The Razor - March 2019

Hopkins School 986 Forest Road New Haven, CT

March 26, 2019

Vol LXV, no. 4

The Resurgence of the BSU Sophie Sonnenfeld '21

The newly reconstituted Black Student Union at Hopkins is back in business with a fortified mission and membership. Last spring, Liz Bamgboye ’20 and Michael Christie ’19 sent a survey to a sample of black students at Hopkins to gauge interest in reinstating the Black Student Union. The BSU was discontinued in the 1990s after concerns that exclusivity could lead to divisiveness. This year, BSU has a committed core of about ten regular members and a steady flow of additional, more casual participants. Weekly BSU meetings are also open for community members who are not a part of the affinity group to listen to voices and serve as allies and advocates.

The BSU formed at Hopkins in the 1980s, but was dissolved in the nineties and replaced by Students United for Racial Equality (now ‘Equity’) or SURE, as an advocacy group. According to Director of Equity and Community Becky Harper, “As you went into the 90's there was a trend to be more inclusionary, and that’s why SURE came to be. It wasn’t saying the black experience didn’t matter, it was saying the black experience and these other groups also were important and they needed a space. We’ve come to a place where we can hold both SURE and the BSU and I think that’s really cool and exciting.”

Although SURE serves as a forum to discuss issues pertaining to race, the

Yasmin Bergemann '18

Black Student Union (BSU) poses for their club photo.

groups provide safe spaces, as it’s important for affinity groups to make it clear it’s not about exclusion, it’s about support.”

This year the BSU has been instrumental in organizing school-wide events including Assembly speakers such as hiphop artist and activist Jasiri X, a Black History Month student showcase in mid February, and school movie nights with discussions to spark conversation and change. Bamgboye emphasized the purpose of these initiatives:“[We want] to encourage discomfort to explore things. That’s what we wanted to push

this month with leaning into discomfort and getting the student body to a place where it’s okay not to know things, and to take it upon yourself to learn and be accountable for your own ignorance.”

Diversity Board member, Hannah Szabo ’21, agreed affinity groups are powerful in providing people with a platform to share experiences and thus establish relationships based on trust and understanding. Szabo also acknowledged, “On the other hand, I think real progress

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App Store Sensation: Left Shape Right

Hopkins Spring Trips

what I was making. I started by adding physics bodies to objects. Then I added the paddle, took it out, and added

Ellie Medovnikov '22 Sarah Roberts '20 News Editor

Julia Kosinski '20 Assistant News Editor

On February 7, Cyrus Illick ’19 released the arcade game Left Shape Right. Hannah Szabo ’21 was drawn in by its “aesthetic graphics and easy gameplay.” Jason Chung ’21, surprised that Illick’s masterpiece had not yet gone viral, would “recommend this game to anyone.”

Illick is a current co-head of Hop Codes, along with Ben Goldstein ’19, and uses his Instagram platform, Not Bad Software, to promote his new projects. Illick currently specializes in hyper casual games that are instantly playable. Elaborating on his style, Illick commented: “I really like apps in which the only control you have is with a tap, and figuring out how the tap can control something that constitutes a game.” Acknowledging that the straightforward nature of the Left Shape Right made him “skeptical at first,” Sam Mason ’22 confessed his love for the game: “once I started playing, I could not stop.” George Wang ’20 believes that the genius of the app can be found in its simplicity: “the simple design and objective allows for it to be a fun game for everyone.”

Although the app appears simple, a lot of hard work went into its creation. When asked about the process, Illick described how, “When I first started to code it, I had no idea Inside This Issue: News.........1-2 Features......2-3 Op/ED......4 Arts......5 Voices..........6 Sports........7-8

BSU affinity group is a space for students to share personal experiences and connect to larger initiatives. Bamgboye was inspired to form the BSU to encourage personal conversations: “Even though I love SURE and the conversations we have are great, I still felt we needed a place for black students to come together,” Bamgboye stated. Because of this feeling from Bamgboye and Christie, the BSU took shape.

Their vision of a space for students to freely share race related experiences, thoughts, and questions was a success from the start. Christie commented, “During our first meeting, Liz and I had a set of topics to choose from, but first we opened the discussion up to the group to see if anyone had anything they wanted to bring to the table. Before we knew it the time was up, and we had just discussed over five different topics ranging from Kanye, to slavery, to hate speech, and so many other pertinent topics. It was truly amazing.”

The BSU also functions with a strong advocacy mission. As Harper described it, “Affinity groups swing back and forth with flexibility to be affinity when the group needs to come together for support, but also using each other and allies to come advocate for any issue, awareness, and education.” Harper commented, “It’s exclusionary in some ways, but I think we as a community fluctuate in and out of being a larger entity and then needing these spaces to dig a little deeper. These affinity

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JR Stauff '19

JR Stauff '19 sits at second on the Leaderboard with a score of 2502.

it back in again. I played around with the concept until I figured out how to make the score work.” Illick discussed how one crucial aspect of designing a successful game is creating balance: “I did not want it to be so easy so that it becomes extremely long, but it also cannot be so hard that people do not want to play it.” Although his coding abilities have improved since he launched his last hit game, Skizn, and the actual coding took him less time, Illick described how in developing his new app he “spent more time figuring out the concept.”

Features page 3: Interview with Dining Hall staff

“Another big part of coding is realizing where something is going wrong, and updating the app to fix the problem,” remarked Illick. After releasing Left Shape Right, he realized the importance of a convenient leaderboard to promote competition between players, and created an updated version that included one. Although Illick codes most of his projects individually, he appreciates collaboration: “I had never done anything with databases before, so for the Left Shape Right leaderboard, Ben showed me how to interact the server, and how that changed the app.” After launching this first update, Illick received over a dozen reports of the app crashing, and discovered the malfunction was due to a miscalculation in the leaderboard. Illick has since released an update that both fixes this issue, and provides many additional features.

Despite a few mishaps, Left Shape Right has taken the Hopkins community by storm, and maintains an impressive five star rating. When asked about Left Shape Right’s success, Illick responded: “I’m really happy with how it turned out. Quite a few people whom I don’t know that live in Australia have downloaded it, and that is really exciting.”

While he looks forward to developing new games, Illick is still focusing on improving Left Shape Right.

Arts page 5: Artist of the Issue: Naomi Tomlin '19

This year, along with the annual sports Spring Training trips, Hopkins students had the option to travel to Italy and explore Amalfi and Atrani while bettering their language skills, or participate in an educational tour of Northern Europe about World War II. As the 75th anniversary of Operation Overlord, D-Day, approaches, 32 Hopkins students and five faculty members experienced the realities of World War II through a trip across Europe. History teacher and primary trip organizer David DeNaples explained his goal of the trip: “I want them to walk away from this trip feeling the war in their souls; having the reality of such a conflict reach them in a way that no textbook or documentary can.”

After London was Normandy, then Bastogne, Berlin, Munich, Nuremberg, and finally Austria. Connor Hartigan ’19 emphasized that he was excited to “viscerally feel what it would have been like to be there during the War.” The group took a ferry across the English Channel to the beaches of Normandy, just as the Allied soldiers did in 1944 – minus the lethal German threat.

Sam D’Errico ’20, having never left the country before, was excited: “I think this trip will open my eyes to new ways of seeing the world in a way that staying in the United States could not.”

Emma Regan ’20 stated, “I’m excited to learn how to travel efficiently internationally and see firsthand the history of World War II. I also think it will be fun to change things up after a long winter of my term paper, SAT prep, and working.”

