Echo 2015 16 issue 1

The Echo

2015-16

Issue 1

THE ECHO Meeting Mr. Griffin: A Student’s Perspective on our New Head of the Upper School

The News Page 2: Meet Mr. Griffin Page 3: 16 Questions with Mr. Coca Page 5: Interview with Ms. Brandewie Page 6: The Meditation Club Page 7: Interview with Mr. Price Page 8: Thespian Society Interview with Dr. Johnson Page 9: Football Cheerleading 2015 Girls Soccer 2015 Page 10: Interview with Aracely Turcios Page 11: The Fall Play: The Diary of Anne Frank Page 12: Paradise (Temporarily) Lost

By: Audrey Collins Recently, I interviewed Mr. Griffin to gain a student perspective of the new Head of the Upper School that we don’t necessarily get from speeches we hear in assembly. Asked were questions about his reflections on our school along with personal stories and interests.

The Echo Staff Editors-In-Chief: Chad Bramlett and Emily Hopkins Staff Members: Seniors: Audrey Collins , Grace Whitten; Juniors: Benjamin Ball, Olivia Criswell, Carolina de la Torre, EJ Jewell, Maddie Ledman, Magdalena Valenti; Sophomores: Skyler Fox, Emma Wylie; Freshmen: Laura Abbott, Ridley Randolph, Samantha White

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The Echo

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Meeting Mr. Griffin: A Student’s Perspective on Our New Head of the Upper School By: Audrey Collins Recently I interviewed Mr. Griffin to gain a student perspective of the new Head of the Upper School that we don’t necessarily get from speeches we hear in assembly. Asked were questions about his reflections on our school along with personal stories and interests.

What appeals to you about BGA? I love the sense of community at BGA, the balance between academics, art, and sports in the overall program, and the quality of the people and staff. I believe I have “parachuted in on something really special”.

What are your impressions of the student body so far?

They’re diligent, hard-working, respectful regarding Southern manners (coming from the NE, Philadelphia specifically). I also like the amount of student support in activities outside of school.

What BGA tradition are you looking forward to?

The Tug (I’m a Plato!)

Out of character, scholarship, and excellence, which one is your favorite?

They all overlap. The order of the words is important and telling. Character forms the bedrock of the other two.

What effect does your military background have on your daily life, your career, etc.?

I spent 4 years in the United States Naval Academy and 6 years in the Marine Corps. Being “immersed in that culture”, I gained discipline and experience working with others from my

military career, though I “don’t draw on it everyday”.

Are there any stories from your military career that you would like to share?

I was part of a unit that changed the way tactical aircraft are deployed, which was a humbling experience for me. Prior to the change, two squadrons would work together, one flying in the day and then the other at night. My unit and I changed the system to where only one squadron would do the work of two, flying 24 hours a day. In the middle of the desert, my squadron flew a total of 8,000 flight hours over an 8 month period, the average squadron flying 4,500 hours a year.

Being a part of something that changed the way it was done in a more positive way introduced me to organizational change.

Culture doesn’t shift on a dime.

Favorites: Animal - Dog (He once had a black Lab and an English Springer Spaniel.)

Food - Quesadillas Color - Navy Blue and Gold Movie/movie genre - The Usual Suspects/ spy movies Book genre - Middle East Nonfiction Hobbies: Spending time with his kids, Running, and Swimming Embarrassing story: In college, I had an older roommate, and one day, my roommate told me to go get a credit card so I could establish good

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The Echo

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Meet Mr. Griffin continued

16 Questions with Mr. Coca

credit, and I did not know what that was at the time. So, I went down to the Navy bank to get a credit card, and the teller tells me I have to get a card with $1,000 on it, the minimum of what we’re entitled to. Thinking I was making a big negotiation, I insisted that I get a card with $500 credit card. The teller laughed and kept explaining I couldn’t get a card lower than $1,000 credit, but I didn’t stop insisting on the $500 card, saying something along the lines of: “If you can’t handle giving me the $500 card, then I’ll take my business elsewhere”. The teller eventually gave me the credit card half the amount I was entitled to, which I still have on my dresser as a reminder.

