September 30, 2011
Volume 21, No. 2
San Rafael, CA 94901
INSIDE THE CASH CRASH
FANTASY FOOTBALL FETISH PAGE 11
THE MISSING ART SHOW PAGE 2
Photo Sam Pritzker/Photo Illustration Annie Warner
PAGES 6-7
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News
September 30, 2011
2012 election: students track candidates. . .or not Tiffany Chang Staff Writer With the 2012 presidential elections approaching, the community has begun to discuss candidates. “There’s no challenge to Barack Obama in the primary, so he’s going to be the democratic nominee,” senior Alec White said. “There’s Rick Perry, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Michelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum,” he said of the Republican candidates. History teacher Pam Maffei believes the contenders are subject to change. “Every month there’s a new candidate,” Maffei said. “I would not be surprised if somebody that nobody’s talking about emerges in the next six months and takes the nomination.” While discussing the Republican hopefuls, the community is gauging the level of enthusiasm the 2012 elections will bring.
Eric Lee
While canvassing for votes in Nevada prior to the 2008 elections, Eric Lee ‘08 met First Lady Michelle Obama.
Without a new democratic nominee, teachers wonder if the 2012 elections will electrify students the same way the 2008 elections did. 2007 through 2008 was an exceptional time in terms of student political involvement. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the campus or students in general as energized…we had groups of students going to Nevada to register voters,” history teacher Bill
Meyer said. The political energy culminated in January 2009 with M A’s f i r s t live streaming of the presidential inauguration. Classes were adjourned so that students could watch in the theater
and lecture halls. Some students are unsure if 2012 will yield the same level of participation. “With Obama, you really had a sense of historical change in America…it was the possibility of having the first black president in office,” senior Albert Kakkis said. “But now that thrill has sort of gone away.” Meyer attributes some of the
loss of energy to disappointment. “A lot of the optimism and energy surrounding the Obama campaign has sort of dissipated,” Meyer said. “Obviously Obama’s inherited the most difficult climate economically. He walked into a lot of problems that he didn’t create and I think the expectations that he could’ve fixed it all … partisan gridlock makes it a hard time.” Despite Obama’s lagging approval ratings nationally, students and teachers think he will do well in the elections. Many students say that they would rather vote for Obama than vote Republican. “I’m not sure what Obama’s chances are. I think they’re pretty good, but that’s because the competition does not seem credible or electable so far,” Maffei said. “The question is, can you inspire them to get out to the polls?” While history teachers discuss politics during break, students follow the elections to varying degrees. Some, such as White, have
been tracking candidates since the 2008 elections. “I regularly check the Daily Post and the Huffington Post… once a day, maybe a couple times a week,” White said. However most students do not appear to be keeping track. “I don’t know the Republican candidates,” senior Emily Klein said. “My interest level is not very high.” This early in the process, with the elections almost 14 months out, student are more focused on the local political scene rather than the national one. “I’m more excited for the freshman elections than the presidential elections,” freshman Claire Kirkpatrick said. According to Maffei, disinterest at this stage is normal. “The fall before the primary season is always very quiet in terms of student involvement,” Maffei. said “But once we get into 2012… ask me then.”
Removal of second art show interrupts artists’ flow Camila Carrera Staff Writer This year the art department is trying something different. Head of the Art department, Anne Maurice, and her colleagues decided to have only one art show this year, one fewer than in previous years due to the stress of preparing and finishing projects on time. The art show will take place on Thursday, May 3 in the art rooms, and will last five days instead of one. In the years that Maurice has been working at Marin Academy, there have always been two shows. Maurice decided just one night was not worth the stress of preparing for two weeks. “I am very proud of our students’ work, but preparing for the art shows is definitely not sustainable,” Maurice said. “It’s just too rushed.” Katharine Boyd, who teaches Visual Arts I and Draw Paint agrees. She thinks that a big part of the curriculum was wasted on
prepping for the shows. “Just preparing for the art show takes two weeks. It takes about a month in total out of the curriculum when we could have been doing art,” Boyd said. Some students feel slighted. Eliminating one of the shows means students will not get to show some of their work. “There are still going to be deadlines, so it doesn’t really matter if we have one art show; there will still be the same amount of work. We will have fewer opportunities to show our art,” sophomore Nina McCullough said, who is in Draw Paint II. For some students, having one fewer show is a let down because two art shows give
Photo Illustration
them motivation to start and finish new pieces. “There is the opportunity to submit art in the Chamber Music and Art Show, but it’s optional,” senior in Draw Pain IV Honors, Ernesto Garcia, said. “I like the two art shows because there are deadlines, which give students initiative to finish their art pieces.” Others think that one art show is a great idea because there will be more time to do other art projects that would not have been possible if two art shows had been taking place.
“It takes way too much time preparing for the art shows. It also takes time away from the curriculum when we can be trying new things in art, like charcoal. I am happy with one art show,” said sophomore Visual Arts Olivia Lloyd student Sofia Miller. Not only did the art department cut an art show because of the stress, but because students’ work overflowed into other teachers’ classrooms in the past. “We do not want to keep other teachers from teaching in their classrooms. With one art show this year we will be able to limit the time teachers are out of their rooms,” Maurice said. “Also we can put art in the BBLC and the theater.” One art show condenses the stress load that comes with the finals and final projects from other
classes. “Seniors have projects and field trips and sometimes this prevents them from completing their art pieces. With one art show it will cut down on the stress,” Boyd said. “Students will be able to pick and choose their favorite pieces.” The art department understands that some students will not like the idea of only one art show, but they are striving to reach some new goals. They hope all members of the community will be able to display their artwork. “We have talked to the board and have decided to build an art gallery on the school campus. We will be able to show all the kids’ work in a monthly rotation. For example one month can be for Visual Arts’ work and another for Ceramics,” Maurice said. “We want to be able to show off all our students’ work.”
