Inklings November 2016 Issue

INKLINGS INKLINGS

I

Vol. 88, Issue 4

November 22, 2016

INSIDE

page 10 Born in the wrong generation Jesse Levinson ’17 laments how he, as an avid reader, opposes the role of social media in his life and concludes he belongs to a different generation.

page 16

Stuffed with love

The Wofsy family founded a non-profit organization and hosts national events to donate gifts to children in need.

1 7 11 17 21

News Opinions Features Arts Sports

GRAPHICS BY MELANIE LUST ’19 AND CHANNING SMITH ’17

INCREASE IN

STEM

LIMITS CHOICES State revises graduation requirements, administration pauses new courses Zach Horrowitz ’19

F

or Staples students graduating in 2022, scheduling classes will be a lot different than in previous years due to changes in graduation requirements.

The most notable change is the increased requirements for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

In the past, students had to take five credits in STEM, but the new graduation requirements will expect all students to take eight credits.

“The new state requirements would require students to take quite a bit more math and science and, in even some cases, humanities,” Staples Principal James D’Amico said.

The most noticeable changes are the additional credit requirements in science and math. In science, the credits are increasing from two to three. In math, the credits are increasing from three to four.

As a result of these changes the number of elective credits will decrease dramatically from six to around three and a half, even as low as one and a half.

The root cause for the increase in STEM requirements is the U.S.’s struggle to maintain competitive global STEM competency scores.

“First, students in the U.S. seem to be lagging behind those in other countries in terms of competency in STEM subjects, and this could risk making the country less compet it ive on a worldwide scale,” Gail Lavielle, State Representative and member of the Education Committee, said.

“And second, there is a general impression that with the acceleration of developments in fields like computer science, biotechnology and

engineering of all kinds, there are not enough students in Connecticut with sufficient background to prepare for careers in those fields.”

In reaction to these new requirements, D’Amico has, for now, paused the process for future class proposals.

D’Amico justifies his thinking by claiming that Staples should, “get really good at what we have and figure out where we have to go. What I would hate to see happen is that we keep adding new courses, and then we have to change those; we don’t get a chance to develop them.”

The pause in course proposals does not seem to faze some Staples faculty. “We already have developed a bunch of new STEM courses: Earth Science, 3-D Design and Drawing, Creative Problem Solving, Materials and Design Science, Engineering and Applied Physics, AP Computer Science Principles, Intro to Programming, Intro to Web Programming and Building Web Applications,” AJ Scheetz, science

Credits required before state changes

“STEM should have a much, much bigger role in our community, especially Staples and its classes,” Greg Preiser ’17, member of the i2robotics team, said.

“However, the humanities are extremely important and [...] help balance STEM.” D’Amico believes that with some patience, creativity and flexibility, Staples can figure out ways to meet these new requirements and still maintain student choice.

“There are ways—other than just earning credits—that we coordinator can make sure that these students and science department chair of fulfill these requirements, but we’d have Westport Public Schools said.

However, some students are against the to dedicate ourselves to creating that,” pause and think that high school students D’Amico said. “After we took a pause, we would come up with some really creative should take classes that interest them.

“Kids want to take more classes that ideas.” will expand their horizons and will fit their interests better,” Elle Fair ’19 said. “I hope after this apparent pause, the school will create some cool new classes.”

Other students are pleased to see STEM being represented more, but also believe it is important to maintain an academic balance.

Ashton Dedona ’17

Unisex bathroom delays transgender students’ options & Becky Hoving ’17

Changes in course requirements

Social Studies Before: 3.5 credits After: 3 credits English Before: 4 credits After: 4 credits

Credits required After changes After changes after state changes

Inforgraphic by Max Appell ’18

STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL| 70 North Ave., Westport, Connecticut

Elective Credits Before: 6 credits After: 3.5 credits Science Before: 2 credits After: 3 credits Math Before: 3 credits After: 4 credits

*Names have been changed This past September, the Staples High School administration announced that it would provide new bathroom locks and unisex bathroom signs in response to the push for more inclusive bathroom access.

However, an entire quarter has passed and members of the administration have not yet provided a definite date for when access to these unisex single stall bathrooms will ultimately take place.

“We are awaiting arrival of the new signs and locks and hope to have them in place very soon,” Suzanne Levasseur, Supervisor of Health Services, and Valerie Babich, Coordinator of Psychological Services said in an email release. Nurse Diane Bosch also noted that the timeline of the change is dependent on the order’s arrival.

Continued on page 2

inklingsnews.com

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News | November 22, 2016

SAFE RIDES

SAFERIDE SATURDAYS (from top to bottom) Sarah Neckritz ’17 (left) and Grace Wynne ’17 (right) , two members of the executive board, pose for a photo in the SafeRides headquarters one Saturday evening.

Amanda Neckritz ’18 (left) and social media mananger Katherine Coogan ’17 (right), both members of the executive board, prepare for a evening of pizza while posing with the SafeRides shirt. Sarah Neckritz ’17 answers a phonecall of an student requesting a SafeRide. Members of SafeRides relax on the sofa in between answering calls between 9:30 p.m. and 1:15 a.m.

struggles with decline in

student use and volunteers

rn ste in Be by Ia n

S

Ph ot os

the lull in student use to the spike in popularity of the mobile application transportation network, Uber. While the Uber ride comes afeRides, the Saturday night with cost, it eliminates the personalized volunteer transportation system layer of knowing the driver.

Martin Menz ’19 doesn’t for Westport youth, has recently experienced a decline in its services and like the idea of SafeRides’s a decrease in enrollment, affecting its drivers knowing who he is. “Although I ability to serve the community. that they “I think that recently we’ve had a lot trust of people sign up at club rush, but not a maintain complete there lot of people have actually attended the anonymity, training sessions and handed in their is something kind of applications and forms,” Grace Wynne weird with being driven ’17, a Staples liaison and executive board home by an upperclassmen you don’t know,” Menz said. member, said.

However, other students, The organization has encountered difficulty finding enough student drivers. such as Natalie Schenk ’19 and So, while in the past, the organization had Bridget Mulloy ’19, are not bothered by four cars in service, now they have only the potential awkwardness in receiving a two to three. The consequence for the loss ride from a school peer, and even prefer its services over a pricey, and more risky Uber of volunteers: longer wait times. ride from an unknown driver.

Maureen Coogan, “ I the parent supervisor for “Students who are freshmen and haven’t [used Westport SafeRides believes SafeRides] the program’s decrease in sophomores may not even be because I’ve use lies in students’ lack of familiar with SafeRides, so they never needed awareness. may not consider it as an option it, but I have “Students who for a safe, free, confidential and the number are freshmen and in my phone non-judgmental ride home.” sophomores may not and if I needed even be familiar with -Maureen Coogan, to, I wouldn’t SafeRides, so they may parent supervisor for SafeRides hesitate to call not consider it as an them because option for a safe, free, confidential and non-judgmental ride it’s free and a lot safer than Uber,” Schenck home,” Coogan said. “The current senior said. Mulloy agreed that if she were ever class and the classes that graduated before in a position requiring a ride home on them are very familiar with SafeRides and the weekend, she “would definitely call they primarily relied upon SafeRides as SafeRides over an Uber or a cab.”

SafeRides members have been their way home on a Saturday night.”

SafeRides’ board members also attribute preemptive in examining new strategies

’18

Colette Lippman ’17 & Renee Weisz ’17

and ideas to counteract its decline in use.

According to Coogan, current members promote SafeRides through word of mouth, the club’s Facebook page, and presentations given to school health classes. New tactics include hanging posters around the school and reaching out to the SafeRides organizations in neighboring towns “to see what changes have worked with other school’s clubs and what can be done so that we can learn from what worked for them and what didn’t,”

Julia Bilotti ’18, a board member, said.

Despite any difficulty in volunteer recruitment and student usage, Coogan believes the value of the club still stands.

“The SafeRides club,” Coogan said, “is a wonderful way for Staples High School teens to get involved and volunteer in their community.”

Transgender rights are brought to the attention of Staples administrators Ashton Dedona ’17 & Becky Hoving ’17 Continued from page 1 *Names have been changed These changes aim to mitigate the pressures that transgender and nonbinary students face and is coupled with Connecticut state law passed in 2011 that requires student access to the bathrooms with which they identify.

Principal James D’Amico said Staples’ policy is consistent with the state-wide regulation, and he hopes that access to unisex single stall restrooms for all students will help students “to be as comfortable as possible.”

But Staples isn’t perfect, according to Ryan*, a transgender student.

“Personally, I am still wary of using facilities that match my gender,” he said.

“Though I’m open about my identity

within the school, I’m still not personally out to many people.”

In addition to personal discomfort, Casey*, who identifies as agender, spoke to the fear that comes along with the current accommodations. According to Casey, agender can be defined as people who do not identify strictly with a specific gender but rather within an “umbrella of genders.”

“As soon as someone knows that there’s a trans person in the restroom with them, they freak out. It’s disgusting. We’re not here to freakin’ assault you or even look at you,” Casey said. “Whenever I walk into a restroom, I know for a fact that I’m more afraid of anyone in there than they could be of me.

With this in mind, Casey is confident that single-stall unisex bathrooms would be put to good use. However, until Inklings had contacted them, Casey admits they had “no idea” about the new accommodations.

“It’s definitely vital that they make it known to the students that the locks have been removed,” Casey said, “because that really opens up our options.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Graphic by Channing Smith ’17

News | November 22, 2016

WORLD BRIEFS

3

Melanie Lust ’19

[

PROTESTS ON THE DAKOTA PIPELINE INTENSIFY

Protests are continuing at construction sites of the Keystone oil pipeline, which allegedly runs through sacred Native American ground in North Dakota. Police are currently investigating reports that some protesters were pepper-sprayed and held in dog kennels. Five people have already been arrested in Iowa and Oklahoma, including a Native tribal leader.

]

PEACEFUL PROTESTS A large group of protesters in North Daktoa peacefully march to protest the construction of an oil pipeline.

[ ][ ] Photo via MCT Campus labled for reuse

FEARS OF GENOCIDE ARISE IN BURUNDI

The people of Burundi in Africa have voiced concerns of a possible genocide after a new ethnicity-based census was issued by the government. The census is allegedly different for each major ethnic group in the country, reminding many citizens of events leading up to the Rwandan genocide. While the government referred to the census standards as mere formality, fears increased after several widely-publicized social media posts calling for ethnic-based massacres were published.

IRAQ RECAPTURES TERRITORY DESTROYED BY ISIS

The ancient city of Nimrud in Iraq, built over 3,000 years ago, was reclaimed by Iraqi forces on Nov 13. Before then, ISIS destroyed many of the city’s most historically sacred palaces, monuments, statues, and ancient ruins.