16 Questions with Mr. Coca!

By: Emma Wylie and Skyler Fox Find out some things you might not expect about the newest addition to the Upper School science department! Hint: His favorite class in high school was NOT Chemistry!

What appealed to you about BGA and why did you decide to come work here?

When I came and interviewed here, a few things really struck my attention. One of those things was how everyone just threw their backpacks outside because there were no lockers. I thought that was really cool because it showed a trusting environment. Two, I thought it was funny that the freshman were primarily responsible for cleaning up after lunch. It made me really appreciative that the students were doing it willingly, and I thought that was pretty cool. And then just the learning environment. Teaching that day, so many of the students were intuitive, thoughtful, and had a lot of questions, and I just really appreciated that atmosphere.

If you were a student at BGA, what clubs would you definitely be in and why?

Sign Language, Fantasy Sports (I’ve never been involved with fantasy sports and have never understood the appeal of it.), and Speech and What are some of your hobbies outside of teaching?

Debate (In the NE, speech and debate isn’t as Primarily, music, whether it’s recording for artists or big of a deal as it is down here.).

playing in a band. I play cello and keys. Besides that, If you could do a six second Vine, what would soccer. Outside of school, I love playing soccer. Now, I coach a lot more, and I’m here most days coaching (girls you do in that video? soccer) after school.

I would dance, probably doing the “running man” or the “lawnmower”.

What is your guilty music pleasure?

NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys

What classes do you teach?

Chemistry and physics.

If you were a student at BGA, what clubs would you participate in?

Spanish club! They have good food. Adventure club is something I’d be down for. I would like to say Ultimate Frisbee club, but at the same time I wouldn’t want to get sweaty in the middle of the day. Although, their poster was pretty rad. Science club because I’m sponsoring that.

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Meet Mr. Coca, continued What was your favorite class when you were in high school?

I think it was my AP US History class. I just really enjoyed it. We all sat in a circle every day, and it was mostly student-led. It was awesome.

How many years have you been teaching?

This is my second.

Have you always wanted to be a teacher.

No. Growing up most days, I thought I was going to go to medical school and become a doctor. I ended up going to grad school, and there, my first rotation was being a teacher assistant. The professor I was working for ended up getting sick for half of the semester, so I had to go over his class. I fell in love with it.

What is your favorite movie genre? Favorite movie?

I don’t watch scary movies. They terrify me. I sometimes watch romantic comedies, but that’s just to make my wife happy. Primarily, I like movies that make you think. My favorite movie is probably Beautiful Mind.

What is your favorite holiday and why?

Christmas! I love Christmas trees, family, and cold weather. When Christmas time comes around, going to church and spending time with family… I just love Christmas.

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Are you a Plato or Greer?

Greer.

How long have you been married? Tell us about your honeymoon last year.

I was married on June 1st of this year, so I’m a newlywed. When I was 8 to when I was 16, practically, I lived in Europe. For our honeymoon, we ended up going to Europe. We went to Greece for the first week and stayed on a little island called Santorini, and it was awesome. From there, we went to Rome, where I spent a lotPellentesque: of my years growing up, and my uncles live there. They have an apartment that they gave us for a week. Then we went to Romania, where my grandparents are from.

We stayed there for a week, and then we went to Vienna where my wife, Kimberly, studied abroad there during college, and so we spent a week there before going home.

How did you meet your wife?

In college.

Where did you go to college?

Lipscomb University.

Consectetuer:

What is one fact about yourself that a lot of people would find unexpected?

I’m fluent in Romanian.

What is your favorite thing about BGA so far?

The students.

What BGA tradition are you most excited for?

The Tug of War.

Sed venenatis, augue non varius tempus, metus nibh mollis erat, a

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An Interview with Ms. Brandewie By: Magdalena Valenti Q: What made you want to come to BGA? A: I really enjoy teaching and I didn't want to leave Nashville after grad school. It was the perfect fit.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Read and write, cook, and horseback riding

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: Cheese (in any form)

Q: What's your favorite book?

A: Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey

Q: Did you play any sports in high school?

A: Horseback riding

Q: If you went to BGA, what clubs would you join?

