The February Issue

ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER

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2401 CLAREMONT LANE · HOUSTON, TX 77019

COURTESY PHOTOS

VOLUME 66 · ISSUE 5 · FEBRUARY 12, 2015

NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST

HOW ONE ALUMNA OVERCAME OBSTACLES

BY CLIMBING MOUNTAINS

Teaching Old Dogs (and Cats) New Tricks View an expanded gallery of teachers with their pets

Online NEWS..................2 FEATURES...........3

SPORTS..............5 BEYOND..............7

P3 North on I-45

Administrators Stephen Popp and Eric Lombardi find new homes within SPC IN FOCUS.............8 CULTURE...........10

OPINIONS.........13 ODDS & ENDS....15

COVER DESIGN BY JESSICA LEE

Center

Je Suis Charlie?

Gabe Malek considers the tenuous protections for free speech

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Project Resilience “It turns out staying happy and healthy takes a lot of energy.”

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NEWS

THE REVIEW I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

Community celebrates facets of Germany News Briefs Latin students dominate Certamen competition

SOPHIA LI

Guten tag Richard Appel, left, and Margaret Trautner examine a BMW outside the gym on International Day. International Club co-head Meghna Dara, left, pours Julia Moody a traditional German drink in front of the library display.

by Sadde Mohamed

As students strolled through a display of cars from the Mercedes-Benz dealership under Big Red while snacking on pretzels and sipping root beer, German culture came to life.

Planning for International Day, Jan. 28, consisted of hours of forethought and research by International Club.

“We started in August on the first day of school,” said senior Meghna Dara, co-head of International Club. “We had to decide what country we were doing and if there would be a chapel; if so, what goes into it.”

The parent committee assisted International Club in the organization.

“Last year we decided on China because that is what the Parent Committee suggested, and this year we decided on Germany because of Anna [Szinyei],” said senior Jen-

nifer Melcher, International Club co-head.

Szinyei, a foreign exchange student from Münster, Germany, had high expectations for International Day. “People are used to the portrayal of Germany as a beer-obsessed country,” Szinyei said. “I hope that International Day allows people to know that there are many different sides to Germany.”

International Club strove to create an experience that was simultaneously educational and fun.

“We think that it’s important for students to enjoy and learn from International Day,” Melcher said. “We try as hard as we can to be authentic with the right food and not some cheap imitation, again with input from the parents.”

International Club participation in the event has been relatively new.

“We’ve only been involved within the last

two or three years, and there has been a lot of family involvement with regards to planning International Day,” Dara said. “With Argentina, we had Ms. Adrogué [mother of freshman Schuyler Gustafson], and with Iran, we had the Ladjevardians.”

Melcher said she believes that International Day is an important event.

“I think it’s big enough so that people actually look forward to it the same way I looked forward to it,” Melcher said. “It is a really fun lunch, and last year was unbelievable with the crowd of people watching the Dragon Dances.”

Szinyei looked forward to the possibilities of International Day. “I think they did a good job with the diversity of the displays,” senior Rebecca Nikonowicz said. “Next year they could incorporate a main event during the lunch.”

Mandarin classes travel to Chinatown, experience traditional culture while sampling authentic cuisine

SHERIFA KEHS

Fine China Mandarin Chinese students of all levels practiced their language skills while experiencing authentic Chinese culture, Feb. 3. Led by language teacher Jing-Nan Gea, center, the field trip consisted of a visit to a supermarket, seafood restaurant and tapioca shop.

by Marissa Murillo

Chinese students of all levels ate squid, shopped at a Chinese supermarket, saw dried seahorses and drank bubble tea — all in under three hours.

“What I enjoyed most about the field trip was not only seeing Chinatown and experiencing some of chinese culture, but also bonding with other chinese students.” sophomore Chinese II student Jason Souvaliotis said.

The field trip began at Arco Seafood Restaurant, where students shared 11 authentic Chinese dishes per table.

“I enjoyed almost all of the dishes that were brought out, but I remember the squid being particularly good, as well as the sweet and sour chicken,” freshman Chinese I Student Stella Trout said.

Students appreciated the restaurant’s authenticity.

“I don’t think Chinese takeout from the store two minutes away from my house really counts as authentic Asian food, so

lunch in Chinatown was a new and luckily successful introduction for me into the Chinese food scene.” Trout said.

