The Echo (February 2020)

Democratic Primary Page 2

BGA Hockey Team Page 4

SDLC Interview Page 6

The Echo BGA’s Student Newspaper

February Issue

February 11, 2020

Coronavirus and the Global Market

by Shea Kelly The first human infection of the novel coronavirus happened as early as December 2019, but following an outbreak in Wuhan, China, the number of victims has skyrocketed, reaching over six thousand confirmed cases of infection, 5,970 of which were found in mainland China.

The first death was an 80-year-old man who lived in Wuhan, where the outbreak originated. Wuhan is a major port city with a population of 11 million and has been isolated and shut down in an attempt to stop the spread of this deadly disease.

Chinese authorities have canceled flights and trains and have suspended buses, subways, and taxis. This “lockdown” has expanded to over 40 million people in China.

Symptoms of the infection are high fever and difficulty breathing. Researchers also found this disease in various species of bats, and it is 96 percent identical to that of which is found in humans. The CDC

connects this outbreak to a large seafood and animal market in Wuhan, and this evidence suggests that humans originally contracted coronavirus from animal contact, and then spread the virus from person-to-person. Not only is the coronavirus affecting thousands of people physically, but it is also affecting the global market.

On Monday January 28th, after an increase of confirmed cases of the coronavirus, stocks reached their lowest numbers since October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.6%, resulting in the worst day on the market of the year. Alec Young, the managing director of global markets research at FTSE Russell, stated that “China is the biggest driver of global growth so this (Coronavirus) couldn’t have started in a worse place.” Since then, the market has bounced back, yet it is important to mention the panic an epidemic like this causes. Coronavirus has not only impacted those carrying the disease but the global

economy as well. Companies lose buyers and experience a decrease in production, which creates a need to find solutions to these types of dilemmas. Coronavirus has

event even more impressive.

Returning to her first championship event since 2017, two-time National Champion Gracie Gold delivered an emotional comeback. Following a disappointing finish at the 2016 Worlds Championships, Gracie Gold’s life downspiraled as she suffered from eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. After a rough 2017 season, Gracie Gold announced that she was taking a break from skating to receive treatment for her eating disorders and depression. Even though she ended up 12th out of 18 skaters, her presence at this year’s championships was more than enough to receive a standing ovation.

As for the men, Nathan Chen was untouchable as he headed into the freeskate with a comfortable 14 point-lead after receiving a record breaking score of 114.13.

During his skate to “Rocketman,” Chen landed four quads, two of them in combination. He earned a combined total of 330.17 to win the event with nearly a 38 point margin (For reference, the highest ever combined score is 335.30 and was set

by Nathan Chen). Jason Brown hung onto his second place finish after the short program to earn a combined score of 292.88.

Skating to “Schindler’s List,” Brown

skated a stunning freeskate. Even though he only had one quad attempt that was downgraded to a triple (lack of rotation), Brown is known for his artistic skills that sets him apart from his competitors. The bronze medal was awarded to the reigning 2019 World Junior Champion, Tomoki Hiwatashi, who moved from fifth place to third place after delivering two clean performances to earn a combined total of 278.08. The pewter medal was awarded to Vincent Zhou. Even with his studies at Brown University affecting his training, Zhou managed to deliver two phenomenal

affected millions of people worldwide, and both the CDC and global market need to prepare for another disaster like this.

Rolling Stone

2020 Figure Skating Championships

by Ching Ching Zhang The 2020 US Figure Skating Championships were January 21-26 and featured many record breaking scores and returning champions. To no one’s surprise, 14-yearold Alysa Liu (pictured) defended her title with three triple axels and a quad lutz attempt. Liu became the first woman to attempt a quad at the U.S. Nationals.

Although it had an underrotation, she received a combined score of 235.52 (For reference, the highest ever combined score is 247.59 by Russia’s Alena Kostornaia).

Skating to “Hallelujah,” Mariah Bell, last year’s bronze medalist, received the silver medal. Coming into the freeskate 5.74 points behind first place, Bell landed all of her jumps, received a standing ovation, and earned a new personal best of 225.21. There is no doubt that this was the best performance of her career. After a record-breaking short program score at the U.S. Nationals, 2018 champion Bradie Tennell headed into the freeskate with a 3.56 lead but dropped down to 3rd place after a fall on her triple loop. Karen Chen claimed the pewter medal after a shaky freeskate. She continues to balance her studies at Cornell University and her training, making her accomplishments at this

The Echo Staff Bailey Anderson Sydney Carroll Dalia Diab Jad Diab Izzy Donoghue Mary Courtney Finn Jack Kelly Shea Kelly

Sarah May Mitchell Morrison Ally Newkirk Kate O’Hara Alex Pareigis Lindsay Phelps Jack Sauder Jack Such

programs that showed off his jumps and improved artistic style.

