The Voice - April 2017

THE VOICE

VOLUME XXXVIV | April 2017

Stress, Substances, and Their Place at Pembroke Hill

The Voice: April

Table of Contents 4

olathe shooting Senior Vishesh Patel writes about the Olathe shooting and the current prevalance of hate crimes in general.

17 Reviews

This month we reviewed Get Out and I’ll Give You the Sun.

15 mental health

Senior Catherine Dema discusses mental health in our school and the often stressful environment we live in.

18

Phs lifers

Senior Grace Lattan tells us what it’s like to have gone to Pembroke Hill her entire life.

buzz [College]

About 860 colleges are test (SAT, ACT) optional.

Fast Facts

About 75% of applicants are typically admitted to their first choice.

There are over 6,000 accredited colleges/universities in America.

The average college student attends 62 parties a year.

23% of full-time undergrads, who are 24 or younger, work 20+ hours/week.

The average college student’s debt is $23,700; the average student loan payment is $432 per month.

$$$$$$$$

Just 16% of students attend private nonprofit colleges and universities.

majors

freshmen

One of the fastest growing degrees is in park, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies. During a 10-year period, the number of students earning degrees in this major (31,667) jumped 92 percent.

Among common majors, education experienced the biggest drop in interest among undergrads.

In a 10-year period, the number of students earning an education degree declined 5 percent.

86.9% of freshmen expected to complete their degrees in four years or fewer.

Of the 2,350,000 college students enrolling per year, only 1,750,000 will graduate.

Females account for the majority of college students: about 11.7 million females attended in fall 2016, compared with 8.8 million males.

While many students live near enough to bring their laundry home, only 14 percent of freshman attend college 500 or more miles away.

71% of college freshmen rated themselves as either being in the top 10 percent of students or above-average in their academic ability.

The largest state university in the country is Arizona State University in Tempe. The largest nonprofit private university is New York University.

And what about the Ivies?

Only 0.4 percent of undergraduates attend one of the Ivy League schools. This confirms my long-held belief that way too much attention is paid to these eight institutions.

3

Student Life

What’s the Word?

A View From Each Grade on: Lunch/Cafeteria Charlotte Henry Columnist The Pembroke Hill kitchen staff works hard to turn out amazing lunches on a daily basis, and students and teachers are provided with a variety of choices from a thoughtfully constructed menu. Each day we choose from high quality hot meals, soups, salads, sandwiches, and ice cream. Unfortunately, we have all experienced the moment in which stuffed peppers and tilapia overtake our dreams of chicken fingers and mac and cheese. Not to mention the elusive ice cream debate, and the many times we have elected class representatives that have promised to expand the choices. Luckily, it seems that our voices may have been heard, and many have observed the small changes that only further prove how committed the staff is to their work. Overall, it is a good problem to have, and it can be easy to forget how lucky we are to be provided with so many high quality options each and every day. n

Jay Mehta Columnist There are very few things about school which students cannot find fault with in some way, and we are no exception. However, at Pembroke Hill, our lunch is one of those select few aspects of this institution that are rarely criticized. Nevertheless, there is one aspect of lunch that could use a revamp: scheduling. While the early/late lunch system generally works well, it is not common for early lunch to be overpacked with students while late lunch consists of only a handful. This imbalance leads to lines during early lunch being so long that students don’t have sufficient time to eat. In an already-short lunch period of twenty-five minutes, a student might spend ten just getting his or her food. Our lunch deserves a schedule that matches the caliber of its food, and a more even distribution of classes between the lunches would achieve that. n

Alex Hrinya Columnist

Caroline Salzman Columnist Lunch period is the best 25 minutes of the school day where you can sit, if you can find a chair, relax, and enjoy a meal with friends. Taco Tuesday is a favorite among Aaron Swartz, Haley Harvey, and the rest of the junior class. However, if there was one thing that could be changed, Haley Harvey says she “would like the portions to be equal because sometimes [she] gets only a fourth of what the guys get, and a girl’s gotta eat.” Jack Ramza ‘18 would also like it if the “chocolate milk was refilled more often” because it “seems to always be empty every time he goes over there.” The best lunch days according to Julia Rosher ‘18 are the days when there are desserts “because Chef Brenden always gets special desserts for the gluten-free people!” n

The Pembroke Hill Upper School cafeteria is a place I hold very dear to my heart. As an avid consumer of large quantities of food, the cafeteria is the peanut butter to my jelly, the milk to my cookies, and the soy sauce to my chinese food. Without the cafeteria, I’d be half the man I am today. But as of late, and I mean the start of senior year, it seems like the lunch room is failing to properly fulfill my large palate. As most of my fellow seniors would attest to, whenever there’s the opportunity to go out to eat, you go out to eat. No question. While the lunchroom offers a wide variety of food, Pembroke simply cannot replicate the delicacy which is Raising Cane’s. I’m sorry. It just won’t happen. Unless Pembroke buys the proper equipment, my dream of eating Cane’s at school is fading with every passing day. I guess my problem with the cafeteria simply boils down to the fact that I’m no longer forced to eat the food everyday. As a freshman, sophomore and junior, I accepted the fact I could only eat at the cafeteria.

Due to this, I came to accept and cherish the cafeteria for what it is: a place to eat food. Nonetheless, when I was granted the ability to go off campus, I felt like OJ the day he was found not guilty. So free was I to eat whatever I wanted, I came to forget the allure of the lunchroom.

Like the Kobe/Shaq breakup, my relationship with the cafeteria will permanently be mentioned as one of the ultimate “What if...” scenarios. What if I never had off campus privileges? Would I still like the cafeteria? I don’t know, but as a man who doesn’t think in hypotheticals, I’ll simply end by saying goodbye lunchroom. I really won’t miss you. n

Feature 4

Thoughts on the Olathe Shooting

Vishesh Patel Contributor On February 22nd, 2017, three men were shot in cold blood at Austin’s Bar in Olathe, Kansas, just five minutes away from where I live. Two Indian-American Garmin employees, Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, were simply having a beer after getting off work, when they were interrupted by 51-year-old Adam Purington. He began questioning them on their legality, allegedly mistaking the two for being Iranians. After unremittingly shouting racial slurs, he was confronted and asked to leave by other bar patrons and restaurant staff. He then returned with a handgun and shot Kuchibhotla and Madasani after yelling “get out of my country.” He also shot 24-year-old Ian Grillot who risked his life by coming to the defense of the two Indian men. The three were hospitalized, but Kuchibhotla died from his wounds. Purington was arrested a few hours later in a bar in Clinton, Missouri, after telling the bartender that he just killed two Middle Eastern men and needed a place to hide.

The story immediately became headline news nationwide, with widespread condemnation to the attack and the overarching racial discrimination that influenced it.

Following the attack, the Indian Association of Kansas City held a candlelight vigil for the three, which was attended by hundreds of people of all ethnicities. Many politicians attended as well, including Congressman Kevin Yoder and Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer. Prayers and speeches rang through the hall for the duration of the event. Ms. Sunayana Dumala, Mr. Kuchibhotla’s wife, gave a speech that best exemplified the sentiments of the Indian community. She had often wondered whether living in America was safe for immigrants, and requested any sort of response or answer from the govern-

A prayer vigil is held for the victims of the shooting. Source: KCUR.

ment as to what actions they will take to prevent future hate crimes. She said, “my husband didn’t deserve a death like this.”

Ms. Dumala is right. Hate crimes like these are all too common and are nothing short of unforgivable. Mr. Kuchibhotla and Mr. Madasani should not have been asked to prove themselves to an angry and unsettled racist man, and neither should anyone else of color. Mistaking the two for Iranians is insulting because it propounds the assumption that all brown immigrants are terrorists intent on destroying America.

Mr. Purington fired the first bullet when he yelled “get out of my country”. To me, that is the most hateful and insulting thing that can ever be said to a person of color. Not only does it showcase a blatant disregard for America’s founding values, but it also demonstrates an unapologetic arrogance in the assertion that this country belongs to anyone. In fact, anyone on the receiving end of that line probably loves America much more than the person saying it.

I personally don’t know how I would have reacted in this situation, but I have to commend Mr. Grillot for taking a stand against the shooter at the cost of being wounded. Mr. Grillot decided not to be a bystander, and his actions are symbolic for many reasons. Everyone at the bar played an immense role in handling a stressful and frantic situation, and they should all be recognized as heroes. I think there’s a lesson to be learned from their actions, and that everyone should be prepared to react in the same way. Through their actions, these people mitigated the losses that could have been incurred by the shooting, and counteracted hatred with haste and bravery.

Though this specific instance of hatred went viral, this is just one example of what

a hate crime looks like. We mustn’t forget the ones that came before this, like the Jewish Community Center shooting in 2014.

Racism and hatred take form in violence too often, and innocent people end up becoming victims until they are forgotten when the next hate crime inevitably takes place.

As an Indian-American, I’m uniquely stunned by the Olathe shooting. The Indian community in Kansas has never experienced a tragedy of this magnitude before, leaving many asking questions and wondering what can and will be done to make sure these events aren’t repeated in any form. Hate crimes such as this should only motivate people to reject every instance of racism, because it creates an endless cycle of violence and unfairness. Everyone is shocked when they occur, but that shock quickly wears off, until another tragedy occurs.

Desensitization is a dangerous thing, and that’s why there needs to be more discussion about these events long after they’ve taken place. People need to be reminded why there needs to be a constant battle against discrimination. We also need to be more aware of racism in the community. The Islamic mosques of Kansas City have dealt with bomb threats over the past few years, and in October 2016, three men were planning on blowing up an apartment complex in Gardner, KS, filled with mostly immigrant residents. These are just two of many examples.

