April Issue 2009

The Review

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID HOUSTON, TEXAS PERMIT 9081

The Official Student Newspaper of St. John’s School Vol. 60, Issue 7

2401 Claremont Lane; Houston, TX 77019 | http://sjsreview.net | review@sjs.org

By ARVIND MOHAN On Friday, Feb. 21, Head of Upper School Kef Wilson sent out an email to all SJS parents, discouraging underclassmen from attending a party hosted by the girls of the junior class.

“We knew that the party had no parental supervision whatsoever, so the Parents Guild and I felt that it was necessary to inform the parents of the Upper School about the party,” Mr. Wilson said.

As a former Dean of Students from 2003 to 2006, Mr. Ted Curry has had experience dealing with the formals. “In the beginning, the parties were completely school sponsored and affiliated with the school,” he said. Mr. Curry said that students would collect money at the mother’s desk and hand out flyers and invitations at the school for these parties.

According to Mr. Curry, the school decided to stop sanctioning these parties in 1997 with the arrival of Mr. Ben Williams as Dean of Students. Mr. Curry said that Mr. Williams stopped school sponsorship of all the parties, except prom, due to the liability risks. “Students were infuriated by this move, and some burned effigies of Mr. Williams on Skip Lee field,” Mr. Curry said.

Dr. Dwight Raulston (‘71), former Head of Upper School, said that due to the liability risks and the potential for drinking

Track meet thefts prompt stricter security

Admin warns against off-campus party

By MELISSA YUAN

BRET VOLLMER | The Review

The Meridian Club in downtown Houston: the initial location of the “junior girls parties” and drunkenness at the party led to the school’s decision to refuse to sanction the parties.

“If the school allowed its name to be used in that context, it could be argued that we were assuming responsibility [and] liability for what went on at the parties,” Dr. Raulston said.

Dr. Raulston said that to enforce the new policy, the school told students who put up flyers to take them down and made it clear that students should neither hand out invitations nor

collect money at school for private parties.

When Mr. Curry became Dean of Students in 2003, he made sure to communicate with parents at brown bag lunches to let them know that the “formals” are not school sanctioned.

Since the 2006-2007 school year, SJS has been sending out an email to the parents during the fall of each school year to let them know about parties, that are termed as “formals” by the student body when

the administration realized that parents were not clear about whether or not the parties were school-sponsored. In February of 2007, Mr. Wilson sent out another email because the students started to hold the parties at nightclubs when they were formerly held at Pumpkin Park.

The email sent on February 20, 2009 was not the first time Mr. Wilson has sent out See JUNIOR GIRLS on p. 4

School increases green efforts

By ALLEGRA FRADKIN

Index News...........................2 Sports.........................5 Features.....................7 Photo Spread...........10 BeyondSJS................12 Opinions...................14 A&E.........................17

April 2009

From energyefficient l i g h t bulbs in the lower school to bottle and can recycling receptacles in the Upper School hallways, Greg Swan, Director of Finance and Operations, is doing his part to make SJS “greener.”

With the help of Food Service Director Anita Walker, Swan recently made the decision to switch from Styrofoam bowls and plates in the cafeteria to a product called Enviroware.

Enviroware resemebles Styrofoam, but is made from recycled pulp-based material. It is 100 percent biodegradable and releases no harmful toxins into the environment. While comparable plastic items can take around 400 years to completely break down in a landfill, Enviroware degrades into carbon dioxide, water and methane within nine months.

Walker is also taking additional measures to improve the cafeteria’s environmental efficiency. She is looking for ways to reduce phosphates in the dishwasher detergent as well as new ways to dispose of

cardboard and paper products.

Walker is considering instituting a Waste Management trashcompacting system but is not sure if the cons of expense and hassle outweigh the benefits.

“We all know we need to be more aware of what we’re doing to our environment,” Walker said. Walker has met with the middle school environmental group as well as Upper School ECOS to discuss future plans for environmental awareness both within and outside of the SJS community. According to Walker, SJS is committed to becoming more green, and environmental efforts are part of the school’s long-term plans.

Swan would like environmentalism to be a school-wide program. He would like to formulate an “integrated, forward-looking approach with See GREEN on p. 4

Lacrosse and Literaure

Quality Queso

Read about published author Sam Chambers’s first forays into the world of literature.

The annual competition to make the best queso yielded tasty results

page 5

page 19

During a large track meet on April 1 and 2, several SJS students had valuables stolen from unattended bags and unlocked lockers in the Smith Athletic Center.

Since SJS is a school that houses 1,200 students in the urban setting of Houston, campus security has always been an issue and a threat that the administration continually warns students to take precautions against.

“With 550 teenagers and their stuff filling our hallways and classrooms, people lose things all the time,” Dean of Students Dan Alig said.

He added that although it’s heartening that students trust each other enough to leave their valuables unsecured, they should remember that the campus is open to the public once the school day ends.

“An incident like this one reminds us that students need a reminder: the greater Houston area does not have an Honor Code.

Students need to be more cautious and mindful when they’re on campus.” Dean Alig said.

Because robberies such as this one have occurred in the past, Dean Alig said that while he was troubled by these thefts, he was not surprised.

“We’re on an urban campus; during a large event like a track meet, we welcome hundreds of visitors to our facilities and literally open our gates to the surrounding community,” he said.

Although the administration does not know who the culprits are, it conjectured that the thefts were made by students from others schools after students and staff reported seeing students from other schools in the vicinity of where the thefts occurred.

As a result of these thefts, SJS has tightened security procedures in the gym during large events.

However, Dean Alig said students should keep their belongings secure in the future.

“I’m afraid that we can’t prevent all thefts, but we can continually remind, and have reminded, all students to secure their valuables during the school day and especially after the school day. After the school day, the entire St. John’s community needs to view the campus as a public space,” he said.

MavTV Mania

The duo behind MavTV discuss the future of the show. page 9

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news

April 2009

The Review

First senior retreat held for Class of 2009 Class of 2009 spends 3 days and 2 nights in Camp Allen as a final farewell and bonding retreat

Katherine Carmichael | The Review

Katherine Carmichael | The Review

By ALEXA CARRASCCO This year, the senior class made history by going on the first ever senior class retreat at Camp Allen. Accompanying the seniors were teacher and staff chaperones who helped make the retreat possible with the plans that “it [was] gonna be tight.”

With little help from the administration SAC put together this retreat, organizing everything from activities to games. With no previous example to follow, the seniors were treated to a fun time full of class bonding and trust building.

The students arrived at Camp Allen on Sunday afternoon, meeting the camp staff and settling into their bunks. After a quick dinner, the seniors heard from middle and upper school history teacher, Ms. Barbara DiPaolo as she spoke of middle school memories. As laughter filled the air, the nostalgia brought back memories of first crushes and funny middle school moments.

Following this wave of reminiscence, the seniors each contributed to a time

capsule, writing a letter to themselves, which would be opened in fifteen years.

Students then braved the wilderness, hiking through the forest in order to sit around the campfire.

At the campfire, students made smores and enjoyed campfire songs written and performed by class members Will Geer (’09) and John Hawkins (’09). Afterwards, they spent time watching movies and unwinding with one an- other.

With a relatively relaxing day, the seniors prepared themselves for the challenging Monday that lay ahead.

Starting the day off early in the morning, the students participated in high and low rope courses as well as other bonding activities. On the high rope course, students tested their confidence as they underwent a zip line course, rock wall, grapevine, and totem pole. Students had to work together in order to ensure the safety and completion of all obstacles; through these courses, students had to trust one another in order to complete their tasks.

On the low ropes course, students employed use teamwork to complete ac-

Nick Tutcher, Will Geer, Mark Kim and Christian Solcher (all ‘09) participate in team exercises.

tivities designed to challenge the brain by making them use logic. In these low rope courses, the activities were made even more challenging in order to see how the students would work together in order to overcome the difficulties that they faced.

Rounding out the day, students participated in relays and kickball games put on by the SAC members. Bringing people together, the activities were deemed by many seniors as the most fun, as they encouraged a competitive yet enjoyable environment.

Finishing up the day, each senior advisory put together an advisory skit that summed up their experiences together for the past four years. Anna Ziemnicki (’09) said, “Will Brown’s performance in the advisory skits was fantastic.”

Afterwards, students watched a marathon of Kinkaid videos since freshman year, allowing the seniors to look back at their first year in high school and see how many things had morphed through the years.

The following day, students packed up their bags and listened to prefect George

Alcorn (’09) speak about his memories at SJS. Following Alcorn’s speech, students received letters written from their parents; these letters moved many to tears, as they were reminiscent of the times that they had shared before the seniors leave for college.

Prefect Christian Woo (’09) said, “We asked parents to write letters to each child, and Ms. Jay kept track of that for us. Without Ms. Jay’s help, we would have been swamped with work.”

All in all, the senior retreat proved to be a success and had many students leaving with a sense of closeness to one another. The trip had been in the making since the previous school year, when the current prefects decided to put together a retreat with the purpose of a final bonding experience.

Woo said, “It was also a trip to relax and have fun with your classmates, ranging from your best friends to people you may not know as well. It was the perfect ending to senior year.”

Senior class builds houses for senior citizens

By ANDREW PERRY

Matthew Symmes (‘09), Melissa Davidson (‘09), and Justin Yang (‘09) help rebuild a house by Photo courtesy of Marci Bahr volunteering in the Senior Housing project.

From February 21 to February 22, the SJS seniors rebuilt a house for their class community service project.

This year, the SJS seniors chose the Housing Project as their class community service.

The Senior Housing project is similar to Habitat for Humanity, for both projects help people rebuild their dilapidated houses. Ms. Bahr said that the Extreme Home Makeover TV show inspired her to create this volunteer project for the senior class.

The seniors worked through Rebuilding Together Houston, which is an organization that helps find people whose houses are in need of repair. Those who are selected are usually elderly or disabled Houstonians who own a house and pay taxes yet need a little assistance with their homes.

60 SJS seniors and 35 parents showed up to help rebuild the kitchen, by repairing the sink, restoring the bathroom, and

expanding and reconstructing the plumbing of the house.

The volunteers arrived to the site at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and stayed until 7:00 p.m. The SJS crew returned to continue their restoration of the house at 8:00 a.m. on the following morning and did not leave until the job was completed at 7:30 p.m.

Ms. Bahr said that she hopes this volunteering project can have a snowball effect, inspiring more students to help out with various housing restoration projects in Houston.

This project was made possible through Ms. Adrienne Unger who was in charge of landscaping and Moss Landscaping who helped with the layout of the house. Mission Construction also helped with repairing the house.

This is the fifth house project that SJS has undertaken, and Ms. Bahr plans on continuing it next year.

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April 2009

Senior parking changes scheduled

Jenny Lewis | The Review

By MARIAM MATIN Every morning, SJS students are seen trekking down Buffalo Speedway from Scottland Yard to North Campus. Next year, more students will be seen making that long walk to the North Campus.

The Lower School will be experiencing some changes in class sizes and temporary buildings will be set up in the parking lot, forcing out editors of SJS publications and faculty members. They along with the prefects will be moved to the North Campus parking lots, forcing the prefects to move to the Senior Parking Lot. The Senior Parking Lot only has 90 parking spots available, and a few seniors will be moved to St. Luke’s parking lot.

This transition will move more juniors to Scottland Yard.

