Inklings March Issue

INKLINGS INKLINGS

I

page 15 The School of Ethics and Global Leadership

March 8, 2017

Hallie Spear ’18 spends a semester in D.C. learning how to be a global leader and participating in community projects.

page 17 Rothbard Ale and Larder review The new restaurant Rothbard Ale and Larder, located in downtown Westport, offers traditional German-style cuisine such as Bouillabaise and Jägerschnitzel.

Vol. 88, Issue 8

INSIDE 1 7 11 17 21

News Opinions Features Arts Sports

Graphics by Channing Smith '17 Photo by Charlie Colusardo ’18

SEAT BELT INSTALLATION prompts budget and safety concerns F

Claire Dinshaw ’17 & Becky Hoving ’17

or the 2017-18 school operating budget, the Board of Education approved the cost of adding threepoint seat belts, worn across the chest and lap, to 13 standard Westport Public School buses. These newly outfitted buses will likely be in service by January of 2019.

“The belts are an additional safety feature,” Superintendent Dr. Colleen Palmer said. “Many Board members and I felt [it] was important to consider.”

Nevertheless, the added safety that three-point seat belts provide on school buses has been a subject of debate for over 40 years, according to Michael J. Martin, the executive director of the National Association of Pupil Transportation (NAPT).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been skeptical of the importance of school bus seatbelts. According to a statement on its website, the NHTSA currently believes “the interior of large buses provide occupant protection such that children are protected without the need to buckle-up.”

Sandra Evangelista, Transportation Coordinator for Westport Public Schools, acknowledged a lack of conclusive evidence that supports the effectiveness of seatbelts on school busses. “At this point in time, it is hard to say to what extent seat belts will make school buses safer,” Evangelista said.

However, she went on to say that the NHTSA is open to examining new data and may reconsider its present position.

“The NHTSA is committed to

researching this question by gathering data from districts that currently require seat belts. They anticipate—and I do as well—that there may be improvement in student behavior which could reduce the safety risk from driver distraction.”

The cost for installing school bus seat belts has also been scrutinized by some.

According to Palmer, the cost to install seat belts on 13 school buses will be spread over three years, starting with an initial payment of $65,000 for the 2017-18 school year. However, if the district decided to install seat belts on the rest of the school bus fleet, not just 13 school buses, the total cost would be approximately $500,000.

Tay lor Githens ’17 voiced concern over the cost of the seat belts.

“It seems like the money could be put to better use elsewhere in the district,” she said. “The whole effort might be kind of useless.”

In fact, Maya Wofsy ’21 a sixth grader at Coleytown Middle School, is doubtful they would be worn.

“Honestly, I do not think that I would wear a seatbelt on the bus all of the time, since the bus already seems pretty safe, and I don’t know how much they would really make a difference,” Wofsy said. “I do not think that older kids in middle school would wear them, but I think elementary school kids would wear them.”

Lilly Smith ’19 acknowledges, while installing seat belts might not be absolutely

necessary, they could still be beneficial.

“The buses have never seemed unsafe to me, but I guess with seat belts, potential hazards could be avoided.”

Regardless, Guy Harizman ’22, a seventh grader at Coleytown Middle School, does not think potential hazard avoidance would be enough to convince people to wear seat belts. “Nobody would wear seat belts,” Harizman said. “Those are weird.”

Other students recognize the importance of wearing seat belts and believe behaviors should change. “I think [we a r i ng seatbelts is] an important s a f e t y precaution, but it would be really uncomfortable because I usually sit sideways on the bus,” Martin Menz ’19 said. But when asked whether he would utilize school bus seatbelts, Menz said he wanted “to say yes.”

In anticipation to student reluctance to buckle up, Palmer noted that the district would be developing a plan to ensure the use of the belts.

“We would implement a comprehensive ‘buckle up’ program, but I do not think that we could ensure that every single student uses the belts or does not take them off while the bus is moving,” she said. “We would aim for 100 percent compliance and constantly strive to achieve it.” Palmer said the plan would be reinforced by teachers, administrators, staff and families.

Student opinions on seat belt installation (Based on 108 student responses)

71 of the stuudents believe the seat belts will not effectively keep students safe

87 of the polled students think the seat belts were not a good use of school funds Infographic by Alice Hickson ’17

91 of the 108 students would not use the newly installed seat belts on the bus STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL| 70 North Ave., Westport, Connecticut

Trump threatens to pull funding from Connecticut sanctuary cities and campuses Olivia Foster ’18 & Tori Lubin ’18 President Donald Trump has threatened to defund areas protecting illegal immigrants several times throughout his campaign and as president, most recently in an interview with Bill O’Reilly on Feb. 4. This decree does not directly correlate with the recent immigration ban, however it displays a consistent pattern of strict immigration policy by the Trump administration for both residents and those attempting to enter the country.

According to The Washington Post, President Trump’s new immigration policies would specifically ask the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities, which are areas where municipal funds or resources are not used to enforce federal immigration laws.

There are several towns and campuses in Connecticut that consider themselves to be sanctuaries, including Bridgeport, East Haven, Fairfield County, Hamden, Hartford County, Hartford, Manchester, Meriden, New Haven, New Haven County, New London County, Stamford, Stratford, Tolland County, Wesleyan and Connecticut College.

“I 100-percent support Wesleyan being a sanctuary campus,” Max Wimer ’15, a Wesleyan student said. “It shows that the administration, as well as the student body, stands alongside our friends of refuge and from other countries. Now more than ever, solidarity for targeted groups is crucial.” continued on page 2

inklingsnews.com

2

News | March 8, 2017

A LOOK INTO

SANCTUARY CITIES

Connecticut sanctuary cities persist despite President Trump’s actions Olivia Foster ’18 & Tori Lubin ’18 continued from page 1

WALKING FOR REFUGEES On Feb. 5, IRIS hosted its tenth annual fundraiser 5K run/walk for refugees in New Haven, one of Connecticut’s sanctuary cities. Over $200,000 was raised to help refugees.

Sarah Rakin ’14 attends Connecticut College and signed the initial petition for Connecticut College to be a sanctuary campus.

“There are quite a few students at [Connecticut College] who fall under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program who are scared of not being able to finish their education,” Rakin said. “Establishing ourselves as a sanctuary campus allows us to stand in solidarity with those students and assert that they have just as many rights to an education as we do.”

However, not all support the idea of sanctuary cities and campuses. “Defunding sanctuary cities would be a good way to enforce federal law,” Sophie Carozza ’18 said.

“Sanctuary cities are a violation of federal law and allow immigrants to take opportunities away from tax-paying, law-abiding citizens.

They invite the idea that there are no consequences for violation of a federal law.”

If Connecticut stands firm against President Trump’s antisanctuary city policies, they might be deprived of federal grant money. According to a 2015 Justice Department inspector general report, Connecticut received $69.3 million in active justice assistance grants and State Criminal Alien Assistance Program grants, all of which could be withheld.

But, if President Trump does decide to defund schools and cities that are sanctuaries, it may be difficult to uphold the new policy. “It would require a lot [from the federal government] to enforce the law,” social studies teacher David Willick said.

“You would have to go against the city [government], the state government [...]. It is a weird violation of local autonomy.”

Hartford’s mayor, Luke Bronin, defended his city’s sanctuary status to the CT Mirror, when he said, “We are not violating federal law, but we will not be bullied into violating our Constitution or into violating the spirit of our country and the values of our country.”

Photos by Claire Dinshaw ’17 & Julie Kaplan ’17

Businesses react to Trump’s presidency Maddy Sell ’18

disgusted if it was an intentional move to undermine an important protest, though.”

Lyft, another car service, voiced their midst the aftermath of the disappointment with Uber’s actions, election of President Donald which they believed diminished the Trump, many businesses, like purpose of the protest. So, like the NYC New York City taxis, Starbucks, Lyft taxis, Lyft refused to pick up JFK arrivals. and Budweiser, took public political Other companies have taken other stances and action against Trump and approaches to becoming politically his various policies. As a result, these active against the Trump administration. companies have received both a range of According to CNN, Starbucks plans to hire support and backlash.

10,000 refugees over the next five years, and The New York City taxis were one Budweiser aired a Super Bowl commercial of the first companies to protest the with a pro-immigration message, as well. ban by refusing to pick up people from In response, Republicans have voiced New York City airports, according to their discontent USA Today. on social media, This action left “I believe businesses have a asking the many people party to protest struggling to responsibility to share their the businesses find ways to political stance because it brings because, political leave the airport.

K a y l a awareness to issues. It lets people ads “have no place being Bilotti ’18 found know who they’re buying from aired during the protest to be #Superbowl justified because and what they’re supporting.” #A m e r ic a n s she believes -Kayla Bilotti ’18 want to protect businesses have our country! a responsibility to share their political stances.

“It brings awareness to issues. It lets people know who they’re buying from and what they’re supporting,” Bilotti said.

Uber, on the other hand, responded to the ban by picking up the stranded JFK travelers and turning off the fare surges (increases in price for people due to high demand) which made transportation less expensive than it would normally have been.

“I mean, I would hope it was in an effort to just aid the people that were there,” James Bowles ’18 said, upon reflection of Uber’s decision to ease the transportation halt. “I’d be

A

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH

#BoycottBudweiser,” @ SupportDonald on Twitter wrote.

Staples students, like Camille Cross ’17, take no issue with a consumer’s right to protest a business for any political stances taken with which the consumer disagrees. “If people don’t like what a business supports,” Cross said, “they don’t need to buy from them.”

TAKING A STAND Starbucks, Uber, Lyft and Budweiser have taken stances on immigration in response to Trump’s executive order.

Graphics by Carly Mori ’18

News | March 8, 2017

WORLD BRIEFS

3

[ ] [ ][ ] Brendan Massoud ’17

U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL VOTES DOWN SANCTIONS ON SYRIA

O

n Feb. 28, China and Russia vetoed a United Nations resolution which would have imposed sanctions on 11 top Syrian officials and 10 groups with ties to recent chemical attacks. Joined by Bolivia, the two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council voted down the resolution proposed by the United States, the United Kingdom and France on the basis that it would destroy the likelihood of attaining peace in the region. The French ambassador to the U.N., Francois Delattre, said, however, that the lack of action taken by the U.N. would “send a message of impunity.”

SYRIA SANCTIONS Vladimir Safronkov, Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador, keeps his hand lowered during a vote calling for a U.N. resolution that would impose new sanctions in Syria on Feb. 28, 2017.

Photo via MCT Campus labled for reuse

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO CUT FOREIGN AID SPENDING

United States executive officials said on Monday, Feb. 27 that the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) might see as much as a 37 percent reduction in budget for the upcoming year. In an attempt to increase the Pentagon’s funds by $54 billion a year and fulfill his promise of a stronger military, Donald Trump has proposed cutting into the $50 billion given to the State Department and USAID. The Trump administration is not without opposition, however; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, “It would be a disaster,” when asked about cutting funding for foreign aid.