Although the World War II trip was met with an overwhelmingly positive response, DeNaples noted that he doesn’t see this trip happening again: “It is truly a once

Voices page 6: "The Importance of Small Moments"

Continued on page 2...

Sports page 7: Lax takes the Hill by storm.

Page 2

The Razor: News

Black Student Union is Reinstated think that would’ve been a piece that could’ve enhanced it even more.”

Now with the resurgence only comes out of conversations with of the BSU, Bamgboye already feels those with opposing views, perspecthe presence of progress on campus, tives, and experiences. That’s why I “I’ve been able to get to know more think the most impactful events run black students from different grades, by the affinity groups at Hopkins, which has been rewith the help of Jemma Williams ally nice.

We’ve Diversity Board, been able to have faculty, and inmore initiatives terested students, because of this happens during strong, harmonious intersectionality body behind us.” meetings like the BSU member Raone that Hopkins nease Brown ’21 clubs SHOUTTE reflected on the (Screen, Host, and challenge of anOutreach to Unchoring her identiderstand and Talk ty in her educationabout Trafficking al experience, “I and Education), have gone to only SAGA (Sexuality private schools and Gender Advothat are predomicates), and ERRO nantly white my (Equal Rights, whole life and I Respect, and Oplost the sense of portunities) hosted who I was. I am in December, and often told I ‘act school-wide open white’ or I am ‘not mic style events.” a real black girl’ With initiatives to Members of the BSU perform at a the Black History Month Showcase and that has put support minorities me in such an odd in the community, der to have a more well rounded unposition.”

Brown attested to the posiBSU member Rehab Senanu ’20 feels derstanding of shared experiences.” tive effect the BSU has had on her Hopkins has made progress: “HopIf she had the opportunity to life, “The self-hatred that I had was kins has been more respectful in how join an affinity group in her time as very real until I went to these diverthey treat other races here. It’s a big step forward for Hopkins too, coming a Hopkins student, Harper says she sity conferences and discovered my from a history of originally being an would have been more affirmed in true identity. I can say proudly that all white male school to now includ- her identity as a Latina and growing I am an African-American and Naing people of all races and color.” up as a Mexican American: “I think tive American Indian female with Following the creation of it was something I knew about, but my own personality. I now have no the BSU, other Hopkins affinity didn’t necessarily know how to ar- fear of what others think about how groups are in the works. After attend- ticulate. I also knew there weren’t I act because I speak a certain way, ing the Student Diversity Leadership very many of us on campus, but don’t listen to the music that I am Conference in November, Jasmine would’ve made me feel that was a ‘supposed’ to listen to, or eat the Shah ’21 was determined to form piece that was more acknowledged. foods that ‘my people’ eat. BSU has an Asian-American affinity group. I don’t think I had a wonderful ex- made me love myself, ethnicity, and Shah explained, “I realized the lack perience here as a student, but I do those around me so much more.”

(Continued from Page 1)

of affinity spaces at Hopkins, and wish to bring the experience I had at the conference into our own community.” Shah too feels this space is necessary “for people who share an aspect of their identity to relate to one another, or even not relate, in or-

March 26, 2019

Spring Break Trips (Continued from Page 1) in a lifetime trip, but there are other amazing trips centered on history that I am looking into already. Vietnam, anyone?”

In addition to the World War II trip, fourteen Hopkins students traveled to Amalfi and Salerno in Italy to experience a language and culture immersion. Although a spring break to Italy has generally run every couple of years, Italian teacher Teresa Picarazzi began to plan this specific trip when she spent a part of last summer in Salerno and on the Amalfi Coast.

“During my time in Italy, I observed the language classes offered by the Accademia Italiana, a language and culture school in Salerno,” explained Picarazzi. Hopkins students took language classes in the mornings at the Accademia and explored the area in their afternoons.

Chloe Smith ’20, a dedicated Italian student, explained that she was “excited to meet all the students at the high school in Salerno,” especially the pen pal she was assigned and has been emailing for the past couple weeks.

Spring sports teams have been going to Florida for their annual training trips since Athletic Director Rocco DeMaio was a student in the 1980s, “The trip started out as baseball training trips that modeled MLB spring training trips in March,” noted DeMaio, but other

sports quickly picked up the tradition. This year, Baseball, Girls and Boys Tennis, Girls and Boys Lacrosse, and Golf all went on Spring Training trips. Instead of going to different parks separately over the sixteen-day break, all teams went to Universal during the first week of break and stayed in the same hotel complex, promoting more interaction between teams.

Joshua Seidner ’20, a member of the baseball team who has gone on the trip for the past three years, reflected that he is still excited about the trip. “Spring sports trips are about the memories you make. They set the energy and chemistry of the team for a year to come” asserted Seidner.

Olivia Wen ’20, a junior on Varsity Girls Tennis, expressed a similar sentiment: “Our coach has always stressed the importance of team bonding and I’m glad I got to travel together with the team this year and strengthen my friendships!” This year was the first Spring Training trip for Girls Tennis in over a decade, and they plan to make it an annual occurrence.

Spring break just ended, but many Hopkins students already have their sights set on summer. Hopkins student Serena Ta stated she is “already counting down the days until the next day off.”

The Razor: Features

Bonchon with the Boys: A Food Review

to Bonchon, I foresee ordering only the soy garlic wings.

Carlson and I both thoroughly enjoyed our food, but the totality of our shared dining experience was not perfect.

Just a thirteen-minute drive from Hopkins, situDespite the fact that the restaurant was not crowded at all, ated between shops and concert venues in New Haven’s our waiter never checked on us and never refilled our wabustling downtown area, Bonchon is the ultiter. The subsequent dearth of drinkmate eatery for those in search of one particular Theo Tellides ’19 able liquid was felt pronouncedly food item: spicy Korean-flavored chicken wings. due to the spicy nature of our food.

It was 6:26 P.M. on a wintry Tuesday when Despite the mediocre service, Eliot Carlson ’19 and I made the fateful decision Carlson heaped praise upon Bonchon to walk through Bonchon’s inviting doors. The inafter dining there, stating, “It was terior of the restaurant was shiny and new. Crisp much better than I expected. I walked HD televisions mounted on the walls, light shimin with the notion that I would merely mering off beautifully polished wooden tables, eat wings at a new restaurant. Instead, and a modern grey-tinted glass divider separating my eyes were opened and my entire the tables from the ordering area gave the place worldview, especially with regards an air of quality and professionalism. The two of to the consumption of chicken, was us were optimistic about the prospects of our culichanged. I hope to bring others to nary experience. Our optimism was tamped down Bonchon in order to spread the gosslightly, however, when we heard the only other pel of its spicy Korean-style sauce.” customer in the restaurant complaining vociferBonchon represents a great opously to his server about a prior arrest in Virginia. tion for those in need of a break from Carlson and I sat on tall leather-cushioned the standard set of casual New Haven stools at opposite sides of a square table situated dining establishments such as Shake next to the divider. After a brief wait, our waiter Shack and Five Guys. At Bonchon brought us glasses of water and menus. It did not there are soy garlic wings for those take us long to find what we wanted to order. Our who merely wish to titillate their taste eyes were drawn to the chicken wings, crispy morbuds and spicy wings for those who After an amazing first experience at Bonchon, Kosinski returned to the restaurant with Charlie sels of fried chicken doused in either “spicy” or “soy garlic” sauce. We each asked for the same Mason ’19, Connor Pignatello ’19, Theo Tellides ’19, and Ayuka Sinanoglu ’19. The five enjoyed a wish to push their sensory perception multitude of wings. of food to its absolute limit. The averorder of ten wings, five spicy ones and five soy age quality of the service and ambigarlic ones, for the reasonable price of $12.95.