The deadline for parking spots is June 1, 2009. All late applications will immediately get the least preferred spots. However, discipline is an integral part of the selection process. The final part of the selection process is by lottery. Students that carpool will also receive parking spots on the North Campus.

Because of the influx of students at Scottland Yard, it is likely a second bus will be added to take students back to North Campus.

The only thing that has not been fully decided is the faculty parking. Their parking is usually done by seniority.

“The good news is that everyone will get a spot,” Dean Alig said. “There are 90 spots In Senior lot, 65 at St. Luke’s, and over 200 at Scottland Yard.”

Spike Fireball, a replica of the Hungarian Horntail in Harry Potter, towers over the bookcases in the Lower School library

New sculpture takes flight

By SARAH WINDHAM The SJS community has recently acquired an unusual new member: a replica of the Hungarian Horntail from the Harry Potter series given the name Spike Fireball. This dragon has found a home in the SJS Lower School library.

Spike was donated to the school by Ms. Catherine Morgan, who was moving into a smaller home and thought that SJS might be able to use a dragon as a prop for a play.

Since the SJS 2009 Spring Musical, “Two Gentlemen of Verona” called for a dragon, the school accepted the offer. They soon discovered that Spike was far too large for a prop.

Therefore, Spike was moved onto the desk of Mr. Bill McDonald, head of the Fine Arts Department. The dragon remained here for a few weeks, but Mr. McDonald soon realized that Spike was too large to fit in his office; the dragon completely dominated the

room, even with only one wing on. So Mr. McDonald called the lower school librarian, Ms. Joanne Levy.

Ms. Levy said that after Mr. McDonald notified her about Spike, she decided to go over to his office to see the massive dragon replica. She said that when she saw Spike for the first time, she was shocked at how enormous he was.

Ms. Levy accepted the offer, but with some reservations since she believed the kindergarteners might be frightened by Spike. She said that on the first day that Spike was moved to the library, she had a kindergartener walk in. She decided to gauge his reaction to weigh the practicality and possibilities of having the Hungarian Horntail in the Lower School library.

“He stood beside me at the computer right there in front of the dragon, and he looks up, looks at me, and he said ‘Where’d you get that dragon?’ So I decided right then and there that [the kindergarteners]

weren’t afraid of it,” Ms. Levy said.

Spike settled in well, but at that point he still did not have a name. To change this, Ms. Levy and fellow Lower School librarian, Ms. Marjorie Donaruma, held a contest to name the dragon.

Ms. Levy said, “Everybody from kindergarten through fifth grade could pick a name, and we tallied the name that had the most. So his name became Spike Fireball because we were getting ‘Spike’ and ‘Spiky’ a lot.”

Spike currently stands on a bookshelf in the middle of the library, wings spread, gazing down at anyone who passes through the doors.

Ms. Levy said, “It’s very cool to come up and see his silhouette. In the mornings I look in the door and there’s this silhouette of this dragon. It’s very magical and fantasy-inspiring.”

Students attend Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogues

By MARIAM MATIN On Thursday March 5, 15 SJS students attended the first ever Youth Dinner Dialogue at the Emery/Weiner School. The Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogues, hosted by the Amazing Faiths Project, were inspired by a book published in 2006 called The Amazing Faith of Texas.

Dr. Jill Carroll, the Executive Director of the Boniuk Center at Rice University, suggested the Dinner Dialogues to bring Houstonians together to discuss life, faith and spirituality. As a result, the Boniuk Center and Interfaith Ministries joined together to form the Amazing Faith Project.

Greg Han was familiar with the Boniuk Center and Interfaith Ministries, which is how he heard about the Dinner Dialogue.

“I think events like this help create relationships across religious lines,” Mr. Han said, adding “I think conversations like these can help not only you learn about other people’s religious experience but you can clarify your own.”

Mr. Han said he was happy with the positive feedback he received and that he would like to continue working with students in the SJS community to fur-

ther religious dialogue. He added that he would especially like to work with students in the World Religions in Dialogue class that he will be teaching next year. In a follow-up meeting with several of the students who attended the Dinner Dialogue, he listened to what students had to say about their experiences.

Madeline Wareing (’12) attended the dinner. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Wareing said. “There were a lot more different faiths than I thought. I got to learn the difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims and that was cool. I would definitely suggest it to other people.”

Another attendee, Walker Hobby (’10), said he was not planning to attend, but followed a friend to the event after lacrosse practice. “I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was interesting to see the other types of people that came. There were the outspoken kids, and then there were the kids who clearly were there because their parents made them go. While the experience was more interesting than enlightening it was still something fun that I would recommend.”

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Cafeteria makes “green” changes

GREEN cont. from p. 1 parents all on-board and going the same direction.”

Swan suggested making environmental activism part of the curriculum rather than just an out-of-school volunteer effort.

“Kids could do the legwork, figure things out, and learn from it,” Swan said. Swan intends to get the whole school involved in being more proactive.

“If you look at us two years ago versus today, I think we’re

news admin e-mails about party April 2009

doing much better at recycling,” Swan said. According to Swan, SJS is now more cognizant of green cleaning products and conserving electricity. This year, SJS has begun turning on the air conditioning later in the day and shutting it off earlier.

“We’re trying to be better stewards of our resources,” Swan said.

Swan believes SJS is in the middle of the road as far as environmental advancements within private schools. He is

pleased with the school’s progress over the last few years but would like to continue to improve.

Walker and Swan look forward to working with Interim Headmaster of SJS for the 20092010 school year, Dr. James P. Hendrix Jr., who has written books on environmental sustainability within schools.

“We’d like to focus some effort on sustainability of the school, starting with the cafeteria,” Swan said.

JUNIOR GIRLS cont. from p. 1 an e-mail warning about parties. However, this email was the first time that Mr. Wilson and the administration sent to warn about a specific party because they felt that this was an instance with absolutely no parental supervision involved.

Mr. Wilson said that although the school had no legal obligation to send out an email, he felt an obligation to protect students.

“For a group of teenagers to organize a party at a nightclub with little to no parent supervision is risky.” Mr. Wilson said.

Mr. Wilson added that parties like the Junior Girls party encourage illicit behavior among students. “When some teenagers go to a party with no adult supervision, they have engaged in binge drinking and other activities since there is a minimal chance of getting caught,” he said.

However, Mr. Wilson acknowledged that the primary problem of these parties is a lack of adult supervision, and that he would be less concerned about parties that were parent-sponsored. He said that he would only call the parents to check in with them about the party.

Another of Mr. Wilson’s concerns about student-organized parties is the presence of underclassmen. “Having 13 and 14 year olds at a party like this one is alarming. If it was just 16, 17, [or] 18 year olds, they are at the point where their judgment is better, and their cerebral cortexes are more developed, and their brains are just more developed,” Mr. Wilson said. He also suggested that organizers of future parties should seriously consider whether or not admitting underclassmen to these parties is a good idea.

Two concerns that Mr. Wil-

son had specifically about the Junior Girls party involved the choice and acquisition of the venue. After he approached a junior girl and questioned her about the party, he learned that an 18 year old senior had signed the contract with The Meridian. After Mr. Wilson explained the legal consequences to the senior and his parents, the party was moved to Bar-Rio Houston.

Mr. Wilson said his primary concern about these parties is the question of student safety, especially since he has heard of students in the hospital due to alcohol use.

“If you’re hosting a party in such a way that students are likely to binge drink or do drugs in advance of the party, you’re increasing the likelihood that someone is going to drink [and] drive, drink until they get alcohol poisoning, [or] mix drugs and alcohol,” he said.

In addition, Mr. Wilson said that the organizers could face a lawsuit if a party attendee dies.

Mr. Wilson said that the administration will deal with each party on a case-by-case basis. “Any time that SJS students are organizing a party in such a way that we are concerned about the safety of the students, we will communicate these concerns to the parents,” he said.

Although Mr. Wilson said he has qualms about these types of parties, he did not accuse all the attendees of misbehavior.

He said that he understood that not all students acted irresponsibly.

“Somebody attending the party and doing nothing wrong would not be irresponsible, but it’s the person who organizes the party who creates an opportunity for bad things to happen that is acting somewhat irresponsibly,” he said.

Students race to end domestic violence

By MARIAM MATIN On Saturday, March 7, 2009, ten girls and faculty members of Women Helping Empower Each other ran the 5-kilometer Race Against Violence.

Over 1,500 runners, including survivors, family members and community members participated in the race. The race was hosted by Houston Area Women’s Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

WHEE promoted the event after hosting speakers familiar with the realities of domestic violence.

“It was great to know we were putting our money where our mouth is,” WHEE faculty advisor Gara Johnson-West said.

She added, “We raised over $500. It was nice to see other teachers and adults and to see

that they understood how important this was. A lot of what we believe is that empowerment comes from empowerment. By trying to make other women empowered to help, we ultimately help ourselves.”

In 2007, 74% of Texans said they knew someone who had experienced some form of physical, sexual or verbal domestic abuse. Nearly 5.3 million instances of relationship abuse occur annually against American women over 18. This violence results in 2 million injuries and 1,300 deaths each year.

“I think it’s important to raise awareness about teen dating and domestic violence because a lot of people don’t realize how common and serious it can really be,” WHEE member Mae Nasser (’10) said.

April 2009

sports The Review

5 ‘Good Night’

POOJA SALHOTRA | The Review

Boys Lacrosse defeat EHS in double overtime

By HUDSON DUNCAN

Head Case Lacrosse coach Sam Chambers writes ‘psychological’ sports novel

By SARAH NASSER Varsity boys lacrosse coach Sam T. Chambers will publish his first book, HEAD CASE: Sports Fiction with a Winning Edge, with co-writer and longtime friend Dr. Bob Rotella.

The novel was inspired by Coach Chambers’ first five years of coaching in Charlottesville, VA, at St. Anne’s School. The school “is the grounds for and the setting of [the novel],” Chambers said.

While in Virginia, Chambers received his Masters Degree in sports psychology under Dr. Rotella after playing college lacrosse for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

“Coaching lacrosse for 23 years has inspired the story. When I met my wife Lucy, we always talked about writing sports stories … collaborating on several of them, including Head Case,” Chambers said. “My coaching, my psychology background and my wife helped to make this book happen.”

The story is about a 10-year-old lacrosse player named Max Speyer, who finally gets a chance to play for the Powhatans, a select team he has dreamed of joining for years. As the youngest player to ever hold a starting position on the team, Max is under a tremendous amountt of pressure.

However, in a face-off against the team’s biggest rival, Max makes a fatal mistake and loses all confidence in himself and his athletic instincts, hindering his ability to perform on the field. In an attempt to recover his love for the game, Max turns to sports psychologist and friendly neighbor Dr. Bob, who helps Max overcome his fears and return to the field.

Though considered to be a work of sports fiction, Head Case does have some real-life references. “Some of the behavior of goalies that I have coached comes out in Max,” Chambers said. “The other players on the team are all based on Crease Ranch coaches from Baltimore, Maryland. I kept their names and switched their positions on the field.”

Coach Chambers played lacrosse as a junior and senior in high school at Woodberry Forest, despite spending his first two years playing varsity baseball.

“I kept gazing over at the lacrosse field and wanted to be in a sport that required more movement and less standing around,” Chambers said. “The sport combined many of my all-around natural abilities into one sport.”

After graduating from the University of Virginia and becoming a coach at SJS, Coach Chambers founded the Team Texas traveling lacrosse teams, runs lacrosse and field hockey programs at Crease Ranch and founded the Texas Recreational Lacrosse league, also known as TReX. Coach Chambers has also been named Texas Coach of the Year and Lacrosse Man of the Year in past years.