Furthermore, the 2022 Championships will return to Nashville for the first time since 1997. To make matters more exciting, 2022 is an Olympic year, and many skaters will be fighting for spots on the Olympic team. Names to look out for include 14-year-old Alysa Liu, who will be age-eligible by then, and 4-time national champion Nathan Chen, hungry for gold after a disappointing finish in the PyeongChang Olympics.

Bleacher Report

Ching Ching Zhang

The Echo

Current Events

Democratic Primary: Top Candidates

by Mitchell Morrison Joe Biden: Former Vice President in the Obama Administration, Joe Biden is reputable for centrist policies that could appeal to moderate Republicans and independents. Many believe Joe Biden has the best chance to beat President Trump because of his staunch support of workingclass Americans. Others, however, point-out his advnaced age and modest policy reforms as reasons he should not be president.

Pete Buttigieg: Former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg brings a strong resumé to his candidacy despite his age, 38.

Buttigieg is an Afghanistan war veteran, studied at Harvard and Oxford, and was South Bend’s youngest mayor. Buttigieg supports popular progressive reforms, but he insists on implementing reforms through economically sustainable policies.

Buttigieg’s opposition finds issues with his age, political inexperience, and sexuality.

Andrew Yang: Lacking political experience, Yang is a former tech entrepreneur who founded Venture for America, a non-profit assisting startups and creating jobs. Yang’s platform comprises two positions/policies geared toward the middle-class. Because Yang believes robots will eventually steal jobs, he wants to limit robot interference and provide a $1,000 monthly check to every American over 18. Those who aren’t in “Yang Gang,” cite his promise to implement new “Value-Added Taxes.”

Bernie Sanders: Serving Vermont as mayor, Representative, and Senator, Bernie Sanders is known for self-identifying as a democratic socialist and galvanizing Democratic youth voters against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic Primary.

Sander’s main policies include universal health care, increased Social Security benefits, and free college. While Sander’s is popular with the “far-left,” he struggles

to appeal to moderates because his policies equate to larger deficit spending and a tax burden on citizens.

Elizabeth Warren: Former Harvard law professor and Massachusetts senator, Warren is well known for her fierce opposition to President Trump. Senator Warren wants to implement multiple wealth taxes in order to pay for her progressive policies: universal health care, student-loan forgiveness, and free college.

Warren believes that a heavily regulated economy protects the middle-class from corporate greed and notably wants to break up tech companies such as Facebook, Apple, and Google.

Opinion: Unlike last year, Democratic voters are finally presented with a variety of candidates that extends beyond a socialist and a scandal-ridden secretary of state.

With Biden, Democrats get four years of average. Biden does not have many needlepushing policies and is moderate in every fashion. There is a reason this is a short paragraph, and there is not much more to say than this: for those who wish to play it safe, vote Biden.

Jumping to the complete opposite end of the spectrum, we find Senators Warren and Sanders. Warren and Sanders are grouped together because they share a majority of policies. They both have socialist platforms that promise free or reduced-cost social services, and they both plan to fund these policies with increased taxes and corporate regulation. While many of their platforms are appealing (because who doesn’t want free stuff?), they require flawless execution, or else, they risk causing irreparable damage to the economy. For example, they believe that breaking up a company like Amazon will allow for more competition and new startups, but in reality, an international company, such as Alibaba, will simply dominate the U.S. market. We live in

Australia’s Wildfires

a global economy where corporations compete beyond their borders. Currently, many U.S. companies are leading in other nations, but with Warren and Sanders’ promised regulations, they might fall behind. So, vote for Warren and Sanders if you believe that our current capitalist framework doesn’t work.

Yang’s appeal is similar to Warren and Sanders as he offers free money, but Yang differentiates himself with his Value-Added Tax (VAT) proposition.

The VAT prevents wealthy individuals and corporations from avoiding taxes through loopholes by taxing a percentage of everything exchange of money. If I buy a pencil, I pay the tax. If Bezos moves $10 billion into offshore accounts, he pays the tax. Additionally, giving $1000 per month to every American over 18 will produce economic stimulation and increase the current social security safety net. Yang’s main flaws are inexperience in any form of politics and lack of solidified policy beyond economics. However, if you want free money and a respected entrepreneur in control of the country, join Yang Gang.

In my opinion, I saved the best for last. Buttigieg initially ran on a promise to represent the younger generation’s voice. He wants to implement beneficial

The Boston Globe

progressive policies but understands the importance of paying for these policies that do not drastically increase the deficit. In debates and interviews, Buttigieg is polite and well-mannered but also precise. He does not dance around difficult questions and prides himself on providing facts.

Even in moments when he may not have facts or is presented with a failure from his past, Buttigieg is candid. For example, when critiqued on his failure to increase police diversity in South Bend, Buttigieg simply admitted that he failed. No excuses or blaming others, Buttigieg simply said he was not proactive enough in that area and that he learned from the experience.

While Buttigieg is fourth in national polls, I believe that is primarily because of his lack of name awareness and sexuality.