I ask you to remember a time where you felt heavy emotions after a major hate crime or tragedy and never forget them, because when we normalize these events, we might as well be pulling the triggers ourselves. n

5

Student Life

Month in Review: April

Catie Franano and Kaitlyn Storm Copy Editor and Staff Writer

Musical:

debate:

Pembroke’s Speech and Debate team won the school’s first overall team National Speech and Debate Association District Championship. The team won the debate portion of the district championship and performed well in the speech tournament a few days later.

Pembroke Hill’s spring musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, amazed audiences with spectacular singing and acting by a wonderful cast. The audience even got to participate, voting each night on which character was the murderer and which was the detective.

Student Life 6

Spring sports:

The spring sports season is off to a fantastic start! Girls’ lacrosse, soccer, and the coed track teams are all training hard. The boys’ baseball, golf, lacrosse, and tennis teams have also began competing. The teams expect great success throughout their seasons!

choir trip to nyc:

The Pembroke Hill Choir traveled to New York City for the National Youth Choir performance at Carnegie Hall. Pembroke’s Madrigals were the featured choir, and were joined by the rest of the PHS choir and other high school choirs from around the nation for the remainder of the performance.

7

Middle School

Carmon Baker Middle School Contributor

Middle School Spotlights: The Importance of Career Day

On Friday, March 3rd, while the 6th graders were out serving the community and the 7th graders were in class learning about many different careers from a series of guest speakers, the 8th graders were dispersed across Kansas City and its neighboring communities. Each student shadowed a different professional to learn about his or her job.

While it may seem to some that Career Day is just a day without classes, it really has a deeper meaning. According to Scott Guthrie, middle school math teacher and Career Day coordinator, one of the main purposes of Career Day is to, “just to see that your curriculum, or the concepts you learn in class, apply to real-world scenarios, and many of [the concepts] are going to be part of your job someday.”

Career Day gives students the opportunity to select which career they want to shadow based on what their individual interests. This year, students shadowed teachers, journalists, judges, architects, Ava Sweeney Middle School Contributor

Joanne dePierre ‘21 shadowing a judge on Career Day

and everything in between. When asked about the most frequent shadows, Mr. Guthrie said, “I have a lot of people who shadow veterinarians. Many people also get the opportunity to shadow people in various types of business scenarios.” He also said that a lot of people are interested in shadowing doctors, but that is not possible because of various laws.

After they shadow, students are re-

quired to create a presentation of their experience in which they connect the job that they shadowed to at least 4 classes that they have taken. This reinforces the central purpose of Career Day, and the presentation shows that what students learn in school is relevant later in life. Guthrie says, “The tools that you’re going to need someday, we are starting to build that foundation now.” Students are also required to write a thank you note to the professional who they shadowed.

Lauren Wilson ‘21 shadowed at DMH, an advertising company. Lauren really enjoyed learning about how to make an ad. She said that, in her opinion, the purpose of Career Day is, “to show students the many opportunities they have in life to have a good career.”

To summarize, Career Day is a fantastic learning experience for the eighth graders.

They have to opportunity to learn about something that they are interested in, and to have fun while doing so. n

A Closer Look at Showcase ‘17

Every spring, Pembroke’s halls are filled with the echo of upbeat songs. Of course, this is because it’s Showcase season! Students of Ms. Debra Anderson, the middle school choir teacher, gleefully sign up each year to be apart of this stellar show full of music and dance. During this time, seventh and eighth grade students feel a wave of emotions. Nervous for auditions, joyful when the song lists are posted, and ecstatic when the show is about to begin. This year’s Showcase includes songs from Hairspray, Hamilton, Guys and Dolls, Something Rotten, Fiddler on the Roof, and many other productions.

Showcase offers students the opportunity 7th and 8th graders rehearse for Showcase ‘17.

to make friends with upper grades, learn how to read music, and of course sing and dance. The heroine who’s behind it all is Debra Anderson. She first came up with the idea to create Showcase for 7th and 8th graders in 1985. When she found the signature opening number, “We’re Doing A Show,” she knew it would be part of something big. Anderson wanted to give younger students a chance to express their musical talents. Preparation for Showcase has changed over time, but because of the new change in the middle school’s schedule, she believes that this year’s Showcase is going to be a hit!

Students decide to do the production

for many different reasons. Isaac Appel ‘21 says that he joined Showcase because, “he had a lot of fun doing Showcase in 7th grade.” He is most excited to be singing a solo this year, and he loves learning all of the Broadway songs. 7th grader, Mia LeBlanc wanted to participate in Showcase this year because she enjoys singing. She looks forward to performing next year as well.

Finally, 7th grader, Miles Marshall joined Showcase because he thinks that his voice is amazing.

This year’s Showcase is going to be breathtaking, as the students have worked so hard rehearsing. Make sure that you don’t miss it! See Showcase on April 28th and 29th at 8:30pm. n

m a e r D n a eric

9 Feature

m A The Dasha McDonald Contributor I consider my mother as the living definition of the American dream. When she was only 19, the Soviet Union crashed. Russian authorities forcefully kicked her and her family out of their home and demanded them to find somewhere else to live. So, after her home was raided and her treasured photos were thrown into the street, she packed the little she had left in Russia and moved to a country entirely unknown to her. She came with her mom, dad, brother, grandmother, and $100 in her pocket. That was it. But, they consider themselves as “the lucky ones” to have lived with cockroaches and have taken English classes each night. My mother is one of the most hard-working people I have ever met in my life. She put herself through hell so I would have the amazing opportunities I do. It wasn’t easy. But she did it. And those who really want to thrive will always find a way to get it done. It is America after all. But, it’s not supposed to be easy.

My mother, like many people in the Pembroke community, is an immigrant. She immigrated from the county of Russia to start a new life in the freest country in the whole world. One day, I walked into a conversation being had between my parents about immigration and I faintly heard my mother say something derogatory about it. And, I remember thinking “What are they talking about? How could she ever say something bad about immigration, being an immigrant herself?” Turns out, the topic was illegal immigration. And it makes complete sense that a legal immigrant wouldn’t support it. To even get accepted to come to America, it took my mother five years to be granted citizenship. One could make the argument that illegal immigration mocks the struggles of all legal immigrants. The American dream embodies hard work and perseverance, but illegal immigrants cheat the system. Illegal immigrants who break the law taunt those who follow it.

Immigration from the Perspective of a Second Generation Immigrant

I am entirely aware that many illegal immigrants also work extremely hard to make it in America, and many immigrate for necessary reasons. Many struggling to thrive in Mexico flee to America looking for a chance at a new life. But, the American dream is meant to happen legally. Many people living in countries other than Mexico are also struggling and looking for such an opportunity. These people not only have to wait for citizenship, they have to pass a citizenship test and respect America, or at least abide by its laws. Masses of illegal immigrants feel extremely lucky to be in America, this is for

“Supporting illegal immigration devalues being an immigrant.” sure, but that does not justify actions that go against the very basis this country was founded on. The thought of illegal immigration itself completely lacks practicality.

This statement is one that has brought two people with extremely different views to somewhat of an agreement. One of the most memorable things about Donald Trump’s campaign was his thoughts on “building a wall.” Whether or not a metaphorical statement, it was not something new and resonated with the people of America. Surprisingly, Obama’s view of illegal immigration isn’t too different from Trump’s. “The wages of blue-collar Americans” and “put strains on an already overburdened safety net,” the former president once declared.

He also stated that, “Native-born Americans suspect that it is they, and not the immigrant, who are being forced to adapt” to social changes caused by migration.

Illegal immigrants do hurt blue collar working Americans by taking their jobs, and illegal immigra-

tion can also hurt this country’s safety.

Imagine if a close family member to you was killed or harmed by an illegal immigrant who had a violent record in Mexico. If vetted, this person wouldn’t have ever been let into this country, and your family member would still be alive.

This is why vetting is so important. Even in extremely peaceful countries like Australia and Canada, immigrants are vetted on not only their background, but also on how productful of citizens they will be.

America should consider taking steps like these. Illegal immigration does not follow the foundations the country was built on.

Some argue that we should allow illegal immigration to continue. That Americans should support those who went against the country’s most basic of laws to live in it.

America is a country of immigrants. But the immigrants who settled America, those immigrants who fought for the freedom of our very nation, it is those people that created laws against things such as illegal immigration. And they did it for a reason. Supporting illegal immigration devalues being an immigrant. Illegal immigration taints the idea immigration because it puts a negative lens on the picture. Those who can just walk into our country and stay, mock those who wait for years just to be put on our wait list. For people to immigrate, America vets them, and we only accept those that we can almost guarantee will not be harmful to natives. Those who truly understand the American dream do every single thing they can to make it. The people who come illegally don’t always appreciate this country, and take advantage of both the system, and those who do appreciate it. Although many illegal immigrants really do risk their lives to be in the country of the free, they don’t enter legally. Such “immigration” not only creates an unfair advantage for those robbing the system, but it leaves less opening for people’s who were willing to wait for legal citizenship, like my mother. n

Feature 10

How Has the Election Changed Satire in the Media?

Patrick Panko and Zandy Swartzman Contributors Earlier this year, Trey Parker (one of the co-creators of South Park) told ABC news, “It’s tricky now because satire has become reality. It’s already impossible to write something more ludicrous than the idea of a former reality-TV star becoming president of the United States.” From now on, it appears that South Park will no longer try to parody the real world. Parker could not be more correct, because President Trump’s blather needs no parody.