A: Book club, Poetry Friday, Junior Classic League, and Fencing Q: Where are you from?

A: I grew up outside of Cincinnati in Wyoming, Ohio.

Q: What do you like most about this state?

A: Southern culture is friendly and warm in Tennessee.

Q: If you chose a movie character to be, who would you be and why?

A: The female commander in the movie Firefly because she gets things done Q: What made you want to become a teacher?

A: I had wonderful teachers as a student and appreciated everything they did to help me become a good writer and well rounded student, so I wanted to give back.

Q: What is your favorite TV show?

A: Downton Abbey

Q: What do you like most about BGA so far?

A: The students have a lot of fun, good discussions about literature.

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The Echo

The Meditation Club: An Interview with Mr. Shairs about the New Club By: Carolina de la Torre and Olivia Criswell What is the purpose of the club?

The purpose of the club is to get students to be more relaxed, less stressed, and have less anxiety throughout the day. The other thing is...awareness of what meditation is...and what we can benefit from doing it. I think everybody can benefit from doing it.

On your meeting days, what have you done with the members of the club?

On the first meeting day I had my teacher come in, and talk to the students if they had any questions about meditation. Today, our third meeting, we had our first long meditation session lasting for 20 minutes, and we’ve been having fun doing it.

What is your reaction to the immediate popularity of the Meditation Club?

I was really surprised. I remember telling somebody, “If 20 people signed up for meditation I’d be happy”. Before you knew it, we had 130 kids sign up or have interest in it which I think really speaks to the student body in terms of what they are interested in and intrigued by and what they want to learn about.

I was really excited about it, and that’s one of the main reasons why I brought my teacher on campus.

What got you interested in meditation?

About 10 years ago I was studying eastern philosophy and how meditation is an integral part to their practice of their religious philosophy. I feel that meditation is a great way

Issue 1, September 2013 to universally, or everybody and anyone can do it, feel better. We all want to have less stress and less anxiety in our lives".

What are your future plans for the club?

I have the wrestling room open from 7:00 7:40 AM if you want to come in and meditate before school to decompress.

Meditation is very good and healthy for everybody. In the future, I just want to continually talk about meditation and the progress of meditation. Currently, I have my students take a pre and post survey before meditation and how they are feeling after.

Is it true that you make your own hair gel?

It’s gel. It's more complicated than gel. Do I have a laboratory in my house? No. Different seasons and different hair lengths call for different products. I guess it varies.

Where do you buy your clothes?

That’s a really good question. It varies.

Primarily, thrift shops are great places to find clothes at a good price, and I also like the sales in like a Macy’s or JC Penney.

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An Interview with Mr. Price

By Ridley Randolph and Samantha White What drew you to BGA? Professionally, I was looking for another challenge and opportunity and with the rich history of BGA, that’s what made in intriguing.

Why did you decide to switch to high school basketball coaching instead?

I had coached college men for 9 years and then decided to get married. My wife had to be permanent with her corporate job at the time which gave me the choice of coaching at a high school level or not at all.

In class you teach the kids current events, why is that?

Two reasons: one, my high school teacher did it, and I felt like I grew to know a lot about what was happening in the world at a time when I normally wouldn’t be able to watch the news. Two: I know that you guys don’t have a lot of time to stop and watch the news either, just like me when I was in high school.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

I know this is broad, but growing up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and having the opportunity to go to the beach every single day.

If you had a genie lamp, what would your three wishes be?

Oh lord, I know this sounds a little corny, but I honestly do believe this, but that every child would learn to work at their full potential, whether academically or basketball wise. The second would have to be to convince people that all the days of your life are good days,

some are just better than others. It’s all how you approach things on a daily basis, and finally, just for happiness.

What is your favorite food?

Definitely seafood, particularly low-country boil.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Of all the places I haven’t visited, and I’ve been to a lot, it would be have to be Italy because of the great history and rich tradition.

What is your least favorite thing about teaching?

Probably the grading because sometimes I feel that students know more than what they are actually able to get across in a test, so it’s not always a fair evaluation.

What is your favorite thing about being an adult?

The total independence that comes with it, but with that comes with a lot of responsibility in itself.

What is your favorite cartoon character?

