Hornet's Nest | Volume 5 | Issue 4 | January 28, 2020

HORNET’S NEST Proctor Academy | January 28 2020| Vol. 5 | Issue 4

Clocking Time on Tik Tok

By Madeline Boyd TikTok seems to be the next big social networking trend.

For those of you not familiar with teen culture, TikTok is a social media app that shares videos ranging from comedy, talent, travel, lip-syncing, DIY, art, and much more.

Teens these days seem to love it, but I have mixed feelings.

With teens now making references to popular videos, to people referring to themselves as “TikTokers,” this app seems to be the new place to be. As a teen, I consider myself to be aware of my culture, however I do not spend endless hours a day immersing myself in content. So I did not understand why my peers constantly have their heads in their phones scrolling through TikTok. I turned to junior Kerri Belguendouz, who refers to herself as a “TikToker,” making videos of herself and her friends, lip-syncing and dancing to videos. Kerri explains, “I come back because there is such a wide variety of videos to watch.”

Kerri is actually hoping to become TikTok famous someday, and is dedicated to the app.“I probably spend three hours a day on TikTok and sometimes four hours on the weekends.”

I talked with ten other Proctor students that use TikTok, and of the ten, four said they spend about two hours a day on the app, three said on average they spend about three hours a day, and another three said they spend about one hour a day. After watching my first couple of videos on TikTok, the pull seemed to be mindless entertainment, a couple punches to your self-esteem and a couple of laughs to be gained with the possibility of an infinite number of hours scrolling through videos.

Though I can’t relate to the TikTok addiction, I understand the pull; I spent an hour straight on it after downloading the app, however after that hour I remembered a couple of funny videos but I did not feel like I gained anything worthwhile.

From the period of time I spent on TikTok to the time I put down my phone, I was surprised by the content. I found many

comedic videos worth a small amount of my time yet the other half of the videos posted were of teenage girls covered in makeup wearing skimpy pajamas shaking their hips in hopes to get their video “TikTok viral.”

Those are the parts of TikTok that seem like a place where young girls start TikTok to try to get validity and attention for their physical appearance through looking “cute” while lip-syncing and dancing. TikTokers seem to be able to fabricate a new version of themselves to the public which is like almost every other platform of social media. Writing this, I understand I could offend some of my peers who may find TikTok an important part of their life, however, I am simply a perspective that challenges you to question what we choose to make a part of our lives. Is there a point when we stop creating mindless entertainment and can really just be in the moment? A place

we can get to where all this fabrication catches up to an individual and we stop and reflect on who we truly are instead of the image that we want to create?

Every new interview on this topic gave me more content and truths about TikTok, however, that only left me with more questions. In TikTok there are many layers, personalities, stories and complexities in the types of content posted.

superficial and shallow side of people dancing for attention and finding validity by the number of followers they have. Finally, there is also the flip side of friends just making dancing videos together because they are fun.

TikTok is another form of social media that has the ability to suck up young people with the potential to destroy their self-worth. But prove me wrong.

There is the comical side where one can be guaranteed a couple of laughs and good material. There is a ‘waste of time’ side where you can watch so many art videos that you could start a museum with the time you spent staring at your phone. There are travel videos that in the span of thirty seconds can make you rethink your whole life.

There are videos of people ripping apart slime, but you know you would rather be touching it than watching someone else do it. Then there is the

The Man Behind the Website

By Sloane Wightman Like many students, without the help of the Proctor website, I may have never ended up here. Have you ever wondered who creates the Proctor website?

I remember searching for the right prep school online and thinking how brutal the process was, but when I found Proctor’s website, it felt much easier to navigate. It was like a relaxed virtual tour of the school and I was so amazed at how much I learned. Scott Allenby, Proctor’s Director of Communication, emphasized, “The primary goal of the website is to attract prospective families to the school and to provide them with information about the school and with the offerings that we have.”

In my case, this is exactly what the website did for me and my family. The work that goes into creating and designing the website is complicated. \ In order to keep the content compelling to Scott and his team’s audience, they look at the school year to keep track of upcoming and important events. “Each term we brainstorm the content we want to produce, both to speak to a specific audience within the admissions pool and to engage our current families. Most of our content is the stuff that organically happens during the school year, whether it is an off-campus program or somebody talking in assembly. These events share a window into Proctor that we know people are going to want to hear and that tells a complete story of who we are at Proctor.”

Although the website provides many aspects for people to learn more about Proctor, it comes with hard choices in the creation process. “The biggest challenge is making sure everybody feels they are heard or their program or department is represented.

There is so much good happening at Proctor that it is impossible to cover all of it. We have to look at it from a two or threeyear schedule, making sure we are hitting all the different areas of the school. My least favorite part about managing the website is related to the fact that it never rests. People have a never-ending appetite for new content, and feeling as though there always needs to be new content can be exhausting sometimes.”

