Inklings December 2024 Issue by inklingsnewsonline

Contents TABLE OF

6 Spread Holiday Cheer, Volunteer!

Learn about four opportunities to give back to your community this holiday season.

Rachel Reinhardt takes NYC

Westporter Rachel Reinhardt returns to the Grand Central Holiday Market. See Rachel and other local artisians featured in our holiday gift guide!

Sleigh Bells Ring

Get an inside look into Staples' 84th annual Candlelight Concert, a beloved musical tradition with some fresh twists.

Boys' Hockey Gets Co-Op'ed

The Staples boys' hockey team combines with Norwalk and Brien McMahon High Schools to form Stormac.

December Staff

Editors-in-Chief

Nina Bowens & Lily Hultgren

Managing Editor

Mia Bomback

Associate Managing Editor Lily Rimm

Creative Directors

Alex Gaines & Olivia Signorile

Buisness Managers

Charlotte Berner, Rylie Cordella & Caroline Zajac

Editors

Camille Blundell Elsa D'Elia Will Enquist Catie Campagnino Avni Krishna

Phoebe Rosenberg

Sophie Smith

Advisers

Joseph DelGobbo & Mary Elizabeth Fulco

Scan to see the full staff!

More About Us Inklings News is uncensored, unedited by administration and does not allow for prior review.

Opinions

The Editorial Board determines editorial opinions that are authored by the Editors-in-Chief. Inklings News serves as an open forum for the public and welcomes letters to the editor and other submissions. Send signed letters to inklingsnews@westportps.org. Submissions will not be edited prior to publication.

Editorial Highlights to Hopes: Staples 2024 in review

Happy holidays, Staples! To finish off a wonderful 2024, the Editorial Board wanted to look back on the academic year by reflecting on our likes and wishes from the past couple of months, and some of our wonders for the upcoming ones. We hope everyone can enjoy reliving some of this year’s highlights and that you are inspired to do some reflecting of your own over the winter break with friends and family.

Want to be published in Inklings? Submit to inklingsnews@westportps.org

The Editorial Board voted unanimously in favor of this opinion.

The Editorial Board...

Likes: Wishes:

The Board appreciates the return of the sandwich toasters and the Pep Rally, both being cornerstones of the Staples community. We also appreciate some recent implementations, such as the new attendance system, which now allows parents to efficiently mark students absent on PowerSchool, eliminating the need for a phone call or note. Turning to athletics, the consistent use of morning announcements to congratulate all teams has been appreciated over the past year. Sports inclusion has also been noticed during signing days, where rowers are now allowed to come to Staples signing days. This is just one of Staples’ many athletic victories this year, alongside the variety of championships ranging from boys lacrosse historic FCIAC win to field hockey’s double championship.

Although this year had many positives, the Board also has changes we wish could be made. One change might be a policy regarding assigning excessive assessments before break. Even with the policy limiting a teacher’s ability to assess students immediately after a break, members of the Board still find themselves with an abundance of assignments due right before the holidays, defeating the purpose of a break. The Board also hopes to see the return of Sushi Mondays. Finally, attending sports games is an activity that many enjoy, however we believe paying for these games is sexist, considering only popular boys’ games have a fee. While paying $5 for a game is not a huge ask, the Board hopes that this cost could be eliminated for current students, just to make games more accessible and to increase fan incentive.

Wonders:

There are many questions on the minds of members of the Board and the student body as we approach 2025. What will Staples’ phone policy look like next year, and will a phone ban be enacted? Will the new schedule proposed by the school scheduling committee be approved? How can we better utilize Connections to build a stronger community? Will the social and emotional learning lessons we’ve received so far result in an improved school environment? The Board hopes that everyone in the school community, from students to administrators, can keep these questions in mind as we enter the new year and begin Staples' next chapter.

Graphic by Alex Gaines ʼ

Expanded curriculum

New courses have been introduced for the 2025-26 school year, including Spanish 6/6 Honors, Advanced Forensics and Accelerated Math. With these new additions to the course curriculum, students can pursue their interests at higher levels.