After a twenty-minute wait, our waiter brought too spicy. They tasted wonderful at first, but after eating a ence is more than made up for by the superb taste of the food. two plates to our table. Their wings glistened, their crim- few of them my mouth began to feel as if it were on fire. Bonchon is a wonderful place to bring someone to bond son hue contrasting heavily against white ceramic plates. The flavor of the soy garlic wings, however, was a per- over a shared love for and appreciation of chicken wings.

Carlson was the first to try his food. Af- fectly crafted medley of spicy, salty, and sweet. If I return George Kosinski ’19 Assistant Voices Editor

ter sinking his teeth into the crispy skin of a fried chicken wing, he noted: “These wings are spicy.”

I found myself in concurrence with Carlson’s assertion regarding the spice level of the chicken; furthermore, I would posit that the “spicy” wings were perhaps

FEATURES

March 26, 2019

Page 3

Hopkins’ Delightful Dining Staff H: We lay them all out on a table that fits about 200 sand- industry magazines, Bon Appetit magazine, Food Network, wiches. We take squirt bottles and put melted butter in Allrecipes.com, and Epicurious.com. Once Hemby finds a Connor Pignatello ’19 has befriended Hopkins dining staff them to squirt the butter on the bread. Then, we put the recipe, he’ll tweak it to work for 1,000 people, because over the years in part due to his numerous allergies. The cheese on a piece of bread, throw another piece of bread they usually serve four. One of the things I’ve also noticed following is an interview with Head Chef Michael Hemby on top, squirt it, flip it, squirt it, tray it. We cook them is that at Hopkins, you have “enlightened palettes” -- you Connor Pignatello ’19 and Sous Chef Patrick Byrne. in the oven at 500 de- all eat really well. We can put out pomegranate molasses grees, that’s how we get glazed brussels sprouts, and you guys will eat them all up.

Do you have any funny or the golden brown crust H: We also model after a lot of celebrity chefs such as Martin memorable stories about -- that’s the secret. We Yan and Cat Cora. We follow Compass Group’s food philosthe kitchen staff? use the oven -- we would ophy: clean eating for better living. This year, we added a vegHemby: In the kitchen need 1500 griddles to grill etarian station to accommodate the vegetarians on campus. while cooking, we quiz each that many grilled cheeses. other on music and movie B: Next year, we’ll take What do you like to do in your free time? trivia. Whoever gets the anblowtorches and heat the B: I do a lot of pastel drawing. When you go swer wrong treats the whole table up. We’re going to home you have to do something for you, because staff to a dozen donuts. call Elon Musk and get most of the day what we do is for other people. some flamethrowers. So, H: My time is consumed with food and cooking. I’m the What’s your favorite dish to get ready for this year’s chef at the house — my wife does a bit but I do most of make? grilled cheese event. As- it, in addition to food competition, private catering, and Byrne: Falafel. When we sistant Head of School fellowshipping with my church. I’m always cooking. made it this year we ended John Roberts calls grilled Michael Hemby (left) and Patrick Byrne (right) up with 4,200 hundred porcheese day every year to Any behind-the-scenes stuff that would be interesting tions of falafel, for people that eat normally. Now, a lot of see if he can stump us — if he can get so many people in the for the Hopkins community to learn about? you guys eat like you’re six people, so it ended up being cafeteria that we can’t keep up — but it hasn’t happened yet. H: We host the CAIS (Connecticut Association of Inenough for only 750 kids. It could easily have been half dependent Schools) once a year, and most of the school a ton of falafel mix. I’ve also enjoyed making the torti- Any other crazy days in the kitchen? doesn’t see that. There’s also a lot of other catering that lla soup, we’ve done it vegetarian or with chicken in it. H: This year, pancake day was pretty crazy. We we do at Head of School Kai Bynum’s house and for other H: My favorite is the Vietnamese bahn mi pork flat- started making pancakes a day ahead, and I think events. These are times where we can get really creative bread sandwich. We make a lot of flatbread sandwiches we made about 2,400 pancakes. We used grid- and the whole team takes the food to a fine dining level. and we do a lot of different varieties. The pickling veg- dles, we heated up the syrup, we put blueberries in, Accommodating for allergies is also a big part of what we etables on the flatbread made it pretty cool and different and we took banana and blended it into the batter. do. For anyone with an allergy, there is always an allergenfrom a regular grilled cheese or chicken parm flatbread. Also, when we made french free plate in the kitchen. bread pizzas [on February Michael Hemby We make sure that everyWhat is the best dish you make?

21], that was 250 loaves thing is checked, we check H: Patrick and I both agree the General Tso’s chicken of french bread. It was all of the ingredients, over jasmine rice and sauteed snow peas is a really good busy but not as crazy as even for food that might combination. Also, the chicken wings, or “bat wings” when we do regular pizzas. seem to have no allergens as we call them, either parmesan garlic or honey hot. A B: One of the things we do in it. We really strive to new flavor we plan to introduce soon is “house-made really well here is cooking get food fresh, with no Carolina gold.” We brought that new flavor out on a Fri- things up to the minute. We processed food — there day testing day, and we only had about 60 people, but can fit up to 50 pizzas in our is not a microwave here it came out really nice. We’ll do it again in the spring. ovens at one time, so the — and we get our meats students are getting hot pizin fresh, never frozen.

How many grilled cheeses does the staff make on Jack za straight out of the oven.

B: I’ve worked in other Lubin Grilled Cheese Day? restaurants besides here, B: When I applied for this job, I think Mike King [the Where do you and they do not put the Director of Dining Services] was trying to scare me find recipes? How do you same amount of care into when he told me “one of the things we do every year is decide which ones to use? Butternut squash stuffed with quinoa, fried sweet potatoes, and a allergens we do here. cranberry jus we make a metric ton of grilled cheese.” When I heard B: The umbrella company of We check everything that, I thought, “No way this school makes that much Flik [the dining company at Hopkins] is called Compass and make sure there is no cross-contamination. The atgrilled cheese,” but in fact, we do make that much USA and they have a database of recipes. There are a lot of tention to detail here is amazing, we take every meagrilled cheese; about 1,500 sandwiches to be exact. nutritionally focused recipes there. We also pull recipes from sure to make sure allergen-free food is allergen-free.

Connor Pignatello ’19 Features Editor

Speaking of Speakers: A Reflection on Assembly Presenters Lily Meyers ’20 and Veronica Yarovinsky ’20 Assistant Features Editors

What happens after we graduate from Hopkins? Education is easy to plan out; a career path is a lot more complex.

Over the course of the school year, Assembly speakers give the Hopkins community a glimpse into the passions and interests that can be pursued in the future. While certain aspects of each speaker may resonate with different people, certain presenters are popular across the community because of their energy, passion, and good speaking habits.

Josh Seidner ’20 believes one of the most crucial aspects of any speaker is the amount of energy they bring to Assembly; “I like a speaker who has energy, but not fake energy. You need to do more than smile and be happy to have my attention. It’s Monday morning. Anything less than heart-pounding energy will put me back to sleep.” Seidner continued, saying when Carlos Andrés Gómez came to speak about toxic masculinity on January 11, 2019, “he was electric. He

changed tones, volumes, and speeds. I felt like I was riding a word roller coaster.”

However passionate a speaker may be, if they do not effectively explain

you have to be able to convey that interest to people in a way that is not condescending nor over their heads, which is hard.”

Authenticity is another appreciated characteristic in speakers.

Jemma Williams Madeleine Walker ’19 said, “I thought Q-tip [Sgt. Colin Santacroce ’07, a veteran who came to speak on November 16, 2016] was super good. He was funny and didn’t have an ego, and he wasn’t embarrassed to admit that he never got good grades at Hopkins. He was real.”

In any speech or presentation, students and teachers alike believe keeping the Carlos Andrés Gómez captivated the audience with his ener- audience in mind is critical. getic speaking style.

Public Speaking teacher Miwhat they are passionate about, the audi- chael Calderone commented, “the speakers ence might not connect with what they are who engage the audience, who know the saying. Science teacher Allison Mordas ex- audience, are the ones that have a posiplained that one of the most important fac- tive impact on us.” Serena Ta ’20 agreed tors of a good speaker is, “that the person that speakers should focus on their audineeds to inherently be a good teacher. It’s ence, saying, “Good speakers give reason not enough to be an expert on a subject, for us to listen. They know their audience,

and thus tailor their speech to us. Generally, they should explain who they are, what they are going to speak about, and, most importantly, why we should listen.”

Many students wish the speakers shared more about their experiences and challenges as students. Jamie Donovan ’19 said, “I always want to hear more about their Hopkins experience – hear their advice or what they were like when they were one of us.” Walker agreed, “I want to hear from a speaker that they struggled a lot, but put in a ton of work and the worth ethic paid off more than the natural talent of their peers.”

Some of the speakers have inspired students to think about if they would ever want to come back to speak. Jack Dove ’19 commented,“I would definitely come back to speak at Hopkins. Wherever my career takes me, I think I will have a meaningful experience to share with the student body.”

Ta summed up what matters most to her when listening to a speaker: “What do I want to hear from a speaker? Something interesting. Something I can relate to. Something I care about.”

Page 4

Opinions/Editorials

March 26, 2019

A Typical Friday Morning...

Theo Tellides ’19 Editor-in-Chief Picture yourself in Friday morning Assembly. You’ve just caught your breath after sprinting up from Forest Lot, and you’re all bundled up because you didn’t have time to take off your winter coat. You’re tired, immensely tired from having gone five nights in a row with lackluster sleep. Dr. Bynum starts speaking into the microphone and your mind begins to wander.

I get in a weird mood when I am in this sleep-deprived state. My mind feels hazy and I start having a much more philosophical way of approaching life.

I start to feel that I have an innate knowledge inside me, but I can’t tell what it is trying to tell me. So I start to explore and become consumed in my own thoughts.

My revelations come in two forms, both equally unsatisfying. One is the obvious realization. The idea that sounds amazing for a second only for you to realize it is a message that has been repeated a thousand times before. I often struggle to write editorials for this very reason. Every time I reflect on a message that I want to share with the Hopkins community, I feel like I am unable to say something original. Of course we should strive for political unity and increased awareness of economic inequality. Of course college essays are not all bad and provide us with a moment of self-reflection.

I’ll spend so long crafting and refining my editorial only to realize that the end result is

“I start to feel that I have an innate knowledge inside me, but I can’t tell what it is trying to tell me. So I start to explore, and become consumed in my own thoughts.” painfully obvious. So when I question the world around me, it is quite dispiriting that the only answers I can provide are the ones I have heard all my life. I suddenly feel like a fool.

The other revelation is just a feeling. As I drift off into that state between consciousness and sleep, everything becomes hazy. Emotions and images start washing over me. They feel meaningful, but I just cannot piece them together. My head aches from tiredness, and I misinterpret that feeling as some greater sign. Suddenly I stir and jump wide awake as Dr. Bynum announces that we will not have a snow day. I have “No longer do I toil over paragraphs only to still feel dissatisfied. When I write for myself, I can’t exactly express the feeling it creates. It’s almost like I am kneading the knots of my mind. Even a short session leaves me feeling more confident.” lost my train of thought and can no longer remember what just seemed so significant.

For the past four years I have been so busy with schoolwork and sports that I never set aside the time to think about myself. My few coveted moments of free time have been spent aggressively de-stressing (i.e. Netflix binging), and now only as a second term senior, I finally have time to reflect. I can try and make sense of all these unidentifiable feelings.

Recently, I have started writing for just fifteen minutes to clear my mind. It can take the form of a short story, a description, or just a stream of consciousness. Writing lets me grapple with my ideas, but without the struggle of it having to make sense. I am just writing for myself, so it’s okay if I am incomprehensible for three or four sentences in a row. The act of writing without an audience makes it feel so much more natural.

No longer do I toil over paragraphs only to still feel dissatisfied. When I write for myself, I can’t exactly express the feeling it creates. It’s almost like I am kneading the knots of my mind. Even a short session leaves me feeling more confident and relaxed.

So I continue throughout my Hopkins day, still in a daze. Ambling from class to class I try to make sense of it all, but as my morning grogginess wears off, my confusion seems to dissipate. I haven’t discovered any answers, rather I am no longer perturbed by questions I used to think were urgent. I am my normal self again, wide awake, cheery, and ready to learn, but I can still feel something deep down tugging at my conscience. I stare blankly at my desk for a few seconds before raising my hand.

Editor-in-Chief: Theodore Tellides Managing Editor: Katie Broun News.......................................................................................Sarah Roberts, JR Stauff, Zoe Kim, Julia Kosinski Features..............................................Izzy Lopez-Kalapir, Connor Pignatello, Lily Meyers, Veronica Yarovinsky Op/Ed..........................................................................................Connor Hartigan, Saloni Jain, Simon Bazelon Sports....................................................................Audrey Braun, Alex Hughes, Teddy Glover, Anushree Vashist Arts..........................................................................................Ellie Doolittle, Katherine Takoudes, Leah Miller Voices........................................................................................Sara Chung, Saira Munchani, George Kosinski Editor-at-Large................................................Olivia Capasso, Noah Schmeisser, Ziggy Gleason, Casey Gleason Cartoonists................................................................................................Melody Parker, Arthur Masiukiewicz Webmaster.................................................................................................Nina Barandiaran, Arushi Srivastava Business Managers...........................................................................................Caitlyn Chow, Sophia Fitzsimonds 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.

The Razor, an open forum publication, is published monthly during the school year by students of Hopkins School, 986 Forest Road, New Haven, CT 06515.

Phone (203) 397-1001 ext. 271 • Email: jnicolelli@hopkins.edu

George Kosinski ’19

The Beginning of the End? Katie Broun ‘19 Managing Editor After hearing Dr. Tara Bishop ’93 speak as our Alumni Fellow, my friends and I began to reminisce about past speakers whom we enjoyed. One of these speakers was Wes Moore, who came to Hopkins when we were in seventh grade. In the afterword of his book, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, Tavis Smiley, a talk show host, comments, “The choices we make about the lives we live determine the kinds of legacies we have.”

I remember hearing this quote in assembly and not thinking too much of it as a twelve-year-old. Now, at seventeen, nearing the end of the six-year journey, I am beginning to wonder what my legacy will be. Leaving a mark on places that you have been may seem like a massive undertaking. People tend to think of large changes made that impact our society as leaving a legacy; and I know that it would be impossible to expect that of every single Hopkins student. Yet, we each instill something in others that allows us to be remembered in this place we call home.

Having responsibilities in multiple facets of Hopkins, I have wondered where my legacy will stem from. Will I be remembered as the girl who went to All Nationals for choir and has perfect pitch?

The girl who talks way too much about her love of protein crystals? The girl who plays for my water polo team and supports them to score a goal? The girl who eagerly goes to the theater for rehearsals for Into the Woods? To pursue all of these things throughout my high school career was a choice that I made; however, I could have never made all of those decisions without help from others and persistence to be the best person and student I could be.

We each make choices throughout our lives that will impact others and in turn impact our legacy on a place. The choice to start a club, to pursue an independent project to better our school, or simply to talk to someone who is alone and needs a friend. Each of these choices impact who we are as individuals, how others perceive us, and what our legacy will become.

These choices, however, are often hard to make. Sometimes I find myself spread too thin, and feel as though I cannot say “no” to people even though I might not have enough time or put enough effort into the task. Other times, I choose

to take on something, putting in all of my energy and bringing others to showcase my work. There are moments when effort and choices work together and other times when they are at odds with what I hope my legacy will be on this community.

“Using your talents to be the best person that you can be will never go unnoticed.”

Our uniqueness is what makes each one of us have the capability to impact someone’s life in a meaningful manner. Using your talents to be the best person that you can be will never go unnoticed. It doesn’t matter whether you have one speciality or four, as long as you use each opportunity you have been given to make some type of impact, I think you can consider yourself thriving instead of merely surviving.

Senior spring is the time I hope to see myself thriving. The Class of 2019 has experienced some of the lasts already, but it is the senior day games and senior circle moments after our final performance that allow us to hear our legacy first hand from underclassmen. We get to experience both the sorrow of the end and a joy of new beginnings on the horizon.

It will be hard to see Hopkins in the rearview mirror, but it will be exciting to see a hopeful future for both my classmates and me. I am thankful for Hopkins for allowing me to make choices, like Smiley described, that will impact my path and lead me to my next home.

Although I am not one-hundred percent sure where my path will take me next, I do know that each element from my Hopkins experience is only just beginning to blossom, even though it may be the beginning of the end.

We will never truly know what our legacy is, but the choices we make, actions we pursue, and lives we touch will impact our mark. I hope that we can find our future home while being kind to one another and supportive our decisions.

To the class of 2019, thank you for being authentically yourselves. The choices we have made together will impact Hopkins in more ways than one, but it is only March; we still have a ways to go. Let our choices be a good example for the underclassmen and create a lasting legacy of kindness towards others.

Let’s use our last few months to say goodbye and thank you to those around us for helping us impact The Hill.

ARTS

March 26, 2019

Page 5

A Magical Show: Into the Woods Comes to Life on Stage Ella Zuse ’21 From February 28 to March 3, the Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) performed the winter musical Into the Woods, directed and produced by Michael Calderone and Erika Schroth. The musical, written by James Lapine with music composed by Stephen Sondheim, intertwines the plots of classic fairy tales like “Cinderella” (Erin Elbogen ’19), “Little Red Riding Hood” (Katie Broun ’19), “Jack and the Beanstalk” (Ty Eveland ’22), and “Rapunzel” (Isabel Vlahakis ’19). Each character has a wish they hope to be granted by the Witch (Fi Schroth-Douma ’19), but must deal with the unforeseen consequences of her powers.

Calderone explained his and Schroth’s decision for choosing Into the Woods for this year’s musical: “I’ve avoided this show for years for various reasons; mostly out of ignorance: it’s too long; it’s a bit of Broadway fluff; or so I thought! Mrs. Schroth sold me on it for all of the right reasons: we had the right voices and level of experience in the kids; the story really moves and while Act I could be a complete story, Act II gets serious in a very deep and engaging way. It is not fluff or trite.”

The first act of Into the Woods introduced the audience to each character and their wishes. Characters appeared content at the end of Act I; however, the second act reveals the dangers of borrowing the Witch’s magic. Broun said, “The first act of Into the Woods wraps up in a nice little bow, filled with happy endings and what everyone wants to hear about. However, life is not always filled with happy endings, which is displayed so beautifully throughout the second act. Filled with giants, terrors, fights, and finding out who to blame for the entire situation, the second act teaches us to be kind to each other and grow together as human beings, through the low and high times.”

Into the Woods is known for its tricky lyrics and difficult songs. “While of course quality singing is required for any musical, Sondheim’s score, both for the orchestra and the ensemble, is intricate and demanding, requiring actors to sing with more robust technique

than the belting style of singing common in lots of other musicals,” said Sam Jenkins ’19 (the Baker). Ranease Brown ’21 (the Baker’s Wife) added, “I can say that learning the music for this show has been one of the most difficult tasks.

Because Stephen Sondheim is such a musical genius, he creates some of the most difficult scores in comparison to other Broadway composers.”

The cast supported one another throughout the musical’s obstacles in rehearsals. Aaron Gruen ’21 (Cinderella’s Father) said, “There were rehearsals five days a week, and

you’re doing sound, are in the ensemble, or have the lead in a particular show, there’s a place for everyone in the HDA family. It will be the community I’ll miss most when I leave Hopkins.”

Cast members often took on multiple roles to put together the musical. The intricate set design required many hours of work from the cast. Graley Turner ’20 not only played the role of Jack’s mother, but also spent time creating the forest scenery. “What really makes this set unique is that we’ve all been a part of the construction and painting,” said Turner. “At any

ly did a great job of designing the sets to put the audience right there in the story book. I think the audience loved how whimsical it looked!”

For the first time in his career, Calderone rented a backdrop for the musical’s set.

He described his hopes for bringing the set to life, “The idea [that] developed between me and Cathy Mason, our costumer, was that the characters literally and figuratively get pulled out of their storybooks. She represents that with costume pieces made out of actual books (look at costume details like Cinderella’s bodice, the princes’ shoulder decorations or blouses printed with text.) I hope the set transported the audience to a bookshelf in a child’s room. There are stacks of giant books on either side of the stage and three open books as the backdrop of the three main story lines. But these characters are forced out of their books and literally into the forest.

HDA’s attention to detail was evident in every aspect of the musical. Drew Slager ’21, who managed props, said, “Working with props was a very rewarding task because I was able to explore the nooks and crannies of Lovell Hall and develop more of a connection with the theater and those who spend their time there. It was very interesting working in a different aspect of the show that I have not experienced before, and I have a whole new apPeter Mahakian preciation for how hard the people behind the stage work so the actors can shine. I definitely look forward to working with tech again.”

Hannah Szabo ’21, who worked Into the Woods was the final Hopkins musical for fourteen seniors, thirteen of whom are pictured here. on sound, said, “Helping Joey Rebeschi ’21 sometimes on weekends, and everyone was point during the day, you could walk into Lovell and Sawyer Maloney ’21 with sound has super committed to making the show a suc- and see Mike Calderone and a handful of stu- been a lot of fun. Abraham Kirby-Galen has cess. We had painting days, where the whole dents (in and out of the cast) working on the been such a good instructor, teaching us all cast gets together to help paint the set, and book titles or spines, the interiors of the large about the new sound system. There’s a ton we all put in work at home to make sure our flats that act as houses, or the prop cow we have.” of characters, cues, and sound effects in the lines were memorized. We all did small things Into the Woods actors and actresses show, but with Rebeschi on mics, Maloney for the cast, like bake and come to rehearsals were not the only Hopkins students to lend a on sound effects, Kara Amar ’19 on the light for just a few lines, but they added up and I hand with the stage design. Other members of board, and Leul Abate ’19 as production manthink the dedication showed in the musical.” the Hopkins community also helped with set ager, the whole process went really smoothly.”

The cast began rehearsals in early design. Audrey Braun ’19 had never worked The hard work of everyone involved January. Jenkins spoke about the commitment with HDA on the production of a show before was evident in all four performances of the of HDA: “HDA really feels like a family, but one Into the Woods. “The set was really intricate show. Brown said, “Into the Woods will go that’s constantly expanding and welcoming new so it was a lot of painting and mixing paints,” down in Hopkins history as one of the best, and members during every show we put on. Whether Braun noted. “Raven Levine ‘19 and Mike real- longest, productions to ever be performed!”

Artist of the Issue: Naomi Tomlin ’19

Leah Miller ’20 Assistant Arts Editor Naomi Tomlin ’19 has always found herself gravitating toward the pen and the page.

Ever since she was a little girl, Tomlin could be Naomi Tomlin seen sketching, drawing, painting, or writing.

Frankly, Tomlin flourishes in anything creative that she can get her hands on.

Besides her appreciation for— and work within—the visual arts and literature, Tomlin has a vast respect for music and theater. Tomlin wears many hats on campus. In her six years at Hopkins, she has set the field ablaze as Varsity Field Hockey co-captain and goalie, is one of the editors of the Hopkins literary magazine Daystar, and is an active member of the Equal Rights Respect and Opportunities club. Tomlin is also the winner of the Smith Book Award, which honors outstanding young women in local communities.

At the tender age of 13, Tomlin realized what a pivotal role art played in her life. As she said, “I’ve written and drawn for as long as I can remember.”

Tomlin recalled a time in her life where she felt lost without her craft: “When I first came to Hopkins in seventh grade, something felt off for the first few months. It took me a while to realize that I’d stopped drawing in order to focus on school.

Once I started drawing again, things felt a lot more comfortable. It’s something

I can take with me everywhere I go.”

Tomlin’s artistic process is one of extensive discipline, passion, talent, and commitment. She practices, and preaches, consistent application of writing and drawing. Tomlin emphasized that “I like to draw or write something every day.

I’m not the best at sticking with that, but I think consistency is a really important part of improvement.”

for young adults interested in literature.

The Iowa Young Writer’s Workshop is a summer residency for creative writing students at the University of Iowa. Promising high school-age creative writers have the opportunity to spend two weeks studying writing. Tomlin said, “I’m really proud of being accepted to Iowa Young Writers Naomi Tomlin Studio. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I’m forever grateful for the time I had there.” In order to When Tomearn her spot, Tomlin lin described endured a rigorous her work, she application process pointed to of submission and the odd naanticipation. It was ture of her there Tomlin joined style. Tomlin other young writers enjoys payto expand her taling homage ents and appreciate to the more the work of others in niche and unwhat she describes derapprecias an unforgetated aspects table environment. of the human Balancexperience. ing the intensity of Whether it a demanding HopTomlin’s piece titled “Head in the Clouds.” be a haunting kins workload with short story or an abstract and thought- the responsibilities of being an involved provoking sketch, the media Tomlin member of the community is a challenge produces is unique in execution. In in itself. Attempting to add a full-time Tomlin’s opinion, she simply portrays commitment to drawing and writing is no what she sees. In regards to her art, she easy conquest, but Tomlin delights in the stated, “Observation is the backbone challenge. “Writing and drawing make of my artistic process. I love to notice me really happy, I cannot imagine my little things and give them attention.” life without these art forms in my life.” If Over the summer, Tomlin was you want to catch some more of Naomi accepted into and attended the Iowa Tomlin’s writing, check out the upcoming Young Writers Studio, the highest honor edition of Daystar, debuting this spring!

Faculty Showcase Their Talents in The Gallery Katherine Takoudes ’20 Arts Editor Last month, the Hopkins Keator Gallery opened a new exhibit showcasing the hidden talents of staff and faculty members on The Hill. The gallery features paintings by Gabby Gerstenfeld, multi-media work by Tilden Daniels, the rustic stylings of Canny Cahn, Those Poetix by Ian Melchinger, 3D work by Ian Clark, the musical compositions of Ian Guthrie, and the mathematical talent of Dan Gries. Anna Simon ’20 said she enjoyed seeing the work of three of her teachers, both past and present, in the gallery: “It was so interesting to see another facet of my teachers’ lives and how they express themselves outside of the classroom.” One of those teachers is Gerstenfeld, whose collection included a still life series of close-up fruits (pictured below). Gerstenfeld said her purpose for the paintings was to challenge herself and encourage others to “observe the normal and common objects close to you by focusing on the shape, the light, and the colors. That way, you can give life to seemingly normal objects in another perspective.”

Katherine Takoudes Gabby Gerstenfeld displays her Still-Life Series of Close-up Fruits in the Keator Gallery.

Voices

Page 6

March 26, 2019

Finding Myself on the Field and reacted passionately even to poor performance. Then, in my sophomore year, I finally learned who he is and what makes him act the way he does. I spent over Over ten summers on a softball twelve extended weekends playing travel diamond, I have mastered the fundamen- softball for the most competitive team in tals of survival: wrapping centimeter-wide Connecticut, facing national competiblisters from countless hours of batting, tion in tournaments and showcases. My timing 60-mph riseballs and knee-buck- father, the seemingly detached dad, sacling changerificed his time and accompanied ups, and packme to every one of these events. ing provisions Following our year of travels, I to last 8-hour better understood him and his nagame days. ture, learning about self-awareness Yet what conand control, while also discovertinues to ining my own motivation. He studtrigue me are ied my game, and I studied him. not the obstaOver those twelve trips we drove cles I face on and talked. He taught me how to the field, but drive and I adopted his precise and rather the zoo effortless manner in willing the car of softball perto our destination. He told me stosonalities fillries about his childhood in Queens, Highpoint Pictures ing the stands. and how it felt to learn English as Sara Chung ’19 The “zoo” is a second language; I told stories made up of various characters, from the about how I felt like the occasional outsider extremists who clang cowbells and yell at being referred to on the field and elsewhere umpires and players to figures who linger as not just “the small girl,” but “the small behind the dugout beaming their nervous Asian girl.” Contextualizing his decadesintensity onto the field. Amid this menag- long friendships from childhood and work erie is my own father, seated stoically; all over the world, I learned the importance whether I had hit the walk-off home run of a proper foundation and meaningful or I had committed four errors in a single social effort for any lasting relationship. inning (which regrettably has happened), A constant fixture in our posthe always remained near-expressionless. game car-ride was a discussion of my play, For many years, I assumed his my father providing me objective suggeslack of expression indicated disinterest in tions as a professional would. While for my play, as we were surrounded by parents years I had interpreted his expression for who rooted maniacally for their children disinterest, in reality he memorized the deSara Chung ’19 Voices Editor

tails of every play and was more attentive than I could have imagined. My father was my biggest supporter and mentor, his blank

own motivation to excel rather than one created by a fear of his reaction. I grew to enjoy challenging myself to improve my

Peter Mahakian

The Chung Family after Varsity Softball won the 2016 FAA Championship.

expression excluding him from the softball “zoo” I had been so fascinated with. Seeing how my teammates were affected by their parents’ unchecked reactions—breakdowns for fear of disappointing her parent, or constant worry about her father’s temper—and better understanding my father’s thoughtful nature, it became obvious to me why he chose to be the distant yet attentive spectator, and I am grateful for it.

