V
the oice Meet Pembroke’s All Around Athlete......page 3
May 2012 Volume XXIX, Issue I Theatre Department Performs Antigone Page 2
French Elections Take Place.....................page 4
Three Teachers Retire Dr. Houx, Dr. Ostarch and Dr. Salinger say farewell to Pembroke Hill after many great years. pages 5, 6 and 7
Columnist Riley Sloan on Healthcare......page 8 The College List It’s that time of year. Find out where the senior class will be continuing their education in the fall. page 11
Eric and Sarah Koch Respond to Riley.....page 9 How to get a 5 on your AP exams.............page 10
Envirothon: National Selection Cindy Wang Staff Writer Most people would agree that participating in Envirothon is no easy task; one must dedicate many hours outside of class to research difficult topics, create posters, and write and memorize oral presentations in order to prepare for competition. However, all of their hard work seems to be paying off. Both the Blue team and the Red team dominated at the State Envirothon tournament on April 18, 2012, with the Blue team taking first place and the Red team finishing second. The Blue team will have the honor of representing Missouri in the North American Canon Envirothon competition in July. Out of the five events held at the State tournament, the Blue team, which consists of juniors Riley Sloan, Jeffrey Rubel, Wanda Czerwinski, Hosain Ghassemi, and sophomore Ryan Hrinya, took first place in Stormwater Management, Soils, Aquatics, and Wildlife. The Red team, which includes Logan Nichols (’13), Emily Beasley (’15), Owen Underwood (’15), Vincent Czerwinski (’14), and
Photo Credit to SueAnn Wright
Veronica Reardon (’13), placed first in Forestry. The Envirothon team credits their spectacular results to their sponsor, Mrs. Wright, who, according to Red team captain, Logan Nichols, “lets us practically destroy her basement and dining room while we scramble to prepare for our competitions.” He continues, “Without [Mrs. Wright], our success would, in my opinion, be impossible. She pushes us forward at every turn and motivates us without ever being negative.” n
“Envirothon isn’t just a team, it’s a family. An extrememly intelligent, socially awkward, and hilarious family.” -Hosain Ghassemi
May the Odds Be Ever in Their Favor Math Problem: 3 men share a hotel room, they are all charged 15 dollars each. later, the manager decides that they should have only been charged a total of 40 dollars, so he gives five dollars to the messengers to return to the men. the messenger dishonestly keeps 2 dollars for himself and gives each man one dollar. each man has paid 14 dollars for the room, and the messenger has 2 dollars for a total of 44 dollars. however the men originally paid 45 dollars for the room. where is the other dollar?
Cynthia Wang Managing Editor Fun, exhilarating, and intellectually-stimulating are among the many words that Math Team members use to describe their experiences. Math Team is actually quite an exciting topic, especially around this time of year, because Pembroke Hill’s Upper School Math Team has qualified for nationals. Not one, or even two students qualified, but the entire team did after they took second at State. This year, on May 18, high
school students from all over the nation will be flying in to compete at UMKC, where nationals will be held. A team will even be flown in from Saipan, which is an island in the Pacific Ocean near Asia! Math Team members will each participate in four math events: a target round, sprint round, relay round, and team round. Over the past year, Math Team has worked hard, practiced tirelessly, and participated in many tournaments to reach this degree of achievement. Good luck to the Math team at Nationals!n
Photo Credit to Mr. Griffiths
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theVoice May 2012
The Spring Play: Antigone Peter Taggart Staff Writer This past weekend, the Pembroke Hill Thespian Department put on a marvelous show, interpreting the Greek Tragedy Antigone (An-tig-oh-knee), by Sophocles. The play opened with the entire cast on stage, and from the start the entire cast had a great flow, moving on and off stage flawlessly as they kept the scene moving. The play centered on Antigone, portrayed by Sammie Rios ’12, the daughter of Oedipus. Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, rebelled against Creon, the ruler of Thebes, and was killed in the ensuing war. Creon, Antigon’s uncle, portrayed by P. J. Lawhon ’12, does not allow Polyneices to be buried for being a rebel. However, Antigone will not rest until Polyneices has been
buried, and the audience watches as the tragedy unfolds. Sammie embodied the stubbornness of a young woman who does not want to live if her brother remains unburied. P. J.’s voice and demeanor showed the audience how a real ruler should look and act, even in the most heartbreaking crisis. The play was adapted for a more modern feel, and Mrs. King and the Thespian Department both did a great job making sure that it was not too old-fashioned for the audience to understand, while also making sure that it captured the feel and emotion of a Greek tragedy. The Pembroke Hill Thespian Department concluded the 2012 school year with a fantastic modern adaptation of a Greek classic. n