So how has satire in media presented itself since this eccentric and unconventional president took office? Many satirical shows are leaning left. Far left. In addition to mocking President Trump, they have been attacking him with a newfound fervor, blending comedy with journalism. So far they are reaping the rewards.

The best example of this is the evolution of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

The show began in 2015 after David Letterman retired. Colbert retained the tone of the former host offering commentary on both politics and pop culture. However, Colbert’s commentary just wasn’t that interesting to audiences, and the show received mediocre reviews. As the election wore on, his content became more political, and his audience grew. The show reached a turning point after the election of Donald Trump, and it became much more vicious, a return to the comedy of his original show, The Colbert Report. Audiences, hungry for content bashing the new president, flocked to the show, with ratings overtaking Jimmy Fallon for the first time.

However, many critics point out that

if you get your news primarily from talk show hosts, you can create a “bubble” of information. This causes the “false consensus effect,” or the false belief that the views of your group of friends, family, and favored media represent the views of

“The beauty of satirical news is that it distracts us from our worries.” the general population. This development led to shock when the country chose a man who many considered to be racist, sexist, and xenophobic to at least some degree or another. Many liberals wondered how just under half the electorate could vote for someone they considered so vile, prone to Twitter rants, and greatly unqualified.

The liberal media had seemed to create a bubble, aided in part by left-leaning late night hosts, implying that the views of liberal America were similar to that of the general population. When the entirety of your media diet consists of Last Week Tonight and The Daily Show, the left believed they were poised for victory. However, on November eighth that bubble burst, and while the Liberal movement is at the apex of American culture, it has never been at a weaker point on Capitol Hill. The inescapable wave of liberal comedy, from Seth Meyers to Samantha Bee, blurred

the line between satire and journalism, while alienating Middle America, creating a bubble which burst on election night.

Stephen Colbert certainly isn't the only liberal comedian worth mentioning in satire’s newfound berating of the president.

Comedy Central took a huge gamble after the famed Jon Stewart decided to pack up his bags and leave the world of satirical media when hiring 32 year-old South African, Trevor Noah. Sure, Noah has a sense of humor; he’s charming, clever, and has that dry sense of humor that every late night show host needs. Yet, Noah still can’t get the same ratings as Stewart. Obviously, it’s hard being the farceur that Stewart was, but there is more to the story. It all started on the night Trump was elected President of the United States. Noah started off his show: "This is it, the end of the presidential race, and it feels like the end of the world. I don't know if you've come to the right place for jokes tonight because this is the first time throughout this entire race where I'm officially sh-tting my pants."

What’s wrong with being serious about this subject you may ask? Well, first of all, we have MSNBC, CNN, and multiple other forms of news such as The Washington Post to make us worry about Trump. The beauty of satirical news is that it distracts us from our worries. The great thing about Jon Stewart was that he made us laugh even during times like this. His humor comforted us during hardships and provided a unique perspective on complicated politics. n

11

Student Life

Student Spotlights:

Hidden Talents From Around the School Ellie Burke Contributor From National History Day finalists to film geniuses to college athletes, there is no doubt that Pembroke Hill packs a lot of talent. Despite the fact that students often claim they are nothing special, the evidence proves otherwise, for our classmates seem to be no different than Parks and Recreation’s Leslie Knope: hard-core, award-winning, and just slightly insane. In fact, it appears as if everywhere you look, some Raider has won or accomplished something miraculous in their lives.Therefore, the Voice has decided to showcase some of Pembroke’s most noteworthy students this month. While these talents certainly are impressive, it is important to note that the majority of Pembroke Hill students didn’t have a chance to share their capabilities with The Voice; for that reason, this article is dedicated to all those gifted people who are still sitting in the shadows.

First, we have senior Natalee Merola ‘17. A well-known actress around the school, Merola also has a special skill most of us are blind to: beating-boxing and impressions. Moving her lips with gusto, Natalee is able to produce a standout beat to any song, as well as imitate a myriad of characters, singers, and, most especially, Pembroke Hill students. There is no denying the precision with which Merola is able to replicate another’s voice; in fact, if you close your eyes, it is almost impossible to distinguish the two.

McConwell ‘17 flies a helicopter.

Next is Will McConwell ‘17, who is currently in the midst of studying to be a pilot. According to McConwell, as a student aviator, “I am [acquiring] knowledge and skills that involve flight planning, Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and airplane operations.” By constantly learning, reviewing, and practicing these concepts, Will is preparing for his private license test, which includes a written exam, an oral test, and a check ride. Because McConwell has already passed his written examination, he seems to be most focused on his check ride. He claims, “The hardest part of flying is the planning required to fly a safe cross-country [ride, for] it consists of navigation, weather, airplane performance, weight and balance, radio operations, and airport operations.” Or, in a word, successful piloting takes a very specific kind of skill, self-control, and bravery: three attributes which the majority of high schoolers usually do not poswsess. So, for that reason, Pembroke commends you, Will, and wishes you the best of luck in your upcoming examinations. Oh, and if you pass, we’d all love a ride.

Finally, the Voice turns the spotlight towards Caroline Fromm ‘20, a freshman girl turned business owner here at PHS. Working through the app Poshmark, Fromm has remade herself into a full-out fashion broker, who buys and sells the latest clothing and makeup to any and everyone hunting for a deal. Appropriately naming her enterprise “Caroline’s Closet,” Fromm has seen quite a bit of success with the business, earning hundreds of dollars since she kickstarted it just a short two months ago. Reflecting on her experience, Caroline exclaims, “[Caroline’s Closet] has helped me develop great skills when dealing with customer service, negotiating, and everything [I] need to know about running a company.” Clearly, these newfound aptitudes are serving Fromm extremely well; along with the pocket money, Caroline has 1,206 loyal and dedicated shoppers. So, if you are ever in need of a new outfit, or you are simply looking to burn a hole in your bank account, don’t be afraid to call Caroline; her virtual door is always open.

Caroline’s Closet

There you have it: a master impressionist, a soon-to-be-pilot, and a flourishing business owner...and all foundwithout a setting a single foot off our little campus. What’s more, these skills are just the tip of the iceberg. Pembroke students everywhere are filled to the brim with capability, accomplishing anything from riding 2,000 miles annually on their bike, to playing in the Youth Symphony, to well...wiggling their ears in opposite directions. Whether we choose to believe it or not, each one of us Raiders has something special to contribute to the world. Really. I’m serious. In fact, I can even assure you that you too are responsible for adding something remarkable to our little community. Do we know this contribution right off the top of our heads?

Maybe, maybe not. But, nonetheless, it has changed our lives in some way...and, for that, we thank you. n

Student Life 12

The Senior

& When It Should Hit Alex Hrinya Columnist One of the first things you hear from people when you tell them you’re a senior, besides them asking what school you’re going to (I don’t know yet, Grandma), is that senior year is a blast and that you should enjoy spending time with your friends for one final year. Going into this year, I thought this would be an easy task. I thought I was going to stroll into Mr. Duckworth’s 8 a.m.

Econ class, set my bags down, crack a few jokes at Duckworth’s expense, open my Chromebook, and proceed to do nothing for the next seven months.

Lo and behold, I was very wrong. In fact, I was inundated with so much work that I couldn’t even comprehend sliding in any way.

The worst part about this whole thing is you have this college admission decision hanging over your head, so even if I wanted to slide, I really couldn’t.

The first semester was a whirlwind of tests, Capstone, assignments, etc. I had more pressure now than when I was a sophomore. Eventually, once second semester arrived, I knew it was time to slide. However, then came the dreaded email

from one of the colleges I got accepted to which stated, “Don’t forget, your grades will still be sent to us at the end of your senior year, so don’t mess up!” At first, I took it with a grain of salt because no college really cares about fourth quarter senior year grades, right? Then I remembered my parents. They instantly grasped onto this email and would frequently remind me: “Now don’t forget to get good grades!”

Eventually, I reached a breaking point. All this talk about senior year being a smooth, easy ride had not come to fruition yet. In fact, during third quarter I had more work than I did in first quarter. “When will this end?” I thought to myself everyday.

Then, the week before spring break, the slide officially hit me. Mr. Laible gave me my math test on the Tuesday of that week, and, as if some foreign entity entered my body, I didn’t care at all about how I did on that test. This attitude started to extend to my other classes, sports, and even to my deadlines here on The Voice.

I can tell you with full authority I am in the midst of a senior slide because I was supposed to turn in this article to my editor at The Voice

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ID

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over a week ago, and one week later I’m just finishing it. While Davis and Shannon might be mad at me, I can’t fault anyone other than the slide because frankly, I just don’t have the motivation to get anything done anymore.

One of the most unique things about this phenomenon is the fact it can hit anyone at anytime. For the determined student, like Preston Thomas, there’s no time to slack off. For others, like Matt Bailey, all of high school has basically been a slide. As alum Beck Guastello once told me, “I would work hard, but I’m going to KU.” The senior slide will continue to exist especially at Pembroke because students for three years are so focused and motivated to do well for colleges that when an opportunity to slack off comes around, almost everyone chooses to do so. It’s hard to find a time in high school to simply sit back and not care about grades, but when the opportunity comes around, I highly recommend succumbing to the senior slide because in the end it will benefit you in many ways. While it may upset your Voice editors, you’ll be glad you chose to put off the work for another week. n

“Eventually, I reached a breaking point. All this talk about senior year being a smooth, easy ride had not come to fruition yet.”