This latest victory comes as part of Iraq’s joint operations command’s ultimate goal of recapturing Mosul, ISIS’ last major stronghold in Iraq.

Nov. 25

LOCAL BRIEFS

Black Friday Following Thanksgiving: Black Friday. Stores open as early as 12 a.m. and stay open all day for shoppers looking for the best deals from places like Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, Victoria’s Secret, Best Buy and even Amazon online.

Nicole Shapiro ’18 Photo via Wikipedia under the creative commons license

Nov. 20

Westport School of Music Faculty Chamber Music Concert Westport School of Music will be showcasing their Faculty Chamber Music Concert at 3:00 p.m. The concert will be at the United Methodist Church located at 49 Weston Road, Westport, CT. There will be no charge for admission and families are encouraged to bring children.

Nov. 24 Thanksgiving All Westport Public Schools will be closed Thursday, Nov. 24 as well as Friday, Nov. 25 due to the holiday. Also, Wednesday, Nov. 23 will be a half day for people to prepare for Thanksgiving.

Dec. 11

Christmas Lessons and Carols Christ & Holy Trinity Church will be holding its 14th annual Christmas Lessons and Carols on Dec. 11. The event will be held at the church located on 75 Church Lane, Westport, CT. Although the event is free, it is highly encouraged to bring donations of nonperishable food to benefit the Food Pantry at St. John’s, Bridgeport.

Dec. 14

Friends of Sherwood Island Park Nature Walk On Dec. 14 from 9-10:30 a.m., Sherwood Island Park will be a having a nature walk. There is no charge to attend and the meeting spot is at the Nature Center parking lot, East Beach. The gently-paced walk will be led by Connecticut and National Audubon Society trained guide, Michele Sorensen.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

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News | November 22, 2016 Graphic by Eliza Goldberg ’17

IS IT WORTH IT

Speculation arises over

Staples’ financial prudence Katelyn DeAgro ’17 & Brett Franklin ’18

S

taples High School is in the top 15 Connecticut schools that spends the most money per student for education. In fact, Westport spends over seven thousand dollars more per student than the lowest-funded school districts.

However, there is speculation over how well that extra money is spent.

According to the Board of Education’s (BOE) adopted 2016-2017 budget, $4,327,050 goes towards supplies and equipment in Westport.

“This school district has amazing resources, and pretty much any request teachers have that is focused on helping students to develop academically is granted,” Julie Heller, the English department chair, said.

However, students like Alyssa Hyman ’18, a member of Student Assembly, question the necessity of some of those purchases.

“The money could be used in better ways, such as renovating the boys’ locker room, purchasing more Smart Boards,” Hyman said.

Some also note that, due to a constant effort to find fresh and relevant materials to keep classes lively, many books in the English department go unused every year.

“We certainly have a lot of books, and they are not all used every year. Some haven’t been used in many years,” Heller said.

Students have also voiced frustration over the physical education department’s spending. In 2013, the district of Westport Public Schools was awarded the Carol M. White PEP Grant, a grant that aspires to “initiate, expand, or enhance physical education programs.”

With this grant, the physical education department purchased new equipment such as archery sets, a climbing wall and rollerblades to enhance the teaching and learning experience. ”The money could be better concentrated in hiring another teacher or two to shrink class sizes or invest in new classroom equipment that would be utilized on a regular basis,” Marshall

Heiser ’18 said.

However, the physical education department said its hands were tied since the funding came with restrictions on what it could and could not be used for.

“There were very strict guidelines on the federally funded grant that we had to follow and everything that was purchased was either proposed within the grant or had to deal with program changes that we made throughout the course of “This school district the grant,” David Gusitsch, physical education department head, said. has amazing resources, Still, there are those who recognize the imbalance of and pretty much any funding. request teachers have “Staples is an amazing school,” Hallie Spear ’18, another member that is focused on helping of Student Assembly, said. “There are many schools close to Staples students to develop that are completely underfunded academically is granted.” and need the extra money that Staples has.”

-Julie Heller, English Overall, however, Spear supports the school’s use of funds. department head.

“I do not think equipment at Staples is wasted,” Spear said. “Most of the equipment [...] is used even if it is nonessential.”

What does Staples spend money on?

Library Resources $39,719 Computer Software Instructional Technology Student Athletics Inforgraphic by Alice Hickson ’17

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

$66,808 $286,736 $415,334 Information from the 2016-2017 Westport Board of Education’s Adopted Budget

News | November 22, 2016

Wellness class promotes mindfulness in action and thought T

Julia Rosier ’18 & Frenchy Truitt ’17

Each day, the class begins with a mindfulness activity—whether it’s reading articles on the current unit, or engaging in a role-play activity where students act out behaviors for scenarios they might face in the real world.

he Wellness class, also known as the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Class (DBT), guides students and provides tips to reduce stress and maintain mindfulness. The class, being taught by Dr. Alycia Dadd, Yasu Wade, Lauren Burkhart, Jenna Giordano and Dr. Thomas Viviano, is in it’s second year at Staples and has drawn student attention.

“The class is really designed to address j u s t common student problems.

If you ever feel like you can’t focus on studying or you’re just dealing with some typical student drama or you kind of have some emotions that come out of nowhere and you don’t understand where they came from,” Viviano said.

According to the website, PsychCentral, DBT was developed in the late 1980s andis designed to teach and encourage people to handle situations Graphic by Channing Smith ’17 differently than they may have handled them before. But that does not mean the Wellness class is “[This is] actually a class where we, a therapy class. Rather, it gives students in the moment, teach kids how to refrain skills to succeed in all aspects of high from looking at their phone, how to stop school. It covers a variety of topics like those emotions that come from checking acknowledging and respecting other your phone or your grades,” Dadd said. people’s opinions, talking their thought Dadd helped start the course at processes out loud and managing stress. Staples last year in part because she

found there was a shortage of research programs in high school that emphasized social and emotional awareness. Dadd ack nowledges that although

there are many strong research programs in kindergarten through eighth grade that encourage mindfulness, “when you get to high school, there’s so much going on, that there’s not really a lot of well-researched interventions,” she said.

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The course has attracted students who are eager to relieve stress and learn how to better manage skills in mindfulness.

Erin McGroarty ’18 enrolled in the class to learn how to better handle any crisis that may arise during her junior year. “This class has helped me so much.

I’ve figured out ways to put things into perspective—whether it’s a bad game or a rough quiz grade—and handle it in the moment by realizing it’s not the end of the world and that it’s all going to be okay,” McGroarty said.

The Wellness DBT class also includes a parent component where the parents of the students come in once a month to watch a presentation that aligns with the content that the students are learning in class.

The parents are exposed to the language and skills so they are able to guide their children outside of class.

Students may enroll in this class by speaking to their guidance counselor.

DBT is open t o all grade levels a n d there are still openings for second semester.

McGroarty, for one, recommends the class. “It’s really fun and relaxing,” McGroarty said, and “has really changed the way I perform as a student at Staples.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

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inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

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Opinions | November 22, 2016

7 opinions opinions

Graphic by Channing Smith ’17

Inklings Editors-in-Chief

Claire Dinshaw & Fritz Schemel

Creative Chief

Channing Smith

Managing Editors

Becky Hoving & Izzy Ullmann

Whips

Jackie Sussman & Andrew Vester

Web Managing Editors Cooper Boardman & Molly Liebergall

Breaking News Managing Editors Kit Epstein & Renee Weisz

Public Relations Directors

Becca Rawiszer & Lauren Stack

Creative Director Eliza Goldberg

Assistant Creative Directors Ellie Kravetz & Melanie Lust

Business Manager Katelyn DeAgro

Assistant Business Managers Brett Franklin & Josiah Tarrant & Kayla Sirlin

News Editors Max Appell & Alice Hickson Lulu Stracher & Frenchy Truitt

Opinions Editors

Emma Greenberg & Anay Simunovic Sophie Driscoll

Features Editors

Margot Mather & Alex Spadacenta Amelia Brown & Julia Rosier

Arts Editors

Ian Bernstein & Bailey Blaikie Ashton Dedona & Alex Reiner

Sports Editors

Jack Beck & Sydney Kaplan Izzy Blansfield & Jonathan Kaner

Web News Editors

Olivia Foster & Zach Hottowitz

Web Opinions Editors Megan Doyle & Jesse Levinson

Web Features Editors

Charlie Colasurdo & Tori Lubin

Web Arts Editors Ivy Prince & Lili Roman

Web Sports Editors

Brendan Massoud & Alexa Moro

Advisors

Mary Elizabeth Fulco, Joseph DelGobbo, Matthew Bohn & Brian Solomon Crown Finalist for Inklingsnews.com from Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2015 Silver Crown Award for Newspaper from Columbia Scholastic Press Association 2014 Pacemaker from National Scholastic Press Association 2013 All the opinions, news and features in this paper are those of Staples High School students. Inklings, a curricular and extracurricular publication, has a circulation of 1,800 and is uncensored. All letters to the editor must be signed. The editorial board reserves the right not to publish letters and to edit all submissions as it sees fit. The editorial board determines all editorial opinions, which are authored faithfully by the Editors-in-Chief. Inklings reserves the right to not publish advertisements that promote products that could be harmful to student health. The paper is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association 70 North Ave. Westport, CT 06880 Phone: (203) 341-1994 Inklingsweb@gmail.com

Battling bystander effect requires administrative change

F

irst, we would like to recognize some Inklings’ members’ roles in the “Staples Meme Page,” a Facebook group in which offensive memes were posted. Several Inklings’ members joined the group and most didn’t immediately report it. This was an oversight. Those who did not inform the administration are guilty of being bystanders, and in retrospect, we understand that the page should have been reported sooner.

Inklings

EDITORIAL Perhaps everyone assumed that someone else would disclose it, but ultimately, only one person did.

Additionally, few posted condemnations of the memes within the Facebook group. More should have been done.

In his announcement to students and corresponding email to parents, Principal James D’Amico said, “My message to the student body yesterday

was simply that all of us need to feel more empowered to be upstanders in the face of hurtful speech toward others.”

While this encouragement to be an upstander is valid, it fails to address the difficulty many students face in weighing whether or not to report an incident. Students often feel they have to weigh their loyalty to classmates with their moral obligation to report misconduct to administration.

Students often feel that if they report an incident it will lead to broad consequences, negatively impacting the entire school.

Idealistic rhetoric simply cannot and will not change the fact that only one out of 300 plus students was willing to reveal the offensive nature of the memes to the administration.

Staples must do more to combat the difficult trade-offs students are forced to make when contemplating whether to reveal an incident to the school.

To facilitate a more open dialogue between administrators and students, we believe it is necessary to establish a method for students to disclose incidents anonymously.