Student Life Antigone Cast List Sammie Rios...................Antigone Jenny Hughes......................Nurse Mallory Dameron................Ismene Ian Purdy..........................Haemon P. J. Lawhon.........................Creon Michael Rubel..............First Guard Riley Sloan.............Second Guard Zach Helder................Third Guard Veronica Reardon........Messenger Emily Bricker..........................Page Louise Meersseman........Eurydice
Science Olympiad earns a trip to Disneyworld Andrea Lu and Tammy Lee Staff Writers On April 14, the Science Olympiad team traveled to Columbia, MO to take part in the Missouri State Science Olympiad contest. Out of the thirty-one teams competing, Pembroke took first. Connie Wells, head coach of the team, says, “They’re a hard working group. I really wanted this for them.” On May 18 and 19, the team will participate in the 2012 National Science Olympiad competition at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. According to Quint Underwood,
Photo Credit to Asher Abrahms Photo Credit to Connie Wells
“If we do really well at nationals, it’s just icing on the cake. If we don’t, it’s still fun and a good learning experience.” Mrs. Wells hopes for her team to place in the top 20, with a few students winning a national medal. How-
ever, her main goal is for the students to have a great time so that this year will be an experience that they remember forever. For the graduating seniors, nationals will be the last time they work together with their teammates. n
Sports 3 Athlete of the Issue: Erin Harvey theVoice May 2012
Riya Mehta Managing Editor Erin Harvey is the “the perfect role model of what a student athlete is all about,” according to her basketball coach, Mr. Jim McMurray. Throughout high school, for every season of every year, Erin has participated in Pembroke Hill’s athletic program. A member of the varsity golf, basketball, and soccer teams, Erin explains, “My favorite part of participating in the athletics at Pembroke Hill is that I am able to play competitively in the three sports I love with my friends without having to choose just one sport.” And she has continuously excelled in them all. Her list of awards and accomplishments seems to go on forever: three-time golf state qualifier, member of the basketball Academic All-State team, and First-Team AllState for soccer, just to name a few. She was also awarded the Pembroke Hill Ed Ryan award for best all-
around female athlete. Erin has not only been recognized for her stellar athletic ability, but also her leadership skills. A two-time captain of the golf team, two-time captain of the basketball team, and captain of the soccer team her senior year, she has been an integral part of each of her teams both on and off the course… and court…and field. Erin is “really dedicated to each of the sports teams she plays on,” says Junior Elizabeth Starr, who has been a member of the golf, basketball, and soccer teams as well. Another team member, Junior Katie McMurray, describes Erin as a “great leader.” In recognition of these traits, Coach McMurray presented Erin with the Raider Award for basketball this year. He went on to say that “she is going to be very successful in whatever endeavors she chooses to go into.” Erin plans to attend Washington and Lee College in the fall, where she will play soccer. n
Achievements and Awards • All-District Golf for three years • Three-time State qualifier for golf • Three-time Defensive Player of the Year for basketball • First-Team All-District for basketball • Member of Academic AllState Team for basketball • Member of All-Kansas City Team for soccer • All-State for soccer Photo Credit to Erin Harvey
Preston Fleenor
Miriam Swartz Business Manager Upperclassmen golfers aren’t going to know what hit them. When they arrive at the state championship on the 14th, they will be faced with the last obstacle they ever would have expected: a freshman. PHS freshman, Preston Fleenor, is preparing to compete in his first state championship golf tournament after achieving an impressive first place at districts and second place at sectionals (first place went to PHS senior Gordie Hamilton). Preston has played golf since he was 11 and practices daily. Although he has had several individul accomplishments this year, he says that “the win would’ve
Photo Credit to Preston Fleenor
been better if we moved on as a team.” Preston has loved being on the PHS golf team this year, and despite his many successes, he has kept a level head. “My favorite part of being on the golf team was missing school to go play golf,” Preston explains as he prepares to miss school one last time, for this year that is, and looks toward a State Championship. n
Quint Underwood