The family-style meal provided a platform for getting to know other students learning Chinese.

“I think I will always remember interacting and meeting people in different grades and levels of Chinese,” sophomore AP Chinese student Annie Ren said. “There’s nothing like bonding over a good plate of walnut shrimp.”

After lunch, the group walked to a Chinese supermarket, which they explored in small groups.

“The supermarket was very memorable because of the unique products they sold,” said Alex Sheinbaum, a senior taking Chinese II. “We also went an herb and Chinese medicine shop, which was very different from any store I’ve been to.”

Students were able to put what they had learned in class to use.

“The cashier at the grocery store was pleasantly surprised when one of my friends

started a conversation with her,” Trout said.

At the herb shop, students were exposed to traditional Chinese medicine, many for the first time. Among the items sold at the store were ginseng and dried seahorses.

“I’ll never forget the staggeringly high prices of all the various roots and mushrooms,” freshman Chinese I student Peter Chen said.

Toward the end of the trip, many students headed to a tapioca shop.

“I enjoyed my first time trying bubble tea,” sophomore Chinese AP student Aileen Zhang said. “It’s basically milk tea with gummy balls of tapioca starch — very tasty.”

Language teacher Jing-Nan Gea wanted to introduce students to Chinese culture and practice the language outside of the classroom.

“I hope students were able to gain positive learning experiences about Chinese culture, become aware of and appreciate cultural traditions different from their own, and be inspired to become lifelong learners of Chinese,” Gea said.

Latin students reeled in numerous awards from the annual Rice Owl Certamen Tournament, Jan. 17.

Held at Rice University and organized by college students, the tournament was a day devoted to all things classical.

Students took one or two academic tests in categories such as Roman Life, Latin Grammar and Reading Comprehension, and Roman History and Mythology.

Every SJS student placed in the top four in the respective category.

Among the first place winners were senior Vinay Gajula and freshmen Stella Trout, Linda Yu and Olivia Zhang.

“My last Owl Certamen was really bittersweet,” said Gajula, Advanced Certamen team captain. “Winning it brought back memories of competing in each of the last four years.”

After the success at Owl Certamen, Latin students will compete in the State Junior Classical League convention in Amarillo this March.

Upper School to adopt class dean system

With current Dean of Students Stephen Popp soon departing for The John Cooper School, Elisa Inman, the current Assistant Dean of Students, will serve as Interim Dean next year.

In light of this change, SJS has recently announced plans to implement a new class dean system next year. There will be a separate dean for each grade level to compensate for an increase in students.

“As the Upper School is expanding, it’ll be tough, with just two deans, to try and meet all the needs of the student body,” Head of Upper School Hollis Amley said. “Rather than just responding when we’re big, we would like to create a structure that can grow and expand while the student body grows as well.”

According to Amley, the new arrangement will facilitate communication between the dean and advisors so that they can connect more personally with students.

“Department chairs are thinking vertically while these deans will think more of the student life and work-extracurricular balance,” Amley said.

SAC institutes celebration day for teachers

Teacher Appreciation Day, which had been in works since summer, was enacted by the Student Affairs Council for the first time.

“The prefects brainstormed about it over our summer meeting, and Dean Popp was supportive of it from the get-go,” head prefect Akshay Jaggi said.

“The day gives students an important reminder to recognize their teachers’ hard work, enthusiasm and love,” Jaggi said.

In the week leading up to Teacher Appreciation Day, students were given the opportunity to write thank you notes to their teachers and to express their appreciation for them.

Teachers were presented with the handwritten cards and breakfast.

Briefs by Dani Yan and Olivia Zhang

NEWS

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SJSREVIEW.COM I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

Administrators take promotions, relocate within SPC

AUSTIN ZHANG

Movin’ on up Upper School Dean of Students, Stephen Popp, left, and Head of Middle School, Eric Lombardi, prepare for their new positions as Head of Upper School at The John Cooper School and Head of School at Fort Worth Country Day, respectively. Fort Worth Country Day is the fourth SPC school with which Lombardi has been involved.

T

by Gabe Malek & Chris Zimmerman

hough he helped make the Student Center possible, Dean of Students Stephen Popp will not be at school next year to see its opening.