LOCAL BRIEFS

TWO WOMEN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF KIM JONG-UN’S BROTHER

Doan Thi Huong, from Vietnam, and Siti Aisyah, from North Korea, were charged on March 1 with the murder of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader. The assassination, which happened on Feb. 13, occurred at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the alleged killers were apprehended and subsequently pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, Huong and Aisyah could face the death penalty. The North Korean government denies any role in the murder, yet many outside of the regime suspect Kim Jong-un may have played a role since Jong-nam had been openly critical of the administration. Huong and Aisyah will appear on April 13 to appeal for trial in a higher court.

March 17, 18, 24 & 25 Staples Players presents “Urinetown”

For their second major production of the school year, the Staples Players will be performing “Urinetown,” a comedy that satirizes the legal system and capitalism in America. The students have been rehearsing this show since late December. “The whole cast has had so much fun together preparing for this show because everyone is so close,” Jackie Rhoads ’18 said.

Ben Pearl ’18 Photo via Wikipedia under the creative commons license

March 17

St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is a day of green, dancing, Irish culture and more green.

While St. Patrick’s Day is not legally regarded as a holiday in the United States, there have been no shortages of parades and other festivities since the 18th century. Unfortunately, Westport does not host any events; however, Bridgeport will be hosting their 35th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, starting at 12 p.m. at Harbor Yard, complete with bagpipers, leprechauns and other Irish traditions.

March 18 Spring sports begin

The spring sports season officially begins on March 18. These sports include lacrosse, tennis, baseball, golf, boys volleyball, softball, sailing, rugby, girls water polo and track. The girls tennis team looks to defend their state title, and the boys team looks to defend both their FCIAC and state championships. All of the rest of the teams will start their seasons in an attempt to make a run of their own at their respective 2017 titles.

March 30-April 1

All-State music competition

From March 30 until April 1, Staples musicians will perform at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford for the Connecticut All-State Music Festival. Every year, high school students across the state compete for select spots within the All-State orchestra, band, jazz band and choir. The audition process is lengthy and arduous, but as Lauren Schmidt ’18, a threetime violinist for the All-State orchestra, said it, “It’s definitely worth it.”

April 3

End of third marking period Monday, April 3 is the last day of the third marking period. At this point, teachers and students will only have one more quarter of school until the summer. The fourth and final marking period begins on April 4 and lasts until final exams begin on June 12.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

4

News | March 8, 2017

A false sense of

SECURITY

oe Ba rnett

O

livia Rubin ’17 was about to leave for school when she noticed her car door was left wide open. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the center console was open, and the contents were strewn over the seats and floor. That was when it became clear to Rubin that she had become a victim of a car burglary.

Nine vehicles have since been stolen in Westport over the past two months, and in every case the car had been left unlocked and the keys left inside, according to the Westport Police Department (W.P.D.).

Similar to the other victims of car robberies, Rubin had many personal items stolen during the burglary.

“My wallet was stolen out of my car. It had my license, credit cards, health insurance, around $200 in cash and other random personal belongings in it,” Rubin said. “The police found my wallet and all of its contents on the sidewalk a few roads down. The people who broke into my car took my cash and then decided to dump the rest.”

Rubin, who lives near Compo Beach, was not the only person that night to fall victim.

“A bunch of other cars on my street were broken into,” Rubin said.

“In the middle of the night someone went around the beach and stole things out of cars that were left open.”

Before the robbery, Rubin said she often left her keys inside her unlocked car.

“I didn’t think much of it.

I live in Westport. What could

possibly happen?”

Rubin said.

However, now Rubin tries to never leave her car open and always takes her keys.

“I am terrified now, and I never want to feel that disgusting, violated feeling I felt when I realized that someone had been inside my car,” Rubin said.

Max Lonergan ’18, Max Sussman ’18 and Lucy Mather ’18 also had their cars burglarized.

Lonergan, who had a flag and nearly $50 stolen, said he usually locks his car each night, but he “had forgot the one night” he was robbed.

“Now I lock my car every night and bring my keys inside,” Lonergan said.

Despite becoming a victim of a car robbery, Mather, who had an iPod, AUX cord, keys and a wallet stolen, believes Westport is still safe.

“We [the Mather family] always thought that Westport is a super safe town,” Mather said. “While I think the town is safe—much safer than others around us perhaps—incidents like these are more common and they are hard to prevent from happening in a town like this.”

But Sussman, who only had cash stolen, believes this sense of security in Westport only attributes to the recent burglaries, including his own.

“You get this feeling of safety in a town like Westport where you don’t think that something like this would happen to you; but when it does, it is extremely unsettling and infuriating,” Sussman said.

WPD advises residents to lock cars and bring keys inside. They also advise removing valuables from the car, including cash, purses, wallets and electronics.

“It is also good practice to keep outside lights on and motion lights activated,” WPD stated on their website.

Photo dram atizat ion by Z

Brett Franklin ’18

’19

leads to nine car break-ins

Statements from Westport police reports

12/30/16: “Victim stated he always leaves his keys in the vehicle and always leaves the vehicle unlocked.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

12/25/16: “At approximately 0730 hours, the victim reported someone just attempted to steal his vehicle after he left it running in 01/09/17: “Victim said he went to sleep around driveway.”

2300 hours and did not hear anything suspicious during the night. Victim said his key was left in his center console and his vehicle must have been unlocked.”

News | March 8, 2017

5

Resilience Project combats unsafe internet use Daniel Harizman ’19 & Lili Romann ’19

A

s the worksheets pile up on the corner of his desk, an anonymous sophomore boy keeps his eyes glued to his phone, giving negligible amounts of attention to the teacher and her lecture. As the day progresses, the boy finds himself unable to communicate with students aside from his close group of friends, and constantly resorts to his cell phone as a source of protection.

“I have recognized my technological obligation on the social front, and while at many times technology is helpful, it has taken away from my development of interpersonal skills,” the boy said.

In response to the inadequate understanding students hold for the power of technology, the Resilience Project held two internet safety workshop sessions for parents of the Westport School District on March 1. the Resilience Project consists of a group of guidance counselors at Staples whose general initiative, according to their website, is allowing students to find their “balance, strength and direction.”

These workshops were run specifically by technology experts Natalie Carrignan, Jennifer Cirino and psychologist Valerie Babich.

“For most teens, [technology] impacts their lives drastically. It creates a lot of

Graphic by Channing Smith ’17

distraction from verbal interaction and results in procrastination of schoolwork,” Cayne Mandell ’17 said. “I think it is crucial that students here at Staples are able to develop a sense of appropriate internet and social media use, as it would

cut back on many issues concerning bullying in our community.”

The classes also will be run by Carrignan, Cirino and Babich. According to an email from superintendent Colleen Palmer delivered to all families of Westport

students, the workshops discussed the following topics: maintaining a balanced social media “diet,” methods in which to form secure trust in a parent-child relationship, security and privacy, popular applications and technology for avid social media users.

Many parents expressed strong interest in attending the workshops.

“While the internet is a great tool and a significant part of our lives, it poses a lot of potential danger as well,” Amy Katz, mother of four Westport teens, said. “As with all risks, the more you are educated about them, the better you are equipped to handle and avoid them as best as possible.”

Juliette Schwebel ’19 believes that these sessions should have provided parents with constructive information, but takes issue with the fact that the sessions were only aimed at parents.

“Maybe because it’s directed to the parents, it will give them a harsher idea about what exactly goes on,” Schwebel said, but then added that “if the kids were also going, or if the sessions were held during school, it would be more beneficial for the community.”

The Staples administration, in alliance with The Resilience Project and Palmer, hope to have provided parents with the fundamental understanding they need to properly shape an adolescent’s technology lifestyle.

“When you are distracted by social media you miss out on what’s happening between you and the people who are physically there with you here and now,” Palmer said.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

6

Arts | November 22, 2016 Advertisement | March 8, 2017

90% Clear In 3 To 4 Months. For Real.

The Acne Clinic.

Pimples aren't simple. Acne is a complex problem that no single cream, lotion, paste or pill alone will cure. At the Acne Clinic, we offer a professionally guided, holistic, multi-step program that provides at least 90% relief of acne in 3 to 4 months.

The program begins with a consulation during which we will outline for you the products, treatments, diet, cosmetics, and lifetyle issues that, if adhered to as intructed, will leave you with a clear complexion.

It works.

Got a prom or party coming up? Don't dance around your pimples. Call the Acne Clinic at the Greenwich Medical Skincare & Laser Spa today and let us tell you more about this path to clear skin in 3 to 4 months. For real.

1285 East Putnam Avenue Greenwich 203.637.0662 greenwichmedicalspa.com Before

After

Before

After

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

7

Opinions | March 8, 2017

opinions

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

Graphic by Channing Smith ’17

Eliza Goldberg

Assistant Creative Directors Ellie Kravetz & Melanie Lust

Business Manager Katelyn DeAgro

Assistant Business Managers Brett Franklin & Kayla Sirlin

News Editors

Max Appell & Alice Hickson Lulu Stracher & Frenchy Truitt

Opinions Editors

Emma Greenberg & Anay Simunovic Colette Lippman & 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 Horowitz

Web Opinions Editors Megan Doyle & Jesse Levinson

Web Features Editors

Charlie Colasurdo & Tori Lubin

Web Arts Editors Ivy Prince & Lili Romann

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

The Ideal 21st century classroom Technology may compromise student choice

W

ith the BYOD policy and the implementation of Schoology and Home Access, Westport continues to move towards becoming a more technologically integrated school system. However, as our district becomes more dependent on technology, it is necessary to reexamine the way technology is used.

Inklings

EDITORIAL Education is supposed to provide students with flexibility. The 21st century classroom should use technology in a way that exemplifies this ideal, providing students with choices not restrictions.

However, when students are forced to check three different websites --Schoology, Google Classroom and turnitin.com--just to find their

homework, technology becomes unhelpful at best and confusing at worst. Sure, teachers are provided with flexibility in terms of what site they feel more comfortable using, but students are stuck in a maze of passwords.

Although many administrators and teachers believe students enjoy reading and taking exams online, in reality, being forced to use virtual textbooks hampers learning through distractions that can arise while using technology.

This may seem like we are simply complaining about something our generation is supposed to appreciate.

However, it is important to note that, before online exams and textbooks were used, no one asked us, the students, what we thought. They simply went off the assumption that we, as teenagers, appreciate any use of technology, no matter how superficial.

We appreciate technology when it

is used purposefully. When, through the use of technology, students are given more individualized attention, the digital classroom serves its purpose.

When technology is personal, clear and f lexible, students gain a tutor and teachers an assistant.

When students are able to decide which hyperlinks to click on, what to share in an anonymous poll or how to express their creativity using digital platforms, technology becomes crucial to a modern form of education that treats students as unique individuals, not autonomous memorization machines.

But in order for technology to be effectively used, it must provide opportunities without reinstituting an outdated, uniform, inf lexible model of education. That is the ideal classroom; a classroom of digital individualized attention.

March Politcal Cartoon

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.

I

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

8

Opinions | March 8, 2017

Say “hello” to summertime: Shorts make a comeback

The Artichoke Inklings Satire *

Eliza Goldberg ’17 To my dear pair of shorts,

Americans celebrate the true meaning of St. Patrick’s Day* Colette Lippman ’17 *Appropriately censored for ages 20 and under

Graphic by Carly Mori ’18

T

his St. Patrick’s Day, Friday, March 17, upwards of 90 percent of employees at Cubicle Co. Custom Cubicles are expected to call in a personal day to celebrate the “true meaning of St. Patty’s day,” Steve Pushover, the C.E.O. of the company, said.

