Issue 2 2014-2015

RT

volume XIV issue II

the roundtable

volume XX, issue X

of stuart hall high school

December 2014

month year

Literary and Art Edition

Inside

Read on your iPad or iPhone

Captain Ethics by Julian Moreno Understanding Hemingway by Brandon Seltenrich The Fish by Zack Hammer plus more! roundtable.sacredsf.org

Stuart Hall High School | Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco | Volume XIV, Issue I | December 2014

the round table

roundtable.sacredsf.org

a forum for students

Literary and Art Journal Guest Contributors Benzi Blatman Connor King-Roberts Max Depatie Eugenio Guardia Zack Hammer Justin Hom Evan Kim Anton Kozlov Duncan McDonell Thomas Namara Julian Moreno Omid Ravanfar Demetri Sakellaropoulos Aaron Tolentino

Special thanks to faculty Michael Campos, Ray O’Connor, Francisco Teixeira, Tristan Krautkramer, and Patter Hellstrom for their guidance.

Cover and Back Cover art by Duncan McDonell ‘16

Staff and Publication Information Editor Photography Austin Woo William Rodriguez Stephen Everest Zander Angel-Souza Layout and Website Editor Will Paulsen

Faculty Advisors Staff Brandon Seltenrich Lori Saltveit Nick Shkolnikov Amanda Walker Nick Hom Zack Hammer Owen Fahy Phoenix Aquino-Thomas

stuart hall high school

Corrections the round table goes to great lengths to ensure that all material is accurate, timely, and factual. However, errors sometimes occur. If you notice a factual mistake, please send an e-mail to lori.saltveit@sacredsf.org with “Reader Discovers Error!” in the subject line.

member

Online content: Please visit the online round table at: http://roundtable.sacredsf.org/

the round table | Founded 2005 by Nick Dietz, Corey Linehan, Tom Pardini, Joey Plonsker, Ms. Sarah Slonaker

editor’s corner

by Austin Woo’15

I can’t believe that the first semester is already coming to a close. It seems like the school year only started a couple of weeks ago. But in the blink of an eye, we are at finals week, which I hope you all do well on. A lot has happened in this short period of time: Design Thinking Day, the start of winter sports and the final renovation of the third floor. All during this period, the roundtable staff has been working hard to get its newest issue out!

The cover reveals that this isn’t your average roundtable issue. Instead of reporting the most recent news at SHHS, which we have done on the roundtable website with at least two new articles every week, we decided that this issue would be a culmination of literary and art pieces created by our very own students at The Hall. We wanted to show artistic and creative sides of the student body. In this issue, you’ll find an array of works created by our very own knights, everything from Justin Hom’s hand drawn masterpieces all the way to Julian Moreno’s Superhero story. I hope that you enjoy our literary and art edition of the roundtable and have a great New Year!

T

Best Wishes, Austin

Art Deco by Benzi Blatman ‘15

Past or Future

by Anton Kozlov ‘16

Anton Kozlov’s piece responds to two questions posed by Ethics teacher, Michael Campos: “Who am I? What is Ferguson to me?” The assignment invited students to listen to the complex conversations around race and democratic accountability that have intensified since Ferguson. They were asked to take account of their social location—their positions of privilege and/or complicity—in these engagements. Anton’s response avoids prescription. Rather, he illuminates the inevitable posture of ambivalence that unfolds when one engages the “hard questions.”

No justice for Brown Their hands in the air But why loot the stores That provide you with the care You’re ruining your city, with violent protests Yelling at the government that taxes and collects Your money, your freedom hands still in the air They didn’t do their jobs, you say Well, you raised the pistol You’re the one throwing rocks through store windows How is that going to help Michael Browns legacy twinkle They take all of our hard earned cash There was no justice How dare they call themselves the judicial branch Doesn’t matter whether he hit or scratched

Even if he didn’t run or get shot in the back The murder was provoked by an unarmed attack What is self defense when you have a gun And the victim, he only has two little thumbs

You represent this country’s difficult past The judicial system failed I’m not disagreeing But you’re not helping your case By burning the store owned by a Korean I support those who are on the streets screaming I don’t support those who are in the stores stealing

Illustration by Austin Woo ‘15|

You want to keep Mike Brown alive, fine Just don’t do it with a .45 or a nine Ferguson, you’ve gone through a lot But right now you’re the media’s crack rock To me Ferguson is the battleground But not one where rounds should be flying around You represent this country’s difficult past Look down you’re all standing on the same green grass Put down your weapons, this day might be your last But hold on in another 20 years my child will learn this in class It’s your choice whether he laughs or he gasps Show the world why either we treat all well or we treat all like trash Either way we’ll be together at last

Ebola Speaks

by Austin Woo ‘15

Illustration by Will Rodriquez ‘16

Society knows me as a horror.

Something so abhorred that the thought of my extermination brings relief and comfort to those who fear and hate me. Up until this year, my very presence was regarded as non-existent; I was a distant threat.