As more attention turns to the primaries, he might surge. Vote for Buttigieg if you want a socially progressive, economically logical U.S. veteran to lead the country out of political division.

Editor Update: As the Iowa caucus votes slowly roll in after technical difficulties, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are the two front-runners, followed by Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, and Amy Klobuchar.

USA vs. Iran

by Mary Courtney Finn

by Shea Kelly

Following a drought and high temperatures, lightning struck in bone-dry Australia in New South Wales and ignited a soon-to-be widespread fire. This fire spread over approximately 27 million acres, claiming more than 30 lives. These fires differ from other widespread burnings because they burn in populated areas instead of uninhabited environments. These bushfires have burned about eight times the amount of land damaged in the 2019 fires in California, the state’s worst fires in history. Researchers have blamed climate change for these furious fires, accounting for the raised temperatures and extreme winds. Following this destruction, Australia is faced with rebuilding the nation, as well as preparing for similar fire seasons going forward. Without immediate action to combat climate change, higher heats and more fires should be expected. This tragedy could be the exact wake-up call citizens and corporations needed to realize that global warming is happening, not fifty years from now, but today.

New York Times

During the early hours of January 2nd, Americans woke to the news of the death of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps leader, Qassem Soleimani. Just hours before, President Donald Trump authorized the drone strike that killed Soleimani near the Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. Western news sources list Soleimani as the mastermind behind numerous Iranian intelligence and military operations, making him a prime target for killing by the American government. The US’s actions not only prompted mourning by Iranians but also have caused Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to vow retaliation against the US in ways still unknown. In an attempt to keep Americans safe from potential retaliation, agencies such as the TSA have ramped up security measures in the airport and other government-controlled areas.

However, the more significant issue seems to be the future of diplomatic relations between the US and Iran. After the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the US and Iran ended formal ties because of the hostage of Americans in the US Embassy in Tehran, along with disagreements stemming from nuclear weapons. Considering the US and Iran have not had formal relations since 1980, it does not look like relations will be repaired anytime soon. While the US does not have relations with Iran, Iranian allies, Syria and Iraq, do. Potentially, these countries could vow to retaliate against the US for the killing of Soleimani. While it currently looks unlikely for anything of that nature to occur, America must take precautions to ensure its safety. While the murder of Soleimani was allegedly in the US intelligence’s best interest, Americans must prepare themselves for a solution that is less than desirable for America.

Washington Post

The Echo

Oscars Preview

by Sydney Carroll After a long two months of build up, with everything from Bong Joon-Ho’s rise to stardom to Greta Gerwig’s nomination snub, the Oscars are finally here. As a lover of award shows, I have dutifully watched every pre-Oscars awards show, listened to countless podcasts, read many articles, and read many angry Greta Gerwig stan tweets, and I feel prepared to give you my predictions for the Oscars.

Best Actor The Best Actor category is filled with film legends, but I want to focus on two nominees: Joaquin Phoenix and Adam Driver. After hearing the high praise of Adam Driver’s performance in A Marriage Story, I decided to check it out. It was insane. Best acting I’ve ever seen. I think, any other year, Adam Driver would get it. But, this isn’t any other year. Joaquin Phoenix blew Arthur Fleck’s character out of the water. While I have not seen

the full movie, of what I have seen, his performance in Joker is simply astounding.

The obvious issues and complaints with the movie aside (trust me, I don’t particularly like the movie either), Joaquin Phoenix, as he has with so many of his other roles, truly dug deep. He gave a unique, honest, and heartbreaking portrayal of a man many fail to humanize. While I think Phoenix will most likely take home the W because of the role being clear Oscar bait, keep a look out for Adam Driver potentially coming out from behind.

Predicted Winner: Joaquin Phoenix Surprise Win: Adam Driver Who I want to win: Adam Driver Best Actress: This category ultimately shows what has defined 2019/20: Strong performances by strong women playing different strong women. We have Saoirse Ronan as Jo March in Little Women, Cynthia Erivo

Entertainment

as Harriet Tubman in Harriet, Scarlett Johansen as Nicole Barber in A Marriage Story, Renée Zellweger as Judy Garland in Judy, and Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly in Bombshell. This race has been going to Renée Zellweger in other award shows, and it most likely will here, too. However, with this being Saoirse Ronan’s FOURTH nomination by age 25 (she’s literally only a few years older than us, and she’s been nominated for an Oscar four times), many are rooting for her portrayal of Jo March to break through at the Oscars. Also, there is the chance for Scarelett Johansson’s vulnerable and emotional performance in A Marriage Story to take this category (not to mention she’s also nominated for best featured actress for JoJo Rabbit), but it most likely will go to Zellweger.

Predicted Winner: Renée Zellweger Surprise Win: Scarlett Johansson Who I want to win: Saoirse Ronan

Spinning Out Review

by Ally Newkirk and Ching Ching Zhang Spinning Out is a new series on Netflix meant to portray a story based on skating.