Along with the challenges of the job come highlights. “My fa-

vorite part of the job is that in my role, I get to look at all the good that is happening at the school. We know life at a boarding school is complicated and life working with teaching adolescents can have its fair share of ups and downs, but the majority of my work is really focused on the best of what is happening at the school, and that is energizing in many ways.”

Scott told me that when he came into this role in 2014, he did not have a marketing or communications background. So how did he grow to be so successful in what he does? Scott’s words of advice were, “You need to have the mindset that you need to immerse yourself into the community to tell an authentic story through a real story.” The best way to tell a story is by telling it through the experiences of real people and how they live their life at Proctor. So if you see Scott and have a story to share, be sure to let him know.

Is College For Everyone?

By Sean Slick For many students, the push for higher education is sold to them at a young age by parents, teachers, counselors, and the media. We are told that college is the ultimate path to a successful career and a happy life.

But are we really ready for college? Is it time to rethink the typical college path?

According to The Balance, a personal finance website, 70% of students will study at a four-year university, but less than two thirds will graduate. Though obtaining a college degree can be extremely beneficial and lead to a greater success rate in finding jobs and making money (which by the way is contingent on the degree type) there are definitely disadvantages.

As Stanley Zucker, a professor who teaches Educational Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University reports, “The expenses of college are rising every year, and it’s important for students to explore their options and realize that attending a fouryear university isn’t absolutely necessary

— there are plenty of great paying jobs out there that involve less time, less money and less stress.”

to give up the idea that every young person has to go to college and start offering high school seniors an alternative route.”

A college is always a great option if you have a plan, or if you know that you want to study engineering and you need the college experience in order to get the job you want. However, a lot of college degrees don’t guarantee success and a job. In those cases, you leave college without work and potentially a lump of student debt.

So what are the other options? According to National Public Radio, there are many high paying trade jobs that are sitting empty while high school graduates are lining up for university. According to NPR, a car technician can walk away making six figures and all it takes to get started is either hands-on training or heading to a 1-2 year vocational school. There are also associates degrees, apprenticeships and vocational fields that need work and can pay just as well. Not to mention if you’re not ready for

As Robert Reich, former United States Secretary of Labor, economist, author, and political commentator observes, “It’s time

college and want to serve our country the military is a phenomenal option.

It’s time we revisit the idea of funneling every young person into a university following their K-12 experience. Higher education is not integral to society and life and we take it for granted. As Mike Rowe, host of the television show Dirty Jobs, summarizes, “If everyone had a college degree, the result would be not great jobs for all, but runaway credential inflation. Trying to spread success with education spreads education but not a success.”

The Addiction

By Kaia Schmid Teenagers around the globe seem to be addicted to their phones and students at Proctor are no exception. Between Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, VSCO, and all the other popular apps, it seems like students are constantly glued to their screens on the walkways and occasionally in the classrooms at Proctor.

Compared to the national average of 7 hours and 22 minutes per day (according to Fox News), students at Proctor spend much less time on their phones than the typical teenager. In my recent survey sent out to the student body, forty-three percent of Proctor students reflected on how often they use their devices, some up to eight hours a day. I asked students to go to ‘screen time’ in phone settings and look at how much time they spend on their phones on average. This survey revealed that 37% of students spend 1-2 hours daily, 46% of students spend 3-4 hours daily, and 17% of students spend 5-8 hours dai-

ly on their phones.

In a study by Fox 17 News, fifty percent of teenagers think they are addicted to their phones. At Proctor, 41% of students reported they are addicted to their phones, while the other 59% said they are not.

It appears Proctor students are on their phones much less than the typical teenager. Perhaps this is because Proctor occupies students with activities all day long, or maybe because students choose to have fun ‘the old fashioned way.’

But is it a problem that teenagers use their phones so often? According to the psychologist Michael Ungar Ph.D., who studies social and psychological resilience in Canada, teenagers living in today’s generation are more anxious than ever

before, causing them to do alarming and impulsive things. This is due to the pressure of looking and acting perfectly on social media and the effects of bullying on social media. Rates of depression and suicide are spiking, and it is obvious that something needs to be done.

But what are some solutions to get Proctor students off their phones? Five students noted that phone holders were not being used in most classes and teachers should enforce that rule. Other students suggested things like filling your day with “more old fashioned activities” and “finding a group of friends that makes you want to be present, rather than on the cellphone.”

I think Proctor students must recognize the addiction and think about their decision before picking up their phones next time. Let’s all try to make a community effort and stay off our devices in the dining hall, classrooms, and assembly.

Schedule Change: Better or Worse?

By Cooper Rice Proctor students understand how hectic a full Proctor schedule can be. Living away from home, having five or more blocks of school every day, and then going to sports can be long and tiring.

Proctor has taken notice of this and is in the process of investigating a new schedule.