Foghorn Leghorn just because of the voice, and I could see myself being the voice of a big rooster, or a character of that size.

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Thespian Society

By Benjamin Ball The Battle Ground Academy Thespian Society club, also known as the Thespian Troupe, is one of the many clubs that can be found on campus, meeting on the “Gold” Fridays. The club is centered around all things theatre related. It is actually part of a much larger organization, the International Thespian Society, consisting of more than a million members throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world. The biggest event the Thespian Society is part of is going to Thescon, or the Tennessee Thespian Conference, every year on the Friday and Saturday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Thescon is an event hosted at Middle Tennessee State University at which there are various workshops, covering everything from improv to stage fighting, Shakespeare, ariel theatre and more, and always features fantastic performances from schools in the Tennessee area. This club also organizes trips to go see local shows and musicals in our area. The officers of the club this year are Webb Bankemper as the Herald, Treasurer Rachel Arvizu, Secretary Emily Hopkins, Vice-President Caitlin Musgrove, and President Madison Bailey.

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An Interview with Dr. Johnson

By Emily Hopkins Where are you from originally?

I was born in DC area, and grew up in Chicago.

Where did you go to college?

University of Iowa.

What made you want to be a teacher?

I didn’t really know what wanted to do in college, but I found had a talent for teaching and liked history, so I put the two together.

What do you do in your free time?

I stay in shape and usually try to lift weights and things like that, spending time with my son and wife.

What do you teach at BGA? I teach all Seniors - 20th century and AP Government.

What era of history do you like to teach the most?

Definitely WWII. If you could have lunch with any historical figure, who would it be?

There are so many….I guess I would choose Einstein.

What made you want to come to BGA? Looking for the perfect situation in terms of a great school for my son and a nice teaching and coaching position and a nice area to live in with no crime. Being able to fit all three is the best.

What do you like most about BGA so far?

Definitely the kids.

What are you most excited about experiencing at BGA? I’m looking forward to the whole Greer/Plato thing.

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The Echo

Football Cheerleading 2015

2015-16

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Girl’s Soccer 2015

By Faith Cleveland

By Madeline Ledman

Mrs. Christy McAfee, proud Battle Ground Academy graduate, heads this year’s Upper School cheerleading program.

Mrs. McAfee began cheering as a 2nd grader and continued her love for cheer throughout college, where she cheered for three years at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Mrs. McAfee believes that cheer is more than the outfits and the cheers themselves, but it is about creating valuable friendships and being prepared for areas of life outside of cheer. Because of her strong love for cheerleading, Mrs. Christy McAfee has motivated this year’s football cheer squad to reach for the stars when working to bring the squad to its highest potential.

Being reigning state champions, Soccer had very high expectations coming into this season. Losing many seniors, it was basically a new team. We added many new freshmen who are now starters.

Being a freshman this is intimidating being on a team with a lot older people playing older people. I was not on the team last year but have heard many things about it. The soccer team was very successful.

They played USN over four times defeating them each time. Their season ended in a band when they defeated USN for the state championship. This year we are a new team completely. McClain Daniel, Chloe Tremblay, and Aracely Turcios are the captains this year. Mclain and Chloe are both juniors taking on a lot of responsibility as captains.

Because creating more school spirit has been a huge focus of the cheerleading program this year, the squad has been practicing extremely hard in order to become a more spirited and crowd involved squad. The push for better stunts and more difficult dances is prevalent in this year’s group of girls. The squad’s senior cheerleaders, Kylie Crawford, Allie Martin, Diamond Battle, and Samantha McCaleb, have been committed to making the squad better than ever in order to transfer the energy of the fans in the stands to the players on the field every Friday night. With their coach’s motivation, the student body’s increasing school spirit, and their determination, the 2015 football cheerleaders are committed to increasing the spirit of the student body and the fans on Friday nights.

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Interview with Aracely Turcios

By Madeline Ledman What is it like being goalkeeper? Like alone back there Yes I love to be a goalkeeper! I don't mind being alone in the back and I love being able to see the whole field and see plays happen and unfold.

Do you like being goalkeeper?

I love being a goalkeeper. Ever since I was a child, I have always loved to be in the net.