“

“I think [the new Spanish 6 Honors course] is a nice addition because it gives students the opportunity to stay in the honors level, and not having to decide between dropping Spanish or taking AP."

Attendance PowerSchoolthrough

Anew attendance system that relies on parents to enter their child's attendance information via PowerSchool was implemented in late August. Parents had until Oct. 1 to switch over to the system. Previously, students would deliver a handwritten note from their parents at the main entrance that excused their absence or granted them permission to leave early.

“I think the new attendance system is much more simple than it used to be because it seems more accessible. It's easier for my parents to log into Powerschool to enter an absence rather than constantly requiring a handwritten note.”

Course evaluation system

Anew course evaluation system will be implemented this year. At the end of each course, whether it be a full-year or semester course, a survey consisting of a standard set of around nine questions will be sent to students. These questions will serve as a reflection of the student's learning experience.

“I think that it’s a great idea and will give students the opportunity to provide honest feedback, this will benefit everyone and ensure that teachers and classes are as successful as possible.”

Audrey Bunan ʼ25

Photos by Zoe Alpert

Rockets and Risk

Henry Watson ʼ25

Web Opinions Editor Loosening

U.S. weapon restrictions on Ukraine is a gamble worth taking

If Ukraine and its Western allies want a victory, they first must acknowledge that they’re losing. Recently, the U.S. lifted restrictions on the long-range weapons platform it provided Ukraine, allowing its military to strike much deeper into Russia. While the decision comes with serious risks, including the antagonization of a nuclear superpower, it is a necessary escalation and a requisite for an end to the war.

To date, the United States has dedicated more than $175 billion to assist Ukraine While the assistance is certainly vital and just, helping to support a democratic state’s defense against aggression by a much larger neighbor, it is nevertheless costly and unsustainable politically: an increasingly smaller share of the American public–now

under 40%–support the current rate of aid for a prolonged period of time, according to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. As a result of decreased public faith in continued aid, the amount of monetary support given to Ukraine annually has decreased over the past two years, from $67 billion in 2022 to $61 billion in 2024.

Of course, there is an even more press ing time crunch for a peace deal. Having won the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump is scheduled to return as the 47th president in January. Trump has promised to bring a swift end to the war and has al ready held discussions with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders over what a resolu tion could look like, indicating that serious negotiations could be underway by his in auguration.

America and its allies can afford to tip the scales

- Henry Watson ʼ25

The issue is that Trump-led negotia tions would likely be heavily unfavorable towards Ukraine and any resolution sim ilarly so. Russia is indeed losing serious manpower–1,200 killed and wounded a day, according to the Economist–but Ukraine has a fifth as many people and is hurting, too. Additionally, the pace of Rus sian advances is at its highest since the start of the war.

It’s also worth noting that threats by Russia over deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine is nothing new. Back in late 2022, after a Ukrainian counteroffensive that liberated the second largest city in Ukraine, the Russian military for a time seemed to be in anarchy. There was even a high quality U.S. intelligence

assessment that gave a 50% chance Russia would deploy nuclear weapons. Even then, its leadership decided that the implications of using nuclear weapons was unaffordable.

At least to a decent extent, America and its allies can afford to tip the scales more towards Ukraine without pushing Russia

Photo by WIll Enquist

Graphic by Alex Gaines

Giving gifts and giving back

Turn to these organizations to embrace the spirit of giving

Matthew Stashower ʼ25

Inklings Ambassador

There’s no better time to give back than the hol idays, and every year, Westport comes ready to em brace this idea with open arms. Everywhere you look, there are places within the community that dedicate their work to bettering the lives of those around them, making them perfect places to donate to this holiday

Homes with Hopes

HELPING THE HOMELESS Homes with Hope Youth Council, which includes many Staples students, helps raise awareness and funding for those struggling with shelter around Westport.