“I don’t really want to assume anyone’s nationality, so I kind of just let it happen,” Pushover said. “Doing so could cause a nasty lawsuit, which is costly, and it also sounds like a lot of paperwork. Plus I’d truthfully rather be drinking a lukewarm [root beer*] myself.”

In preparation for the holiday, employees of the company were asked to comment on their Irish heritage and what it means to them.

“I celebrate the holiday by wearing my ‘Kiss me, I’m Irish’ shirt and drinking a whole keg of [root beer*] at the local bar,” long time employee John Frankford said. “Uh, I think I’m like, one-sixteenth Irish, which counts, I swear.”

H o w e v e r, Frankford’s wife begs to differ. “To be honest, John is full of B.S.,” Sally Frankford, 43, said.

“He’s a white mutt just like the rest of us in this country. He doesn’t even look Irish; he just says that to justify him getting boozed up on [root beer*] on a weekday.”

Regulars often comment on the St. Patrick’s Day tradition of Frankford’s favorite bar, the critically acclaimed “Luck O’ the Irish” [root beer*] pub located in his home town of Boonies, Missouri.

“So this guy is so shmacked on [root beer*] that he brings his brother’s kid into the bar and dresses him up like a leprechaun,” 22-year-old Bradley Smith said. “Then he charges everyone five bucks to take a picture with this kid, and tells ‘em that if they put their money in this magic pot that it will turn into 1,000,000 bucks, and everyone was wasted enough on [root beer*] to believe it. This guy made bank.”

Shaun McCarthy, a first generation

immigrant from Ireland, scoffed at these remarks. “This is why I hate America,” McCarthy said. “These people have zero culture so they try to pawn someone else’s, and end up making themselves look even more like the uneducated drunk bollocks they are.”

According to McCarthy, authentic

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Irish natives have even gone as far as to organize a special section in the back of the “Luck O’ the Irish” pub every St. Patrick’s Day to “throw a hearty chuckle at the American lightweights,” but also to “secretly celebrate the holiday’s actual purpose by remembering Saint Patrick and snacking on Irish Soda Bread.”

I cannot wait for us to meet again, although the date of our reunion is still yet to be determined—you see, my lovely summertime friends, I am not quite sure when a truly appropriate time is for us to reunite.

Even though some days in late March may be so warm that I am sweating wearing my cumbersome full-length pants, society has time and time again ingrained in my head that no matter how warm the day of March, I should not give in to switching over to lighter articles of clothing. Many believe that such an act is a crime against fashion.

So what about April you ask?

Unfortunately, the rainy month has societal rules, too. Even when the temperature climbs up into the mid-tohigh 70s, it is quite uncommon for me to find my peers reuniting with their warm weather clothing for the fear that they will be the only ones doing so.

And then there’s May. Although you, my shorts, aren’t as commonly sported in May as you are in, say, June, you finally make an appearance or two or three. May is the month where your favorite climate truly begins to become consistent. April showers are replaced with May flowers.

And so, my favorite piece of clothing, I would happily defy societal norms for you and plan our “And so, my reunion as soon as possible, but favorite piece you see, my of clothing, I dear friends, this whole thing would happily depends on the defy societal most reliable and consistent norms for you arrival of and plan our spring. As a result of the reunion as soon inconsistent as possible [...]” w e a t h e r patterns, this has been hard to predict.

I’ve been keeping close watch of each and every pile of snow, waiting for every last mound to disappear into the ground.

However, it is too early to tell when these pesky piles will disappear for good.

Will it be March? Will it be mid April?

Regardless, I’m hoping it will be soon.

Here’s a compromise. When the temperature creeps up to 70 degrees, whenever that may be, we can have our reunion. I can’t wait to see you, floral print, and even you, dark denim shorts that are bordering on being too small.

Get excited. It’s going to be a fun summer.

A summer filled with trips to the beach where my barren calves become speckled with grains of sand and soaked by the gentle waves of the summertime sea. A summer filled with tanning by the pool where the heat of the scorching sun works to darken my usually pale complexion. A summer filled with bonfires and s’more making where the warmth of the fire makes up for the lack of skin coverage.

Summer, oh how I long to celebrate in your embrace and saunter around free-spirited and not held down by my bulky wintertime pants.

Love, your adoring fan, Eliza

Opinions | March 8, 2017

9

Government needs to

REDUCE

Graphic by Dylan Andie ’19

involvement with Planned Parenthood Kit Epstein ’17

W

hen I mention that I support defunding Planned Parenthood, I’m often met with a scowl, a dirty look and an angry, “You’re not prochoice?” accusation.

My problem with Planned Parenthood is more complicated than the incessant pro-choice versus pro-life debate. People need to stop oversimplifying the issue.

My issue is rooted in the liberal fallacy that Planned Parenthood is a necessary organization.

First of all, as a conservative, one of my principal beliefs is that government programs should spend as little taxpayer money as possible. It’s not that I have a personal vendetta out against Planned Parenthood. On the contrary, my objection to it is the same objection I hold for most government-funded programs, including Head Start and Medicare.

According to NPR, Planned Parenthood collects over half a billion dollars of federal funding per year. That is a gargantuan amount of money sucked from our federal government. If people are seeking personal services, fine; but let them pay for those services independently.

Abortion is a privilege, not a right. are Federally Qualified Health Centers Secondly, if a program doesn’t (FQHC’s) that perform many of the same coincide with personally-held religious or low-cost healthcare services as Planned moral beliefs, people should not be forced Parenthood. to pay for and support such programs.

Though many liberals love to claim Planned Parenthood supporters and that defunding Planned Parenthood would members of the pro-choice movement love result in the loss of essential women’s to argue that federal funds don’t actually healthcare, that is simply not true. fund abortions. They tout that, under the FQHC’s provide STI testing, Hyde Amendment (a bill passed in 1976), pap smears, cancer screenings and government funds are restricted from contraception—just like Planned funding abortions. But Parenthood. The main difference, there are ways Planned however, is that FQHC’s do not “My issue is Parenthood can provide abortion, a service that circumvent the Hyde percent of Americans actively rooted in the 60 Amendment. oppose, according to a 2016 Under the Hyde liberal fallacy Washington Times poll.

Amendment, state So, if FQHC’s provide that Planned the needed health care and governments, not the federal government, are simultaneously uphold the moral Parenthood able to tax citizens for practices and beliefs that the abortions. According to is a necessary majority of American’s hold, The Federalist, taxpayers shouldn’t FQHC’s be more organization.” entitled to government funding in California pay for over 80,000 abortions than Planned Parenthood? a year through their Additionally, FQHC’s Medicaid program. outnumber Planned Parenthood locations So, despite liberal assurances, your 20 to one, according to Fox News. Yes, you state tax dollars actually are funding an heard that right. 20 to one. abortion giant.

So, it’s no surprise that, according Thirdly, the services offered by to the the National Review, Planned Planned Parenthood are not unique and Parenthood’s total number of clients has can be replaced. All across the nation decreased by almost 70 percent since 2006.

According to Live Action News, Planned Parenthood only provided 0.8 percent of national breast exams and 2.4 percent of national pap smears each year. According to Planned Parenthood’s annual reports, even cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood dropped by 50 percent since 2005.

So, if Planned Parenthood is not easily accessed and if its services outside of abortion are not widely used, why not defund it and channel the funds into FQHC’s so that they can continue to serve even more women nationwide?

To be clear, I am calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, not the decimation of it. According to The Guardian, since the 2016 election, Planned Parenthood has received over 300,000 private donations. Like NPR and PBS, Planned Parenthood can exist without federal funding due to the magnitude of its profits.

In fact, according to Politico, Planned Parenthood had a federal PAC that poured over $30 million into Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential campaign.

With funding power like that, it is apparent that Planned Parenthood is a money monster. If it can afford to donate funds to a presidential campaign, then it can afford to keep its own doors open; keep the rest of us out of it.

Tales of a grade-aholic: Learn for the sake of learning Jackie Sussman ’17

Graphic by Melanie Lust ’19

Hello. My name is Jackie Sussman and I was a grade-aholic.

It began in sixth grade with the advent of Home Access Center (HAC). While my friends played “Tiny Wings,” I discovered the thrill of entering my username and password into a virtual white box, and the adrenaline rush whenever I pushed “Login.” My heart pounded whenever I clicked that “Classes” icon and I felt genuine excitement when I checked my grades and saw the percentage number in small black Arial font. I felt as though I had summited Mount Everest if the grade was above a 90 percent, and felt stranded in the depths of hell if it ever fell below an 85.

The introduction of HAC had noble intentions. After all, students and parents should be focused on and updated about their progress in school. But the ability to access grades at any time also supported a mindset that bred grade-aholism, an obsessive focus on grades to the point where the purpose of school shifts from enriching the mind to chasing the A. Like any addiction, the side-effects of grade-aholism are immediate and longterm.

As I know from personal experience, HAC motivates students to strive for the minimum. And so I, as did many others, developed an algorithm that forever revolutionized my time management.

Why try for the 100 when I could calculate the minimum grade I needed on certain tests to get the overall grade I wanted?

HAC became not only a hub for visual addiction but for tedious calculation.

Such tedium amplified in high school, when I was introduced to GPA. Yet the long-term repercussion of gradeaholism is the most disturbing. If students are t au g ht now to view the world with asinine perspectives that encourage short-cuts and striving for the minimum, that view will stick. There is no one blueprint to success, and success and long-term happiness mean very different things for different people; grade-aholism dictates that there is only one way to achieving your goals. And when I decided to sober myself from this toxic worldview my junior year, I realized just how confined that mindset was.

Once I told myself to, bluntly, chill out—and letting go a bit isn’t as easy as it seems—I realized all that I was missing.

Instead of spending a half-hour calculating what I needed on a test, I spent that half-

hour actually engaging with the material presented to me. Instead of focusing on understanding concepts for a grade, I focused on applying them. It turns out that taking a step back can sometimes be the first to many steps in forward progress.

The world is full of opportunity, and there are many different ways to

skin a cat. I understand this may seem hypocritical or condescending; but if you are able to put less stress and obsession over grades, you will be doing yourself a favor. I wish I did before junior year.

Because then you will be experiencing for the sake of experiencing and learning for the sake of learning.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

10

Opinions | March 8, 2017

LIMITED TOLERANCE DRUG POLICY

Strips people of “A Better Chance” Caroline Blevins ’18 & Kaya Leitner ’19

Graph i

c by D

ylan A ndie ’1

9

T

he A Better Chance (ABC) program offers disadvantaged youths from outside of Westport an opportunity to reside and study in town with the hopes of providing members a better education. After three drug related offenses, however, these privileges are abruptly revoked.

We believe this policy is unfair.

While it is important to recognize that the ABC house members should be held accountable for their mistakes, one must keep in mind the motivation behind bringing these teenagers to Westport. A rigid and strict system of dealing with drug based offenses allows little room for intervention. Many members of the ABC house are selected in the hopes of bettering their future. Then this is achieved through exposing them to a stable environment, exceptional education and access to extracurriculars in which interests can be discovered and friends made. While drug related offenses should be punished, it is counterproductive to uproot ABC members from their adapted lifestyles in Westport and the stability it offers. It is not justified and does not teach the lesson it is intended to teach.