Corinth Square, 4046 W 83rd St, Prairie Village, KS 66208 The Story of Dottie’s As a child, Dottie’s founder Jeannie Mitchell got to watch firsthand how her mom positively impacted the world. When a chance existed to sacrifice her own needs and wants for the good of someone else, sacrificing was always the choice Jeannie’s mom would make. It was often said that when the time came for her mom to leave this world, she would only have a dollar in her wallet because she had given the rest to someone in need. In October of 1992 that sad day came and true to form there really was only a $1 bill found in her wallet! This boutique is dedicated to that one special person that showed so many people how to sparkle. Thanks Dorothy (Dottie) Julia Campbell Waidmann for being so special.

When it came to clothes, Dottie could dress for any occasion. Whether fishing, enjoying a family picnic or going to a formal event, Dottie always looked amazing. Fishing waders, jeans, dresses, it didn’t matter what it was, Dottie made it work.

She could take simple items on any budget and make herself look glamorous.

Dottie definitely knew how to put an outfit together, but it wasn’t just the outfits that made Dottie sparkle, it was her heart. Anyone can wear a great dress, but a smile, a gentle touch and kind words, all add up to treating others as special individuals and that’s what brought Dottie to life. She made everyone around her feel like the most important part of her day.

When founder Jeannie Mitchell decided to open a boutique, it didn’t take long to realize that she was being led by her mom’s spirit. At every turn in the development process, Dottie left signs of how it should look, who should be involved and what product lines should be carried. People arrived in our lives just as we needed them and yes, one was even named Dottie!

At Dottie’s Boutique each member of our team is a “Dottie’s Doll.” They start with a great heart and a desire to make others happy just like Dottie did. We hope you feel like you are special when you visit Dottie’s!

Present this coupon for

50% off ANY 1 item At Dottie’s southern chic boot-ique

Expires 5/31/17

Student Spotlight:

Student Life 14

Amelia Cooper serves as a u.s. senate page

Amelia Cooper ‘18 with other Senate Pages in Washington, D.C.

Gina Pepitone Managing Editor Last semester, Amelia Cooper ‘18, had the amazing opportunity to serve as a U.S. Senate Page in Washington D.C. Cooper learned about the program when she was testifying at a Senate panel on Medicare coverage on continuous glucose monitors.

A member of Senator McCaskill’s staff recommended the position, and Cooper consequently applied and was accepted.

Cooper’s stay in D.C. was packed with work and events. A typical day for her began at 5:00 a.m. to then attend classes up till 9:45. After school, Cooper would then head right to work, alternating one hour shifts at Capitol building. Cooper’s sponsoring senator was Claire McCaskill, a Democrat, so she worked for all the Democrat senators.

“Our work usually consisted of getting water and lecterns for the senators, holding the door during votes, doing amendment and roll-call runs, making copies, giving senators messages, and running errands around the senate,” Cooper elaborates.

Cooper was kept busy throughout her five month stay, particularly since she was not allowed to have her phone or access to wifi. Among various other field studies, she had the opportunity to visit Gettysburg, Williamsburg, Jamestown, and the White

Amelia Cooper with Senator McCaskill of Missouri.

House.

Sharing some of her favorite experiences, Cooper recalls attending the Seth Meyers show when Joe Biden was a guest. Additionally, she had the exciting opportunity to see the Cures Act pass: “As a type one diabetic, I was especially invested. I even got to count the votes!” She also had the chance to meet many famous politicians: “I shook President Obama’s hand, as well as Vice President Biden’s and Vice President Pence’s.”

In light of the recent election, Cooper had the unique opportunity to witness its effects on the political climate in DC. Cooper shares, “The day after the election, the Democrat staffers brought in therapy dogs.

Even the atmosphere among the pages was tense, seeing as how we are political people with views that didn’t always align. But we, and the senators, still managed to remain calm and respectful of other opinions.” The pages also had the opportunity to attend the inauguration with the senators, so they had really close seats.

As a whole, this amazing opportunity awarded Cooper with great experiences and memories. n

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Mental Health at Pembroke Hill: Stress, Drugs, and Perfection

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Catherine Dema Staff Writer A few weeks ago, PHS students spent advisory taking a fortunately, the attempts by the school to limit the stressful survey about everything from our sleep habits to our use and environment of the school too often produce the opposite intake of drugs and alcohol to our stress levels. The survey effect. With such apparent miscommunication between the was ridiculed and disliked by students because it was extenstudents and the administration, it is hardly surprising that sive, prying, and took time away from advisory. But the surthe student body has issues with drugs and alcohol, for, as vey inspired us to look into how mental health of students is one student puts it, “people resort to other [outlets] just to approached by school administration, faculty, and students relax and have a moment of rest.” themselves.

Earlier this year, there was an apparent crackdown on No one at Pembroke is unaware of the high-stress environvaping; all organizations of students through the school ment and the pressure that many students were instructed to discuss the issue, feel to succeed. The nature of our school, including sports teams and advisories. especially as a college-prep school, implies The concern surrounding the influx of High School vaping was not expressed in a concern Mental Health/Drug Use for the students but rather in a concern Despite these efforts on behalf Fast Facts for maintaining the presentation of the of the administration, homeschool. Vaping at school was displayed as appalling, but very little was menwork-free weekends end up • Approximately 20% of adotioned about vaping in other contexts or lescents have a diagnosable being study weekends, essay the health consequences of vaping (FYI: mental health disorder. there are health effects from vaping so writing weekends, or catch-up make sure you are fully informed before weekends. deciding whether or not to vape, smoke, • Suicide is the third leading drink, or take any drug). that classes will challenge students and cause of death in adolescents The most blunt way the conflict was that we will be assigned large amounts and young adults. conveyed to me came from our swim of homework, but how should these facts coach, when they were forced to talk of our lives be dealt with when trying to keep the best interests of students in • Between 50% and 75% of ado- about the issue. They told us to “run away” from vapes until our conference mind? The school has put emphasis on lescents have anxiety disorders championship, but we never heard a finding ways to limit the homework load and impulse control disorders. warning afterwards. on students through the homework surThis concern for rules and in-school vey, homework-free weekends, and maksubstance abuse above student health • The use of marijuana for ing a comprehensive testing calendar, all isolates the students, and condemns of which are available to the entire upper highschoolers exceeded the use their activities without actually addressschool. The school still maintains the same of cigarettes in 2016. ing the roots of the issues. Vaping is not stressed mood despite these efforts. the only issue handled in this manner, Homework-free weekends end up beboth drinking and drug use are largely • Alcohol consumption coning study weekends, essay writing weeknot addressed by the school until there tinues to decline for all high ends, or catch-up weekends. The test calis an issue of in-school use. Surprisingly, endar becomes an excuse for teachers to, school grade levels. the school administration points to the understandably, not allow students to same issue at the root of the drug and aladjust test dates or ask for extensions beSource: NCCP and NIH cohol use as many students. Mrs. Lamb cause of the A, B, C... ranking system. Un-

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Feature 16

says that many students view the use of these substances as a “kind of reward for their hard work during the week,” so the weekends are a time to drink, vape, and do drugs.

The extent of the school’s role in the social lives of students is often unclear. Some believe there is a fine line between what occurs in school and out of school, “The school should not interfere with any events happening outside of school (i.e. post-game celebrations, school dance afterparties, etc.), as this is not the school’s place to intervene,” one student stated. Accordingly, any drug or smoking offenses that occur on campus may be punishable by the school, but anything that occurs off campus may not be punishable. However, the line becomes blurred when out-of-school activites begin to affect academic performance. Our school’s function is to provide a quality education for it’s students. Therefore, if taking drugs outside of school starts to decrease one’s capacity to study and learn, should the school intervene?

Most students at Pembroke believe the school has no right to intervene unless the act occurs on school property. About half the students think Pembroke should in-

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The larger issue Ms. Lamb highlights is the stressful environment of the school leading to unhealthy anxiety and depression that materialize themselves through drug and alcohol use.

crease drugs/alcohol education because it may help prevention, while the other half think Pembroke does not need more drugs/alcohol education because, according to a students, “everyone in Pembroke has already received some level of education about drugs and alcohol. Any problems that exist within the school that relate to drug/alcohol abuse are not due to a lack of proper education.”

The larger issue Ms. Lamb highlights is the stressful environment of the school leading to unhealthy anxiety and depression that materialize themselves through drug and alcohol use. According to an anonymous survey of the student body, the rates at which our students drink, use drugs, and smoke/vape are comparable to other schools in the area. Students polled by The Voice seem to disagree slightly, with many suggesting the school provides more adequate information about how alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes can affect student health, both in high school and beyond. If students separate the stress they feel from substance use and abuse in some situations, should the school also treat them differently?

The anxiety and depression Mrs. Lamb points to is a result of the atmosphere of PHS and the excessive emphasis on grades, college, “well-roundedness,” resumé padding, and ignoring competition that exists to maintain peer-relationships. Many students feel pressure to become a “perfect student.” One who maintains good

grades, participates in clubs and sports, volunteers, gets into a selective college, and shows no weakness. We normalize stress to help us all continue this existence, but we open ourselves to depression and anxiety. This trend has been a “right of passage” for upperclassmen at the school for at least my four years in the upper school, and probably much longer than that. Any time these issues are approached in a formal setting, students recognize the need to provide resources for people with anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues and the importance of reducing the stigma surrounding such topics.

However, most students are unwilling to break their own façade of perfection to ask for help or take advantage of these resources. In the school’s (both the administration and student body) attempts to improve the mental health of students, we may actually be increasing the stigma surrounding mental health and increasing the need for students to project a perfect persona.