Homes with Hope is an organization dedicated to ending homelessness. They run the Gillespie Center, which houses around 19 families. While financial donations are appreciated, Homes with Hope

Photo contributed by Homes with Hope

Center for Senior Activities

Westport’s Center for Senior Activities boasts an array of courses open to seniors 60 and above. The senior center offers 90 classes a week ranging from lessons on tap dancing lessons to boxing, while housing a full gym, a library and a lecture series. Community donations are put towards improving facilities to make the center more comfortable for seniors, as well as funding scholarships for seniors who may be struggling financially, allowing them to participate in programs. Donations can be made on the Westport Human

Toquet Hall

Toquet Hall is a place for local teens to gather after school in the absence of drugs or alcohol, hosting many different events including concerts from high school bands and live radio shows. The best way to donate to Toquet Hall is through the Westport Human Services website.

“We do a lot of fun extra events this time a year,” senior center director Wendy Petty said. “More people come out who aren’t with their family that want to be with their friends or at the senior

“Giving back to the community and donating and sup porting non profits [like Toquet Hall] really helps them sustain in their mission in being able to offer a wide variety of offers in their programs which can help those in need,” Westport Youth Services director Kevin Godburn said.

BUILDING COMMUNITY Since its creation two years ago, Club203 has held 10 gatherings including karaoke, dance parties and barbecues.

SAFE HAVEN FOR TEENS Toquet Hall often hosts events catered to teens of all ages and personalities in a healthy environment.

Club 203

Club 203 is a non-profit that is committed to providing meaningful engagement for adults with disabilities. Club 203 hosts events such as holiday parties and karaoke nights aimed at providing members a chance to connect with others. They accept tax-exempt donations through the Westport Human Services department at town hall to fund these gatherings. The organization is volunteer run and helps serve over 140 people.

“Any time of year is an important time to give,” co-founder Stacie Curran said. “If one is able to be charitable, around the holidays we all wish we could do more for others who may be struggling with loneliness and isolation.”

Donate to the Westport Department of Human Services here!

Graphics by Lily Rimm ʼ25

features

ACTIVITIES FOR THE ELDERLY Westport Human Services uses donations to decorate the Center for Senior Activities' garden.

Photo contributed by Wendy Petty

Photo contributed by Club 203

Photo contributed by Toquet Hall

Zoe Alpert ,25

Bringing Westport to The Big Apple

Rachel Reinhardt Jewelry arrives at Grand Central Holiday Fair

Broadcast Director

Zoe Boxenbaum ,25

Executive TV Producer

The conductor calls, “Next stop, Grand Central Terminal!” As the train reaches a halt, excitement bubbles for the busy day ahead. Chatter erupts throughout the station about seeing the Rockefeller Tree, visiting Bryant Park and watching the Rockettes. But the most exciting activity can be found right inside Grand Central and can be enjoyed without facing the bitter cold and bustling crowds.

Just beyond the Vanderbilt Avenue Entrance lies the Grand Central Holiday Fair, a collection of 38 independent artisans from around the country, selling handmade goods spanning from gloves, to cards, to candles. In the very last stall lies something extra special: Westport’s own Rachel Reinhardt selling her jewelry line while being assisted by her two daughters, Emma Kantor ’25 and Ruby Kantor ’24.

It all began in September of 1996 in

Reinhardts Brooklyn apartment when she took her years of experience in the jewelry industry and turned a jewelry-making hobby into her own business with the help of her late mother.

“With my background in sales and marketing and [my mom’s] background as a painter, our energies collided into a force that not only made exquisitely crafted jewelry, but also made good business sense,” Reinhardt said. “When women stopped dead in their tracks to ask me where I got my handmade necklace, I knew we were on to something amazing”

Over nearly 30 years of business, Reinhardt has taken her operation from the kitchen of her apartment to the hands of customers across the globe. In the early years of her business, Reinhardt filled orders on a Saturday night by herself while her friends went out. This dedication landed Reinhardt her big break at one of the most iconic New York City department stores, and eventually, far beyond.

“We started off with one account at Henri Bendel, which was an old New York

City department store, and slowly over decades, just one by one, we were carried in over 250 independent retailers across the world.”

To appear in the bustling booths of the Grand Central Holiday Fair is no small task. This season marks Reinhardt’s second year securing her spot.

