The Voice - January, 2016

VOLUME XXXII | JANUARY 2016

THE VOICE

The Voice: January

Table of Contents 14 24

6

media reviews This month, The Voice reviews

Swiss Semester

Aziz Ansari’s Master of None,

Exclusive interview with Jillian Jetmore ‘18 and Grace Green ‘18

classic novel Breakfast at Tiffany’s,

as they return from an experi-

Feature

ence of a lifetime

How much are we influenced by

and Justin Bieber’s latest hits

gender stereotypes in education?

21

25

22

dam straight

KC Crawl

Dylan Dameron ‘16 expounds on

Christine Zheng ‘16 visited the

the power of the recent success

local coffee shop One More Cup in Waldo. She interviewed the owner about the development of the coffee shop, as well as its unique aspects and beverages

student of the isssue We delve into the world of Sloane Withers-Marney ‘18, active Kansas City cosplayer

of Star Wars: The Force Awakens while telling of his own personal connection

buzz Winter / New Year

Winter Wonderland -In 1988, a scientist found two identical snowflakes from a storm in Wisconsin, proving that not all snowflakes are inherently different.

-Snowflakes are translucent and only appear white. Though sometimes, most commonly in deep snow storms, snowflakes can appear blue.

-From body heat alone, igloos can reach 100 degrees warmer than the outside air.

-The largest snowball fight took place in Seattle in 2013, where almost 6,000 people took part.

-Cold weather kills over twice as many Americans as warm weather does.

-The Weta, an insect based in New Zealand, freezes completely in the winter months and then when the weather warms up, thaws and resumes its activities.

-Ten inches of snow melts down to only one inch of water.

-The Zodiac signs for January are Capricorn and Aquarius.

New Year -The top three most popular New Year’s Resolutions are, in order, lose weight, get organized, and spend less (save more).

-45% of people make New Year’s resolutions while only 8% of people successfully achieve their resolutions. Still, a person who makes one is 10 times more likely to achieve his or her goals than someone who doesn’t.

-39% of people in their twenties achieve their resolutions each year, while only 14% of people over 50 achieve theirs.

-75% of resolutions are kept past the first week of the New Year, but only 46% are kept after six months.

Chinese New Year -The date of Chinese New Year varies from January 21st to February 20th, but this year (2016), it is on February 8th.

-This year is the year of the Monkey; the last year of the monkey was 2004, and before that it was 1992.

3

January In Review

Maggie Burke Staff Writer

Another Janterm favorite: High school students visited the other campus of Pembroke Hill School to spend some time with the preschoolers and pre-kindergarten students! Activities included building with blocks and reading and while early childhood students loved seeing their high school role models, the high schoolers saw it as an enriching experience, as well!

In the annual Scavenger Hunt, students raced all over Kansas City to compete in intense, crazy, and almost ridiculous activities. Whether the task was visiting a cave, fitting the entire team into one bathroom stall, performing on a Plaza street corner, or camping overnight outdoors, any student involved would agree that, win or lose, Scav Hunt is a beloved JanTerm tradition.

Ms. Taber and Mrs. Palmer guided students around the world via cuisine, without needing to leave Kansas City! Visiting restaurants like LC’s Barbeque and Tortilla San Antonio, students in this JanTerm class were never disappointed when it came to learning about different cultures or eating delicious and unique food.

Over JanTerm, some students decided to get active in a fun way! Joining Sra. VanZanten at IBEX Climbing Gym, students were able to complete their daily workout in a unique and challenging way.

Several students gathered in Belize over JanTerm to build a house for a family in need. Organized through Hand and Hand Ministries, these students took the extra step to better lives around the world, along with enjoying different cultures and places! n

4

Middle School Spotlight Middle School Transition

Top Ten Reasons to Love Our Middle School Carmon Baker MS Staff Writer Nothing is perfect, but our middle school comes quite close. At first, middle school seems intimidating; however, you quickly learn just how incredible it is. This list includes everything from iPads to clubs to late start, but it could not fit all that we love about it.

Here are the top ten things about Pembroke Hill Middle School. iPads: Every student in the middle school and high school is issued an iPad. No more heavy textbooks!

Ice cream at lunch: There is a soft serve machine in the cafeteria, equipped with cones and fun ice cream flavors!

Clubs: We have everything from Retro Gaming Club to Art Club to Science Olympiad; the students can participate in whatever club they are passionate about.

Plus period: Every middle school student has a forty-minute period in the morning.

The sixth graders use this period for study hall and the seventh and eighth graders have a variety of electives to choose from: chorus, study hall, digital arts, and much more!

Breaks: The students have a break every afternoon. They enjoy relaxing before their next class.

More freedom: Students are no longer required to walk in lines, and they are allowed to spend their break doing what they want.

Late start: Every other week, the middle school students get to sleep in, as school starts at 9:45 on these Wednesdays.

The bookstore: Although the Bookstore is in the high school building, the middle school students still have access to its pencils, vending machines, notebooks, and everything else it contains.

Advisory/Advisory treats: Middle school students have a twenty-five minute advisory every day. The advisees take turns bringing scrumptious treats on Friday.

Fall play: Every fall, the middle school puts on a Fall Play. This year, the play was The Hobbit! The students can express themselves in and through theater! n

Ellie Burke MS Staff Writer Many believe that, in the grand scheme of life, middle school really doesn’t matter. After all, eighth grade algebra doesn’t even appear on your college transcript.

How significant can it really be?

The truth is, middle school is actually an imperative time period in a child’s life.

It gives kids three years to sort themselves out, be it forming solid study habits or finding that perfect social group. In fact, junior high is almost like a practice run for high school. Consequently, most middle school students feel that they completely reinvent themselves from sixth to eighth grade.

Middle school may feature puberty (gross), but it’s really a time to snap out of your childish whims and “grow up.”

According to a group of eighth grade girls, middle school is a critical period in childhood as kids truly begin to discover their real identities. From clothes to friends, students endure a very important “emotional transition” in middle school, as Sophie Hammond ‘20 believes.

For some students, junior high is even the perfect gateway to a whole new lifestyle.

“I learned how to express myself in middle school,” Sophie states. “Now, I use my outfits to display how I’m feeling and what my interests are. It makes me happy.”

Furthermore, middle school is a time in which the bond of a grade really begins to establish itself. Since most students in the PHS class of 2020 have attended Pembroke for at least two years now, the current eighth graders consider themselves as an extremely tight-knit community, where anybody and everybody can get along.

This dynamic, unsurprisingly, is harder to come by in high school, where the socializing of different grades is common and unnoteworthy.

What many people fail to realize is this: Middle school does matter, and every minute spent there should not be taken for granted. According to Ryce Herron ‘20, “Middle School taught me how to feel comfortable in my own skin. Now, I almost feel like Pembroke is my ‘second home.’”

So, while middle school may be chockfull of voice cracks and embarrassing moments, it is three integral years of a kid’s life that should be cherished and celebrated. After all, you’re only awkward once. n

Swiss Semester

Interview with Jillian Jetmore ‘18 and Grace Green ‘18

Paolo Laskero and Ellie Ruland Staff Writers

What is the biggest difference between the two schools?

GG: The main difference would be the five hour break between classes for activities.

JJ: The biggest difference in my perspective was communication. We lacked the privilege of using technology so we all learned from actual textbooks. Also, the only way to reach our teachers if we had questions was to search for them throughout the "campus" aka the hotel.

This wasn't a big deal, however, since they all lived only two or less floors away. Another huge difference was that I was always somewhat in school no matter what I was doing. Even when I had time off or was on a hike, I was still surrounded by teachers and when I returned back to the dorms I was back at school. It really helped me realize the different ways of living and receiving an education, but personally I still prefer using technology and not living in the same building as my school.

What was the strangest thing you experienced while there?

GG: We would go climbing once a week. While we were climbing we would be attached to an instructor but nothing else. It was scary!

What was your least favorite thing you did there?

GG: Hiking was extremely difficult but very rewarding.

JJ: My least favorite thing I did at Swiss Semester was eat the daily dinners. They always consisted of steamed carrots and green beans, rice or potatoes, and a mystery meat (we later found out a lot of the meat was horse...) At first it wasn't so bad, but after 90 day of eating basically the same meal it became a bit unappetizing. I was also not a fan of the hike up a snow covered mountain (Breithorn Climb).

We were all tied together on a rope as if we were dogs and pulled up a hill by a very athletic Swiss mountaineer. I kept tripping in the snow which was frustrating and tiring. However, at the end we actually crossed over into Italy which was super cool and the views were amazing, so it was worth the stumbles.

Were you worried about anything when you first got there?

GG: I was worried about managing my time wisely. We were all given a lot of work with little time to do it.

JJ: Funny story. We had a stressful start to our trip. Grace and I missed the flight to Geneva due to a flight cancellation.

There is only one flight from JFK to Geneva a day, so we arrived in Zermatt 24 hours after the 47 other students. Naturally, this made me even more nervous to meet everyone since we were going to have all eyes on us. We also had to find time to go to the Swatch store, get our backpacks, school supplies, and climbing boots since everyone had done so the day prior. This made the transition a bit stressful, but looking back now it doesn't seem like a big deal.

What was your favorite experience while there?