Raymond Fang Assistant Editor Quint Underwood, Class of 2014, loves to run. During the season, he spends six days a week running, dividing his time between long slow distance (LSD) running and speed workouts. Quint will occasionally run on Sunday, the off day, to help himself think or sleep. All of his hard work seems to be paying off—in a recent track meet, Quint and the other members of his distance medley team finished 1st place, with Quint running an impressive 1600 meter time of 4:44. Remarkable though that may be, Quint says he won’t be satisfied with his track season until he can get his time into the 4:30’s. When Quint graduated from St. Paul’s to Pembroke Hill for high school, Bruce
Quint and his post-run hair do. Photo Credit to Ms. Rosenfield
Sorrell—the father of Robert Sorrell, Class of 2012—informed the principal of St. Paul’s that any interested students should sign up for the Pembroke Hill cross country team. Despite St. Paul’s lack of a track or crosscountry team, Quint recalls, “I wasn’t going to play any other sport so I decided
I should give it a try. I’d always enjoyed running in middle school. ”Regarding the future, Quint muses, “I might run cross country or track in college...it depends on the school. I will continue running in college regardless of whether I compete or not.” n
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Off Campus
theVoice May 2012
A New France
Hollande Dethrones Sarkozy in French Elections Sid Goel Staff Writer The victory of Socialist presidential candidate François Hollande in this year’s Fremch presidential election marks a turning point for the French government and Europe as a whole. With his strong anti-Sarkozy campaign and promise to behave like a “normal” president, he was able to topple the incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy with 51.6% of the votes by proposing measures to fix the economy. The central issue for Hollande is how to revive the French economy without deepening the deficit, and while he has a few ideas in mind, such as reallocating funds, issuing eurobonds, and new taxes, they are moderate measures and already seem to antagonize other European leaders. Hollande’s claims that “we don’t need [austerity]”
faces especially strong opposition from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who staunchly opposes any degree of deficit spending. With all the economic and political challenges that plague Europe, perhaps a leftist “normal” president is all France needs to restore itself. n
QUOTES FROM FRANÇOIS HOLLANDE
“I protect the children of the Republic, [Sarkozy] protects the privileged.” “Europe isn’t saved. Things are dire.”
Sprinting Towards Recovery Ellen Cagle Copy Editor Tiffani McReynolds, a sophomore sprinter and hurdler at Baylor University and a Pembroke Hill graduate, sustained an injury in a recent track meet, but her spirits are not dampened. At Baylor’s home track meet on April 21, the Michael Johnson Classic, McReynolds injured herself in the 100-meter dash. In an email interview, McReynolds said that an MRI revealed that she tore about 50-60% of her quad, an injury that is classified as a “highgrade” strain. McReynolds has been sidelined for two weeks, and hopes to return to regional competition at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in another two weeks. If all goes well, she hopes to compete in the NCAA Outdoors in early June in Des Moines, Iowa, where she’ll be a contender in the 100-meter hurdles and the 100-meter dash. If she does not recover enough to compete there, McReynolds will still aim for the Olympic trials. She expressed little worry about her injury or the upcoming Olympic trials. She stated, “There is more than enough time for me to get healthy and run [at the trials] since it’s not until June.” n
Photo Credit to Tiffani McReynolds
Feature
theVoice May 2012
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Dr. Houx
Maya Patel and Arianna Lane Managing Editor and Assistant Editor
After fourteen memorable years at Pembroke Hill, Dr. Sharrel Houx will retire at the end of this school year. Dr. Houx came to the school in 1997 and has since created a strong learning specialist program that gives every student the opportunity to reach their full potential. She has worked with both middle and upper school students to “help them find the most effective way to learn information.” Every day she helps different students find personal strategies, organization skills, and techniques for them to learn and retain information. Although Dr. Houx has had wonderful
experiences teaching at Pembroke Hill, she plans to spend more time relaxing and enjoying simple pleasures like watching the sunrise and sunset at her lake house, tending to her garden of native Kansas wildflowers, and learning more about photography. She also plans on spending plenty of time with her grandchildren, and hopes to teach one of them via iPad. When asked what she will miss most about her job, Dr. Houx says, “The students: I’ll miss them. I have a hard time every year missing the seniors that graduated in the spring.” The students will certainly miss her too. n