Some may argue that the program has to be extremely strict in order to have support in the community and to get host families to participate.

may be some validity to this argument, we think a better way to approach the situation is with more understanding and a personalized response.

In reality, members may be struggling with addiction or dealing with personal issues, both of which should be accounted and cared for.

Penalizing members and sending them home can allow for unaddressed issues to grow.

People who are given the opportunity to reflect on their transgressions and who are granted chances to change are often more successful in the long run. The Teen Awareness Group (TAG), an organization at Staples created to inform the student body on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and offer strategies to combat social pressures, agrees with this position. TAG does not have a zero tolerance policy, they have a conduct committee which reviews student positions and handles circumstances accordingly.

Perhaps this is the best method to handle drug related issues, as different extents to which people violate rules can affect the severity that someone is punished.

This is especially crucial in the ABC house program as the residents have so much at stake.

High school is a crucial time that helps to jumpstart a student’s future career. At this point, students are preparing for college and beyond.

Drastically changing a student’s teachers, friends and community will negatively impact his or her future, which directly opposes the ABC program’s mission.

They may believe that within a group of 16 boys, without the structure of a family, one may perhaps need a more rigid environment in which the boys are aware of the consequences if they break the rules. While there

Trump’s travel ban provokes unnecessary outrage Melanie Lust ’19 On Jan. 27, President Donald Trump solidified his first week in office as the most controversial week in history with the passing of a travel ban on seven countries in the Middle East. From thousands participating in spontaneous protests to federal judges refusing to comply to the overbearing cries of “Islamophobia” in the liberal media, one thing is clear: the American public is incensed.

And slightly misinformed.

In the past, Trump emphasized a need for a full ban on Muslims entering the country, but that is certainly not what’s happening now.

The executive order he passed called for “the suspension of entry into the U.S. from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen for 90 days.” There was no mention of Muslims whatsoever; it was simply a ban on travel, whether by immigrants, refugees or vacationers.

The countries listed do happen to be predominantly Muslim, but it’s far from religious discrimination, seeing as both Muslim and Christian refugees have been stopped by the ban.

Additionally, the ban is not permanent. The ninetyday period exists so the Trump administration can explain how to more effectively enact background checks and vetting methods.

Given the current threat to our national security, a more functional vetting system is exactly what we need. ISIS has pledged to destroy Western civilization,

especially that of the United States. Their strategy includes influencing Muslims outside the Middle East to join their cause. Because of this, refugees and Muslim immigrants frequently end up being responsible for horrendous acts of terrorism.

Such was the case for the 2015 attacks in Paris which claimed 130 lives, the summer attacks in Nice that killed 86, the man in Berlin who killed 12 people by driving a truck into a crowded square last December and countless others. All were refugees or Muslim immigrants and all took place in European countries, which have brought in more refugees than any other area in the world.

It is also important to recognize that our country has enacted immigration bans before. In fact, Obama passed nineteen executive orders restricting immigration during his presidency.

In 2011, over a period of six months, he forbade visas for Iraqi refugees—a response to the arrest of two Iraqi immigrants who allegedly had ties to an insurgent group. The liberal media was utterly silent. Now, Trump is simply instituting a temporary travel ban, and the anger is tremendous and unparalleled.

The U.S. cannot follow in the E.U.’s footsteps and not take the threat of radical Islamic terrorism seriously.

Enforcing a temporary travel ban will ensure

52%

the protection of American citizens and put national security back into priority. Indeed, it’s a relatively mild precautionary measure to take. There is nothing unreasonable about avoiding risks, and there is nothing extreme about wanting to protect our country.

Do you support Trump’s proposed immigration ban?

4% Yes

44%

No Indifferent

*Survey of 205 students

Infographic by Emma Greenberg ’18 & Anay Simunovic ’18

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

11

Features | March 8, 2017

features

THROUGH THE LENS Matt Reiser ’17 has a passion for photography and cars including his Jeep. Photos from his business FastLane Photography have been featured in magazines such as HudsonMOD. The photo of the Jupiter Red Mercedes Benz CLA45 AMG, was taken during Fastlane rally. The Range Rover, also taken by Reiser, was the First Prize winner of the calendar competition for Britpart, the leading wholesaler of Land Rover parts and accessories based in the UK.

MATT REISER explores life in the fast lane Photo by Eliza Goldberg ’17

Car photos contributed by Matt Reiser ’17

Melanie Lust ’19

F

or Matt Reiser ’17, nothing is more appealing than a fast-paced life of excitement. His mentality is best reflected through his photographs. Bursting with vivid color and movement, Reiser’s style has already earned him a reputation with some of the most well-known car shows and dealerships in the country.

“I’ve been a car guy for as long as I can remember,” Reiser said.

When it comes to cars, luxury brands spark his artistic passion the most. To quote his website, “From their sensuous curves to their thrilling growls and purrs to their luxurious materials and meticulous craftsmanship, exotic cars have always made my pulse race.”

With such an enthusiasm for cars, it’s no wonder he has been able to score media credentials to such events as the New York International Auto Show and GoldRush Rally. Both events are internationally renowned and attract elite automakers like Porsche and Ferrari.

Reiser’s company, Fastlane Photography, has also been featured in multiple magazines, including HudsonMOD. The thrill of photography isn’t the only area where Reiser has excelled.

He regularly organizes rallies and charity events for cancer research.

In fact, he has raised $20,000 for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City to date.

“I was 6-7 years old when my grandmother passed away from cancer, and I wanted to do

something to give back since it is near and dear to my heart,” Reiser said.

He has also raised nearly $30,000 for the Cochlear Research Center at NYU, another personally important cause, as he was born unable to hear. “I was actually born profoundly deaf and lived in near silence until receiving a cochlear implant at age four,” Reiser said.

Due to his hearing issues, Reiser developed a sensitivity to the visual world early on. He was able to carefully observe his environment to understand mood, conduct and movement.

Reiser found his love of photography after taking Intro to Digital Darkroom at Staples during his freshman year, but the majority of his technical skill came from years of playing around and practicing on his own. Now seasoned in the field, he will

be studying photography and imaging at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

“I’m excited to start [at] NYU in the fall,” he said. “My dream is to move out to California and be the official brand photographer for an exotic car manufacture.”

Wherever he may go, it is unlikely that his passion for luxury cars will ever fade. “I bleed cars 24/7,” Reiser said. “I am always looking at them on the computer, watching car shows, visiting dealerships, reading car magazines and always planning my next car adventure.”

And with his careful eye, attention to detail and love of the art, it is unlikely his passion for photography will fade either. “Taking photos is my world away from the real world,” Reiser said.

Technology forces community members to “lose their snooze” Zach Horowitz ’19

*Names changed for anonymity Rachel’s* reflection stares back at her as her computer transitions to the next episode of her favorite Netflix show.

A message from Netflix asking, “Are you sure you’re still watching?” pops up across her screen. She looks at her phone, which reads 1:30 a.m. She will have to wake up in just a few hours to get ready for school. Rachel’s four-to-five hours of sleep each night has become more than just a struggle; it’s become her lifestyle.

Last year, National Sleep Awareness week kicked off on March 6 and led up to the beginning of Daylight Savings time. This year, however, Sleep Awareness Week will be from April 23-30.

Out of 100 Staples students surveyed, 86 percent said that they sleep in the same room as their phone.

79 percent of the students said they are most likely to use some sort of technology right before they go to sleep.

According to Sleep.org, “The blue light emitted by screens on cell phones, computers, tablets, and televisions restrain the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep/ wake cycle or circadian rhythm.”

For Ella Jarvis ’18, she understands

that using her phone can be harmful to her sleep cycle, so she makes sure to put it away before bed.

“I put my phone on do not disturb and I try to put it down so I am not distracted,” Jarvis said. “If people are texting, I put my phone down so I don’t get into a conversation or into something that will keep me up.”

While there are students who chat with their friends right before bed, there are also those who are getting in the last bit of studying before a big exam or working on an English paper at 11 p.m. that’s due the next day.

Jessica* ’19, who receives four-tofive hours of sleep each night, blames Schoology and Google Classroom for having a negative impact on her sleep cycle. She said she “gets hooked on it” and the mixture of homework and technology is “just too brain stimulating.”

This is not only a problem among students within Staples. It’s effecting kids all over the United States and is something many of them are struggling with on a daily basis.

“Teens who are up late writing papers on computers or chatting with their friends are effectively creating an even more stimulating environment that will only keep them from being able to fall asleep when they want to,” author Juliann Garey wrote in an excerpt from childmind.org.

Many students claim that teachers around the school do not take into

account the workload being given and how the technology being used to complete the work effect’s a student’s sleep schedule. John* ’19 criticizes the staff for disregarding sleep.

“I am up late during the week night doing work after already having a long day of school,” John* said. “Adults need to be more aware of the amount of work they’re giving. On top of that, the fact that our workload is centered around technology makes it more and more difficult to get a good night of sleep.”

Graphic by Melanie Lust ’19

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

12

Features | March 8, 2017

Spoken word poets find empowerment through perform

B

PERFORMANCE THRILL Though spoken word poetry began in Chicago in the 1980s, it has made its way to Westport and embraced by Mikayla Czizik ’17 (left) and Peri Kessler ’18 (right). Czizik was led to spoken word through her interest in theater, and Kessler began because of her interest in social justice and politics. Both feel it is important to be emotionally invested in the poems they are performing.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Becky Hoving ’17 & Izzy Blansfield ’18

rooke Kessler ’18 looked out onto the crowd masked in darkness by the Westport Country Playhouse’s stage lighting, and tears began to well in her eyes. She and her sister Peri Kessler ’18 co-performed an original spoken word poem and established a strong emotional connection to the story that unfolded on stage.

“Slam poetry is raw,” Brooke Kessler said. “There is so much emotion you convey not just through your words. It’s about the inflection of your voice, your body language, the expressions on your face.”

Slam poetry was born in the backs of dimly lit Chicago coffee shops and bars in the 1980s, and has since become a creative outlet for political and social commentary. In recent years, it has seen a rise in popularity through performances uploaded to Youtube and is often referred to with the catch-all term “spoken word.” Unlike written poetry, spoken word poetry is written with the intention of incorporating performance elements like facial expression.

“Some p e o p l e write poetry just for the page, but when I write my poetry I always intend for my face to do somet hing and my hands to do somet hing, which I think always has a different message,” Brooke Kessler said.

Peri Kessler and Brooke Kessler point to high school and college aged spoken word poets like Jessica Romhoff and Rhiannon McGavin as their inspirations, whose emotional testimonies to the discrimination of women have garnered hundreds of thousands of views. Brooke Kessler noted that watching them perform, even through videos, has contributed to her own personal flair.

Mikayla Czizik ’17, too, was drawn to spoken word for its ability to combine her experience of performance with her passion for sharing a message. She describes the process of writing spoken word like “a stream of consciousness.”

“I distinctly remember sitting in choir and writing my first poem in my head. It sort of just came to me, like the rhyme scheme and creative rhetorical devices floated through my mind,” she said.