I matured and learned from my father’s rich background, thoughtfulness and logic, realizing in time the importance of perseverance. On the field, his stoic expression allowed me to find my

game both on the field and in the classroom, where I was passionate to learn and satisfy my curiosity. I learned to be independent and ambitious for my own sake, pursuing my interests with energy and confidence no matter the circumstances.

I studied my father, and in turn, I studied myself. I see myself in him, whether I’m considering how my emotions and actions might impact those around me, or embarking on new journeys and traveling with unwavering strength and confidence. I am proud to be my father’s daughter, and am grateful for the hours we spent together on our travels.

The Importance of Small Moments Saira Munshani ’20 Voices Editor Every moment that passes becomes a smaller fraction of my memory and is probably why time feels like it moves faster as I get older. For example: as a twoyear-old, 50% of my life was only one year, but now at age seventeen, 50% of my life is almost nine years. I became increasingly aware of this happening in the background of my life as I got older. At first, it wasn’t a noticeable change - days would seem to pass by faster, then weeks, and suddenly I’m in the second semester of my junior year.

Everything before this time slowly began to fade.

Sometimes I wonder if my mind subconsciously sorts through each experience I have, and discards the “irrelevant” details leaving only the significant parts. As a result, my memory becomes something that has holes where seemingly extraneous aspects once existed. I never really remember the big moments: my first steps, turning double digits, and driving a car for the first time. I remember the feeling of the sun on my back as I bent over to fix a sandcastle, the shadows of rain pattering on a tent, and the scent of warm laundry floating through my house. These moments are not necessarily important to me in an obvious way or defined as important by society. Instead, they are all snapshots of a few seconds where everything fell into place. I never know if I’m going to retain a moment until after the time has passed, which leads me to wonder if I am missing other memories of my life that I overlooked and will never get back. More than just the way an event played out, but also the emotions I felt and senses I was aware of at the time.

March Favorites

1. Warm weather 2. Senior slide 3. Spring break

Once I became conscious of this dilemma, I desperately tried to capture everything I could. I have over 20 completed journals and more photographs than I can count, yet these are not enough to make me feel as though I am capturing every moment I can. Over the past few years, I realized it is impossible to know what will be significant while in the present or even hours later.

I only really know Saira Munshani ’20 when a moment holds importance months or years afterward, long after recording each detail of that time is possible. It’s often the most unexpected moments that stick with me, and the ones I would think to be important that don’t. I do not remember the first day of kindergarten or meeting my childhood best friend. I do remember learning to use an apple cutter and sharing secrets on a swing set. Without realizing it, I often stored the little moments in my memory instead of the milestone ones.

There are many gaps in my memory, even within a particular experience. I have a complete memory of the

The Meh List

feeling as I rooted through my mother’s clothes when I missed her to find the softest sweater so I could be reminded of her smell, but I cannot remember where she was traveling to or for how long. I don’t recall how my first day went at Hopkins, but I do remember the smell of the library as I stepped into it as a student early freshman year. The parts of my life that resonate with me on a deep level are never the ones I assume would define my life, yet they are the ones no one else can describe for me. I can ask my mom where she was during that trip, but she’ll never be able to tell me the way it felt for me to hold back tears while falling asleep as I buried my face in her clothes.

I can read my journal for the description of the first day of school, yet I would have never have thought to record a particular smell while writing that day. I suppose in a way it’s good that I save moments like those in my mind, but they still seem disconnected and not as important when considering the big picture.

I worry that I am not holding onto the essential memories and that instead of retaining key moments and milestones, I’m remembering the insignificant things. I fear that my life will just become a series of loosely organized checkpoints composed of irrelevant moments, making my past experiences a puzzle that will never be complete. However, once I separate each moment from this inflexible path - each instance becomes a delicate and valuable piece, part of an endless collection only I will ever intimately know.

Songs of the Issue

1. Mud 1. “Sucker” - Jonas Brothers 2. Term papers 2. “Just Let Go” - Chris Brown 3. Undelivered snow day promises 3. “Please Me” - Cardi B

SPORTS

March 26, 2019

Page 7

Athletes of the Issue: The Leaders of Lacrosse Alex Yuen ’21

Varsity Girls Lacrosse captains Audrey Braun ’19 and Olivia Capasso ’19 have been playing lacrosse together for the past four years.

Braun began playing lacrosse in middle school as a defender and Capasso in seventh grade as a midfielder. Braun has been a Varsity letter winner for the past three years and Capasso has received a Varsity letter for the past four years, as well as an FAA (Fairchester Athletic Association) Honorable Mention.

Braun and Capasso emphasized the importance of determination. “There are days when Liv and I are out there for four hours. Finding that extra time during the school days to go out and work on weak spots is crucial,” said Braun. Capasso added, “You can’t just pick up the stick when spring season starts.”

Both captains agree that creating a team with strong chemistry is critical: “We’re very close with the team. We have team dinners to build the strong trust that carries onto the field…. We’re just looking to build on that trust,” stated Braun. Now, as captains, they plan to push the team’s limits. Capasso explained, “This season we are going to be a lot more serious about the game. Last season we didn’t have the record that we wanted so we’ll be working on creating more focused and motivated players.”

Head Coach Katie Keogh is excited to work with their outstanding talent and excellent leadership: “Audrey and Olivia are great leaders on and off the field.

They are responsible, organized, approachable, and good role models for the team. I want to use their desire and competitive drive to fuel the other girls to work harder and have a strong season.”

Braun and Capasso will lead their team through new routines. “This season,

we’re getting time on the turf, which is new to us. The boys have been great about splitting and we look forward to having the practice time to improve our game on that surface,” said Braun.

Capasso and Braun’s commitment during practices and games is admired by players. Lucy Pana-

be great role models for current and upcoming players.”

These athletes have built up extensive knowledge from their experience in the sport and look to help their teammates improve as much as possible this season. Capasso commented, “It’s important to see everyone working their hardest on the field. The

Cameron Murray ’22

Matthew Stevenson ’19 and Alex Hughes ’19 have been committed members of Boys Lacrosse for years, the former since ninth grade and the latter since seventh.

Head Coach Scott Bartush

really nice... It was just a good experience all around, and it was the first test.”

Hughes also mentioned how the tournament eased the seniors into their newfound roles on the team.

He said, “One of the things that I’ve found the tournament helps is transferring the leadership down from the old seniors to the new

Audrey Braun

Hopkins 2019 Lacrosse Captains pictured from left to right: Alex Hughes ’19. Audrey Braun ’19, Olivia Capasso ’19. and Matt Stevenson ’19. gos ’20 said, “[their] philosophy is lead by example. Unlike captains I’ve had who boss the team around, they are calm and work tirelessly to keep practices running smoothly without becoming frustrated with complications. I admire their level-headedness and unwavering commitment to the team, but above all the spirit which they bring to the sport that not all captains can.”

Fiona O’Brien ’21 described the qualities she admires most in her captains: “[Braun] is extremely organized and driven. She perfectly balances being both a coach and a friend on the team…. [Capasso] is an amazing lacrosse player and always works her very hardest in practices and games. They will

best games are the ones that are highest in energy.” Braun also stressed the importance of playing stronger teams and added, “With a hard opponent you can test your skills and you are forced to improve.”

This season, the captains are ready to take on the challenges of the FAA. “It’s not only about understanding your own strengths as a player but understanding the strengths of every girl who’s on the field with you,” said Braun.

Leaving behind Hopkins careers full of achievement, Braun and Capasso both plan to continue playing beyond high school.