Recently, I had a meeting with the Dean of Academics, Derek Nussbaum Wagler, and talked about the potential change for the fall of the 20-21 school year. He shared, “A couple of reasons we are looking at potentially a new schedule change is to allow classes to be a little bit more experiential in how we teach. That means things like more activities in class, more simulation, more in-depth conversations and to help be more hands-on.”

Derek continued, “The other piece is that there is a sense that one of the reasons we are all so whipped at the end of the day is because we are running like crazy from one thing to another and by the time you even sit down it feels like you have to pack up and head right out again. We are trying to slow things down a little bit to help students get more focused on a class, versus a short class where you take some notes or maybe a quiz and then you’re right back out the door running to your next block.

Those are the big things that we are trying to address.”

Freestyle Skiing: A Special Bond

By Ryan Hayes The freestyle ski and snowboarding team is unique in the Proctor community.

First, there is the opportunity to be coached by skiing legend Dan Egan. Dan is one of the most famous big mountain skiers from the mid-80s to late 90s. He holds the most viewed Warren Miller clip of all time and in 2016 Dan and his brother were inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame.

Team Captain Ryan Estella explains, “I think the freestyle ski team is different than other teams on campus because

The majority of the kids at Proctor have a long hard schedule daily and feel drained at the end of pretty much every day. I asked Proctor Junior Michael Gilerman, “How do you feel that a longer block would be at Proctor and do you see most Proctor students succeeding in a new longer style of classes?” Gilerman replied, “I’m not a fan, personally for me, it is hard to get through a 50-minute block so the thought of 70-minute blocks, I don’t support it. I think Proctor kids would have a tough time staying focused on the topic being in a class for that long.”

Contrary to what Gilerman says, Proctor senior Grant Green comments, “During my freshman year [at another school] I had eighty-minute classes and it gives teachers an opportunity to not have to break up their classes and reduce transition time. Longer blocks would be beneficial for science labs and art classes but potentially could be draining for math teachers and students.”

This schedule might not change but there has been a lot of talk about it and it would be to help the overall mental health of Proctor students.

Stay tuned to see if our schedule can become more engaging and tailored to the Proctor learning style.

we have the opportunity to be coached by a world-famous and all-around great mentor, Dan Egan. His expertise and my teammate’s efforts combine to foster an environment where progression and development are encouraged.”

Dan Eagan

Being coached by someone as experienced as Dan Egan is something most people will never experience. Not only is Dan a coach, but he has formed close bonds with many of the team. Having

someone like Dan Egan as a friend is something special. He often shares many of his exotic life stories and shocks every one of us with something new every day. It is amazing to have someone like Dan Egan as the head of the Freeski program.

Along with having a great mentor, the team also shares a special bond. Frazer Hilliard, snowboard captain, states, “We’re on snow five or six, sometimes seven times a week. It’s tough on the body, and we have to travel so much farther than other teams. And even still, we are not treated like any other Proctor team with things like publicity. But our general family atmosphere we have on the team is amazing; we all love what we do and who we do it with.”

Ryan Estella The freestyle team is a family. We all have each other’s backs and are set on helping others improve. Team captain Ryan Estella observes, “My favorite part about the freestyle ski team is the cama-

Ryan Estella

raderie amongst athletes. We spend all spend a large chunk of our afternoons together during what feels like the longest term on campus, and I think this allows us all to build strong friendships that encourage the growth of others.”

This all makes the team unique to the community, and it is great to be able to share it with Proctor.

Food Pantry Returns to Andover

By Jack Fedele Editor’s Note: Jack’s article was written for the Andover Beacon The Andover Hub is in the center of town and provides a place to gather and socialize. However, for Ty Morris, some Andover volunteers, and the Hub committee, there was another thing the town could use this space for. During the holiday season, townspeople and Ty worked to bring back the Andover Food Pantry to help those struggling to put food on their tables.

Ty is a member of the Lake Sunapee Young Professionals Network, and before the holidays, the group planned a Hannaford Stuff-a-Truck event. The original plan was to take all of the donated items to the food pantry in Franklin, NH. Ty was aware that the Andover Food Pantry had previously closed and wanted to see if there was still a need for the service in town.

The Andover Food Pantry closed a few years ago due to a variety of reasons. The new food pantry’s goals are to help all that can take advantage of non-perishable foods to help feed families.

Ty explained, “My approach to this food pantry was really no guidelines, no pressure, no judgment, and come in and get whatever you need.” Ty noted the food pantry current-

ly is “open on an as-needed basis including deliveries and special trips to unlock the room.” There is a Facebook page, Andover NH Food Pantry, to update people on hours and availability.

This food pantry will be different due to the Andover Hub building. While the pantry is open, there is always someone nearby to provide a sense of accountability without having people feel like they’re being judged or watched over. Ty believes that if someone needs to take advantage of the food offerings, then they can.

While details of the food pantry operation are uncertain, Ty notes, “If you want more information or are looking to find out how you can help, check out the Andover NH Food Pantry on Facebook or email Ty@cblifestylesre.com.”