Now, my name is screamed in newspapers, magazines, and news stations. Who am I? What am I? I am the thing that they call “Ebola.”

My origin began in 1976 in the Congo. My genesis was derived from the common African fruit bat and thus my journey began. Because I am not bound by species, I crossed to African livestock and monkeys. My existence eventually led me to the discovery of a new host, something referred to as “humans.” Although I quietly infiltrated these humans, latching onto a host one by one, the cases of my infectious presence slowly climbed. I wreaked havoc on

the people and towns that I came across, and their deaths were a confirmation of my power. Their lack of knowledge regarding how I spread and their inability to combat me only furthered my contagium.

I soon learned more about the world in which I existed and I realized that I only occupied a small portion of the world. There were lands I had yet to come in contact with. How could I migrate to these new continents? My curiosity and concerns were soon assuaged when humans from other continents came to stop me! These newly arrived “relief efforts” believed that they could prevent me from infecting new humans. My arrogance blinded me.

While some skilled humans slowed down my progression to dominate the world, I noticed their indescrepencies and I then made my move to infiltrate them. When these foreign humans realized that they themselves had been affected, they fled my homeland and I was soon

on my way to ravaging these new countries. But much to my surprise, these new lands I had trekked to were very different from what I expected. These new places known as the USA, France, Spain, Britain, and Germany were vastly different from my home. They weren’t easy to infiltrate, and those occupying it had containment policies that exceeded my comprehension. While I was able to infect some people, their advanced medicine and healthcare prevented me from spreading and killing more.

Currently, my progression has been halted. These humans sigh in relief but I am sitting in a little dark corner somewhere, waiting for someone or something to make a mistake. When that opportunity knocks, I will make my move and return with a vengeance.

Living the Hockey Dream

by Brandon Seltenrich ‘16

T

he first regular season game with the Oakland Bears was a tough one to lose — 3-1 to a team that we should have beaten. I didn’t play in this game, but still felt the disappointment in the locker room afterwards. Our head coach--Coach Mike--came in and addressed us for a good fifteen minutes stressing that we weren’t playing “Oakland Bears hockey,” and that’s the reason why we lost. It hurt more because we all knew that we definitely should have won the game, but we instead found ourselves in a hole to start the season. We needed to work hard all next week to prepare for our next game.

I woke up on Sunday around 10 am and went about my regular game day routine. Although I wasn’t sure if I would be starting in goal today, I always take the same steps to prepare and I couldn’t break away from that.

I eat a hearty breakfast of Cheerios and some fruit with orange juice and then proceed to play a game of NHL15, which I lose. It’s noon and I have to pack up my gear, sticks and jerseys and leave for Fremont to be there by 1:15 for dryland practice to warm-up. By about 1:45 we finish dryland and walk back to the locker room to get dressed.

Two of our players wouldn’t be playing today because they were injured during last week’s game, leaving us with a short bench. This means tired players, which means a lot of action for the goalie. We try to get pumped up in the locker room while we’re getting dressed, but when Coaches Mike, Chris and Andrew come in it’s time to settle down. They start going over the game plan; every second that passes is nerve racking for me. Believe it or not, the uncertainty if you’re playing or not is sometimes harder to deal with than knowing that you are.

Finally Coach Chris asks Mike, “So who are we going with in net today?” I take a quick glance at my partner in goal and then look to Coach Mike. He’s quiet for a second and then says, “You ready Selty?” I’m relieved to finally get the nod from him. Now it’s time to chug half a gatorade and put on the mask, grab my stick and lead my team onto the ice. After 5 minutes of warm up drills on the ice, we gather around the goal crease and have a little pep talk just between us players. Everyone chips in with, “Alright boys we got this,” and, “C’mon boys we know we can beat this team we’ve done it before,” and after all the words of confidence we break and I lean over in my goal crease, tap my posts with my stick and wait for the starting whistle.

The puck drops and we get possession and get some quick shots on goal, but the opposing goalie was pretty solid to start the game and handled those easily. We came right out of the gate and controlled play for almost the continued on next page

Photo courtesy hockeyshots.net

entire period, and I only faced about 5 shots at most, all of which I held on to with ease. Eventually the other team starts to get frustrated with us and takes a penalty, putting us on the powerplay. We are in the offensive zone for almost 30 seconds before my teammate, Ubby, slides a shot on the ice off the goalie’s pad and Matt bangs in the rebound to put us up 1-0. Shortly after, Matt snipes another one top shelf over the goalie’s head to put us up 2-0. I only see a few shots that period and keep the score at 2-0. After the first intermission, the other team comes out stronger in the second period and I see a little more action in front of my net. There is one play where I find myself in desperation mode laying on the ice leaving a player with the whole empty net to shoot at, but he misses.