News
September 30, 2011
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Article title. . .oh wait, I need to update my status Greig Stein Staff Writer Let’s pretend you have half an hour of math and 45 minutes of Spanish homework to do tonight. This should only take about an hour and 15 minutes, right? Wrong. For many, this would take well over two hours, due to ineffective use of time. Is there really too much homework being assigned, or are students just too distracted to get it done in a timely fashion? “My homework takes me like four times as long as it should,” junior Duncan Cummings said. “I spend a lot of time sifting through music blogs looking for new songs.” Cummings said he also turns to stringing lacrosse heads and snacking instead of doing his work. When his parents check up on him, though, Cummings is quick to switch to his MA email and tell them he’s emailing a
claims that she spends a total of two hours procrastinating for every one hour of work she gets done. “To convince my parents I’m working, when I’m actually going on Facebook, I tell them I’m working on something I’ve already
finished,” Vaughan said. “When they ask how it’s going I just show them the completed work and they think I’ve been working away.” Senior Jamie Mureseanu keeps a book open but his T.V. tuned shows like “Arrested Development” and “Modern Family”. When his parents come to check up on him, he scrambles to turn off the T.V., so they walk in on a studious boy about 300 pages into his math textbook. “I look at the book and move my eyes with the lines to make them think I’m actually reading it. I never actually read it. That’s unnecessary,” Mureseanu said. Mureseanu, like the others, cited Facebook as a frequently visited site during homework hours. While the website is arguably a good resource for schoolwork because it allows people to connect and ask each other questions, it can also be a major time waster. All three students cited Facebook as a top vice while study-
ing. Facebook has attracted nearly everyone, even Head of School Travis Brownley, and it is easy to abuse the powers it allows- one of which being the ability to peer into other peoples lives. “Top three people I stalk are Easweh Harrison, Jacqueline Monetta and Lindsey Bettinger,” Cummings said. Vaughan was more reluctant to give out her favorite profiles, but eventually said she stalked Trevor Chetlin ‘11 the most. Mureseanu said he’d rather not answer the question. Though these homework avoiding endeavors are amusing, students throughout the school admit to having done them. While many students conplain about the demanding homework load, they also confess that procrastination is a major hindrence on their homework completion abilities.
mittee would include a member of the board of trustees, a faculty member, an administrator, a single member of the Marin Academy Parents’ Association (MAPA), as well as two students. The committee then reviews the objection and makes a recommendation to Head of School Travis Brownley as to what should happen. “Like most librarians, I think people have the right to read,” Anderson said. “Then, they can decide for themselves what it is they want peruse. My theory is: if students are old enough to buy a certain book or magazine on their own, why shouldn’t we be supplying it at the library?”
banned P a u l Monnette’s “Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir”. Mark Twain’s classic “Huckleberry Finn” has, at one point or another, been prohibited in over five states simultaneously.
Book bans are unprecedented in Marin Academy history—the community has yet to face the implications of such limitations. “I think students would feel that the banning of any book by the MA library would be antithetical to the self-professed values of MA,” senior Jamie Muresanu said. “However, [it is] a private school, so legally they are able to ban whatever they want without breaching our first-amendment rights.” Head Librarian Derek Anderson claims the process for reconsideration of a piece of literature is rigorous and unpopular. “The patron has to show that they have read the work in its entirety,” Anderson said. “You can’t just object to ‘that’ picture or ‘that’ word. Then, a committee is formed. I’ve yet to deal with that process, though.” Such a com-
Greig Stein
Students complain that homework takes far too long but admit that they procrastinate with distractions like snacking and social networking.
teacher. “I spend all night on the internet and hanging out, but my parents think I’m hard at work,” Cummings said. Senior Yuriko Vaughan faces similar problems when trying to complete her homework. She
Huck Finn, Slaughterhouse V bans incite controversy Sam Pritzker Features Editor This past July, the Missouri school board banned Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical novel, “Slaughterhouse Five”. The book follows the life of prisoner of war Billy Pilgrim, particularly focusing on the bombing of Dresden during World War II. Though sardonic, the novel has received universal praise. Time Magazine ranked the book 18th on its annual “All Time 100 Novels,” a list of the best contemporary novels in the English language. Despite such admiration, however, Wesley Scroggins, a professor at the University of Missouri, and a resident of Republic County, Missouri, took issue with how the book approaches contentious issues. “This is a book that contains so much profane language, it would make a sailor blush with shame,” Scroggins wrote on a blog for USA Today. “The content ranges
from naked men and women in cages together so that others can watch them having sex, to God telling people that they better not ‘mess with his loser, bum of a son, named Jesus Christ.” In response, Miss o u r i ’s R e public County School Board, surveyed Vonnegut’s novel, deeming it inappropriate for highschool students. Though commonly perceived as conservative, Missouri is only one among several other states that have banned books from school libraries. Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon” was once banned at Franklin Central School, near Indianapolis, for profanity. A county in Tennessee
Drawing Anna Kelly
September 30, 2011
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Features
Wait, who is that? New faculty to find on campus...
MA’s new registrar, Evie Koh, was attracted to the community by the many “nice people” that it’s composed of. No stranger to the Bay Area, she was born in raised in Berkeley, California. Koh has been playing the cello since she was a toddler with just as much drive as many of the musicians here. At age 18 she attended the Juilliard School. Upon graduating, Koh decided to work at her alma mater. “Working there was a great experience,” said Koh, “but it made me realize that I wanted to work for a small school and come back to my roots in the Bay Area.” Koh works diligently in the office labeled Registrar inside the BBLC, so be sure to stop in and say hello.