For any meaningful change to take place, administration, faculty, and students need to work together to further inform the student body about their stress, anxiety and depression, workload, and drug and alcohol use. The information we have been provided with through the school has largely not been through the open and honest conversations that need to be facilitated for students to be more receptive. Students are not mindless creatures that blindly follow any advice given, and we need to be treated as responsible and thinking people who can discuss complex topics, and who should not feel the need to rely solely on themselves to suffer through stress and mental health issues.

National Hotline from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) https://www. samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline. n

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Student Life

Photo Poll:

What is Your Favorite Promposal?

Ellie Ruland Staff Writer

John Robertson ‘20

Lindsay Luchinsky ‘17

“Tommy Wolfe ‘18 asking Olivia Sabates ‘19 with a reference to High School Musical.”

“When Matthew Clauss let Hannah Buttshaw pie him in the face.”

Aaron Swartz ‘18 and Ethan Angrist ‘18

Jack Ramza ‘18

“Jack Ramza ‘18 asking Caroline Salzman ‘18 with tea, candles, and a Goodcents sandwich.”

“Matthew Berkley ‘18 asking Natalie Dameron ‘17 with a lot of colors.”

Reflections of a Lifer: Grace Lattan Copy Editor

Student Life 18

14 Years at Pembroke Hill

There are 32 members of the Class of 2017 who will be introduced as “lifers” at this year’s May Day celebration. A nonPembroke Hill student might wonder what a “lifer” is, but here we define it as a graduate who has attended Pembroke Hill since Kindergarten (or earlier). My dad jokes that the ribbon the school gives to lifers at May Day is the most expensive ribbon anyone could ever receive.

Only in a private school like Pembroke Hill can a student spend 13 or more years in one place. Entering as a kindergartener, or even an early childhood student, means that Pembroke Hill will have an indelible effect on that student. From my perspective, the lifer experience has both pros and cons.

On one hand, I’ve know many of my classmates longer than I’ve known my own sibling. And, the lifers have had the comfort of continuing in one school—where the teachers know us well—for our entire scholastic career. On the other hand, we have never had the opportunity (or the chal-

lenge) of being the “new kid” in school or reinventing ourselves because our families moved locations or we transfered schools.

It’s incredibly hard to escape your past when everyone has known you since you were three years old. The time you knocked all of the trays over in the lunchroom, for example. Or, the time you fell down during your dance at May Day. And, even the time you cut off your finger in the Kindergarten bathroom fire door. Being a lifer at Pembroke Hill does carry with it a certain, special sense of “family.”

With the few cons, however, comes an overwhelming list of pros, and lifers in the Upper School have strong feelings on why they feel proud to be lifers. Matthew Berkley ‘18 feels it is “unique that, being a lifer, you can make bonds with people who have been with you throughout your whole experience at Pembroke.” Lauren Washington ‘18 shared a similar quote, adding, “It’s been nice to stay at the same school because my parents and brother are here, too.”

At graduation however, it seems we re-

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alize that it is not just the lifers who celebrate a sense of closeness among the senior class.

Our class is unique in that it seems to be filled with roughly 110 students who truly get along with one another. While the lifers form close bonds as they grow up together, each graduating class adopts new members to their families along the way, making each new student one of their own. Even though the lifers have been at Pembroke Hill the longest (and have a certain “street cred.,” as Natalie Dameron ‘17 mentions), when we all walk across the stage at graduation, there really will be no distinction between a lifer and a non-lifer.

I might have a lifer ribbon, and the person next to me might not, but we’re still in this together. Regardless of the amount of time a student has spent at the school, he or she is a part of the larger whole that is the Pembroke Hill School. We are all Raiders, and we’ve all been so lucky to get an amazing education at Pembroke Hill. More than that, however, we are a community. And that’s something we should all be proud of. n

It is unique that, being a lifer, you can make bonds with people who have been with you throughout your whole experience at Pembroke.

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-Matthew Berkley ‘18, lifer

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-Natalie Dameron ‘17, lifer

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It’s been nice to stay at the same school because my parents and brother are here, too.

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I’ve loved going to school for all this time with the same people by my side. It has been so fun to watch my friends grow and become who they are today.

-Lauren Washington ‘18, lifer

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Columns

Written by Mr. Richardson

The Weight of a Legacy My grandmother’s name was Sylvia Richardson. She married into the Richardson family in 1951; she was born Sylvia Onesti in 1920, the daughter of Italian and Polish immigrants who arrived via Ellis Island at the tail end of a wave of migrants from Southeast Europe who made it to the US before the xenophobes took over in the 1920’s. As I connect the dots of her life backwards through a series of achievements, I believe it’s no coincidence that Sylvia was born in an uncommonly significant year for American women. Perhaps thanks to the values passed on to her from immigrant parents, she lived by a powerful feminist ethic that led her to blaze trails wherever she went, foregoing the feminine mystique for a more ‘modern’ role as a mother devoted to both family and career. She enrolled at Stanford at 15, completed a Master’s in Education at Columbia by age 22, followed by an M.D. at Mcgill University by 27, where she was one of only three women in her graduating class. She would go on to a career as a nationally renowned advocate for children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. I didn’t realize until I was much older the extent of her accomplishments: She launched new projects devoted to speech-language therapy for children at prominent hospitals in Boston and Oklahoma, wrote over 100 publications, including a book about learning disabilities for parents with young children, and held teaching fellowships and won awards from universities around the country.

She leaned way in.

Grandma Sylvia’s energy was truly remarkable. After my grandpa died in 1994, she supplemented her professional activity by launching into a fifteen year world tour, trekking through the Peruvian rainforest, riding elephants in Thailand, scaling glaciers in Alaska, all between the ages of 75 and 90. She died in 2014 at the age of 94, a few months after she attended our wedding here in Kansas City. My grandma’s old wedding ring, which had belonged to her mother, now rests on my wife Becky’s finger.

The year after my grandma died, my dad was cleaning out her apartment and came across a dusty old book called "The Annals of an American Family." It is a history of the Richardson family -- my grandpa’s side -- dating all the way back to the generation of Richardsons that first migrated from England to the Carolina colonies in the early 1700's. My dad brought the book home from Florida, eager to share it with his history teacher son, and showed it to me when I was home for the holidays. As we started scanning through the book, we came across the picture below of an older black woman with the caption "Sylvia, Last of the Richardson Slaves". I was floored.

We continued to skim the book, cringing with every flip of the page as we traveled quickly back through time discovering that Richardsons - our kin, our flesh and blood - had owned slaves since the 1730's. The "Last Will and Testament" of every Richardson between 1730 and about 1850 noted

the transfer of the possession of “negroes” to the next generation. By the time of the Civil War, the Richardson plantation in North Carolina was home to over 50 slaves, ensuring that the Richardson family was among the elite of southern plantation society.

My grandpa’s grandpa, William Richardson, fought in the Confederacy as a young man. He fought for a variety of rights the most important of which, whether admitted or not, was the right to continue to own women like Sylvia, and, I can only assume, to own whatever children she may have had, to buy and sell other humans as property.

The news weighed heavily on me, that image of Sylvia especially. She’s the only slave pictured in the book, and I’ve wondered often why that photo was included. Was it because she is smiling? Was it intended as a subliminal message to the reader, to future generations of Richardsons, that Richardson slaves were treated well, they were among the ‘happy’ lot? I know nothing about this Sylvia other than that picture - there is no biography of her life, no book written by her descendants to keep her memory alive.

I have come to believe, after much thought these last few years, that her smile is a reflection of the fact that she too was a remarkable woman, every bit as remarkable as the other important Sylvia in my life. That she could maintain a smile like that in spite of her situation, not because of it, is proof of how remarkable she was; how strong, and resilient, and kind. Under

Columns 20

Sylvia, last of the Richardson slaves.

different circumstances, in a world not held hostage by the legacies of slavery, racism and manifest destiny (and the twisted set of values it took to sustain them), this Sylvia might also have graduated from Stanford by the age of 20 and gone on to a successful career as a doctor, a teacher, a scholar, AND a mother.

What am I supposed to do with this information? How am I supposed to react to the revelation that I come from a family that once upon a time owned slaves? It would be relatively easy to compartmentalize it, to flip the page past that image of Sylvia and remind myself that I am no slave owner, that I am not a racist, that my parents raised me to know better and that the past is the past and thankfully we’ve moved on from that time and those beliefs. It would also be easy to simply wallow in guilt, to let this information continue to weigh heavily on my heart and my conscience. To do either, however, would mean I failed to live up to the ideals that my grandma Sylvia embodied, that her husband and my grandfather William Richardson embodied, and that they passed on to my parents, to me, my siblings, my wife. My grandma Sylvia took action, she moved forward in spite of obstacles and circumstances. She devoted her life and her privilege to the benefit of others.

So I have chosen to understand these two Sylvias together as part of my own story. One Sylvia is familiar, a part of

From left to right: Sylvia (grandmother), Becky (wife), and Mr. Richardson

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Under different circumstances...this Sylvia might also have graduated from Stanford by the age of 20 and gone on to a successful career as a doctor, a teacher, a scholar, AND a mother.

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my life from my earliest memories, instrumental in my development. The other Sylvia I met only recently, I know nothing about her outside of a picture, a caption, and a growing understanding of the institution of slavery. Yet in some ways she is no less instrumental in my development than my grandma; as a white male, I am steeped in generations of privilege taken at the expense of women like Sylvia.