Sometimes playing goal, you just catch a break and get lucky. The other team begins to get frustrated and take several penalties and we take over and dominate, going up on them a whopping 6-0. End of the 2nd period. I skate over to the bench for the one minute intermission and get a drink of water and some tips from my coach. Starting the third period, I was thinking about a shutout and how awesome it would be to accomplish that in my first start of the season. About five minutes into the period, though, the other team finishes off a backdoor pass to close the gap to 6-1. Shortly after, my team draws a penalty putting the other team on a powerplay, and a slap shot from the blue line finds its way through traffic and over my shoulder to make it 6-2. Okay, time to collect myself and shut it down the rest of the game. Not much later, a player skates in our zone and drives to my net, but I out-wait him and get across to make the save. I’m pretty busy the rest of the game, having to come up with some big saves in the final minutes. We hold on to win by a convincing score of 6-2, picking up our first win of the season. I finish with 20 saves on 22 shots. All my teammates jump off the bench to come and huddle to congratulate each other on the win, and then we skate to center ice to take part in the handshake line with the other team and coaching staff.

Going into the locker room, our coaches come in and give us constructive criticism about the game, revolving mostly around our late third period breakdown and the need to play a full solid 60 minutes and finish off a team, especially when we are leading by such a large margin. However, the rest of the talk is positive, because after all, it was an impressive win for our team and we all contributed in one way or another. The coaches tell me that if I keep up my confidence and my level of play that I’ll be starting more games in the future. I celebrate with the boys for a bit, finish getting out of my gear and back into my suit, and leave looking forward to next week.

Christmas Wish

by Zack Hammer ‘16

I wrote a letter to Santa Asking for one single thing A humble gift to be sure I terribly wished he would bring It can be used to help the poor To help people far and wide It could be used in times of need If I ever wanted to hide This thing is great in a pinch If I’m late for things to do It could take me different places Like the park or even the zoo I won’t let anyone use it Not even my family, nope, just me I will always keep it a secret And I will be as powerful as can be It has so many uses I don’t know where to stop Of all the gifts to get This one’s on the top What is this gift you ask?

Well just wait and I will tell The gift I want so desperately Is a Quantum Teleportation Capsule!

Painting by Thomas Namara ‘15

What Thanksgiving Means to Me

by Phoenix Aquino-Thomas ‘18

For me personally, Thanksgiving is that one other time of the year where families come together to enjoy a good meal and reunite. It is usually celebrated with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and other vegetables. Despite Thanksgiving originating from Christian Pilgrims, Thanksgiving is celebrated by almost everyone I know.

I have always liked Thanksgiving since I was little. I like how every year there would be a giant turkey on the table for us to eat. I also enjoyed what else we had, especially what we had to eat. Besides the turkey, I also like the other things, for example the mashed potatoes and gravy. I would play games with my cousins and the adults would talk about how kids like us play too many games and other adult things. Martinelli’s apple cider is also brought to family holidays, especially Thanksgiving.

About 4 or 5 bottles are finished by

Photograph by William Rodriquez ‘16

the time everyone leaves.

Thanksgiving is more than just a week off of school. To me, it means that I have family around me to reunite with, and a giant turkey to share with us all. It’s a time to remember the good things in life and count our blessings. It’s a time to settle down, especially since most people are so busy with their lives that they never have time to reflect on the good things. On the surface, Thanksgiving seems just like a week off for kids, but it might not be the best thing because many teachers still assign homework, which then ruins the fun of having a whole week off.

Every year, Stuart Hall collects food for our friends at St. Xavier church who might not be able to have such a nice Thanksgiving like we do. Our neighbors at the church have graciously shared their space for years and our annual food drive is our way of showing thanks. Every student was asked

to bring either cans of food or other Thanksgiving types of food. All in all, we collected a total of about 600 food items.

Odes ¡Competidor!

Mi mayor desafío.

El hombre que inspira mi fuego interior.

Maestro de mi enfoque.

Destructor de mis sueños, sinsonte de mi orgullo.

Me llevo bien con Usted, al mismo tiempo te odio.

Usted es feroz y cruel; poderoso y agudo.

Cuando yo hago bien, tú no hablas conmigo.

Tú no dices cualquier cosa. ¡No dices absolutamente nada!

Estás siempre tranquilo.

Tú eres como la luna en el cielo, buscando a mis fallas. ¿Por qué competidor? ¿Por qué hermano? ¿Por qué enemigo? ¿Por qué competidor?

Me llevo bien con Usted.

Voy a vencerte un día.

Tú vas a saber lo que seinto.

Tú vas a conocer mi dolor.

Estamos conectados, competidor.

Usted es yo, Yo soy tú.

Photo by Neil Leifer | Sports Illustrated

by Julian Moreno ‘16

Ode inspired by Basilica Di Santa Maria Maggiore created in 1748 by Giuseppe Vasi

Oda a la Basílica de Sta. María Maggiore Fuiste construida en el Siglo V, por el Papa Sixtus.