SCOTT YOUNG
Nestled in the trees of San Anselmo lies the residence of the new academic dean, Scott Young. Young and his family (wife Katie and 9-year-old black lab Sydney) have made a nice transition to the West Coast and to the MA community. “Relationships between students and faculty was what drew me to MA,” Young said, “and it is also one of my favorite parts of the high school experience.” As a high schooler, Young enjoyed basketball, lacrosse, and soccer, but nowadays he spends his time biking, playing the guitar, and reading. Young also has a quirky habit: running barefoot. “It’s a great way to improve your technique,” Young said, “but you can’t run barefoot only.”
ELLIE BROCKMAN
Ellie Brockman, who teaches sophoore chemistry and advanced chemistry, is one of two resident British faculty members on campus. In high school, she played the clarinet and the violin in her school’s orchestra. Brockman used the word “special” to describe what drew her to the community. An outdoor enthusiast, she fell in love with the Outings Program and “the collaborative nature of the school.” Brockman, who describes herself as athletic, recently finished an Ironman distance triathlon and continues to train in the three separate sports: swimming, biking, and running. Although she trains long and hard, she is open and available to help anyone. Writing & photography by Morgan Buckley
... Remember when they were n ew? Guess that teacher! B C A • Has psychic capabilities • Has a “sweetheart” wife • Taught at Jamie Collie’s • Led Vision Quests • She’s a citizen of the world, with relatives from Panama, China, and Italy!
• Owns a frog named Betty • Wears only “Peace for _______” (insert animal) shirts
high school • School archivist • Top-notch fundraiser for library needs
A: Anayansi Aranda-Yee, B: Mark Stefanski, C: Derek Anderson
EVIE KOH
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Features
September 30, 2011
Students and staff share stories from abroad
Ellie Brockman – Newcastle, England
Before joining Marin Academy, Ellie Brockman taught at Lord Lawson of Beamish, a public secondary school just outside of Newcastle, England. Though she said the course offerings there are similar to the classes here, the student teacher dynamic is much different. Both public and private school students take standardized exams , called A-Levels when they’re 16, in all the subjects they are taking. As a result, the curricula are very rigid and focus on prepping students for the tests. “You can’t necessarily go off on a tangent,” Brockman said. “you can’t look at the kids you have and see what most interests them, what most interests me, what is most relevant.” At Lord Lawson, Brockman taught many more classes, up to ten, and wasn’t as close to her students. “It’s very difficult to compare because the school I was teaching at was in a deprived area,” Brockman said. “There were some students that were very motivated...but 95% of the students wouldn’t come to see their teachers during a break.”Brockman attributes this to the fact that her students received their grades from the national board that produces and administers the A-levels, rather than from their teachers. That means if a student didn’t turn in a homework assignment, it wouldn’t necessarily impact his grade. “Students would see the exam as the most important thing, so they wanted to get the knowledge for the exam, rather than for the love of learning,” Brockman said. “That was hard.”
a y n e K , i k u y n a N – h t i Julian Sm nior Julian Smith lived and worked at Daraja
Last summer, ju for poverty-stricken ya en K in ol ho sc arding ith saw Academy, a free bo tyle differences, Sm es lif nt re he in s a’ curriculum. girls. Despite Daraj ion and the Daraja at uc ed s hi n ee . . .but the tw connections be seemed really easy ol ho sc r ou at th t what we’re “They all though etty comparable to pr as w ng ni ar le e cused material they wer classes are very fo r ei th ll .a . t. ep xc id, “e learning,” Smith sa e year.” ke at the end of th ta ey th s st te e c the girls th around s was the work ethi ce en er ff di n ai m e n nine One of th pically take betwee ty ey th , ith Sm e to the math and scienc of maintain. According r go ri e th on d commente and biology and 13 classes. He chemistry, physics, ke ta lly ua us ls ir e in clubs or play on at ip curricula G ic rt pa s rl gi e hall. er school, th work during study simultaneously. Aft ol ho sc r ei th to rn en retu the sports teams, but th hey’re up early in .T . e. ud tit at us io s. No side “It’s a more stud focused during clas ry ve e ’r ey th d an ’s also morning studying Smith said. “There ,” ng hi yt an or g odlin use or conversations or do hts out like at a ho lig an th t en er ff di s of the lights out at 10; it’ tricity for the rest ec el e or m no s e’ ns ther something. It mea night.”
Olivia Lloyd
News Editor Students have attended semester abroad programs across the country, but few have had the opportunity attend schools in other nations around the globe. From impoverished villages in Kenya to cultured towns in France, millions of children experience school differently than members of the Marin Academy community. A few students have experienced these unique educational environments, working at or attending schools worldwide.
Kendall Reinhart - Paris, France
4,000 miles from Daraja Academy and 5,500 from MA, senior Kendall Reinhart and her twin brothe rs Cooper and Trevor Reinhart ‘15, spent 2010 in Paris’ 16th Arrond issement, located between the Arc de Triomphe and the famous Eif fel Tower. While in France, Reinhart studied at the American School. Though the curriculum is largely Eng lish, the upper school attracts a student body from about 50 nation s. However, although she was immersed in French culture and gained exposure to people from all over the world, Reinhart noticed tha t The American School was not as academically rigorous as MA. “They were more low-key in the sen se that students weren’t as disciplined in class,” Reinhart said. Though American teenagers are kno wn for their social lives, Reinhart found her French classmates to be less restricted by their parents and both the school’s and the country’s regulations. “People would go clubbing and sinc e the drinking age is lower there, [drinking] was more accepted by the culture,” Reinhart said. There was one tradition in particular that Reinhart recalled. “Then there was something called Cha mp de Mars that happened at the end of each semeste r and the beginning of each school year where we would go the parks underneath the Eiffel Tower and just hang out,” Reinhart said , “but it would be like hundreds and hundreds of people, so it was really cool.”