Dr. Rotella is renowned as the top sports psychologist in the world, and his book, Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, is the best-selling sports psychology book as well as one of the three best-selling golf books in the world.

In addition, he is one of the ten best golf teachers of the 20th century and has managed the leading graduate program in the country for the last twenty years at the University of Virginia. Dr. Rotella is also the former president of the North American Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and he has helped athletes such as Nick Price, Tom Kite, Brad Faxon, Scott Verplank to sharpen their golf skills.

“I am excited about this book and where it will take the next series of books to come,” Chambers said.

Chambers and Dr. Rotella have also been plotting new works for the future. “Our first idea was to make the next book about a different sport, but the characters of Head Case are hard to let go. So far, we have hammered out another lacrosse tale and are looking for more tales of sports and challenges that are solved with sports psychology,” Chambers said.

Left: Coach Chambers and the Boys Varsity Lacrosse team practicing on Scottland Yard Right: Sam Chambers’ fictional character Max Speyer on the cover.

On March 31, the SJS varsity boys lacrosse team defeated the Episcopal High School Knights 8-7 in a double overtime regular season game.

The Mavericks said they started off slow and that the Knights came out hard and physical. Going into halftime, the score was 7-4 in favor of Episcopal.

Still, the confidence the Mavericks said they had in themselves at halftime proved to play a part in the Mavericks’ comeback. “No one panicked in the locker room and we knew we were better than them. We were just anxious to get back onto the field,” lone captain Patrick Wilkey (’09) said.

The Mavericks scored three goals in the third quarter, but both teams were held scoreless in the fourth. Henry Waller (‘09) made 17 saves throughout the game, which helped push the game into overtime and then double overtime.

After Waller was flagged for an illegal body check in the second overtime, backup goalie Krishnan Rajagopalan (’10) took his place and proceeded to make two game saving plays with a block and dive out of bounds that retained the ball for the Mavericks. “[Rajagopalan] played like a boss out there,” Wilkey said.

After SJS cleared it past midfield, the ball found its way into the hands of the senior captain. Wilkey “ripped” the ball into the back of the net which ended the sudden-death overtime and gave the Mavericks the victory.

Recently, the Mavericks returned from the SPC tournament without a victory, losing to Episcopal School of Dallas and again to Episcopal High School.

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April 2009

sports

By SHEILA NEWAR

Kat Magliolo (’12) is the first girl to join the baseball team in SJS history. She has been playing baseball since the age of 6.

“The first team I was on was called the Dragons, for West [University] Little league,” Magliolo said.

Magliolo said she first decided to play baseball because softball was not offered at West University for girls under eight years of age. “At first, a lot of girls played baseball, but as we got older, more and more girls started switching over to softball. I really enjoyed baseball and started getting pretty good at it. I also had a lot of friends on the team, so I just stuck with it,”she said.

Magliolo started playing for SJS when she was in middle school, playing on the seventh and eighth grade teams. She currently plays for the JV baseball team.

“Coming into high school, I had to consider switching from baseball to softball. I was not sure if the school would even allow me to play baseball. Honestly, I don’t ever think I will be able to switch to softball. I have nothing against softball, but it is just a very different sport,” Magliolo said.

The main difference between softball and baseball is the pitching techniques employed.

Softball is pitched underhand, whereas baseball is pitched overhand. The other differences are the size of the ball, the type of bats and the length of the base path. “It is hard to explain, but softball and baseball are almost two different games entirely,” Magliolo said.

Even as a girl playing a boys sport, she still does not get any CLAY NICKENS | The Review

Batting with the boys Kat Magliolo is the first female player on SJS baseball team

JENNY LEWIS | The Review

Freshman Katherine Magliolo (‘12) shows off her SJS junior varsity baseball jacket.

handicaps or special treatment.

“Everything is exactly the same for me except I seem to be walked quite often … I’m not sure if that has to do with anything or not,” Magliolo said.

Magliolo plays pitcher, catcher, shortstop and third base for the Mavericks. “My favorite position is pitcher. It is very entertaining when I am able to pitch, and the other team first sees a girl step up to the mound. They all start laughing and making a scene, but if I get

a chance to strike any of them out, they suddenly become quiet and get really upset because it means they were just struck out by a girl,” Magliolo said.

She also explained the extent of the team camraderie. “The guys on the team are all really nice. Of course, they have their jokes, but I don’t mind. It is all good-natured, and all the boys are really good sports. They are all mostly cool with me playing because I have been with most of the boys on our team my

whole life in West [University] Little League,” Magliolo said.

She added, “I never feel excluded; the coaches and players all treat me as I guess you could say one of the guys, and I prefer it that way too. I don’t want any special treatment just because I am a girl. The guys know that, so it is just a lot less awkward if it’s not made into a big deal and I’m just treated the same as everyone else.”

Magliolo said she plans to continue playing soccer and

field hockey in addition to baseball throughout the rest of her high school career. “My favorite thing about baseball is how much of a team sport it is. I also enjoy the whole sport itself. There are just so many different skills that it requires, and you are constantly learning new techniques and ways to improve your own skills,” she said.

Cycling club drafts team

By CAROLINE GIBSON

Ryan Eisenman (‘11) and Matt Cherches (‘11) sport their cycling team shirts

For many SJS students, cycling is just a pastime or a hobby. However, a group of SJS students is striving to take this activity to another level of seroiusness.

“The cycling club is a group of SJS students who decided that they’d like to start bicycling and do organized rides together,” Ryan Eisenman(‘11), co-captain of the SJS cycling team, said. “The ultimate goal is to do the MS-150.”

The SJS bicycling team originated in the cycling club headed by Eisenman and Wren Fondren (‘09). Fifteen to twenty of the students who initially signed up for the cycling club began coordinating weekend rides together to train for organized rides, namely the MS-150.

Susan Beavers, mother of Brittany (‘09) and Alexi (‘12), played a key role in these weekend rides. Susan Beavers has been organizing cycling ventures since the “Rockets Sprockets,” a cycling group at River Oaks Baptist School that Alexi participated in. “There couldn’t have been a better person for this,” Assistant Athletic Trainer Michael Kleinstub said of Ms. Beavers.

It’s advantageous to have an organizer such as Ms. Beavers because weekend rides are crucial to success in the MS-150.

Training rides usually take place outside of Houston on varying types of terrain.

“It’s specifically designed so that by the time the MS-150 rolls around you should be in good enough physical condition to complete the ride,”Mr. Kleinstub, a cyclist himself, said.

Head of Upper School Community Service, Marci Bahr, who also cycles, is involved in the cycling team as well. Ms.

Bahr is more focused on the community service aspect of the team. Ms. Bahr organized and rode for the SJS team for the Tour de Pink ride for breast cancer in 2008. Ms. Bahr first got into the MS-150 through her sister, who works in philanthropy in Dallas.

The cycling team, however, seems to be a great success for its first year in existence. One of the unique aspects of the sport is that it can include the whole family; most cycling team members have a parent planning on riding in the race.

As for cycling becoming an actual SJS sport, the chances of such an event occurring are slim. One might be able to achieve a sports credit through cycling, though, provided that he rides multiple times a week. However, the idea of having a cycling team which competes against each other is unlikely.

The present state of the cycling team does not concern its members, however; they are more interested in riding together on the weekends and successfully completing the MS-150.

Recently, the club completed one day of the competition. A total of around seventy-five miles were completed in the competition.

Most importantly, the cyclists are intent on having the best experience possible.

They have “carb-parties” the night before rides and use the time to share their love of cycling. Though some of his teammates may think differently, Eisenman said he believes that “the best part about biking is afterwards when you get to chow down.”

April 2009

features The Review

7

College visit survival guide

?

Staff writer Blake Wulfe offers advice on how to find the college where you fit best Spring break of junior year is often filled with a garbled mess of college visits that become increasingly more confusing after each expansive tour or monotone information session.

So before I left for my college trip, I took along with me the advice of some college visiting hardened seniors hoping to glean some knowledge that might make both my trip, and the SJS student’s college trips in general, more interesting, more insightful and, most importantly, more bearable.

After arriving at a prospective school, the first activity many students take part in is the information session. These meetings can help students get a feel for a school, but at the same time tend to be repetitive.

An excellent way to avoid this monotony is to arrive with a few questions concerning topics that you are legitimately interested in or that might stump the speaker.

Patrick Ryan (‘09) said he found this technique helpful.

He said, “At an information session, I asked what sense of community existed at the school, and the speaker replied that community and school spirit was a big issue when she applied, and that it has gotten a lot better. That was a definite warning sign for me that the school lacked enthusiasm.”

By actually pushing a speaker to describe their school in an unexpected way, the information session becomes much more informative than it otherwise would have been. However, I discovered this technique can have some embarrassing side effects, especially if you don’t prepare well, or in my case, ask a question about a different school from the one currently being toured.

Nonetheless, without taking an active role in the visiting process, students are less able to differentiate between schools.

Travis Foxhall (‘09) said, “After a while many of the information sessions blended together, but even then, when a [speaker] would say something about their school that differed from the other schools, it helped me gain a better understanding of that particular college.”

This meeting is often followed by a full tour of the college campus, during which a volunteer shows prospective students around campus and describes the school from a student perspective. These campus walks can range from interesting to mind-numbingly boring, depending on how good of a speaker the guide is.

During these occasionally epic hikes around campus, I entertained myself by again trying to stump the tour guide. Questions about the history of the

Jenny Lewis | The Review

What school offers you the most? The flags on college counselor Martha Childress’ wall represent a small portion of potential colleges for SJS students to research and visit. school worked especially well, with questions concerning student clubs coming in as a close second. Neither of these two topics seemed to be asked about much, but I became personally interested in them considering I received some legitimately hilarious responses.

But keeping the variety of guides in mind, SJS students should not base their view of the students at a school entirely upon that person. In fact, Ryan suggested a different method of looking around the campus entirely. He said, “I went on tours at all the schools I visited, but I think it is better to have a student you know show you around; it gives you a better sense of the school.”

This seems like an excellent idea; however, finding students that are actually willing to show you around can be a little daunting, as well as create some awkward situations. To avoid this Ryan suggested two meth-

ods, the first of which is to contact an alumnus that has volunteered to show SJS students around their own college.

Second, if you are contacting a student you may not know very well to show you around, Ryan suggested making conversation about something in common. He said, “I would say the best way to make the interaction [between you and a college student] run smoothly would be to start out by asking them questions about how a college compared with SJS. That provides some common ground that makes the conversation less awkward.”

I brought up SJS in a few conversations with college students, which did help; however, it is important to keep in mind that this only works if that student actually went to SJS. If instead you are meeting a student for the first time and are unaware of how you know them at all, I found one technique in par-

ticular to be helpful.

It’s important to note that it takes practice to meet someone and then immediately begin to delve into the intricate workings of his or her own personal college, and by practice I mean utterly awkward conversations that have no excuse for ever existing.

The most important aspect of meeting a college student you don’t personally know is to arrive with a lot of questions thought of in advance and memorized. Ask every question you can think of, no matter what the topic. I asked questions ranging from ‘Why does everyone seem to like your college so much?’, to ‘What type of variety exists between the chairs in the library?’.

Another aspect of the college experience that students need to judge is the on-campus dinning. Foxhall said, “When visiting college, I would suggest trying the food, not in a restau-

rant off campus, but actually on- campus so you can see if you like it. Some of the on campus dinning was terrible, [but] some I really liked.”