Both hope to play club lacrosse or walk on to their college teams next year.

said, “Both Matt and Alex are examples of what it means to be a Hopkins Captain…

They set an example of excellence in the classroom, community and on the field.

They continuously strive to be the best student [athletes] that they can be.” J.R. Stauff ’19 adds, “They‘re both great leaders and inspire me to be a better person every day.”

They have already started getting some practice in during the Sticks for Soldiers Tournament this past November. Stevenson said, “We actually did really well, better than every other year. We went 3 and 0 against pretty good teams.

We had a lot of support from the Girls team, which was

Ellie Doolittle

seniors… It’s a good place with very little consequence... for us to get out there and get to know everyone.”

Now, Hughes is using his experience with past Hopkins lacrosse players to guide him: “As a person, I’ve always learned a lot from watching the older kids. [When I started,] I felt like I didn’t fit in… The older kids, they really took me under their wing, and kind of protected me. I think that having that experience and, now, being one of the older kids, I’ve gotten to learn how to… manage younger kids. I’m more understanding of what the young kids are thinking… [Having] been in that position … it gives

you a lot of perspective.”

Both captains have an idea of the tone they want to set for the team.

Stevenson explained, “This year we’re really just trying to focus on what we control or what we can do, and then not worrying about other factors.” Hughes also noted, “I’m just out here to have some fun...But also, at another level, with a certain tone of seriousness…

[I want to] get our stuff done[,] win some games, and hopefully make it to the championship this year.” Stauff added, “Alex keeps the practice fresh everyday with his passionate leadership. The captains are not only admired for their leadership, but also their skill. Zach Blake ’19 noted, “Matt has a really good shot that is incredibly accurate and fast. Alex is a “do-it-all” player who has played for us with a long pole and short stick on offense and defense.

This versatility has paid off for us in a number of big games.”

Together, they also want to develop team chemistry. Stevenson said, “I really like how the younger players have really come into their own this year. I’m hoping for just team play…

Everyone has to be really together with some camaraderie to make it a team.”

Hughes added: “Matt and I have been talking about going out early this year, during H block in the soccer fields and just messing around with the team… We’re going to have team dinners on Fridays, and, you know, just keeping it lively with the group chat.”

The captains, excited to start the season, shared their goals for the team.

Hughes is “hoping to have a good time above all else, and get some wins along the way.”

Both Stevenson and Hughes plan to either walk on or play club lacrosse in college next year.

Congratulations to the Razor Seniors on their final issue!

Top row, left to right: Connor Hartigan (Op/Ed Editor), J.R. Stauff (News Editor), Alex Hughes (Sports Editor), Theo Tellides (Editor-in-Chief), Audrey Braun (Sports Editor), Katie Broun (Managing Editor), Connor Pignatello (Features Editor), George Kosinski (Assistant Voices Editor) Bottom row, left to right: Olivia Capasso (Editor-at-Large) Sara Chung (Voices Editor), Saloni Jain (Op/Ed Editor) Not pictured: Nina Barandiaran (Web Editor), Caitlyn Chow (Business Manager), Melody Parker (Cartoonist), Noah Schmeisser (Editor-at-Large)

The Razor: Sports

Page 8

March 26, 2019

A Preview of Spring Sports on The Hill

Varsity Golf

Boys Varsity Baseball

“This year we have a fairly young but promising group of players, and I think that with hard work, we can establish a good position for ourselves among the schools that we compete with. Only two of our players are above sophomore year but we have many talented individuals only just joining the team who will have the opportunity prove their mettle in the coming season.” -Chemery

“Our goal is to win both the regular season and postseason FAA titles. Our team is loaded and ready to beat Brunswick for a chip. Come watch the best looking (middle) infield in the league this spring as we chase a ring.” -Dove

Captains: Max Wile ’19, Cyrus Chemery ’21

Captains: Chris Borter ’19, Jack Dove ’19, Kyle Meury ’19

Girls Varsity Tennis

Captains: Catey Lasersohn ’19, Caroline Viselli ’19

“After having such a great season last year, we’re so excited to continue our success and play some new teams. And of course, build our team chemistry!”-Lasersohn

Boys Varsity Lacrosse

Captains: Matt Stevenson ’19, Alex Hughes ’19

“We’re looking forward to shaking the rust off our spoons and having a fun season. We’ve got a lot of talent and tenacity this year so I’m excited to see what we can do.” –Hughes

Boys Varsity Tennis

Captains: Alex Zhang ’19, James Schaefer ’19

“It wasn’t too long ago that the Hopkins boys tennis team was reckoned as a powerhouse rivalling schools like Brunswick, KO, and Cheshire Academy. It was only a matter of time before our legendary class of 2017 captains graduated, but the two-time New England championship team they built throughout their many years at Hopkins is still a dream we’re all striving for. The Hopkins tennis team is working really hard to maintain our fading reputation, and I’m really excited to see how much better everyone’s become over the year. There’s a lot of talent spread across the ladder this year, so we’re coming at old rivals for a shot at redemption, and we’re coming at them hard.” –Zhang

Girls Varsity Lacrosse

Captains: Liv Capasso ’19, Audrey Braun ’19

“With great new coaches and a lot of new talent, we’re ready to grow the game. We’ve got killer managers, a killer team, and a killer playlist.” –Braun

Girls Varsity Water Polo

Captains: Paige DeVoe ’19, Katie Broun ’19, Mackenzie Peters ’20

Varsity Girls Softball

Captains: Sara Chung ’19, Sam D’Errico ’20

“We have a lot of new potential this week and are very excited for a spirited season of rebuilding. More importantly, we are looking forward to playing the game we love.” -DeVoe

“This season we are welcoming many new players (and a new assistant coach!). It will be very exciting playing together this season and re-working defensive positions. We are facing a few tough teams this season like St. Lukes and Suffield, and we hope to make it to the FAA Championship once more this season and bring home the win!”–Chung

Girls Varsity Crew

Captains: Gigi Fulginiti ’19, Sam Dies ’20

Girls Varsity Track

“This year we’re hoping to do more to speed up the learning process for novices, so we can all spend more time getting ready for races. Our other goals include winning at regattas like Founder’s Day and having all our boats qualify for the NEIRA regatta. The team is looking pretty big, so I hope we can all really bond over team dinners, Wet Wednesdays, and Nutella this season!” –Fulginiti

Captains: Elise Aslanian ’19, Maliya Ellis ’19, Inge Hughes ’19

“We are so excited to welcome new talent to the team and continue to foster the impeccable talent of our returning athletes. We are also motivated to work hard in preparation for our first FAA championship meet. We foresee infinite success for the girls team this spring.” -Aslanian

Boys Varsity Track

Captains: Michael Christie ’19, George Kosinski ’19

“Boys Track hopes to have an unprecedented sweep of new school records this year. The 4 most highly sought records are to break the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, 400 meter dash, and 800-meter run records. As long as we stay healthy and smart, you will enjoy TRACKING our progress this year.” –Christie

Boys Varsity Crew

Captains: Zubin Kenkare ’19, Ben Washburne ’19

“The boys team is in position to be the best crew team in Hopkins history. We have nine strong seniors and a huge pool of younger rowers. If we can establish ourselves as fat ergos and translate that to the water, we can do some damage. We hope that every boat will qualify for New England’s, each boat will make Grand Finals in their respective category, and that the team will finish top ten in the Points Trophy standings at New England’s. Anything less will be a disappointment.” -Washburne

Note: Not all photos are of the person quoted All Photos Courtesy of Peter Mahakian