“I filled out an application with samples of my work and the story of my business, and they choose 38 vendors to participate. Every year you have to reapply and it's a long process,” Reinhardt said.“It's a very curated event, so it's really hard to get into.”

But for Reinhardt, the annual holiday fair is about more than growing sales and creating brand exposure; it's about fostering connection.

“Our Grand Central booth accounts for about 75% of our annual sales which is great for the business end, but for me, my favorite part is meeting new people and working with my girls,” said Reinhardt. “It’s a labor of love, truly, and it's something that I feel can be passed on to generations.”

Photos by Zoe Boxenbaum ’25 & Zoe Alpert ’25

Mother of Pearl Celestial Necklace - $205.00

Ocean Breeze Bib Necklace - $230.00

Amythest and Colored Quartz Pendant - $175.00

Malachite Flower Necklace - $168.00

SHINING BRIGHT Rachel Reinhardt's jewelry is now for sale at the Grand Central Holiday Fair, located in the Vanderbilt Building in Grand Central Terminal NYC. The market, which will be on display until Dec. 24, features 36 artisans selling everything from pottery to jewelry.

Around Westport

While holiday shopping, make sure to check out these local artisans. Snag up a cute necklace, aromatic candle or a fun piece of stationary.

Meet Floraco. With a collection of aromatherapy blends, candles, soaps and cleaning supplies Floraco's products can illuminate your home with the aroma of fresh and natural products. The founder, Kerry Gale, is passionate about main taining a clean lifestyle while using scent as a way to connect your body, mind and home. Getting someone a candle or one of their signature aromatherapy blends could add a hint of sweetness to their day.

Looking for a personalized gift? Yozo Studio has got you covered. A design, letterpress studio and party shop based in Westport, Shannon Vindiola offers beautiful final touches to any gift, immediately making it more special. The elevation of holiday, special occasion and birthday cards make it that much more chic. Her elevated techniques when designing her cards is unmatched and the perfect addition for any invitation. Using letterpress, foil stamping and engraving, Yozo Studios's service is like no other.

The best way to celebrate the holidays is with a little sparkle. For a cute but also stylish touch to your gifts, handcrafted jewelry with a whimsy color palette is the way to go. Emily Blundell's designs range from bright multicolored semi-precious stones to charm necklaces with specialized vintage charms, where there's a little something for everyone. Add a unique shimmer to your holiday stack.

Moody Autumn Strand - $200.00

Magnolia Mint Candle ( Amber Glass) - $22.00

Rosemary Sage Candle ( Green Glass) - $22.00

Vintage French Charms

Sagittarius Charm - $45.00

Aries Charm - $50.00

Libra Charm - $22.00

Pink Opal Heart Necklace - $125.00

Blue Lapis Evil Eye Pendant Necklace- $160.00

Semi Precious Heishi Heart Necklace - $158.00

Good Luck Freshwater Pearl and Charm Necklace - $138.00

Photos contributed by Floraco

Photos contributed by Yozo Studio

Photos contributed by Jeweled Coquette

1.

Gather Your Goals

I usually put my goals into four categories: lifestyle (hobbies, health,activities,etc),relationships,academics (grades,clubs,and other extracurriculars),and action (travel,things I want to learn).

Then I think of all the specific goals that fall under it.I try to have at least three per category, but you don't have to limit yourself. From there,I know where I want to focus my time and images on the board.

HOWTO

Photos by Zara Saliba

Scour the Internet

If you know me, you know I take pride in my Pinterest (shameless plug, @zaramichelle7). By searching “good grades” or “friendship goals” you can find images for your vision board. Create a Pinterest board to keep all of those images or take screenshots/search Google for different images. Last December, when I didn't feel like printing a million images, I met my best friend in the world: Canva. Who needs friends in real life when you have Canva collage makers?

LIKE A PRO

DZara Saliba ʼ26 Paper Editor

id you know that most people stop following their New Year's Resolutions around February? I did. But what if I told you there was a solution? A vision board, made every December, has become my go-to since freshman year. It provides me with a way to take the new year by storm and remind me what I want to accomplish. Here's how to make one yourself.