Czizik, Peri Kessler and Brooke Kessler all performed spoken word for the first time at SlamJam, a community event run by SKATEmovement, an “empathy based, anti-bullying organization that empowers teens,” according to the event’s press release.

Features | March 8, 2017

mance The event, which was held at the Westport Country Playhouse on Jan. 29, 2017, brought together teen performers from all over Fairfield County and provided a space where teens could perform original poems, songs and dances relating to the event’s theme of inclusivity and empathy. “This is a way for us to tell teens that we are listening,” Sarah Motyl, the Westport mother who spearheaded the event, said.

Brooke Kessler and Peri Kessler, whose interest in politics and social justice has led them to spoken word poetry, co-performed an original poem about female empowerment. Peri Kessler noted that spoken word poetry provides a unique opportunity to cultivate a more personal response to current political issues.

“Not everyone wants to watch political debates or turn on CNN, so it’s a really cool way to convey what’s happening in the world, and not just as statistics and facts, but really how it’s affecting people’s lives,” she said.

Similarly, Remy Laifer ’17, who performed an original poem at SlamJam with Ziggy Hallgarten ’17, noted that the poetry allowed him to express his beliefs in an unconventional way. “We performed a poem about the overall inequality within our society and how it is time to end prejudice and stereotypes,” Laifer said.

“We performed because we want to make sure everyone is welcomed, no matter what they are or who they define themselves as.”

Czizik added that the personal anecdotes in a lot of the performances established a setting of empathy and understanding amongst the performers and the audience.

“I exposed myself in a really vulnerable way, and some of the anecdotes within the poem were personal secrets I didn’t share with anybody,” she said.

Brooke Kessler also touched on the vulnerability demanded in spoken word.

“Getting up there and being vulnerable and sharing your stories—that’s hard,” Brooke Kessler said. “There’s a lot of people in the audience that you wouldn’t necessarily share this kind of stuff with, you know. These are strangers.”

Although the audience appears like a dark sea of strangers from beneath the blinding stage lights, Peri Kessler emphasized that it’s almost as much about the audience’s feelings as the poet’s.

“Slam poetry is supposed to pluck at people’s heartstrings,” she said. “It’s supposed to make you feel something.”

Photos by Zoe Barnett ’19 Graphics by Channing Smith ’17

13

14

Features | March 8, 2017

Global Themes inspires advocacy for climate change

Graphic by Eliza Goldberg ’17

Katelyn DeAgro ’17

the importance of advocacy as well. “[‘The Melt’] was created to promote how harmful wars can be to the environment and how hile many students are something should be done about upset by the pictures it to save the earth,” Sousa said Each of the students of melting icebergs and stranded polar bears contributed their talents to creating that flash across their screens an online page that provides during commercials in between information ranging from the rate episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” or of climate change to informational v i d e o s .

“Fr iend s ,” “I know the images “We are the ones who will that are often be living on Earth in the next warmingglobalis long forgotten 50 years so it is up to us to very prominent after attention is returned to decide what we are going to in the news right now, but Rachel and Ross. do.” most students But Tomaso Scotti Tomaso Scotti ’20 don’t watch ’20, Antonia the news,” Sousa ’20, Seth Scotti said.

Summerfield ’20 and Victoria Caiati ’20 decided to bring their concerns regarding “So we wanted to reach students climate change into the classroom by through an online presence creating a project called “The Melt” and social media because most for their Global Themes midterm. of us are online all the time.”

Scotti’s role in the project was “The purpose of the midterm was to look at the legacy in conflicts that primarily as the web and graphic have persisted in the post World War designer, and he was responsible II era,” Global Themes teacher Ashley for formatting all information.

“Moving forward, I think Gayanilo said. “It was a new real world project that we piloted this year.” But we need to develop a stronger students picked up on messages about online presence to get students

W

Graphic by Eliza Goldberg ’17

more aware,” Scotti said.

Sousa and Caiati were responsible for teaming up together to gather the information for the videos and writing each of the posts, while Summerfield was actively trying to bring in social media to broaden the audience for the content Sousa and Caiati created.

“We also chose students because we are the ones who will be living on Earth in the next 50 years, so it is up to us to decide what we are going to do,” Scotti said.

The group members united in their concern for the environment when the new presidential administration took down information regarding climate change from the official White House website. According to Scotti, this is one reason why they believe it is important that the everyday populace becomes aware of the state of the planet and why they chose to put as much effort as they did into the project.

“To see them come together as a group with so much creativity and to have the courage to put it out there was impressive,” Gayanilo said.

Connecticut chapter of National MS Society promotes awareness through walks

Infographic by Eliza Goldberg ’17

Shaina Selvaraju ’17 March has been nationally recognized as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) month. Around 400,000 Americans are thought to currently have MS, with an average of 200 people diagnosed in the United States each week, according to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Due to the prevalence of this disease, MS foundations are looking to promote more awareness.

“She was diagnosed nearly 35 years ago, but in the past 10, it has robbed her of nearly all of her basic abilities - both physical and cognitive (to an extent),” an anonymous student said in regards to her mother. “It has plagued her all of her life and has taken away a lot of what has made her, her.”

While the causes of MS are unknown, it is considered to be an autoimmune disease, or a disease where the immune system attacks its own tissues. According to the Mayo Clinic, “In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body.” As a result, those who have it are often troubled with vision problems, lack of coordination, speaking disabilities, fatigue and tingling or electric shock sensations. In worst case scenarios, paralysis or epilepsy can occur.

“So many [people] don’t understand because it is so complex and it affects so many people differently. It is very unpredictable,” Lisa Gerrol, the president and CEO for the Connecticut Chapter of the National MS Society, said. “One of the things we hear people with MS say is that ‘everybody tells me that I look so good’ but the truth is they don’t

know what is going on inside.”

In addition to offering many programs for those with MS, the Connecticut chapter organizes many walks and fundraisers. The walks begin April 22, and there are currently nine walks, the last one being May 21. They will be taking place in various locations throughout Connecticut.

There will also be a research program hosted at Hartford Sheraton Rocky Hill on March 6, 2017. This program will be an informational session that will discuss any new research about MS and current plans or ideas for treatment.

Other events have included Walk MS, Bike MS, MS Golf Classic, Get Connected MS Luncheons, MS Dinner of Champions and many others. Volunteers, like Hayley Foote ’17, create their own teams for such fundraising events in order to promote awareness and raise money for research.

“My mom has MS, so personally it’s become a huge part of my life,” Foote said. “I feel like the most important thing that the community could know is that although it’s not deadly, MS really is a life altering disease that deserves recognition and research. It can progress really quickly and all of a sudden someone could be really debilitated.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Information provided by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although M.S. can occur in young children and significantly older adults.

M.S. is at least two to three times more common in women than in men.

The average person in the United States has about a one in 750 chance of developing M.S.

The School for Ethics and Global Leadership paves the path for future

Features | March 8, 2017

15

young leaders Cate Casparius ’19 & Bri Zeiberg ’19

H

allie Spear ’18 stepped off the bus in Washington, D.C. with bags in hand ready to swap the Staples High School hallways for the streets of D.C. The School for Ethics and Global Leadership, also known as SEGL, is designed to create a unique and innovative type of education for students nationwide. It is a program with selected students from across the country who exhibit “outstanding character, promise for leadership and scholastic ability,” as described on the SEGL website.

Spear is currently enrolled in the program and described it as a school that focuses on giving students great opportunities to become ethical global leaders who will hopefully change the world.

Spear noted her goal of learning to be a leader while attending. “Right now, I have no idea how to be a global leader. I don’t know how to write public policy, negotiate with international diplomats, engage troops in combat or write a State of the Union address,” Spear said. “Besides this, there are an endless amount of ethical dilemmas in the world of being a global leader which I do not understand right now. I want to become a person who can be an ethical leader.”

The school offers a variety of courses and community service projects in order to give students the best experience possible. Since the school is located in D.C., it takes advantage of being able to bring students to important monuments and museums, such as the Islamic Center of D.C., the Newseum and the Holocaust Museum. All of these museums allow students to learn beyond what’s normally taught in the classroom.

In addition to the strong academic program, the school focuses on wellness skills. Students can do yoga, meditate, workout and learn more about who they are in order to destress after a long day.

At the end of the semester, teachers give students the ability to use the information learned to teach other students these new skills. This allows students to take initiative and showcase what they have learned.

Greens Farms Academy, Michaela Cohen ’18 completed the program last spring. She participated in the program in order to surround herself with other

like-minded students with a desire to learn more about becoming a global thinker. “For me, SEGL was the place where I became comfortable being myself. It’s a place where people care.

That was new to me,” Cohen said.

“As high schoolers we get so caught up in school work that at some point, being apathetic and uninterested just becomes easier. Not only is SEGL a place where people care about issues that don’t directly affect them, but it is also a place where people care about each other.”

Cohen also shared that one of her favorite parts of the program was being able to present her views on a topic of choice to leaders who were excited to hear what she had to say.

Cohen’s topic discussed the issue of ISIS’s use of social media for recruitment.

“We wrote a forty page document with recommendations and presented these recommendations at the State Department, at the Department of Justice and at the Vice President’s Office,” Cohen said. “Every SEGL grad I have talked to never forgets the feeling of standing up in front of important people and telling them your ideas and having them truly listen.”

Not only does SEGL have a semester program, but they also have a summer program.

The summer program takes 20 rising junior and senior students from all over the country. The main purpose of both SEGL programs is to push students to accomplish things they wouldn’t be able to achieve in a normal school setting while developing new leaders who can provide positive solutions to the world.

Photos contributed by Hallie Spear ’18

CAPITOL HILL (clockwise from top) At the SEGL program, Spear participates in a variety of activities including presenting a project to a group of world leaders.

Spear and peers stand with George Moose, the former secretary of affairs for Africa.

Rising juniors and seniors prepare for a day in D.C. filled with insightful lectures and meetings. Students speak with John Walke from the Natural Resources Defense Council, which is a non-profit organization for environmental law.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

16

Features | March 8, 2017

WWPT continues to impress on a national scale Jesse Levinson ’17

M

embers of “Wrecker Radio,” WWPT, will look to continue their history of paramount success this year at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Awards in New York City on March 4.

IBS recognizes the top radio personalities from high schools across the United States. Students earn awards for best sports play-by-play, best political news coverage and best comedy program.

Staples is well represented among the list of nominations. Cooper Boardman ’17, who is nominated for 13 awards, and Jack Caldwell ’18, who is nominated for three awards, will be in attendance at the award ceremony. “I think when they came back we were all pretty stunned to just how many nominations there were — it’s surreal,” Boardman said.

When asked about the success of Boardman, his fellow co-head of WWPT and future classmate at the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, Jacob Bonn ’17, said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he came home with 13 trophies.

He’s just a great host to listen to and work with.”

Bonn was among the group of WWPT members who traveled to Chicago last year for the John Drury High School Radio Awards—an event similar to IBS in that it recognizes the top high

school radio programs and personalities in the nation.

Students who had the opportunity of attending the event not only enjoyed a strict diet of deep-dish pizza, but also witnessed the crowning of WWPT as the number two high school radio station in the country. Additionally, Zach Edelman ’17, Boardman and Adam Kaplan ’16 received the award for best sports play-by-play.