Why We Love Dr. Houx: “No matter what she is doing, Dr. Houx will drop everything to help you. The care she shows for her students is extraordinary, and I feel blessed that I got to work with her for two years.” -Courtney Bacon ‘14 “Dr. Houx is one of the kindest people I know. She is always rooting for me and is willing to do whatever she can to help me succeed.” - Meredith Sight ‘13
Est. 1998
Roasting Company
ph: 816-931-9955 4012 Washington Kansas City, MO 64111 broadwayroasting.com
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Feature
theVoice May 2012
Dr. Salinger Kate Berkley and Aden Macmillan Managing Editor and Copy Editor Dr. Salinger, affectionately known as Dr. Sal, began teaching English at the Sunset Hill School in 1977. Throughout his career, his knowledge, wit, and passion have been inspiring his students and challenging them to grow to new intellectual heights. Mr. McGee, chair of the History department, says: “Dr. Salinger has been a role model, a mentor, a colleague, and a friend to me throughout all of my years at Pembroke Hill. He always remained strong in his convictions and dedicated to excellence-providing it on a daily basis in the classroom and demanding it from his students. I have truly enjoyed working with him, and Pembroke Hill is losing a legend and one of the most thoughtful, considerate, humorous, witty, sarcastic, hardworking individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing.” During his time at PHS, Dr. Salinger served as
student-government sponsor as well as English department chair from 1989-2000. He received the Virginia Helmstedter award for outstanding contribution to the life of the Upper School in 2000. Dr. Salinger received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, where he and his wife, Dr. Valerie Ostarch, met. After they both received their master’s degree from the University of Indiana at Bloomington, they came to Sunset Hill where they both taught in the humanities department. During their first three years of teaching, they traveled to Bloomington in the summers where they worked on their dissertations. Both received their Ph.Ds in 1981. When asked why he became a teacher, Dr. Salinger says, “I really liked reading and talking about literature, and I felt like that [teaching] was a way to continue to do that.” Throughout his years at the school, Dr. Salinger has certainly made a mark on his students. William
Block ‘14, says: “Dr. Salinger’s witty personality always brightens my day. He has been an excellent teacher and I feel like a far better English student because of him.” Dr. Salinger admired by students and fellow faculty members alike. His colleague and officemate, Lauren Rosenfield, says: “Dr. Salinger has been a wonderful colleague, mentor, and friend. I never would have survived my first year at Pembroke Hill without his guidance and support. He is terrifically supportive...Dr. Salinger is brilliant, and he is as passionate about the literature he teaches as he is knowledgeable.” Dr. Salinger displays a rare passion for his job, and he has earned much respect for his exceptional teaching ability, but even more importantly, he has earned a profound amount of love from all of the people who have had the privilege to know him. In his retirement, Dr. Sal and Dr. O will retire to the hill country of Texas where Dr. Ostarch has designed a house. While they will be visiting
Kansas City about four times a year - their eldest son, Leo ‘00, lives here - Dr. Salinger says it will be strange leaving, remarking, “It won’t be quite the same as running into Constentino’s and seeing Joey Gamble working there or seeing mothers of students we teach - students we taught who are now mothers...that’s kind of been fun too, the fact that we’ve taught a second generation or people we’ve started with that are now in their fifties.” William Arthur Ward once said, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” Dr. Salinger, you have been inspiring students at Pembroke Hill for the past 35 years, and for that, we are forever grateful. Thank you for your unbelievable contribution - you will be sorely missed. n
Feature
theVoice May 2012
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Dr. Ostarch Danny Shum Retired Editor-in-Chief For 32 years, Dr. Val Ostarch has graced the halls of Pembroke as a teacher and mentor, ushering students toward their full potential with her notorious and contagious energy. Throughout this time, she’s taught English at nearly every level, spanning hundreds of works and thousands of students, many of whom come back and visit. In her classroom, she relishes discussion and the opportunity to help students find their own voices. As a student of hers for both my freshman and senior years of high school, I can attest to Dr. Ostarch’s genius. What makes Dr. O, as she is affectionately nicknamed, such an excellent and special member of the Pembroke community is her ability to elicit expression of students’ introspection and reflection. “The beauty of teaching English,” she says, “is people share inner feelings.
