realized how much planning and thought goes in to directing a play, let alone one scene.

It was a huge challenge but I loved the experience and look forward to directing in the future.” Congdon agreed with Slager, adding, “I gained a new perspective on the director-actor relationship through directing. It was a really fresh experience for me after acting in the past few shows, and gave me new insight into what goes into being a director.”

Artist of the Issue: Meggie Czepiel Meggie Czepiel ’20 has been an active presence in the arts at Hopkins and beyond. She is part of Concert Choir, one of the heads of “Songwriters of Hopkins”, and a participant in songwriting workshops outside of school: music is a large part of her life. Here, Czepiel answers questions about songwriting, performing, and her artistic process in general: When did you first start writing songs? How did you get into songwriting?

All throughout elementary school, I was writing songs in my head on and off. If I liked where a song was going, I’d memorize it as I went but never ever write it down. I think I was embarrassed and didn’t realize that songwriting was something a normal person could do. The summer before eighth grade, when I was thirteen, I finally decided to swallow my pride and be open about writing songs. The first song I wrote was about the lessons we can learn from cats (typical of me, I know). It was called “Feline Lessons.”

Can you tell me a bit about your process for writing a song?

I never really leave the process. I have a notes document and hours worth of voice memos on my phone where I record ideas as they come to me throughout the day. Then, when I sit down to write a song, I often start with a small idea––a lyric, a situation, or sometimes just a vibe. Then I’ll grab an instrument––usually guitar, piano, or ukulele––and start improvising some chords, lyrics, and melodies.

When I find something that I like, I write it down or record it in a voice memo on my phone. Sometimes, months or even years after I write a song, I go back and edit it. There’s a song that I wrote in August of sophomore year that I am now editing. I’ve been playing this song out and treating it like a finished product, but a couple of months ago I tried playing it on piano (instead of guitar) and soon after had an idea of a whole section I could add that completely changes the course of the song.

learn is by paying attention to what you like about your favorite songs by other people and, above all, practice.

What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced so far?

I have an EP (short album) coming out in a few months that I recorded, produced, and mixed almost entirely alone. I wanted to do as many of those technical things as possible because 1. I don’t have enough money to pay a producer and 2. I’ve heard so many stories of (usually male) producers disregarding female singer/songwriters’ opinions on their own music. I wanted to make sure I learned enough about recording, producing, and mixing, that it would be hard for someone to mansplain or intimidate me while making future albums. That being said, I knew nothing about recording, producing, or mixing until I started this EP, so I’ve been on a huge learning curve for the last year

giemusic131), and with those I always try to do something different than the artist. Often, I end up simplifying a song down to just my voice and one instrument. I love when other people do that because you get to hear the voice and the lyrics so much better. On the flip side, there’s something very vulnerable about performing my own songs. In fact, that vulnerability is one of the big reasons I write songs.

Can you talk a bit about your experiences performing?

At this point, I’ve played over 50 gigs and open mics. I love the fact that performing originals opens space to create connections with strangers, whether that’s someone telling me after a show that they enjoyed it or just someone dancing along in their seat.

Have your arts courses at Hopkins influenced any of your work songwriting and performing?

Meggie Czepiel So much, yes! I’ve been in Concert Choir all four Meggie Czepiel years of high school, and it has changed me immensely as a singer and musician! I used to think that classical and pop vocal techniques were fairly separate, but I quickly learned that there are actually very few significant differences. Last year, I also took “Human Rights and the Politics of Music” and “Roots of American Popular Music,” which was basically a pop music history course. This year, I am taking AP Music Theory. These classes have been some of my favorite in my whole Hopkins experience. Choral Director and Music Teacher Schroth has actually taught me in four different classes now (plus Treble Choir), so she’s had a huge impact on me as a musician.

Do you have any advice for people who are interested in trying out songwriting or performing music?

There will never be a magical moment where you realize you finally know everything you need to write your first song. You will not like your first song a year after you write it, and that’s okay! The important thing is that you finish and learn from it. SongWhat is one of the most important lessons you have learned so far?