“Going to Chicago was a great experience,” Edelman said. “I’m looking forward to potentially returning again this year and moving up to that number one spot.”

Nominees for the Drury Awards will be announced on March 7, and the ceremony will take place on May 6.

Despite the growing excitement for the awards-to-come, WWPT members can still be found in the radio production room after hours, methodically planning the club’s coverage for the upcoming week.

“I think it’s important to recognize that these students come week after week, month after month, and do this for no credit other than their own love for radio,” Geno Heiter, radio production teacher, said.

Whether it be talk shows or sporting events, WWPT members don’t seem to miss a beat, and their audience appreciates it.

“Any time I can’t make it to a game, I (left to right) Jackson Norman ’17, Kayla Bilotti ’18 and Michael always turn on the Dodd ’18 - stage manager, assistant director and tech vice president radio,” Hannah Roseme ’18 said.

“They’re honestly the best.”

CALLING THE SHOTS (clockwise from top left) Cooper Boardman ’17 is nominated for 13 IBS awards this year. Jacob Bonn ’17 and Zach Edelman ’17 attended the Drury Awards in Chicago last year and brought home the award for best play-by-play.

Photos by Alex Spadacenta ’17 & Ellie Kravetz ’18

stress-free prep AP Exams: SAT Subject Tests:

May 1 through May 12

Review courses begin April 17

May 6 and June 3

Review courses begin April 26

Courses and tutors at

.com

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Arts | March 8, 2017

Arts

ROTHBARD ALE AND LARDER

17

IN REVIEW Restaurant stands out in Westport culinary scene Renee Weisz ’17

H

idden underground, but by no means undiscovered, on 90 Post Road East in downtown Westport, awaits the self-described “central European gastropub,” Rothbard Ale and Larder.

Traditional festive music and a doorway draped with multi-colored lights immediately transports visitors to a German ski-town scene. Upon entering, my eyes drifted to the reindeer decorations lining the windows, which added to the European winter wonderland ambience and Christmas-time aesthetic. The restaurant buzzed with chatter, alive with a sophisticated mid-to-older adult scene at 8:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night. Politely seated at my dimly candlelit table, I was ready to begin my gastronomic experience.

Though the menu boasted a wide selection of Belgian, Swiss, German, Dutch and other European dishes, I decided upon a bar snack pretzel ($5), French onion soup ($12) and a tarte flambée ($14) to split as appetizers with my friends. Butter glistened atop the golden brown pretzel exterior and was complete with a side of dijon mustard dip. The pretzel reminded me of New-York-street-style-turned-gourmet. Although the dijon was a bit too spicy for my taste, the toasty, melted butter and fluffy pretzel dough dulled the intensity and appeased my palette.

My second dish, the French onion soup, was served with crusted gruyere overflowing the bowl-top and was sprinkled with scallions for a farm-fresh finishing touch. As my spoon broke the thick top-layer to reach the broth beneath, the cheese-pull game was definitely strong. Finally bringing a spoonful to my mouth, the garlic croutons and sweet onions were perfectly softened and infused with the gruyere to create a combination of flavors richer than a typical French onion appetizer.

Next the tarte flambée, a flatbread topped with smoked bacon, sour cream and sweet onions, arrived rectangularly sliced, a geometric masterpiece almost too pretty to eat. The chewy bacon bits sprinkled with salt complimented the crunchy flatbread base and heavy sour cream spread. Although the tarte flambée did not disappoint, the French onion soup topped the charts for best appetizer I’ve ever eaten.

Moving on to the entrées with high expectations, we ordered a classic German chicken schnitzel ($21), beef

bourguignon ($26) and a side of kasespatzle ($8) per our waitress’s recommendation.

The beef bourguignon, a brisket served with mushrooms, carrots and a side of garlic bread, floated within the red wine sauce. I could taste the individual components as the brisket fell apart in my mouth and a burst of tender meat and silky wine intertwined to culinary perfection.

Next, we were on to the chicken schnitzel. The thinly sliced and crisply fried cutlet was more than a glorified chicken tender and a perfect mix of moist interior and familiarly greasy exterior. A complimentary tin of the Scandinavian lingonberry jam, similar in flavor to cranberry, added a uniquely sweet tang to each bite. The side of kasespatzle, a German noodle melted with gruyere cheese and breadcrumbs, was impeccably creamy, and I could barely finish two spoonfuls.

Of course, I couldn’t skimp out on dessert, so we finished off our meal with a fan-favorite pretzel bread pudding ($9) topped with caramel sauce and a side scoop of vanilla ice cream. Though my stomach was a tad sore from the heavy plates beforehand, the sugary block of warm pretzel mixed with ice cream pooling underneath reawakened my sweet tooth cravings. The cinnamon and salt of the pretzel were brought to the forefront after an initial blast of caramel, completing the spectrum of flavors and my dining adventure.

From the cozy environment to the one-of-a-kind European menu offerings that stand out among the Westport restaurant repertoire, Rothbard Ale and Larder provides a meal worth dreaming about. While the prices leaned towards the higher end of the spectrum, most dishes were fit for two if not three to share lowering any cost burden. Conveniently located with a spacious parking lot, which is rare for downtown Westport, this restaurant is the perfect night-out spot for an upscale edge and an empty stomach. I will be sure to return.

A LOOK INSIDE THE MENU

Photos by Renee Weisz ’17

FAN-FAVORITES (from top to bottom) Pretzel bread pudding topped with caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a favorite dessert and is bound to be in German bakeries. The French onion soup appetizer is served with crusted gruyere on top. Although the soup originated in France, it is a common dish throughout Europe.

TARTE FLAMBÈE

This flatbread is topped with smoked bacon, sour cream and sweet onions. This dish originates in South Germany and is traditionally made in a rectangular shape.

CHICKEN SCHNITZEL This breaded chicken dish is a staple of German and Austrian food. The Schnitzel is thinly sliced, crisply fried and paired with a berry jam on the side.

BAR SNACK PRETZEL The soft pretzel is lathered in butter and accompanied with a side of dijon mustard. The fluffy pretzel dough and spicy dijon pair together perfectly.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

18

Arts 8, 2017 Arts| |March November 22, 2016

BA

GE

LM

AV E

N

IKA

N GA

OR

JI

FU MA

YA

CH

IP

OT

LE

CHEAP FAVORITES CHEAP FAVORITES (clockwise from top left) An everything bagel topped with crispy bacon and gooey cheese from Bagel Maven never fails to disappoint. For a healthier option, Organika’s veggie burger is a favorite among vegetarians. If you are looking for a larger lunch option, opt for the Yamafuji bento box as it comes with sushi, salad, rice and soup. Chipotle’s burrito bowls can be customized to your liking and are packed with flavor.

Photos by Sebastian Shuken ’18

A foodie’s CHEAP guide to cuisine in Westport Cate Casparius ’19 & Sebastian Shuken ’18

W

hile Westport may host many restaurants, the food often fails to please your wallet.

“The affluent characteristics of Westport, in my opinion, definitely affect the pricing of meals at select restaurants in town. I try to save my money as much as possible by eating at home or making my own meals to go,” Biz Fay ’19 said.

However, while it might appear as though going out for a tasty and healthy meal in Westport without breaking the bank is impossible, there are many restaurants that offer tempting meals under $10.

The first, and most important meal of the day, is breakfast. Enjoying an awesome brunch at Pearl at Longshore or Terrain Garden Cafe sounds nice, but the bill definitely wouldn’t be less than $10. An affordable option is a $2.75 bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel made fresh everyday from Bagel Maven on Post Road East.

“Not only are all the flavors of the freshly made everything bagel awesome

but when combined with the breakfast roll for $8. The sandwich has fresh chicken sandwich toppings, it is amazing,” cutlet, prosciutto, mozzarella, roasted Margaret West ’17 said. peppers and broccoli rabe.

Another option for a cheap, yet A known customer at Gaetano’s satisfying breakfast is pancakes from commented on the sandwich. “The Kovac Christie’s Country Store on Cross makes me feel like I’m back in Italia,” Highway. The pancakes sell for $5.99 Samantha Pacilio ’19 said. Not only is the with optional additions such as fresh sandwich authentic tasting but the culture blueberries or chocolate chips for just $1.75 of the atmosphere has a very family-like extra, keeping your breakfast well under feel. $10.

Another mouth-watering lunch “What makes me choose Christie’s option for $10 is a sushi bento box from pancakes over another place is the Yamafuji Sushi, which includes five pieces mouthwatering M&M pancakes. They’re of sushi, one roll, miso soup, salad and just so light rice. and fluffy and “The lunch “The affluent characteristics of Westport, what’s most special is not in my opinion, definitely affect the important is only cheap and that they’re pricing of meals at select restaurants in delicious, but not too sweet also filling,” town. I try to save my money as much like other R e b e c c a places,” Theo as possible by eating at home or making Skoller ’18 said.

Gabor ’19 said.

Sa lads my own meals to go.”

One of are also a -Biz Fay ’19 the most lunch-time popular meals favorite. Boca for students Mediterranean is lunch. This meal comes with many Restaurant and Bar on Main Street serves satisfying options around town. Gaetano’s a garden salad which comes with lush Deli, located on Post Road E, has a fan- artisanal greens, plump cherry tomatoes, favorite sandwich: the Kovac’s Special on a crisp cucumbers and a touch of balsamic

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

for only $7.

“This salad from Boca is one of the best salads I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of salads in my life. The vegetables in it are so fresh and the balsamic dressing is so light that it doesn’t ruin the salad,” Tess Jacobs ’19 said.

While dinner may be hard to find under $10, when searched for hard enough, there are definitely some awesome options.

Find a decadent burger for only $6.50 or a ‘Bigger Burger’ for $7.50 from the Black Duck Cafe down on Riverside Ave. “In Westport there are only a few places that serve burgers that are both good tasting and cheap and Black Duck is the only one I can think of,” Nico Rossi ’18 said.

One of the most popular and easy meals for dinner is pizza. Make dinner cheesy and grab a small pie for $8.25 from Jordan’s Restaurant and Pizza on Post Road East. “[Their pizza] is so good. Especially the cheese pizza; it’s gooey and fresh and it’s the best thing to order from Jordan’s,” Kylie Cohen ’20 said.

Hopefully, now Fay and other Westport residents will treat themselves more often with affordable meals instead of avoiding restaurants to save money.

Arts | March 8, 2017

19

Move over comedies; “This is Us” is in town

By Eliza Goldberg ’17

I

have been known to only watch lighthearted, comedic television shows.

You know the ones—23 minutes of mostly laughs and maybe a few tears here and there. I have binged watched “The Office,” “30 Rock,” “Friends” and “How I Met Your Mother” over and over and over, never wanting to let go of my favorite

characters.

That’s why it took many weeks for my mom to convince me to watch “This is Us.” I was hesitant at first even though I had no idea what the show was about. But I finally pressed play on the pilot one afternoon, and exactly a week later, I had watched all 13 released episodes.

“This is Us” airs on Tuesdays on NBC, but each episode is on Hulu as well.

The show follows the Pearson family,

comprised of atypical triplets and their parents trying to figure it all out. Sounds pretty cliche, right? Wrong.

The show moves between decades, generally switching between present day where the triplets are 36, and the past for one or two moments of the family’s past.