I decided to heed this advice, and ate every lunch I had in a college cafeteria. The food easily passed my requirements, but regardless, it is important to acquire a personal understanding of college comestibles.

Along with dinning, the student-housing situation in a college can also play a large role in determining whether a student would enjoy the school. However, exploring the housing provides visitors with another mildly difficult situation. When visiting colleges, SJS students must decide between visiting housing during a tour or with a student that is a friend.

Foxhall said he chose to look at the dorm rooms primarily during tours. He said, “When we went on the tour we normally got to look at a dorm room, but they all really looked the same to me: small.”

Ryan, though, did the opposite and choose to see the dorm rooms of students he knew. He said, “They showed me their dorm rooms or apartments. At one school I visited a fraternity, and although it was kind of a random night without much going on, it was still interesting to look around and see the atmosphere.”

Personally, I found it hard to find differences between the housing setup in different colleges (though this does not mean looking at dorms is worthless). The decorations in each dorm room varied a great deal. The change I noticed most often was the presence or absence of items that promoted school pride, a factor that is a high priority in my choice of a school.

Ryan said that it is important to actually observe the school and keep an open mind. “The most important thing is to talk to students and watch how they act. For example, when I visited one school, everybody was walking quickly and not talking on the way to class, whereas at some of the other schools, students would be in groups talking.”

Foxhall agreed, saying, “[College trips] can be daunting, but keeping an open mind, not being tentative, and acting friendly will make the entire thing much more fun and worthwhile.”

Ultimately, the advice to relax and have fun proved valuable in my adventures, and despite the fact that looking at colleges is seen by many as a purely educational trip, enjoying the activities you take part in is both important and helpful in the search for a college that best fits you.

8

Q & A: The Review: What was your original vision for the show and how has that changed?

B: My original vision was similar to what I made originally, which was a really crappy, completely ADD show with one-minute segments. A complete ADD disaster was how I envisioned it and I think it really came out that way, so we really had to go back to the drawing board.

G: I think that now it’s become much more pulled together, a little more structured but hopefully not too structured and too predictable because we still want people to show up. We’ve sort of advanced technologically as well.

Are you happy with the direction it’s taking?

G: Totally.

B: I’m really happy with it because people still go in and they know what they’re going to get.

They know that they are going to see themselves in their sport; they know that they are going to see themselves in their fine art, but they don’t know who is going to be featured or what is going to be talked about each episode.

G: Or what’s going to be funny

April 2009

what founders Gabi Chennisi and Bubba Fish have to say about the progression of MavTV by Bhagwat Kumar

Bret Vollmer | The Review

or what the big joke will be.

B: They don’t know what the short film is going to be about and a lot of people come for that. It’s random still and it’s still different every single time you go, but there’s still structure and people still know what they’re getting.

How did you decide what clips or segments you were going to use?

G: That’s a long process. We basically film about six hours worth of stuff for every episode, sometimes a little bit more. Then we have to spend the time importing it into the computer, and then we have

features

to re-watch all six hours and find the best clips for every section. From there, we decide on the backround music, and the hardcore editing begins.

It probably takes five hours to edit one minute of footage.

Were there any segments in particular that you liked or didn’t like filming?

B: I remember a few that I didn’t.

Well, it’s not that I didn’t like filming them, it’s just that they were really awkward. Filming Dean Alig’s Bowtie sophomore year was just extremely awkward because we just asked him ‘Can we film your face for

a minute?’. Also going up in Kelly Krohn’s plane.

G: I didn’t go, so I didn’t experience that.

B: That was a high point - no pun intended.

G: Also, he almost vomited.

B: I went up in her plane and she was doing really steep turns and I requested a barf bag halfway through. Thankfully I never used it but I had to turn off the camera and put it away halfway through the ride, because I was scared that I might barf on it.

G: There was another time when we were supposed to film the Obama speech and we got there and filmed for 30 minutes and then the camera ran out of batteries as Barack Obama was walking up to the stage.

Where do you see MavTV heading in the future??

G: We have a brand new staff that we are really proud of.

Sarah Windham and Ariana Dickey are our new producers.

We chose them to fill the void when we graduate. Working under them are about a dozen editors and staff members who are dedicated to making sure MavTV survives this difficult transition period.

B: Now that we have picked two new producers, the Par-

ents Guild has agreed to buy us a camera, and there’s even a MavTV award this year. We are pretty sure that MavTV will survive the coming years and continue to thrive at St. John’s.

If someone wants to watch past episodes of MavTV, where do they go?

G: They can go online to the SJS website, dig through some archives, and after a few years, you will find MavTV hidden in the darkest cranny.

B: You will also soon be able to order the year-end DVD of all three episodes for a small fee of $12. If someone came up to you on the street and said, “Hey. You can have all your high school memories on video. All you have to do is pay $12,” could you refuse?

G: No. B: I wasn’t asking you.

G: Oh. Basically, The Review gives a copy of their work to the SJS Community every month. The Quadrangle produces a copy of their work every year. So, in addition to MavTV screenings, we are also now providing a year-end DVD to allow everyone at SJS the ability to relive their high school experiences for years to come.

B: Well said.

features

9

APRIL 2009

New on the

Catwalk:

Recently created SJS Fashion Club enters the scene.

By JESSICA ALLEN

W

hile many people may as- different ways,” she said. sociate the act of expressWhen asked about her own pering oneself with activities sonal style, Richardson described it such as writing, painting or music, as “ecletic”.

Bobbie Richardson (’11) has always “I love colors, especially neons,” relied on another outlet for her cre- she said, adding, “Also, I love accesativity: fashion. Driven by her love sories like shoes, belts and jewelry. of clothing and trends, Richardson These are ways to update your olddecided to found the Fashion Club, er clothes, and by changing [accesa club that meets every couple of sories] you can totally change your weeks to discuss every aspect of the look.” fashion world.

Richardson cites stars like the Olsen Richardson said she has always twins and Rachel Bilson as her main loved fashion, and finds that for her style icons. However, her inspirait is the easiest way to express her- tions range all over the place, as she self. That is why also looks towards she got the idea Audrey Hepburn, to start Fashion Zooey Deschanel, Club: to create a Agyness Deyn and place where peoTV shows such as ple like her, who Ugly Betty and had similar pasGossip Girl for sions for fashion, ideas. could meet and Another activdiscuss in detail ity on the first new trends, their meeting’s agenda personal style was to discuss the icons and their different, unique - Bobbie Richardson own unique fashfashion experiion experiences. ences of two SJS Richardson also students.

Both credited her photography class at SJS Sam Linn (’09) and Meryl Gibbs (’12) as an influence that furthered her spoke about their forays into the awareness of fashion and inspired fashion world. This past summer, her to further develop her budding Linn worked at fashion powerhouse interest.

Vogue magazine. Gibbs is a part“[Photography] made me think of time model who models for brands fashion in new and different ways,” such as Lot 8. Through hearing about she said. their experiences, many students Aided by Taylor Miller (’11) and were able to better understand the faculty sponsor Ms. Barbara DiPaolo, realities of the fashion world.

Richardson and the club had their first meeting in January. In their first meeting, the club immediately delved into the fashion world, watching the runway shows from the Spring ’09 ready-to-wear lines and discussing upcoming trends.

Richardson said this topic excited her greatly, as many of the hottest trends present on the runway are ones she often utilizes for her own personal style. She especially expressed excitement over lots of color, which she claims she cannot stay away from, and big, bold graphic prints.

Richardson also said that an important part of fashion club is not just identifying the trends, but also thinking of practical ways to incorporate them into one’s everyday style.

Richardson explained that one of her favorite things about fashion club was observing how everyone incorporated runway trends into their personal wardrobes. “I love seeing how everyone [interprets trends] in

“Everyone has his or her own style and that’s what makes fashion so awesome.”

Pooja Salhotra | The Review

Founder Bobbie Richardson (‘11) and fellow fashion club member Taylor Miller (‘11) take a break to read fashion magazines.

For the next meeting, the Fashion Club will be hosting image consultant Susie Wilson. According to her website, Wilson discusses the importance of personal image in all areas of life, especially matters such as job opportunities and promotions.

Richardson said her ultimate goal is to get Chloe Dao, the winner of the first season of Project Runway and the woman behind the local boutique Lot 8, to come speak to fashion

club.

Richardson also expressed her excitement about learning more about the different styles and personalities of the other members of fashion club.

She admitted that she most looks forward to discovering more about the others’ interests and ideas.

“Everyone has his or her own style and that’s what makes fashion so awesome,” she said. “No two people have the exact same sense of style.”

Back in the Spring of Th 10

April 2009

photo spread

photo spread

April 2009

hings...

From frisbee to Ferraris, flowers to free gelato, students take time away from studies to enjoy the season as spring semester winds to a finish.

Photos by Bret Vollmer & Clay Nickens

11

12

beyondSJS The Review

April 2009

Making Waves SJS alumna Genny Tulloch featured in sailing documentary Morning Light

Genny Tulloch (‘02) sails with the Morning Light team, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and video cameras.

Not many SJS alumni find their way to Hollywood by way of Cambridge, Mass., and Hawaii. Genny Tulloch (’02), however, stars in the sailing documentary Morning Light, which hit the silver screen in limited release last fall.

Morning Light chronicles the stories of Ms. Tulloch and a crew of fourteen other young sailors as they competed in the 2007 Transpac Race from Los Angeles to Hawaii.

The race began in July 2007 and lasted 11 days.

Ms. Tulloch, an SJS lifer, began sailing as a youngster.

After testing the waters at age six, she started racing on her own at age nine. She excelled in national and international sailing competitions in her youth, while also playing lacrosse and captaining the cross country team at SJS. After graduating from SJS, Ms. Tulloch continued to Harvard University to sail for the Crimson. In her sophomore year, she was named Female Collegiate Sailor of the Year after being named runner-up for the award freshman year.

Despite her previous success in the sport of sailing, Ms. Tulloch said that the Transpac Race required a different skill set from anything she had ever experienced.

Though an experienced inshore sailor, she had little experience with the type of offshore sailing that the Transpac Race required.

“We all applied to be on the Morning Light team in

much the same way as applying for college,” Ms. Tulloch explained. “It was a five page application process where you had to describe yourself: your strengths, your weaknesses, what makes you a good leader, what makes you a good team player, etcetera.”

However, the application process was even more se-

surprisingly easy to get used to. “We were basically meant to pretend they weren’t there and go ahead with our life, which was pretty simple to do,” she explained.

“But at the same time,” she added, “it was a very new and different feeling to have cameras around and have to wear microphones and have strong

Photos courtesy of Genny Tulloch.

training we all became much better sailors, and we really meshed into a race team by the time the Transpac started,” she explained. “We all—or almost all—got along really well and became like a family by the end of it.”

The family that Ms. Tulloch described was composed of

“It was so cool to see about 100 shooting stars in just the ten days of the race, to wake up to the most beautiful sunrises, and to see some of the coolest ocean wildlife right there with you, and yet to keep racing in the midst of it all, even in the middle of the night when it’s pitch black and you can’t see the waves or the wind or your sails.” lective than Harvard’s. “Out of the 600 applications, they took 30 of us for a week-long tryout in Long Beach,” Ms. Tulloch explained, “then 15 of us made the team.”