Czepiel has spoken about and performed her music on local radio station WPKN. writing is just a matter of practice. That being said, you probably already know intuitively how to write In the first few months that I was songwriting, I kept looking for the magic set of steps for “how to write or so. It can get pretty frustrating when I realize I could songs. Trust your instincts. There are no negative consea song.” Of course, there are a lot of techniques that you have been doing something more efficiently the whole quences for writing a “bad” song, so just do it and let it be. can use, and there certainly are ways to judge the qual- time, but I’m glad that I’m learning it now, rather than later. In terms of performing, I have a master list of many many open mics in CT, so if anyone wants to see that or get adity of songs, but I’ve realized that songwriting is not as vice on where to go first, feel free to email me and ask. straightforward as I wanted it to be. You can learn a lot Does it feel different performing your own song vs a about songwriting from other people, but no one can teach song by someone else? you how to write a song. I’ve learned that the best way to Absolutely! I post a lot of covers on my Instagram (@meg-

The Razor: Arts

December 19, 2019

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Lights, Camera, Action: Holiday Photo Tips Matthew Breier ’22 Staff Writer So, picture this (no pun intended): it’s the holidays- there’s food, family, and fun! You are on break, far, far away from the next paper, quiz, or test. But you brought your camera with you for the family gathering.

Suddenly, your little cousin Mark toddles out from the kitchen in a funny hat. He has a huge grin, and somehow, chocolate is smeared all over his adorable face. He giggles and so do you because you see he’s wearing Uncle Henry’s beige felt hat- which also has chocolate all over it. You reach for your camera- snap- it’s a keeper. You even get a frame or two of Uncle Henry’s red face as he chases Mark around the house…

You whip around as everybody poses in front of the fireplace for the group photo that will be all over Facebook…click- you’re on a roll. Finally, the steaming platters of food start to roll out of the kitchen. The aroma inspires you, and flash- pow – you have captured the feast for posterity. Your photography course from Hopkins has paid off. And now, here are a few more tips from Mr. Nast, Arts Department faculty member and photography teacher:

photo? You should think about what would be an appropriate time to take a photo, too, and maybe ask your subject “hey, I just took this picture, is this OK?” And then if you’re going to post it via social media, it’s also probably worth it to say” hey, listen, I am going to post this particular image like, are you okay? Are you cool with that?”

right third line, with his eyes at the golden point. The golden point is the intersection of horizontal and vertical third lines.

MB: What about lighting?

Mr. Nast: I think lighting is probably everything. That’s what photography really means. You’re drawing the line. With cell phones, flash is sort of a last resort.

EB Taylor And I think if you’re using a flash, I would stand back and zoom in rather than getting too close, because that’s when you get those fireball hot spots.

If you’re using a legitimate SLR [single-lens reflex] camera- digital is perfect with a legitimate flash. We have directional flashes that go with SLR. These are nice because I’m actually not pointing the flash at the subject. I’m bouncing it off a ceiling or a wall. So that actually becomes a larger source. Overall, be mindful of your proximity to subject and the strength of it.

MB: What kind of camera do you prefer?

Mr. Nast: I much prefer a SLR camera to a cell phone. I teach fine art photography. To be honest with you, I’m very casual with the cell phone and I don’t really go into the depths of it. I use a SLR camera to create working quality. As far as like the bells and whistles of specific cell phone apps and moves on the phone, I feel like the student body would be more informed than I am.

MB: Do you have any initial thoughts about phoEvie Doolittle ’23 and Eleanor Doolittle ’20 pose for their annual holitography during the holidays? day photo.

MB: One final question. When would you say Mr. Nast: There are two things philosophically to using a tripod is useful? consider as a photographer even before we start handling MB: Are there any special considerations when setting Mr. Nast: Tripods add stability to a camera. They are the camera. useful if you are taking a photo of a subject that is stayFirst, how submerged are you going to be with up a photo? using the camera? How is that going to take you out of Mr. Nast: Being sensitive to composition is impor- ing still, like a table setting. It is also useful if you have the family experience? Photojournalists and event pho- tant. A helpful hint is to just simplify your photo, you trouble holding the camera steady or if you want to use a tographers are hired to take photos of a particular event know, have some close-ups, make sure what’s in there timer. You know, like if you’re photographing your famand they’re normally not part of that event. So, if you is sort of related in a way. Focus on certain points of ily and you probably want to be in the photograph. So, are photographing the holidays, how is that going to interests. In addition to keeping it simple, there is the the tripod allows you to get away from the back of the take you out of the moment? And what’s that going to rule of thirds, which is particularly useful for a single camera. If a subject is moving, a tripod is not going to be like? Is that going to take you out of the experience? portrait and also the use of symmetry is important. be useful because the subject will then be out of focus.