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Features
September
INSIDE THE C FOREIGN FINANCES The Finance Department, discreetly located on the third floor of Foster Hall, deals with the unseen effects global markets have on Marin Academy. “I work with my team, making sure checks are getting paid, all of that. We deal with the school’s finances, in terms of what is being collected and spent,” Mike Joyce, chief financial officer, said. “We are basically the business and human resource functions of the school.” As far as how much the school’s finances have been affected by the global fiscal situation, the Finance Department has recently had to deal with Europe’s declining economies severely affecting the school. In 1999, MA borrowed $4 million in tax-exempt bonds from an Irish bank. This money was to be used for improvements made on the campus. The plan allowed for the school to pay low interest rates, which saved money during the time the bonds would be slowly paid off. “The plan was going great for 10 years,” said Joyce, “until European banks fell into some trouble last year.” In 2010, Irish banks found themselves in a difficult situation during the country’s housing crisis. The school’s bond was held by the Allied Irish Bank, one of the banks that invested a great deal of money in housing. Consequently, AIB was one of the banks hit hardest during the crisis. Immediately, the school, as a shareholder, was required to pay more interest on the bonds than had been projected. “We recognized the huge spike in the interest, so we said, let’s pay these bonds off,” Joyce said. “We took extra cash to pay them off, and ended up saving the school $10,000-15,000 a month.” Joyce considers this one of the best ways the Finance Department has been able to save money for the school. Although this money was saved and made available for operating expenses and other necessities, the school’s endowment, the large sum of
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BENEFITS OF CONSERVATIVE SPENDING Although the school’s are not without issues, the impact of the national and global fiscal crisis has affected MA minutely in comparison to other schools. “Back East, I know of schools that had to go for two years where faculty didn’t get raises, and some schools even had to lay people off,” said Brownley. The administration has not had to lay off any faculty or staff, or compromise any benefits. Health insurance and retirement plans, for example, haven’t been changed because of the economy. Joyce attributes this to values the school has in terms of cutting spending. “We haven’t had to compromise expenses in places where we know we really don’t want to,” he said. The school’s ability to stay afloat in times of financial distress may be linked to the demand for the MA education, which has remained regardless of the recession. The school operates with an average of 400 students, and most of the money needed to sustain the school comes from these students’ tuition. As long as there is a demand for the education, the school can meet operating expenses. This is not to say that the school that has not felt the effects of the recession. The Strategic Plan and Vision 2030, extensive designs for an improved MA campus and direction, are among the facets that Joyce says he can see being affected, at least in terms of completion, by the economy. “An economy that is very robust – not what it is today – could achieve the goals of the plan sooner,” Joyce said. “I think we’ll just have to recalibrate the timing on some of the goals on objectives, because they will definitely be accomplished – it’s just a question of when.” Whether or not students personally feel the pressure of the economy, it’s inevitable to have at least some effect on a large institution that relies
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CASH CRASH
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Features Writing and Reporting by Lena Felton, Julia Irwin, Samantha Jolson, Neha Budhraja
PERSONAL TESTIMONIALS Although the student body consists of students from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds, the continuing recession and recent debt ceiling crisis have been topics of discussion among many families. While parents have kept a watchful eye on fluctuations in the economy, students have recently had to consider the smaller-scale implications of life in times of economic uncertainty. “We talk about the economy now, and we talk about where it’s going to be in five to ten years,” sophomore Lucy Jenks said. “We talk about what will happen as I get older and the government changes, how that’s going to affect my day to day life…what it’s going to look like in terms of buying gas, or paying for college.” For now, students are turning to sources of excess in their lives, and finding ways to reduce. In many cases, reduction simply means considering want versus need in the material world. “My parents are more careful about giving me money to spend on gas,” sophomore Sydney Block said. “We now have a budget for gas.” Sophomore Monica Gerber has found that she is now expected to take more responsibility for her personal expenditures, and welcomes the shift in parental expectations. “I pitch in for things like clothes now,” Gerber said, “and that’s allowed me to think more about money and the true value of things.” While many are focused on making less withdrawals from parents’ wallets, junior Mario Diaz also considers demands on his parents’ time. “My dad almost lost his job; he was second in line to be let go. I don’t ask much of him anymore…I don’t ask him to pick me up from school as much; I take the bus. Overall, it’s just been a big warning for us,” Diaz said. Among these struggles, as test dates, essays, and applications begin to be a feature in students’ lives, college tuition also becomes a prominent concern for many families.
