04.15.20 ISSUE
the hermonite
C O N T R I B U T E R S
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DIANIE CHEN '20 Editor-in-Chief
MUHAMMED MANJEE '20 Managing Editor
BILL WU '21 Head Copy Editor
BENTE BECHTOLD '20 Head Layout Editor
A R T I C L E S
W R I T E R S
Written with love by Dianie Chen '20
Bill Wu Do Hoon Kim Stella Zhu Tory Tran Mike Budner Harene Kim
UNCOMMON FACTS
C O P Y
Bill Wu '21
Lilyanne Dorilas Angie Tran Daniil Ozernyi Do Hoon Kim Keira Lewandowski Harene Kim Tory Tran Alex Fan Edward Pan Emaline Relyea-Strawn Sunny Pak Kiran Patel
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
HARVEY WEINSTEIN SENTENCED Stella Zhu '22
TO WIN IS TO SUFFER - POEM Do Hoon Kim '21
CLOTHING TRICKS Tory Tran '23
STORY OF ELLIOT SPEAR Mike Budner '21
TO ALL THE HOGGERS I'VE LOVED BEFORE ART PIECE Bente Bechtold '20
COVID-19 IN US AND HOW TO COPE Harene Kim '23
E D I T O R S
L A Y O U T
E D I T O R S
Emily Pham Sunny Pak Leila Yi Alex Fan Kiran Patel Dariya Kozhasbay Alisa Kravtchin
TO THE SENIOR CLASS Bente Bechtold '20
C O V E R
-
T H A N K S
E M I L Y F O R
P H A M
R E A D I N G
Letter From the Editor
Dear beloved readers,
Thank you for supporting The Hermonite. It has been hard, yet very gratifying work. I am quite disappointed to be parting from NMH in such an inconclusive way; however, I am continuously grateful for all that NMH has given me. My counselor, dorm faculty, teachers, and friends never cease to surprise me with the mountain of support they bless me with. My coach Lou Kinder always says we have to learn to “be comfortable with being uncomfortable”. In my senior year, I made it a goal to talk to people I’ve seen around but never spoken to. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. I’m actually a shy person by nature but I challenge myself every day to be a little more extroverted than yesterday. One hard truth is that not everyone is going to want to be friends with you, and that is perfectly okay. I love the result of this challenge. I have met so many hardworking, talented people: each with their own niche. Street smart, book smart, athletic, artsy. Many that I would not have never probably reached out to otherwise. My biggest advice as a four year senior is to be purposeful into the perspective you take on for your time at NMH. Remember that it is a privilege to be at a private boarding school. Up until the beginning of junior year, I wasted so much valuable time complaining about NMH. Our science building, the petty heater in my room, all the homework, quizzes, and tests. The big game-changer for me was accepting the flaws with a positive mindset instead of resisting it with negativity. This advice is a lot easier to give than utilize but it is the conscious effort that counts. Like my best friend Katie Gatza says, “you only have to get a little bit better every day”.
Now, I challenge you to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Dianie Chen '20 Editor-in-Chief
UNCOMMON FACTS BILL WU '21 STAY SAFE // WASH YOUR HANDS I An o ut brea k of res p ira tory d isea s e c aused by a n ov el corona virus f irst sta r ted in W uhan, China . T he v iru s is n ame d “SA RS -CoV -2,” a nd the dis ease it caus es has b een n amed “c or ona virus d isea s e 2019” (ab brev iat ed “CO VID -1 9”).
II Th e St af for d Act auth orize s the del iv ery of fed era l t ech nical, fin a n cial , l ogis tica l , a nd ot her a ssis ta nce t o s tat es an d loca li ties duri ng decl ar ed major dis ast ers o r emer genci es. Pr esid ent Trump decl ared a n a t ion al em ergen cy und er this Act, whic h al lows th e f edera l gove rnment thr o ugh FEMA t o ta k e adv a n tage of a $ 5 0 b il lion fund for dis aster rel ief .
III TikT ok is in v ent ed by 3 5 -y ea r- ol d Z hang Yimi ng, wh o liv es in C h in a . His comp any, ByteDa nce, ha s seen blister in g gro wth . Acco rding to Forbes , h e is wor th over $ 16 bi llion, mak i ng him the 13th ri chest per son in C h in a.
IV “ In 2 006, Gu in ness Wor l d R ecords decl ared L. R on Hub bard [ as] th e worl d ’s m ost publi shed a nd most t ran slat ed auth or , ha v ing pu bl ished 1, 084 fic tion and non-f ic t ion w ork s tha t have been tr ansla ted in to 71 langua ges.”
V Han son Gr egory in vent ed th e ring- s haped d oughnut in 18 47 on a s h ip w hen h e w a s 16 year s ol d .
VI Th e game, P lant s vs. Z ombi es, wa s invent ed in 200 9.
VII “Th e first t ou ch sc reen phon e, comm onl y d ubbed as “sm art ph o n e,” w as inv ented in 1992 b y E . A . Joh n son .