Currently, the policy directing

students to inform Staples’ faculty of incidents is ambiguous, and the guidelines for when out-ofschool actions are punishable school offenses is not clear.

After speaking to the student who did disclose the incident, even she admitted that she was not fully aware of which incidents qualified as school offenses and to whom incidents should be reported.

Going forward, we think it is important to establish a clear policy for informing the administration of potentially destructive acts. We additionally think it is important to provide students with the option of reporting incidents anonymously, without revealing their identity to the administration.

The hesitation to report the Facebook group was wrong. However, moving forward, a better understood and more trusted reporting policy is necessary if we are ever, as a school, going to successfully combat the bystander effect.

Our board voted 26-2 in favor of this opinion. An alternative opinion is presented on inklingsnews.com.

November Political Cartoon

I

Graphic by Margot Mather ’17

Decisions of Inklings and Westport Public Schools are made without regard to race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or any other discriminating basis prohibited by local, state or federal law.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

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Opinions | November 22, 2016 Graphic by Melanie Lust ’19

How I came to terms with the election result

O

Lulu Stracher ’17

n the night before election day, I stood at Independence Hall in Philadelphia along with 33,000 others waiting for history to be made. We felt exuberant at the possibility of the first woman president, which we were positive we would get. When Hillary took the stage and made her final plea to the crowd, I hugged my friends and cheered so loudly that I woke up with a sore throat the next morning.

If I was an inflated balloon on Tuesday morning, by early Wednesday morning I had popped. I was, and still am, in shock. Hillary Clinton’s loss and Donald Trump’s win pains me to my core, and not just because she was my preferred

candidate or because I know she would be an exponentially better president than him.

Her loss hurts me more because I think of the young girls who will grow up not knowing if they are as fierce or smart or capable as the men in their lives. It hurts because it’s the story that so many women know. You can be the most qualified, competent and experienced candidate for the job, and still lose to the incompetent and unqualified man.

Hillary Clinton’s loss makes me wonder if I’ll always be seen as second-best.

Although not all Trump supporters are racist and sexist, they all stared racism and sexism in the face and decided they were okay with it. White working class voters who struggled with the current economic system put their trust

“It hurts because it’s the story that so many women know.”

on a man who has never cared about the little guy, rather than the woman who has spent her career trying to advance the lives of the disenfranchised.

While I’m incredibly lucky to be privileged enough that my life won’t change much under Trump’s policies, people I care about may not be so lucky.

Latino Americans fear a ‘mass deportation force,’ as Trump has promised. Gay Americans worry that the progress they’ve fought so hard for will be reversed.

In the name of Trump, Muslim Americans report an increase in hate speech.

Women wonder if sexual assault will be normalized and accepted. There are already countless instances of hateful rhetoric and even violence against the groups Trump has demonized during his campaign, and I can’t imagine it will halt anytime soon.

I don’t see how I can look forward to things in my future knowing how daunting everything seems in the present. But I know that, eventually, we will move. We must mobilize.

We can’t let the threat of a Trump presidency discourage us from fighting for the causes we care about. We must lick our wounds, we must grieve and then we must fight harder than ever. It’s what Hillary wants.

THE NOT SO GREAT PERKS OF BEING A WALL FLOWER Amelia Brown ’18

You walk through the halls to your next class, saying hi to a few people on the way.

Once you sit down at your desk, a friend comes over and you talk until the bell.

During class, you raise your hand a few times to make sure you get your participation grade.

You meet with your group to finish a presentation. The bell rings. Repeat seven more times. That is an extraordinary amount of socialization and human interaction in one day, especially for introverts like myself. With t h e growing push for collaboration and class participation, we introverts are being left to fend for ourselves (and while normally we like being alone, this is an exception).

There are a lot of misconceptions about introverts, so let me clear things up right off the bat. By definition, being an introvert means that after socializing, we need quiet time by ourselves to think and re-charge.

Basically, it’s physically and mentally exhausting to be around other people.

Now, school is exhausting for everyone just based on the fact that it starts so early. But for an introvert, constantly being surrounded by noise and people makes it extra hard to get through without a nap. I understand that there’s

no way for the school to enforce a silent passing time or create individual classes, but changing the way group work and participation play into each day would be beneficial to introverted students.

Question: What is an introvert’s kryptonite? Answer: Group work.

Working with others is an important skill, and, most of the time, the problem isn’t with the people in the group. It’s just that I’m pretty sure group projects were created by an extrovert with the intention of causing mental anguish to introverts.

My freshman year social studies teacher gave my class a choice to work with a partner on a presentation or work alone on an essay. Guess who was the only one to write an essay? And the thing is, I was so happy to just be able to get out of group work that I didn’t mind doing the less fun and more difficult assignment.

Even big companies are starting to focus more on creating a better environment for their introverted workers.

As reported by The Economist, Amazon now requires each meeting to start in silence as everyone reads the memo, focusing more on knowledge rather than participation.

Hint, hint.

In bigger groups, like, oh, I don’t know, an entire class, it takes an enormous amount of effort for an introverted person to be social while thinking, especially since, “you may focus a good deal of your energy on your own inner world,” according to Susan Whitbourne in her Psychology Today article about how introverts think. To vocalize our thoughts to other people is not something that comes as naturally as it does to extroverts.

Having either written participation check-ins, or not having participation grades at all would even the playing field.

“By definition, being an introvert means that after socializing, we need quiet time by ourselves to think and re-charge.”

Graphic By Eliza Goldberg ’17

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Opinions | November 22, 2016

9

Don’t delete our individuality

The Inklings Artichoke Satire

Current education systems produce same types of students Jackie Sussman ’17

Checks and balances prevent Trump from real change Fritz Schemel ’17

I

“American media has been dismantled as well. After claiming that The New York Times was losing subscribers because of their “inaccurate” coverage of the candidate, The Times closed down their operations on their own accord.”

t’s one week into the presidency of Donald Trump, and already, everything has changed... almost.

Although many originally thought Trump would appoint a highly conservative judge to the Supreme Court at the start of his term, he instead declared the entire judicial branch unconstitutional, saying that because it did not rule in favor of every law he supported, it “was very mean, not nice and wrong.”

And so his first initiative as president was to attempt to appoint justices who were anti-Constitution.

However, Trump’s plans were quickly foiled when the Senate refused to appoint Trump’s justices.

In retaliation, Trump declared he would fire the entirety of the American bureaucracy, saying “these people are part of the Establishment. They have to

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go.”

To

assist him with r i d d i n g Washington of career politicians, Trump recruited some career politicans like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Giuliani and Gingrich have been in politics since the late 1970s and will serve as real game changers for restructuring this country’s government.

“Listen, he clearly has a mandate from the people. I mean 47 percent of voters wanted him to win, compared to just 48 percent for Hillary. We have to listen to the people,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said while hiding under his Capitol Hill desk, trembling at the thought that Trump will come, find him, declare him part of the

Establishment and say “You’re fired.”

Trump’s attentions then turned towards dismantling the liberal American media. He attempted to ban press from attending any major mainstream news event. However, his efforts backfired when news sites cited the First Ammendment and still attended and reported on his events.

Trump’s presidency has tried to shake American democracy to the ground to be left in dust. However, checks and balances have limited his ability to create change and make America great again. What a shame. *** Donald Trump’s election is troubling to many, but it must be recognized that a doomsday scenario of a crumbling democracy is unachievable. Checks and balances prevent even the most egotistical, power-hungry leader from assuming complete control. In this time of great pessimism among Staples students, that’s something to be optimistic about.

We students are constantly faced with the question: what makes us tick?

As if we’re supposed to have it figured out by the time we apply to college. We may have interests, but we don’t really have it all figured out. High school is supposed to guide us on our road to self-discovery, and it has failed. And for that, we can thank the structure of our education system.

Shout-out to you A.P. Lang students: the predominant flaw is in the system’s major premise. Schools believe that their mission is to produce well-rounded global citizens.

That’s a great idea. Produce children without any semblance of independence in deciding what interests them by cramming stiff course requirements down their throats.

Just great.

I know what you’re probably thinking: “There are so many courses at Staples, and we get to choose which ones we take. This argument is a bust.”

We are lucky to be in a high school that attempts to give students some autonomy in exploring and deciding their academic interests. However, in addition to our bare graduation requirements, students are (if not explicitly) implicitly forced to take certain courses: the “tracks,” i.e. taking the highest level of course offerings available to them in every subject that have helped students successfully get into competitive colleges. To top it off, colleges themselves have specific recommendations of amounts of courses in each area. All of this is done in the name of making students wellrounded for some greater societal benefit.

I subscribe to a philosophy set forth

by John Dewey, who was instrumental in the development of educational reform in the 20th century. Education isn’t about preparing students to live a useful life, but teaching them how to live pragmatically and immediately in their current environment. Education is about preparing individuals to live independently, not preparing individuals to live as members of a society.

When individuals live independently, their only responsibility is to themselves.

Individuals are only responsible for their own Platonic pursuit of excellence in whichever subject they choose. Thus, it is the burden of the individual to decide which topics are important to learn, not the school. This works at Brown. This works at Smith. This works at Vassar. This works at Wesleyan. This, too, can work at Staples.

I am not proposing a completely open curriculum. I do believe in bare course requirements to expose students, early in their high school careers, to as many subjects as possible. I understand that not every student has the maturity to make these decisions, but that doesn’t mean schools alone should make these decisions for students.

I am merely a high school senior who has felt her interests change from strictly humanities to more S.T.E.M. courses, who wishes she had the option to take a wider breadth of courses solely on the basis of interest and not based on course level or prestige. My understanding of “free-choice” is not to have structured A.P. courses make up the only pool from which I can choose classes. Solutions may lie in having more semester courses instead of full year courses or allowing students to choose their own rigor (not based on grade level) and complete every subject at their own pace.

I’m pointing out a problem. In the spirit of this article, it is up to you to run with it and shape your own education.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

10

Opinions | November 22, 2016

Born in the

WRONG

Honored to be celebrating my 18th birthday at the voting booth

GENERATION

My experience voting for the first time

Get me out of Generation Z

I

Jesse Levinson ’17

used to send Snapchats of books I was reading, underlining sentences that I found particularly funny or alarmingly existential. Sometimes I would even add brief captions expressing my thoughts, and if I was feeling exceptionally quirky, I’d throw in my favorite emoji—the sly guy wearing sunglasses.

I would go through my list of Snapchat friends and check the ones I thought would appreciate my messages.

I envisioned the responses I hoped to receive: a connection to another book, a personal anecdote or even a message calling me nerdy (accompanied by the nerd emoji, of course).

However, what I so often received were captionless Snapchats of either half a face, or a single eye that took up

Photos by Ellie Kravetz ’18 Graphics by Channing Smith ’17

my entire phone screen. Why avid Snapchaters feel so inclined to hide the majority of their face, I will never know.