While Popp joked that leaving before the construction is completed is his final act of solidarity with the senior class, he had many other reasons for accepting the position of Head of Upper School at The John Cooper School.

But, if Popp’s departure and the opening of the Student Center are not enough to characterize the coming 2015-16 school year as one of change, then Head of Middle School Eric Lombardi’s decision to become Head of School at Fort Worth Country Day tops it off.

Although both Lombardi and Popp went through rigorous hiring processes to be chosen for their new positions, their experiences were different.

“To many people, applying for a job at another school seems disloyal, and I love this place, so I didn’t want anyone to think I wanted to leave. If things didn’t work out, nobody else would even know that I applied,” Lombardi said.“This search firm who contacted me was different because it promised stealth.”

Popp, who was less concerned about discretion, informed his colleagues early on about his considering the John Cooper offer.

“The great thing about SJS is that people here are educators, but they also like to grow professionally,” Popp said. “Once I got the green light from the team here, I threw my hat in the ring. I wanted to make sure, first, that my peers and bosses here knew that it was not done in a desire to get out of SJS but rather just to pursue an exciting opportunity.”

Assisstant Dean of Students, Elissa Inman, experienced a range of emotions after discovering that Popp would be leaving.

“It is a great opportunity for him and a well-deserved next step in his career, so I was obviously very happy.

At the same time, I’m sad to see him go,” Inman said. “Our loss is John Cooper’s gain, no doubt.”

Popp found that the John Cooper position was distinct from most others.

“The mission statement was very compelling and was in some ways very similar to SJS,” Popp said. “The school has some of the same hallmarks as SJS, and it is a very caring and intellectually driven community.”

Lombardi liked the tenets of Fort Worth Country Day. “Fort Worth Country Day is very big on the three A’s: academics, athletics, and arts,” Lombardi said. “It’s a job where I come in to a good place and try to keep it good.”

Popp and Lombardi both gained educational experience from the Klingenstein Center at the Teachers College of Columbia University. The center offers a one-year course to obtain a Master’s Degree in Education.

“I actually went to the program not intending to be a head of school; the idea was to go up there and take my learning further,” Lombardi said.

“I was afraid that I got into the mindset that what we were doing here was the only right way to do things. I think you learn the most in education from watching other educators work.

I came back from there thinking that I was going to apply a lot of what I learned to St. John’s.”

Family and location were both key factors for Popp and Lombardi.

“The fact that the school was Fort Worth was big,” Lombardi said. “I grew up in Dallas, and my parents, who are in their eighties, are moving out of my childhood home. I watched friends of mine who had parents getting older, and they wanted to be around but couldn’t. I’ve also seen friends who’ve been around and how big of a difference that makes as their parents are moving into a retirement

home.”

Popp wanted to make sure he stayed close to home.

“It was an important family decision for me,” Popp said. “I have two small kids, and my wife and I didn’t want to leave the Houston area, so I wanted to make sure I was doing my family right.”

Lombardi’s wife Debra had recently moved into a new job.

“My wife and I got a call about our new jobs on the same day,” Lombardi said. “She’s now the interim executive director of HITS Theatre, and will continue that position until December, but until then, she will commute.

We are both very excited about starting something new together.”

Both Popp and Lombardi are attempting to maintain the same level of devotion to their current positions before moving on.

“My job doesn’t technically start until July 1, so I want to finish up well here,” Popp said. “My wife and I are going to be moving up to the Woodlands, so I imagine that later in the spring there will be greater demands, but for now I can focus on SJS.” Lombardi also hopes to maintain his commitment to SJS while transitioning into his new job.

“I have seen several other administrators go through similar situations and manage to keep their attention focused on SJS, and I fully hold myself to that bar,” Lombardi said. “I am working hard to not let my upcoming job to be a distraction or take me away from here.”

Lombardi and Popp acknowledge that their new positions will include less interaction with students.

“I won’t be able to get to know 1,100 kids, but I am going to try to know 220 faculty and staff members the way I know the kids now,” Lombardi said. “I imagine having lunch with team captains and production casts, for example, so I can learn more about them.”

Popp also laments the lack of student interaction as an administrator.

“I got into education because I am a teacher at heart, so there will be less interaction with students as a Head of Upper School,” Popp said. “I have some great division heads to depend upon, and I am hoping to connect with all of the constituencies there.”