GG: My favorite part was getting the chance to navigate different cities on our own. I enjoyed exploring Annecy, France. Also, I loved each activities period whether it was hiking or skiing.

JJ: My favorite part of Swiss would either be the Tasch Overnight hike or the Bern bike trip. The Tasch overnight was when I started to feel super close to all the girls. We were staying in a hostel, so we all shared a huge bed with a few blankets (note: it was literally freezing). We all had to cuddle together. It was the first time that I felt like I was apart of a family and it was really comforting. On the Bern bike trip, I biked from the Bernese Oberland to the capitol of Switzerland: Bern. This trip was 60 miles and was spread over 1.5 days. The first day we biked through forests on gravel roads and stayed the night up on a hill overlooking a beautiful lake.

We had a great dinner and breakfast plentiful with protein (a rarity during the semester). The next day we biked through the stereotypical Swiss landscape of rolling green hills scattered with cows and other farm animals. The views were honestly breathtaking as the mountains surrounded the flourishing landscape. With aching calves and numb bottoms we reached Bern. We had a few hours until we had to catch our train back to Zermatt, so we all broke off into friend groups and ran around shopping and eating. The city was full of people and was a nice change of atmosphere from the tranquil, ski town of Zermatt. It was an eye opener to the different cultures of Switzerland, and I felt very accomplished (and sore) after biking more than I had ever imagined I'd be capable of .

“I miss waking up to a beautiful view of the Matterhorn, as well as the 50 close friends I made while there.”

-Grace Green ‘18 What was the best thing you ate?

GG: Crepes! There was a delicious crepe place close to our hotel. My favorite was the Toblerone crepe.

JJ: My favorite meal, hands down, was the meal I ordered at an Osteria in Venice. I ordered the appetizer size of mussels and when it came out there was about 20 on the platter. Then I had salmon pappardelle which was also so so good.

After, we stopped for gelato, which was some of the best I have ever had. I also had an apple beignet in Annecy that was warm and covered in powdered sugar, which was also delicious.

What did you do while you were there?

GG: School, hiking, skiing, climbing, visiting cities, wet gorging, biking, ice climbing, etc. We did many different fun activities!

JJ: A typical day would consist of a rushed breakfast followed by three classes, activities period (hiking or skiing), three more classes, dinner, a 2 and a half hour study hall, and then lights out. On the weekends we would sign up for different actives such as biking, water gorging, helicopter-assisted hikes, or ice climbs. We also traveled to Annecy, France and Venice, Italy with stops in other European towns along the way. We also ate, a lot. I'm talking crepes daily and too much budget chocolate.

Were there major language barriers while meeting new people, who did not speak English?

GG: Yes, we would often come across people who spoke a different language. Most often, people would speak German and French.n

Photo Poll How Well Can You Draw the United States From Memory?

Mr. Lips

Sarah Chamberlain ‘16

8

Dr. Clothier

Ross Copeland ‘18

Dr. Banion

Dr. Niermann

Youth In Government

Democracy for Every Generation

Davis Brooks Managing Editor Pembroke Hill had another successful year at the Youth In Government Clark State Convention in Jefferson City. Meeting from December 3rd to December 5th, the group of nearly sixty Pembroke Hill students traveled to the state capital to debate student-written legislation and judiciary cases. Missouri Youth In Government started in 1949 and has grown each year, providing students from schools across the state with an opportunity to simulate a trial or congressional convention in the actual state Capitol Building. Today a total of over a thousand students participate in either the Lewis or Clark conventions. The event is organized by the YMCA, who states the goal is to “teach democracy

to every generation.”

When students join Youth In Government, the first decision they make is whether to join the Legislative or Judicial branch. The students that join the Legislative branch spend time preparing written bills and resolutions. After arriving at the convention, students meet in small committees to decide which bills will make it to the House of Representatives or Senate floor to be debated by the entire legislature.

Judicial students, on the other hand, spend time reviewing both the main case and the moot and prepare arguments to debate with students from other delegations. Once they arrive at the convention, they are paired with a random partner

Nonemaker ‘16 posing with Klock ‘18 and Widner ‘18.

to debate against other teams.

These debates are judged by student judges selected before the convention. Pembroke Hill had many judges this year, including Bella Foote, Kit Frazen, Fiona Eckert, and Brycen Saunders, all current seniors. Maya Hill ‘16 served as Attorney General, overseeing the entire judicial process. This year, the main case dealt with negligence by a school in regards to an injured student, and the moot discussed a cyberbullying case between a teacher and a student.

As a delegation, Pembroke Hill was extremely successful in both branches, passing multiple pieces of legislation and winning both the main trial and the moot. Matt Bailey and Jake Jones ’17 teamed up to pass a bill reg-

Hill ‘16 with Becky Stevens.

ulating prostitution within the state of Missouri. Kate Kramer ’17 also passed her bill, enforcing more mental testing on minors arrested for violent crimes.

Kramer also received an individual accolade for her work, winning the award for Best Committee Chair. On the judicial side, Pembroke Hill was presented with many individual and group awards as well.

Clay Lundgren ‘17 won both the main case and the moot, and also took home the award for Best Attorney. Momin Tahirkheli ‘17 won the award for Most Outstanding Witness for his performance.

Obviously, taking home so many awards, Pembroke Hill had yet another very successful year at the annual Clark State Convention. Looking forward to next year, the delegation filled its maximum on passionate freshmen and sophomores to ensure that the program continues its success. Thanks to sponsors Kathy WilliamsGriffin, Becky Stevens, Bridget Friday, and Andrew Mouzin, the legacy of Pembroke Hill will continue. Both the delegation and school strive to continue the tradition of excellence that has been established over the several years of participation in Youth in Government. n

Finals Complaining Challenge Several members of The Voice staff agreed to take part in a challenge very few people could ever achieve: see how long they could last through first semester finals without complaining. They then reflected on this experience of thinking more positively about the struggles of finals.

Daniel Stark Staff Writer

Laura Hibschman Senior Designer

The challenge is direct, and the task simple in and of itself. “Don’t complain about anything for as long as possible.” Simple, right? Well, let’s make it more interesting!

Let’s begin this challenge on Reading Day during Upper School finals. Monday morning easily passes without negative thoughts because I sleep in longer than usual (as I don’t need to go to school for reviews).

“Stay positive,” I command myself while I begin reviewing for my first two finals given the following day. Studying on my own and with a friend, hours pass and complaints about the workload never materialize. Proud of myself, I trudge into PHS on Tuesday and survive the exams. I return home drained from the experience and that’s when the reality of my circumstances sets in. Two more finals await me the next day and not enough hours remain to review all of the possible material. I’m consumed with negativity. Complaints fill my mind. If I don’t verbalize the complaints, does it count against me in the challenge?

Too bad! I gripe, grumble and complain to anyone who will listen (mostly myself).

My “no complaining pledge” lasts barely longer than twenty-four hours. Saddened by my actions, I reflect on the experience.

Truthfully, I actually feel better after I complain about the finals. No one yearns to be around perpetual complainers and negative people. However, attempting to convince myself that certain maddening situations don’t deserve unfavorable comments adds to my stress. So what did I learn from this experience? In general, keep a positive and optimistic attitude in life. But when stressful events occur, it’s acceptable to complain in moderation and let off a little steam!

When I took on this challenge, I was excited to attempt to eliminate complaining from my life in hopes that I’d become more positive and productive. However, my experience didn’t really reveal what I thought it would. Instead, I discovered that most of the complaining that occurs among students isn’t as blatant as I had assumed, and it was very difficult to track my own complaining habits.

Bella Barnes Staff Writer This year’s round of finals was much more relaxed for me than last year’s maelstrom of freshman nerves. This year, I realized there was nothing I could do besides get a ton of sleep, and pray that I’d do my best. I started studying three weeks in advance, to give myself ample time to ask questions, and review concepts I struggled with. However, I lasted two days into Finals week before I gave up, and complained about the impending doom I would face during my Math and Spanish finals. I enjoy both classes individually, but together??? I fretted, panicking the morning before, and chatting with friends about my upcoming death by stress. After the exams, I regained my composure, downing cups of chai tea to abate any remnants of the anxiety I felt before. They worked. My remaining English final went well, ending a mostly seamless Finals week.

“My experience didn’t really reveal what I thought it would.”

I was so preoccupied with finals that I kept forgetting about the challenge and, thus, failed to notice if I was even complaining. On top of that, I learned that there is a large gray area between complaining and just talking about how much time you put into studying or how difficult a test was. I know that I never flat out complain, saying something like “ugghhhh I hate finals week...school sucks,” but beyond that, I found it hard to tell what qualified as complaining.

Based on my own habits, I suspect that, most of the time, we don’t even realize we are complaining. We probably add a lot of unnecessary stress to our lives and waste our time talking about school when we should just accept our fate and move on to the present. In the future, I definitely hope to become more aware of my tendencies to complain and stress about schoolwork and to work at minimizing this behavior.n

“When stressful events occur, it’s acceptable to complain in moderation and let off a little steam!”

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The Best (and Worst) of 2015

Timeline

Hunter Julo Staff Writer

Music

Winner: Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” It may not be a musical manifesto for future generations, but it made a huge impact on our society, and we won’t forget his magical moves, showcased in many gifs.