History matters because it explains who we are, it gives our lives context, and whether we are aware of it or not, provides us with purpose and direction. We are each the product of stories like those of my two Sylvia Richardsons, stories that combine triumph and sadness, love and violence, heroes and villains. The consequence of these stories is the trajectory that our lives take; while we may be born blank slates, the world we are born into is not a blank canvas.

Howard Zinn once wrote “you can’t stay neutral on a moving train.” What I think he meant was that the historical forces that shape how we live - oppression, exploitation, slavery, racism, sexism - are not in themselves neutral. If we do nothing in the face of those forces, we simply move along with them on the tracks they’ve marked. My grandma Sylvia refused to sit still on that train, and I’m so grateful to have had her as an example. n

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Columns

Kamba Fit 1409 Westport Rd, Kansas City, MO 64111

Bella Barnes Columnist For this month’s issue, I went somewhere a bit different from my usual locales. Track is the only sport I do. The rest of the year, I’m involved in a plethora of other activities as the usual Pembroke Hill student would attest to. That being said, the proverbial hill to climb when track season begins is usually a bit difficult to surmount in order to get back in shape; however with my runner’s conditioning at Kamba Fit, I felt apt to take on this year’s season. Billed as a performance and movement training center for adults and youth, Kamba offers clients a personalized experience in a streamlined, positive environment in the heart of Westport. Kamba’s tailored approach led me through a series of dynamic running and core exercises, and I learned how to kickbox! I sat down with owner and founder Chris Wambua, to talk about his approach to physical fitness and the Kamba experience as a whole.

V: What’s Kamba Fit’s mission?

C: To me, Kamba Fit serves as a personal expression of my family heritage and proud status as an American citizen. I’m committed to serving the community by striving to help each member reach their full potential through a holistic,”smarter,” client-centered approach to health and fitness. Our ultimate goal is to help our members live, move and perform better for life. Everyone from an athlete to a 70 year-old should train like an athlete, and we meet anyone and everyone where they are to find what works for them.

The only difference is intensity.

V: If Kamba Fit was a music genre, what would it be?

C: Probably a mashup of reggae, hip hop, jazz, some African jams, and a bit of alternative rock.

V: Where does the name Kamba Fit come from?

C: I am a Kamba native from Kenya. The Kamba tribe has been known for their physical expression of strength, endurance and athleticism shown through traditional forms of dance and hunting.

So I wanted to incorporate those aspects. Kamba is also a swahili word that means rope which symbolizes strength, flexibility, and endurance, which are the core principles of Kamba Fit. V: When did your fitness journey begin? Have you always wanted to open your own gym?

C: As a kid, I was always highly-motivated and involved in sports.

I used to do push ups everyday from the time I was six. I was a small kid, so I always wanted to be strong. In school, I was bullied, but I kept getting stronger. I moved to the U.S. after high school to attend college, and when I graduated I wanted to try training. I got certified, and I’ve been training clients since 2004. We opened Kamba in April of 2015. I’ve always had my own philosophy of what a fitness facility should look like, and the only way realize that was to open up my own space. Something I felt was lacking in the fitness industry was a tailored approach, and a space where everyone could train in the same environment and still get all their needs met. Most gyms focused on trends, whereas Kamba focuses on what works for you.

V: How do the skills learned while training translate outside of the gym?

C: My biggest focus is to instill resilience in my clients. We deal with the mechanics and foundations of the body, like joints and balance, which are necessary in daily activities too. Those are things you can apply to anything, focusing on the root of the solution to work on the whole. Before we implement anything, I always ask myself, “Why?” That is because you want to be sure of the motive and thought process behind your actions, so you’re flexible and open to different methods of achieving your goals.

DAM

Columns 22

STRAIGHT

WITH NATALIE DAMERON My whole life I have always been last. I was born last. I was the last person picked in kickball tournaments. And now I’m writing my last Dam Straight article. I finally get to have the last word. I have written articles ranging from working on my first movie set to the ethics of virtual reality. I shared with you my hopeful optimism about voting, and I stressed the importance of the political protest after the unexpected result. I hope throughout my passionate rambling I have kept you entertained or at least gotten you to read this far. I inherited this column from my brother, Dylan, and I have enjoyed keeping the Dameron Dynasty alive for as long as possible. I had big shoes to fill, but I enjoyed the challenge. This column allowed me to throw ideas out into the world. Whether they ended up on the floor of the Commons or in the hands of some dedicated readers, I have loved sharing my opinions with you. I have especially liked my few moments of Pembroke fame this column has brought me, from a mom recognizing me in the dismissal line (it was my mom) or someone telling me they liked my article, only to

find out they were actually talking about Where We Stand. I am certainly not in this for the glory, but all jokes aside, this column allowed me a space to think freely.

As my involvement with The Voice comes to a close, I am grateful for the time it has given me to think and reflect. I know how rare it is to be able to write for the sake of writing, and purely share my opinion with anyone who will listen. My advice to all future staff writers and columnists is to tell it like it is, Dam Straight. It seems very strange to me that in a few short weeks I will be standing with my classmates, many of whom I have known for 13 years, for the last time. Senior year is full of lasts, and no matter how much Mr. McGee might joke about this concept, it is hard to watch it all come to an end. I have learned that the most important thing about these memories is to make them last. This is the last Dameron and the last Dam Straight columnist signing off for the last time. Thanks for reading. n

23

Columns

Where we stand:

Wil Rowland Columnist One controversial topic throughout the political and social turmoil of the past half decade has been the redistribution of wealth. Although masked in different discussions, i.e. income tax, or universal healthcare, the debate over how money should be distributed is an underlying factor in most arguments involving wealth.

The more recent healthcare debates are seen by many as a repetition of worn out wealth distribution debates as conservatives plan to cut programs to the lower classes in order to provide for the wealthy, and democrats the inverse. This debate has all of the qualifications to justify a twenty five minute long rant by John Oliver, however, with the turmoil surrounding Trump’s dedication to his short game, both in golf and the road to impeachment, wealth distribution has been pushed aside.

The topic of wealth distribution sees two fundamental American rights coming into conflict with one another. One of the issues is the difficulty of justifying taking money from the wealthy who have actually earned it. Many say redistribution promotes laziness within the lower classes and unjustly punishes those who are successful. Any discussion of wealth redis-

tribution would be incomplete without a grandstanding politician talking about the “American Dream” or individuals finding their own fortune. Stealing from the rich who have earned their fortunes and giving to those who are “too lazy” to pick themselves up would violate the American Dream, wouldn’t it? Unsurprisingly, the issue is much more complex than many would have you believe.

The wealth distribution debate really comes down to the question: What kind of America do we want to live in? We have all heard the typical complaints on paying taxes, and, although this may be obvious, I feel I need to state that almost everything we have is provided by taxation.

Private industries would never be able to carry the burden of labor that the government endures, making our country unable to operate as it does now without taxation.

Although that is obvious, wealth redistribution often comes down to individuals simply not wanting to pay taxes. Conservative politicians believe that the upper classes should not be taxed more, and propose many different ways to reduce the burden.

These plans often involve raising the taxes of the lower class, effectively transferring

the tax burden onto those who cannot hold it. The American Care Act, for instance, proposed separating the healthy from the

“With a decrease in taxation on the poor, more individuals could rise out of poverty, advance to school, and pursue the so-called American Dream” sick so that healthy individuals would not have to pay for the sick’s care. This stands not only as an example of politicians not knowing how healthcare works, but the tendency to push down the lower classes in order to benefit the upper, or healthy, classes. The way I see it, we all benefit from equity in taxes. With a decrease in taxation on the poor, more individuals could rise out of poverty, advance to school, and pursue the so-called American Dream. With a decrease of taxes on the rich, the pressure of giving more income only continues to burden the 99%. To assume that the poor are inherently lazy involves ignoring some of the most essential facts. n

Where the Students Stand:

Protest for increasing taxes for the rich to redistribute wealth.

Columns 24

Should the U.S. increases taxes for the rich to redistribute wealth?

Grace Parkerson Columnist “The rich need to start paying their fair share!” is just one of the lines about tax reforms heard many times from Bernie Sanders during his campaign. Bernie’s passion for people “paying their fair share” leads us to a few questions… what actually is their fair share? Is placing heavy taxes on the rich in order to redistribute wealth “fair”? Bernie’s quest for a redistribution of wealth is a radical change to America and frankly an insult to financially successful Americans.

Bernie’s policy suggests that the government should ensure equal outcomes over ensuring equal opportunity. Though I would argue that the government hasn’t done a good job ensuring an equal opportunity of education (as we discussed last month), the left and Bernie Sanders argue that the system is “rigged” and that redistribution will correct a flawed structure of our society. Bernie has invited a class war in blaming “selfish” rich Americans for the poverty in our country today.

The percentage of Americans in poverty has changed very little since America implemented a progressive income tax. I understand that America will, for whatever reasons, always have a sector that is poor. The question is, who solves this problem best?

The federal government should always be the last choice; corruption, inefficiency, and the seemingly black hole that tax dollars end up in does not make the government a decent option. The United States is one of the most charitable nations in the world, but if the government took over the role of redistributing wealth, Americans would give substantially less to charities. I would hate for Americans to be deprived an important

virtue - a compassionate heart. Citizens of European countries with extremely high tax rates, like Sweden, do not give nearly as much money to charities as US citizens do.

Why? The government is doing it for them.

Let the American people give their own money away in whatever way they wish to.

Like James Madison said in a 1794 speech, “Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.” The government taxing the rich and and deciding how that wealth should be redistributed is a huge overstep and overuse of power.