Harvey Weinstein Is Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison
Stella Zhu '22
Harvey Weinstein, a former Hollywood producer, was sentenced to 23 years in New York State prison on March 11th, 2020. This ruling marked a crucial point in the #MeToo movement which was propelled two years ago when a number of women made a public statement about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuses. When he addressed his role in the movement, he claimed, “thousands of men are losing due process” (Arkin). Before the sentencing, Weinstein’s attorney Donna Rotunno tried to appeal the decision of the court to Weinstein’s personal charitable donations, advanced age, medical issues, and a lack of criminal history. After his February 24th conviction, Weinstein experienced a heart procedure due to high blood pressure and heart palpitations and had spent 10 days in the hospital. According to his attorney, since Weinstein has a family history of heart disease, being in a prison “will affect his ability to get the type of medical care he will need for the list of issues he is dealing with” (Barr).Then, before the sentencing on March 11th, two victims, Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann, gave emotional testimonies. Miriam Haley, who claimed Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006, said he had forever changed her life, crushed her spirit, and “violated my trust, my body and my basic right to reject his sexual advances” (Ransom). Weinstein addressed his accusers in his speech claiming that he thought it was consensual and “I really feel remorse for this situation” and “feel it deeply in my heart. I will spend my time really caring and really trying to be a better person” (Levenson). The former film producer faced 5 to 29 years of prison on first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape. Judge James Burke sentenced Weinstein 20 years for first-degree criminal sexual act and 3 years in prison for thirddegree rape.
HARVEY WEINSTEIN
Convicted and Sentenced
TO WIN IS TO SUFFER DO HOON KIM '21
IF I DON’T SUFFER, MY LIFE LACKS REASON. IF I WIN, I WILL PROMISE TO WORK HARDER, WITH GREATER YULSHIM, YUL MEANING HOT AND SHIM: FEELING. INDEED, I WILL WORK HARDER WILL SUFFER MORE. AND SHOULD I NOT WIN AGAIN, I CAN TAKE LONESOME SOLACE IN HAVING SUFFERED MORE WITH A FEELING OF HOTNESS, OF
열심 , RESULTING IN
A LIFE OF SPICY PURPOSE EXTENDING BEYOND MERE WIN.
*
열심 - YULSHIM IN KOREAN
Featured: Autumn Harajuku Red Green Plaid Pants : lunoakvo U MOCK NECK LONG-SLEEVE T-SHIRT : UNIQLO
Tricks to Make Your Clothes Look Better By Tory Tran '23
1. More fitting
Oversized top that makes you look extra short? CROP IT! If you have a basic solid color top, explore with the bottoms that have different patterns to add some interesting aspects to the outfit. It is better to adjust your clothing on how you like it than leave it out and never wear it.
Tips when cropping [at first] Cut the item longer than you think you want it Make sure you fully layout the piece of clothing Use fabric scissors since normal scissors may get dull
Featured: U MOCK NECK LONGSLEEVE T-SHIRT : UNIQLO
2. Tailoring Pants w/o Props
Not all pairs of pants can fit you perfectly, but you can tailor them without spending money. Also, there can be situations where your outfit would look better without a belt too. Instead of searching for safety pins or rubber bands to tie the waistband, use the belt loop and hook the main button through. Featured: UNISEX WIDE STRAIGHT PANTS // DARK NAVY: Muji
The Continuing Story of Elliott Speer Pt. II
Mike Budner '21 Last time... Gosh willy gilligurs! Pedro Wise has invented a timetravelling device to allow the headmaster of NMH, Briant Hardgroave, to vwoop back to the year 1934. It is time to learn the truth about the murder of Elliott Speer! Briant isn’t alone. The ghost of Dwight Moody has been visiting him on and off and delivering ominous messages… but what does it all mean?
The night was dark and moody… Dwight Moody. Suddenly, a shot rang out! A door slammed. The maid screamed. Elliott Speer was back from work, dripping wet. “Nine raids! Nine!” he exclaimed, dropping into an armchair by the fire. Elliott was not a normal person. In fact, he was as not-normal as possible. It wasn’t being a professional golfer that made people gawk, nor was it being the coach of Thirds Outdoor Team; it was the fact that Elliott was the somethingth headmaster of Northfield Mount Hermon. At the moment, the uber-cool time-travelling whiz Briant Hardgroave was spying through the window of Ford Cottage with bated breath. At any moment, someone would appear and shoot Elliott straight to Hell. Briant would finally know the identity of the murderer. As the minutes crept by, the ghost of Dwight Moody materialized beside Briant. “Elliott’s in there,” Briant whispered. He remembered what Ghost Dwight Moody had said earlier about Pedro Wise being
untrustworthy. He turned to ask, but Moody was gone. Beyond where he had been, a shadow was now descending the hill and turning towards Ford Cottage. As they came under the light of the door, Briant recognized the figure as a somewhat-younger Pedro Wise. Pedro opened the door and entered without knocking. Elliott looked up and started. “Hello Charles.” Briant had to ring out his ear to make sure he had heard correctly. He had assumed that the figure on the other side of the window was Elliott Speer, but as the person rose from the armchair by the fire, Briant realized that it was Charles Tyranny, the school’s money-asker. “Pedro,” Charles began, but a shot rang out and he collapsed back into the armchair, clutching his chest. “The oppression of Charles’ Challenge will never return. You have lost.” “No, no, you will die!” Charles leapt forth and tried to disarm Pedro, but another shot split the night as Briant saw Charles fall back into his seat. Pedro came behind the armchair to deliver the killing blow. “There will be no evidence of what happened here tonight. I’ve got the perfect story ready: for hundreds of years to come, students will know the tragedy of “Elliott Speer,” the headmaster who was shot to death in their dorm. The name “Tyranny” will be forgotten, and your legacy will be erased. As archivist, I will see to it that this is the version of events that corresponded tonight.” Charles Tyranny coughed out the words, “You’re bad.” Pedro gave a wry smile and said, “History will not see it that way.” With another shot, he finished the job.