Partly because I hate to run, but I've grown to love the feeling when I take a dive or jump in the air to punch or catch a ball. Being able to make a diving save is one of the best feelings ever and I hope looks as good as it feels!

When they make a shot on you how do you cope? What do you say to yourself?

I hate being scored on. I'm very competitive and always want to do everything I can do to prevent from getting a goal get scored on the team. But it's part of the game and I have learned to deal with it. When I get scored on, I immediately replay the play over in my head and analyze what I did wrong or where my team broke down and see what I need to do if that same play occurs again so I will be better prepared to stop it from happening. After I do that, I just take a deep breath to get my emotions in check so that I can continue to play objectively and not let my emotions affect my decisions in the game.

What do you see in the future for being a goalkeeper?

I would love to play soccer in college!

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The Fall Play: The Diary of Anne Frank By: Chad Bramlett This fall, students and others had the opportunity to see performances of The Diary of Anne Frank. The Battle Ground Academy Theatre Department performed three shows in October after weeks of preparation and rehearsals. Directed by Mrs. Noel, the shows lasted a little longer than two hours and featured thirteen students. As the lead, sophomore Skyler Fox played Anne Frank.

Parker Greenwood and Madison Bailey played Anne’s parents and Ally Dunavant played Anne’s sister, Margot. Joining them onstage were Wyatt Gibson as Peter van Daan, Madison

Knight and Liam Jenkins as Peter’s parents, Benjamin Ball as Mr. Dussel, Meghan Garrison as Miep, and Webb Bankemper as Mr. Kugler.

Chad Bramlett, Cameron Bergeron, and Will Crawford played the German and Dutch officers in the final scene. Emily Hopkins and Caitlin Musgrove were the stage managers, making sure everything backstage ran efficiently. Helping backstage were Michaela Murphy, Hallie Murphree, Helena Bouchard, Ridley Randolph, and Jakob Park. All of these students worked with Mrs. Noel over the course of almost two months to produce an extraordinary show of one of the most important stories of the twentieth century.

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Paradise (Temporarily) Lost By: Chad Bramlett and Grace Whitten

After a long relaxing summer without copious amounts of homework, students of all ages returned to BGA with only one goal on our minds: to spend as much time around and on the school’s luscious and thriving quadrangle as possible. To some students, the thought of the luxurious green grass was the only thing that dragged them out of their beds on that fated Wednesday. This green space was a place of hope for students of all grades. But little did we know that our safe haven would not last long. We spent two days in paradise, playing rudimentary baseball games after lunch, lounging in the shade catching up with old pals, and crafting exquisite flower crowns from dandelions and clovers.

But our happiness was short-lived. Two days after that seemingly perfect Registration Day, Eden was lost. The grass began to die, the dandelions withered, and the weeds began to choke on dirt. Left behind were only a few lonely trees. With the death of the grass came the death of our aspirations. Student morale hit an all time low. Stalks crashed. Families were torn apart. The Grass Depression had begun.

With tears still in their eyes, the students were marched into assembly, only to be crushed once more.

Rumors of the Dust Bowl and biological attacks haunted the hallways. We were told that we could no longer walk on the grass. The more pessimistic students predicted that it would not be long before we were prohibited from even looking at the grass. They were right. The worst was yet to come.

First came the bulldozers. With their thrashing claws and ugly maws, the beasts left behind only dust.

The nevergreen quadrangle became a wasteland.

The Administration, upon seeing the dying dreams of students, worked tirelessly day and night to scavenge grass seeds from all over the world to restore the eighth wonder of the world. On a dreary and unseasonably cold Thursday morning, the Administration took the first steps to bring back the peace. Giant bales of sod were deposited across the desert of the Quad, and soon enough they were rolled out (a la Red Carpet). Teachers stopped lecturing and students rose from their desks to marvel at the miracle taking place.

But the arrival of this new grass was not the end of our tale. Not a week after, chains were slammed into the ground, and sprinklers were installed across the campus. Without feet to tread on the greenery, and with a constant source of water to nourish it, BGA would never again experience the loss of its prized grass.

But at what cost? What have we lost?

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