Arrange and Adjust

If you do the collage part digitally, you can skip this step. First arrange your images on a canvas or poster BEFORE gluing; no one wants to glue everything down only to realize that you didn't want to focus that much on Greece. By planning digitally, you will know if you need to cut images or find new ones. Make sure to take a photo of the placement so you don't forget where things go once it's time to glue.

Realign and Get

Once you have your design, start gluing your images. As I glue, I like to plot and scheme about making my visions a reality (which only gets me more excited for the new year).Bonus points if you have stickers or gems to glue around it.Now you have a vision board! Having it in your room helps to realign and become calm before the stresses of January midterms. A vision board always grounds me before I enter another year,which is especially important considering the wild ride senior year is sure to be. Happy boarding, Staples!

Accepting My Silver Hair

Rewarded Me With Gold

Ava Chun ʼ25 Broadcast Director

Gray hairs. Something typically seen in older people, skunks and in this case, me. Yes, you read that correctly. I am a 17-year-old girl who is already growing gray hairs. Though I suppose I have always had gray hairs, I never truly noticed them until freshman year of high school. As a new face to the halls of Staples High School, I should’ve been excited, hopeful and curious but instead I was scared, insecure and stressed. I thought everyone who saw me only saw my gray hairs.

Every period I would listen to my teacher yap parabolas while I plucked my gray hairs until I heard the bell. And even though my sister had always told me that once “you pluck one gray hair, 10 more grows in its place,” I never listened. Although that isn’t exactly scientifically accurate, I believe the expression is linked to the fact that once you

start looking for gray hairs, you start fixating on every gray hair found.

Unfortunately, she was right. Every time I looked in the mirror, all I could see were my gray hairs. Every time I met someone new, I shook in fear that they would make fun of my hairs. It started to take over my life.

me, I’m really belittling that little child in the photo.

Everytime I looked in the mirror, all I could see were my gray hairs.

"

- Ava Chun ʼ25 “

I then dyed my hair in my sophomore year in order to get rid of these ugly hairs but they only came back stronger than before. I then tried something that changed how I view myself. I put up a photo of me as a child and told myself that everytime I criticize my gray hairs or anything else about

Ever since then, I finally started to believe everyone who had always told me that they loved my gray hairs. From family to strangers, I’ve always been complemented, yet I couldn’t see the beauty until this summer. I was now able to feel confident about something I once thought was a fault.

All that time I spent complaining about how I looked, I could’ve been content with myself and living with less pain than I needed to.

It just goes to show how we have to stop being so hard on ourselves and realize that nobody is fixating on your characteristics but yourself.

Being able to embrace my gray hairs allowed me to feel good about myself, and it improved my mental health. It allowed me to feel like I had a gold medal around my neck instead of these silver oddities growing off my hair. Finding this beauty in myself turned out to be more important than anything.

Photo by Mia Bomback

& enhancement by Alex Gaines

A beloved tradition: musicians march to Candlelight 2024

Jack Robinson ʼ26

Paper Editor

As the auditorium lights fade to black and the robe-clad choir walks out with lit candles, hundreds of eager Westport patrons are absorbed by the holiday magic of Candlelight. After months of honing their performances, Staples’ musicians are ready to present to the community.

Every December for the last 84 years, the Staples music department has put on a production of Candlelight. Now a beloved Westport tradition, families can always count on Candlelight to inspire holiday cheer. Behind the impressive production, students, staff and administrators work for months to ensure that the performances meet the standard of excellence they’ve set for years.

While the general format may remain consistent, changes behind the scenes occur year to year. One such change this year is a new band director, Kevin Mazzarella.

“I had a lot of mental preparation going into [Candlelight],” Mazzarella said. “We've had a lot of organizational meetings from pretty much as soon as I’d been hired to the start of the school year.”

Candlelight has many pieces that are performed annually, like the “Hallelujah Chorus.” However, each year, Staples’ music teachers select pieces for their ensembles to perform and add their own spin.

- Stephen Zimmerman “

[When they created this concert in the 40’s], they designed something that was really special.