MAKING THE EXPERIENCE AFFORDABLE Since the economic downturn, the school has suffered a moderate decrease in its applicant pool. but still retains a healthy financial aid program. The school is striving to make attendance easier for families who have been negatively affected by the economy. The number of applicants to the school itself has decreased over the last 10 years from about 650 to 410 per year. “We are putting more effort into making [tuition] more balanced,” Admissions associate Connie Goldsmith said. Many people refrain from applying not only because of the competition in the normal application process, but also the increased competition for financial aid. With recent cuts to public education, however, one might expect a rise in the number of middle school applicants. “We have 2.5 million dollars going towards financial aid,” Dan Babior, Director of Admissions, said. “One would assume that [with the cuts to public education] we would receive more applicants, but many prospective families choose not to apply from the beginning because they don’t generate the income for tuition, and would have to apply for financial aid.” Currently, 35% percent of MA students come from public middle schools. Because the battle for financial aid creates even more competition for already limited spots, families get discouraged and often don’t even bother to fill out the forms. The admissions department is currently working towards making the school more affordable. They are trying to slow the increase in tuition, and host informational evenings to help spread awareness of the financial aid program. “The main question is ‘Can I qualify?’ and we try to be helpful,” Babior said. “Currently, the average financial aid award is about $24,000, and it has gone up over the years with tuition.”
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A&E
September 30, 2011
Just a guilty pleasure? Students discuss reality T.V. Avery Hale A&E Editor As students return to school in the fall and the stress of academic life begins to pick up, so does discussion surrounding television shows featuring orange guidos, pregnant teenagers, and dancing celebrities. The worst of fall television has officially begun, offering no shortage of catfights and fist pumping party scenes for high school students of all ages. Although some students are able to steer clear, many find themselves trapped in this weekly cycle of drama, unable to escape the guilty pleasure of reality television. Some have even adopted the lifestyles shown on television as their own. “I do everything I see on ‘Jersey Shore,’” senior Everett Barger said. “No questions asked.” In addition to “Jersey Shore,” shows such as “Teen Mom,” “Bachelor Pad,” “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” and “Dancing With The Stars” can all
lives of the rich and famous Kardashian family, reached an average of 4.7 million viewers. “I watch it when I’m in the middle of something else like baking or making a birthday card,” senior Meredith Parish said. “I only need to pay attention half the time because there’s no plot.” Others have even proceeded to criticize these reality television shows, arguing that their content makes for unintelligent entertainment, and that often the stars of these shows provide bad examples Avery Hale for young people. A parodic take on the stars of reality television. Students emulate the eccentricity of “I think shows like their favorite characters from T.V. shows Teen Mom, Bachelor Pad, and Jersey Shore. ‘Teen Mom’ give young be considered part of the category turn season after season to watch girls bad role models Worst of Fall T.V. Although a the stories unfold. from an early age,” junior Cora majority of these shows tend to According to Examiner.com, Swanson said. “I also think that highlight the arguably ordinary the season five premiere of “Keep- in some ways it promotes teen events of eccentric people’s lives, ing Up With The Kardashians,” a pregnancy.” viewers of all ages continue to re- show focused on the every day While some argue that real-
ity television consists of bad role models, others go so far as to insist that it is much more than the characters that negatively affect our society. This may be true, but the argument also exists that students at MA are less affected than students are in other areas of the country. “Reality T.V. perpetuates negative stereotypes and feeds into social pressure on so many levels, but the atmosphere of questioning authority at MA teaches us to look deeper into these types of things,” sophomore Ari Goldstein said. “It’s not that we’re smarter or better than the rest of the country, but we’re more educated about the way television and reality shows in particular distort the truth.” Although students have varying views on the effects of these shows, there is no question that they have had an impact on our community. With millions of viewers tuned in weekly, it is apparent that despite the negative feedback some shows may receive, reality television continues to endure, one meatball-loving guido at a time.
Sex sells, educational magazines remain unnoticed Greig Stein Staff Writer
The library is home to 46 magazines, ranging from Vogue to Sports Illustrated. In a poll, 52 students were asked to name their favorite magazine, with the most popular periodicals containing the greatest amount of R-rated con-
courtesy of www.amygrindhouse.com
tent. Among these are Maxim and Cosmopolitan, famously known for offering sex tips and almost nude photos. “I like Maxim because of the eye catching photos, the articles and the advice and tips,” senior Alex Moss Bolaños said. “It’s good that we have it at MA because it shows that our school is
courtesy of www.fashionframe.com
open to sexuality instead of trying to censor it.” Although many appreciate a select few of the magazines offered to students, some fear that the library’s efforts to offer a range of periodicals is going to waste. Magazines like The Economist and Time magazine go virtually unread when compared to the others. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing that we have Maxim and Cosmo in the library, but it’s unnecessary to subscribe to so many magazines,” senior Rosario Bennett said. “It’s obvious that most of them don’t get read.” While some students believe that the amount of unnoticed magazines offered in the library is over the top and a waste of the school’s money, librarian Trevor Calvert argues otherwise. “I can see all of them off and on used by students,” Calvert said. “They are at least picked up.”
Other schools such as Redwood High School offers magazines online to its students such as Forbes, Time magazine, and Harpers Weekly, according to their district webpage. Maxim and Cosmopolitan, however, are not included in its list.
Junior Austin Reid said he likes both Maxim and Cosmopolitan more than any other magazine offered in the library. “I like to just relax in my free block and read them,” Reid said. “It helps shed all that academic stress.”