Second, I think you need to think about the ethics and etiquette surrounding consent. You know, if your Author’s Note: The Rule of Thirds suggests that the center With all these pearls of wisdom from Mr. Nast, your grandma is acting silly and you’re there with the phone, of the camera’s attention is one-third of the way down from photography skills will soar and you will not only be you know it is important to say, like, is it OK if I take a the top of the shot. In the frame below, the subject is on the the life of the party but capture it for all posterity!

The Hopkins Holiday Crossword Puzzle designed by: Serena Ta ’20 Chloe Sokol ’20

Across 1. Cats and dogs, 4-Down, e.g.

6. Nike's 56-Across 10. Small amount 14. Icelandic currency 15. Right away 16. Columbus' ship 17. English kill only for the Queen 18. 30 days prior 20. Menorah of nine candles 22. 47-Across homophone 23. Self-centered 24. "____ Romani" 26. Movie on The Flash network 29. At best

32. Fried partner to spring and egg 33. Latin-English hybrid, Caesar's last words 34. Hepburn's nickname 36. Minecraft goodies 37. Belonging to Disney's ice queen 38. Former currency of Guinea 39. 27-Down shorthand 40. Halfway through the Hebrew alphabet 41. Winter weather 42. 9th holder of 20-Across 44. Antwerp municipality

45. Olympic sprinter Usain 46. Keep 47. Bride's accessory 50. Diction 54. Couples' ballet dance, Sugar Plum's duet 56. Red Sox and Yankees 58. Christmas Tree 59. Italian apple 60. Alternative to truth 61. Winter transportation 62. Shock 63. Delivers 53-Down

Down 1. Iranian air travel hub 2. First aid steps, acronym 3. America’s corn mecca 4. Location of to-be-shaped metals 5. Used for instruction 6. 11-Down on SNL as Alaskan Governor 7. Cheapest auto-insurance for veterans 8. Okonkwo’s Thanksgiving staple 9. Suitable 10. Of an idea, original 11. Golden Globes co-host with Poehler 12. Prefix with bullying and vax 13. Matilda mastermind 19. Asia’s Vegas 21. North Korean dynasty 25. Bezos and Musk 26. Black bird, rock singer Sheryl 27. Polymers of letters 28. Promise of Shylock’s bond 29. Underwhelming remark 30. Possessed by onions and ogres 31. Christmastides 33. Address of Krueger’s victims 35. Suffix with eru and expe 37. Lesser known co-authors in citation 38. Hillside winter activity 40. Counterspy 41. Spanish ladies 43. Complied, as a rule follower with law 44. Slang response to doubt, Wendy Williams Show network 46. El Paso resident 47. With “college”, Netflix and Instagram, e.g.

48. Colorado ski destination 49. Feudal slave 51. Netflix competitor 52. 80s tennis great Lendl 53. Seasonal greeting?

55. Social media messages 57 ___ Miserables

Answers available at https://www.therazoronline/com

SPORTS Page 10

Hopkins Athletes Recount Recovery from ACL Injuries

Abby Regan ’22 Assistant Sports Editor Staff Writers: Luca Vujvoic ’23, Tanner Lee ’23, and Sofia Schaffer ’23

When did you start playing your sport?

Casey Goldberg ’20: I started playing volleyball in eighth grade for the Guilford Adams Middle School team.

Zoe Kim ’20: I started playing soccer in the third grade. I have never played for a club team, so up until high school, I was only playing intramural soccer that my school offered.

Serena Ta ’20: I started playing softball around third grade.