Inman, who will take over as Interim Dean of Students next school year, cites Popp as a mentor.

“I am personally thankful for having had the opportunity to work with and learn from Dean Popp over the past four years,” Inman said. “I’m excited to be a part of the growth that is taking place The great thing at St. John’s.” about SJS is that Head of Upper School Hollis Amley finds Popp’s people here are educators, but they departure bittersweet.

“We are so sad for SJS also like to grow but so happy for Dean professionally.”

Popp and his family,” Amley said. “He’s certainly a Stephen Popp bit of an icon in the Upper School, and I think he has provided a timbre to the position of dean, where you can be someone who is consistent and fair but also winsome and affable.”

Popp and Lombardi have been helpful in Amley’s transition this year.

“It has been hard because two major attractors to this position were getting to work with Mr. Lombardi and Dean Popp, so I personally lament their leaving, but am also excited for the two of them,” she said.

While SJS will lose two staples of the community, their departures leave room for new voices during a transformatory period at the school.

“There are several aspects of campus life that are changing, so bringing in new ideas is exciting,” Amley said. “It is disappointing to see two significant leaders leave, but I think it also gives us an opportunity to bring in new opinions and people, who have gone through these types of changes before.”

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FEATURES

THE REVIEW I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

Siblings remain connected despite wide age gaps

COURTESY PHOTOS

Sibling Love Sophomore Lauren Biegel and brother Will (33), left, get ready for a University of Texas football game. Senior Meghna Dara, left, and older sisters Katie and Karishma attend Katie’s graduation from UT Business School in 2010. At the time, Meghna was in seventh grade and Karishma was in her sophomore year of college at University of Rochester.

by Amy Liu

For nearly the first decade of her life, sophomore Lauren Biegel almost never saw her older brother Will at home. By the time he had completed his service in the navy at age 26, Lauren was seven years old.

“He’s more like a cousin because he didn’t grow up with me. We love each other but don’t know everything that goes on in our lives,” Biegel said.

Other students with large age gaps in their families sometimes find it challenging to communicate and relate to their siblings.

“We don’t talk that much about our personal lives,” junior Sloan Rucker said. “But I don’t mind not having siblings to share feelings with. I prefer that over being forced to share my feelings,” said junior Sloan Rucker, who has two sisters in their twenties and two half-siblings in their thirties.

Senior Shehzad Charania is the youngest of five siblings. His sisters came home from college while he was attending high school and participated more in his life. His sister Iman (‘13), a sophomore at

Penn, is only one year older.

“The only real difference is that Iman has more information about my life,” Shehzad said. “If anything, there’s a gender dynamic. I’m the only son, and a lot of responsibilities fall on me.”

An age disparity affects siblings’ relationships not only with each other but also with their parents.

Biegel said she has noticed that parents can address siblings in different ways based on their ages.

“Because my brother’s older, he and my dad go hunting together and are like friends. With me, my dad is still very ‘dadly,’” Biegel said.

Parents often see elder siblings as role models for the younger. Siblings like senior Quincy Cotton, whose brother Carson is in seventh grade, feel that parents should treat their children like individuals.

“My parents feel our situations aren’t comparable,” Cotton says.

“I don’t think they want to model him after me because we’re not the same people. He’s never going to be Quincy Cotton. Let him be the best Carson he can be.”

Charania says that allowing a sibling individuality requires a

strong family relationship.

“My parents have kept a really open mind,” Charania said. “Parents have to trust their children.

After a certain age, they have to let them do what they think is right.

Our relationship revolves around integrity and trust.”

Older children often become standards for comparison for their parents because they experience milestones before their younger counterparts.

“It happens in a one-directional kind of way. I’m the first one to go through everything,” said Jeremy Slawin (‘07), currently in medical school at University of California at Berkeley. His sister, Bailey (sophomore) is 9 years younger.

“They may compare themselves to me just because they’re the second or third ones.”

Even when siblings have completely different goals, there is pressure to live up to achievements. .

“It’s not pressure from family, it’s pressure based on extended family. Other people expect a lot from me because they see a record of successes. I don’t feel too much pressure,” Charania said.

A good old-fashioned sibling rivalry is not uncommon even with significant age gaps.

“All my siblings are very involved and active people with very specific interests,” Rucker said. “There’s a bit of pressure to be as involved as they are when I’m their age.”