There are many mixed opinions concerning the show, including how the actual skating is displayed and how far away from reality the show represents. We (Ally and Ching Ching), who have a vast skating experience, have decided to voice our thoughts and opinions concerning the show’s problems and the overall outlook.

Throughout the show, there are many situations that do not seem to line up with what the practical reality would look like.

Yes, we know it’s a TV show, but some of the issues contradicting reality are far beyond what would ever happen in real life. First, the show tends to immensely highlight the amount of drinking that takes place. Although most TV-MA shows will contain a fair amount of alcoholic beverages, Spinning Out seems to have an excessive amount to others. In the show, the skaters seem to be drinking more than they are skating. The young adults are even drinking the night before competitions, and that does not reflect reality.

Our second complaint is the large number of injuries in the show. Throughout the show, the number of injuries that happen right off the bat is a little too much and, not to mention, have a very small percentage of actually happening in real life. Within the first two episodes, there is a total of five injuries, from a character’s own skate cutting all the way through her foot, to another character’s leg getting sliced open by another skate.

Another problem of Spinning Out is

the plot. Pair skating is one of the main ideas within the new show. For some background, the main character of the show, Kat Baker, decides she will accept an offer from a fellow skater to compete in competitive pair skating, which she has never done before. In the show, it only takes them a couple months to become confident with their training and compete at high levels. However, in the real skating world, this would have taken years. Most skaters start pair skating before the age of 10 just to get a chance of making it to the Olympics one day, and a person cannot just pick it up one day and be perfect in a month’s time.

Another problem of the show is the actual skating. Within the process of creating and practicing a skating program, the skater(s) and coach work for weeks or

Golden Globes

even months to ensure the performance is the best it can possibly be. One of the biggest misconceptions in the show is how the skaters change their program seconds before going onto the ice. The problem is that there’s no possible way (in reality) that this can be done because of the accuracy and precision needed during the performance, especially if the skaters have never practiced these specific changes.

Though the show has many issues, people want to see more in reality form. Although there are many inconsistencies, Spinning Out does a great job of recognizing one certain topic. Mental illness is a touchy subject and is something that is hard to portray throughout the film industry.

Throughout the show, the producers displayed images and scenes with content containing mental health. The show does a

Best Featured Actor: Okay, I’ve talked about every category having Hollywood royalty, but I really mean it this time. Like, seriously. We’ve got Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Brad Pitt. I think this goes to Brad Pitt. Like, honestly no contest.

He’s a fan favorite, and he was great in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and can easily win over the Academy’s voters.

Predicted Winner: Brad Pitt Surprise Winner: Brad Pitt Who I want to win: Brad Ptt Best Featured Actress: Yet another category filled with Hollywood Elite… and one well deserved newcomer. We have Kathy Bates in Richard Jewell, Laura Dern in A Marriage Story, Scarlett Johansson in Jojo Rabbit, Margot Robbie in Bombshell, and Florence Pugh in Little Women. Hollywood-favorite

(continued on page 5)

good job explaining and raising awareness for mental illness, which is something the show definitely deserves credit for.

Because skating is not a common sport, it is hard to characterize the lives of skaters.

When portraying the lives of ice skaters, Spinning Out does not exactly hit every right point, but it does illustrate many correct interpretations. There is constant drama between skaters before and during competitions and during training sessions.

Many of the skaters confront their friends/ competitors in attempts to intimidate them before competitions. While there can be tension between competitors, we usually keep to ourselves and certainly do not try to stir up drama an hour before the competition starts. Although some figure skater’s parents can be quite controlling, most coaches do not like it when parents interfere because it can be distracting for the athlete. The circle of moms in the show was very entertaining to watch. Sometimes, I felt like I was watching Dance Moms. In addition, the main female lead bites her arm whenever she gets frustrated about her skating. Hopefully, everyone knows that we do not make bite marks on our arm whenever we get mad. Although it is extremely common to experience frustration in figure skating, there are other ways of releasing this frustration that do not include biting your arm.

There is also a lot of one-on-one time between the coaches and skaters, but that amount of time spent together actually violates the Safesport Regulations. A few of the skaters live with their coaches in the (continued on page 7)

As each year passes, the expectations and competitiveness in the movie industry continues to rise. The 2020 Golden Globe nominees didn’t disappoint. Between the two of us, we have watched every film nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama and several films nominated for other categories. Compared to 2019 nominations for Best Motion Picture Drama, we preferred the 2020 nominations. While films like A Star is Born, Black Panther, and Bohemian Rhapsody were amazing, not all the other nominations resonated with us quite like the 2020 nominations. In that specific category, there was not one film we didn’t love.