From then on, it became apparent to me that Snapchat—or any other social media platform—was not for me. This brought me to a pretty unfortunate conclusion, but one that I must live with; I simply do not belong in this generation.

In addition to my discontent with Snapchat, there are a variety of other factors that led me to this realization.

For one, I prefer reading a book over watching some dumbed-down Netflix show (I know, the horror). I would also take a Woodstock-esque concert— no matter the weather— over listening to some guy on his laptop any day.

In the words of Pablo Picasso, “Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.”

Just like reading allows me to reach my own conclusions, listening to a live, outdoor performance allows me to have a more personalized experience.

Maybe I sound condescending.

Maybe I sound like some curlybearded, bombastic wilderness man.

Either way, I’m certainly not the first person to echo the sentiment that technological advancements may not be quite as good as we think.

In his Pulitzer Prize finalist novel “The Shadows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains,” Nicholas Carr writes, “The Net’s interactivity gives us powerful new tools for finding information.

It also turns us into lab rats constantly pressing levers to get tiny pellets of social or intellectual nou r i s h m e nt .”

Whether we’re constantly refreshing our Instagram feeds to check for new “likes” or commenting unrelated, occasionally funny memes for attention, we have all been the crazed “lab rats” Carr discusses. Even I, a dilapidated caveman by today’s standards, am subject to the classic move of occasionally re-updating my Facebook profile picture to get more likes.

Megan Brown ’17

St i l l , i f I h a d t he c hoic e , I wou ld t r ave l b a c k a c ouple hu nd re d ye a r s to t he si mple d ay s of k ero s ene l a mp s for w a r mt h a nd doge a re d b o ok s for ent er t a i n ment .

I w a nt to l i ve i n a world t h at pl a c e s emph a si s on hu m a n me r at her t h a n my on l i ne prof i le .

Yet I get that this is a bit too much to ask, so for now, I will stick to my book snapchats.

Election day fell on my 18th birthday and I could not have been happier to kick it off in the voting booth. I walked into Long Lots Elementary School wearing 5-inch heeled boots and with my ID in hand. I was ready to go, but I had no idea what I was doing. Being one of the only teenagers there, I was both over the moon and apprehensive.

The first thing that caught my attention as I entered the front door was the interminable line that overflowed the corridor. I could hear a distant yet undoubtedly audible voice shouting, “This is the line for streets that start with ‘W’ only!” For some reason, it seemed like every person in Westport lived on a street that started with a ‘W.’ When I made it to the front of the line, the woman asked for my name, address and I.D. Shaking, I handed her my license and she gave me a ballot and a manila folder. I walked over to one of the booths and scanned the ballot up and down, left and right. As I hovered over the ballot, I meticulously filled bubbles like I was retaking the ACT. Once I finished, I concealed my bubbles in the manila folder and strode over to the ballot box. I dropped the manila folder in a transparent, plastic bin and “I felt humbled placed my ballot on the machine. to take My fingers trembled as the advantage box sucked up my ballot, never of the 19th again. amendment to beWseen alking out of the gym, and to I was relieved and empowered. represent I took the “I other Voted” sticker and proudly teenagers adhered it to my who were not sweater. Through the doubleyet eligible to door, I saw my mom waiting for vote.” me with open arms. I felt like a real woman.

A real woman with power.

It was hard to believe that less than 100 years ago, I would not have been granted the right to vote. My voice would not have been heard. Passion, gratitude and equality filled my whole body—from the tingling of my toes, to the pounding of my full, hefty heart.

I felt humbled to take advantage of the 19th amendment and to represent other teenagers who were not yet eligible to vote.

I encourage everyone to be politically involved and to not be afraid to voice your opinions. Your opinions matter. Whether you are eight, 18 or 88, you are never too young or too old to develop your own opinions.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

SEASONAL BLUES

Features | November 22, 2016

Moods fall with season’s change Izzy Blansfield ’18

that have to be present for someone to be diagnosed with seasonal depression. If someone is just not feeling as light or up in the s it gets darker and the days winter as they are in the spring get shorter and colder, some and summer seasons, it’s not Staples students feel the blues. necessarily seasonal depression,” “Every fall and winter I experience Frimmers said. “People love to a major change in my overall well being. be outside; it’s a response to the Sunshine is very uplifting to me and when shorter days, but it’s not the same winter comes around and it gets dark, my thing as having seasonal depression.”

Fifty-five percent of the 221 surveyed mood changes,” Charlotte Revelli ’18 said. students claim Some might associate changes in Staples seasonal mood to seasonal affective to experience the SAD disorder (SAD), or seasonal depression, symptoms, but only 6 which is a subtype of depression that percent of those students occurs when the seasons change—most claim to have been diagnosed seasonal depression. commonly when the colder seasons with “I think that the changing of the approach. However, experts warn seasons really that not all seasonal affects the Staples blues qualify as SAD. community “A lot of people “It’s not gonna be dark dynamic. It really experience a sense of forever.” adds stress, causes blues while the seasons sleep problems are changing,” Westport - Joan Frimmers, and, overall, psychiatrist, Joan ultimately affects Frimmers said, “but Westport psychologist students’ grades,” it’s not necessarily the Donovan Ross same thing as having diagnosable seasonal depression.” ’18 said. “A lot of students say that their According to WebMD, people worst grades are from the third quarter, who have seasonal depression often which consists of January, February show symptoms of low energy, sleep and March—the coldest time of year.”

Frimmers advises students who are problems, depressed and solemn feelings, difficulty concentrating experiencing seasonal blues to exercise and changes in appetite and weight. and try cognitive behavioral therapy in “There are certain symptoms order to make the transition smoother.

A

“If you find your mood is down during the shorter days, do any form of physical activity,” Frimmers said. “Physical activity gets your heart rate up which will have a chemical impact on the brain and help lift one’s mood.”

Ultimately, Frimmers advises those who may be experiencing symptoms of seasonal depression to stay optimistic, pointing out that “It’s not gonna be dark forever.”

Graphic by Cat Graham ’19

Evan: a woman of many talents leaves her mark Megan Doyle ’18 While Fran Evan is technically the paraprofessional for the English and social studies departments, in the Staples community, she serves as so much more. Writer, artist and British history enthusiast are all ways to describe Evan.

Evan has enjoyed the past 13 years, especially since the job’s requirements and expectations have developed and changed.

At first, “It was very regimented and limited,” Evan said. “But as the years have progressed, there’s been more demand for me to learn new skills and more responsibility, which I have really enjoyed.”

Evan also had a desire to do more than just sit at her desk all day. She wanted to be in the classrooms teaching. So, one aspect of her job consists of popping into the occasional AP Euro or English class and presenting on British history. She provides “her content expertise to our teachers,” Lauren Francese, the social studies department head, said.

Evan’s expertise on Britain is partially based on the fact that she was born in England. As a child, her parents took her to many palaces, castles and other important monuments in England, which helped develop her lifelong love for

Photos by Emma Greenberg ’18

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

British history.

A f t e r moving to the United States when she was 13, she still longed for England.

It took her quite NOT YOUR AVERAGE PARA Fran Evan not only is the para of the a while to get english and social studies departments, but drops into AP European accustomed to History classes to teach lessons. One of her favorite lessons to teach the new country. is about the British traditions held on Guy Fawkes Day, Nov. 5.

“I never really got 100 percent over it; I’m still connected “The Forgotten Flag: Revolutionary in Connecticut” to all things British. My ears perk up Struggle Her book is historical when I hear anything about Britain, the royal family, Brexit, or anything fiction written for fifth and sixth going on over there,” Evan said. graders, and provides information In David Willick’s AP Euro class, Evan about the Revolutionary war Fairfield, Connecticut. presents twice a year: once on the English in But after so many years of Tudor Monarchs, and again on Guy Fawkes day. He includes these lessons to provide service, Evan says this will be her the students with a different voice and story. last year at Staples. Much to the “The kids like her because she is very social studies and English teachers’ excited about the topics, and she has a dismay, Evan will be retiring.

“I’m trying not to think about British accent which gives her a lot of authority and credibility,” Willick said. her retirement because it makes Alex McMahon ’17, one of the me very sad,” Francese said.

Evan says she will miss Staples, but students who Evan has taught, agrees that her lessons are lively and interesting. she is looking forward to furthering “She was really excited about it, her artistic pursuits and plans to so it was really engaging,” McMahon continue working on her next book.

“From the moment I started said. “She knew all the details about what these people might’ve been like, working here, I felt welcomed, I felt and she told it like she knew them.” at home, I felt comfortable,” Evan In addition to her extensive knowledge said. “Everyone treats me with great on British history, Evan contributes to the respect. Everyone is kind to me.

Staples community through her writing I must say, I’ve not had a bad day skills. She has a published book, called in my 13 years of working here.”

11

12

Features | November 22, 2016

Meme group exposes Cyberbullying by the numbers Out of a survey of 186 Staples students

Becky Hoving ’17 & Claire Dinshaw ’17

76.8 percent of students at least somewhat agree the Staples community is accepting of minority groups

43 percent of students agree that intolerence has increased recently (within the past few weeks) at Staples.

38.2 percent of students agree they have been a bystander before.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

*names have been changed.

D

an* never expected a seemingly harmless secret Facebook group to be that big of a deal.

Soon enough, however, the once private Facebook “Staples Meme Group” became a vehicle for derogatory comments.

“What used to be a small fun group between friends kind of turned into a mob mentality,” Dan said.

The group, which was reported to the school administration on Nov. 7, horrified many in the Staples community due to the “offensive and mean-spirited” nature of much of its content, according to a letter written to Westport parents

by Principal James D’Amico.

Many of the memes were anti-semitic, one picturing a visibly scared Spongebob and an angry Patrick with the caption “A hiding Jewish naked boy is spotted by an SS officer.”

Others attacked the disabled, with one meme including the caption, “When you accidentally open the door to the special ed room and the retarded kid tries to escape,” over a picture of a distorted fish from Spongebob.

One student replied to a comment on this post saying, “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

Another meme depicted a young Muslim girl wearing a Hijab with a caption that insinuated she was a terrorist.

While most of the memes were re-posted from the internet, others were created by students themselves.

“I am disturbed by most of the content,” Tim*, who was involved in the meme group, said, “and am embarrassed to know I was involved with it, no matter how much I was involved.”

Though several other students who engaged with the content of the group declined to comment on the subject, Dan, who was involved, also echoed feelings of remorse.

“I think people were just trying to be funny. There is a line between humor and offense, and I think that on some posts, it was crossed. But I also think that a lot of the memes were pretty funny.”

However, Dan’s response was not widely shared by all in the community.

Kayla Bilotti ’18, who is on the executive board of TAG and was never in the group herself, felt differently.