LY did not tear my ACL, so I enjoyed being in Disney with my team. They rolled me around the parks in a wheelchair, and we got to cut the lines. It actually turned out really well! Once I got an MRI two months later, I was really upset because I realized I would have to miss the rest of the lacrosse season and my next volleyball season.

Kim: At first, I thought it was merely a sprain, so when I first heard I tore it, I was extremely disheartened to know Peter Mahakian

What position do you play?

Goldberg: I am a setter.

Kim: I have been playing right defense for the past three

December 19, 2019

time. Sometimes, I would feel discouraged because I was working so hard, but seeing very little improvement. Once I did start playing again, it became a huge mental battle because I was afraid to dive. I had to learn to overcome the fear, and remember how much I love playing soccer.

Ta: I wasn’t cleared when the season started the year after my injury. It kind of sucked having to sit there and watch everyone for a couple of weeks even though I could basically do everything, I was just waiting on the all-clear from my doctor. The recovery felt a lot more mental than physical. After surgery, I think I was kind of depressed because it was summer and all I could do was sit around and try to bend my knee. At one point it really felt like I wasn’t making any progress because it was taking forever to get my brace unlocked. I think I was just in this rut of feeling Peter Mahakian

Zoe Kim ’20 watches a soccer game with her coaches and teammate Lily Fagan ’20.

years at Hopkins, but at times I have had to fill other positions, such as midfield or forward.

Ta: I play center field.

that my injury was more severe than I had realized. After receiving the MRI results, I cried in the car on my way home. Since this was my first year as Junior Captain of the team, I was dispirited because my season had ended before it really even began. The word “exasperation” best describes my emotions due to the timing of the injury. I was also upset due to the fact that I would not be able to support my team as much, since I was a new captain.

Ta: At first, I thought it was very minor and that I could play through it. I practiced for a week, and it was only when I was warming up before the FAA Finals when I realized that something was wrong.

How did you tear your ACL?

How long and difficult was your recovery?

Goldberg: I was at Disney World for lacrosse preseason and during a scrimmage, I changed directions and it just tore instantly.

Kim: It was the first game of the season as a junior. Twenty minutes into the game, me and a girl from the opposing team lunged for the ball. I landed funky because the next thing I knew, I was on the ground and I couldn’t get up.

Ta: It was kind of embarrassing. In the semifinal game, I went to high five my teammate, but I slipped in the process and tore my ACL.

Goldberg: After waiting two months for an MRI and another month to get past finals, I had my surgery in the beginning of the summer. The first two weeks after the surgery were tough, but the pain slowly went away. I went to physical therapy twice a week, but by the end of the summer, only once a week. By the time I got to Thanksgiving break, I was able to start playing volleyball again, but with a really uncomfortable brace.

Kim: The physical recovery was nothing compared to the academic recovery. I ended up missing about a week-anda-half of school. My third day back, I took the PSAT on pain medication. For the next two weeks, I had to make up tests and quizzes, and meet with teachers. Although the physical part of recovery was not as bad, it still took a long

Peter Mahakian Casey Goldberg ’20 cheers on her team at a volleyball game with Diya Aggarwal ’22.

Describe how you felt when you found out you had torn your ACL. Goldberg: Originally, they assured me that I DEFINITE-

Serena Ta ’20 cheers on her teammates at a softball like I would never return togame. sports.

What life lessons have you learned as a result of your injury?

Goldberg: I learned the value of being a part of a team, even if I wasn’t able to play or practice with them. I still felt very close to the girls, and found that cheering them on was almost as fun as playing with them!

Kim: I have learned to be persistent, patient and have a positive attitude. Not playing for nine months, being on crutches for two of them, and the countless times I’ve had to wear my cumbersome knee brace was a burden, but having the persistence, but also the patience to do so, made the process that much easier. Also, having a positive attitude is one of the most essential parts of any injury because an optimistic outlook on these things benefitted both me and my team.

Ta: I don’t know that overcoming my injury quite inspired me to work harder, but it definitely gave me a new outlook.

The way I injured myself was pretty stupid, and to some extent when I play it still feels like I’ll never quite perform how I used to. I still don’t trust my knee to do things like sliding, and I’m cautious to cut when I run.