Tú eres una iglesia de los Cristianos antiguos, y te pareces como tu hermana en Trastevere y tu hermano de San Pedro.

Pero Sta. Maria in Trastevere fue reconstruída, y San Pietro Viejo fue destruido.

Sancta María Maggiore, Tú eres el último rélico auténtico en Roma de la era cuando el Cristianismo todavía era joven, cuando los obispos del Este discutían sobre la divinidad de Jesús.

Tú eres una basílica.

Tienes treinta y dos columnas y muchos mosaicos de oro.

Pero ahora, no te pareces como una basílica antigua.

Tienes un exterior como tus niños Barrocos, como Sant’Agnese in Agone y San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane.

Quiero ver tus columnas y mosaicos, no tu extravagancia Barroca.

Quiero que me enseñes tu verdadera identidad.

by Justin Hom ‘15

Captain Ethics

by Julian Moreno ‘16

Dilemma in the Alley

adjacent to the desk where he sits, a bookshelf that is home to many books of knowledge rests neatly beside him.

A small green stone is placed on the bookshelf as well.

M.C. “Poor boy! If he only realized the essence of those pop quizzes! The point is not to write a book’s worth of information, but to display necessary knowledge in a short, tight answer.

Doesn’t he realize I don’t like long pop essays! With my workload, hero life, and personal life, I don’t have time for that! Then again....my hero life makes it impossible to have a healthy social life......” *Noting that the watch on his wrist reads 5:45, Michael Campos gets up from his chair and quickly removes his typical clothing, revealing the costume of red, blue, and yellow, ever-present on his body. He then dons the mask that occludes his face and slinks out his back office window to prowl the streets of New York, looking to fight for justice!

Image created by Julian Moreno using Superhero creator at marvel.com conversation he is having with a certain student. *Welcome readers to this first issue of a great four issue special mini series following the Mysterious Captain Ethics! We here at Julian’s Comic Company are excited to be publishing our first magazine issue! But enough talk! Let’s jump right in and see what’s going to unfold.....

M.C. “Now, Julian, the reason you failed this pop essay is that you didn’t fully explain Augustine’s metaphysics, and how it relates to the Philosophical God.” Julian: “But Mr. Campos, how can I prepare for pop 400 word essays?”

*Before we see our costumed hero in action, let’s see what he’s up to, without his mask!

M.C. “Oh please, it’s not that hard at all! Now go run along and do whatever it is a college student does.”

*Sitting in his office at Stuart Hall University, Professor Michael Campos of Theology 1A and Ethics 1B and 2B finishes a

*As the sad student of ethics leaves, Michael Campos ponders philosophical questions in his quiet, serene, and still office. Directly

*Outside traveling by foot over rooftops, the entire city of wonders is his playground, his home, as well as his battleground.

C.E. “How good it feels to be out of my office and out on the town!

My nightly adventures as Captain Ethics simply fill my life with purpose and vigor! If not for my super strength, enhanced mental capacity, and green bolts of energy I can fire from my hands, I wouldn’t be able to tackle any challenge!”

(Then again, some time to myself would be nice...) *As Captain Ethics hops from rooftop to rooftop, a loud screech is heard in an enclosed alleyway a few scant yards away! Captain Ethics springs into action and approaches the area from which the scream came! *Captain Ethics dives into the alleyway to find a woman being

harassed by two assaulting men! *Landing behind them....

C.E. “Alright fellas, haven’t you ever heard of chivalry?” *Captain Ethics grabs both men by the collar and gives them a sharp tug back, sending both men to the floor!

One of the men gets up and lands a crushing haymaker on Captain Ethics’s stomach! The blow doesn’t faze our stalwart hero though! It in fact damages the wrist of the attacker!

the woman is a fair skinned Latina woman!

C.E. (My word, could I have been so blind? This is not your average assault, it’s an issue of race!) *Forgetting that the two men are there, one of them lands a punch on Captain Ethics’s ethical jaw! While not hurt, the momentarily stunned man of ethics sees one of the men run away, while the other stays back.

Man #1: “¡Oye Hector! ¡Mira! It didn’t even hurt him!”

Man #2: “I thought you were supposed to be a hero of the people!

You’re just on the side of the light skinned! We’ll get you for this and all others like you!”

Man #2: “We should run, Rodrigo!”

*The men leaves.

C.E. “You fellas must not’ve heard of Captain Ethics! While my 6’2” frame that holds the muscle and athletic abilities of an Olympian may not look so tough all the time, I can take a punch like that any day!” (While the mysterious green stone that sits atop my bookshelf in my office granted me these awesome powers, I wish it gave me a little more hair.... sigh...)

Woman #1: “Good going, you scared them away! I’m glad you stopped those Indios! Having you on the streets to keep us safe is a gift from el Dío. Goodnight mi héroe. If you ever wish to speak again, my name is Georgina Flores!”

Woman: “What are you waiting for??