Loser: 5 Seconds of Summer. My condolences to all of the fangirls out there, but I simply cannot let their mediocre music surpass their arrogance and unprofessional attitude in a recent Rolling Stones’ article. They were hungover, made insolent comments, and compared themselves to the likes of the Beatles and Rolling Stones.

Left Shark

Televison

Winner: Scream Queens because it made such an incredible mark on the adolescent population. I know several people, who dedicated their time to making sure they saw it when it was on, and although it was not a television masterpiece, it deserves something for that.

Loser: The third season of Orange is the New Black. Yes, Ruby Rose is amazingly beautiful and she basically broke the world when she entered the screen, but the season did not make sense at all. It was boring, disorganized, and I could not tell you what it was even about after watching the whole thing.

Politics

Winner: The legalization of gay marriage across the United States. Let’s give it up for letting people love who they want to love and supporting it in the courtroom.

Loser: Donald Trump and everything that comes out of his mouth. It might be my mistake, but I thought we were trying to make progress in the history of the human race.

“Hotline

Bling”

Movies

Winner: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It blew up the world and I think it received the hype that it was due. Something that big deserves proper recognition.

Loser: Joy. Although Jennifer Lawrence may have given a great performance, the movie altogether was slow, the story not portrayed in the best way possible, and Bradley Cooper’s character was weird. It did not deserve a Snapchat filter.

Social Media

Winner: The overwhelming but wonderful DJ Khaled for saying things like “the more success, the more lawsuits.” I am grateful for his forever long Snapchat stories. Bless up.

Loser: Kylie Jenner for actively supporting modern day corsets on her Instagram.

You know, I always thought it was cute when women crushed their organs.

World Series

Books

Winner: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, because it was a Young Adult novel that did not feel like it was written by a Young Adult writer. It was heartbreaking but made me question myself, which is always a refreshing thing to find.

Loser: Grey by E.L. James. Did we really need another one?

Things That Went Viral

Winner: Katy Perry’s Super Bowl performance “Left Shark” briefly became the topic of the Internet for no apparent reason beside the fact that it was better than its identical twin, the shark on the right.

Loser: The Dress. You know the one. I never saw it as anything other than black and blue, and I will never understand how anyone could see anything else. It tore families apart.

Star Wars

Sports

Winner: Our very own Kansas City Royals for winning the World Series for the first time in 30 years. We love our boys in blue.

Loser: Tom Brady. He might have been let off free, but I think there is enough evidence to show he was not playing a fair game. Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Trends

Winner: The revival of Birkenstocks because there is finally something comfortable to wear that coordinates with modern day fashion. Plus, you get to wear weird socks with them and it still works.

Loser: The Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge for bruising people’s lips so that they could look like 60 year old women with bad Botox experiences. n

Epic mix-up

Unbiased Opinions With Clay Lundgren ‘17

Skyrim and the Eloquence of the Quest

In the early days of video games, developers like John Carmack believed that story was unnecessary in games and that it detracted from the experience. Games that Carmack went on to develop, like Doom, Quake, Commander Keen, and Wolfenstein 3D may not always have a plot laid out in text at the beginning of the game, but (ironically) they do have story at their core. They have a main character, enemies, rising and falling action, hardship, struggle, death, and life. If that doesn’t constitute a story to some degree, then I do not know what does. Thus, it’s safe to assume that all games, at their core, have story. It is story that draws players in just as you want to find out what happens to a character in a novel or movie, you desire to reach the end of a game. And the best part is that the decisions which you make in the game directly influence the outcome. This element of choice is unique to video games and allows for storylines to have forks and bends in the road uncharacteristic of other media.

As Carmack envisioned, there are games that appear devoid of story at their surface. iPhone games like Flappy Bird do not appear to have story. But you, as the player, watch your bird succeed, fail, live, die, and overcome obstacles--all due to your influence as the player. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have games like the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Skyrim is an epic, open-world, plotdriven RPG (role-playing game) with countless decisions to make

that influence the world and story around you. The game’s scale is truly something to gawk at, and it all boils down to the quests.

A quest is an objective in the game that revolves around a certain plotline. A certain “quest-line” may be totally optional to the completion of the game or even completely random as to whether you happen upon it or not.

Regardless of its function, quests are like well-written chapters in a book assembled in no particular order: you can skip around all you’d like, encounter them in any order, leave them unfinished, or complete them to your heart’s content. It does not matter whether you do them or not! What matters is that they are there for you should you choose to carry them out. They’re hundreds of intricate stories that bring the world of Skyrim to life. Quests in any open world game--not just Skyrim--allow the world to live and breathe.

You--the player--and the game’s world enter a symbiotic partnership when you begin playing. Your character and the world around it work together to make the world feel alive all whilst delivering an enjoyable experience to the player. The world gives you more quests to enjoy, and you complete those quests to make the world feel more alive. It is a perfect partnership that works seamlessly to create an unforgettable experience. These mini stories and quests work to create an interactive experience unique to video games. n

Racism at College Campuses in America Cormac Chester Head of Digital One of the biggest news stories in recent months has been the freedom of speech is a human right. If one group of people deprotests at college campuses across the United States regarding cided that something is offensive and cannot be said, then another the treatment of black people in America. There are two significant group of people could do the exact same with a different phrase. protests I want to talk about because they are microcosms of larger Eventually, nothing could be said. Freedom of speech is important, issues. whether or not it offends, because it allows for the advancement of Before that, we need to address a core understanding. Black society through new ideas and for plain old communication. people, both in America and across the world, are subjected to deThe second important incident was nearby at the University of humanization because of institutionalized racism. And we have a Missouri in Columbia. Leading up to the protests, racist graffiti moral obligation to try to combat it. There is not a clear-cut solution and messages were left on buildings, with at least one of them to the problem, but it is certainly not to pretend and act like racism written in feces. The black community and supporters felt that the does not exist (and, hopefully, not to be racist). This attitude igadministration was not taking appropriate action to prevent these nores centuries of discrimination and incidents from happening, and, thereonly makes life harder for the people fore, Jonathan Butler, a black student, affected. Imagine being bullied every Black people, both in America and across began a hunger strike in which he said single day at school but, even though he would only cease when the universithe world, are subjected to you have bruises clearly showing, the ty president, Timothy Wolfe, resigned. dehumanization be teachers continue to say that “little MU’s black football players also began Billy wouldn’t hurt a fly.” a strike from football, saying that they cause of institutionalized racism.

The first important incident was would not play or practice until they And we have a moral obligation at Yale University in Connecticut. had seen his resignation. A day later, to try and combat it.

The university sent out an email sugWolfe stepped down. However, a death gesting students be tasteful in their threat was called to MU Black Culture Halloween costumes (i.e. don’t wear Center, and the campus effectively shut blackface or other discriminatory costumes). A residential advisor down. Although the threat was later resolved, these events show for one of the residential colleges sent out an email to his students that even if there is one instance of combatting racism, it is not suggesting that freedom of speech was more important and that enough. Racist people will never go away (there are still neo-Nazis they should not let the school restrict what they could wear for the in America). But if there are even little instances of change, they all holiday. This RA, who is also a teacher, was met with severe back- add up to a greater cultural shift. lash in and outside of his classroom the following day, where black These two incidents are both important to understanding the students accosted him, yelling in his face that he was destroying way forward because they show that even in instances of racism, “the safe space” that was promised to them as freshmen. It is im- freedom of speech is important. And that is not just the freedom to portant to note that Yale asking for tasteful dress was not wrong in say anything, but it is also the freedom to have an open dialogue any way. However, the students who screamed at the teacher said about the systemic hardships that affect black people in America that anything that could be construed as offensive to them must and across the world. n not be said. Regardless of the RA’s initial anti-restriction action,

”

”

Gender in Education Shannon Fang Managing Editor “When I was in high school [in the 1970’s], this was the puzzle that stumped everyone: A 16 year old crashes his car and is rushed to the hospital, a surgeon is called. The surgeon arrives, takes one look at the 16 year old and says, ‘This is my son, I can’t operate on him.’ The surgeon is not his father. Who is it?”

Pamela Robb, Early Childhood School principal, posed this question to me, illustrating the beginning of the new wave of feminism. The obvious answer to this “riddle” is the surgeon is the son’s mother, but this solution was not so obvious just a few decades ago.

There are an increasing number of individuals at Pembroke identifying as nonbinary genders and sexual orientations, meaning they identify as non-cisgender (the gender one is assigned at birth) and/ or non-heterosexual. In light of this change, the Early Childhood School held an informational meeting for the staff with a therapist from the Kansas City Transgender Institute and a young woman and her family to speak about her transgender experience, and ultimately, the hope was that the faculty would better understand what it means to be transgender and how to support those who are.

A similar meeting was held for the par-

ents, and afterwards, Robb commented, “The end result was we all came away with a deeper understanding of others and an appreciation for our similarities.”

Even in a society where people are advocating against gender roles and binaries, deepseated beliefs are still prevalent within the educational institution. Whether one is aware of it or not, this mindset is apparent in the classroom.

Gina Pepitone, ‘18, has noticed how “women have to think a lot before they speak and men don’t and can get away with a lot of stuff; there’s still this mentality of female inferiority.”