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Opinion
September 30, 2011
9/11 brings commemoration, unification, and football Marshall Levensohn Op-Ed Editor
to the same channel that had broadcasted from Gound Zero to see further remembrance taking place at the beginning of each Sunday football game. The dedication to the attacks momentarily erased the divisions between the fans, as they set aside their differing team allegiances and came together as Americans. These observances resonated deeply within me, particularly because I read Where Men Win Glory, by John Krakauer, over the summer. The story delves into the life of Corporal Pat Tillman,
September 11, 2001 was a horrific yet unifying time for our nation, and I was glad to feel this same sentiment of unification 10 years later. This sense of patriotism, for me, came alive in the way that the attacks were commemorated on the first Sunday of America’s game: football. Football took America’s center stage this same weekend and its immense unifying power that helpedAmerica heal directly after the attacks is doing so again, 10 years later. I watched some of the ceremonies taking place at Ground Zero before breakfast, and when I returned from the remarkably empty restaurant, I turned
Traveling to New York over the weekend of the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks that killed 2,819 people at the World Trade Center stirred strong memories in me. Despite the muttering from drivers frustrated by numerous police roadblocks throughout Manhattan, a softer note could also be heard in the city: a note of respectful sadness in memory of those killed that morning ten years ago. During my trip, many people shared their unforgettable accounts of how and where they experienced the attacks. Some were at school, many were just getting to work, others were out of the country, or even at marriage counseling. All of these anecdotes brought me back to that morning when I sat on my parents’ bed, and my mother tried to explain what was happening in a way that a 7-yearold could grasp and absorb.
A call for the community’s voice
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who, before enlisting in the Army Rangers, was one of the NFL’s best safeties. Tillman’s inspiration for enlisting in the armed forces was the September 11 attacks. Just under three years later he gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country: his life. While no other professional athlete of Tillman’s talent reacted as heroically, I supported the 9/11 tributes on the NFL jerseys as well as some players’ choices to wear highly patriotic cleats. The Green Bay Packers decision to execute a patriotic fan display of the American flag from an aerial view was equally inspiring. While there may have been two opposing teams competing on the field, I felt that the first weekend of the football season, especially during a time of great division and uncertainty in our country, was made special by the games’ ability to get everyone to feel as though they were on the same team. Illustration Tiffany Chang
marin academy voice 1600 Mission Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901 website: http://mavoice.org pdf edition: http://issuu.com/mavoice
The Marin Academy Voice is a student-run newspaper published free from faculty or administrative censorship or prior review. Unsigned editorials represent the views of the entire staff. Columns represent the views of the writer, not necessarily those of this paper. Letters to the editor and guest columns/articles are welcomed and encouraged. Editors reserve the right to edit for space and appropriateness. Please submit to voice@ma.org. The Voice is distributed to the entire school community (400 students and 50 staff members). Editors-in-Chief Neha Budhraja Max Weiss Managing Editor Annie Warner News Editor Olivia Lloyd Features Editor Sam Pritzker Op-Ed Editor Marshall Levensohn A&E Editor Avery Hale Copy Editors Lena Felton Julia Irwin Faculty Advisor Mary Collie
Staff Morgan Buckley Cami Carrera Tiffany Chang Tia Fung Samantha Jolson Greig Stein David Sutter Scholastic Press Associations NSPA First Class 2008-current CSPA Gold Medalist 2008-current
10
Opinion
September 30, 2011
End of Harry Potter scars aspiring wizard Max Weiss Co Editor-in-Chief I’ve come a long way since that fateful night when Rubeus Hagrid — tears streaming down his face — deposited the 1-yearold, newly-orphaned Harry Potter at Number Nine Privet Drive. I don’t think that all those years ago, when JK Rowling first began scrawling on napkins what would become literally one of the most magical stories of our time, she could have imagined the impact that her work would have on the lives of millions of children and adults. I am but one of these millions, and yet I — like undoubtedly everyone else — cannot help but feel as if my connection to the Harry Potter books is unique. I was only 4 when the first book came out, and only just learning to read. One of my earliest memories
is of my father and I lying in my bed as I was drifting off to sleep, hearing him read to me the most amazing story my 4-year-old self could have ever dreamed of. Then, as now, the world of broomsticks and wands, witches and wizards captivated me. I was instantly hooked. It just so happened that the release of the next couple of books coincided with the development of my reading skills. To put it simply, I devoured Rowling’s works, immersing myself completely — and admittedly a little unhealthily — in the story. My sisters, who were almost as obsessed, and I would hold weekly competitions to test our Harry Potter knowledge. And yes, it was as geeky as it sounds.
Harry Potter saga further nourished this love. Rowling taught me how to become emotionally attached to a figment of someone else’s imagination. I strongly believe that one of the reasons why I consider myself a romantic, one of the reasons that I am Marshall Levensohn so profoundly impacted by literature by authors At one point I knew every sin- such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Wilgle spell that had ever been cast by liam Faulkner, is because Rowling any wizard or witch. Serpensortia, first showed me what it meant to nox, or rictusempra. It didn’t mat- be devoted to a character. ter. I knew them all. Yet it wasn’t, Although the book series ended and it hasn’t ever been, just about several years ago, I kept myself enthe spells, or even the world that gaged in the series in several ways. Rowling created. It’s always been I listened to the audio books. I saw about so much more. every movie. I deluded myself into Rowling first deposited inside thinking that I would be able to of me the seeds for a love of read- carry on Harry’s story forever. And ing, and every single episode in the then came this summer.
The last movie came and passed. That was it. The official end to the Harry Potter series. Harry had gone off to Hogwarts while I was first beginning school myself. He struggled with bullies at the same time that I did. Harry experienced his first crush on Cho Chang while I experienced my own. Harry loved when I loved, he hurt when I hurt, and he triumphed when I triumphed. I have grown up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and now, as I am preparing to leave to go to college, they have left me. There will be no more books, and there will be no more movies. Harry, thank you for teaching me how to read. Thank you for a million other things. But most of all, thank you for teaching me about companionship and what it means to love a character.