Take out those dark skinned puercos and help me out of here!”

Man #1: “Pinche blanca skinned witch! What have we done to you?

We’re just honest men trying to make a living, and all you do is treat us with disrespect like we’re dirt!”

Woman: “That’s because you look like dirt!” *As things begin to intensify down in the dark alley, a bird call is heard, and the two men are slowly put at ease. As they fall under a beam of light, Captain Ethics takes a look at the characters in play and makes an astonishing discovery! The two men are dark skinned Latino men, while

*The woman departs the scene. *As Captain Ethics is left alone in the dark alley of New York City, he stands bewildered and stupefied at the ethical dilemma presented to him.

C.E. (Amazing! Never have I encountered a situation like this! I have to stop this hostility somehow!

I have a feeling more of these feelings of bigotry are brewing, and a social pandemic could arise! How can I fight an issue that all my power and strength can’t combat? Has Captain Ethics really been defeated by such an age old issue?) *Maybe so Cap! Come back next time, true believers, when we see Captain Ethics Special #2, THE COMING OF THE CONDOR! See you then!-Julian

Stream of Consciousness

by Demetri Sakellaropoulos ‘15

P

oles, poles, poles. The sound of the machine beneath the stage. Two feet dance. I don’t know if I can use first person. Green trees. The silence lasts four seconds. I just wanted a little bit more. Type, type, type, type, type, typewriters. Bless you, the sneeze cuts through the silence. I don’t want to stay still, it’s hard not to move. A sniffle. Concert tickets sold out instantly, $60.00 to $150.00 in a minute. Block parties.

I don’t know what to think about that. A cough. The stage is still rumbling, the machine is still working, what it does, I do not know. What do you say? Did she say Florence? My phone buzzes in my pocket, buzz, buzz, buzz.

A chair nearby is rearranged as someone moves themselves to a more comfortable position. My fingers begin to hurt, even though I haven’t typed much.

Thyroid, cancer. Whispers around. It’s for English “sure”. You spell whispers wrong, ok. Glasses balanced on the bridge of a nose. The work of other students.

Green, red, blue and yellow are the colors of the Google Chrome icon. Ukraine is slowly being invaded. Russia is projecting their power. “Don’t mess with nuclear Russia.” MAD doctrine, mutually assured destruction. Putin isn’t insane.

Eastern Europe prepares for war. The Eastern Europeans remember the crimes the Russians committed against them.

Stretch. Crack knuckles. Clear your throat. Middle East, Syria, Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, possibly Kurdistan? Peshmerga, freedom fighters, well trained, traditionally liberal, called a terrorist group. Germany sent them weapons. This is new. There is great turmoil in the country over this decision. Germany almost only ever sends aid. Europe is demilitarizing while Russia is militarizing. Class 5 jets. How many innocents will die due to religious fervor? People leaving countries to go fight for terrorist groups should have their citizenships revoked.

Companies need regulation, competition is necessary. Atlas shrugged. Carelessness. Drop the earth. Bartolome de las Casas. Unknown person. Who decides what is right or wrong? Are there absolutes? Is murder actually an absolute wrong or is it simply our society that decides that? Electric chairs. Murder is necessary at times. People must be proven guilty. Are completely just courts possible? Potentially create an AI to solve criminal cases that will not support either side and attempt to take into account all of the possibilities? Can it be hacked and changed?

Who will decide? Philosophers? Supreme Court judges? The President? Can we truly justify what is morally right or wrong? Aren’t rules reliant on the culture that they surround and the populations that are beholden to them? Waterfalls. Reinforced barrels. Destroyed barrels. Suicide wish or daredevil? Is alcohol a better or worse poison than other drugs? What dictates what is acceptable or not besides culture? Why is research not allowed?

The untitled document is white. The written document is painted. Sniffles. Sickness. Pestilence. Help people.

Helping people is good. Who decides who is helped and who is not? Why does war breed technological innovations, shouldn’t it do the opposite? Is a shattered window pane more interesting than a single solid window? Questions, questions, questions. All hard to answer. Can anyone know? Children ask why. I want to take a nap. Sleep sounds like an excellent idea. Five hours of sleep. Is the Mass worth going to? What if my alarm doesn’t go off until lunch?

Head pat. “Head pat”. “Haha”. It’s a stream of consciousness. The unadulterated thoughts of all people would be perceived as insane by an observer. Who can decipher a persons own thoughts but themselves. Can chemicals be used to control? Are we simply chemicals firing and reacting? Questions, questions, questions, questions.

Image created by Austin Woo ‘15

Halloween Defined

H

alloween is that one time of the year where little kids go around to peoples’ houses trick or treating, or asking for candy. They do this with costumes on to pretend that they’re someone else, and sometimes their older sibling goes with them.

That’s how most people see it.

However, there’s much more to it than that.