“I believe it was a vehicle for hatred and racism,” Bilotti said. “The group being over [300] members made the content seem as if it was okay. It makes people feel

their racism and hatred is justified because others feel the same and open up about it, creating a sort of normality.”

Despite the fact that membership in this group numbered in the hundreds, only one student eventually came forward and reported the incident to administration, according to D’Amico’s letter.

“I’m sure others recognized the offensiveness, but felt it wasn’t their place to get involved because they personally weren’t attacked,” Theo Koskoff ’18 said.

“Perhaps a little bit of empathy towards victims is what’s needed in those cases.”

Dr. Alycia Dadd, a psychologist at Staples, added to this idea.

“When you’re writing a post, you don’t realize there is actually someone on the other end of the computer,” Dadd said.“People are more okay with morality being disregarded online. It goes back to the idea that I would never say this in person, but I have the opportunity to say it online.”

Features | November 22, 2016

13

s Westport’s

Graphics by Channing Smith ’17

Dadd also mentioned that some students do not realize the impact these posts may have on their future.

“What you put out there at a young age, you will be responsible for in the future,” Dadd said. “The hard thing is that developmentally as a young person, in the moment, you aren’t thinking about all of those long -term consequences, but they’re there.”

It has been alleged that each of the creators of the group was suspended for three days, but the school administration would neither confirm nor deny this claim.

However, according to Koskoff, this is far from a permanent solution.

“I’m sure many people didn’t fully comprehend why what was posted on those pages was so offensive,” Koskoff said, “and those people should not be punished; they should be educated.”

Koskoff later expanded on how he hopes the community will respond to the incident.

“If our school really wants to tackle

“There needs to be more teaching of not just tolerance but love.”

- Theo Koskoff ’18 this issue, there needs to be more teaching of not just tolerance but love,” he said. “Our school needs to have more emotionally-safe spaces, where people are able to let out their anxieties, discomforts, and differences without resorting to an offensive Facebook page with a bunch of dumb memes.”

In an announcement made to the student body on Nov. 9, D’Amico

encouraged everyone to take a moment to reflect on what was posted in the meme group. Though the administration has reached out to the Anti-Defamation League, as of Nov. 17, no specific plan was released by the administration to speak about this incident further.

However, according to D’Amico, the school has “reached out to the ADL [The

A nt i -D e f a m a t i o n League] and other organizations to help us put a plan together for moving forward.”

For the time being, Dadd warned of the importance of responsibility and action in these types of situations.

“Letting it go, that’s making it worse. If the first problem was [that] it started to grow and it became hateful, that’s an opportunity for students to change something, for students to shut it down,” Dadd said. “There are a lot of things that happen with different intentions, but once the mood changes, it has to stop. Even though you didn’t anticipate it, as an administrator of the group, it’s your responsibility to stop it.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

14

Features | November 22, 2016

Tasty Delights

Students whip up culinary masterpieces W

Tori Lubin ’18

to by S

et h

Mc Coy ’ 19

hile the art of eating sweets may not be a challenge for most, the art of baking is a technique perfected by a select few.

Seth McCoy ’19, Agnes Holm ’19 and Abby Turner ’18 are among those in this exclusive group of the baking elite.

Seth McCoy “I was cooking from a young age—just making scrambled eggs with my dad—and from there I just really liked making food,” McCoy said with a smile. “I graduated on to baking with my grandma. She is kind of

well known in our family for making complex desserts.”

Over the past two summers, McCoy catered for breakfasts, lunches and parties, where he has had the opportunity to showcase both his baking and cooking skills.

“A lot of people say it’s more of a science. I’ve never thought of it like that,” McCoy said. His repertoire of sweet and savory dishes is extensive, including, but not limited to, meatballs, kosher for passover biscotti, eggs benedict, poached salmon and bread pudding french toast.

“Not a bit left afterwards,” McCoy said about his french toast that he made for a catering event.

McCoy’s aptitude for baking has served him well at home. He is the only member of his family, besides his grandma, who can successfully bake the old family recipe for Russian tea biscuits.

“My mom grew up in a kosher household...

We don’t use a lot of nonkosher ingredients,” McCoy o Ph said. “It’s how my grandma cooked and how I cook now.”

Agnes Holm Holm has also found inspiration for her baking through her family.

“I got into baking when I was really little and I got to always help my mom

EGGCELLENT COOKING McCoy arranged his rendition of Tex Mex eggs benedict with bean salsa, pulled beef infused with hollandaise sauce, and a side of mint covered watermelon.

FROM THEIR ROOTS Both McCoy (left) and Holm (bottom) discovered their love for cooking through their family, and have continued on their own paths.

Photos by Eliza Goldberg ’17

when she was baking,” Holm said.

“My grandpa was a baker so I guess the love for it runs in the family.”

Holm has been baking independently at home since she was 10 years old. She has since participated in “Aux Delices” baking camp over the summer to perfect her culinary techniques.

At “Aux Delices,” Holm learned how to make a variety of different desserts, including chocolate crumb cake muffins, crepes and cupcakes.

“At the camp I got to learn how to work together as a team to bake,” Holm said. “This helped me realize how useful and fun it is to not only work individually.”

“Aux Delices” camp enhanced Holm’s culinary technique, allowing her to effectively feed her sweet tooth.

“I love making mini chocolate chip cookies because I make them bite size and you can get away with eating fifteen at a time with little guilt,” Holm said.

Abby Turner Turner doesn’t consider chocolatechip cookies to be her specialty

Students flock to thrift shops seeking one-ofa-kind styles Channing Smith ’17

It’s last year’s sweater. A scarf your grandma gave as a birthday gift which you pretended you liked. Jeans which now don’t even stretch to your ankles. A sweatshirt that’s been sitting at the bottom of your closet for years.

It’s someone else’s treasure.

Thrift stores are making a comeback among Millennials. Many trend analysts point to the 2008 economic depression, saying that it forced many consumers to rethink a $40 t-shirt purchase and go in pursuit of more sensible options.

According to the National Association of Resale Professionals, the past two years have witnessed a 7 percent increase each year in the opening of consignment stores, or stores selling second—hand merchandise.

There are even several in the Westport area—such as Second Time

Around, Roundabout, Goodwill and Then Again—which cater to shoppers looking for an individual look.

Ketty Moise, employee at Roundabout, a resale shop on Post Road, explained why the demand for consignment is on the rise.

“Women are constantly rotating their closets with the seasons and trends,” Moise said. “Reduced prices on second—hand items can make it possible to keep up with styles.”

Kai Dasbach ’19, a frequent consignment store shopper, explains that her love of consignment shopping stems from the unique styles that they offer.

“I like to go to thrift shops because you can get some cool finds and one— of—a—kind pieces,” Dasbach said.

This love of all things different rises from this generation’s “hipster movement,” or rejection of big brand

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

n a m e s and mainstream trends.

This pattern, lovingly referred to as the “Urban Outfitters Effect,” has been proven by trend scientists such as Jonathan Touboul for Washington Post.

Marnie Adelkopf ’17, another frequent thrift store customer, echoes this belief of styles that strays from the mainstream.

“I would go in looking for a casual,

like Holm, but instead enjoys baking cupcakes and macaroons.

“I think anytime I successfully make something that people enjoy it’s an accomplishment” Turner said. “But I do feel really accomplished when someone tries something I made, and they are surprised by how much they like it.”

Turner uses her culinary talents to treat the people around her. “My favorite people to bake for are my family and friends,” Turner said. “I usually bake on the weekends because that’s when I have the most time.”

While all of the students enjoy baking as a pastime, none of them plan to pursue baking post-graduation. According to Holm however, “I don’t really want to make baking my career, but I definitely will have a lot of fun with it anyways.”

Ph ot o

D

ra m at a

za tio n

by C

ha nn

in gS m

ith

’17

kinda-hipster style for a music festival or something,” Adelkopf said.

However, this love of all things unique comes with a price.

Differing from big name brands, which offer every color in every size, thrift stores offer one-of-a-kind pieces. Dasbach described it as a “hit—or—miss.”

Adelkopf agrees and recommends that “you shouldn’t go in looking for anything specific because they have more of a random—selection.

You can’t really expect anything.”

Features | November 22, 2016

15

Neal Soni: Living proof of intrepid success through his many achievements

with around 60 other high school students from around the country working on nanotechnology research.

In simpler terms, he studied the eal Soni ’18 is not an average construction and utilization of structures high school student as he on the molecular scale. Specifically, he balances his packed schedule worked with his team on developing a of five AP-level courses with his love polymer to help reduce scarring after for math, science, robotics, Taekwondo spinal surgery and decrease the recovery and tutoring, all while going the extra time and complications of a surgery.

Soni was inspired to pursue this mile to pursue many other passions.

For starters, he is a tech guru. In the project after his grandfather underwent past year, Soni has worked on creating surgery. “My research was aimed to an app with fellow student, Dylan help people like my grandfather to Diamond ’17 to control Tesla cars—Tesla have a much quicker recovery time motors is a top-notch energy storage after lower back surgery,” Soni said. oni intends to patent the process and company which specializes in electric publish a paper, “Characterization of cars—from an Apple watch and iPhone.

Pluronic F127 Degradation Patterns The app works to carry out various functions of the car, by summoning it to and Drug Release Under Laminar Flow for the desired locations and live-tracking the a Preventative Measure Against Failed Back movements of the car all from the screen of Surgery Syndrome,” which he will present an Apple watch or iPhone and currently has with his team at the Materials Research over 1,000 Tesla owners using it worldwide. Society conference this December.

Another interest of his is robotics.

Soni’s passion for technology is also evident from his interest in He is currently a part of i²robotics, one drones. Soni has loved flying and of the five robotics teams at Staples. The building drones since middle school. team usually meets every Friday, and During the summer of his works towards their goal of qualifying for ninth grade year, Soni worked worlds, a robotics competition including with a professor and PhD high school teams from all over the world.

Last year Soni attended the student at the University of Cincinnati to design competition with his old robotics and build a drone that team, W Prime robotics. The team was could hover efficiently nominated for the “Inspire award,” at a 37.5 degree angle. a recognition that is only awarded Normal drones to four or five teams out of 4,000.

This year, he decided to switch teams, can only control four out of six degrees of and joined i²robotics. “I felt [W Prime] freedom, but “our needed more structure and guidance from design is different mentors, which i²robotics has” Soni said. is interests in robotics, engineering from most drones and programming stem from because it can control curiosity. “Ever since I was a kid, I all six,” Soni said.

The advantage really liked taking things apart,” Soni said. of controlling all “I used to disassemble the printer at my six degrees is that house and take out the motors and just learn it can achieve higher how everything worked. I actually built a efficiencies during flight 3D printer in middle school from scratch.”