To be continued...
To All the Hi,
Hoggers
So long. Haven’t talked to you in so long. Haven’t seen you for so long. Have been missing you for so long. This virus is really tearing my life apart. I thought I could go visit you the second week of Spring Break, but flying is too risky, and I don’t want to pick up some virus nor bring along any illnesses.
I know you are not a social media person. Maybe that’s why whenever I see your message, I get way too excited yet scared to open it. I want to know what you are up to and how you are feeling. But every time I turn up Facetime, I always back off and resist from calling you. You might be too busy, occupied, or talking to someone else. I don’t want to intrude, and I know for sure that you have a life apart from me.
I kept finding these quotes about letting people go and letting relationships be on Instagram. They speak of the truth to an extent, but I don’t want to just let fate control everything between us. I made an album in my camera roll. Looking back to the very beginning of this school year, we were not at all close but always at ease with each other. Seeing us getting closer and closer in Memories, I felt, again, so sure that we could have each other for a very very long time. And I am sure that you are not at all trying to ditch me. It’s just time and distance really set us apart. You being blunt at times and I overthinking all the time simply don’t go well together.
Text me?
Loves,
Medusa by Bente Bechtold '20
COVID-19 in the USA & How to Cope Both Mentally and Physically By Harene Kim '23 COVID-19, a respiratory disease now officially declared a pandemic, has been and is still currently infecting people all over the globe. Only a month or two back, COVID-19 had been predominantly active in East Asia, affecting mainly China, South Korea, and Japan. However, within the last month, the virus has mass-dispersed throughout the western world. As parts of Europe went into lockdown and American celebrities were being infected, the USA has finally acknowledged the gravity of the situation. The same people who were making jokes against the Asian race for COVID-19 are now fighting to buy toilet paper and other sanitary items between empty aisles of stores. As mass hysteria settles within the Americans, thousands of schools in the United States, including NMH, have been suspended indefinitely. As we all take on virtual learning for the rest of the semester, here are some ways to preserve both your mental and physical health:
Stay Safe
Adhere to the CDC’s guidelines and stay updated on the news. Wash your hands thoroughly. Communicate and interact with your friends online. If you must meet with others, stay outdoors and avoid confined spaces. Set apart a set amount of time each day to do your homework (like study hall). Don’t panic; it won’t help you. When you're feeling overwhelmed, do whatever you can to release stress (i.e. eating, talking to friends, sleeping, working out). Stock up on non-perishables, not just toilet paper.
CLASS OF 2020
NORTHFIELD MOUNT HERMON CLASS OF 2020 Glenn Minshall photo
NMH CLASS OF 2020
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A space filler by Bente Bechtold '20
Hello, It's Bente, your friendly neighborhood layout editor. We had a few extra pages this issue so you'll have to indulge me selfishly and shamelessly promoting my class and saying how much I miss them. Not that I don't miss everyone else! I just feel uniquely deprived of the company of my other seniors. As I've wasted away during the shelter-inplace order in Montana (it's amazing how many people I've shown where I live in the last month), my friend Hannah Khutorsky
'20 said something on a crew team zoom that really stuck with me. She said that she was focusing on feeling grateful for what she has in her life instead of dwelling on what she's been deprived of. If you're feeling down this is a great exercise (especially now). So, I am extremely grateful and feel wildly lucky to have been able to attend NMH for 4 (3 1/2?) years. It's been the time of my life spending my days on the hill and trying things I never dreamed of (Hotpot! Layout! Crew!). I'm truly fortunate to have been able to meet the people who shaped me into the person I am today.
Sorry, Dianie. I definitely did this without telling you first but I hope you'll let it slide this once. To everyone out there: please be safe, stay healthy, eat delicious food, don't forget your mailbox number, and make the most of the rest of your time at school. To my fellow seniors and PGs: thank you and I miss you. I am sincerely wishing for your happiness and I can't wait to see you again. THE HERMONITE
keep smiling