Still, Ms. Tulloch nearly missed the opportunity to try out. When the Morning Light producers tried to reach her, she was competing in France and didn’t receive any of their phone messages.

Fortunately for Ms. Tulloch, she made the tryouts and was chosen as a team member.

She spent the coming weeks training for the race with her new comrades.

Though Ms. Tulloch is a self-described “cameraphobe,” she said that the constant presence of cameras was

lights in our living room and dining room. It took some getting used to, but luckily they weren’t there all the time, and pretty quickly they were there and we didn’t even notice them. We truly just went about our days and our training as best we could.”

Despite the presence of cameras, the Morning Light crew’s first priority was competition. “It never felt like ‘working on a documentary,’’ Ms. Tulloch explained. “For us, it was making the team, and then training to become a team and doing the race.”

As the team spent weeks training, working and living together, Ms. Tulloch said that its members formed a close bond. “Throughout the

the 15 sailors including herself, who she likened to the “kids.” The coaches were like the “parents,” she explained, and the executive producers, Roy Disney (nephew of Walt) and Leslie DeMeuse, were the “grandparents.”

Though Ms. Tulloch was hesitant to ruin the film’s suspense, she said the race ended well. The Morning Light team finished second in their fleet and third in their division, after an intense battle against their greatest rivals in the middle of the ocean, who beat them to the coast by merely a few hours.

Despite the minor disappointment, Ms. Tulloch said that the end of the race was a perfect culmination of the

team’s long journey. “We finished pretty much right at sunrise—three minutes after or something. The perfect ending for a team called Morning Light … it was spectacular. Roy called it ‘Waltweather,’ because apparently whenever Walt [Disney] wanted something to go well it would be the most glorious, warm, beautiful day.”

Indeed, Ms. Tulloch said, the entire journey was marked by beautiful and unique sights.

“Being offshore on a sailboat is one of the most special things I have been able to experience in life,” Ms. Tulloch explained. “It was so cool to see about 100 shooting stars in just the ten days of the race, to wake up to the most beautiful sunrises, and to see some of the coolest ocean wildlife right there with you, and yet to keep racing in the midst of it all, even in the middle of the night when it’s pitch black and you can’t see the waves or the wind or your sails.”

Completing the Transpac Race would be a dream come true for any lifelong sailor, Ms. Tulloch said, but it was especially meaningful to her.

“Getting to turn from just a dinghy sailor into a big-boat offshore sailor was tremendous for me,” Ms. Tulloch said. “I don’t even know what to compare it to, but maybe it’s like spending your life running track races and then becoming a marathoner.”

beyondSJS

13

April 2009

back in the spotlight Photo courtesy of Katherine Center.

Riding the wave of success brought by her first novel, The Bright Side of Disaster, SJS alumna and parent Katherine Center (’90) released her second novel Everyone Is Beautiful in February.

First appearing on shelves in June 2007, The Bright Side of Disaster was a smashing success, starring a pregnant woman, Jenny, who is forced to use her wit and determination to birth and raise her child after her fiancé leaves her right before their wedding.

Everyone Is Beautiful falls into the same “mama lit” genre as The Bright Side of Disaster. “It’s about a mom with three boys under four who decides to try and get her groove back,” Ms. Center explained. “It’s a love story about married people, too—about what happens after happily ever after.”

As a mom with small children herself, Ms. Center found that inspiration came easily. “It’s hard to understand until you do it,” she said, “but being a mom is so intense- the stakes are so high, and you love your kids so fiercely, but they require so much attention and care that it’s very easy to forget about yourself.”

Even if her readers can’t identify with parenthood, Ms. Center said that the message of Everyone is Beautiful resonates with everyone, even young people.

“When you’re in your teens, it seems impossible, but it really does happen,” she said. “Suddenly, you look up and you realize that all those things you used to love to do—that made you who you were and made you feel proud of yourself—have fallen into the background or been lost entirely. Most moms of small children I know are struggling with a question: how to be a great mom and also not lose sight of their own dreams and goals.”

With one novel already published, Ms. Center felt more confident going into her second. “I had a better sense of the pacing and the shape of a novel,” she said. “But by the time I was writing this book, I had two kids—not just one. So it took quite a bit longer to write, in part because I had less free time and more going on as a mom.”

Indeed, Ms. Center’s schedule has been packed ever since the release of her novel. “It’s been a very exciting

SJS alumna Katherine Center reflects on life on the other side of Bright Side

By VERONICA CHU

month.” she said. “Everyone Is Beautiful was reviewed in People magazine and USA Today and featured in Redbook. Kirkus Reviews compared it to Jean Kerr’s motherhood classic Please Don’t Eat The Daisies, which is so exciting. There’s a lot of buzz online about the book, too.”

Ms. Center’s literary popularity has quite literally opened doors for her—or at least provided her with a key. “I just finished a nationwide book tour that involved many fancy hotels,” she remarked. “It was amazing and kind of a dream come true.”

Despite her relative fame and fortune, Ms. Center said she always strives to make time for her two kids and husband, Gordon Center, an SJS middle school history teacher. “I don’t have a lot of free time anymore.” she laughed.

For that reason, Ms. Center has become an expert at managing her time. “Now that I have kids, I’m constantly carving out little places to get my writing done,” she explained. “But hypothetically—

“I particularly love writers who write about that place where comedy and heartbreak rub shoulders with each other.” things I like to do include photography, quilting and sewing, making collages, making artist’s books, reading both fiction and non-fiction, going to the movies and searching for real estate online that I will never buy.”

Ms. Center often finds inspiration from good stories as well as daily events from life, friends, and news. “Life itself is just inspiring,” she said, “if you look at it the right way. I’m constantly getting ideas that have to go wait in line for their turn. There just aren’t enough hours in the day! That can be a little

bit frustrating—but more than that, it’s thrilling, and it infuses every moment with anticipation.”

Of course, mere ideas don’t always make a compelling story. Ms. Center advised aspiring writers to write all the time, read to “get comfortable in that place in your head where good writing takes you,” and be patient.

“Writing is one of those things you only get good at by doing it,” she explained. “But it’s not just about being

“Writing a novel is a lot like making a collage. You use memories, pieces of overheard conversations, a pair of shoes that belonged to your sister. published. It’s really about making your writing the best it can be and doing the stories themselves justice.”

Ms. Center attributes her love of writing to her time at SJS. “Everything I know about writing is based on what I learned at SJS,” said Ms. Center. “I was a lifer, so it’s literally the place where I learned to read. I remember my third grade teacher, Ms. Emery, telling us if you used a word three times in conversation, it belonged to you—and becoming completely obsessed with this idea of acquiring words. I also remember writing a long poem, that I can still recite, in Ms. Green’s fifth grade English class, and I remember getting a kind note from Ms. Paulus in sixth grade encouraging me to write.”

Some types of writing come more naturally than others, though, and Ms. Center found a challenge in conquering the art of writing the essay. “I remember thinking the five paragraph theme was hard for a long time,” she said. “But once I got it—somewhere around tenth grade—then I just had it. And suddenly

my papers weren’t about how I was going to say things, but, instead, about what I had to say. I’m very grateful to SJS for that—for forcing me to practice until I knew how to articulate what I had to say perfectly.”

Ms. Center’s SJS education wasn’t the only influence in her novels, however.

“Writing a novel is a lot like making a collage,” she said. “You use memories, pieces of overheard conversations, a pair of shoes that belonged to your sister.

There are some crazy kid-antics in the story that were definitely inspired by the crazy kid-antics in my own house.”

Ms. Center also finds inspiration in her favorite authors and literary works.

“One novel I remember from SJS that has really stayed with me is Catcher in the Rye,” she said. “I loved how intimate and conversational Holden Caulfield’s voice was, the way he felt like a friend.”

Other favorite authors include Jane Austen, Raymond Carver and Richard Newman.

Ms. Center said that she enjoys writers that can make their unique voice come alive. “I particularly love writers who write about that place where comedy and heartbreak rub shoulders with each other,” she explained. “I love books that can make you laugh and bring tears to your eyes at the same time. David Sedaris can do that for me, along with Lorrie Moore and Marisa De Los Santos.”

These days, Ms. Center lives “a funny combination of super-busy and totally mellow—just pushing my kids on the swings.” She and a friend put together a trailer for Everyone Is Beautiful that combines pictures and music to one of the passages in the book. “I love it so much I wish I could put it on a billboard,” she said.

She’s just turned in her third novel, Get Lucky, which will come out next year, and has a contract with Random House for a fourth. For now, she’s busy promoting Everyone Is Beautiful and has started blogging too.

With her full schedule, finding the perfect balance between work and family might be difficult, but Ms. Center said she is as happy as ever. “It’s a life that suits me really well,” she remarked, “and I just try to be sure and appreciate it every day.”

14

opinions

Editorial College Counseling Changes Help Students After witnessing one of the most competitive college application cycles to date, the Editorial Board recognizes the merit in amending the applications services currently offered by the College Counseling Department, and believes extending offering specific programs to juniors will ultimately benefit students.

A particularly adept adjustment is to have juniors finish with essays – easily one of the most daunting aspects of the applications – prior to beginning their senior year.

There is legitimate concern that these optional classes will only help students who would have been prepared for applications regardless of college counseling and will do little to motivate disinterested students.

However, the Board believes that those students who utilize college counselors’ help, and ultimately reap the benefits, will motivate the students who may have skipped the classes. In short, these classes will, at the very least, serve as a reminder for what’s on the horizon.

When dealing with college admissions deans, the old adage, “the early bird gets the worm” is often used. This is no myth.

Students should attempt to get as early of a jump as possible on the application process in order to alleviate what has come to be known as the “senior year grind”.

Of course, putting excessive emphasis on college applications can be detrimental: already there is a sense of students “burning out” on the applications process and expending all their efforts too early.

Therefore, a primary concern in expanding the services offered by college counseling is that it will further exasperate the ubiquity of college applications.

However, the Editorial Board believes that college counselors and many parents will recognize these dangers and guard students – particularly freshmen following their first college counseling meeting – from becoming too stressed.

It goes without saying that stress is not a positive state of mind; however, make no mistake: the college process for any student will be stressful. The Editorial Board trusts that College Counseling understands this.

However, the onus is on the students to return this trust and use the chances that are set before them.

With the college process getting increasingly more arduous each year (with no end in sight), the term “college preparatory high school” takes new meaning.

The Editorial Board reccomends students at SJS take advantage of every opportunity offered by College Counseling.