This sense of inferiority is evident when a female is more afraid to ask a question in class because it will make her seem more vulnerable or because others will be more quick to judge her intelligence. It is evident when a female speaks up in class and is either overlooked or labeled as “bossy and loud.” It is evident when teachers call on males more than females.

However, it is not only girls that are affected by gender roles. Because males are viewed as louder and more active individuals, teachers may judge their behavior through a tinted lens.

Fielding Burnette, ‘18, was in a mostly female class and noted how “the other male and I seemed to get in more trouble than all of the females combined even though many times we were doing exactly the same thing as the

“

Even in a society where people are advocating against gender roles and binaries, deep-seated beliefs are still prevalent within the educational institution.

females.”

Many attribute gender roles to a biological basis since male and female brains tend to develop in a distinctive manner. According to the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, girls generally have better memory and are less impulsive.

Boys tend have better spatial skills and have more attention span problems. Although there are biological differences between the genders, the most important word here is “tend” because these differences are generalizations that some students and teachers believe should not dictate one’s education.

As nonbinary individuals become more accepted, these ideas of a biological basis of a gender’s trait become blurry.

According to those who were interviewed, students should be treated as individuals rather than groups. If males never worked in groups or females were never taught concepts visually, they would not be able to develop the skills that they lack.

One’s gender should not be neglected, nor should it be the sole judgement of a person – it is just an aspect of who someone is.

Strides toward the acceptance and tolerance of different genders and sexualities within the school is occurring, and it is due to simply open discourse about the subject. Edmund White, a recent speaker

”

at the Pembroke Hill Upper School, stated the word “homosexual” was one of the three most taboo words when he was a kid, merely fifty years ago. Now, he is able to openly converse about his sexuality on a stage in front of high schoolers. Because words like “transgender” and “gay” were previously not even spoken out loud, it is a critical transition for conversations about them are more commonplace.

“The way we talk about gender has certainly changed because we talk about it more explicitly,” explained Mr. Romick, an Upper School English teacher.“It sounds like in conversations that we have about gender that students each year become a little more open to discuss that it doesn’t exist along a binary.”

Educating the public, as the Early Childhood School has done, is another major component toward acceptance. Teaching acceptance and education of nonbinary people at a young age will help rid of the longstanding ideas about gender imparted by society, and though it may be a while until these ideas are taught at Pembroke, society is rapidly transitioning toward a breakdown of binaries, and thus, a breakdown of gender roles. n

Social Identity: Sam Hrabko Staff Writer

As social media has flourished over the last 16 years, it has become more accessible, and more for people to worry about. If you make a post on a social media site under your own name, you are putting a bit of yourself out for the world to see. In most cases, what you post online is going to represent the real you, unless you do something like this: (See Image 1) Please don’t do this.

But you probably would never do something like that; it isn’t an honest portrayal of you. Well, the question I want to answer is, how much of yourself should you be online?

Now, I do believe that there are certain things that you should be careful of when posting online under your own name. It is true that some prospective colleges and businesses will Google your name and look through your social media, to make sure that they aren’t getting someone who posts things like: (See Image 2) And why wouldn’t they be scared of someone like that, with such slanderous words scrawled over that perfectly innocent brick wall? Another example is to bash a college or business, as this could have serious consequences if they find out. This is an extreme where you don’t care about what you post online, and figure that it can’t hurt your reputation too much. I caution against this, as it could sway a college’s or business’s feelings about choosing you.

So, to an EXTENT you should be careful when posting something onto a social media site as yourself because you don’t know who is going to see it.

Or you can turn your account to private, and be wary of any suspicious friend invites. (See Image 3) There is a more extreme version to this, and that’s what I mainly want to cover. This is where you begin to mold yourself into this perfect person, who is always supposed to be thankful and humble, but still puts themselves in the spotlight. While I’m not a ‘social media expert,’ I believe that making your socialmedia-self out to be saintlike online is actually more detrimental to you, and here’s why. First of all, it takes far too much time to create this persona for something as informal as Facebook and especially Twitter. (See Image 4) This is what selfies are all about, right? Putting a bunch of work into one photo? Making sure that you look your best? No! Selfies are not professional photographs; you don’t need to work this hard just to take one flipping photograph. It’s too much effort. It’s just a goofy photo of you and your friends at a concert, not your yearbook photo. Also, under this method, you would have to go back and delete any posts that don’t fit this mold, where you do things that are not perfect, such as spraying questionable graffiti. This may be a good idea at times, so you can give off a good impression, but there is a point where you weed

things out too much. No college or business is going to care if, say, a picture of baby Harry Potter shows up on your Google Image results. They are going to see it, think, “Huh, that’s cute,” and move on. You don’t need to be entirely professional online, and the problem is, once your Twitter or your Facebook or any social media site you use fills up with these kinds of posts, do you know what happens? When colleges or businesses look at this, they aren’t looking at a real person anymore; they are looking at a museum of this person’s best deeds, not the real you, and what’s more, they can tell. When every single post has been boiled down to a mathematical formula of: “Thank x and y for z, but make sure i is in center of photo, as x<i>y.”

It makes everything very unoriginal and forced, and most importantly, you lose a sense of humanity. How are posts like this representative of you? Instead of the real you, what instead comes off of these posts is that you are pandering and overly professional, but still narcissistic, being in the center of every photo on your page. We live in a world now where people can express themselves so freely, and social media is the easiest outlet to do this. So, should we try to stifle it? Pembroke’s motto is “Freedom with Responsibility,” and I think that can apply to social media. My advice is to post what you want, as long as it’s the real you. However, do err on the side of caution, as anyone can read what you post online, so try to avoid making fun of any prospective businesses or colleges.

After all, colleges, at least the good ones, aren’t looking for someone who is always thankful and professional, but lacks any character, because they want people, not robots. You can still have posts where you are thankful, but remember to show a bit about yourself. Show yourself scoring the winning point in a game, show yourself with a piece of art you took a while to make, and even show yourself hanging out with friends and having a good time. These show the real you, and colleges and businesses will respect this. Being fake online is not a healthy way to live your life. You don’t have to be a Miley Cyrus or a Taylor Swift, because neither of these people are you.

In the end though, I can’t tell you what to do. It is your life, and your social media life, so I leave it up to you. You could fill up your Twitter with your collection of graffiti, or you can make yourself out to be a humanitarian. The question is, are either of these truly representative of you? n

“You don’t have to be a Miley Cyrus or a Taylor Swift, because neither of these people are you.”

Illustrations by Sam Hrabko

How Real Should You Be Online?

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17

January

New Year’s Resolutions

Failures and Fixes

New Year’s resolutions have been a part of society since the beginnings of civilization. At the start of every new year, the Babylonians would pray to their gods, promising to pay their debts and to return borrowed objects. Resolutions resurfaced during medieval times, taking the form of the “peacock vow,” in which knights would promise to continue their chivalrous deeds.

While today’s resolutions are a bit different, they are still promises individuals make for themselves to become, essentially, a better version of him or herself. Resolutions can cover a variety of subjects: spending more time with family and friends, saving and making more money, or, the most popular resolution, losing weight.

To achieve the intimidating goal of weight loss, people typically do one of two things: exercise or diet (or both, a difficult combination). So inevitably, January 1st rolls around, and people wake up to discover that the sidewalks and gyms are packed with individuals running and working out. Or, they discover that people are purchasing health food as opposed to their typical carton of ice cream.

However, after a week or two, the amount of runners on the street significantly decreases, and people give into temptation, ordering the deliciously deceiving jalapeno dip at Kansas City’s local mexican restaurant Jalapenos (not saying I did this).

Forbes claims that around 40% of the American population makes resolutions, but only about 8% of those individuals actually achieve the goals they so wanted to accomplish.

More than half of those individuals quit a little after the first week: January 17th has now been given the infamous title of “Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day.” Why does this mass quitting phenomenon occur? Why do we find it so difficult to hold ourselves to the promises we make?

One reason has to do with accountability: It is difficult to hold yourself to the promises you make. Real Simple magazine did a survey, and discovered that out of 149 adults, 61% of those who wrote down their resolutions were actually successful, opposed to those who did not put pen to paper, who had only a 41% success rate. The likelihood of successfully achieving a resolution is increased when you tell a close friend about your goal, so they can help to motivate you.

Another reason for failure is time management. Focusing solely on the resolution of weight loss, many people will dedicate the most time to their goal on the first few days of it, but then more pressing issues come into play and that goal is lost.

Ultimately, what leads to resolution failures is no true plan of action. People imagine that end goal--the bikini body they so desire, the six pack they deserve--but they don’t necessarily plan how to get to that end goal. In order to achieve success, I would advise you to get a calendar and plan out short term goals. Say, for example, lose a certain amount of pounds by week three. Then, slowly add on to that, so by week fifty-two you have slowly made your way to your goal.

Many people expect to have their perfect weight loss, or influx of money and happiness, shortly after they make their resolution, which is unreasonable. Writer Jeff Goins claims that is is extremely important to differentiate between goals and habits. Goals are ambiguous ideas; they tell you where you want to go, while habits tell you how to get there. Creating productive habits for yourself takes a bit of force.