It’s a more personal avenue, and I’ve absolutely loved it. I’m really happy that kids have trusted me with personal stories that come out in poems, stories, and discussions of films. You can do that in a literature class, whereas it may not be possible in all disciplines.” Beyond the classroom, Dr. O is exceptional in her interaction with students during January Interim. Having led groups literally across the globe, Dr. O is practically the founder of the Janterm travel system and one of the individuals that current and future Pembroke students have to thank for the abroad opportunities available during January. Dr. Ostarch will perhaps best be remembered for her passion for poetry. “I really like poetry,” she says, “I love to read poetry, and I like encouraging students to generate it themselves.” Dr. O used to teach the elective poetry writing course where she imbued her students with an
appreciation for “the compression and the scintillating quality of poems.” She says she likes poetry because “you can say a lot with so few words.” If there’s one thing that Dr. Ostarch says she’ll miss after her retirement, it’s her students. “Being around the young keeps you young, and Pembroke Hill students are powerhouse students with vigorous, lively minds. I’ll miss being around that spirit.” Dr. O and her husband, fellow Pembroke teacher, Dr. Steve Salinger, will be retiring to the hill country of Texas just west of San Antonio along a limestone river where they intend to seek out adventures in hiking and state park exploration, mixed of course with writing, reading, and Photo Credits: Pembroke Hill Archives and Valerie Ostarch relaxation. On behalf of all Pembroke students, parents, and alumni, thank you, Dr. O. Good luck! n
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Opinion
theVoice May 2012
CARE
health Riley Sloan Managing Editor America’s old healthcare system needed to change. US medications cost twenty percent more than the world average. US doctors are paid five times as much as the average patient while the world average is three times. And, when it comes down to it, we already pay for socialized healthcare. When the millions of Americans currently without insurance get sick or injured, they aren’t turned away from hospitals. They simply receive huge bills, most of which are passed on to the public as hospitals raise rates to cover the shortfall. So if we already paid for everyone’s medical care before the reform, why wouldn’t we make it official and control these universal costs through insurance? The Affordable Care Act (lovingly referred to as Obamacare) does this mainly through an individual mandate. Healthcare insurers currently can deny coverage to someone who is already sick. While ethically unfortunate, this made sense because if insurers were not allowed to do so, people could simply wait and purchase healthcare insurance once they got sick. To deal with this problem, the Affordable Care Act requires everyone to have health insurance. This way, private companies can be required to cover someone with a preexisting condition without losing money; the income from healthy customers evens it all out. Unfortunately, there are quite a few myths about Healthcare Reform spread by opponents. Obama did a poor job of raising awareness on what the Act actually does, so many people believe these myths. Here are a few: Myth #1. The Act will increase the deficit. In actuality, since the bill was passed, the Congressional Budget Office has predicted that the bill would reduce the deficit by 143 billion over ten
years and by 1.3 trillion over twenty years. Myth # 2. The Act is paid for through new taxes. Only a quarter of the bill will be paid for through taxes, and 90% of these taxes will be paid by highincome earners. The majority of the bill is paid for through spending cuts, which conservatives profess to love. Myth #3. Illegal immigrants will be able to purchase insurance. Nope. Illegals will not be able to purchase this insurance. No matter what. Myth #4. The Act will make taxes fund abortions. Again, false (see a pattern yet?). Not only do zero federal or taxpayer funds pay for abortions, no plan will be required to cover them, and states can opt out of offering coverage. Myth #5. The Act eliminates free enterprise through the government option. The government will provide a federally run healthcare option. Key word: option. There will still be plenty of private companies to choose from, and the government option will increase competition, lowering prices. Myth # 6. The Act is unconstitutional. This is perhaps the most widespread misconception. Mostly, arguments against the bill focus on the individual mandate. But the law is a completely valid exercise of Congress’ Commerce Clause power , which allows Congress to regulate interstate commerce. The Supreme Court long ago established that Congress could regulate individual activity if the activity impacts interstate commerce. Congress can require individuals to buy insurance to stabilize insurance prices nationally.