Editorial: community fears assigning economic worth Listen in on any discussion regarding social or political issues occurring on campus and you will inevitably hear the phrase “Marin Academy is a bubble.” Indeed it can sometimes seem like some of the nation’s – and even the entire world’s – biggest problems bounce right off our shoulders as we discuss them in a democratic fashion, tossing our banana peels in the compost as we walk across the AstroTurf field towards an Open Forum assembly. As an independent, largelyendowed school stationed in one of the richest counties in the nation, it is no doubt that we are not in the habit of recognizing the impacts of an economic recession. But it is not with any conceited intent that financial issues need not be discussed, if even they exist, on campus. It is simply a matter of exercising the art of being superbly politically correct that keeps the subject under wraps. While some of the school’s population consists of relatively wealthy Bay Area teens for whom money is not a day-to-day concern, 25 percent of students are
Photo Illustration Neha Budhraja
on financial aid and even more are making great sacrifices to be here. Thus even bringing up the lack of impact the recession has had on almost all aspects of the school’s day-to-day operations, from pro-
viding financial aid to maintaining all sports and art programs, is considered taboo. Talking about our lack of suffering makes us uncomfortable. This may be because in our
tight knit community it is controversial to single out any group based on socioeconomic status. It is not in our nature to view individuals like those in insurance company commercials – with
large orange numbers plastered above their heads, defining their monetary worth. Because no matter how we go to Marin Academy, we all benefit from the school’s resources. On the flip side, we see extraneous resources that have no effect on our daily lives at all. Why is the art supply storage filled with boxes of charcoal that remain untouched? And do we really need those foam blocks in the music room? These are the types of questions that are hardly addressed, yet they surface every now and then to remind us of how fortunate we are. It is surprising how in a school community that seeks to get involved and make every facet as sustainable as possible, we let paying our tuition stand as our democratic voice. We complain about our textbook store being overpriced and unreliable, and how there must be a better way to make Minicourses the same price for everyone, yet no one takes action. Maybe we’re just too comfortable to rock the boat after all.
11
Sports
September 30, 2011
Community struggles to support athletes Tia Fung Staff Writer Since before Marin Academy’s first Bay Area Conference Championship win in 1974, sports fans have been attending games, sporting their spirit wear, and supporting the athletes. The community, however, has been noticing the lack of attendance and support from students and faculty at sporting events, both this year and last. “I’d like to say that MA students come to softball games all of the time, but honestly, we have very low attendance,” senior and girls varsity softball player Olivia Wilson said. Wilson is not the only athlete who has noticed the recent lack of fans at games. Girls varsity tennis player Sophie Smith has found that the number of fans attending her
matches is minimal as well. “Usually the only people who come support us during our matches are parents,” Smith said. As the absence of supporters at sporting events has continued, questions have been raised as to why attendance is so low. “I think there is such a low attendance at games partly because the bulletin doesn’t really get people pumped up,” Co-Spirit Captain Evy Roy said. “I don’t exactly feel the excitement of home games at 8:00 in the morning from my A Block teacher, you know?” Roy also pointed out the issue she faced last year in knowing which games were important to the players and which games were less so. “I would rather go to a game that is supposed to be pretty close when
the athletes need fans more than ever,” Roy said. “I’ve already been in contact with people on different teams about which games they want their fans at.” Seniors Kenny Volkmann and Marshall Levensohn have also been hard at work, not only clearing their own schedules to attend games but encouraging others to do so as well. After school on August 31, Volkmann and Levensohn hosted the first pep rally in the circle, getting the community pumped up for the volleyball and soccer games to follow. Reactions to the rally were varied. “The pep rally’s a good idea but in reality it’s pretty closed off to underclassman,” sophomore Sofia Miller said. Others were more enthusiastic.
Tia Fung
Last fans standing: a parodic take on the recent attendance at sporting events
“I probably wouldn’t have gone to the games if it wasn’t for the pep rally,” freshman Audrey Olbright
said. “I will definitely be going to more games in the future.
were all debating to see who was better, and we just found out about fantasy football and started playing,” junior Alberto Flores said. Additionally, for many players, the best aspect of fantasy football is not that it provides an impetus to follow other teams, but rather its creation of, usually, friendly competition among friends. “It’s all about the smack talk,” Miller said. “We try to keep it simple, but it’s very intense competition...Besides winning, I want to beat my opponents into submission.” Still, dedication to both the NFL and a fantasy league can take up a lot of a fan’s time. “I got the [DirecTV] Sunday Ticket Package, which allows me to watch every game,” senior Bobby Lehmann said, a Commissioner in his own right and an avid follower of the NFL. “So I’d say [I watch] nine hours any given Sunday plus Monday Night Football.” Miller estimates that he watches one to two full NFL games per weekend, plus an hour of ESPN’s Sportscenter in order to stay upto-date on fantasy and NFL news.
The promise of the 2011-2012 fantasy football season is a special one for many fantasy players due to the passing threat of the NFL lockout. Student players of fantasy football shared sentiments of relief at the lifting of the lockout. “I was happy once I realized there was going to be football again this year, especially because last year I won my league, so I have to put my championship on the line,” Flores said. Sophomore Trevor Brune also expressed relief at the lifting of the lockout. “I had part of my life back,” Brune said. For Brune, Flores, and so many others, fantasy football seems to have become more than just a part of their weekly routines. It has become a way of life. “I live it all football season and dream about it in the off season,” Lehmann said of the NFL and fantasy. “It makes Sunday a day to look forward to, not the day for just homework.”