The host Ricky Gervais, a comedian hosting his fifth (and hopefully final, as he made well known to the audience) Golden Globes fueled the excitement throughout the night that led up to the Best Motion Picture Drama award. Gervais is a widely known “unpredictable” host, doing his best to insult the guests and audiences at home. He made a great deal of controversial jokes throughout his opening monologue and the rest of the night, roasting candidates and claiming that he truly didn’t care who he offended, since “we’re all about to die soon anyways.” Personally, we found most of his insulting jokes cringeworthy yet hilarious, all the while making the famous Hollywood stars gathered in the Beverly Hilton Hotel relatable to the audiences watching from home. (continued on page 7)

Sports The Echo

BGA’s New Hockey Team

by Lindsay Phelps Fairly recently, BGA athletes have joined the high-school hockey league. The co-op team competes in the GNASH League, which includes all of Middle Tennessee private and public schools. The BGA hockey team consists not only of our students, but also students from Franklin High and Hume Fogg. These players compete at 3 different ice rinks around Middle Tennessee: Centennial SportsPlex, Fort Ice Antioch, and Fort Ice Bellevue. BGA students Max Sale ‘21, Carter Cranford ‘22 , and Reid Crowell ‘20 have pioneered playing for the school and competing against other teams in our area. When asked about the season so far, Carter Cranford states “Right now we are coming off a hot regular season push, really surprising opposing teams with our promising young talent.” He also mentioned that BGA had some struggle with recent seeding games for the playoffs, but they are hoping to make it as a top seed in the B division for the tournament.

With the excitement of this new competition, the BGA community is encouraged to come out and support our boys in their games coming up in February. The introduction of hockey has expanded the athletic program and promises great things for the future!

Battle Ground Academy

Charlie Park: Student, Athlete, Gamer

by Owen Gibson Charlie Park grew up playing video games, as I’m sure most people of our generation have and has recently realized his potential. Charlie first joined the Wildcats in 6th grade, where he didn’t quite stick the landing as a new kid in a new school.

He soon found a group of friends to call his own and became invested in the BGA way of life. Through Charlie’s career at BGA, he has continued to keep his grades up and has continued to play video games with his friends. In the winter of his sophomore year at BGA, a new game came out titled Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which was the catalyst for Charlie’s gaming career. Charlie played this game non-stop for about three months and then decided he was confident enough to join online tournaments. Charlie fared quite successfully in these online tournaments, winning five of his first ten tournaments. Charlie got most of his wins from the main characters Bowser and Captain Falcon, which continued to bring him wins throughout his history as a gamer. After Charlie’s winning spree, several e-sports college clubs began to notice him. Some of these clubs reached out to Charlie and told him that he had great potential. Charlie was sure that if he kept up the hard work he might receive a scholarship from some of these schools. Eventually, Charlie got a letter from the college counselors, and it was an offer from the University of Oklahoma, his father’s alma mater. Charlie was very surprised and then proceeded to continue gaming to maintain his skills. After a short time, another letter arrived, but this one was different. The letter was sealed with a large orange UT. His second scholarship offer came from one of our state’s colleges: the University of Tennessee Knoxville. This is only the AliExpress beginning of Charlie’s adventures into the world of competitive gaming. Who knows how many more tournaments he’ll win, or how many more schools will finally see that Charlie has got what it takes. As Charlie says,“It’s a mindset!”

Predators Update

by Jack Sauder We are entering crisis mode. After 5 years of unofficial rebuilding, the Predators finally seemed to have put together a championship team, but they have not. For one odd reason or another, the Preds started the season at the top of the division and now, going into the final stretch, are at the bottom. As a dramatic twist to the season, Predators manager David Poile fired head coach Peter Laviolette and replaced him with John Hynes. Since then, the Predators have been relatively mediocre with snap moments of what the team could be. But, for the most part, it has been a disappointing season. As a superstitious hockey fan and a senior, this is turning out to be a disappointing final season as a high-school Predators fan.

By some miracle, the Predators are only 2 points out of the playoffs but are failing to push themselves over the hump to make

the cut. There is still time to hope for the Predators, but it will require a dramatic change. The Predators have remained at the top of the NHL in goals scored this season but are struggling to keep pucks out of their own net. For a team historically known for solid defense, this has come as a huge shock. To make matters worse, neither Pekka Rinne nor Juse Sarros can keep the puck out of their net.

I believe the solution for the Predators is fairly simple: David Poile should look to trade two quality players for an elite offensive defenseman, like Erik Karlson or Brent Burns. Both of these elite defensemen play for the San Jose Sharks who are looking to enter rebuild mode and need to look for possible trades to alleviate high levels of cap space. One of these men would be a great replacement for the loss of PK Subban and give the Predators the spark they desperately need to make it to the playoffs.

The Tennesseean

The Echo

Calendar

February 5 Parent Teacher Conference (no school)

February 6 Liz Fuller Art Show Opening Reception 6:30pm Basketball: Boys 9th - Game (home) v. Father Ryan February 7 Wrestling - US - Game (away) TSSAA State Tournament 8:00am: Swimming Game (away) February 8 8:00am: Swimming Game (away) February 10 6:00pm Basketball: Boys 9th - Game (away) v. USN February 12 Basketball: Boys Varsity - Game (TBD) vs.