With thestudents, FallandComes an Increase in Hilltopper Spirit was warmly received by the home matches. This support did not go un- delay schedule.” This idea was inspired

Teddy Glover ’21 Senior Sports Editor

Of the fall season this year, Courtney Banks ’20, and captain of field hockey, said, “I think our school is proud of our teams in a way that we haven’t been in the past. Hopkins is typically represented as a super academic place, so it’s nice to hear students talking about our athletic teams in a positive way.” Others noticed the same trend. Katherine Takoudes ’20, captain of varsity cross country, expressed her pleasure with the school spirit this fall, saying, “I’m so happy with how much Hilltopper pride we’ve seen around campus this fall and I can only hope it continues for the rest of the year!” This change has been brought about mostly by the efforts of students, but was only possible with the approval of administration.

On November 2, Hopkins transported more than 40 kids who could not get a ride to the Metropolitan Independent Football League Championship at Brunswick to see the Hilltoppers face Long Island Lutheran. Assistant Head of School John Roberts “believe[s] the idea for a football fan bus to Greenwich came from

Athletic Department. [Athletic Director] Rocco [Demaio] was looking for someone to chaperone the bus - I believe we had 40 plus kids altogether, the perfect number - it was up to me and Charlie Harris (from the kitchen crew!) to step up and get it done!”

John Stanley ’21, a member of the Hopkins football team, remembered “the edge the fans gave” in the semifinal game, and as a result, was “excited about having a fan bus for the championship game.” He continued, “Although the end result wasn’t ideal, having the fans there cheering us on in our last game meant so much for everyone.”

Another student initiative strongly supported by the administration has been the Hopkins Fan Club, who, in the words of Banks, “attempts to spread school spirit by getting fans to come out and support our teams. The goal is to get Hopkins students to be proud of our school and our athletes.”

Fan Club was started Griffin Smith ’15 but this year is led by Phil Delise ’20, Jack Potash ’20, Courtney Banks ’20, and Julianna Loricco ’20. This fall, during volleyball’s historic FAA championship and NEPSAC Class A finalist run, Fan Club used Instagram and other social media platforms to organize crazy themes for some of the

noticed; Geneva Cunningham ’21, a volleyball player, said, “Fan Club is the best.

Seriously, we would not have been able to reach as many people, or get them as hyped up as they were. I also think that since everyone is always on social media, promoting games and events there is the best way to go.” Roberts also thinks that Fan Club has a positive impact: “It has always been my hope that the Fan Club can spread the love to every team and throughout all three sports seasons.

Takoudes, who is also the Student Council President this year, organized the all-school assembly at which the Female Football game was played. Her idea to have a block of time carved out of everyone’s schedule to watch the game initially began in the summer, but needed the approval of schedulers and administration first: “I first approached Mr. Roberts with the idea of the Female Football game in Assembly during the summer, and he told me to get approval from the junior and senior Class Presidents and Head Advisers before coming back to him. Once everyone was on board, we went to [Elaine] Plante to talk about the feasibility of the special schedule and had Mr. Hart draft a reverse hour-

by other students too: “After last year’s Female Football game, a few juniors approached me about switching things up for this year’s game; we wanted to make the game more legitimate so that the Female Football game could become a coveted and fun tradition at Hop.” Takoudes believes her plan ultimately worked:. “In my opinion, any school event or game in which the whole Hopkins community comes together boosts school spirit. We had so many students and teachers involved from players and coaches to refs and announcers, and it was exciting to see how many people were so passionate about the game.”

Collin Gernhardt ’20, one of the Boys Basketball captains, is optimistic about support this winter season: “This year, we hope to get more people to come out to our home games and bring the school spirit.” Roberts also hopes to ride the spirit momentum into the winter season, saying, “This winter, we are going to be in desperate need of some fun during the doldrums of January and February. Let’s get together for all the teams, any big game, and generate lots of opportunities to cheer on our friends and scream ‘yeah, Hop!’”