For those still not convinced, here is a quote from conservative judge Laurence Silberman; “[the Act] certainly is an encroachment on individual liberty, but it is no more so than a command that restaurants or hotels are obliged to serve all customers regardless of race, that gravely ill individuals cannot use a substance their doctors described as the only effective palliative for excruciating pain, or that a farmer cannot grow enough wheat to support his own family. The right to be free from federal regulation is not absolute, and yields to the imperative that Congress be free to forge national solutions to national problems.” In other words, we must sacrifice some rights to preserve others. We sacrifice the ‘right’ to kill people for the right not to be killed. Similarly, we must sacrifice the right not to be insured so that everyone has the right to be insured.n
WHAT DOES THE ACT DO? - Individual Mandate (everyone must purchase healthcare, subsidies for poor) - Creates government option to keep prices down - Extends Medicaid to more impoverished families - Fixes Medicare loopholes - People cannot be denied coverage be cause treatment is too expensive - No denying coverage due to preexisting conditions - Children can stay on parents’ plan until 26 years old
Opinion
don’t
theVoice May 2012
CARE
Eric Koch and Sarah Koch Staff Writer and Managing Editor Meet Johnson. He’s health insurance has caused an American living in the more costly premiums bepost-apocalyptic mayhem of cause companies needed to 2020 created by Obamacare, charge more to pay for the inofficially called the Afford- creased costs. The Affordable able Care Act. Okay, apoca- Care Act was created to make lyptic may be a stretch, but sure that everyone had insurlife sure is miserable due to ance and to reduce the cost his insanely high health care to the sick and elderly. The costs. The 2,407 page bill was increased prices for healthy supposed to magically make people like Johnson were the cost of premiums go caused by cost reductions down while providing ad- to these high risk people. Johnson also has ditional benefits. Instead,the imposition of countless regu- a few friends who smoke lations, requirement to ac- heavily, and their irresponsicept preexisting conditions, ble decision has caused them and mandates for everyone to have many lung problems. to buy insurance has led to Obamacare’s new requireskyrocketing premium costs. ment that someone cannot Once upon a time, be turned down or charged insurance had few regu- significantly higher premilations, and people could ums because of preexisting choose to have low cost plans conditions means that these that only covered major ac- guys no longer have to worry cidents. Now, insurers must about expensive insurance. pay for everything from den- Not only is Johnson paying tistry to birth control. This for his friends’ bad decisions change in the operation of though the equalized pre-
miums, they’re more likely to continue making them. If his friends have fewer consequences to worry about, they have less reason to stop doing things that are bad for them. People can be irresponsible because the government will take care of them. A few people had always chosen to not buy insurance and simply get a free ride, but after the new legislation, that number actually increased. Johnson knows many people who are saving 3,000 dollars a year by waiting until they get sick to purchase insurance, which is now allowed because the sickness is then considered a preexisting condition. The fine isn’t a deterrent because it is only 10% the cost of paying for insurance. However, even if the mandate had worked perfectly and completely eliminated the free rider problem, it would’ve
reduced premiums by 1.7% at most, according to a group that favored the act. The government failed to create a free lunch, and America realized there is no such thing. Looking back at the time when such a horrible decision was made, Johnson wishes that people had been able to see the error in their country’s way of thinking. The health care system’s further decline will make government control continue to spiral upwards because officials claim that the only answer is to add even more regulations and requirements. Ultimately, we as a country must decide whether we want to have a system that is controlled entirely by the government, or one that is run by the free market. It is up to you as an American citizen to choose what path our country will follow. n