Districts Tournament

February 17 Winter Break February 18 Winter Break

Febrruary 19 Basketball: Boys Varsity - Game (TBD) vs. TSSAA West Region February 20 Wrestling - US - Game (away) TSSAA State Tournament February 25 6:30pm: Soccer Varsity - Game (home) v.

Summit High School February 26 Basketball: Boys Varsity - Game (home) vs. TSSAA West Region

February 28 6:00pm: Soccer Varsity - Game (away) v. Baylor February 13 6:00pm Basketball: Boys 9th - Game (away) v. JPII High School February 14 Basketball: Boys Varsity - Game (away) vs.

Districts Tournament

February 29 Basketball: Boys Varsity - Game (TBD) vs. TSSAA State Tournament

February 15 Basketball: Boys Varsity - Game (TBD) vs.

Districts Tournament Wrestling - US - Game (away) TSSAA West Region

Oscars Preview (continued) Margot Robbie delivers a beautiful performance in Bombshell. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t speak about Florence Pugh’s portrayal of Amy March. While I doubt she will win the Oscar for it, there’s no doubt that Pugh’s portrayal of Amy showed us a new side of the youngest March sister, making us not only want to root for Amy March, but root for Florence Pugh for the Oscar. Personally, I think Laura Dern has this one locked and loaded. Her comedic yet shockingly deep performance as divorce lawyer Nora in A Marriage Story may be what finally gets Dern her well deserved Oscar win.

Predicted Winner: Laura Dern Surprise Win: Margot Robbie Who I want to win: Laura Dern/Florence Pugh Best Picture: This year’s nominees include Ford vs. Ferrari, Parasite, Little Women, A Marriage Story, The Irishman, 1917, Joker, Jojo Rabbit, and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. I think that 1917 takes this one. The cinematographic effect of the movie being shot in a seemingly one take gives it a stunning aesthetic and an advantage for best picture. However, with the de-aging technology of The Irishman, that could end up pulling ahead. As for me? The Parasite cast and crew has truly won my heart this awards season. The cast and crew of Parasite is simply SO HAPPY to be included this year. They don’t necessarily care about winning, just that they get to show their movie to the world, which is something that I think Hollywood needs an extra dose of.

Predicted Winner: 1917 Surprise Winner: The Irishman Who I want to win/who the world needs to win: Parasite

The Echo

Community

Q & A with the Lower School

by Duke Waldrop and Jack Kelly For the first edition of our question and answers series with Lower Schoolers, we talked to two kindergarteners and two fourth graders and asked them a couple of questions. We decided to first dive into how their school year was going and what their favorite part has been. BJ Williams ‘28 told us his love for math and for learning new methods to organize numbers, while Stella Jones ‘32 explained her enjoyment of coloring this school year. After the initial question, we decided to give them the raw questions. These questions were truly a curve ball to the set of students, and they carefully put together answers. Sophie Valentine ‘28 explains that her friend Gia always has her back, and that lunch is a sought after part of the school experience.

Since it is so essential, we decided to ask them what their favorite lunch food item

was. B.J. enjoys macaroni and chicken nuggets, and he always gets six plates.

The rest of the group came to the conclusion that pizza was probably their favorite. The future is scary, but we wanted to know where this group saw themselves in ten years. B.J’s official dream is to make it to the NBA. He also wants to play college basketball at Duke, and he believes he’s got what it takes. Stella explained she said she wanted to be a teacher in ten years. Our final question, which had some of our most interesting responses, was if they were in charge of BGA, what would they change?

B.J’s first call to action would be changing the uniforms. He wishes he could wear gym shorts on Fridays, but every other day is uniform. Stella had similar requests but wishes that uniforms were not a thing. Eli Kidd ‘32 also wishes the swings were lowered because it would make it more fun. It

was really great going back to the Lower School and looking back on the past. It was great talking with the kids and learning

more about what our kindergarteners and fourth graders wanted to talk about.

Senior Chili Cook-Off

by Sarah May On January 24th, the 14th Annual Senior Chili Cook-off took place prior to the girls’ and boys’ basketball games against Grace Christian Academy. The senior class selected teams and presented their best chili recipe for students, parents, and guests to taste. After tasting each team’s chili, they cast their votes for 3 different. This year the groups “Chili Chili Bang Bang” and “Pirates of the Carib-bean” were crowned the champions. Awards were given for best-tasting chili, best decorations, and best costumes. All proceeds benefited the Senior classes Project Graduation. To continue the night of success, the boys’ basketball team soundly defeated GCA. The girls’ team advanced into overtime, courtesy of Graci Semptimphelter’s buzzer-beater three-point shot, but, unfortunately, fell short of beating GCA’s girls’ team.