You must set aside increments of time to make sure certain actions, like a forty-five minute run in the morning, become a part of your daily routine. This advice may seem basic, but if you have created a resolution for yourself you hope to achieve in 2016, be sure to give it some serious consideration so you can become the you you truly desire. n

Bella Foote Staff Writer

Critiquing Character Like Cheddar Students in Emma Romick’s JanTerm class “How to Be a Food Critic” related their cheese tasting experiences to their favorite musicians, television stars, and Pembroke Hill peers.

As I gazed over the vast array of cheeses and crackers, I reached for the cream brie, my personal favorite cheese. I decided to combine the rather mild cheese with a bold complement, so I immediately grabbed the fruity cracker. Upon first taste, the pairing reminds me of the ultimate powerhouse couple: Beyonce and Jay-Z. Beyonce reminds me of the brie: loved by the masses and perfect for any (and every) occasion.

Jay-Z, on the other hand, is the fruity cracker: though rather unappetizing at first glance, the legendary rap artist perfectly complements his beloved wife. Thus, the sweet to savory combination is incomparable and vastly outranks the other classic combos.

- Fiona Eckert ‘16

The pairing of the honey goat cheese and the rosemary cracker reminds me of Charlotte Hendricks and Steven Miyawaki. Charlotte is very sweet and comforting, just like the goat cheese.

Steven is similar to the rosemary cracker because he is quiet at first, but when you get him talking, he makes for great, surprising conversation.

- Bella Foote ‘16

At a glance, a small hunk of Roquefort cheese looks rather appealing. It is colored a mix of whitish-yellow, dotted with greenish-black spots. But when you take a small bite of this cheese, expecting it to taste nearly as good as it looks, your taste buds will definitely be overpowered. Your reaction is probably on par with what Miss Colombia felt when Steve Harvey announced she wasn’t actually the winner. Imagine the odor of 50 nasty horses in their stables, but then imagine that taste in your mouth. Scary, huh?

- Vishesh Patel ‘17

As the multigrain cracker crumbles in my mouth and the creamy taste of the brie stimulates my taste buds, I am reminded of the relationship between my dear friends Jack Mitchell and Kippy Terry. Although the relationships between both the cheese and the cracker and Jack and Kippy mesh well, the cheese, Jack, would be just as perfectly delicious, if not better, without the cracker, Kippy.

- Emily Ervin ‘16

Meredith Grey and McDreamy work together like the fruity cracker and the brie. Meredith is like the fruity cracker with their multi-layered personality and many different moods. McDreamy is dreamy and solid, like brie, but a bit plain. Together, they soar into a whole new dimension, but Meredith is still interesting without McDreamy like the fruity cracker is still good without the brie. This must be why they killed off McDreamy.

- Anya Loboda ‘16

Emily Ervin is a dry, dull flavored cracker. Her salty attitude is the only exciting thing about her. Charlie Hamilton is a sweet, tangy, moist, tongue-tingling pickup that adds character to Emily’s dull cracker. n - Kippy Terry ‘16

19

“We’ve got spirit . . .”

Gina Pepitone and Bella Barnes Staff Writers

A

“

Photo Credits to Andrew Mouzin

Pictured above: Volleball senior night. While the tradition of senior night would draw hundreds of student fans at other schools, many Pembroke sports struggle to draw a large crowd.

“ . . . no, we don’t?” more ample turnout. Yet, when girls play, the crowd is much smaller, and usually comprised of the JV or Varsity teams, waiting for their games to begin. “I think it’s because people believe boys’ sports are more entertaining than girls’ sports, which I don’t agree with.” says Nazr El-Scari ‘17.

“Regardless of gender, you should always support your friends, whether you enjoy

simply down to the general popularity of sports in our society. The sports with the biggest turnouts are football and basketball and it is because football and basketball are the two most popular sports in our country, and that carries through all levels, including our high school.”

The lack of spirit is felt by all, especially by those who work the hardest when participating. “When I’m out there playing, I want people supporting me.

It takes a lot of courage and passion for people to play sports.” Without students’ support, “you feel unappreciated,” says El-Scari. Attending games is not only for the benefit of the players, but for the audience as well. As Gado says, “I like going out to games because [of the] feeling of community you get from going. It feels nice to support your friends and classmates who are out on the field.” n

“

s the first semester has drawn to an end, fall sports are officially over and winter sports are at their height.

However, school spirit has been notably lacking at all of the sporting events. Despite the lack in number of students at games, Vishal Beeki ‘18 is one of the few constant supporters at many of the sporting events: “Personally, I love going out to the events because [...] it’s a getaway from stress and something to do with friends while supporting the school.” Offering an explanation as to why almost no students show up at any of the games, Beeki comments, “While some students love to go to the sporting events at our school to support [a] variety of our teams, other students prefer other methods of entertainment. Some prefer to stay at home or go out elsewhere with friends, and sporting events are just an extra way of escaping academic stress.”

The rigor of school is difficult to overcome. Even if you desperately wish to support a friend, the essay you have to turn in at 10 pm usually takes precedence over that weeknight basketball game.

As we suspected, the amount of school work a student has greatly affects their likelihood of attending a game: “I’d much more readily go to a Friday night basketball game when I have all weekend to do my homework than go on a weeknight and get home later and stay up late to finish my schoolwork,” says Peter Gado ‘18.

However, turnout for games relies on more than just schoolwork; opponents and gender are other factors that determine whether students attend. As Gado explains: “[If] the game is against a random school, not many people are gonna care, but against big rivals like Pius, or Barstow, the bleachers can get quite full.” Shirts like the common “Beat Pius” can attest to this fact.

There is a difference in attendance based on if boys or girls are playing, too. For the most part, if boys play, there is usually a

I think it’s because people believe boys’ sports are more entertaining than girls’ sports, which I don’t agree with. Regardless of gender, you should always support your friends, whether you enjoy the sport, or not.”

20

the sport, or not,” continues El-Scari.

While there is a general lack in support, some sports seem to be considerably more popular than others. Beeki contributes, “I think the main reason as to why some sports have a bigger turnout than others is

7408 Wornall Road , Kansas City, MO 64114 Christine Zheng Columnist Living in KC, you don’t really get to describe many places as innately quaint in their charm (in my opinion). However, One More Cup, I’m happy to say, is definitely so. Located on 7408 Wornall Road, this privately owned coffee shop feels like part of the home that I spent my youth in, laughing and comfortable. One More Cup doesn’t try to be something that it’s not because, simply put, it just is. The tables are round, the couches located in cozy corners, and the fan continues circulating the homey atmosphere of this place. As we bought our jasmine tea and mochas, we sat down with the owner of the place and asked a few questions. Disclosure: the owner is Mrs. Abernathy’s sister, Stacy!

What makes One More Cup special compared to all the other coffee shops in KC? I think what makes this place special is that it’s independently owned by a couple who live in the neighborhood in Waldo, so it’s got a lot of personality. It’s been here for around seven years, so they really just worked from the ground up to make this place how it is. Waldo’s a really diverse neighborhood, with an eclectic mix of customers who come in and out.

Why did you decide to open a coffee shop?

My husband had worked in coffee for a while, and I started getting into coffee when I was sixteen. We live in the neighborhood, and we’d talked about how fun it’d be to create a place like this. It wasn’t something we were looking to do currently, but then the space became available. Started looking, started dreaming, and finally the dream became a reality.

With One More Cup established, did you have a plan with the direction you wanted to go with the coffee shop or just know that you wanted to make good coffee?

Since Jeremy [my husband] had worked in coffee for a while, he had noticed some things that work and some that don’t. We enjoyed Shatto milk at home, so that was a big thing in supporting local businesses and local roasters. All the coffees that we serve are either organic or sustainably grown.

That was important to us, including other environmental aspects, like we compost and recycle. We couldn’t imagine opening a business where you’d be generating a lot of waste and not being responsible about it.

Certain things like that and certainly wanting to just make good quality drinks and really being a good spot for the community.

What do you think made you guys last compared to other coffee shops here?

Just being true to ourselves. We don’t try to give an illusion of being perfect. We really just like making people happy and hope that comes across with the customer service and the comfortable atmosphere.

People can be themselves here. We got men in suits coming in, all the guys from the tattoo shop, gym people. Young people too.

We’ve seen babies grow up. It’s fun to get a nice range of folks.

What made you decide to name this place One More Cup? A couple different things. There is a Bob Dylan song called One More Cup of Coffee For the Road, so we listened to that a lot. And we just liked it for the connection it had to some of the music we enjoyed and, yeah, you want people to have one more cup.

How do you think being in this area versus being downtown or even just close to Brookside shapes One More Cup? I always say Waldo is Brookside’s weird cousin. It’s a little funkier, and just living in this neighborhood is important to us.

There’s a lot of houses nearby, but there’s also a lot of businesses, so we have a nice mix of that. All the employees who work in the other businesses come in, but also a lot of people in the neighborhood. At the time when we opened, there really weren’t other coffee places in Waldo and with the coffee places that closed down for various reasons, Waldo wasn’t oversaturated with places like this.

Did you go in knowing how you wanted this place to look, like the atmosphere, or did that just develop with time?

We just wanted to stay true to ourselves.

We’re kind of weird, funky, and we want our guests to be comfortable. If anything, we wanted this place to be like an extension of our home where we like to welcome guests. When we first opened, we even had a piano in here. Really, we just want our guests to be comfortable and have all kinds of people welcome. If you want just a straight shot of espresso, great, we can do that for you. If you want a large super flavored drink, we can do that too and not judge you one way or the other. All is possible.

What was the most surprising aspect once you opened One More Cup? Learning a lot of the ropes of business.

Neither of us had run a business before, so there was a lot of thinking on your feet. n

“Dam” Straight Words of Wisdom from Dylan Dameron ‘16 The Force is back and better than ever. For the fools who have yet to see the new Star Wars film, I will divide my article into two parts. The first part will be my experience at the world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Los Angeles, and the second part will be a spoiler-filled review of the film itself.

Part 1:

Part 2: SPOILERS!

For those of you that do not know, my sister, Morgan Dameron ‘07, is currently working in LA at Bad Robot as JJ Abrams’ Executive Assistant. She has been in this position for a few years now, and every so often my family and I get glimpses into what her world is like. Since JJ Abrams was selected as the director for the new Star Wars movie, Bad Robot was hugely involved in the filmmaking. Morgan was lucky enough to obtain tickets to the world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens for me and my sister. Now, about the night itself. We arrived fairly early, so Natalie and I were left to explore the premiere area by ourselves as Morgan was called away by the sirens of work.

I was in absolute awe of the sheer size of this event. The tent that was decked out in Star Wars decorations spanned several blocks. As Natalie and I made our way down the tent, we saw huge swinging lights designed to look like fighting lightsabers, actual stormtrooper outfits that were used during the movie, a Lamborghini designed to look like Kylo Ren, full size lego creations of the main characters, and much more. After we gave ourselves a tour, people began to show up. From Disney child stars to stand up comedians, everyone wanted to be at this event. Even a few YouTubers, Tobuscus, KassemG, and Corey Vidal, made their way into this event somehow, and we got to meet and chat with them. YouTubers are unique because they are more “normal” because their fame isn’t the same as people in movies and TV shows. Natalie and I got to have extensive conversations with these people, which I could not believe. I have watched all of them for a long time and never thought I would meet them, let alone hang out with them. Natalie and I, at first, felt like we were supposed to ignore everyone walking in, but eventually, with the help of Morgan’s boyfriend Jacob, we began to meet people. Everyone was very nice and VERY excited about Star Wars. Then came time for the movie showing. Stormtroopers escorted us into the theatre where we would find Morgan waiting for us at our seats. I don’t think I will ever have better seats at a movie again in my life. After the movie, Morgan took us to the after party VIP room where we met even more people. Natalie’s highlight was getting to meet Taylor Swift’s brother (sadly T-Swizzle couldn’t make it). Now, I will move on to the movie review.

All I can say is wow. First off, this is a movie you have to see more than once to truly appreciate. Also, there are always going to be people who hate a movie, no matter what, so my advice is to go into this movie wanting to enjoy it because it is truly worth enjoying. I have seen it several times, but I still have to see it several more times because every time you watch it, you find something new. Whether it’s a little joke or a hidden message, something new is always found in each viewing.

I strongly believe that some of the greatest scenes in all of Star Wars are found in this movie. One of them is the death of Han Solo. Everything about that scene is perfect. From the moment Han Solo yells, “BEN!” to the moment he falls into the pit, it is beautiful. As Kylo Ren, AKA Ben Solo, makes his decision to kill his father, the blue light that is shining on his face from the moon changes to all red, showing how Kylo Ren has lost his pull to the light side. The next scene that I consider one of the greatest in all of Star Wars is the lightsaber fight between Finn and Kylo Ren followed by the lightsaber fight between Rey and Kylo Ren. There are barely any lines in this scene because it is almost entirely a visual storytelling. The inner emotions of every character come out through their style of fighting. Truly another beautiful scene. However, there is one character who, even though I am biased, shines above the rest: Poe Dameron.

He is ultimately the one who saves the galaxy by diving into the building and blowing up the core from the inside. A scene that captures his entire character is when the Resistance shows up at Maz’s castle to save Han, Rey, Finn, and Chewie. Poe decimates several Tie Fighters in a matter of seconds. Oh and for those of you that do not know, the Dameron part of Poe Dameron is named after my sister because she is so cool. Alright, that’s it. I know I missed a lot but there is simply too much to this movie to be put into a short article. Hopefully you will go see it because it is definitely deserves a 10/10. n

In a technologically-driven modern society, what are the benefits of taking a break from our screens?

Natalie Dameron Staff Writer

One Week: No Tech

Stepping out of the car, after driving until the highways turned to roads which turned to paths in forests, my dad and I were stunned at the first sound we heard: nothing. The loudest silence I had ever experienced, and still have ever experienced, washed over the both of us. We had entered the grounds of Camp Miniwanca, a camp that sits right on the shores of Lake Michigan. This camp also happens to be technology-free because of the location, the experience, or both.

Although giving your phone up is more or less optional, the lack of Wifi and service turned the all-purpose iPhone into just a camera, and as time went on, I realized the majority of campers chose to separate from their phone completely. This fact in itself was pleasantly surprising to me because, from my experience, I know few teenagers who would voluntarily separate themselves from their technological limb. But at Camp Miniwanca, it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem all that uncommon, and each day I found myself becoming more comfortable and confident in myself without my cell phone.

From observing my surroundings more intensely to enjoying experiences purely for the experience, not to document or post

them I started to forget about my phone. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m aware that in this age when cell phones serve as the center of most all communication, to live without one is unrealistic. I became greatly involved within this community of people from all across the country, even across the world.

My mind filled with more positive thoughts, rather than focusing on the negative. Even more than finding new friends and new groups, I became involved with my environment. This one week of no technology forced me to listen, watch, and hear with more care. I was far more observant than ever before, especially during times when our only assignment was to be present in the surroundings, in nature, and in each moment individually. Each night we had a time dedicated specifically to reflecting on what happened that day. These moments were when I did my best thinking, thoughts that I never could have explored while on my phone. The disposable camera I carried with me also helped to channel my memories into what I wanted to remember the most. Rather than being overwhelmed with the obligation to document every moment with my phone, I had just twenty seven exposures for twenty

seven moments. As camp came to a close, and I headed back to civilization on the bus, my phone buzzed non-stop with hundreds of texts I had not seen during the week. Prior to this experience, I would have instantly answered all of them.

However, I did not answer anyone in that moment, with the exception of my parents. There was no way I could share my experience in a set number of characters. It needed to stay in my memory as my unforgettable week with nature. n

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TV

Shaina Desai Managing Editor

reviews

Master of None is a Netflix original, created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yiang, which follows Aziz Ansari as Dev Shah as he tries to navigate through life in New York City. I have seen a few of Aziz Ansari’s stand-up comedy shows, but after watching Master of None, I was left with a different feeling. His stand-up comedies portray deep thought and witty jokes about seemingly insignificant events, whereas in Master of None, this same wit is used to address racial and social stereotypes. Several people told me to watch the show, and as a result, may have built it up too much, causing me to enjoy it less than I would have without previous recommendation. I feel like several moments are elongated with nothing happening and found myself continually reaching for my phone. I am a Netflix binge-watcher, but it was very difficult to continually watch Master of None without doing anything else. Though the plot is cohesive, it is not suspenseful enough to want to watch the next episode immediately. I expected to laugh uncontrollably but was shocked when the show seemed boring. Nevertheless, the show is still valuable due to its realistic nature. When compared to other sitcoms such as How I Met Your Mother, which is clearly exaggerated to add humor, Master of None portrays realistic interactions and situations. Parents lacking an understanding of technology, friends watching TV and going to concerts together, people not understanding Benedict Cumberbatch on Sherlock due to his British accent, and Dev’s parents telling stories of immigrating to the United States are all scenarios and stereotypes present in today’s world. Dev tries to make it in the film industry in New York City, but at the premiere, he discovers that all of his scenes present in The Sickening were cut. He also comes across a racist comment in an email accidentally sent to him, addressing racial issues present in today’s society. Though a sitcom meant for entertainment, Master of None is extremely realistic in its presentation of the real world as Dev wanders through life with his friends in New York City. n

Delaney Northington Contributor

Book

One of the most iconic scenes in movie history: Audrey Hepburn gets out of a taxi, stunning in a long black gown, and a quadruple strand of pearls, her caramel-colored hair crowned with a tiara, her eyes shaded by large round sun-glasses. She walks toward the window of Tiffany's, and the dreamy, crooning melody of Mancini's "Moon River" drifts in, making the viewer wonder if this is the most beautiful thing they've ever experienced. Everyone knows it, but what few people know is the origin of both the story and the heroine, Holly Golightly.

Truman Capote’s 1958 novella, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, takes place during World War II in New York Cit. It follows the narrator, a writer called Fred, and his loving interactions with a starry-eyed 18 year-old Holly Golightly, who adores Tiffany’s, her cat, and parties.

I began this novella expecting something slightly shallow; however, I was pleasantly surprised that the book portrayed complex, three-dimensional characters and in a refreshing manner. Fans of the movie will be pleased to find that their beloved Holly is a much deeper character than the movie depicts. The book was hard to put down; however, the ending left me wanting more. It felt as if there was no true conclusion; yet, it seems as if Capote intended the ending to be so, as the narrator himself never receives much closure about Holly’s adventures and leaves the story open-ended. Overall, though, this book was a great read, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in an entertaining short story. n

Music

Lauren Washington Designer

Personally, I was never a diehard Belieber, as many fans call themselves, but I did find some of Justin Bieber’s songs pretty enjoyable. Bieber has been no stranger to the tabloids exploiting his recent escapades from the past couple years, but this year he committed himself to reconnecting with his passion: music. With his fourth album, titled Purpose, Bieber presents himself humbly, maturely, and apologetically. Bieber reformed his previous teenage pop sound with a blend of R&B and techno-dance beats. To accompany his album, Bieber created a series of videos titled “Purpose: The Movement” (you can find them on YouTube), with talented dancers conveying the message of each track on the album. Throughout the record, Bieber explores themes of love, remorse, hope, and faith effortlessly with acoustic and electro-beat tracks. Delicate and smooth piano melodies on the track “Life Is Worth Living” express Bieber’s vulnerability and offer a light to anyone’s darkness. On the track, he acknowledges that he has made mistakes, but he pleads the concept of forgiveness and moving forward with life. The track “I’ll Show You” offers more upbeat EDM ballads, but still he reiterates, “Don’t forget that I’m human.” Bieber opens up about the pressures from his lifestyle but is determined to overcome his struggles in “I’ll Show You.” The tracks “No Pressure,” “Mark My Words,” and “Company” step away from his remorse and delve into his romantic feelings. Those three songs could possibly be about his ex, Selena Gomez, because in “Mark My Words” he acknowledges that “After all that we've been through / Imma show you more than I ever could say.” Bieber did admit that Gomez was his inspirational source for a few of his heartfelt songs, as he obviously is trying to prove he’s worthy of her love in “Mark My Words.” However, on the tracks “The Feeling” and “Love Yourself,” Justin questions his love with lyrics like “Am I in love with you? / Or am I in love with the feeling?” Shying away from the heavier topics, the tracks “Sorry,” “What Do You Mean,” and “Where Are You Now” are more upbeat party songs featuring artists like Diplo, Jack Ü, and Skrillex. Towards the end of the album, Bieber reconnects with his faith in “All In It” and “Purpose,” and leaves inspiration for the youth in the track, “Children.” In “All In It” Bieber sings about his past need for perfection, but now he only needs recognition from God. With the upbeat track “Children,” Bieber proposes a series of questions to our generation pleading them to “Be a visionary for a change.” Ultimately, even if you are not a huge fan of Bieber, his growth on this album is exceptional, and I would highly recommend taking a listen. n

Cosplayer of the Issue Isabella Way and Rachel Colligan Staff Writers V: For those who don’t know, what is cosplay?

S: Cosplay is a form of dressing up as characters from pop culture.

These characters can range from blockbuster movies, comics, TV shows, to anime, manga, etc. Most people wear these costumes to conventions like comic conventions (a.k.a comic cons). Cosplaying can range from hand-making and molding an extravagant seven-foot Groot costume to wearing a store bought t-shirt and gloves and dressing up as Captain Hammer. It’s really for anyone. In order to compete effectively and be invited as a guest cosplayer to conventions, it’s necessary to create your own costumes.

V: Why do you like to dress up? What inspired you to get into this hobby?

S: I’ve always loved Halloween, so dressing up has always been a favorite of mine. Cosplay seems to be a natural extension of this.

One year my mom made me an awesome Han Solo costume for Halloween which I decided to wear to Planet Comic Con (this was several years ago before cosplay became such a pop culture phenomenon). I decided to compete in the kids’ costume contest and won. I then found out that it was actually a thing people do around the world, and I thought, “Wow, now I can wear my Halloween costumes all the time!” From there, I was kind of hooked. More recently, a very good friend of mine, Jessica Meditz Porter, a locally well-known cosplayer also known as Elite Supergirl, inspired me to start using my costumes for charity work.

She pretty much took me under her wing and has mentored me as I’ve become much more serious about my cosplaying. While I love attending and appearing at conventions, charity events with kids are my absolute favorite thing involving cosplaying – this includes visiting sick and disabled children individually. It is humbling to know that I have been able to make last wishes come true and have helped to brighten a child’s day merely by doing something I love. It’s one of the reasons the majority of my cosplays are very strongly child-friendly and child favorites.

V: Which characters have you portrayed in the past?

S: Oh gosh. My first cosplay was Han Solo, then I was Rapunzel from Tangled, Merida from Brave, the new Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Alice in Wonderland, Scarlet Witch, Batgirl (DC Superhero Girls version) and my most recent costumes, Wondergirl and Anna from Frozen.

V: Do you have any conventions or competitions coming up?

S: Well, in February I’m going to three conventions, Wichita ESports on February 6-7, StealthCon in Warrensburg on February 13-14, and Empower Comic Con in Topeka on February 20-21, and of course, Naka Con in March. Of those, I will be a guest cosplayer at ESports, which is a gaming convention (I will be appearing as Linkle from Warriors Legends and likely one of the Alices from Alice Madness Returns) and Empower (where I will be appearing as Marvel’s Kate Bishop and likely Wondergirl). As for competing, I’m hoping to compete at NakaCon in March. Of course, I’ll be at Kansas City Comicon again where I’ll be a guest for the second year in a row.

V: Do you plan on doing this activity in the future? If so, where does it fit into your future?

S: I do. It’s a big part of my life, and has really helped with my self-confidence. It’s something anyone can do, and I absolutely love it!

Sloane Withers-Marney

V: What makes a good costume? Wigs? Fake tattoos?

S: The overall presentation, mainly how you present yourself, is a lot of what makes a good costume stand out. I mean, if you spend all of this time and money on a costume to look great and to embody the character, and then you slouch around in it looking like you hate the world, no one’s going to really pay attention to your costume. Even if it’s amazing. It is also important to play to your audience. I largely do kid-friendly characters. Children think you are the character and I really believe you have a sort of duty to keep those beliefs alive. Kids believe the fantasy for such a short time in their life, and it’s important not to ruin the fantasy.

V: Where do you get your costumes? Do you make them, or buy them from a store?

S: My mom actually makes almost all of my costumes, since I can’t really sew at all. More recently however, I’ve been making more of my props and other more detail-oriented parts of my costumes. A lot of planning and resourcing of fabrics, costume parts, props, etc. go into each costume. The planning stage can sometimes be longer than the actual creation stage. I recently got my first “bought” costume, a Princess Anna costume which I use for charitable events.

V: How long have you been doing cosplay?

S: I’ve been cosplaying for about five and a half years now. My first convention was in May of 2010. n 25

Th

<

efugee C R n a i r e Sy

risis

Alice Rowland ‘16 With the growing conflict in Syria and the recent Paris Attacks, once again the United States is torn between its founding principles and current national security. And the decision is confusing.

Mike Huckabee, presidential hopeful, perhaps explains it most simply: “If you buy a five pound bag of peanuts, and if you knew that in the five pound bag of peanuts there were about 10 peanuts that were deadly poisonous, would you feed them to your kids?”

Thus, Huckabee concludes, why would we let thousands of Syrian refugees cross our borders? Well, Mr. Huckabee, it depends on if these kids are as insensitive as you.

After the atrocious Paris attacks, an act of terrorism on American soil seems inevitable. And we, as Americans, need to protect ourselves from the threat of those people. I mean, just like the honorable Donald J. Trump called it, the idea of “talking to these people” or the idea of acknowledging the plight of Syrian refugees, is absolute “insanity.” And he’s right. The way thirty-one states and their governors have approached the displacement of nine million people is insane. It is insane that we, as the most powerful nation in the world, as the nation that lays claim to the name of a “melting pot,” would ignore the desperate cries for help coming from the Middle East. It’s insane that we have reduced these million people to nothing more than poisonous peanuts. It’s insane that our European counterparts have been letting in more than double the amount of refugees the United States has allowed for the past few

26

years. But it’s mostly insane that Americans are using the claim of “national security” to justify prejudices and blatant racism against a mass group of people. Just as the Confederacy’s claim of “state’s rights” became a justification for slavery during the Civil War, the perceived threat to national security is exactly what this rejection of refugees is built on.

Hidden amongst this insanity lies hypocrisy. We’ve become a nation of hypocrites. We want to claim that “not all men are sexist” or “not all white people are racist” so that we can detach ourselves from the obscene acts of a radical few during events such as the attacks on Planned Parenthood in Colorado or the shooting in a historically black church in South Carolina. However, when we see events such as the Paris attacks or the San Bernardino shooting, we hurry to categorize and label a group of people as a threat because of the actions of a small radical few. However, the greatest hypocrisy lies engraved on Lady Liberty. For at the “golden doors” of our nation, she stands beckoning to these seeking refuge and asking the world to “give (her) your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me.” But we, sitting on our untouchable throne of an island, completely disregard fundamental values upon which America was founded and forget the thousands of people who came here searching for better lives. Well, in a nation of hypocrites, what kind of a better life are we providing? n

Should they be allowe d

i n?

James Parkerson ‘16

The United States is a nation of immigrants. For centuries now we have opened our doors to let in the oppressed and endangered.

We take pride in our ideals of freedom and in being a safe haven for those around the world. However, the U.S. is currently faced with a unique situation with regards to immigration. After the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, we can see that we can’t really draw a correlation between today and our acceptance of Jewish refugees during WWII and Vietnamese in the 1970s. The only time before we have vehemently detested accepting refugees on the basis that they could be possible terrorists was the Red Scare of the 1920s. As the United States has firmly identified itself as an interventionist state since WWII, we’ve taken up the role to serve as a humanitarian leader in the world. But allowing a mass influx of Syrian refugees into the U.S. right now is simply a bad idea.

Let’s start with the Paris and San Bernardino attacks. ISIS agents have found their way inside the borders of western nations and have begun radicalizing other Muslims. While the majority of Syrian refugees in the United States are women and children, there is still a chance that some ISIS agents will slip through the cracks of an already weak system. Even the FBI’s assistant director of its Counterterrorism Division has stated that “we don’t have it under control” in regard to our vetting system of Middle Eastern refugees. Obviously, we want to help these refugees, but there is just too much at risk. ISIS would be foolish not to exploit this crack in the system and do whatever it can to infiltrate the United States.

We’ve already experienced a mass shooting in San Bernardino, and we can’t ignore the possibility of another attack if we don’t

limit this influx of refugees. I think we have to consider what every immigrant will contribute to the United States. If there’s a reasonable chance a refugee could be an ISIS agent or become radicalized due to a lack of information in the screening process, we can’t wholeheartedly let them in our country. The United States has always been very generous toward accepting immigrants, but there comes a point where we have to really consider who we are letting in and why. We need to be 100% sure that they will support and follow the ideals of the United States. But we aren’t.

The attacks in Paris and San Bernardino have shown that an ISIS presence is very real in the West. Such a fear of terrorist attacks did not exist when we opened our borders to others seeking refuge.

The United States should not feel compelled to accept Syrian refugees. Many other nations have opened up their doors, most notably other Middle Eastern nations. It makes a lot more sense to me for Syrians to move to a nation that speaks Arabic and has a similar culture than move all the way to the United States.

I’m not opposed to Muslims entering the United States; I’m worried about ISIS. Syrian Christians face more dire circumstances than Syrian Muslims because they risk being executed by ISIS if they do not convert to Islam. However, I’m still against accepting Syrian refugees simply based on religion. What stops an ISIS agent from posing as a Christian? Is Assad going to help us with our screening? We have to do what’s in the best interest of national security. We have to defeat ISIS and prevent them from becoming a parasite of the United States. n

27

Q

&

Mr. Burke Natalie Dameron Staff Writer

Q: Favorite part of the holiday season/favorite holiday tradition?

A: Probably Christmas Eve. We always have a special family dinner and watch It’s a Wonderful Life.

Q: What is your perfect pizza?

A: That's tough. I like chicken. I like a barbecue chicken. No one else likes it...but I like Thai chicken or barbecue chicken, those are my favorites.

Q: What is your all-time favorite movie?

A: Let's have some fun. Let's say Pitch Perfect.

Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and what 3 items would you take?

A: I would go to Indonesia. Bring my new guide book (gifted from Estu), my phone, and my wallet.

Q: Favorite book?

A: The Grapes of Wrath.

Q: What is your favorite genre of music/band from that genre?

A: I'm a Kendrick Lamar, 50 cent, Flava Flave fan. I like all those.

Q: Greatest gift you have ever received?

A: I’ll say to travel in Europe with my family.

Q: If you could host a dinner party with anyone from history, who would it be?

A: Michael Scott.

Q: What's your favorite restaurant in Kansas City?

A: Governor Stumpy’s or La Bodega.

Q: What's your best advice?

A: Don't stress out about standardized tests. They don’t mean anything in the course of your life. THEY DON’T MEAN ANYTHING in the greater scheme of life.

A

This month, The Voice interviews college counselor David Burke and English teacher Piper Abernathy

Mrs. Abernathy Q: If you could witness any moment or event from history, which would you choose?

A: The inception of conscious human thought.

Q:What is your favorite genre of music/what is your favorite artist from that genre?

A: Alternative—right now I am obsessed with Twenty One Pilots.

Q: What is your favorite novel?

A: John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany.

Q: Who inspires you?

A: People who survive themselves.

Q: What is your best piece of advice?

A: Read poetry (aloud) every day.

Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Kansas City?

A: Malay Cafe.

Q: What is the greatest gift you have ever received?

A: Another chance.

Q: If you could watch only one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A: Titanic. I’m not kidding—it takes you through the gamut of emotion.

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: Nope.

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?

A: Robert Downey, Jr. n

Photo credits to Natalie Dameron

Drawing the Line

by Sam Hrabko

30 1. Curtis’s sweatshirt logo flipped 2. Royals shirt number change 3. Jack Mitchell shirt color change 4.

Kippy’s face on Catherine’s 5. Duplicate certificates on wall

4

Find five differences between the photos.

Answers, upside down, are below.

Puzzles

Find the Differences

Crossword

Across: 4. Female sheep 5. Month after March 7. College ______, wide ______ (one word) 10. Reflects sunshine 11. Canadian Prime Minister _____ Trudeau 14. Winter sport played in Phillips Gym: _____ ball 15. Popular coffee shop just across the street from Pembroke Hill’s Ward Parkway Campus 19. Aziz Ansari’s Netflix original series Master of ______ 20. The FLOTUS’s first name 21. 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 are all ______ years 22. Grouping of TV episodes 24. Color of Spotify’s logo

Down: 1. “Is it too late now to say _____?” --Justin Bieber 2. The second planet from the sun 3. First name of math team coach and Harry Potter/Star Wars enthusiast 5. Last name of the second president of the United States 6. _____Gosling, _____ Reynolds (one word) 8. The capital of Idaho 9. Ash Ketchum’s signature Pokemon 12. _____ States, _____ Kingdom, _____ Airlines (one word) 13. Paul, John, George, and _____ 17. Espresso, chocolate, and milk 18. Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is senator of this state 22. “Let us go then, you and I, / When the evening is _____ out against the sky.” --T.S. Eliot 23. Nation between Norway and Finland

Letter from the

Editors

In recent Kansas City news, the morale of the entire city has been boosted by the Chiefs’ winning streak and entry into the playoffs. Many have speculated why our football team was able to secure such a positive turnaround. Among the most interesting theories bounced around the KC community is that the Chiefs’ miraculous recovery from five straight losses arose directly from the Royals’ World Series win; the Chiefs fed off of the Royals’ energy to find their spark.

This phenomenon got us thinking, and we realized success feeds off of success. We understand that oftentimes waves of competitiveness wash over the school, especially because many of us share similar goals. While a little friendly competition never hurt anybody, the importance of being proud and happy for our peers as they prosper has never been more motivating.

As we endeavour through the many academic and extracurricular challenges presented to us, we build a sense of community. Don’t let camaraderie go to waste; instead, use it to fuel your achievements. We never thought we’d say this, but take a page from the Chiefs this new year; your remaining semester will be much more pleasant.

Sincerely, Elizabeth and Megan

The Voice Podcast

By Spencer Thut ‘16

iTunes

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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.

As an open forum, The Voice encourages its readers to submit Letters to the Editors. The editors reserve the right to not publish letters. The Voice also accepts advertising and like articles. The editors reserve the right to not publish advertisements.

Like us on Facebook at The Pembroke Hill Voice and follow us on Twitter at PHSVoice. Find us online at issuu.com/PHSVoice.

The Voice is YOUR publication. Please read responsibly.

whispers

news blurbs from around school pembroke hill students... built a house in belize in just four days. the aware club... raised $350 in less than three days for international refugees with their santa sit fundraiser. derrick kagwanja ‘17... is teaching an interesting janterm class entitled nouveau noir: black music and dance from the 20th century to the present day. pembroke hill alum ben gallagher ‘13... is pursuing his music career and recently auditioned for american idol, making it to the next round in hollywood spencer thut ‘16 and evan peterson ‘16... are collaborating to produce an original full-length album during janterm Editors-in-Chief Elizabeth Gerson and Megan She Senior Designer Laura Hibschman Copy Editors Emily Cohen Christine Zheng Gina Pepitone Head of Digital Cormac Chester Photographers Bella Barnes Mickey Ferguson Illustrator Olive Honan

Managing Editors Davis Brooks Shaina Desai Shannon Fang Gunjan Gaur Saurabh Goel Elizabeth Shulman Designers Shaina Desai Shannon Fang Olive Honan Lauren Washington Middle School Coordinator Jacqueline Kincaid

Multimedia Editor Spencer Thut

Staff Writers Bella Barnes Sarah Chamberlain Natalie Dameron Shaina Desai Mickey Ferguson Bella Foote Pallavi Jonnalagadda Jaqueline Kincaid Kate Kramer Lindsay Luchinsky Gina Pepitone Lauren Washington Christine Zheng Isabella Way Maggie Burke Business Manager Maya Hill

Columnists Clay Lundgren – “Biased Opinions with Clay” Olive Honan and Maggie Burke– “The Buzz” Christine Zheng –”KC Crawl” James Parkerson and Alice Rowland – “Calvin and Hobbes” Dylan Dameron – “‘Dam’ Straight” Mickey Ferguson – “Food Fight” Faculty Sponsors Dr. Matt Clothier and Dr. Kim Banion