December 19, 2019

The Razor: Sports

Winter Sports Preview

Page 11

Boys Squash:“Coming off a record finish of nineteenth place nationally last year, this season has the potential to be the best in Hopkins squash history. With a top seven of all returning members, we have a strong team from top to bottom and are hoping to make a deep run in Division 1 Nationals and New Englands. Come support us at home and wear your affordably priced yellow Hopkins squash shirts.” - Burton Lyng-Olsen ’20

Ski Team: Ski team has it all this year: a young team of talented skiers, a great coaching staff, and an eager attitude to shred the gnar. All we need now is a few feet of snow at Mount Southington!” - Katherine Takoudes ’20 Boys Swimming and Diving: “Coming into this season, we lost some of our best swimmers. I’m excited about this season because we are changing up how we practice and are introducing new ways to train to improve new and returning swimmers. It’s always a great pleasure to see our team grow, and I hope we get closer as a team.

Besides that, I always want everyone to have a great time.” - William Zhu ’20

Girls Basketball: “Something that always makes me excited about the basketball season is that every girl playing is part of one big family. I see a court full of girls who are motivated, have so much potential, want to do well, and want to have fun. No matter the outcome this season, I know it is going to be an amazing season.

I know all of us will fight for every point of every game.”- Casey Dies ’20 “I’m really excited for the season, we have a lot of new and returning people, so I think that it’s going to be a good season. We’re just looking to build off of the positives and improve from last season.”

- Charlotte Yin ’20

Boys Basketball: “I’m really excited for the season, we have a lot of returning seniors and juniors which will be very helpful for the new players. I’m hoping we can make, and go far in the playoffs. It’s Coach Errico and Anthony’s second year at Hopkins and they’ve unified the team with a new perspective.” - Michael Lau ’20

Fencing: “A lot of new fencers have joined the team this season. Overall, we have a pretty big team this year featuring folks from all different levels. We’re looking forward to growing stronger with everyone in preparation for big meets!” - Liz Bamgboye ’20 Girls Squash: “We’re really excited for this upcoming season of squash. It’s definitely a rebuilding year and we’re going to have a strong season with new players.” - Chloe Sokol ’20

Girls Swimming and Diving: “This season is going to be so fun! The great thing about this year is that we only lost a few seniors last year, so the team is already really close. We do have really tough practices, but the meets and team dinners are going to be a blast!” - Rita Roberts ’20 Boys Indoor Track: “I think what makes the boys track team unique is our tight-knit running group. This season, we will particularly focus on team bonding and are excited to practice on the new Hopkins track!” - George Wang ’20

Interviews with winter captains conducted

by Assistant Sports Editor Maeve Stauff ’21

Wrestling: “Hopkins wrestling is in for another successful season. Coming off a 17-4 record last year and sending six wrestlers to New England’s, we have the tools to improve on our great season last year. We have key returning and new wrestlers that have been working hard everyday, and with our unrivaled coaching staff, I have no doubt we will be a force to be reckoned with this year.” - Brandon Smith ’20

All photos courtesy of Peter Mahakian

Page 12

Senior Holiday Wishlist I wish...