Each episode reveals more and more of the story that makes up the Pearson family and how all the characters and pieces fit together to create the present day.

The show is based around common

themes like parenting, weight loss, death and sibling rivalry. However, for some reason, it doesn’t feel trite; the combination of childhood with present day gives me an unshakeable feeling of nostalgia with each episode I watch.

Embarrassingly enough, I have yet to make it through an episode without crying like a blubbering baby, though I’m comforted to know that I am not alone— I’ve heard most people have the same reaction to watching the show. It’s a good type of crying, though. It’s not that the episodes are particularly depressing; they are just a mixture of heartwarming and sadness that hits extremely close to home.

Aside from the touching plot, the cinematography is beyond beautiful. The colors have more warmth when the show is in a scene from the past and are more vibrant in the present. The show makes great use of light, whether it be the lack thereof or the use of gorgeous lens-flares and bokeh. The camerawork is deliberate and useful.

The only slight flaws I find with the show are the constant plot twists and consistent episode structure. Each episode follows the same pattern—so much so that my dad has started to announce when he assumes a tie-in to the past is about to happen. That being said, the plot twists are part of what makes the show what it is.

I am in love with “This is Us.” Every time I watch a new episode, I make sure the room is dead silent for the full 45 minutes so I can make sure to catch every single word. I strongly believe there is something in it for everyone, and I implore everyone to at least check out the pilot. You’ll thank me. I promise.

Graphic by Channing Smith ’17 and Eliza Goldberg ’17

Men’s fashion: authentic style graces the halls his style as “casual preppy”.

“I don’t wear as many ties and suits anymore, but it’s more out of ease and moving from class to class each day. Still there are certainly days when I wish I could wear my LL Bean moccasins to James Bowles ’18 hops out of the work,” Coyne said.

Nevertheless, many students still steaming hot shower still tired from a long night of studying. He opens his believe that the way a guy dresses says a closet to find a clean, crisp, camo hoodie lot about him, and, for some, dressing the with “Anti Social Social Club” written in same as everyone else just won’t cut it.

Fashion aficionado Xi Jones pink lettering across the left side of the sweatshirt. He quickly throws it on along ’17 believes people should with a pair of slim black jeans. Bowles “dress to impress” on a looks over at his long line of Chuck Taylor daily basis as, “You never sneakers, deciding on which one to lace up know who you’re going for the upcoming school day, and glances to meet on any given at the mirror for a final evaluation. Then day,” Jones said. When he heads off to Staples High School where asked about the type of style he sports, he his adherence to men’s fashion is rare.

According to Jack Sharkey ’18, “A labels it as his own, typical guy [at Staples] wears khaki and “modern-whimsy.” “[My style] gives either a basic shirt or flannel, nothing too loud. People don’t want to be different and a nod to traditional styles of dressing, stand out; they want to fit in.” but I add my own But Bowles admires fashion.

“In terms of designers and things like hint of fabulosity to that, there’s a lot I’d like to do but haven’t it,” Jones said. “You yet. I have a lot of Supreme clothing, can tell what type of person t h o u g h “A typical guy [at Staples] they are by that’s more wears khaki and either a basic their dress skateboardingshirt or flannel, nothing too down and based, ” Bowles said. “I really loud. People don’t want to be how often look up to different and stand out; they they dress down. [...] people like Raf want to fit in.”

Personally Simons, who’s -Jack Sharkey ’18 I want now heading my style design at Calvin Klein. [I also admire] Rick Owens, and the to say that I am an intelligent yet people at Vetements and Ader Error.”

There are even some faculty who friendly person.”

Although Bowles have a unique fashion sense. Staples social studies teacher Drew Coyne categorizes and Jones dress very differently,

Zach Horowitz ’19 & Daniel Harizman ’19

they both don’t need an excuse to make a concerted effort with their outfits. This puts them in contrast with most male teens at Staples who won’t dress up unless they are dressing up for game days.

“I support dressing in a shirt and tie for game day,” varsity basketba ll

Graphic by Eliza Goldberg ’17 & Channing Smith ’17

player Evan Vishno ’19 said. “It shows a sense of professionalism and also breaks up the monotony of dressing casually on non-game days” But Vishno went on to say that he would not consider dressing up for nongame days because it is a “hassle to plan everything the night before or wake up earlier.”

However, Luka Autard ’17 finds that it is worth the added effort, as he finds having good style is appealing to people.

“It’s just nice to wear clothes that are nice; [you] get plenty of compliments,” Autard said.

“It boosts your self-esteem.”

Avery Smith ’19 is usually one to dish out compliments to those who tend to dress differently.

“I love to see guys that go out of this norm and wear bolder items that make more of a statement,” she said. “I love fashion and I love to see that guys do, too.”

Individuals are noticed when they do things that are new and unheard of. For that reason, Bowles finds great value in experimenting with clothing.

“I really like things that are dumb or get people talking. If someone feels compelled to comment on what I’m wearing, even if they’re just making fun of it, I think it’s cool,” Bowles said. “People really just care too much about the wrong things.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

20

Arts 8, 2017 Arts| |March November 22, 2016

“Lion” delivers an astonishing story along with critical mistakes Christoph Russi ’17

Graph ic by C

at Gra ham ’1 9

G

arth Davis’ “Lion” is the true story of an impoverished Indian child who is separated from his family far from home, survives as an orphan in the streets of Calcutta and is eventually adopted by a supportive and loving Australian couple. He is raised in their household and after reaching adulthood, discovers that he must find his birth family in order to confront his issues with identity.

The story is a relatively straightforward treatise on the nature of family and belonging, and the protagonist is an interesting and well-executed character study of a person whose identity is split between two polar opposite worlds—the impoverished, illiterate young boy lost in the streets, and the wealthy, educated life of an upper class first world child.

About two-thirds through the film, I found myself completely disenchanted.

While there are certainly some very wellcrafted scenes in “Lion,” there are moments and sequences that feel bloated. Moments in which the director tries so hard to fill the space with an emotional reaction by turning up the music and making every other shot a close-up instead of just letting a simple scene be a simple scene.

Towards the end of the main character’s journey, some scenes became obnoxiously repetitive. A good example of this was while the protagonist was desperately scrolling through Indian towns on Google Earth to find his birth family. I counted nearly twenty separate shots following the mouse on his

computer. Those kinds of sequences break an audience’s immersion like nothing else, and make it difficult for me to recommend “Lion” to people who don’t enjoy watching

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

films that feel as though they could’ve been thirty minutes shorter.

As Garth Davis’ first feature-length film, “Lion” is a terrific story with

important things to say, but ultimately disenchanted me with mistakes that a more veteran director would know to avoid.

HGG

21

INKLINGS | March 8, 2017

sports

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

looks to further success after strong offseason Cardello and Sam Pacilio made an impact last year, and we will most definitely be looking to them to help us this year, especially on the defensive end,” she said.

Although the team benefits from the talent of their younger players, head coach Stephanie Calabrese notes that the team consists primarily of upperclassmen.

Amelia Brown ’18 “With that will come the experience the & Sophie Driscoll ’19 girls now have to make better decisions, ollowing a 2016 season resulting have stronger stick skills, understand why in a 9-6 record, the 2017 girls’ we do things on the field a certain way and lacrosse team has high hopes for this how it helps our teammates be successful upcoming season. as well as themselves,” she said.

Led by captains Colleen Bannon The team has found that they work well ’17, Olivia Troy ’17 and Meghan Johnson together both on and off the field. “We’re ’18, the team aims to make it to FCIACs all super close and it makes practice and and states this year. “Last games even better,” season wasn’t as starter Samantha “We have a really special successful as we Pacilio ’19 said. “We hoped,” Bannon said. team dynamic on and have a really special “We are hoping to [...] team dynamic on off the field” advance further than and off the field.” we have in the past.”

One reason -Samantha Pacilio ’19 for that The team lost closeness is four senior starters that six of them— from last year, three of whom were Bannon, Johnson, Elle Fair ’19, Alexa defensemen. However, Bannon is confident Moro ’18, Christine Taylor ’18 and Abby that the underclassmen on the team will Najarian ’18—played together on the girls’ step up to fill the holes. “Our returning varsity field hockey team, which ended last sophomores, Elle Fair, Alexa Mysel, Izzy season with a 15-0-2 record.

F

According to Johnson, the team is looking forward to playing against Norwalk, Wilton and Darien, three rival teams they hope to beat.

Fair expressed her own excitement, specifically for the game against Wilton. “We beat them last year on senior day and it was one of the greatest games I have ever played in,” she said. “I am hoping we can beat them this year as well.”

Calabrese emphasized that the team is very motivated; they have have been working hard in preparation for the upcoming season.

She articulated the importance of maintaining strength of Photos contributed by staplesgirlslacrosse.com both body and mind.

“Players will need to dig deep, channel from past games, PASS THE BALL wins and loses,” Delaware commit Meghan Johnson ’18 looks to pass the ball Calabrese said, to fellow Wrecker and Lafayette commit Abby Najarian ’18. The “and figure out two Division I lacrosse commits are among the top players in what they need the FCIAC for the upcoming season. After a 9-6 record in the to do on the 2016 season, the Wreckers hope to continue their success with field to pull out a a strong offseason. win.”

Rugby launches

“It’s on us”

at Staples Students will be able to watch as this year’s rugby team sports shirts with the slogan “It’s on us” as they walk through the halls of Staples.

“It’s on us’ is a phrase that was used

by Joe Biden, among others, to promote the idea among students that they should accept responsibility to make campuses safe places for all and free of sexual abuse,” rugby coach Dave Lyme said. “Specifically meaning it’s not up to someone else to solve the problem; we must all be part of the solution.”

According to Lyme, this slogan first became prominent after Lady Gaga’s performance at the 2016 Academy Awards, where she sang her song “Til it happens to you.” Joe Biden introduced Gaga’s performance on stage, where she was then joined by dozens of sexual abuse survivors during her performance.

“We want to raise awareness for sexual abuse victims,” captain Michael Jennings ’17 said. “Seeing as many athletes are

involved in sexual assault, we felt it was fitting to raise awareness, too.”

As a parent, the slogan specifically hit home for Lyme.

“I think the statement perhaps has personal meaning for all of us, but as a coach of a men’s sport, it is especially important that I set the values and culture for the players on this team,” Lyme said. “As a parent of a college-age daughter, I also have a very personal interest in being part of creating a safe place for all of our daughters.”

The message seems to have resonated with the players. “Putting this abuse into words is something that we should all hold in our morale values. Especially because of the actions of many college sports players,”captain Michael Overton ’17 said, Overton also said that since rugby is a male-dominated sport, its players especially need to show it doesn’t tolerate domestic violence. “Our team is wearing these shirts to take a stand against sexual violence against women,” returning varsity player Ben Van Der Merwe ’18 said.

Staples rugby has always prided

Photo by Ellie Kravetz ’18 Graphic by Channing Smith ’17

Liv Ronca ’18

IT’S ON US Captains Michael Overton ’17 and Bryan Penwell ’17 support the Domestic Violence Awareness Campaign with their #ItsOnUs shirts. The entire Staples rugby team will continue to support this campaign throughout the spring season. Purple is the national domestic violence awareness color.

itself on being a team of inclusion, encouragement, and support for our community, Lyme said. By wearing shirts around Staples and Westport with the slogan “It’s on us” they can show their support for this cause and

spread awareness at the same time.