Students live out fantasy ... football style Max Weiss & Marshall Levensohn Co-Editor-in-Chief & Op-Ed Editor Although Marin Academy is home to a swimming pool, a state-of-the-art AstroTurf field, a music-recording studio, and a new theater, there is one extracurricular glaringly missing: a football team. To fill this void, students have found a virtual alternative to get their fill of bone-crushing hits, interpretive touchdown dancing, and statistical analysis: fantasy football. Just what is fantasy football? The game was invented by a man named Wilfred Wilkenback in the 1960s. Prior to its invention, Wilkenback had initially come up with the idea for “fantasy golf.” In that game, players — meaning normal people and not the athletes themselves — would draft a virtual team of real-life golfers. The person whose team had the lowest combined score would win the game. From this idea came fantasy football, which Wilkenback in-
vented in 1962. The basic ideas being similar to those of fantasy golf, fantasy football includes a “league” of people who undergo a draft in which they choose players from the National Football League to play for their fantasy team. Leagues can use a variety of scoring systems that grant points for player performance Fantasy football, which started off with very few leagues, reMarshall Levensohn quired players to comb Players number-crunch in lieu of studying newspaper clippings to determine point totals. Today it has year veteran of the game said. become a much more widespread Usually, as Miller pointed out, fans phenomenon due to the added con- of the NFL follow one team — venience of the Internet. their favorite or local one— and Leagues span all grades and stop at that. However, for Miller members even encompass stu- and many other fantasy football dents from other schools. Se- players, the game provides an opn i o r A n d r e w M i l l e r i s t h e portunity for both diverse rooting Commissioner of his league. interests and a greater emotional “I can’t get enough of football, investment in the NFL. so instead of having just one team “I started playing because it to follow, I have to follow every was me and a group of friends — team every week,” Miller, a four- we really liked football — and we
12
Sports
September 30, 2011
Two clubs, one passion worth racing for David Sutter Staff Writer Occasionally during the year, students will notice members of the community trekking through the BBLC in full mountain biking uniforms. Covered from head to toe with mud, they sport looks of satisfaction on their faces. They are the members of the school’s mountain biking club. In past years, the mountain biking club has struggled to impress sponsors and gain recognition as a team. The races, the club has come to realize, have a large impact on their ability to achieve these goals. “This year races really count, and we hope that with all the new riders we can finally win and impress a sponsor,” sophomore mountain biker Ben Lloyd said. To fulfill this goal, the biking club hopes to create a welcoming community for those who have even a small desire to experience mountain biking.
seven riders last year to 13 (and counting) this fall. Despite efforts within the community, the team has had to reach out to other schools, such as Marin Catholic, hoping to combine teams for more success. “We are hopefully going to merge with the MC team, but it’s a very delicate situation, because MA doesn’t believe biking [is] a safe sport,” Hasson said. However, there is another biking club that may have more of the faculty’s David Sutter support. The morning cold is no match for sophomore bikers Ben Lloyd, Liam Todd, and Sam The road biking club Merrill-Palethorpe is a new trend on campus, and already has twelve “I joined the mountain bike things.” members including teachers Elteam for the first time today, and This openness has undoubtedly lie Brockman, Randi Martin, and they couldn’t have been nicer,” caused an increase in members. Betsy Muir. sophomore Ari Goldstein said. According to Michael Hasson, “Road biking is very different “Never in my life [have I tried another sophomore biker, the than mountain biking; it’s easy, this sport]. I just like trying new team has almost doubled from enjoyable, and you’re able to go
fast with barely any effort,” junior road biker Frances Swanson said. Some students possess a passion to participate in both clubs. Freshman Eli Kranefuss is one of these riders. “Road biking is a great way to spend more time on a bike, and what’s great is that you can do both clubs,” Kranefuss said. “Road biking practices are on the weekends.” The two clubs are signficantly different; while mountain biking is competitive, the road biking team takes a more relaxed approach. “Road biking is very different than mountan biking,” said Swanson. “There is no competition in road biking, and we don’t want to be a team, just a club. [It’s] a nice, relaxing way to get outdoors.” The mountain biking club may display an eagerness to compete, but ultimately, this is a goal for both clubs. “[The clubs are] just a way to get people outside and active,” Lloyd said.
Young but mighty: varsity freshmen are making waves Kate Claman
Annie Warner and David Sutter Managing Editor & Staff Writer
How long have you been competing in water polo? I have been swimming for five years and just decided to try it out. I went to one of Zvi’s water polo camps, and I decided that it was time to go full fish. How did you feel playing in your first game? I noticed how physical high school water polo could be. I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to die in this pool,’ but then once the adrenaline started to pump, I just wanted to fight back. What inspires you most about water polo? The most inspiring thing is my team. They are always behind me 100%. I play my best for them. How do you get your adrenaline pumping in David Sutter the game? Competitors, beware of the splash It’s really weird, but getting sort of beat up in the game gets me really pumped up. It is absolutely exhilarating to be kicked and shoved around, because I just do it right back. What are your goals for the season? My goals for the season are just to improve. Jamie Collie always says that our goal is to play our best water polo at the end of the season, and I totally agree with that. I’m still learning, and I just can’t wait to see what’s around the corner.
Trevor Reinhart How long have you been running? I’ve been running on a team since sixth grade, but I’ve always been running little races for as long as I can remember. What’s your pre-meet ritual? We do stretches and dynamics as a whole team. Individually, having a PowerBar before the race is sort of my ritual. What is your greatest achievement in terms of running? I made the All American Team for the Junior Olympics. What are your goals for the season? My individual goal is to match James [Kinney’s] time, and to run sub-seventeen minutes for the 5K. The team goal is to get to states, and to do well there. Do you have a role model? I’d have to say my dad, but when it comes to running, I guess James is a pretty good role model. How would you describe the cross-country team? We’re a close-knit community; everyone is very supportive. I think that this will help out in the end when we’re racing other schools.
Annie Warner
The real RoadRunner