Nathan Ahn - I had a chance to climb to that area above the first floor Malone entrance behind the airplane Alessandro Amoedo - To be a librarian for the day Emi Aniskovich- Sara Taylor would stop hitting my neighbor’s car Kristjan Arnarsson - For nothing Victoria Aromolaran - For a day of free food from the cafe Simon Asnes - That we knew who took Sammy’s backpack Sean Bahamonde - The food at the cafe was affordable Lizabeth Bamgboye - For a school-wide game of Eliminator with nerf guns Courtney Banks - To have the seniors on the Water Polo team serenade me in their speedos Kiernan Barket - For cereal at lunch Yasmin Bergemann - To be warm Morgan Bloom - To keep my Soccer jersey and have it signed by my teammates and our coach Eva Brander Blackhawk - To race Anne Marie on golf carts Luca Breahna - For Alex Weisman to bring back the earring Elena Brennan - To sit in a hammock during Assembly... or all day Samuel Burrow - For Hopkins to remove homework Nicolas Burtson - For Will Zhu to love me as much as I love him Alexa Buxbaum - To be first in line on grilled cheese day Ryan Caine - To have a school-wide socks and slides day Arabella Caruso - For an all-grade sleepover Sophie Cassarino - That I could study for my history tests with a giant poster of memes Sapphy Ching - To embrace traveling and be more open-minded Griffin Congdon - To make the 3rd floor Baldwin bathroom a lounge for The Boys Parker Connelly - Watch Dr. Zelinsky stream on Twitch Jack Consiglio - I didn’t have to think of a senior wish Sean Cotlier - That the speed bumps in the parking lot didn’t exist Meggie Czepiel - To meet Taylor Swift Ian Dailis - For Dr. Stewart to publicly sing “Take On Me” by A-ha Lexi Dawson - For a new theater Cameron Delcristo - For number 5 Liliana DeLise - To record a snow day message instead of Mr. Roberts Philip DeLise - For UberRoc: one full day of golf cart rides from Rocco Samantha D’Errico - To have the recipe for the chocolate muffins in the cafe Gunnar DeSantis - For Dr. Stewart to do the robot to “Intergalactic” by the Beastie Boys at an Assembly Casey Dies - For Baldwin to have Four Flours cookies on a daily basis Anne Marie Dooher - For Cole to date Aisling Kelly again Eleanor Doolittle - For people to stop quitting The Razor Olivia Eccleston-Murdock - For Kristjan Arnarsson to learn how to eat ice cream Magnus Ekstrom - That Cory Levinson and Chuck Hewitt, of Hopkins Rap fame, return to perform their hit single Corrine Evans - To not be bothered Lilly Fagan - For Mr. Sperling and Triple Trio to sing me Happy Birthday Sameera Fahmi - To meet Kim Kardashian Henry Fisher - Not a man from England: God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour as one man more, methinks, would share from me the best hope I have Sophia Fitzsimonds - To graduate without taking the swim test, health, or enough art credits Kaitlin Forman - That Cross Country was a three season sport Collin Gernhardt - For the librarians to chill out and let the seniors hang out in the library Evan Gerritz - “FOR NOTHING! I WANT NOTHING! I WANT NO QUID PRO QUO!” Noah Giglietti - To have dinner with Peaches at Subway Lauren Gillespie - To keep my Volleyball uniform from this year Juliette Glass - To have therapy cats come to the library Ethan Glazer - To be the flower boy at Mr. Sacchetti’s wedding Casey Goldberg - Mr. McCord would join teacher band as their backup dancer Tomas Gordon - I was Aisling Kelly Peter Graham - For Mr. Cronin to give me a firm pat on the back and call me son Jason Guo - For all four Woolbert children to swim together in a relay at a Hopkins meet Mei Han - To infiltrate the College Board and topple it from within Mei Har - I had more subscribers on my YouTube channel (subscribe now to TEARS) Blake Harrison - For Max Roy to taste test and rate KFC, Popeyes, and Chick-fil-A in Assembly Charlotte Healy - For soup dumplings and pho and good ramen for lunch Julius Herzog - To serenade Courtney Banks with all my pals from the Water Polo team Adrian Horsley - For more small tables in Upper Heath Eva Illuzzi - For Mr. Mueller to come back and teach Fine Art 3 Term 2 David Judd - For YBN Nahmir to be a guest speaker in Assembly Lily Kaiser - To not be bothered for a senior wish anymore Aisling Kelly - For Tomas to be me Zoe Kim - For Tracy Bray to give me free Hop merch Madalena Kombo - To have a grade-wide sleepover Emi Krishnamurthy - For chicken nuggets at lunch Michael Lau - To get a portrait of myself hung up somewhere at Hopkins permanently

December 19, 2019

Amanda Leone - To score in IMBL Cici Liu - For Mr. Ziou to paint a picture of the whole senior class Kate Loffredo - To know the truth about Khelan Izzy Lopez-Kalapir - To marry Mark Anastasio Juliana LoRicco - To dance on the tables in the library with Lily Kaiser Julianna Lukacs - To bring my puppy to school for a day Brody Lustberg - I could come up with a senior wish Burton Lyng-Olsen - For Kai Bynum to wear a Hopkins squash shirt to Assembly Kevin Mani - To get into my dream college Cole Markham - To date Aisling Kelly again Arthur Masiukiewicz - To have the seniors pull up in golf carts to graduation David Metrick - For a race from Baldwin to Thompson where everyone wears a 20-pound backpack Lily Meyers - For there to be a water slide between Heath and Baldwin Audrey Millar - To coach a synchronized swimming team made up of Hopkins teachers Leah Miller - To become an honorary member of Harmonaires Javier Muleiro - I could play shuffleboard with Ms. Prendergast everyday Saira Munshani - To be able to hang out in the science teacher lounge on the third floor of Malone David Nartey - For three more wishes Sophia Nuterangelo - To bring Mackenzie and her dog to college with me Justin Ordway - To not have to wear a hearing aid anymore McKinley Palmieri - For iced coffee in the cafe Lucy Panagos - For Dr. Stewart to serenade my physics class while juggling bowling pins Khelan Parikh - To make a TikTok with Mark Anastasio, Charli D’amelio, and Daniel Gries Mackenzie Peters - To bring my dog to college with me Jack Potash - To drive a golf cart around campus for a week Timothy Prister - Sammy was a senior William Randazzo - To get a parking spot in Forest Lot Emma Regan - For free apples in the cafe Luca Richo - To have Aisling’s British accent Rita Roberts - For a new theater Sarah Roberts - To rub the top of Scott Wich’s head for three more wishes C.C. Rocco - For a grade-wide sleepover at school Max Roy - That Avi Shein’s wish won’t be granted Elizabeth Roy - To finally become a member of the Hopkins English Department Justin Saffan - For Mr. Peters to play me 1-1 in Basketball so I can expose him Alex Schott - To have Kyle versus Dr. Zel in an integration bee Alex Schuster - For Jack Consiglio to stop wearing black Air Forces Joshua Seidner - To overcome my greatest fear (see College Essay Hooks) Rehab Senanu - To sing with the a capella groups that have rejected me for three years (@Harmonaires) Charlie Seymour - For a snow day in April Avi Shein - That Max Roy’s wish will be granted Kyle Shin - Everyone happy holidays Anna Simon - That there was a green light arrow to turn left from Edgewood onto Forest Brandon Smith - We had a hockey team here Chloe Smith - Someone would listen when I talked about camp Owen Smyth - For a golf cart drag race Chloe Sokol - My first wish was allowed in The Razor Michael Spenner - For a New York sports team to win a championship Arushi Srivastava - For J-School snack to be for seniors also Serena Ta - For Dr. Gries to get TikTok famous Katherine Takoudes - To make the whole school sing a round of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” at Assembly Rayane Taroua - For Mr. Cronin to become Batman Sara Taylor - For a new theater Deniz Tek - That for once when there is a rumor that Mr. Roberts already called a snow day the day before, there is actually a snow day Julia Tellides - For the best food not to run out during every senior school lunch Gracie Theobald-Williams - To belt all of “Frozen 2” without any vocal strain Zeren Toksoy - I took AP Chem Robert Tullonge - To graduate and leave earlier Graley Turner - To go to school where neither one of my parents work Hope Wanat - To not be LOP’ed for the rest of the year Ally Wang - To not be ignored in the hallways because no one can see me George Wang - For people to call me George Jake Wang - For people to stop calling me George Alex Weisman - I could have a glow up as nice as Ryan Caine did Jackson Weisman - To go to a Spanish-speaking restaurant with Ryan Caine Olivia Wen - To have another waffle party with Mr. McCord Vivian Wen- To get Cole and Aisling together again Veronica Yarovinsky - For Dr. Gries to get on Ellen Charlotte Yin - To bring my dog to school Yue Yin - To taste all the different flavors of Kit Kats Marilla Yu - To have a bring your pet to school day Kadin Zhang - For the cruelty of LOPs to be addressed William Zhu - There would be no punishments for Senior Skip Day Anna Zimolo - To obtain Mr. McCord’s waffle recipe Lexi Zyskowski - To lockdown Heath for a night with all the seniors