He then took that curiosity and paired and the right algorithms can achieve longer flight time. it with his talents in math. “Throughout Soni furthered his elementary school, I studied at Kumon, a involvement with the drone private tutoring company, and that’s when earlier this month when he I started getting into math,” Soni said. “But presented his paper, “Design in sixth grade I really became good at math Fabrication and Control of a and that’s when I started skipping grades.”

Now, as a junior, Tilt Rotor he is enrolled in Quadcopter,” AP differential at the equations, the A m e r i c a n “I felt humbled to take highest math class Society of advantage of the 19th available at Staples.

Mecha nica l S o n i Engineering amendment and to recognizes his conference in fortune Minneapolis. represent other teenagers good in being able to He presented who were not yet eligible attend Staples. at the “The people at conference, to vote.”

Staples were all by invitation, really nice and in front of accepting,” Soni hundreds of said.

“Staples academia, professionals and professors. not only [allows] people to excel but “It was really fun but a little [doesn’t] discriminate or make fun scary presenting to a group of of the people that are really smart”.

Ultimately, Soni credits his positive technical experts,” Soni said.

But Soni wasn’t done outlook on life for motivating him to with his engineering pursuits. take advantage of all situations and make He spent this past summer the best out of what he is offered. Soni at the Garcia Center at said he views life “as an opportunity Stony Brook University and honor, rather than a risk.”

Izzy Blansfield ’18

N

S

TECHNOLOGICAL EXPLORATION Neal Soni ’18 is a part of the i2robotics team, has created an app to control Tesla cars (patent pending) and is planning to publish a paper titled, “Characterization of Pluronic F127 Degradation Patterns and Drug Release Under Laminar Flow for a Preventative Measure Against Failed Back Surgery Syndrome.”

Photos by Ellie Kravetz ’18

H

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

16

Features | November 22, 2016

Stuffed With Love empowers youth

A

Lili Romann ’19

feels that some students are less aware of the satisfaction one receives from giving, as they are more adapted to being given.

“A large part of Kidz Give Bak today is to allow inner city kids the same ability: to be empowered and give back to their communities,” Hallie Wofsy said.

“Through grants, KGB is able to host these events in inner city neighborhoods so that all kids, regardless of their financial background, can feel good about making a difference in their communities.”

Stuffed With Love is holding their annual event Nov. 25, 2016 at The Norfield Grange in Weston from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., requiring a $25 registration fee from each party. They encourage everybody available to come out and participate.

“Kids are all coming together to give back to their community without the help of parents,” Hallie Wofsy said. “Just kids helping kids.”

Photos contributed by Layla Wofsy ’19

child suffering cancer receives a plush, stuffed dog dressed in a pink skirt alongside a beautiful ‘get well’ note, and it makes her day. Suddenly, the pain she is feeling is somewhat relieved.

Somebody is thinking of her.

Kidz Give Back is a non-profit organization founded by the Wofsy family of Westport. The organization holds national events, called Stuffed With Love, where communities are invited to come together to create stuffed animals that will be donated to children in need.

Hallie Wofsy, mother and wife of the Wofsy family, finds giving back empowering and important, a notion which ignited her idea of holding the first Stuffed With Love event in 2007.

The charity was so successful that the family decided to officially start the nonprofit organization in 2010.

“The response was so positive that we knew we needed to somehow make this a tradition. In 2010, on New Year’s Eve, we made a family resolution to create Kidz Give Back Foundation a nonprofit organization,” Hallie Wofsy said.

Annually, the day after Thanksgiving, a Stuffed With Love event is held at various venues within Fairfield County.

Layla Wofsy ’19 has treated these events as her November birthday since she

believes November is the month of giving for everyone, not just herself.

The stuffed animal creation process is set up like an assembly line: there is a station that has an assortment of different plush animal outer casings, a station for stuffing, as well as miniature clothing and accessories for decoration. At the end of the process, participants are asked to fill out a survey reviewing the event.

“Some of these kids say it was the best day of their lives because they have never had the chance to give back before. They loved it,” Layla Wofsy said. “They want to keep doing more—anything they can to help.”

Sami Levin ’19 is a lifelong friend of Layla Wofsy and has seen the philanthropy flourish throughout the years.

“My experience has been amazing.

I’ve seen it develop from a small event in the Wofsy’s living room to an event held in numerous states,” Levin said.

Stuffed With Love has expanded to cities like Bridgeport, Harlem, and has even been held within cities in Florida.

The foundation frequently receives grants, so that Stuffed With Love may service areas of lower socioeconomic status. Hallie Wofsy finds that concept of giving important, especially in areas where this concept is foreign. She

STUFFING FOR A CAUSE Layla and Maya Wofsy (right, middle photo) of the Kidz Give Back Foundation visited four Harlem public schools to give students a chance to make stuffed animals. This event benefitted over 400 inner city children.

Graphics by Melanie Lust ’19

Westport Yarns offers stress relief Daniel Harizman ’19 Westport Yarns, the small local yarn store located at 582 Post Road East, owned

by Beth Schaefer, has been around for just over a decade. The small business aims to raise awareness of the many benefits of knitting.

Run by owner Beth Schaefer and her quartet, Julie Van Norden, Pam Grushkin, Margaret Peters, and Danni Conway, the store provides Westport with its necessary selection of yarn.

“Beth stepped in to buy [Westport Yarns] because she felt that Westport needed to maintain a yarn store.

It’s more of a labor of love than anything else,” Van Norden said.

With her offering of sewing classes and product line of locally fabricated sweaters, scarfs and hats, Schaefer

HANDMADE Westport Yarns offers classes for residents to learn different knitting techniques, such as casting on for beginners and cable-knit for the more experienced.

Beth Schaefer and Pam Grushkin display their knitting styles. In addition, one of the classes offered, Customfit, “is a revolutionary new computerized sweater program that practically guarantees the finished product will meet all your expectations,” according to the store’s website.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

has encouraged many to attempt yarn—related activities.

Marta Clanton ’17 is the founder of her business Marta’s Crochet, which produces crochet bralettes of all colors and sizes. Familiar with the local selection, Clanton really understands the differentiation in yarn quality.

“The quality is fantastic at Westport Yarns and any expert would obviously understand it is the place to shop,” Clanton said.

Schaefer says knitting serves as an important break that fosters imagination and handmade creation.

“I think [knitting] would help [high school students] because kids spend so much time on

Photos by Renée Weisz ’17

their phones; doing something creative with your hands is nice,” Schaefer said.

Clanton attests that knitting has served as a positive and productive outlet.

“Ever since I began knitting, my stress levels have gone down significantly,” Clanton said. “One of the biggest things it has taught me is, most simply, that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

For Van Norden, active participation in this pastime has allowed her to understand, first hand, the true health benefits behind knitting.

“I think there is an intrinsic need in the human soul to create things with our hands. We have gone so far away from that as a society,” Van Norden said. “To be able to do something with your hands, it’s really fantastic.”

INKLINGS | November 22, 2016

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Arts

“DOCTOR STRANGE”— IN REVIEW

Graphic by Cat Graham ’19

“Doctor Strange” bewitches late-2016 box office Christoph Russi ’17

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n Scott Derrickson’s “Doctor Strange,” the Marvel cinematic universe churns out yet another joyride action/adventure superhero movie, but this time with an appealingly flawed main character whose journey entails more inward soul-searching than outward conflict. The film’s main character, Stephen Strange, played by audience-favorite Benedict Cumberbatch, (“The Imitation Game”) is an arrogant yet brilliant neurosurgeon who loses his identity when he mangles

his hands in a car crash. After Western medicine fails to heal him, he travels to Nepal, joins up with a mystical band of universe-benders, befriends an ancient cloak, becomes a sorcerer and battles dark forces from alternate dimensions.

While the visual artistry of the film shines best in scenes of beautiful “Inception”-esque animation and exciting wizard battles scored by Academy Award winning composer Michael Giacchino, the quieter moments are brought to life by the personality and diversity of the film’s cast. Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong and Mads Mikkelsen each take

turns providing seriousness, comic relief and interesting dialogue with the typical Marvel witticisms audiences have come to expect.

For a two-hour origin film, it is remarkably well paced. The first half is essentially a two-part training montage, in which Strange works through various techniques and practices to fix his damaged hands, followed by his training in the ancient mystic arts. Strange learns how to shift reality, open portals and even rewind time. Each power is given proper attention, allowing the audience to understand the various rules and dramatic stakes of the film’s universe.

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Once Strange and his enemy Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelson) finally meet halfway through the movie, it becomes a gallop towards the finale with one spectacular action sequence after another.

“Doctor Strange” is thrilling, stunning, and inventive. By taking some risks and choosing director Scott Derrickson, formerly known for horror movies such as “Sinister,” Marvel takes a leap away from becoming a studio relying on blockbuster-formula calibrations to make a quick buck. Needless to say, it’s worth seeing.

Interested in making graphics or drawing for Inklings? Stop by room 2033 on Thursday, Dec. 1 for a brief meeting.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Arts Arts| |November November22, 22,2016 2016

Graphics by Channing Smith ’17

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Mixed reactions to SNL skits reflect election tension

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Cate Casparius ’19

aturday Night Live” is a television sketch comedy that satirizes many topics relating to American society, including the 2016 presidential election.

“Ever since the show debuted in the fall of 1975, it’s earned fans’ trust in part by speaking truth to power,” NBC network said about the show.

SNL actress Kate McKinnon and actor Alec Baldwin are known for their roles of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. McKinnon plays a pretentious Clinton, while Baldwin portrays a spray-tanned, peculiar Trump.

This fall, the show came out with its first 2016 presidential debate skits. The skit received more than 21 million views and sparked a great deal of conversation between candidate supporters.

Evan Vishno ’19 said, “It’s good comic relief for the intensity of the

election and all of the harsh rhetoric that both candidates are spewing at each other. I enjoy the satire and I think it’s funny because they are both such high profile people.”

Although Vishno may enjoy the presidential parodies, there are many who oppose it.

“SNL does not acknowledge the dangerous level of influence it exerts over the layman’s mind,” Preston Lust ’19 said. “I personally do not find the skits funny, nor completely rude, [but] rather repetitive and obvious.” There are others who believe that the election itself is not amusing, considering its unorthodox and troubling candidates, and therefore should not be taken humorously.

NPR’s Sam Sanders stated that, “‘Saturday Night Live’ is trying to make us laugh at an election that isn’t funny.”

Many viewers believe that “Saturday Night Live” has shown bias towards Hillary Clinton. “Well, I think they do mock Hillary just as much and

it’s really funny and accurate, but it is pretty clear that SNL may be more with her than him,” Julie Kaplan ’17 said.