The term ‘Halloween’ means “All Saints Day,” or “Hallows Eve.” People also used to celebrate Halloween as the New Year Eve of the Celts. It was generally believed that the dead or disembodied spirits of people who had died during the preceding year would come back in search of living bodies to possess for the next year. So on the night of October 31st, villagers wouldn’t have any fires in their houses to make their houses feel colder, then dress up in costumes and parade in the streets to scare the ghosts away. The tradition of “trick or treating” comes from Europe, where on October 31st you would go out to the village and collect ‘soul cakes’, a cake made of square shaped bread. Jack-oLanterns that were used as festival lights for Halloween is a custom that descended from the Irish who carved out turnips or beets and turned them into lanterns. These lights represented the souls of the dead. When the Irish immigrated to America, they found that pumpkins

by Phoenix Aquino-Thomas ‘18

were far easier to come by than turnips. The Jack-o-Lantern then became a hollowed-out pumpkin lit with a candle.

So in short, Halloween is a tradition that has existed for many generations. It isn’t only celebrated by kids, which is one of the reasons why Halloween is loved by everybody. The difference between then and now is that there isn’t much of an excuse as to why older kids can go trick or treating anymore. When I was six I remember having a great time trick or treating. Today, trick or treating to me feels… different. It doesn’t feel as fun anymore as it used to. It just seems that older kids want to go trick or treating, but they’re all embarassed to go because simply put, they’re too old. They no longer have an excuse to do this fun activity by themselves, unless you have a little kid to take with you. However, older kids and adults like to have an excuse to dress up and show off in a clever costume. Nevertheless, Halloween is still celebrated by tons of kids, especially older kids who want to relive their dream as a kid again.

Photo by Zander Angel-Souza ‘18

The Walking Man

by Zack Hammer ‘16

Allegory of life

A

number of men begin to walk with purpose, each along his own road. They do not know when their roads will end. Some roads cross each other, some share obstacles, and some roads merge. They find their roads begin.

-Some men stumble and fall before even taking their first steps. They did not even have a chance to find their purpose. It was not their fault. Some are pushed, some are pulled, and some cannot support themselves. A few of these men are carried by those whose roads crossed them, but not all are so

can no longer run or walk. They will find their roads end short unless helped by other men. Some are, and some aren’t. If the men are not helped, then they fall. They find their roads end short.

Some men start to lag behind the others as they walk. They do not walk with purpose. They slow until they are no longer walking, and then they fall. They find their roads end short.

Some men cannot overcome the obstacles blocking their road and they fall. They find their roads end short.

Some men share obstacles between their roads. Some men may overcome their obstacle, but their purpose is to not stop to help the other men. The other men fall. They find their roads end short.

Some men believe their purpose is to run, but shortly after, they fall.

They find their roads end short.

Some men have crossed roads with those who run and decide that their purpose is to do so as well. They also fall, yet they rise. Now they

Some men have roads that merge with each other. These men begin to walk together with an even stronger purpose. Sometimes these roads split off from each other, causing

Some men believe their purpose is to run, but shortly after, they fall.

They find their roads end short.

Some men’s roads were merged with the men who stopped walking. They lose their purpose, and fall. They find their roads end short.

lucky and so they fall. They find their roads end short.

their roads end short.

Some men can no longer see the road they are walking on. They lose their purpose and those who are not helped along by other men fall.

They find their roads end short.

Some men decide that the road they are walking on no longer has purpose. Some decide to walk on a different road, but there are those who don’t and they fall. They find

one or both men to fall. They find their roads end short.

Some men are knocked over along the way, even if it is not their fault, and they fall. They find their roads end short.

-While not all the men have their roads end short, many do. Some have walked with such great purpose that they have reached the natural end of their road, and they fall. Some have not walked with as great a purpose, yet they reach the natural end of their road, and they fall. Some do not accept it, but all of the men eventually fall. They find their roads end well.

Photos by Max Depatie ‘17

Understanding Hemingway

Painting by Evan Kim ‘16

I

n Ms. Sitter’s American Literature class, we recently finished up reading the brilliant novel The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.

We took different approaches to Hemingway’s writing style, trying to understand why he writes the way he does and how he goes about delivering his message and the deeper meaning beneath his writing. In an attempt to figure out what Hemingway tries to communicate to the reader, Ms. Sitter had our class collaborate with Ms. Hellstrom and work on an art project to compliment our essays on specific landscapes read in The Sun Also Rises. To do so, we went back to the roots of Hemingway’s writing style and dove into the painting style of the artist Cezanne.

Cezanne incorporates different components into his paintings that open up space for free thinking for the viewer. In his paintings, Cezanne creates a thin underpainting under the main work and leaves parts of it visible so as to give the viewer the impression that there is more to think about under the primary painting. He leaves noticeable gaps in the painting in order to open up endless possibilities and to allow people to explore and discover different meanings for themselves. Cezanne also utilizes repetitive brushstrokes to make something particular in the painting seem more important than other things and to draw attention

Painting by Omid Ravanfar ‘16

by Brandon Seltenrich ‘16 to that one part of the work.