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Photo Poll
theVoice May 2012
l l o P
AP
their
tips
seniors
o t o Ph share Don’t mess them up. —Brant Bender
Don’t worry too much, because they can’t hurt your resume. — Madeline Krahn
Buy an AP book. And read it. —Paul Lisbon
Just take it seriously and study for them. Concise, little review guides are better than big ones. —Shannon Lowe
Some schools don’t take AP credits, so they can become pointless —Laine Schwarberg Do your homework throughout the year. Remember that they do matter. —Maddie Gill
Don’t freak out and think you have to study a lot. —Abigail Lutz
Don’t take them. —Josh Smith
The College List
theVoice May 2012
11
Class of 2012 Charles Allen V Kiana Amirahmadi Gaurav Anand Ivan Batlle Brant Bender Hannah Bortnick Elizabeth Bremer Nicole Bricker Juliana Cardenas Camille Christie Spencer Chu Will Cobb Sarah Cole Nelson Costello Mallory Dameron Shane Davies Luke Davis Adrienne Dunham Conor Eckert Abigail Elmer Madeline Epsten Grace Fedinets Elizabeth Fitzgibbons Andrea Forsee Jacob Fox Peter Fredette Patrick Freitag Katayon Ghassemi Madeline Gill Joshua Girson Margaret Glaze Eryn Godwin William Gonder Gordon Hamilton IV Nicholas Harbur Erin Harvey Elisabeth Hawley Michelle Heidgerken John Hjalmarson Elisabeth Hodge Kevin Hornbeck Jennifer Hughes Julian Jaramillo Madelein Jurdan Molly Kirschner Madeline Krahn Patrick Lawhon Timothy Lawson Michael Lee Kari Linder
Stanford University Princeton University University of Missouri, Kansas City Northwestern University Kansas State University University of Arkansas Tulane University University of Missouri, Columbia University of North Texas Coastal Carolina University Dartmouth Colllege DePauw University Harvard University Texas Christian University Wittenberg University Coppin State University University of Missouri, Columbia University of Mississippi Saint Louis University University of Missouri, Columbia Williams College DePauw University Southern Methodist University Northwestern Western Hobart and William Smith Colleges Middlebury College Trinity University Yale University Beloit College Tufts University Washington and Lee University Elon University Santa Clara University Southern Methodist University Elon University Washington and Lee University Wake Forest University Ithaca College University of Denver Wheaton College MA Harvard University Smith College University of Tulsa University of Virginia University of Arkansas Tufts University Stanford University Emerson College Babson College Claremont McKenna College
Paul Lisbon Matthew Logan Lauren Long Shannon Lowe Abigail Lutz Ansel MacLaughlin Katharine Mahoney Chase Malik Daniel McCluskey Courtney McCray Amy McDaniel Megan McLoughlin Lauren Meoli Elle Morgan Kevin Morrissy David Mueller Matthew Murray Christian Nagy Palmer Neville Esme Nulan Nillan Patel Leighton Peters Tucker Porter Samantha Rios Magdalana Roby Blake Schmidt Laine Schwarberg Daniel Shum Laura Silverstein Joshua Smith Sarah Snow Rebecca Somers Robert Sorrell Sarah Styslinger Victoria Taggart Madison Thrane Christine Tinsman James Toms Andrew Trenton Holden VanHoutan Grace Vassella Mihir Vedantam Nathan Wagner Daniel Walsworth Elizabeth Wayda William Welte Logan White Joelle Woodson Isaac Wurth Andy Yu
The George Washington University University of Richmond DePauw University Texas Christian University Saint Louis University Rhodes College Hobart and William Smith Colleges Duke University Stanford University Davidson College The University of Alabama Trinity University University of Washington University of Richmond Bentley University University of Missouri, Kansas City University of Denver Carleton College University of Kansas Tufts University Dartmouth College University of Notre Dame University of Kansas Tulane University University of Westminster University of California, Berkeley Denison University Princeton University Saint Louis University Washington University in St. Louis University of Missouri, Columbia Texas Christian University University of Chicago University of Richmond College of William and Mary Elon University Clark University Rockhurst University Syracuse University Saint Louis University University of Kansas University of Kansas Santa Clara University Wake Forest University Rhodes College University of Richmond Drake University University of Tulsa University of Oklahoma University of Michigan