Donald Trump has voiced his thoughts about SNL’s potential bias towards Clinton on Twitter: “Watched Saturday Night Live hit job on me.

Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks.

Media rigging election!”

Tess Jacobs ’20 believes that Donald Trump should not be getting mad over these skits. “I see the show as a liberal host who makes fun of the Republican party for nominating such a social figure during this election,” Jacobs said.

“Yes, it may seem like they are targeting Trump. However I think he doesn’t present himself as calm as Hillary and makes more mistakes in the lime light giving SNL more to work with.”

SNL also spoofed the Vice Presidential Debate with several fake CNN breaking news interruptions which featured Trump “apologizing” for his lewd language after the tape

of his 2005 interview with Billy Bush surfaced.

In the post election episode, Baldwin’s Trump did not make an appearance, but McKinnon’s Clinton sang a tribute to Leonard Cohen with a rendition of “Hallelujah” and after said, “I’m not giving up, and neither should you.”

The reaction to McKinnon’s performance proved to be thankful.

One viewer tweeted, “Thank you #KateMcKinnon & #SNL Incredibly beautiful & moving. The perfect tone for a very stunning & troubling week for many Americans.”

In the show’s monologue, Dave Chappelle opened with a message to Trump. He addressed the fact that America has made great improvements in terms of race, and because of that, he is “proud to be an American.” He then wished Trump good luck and said that he’ll give him a chance. He then said, “We, the historically disenfranchised, demand that he give us one too.”

Avila’s work production breeds success Lili Romann ’19 Sebastian Avila ’17 has never stopped following his dreams. The imaginative artist has received awards in his high school career through his composure of wax and charcoal pastel drawings. Avila never flips his pencil to use his eraser but instead makes “every mistake count.”

His piece “Dream On” won multiple awards, and he created it in one night. Avila encourages those who have something that they’re passionate about to compose and submit their work.

He suggests that if one has adoration for something, they can accomplish great things.

“You just have to submit something and pray for the best,” Avila said. “For example, if you’re into music and you compose something, just submit it because you never know.”

Avila enjoys drawing things that come from his imagination, rather than drawing something exactly as he sees it visually. He likes the fact that an artist doesn’t need to be constrained by what they see, since they have their imagination to explore. He finds his inspiration in traveling. When he visited Hong

Photo by Melanie Lust ’19 and graphic by Channing Smith ’17

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Kong this summer he was engaged by its luxuriant vegetation.

Camille Eskell, Avila’s Advanced Placement Studio art teacher, praises Avila’s talent. “He is very dedicated, prolific and imaginative, the qualities an artist needs,” Eskell said.

Several people have had the ability to watch Avila’s success prosper in the past couple of years. Alex McMahon ’17, Avila’s close friend and fellow artist, believes that his work is unique.

“In terms of what he does as an artist, his artwork is kind of surreal and very expressive, which is different from anyone else I know,” McMahon stated. “He’s very driven to do well at what he wants to do in the future, so he’s always trying to improve.”

Avila believes everyone has the ability to succeed if they find something they are passionate about. The successes he has achieved allowed him to put his name out, as well as even meet celebrities in the art world. After submitting “Dream On” as an assignment for art class, he found that it would bring him much more than a grade, as it allowed him to meet Ann Chernow, an artist who is featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Avila looks to continue his participation in the art community and advises all aspiring artists to “just pick up that pencil and draw.”

Arts | November 22, 2016

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New mural in music hallway draws attention Adam Wenkoff ’18

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here is a new mural in the music hallway at Staples, and it has been garnering a lot of attention throughout the school.

The mural can be found next to the music department’s offices, and it was hung this past summer. The mural was requested by orchestra teacher Adele Valovich, who wanted the mural to have a surreal, Dali-inspired theme with a bright, Peter Max-like color scheme. The eyecatching painting consists of more than 15 colors and contains several musical instruments. It captures a scene of nature blended with the music world, with birds

made out of treble clefs and a bushel classes have had their own projects to coming out of a French horn. work on every semester. This semester’s According to mural painting teacher class is currently working on an emojiTracy Wright, all of the themed mural murals at Staples were that will go up in designed by students. It was “I would encourage anyone the cafeteria once designed by Wright’s mural who is interested in design it is completed. painting class two years ago, “This emoji mural but it took only one semester and painting to try out has been our to paint. “This mural was mural painting.” -Staples main focus this almost completed by the semester. We’ve original class. There were mural painting teacher, been working some challenging aspects Tracy Wright really hard on it that took some time and and I can’t wait to expertise from some see it go up once advanced painting students before it could the semester is over,” Noah Engelke ’20, a be hung in its place,” Wright said. contributor to the project, said.

Each of Wright’s mural painting Some students would like to see murals

spread to the rest of Staples.

Eddie Kiev ’20, another student currently taking mural painting, noted that “art and English go really well together. In the future I would like to see classes paint a mural that would go up in the English department.”

Wright agrees, saying, “We would love to have more murals in the school.

Unfortunately, since there has been only one mural class per year for the last several years, it’s hard for us to make a lot of paintings. I think that a lot of people have concerns that this class is for advanced artists, but really, no experience at all is necessary. I would encourage anyone who is interested in design and painting to try out mural painting.”

Photo by Sophie Driscoll ’18

How to combat unpredictable fall weather changes Eliza Goldberg ’17 Fall is home to some of the most extreme daily weather variances of the entire year, causing immense shivering in the morning and sweating in the afternoon.

Because of the freezing mornings and temperate afternoons, it is important to be stockpiled with ways to combat the weather changes throughout the day.

Bringing warm beverages to school: In the morning, warm beverages can help eliminate the need for clunky layers of clothing. Bring a travel mug of hot coffee,

hot chocolate or tea to help warm you up in the early hours of the day.

Sweater weather: Now that it’s November, it’s time to face the facts: summer is long gone.

Fortunately, cooler weather means that sweaters can be worn with no shame.

Integrating sweaters into your school outfits will help ensure that you are dressed properly for the cold mornings.

Dressing in layers:

Blankets:

Wearing sweaters can sometimes be a crapshoot. On many afternoons the weather will warm up and you will be left sweating during and after school. To combat this issue, make sure you dress in layers. Wear a t-shirt underneath your sweater and a vest or light jacket on top and you’ll be prepared for all types of weather.

Probiotics and Vitamin C:

Graphic by Melanie Lust ’19

cold and flu season. To prevent sickness, make sure your immune system is well boosted in order to steer clear of the tissue box. There are two easy ways which aid in preventing illness: probiotics and Vitamin C. Yogurt has live cultures, or probiotics, that help keep the intestinal tract free of disease-causing germs. Additionally, Vitamin C, which is easy to bring into your diet, can be found in citric fruits and is known to be an immune-boosting and disease-busting antioxidant.

Sadly, the cold weather comes with

At home, there is nothing better than a warm blanket when you’re feeling cold.

Ease the transition from your warm bed to the icy floor in the morning by keeping blankets around the house. Blankets will provide you with immediate warmth without confining you in layers that are hard to take off.

With these few fall tips in mind, you’ll be kicking the effects of the ever-changing weather to the ground.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

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Arts Arts| |November November22, 22,2016 2016

Backstage crew brought to CENTER STAGE

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Kaya Leitner ’19

he audience of “The Music Man” gave a standing ovation Sunday afternoon to applaud the efforts of the performers as they bowed in unison to commence the show. Spirits remained high as the crowd continued to cheer for their favorite roles as the actors and actresses skipped forward and clapped on beat to the tune of the music. All the while little attention was paid to the feverish work that occurred back stage to assemble the show with fluidity.

Brooke Githens ’19, an audience member, commented on the responsibility and anonymity of the backstage crew in the production of “The Music Man.” “The tech crew was absolutely crucial to the show because they were required to make the major numbers run smoothly regarding props and setting,” Githens said. “But when you walk out of the show the actors’ jobs really resonate and you don’t really notice tech’s efforts as much.”

The backstage staff devotes their time to enhancing the show in every aspect except for acting.

According to Juliette Schwebel ’19, a performer in “The Music Man,” these vital members of the Players community lack the accolades she believes they deserve.

“They definitely deserve more credit than they receive. They work almost as many, if not the same or more, hours than the actors do, but usually what people remember about the shows are the performances,” Schwebel said. “The shows so far have been amazing and [the backstage staff] are largely to thank for that.”

Backstage staff worker Joe Xiang ’19 commented on the commitment of the position and sense of pride he feels despite the relative anonymity of his position.

“I enjoy it. It’s really rewarding at the end to see all of the pieces of the show be put together. I feel like our work does go somewhat unrecognized to the audience because all they see is the wonderful performance that is being put on,” Xiang ’19 said.

“They don’t see all the small things that happen during a blackout, or during the show itself that are done by backstage.”

The backstage crew’s responsibilities include lighting, stage set design, sound production, costumes, makeup and other aspects of production, all of which are significant to the assembly of the show.

The backstage workers understand that the performances would be impossible without their efforts. They take their satisfaction from the final product rather than the applause or attention provided by the audience.

“Without us, there’s nobody pointing lights at the actors, there’s nobody getting our massive set pieces ready to go on and off stage. If we weren’t there, actors would never be able to carry out all of the stuff that we help them to do,” Xiang said.

The cast and crew have been feverishly working in unison to pull off a successful (left to right) Eric Elias ’18 and Braedon show. Amanda Samuels ’19, a performer Smith ’18 - lights senior managers in “The Music Man,” commented on their preparation.

“Everyone worked incredibly hard to make the show a success,” Rick Eason ’18 Samuels said. “Although it manager has been stressful, I know that everyone’s hard work definitely paid off, and I have heard amazing things from the viewers.”

senior sound

(left to right) Whitney O’Reardon ’18 and Kait Smithson ’17 - sets senior managers

(left to right) Jackson Norman ’17, Kayla Bilotti ’18 and Michael Dodd ’18 - stage manager, assistant director and tech vice president

(left to right) Sophie Dinitz ’18 and Sarah Panovka ’18 painting senior managers

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Photos by Amelia Brown ’18

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21 sports

FALL SPORTS

INKLINGS | November 22, 2016

Shane Rabacs ’18

BOYS’ SOCCER

DIVE FOR THE SAVE

Ziggy Hallgarten ’17 tries to block a goal against the Warde Mustangs.

While they lost the 2-0 home game, they went on to win their next two season games.

The boys’ soccer team started slow but finished the regular season with a 7-3-6 record, giving them the number eight seed in the FCIAC playoffs and a tough matchup against top-seeded Greenwich. The Wreckers fought hard but lost 2-1. Goalie and captain Ziggy Hallgarten ’17 was one of the best in the state for the Wreckers, giving up just eight goals. They did better in the state playoffs, making it to the quarterfinals, yet they fell to Farmington.