SDLC Interview

by Bailey Anderson Earlier last week, I sat down to talk with Ashlyn Patton ‘23, Mila Perez ‘21, Milani Naik ‘21, and Kendall Grimes ‘22 about their experience at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Seattle, Washington in early December. In order to get a better sense of the conference, I asked them to explain what the SDLC was, and Kendall explained that it was “a few days, 3 or 4 days, and [we went] to several different sessions that have things to do with diversity and leadership. Mostly, we focused on how to be an ally [and] how to bring some diversity and inclusion back to [our] school. There were fun things, like a talent show and little parties here and there. There were affinity groups, which is basically a space full of other people who identify with a certain identifier that you feel applies to you, like race or sexual orientation. So basically, SDLC is just a space where a bunch of people come together and find other people who are like them and learn how to take those things back to their schools.” All three girls agreed with Kendall’s description, so I then asked what they learned from participating in the SDLC. Ashlyn responded that she learned about “some core cultural identifiers,” and Milani then elaborated further, saying “we learned a lot about… being an ally and how to help people that are different and are going through things and being targeted, and how we can stand up and advocate for them. We also learned more

about ourselves, and there were different components and lessons that we did that taught us about the cycle of oppression.

We learned about our core identifiers, we learned a lot about privilege, and what it means to have certain things and what it means to respect other people and what they have. It was not only diversity and inclusion but also just, you know, who you are and how you treat other people the way you want to be treated, essentially.”

When asked about the importance of the SDLC, Ashlyn, Mila, Milani, and Kendall adamantly agreed that the SDLC is very important for personal and societal growth.

According to Mila, “It’s really important for different reasons. I mean, you really find out more about yourself through the entire conference and why it is so important to bring that back to schools and society as

a whole.” Ashlyn added, “You get to be around more people who are like you and who look like you.” According to Kendall, “For a lot of the people who attend the SDLC, [it’s] the one time in the year where they will be in a space with other people that are like them and that they truly feel comfortable with. I think, I really think that it is a place where people learn more about themselves and can finally come to terms with things within themselves that they are not able to outside of that space.”

Even though they all stressed the importance of the conference, I asked if they had any suggestions to improve the conference. Everyone nodded their heads in agreement when Ashlyn stated “They did an amazing job.” Milani followed up: “The days were long, but you get to spend more time with the people you are around,

and, honestly, I thought over-all it was really good.” Her only suggestion was to send more people to the conference. As Mila stated, “It’s worth it.”

The SDLC had a large impact on its attendees, and they want to take what they learned and apply it to our community. I asked what they thought will result from the SDLC within themselves and within the community. Milani replied, “Personally, we gained new experiences from that [experience]. We’re changed from it because we got to experience something not a lot of us have experienced before.

Locally, like within BGA, we are trying to make some changes, also… We’re taking what we learned from the conference, and we’re trying to implement that into everyday life slowly. For example, we are trying to get a school-wide privilege walk, we’re starting two affinity groups under Bridge Club, and we are just trying to spread awareness about the different things that involve diversity. Not only people of color but sexual orientation, and just like everything, we’re just trying to spread awareness for things, especially for those things in this community that aren’t paid attention to a lot.”

I would like to thank Milani, Mila, Kendall, and Ashlyn for sitting down with me and sharing their experience at the SDLC. I am excited to see these new changes come to BGA in order to create a more inclusive community.

The Echo

Golden Globes (continued) Nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama in 2020 were the films 1917, The Irishman, Joker, Marriage Story, and Two Popes. Collectively, we watched all five of the films and each developed personal favorites (small spoiler warnings).

Dalia: While 1917’s crazy cinematography ranked the movie high on my list, my top favorite out of the 5 nominees was Two Popes. After finding out it was nominated for a Golden Globe, I decided to watch it, even though my expectations going into it were low. While a movie about the cross between the papalship of Pope Benedict and Pope Francis seems interesting, I was worried that the movie was going to be boring.

Surprisingly, Fernando Meirell, the director, was able to give the historical movie tons of drama and action.

The movie is more than just a biopic of Pope Benedict’s life; it is three movies in one. The first section is a behind-the-scenes look at Vatican politics, the second is a biopic about the Pope Benedict, and the third section is about the intense relationship Pope Benedict and Pope Francis developed leading up to the transfer of papal power. In between these three segments were flashbacks throughout Pope Francis’s life in Argentina, furthering the complexity of the movie. What surprised me about Two Popes was how dramatic and thrilling the juxtaposition of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict was. The storyline could have been told from the perspective of just one pope, however the movie created depth and perspective by telling the perspective of both popes.

The movie touches on the controversy of Pope Francis’s goals to make the Catholic Church more progressive and addresses the balance between change and tradition. Overall, Two Popes was an unexpected hit. At times, the dialogue was so intense I completely forgot it was a historical movie. Also, Jonathon Pryce and Anthony Hopkins’ resemblance to Pope Francis and Pope Benedict was uncanny.