April 2009

The Review

The Review

The Official Student Newspaper of St. John’s School 2007-2008 Editor-in-Chief: Bret Vollmer (‘09) Managing Editor: Rebecca Welbourn (‘09) Business Manager: Allie Adkins (‘09) News Editor Jade Law (‘09)

Features Editor Emily Foxhall (‘09)

Sports Editor Arts&Entertainment Editor Hudson Duncan (‘10) Anoushka Sinha (‘09)

Copy Editor Opinions Editor beyondSJS Editor Leeor Mushin (‘09) Vail Kohnert-Yount (‘09) Liliana Varman (‘10)

Photo Editor Katherine Carmichael (‘09)

Staff Writers Jessica Allen (‘11), Alexa Carrasco (‘09), Gabi Chennisi (‘09), Veronica Chu (‘12), Stuart Dickerson (‘10), Ariana Dickey (‘12), Allegra Fradkin (‘11), Meryl Gibbs (‘12), Caroline Gibson (‘11), Sarah Koslov (‘10), Bhagwat Kumar (‘11), Joe Martinez (‘11), Mariam Matin (‘11), Arvind Mohan (‘10), Ann-Charlotte Profit (‘12), Sarah Nasser (‘09), Sheila Newar (‘10), Andrew Perry (‘11), Tiffany Shyu (‘09), Sarah Windham (‘12), Blake Wulfe (‘10), Melissa Yuan (‘11) Circulation Manager Caroline Parks (‘09)

Advertising Manager Ryan Cordill (‘09)

Promotions Manager Melanie Lilienstern(‘09)

Assistant Manager Lizzy Ehrhardt (‘09)

Photographers Jennifer Lewis (‘10), Clay Nickens (‘10), Daniel Perenyi (‘09), Bobbi Richardson (‘11), Pooja Salhotra (‘12)

Business Staff Richard Bilger (‘11), Parker Chambers (‘09), Allie Deluca (‘11), Geoff Dunn (‘09), Christy Lee (‘11), Meagan Longoria (‘10), Phoebe Massey (‘09), Tim McDugald (‘11) Neeraj Salhotra (‘09), William Wallace (‘11), Jack Waller (‘11)

Illustrator Kat Oshman (‘09) Advisor Kyle Parrish (‘01)

As the student newspaper of St. John’s School, The Review provides a forum for student writing and opinion. The opinions (signed) and staff editorials (unsigned) contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Headmaster of Board of Trustees of St. John’s School. Staff editorials represent the opinion of the paper. Letters to the editor and guest columns are encouraged but are subject to editing for reasons of clarity, space, accuracy and good taste. The Review reserves the right not to print letters received. Either e-mail letters and guest columns to review@sjs.org; give them to Bret Vollmer, Rebecca Welbourn, Kyle Parrish or Leeor Mushin in the office of The Review (Q-210); or mail to Editorin-Chief, The Review, St. John’s School, 2401 Claremont Lane, Houston, TX 77019.

Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, In the spring of my sophomore year, I realized I needed more uniform clothing, but my parents, not yet awake to the sad realization that I had stopped growing (it’s still my hope to someday write an article investigating if Adderall can, as my brother asserted, stunt your growth), didn’t want to spend any more money at Sue Mills. Besides, they said, I was “nearly almost finished” with high school and pretty soon I would be at college. At the time I thought this was a pretty good way of thinking about school.

But now, after two years of “nearly almost” being done with high school, my uniform clothes are falling apart: holes are forming at all the seams and my navy shirts are fading to purple.

With such tattered clothes plus my naturally pale luminescence, I feel like one of the ghost extras in an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? Maybe one about a haunted prep school.

So now that the end of upper school is actually in sight, I’m reluctant to believe it; I’ve gotten in trouble once before for thinking I was finished with school, so I don’t want it to happen again.

Unfortunately, as much

as I may swear to myself, I have not been able to escape suffering from ‘senioritis.’ Apparently, it’s inevitable.

Finally, I have one thing to ask: will you please go to prom with me Sarah?

To any other readers who may have chanced a look at this corner of the page, please disregard this paragraph.

Fondly,

Bret Vollmer Editor-in-Chief

Letter Policy Letters to the editors and guest columns are welcome but are subject to editing for reasons of clarity, space, accuracy and good taste. The Review reserves the right not to print letters recieved, and all letters must be typed and signed. Give letters, guest columns and classified advertisements to Bret Vollmer or Kyle Parrish in the office of The Review (Q-210) or email to review@sjs.org.

15 ‘Senioritis’ best in moderation opinions

APRIL 2009

By SARAH KOSLOV Staff Writer

Many underclassmen and juniors cling to the belief that after three laborious years at SJS, senior year is a walk in the park. I am guilty of thinking this; however, after observing the class of 2009, I feel that a “work-free” senior year proves to be a myth.

My dreams of sitting back and cruising through my senior year were crushed early. I watched as seniors wrote synthesis papers, stressed over college applications and studied for history exams; from the sounds of it, senior year was the same as junior year with the additional stress of college.

Some seniors went so far as to say that senior year was harder than any previous year. Needless to say, hearing this news was troubling, and I became despondent towards the remaining year and a half left I had left of intense labor.

Coming back from winter break, I expected a new vibe from the seemingly exasperated class of ‘09. Perhaps second semester would bring in a new attitude with some college acceptance letters in, and seniors bound for the home-stretch of high school. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

Seniors were seen in the library and computer lab working through the

typical arduous SJS school load. Many seniors still complained about the amount of work and projects in their near future.

However, small victories had been made.

I found a more jovial attitude in the hallways and outside of school.

The silver lining of all of this is that while seniors are undeniably working hard, they have managed to have fun this year too. Between their rigorous course selections, college applications and various other commitments, they find time for activities like senior tea and relaxing in senior country.

While senior year maintains much of the workload, it is still a great time to truly experience our storied cloisters. There are few other places where seniority is a highly valued and celebrated as in the SJS environment.

When seniors returned from their Retreat, the tide had officially turned.

Their sense of unity revived my peers and me, providing something for us to admire and look forward to.

As the class of 2009 rounds out the year, they have proven senioritis is a state of mind rather than an inherit disposition.

As I investigated further, I discovered that the choices individuals make determine their susceptibility to senioritis. Some seniors decide to quit sports teams, clubs, and extracurricular activities once they gain college acceptance. Second semester seniors no longer need to enhance their resumes, and as a result are more likely to let opportunities that are “no fun but great for college” pass.

Meanwhile, juniors are much more willing to take on these less-than blissful

positions. All of the hard work seems to pay off, and while senioritis is not necessarily a good thing, it does allow the departing class a chance to grow and develop in ways that they were unable to in the past. Senioritis is just part of the circle of high school life, and thus, difficult to avoid. I tip my hat to those seniors who have fought the urge to slack off post college admittance. Hopefully, I will have the same steadfast commitment to my academics this time next year.

Between their rigorous course selections, college applications and various other commitments, they find time for activities like senior tea and relaxing in senior country.

All things considered, it seems that after years at SJS, seniors have discovered the delicate balance between relaxation and hard work. One can overcome obstacles without massive stress-attacks.

Senioritis may be a myth, but the attitude is alive and well. For every senior spotted working diligently, another senior laughs and simply enjoys his or her remaining days at SJS. Senioritis represents the metamorphosis the senior class will undergo in passing onto college, and yet, like anything, it is always best in moderation.

A TI-84 calculator found smashed in Senior Country

SJS Survival Guide:

The Art of Distraction By ANDREW PERRY Staff Writer

If you have ever walked into class with sweat rolling down your neck and a nervous tension engulfing your thoughts, if your fear of being called on by the teacher rivals that of the Persian army at the Spartan doorstep, if the western dueling theme pops into your mind at the sight of unfinished homework, then this guide is for you.

Off-topic discussions in class, while opposed by many teachers, can provide students with a much needed respite from learning, as well as a grade saving distraction technique. Yet exactly how this relief is obtained is a matter of much debate among the SJS student community.

Off-topic discussions in class, while opposed by many teachers, can provide students with a much needed respite from learning, and also a grade saving distraction. Yet exactly how this relief is obtained is a matter of much debate

among the SJS student community.

Ultimately, each student’s repertoire of off-topic persuasions is different, and varies depending upon the targeted teacher. This guide will lay out my personal tried and true techniques as well as give advice specific to a teacher’s age and subject.

Age, among other characteristics, is a determining factor in the type of distractions teachers are most susceptible to. The categories into which a teacher’s age is placed are novice, intermediate and expert. While these ranks do not necessarily deal with the age of a teacher, there is a consistent correlation between a teacher’s experience and age.

Novice teachers are those who can be distracted with topics that delve into pop culture. Music, movies, and television shows are useful subjects in spurring a teacher’s interest in amusing yet ultimately useless conversations.

The proximity of the teacher’s age to that of the student’s makes this technique somewhat reliable; however, more experienced teachers rarely fail to recognize a student’s interest, feigned or not.

The second level of teacher-distraction difficulty, commonplace, allows for completely off-topic discussion, yet now requires that the teacher be genuinely interested in the topic.

Pop culture is of little use in this battlefield of random knowledge.

Instead, the most important tool is having some insight into a specific topic amusing to the teacher. Research is key in this case, and without it, students are often cut short in conversation due to

a lack of personal understanding of a topic.

The final age of a teacher, the expert level, is no doubt the most difficult to get off-topic. In this case, only a certain few seemingly on-topic, well thought out and intelligent comments make the cut. But do not be daunted by these experienced teachers; they have a heroic flaw.

The subject each instructor teaches is of the utmost interest to them, and as such, students are able to create discussions, which although not as interesting, are still distracting. Another factor that determines a teacher’s susceptibility to distraction is the subject that they teach.

I will present each subject in ascending difficulty.

History teachers, in my experience, require the least coercion to get offtopic, due to the very nature of their subject. Because history applies to the present in many ways, inaccuracies tend to bother them more than other teachers. Students should utilize the inaccuracy of movies and video games while distracting these teachers.

English teachers can be extremely tricky on rare occasions, but in general they are relatively easy to distract. The oration of a novel in class is an opportune moment to distract teachers. Topics that seem to relate t o the novel but are in reality completely separate tend to come into use often here.

The ultimate method of distracting English teachers is to convince them to show an in-class movie. But be warned: in the past, English teachers have tricked me into discussing topics I thought were

separate but later realized were related to the novel.

Science teachers represent the middleof-the-road difficulty level. Real life applications of scientific topics are valued greatly here, but in reality any distractions caused rarely take away from the class but rather make students more interested.

Example questions to ask for biology, chemistry, and physics, respectively, are: “So, what if we could control RNA?”, “So, if this were to react with oxygen, what would happen?” and, “What if we could travel faster than light?”

Math teachers are on the more difficult end of the subject spectrum and require some serious planning to distract. Just like in science classes, using math in a real life application tends to work, but the likelihood of success varies greatly between teachers.

Lastly, language teachers are the supreme distraction resistors. Stories are your best bet, but even then it is nearly impossible. Two barriers are in a student’s way. First, the specific language is the only acceptable topic. Second, a decent ability to use the language is required, and seeing as most students wanting to distract teachers are those who, haven’ t done their homework, this is a problem.

Hopefully this guide has demystified the art of distracting teachers. The ability to bring a class off subject and into break time is a skill every student should have. And while it does not fit into the conventional categories of education, without it no SJS education is truly complete.

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APRIL 2009

opinions

iFlaunt the iPhone By STUART DICKERSON Staff Writer

With the recent advent of the iPhone, technology has allowed the flow of information to travel like never before.

Through their phones, users have access to almost anything they could want: almost every website on the internet, an endless number of applications, and the text-messaging and calling capabilities that are a must in each mobile device.

Yet nothing comes without its faults; by allowing every user access to this information, consequently, there will be an increase in the number of people who feel compelled to look up information about literally every subject.

Unfortunately, I must categorize myself in this specific group of people.

The iPhone has allowed me to fulfill my desire to be a know-it-all jerk by literally giving me the answer to almost every question. While I realize this can be annoying at times, I can only defend myself by relaying the feeling of satisfaction that comes with this ability.

The iPhone has become increasingly popular within the storied cloisters, with the number of SJS owners seeimingly increasing by the day. As this is the case, its appearance in conversation has become more and more useful, although some students find this ever more irritating.

“Sometimes it’s useful to look things up for pressing answers, but it can be annoying when you’re trying to have a conversation,” Paige Hawley (’10) said, adding “[People] always look things up.”