Conversely, the age gap can help mitigate sibling rivalries.

“I’m the only one who went to a private school,” senior Meghna Dara said. “The large age gap, different aspirations, the conditions in which we grew up didn’t make rivalry a huge thing.”

Younger siblings often receive guidance from their older siblings.

“No matter how old I am, I will be treated as the baby. I’m always seen as everyone’s little pet,” Rucker said. “For them, thinking back to my age seems so long ago, giving the illusion that I’m a lot younger than I actually am.”

Older siblings feel a responsibility to act as teachers and nurturers.

“I’m always inviting him to tell me whatever’s bothering him,” Cotton said. “I try to think of what I can do to make sure he has a better experience growing up.”

AGE GAPS BETWEEN CELEBRITIES AND YOUNGER SIBLINGS Britney Spears, sister Jamie: 13 yrs

Justin Bieber, sister Jazmyn: 15 yrs James Franco, brother Dave: 7 yrs

Rihanna, brother Rajd: 9 yrs

FEATURES

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SJSREVIEW.COM I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

SINK OR SWIM

Minnows or sharks: Freshmen swimmers lead team

by Emily Chen

The swim team saw a boost in both numbers and scores this year with 41 swimmers and multiple school records broken.

“We have really dedicated team members that are really trying to be the best swimmers for the school,” freshman Travis Allday said.

In the past few years, female swimmers have led the team in points. This year, the boys have been routinely scoring higher.

“The freshmen really encourage the others and are pushing the upperclassmen to do better,” Head Coach Ron Raper said.

Although new to the team, the freshmen have plenty of experience.

Many have been or are currently on club teams including those at Rice and the River Oaks Country Club.

“We have multiple kids who are swimming outside of school as well, and like me, have started swimming from a younger age.” freshman Samuel Ho said. “When you have a lot of swimmers who started competitive swimming early, even before middle school, it just gives your team more experience.”

The coaches have a flexible practice policy to allow club swimmers to participate on their teams.

“I usually go to club over school practice because Coach Raper has graciously let me go to club practice, but I usually try to go to school practice about once a week,” Ho said.

The boys 400 free relay team, consisting of Ho, freshmen Michael He and Paul Schwartz, and sophomore Cooper Lueck have broken the school record at nearly every meet.

“We’ve got a lot of potential,” Lueck said, “the freshmen are already doing so well, and we’ve got a lot of talent in the middle school.”

Assisting Coach Raper is Evalina

“

ELENA SKARIBAS

Eat my bubbles Freshman Paul Schwartz celebrates a second place victory for the boys at the Greater Houston Private School Championship meet. Schwartz scored 300.5 points this season with seven first-place and six second-place finishes. He set school records in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles.

Skaribas, the mother of senior team captain Elena Skaribas.

New swimmers have benefited from the team’s strong leadership. Freshman Andrew Wan has dropped seven

Michael He (’18) 260.00 Points

Just Keep Swimming Freshman Paul Schwartz cheers on fellow freshman teammate Michael He as they compete in the 4 by 100 yard relay.

Samuel Ho (’18)

Cooper Lueck (’17) 261.50 Points

seconds from his 50-yard freestyle time.

“The coaches have been great,” Wan said. “Sometimes it’s hard, but in the end

258.50 Points

Paul Schwartz (’18)

Boys’ swimming leaders in cumulative points 50 points needed to qualify for varsity

300.50 Points

it’s fun, and I’ve improved a lot.”

The swimmers traveled to Corpus Christi on Jan. 9 to participate in their first major meet.

“It was the biggest meet we’ve swum so far. Everyone swam their best event,” said Schwartz, who broke the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle school records in Corpus Christi.

“It was an overnight meet, so a lot of people were pretty excited and trying to do well since it was out of this local Houston area,” Ho said.

“But also, it had preliminaries and finals, which gave some swimmers two chances at their races.”

Students on Friday, Jan. 9 competed in the preliminary races that afternoon and the The freshmen finals the next day. really encourage the “Since you had to qualify others and are for finals, a lot of people like me only made it on the pushing the uprelay for finals. You really perclassmen to do had to work as a team to get better.” the points. It really made me think—I’m not the best Ron Raper swimmer on the team, but I can still make points for the team,” freshman Carson Harraman said. “That’s why I think swimming is one of the biggest team sports: even though it’s an individual person swimming, it takes the team to win.”