Ernest Hemingway reflects the strategies used by Cezanne in his writing, “gaps” in writing, just like Cezanne left gaps in his paintings. Hemingway uses his famous theory of omission and writes in simple, understandable language to set a facade that makes it seem like the meaning of the story is on the surface. However, through his leaving important things out of the words on the page, he is able to use several metaphors and references that, when noticed and analyzed, open up whole new viewpoints to the story.

Ms. Sitter and Ms. Hellstrom were instrumental in helping our class understand the meaning of The Sun Also Rises by pushing us to think below the surface and understand concepts which we would’ve most likely otherwise missed. I found the styles of Cezanne and Hemingway, and the story of the novel, truly interesting and really enjoyed grasping an understanding of what we learned about Ernest Hemingway.

Fall Face to Faith withHighlights Religious Freedom Stuart Hall continues its work with The Tony Blair Face to Faith program. During the month of December the senior class embarked on activities exploring religious freedom.

Throughout the month they worked in an online community blogging and commenting with students from around the world.

D

uring these past few weeks of participating in the Face to Faith blog program I’ve subtly expanded my understanding of the religious traditions, beliefs, and curiosities of others around the world. While I was able to converse with nice, young students, like myself, I must admit that I could’ve predicted the answers to questions regarding religious freedom. What was indeed quite interesting, however, is how other people express their view points over social media, whether it be an introduction to themselves and their opinions, or a stern sentiment about their beliefs. Regardless of how much I learned while participating in Faith to Faith it was cool to be able to read and respond to the thoughts of others regarding the complex topic of religion.

I

t has become evident, at least to me, that the way people view religious freedom is simply based on their experiences. It is not wrong or bad, just an observation of a truth. The blogs that I have read, and written, all focus on how religious freedom is in obvious existence in the bloggers community, and, in turn, assume that there is universal religious freedom. This is not the case, however.

Religious freedom is not universal. So what can we do to improve on this? I believe that the simplest and maybe most effective response to religious intolerance is to bring awareness to said problem. If more people become aware of the injustice then it allows for more resistance to the injustice.

-Eugenio Guardia ‘15

-Connor King-Roberts ‘15

T

hroughout these weeks of Faith to Faith, I have learned that, as a member of Stuart Hall High School, I have many religious freedoms that kids in other countries do not have. I had a conversation with a guy named Mohd Afzal who told me his school ‘forced’ all the students to pray and practice in the Muslim tradition. I can help support these right by encouraging students that religious freedom is possible and students should advocate for their schools to be more tolerant of other religions. I know it may seem hard for these students to do it, but change always starts from somewhere/someone. Commenting and having conversations with these people made me realize how fortunate I am that my country privileges me to have religious freedom. Do you all feel that religious freedom should be respected in your schools? Are you happy with your country’s rules about religion?

-Aaron Tolentino ‘15

roundtable.sacredsf.org

19th Century French Architecture

M

by Justin Hom ‘15

y work in the Art Portfolio class is centered around drawing - employing the use of the pen to, in many cases, evoke a woodcut-like look. The print-like quality is achieved in many of my pieces by shading and coloring through drawing individual lines like ink on the paper. The theme of my portfolio is focused on a fanciful alternative “what-if” view on the history of the Byzantine Empire, if she had not fallen to the Turks in 1453. The story begins with my drawing of the interior of Hagia Sophia during the wedding of Emperor “Demetrios Sakellaropoulos III.” The large iconostasis (icon-filled screen separating nave from sanctuary in Orthodox churches) is central to this piece. It was originally intended to be in the Baroque style and filled with imperial propaganda, representing the absolutism of the 17th century. However, it may in fact include some Rococo elements from the 18th century.

Continuing with the theme of absolute monarchy, the second drawing is a fake design plan for the grand and glorious decoration of Hagia Sophia for the coronation of Emperor “Julian II Morenos.” These two respective gentlemen reserved the right to be honored in my works.

roundtable.sacredsf.org

A Speech about FallScholarship Highlights

by Evan Kim ‘16

On Friday, November 14, four Stuart Hall students were inducted into the National Honor Society. Each new member gave a speech about the characterstics embodied in the inductees. Evan Kim spoke about scholarship.

Photo by Lori Saltveit Fellow students, Faculty and Staff.

Good morning.

I decided the safest way to start this speech was to provide the dictionary definition of scholarship.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. The dictionary was not, in this case, my best friend. The relevant definition gave me three words: “serious academic study”. I believe that scholarship envelops more than this.

Scholarship is more than the letters printed on a report card. Scholarship is more than a three-digit GPA. Scholarship is more than sitting in class “regurgitating” the information fed to us. The letters and numbers that go on our transcript are not able to convey our character. It cannot reflect integrity or the amount of

effort put into those grades.