But if students can look past the nuisance factor, they will begin to realize the usefulness of the system.

With an iPhone, it is hard to find a dull moment in your possession. The game applications make sure that even the most mundane of situations have a backup plan of entertainment. When a pressing question is asked, no longer will students have to wait to log onto a computer to find the answer, as Wikipedia is readily available.

It is remarkable to see what can be accomplished with an iPhone and its researching ability. During history classes, it is very easy to surreptitiously look up the day’s topic on the Internet and impress your teacher with your encyclopedic knowledge of the subject!

Afterwards, you can email your teacher and ask for extra credit due to your comprehensive mastery of the subject.

This strategy, I believe, is almost failproof.

“Before I had my iPhone, I pretty much just ignored all the questions that entered my head,” Grant Williams (’09) said. “Now, I just look it up and come to peace.”

Some students, on the other hand, may argue that the reliance on technology is too much. Where will it end? Will we grow up a culture obsessed with knowing every single fact as fast as possible?

JENNY LEWIS | The Review

Matthew Lindley (‘09) looks up something superfluous on his iPhone.

To these students, I can only say that the change is one that we need to embrace. The interesting conversations I personally have been a part of due to an iPhone consultation have surpassed any annoyances caused by the consistent referral. Intense games of Wurdle have united and bonded the community, simply behind a cellular telephone.

The SJS community is known for its

universal knowledge and intelligence, not its social awareness. The fact that the iPhone, though at times rude, can be very informative, fits in perfectly with our mold. It is clear that excessive use can be a problem to some, yet in general, the information provided by the iPhone’s researching capabilities will make SJS a better place from top to bottom.

Reading: a rainbow no more By JOE MARTINEZ Staff Writer

Take a moment and see how accurately this scenario applies to the average student: As SJS would like to have one believe, there is no greater hobby for a student than to curl up with their assigned reading in a comfortable place such as a bed or couch.

A diligent student might even be found highlighting and annotating in the margins, or even pausing in the reading every few minutes to contemplate the author’s subtly hidden meaning.

Then, as soon as the assigned reading is over, it’s time for the best part of the evening: cracking open an already dog-eared copy of a new book that has enraptured your mind for the past week or so because it’s just that good.

Now, if this scenario has applied to you beyond the point of actually opening the book, much less reading an unassigned book for pleasure, you have way too much time on your hands and obviously are not putting any effort into a) your other classes and b) getting sunlight.

Let’s face it, the three heavy-hitter courses (math, science, and history) already take up inordinate amounts of time, and reading assignments place unnecessary stress on an already overburdened workload, especially for students in honors and AP courses.

If any assigned reading is done on a given night (other than the day before a reading quiz), that should be considered a small miracle in itself.

Rather than fostering a desire to read as much as possible, the assigned English books usually become counterproductive as they make the task of reading seem like too much of a chore. Thus, we students are robbed of the opportunity to expand our knowledge and cannot become cultured members of society because we lack the will to do any more reading than necessary.

In fact, here’s an easy indicator to determine if you will be doing any reading for pleasure: type in the name of your assigned reading into Sparknotes.

If there are no results, the book may be tolerable to the point where reading for pleasure can occur.

However, should the book show up, then begin looking at the chapter summaries, because that’s the most reading you’ll be doing. If the book is on Sparknotes, that means someone realized that there is a high probability the book will not be enjoyed by the majority of the masses and, as a sign of common humanity, did the reading and analysis for you, knowing you will be forever indebted and grateful for that one little saving grace from the high anxiety of school.

Now, it is truly pathetic and unfortunate if the idea of reading has sunken to such a point. I, for one, have been an avid life-long reader, but even to me reading began to lose its luster after I had to go through such books as the atrocious Penelopiad. Add to the mix books like Pride and Prejudice and I’m not sure how much longer my hobby will survive. Sadly, this outlook has infected a large majority of the SJS student population.

“My reading time is now seriously cutting into the time I have specifically

set aside for watching TV. I try not to do required reading, but unfortunately, if I do that, I fail the reading quizzes,” said Honors student Gavin Peterkin (’11).

When English homework has reached the point where it is begrudgingly done only for grades rather than out of genuine interest, some serious changes must be made. Fortunately, I have some solutions.

First off, a poll should be sent to students from the English department giving them the option of choosing books with literary value for their next year. When a widely-accepted book is chosen as part of the course curriculum, it is more likely to be read and discussed outside of class.

Books that capture the attention of the high school age group as well as illustrate important literary concepts not only encourage reading the assignment, but also encourage students to seek out similar books in the hopes of furthering their understanding of the author’s message.

If this is not a viable option, then perhaps the book can be replaced with an expanded version. Take for example Pride and Prejudice. As an 18th century “Gossip Girl”, it has a very limited receptive audience. However, that audience can be greatly increased with the use of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a book that contains every last word from Jane Austin’s version while also adding in scenes of crazy zombie shenanigans.

There’s something for everyone: the ladies get to enjoy the main characters romancing, while men get to read about those same main characters getting devoured and staging a last

stand against the undead scourge. Now that’s what I call an instant classic.

There’s also always the possibility of forsaking other homework in the name of reading for pleasure, though such a measure may be considered slightly extreme. Instead of going to such lengths to get your reading fix, perhaps set aside time on the weekends or while eating to do some reading. If you are an escapist, try reading books that in no way have anything to do with what you’re doing in school.

Interested in the news? Pick up a newspaper or any number of recent books about why our economy is failing. The finger of blame is being pointed in nearly every direction these days, so there should be no shortage of titles in that genre.

In general, seek out genres that appeal to your interests and forget that at some point you will have to read a book for homework.

It’s really a shame if we let the hobby of reading die away, because movies and the internet can only do so much for the growth of our young impressionable minds.

Reading can be fun and subtly teaches us, even if we don’t realize it. If English homework is just not how you roll though, there are always humorous publications created for the sole purpose of wasting time, such as the satirical newspaper The Onion.

And if all else fails, hopefully realize that neglecting to read something, anything really, only hurts yourself in the long run. I mean, it’s gotten so bad that the only way to save the hobby of reading now is probably with a stimulus plan.

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17 T R ISAS play ‘takes the cake’ he

eview

Beth Sanford directs Mary Gallagher’s Chocolate Cake

By ARVIND MOHAN Every year, the SJS Fine Arts department gears up for the Independent Schools of the Southwest Fine Arts Festival. Instrumentalists, vocalists, dancers and actors alike strive to put on entertaining performances for festival attendees. Joining SJS’s eclectic blend of performers for the festival, a play directed by Beth Sanford focuses on two characters, one bulimic, the other overweight.

Ms. Sanford selected two actresses to star in a twenty-minute one-act play called Chocolate Cake. Written by Mary Gallagher, Chocolate Cake is the story of two girls, a bulimic and a compulsive eater, who meet in a hotel room at a conference for women and examine their problems and the underlying causes of their abnormal eating habits.

“One knocks on the other one’s door and they start a conversation until it becomes an explicit description of the successes and failures of their sexual lives.

It’s funny sex talk,” Ms. Sanford said.

Ms. Sanford said that the humor and the message attracted her to the play.

“The humor and the exposure of some people who might have bulimia or obesity made me choose it, and they can see themselves in this part and how difficult it is. It might be a cure [for bulimia],” Ms. Sanford said.

Rehearsals for the play started on March 26, a week before the performance, which was on Thursday, April 2nd at The Kinkaid School. Ms. Sanford cut the play down to twenty minutes in order to compensate for the lack of rehearsal time.

“There wasn’t a lot of interest shown by the actors on the campus, but I am really glad that the two that I cast tried out since this play is reliant on type casting,” Ms. Sanford said. After auditioning, Kate Clarke (‘11) was cast as the compulsive eater while Rebecca Welbourn (‘09) was cast as the bulimic.

“It was my last chance to be in a Ms. Sanford play, and Kate and I wanted to have a last hurrah before I graduate,” Welbourn said. In the play, Welbourn plays Delia, a bulimic woman who faces relationship problems with her husband.

Welbourn said that playing Delia was a completely new experience for her because she “has never had to play a character that is so loose with her emotions.”

The brashness of the character was completely new to her, Welbourn said.

Kate Clarke assumed the role of Ann Marie, an overweight girl who feels that her sexual life is suffering due to her binge eating habits.

“The rehearsal process has been my favorite [aspect of this experience]. Ms. Sanford is a really good director. She has a really keen eye for things. The blocking and movement are all natural and flow really well,” she said.

Welbourn said that she also enjoyed the rehearsal experience. “It’s a lot easier with a smaller cast. I trust Kate a lot since I’ve acted with her before. There’s a lot more security when you have to depend on only one person,” she said.

Rehearsals for Chocolate Cake were held from 7-9 pm on weekdays and during lunch. The cast also had one rehearsal from 12:30 to 5:30 on Sunday, March 29.

Due to the nature of the play, mass amounts of food were consumed. “In our five hour rehearsal, we went through four chocolate cakes and twelve cans of Tab. Tab is possibly the most disgusting drink ever. There’s also a part where I have to binge on Chinese food,” Welbourn said.

Due to time constraints, the girls only ran through the play once during each lunch rehearsal session. The atmosphere was relaxed during rehearsals, with director Ms. Sanford and Assistant Director Dhea Patel (’10) repeating lines to the two actresses if necessary.

As A.D. for the show, Patel had to write down all the blocking, the stage and script directions, in her script and prompt Welbourn and Clarke when they forget their lines. “I was looking for something techie since this is a dry spell in the year with not a lot of productions to AD,” Patel said, who has directed plays since freshman year.

“It’s really relatable because both women have eating disorders [and] are trying to fill a void of some sort, and they are sort of counseling each other. Although many times it is humorous, there are serious truths embedded in the dialogue, and it somehow touches the audience.

-Dhea Patel (‘10) Patel said that she does not think that the short deadline bothered the cast.

“When you have like 3 months to prepare for a play, sometimes the people seem too relaxed, thinking that they have plenty of time, but with this play, the actors almost completely memorized their lines even though we started rehearsals [within a week of the performance]” Patel said.

Because the plays deals with serious issues, Welbourn, Clarke and Patel said they felt that there is an important message for the audience. “On the surface, it’s an eating disorder problem, but it’s really about how hard it is to change a bad habit,” Welbourn said.

“It’s really relatable because both women have eating disorders [and] they are trying to fill a void of some sort and they are sort of counseling each other.

Although many times it is humorous, there are serious truths embedded in the dialogue and it somehow touches the audience,” Patel said.

However, Clarke feels that the play is about changing habits and seeking help.

“It’s a sad and depressing play. It’s about getting other people to help you. I hope people won’t be bulimic or anorexic,” she said.

april 2009

18 AP Prep Books

By MELISSA YUAN As the weeks of March roll through and students begin to dive into the last month before the dreaded Advanced Placement exams, many are gathering their materials together and getting ready to cram their brains with enough information to fill three textbooks.

Probably among those materials are several different AP review books and study guides. But when you head over to the bookstore and every single book on the shelf is claiming to be the ‘official’ and ‘favorite’ prep book of such and such college or organization, picking the right book can get confusing. For those who need all those books straightened

april 2009

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Tested

out, our guide has a few pointers, as well as a few major publishers to trust.