FIELD HOCKEY

The field hockey team has been dominant this season, going 181-2. The Wreckers have outscored their opponents 75-2 throughout the regular season and are ranked fifth in the latest Max Field Hockey northeast rankings. It’s been a balanced attack as 12 players have goals in the regular season. Meghan Johnson ’18 and Kyle Kirby ’20 lead the team in goals with 14. Goalie Bridget Mulloy ’19 and defender Elle Fair ’19 have been instrumental in the Wreckers strong defense. After winning the semifinals last Wednesday, they played in the finals against Darien on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. at Wethersfield High School.

KICKIN’ IT Varsity captain, Tia Zajec ’17 looks to not disappoint the fans on the Hill for their home game against Saint Joes, although the game ended in a 1-2 Staples loss.

FOOTBALL The Wreckers came out of the gate strong, going 4-0 and outscoring opponents 151-32. Since then, they have gone 1-4, losing to Norwich Free Academy, Ridgefield, St. Joseph and Darien. Harris Levi ’18 led the ground game with 941 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns. Captain quarterback Andrew Speed ’17 has over 1000 total yards, with 636 yards passing and 430 rushing. They face Greenwich (6-3) in their season finale at 10 a.m. in Greenwich on Thanksgiving morning.

STRIDES TO THE GOAL One of Staples’ top scorers, Meghan Johnson ’18, fights to move the ball up the field against a Wilton defender at the FCIAC Championship game at Brien McMahon, where they ultimately lost, ending their FCIAC run.

GIRLS’ SOCCER The girls’ soccer team finished the regular season at 11-2-3, placing them third in the FCIAC. The Wreckers had to adjust quickly after captain Lydia Shaw ’17 tore her ACL early in the season. With six freshmen on the team, it would be fair to assume there would be some growing pains as they got comfortable to varsity action. But the opposite happened, as Staples started hot. Reese Sutter ’20 has been a big piece in the Wreckers strong season.

The team lost in the semifinals of FCIAC, losing to Ridgefield, but advanced to the state quarterfinal before falling to eventual state finalist Glastonbury.

TAKE DOWN Even though they lost 24-17 in the game against St. Joseph, the Wreckers put up a tough game. Running backs Ben Van Der Merwe ’18 (#3) and Ryan Weisgerber ’19 (#33) stop a St. Joseph runner.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

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Advertisement | September 30, 2016

PRESS CLUB

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Sports | November 22, 2016

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Field hockey flourishes in historic season Jonathan Kaner ’18

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oing back to August, the Staples field hockey team was expecting an average season. With the loss of many starters, along with tough opposition in their conference, the Wreckers had a tough road ahead of them.

Two months later, the Wreckers have stormed past all their opposition.“If you were to tell me at the beginning of the season we would be undefeated going into the FCIACs and states with only two goals scored against us, I’m not sure I would believe you,” captain Christine Taylor ’18 said. After going 10-6-1 in the 2015 season, the field hockey team entered the 2016 postseason undefeated with a record of 12-0-2.

Not only did the Wreckers have an undefeated regular season, but they routed the opposition, only allowing two goals while scoring 75.

“We stepped up a lot from last year and proved that we are one of the best teams around,” Liv Ekholdt ’18 said.

The campaign was the best statistically dating back to 2006, when records of the

BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY RESULTS:

FCIAC W, 27-64

CLASS W, 46- 83

OPEN W, 61-77

NEW ENGLANDS’ W, 72-103

field hockey team were first documented. “ I didn’t expect the undefeated season, but with our incredible defense and goalie, it became one of our goals for the season,” captain Chloë Deveney ’17 said.

The successful season did not start in September. The Wreckers worked “immensely hard in the off season and it really payed off,” Ekholdt off the field,” said. said. “Our speed and athleticism Taylor is one of the best in the FCIAC.” “I think we “They [the team] will have all truly enjoy another’s experienced something few high school one which Photo by Ellie Kravetz ’18 athletes have–that of being part of company an unbeaten regular season varsity makes the team team,” head coach Ian Tapsall said. chemistry on the field something which helps us in games.”

A lt hou g h were many Tapsall is in just “We work cohesively new There faces added to the his second year this year, including coaching Staples as a unit on and off roster underclassmen. One of field hockey, he the field.” those recent additions is was already wellKirby ’20, who has known amongst -Christine Taylor ’18 Kyle cemented a spot in the the team. “A lot of starting roster. “Everybody us were coached

by Ian before in FCU [Fairfield was really nice and welcoming to me County United],” Ekholdt said. from day one,” Kirby said. “I definitely This connection has contributed to felt like a part of the team instantly.”

As one cohesive unit, the Wreckers the strong chemistry within the team.

“We work cohesively as a unit on and have proved that they are to be taken

seriously. “Every girl contributes something different to the team, from our manager Avery Shuldman ’18 to our coach and everyone in between,” Taylor said. “This group of girls is truly something special.”

Although they could not take the FCIAC crown, the team is confident and composed going into the state tournament, especially with the potential competition where they will face Darien in the finals Saturday, Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. at Wethersfield High School. *For updated information, visit Inklingsnews.com

Ahmad leads boys’ cross country to big wins Brendan Massoud ’17 The boys’ cross country team is undefeated; notching 15 regular season wins in addition to FCIAC, State Open and New England Championships. The team is led by Zak Ahmad ’17, an All-American cross country runner and Staples High School captain, who has quickly risen to the pinnacle of the sport over the course of the past couple seasons.

While for most high school teams going unbeaten and winning a conference championship would be an incredible accomplishment, Zak Ahmad ’17 claimed that for his team, the season had only just begun.

“It all comes down to the State Open Championship,” Ahmad said.

Ironically, his team far exceeded expectations, and went on to win the New England Championship on November 12, which took place in

Ponaganset, Rhode Island.

Ahmad, who won the FCIAC championship 5-kilometer race in 15 minutes and 49.42 seconds, went on to win the state championship in 15 minutes and 46 seconds. Staples took the overall title with a total of 61 points. “It feels incredible to be a part of the group of top runners in the state over the past few years,” Ahmad said.

As a whole, the team employs strength in numbers to dominate opponents. In FCIAC competition, for example, Staples had four of the top six finishing runners.

“We had more people training [this year], which has lead to better consistency,” Sunil Green ’18, who came in 11th place at FCIACs and 29th at New England’s, said.

Coming off a state championship last season, the Wreckers went into this year with intentions of repeating with

even better times. Naturally, the training regimen itself has remained relatively the same.

“Nothing really changed… The training has been just as focused,” Ahmad said. “Having more experience, you just continuously get better.”

In regional competition, Ahmad took third place, running the race in 15 minutes, 30 seconds. The squad now sets its sights on national competition; qualification takes place on Nov 26.

“We definitely have a good shot,” Ahmad said.

Having been a part of two undefeated cross country squads, young athletes in the program are already inclined to look up to Ahmad as someone to admire. Yet, despite the success, most of his teammates assert that it is his work ethic which is most commendable.

“He gets underclassmen to work hard so they can try to emulate his success,” Ben Seiple ’18 said. After entertaining a number of Division I offers, Ahmad has committed to the University of Pennsylvania for next season.

“They have a great team atmosphere… and a team that has been competing really well on the national level,” he cited as the reason for committing.

As to whether he can make it at the next level, Sebastian Wick ’17 is confident in his fellow-senior’s running prowess.

“He has the talent and the skill,” Wick said. “He definitely has what it takes to be elite.”

Photo by Eliza Goldberg ’17

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

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Sports | November 22, 2016

Dirtbikers get kicks from kicking up dirt

Contributed photos from Liam Fanning ’19

Katelyn Deagro ’17

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n sixth grade, when most students were attending tryouts for basketball or football, Liam Fanning ’19, and Odin Bartie ’19 had already found their passion in the unconventional sport of dirt biking.

Fanning began riding at seven years old and began racing competitively only two years later. Now he spends nearly every weekend at the track and mountain bikes every day after school to stay in shape.

“It started out just as something to do every now and then,” Fanning said, “but as my brother and I got more into the sport, it progressed into dedication.”

Bartie rides enduro, which is a form of biking where there are timed downhill sections of a trail and sections of downhill stages that have to be completed during a certain time allotment.

“It’s exciting for me to be able to ride off road and to feel free, like I can go anywhere that I want, and go on any terrain I want,” Bartie said. “Also to jump and feel the weightlessness when in the air.”

While Fanning doesn’t have an official coach to practice with on a regular basis, he has been able to foster friendships with local professionals who have come to mentor him.

Last February, Fanning and his father were able to make a trip to train in South Carolina.

While there, Fanning was professionally coached and trained alongside the top five racers in the world.

“The tracks were amazing. Everyone was really friendly, and the training was great,” Fanning said.

“Overall, it was a really great trip. Definitely worth going back.”

For some, the competitive aspect of biking isn’t a part of the thrill. Bartie rides strictly recreationally. That being said due to the shared interest of dirt biking, he and Fanning have spent time riding together even though their styles differ.

“It was fun,” Bartie said. “He is a very skilled rider from all the -Liam Fanning ’19 years on moto that he’s done.”

For Fanning, the motocross season is almost year-round, with the exception being winter. While Fanning is in season, he travels weekly for practice. Although this takes a great deal of time and dedication, Fanning admits that his love for the sport makes it worthwhile.

“I like being independent with the bike,” Fanning said. “There’s not a moment sitting on the bench, so it’s a great sport to be involved in.”

Bartie started riding in fifth grade when his father bought him his first bike and they have been riding together ever since. “[He] taught me how to use the clutch, shift gears and use the throttle,” Bartie said.

However, for all the support that Bartie’s parents give him, they still often get worried that he could potentially hurt himself.

“I have never been up to the dam and seen Odin dirt bike,” his mother Kirsten Bartie said. “It’s almost better that I haven’t seen him do all the things that he does.”

After high school, Fanning has considered taking his time on the bike to a more professional level. While there is no college recruitment for motocross, there are still opportunities for Fanning to continue his training and competing.

“We’ll see how I do at regionals, and if I do end up making it to nationals,” Fanning said, “then [racing professionally] would be a possibility.”

“There’s not a moment sitting on the bench, so it’s a great sport to be involved in.”

DOWNHILL THRILL Liam Fanning ’19 practices his high jumps at Walden Playboys Motocross. While there are many kinds of dirt bikes out there, Fanning likes to ride KMS Preformance bikes because he thinks they’re the best in the industry.

INSIDE THE ISSUE

page 21 FALL SPORTS RECAP A look back at all the fall sports teams’ results at the end of the season. inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

page 23 FIELD HOCKEY Field hockey finished as runner-up in FCIAC championships.

page 23 ZAK AHMAD The boys’ cross country team was led to victory at New England’s by their captain.