“A government that redistributes wealth creates a society that does not value hard work, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance.”

At this point, it just seems that Americans are uncomfortable with wealth. But the benefits of wealth are all around us Hall Student Center, Centennial Hall, The Kauffman Center. Our schools, museums, hospitals, and scholarships are all the result of extreme wealth in our society. In this country, people with wealth are expected to share it. Philosophically, I think that it is good for a person to feel an obligation to others. When we give our money to the government, it is too easy to turn a blind eye to the problems affecting Americans. It is our job, using our free will, to help fellow men in need; the government, however, should not have a role in that process.

A society that redistributes wealth will

inevitably lead to a society with a heavy reliance on government handouts. Like the old saying goes, “You give a poor man a fish and you feed him for a day. You teach him to fish and you give him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime.” This can be applied to government handouts, and it has been; in 1776, Benjamin Franklin said “I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.” A government that redistributes wealth creates a society that does not value hard work, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance.

Redistribution also prevents those benefitting from becoming truly independent people. I want success for every human being, but it’s hard to say you’ve had a successful life without climbing the first ladder of success: independence. A person who relies eternally on the government can never have the opportunity to be fully independent or truly successful.

At the heart of it, redistribution is not actually fair. Redistribution is a back door to equalizing incomes, regardless of a person’s job. The question of whether or not we should be taxing the rich to redistribute wealth comes down to whether or not the government should be actively trying to make everyone in our society completely equal. Everyone in our society must have equal rights, but wealth is not a right. The pursuit of happiness, on the other hand, is an American right, and I believe that Americans have the right to make a living for themselves without government interference. n

2017 Estimated Income Tax Bracket: Tax Rate

Income

$9,325

$37,950

$91,900

$190,650

$416,700

$418,400

$418,400+

10% 15% 25% 28% 33% 35% 39.6%

25

Columns

Unbiased Opinions with Clay Lundgren ‘17 Video Games as the new Developmental Medium

If you haven’t already guessed whilst reading the expanse of entries I have written over the past two years for my column, I am quite a fan of video games. They have been pivotal to my development as a person, writer, storyteller, and artist in so many facets. I cannot tell my story without mentioning the immeasurable impact which this interactive medium has had on it. As this is my last entry in unBiased Opinions before I permanently sign off and go to college, I feel it necessary to give a defense for this ever changing and growing medium, and to speak on the tangible influence which it has over today’s youth.

There is no medium like video games. I have touched on this before; it is a pseudo-conglomeration of the best aspects of the other prominent interactive media. In my eyes, an engaging, thoroughly memorable video game will always include the enthralling environments and scenery of a well directed film, the eloquent story of an excellent novel, and the unforgettable score of an addictive album. Added to this repertoire is gaming’s unique attribute: the gameplay itself. Gameplay, at its core, is a game’s ability to navigate the three aforementioned media seamlessly and interact with them. There is nothing else like this. Gaming allows someone to step into their favorite novel, movie, and song simultaneously. Conversely, if any of those three attributes are slightly disjointed, the whole experience can fall apart. However, a fluent use of these three together can create some of the most engaging experiences a person can have outside of the real world.

Even if you aren’t a fan of video games, you must realize the unbelievable paradigm shift in what the youth of today are digesting. It is rare to step foot in a public space without seeing a child playing a game on an iPad. While I cannot assert that all of this digital time is beneficial to the naïve, developing mind, I cannot change the fact that it is happening. To that effect, it upsets me when the first games kids play are poorly developed messes that capitalize on the child’s inexperience in the medium. If their first gaming experience is a Candy Crush clone, then what do they find engaging later in life? Just like

how a parent would pick and choose what book their child would first read, they should pick and choose which games their children are playing. If the future of interactive media is video games, then I would want my children to be just as literate in gaming as they should be in literature. On top of that, the child’s mind is heavily impressionable. If all they play is a mindless, half-attempt by a bad developer to create an addictive gaming experience with little substance to make a quick dollar, then what is that doing to their brain?

The first game I ever played was Pokémon Red. This game had real heart and soul poured into it. Developed by an up-and-coming studio in Japan called Game Freak, these original Pokémon games were actual passion projects. These developers were spending their time and savings on something they believed in. As a result, my first gaming experience was overwhelmingly engaging. It was also my first experience reading complex sentences and phrases, and dealing with the minutia of arithmetic. Of course my nuclear family was teaching me to read and do math, but this game taught me the complexities of the english language and mathematics in an innovative way. I doubt the game was made with the intention of teaching a child these skills, but this medium lends itself so well to that. Without feeling like I was learning, or even attempting to, I was vastly better off for having played this game. I was four years old. I attribute a vast amount of who I am today, from interpreting games to speaking, to Pokémon.

A well designed game teaches you without it feeling like you’re being taught. That’s how a game sucks you in. Nobody wants to open a book only for the first ten pages to be about how to understand the diction therein. You should be able to start understanding the vernacular as you persist through the book, readily understanding the culture, time period, and plot which you are reading.

Gaming’s interactivity is that which sets it apart. The advent of gaming’s prominence was a pivotal cultural revolution, and its effects will certainly be felt far into the foreseeable future. For these reasons, I implore that people see the important, positive effects which this medium has had on me and so many others across the world. n

A Note from the Writer: Thank you all so very much for joining me on this journey over the last two years. Whether you were a consistent reader, or if this was your first time reading one of my column entries, I am very grateful that any eyes were set upon my writing at all. My hope is that, through these column entries, readers felt engaged in new ideas and topics, desiring to learn more. I hope that people both agreed and disagreed with me, and that my column caused them to think critically (whether negatively or positively) about a wide array of topics. During my time, I covered movie posters, video game motifs, the discourse of the 2016 election cycle, superhero color schemes, and everything in between. Regardless, if you found any of these topics at all engaging--if you took the time to read, then I thank you. This opportunity has been truly formative and I have enjoyed every second of it.

Max Keeney Columnist

This Month in History

Organizations around the world will commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in 1915, or as the Turks know it as, “Those entirely typical eight years of wholesome Turkish history in which nothing abnormal happened to 1.5 million Armenians.” The Ottoman Empire in 1915 was struggling to quell a growing wave of nationalist backlash among the Empire’s non-Turkish minorities while simultaneously managing a sluggish economy and an increasingly costly war against the allied forces of World War I. The increasingly powerless Sultan was soon dethroned by a military government that sought to lay the foundations for an ethnically Turkish state by deporting Armenian intellectuals from cities like Constantinople, and herding the Armenian peasantry into peripheral border regions where their activities could be monitored. Armenians, Kurds, Pontic Greeks and other minorities were scapegoated for the failure of Turkish advances against the Russians and painted as a treasonous fifth column plotting against the Ottoman war effort. As the ethnic balance of the Empire slowly tipped away from “barely coherent” to “mass graves,” the international community was quick to adopt the time-tested response of looking the other way and pretending that the severed limbs that kept flopping over the Turkish border had some reasonable non-Genocide explanation. To this day, Turkey rejects to the use of the term “genocide” to describe these events, instead advancing the reasonably plausible theory that every single Armenian living in the Ottoman Empire was a Russian double-agent who just happened to have been shot in the head, starved, and buried in a mass grave in Syria. While scholars universally accept the validity of the Armenian genocide, Turkey’s steadfast denial of the event is part of their attempt to seem modern enough for the European Union.

Afterall, no respectable European country would condone genocide, right?

April

Greetings, denizens of Pembroke Hill, and welcome to the end of history. My column has grown from a humble slice of historical hyperbole read by no one to an ostentatiously arrogant slice of historical hyperbole read by Clayton Lundgren. I have been blessed.

Alas, the cruel passage of time has finally led me to the end of my tenure here at the Pembroke Hill School. Looking back, it has been a great honor to serve my loyal readership, and I hope to have left you all with a legacy of amusement, irrational quantities of Benito Mussolini, and (God forbid) a deeper understanding of the complex world we live in. In the tradition of the great muses, Shakespeare, Faulkner, or the Dave Matthews Band, I wonder how my work will be remembered in the canon of English masterworks. Do I dare claim to represent the pinnacle of the English language? Damn straight. Can any one individual hope to be the voice of an entire era?

That’s precisely what I am. And who am I to claim to know the answers to any of these questions? I’m Maxwell Keeney, Eternal leader of “This Month in History,” whose glorious reign shall outlive the sun. Now, let’s mock some history.

Benito Mussolini, King Victor Emmanuel of Italy, died in 1945.

Finally, it has come to this. On April 28th, the world can mourn the tragic death of Benito Mussolini in 1945. Beyond somehow being ridiculous enough to make Adolf Hitler (a greasy bag of inchoate screaming crammed into an ill-fitting suit) look threatening, Mussolini’s career truly is a testament to the fact that anyone, no matter how impractical their dreams or how skull-numbingly terrible they may be at their job, is capable of historical infamy. Beginning as a lowly journalist in the Italian army during the First World War, Mussolini was outraged by the Allies’ failure to deliver on their promises for territorial compensation in exchange for Italian assistance in the war. This outrage slowly mutated into the collection of muddled bigotry, misunderstood history, and content stolen from motivational self-help posters that Mussolini called Fascism. After rising to power on a tide of Italian discontent with traditional parties, Mussolini was declared premier

by King Victor Emmanuel of Italy and promised to restore Italy to its ancient Roman greatness. This was of course, a miserable failure (excepting, of course, the glorious conquest of Albania and its many goats,) but Mussolini nonetheless had ample opportunity to putz about aimlessly on the international stage before he was executed by an angry mob and strung up on a street corner in Milan while trying to flee the country. What is most remarkable about Mussolini isn’t his complete misunderstanding of international politics or even his almost childlike incomprehension of what a “war” is, but his policies and public presentation. His rhetoric couldn’t possibly make less logical sense if he had simply stood still for thirty minutes and let a torrent of locusts erupt from his mouth. Suffice to say, he remains my personal hero.