In general, all of the books are going to be helpful. Typically, the big five publishers are the Princeton Review, Barron’s, Kaplan, Peterson’s, and Cliffs AP. Judging by the cover alone, it seems every one is guaranteeing you a higher score, the best way to review, and claiming that they are the number one choice, and each of these claims is probably true. AP books will help one score higher, and everyone has a personal favorite.

In fact, some people may even find it helpful to buy more than one review book. Each book reviews the information a little differently, and

offers different perspectives and details.

Two or even three books will provide you with a thorough review on the subject. In addition, more books means more practice tests, which means a better feel for the AP test itself.

Most AP books also offer quick review quizzes at the end of each chapter in addition to full practice tests for one to make sure one has actually absorbed the information rather than having it go in through one ear and leak out the other. Many of the review books also contain a short “diagnostic test” that one can take to assess where one stands before starting the reviewing marathon.

Perhaps one of the most helpful study tools AP review books offer lie in

these quizzes and tests. To each of the questions given, AP books will often have not only the correct answer, but also an explanation of how the answer was obtained. These explanations are vital because while the questions on the AP test may vary from test to test, methods and concepts used to arrive at the correct answers never change.

When buying an AP book, make sure it doesn’t just dole out a bunch of letters as answers. The best books provide explanations behind those answers.

Though most books will provide the majority, if not all, of what one is looking for, here’s a quick review of the three most popular publishers of the AP review for US History.

The Princeton Review

Barron’s

Kaplan

Title: Cracking the AP U.S. History Exam Price: $12.24 (Amazon.com); $16.20 (Borders.com) # of Practice Tests: 2 full-length tests

Title: AP United States History Price: $11.55 (Amazon.com); $16.99 (Borders.com) # of Practice Tests: 2 full-length tests, 2 on an included CD

Title: AP U.S. History Price: $12.24 (Amazon.com); $18.00 (Borders.com) # of Practice Tests: 2 full-length tests, 1 brief diagnostic test

Notes: The Princeton Review is a favorite of many students because of its quirky way of reviewing the otherwise dull and tedious information. With a healthy dose of humor, the Princeton Review helps students easily get through the material. Though it boasts only providing information needed for the AP exam and not cramming students with unnecessary details, the Princeton Review occasionally does miss out on important details that might be necessary to answer unexpected questions. However, with plenty of tips and strategies to take the exam, a good fundamental review of the material, and two full-length practice tests, the Princeton Review serves as a solid foundation and sets students well on their way to scoring high on the AP exams. The Princeton Review also publishes review books for SAT II subject tests.

Notes: Barron’s review books are known among students to be some of the most detailed of the AP review books. Crammed with information, Barron’s often has fewer pictures and more text, but if students can develop a firm understanding of all the information provided, Barron’s review books can make the AP exams seem easier than expected. Like the Princeton Review, Barron’s also offers a few tips and strategies for testtaking, but spends less time on this aspect of the exam, focusing instead on information and analysis. Though a little more difficult to get through in a few sittings, Barron’s will ensure that you’re ready to face anything the CollegeBoard test makers will try to dish out and will help you hit the score you’re aiming for. Barron’s also publishes review books for SAT II subject tests.

Notes: Kaplan provides the perfect balance between too much information and too little. Kaplan broadly covers the concepts in the beginning, particularly useful for history courses, where “the big picture” is most important. Then, Kaplan books focus on small details such as the political, economic and social characteristics of the time. While Kaplan is not as detailed as the Princeton Review, it is not as detail oriented as Barron’s. In addition, graphs and charts are relatively plentiful, summarizing important information and helping keep different time periods straight. In terms of practice tests, Kaplan is on par with Princeton Review and Barron’s. Each practice test is challenging, and on the AP level. Kaplan makes sure to provide the main ideas, with enough details to fully prepare a student for the AP exam.

Overall Grade: (B+) Overall Grade: (B) Overall Grade: (A) Princeton Review makes the information interesting, but sometimes misses out on important information.

Barron’s provides all the information, but can sometimes get too detailed, causing students unnecessary stress.

Kaplan achieves a perfect balance between Princeton Review and Barron’s.

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19

april 2009

Student band brawl

KATHERINE CARMICHAEL | The Review

Left: The members of Not A Real Band, Grant Williams (‘09), Mark Kim (‘09), John Hawkins (‘09), Alex Pearson (‘09) and Will Geer (‘09), rock out to a crowd at Field Day Below: Max Susman (‘10), Wiley Fletcher (‘10), Connor Cain and Chas Jhin (10), four of the members of Six-Gun performs in front of the SJS gymnasium

KATHERINE CARMICHAEL | The Review

Student groups go head-to-head at Field Day

By ANN-CHARLOTTE PROFFITT When asked why he and his all-senior band agreed to play at Field Day last year, Grant Williams (‘09) said, “We just answered the call of duty.”

This band, which currently goes by the name of Not A Real Band, played at Field Day last year and felt it was only fair that it play this year as well.

However, Six-Gun, a band of juniors consisting of Max Susman (’10) on guitar, Wiley Fletcher (’10), also on guitar, Connor Cain (’10) singing lead vocals, Reed Landrum (’10) on drums and Chas Jhin (’10) on bass, expressed interest in performing at Field Day as well, a situation that led to conflict.

According to Susman, Six-Gun was asked by SAC to play at Field Day and readily agreed. When members of Not A Real Band found out about this, they quickly protested, arguing that they

should play again.

Six-Gun retaliated by challenging the legitimacy of Not A Real Band. As proof, Jhin described Six-Gun’s weekend practices, which include Halo 3 marathons and jam-out sessions. “[The band] is fun for us, but we take it more seriously,” Susman said.

Six-Gun has existed since the start of summer 2008, and, in addition to playing at Hurricaid earlier this year, has also played at private parties.

According to John Hawkins (’09), the senior band has tried out a variety of names in the past, including The Bloffenbotts, Seconds to Collision, HalfDozen Rifle, and The Leeor Mushin Experience, but are currently going by Not A Real Band. Hawkins claims the band’s name was inspired by Six-Gun’s accusations that the senior band is not a legitimate one.

Chas Jhin (‘10) said Susman’s accusa-

tions were jokingly made in response to Mark Kim’s (‘09) claim that Six-Gun was not very skilled.

The members of Not A Real Band include Hawkins on guitar, Will Geer (’09) on drums, Grant Williams (’09) on guitar and keyboards, Alex Pearson (’09) on bass and Mark Kim (’09) singing vocals.

According to Hawkins, a member of SixGun told them that they were not a real band and that while that statement was infuriating at first, it inspired the band to fight back with saracasm and wit. The result was their new band name. “[Six-Gun’s claim] really hit us hard, but we showed them up on Field Day,” Hawkins said.

Six-Gun argued that it should get a chance to play because it is a tradition for junior bands to play at Field Day, whereas Not A Real Band said that since they played last year, they had a right to play this year as well.

In the end, SAC arranged for the bands to split the allotted playing time, although Not A Real Band argues that SixGun played five songs as opposed to four songs it had previously agreed to play.

However, the student body appeared to enjoy the Field Day performances regardless of the dispute between the bands. “[Six-Gun] was good because they were a real band. [Not A Real Band] was good for not being a real band,” Lauren Woo (‘12) said of the field day preformance.

Rivers Wallace (‘11) said, “[Six-Gun] was pretty good. I enjoyed the singing.”

At the moment, it is unclear what the future holds for either of these bands.

However, members of Six-Gun said they hope to start writing their own songs and to someday win The Battle of the Bands.

Say ‘Cheese’: Queso Cook-Off aged to perfection

By ARIANA DICKEY This year, SJS’s greatly anticipated Annual Queso Cook-Off took place on March 31 at Scotty Caven Field during the varsity boys lacrosse game against Episcopal.

In the past, about five or six teams, with approximately 10 people per team, have participated in the Annual Queso Cook-off. The teams consist of different clubs or sports teams who band together to have their queso prepared, sampled and judged.

The queso is mainly judged on theme and style rather than taste due to the variety of queso preferences of the judges. While some judges enjoy a blander, more traditional plain cheese queso, others may prefer theirs with a little extra kick such as ground beef. “Personally, speaking in my taste, as long as the queso is prepared with love and true appreciation of the art of queso making, the queso will be delicious,” SAC representative Ben Marek (‘10) said.

The Annual Queso Cook-off,

a tradition that has been held at SJS for the past four years, has three judges, “American Idol style,” Marek, the organizer of this year’s cookoff, said.

According to Marek, “[The Annual Queso Cook-Off] is not really an old tradition, but a tradition that the SJS community really embraces.”

Explaining the birth of this tradition, he said, “Since the dawn of time, man has loved his cheese, especially in the melted form. I personally think that the Annual Queso Cook-Off was not so much an idea that came up one day but the SJS way of personifying mankind’s innate love of cheese.”

Since style is a main component in determining the winner of the Golden Ladle, or “the Stanley Cup of queso cooking,” as Marek put it, many interesting themes have been presented in the past. Some themes from the past include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and “VolQueso.” The “Vol-Queso” was made last year by the members of Dino Club, who dressed up

KATHERINE CARMICHAEL | The Review

Amber Malloy (‘09), Emmie Proctor (‘09), John Allman ( ‘09) and Katharine Romefelt (‘10) in line for more as dinosaurs and prepared their queso together, taste your queso Patrick Harrel (’12), a memqueso in a paper mache vol- together and have your queso ber of the winning Irish Affincano. judged together.” ity Group team, said, “We were Despite its name, the Annual This year, Marek said he be- happy to take down George AlQueso Cook-Off is not so much lieved the Dino Club had the corn [(‘09)], even though he’s a a cooking event as it is a social potential to win. He said, “Dino senior. We really brought home event. Marek said, “Your club Club really established them- the bacon this year, and we or sports team comes together selves as queso connoisseurs were happy to have that good as a team and you all cook your with their Vol-queso last year.” old Irish luck on our side.”

odds&ends Thumbs Thumbs down up Festa Italiana Darth Vader and Clifford Water foutnain in quad fixed

Atros’ dismal start Tornado drill fear Water fountain vandals

Photo of the Issue

Word for Word “Dr. Raulston, how do you find speed?� “Oh, in dark street corners.� — Hannah Smith (‘09) and Math teacher Dwight Raulston on finding speed of a particle. “It’s [out-of-uniform] jackets one day, drugs the next.� —Head of Upper School Mr. Wilson, jokingly. “Detlef Schrempf? Why are you talking about him? He’s terrible.� “Wow. That’s the most idiotic thing I’ve ever heard.� “Oh, I guess you’ve never heard yourself speak before.�

- History teacher Jack Soliman and Grant Williams (‘09)

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sixty seconds with frank mace (‘10)

JENNY LEWIS | The Review

name frank mace grade 11 relationship status single (and looking) sjs cafeteria item tacos sport to play soccer sport to watch soccer if i did an olympic sport it would be soccer professional sports team houston dynamo music everything movie top gun tv show pardon the interruption book into the wild radio station 93Q (less commercials than 100.3) restaurant avalon comfort food pancakes vegetable none breakfast food pancakes Facebook or MySpace? facebook holiday christmas color burnt orange dream date this could get me in trouble drink coke hero underdog sing in the shower? it depends kids? 4 kids’ names? not yet if i were an inanimate object i would be soccer goal when i grow up i want to live in kemah favorite spot on the sjs campus library! motto “not without honor� do you read the review? oh yeah!

BRET VOLLMER | The Review

A helpful map of the tunnel from Mewbourne to the VST.