These pieces are opportunities to include representation for many different groups.

“I’m excited about [...] a traditional Hanukkah piece called 'S’Vivon,' but it’s more of a jazzy, contemporary version,” director of choral activities Lauren Pine

said. “Similarly, we have an African Noel, so we’re bringing in different cultures.”

Also new this year is the class of 2028. The new batch of talented and excited freshmen joining Candlelight will bring their own fresh spin to the traditional and the new pieces.

“[Mrs. Pine] has been making sure that her new ninth graders will be thriving in Candlelight for their first year,” Jenna Guzman ’28 said.

Through the mix of both beloved and fresh new elements and, of course, the students and staff who bring life to the pieces in Candlelight, 2024 will follow in the long line of incredible performances delivered year after year.

“It both honors the traditions that have gone on for a long time while also allowing for some room for those traditions to be bent or changed in ways that makes it feel fresh,” music and visual arts coordinator Stephen Zimmerman said. “[When they created this concert in the 40’s], they designed something that was really special.”

Photo contributed by Liz Shaffer Photo taken from

Photo by Luca Caniato

Photo contributed by Liz Shaffer

The Power of Partnership:

Boys' hockey team becomes co-op

Storey Ahl '25 Paper Editor

In the heart of winter, ice hockey isn’t just a game. It's a tradition, a way to bring people together, and a friendly competition between towns. But what happens when the hometown team isn’t quite so “hometown” anymore? For the Staples boys’ hockey team, combining forces with neighboring towns will bring new talent to the roster but also a challenge: maintaining a sense of belonging and support from a school they only partly represent.

This season, the boys’ hockey team will be combined with Norwalk High School and Brien McMahon High School. The decision, finalized shortly after last season, was made due to a player shortage. Staples will join the Norwalk-Brien McMahon co-op, called NorMac, practicing and playing games together under a new title that combines the names of all three schools, “StorMac.”

According to the boys’ ice hockey captain Harry Goodburn ’25, this decision was necessary to ensure the team’s longevity.

“We decided to combine because we haven’t been getting a lot of underclassmen wanting to play Staples ice hockey,” Good-

burn said. “Combining with both schools gives us so much more depth.”

While the coaching staff from Staples remains largely intact, the team will also welcome a new coach, NorMac's Todd Deklyn.

Although blending players from three different teams is likely to present challenges, Head Coach Matthew Bohn is confident that the cooperation from players, coaches and captains will lead to a good team dynamic.

“I am excited about this season,” Goodburn said. “I think this co-op gives us a better opportunity at states and will definitely help the future of this program.”

I think this co-op gives us a better opportunity at states and will definitely help the future of this program. “ "

- Harry Goodburn ʼ25

For the boys’ ice hockey program, forming a co-op with Norwalk and Brien McMahon is a fresh start, but they aren’t the first Staples team to make this move. The

girls’ ice hockey team has been competing as a co-op for several years, combining players from Staples, Westhill High School and Stamford High School. While the arrangement has kept their program afloat, players have noticed that it comes with challenges, especially in school support.

“We are definitely not recognized as much as other non-co-op winter sports because our games are not very local for Staples,” Stamford-Westhill-Staples (SWS) girls' ice hockey co-op captain Alex Hackett ’25 said. “Most of the girls on the SWS team are from Stamford.”

Another issue that the co-op has faced is a lack of team chemistry.

“Being in a co-op sport can be difficult because we only see each other for about an hour a day, which is definitely not enough time to connect,” Hackett said.

The girls' team hopes the new boys’ coop will bring attention to the success and struggles of combined teams.

“It’s really good to see the boys’ team making this move,” Hackett said, “and maybe it’ll show people how much these co-op programs need and deserve support.”

As StorMac takes the ice, the players are ready to prove that unity across towns can lead to success and maybe even a new tradition worth cheering for.

Photos contributed by Alex Hackett ʼ25 (left) and Matt Bohn (above)

JOINING FORCES The boys' hockey team (above) is following the girls' hockey team's (left) lead by also combining with other schools to become a co-op team.