“In some places, sexual abuse is passed off as jock culture,” Lyme said. “We wanted to make it clear that we stand against any kind of abuse or bullying.”

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

22

Sports | March 8, 2017

SPRING SPORTS Photo contributed by Staplesbaseball.com

SWINGIN’ FOR THE FENCES UNC committ Ben Casparius ’17 is ready to lead the Wreckers this season with his big hitting. The wreckers finished last season with a 11-11 record.

Preview Shane Rabacs ’18

BASEBALL Despite not living up to expectations in 2016, going 11-11, the baseball team looks to get back on track in 2017. The team will be led by Ryan Fitton ’17, Chad Knight ’19, Ben Casparius ’17 and Michael Fanning ’17. After losing many key seniors, like center fielder Nathan Panzer ’16 and catcher Noah Yokoi ’16, some young talent will have to be found to replace those open spots.

GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD

RUN STAPLES, RUN! Varsity track member Amanda Neckritz ’18 runs a relay for the Wreckers.

The team has been preparing for the upcoming season after last year’s accomplishments.

Girls’ track and field will try to improve on their eighth place finish in the FCIAC championship last year. The loss of Hannah Debalsi ’16 will be big for the Wreckers. Debalsi holds the Class LL record for the 1600 meter run with a time of 4:53.29. Ivy Prince ’17, Katherine Coogan ’17, Grace Foster ’17, Susie Martin ’17, Sarah Neckritz ’17 and Samantha Little ’17 will need to perform well if they hope to improve this year.

Photo contributed by staplesrunning.com

SERVE IT UP Varsity member Tess Rubin ’17 gets ready for a return shot during the FCIAC championship match against Greenwich High School last season.

The Wreckers look to return to the state playoffs again this upcoming season.

GIRLS’ TENNIS The girls’ tennis team went 15-1 and won the state championship in 2016, so they are just as motivated to continue to dominate this year. Megan Brown ’17, Kristen Butler ’18 and Vanessa Mauricio ’17 will be key players to the success of the team. A win againts Greenwich, last year’s state championship opposition, will be essential to securing their spot as FCIAC champions.

Photo contributed by staplesgirlstennis.com

BOYS’ LACROSSE

POSESSION, STAPLES John’s Hopkins committ Evan Zinn ’18 backs down a defender during the game against Ridgefield High School. He is one of the five Division I committs this year.

Boys’ lacrosse is looking to build off a 15-3 regular season last year with playoff success this year. “We suffered a tough loss in the second round [of states] and that left a sour taste in the rising seniors’ mouths leading to the off season,” captain Billy Hutchinson ’17 said. “This year I think we’d like to get over that hump and make it back to the state finals like we did when us seniors were freshman.”

With many starters from last season graduating, many spots will be filled with young talent found during pre-season.

Photo contributed by Shelley Burger Sports

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

Photo contributed by Staples ski team website

Kr av etz llie ’18 am dE or nb ein od yG by C Ph ot os

Athletes shoot for recreational titles

23

’18

Sports | March 8, 2017

Ben Pearl ’18

.500, there is always a chance because every team qualifies for the tournament.

O’Donnell’s team is higher on the rankings than Perry’s, yet O’Donnell thinks arch Madness has become an any team can pull of a Cinderella run. “No American basketball tradition: one can 100 percent say who the best team sixty-eight basketball teams is and that’s what March Madness is for.”

What makes rec battling for 19 days to be crowned the national champion. This kind of tradition basketball unique are the has become ingrained in Staples’ culture people who play and how they as well, but on a slightly smaller scale. approach the game. Every On March 23, 2017 junior and senior week, the games include recreational basketball teams will take deep threes, miraculous andtheir talents to the Staples High School ones and explicit complaints fieldhouse to determine a league champion. to the referees. “It’s the The season began three days before desire that really fosters the Christmas, but there has been no competition at rec March shortage of excitement every Thursday Madness,” Evan Feder ’17 said.

There is no magic formula night since. “The competitiveness of rec basketball starts the day teams are drafted or special pre-game drink and ends the day [rec league] March that will crown someone a Madness is over,” Alec O’Donnell ’18 said. champion. Unlike the NCAA tourna ment, With the current tournament format, a team’s “The competitiveness of a team only needs to play regular season record does rec basketball starts the well for one not matter. Every team has a in order chance to win the coveted rec day the teams are drafted day to win it all. basketball champions t-shirt. [...]”

Cinderella The only factor that will stories are just come into play will be who -Alec O’Donnell ’18 as likely as can survive the field in this blowouts, but double-elimination bracket.

As players look ahead to the in the end, it doesn’t matter how you win.

“All that matters are rings,” Daniel tournament, they remain hopeful at a chance to be this year’s champion. “We have Thompson ’18 said. But, along with potential,” Nick Perry ’18 said after a loss on all of the other rec athletes, if he wins, Feb. 16. While his team remains under Thompson will have to settle for a t-shirt.

M

FOUR IN A ROW: Katelyn Deagro ’17

As spring sports roll around, the Staples boys’ tennis team will be training to earn their fourth consecutive FCIAC title. The eight players that will be returning, including the four seniors who have been on the team for the entirety of their high school career will be critical for success in the coming season.

Kion Bruno ’17, co-captain Jay Mudholkar ’17 and Max Zimmerman ’17 are all four year varsity players who hope be be able to claim the FCIAC

BATTLE OF THE BROS (from top to bottom) Logan Horowitz ’17 drives to the basket and scores, contributing to his team’s March 2 victory. Alec Burns ’18 goes up for a block while playing a defensive role in his team’s recent win. Ben Harizman ’17 contests a shot on the arc, assisting team Mandell in their fifth victory of the season.

POWER RANKINGS

1. BERMAN (6-1) 2. DANIELS (6-0-1) 3. ZINN (4-3) 4. O’NEILL (4-3) 5. MANDELL (5-2) 6. ROSS (5-1-1) 7. STONE(3-2-2) 8. O’DONNELL (4-2-1)

Boys’ tennis seniors strive to win final FCIAC and state championships

championship for the fourth and final year of their high school tennis careers.

“It’s definitely important to try and win again. The team is going to be better than ever this year and we have a lot of new talented guys,” co-captain Zimmerman ’17 said. “So I think that we can definitely win FCIACs again.”

While each senior Wrecker will be instrumental in the team’s collective success, underclassmen are equally important. Jack Tooker ’19, Jake Greenwald ’19 and Daniel Stone ’19 are all returning

from last year and “looking to play key roles in this years team,” Mudholkar said.

“We have a pretty solid team this year,” Coach Kris Hrisovulos said. “Max Zimmerman, our top player, is amongst the top five players in the state. [He] will be playing some of the best competition.”

Zimmerman notes that a major strength for the team lies both on and off the court.

“Everyone on the team is super close,” Zimmerman said. “It’s been awesome to be a part of and it’s a special type of bond with the guys that you don’t see anywhere else.”

TWO STATE OPEN WINS IN PAST THREE SEASONS

GAME, SET, MATCH Captain Jay Mudholkar ’17 gets ready for a return shot during the FCIAC championship match against Greenwich High School last season. The Wreckers look to return to the state playoffs again this upcoming season.

Both captains recognize that the key to moving through the season with success is maintaining their tight-knit team atmosphere.

“For the past few seasons, we have had a lot of success, so on the surfacelevel, there might be a little pressure.

However, the strength of us is in our team-driven attitude; when one of the boys is having a rough patch, we support [him] ten times louder,” Mudholkar said. “The [team] culture really benefits us going into every game.”

EIGHT LOSSES IN PAST EIGHT SEASONS

135 - 8

FIVE UNDEFEATED SEASONS IN PAST EIGHT YEARS

ACE! Jake Greenwald ’19 lets out a yell after winning a point in the FCIAC championship.

He will be a vital part in the team’s success this upcoming season.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL

24

Sports | March 8, 2017

CATCHING UP Harry Azadian ’19 makes his Staples debut this spring after two years playing at Fairfield Country Day. The team is very excited to see his potential after his performance in the Little League World Series.

Photos by Ellie Kravetz ’18 Photos contributed by Harry Azadian ’19

Photos by Ellie Kravetz ’18

THE HORSE: Harry Azadian hopes to stay in stride with past successes Jonathan Kaner ’18 & Alex Reiner ’18

T

hey call him “The Horse.” He battles to win every pitch, every inning, every game.

He is a competitive and diligent athlete who will not stop until he succeeds. New to the Wreckers, Harry Azadian ’19 looks to make a big impact on the already skilled Staples baseball team.

“Baseball is my passion and it has shaped who I am as a person because it taught me how to work hard for something I want,” Azadian said.

Since the age of four, it has been Azadian’s passion to be a baseball player. “My brother Zack inspired me to be a baseball player since he has worked so hard in his baseball career,” he said. “He has always worked so hard at baseball, so I thought I would too.”

Azadian’s rise to fame began

by Chad Knight ’19, and was the team’s powerful cleanup hitter.

“Harry is an incredible player and an even better teammate,” Knight said. “He was a natural leader on and off the field, and someone our entire team looked up to that entire summer.”

Azadian took his talents to Fairfield Country Day, where he spent eighth and ninth grade to help mature and further improve his game. “It was tough to leave all of my friends at Staples, but it was something I had to do for baseball, and more importantly, academically,” Azadian said.

Azadian hopes to find the same success at Staples as he did during the LLWS, as head coach Jack McFarland HUDDLE UP Westport’s Little League World Series (LLWS) team is excited for Azadian to join huddles up after a home run. The Westport team was the United the roster this spring. “Harry States runner up in the 2013 LLWS. Harry Azadian ’19 was a top player brings great enthusiasm [and on the New England Regional Championship team, Westport Little in the summer of 2013, when he helped lead the Westport District team to the United States Finals in the Little League World Series (LLWS). He was part of a dynamic duo on the mound, accompanied

is a] high character kid who wants to play at a high level,” McFarland said.

Azadian is not scared to take his baseball career to the next level, nor is he intimidated by the competitive nature of Staples baseball. “I’m not expecting anything out of myself,” he said. “I’m just making sure I keep my head down and work as hard as possible.”

McFarland sees Azadian contributing both at the plate and on the mound.

Despite not playing an inning of varsity baseball at Staples yet, McFarland expects Azadian to have opportunities to succeed at both areas.

Staples is expected to be a championship contending team this year with Division 1 athletes throughout the roster. “There is a lot of talent on varsity this year between our pitching staff and deep infield,” Azadian said. “I’m expecting big things from our team this year.”

To Azadian, baseball is so much more than a sport. “My goal for my baseball career is to play as long as I can. I couldn’t imagine myself without it,” he said.

League.

INSIDE THE ISSUE

page 21 “It’s on us” Rugby team launches domestic violence awareness campaign.

page 22 Spring Sports Preview A look into the upcoming boys’ and girls’ spring sports season.

page 23 Rec Basketball Senior/junior rec basketball league plays for school bragging rights.

page 23 Boys’ Tennis Boys’ tennis team looks to go for their fourth straight FCIAC title.

inklingsnews.com | STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL