The Voice - January, 2015 by Pembroke Hill Voice

The Voice January 2015

JANTERM Plus, an exclusive interview with the White House Press Secretary

Contents January 2015

“The people of the world must re-think their lives on Earth” p. 15

10 Swiss Semester Sophomores Catherine Dema and Brett Barnow describe their experiences and adventures in the municipality of Zermatt

19 Marijuana We discuss the war on legalization

12 Interview with Josh Earnest Our Editors-In-Chief speak with the White House Press Secretary On the Cover Mickey Tinoco ‘17 cooks for a Wornall Campus Janterm class. Photo credit Beth Bryant.

Why leggings are viewed as distractions in a learning environment, and why students disagree

26 Food Reviews We spotlight the legendary cronut, a fusion between a croissant and a donut

Mr. Romick and Mrs. Cain pose for a selfie on their Janterm trip to London Read about more Janterm trips on pages six and seven.

Buzz

Edited by Devon Dietrich and Olive Honan

Prequels, Sequels, and Remakes of Movies

2015

Get ready for:

Ted 2

The Woman in Black 2

Stephen Colbertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new show!

Magic Mike XXL

Taken 3

Terminator Genisys

Insurgent

Poltergeist

Furious 7

Color of the Year:

Marsala

Cinderella

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

The Fantastic Four

Avengers: Age of Ultron Pitch Perfect 2

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Insidious: Chapter 3

Mission Impossible 5

Chinese zodiac: of Year the She

Yearly Horoscopes

Aquarius (Jan 21 - Feb 18) This year, you will have ample opportunities to prove your worth. Success will come to you, but do not forget to work hard.

Taurus (Apr 21 - May 21) This year, be ready for some twists and turns. In your best interests, stay open-minded and flexible.

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20) This year will be hectic, so do your best to relax and stay cool. In love, you may continue to remain unsure about a relationship but have faith.

Gemini (May 22 - Jun 21) Have faith in your instincts this year. In your spare time, recharge yourself by indulging in a hobby.

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 20) Pick your opportunities wisely this year, and take the best advantage of them. This year may begin on a low-key, but do not get disappointed.

Cancer (Jun 22 - Jul 22) The highs will overshadow the lows of this year. Your personal sphere shall need your undivided attention through the year.

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22) This year will begin on a high note, and you shall feel energetic enough to take on the world. Be sure to take time and reflect on your personal growth.

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22) This year you will have to remain pragmatic and control your temper. You will not be short on opportunities, but take risks.

Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 23) Juggling work and personal aspects shall bring you a newer perspective and open novel avenues. You need to be assertive and tactful.

Scorpio (Oct 24 - Nov 22) Life has a way of balancing out everything. You will be successful if you follow your passions.

Sagittarius(Nov 23 - Dec 21) This promises to be a year full of opportunities and gains. But do not brag about it - the more humble you remain, the better chances you will get.

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 20) Divide the year into two clear parts: focus on execution,then be ready to get pleasantly surprised. Routine work shall keep you busy and avoid multi-tasking.

A Glance AT During the JanTerm week after winter break, students look forward to broadening their boundaries. Unconventional classes allow students to explore topics they would not be able to in normal classes, experience different genres of movies, create extraordinary crafts, and so on. Alternatives to JanTerm classes include academic or community service independent student projects and school-sponsored trips. This year, trips are offered to Guatemala, Miami, and London/UK.

Pysanky Instructors: Lacy, Cho

This course involves the Ukrainian art of decorating eggs using beeswax and dyes. Though, the art is easier said then done. Pysanky is truly a meticulous art that requires much practice. However, once it is mastered, the artist is able to create eggs into some of the most beautiful decorative objects. (Pronounced “peh-sankeh,” with the emphasis on the “peh”)

Super Smash Bros 101

Instructors: Latshaw, Amend, Cozad,Griffiths

This course focuses on the intricacies of the video game Super Smash Bros. Melee: how characters match up with one another, high-level maneuvers, and the history of the melee. However, most importantly, there will be multiple (and extremely competitive) Super Smash Bros tournaments held throughout the week.

PHS Scav Hunt 3 Instructors: Christian, Abernathy

The fairly new Scavenger Hunt course has become one of the most popular at Pembroke. Students are split up into teams, given a list of rules and items they must obtain/ accomplish, and attempt to score as many points as possible. No sacrifice is too big. All dignity is lost. May the best team win.

JanTerm Classes Sociology and the Simpsons Instructor: Duckworth

In this course, students will explore the popular cartoon show The Simpsons. After watching different episodes of this show, the class will discuss the sociological concepts such as deviance, norms, social boundaries, social controls, norm conflict, etc. Who knew a satirical TV show could offer so much intellectual insight?

Moneyball 101: How Nerds Learned to Dominate Baseball Instructors: Honeck, Kripke, Burke

This course is taught by Pembroke Hill Alumni who will introduce advanced baseball statistics. It will focus on the history of baseball statistics, how to evaluate teams and players, as well as the difference between numerical evidence and traditional baseball experience. By the end of the class, the students will become statistical experts, be able to understand complex stats, and dominate in fantasy baseball leagues.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Radioactive! Instructor: Cho

What exactly are nuclear reactors, nuclear bombs, atomic bombs, and radioactivity? How do those entities effect us as a society today? Through books, films, and discussions, this class will explore the explosive side of chemistry, such as the Manhattan Project and the making of the atomic bomb. This class will debunk the myths of radioactivity and learn about the advances of the atomic age.

Photo Credits to Beth Bryant

AROUND THE

WORLD IN A WEEK

Students embark on JanTerm trips to London and Guatemala

Lizzie Shulman Assistant Editor

The first week back on campus after winter break marks one of the students’ favorite Pembroke Hill traditions: January Interim. This unique week eases the transition from days of Netflix and naps to days of schoolwork and stress. During “JanTerm,” students step outside the regular curriculum to study a wide array of subjects, including yoga, the philosophy of Harry Potter, and the current state of the Middle East. In addition, many students opt to spend JanTerm abroad. This year, Pembroke students traveled to London and Guatemala.

From Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, to acting workshops and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, this year's trip to England was full of excitement. English teacher Justin Romick and acting teacher Rachel Cain led students into culture shock that extended beyond the obvious differences in speech, currency, and measurement. For Allison Ernst '15, this meant being asked, "Tea or coffee?" at every opportunity. Nathalie Kiersznowski '17 found other differences: "London's schooling system is so different. It seems everyone here at sixteen has so much direction. Many of them have already chosen what they want to do . . . and the people we meet ask us these questions and expect us to have that clear path. It's all a bit disorienting." The most memorable moments seemed to come from the less traditional experiences. Senior Matthew Nelson's highlight was touring the backstage of the production War Horse, meeting with the actors, and hearing firsthand about life as a performer on the London stage:"We were able to see the mechanics of the show and really understand how it was put together. Learning about how the actors prepared for their roles was absolutely fascinating.” Along with War Horse, the students explored the theatre district by watching The 39 Steps and The Shoemaker’s Holiday. Delaney Northington ‘18 summarized her week: “I think, altogether, this was an utterly unforgettable experience for everyone involved.”

LONDON

GUATEMALA

Teacher, coach, and community service coordinator Sam Knopik and Pembroke parent Dr. Paul Chan traveled with students to Guatemala to explore the complicated factors that affect rural health in developing nations. Through immersion in Mayan culture, conversations with politicians, and interactions with landowners, students explored the “behind-the-scenes issues in the region,” doing what Knopik hoped would help them “begin to understand the ‘business’ of doing good, not just the feeling good of doing good.” To apply what they learned, students divided into teams to build latrines and efficient stoves. To Remy Williams ‘15, what made the trip to Guatemala such a rewarding experience was their ability to enact lasting change: “Instead of simply visiting and 'putting a bandaid' on the problem, we [worked] to help create permanent, sustainable solutions.” Knopik hopes experiences like the Guatemala trip will instill in the students a sense of “what it takes to impact others for the greater good.” He continues, “I want [our students] to discover that real change, real service, happens at another level. That level exists in spheres of influence in which they will all one day be decision makers.” Of course, the trip was not without free time. Students also kayaked, swam in the volcanic lake Lago de Atitlán, hiked up a volcano, and shopped in Mayan markets. Overall, the travelers found their visit to Guatemala to be an exciting, gratifying, and one-of-a-kind experience.n

Article by Shaina Desai Staff Writer

Winter Sports 2014-2015

Girls Basketball

Wrestling

The girls basketball team has been triumphant so far, winning tournaments and games consistently. Both new and old members love the sport and the bonding from the four months the team shares together. Bella Foote ‘16 states she “loves the energy on the team when everyone is constantly cheering each other on,” and she also enjoys how “[We] become like family because of the long season.” Gina Pepitone ‘18, a freshman new to the team, said: “The team leadership by upperclassmen is great, and they are all really nice and helpful when the freshmen are struggling.”

Though small, the wrestling team, coached by Todd Harris, is extremely successful at tournaments and matches. This year, they gained several new freshmen and can’t wait to experience another great season. Freshman Nicholas Pallotto ‘18 states his favorite moment during a match is “when you pin someone and the ref slaps the mat to show that you defeated your opponent.”

Boys Basketball

The PHS Dance Team competes in tournaments and also performs during halftime at basketball games. Both the junior varsity and varsity teams perform spectacularly at competitions, usually placing in both individual categories (such as pom) and overall. Natalie Dameron ‘17 mentions: “My favorite part about dance team is the family atmosphere of the girls during the season. Also, we have ‘sisters’, which is one senior to every one or two underclassmen, and we give each other gifts and support.” Also enjoying the family aspect of the team, Elizabeth Lacy ‘15 shares that her favorite part about being a senior so far was “dancing to Big Noise at the first competition and hearing the JV scream for the varsity team.”

The resulting victories for the boys basketball games, which are full of fans, are a result of hard work and dedication. The players become extremely close as the season progresses, and the team becomes their second family. Jack Ramza ‘18 declares, “The best part is being able to work hard and then relax and laugh with both underclassmen and upperclassmen. Also, the feeling of always being a part of the team is the best.” All players love helping each other both on and off the court throughout the season. Girls Swim and Dive The Girls Swim and Dive Team is another winter sport that does well in their competitions and meets. Though technically an individual sport, the team still gets extremely close and participates in team bonding to get to know each other even more. Emily Green ‘16 shares, “The team gets so close during the season, and we all love to support each other during the meets!” Winter Cheerleading Winter Cheerleaders are instrumental in giving more Raider spirit to the fans in the bleachers during basketball games. The team adopted a family for the holiday season and collected gifts for them. Paige Penning ‘16 happily shares, “We have a really great group of people who probably would never have gotten to know each other without the sport. We all found our spots and have figured out how to rely on each other.” They trust each other with both their personal lives and bodies when they perform stunts.n

Dance Team

Exotic Vacations and Holiday Traditions With much studying, students were able to finally get through their end of the year exams. Studying until four in the morning was not required. Last minute cramming was no longer necessary either Winter break had arrived. In order to recharge their batteries, many people head off on vacation to remote locations and others relax in the warmth of their home.

John Rosher ‘16 climbed in Tanzania. The mountain can take 8 days to climb all the way to the summit, depending on the route that is taken. According to Rosher, he will have “two guides leading 6 people as well as a porter for each person” to carry gear.

As he reached the top of the mountain, which is at 19,300 feet, the temperature edged close to -10 degrees Fahrenheit. This climb is no mean feat, as Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It even creates its own weather cycles.

Out of all the things one does over Winter Break, you can never forget Christmas or New Year. Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. New Years is the day before the new year- December 31st. You probably stayed up till midnight to watch the colorful, crystal, ball drop. You probably counted down from 10 and then yelled in jubilee after the count came down to 0. It’s now 2015 a new year and a brand new start.

Saurabh Goel ‘16 also traversed to an exotic part of the world. He visited his grandparents in Indore, India and traveled to Mumbai near the end of his trip. Although his journey to India was just to visit his family, the distance of his journey indicates the adventurousness of Pembroke Hill students.

Article by Cormac Chester Web Designer

Many students decided to watch a movie over the holiday break. Movies released over winter break include The Hobbit, Into the Woods, and Penguins of Madagascar. These movies were a big hit this holiday season with millions of people viewing them

in theaters daily. On Rotten Tomatoes, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies had a total of 3 out of 5 stars. Into the woods had a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5. Penguins of Madagascar had a rating of 3.5 out of five stars on Rotten Tomatoes as well.n

S wiss semester This past semester, sophomores Brett Barnow and Catherine Dema took the road less traveled as they ventured thousands of miles away from the conventional KC lifestyle and ensconced themselves in the rituals of Zermatt, Switzerland. Barnow and Dema were the two Pembroke students given the opportunity to participate in the Swiss Semester program of 2014.

Catherine describes the experience as intense, insane, and incredible. Barnow told us it was a strenuous, but intellectual, expedition. Both students thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but traveling away from home comes with challenges and differences. Before leaving Kansas City, both Barnow and Dema were nervous, but extremely excited. They came to learn they had thirty-nine other â&#x20AC;&#x153;siblingsâ&#x20AC;? transitioning into this new lifestyle with them, making the entire process a little less intimidating. Throughout the three months they spent abroad, Barnow and Dema went skiing, hiking, wet gorging, and traveling to Annecy and Venice for weekend excursions. Not only did they endure strenuous physical activities, but they also took classes with a competitive curriculum. Photo Credits to Brett Barnow and Catherine Dema

Culture shock was inevitable for both students as they immersed themselves into a new world of language and culture. Of course, Barnow and Dema missed our classic KC BBQ, their peers, and the homey atmosphere of our city, but through Swiss Semester, they gained valuable insight into their own potential.

Barnow summed his thoughts up by telling us, “I am much more capable of doing things by myself and Swiss Semester has also just immersed me into a different culture than that of America.” Dema adds, “My life has changed not only because of my second family I made at Swiss Semester, but also because I’m more outgoing than I was before. I realized that doing anything without a risk isn’t worth doing.”

As the December days started rolling in, Barnow and Dema returned home from Switzerland. Remarks Dema, “I would go back in an instant. Even though it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, it was also the best and I can’t imagine having done anything else with my semester!” Although they missed their friends and family, Barnow and Dema had experiences of a lifetime. n Article by Jillian Jetmore Staff Writer

THE YOUNGER MR. EARNEST Each week at assembly, Pembroke students see athletic director Don Earnest. Each day on the news, people across the nation see his son, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, on the news. We talked to the younger Mr. Earnest to discuss his experiences in Kansas City, Washington, and in between. interview by Paige Pepitone and Michael Rubel Did any activities in high school–like Youth In Government or Model United Nations–kindle your political aspirations? A lot of people who are in politics are often following in the footsteps of their parents. It’s certainly not uncommon, if their parent ran for office, for them to do so too. Or, if they had a parent who worked in government, for them to start doing that. Neither of my parents did that. The high school political activism that I remember is my parents regularly took me with them when they voted. They were regular voters, and that’s an important thing obviously, but my parents were not necessarily active in politics. I took some history classes at Barstow that covered political history. I majored in political science at Rice, where I went to college. I got involved in a local campaign in the city of Houston, where Rice is located. The year that I graduated from college there was an open-seat mayor’s race in Houston, and I worked on that campaign. It was the first campaign I ever worked on. But, that’s where I really fell for politics, if you will. I started early on in the campaign, so I got into the ground-level basics of the campaign, learning a lot about the city of Houston and a lot about campaigns and the ways that media covers campaigns. Obviously, there’s a lot that’s changed in the way media covers things since that campaign seventeen years ago. But that’s really where I got my start. That campaign was successful–at the time, Houston, the fourth-largest city in the country, was the largest city in the country which had never had a minority mayor. Once you came to the White House, did you see or hope for a trajectory to the position of Press Secretary? I first moved to Washington in January of 2001. I moved to Washington principally driven by the fact that, after working in politics in Texas for a few years after graduation, I might as well move to our nation’s capital and work where politics is at the highest level. I didn’t have a job at the time, and not too many

‘i have an incredible vantage point on our country and on history’ 22

prospects; in 2001 it was not an ideal time for a job-seeking Democrat to move to town. All of the Democrats had been working in the Clinton administration and were leaving, and they obviously had more connections and experience than I had. I think I spent five or six months sleeping in the spare bedroom of a friend of mine from college, doing as many meetings as I could with anyone who would meet with me to try to get a job. It was really a formative experience in my career because it was a sink-or-swim kind of moment where I had to go out and hustle to create my own opportunities in order to land on my feet. And those opportunities did not come easily or quickly. The person who gave me my first interview in Washington was a woman named Anita Dunn, and she was instrumental about six years later in helping me work on the Obama campaign. Do you have a favorite part about your job, or politics as a whole? In some ways, there’s something new every day. I never walk into work knowing exactly what will be the most important thing that day. And I never walk into work knowing what exactly I’m going to learn that day. The interesting thing about working in the Press Office at the White House is I will often watch the nightly news, and, on a typical night, the first four or five stories are things I’ve actively been working on that day. I have an incredible vantage point on our country, and on history. It’s something that I try really hard not to take for granted. There aren’t many opportunities that people have to have such a close-up view of the most important issues of the day and how they’re being handled by the leader of the free world. How would you characterize the work environment at the Press Office, or in the press conferences on any given day? I think the one word that I would use to describe it is invigorating. The reason I describe it that way is because it is a real challenge to be grappling with so many complicated things at the same time. But the reason we’re dealing with them is because they’re incredibly important. If they’re complicated things that aren’t that important, they’re usually not ripe for the level

Josh Earnest, second from left, in a briefing with President Obama.

of needing White House involvement. Having the opportunity to confront and grapple with these complicated issues that have such significant consequences for people all across the country and, in many cases all across the world, is a really exciting thing. When you start thinking about what’s on the news docket today [December 2], we’re focusing on who’s going to be the next Secretary of Defense, what the President is continuing to try to do to battle the outbreak of Ebola, how the President is involved in this national dialogue about building a more productive relationship between local law enforcement and the communities they’re sworn to protect (issues largely brought forth by the events in Ferguson), and those are just a few examples of the things we’re talking about today. We have the chance to work on these issues, to think about these issues, and to discuss with the public the President’s thinking behind them. That’s an incredible opportunity, the opportunity of a lifetime. So, you gave a few examples of what you’ve covered today. Is the number of issues you discuss each day always sitting at around three or four, or does that vary a lot? It depends upon the day. Sometimes there’s one news story that’s so big it’ll dominate, at least for the day. Just to give one example, about ten days ago, the President announced his plan to reform and bring greater accountability to our broken immigration system. That was such a big story both because of the political consequences of that action and because of the direct impact that decision will have on the lives of millions of people in these country. That’s what dominated the day, and dominated the news for

Photo credit to The White House 2014.

a couple of days. And it meant that there were fewer things I was dealing with on those days. There are always things going on that may require our involvement or may emerge publicly as worthy of discussion. Particularly when preparing for something like the daily White House briefing, you still need to be prepared to talk about subjects that may come up but don’t end up being part of public discussion or on the radar screen of any White House journalist that day. Clearly, you spend much of your life with the other staff in the White House. Have you developed relationships with your coworkers on a more personal level, or outside of work? There are a couple of things that affect that. And this was particularly true, especially early on in my White House experience, that a lot of the people I have worked with in the White House I worked with on the campaign trail, and, so, for those people, we went through a pretty transformative experience together. There are a number of people with whom I sat in a dingy campaign headquarter in Des Moines, Iowa, for almost a year working on the ident’s caucus campaign in Iowa. When you go from that quarter on the outskirts of downtown Des Moines to being in the West Wing, you’ve traveled a pretty remarkable journey. Traveling down that path with a group of people means you form a pretty close bond with them. It’s a little bit different now. There aren’t as many of my colleagues who I worked with on the campaign in the White House now, many have moved on to do other

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things. But the people that I work with on a daily basis here, we still have a similarly searing experience. I talked about how invigorating it is to work here on a daily basis, you know, with these challenging issues, spending thirteen, fourteen hours on a typical day means you do form some pretty close personal bonds. I guess the other way to say that is it would be pretty hard to do this job if I didn’t like and trust and respect the people I work so closely with on a daily basis. Because of the amount of trust that we have in one another, having those kinds of personal relationships ends up being very helpful as we go about the daily work that gets done here. With the press conferences and having to answer questions from the press, are there any moments early on during your tenure as Press Secretary that you remember as being teaching moments that were really intense in terms of the questioning that was going on that you remember in particular? The thing that I that I keep in mind when I am doing the briefing, particularly on those occasions when it is a little more contentious, is I try to be very mindful of the fact that when the news of the briefing is covered, and whether that means they run a soundbite or they include a quote in a newspaper story, [the media] usually will not include coverage of the question that’s asked. They’ll just include the way I answer it. So even if somebody asks me a hostile, heated question, it’s important for me to not give a hostile, heated answer because when it gets covered, nine times out of ten they’ll cover my answer and describe it as hostile and heated and contentious without noting that the question was the same. I guess the other thing for me is that it is one thing to understand emotionally, but it’s another to put into practice. I’ve tried to be mindful of that, and I don’t think that anyone who does this job bats a thousand on this, but my batting average is pretty high. I know a lot of us here in the high school and across the nation watch the shows like Scandal and The West Wing. How accurate would you say those portrayals are, and obviously they’re very dramatized, but would you say there’s anything in particular that they get right or wrong in terms of the environment in Washington? I will say that those shows have people who are much better looking, much better dressed, and much more articulate than the people are in real life. I think the thing those shows capture accurately is how fast-paced things are. [In the White House,] we will often shift from one thing to the next really quickly, both within the day and from day to day. We can go from talking about one issue, and then if something happens somewhere else in the world, we can pivot away from talking about that issue to moving on to something else. For a period of time earlier this fall, the story about the Ebola response was the biggest story to everybody here at the White House in terms of reporters who were covering it. Every single thing that happened about Ebola is something they wanted to be intimately aware of. We’ve since moved on to some other things. The Ebola crisis is still urgent, but that’s something that people aren’t talking about every day now. [This shows] one of the other challenges of this job and this environment: the need to keep focused on priorities even if public attention or the media has moved on to something else. There’s still work that’s actively underway in the federal government both inside the United States and in Africa to protect the American people, [work] we’re still doing even if it’s not in the news every night. If there was one piece of advice you could present to our readers and the high schoolers who had goals in politics or who wanted to end up in Washington where you are today, what would that 14

Josh Earnest, second from right, on Air Force One with President Obama. be? Is there anything in particular that stands out that you think has really shaped your experiences? There are three things that stand out, and I’ll try to keep each of them brief. I think the first is the most valuable skill that is sought after in politics is the ability to write. I would strongly encourage particularly young people who are still in high school to really focus on cultivating an ability to be a persuasive, concise, clean, effective writer. Nothing is more important than that. There will always be an important role in politics for people who are effective communicators, particularly people who can write. The second thing is that as you pursue a career, make sure you work with people you respect, regardless of how important or how much status you perceive that person to have at the moment. My story about moving to Washington and sleeping on the floor of a friend’s spare bedroom because I didn’t have a job and eventually getting up to work here at the White House just a few years later is not that unique. The thing that really sticks with me is that I still have a good memory of the people who were willing to have a cup of coffee with me and give me advice when I first moved here. Those people didn’t have any reason to do that other than they were trying to help me out. It’s also something that I have tried to incorporate into my own dealings with people. The third thing is, and in some ways this may be the most relevant to people who are actively planning a political career and thinking about what they want to do in politics, is to remember that once you start thinking about a career in politics, you need to work for people you believe in. There’s a temptation, and it’s an understandable one, to work for the person that you think is going to win. In my experience, this job is much more rewarding if you’re working for someone you actually believe in. And the truth is, I wouldn’t be in the place that I am now if I had decided I was going to work for the person I thought was going to win. There weren’t a lot of people in March of 2007 who thought Barack Obama was going to be the forty-fourth president of the United States of America... I’m really pleased I chose to pursue the opportunities with the person that I believed in the most, and... that was Barack Obama. I got in and worked on the Iowa campaign for what was then Senator Obama, his historic Iowa caucus campaign, and the rest is history. [This] has opened up tremendous opportunities for me here at the White House. But none of that would have been possible if I hadn’t made the risky decision to work... for the person that I believed in the most. n This interview has been edited and condensed

Ellie Miller Staff Writer

The Effect of Neglect: Climate Change in Our Future

Climate change has been an important topic of debate in recent years, and as time goes on, it only becomes more pressing. Organizations and scientists all over the world are making predictions about our future here on Earth, and some of these predictions are quite disturbing. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) projects that by 2100, the temperature could increase any where from 2 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which is more than twice as much as it has risen in the last 100 years. Various regions in the United States will see dramatic changes if the way we treat the Earth is not changed. According to those reports, the coast of much of the country will be covered with water due to rising sea levels, and land will erode away. The entire country will shrink, causing congestion in the Midwest and Great Plains areas. Heat waves and downpours will become frequent, bug infestations can be expected, agriculture will be difficult, and drinkable water will be hard to come by. The world as we know it will be turned upside down. However, making lifestyle changes will help us to alter these projections. Also, international conferences are being held to discuss what can be

Photo credits to NASA

done to prevent these changes, such as Adaptation Futures 2014 in Brazil. Dr. Niermann’s view on the matter is that in order to change our future, we must change our perspective. Currently, most people view the world as a resource for humans. They believe the earth is there for their consumption. Instead, he believes that we should view the earth as a living entity with humans like parasites, crawling around it and doing damage. The dramatic climate changes that are occurring are the earth’s defense system, similar to the way our bodies heat up or use antibodies to kill bad bacteria. Nierman thinks that the people of the world must rethink the role of their lives on Earth. There has been a lot of debate over whether the world’s reac-

tion to climate change is necessary, or if we are just overreacting. Katrina Zhao ‘18 doesn’t agree with the latter: “We’re already experiencing several of its effects, and we’ll be experiencing more in the future,” she says. “People are already pretty aware of the fact that they have to change the way they treat the environment, but it’s really difficult for us to actually do things like stop using plastic or stop driving gasoline-powered cars. Unless we can find solutions to all of these problems, we’ll only continue to make global warming worse.” Many are also wondering if governments really can handle the situation. If the alterations in lifestyle needed to slow down climate change are made, big businesses could lose millions of dollars; corporations

often have an important hand in the decisions of world governments. “I believe that governments can do a lot to prevent climate change, but many issues must be resolved by companies or industries,” says Olivia Lesley ‘17 when asked about the controversy. “Everyone must take more responsibility to prevent catastrophes to truly have a good way to reduce such risks.” We can all change little things in our lives to prevent climate change. Biking, walking, or carpooling to destinations can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, using LED light bulbs, unplugging electronics that are not in use, washing clothes in warm or cool water, and hang drying clothes as much as possible are great ways to be energy efficient. Taking buses or trains instead of flying is great too, as flying leaves a huge carbon footprint. One other thing you might not think about is that processed food, especially meat and dairy products, contribute to a large percentage of greenhouse gas emission, and eating one meal a day without meat can help reduce those emissions. If everyone joins in, we can change the world. n 15

The Constitutional Question

Obama Takes Extreme Meausre to Implement Immigration Reform Grace McFee Copy Chief What Happened

What the Editorials Say

What the Columnists Say

On November 20, 2014, President Obama, in a controversial display of executive power, revealed his plans for immigration reform offering temporary legal status to nearly 4 million illegal immigrants and granting them indefinite reprieve from deportation. While both political parties agree the current system is outdated and faulty, tensions erupted between the executive and legislative branches when an angry Congress, vexed that Obama bypassed legislation over such an important issue, called the constitutionality of the action into question. These events have sparked a national debate over what Obama claims to be prosecutorial discretion. Whether ultimately constitutional or not, the executive action has become a statement to Congress, and the country, that the President refuses to rely on what seems to be another “Do Nothing Congress” to take action. Many people understand the necessity for reform, but they object to the President’s eschewing of the legislative branch, which can be seen as a sign of fragmented government and executive overreach. The real controversy is not in the policy, but in the process.

According to USA Today: “Obama is on track to take more high-level executive actions than any president since Harry Truman battled the "Do Nothing Congress" almost seven decades ago.” However, in a blow to the already low public view of Congress, The Washington Post says that while “it is . . . plain that the scale of Mr. Obama’s move goes far beyond anything his predecessors attempted, . . . a responsible Congress would have legislated a fix to the nation’s broken immigration system.” Instead, President Obama has issued a form of executive action known as the presidential memorandum, which carries the same force of law as an executive order, in an attempt to fix the current immigration system. He has used presidential memoranda more often than any other president in history. However, as Obama himself acknowledged, an executive order is substandard compared to a more extensive, legislative fix to the the nation's immigration system. Overall, the national view of Obama’s executive action is best summed up by USA Today’s declaration that “Obama is doing the right thing in the wrong way.”

While he agrees with the underlying policy of Obama’s memorandum, David Gergen, a political analyst writing for CNN, worries about the unprecedented display of presidential power during peacetime. He says: “The challenges of immigration policy do not represent a national emergency . . . rather, they represent the chronic, abysmal failures of politicians in Washington to govern well from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue . . .[and] while the President's impatience is understandable and his anger at Republican intransigence is well placed, that does not justify an abandonment of traditional ways of addressing hard public problems.” His opinion is supported by Daily Wildcat writer Casey Hoyack, who writes: “President Barack Obama’s executive order is a very small step in the right direction . . . [but] the trouble with the executive order is that Obama has decided to act alone without working with Congress to pass a bill that is comprehensible or comprehensive enough to fix the entire system.” Ultimately, national support for the policy is often covered by distaste for an unconnected and uncooperative government.n

D0 Black Lives Matter ? Ferguson and Racial Inequality Inherent in Public Perception

the United States are outraged about Mike Brown and Eric Garner’s death. Whether the details are unclear, or the whole situation is caught on video, the message is clear that justice will not be served to minorities. It seems the police have the authority to do whatever they want, including murder, and legally get away with it. While this is not true for all policemen in every situation, this is the message that we, as minorities, receive. Incidents like these show us that our lives, black lives, do not matter.

“If he had been black, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern, he would’ve likely been treated profoundly diﬀerently.”

Allysa Lisbon Contrubutor A month ago on a busy Saturday morning, I was shopping with my mother at Urban Outfitters on the Plaza. Just after entering, I noticed a middle-aged white man dressed casually and carrying a gun on his hip in a holster plastered with a red, white, and blue “I Voted” sticker. I had never been this close to a gun that did not belong to a police officer. I scanned the store to see if any other shoppers were having a reaction similar to mine, but no one in the store seemed to notice or care about the gun. I asked my mother if she had seen it, and after a long look in his direction, she sighed and said: “He’s exercising his second amendment rights.” Even if you don’t regularly engage in social media, chances are that you have become familiar with the hashtags #BLACKLIVESMATTER, #HANDSUPDONTSHOOT, and #ICANTBREATHE over the past five months. The hashtags are in reference to the failure to indict two white police officers, Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo, who are responsible for the deaths of the unarmed black men Michael Brown, 18, and Eric Garner, 43, respectively.

These two cases are vastly different. Mike Brown and Officer Darren Wilson were involved in an altercation, and when Brown turned to flee, Wilson shot him eight times: twice in the head and six times in the right arm. Key witnesses offered conflicting stories, and after the trial, it was clear that some jurors were lied to about the circumstances of the shooting. In New York, Eric Garner was accused of selling bootleg cigarettes and killed by an illegal chokehold administered by officer Pantaleo. Garner’s death was captured on video, and the severely asthmatic father of six can be heard pleading “I can’t breathe” eleven times while his face is smashed into the pavement. The man in Urban Outfitters affected me not because of potential violence, but because of the reaction, or lack thereof, of other shoppers and the employees. If he had been black, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern, he would’ve likely been treated profoundly differently. The white man enjoys a special kind of privilege; he is believed to be a patriotic and harmless man who is flexing his 2nd Amendment rights, rather than a threatening thug. This same discrepancy is the reason why so many people across

The two cases have attracted international attention, and protests have occurred as far away as Paris, Tokyo, and Palestine. Numerous political figures, entertainers, and athletes have stood in support of the victims and their families. Unfortunately, there has been little discussion of these incidents here at school. Whether we acknowledge it or not, as Pembroke students, we enjoy a level of shelter from these harsh realities. However, this does not give us an excuse to ignore what happens in the world, or to pretend that it does not affect us. I imagine that most students believe that to some degree, Brown and Garner’s situations do not affect them in any way. In response, I encourage all students, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status to really consider what has been happening in our country. You may not be black, male, poor, or in any way a potential target for the police, but imagine if you were. How would you feel if your father was Eric Garner, or if your cousin suffered the same fate as Mike Brown? No one is looking for an apology or some kind of dramatic statement because those actions do not create progress. What does instigate progress, however, is a basic level of empathy and the acknowledgement that changes must be made. 17

The Debate on Torture Lizzie Whitney Columnist/Managing Editor With the recent release of the Senate report on the CIA’s use of torture, Americans don’t know how to respond: Do we get angry at our government? Do we petition those in power to hold the CIA and its affiliates accountable? Or do we, as a nation, still condone torture? The 480-page report details the methods and instances of torture and--maybe the more concerning aspect--the CIA’s coverup of those practices. The Senate revealed the atrocities the CIA has covered up for years--far more than the “few folks” Obama admitted were tortured or the three people the government acknowledged waterboarding (a type of torture) in American torture facilities. As it turns out, the land of the free has been detaining prisoners in places like Guantanamo Bay and black sites (secret prisons in foreign countries probably including Poland and Romania) where they depend on tactics like waterboarding and rectal feeding or rehy-

“Beyond the argument for ending torture on a humanitarian basis, there’s the issue of law. The fact is, the government has been breaking the cornerstones of its own laws...” dration; the latter a deceptively ameliorative term for something the Physicians for Human Rights reveal to be “sexual assault masquerading as medical treatment.” Beyond the argument for ending torture on a humanitarian basis, there’s the issue of law. The fact is, the government has been breaking the cornerstones of its own laws: cruel if not unusual punishment and detainment without due process are not unreasonable claims against the institutions we hope to protect and promote Americans’ (and heck, maybe even others’) rights. There’s hardly any argument for torture anymore, despite plenty of government insistence otherwise: Dick Cheney and former head of the CIA Michael Hayden have recently given interviews excusing and even supporting American torture (or “enhanced interrogation,” a pleasantly deceptive euphemism for the T-word they refuse to say). To Cheney, the CIA’s actions were justified because they supposedly helped track down the 9/11 attackers and saved “thousands of American lives.” Hayden claims the use of torture was “successful.” But in all honesty, who knows what Hayden truly believes, since the Senate report reveals a whole slew of lies from the last ten years. He and his workers lied to Congress and media about CIA procedures for years. But the media continue to turn to these two men for statements. Why are we still trusting them to inform us on covert goings-on? Why are we still trusting them to run these interrogations? They’ve broken the laws they’re meant to uphold, and they’ve violated the most basic of human rights. n 18

Eric Koch Columnist Imagine for a moment that a man sets a bomb in New York City. The FBI gets word and finds the criminal, but cannot locate the bomb, which is set on a timer and ready to explode at any minute. Thousands might die, and the suspect won’t tell anyone where he placed the explosives. Does a man, willing to brutally murder countless innocents, not deserve some discomfort? What if making him suffer could save all of those lives? This is the question central to the debate on torture and enhanced interrogation techniques Many argue that such simplification ignores other important factors, and that torture and EITs rarely yield useful information. Unfortunately, partisan agendas often muddle the facts. Former Directors of Central Intelligence have called December’s Senate report that investigated the CIA’s use of EITs “flawed” (New York Times). The report condemned the CIA’s interrogation methods, and concluded that questionable techniques such as waterboarding produced little, if any, intelligence. With controversy surrounding the only existing analysis, and most operations remaining secret, it’s difficult to find evidence definitively proving or disproving the recent efficacy of disputed forms of interrogation. However, history leaves a trail of numerous incidents in which torture or enhanced interrogation techniques have played a critical role. A Daily Beast article investigated these events and found that, in World War II, the Allies used torture to gain an advantage that played a crucial role in some victories. Operation Fortitude, a British ruse to encourage Germans to station 450,000 of their troops 130 miles north of the Normandy beaches, saved tens of thousands of

“Their interrogations undoubtedly cause distress, but only to those who desire to inflict far more pain in others.” American lives. How did they pull it off? The British Secret Intelligence Service used torture to break nineteen Nazi agents and then made them give German command false intel. The bad guys successfully implement torture too, and usually far more gruesomely. In 1984, the CIA’s Lebanon Station Chief, William Buckley, was kidnapped and tortured by Hezbollah agents. The extremist group even released videos of his scarred body shaking as he screamed in terror. After resisting for months, he eventually broke, and “revealed 200 to 300 sensitive names of people and over 400 pages of debriefing” (AP News). The CIA does not “torture” people in a manner remotely similar to Hezbollah. The agency uses waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and painful confinement rather than dismemberment to interrogate prisoners. Their interrogations undoubtedly cause distress, but only to those who desire to inflict far more pain in others. A man planning to slaughter innocents deserves far worse than the feeling of drowning or sleeplessness, and when subjecting him to some temporary agony can save those lives, we cannot afford to be squeamish. n

MARIJUANA

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado has resulted in both lawsuits and economic gains, calling into question the future of recreational marijuana in other states.

By Olive Honan Staff Writer With Christmas comes family, and with family comes discussions (a euphemism for arguments). In my family, it did not take long for opinions, political or otherwise, to rise to the surface and compete as we opened presents, passed the rolls (insert weed pun), and dished out peppermint ice cream. Marijuana quickly became the focus of our debate, and having finally turned sixteen, I felt old enough to voice my opinions among the educated and older members of my family. Many of my relatives live in Colorado, so they were able to confirm and deny suspicions thrown out by others about life in a state where recreational marijuana is legal. I mention all of this because, simply put, marijuana is confusing. Clashing state and federal laws, penalties ranging from state to state, and the overlying discourse involving the dangers of the drug are intriguing and bewildering to families everywhere. It is easy to get lost in hypotheticals surrounding marijuana, but first everyone should know what is actually happening regarding legalization of the drug. Recreational marijuana was made legal in Colorado mainly for tax revenue. In theory, those interested in marijuana for non-medical purposes would simply begin to purchase recreational marijuana. However, the tax on recreational marijuana is more expensive than that on medical marijuana, so many people still purchase the drug from the

black market. Recently, the tax revenue has risen, but, according to the Washington Post, that could be a result of an increase in tourism, rather than the disappearance of the black market. Currently, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska have legalized recreational cannabis. For the latter two, the legislation will be put in effect in 2015. In several other states, such as California, medical marijuana is legal and decriminalization laws have been put in place. An example of a decriminalization law would be reducing the previous sentence or fine or possessing marijuana in a state where it is illegal. Under United States federal law, it is illegal to use, sell, posses, cultivate, or transport marijuana, so the aforementioned states are contradicting federal law. Typically, federal law trumps state law, but in the case of marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hasn’t enforced federal law. They likely won’t enforce federal law unless marijuana consumption, sales, or transportation become a problem in states surrounding those that legalize marijuana. On that note, Nebraska and Oklahoma recently filed a lawsuit against Colorado for creating a “public nuisance” and disturbing the neighboring states. The Supreme Court must decide whether or not they will hear the case, which may take years based off of past cases. Eventually, we must address the hypotheticals. What if Kan-

sas decides to join the lawsuit against Colorado? What if the opposite happens, and Kansas eventually takes the steps toward legalizing marijuana? There is also the very basic question: Is marijuana legalizaion a positive change, and will it even last? There has been talk about Kansas joining the lawsuit against Colorado, but,

“Our country is currently experimenting with a drug that could provide economic growth or danger to citizens.” currently, Kansas is undecided. If Kansas joined Nebraska and Oklahoma in their attempt to rid Colorado of its legalization of marijuana, citizens of Kansas City would probably not be affected. However, if Kansas were to someday legalize marijuana before Missouri did, though unlikely, Kansas City would run into some strange issues. As our city is divided between Kansas and Missouri, it would be legal to smoke a joint on one side of State Line Road, but not the other side. One could run across the street from Missouri to Kansas to avoid prosecution! Legalization in Kansas would likely increase the black market in Missouri, which could result in further lawsuits. This is not an opinion piece, so I will not declare that marijuana legalization is “good” or “bad,” but I can provide basic

facts. One of the growing dangers of marijuana legalization is edibles, the weed-infused treats that are becoming increasingly popular. Edibles come in the form of cookies, brownies, gummy candy, etc. The potency of marijuana in edibles is generally much higher than that of smoked marijuana. It is extremely easy to consume too much marijuana when eating edibles because of its high potency. In recent months, many people have died as a result of the potency of edibles. For example, a college student visiting Denver jumped off a balcony and killed himself after eating marijuana-infused cookies, and another man in Colorado shot his wife after consuming edibles. Also, it is nearly impossible to differentiate edibles from normal food, so there have been several cases of children unknowingly eating edibles after careless parents leave them out. However, there are benefits to the legalization. As I previously mentioned, tax revenue in Colorado is rising. Since it is legal to sell marijuana, there are new job opportunities, as well. If the drug were legal across the United States, many jobs would be created in food production, medicine, and retail. With all of the costs and benefits of marijuana, it is hard to say what will happen in the next few years. Our country is currently experimenting with a drug that could provide economic growth or danger to citizens. Whatever happens, we should be pre19 pared. n

The Dress Code Controversy Emily Beasley ‘15 discusses possible sexism in the dress code our own clothing and to not be restricted by uniforms, but why is it then our responsibility to feel shame for showing certain parts of our bodies and certain styles of clothing? From a student’s perspective, when a female student is sitting down at their desk during class nobody notices what she is wearing. And nobody cares. Pembroke is the type of school that really drives its students deep into their books (or iPads), and to keep up in class, one must always put their education first, instead of gossip about who wore what. Even outside of class, girls who wear leggings are certainly not treated any differently than other students because of the wide popularity and acceptance of the wardrobe staple. If everyone but the school administrators seem to accept girls’ leggings, then is it the fault of the accusers, or the accused? This is a topic that brings me to leave a lot of questions unanswered, because the message of this article must be drawn by you, the reader, answering these questions and connecting the dots. If I were to answer the questions for you, it would either be too opinionated and restrict your knowledge of the subject, or it would be considered too “far-fetched” and you would simply brush it off as an unnecessary and incorrect example of misogyny. The goal of this article is to get you to think about our school’s, and by extension our society’s, standards and opinions of women, and hopefully see the fault in the system, because the basis for social change must be self-driven by the population, not spoon-fed to them. So the next time you deem a person’s clothing inappropriate, ask yourself: Why judge them in this way? Why should that person be ashamed of their outfit or body? And why do you care? Because it doesn’t hurt you in any way, so don’t hurt them. them.n

Emily Beasley Staff Writer At school, girls are constantly told that they must conform to the dress code and are given so many rules of thumb to keep track of: shorts at knuckles, skirts at fingertips, shirt straps at three fingers wide, and absolutely no leggings. Beginning a couple years ago, Pembroke Hill banned leggings in response to the increasingly popular legwear among girls, but should they be banned? Typically, girls wear leggings in order to stay warm in complete comfort, which especially comes in handy during the hard weeks filled with extensive tests and no sleep. For most girls, leggings offer an easy alternative to constricting jeans in the winter. The reason these leggings are not allowed in Pembroke, and many other high schools around the country, is because they are thought to be too revealing for a school environment, and offer a distraction to other students and teachers. They are simply thin, stretchy pieces of fabric that most people believe are inappropriate because they bare all of the girl’s “assets” and turn the wearer into more of a sexual object to those around her. It is her fault for making those around her “uncomfortable” and for becoming a “distraction,” but are those around her who are judging her and staring really not held accountable at all for their own judgements? If a girl is wearing leggings, she did not do it to offend anyone or draw eyes, she is not “asking for it,” so why must she be punished and told to be ashamed of her body? Since when has this misogynistic view become acceptable for a learning environment where female students are supposed to be treated equal to male students? We are allowed to have the freedom to wear

Rebellious student ﬂaunts leggings on school grounds.

Commons Cafe What happened to the once inspiring student hang-out?

Lindsay Luchinsky Natalie Dameron Staff Writers As students make their early morning trips to Starbucks, Scooter’s, or Hi Hat, do they realize we used to have our own coffee shop here at Pembroke? The Commons Cafe was an accessible coffee shop where all students were able to buy coffee, cookies, and breakfast sandwiches at their leisure. You can still see the remnants of this booming teenage hangout in the dark, mysterious corner of Mr. Bartelli’s new office. Mrs. Elizabeth Amirahmadi is a local architect and former Pembroke parent who was instrumental in the creation of the Commons Cafe. It all started because the Parents Association has funds it must use during a certain period of time. Rather than having the parents decide what to do with the extra money, a survey was sent out to stu-

dents to gather their input. The survey concluded there were two leading ideas: The first was to provide access to computers and free Wi-Fi because, at the time, students did not have individual iPads. The second was to create a place where students could gather over coffee. To ensure maximum accessibility, both ideas needed to be set in the commons.

discovered: the administration claimed that all food and drink that would be sold in the Cafe had to be provided by the school cafeteria, for contracting purposes. Additionally, they would not allow parent volunteers to run the Cafe from 7-10 a.m., as previously planned. Instead, they would only allow a cafeteria employee to have it open from 7:30-8:30 a.m.. Sadly,

“[I]t was clear the quality of the coffee and limited hours would lead to the ultimate demise of the Commons Cafe.” The Parents Association partnered with the administration team to design and order chic, modern furniture, and thus the Commons Cafe was born. The original idea included coffee from the Roasterie and breakfast pastries. However, not long after the cafe was opened, a glitch was

it was clear the quality of the coffee and limited hours would lead to the ultimate demise of the Commons Cafe. On a more positive note, however, the internet access was appreciated by many, and the Cafe tables were always filled. A simple solution would be to bring back the use of volunteers, teachers

or students, and make the Commons Cafe a charitable endeavour with proceeds going to the community. It would be a way for us to use our late starts as an opportunity for class bonding and giving back to the community. If you would like to reminisce on what was and what could have been, drop by Mr. Bartelli’s new office and take a seat in one of the chairs that have now been pushed to the wall. What was an area for students to communicate and chat about school, homework, and life, is now one big office space. Could this transformation represent something larger, such as the tearing apart of face-to-face contact through technology? But, for now, all we can do is try to imagine the space with a bit more life and pizazz, and hopefully the Commons Cafe will make a triumphant return in the near future.n

Q&A

Max

Christine Zheng Assistant Editor V: What are your current goals? M: Travel more. I don’t like planes, but I’d really like to go to the Mediterranean. I love the ocean.

V: If you could go back to one decade again, which one would you pick? M: The 80s. That was the most carefree, “no regrets” time of my life.

V: If you could have any superpower, what would it be? M: I would like to see into the future. But more so the power to know when someone’s telling the truth.

V: How have the last two decades of your life been? M: Smarter, and I know what I enjoy. That’s when I began painting - the 90s. V: What got you into painting, and why do you enjoy it? M: My aunt began painting when she was around her 70s, and she inspired me to paint because I figured if she could start this late in the game, so could I. As I painted more, whatever other regrets I had didn’t matter anymore. Sounds cliche, but it’s true.

V: What would you like to be reincarnated into in your next life? M: A bald eagle living in Alaska. Or a buffalo. Buffaloes and eagles are my spirit animals.

V: If you could take a class at Pembroke under a certain teacher, which would you choose? M: History class with Jones or McGee

V: Pet peeves? M: Disingenuity. (*superpowers*)

V: Live one life for a thousand years or live ten short lives? M: The latter.

V: Ever met anyone famous? M: George Bush the First. Shook his hand. Wish I could’ve met Paul Newman or one of The Beatles though.

V: Were you a sports or arts kid in high school? M: Sports.

V: Special talents? M: Recognizing people without seeing their faces.

V: Star sign? M: I’m a Virgo.

Teacher and artist-in-residence Max Fearing.

Q&A

Mr. Sigler

Megan She Managing Editor V: Have you ever broken any bones? If so, how? S: I broke my arm when I slipped on the floor while at my friend’s house when I was thirteen. V: If you won the lottery, what would be the ﬁrst thing you’d buy? S: A 1957 Plymouth Fury. V: If you could go anywhere during any time in history, where and when would you go and why? S: Detroit 1957 because they produced cool cars then. V: What inspired you to teach chemistry? S: Summer.

V: What’s your favorite element (on the periodic table) and why? S: Sodium because it is plentiful and reacts vigorously. V: Who’s your favorite scientist and why? S: Isaac Newton because he gave us so many useful theories and ideas that have led to many more scientific discoveries. V: If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you take with you? S: A boat, a lifetime supply of barbeque, Elizabeth Taylor. V: What’s your favorite book? S: The Bible.

V: If you weren’t a chemistry teacher, what profession would you choose? S: Truck driver. V: If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why? S: 25 because your brain is fully developed and you haven’t started to fall apart yet. V: What are some of your hobbies? S: Working on cars, camping, hiking. V: If you were to rename yourself, what would you name yourself? S: The Exalted Lord of the Laboratory.

V: If you were to get a tattoo, what tattoo would you get and where? S: I would not get a tattoo... I guess a test tube with vapor coming out of it on my forearm. V: What Hogwarts house do you think you’d be in? S: I know nothing about Hogwarts. V: Well, there’s the brave, the cunning and ambitious, the intelligent and studious, and the good and fair. S: Which one is the one that sits on the couch and eats potato chips while watching Gilligan’s Island? V: That would be Huﬄepuff.

Into the Woods

Kate Kramer Staff Writer

Movie Review

Into the Woods, directed by Rob Marshall, is a musical-turned-movie that showcases the lives of multiple well-known fairy tales. The movie runs for two hours and four minutes, but for the most part, consistently captures the audience’s attention throughout the length of it. The movie makes the one-dimensional characters have more depth. For example, Red Riding Hood is portrayed as more than just a dim-witted little girl with a red cap. The main problem with the movie is that it had a lot of questions in the plot that never quite got answered. The plot is so thick and detailed that at times it even seems stressful. Another minor problem is the lack of location variety. Throughout the movie, there were many opportunities to have had a change in scenery, even if it were only for a moment. Even though the director did stay true to the play, the movie should be allowed to stray slightly so that it can adapt the big screen. While it had minor flaws, it is a great movie to see with family to have a laugh.n

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In Return Christine Zheng Assistant Editor

Album Review

Although every song in an album is different, whether it be a shift in beats or lyrics, what makes Odesza’s In Return special is the ability for the listeners to recognize the unique pattern of sound found within each song and be able to realize the different sounds form a unified style throughout. “Koto”-my favorite track--immediately starts with chanting and rhythmic tapping of drumsticks that emanates throughout the song, making for an elegantly uplifting piece. “Bloom,” on the other hand, begins more subtly, but as the vocals emerge in sync with the bass drops, Odesza adds a layer of dynamism with

the use of gongs. In Return has a tendency to emphasize one single noise and make it into a song. Essentially, this album is a masterful layering of sound. The diverse variety of noises, although it can imply incongruity and disorder, is skillfully balanced to enrich the album. Not only that, the vocals are perfectly aligned with the instrumentals to create a safari-like harmony. You’ll quickly come to understand what I mean by “safari-like” when you hear this album. Noise may have a negative connotation at times, but In Return proves that noise, throughout its layers, can create a unique order.n

At the Mountains of Madness

Book Review Daniel Spertus Contributor As far as weird fiction, fantasy, and horror are concerned, no writer of the past century has been more influential than H.P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft is one of the few masters of ambiguous language, providing descriptions and details that bring up as many questions as they answer. At the Mountains of Madness is a perfect example, as it slowly reveals the failed Antarctic expeditions of the fictional ‘Miskatonic University’ led by Geologist William Dyer, who chronicles the failed mission in an attempt to prevent further expeditions of the sort. The only survivor of the expedition able to maintain his sanity, William Dyer recalls the expedition in the past tense, beginning with their initial planning and a description of the accompanying personnel, and ending with his final plea for the cancellation of the next planned expedition. After the encouraging start of the scientific mission, things quickly go horrifically awry. An advanced group of scien-

tists splits from the rest of the expedition in order to complete some of their more in-depth work in a range of hitherto unexplored mountains. The men discover fourteen ancient life forms, who are unidentifiable as animal, plant, or any other natural inhabitant of the Earth. Six of the specimens are badly damaged and practically unrecognizable when compared to the rest of the eight who are uncannily preserved and in pristine condition. Soon after this discovery, the advance group loses contact with the main party, prompting Dyer and his remaining associates to send a rescue party to their last known location. Arriving at the basecamp, they find it devastated and the men and dogs slaughtered and butchered. In addition to the sacked camp, the fourteen specimens have entirely vanished. Dyer and one of his most accomplished pupils, Danforth, then fly one of their three airplanes over the mountain range, searching for the vanished specimens. It is on this flight that the two discover an ancient stone city with

unnatural architecture. The designs are utterly alien and cannot be compared to any human architecture. The party discovers images of slave beings: black, gelatinous, undulating blobs who were responsible for the creation of the great cities of the ‘Elder Things.’ Dyer and Danforth soon realize that they are not alone and that the previously discovered corpses of the ‘Elder Things’ have somehow come to life and are stalking the scientists as they make their way through the city. After unearthing further horrors in the underground domains of the slave-creatures, Dyer and Danforth are barely able to escape with their lives. Aboard the plane, Danforth glances back at the city and catches sight of something that causes him to lose whatever grasp on sanity he had maintained throughout the expedition, degrading him to a blubbering mess of a man. It is intimated that what Danforth glimpsed lay just beyond the city, in the next range of mountains, where something even the ‘Elder Things’ fear dwells.

At the Mountains of Madness remains the quintessential Lovecraft for its subtle, yet descriptively horrifying, text and subject matter; its disturbing portrayal of the human psyche when faced with quite literally the unbelievable, and its frighteningly applicable exploration of the unknown. For anyone who is bored of the typical drab and is searching for a casual read, At the Mountains of Madness should not be ignored, that is as long as he or she is not afraid to sleep with an eye open and a light on.n

Tasting the Cronut By Alex Hrinya Imagine you are in a small shop in lower Manhattan and are exhausted from having to stand in line for over an hour. Suddenly, a woman hands you what appears to be a glazed doughnut, except it has the shape of a croissant. You seem confused, and you ask yourself, “Wait a minute, is this a doughnut or a croissant?” Luckily, chef Dominique Ansel has the answer: it is a Cronut. Developed in 2013 in his Soho bakery, the Cronut is a doughnut-croissant hybrid mix that is captivating the nation. According to Ansel’s website, it is the “most virally talked about dessert item in

history.” Over the summer, I was lucky enough to be able to indulge in this delicacy, and I must say it does indeed match the hype. My family and I arrived at Mr. Ansel’s bakery around eight in the morning, thinking the line would be manageable with around ten people. We were wrong. Already, there were thirty people in line waiting to devour this sugary goodness. People have tried to cut in front so often that the bakery has a designated Cronut bouncer who will kick you out of the line if you attempt to move ahead, according to actress Emma Roberts, who was unfortunately kicked out of line. Upon entering, you only have one choice of Cronut, as

they change up the flavors every month. In July, the month we visited, the Cronut offered was a Morello Cherry with Toasted Almond Cream Cronut, and it was spectacular to say the least. This dessert is pretty cheap, costing a mere five dollars, and boy, it was the best five dollars I’ve spent in a long time. When eating it you feel as though you’ve entered a state of happiness that can only be further replenished with more cronuts. The mixture of cherries with almond icing is delightful and is truly a taste you have never experienced. What would’ve made this dessert legendary, in

my opinion, is more almond icing, as the cherry seemed to drown out the taste of the almonds. Overall, if you are ever in the Soho district of New York and are craving something delicious, I would highly recommend the cronut. It has a once in a lifetime taste you will not find anywhere

Four Our of Four Stars

That’s What She Said Words Of Wisdom From Megan She ‘16

Imagine the Blue Man Group. Yes, the theatrical bald showmen with the percussion and the violently blue painted skin. Now, imagine if people were born with this unnatural hue; not paint, not washable. Imagine blue skin being biologically plausible for humans. And it is, I’m not lying to you. To be fair, I did exaggerate a bit; they aren’t as blue as the Blue Man Group, but very blue nonetheless. The phenomenon, technically called methemoglobinemia, is caused by an increased level of a type of hemoglobin, methemoglobin, in the blood. In layman terms, basically, the stuff

that usually makes skin tinted red is depleted, and is instead overcome by stuff that makes skin tinted blue. But why don’t we see blue people in daily life, just walking around Kansas City? Methemoglobinemia, like most outrageously mind-boggling bizarre conditions, is (mostly) caused by inbreeding. The most famous case of this disease is within the Fugate family. According to Fugate family folklore, it all started when an orphan named Martin Fugate came to Kentucky from France in the 1800s. He was, as history tells, blue. And in the isolated woods of Troublesome Creek, Kentucky (troublesome indeed), Martin Fugate married a woman from one of the few families

up in those woods, who, coincidentally, also had this recessive gene. When the two recessive genes came together to make children, many of them too had blue skin. And because there were only a limited number of people up in those mountains, the families interbred overand-over until they became the infamous Blue Fugate Family. Next time you see a psychedelic performance by the flamboyant Blue Man Group, don’t laugh at the improbability and unrealisticness of their skin. Know that, somewhere in isolated Eastern Kentucky, there is a real-life Blue Man (and Woman) Group.

KC Crawl

By Elizabeth Gerson, Bella Foote, and Christine Zheng Columnists This month, we at KC Crawl ventured off the beaten path to demonstrate to our readers that Kansas City remains remarkable in its diversity; it serves as an intersection of various cultures to deliver unique experiences for its citizens. Our adventure began at El Porton Cafe, located at 4671 Indian Creek Parkway in Overland Park. El Porton specializes in South and Central American cuisine, such as the national fare of Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, and Venezuela. As we each devoured our own order of tres leches, we spoke with our waitress Sofia, who hails from Venezuela herself. Sofia began to explain the characteristics of the cafe that made it unique; she took exceptional pride in the fact that the restaurant properly represented a mix of various countries, rather than just one. However, she holds a soft spot for her home country: “My favorite dish is the pabellon, because that’s a Venezuelan dish. I also love the tequenos. It’s a popular Venezuelan appetizer which we would often have at parties. So, when I eat them, I’m reminded of my culture.”

El Porton

She also celebrates the cafe’s comfortable yet colorful and lively atmosphere: “It’s a wonderful place for family and friends to gather. I love seeing people being brought together.” To further validate the restaurant’s authenticity, they will often bring in singers from Bolivia, Mexico, and Brazil to perform, something that Sofia particularly enjoys. Finally, we asked the question that was continually burning in the back of our minds: What exactly was the secret to their unbelievable tres leches? “Ah! Like you said, it’s a secret, so I can’t tell you.” Although this secret will now and forever remain a mystery, we admire Sofia for her loyalty. One of the exceptional things about Kansas City is the fact that it celebrates and cherishes various cultures around the world. El Porton epitomizes KC’s dedication to cultural diversity by giving locals a true taste of Latin America. Once you bite into El Porton’s famous Cubano sandwich, followed by their mouthwatering Tres Leches, you will be able to fully appreciate the various cultures that inspired their brilliant cuisine. So, we encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone in order to experience what Kansas City’s diversity truly has to offer. n

New Year’s Resolutions Photo Poll

Gina Pepitone and Bella Barnes Staff Writers

“To eat healthier foods.” Vishal Beeki ‘18

“To let the players play, the haters hate, heartbreakers break, and fakers fake, and to, in general, just shake it off.” Dakota Van Deursen ‘15

“I want to be more honest about myself to others about who I am and how I’m feeling.” Delaney Northington ‘18

“I want to be the best person I can be. Why be anything but the best?” Lindley Legg ‘17

Photo Credits to Gina Pepitone and Bella Barnes

“To be in the moment, eat more fruit, and to let go of things that are not meant for me like leaves flowing down a stream.” Natalie Dameron ‘17

“To take better care of myself, emotionally and physically.” Jane Markley ‘18

“Learn how to smile in pictures better. I’m absolutely a trash can at that.” Peter Gado ‘18

“To try more stuff out of my comfort zone.” Ellie Ruland ‘18

1. Dry eraser in the back is missing 2. Grace McFee’s ‘15 nails have been painted pink 3. Buzzer in the background has been changed to blue 4. Dakota Van Deursen’s ‘15 glasses are red 5. Dakota has a mysterious mole on the left side of his face 6. The paper in front of Clay is blank

Find six differences between the photos. Answers, upside down, are below.

Puzzles

Find the Differences

Puzzles

Name:

Crossword

Complete the crossword below 1

4 5

10 11

12 13

ACROSS Across

This non-Clothier member canthe play the guitar 3 This 3. non-Clothier facultyfaculty member can play guitar veryHint: well. think Hint: athletics think athletics very well. 7. STUCO thisforum publicinforum 7 STUCO recentlyrecently installedinstated this public the in the Commons commons 8. Mikey Geduldig ‘15 has decided to go by this new 8 Mikey Geduldig ‘15 has decided to go by this new name name 10 This10.teacher completely revamped his hairdo over over This teacher completely revamped his hairdo winter break winter break 11 Students on the Guatemala JanTermJanTerm trip builttrip these 11. Students on the Guatemala built 13 Mr.these Medlock is notorious for his lessons in this subject. Hint: not 13.physics Mr. Medlock is notorious for his lessons in this subject. Hint: Physics 15 “Uptown ___ younot up.” -Bruno Mars 15. “Uptown____you up.” -Bruno Mars

DOWN Down

Created on TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker

1. This teenage celebrity got an award for most

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lipliner 2. We get this holiday off in January 2 We get this holiday off film in January 4. This controversial starring Seth Rogen and James Franco was released 4 This controversial film starringprominently Seth Rogen by andGoogle James Franco wasPlay released prominentley by Google Play and YouTube and Youtube 5. Mr. Laible’s favorite animal 5 Mr. Laible’s favorite animal 6. This Direction band member a non-contract 6 This OneOne Direction band member is aisnon-contract soccer soccer player on the Doncaster Rovers player on the Doncaster Rovers 9. Australian Starbucks is offering this new flavor of for 9 Australian Starbucks is offering this new flavor of syrup syrup for your morning coffee your morning coffee Urban Outfitters has been banned from using a 12 12. Urban Outfitters has been banned from using a photo of an photo an underwear model duepossession to the model’s underwearofmodel due to the model’s of this feature possession of this feature 14 14. Sydney Nager ‘17 specializes in this sport and trains in Sydney Nager ‘17 specializes in this sport and Colorado trains in Colorado

Letter

from the

Editors

As holiday music fades from radio stations and the snow transitions from that wonderful white to a sullen and mushy brown, we have to move on from the relaxation of break and hunker down for second semester. Ahead of us are five months of red week doldrums, AP cramming, and long homework nights. When a disappointing grade or two is recieved amidst the work, it’s easy to get disheartened. But, toward the end of last semester, Student Government set up a so-called “Failure Board” in the Commons. Signs encouraged students to post work they were less than proud of, even college rejection letters, in an effort to create a little “failure solidarity.” At the end of the school year, we’re all left with a series of letter grades, and it would be silly to argue that they don’t matter at all. At the same time, it’s important to remember that this is high school. We’re not just here for the grades, or the work, or for the Pembroke cafeteria’s fruit water. The Failure Board fosters a sense of community, making it a whole lot easier to grind through DBQs and Causey verbatim definitions. If we embrace the spirit of camaraderie the Failure Board represents, our high school experience will take on a meaning greater than a letter grades. Anyone in high school could tell you the best friendships are made from the toughest experiences. Medlock’s physics class brings people together, and Scavhunt teams leave Janterm with the tightest of bonds. So, maybe consider that this next semester: before you resolve to make this your most grade-successful year, maybe resolve to make it your most successful year all-around. Grades, friendships, and otherwise.

Whispers News Blurbs From Around School

lizzie whitney ‘15, elizabeth lacy ‘15, and shaina desai ‘16... have performances january 17 for all district/all women’s choir john rosher ‘16.... may or may not have climbed a mountain all winter sports... are being combined for one senior night on february 13 caroline salzman ‘18... swam 1 second off the state qualifying time over winter break clay lundgren ‘17... went to washington d.c. to participate in a.g.d.q. to raise money for cancer research will powell ‘18... scored 20 points as a freshman in his first boys’ varsity basketball game

Welcome back, Paige and Michael

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 pertaining 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 phsvoice.com. The Voice is YOUR publication. Please read responsibly.

Copy Chief Grace McFee

Editors-in-Chief Paige Pepitone and Michael Rubel

Staff Writers Bella Barnes Managing Editors Emily Beasley Feature – Cindy Wang Copy Editors Student Life – Megan She Sarah Chamberlain Emily Cohen Natalie Dameron Sports – Emily Dema Gunjan Gaur Shaina Desai Arts – Elizabeth Gerson Shannon Fang Mickey Ferguson MS – Laura Hibschman Mikey Geduldig Opinion – Lizzie Whitney Web Designer Grace Green Off-Campus – Saurabh Goel Cormac Chester Kate Kramer Jillian Jetmore Assistant Editors Business Managers Tammy Lee Davis Brooks Cormac Chester Ellie Miller Devon Dietrich Grace McFee Vishesh Patel Olive Honan Gina Pepitone Lizzie Shulman Photo Editor Daniel Stark Christine Zheng Cormac Chester Julianne Waters Columnists Matt Burke – “Biased Opinions with Burke” Devon Dietrich & Olive Honan – “The Buzz” Elizabeth Gerson, Bella Foote, & Christine Zheng –KC Crawl” Eric Koch and Lizzie Whitney – “Calvin and Hobbes” Megan She – “That’s What She Said” Faculty Sponsors Dr. Matt Clothier Mr. Joel Causey