Up to 1.5 Armenians died durng the 1915 genocide, which was widely disregarded as a genocide.

As I leave you all for the savage swamps of northern Virginia, I have only one wish: use the knowledge contained within this column only for good Or evil, should the situation and/or your arbitrary whim require it. (I’m not too picky.) I’d like to thank all of my readers for providing me with the opportunity to write for you. Writing for The Voice has connected me with a stunningly dedicated and intelligent group of individuals who nonetheless managed to overlook the slop I’ve been feeding into their paper. Should the incoming editorial staff be desperate enough to renew my column, I look forward to seeing it evolve over the coming years. If I’ve done my job right, whoever is chosen as my successor can take comfort in the fact that I will forever be watching and judging. n

27

Reviews

Movie Review: Get Out

Paolo Laskero Contributor Very few movies earn universal praise, particularly from critics, but one movie released this year has done exactly that. Out of 227 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, 226 of them are positive, an incredibly impressive feat achieved by few films. Get Out is not all hype, but an undoubtedly impressive film in all respects. Most compelling is how the film serves as a showcase for the skill of writer and director Jordan Peele. Everyone knew his comedic capabilities, but what Peele does so brilliantly in this film is blend natural and real comedy with genuine terror. In an intriguing plot that tackles the subtleties and nu-

ances of racial issues, I was amazed by his work. For the first half of the film, I was enjoying it, but I had my doubts about it living up to what the critics and media were saying. Then, the second half hits, and everything is turned entirely on its head. The film reminded me of an episode of Black Mirror, which is an unbelievable compliment from me. This truly is a film of the highest caliber, and one that you will be thinking about long after you get out of the theatre. n

book review: I’ll Give you the Sun Despite having read quite a few books in my life, none of them have quite stuck with me as Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun. When someone asks me my favorite book, this is my immediate response. I’ll Give You the Sun tells the twisted story of a seemingly normal family through the eyes of twin siblings, Jude and Noah. The book is told in two different time periods, Noah with their earlier years and Jude the latter. In between, their mother, the force binding the twins together, tragically dies, and dark secrets are revealed about her.

The twins lose their long connection and drift far apart. Jude, originally a popular daredevil, closes herself off after the accident, nearly switching personalities with

Lauren Washington Staff Writer

her brother, a reserved artist with a hidden sexuality. She decides to uncover the truth about her mom, and encounters a famous artist with ties to her mother. The two form a strong bond, and they encourage each other in their artistic endeavors. Meanwhile, Noah is hiding behind sport practices and parties, afraid to release his creative side without his mother. The two slowly begin to connect again and are bonded through their mother’s lies. This novel is a heart-breaking yet beautiful story, and despite the number of pages, you will not be able to put it down. In my opinion it is a must-read for summer break, or whenever you are simply looking for a good book. n

Sophie Utz Contributor

Album review: All-Amerikkkan Bada$$

If you’re a hip hop fan, you’d know that on April 7th, Joey Bada$$ released his highly anticipated sophomore album, A.A.B.A, standing for All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. On the new album, Joey utilizes his platform to address social political issues as he has said himself, “I personally feel like I was put here on this Earth not only to inspire, but to wake people up.” Throughout the album, Joey raps about police brutality, our new president, systematic oppression and those consequences that follow. The subject matter displays his progression of growth and a mature step from his first album 1999 where the 22 year old rapper was only 17.

His new project is an examination and selfexpression of the world around him as an

African American. On the first half of the album, Joey is much more adventurous musically with himself singing and glossy beats as seen on the first six songs. The first half possesses a more positive mood with light and melodic music, but he still deals with underlying political themes through those sounds. “Land of the Free,” the fourth track, with upbeat rhythms and drums, addresses the importance of self-determination in wake of overwhelming odds with lyrics like “Can’t change the world unless we change ourselves.” The tone continues as on the sixth track, “Y U Don’t Love Me,” Joey personifies America as a woman (Miss Amerikkka) in an unrequited love song about America who doesn’t treat him right.

The second half of the album is more familiar with Joey’s longtime sound with raw lyricism and production with tracks like “Rockabye Baby,” “Ring the Alarm,” and “Amerikkkan Idol.” The last half transitions towards a more aggressive tone with notable features by ScHoolboy Q, J. Cole, Nyck Caution, Kirk Knight, Meechy Darko, and Styles P. The album closes out perfectly with “Amerikkkan Idol,” with Joey’s stream of consciousness of growing anger, empathy with his community, and preaches the importance of solutions as “Justice won’t be served by a hashtag.” Overall, A.A.BA. displays Joey’s evolution as an artist with bold experimentation that still maintains an impactful voice to wake others up. n

Personality Quiz

28

Which art teacher are you?

Natalie Dameron and Lindsay Luchinsky Columnist and Contributor

Q: What is your favorite hobby?

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

A. Italy! No, Mexico! No, Ireland!

B. Japan C. To the top of Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence, Italy

Q: What is your favorite book?

A. Cien Años de Soledad B. The Border Trilogy C. All the Light We Cannot See

A. Anything outisde!

B. Making Comic Books C. Cooking and gardening

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A. Run, Lola Run! B. Full Metal Jacket.

C. Amelie

Q: If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?

A. My golden lab B. Just a good mutt C. Two puppies

If you answered mostly A’s, you’re most like art teacher Mrs. Creek

If you answered mostly B’s, you’re most like art teacher Mr. Lips

If you answered mostly C’s, you’re most like art teacher Ms. Ramey

Drawing the the Line Line Drawing

By Sam Hrabko

By Sam Hrabko

Crossword

ACROSS 1. Trump’s Florida estate where Xi will stay during his visit 4. College that hosts the Science Olympiad state tournament (think Churchill) 6. History teacher leaving Pembroke 8. Small chocolate shop nearby Pembroke 9. Garden club sponsor 10. Name of Pembroke robotics team 12. The longest snake in captivity resides in this state 13. Retiring biology teacher 14. The World Affairs Challenge competition is held in this city

30

DOWN 1. This state school ended the UConn womens basketball team’s 111 game winning streak 2. Junior captain of the girls soccer team 3. April showers bring May _____ 5. The _____ Galleries recently opened at the Nelson Atkins 7. Place of prom 11. New boys golf coach

Letter from the

Editors

Dear readers,

As this is our last The Voice issue as Editors-in-Chief, we would like to take some time to reflect on the past year. Coming into this position, neither of us knew exactly what we were getting into.

There were so many different parts that needed to come together in order to make the magazine that we envisioned, and without our incredible staff and faculty sponsors, we could not have made it happen. They spend their nights editing articles and their Sundays at paste-ups, and we appreciate all the time they put into making the magazine great.

Though being Editor-in-Chief has been a lot of work, it is also an extremely rewarding position. We have the honor of planning and creating a product that is bigger than ourselves and that has the ability to impact the masses. Our goal coming into the magazine was to make it visually appealing, to give the students more of a voice in the magazine, and to focus on issues that are important to discuss as a school. We hope to have accomplished these feats throughout the year. And, of course, thank you for reading.

Shannon Fang & Davis Brooks

The Voice Podcast

whispers

news blurbs from around school

cassie wang ‘17, roxanne reasco ‘17 . . . won first and second place in the shooting stars art recognition & scholarship awards. madrigals . . . are singing the national anthem for the royals on april 30th at kauffman stadium jake jones ‘17 . . . leads the boys lacrosse team in ground balls elliot cohen ‘21 . . . placed first in his first high school boys golf match against blue springs south gregory bortnick ‘17 . . . 3D printed a model airplane for his capstone on airline pollution

By Jay Mehta

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THE VOICE

The Official News Publication of the Pembroke Hill School The Voice is published monthly by the students of the Pembroke Hill School during the academic year to inform the Pembroke Hill Community about pertinent events and news. The paper is an open forum, distributed to the students, faculty, parents, alumni, and other members of the Pembroke Hill community. All decisions concerning grammar, layout, content, and photography are made solely by the editors themselves.

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The Voice is YOUR publication. Please read responsibly.

Editors-in-Chief Davis Brooks and Shannon Fang

Senior Designer Olive Honan Head of Digital Lauren Washington Photographers Bella Barnes Illustrator Olive Honan

Managing Editors Bella Barnes Hunter Julo Gina Pepitone Isabella Way

Copy Editors Lily Jiang Jacqueline Kincaid Grace Lattan Catherine Franano

Designers Gina Peptione Bella Barnes Hunter Julo Multimedia Editor Jay Mehta

Middle School Coordinator Jacqueline Kincaid

Staff Writers Maggie Burke Paolo Laskero Kaitlyn Storm Ellie Ruland Rachel Colligan

Business Manager Baylor McCrary

Columnists Clay Lundgren – “Biased Opinions with Clay” Olive Honan – “The Buzz” Bella Barnes and Roxanne Reasco –”KC Crawl” Grace Parkerson and Wil Rowland – “Where We Stand” Natalie Dameron – “‘Dam’ Straight” Max Keeney – “This Month in History” Charlotte Henry, Jay Mehta, Caroline Salzman, Alex Hrinya – “What’s the Word” Faculty Sponsors Dr. Matt Clothier and Dr. Kim Banion