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Voices
theVoice May 2012
Letter from the Editors Dear Voice Readers, As we begin the new Voice year, we, the editors-in-chief for the upcoming school year. wanted to take a moment to welcome you to the 2012-2013 Voice and let you know about our upcomig plans. To put it simply, we are planning a Voice Revolution. But, you can put away your muskets and rebellious spirits. We won’t be crossing the Delaware or dumping tea into Brush Creek. Our first goal includes changes to the design and organization of the paper. As you have already noticed, our paper is a different size. We want to create a more magazine feel with our newspaper. Also, we are hoping to create a more visual newspaper by integrating more photographs and unique designs. We understand that our readers are busy, so we hope to make the newspaper a quick, yet dangerously enjoyable, read for you during your otherwise busy day. Think of us as that beach vacation you always dreamed of - made out of paper and ink. We also hope to engage the entire student body in the upcoming year. Alumni, parents, and students from any grade, feel free to submit a piece or write us a letter. We are the newspaper of the school, and we want to voice your opinions. After all, the Voice is your paper. Our email is voice@pembrokehill.org so send us your thoughts. You may even see
them in our next issue! Our newspaper is also working on internal specialization. We hope to improve each section’s quality by allowing our editors to give their undivided attention to each section. This increased organization will help improve design and layout as editors become specialists on their particular section. As editors-in-chief, we also plan to launch a takeover of the entire school. This plan is the second component of the Voice Revolution. Though our plot cannot be fully disclosed at this point, expect to see an oligarchy established, headed by us and our fellow editors, by the time the world ends in December. For any parents or students who are concerned about this upcoming coup d’etat, please email either one of us, and we would be happy to calm your concerns. If you would like to support our Voice Revolution’s Takeover Plan, we are happily accepting donations (but no less than $50 and donations are tax refundable). We are very excited for the upcoming Voice Revolution. From our first article together about the fall play our freshman year, we have been planning how to make this year the best the Voice has ever seen.
We hope to make the newspaper a quick, yet dangerously enjoyable, read.
The Pembroke Hill School 5121 State Line Road Kansas City, MO 64112
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid PERMIT NO. 3976 Kansas City, MO
Voice
the
The Official Newspaper of the Pembroke Hill School
Yours truly, Ritika Abhyankar and Jeffrey Rubel
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. All comments, concerns, and complaints should be forwarded directly to the Editors in Chief. 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. The Voice is YOUR newspaper. Please read responsibly.
whispers
news blurbs about pembroke final exams are approaching... for all those freshman, sophomores, and juniors, the final exam schedule is: tuesday: foreign language, mathematics; wednesday: english, social studies; thursday: science lacrosse... competed in kansas city championship at livestrong stadium against shawnee mission east riya mehta... qualifies for national history day competition in washington, dc for presentation over the fall of the berlin wall aria sabbagh... competed in junior olympics competition for gymnastics debaters... mihir vedantam and cianan lesley are attending the national competition for policy debate environmental club... is selling t-shirts for $10. find or email jacob fox or riley sloan if you are interested in purchasing one faculty grants in foreign language... were awarded to kym van zanten to travel to argentina to study culture and nancy lacy to travel to italy to study language
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Ritika Abhyankar and Jeffrey Rubel Head of Deisgn Wanda Czerwinski Business Manager Miriam Swartz Photo Editor Kathleen O’Keefe Web Designer Asher Abrahms Copy Editors Ellen Cagle Aden MacMillan Ben Shadid
Managing Editors Kate Berkeley Taylor Carr-Howard Sarah Koch Anna Levitt Riya Mehta Maya Patel Riley Sloan Cynthia Wang Assistant Editors Raymond Fang Arianna Lane Neha Sahgal