For me, scholarship means doing the best we can, no matter how difficult the material in class. It means putting the best effort into assignments, because that effort reflects our integrity. For me, scholarship means not only listening in class, but also showing respect to your teacher and classmates.

This does not mean, “be perfect”, it means excel in the effort we give to the material.

There have been many times at this school when I have struggled to understand what the teacher went over in class. During my sophomore year, one class in particular was so challenging that it brought me onto the verge of tears. I take that back, it made me cry- a lot. It took many long nights and a lot of help from my classmates and my teacher, but I made it through those two semesters. In the end, it comes down to not only the amount of effort we are willing to put into our work, but also our ability to ask for help.

Despite how it may feel sometimes in class, our teachers are only at school to help us. There is no shame in asking them to help us succeed.

And likewise, scholarship not only means doing our best, but also to help others who struggle with their assignments. At the Hall, each of us struggle with the same workload as

roundtable.sacredsf.org

our peers; helping each other will only bring us forward.

Scholarship means doing what it takes to constantly improve, whether it is your strongest point or weakest.

My weakest link is public speaking.

I have never gotten over the fear that arises every time I have stepped up to a podium. When I was asked to give this speech a small part of me died. I remembered seventh grade, the cold feeling as my knees buckled reading a passage for a chapel. I’m uncomfortable talking to you even at this moment. But I’ve learned that the only way to improve is to get out of your comfort zone and face your weaknesses, whether it’s a podium or a concept in class. It’s scary, but we have the support of our teachers and peers at our side.

Scholarship means more to me than good grades; it means being able to take pride in the amount of effort devoted to an assignment.

It means to commit through the tough assignments, whether it’s a math problem or writing a speech.

Scholarship involves more than “serious academic study”; it’s what defines us as individuals of character. It’s what defines us as Knights of the Hall.

Not a Fish in a River

by Zack Hammer ‘16

Chapter 1

E

arn walked through the palace courtyard for the thousandth time. He trailed his hand through the hedges, his eyes unfocused and his mind elsewhere. As he walked, the hem of his robe caught on a rogue stem and he tugged at it absent-mindedly. Only when the seam began to tear did his attention return, and with it came the troubles of the world. One would think that the son of the King would be free from the burdens of everyday life, yet Earn felt more weighed down than ever. He watched a pair of sparrows skip and hop among the grass, bobbing up and down while pecking at the dirt, looking for worms. As Earn took a step towards them, they fluttered away, soaring easily up and over the palace walls the confines of his paradise.

“Are you not content, Earn?”

He heard Adelwei’s soft voice behind him and felt Adelwei’s hand grasp him by the shoulder. “You look with longing upon the birds. Do you wish to fly away from your problems and your responsibilities as they do?”

Earn didn’t respond. Instead his head remained lowered and he kicked at the gravel beneath his feet.

Adelwei chuckled.

“Earn, you do not have wings, you cannot fly away from your problems. Your place is here, as a Prince of Madania.”

Finally, Earn couldn’t keep it in any longer. He violently shrugged Adelwei’s hand off his shoulder, and paced forward. “I don’t want to be a prince!” He screamed. “I don’t want to ‘follow my destiny,’ I want to make my own choices, I want to see the world and not be stuck here with people like you!”

“Earn, you must understand.

Contentment is at the foundation of our society. Ambition never leads to inner peace, and only serves to create strife and chaos. You must accept your place, and the destiny that has been decided for you by Madanos. It is said in His teachings that we are like fish in a river. The fish’s destiny is to swim the river’s

Illustration by William Rodriguez ‘16

Earn still did not look up at Adelwei. “Now that I think about it, I actually do not believe in destiny at all,” he admitted with his eyes still downcast. “I do not like the idea that someone else has control over my life.”

“I know,” Adelwei spoke frankly, “But that does not mean that it does not exist. You must think on this.” He paused for a second and then asked, “You have lived your whole life in this palace, no?” Earn nodded, “So you have never seen the farmers that grow your food, or the tailors that have weaved your clothes. Does that mean that they do not exist? Or think of it this way. I know you do not like being confined to the palace, but does that make the palace not exist?

No matter how you look at it, your path has already been decided for you, and you cannot change that. All you can do is to walk it.” He paused again, taking a slow, deep breath.

He reached out his hand, placing it under Earn’s chin and bringing up his head so that Adelwei could look him in the eyes. “And from what I see, you have a long and difficult journey ahead.”

Stay tuned for Chapter 2.

course. It cannot change where the river flows, nor can it swim against the current. If the fish decides to leave the river, and go upon the shore, it will not grow legs. It will not grow air breathing lungs. It will die. It was not destined to live upon the land. It was destined to follow the river’s course, as we are destined to follow our own. Your place is here. It was decided for you at the beginning of time and you cannot change that.”

roundtable.sacredsf.org

“Brushed” Portraits

by Duncan McDonell ‘16

roundtable.sacredsf.org