Izzy: Personally, I had not seen any of the films nominated for Best Motion Picture prior to the announcement of the winner. After watching the previews and awards given to each of the films throughout the night, I decided I needed to make an effort to watch them all. The World War I movie 1917 ended up winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, and after going to see it in theaters, I realized exactly why. The camerawork and formatting of the film is breathtaking, with only one obvious cut present throughout the entire movie.

The illusion of one continuous shot may, in some cases, become boring, but 1917 succeeds in choreographing every single shot perfectly so that the scenes never become dull. Additionally, the single shot makes each series of events feel like they are happening in real time, and, since the plot of the movie revolves around an immediate deadline with devastating consequences, the audience is immersed in a feeling of anxiety and dread alongside the main characters. The common elements of war movies are present in 1917, but the film manages to represent the horrors of war alongside an abrupt contrast with the camerawork. The film focuses on heart, empathy, and perseverance, all the while portraying terrifying bomb attacks and tragic, heart-wrenching death scenes. The movie’s ending brings it full circle, finishing the exact same way it started, with William, one of the main characters, sitting peacefully under a tree. This moment of relief despite the atrocities of war that both William and the audience beside him experience drives home the impression of constant contradiction. Such a contrast between battle and peace is seldom captured in most war movies, but 1917 goes above and beyond in doing so, certainly deserving the credit that it received with a Golden Globe award.

While the 2020 Golden Globes did a great job celebrating the year’s best films, we were both extremely disappointed that Greta Gerwig, the director of Little Women, was not nominated for best director; especially since Little Women was nominated for 6 other Golden Globes. Even more disappointing was that Gerwig was also not nominated for the Oscars’ best director, despite Little Women having other Oscar nominations. Her work in Little Women was genius, and she definitely deserves the recognition. Gerwig’s choice to retell Little Women from two time points with two different color schemes was really impactul. The film moved between present-day Jo, who is now a writer in New York, and her childhood with her sisters and Laurie. Each time period was portrayed in a different color scheme; grey and blue tones for the present, and warm nostalgic oranges for the past. Gerwig was not the only female director snubbed for awards. The need for more inclusion in the movie industry is gaining attention, and many other celebrities have commented. Upon hearing that Greta Gerwig was snubbed a nomination, comedian Trevor Noah said, “It’s really strange because it was nominated for six awards—including best picture, best screenplay, two acting nominations—but then somehow Greta Gerwig wasn’t nominated for director,” and Natalie Portman commented, “Congratulations to all those men.”

The 2020 Golden Globes were packed with emotions, from excitement for winning candidates, to urging political comments, and to celebrative recognition for the hard work and influence of Ellen DeGeneres and Tom Hanks. The Golden Globes, while occasionally controversial for certain nominations and awards, demonstrate how cinema has transformed over the years and truly represents the impact of film on people across the globe.

Quad Question With Jad “”

Hugo Cederhage, Junior “I’d go to, like, Disney World with-- Can it be like a fictional celebrity? With Hannah Montana.

Libby McConnell, Sophomore “Well, my ideal date, I don’t really know, I would want to just have some fun.

I don’t know specifically.

Heath Ledger is dead, but it would be Heath Ledger.”

Will Rieck, Senior “So this one is very near and dear to my heart. I would take my boy Tiger Woods out on a date. We would do a little 9 hole round in the morning.

We’ll be in Jupiter, Florida.

It’ll be a nice, balmy 95º.”

Spinning Out Review (continued)

show, and they both seem to be very involved in each others’ personal lives. In light of the recent violations of Safesport, the rules and protection of athletes are heavily enforced. In the past, many athletes would live with their coaches to make transportation to or from the rink easier or simplify communication. However, skaters need to outnumber the coach in order to be in the same car with them, be in a room/house together, etc. On a completely irrelevant note, I personally think that the dresses and costumes are the ugliest things I have ever seen, but it does accurately portray the amount of effort we put into designing and making a dress.

Many of the figure skating shows that I have watched have been very difficult to finish because the skating is very unrealistic and boring. Most of the shots are of the upper body in order to disguise the fact that the skaters are standing on moving platforms. It is definitely understandable that the actors cannot successfully complete the elements required, so kudos to them for being able to skate on and off the ice. I thought the stunt doubles did a really good job with everything, and they actually looked like the actors from far away.

Overall, Spinning Out was one of the more accurately-portrayed shows in the film industry about figure skating. Towards the end, I started finding it very difficult to ignore the small strays from reality because of all the drama that blew up. However, I do understand why everything was exaggerated since it is a TV show after all.

Devin Hoke, Senior “Oh man, this is such a hard question. So the ideal date is... Ok, how about this? Beach, sunset. With...

I don’t know. I’ll just say Marilyn Monroe.”