The boys won first place and set several school records in the 200yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle and 4x100-yard relay events.

“It’s a big accomplishment for a private school,” Allday said.

The freshmen look forward to future seasons.

“We decided to buckle down and be dedicated,” Schwartz said. “I think that we’re going to continually get a lot of really good freshmen swimmers and hopefully win SPC soon.”

MATTHEW NEAL

COURTESY PHOTO

SPORTS

THE REVIEW I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

Sports Shorts

Basketball persists in Winslow’s shadow

In order for wrestling to achieve a three-peat in the Southwest Preparatory Conference tournament, the team will need to catch a break.

The Mavs (13-12 record) hope their unity and talented underclassmen will make up for injuries and inexperience. Most notably, senior captain Raymond Yuan is out for the season due to a broken hand.

“The team has really come together over the last month, but we still have a lot of work to do,” senior captain Jerald Barbe said. “People really need to step up their game and exceed expectations.”

The Mavericks won matches against Episcopal, Kinkaid, Casady and Episcopal School of Dallas. The team placed seventh out of 12 in the Texas State Duals Tournament, Jan. 24.

“The State Duals do not reflect our full capability as a team since many of our wrestlers were not there to wrestle or were injured, but the team is really coming together,” said Barbe, the only captain able to wrestle at the tournament.

Coach Alan Paul’s team gained experience by participating in highly competitive and nationally regarded tournaments like the Allen Outlaw tournament over winter break.

Relying on younger wrestlers to fill in has increased the team’s potential to succeed at SPC. The team lost to Episcopal and finished behind SPC rival St. Mark’s in the state tournament.

“We’ve been pushing each other a lot more,” sophomore Josh Thomas said. “For SPC, we need to keep working and push ourselves to the limit if we want to secure a threepeat. We just have to hold everyone accountable.”

The SPC wrestling tournament will take place all day Saturday, Feb. 14, at Episcopal.

Girls’ soccer conquers South Zone opponents

Girls’ soccer finished undefeated in counter games, with no goals scored against them.

The regular season culminated in a 2-0 win against Kinkaid, Feb. 6.

“We’re really excited about SPC because we’re going in as first seed in South Zone, which hasn’t happened in a while,” senior captain Taylor Welch said. “We’ve had a ton of injuries this year and our team is continuing to do really well.”

The team has experienced setbacks including head coach Kim Abbott going on maternity leave, the addition of new coaches and injuries to several starters. Yet the team found new talent with six freshmen on varsity.

“There are times when I am intimidated,” freshman Grace Melcher said. “But for the most part, the older girls are very welcoming.”

The Mavs play their first SPC tournament game at noon on Friday at Kinkaid versus the winner of Houston Christian and Holland Hall.

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By Dani Yan and Emily Chen

JARED MARGOLIS

Wrestling faces challenges in quest for SPC 3-peat

Get your head in the game Boys’ basketball faces changes after the loss of seven players from the class of 2014. This year’s roster features two junior captains and only two seniors.

by Michael VerMeulen

When current boys’ varsity basketball players enter the gym, they cannot escape the team’s previous glories: a giant photo of Justise Winslow dunking, a banner of Winslow’s 2014 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year Award, pictures of smiling players from the teams that have won three SPC championships in the last four years.

“We have established a tradition over the past few years of winning championships,” junior captain Paul Labanowski said.

The team underwent major roster changes with the graduation of the Class of 2014.

Winslow is a freshman at Duke, which is currently ranked fourth in the nation.

“A lot of people think we just lost Justise Winslow, who obviously was a great player,” head coach Harold Baber said.

“However, we also lost seven other great seniors who had mostly been on varsity since their sophomore years and whose collective basketball IQ was incredibly high.”

The team’s changes were especially evident after a heart-breaking, season-ending 55-54 loss to rival Kinkaid that decided which team would continue on to the SPC playoffs. The team’s final record stands at 3-24.

“We played extremely well, but it was disappointing because we were up until the last minute,” senior Peter Strawn said.

“Over the whole season, we lost too many games in the last few minutes of play.”

Inexperienced players needed to step up in the wake of such overhaul.

Some players like junior Trey Lewis and senior Ben Bliss had played on the varsity team

in past years but had much less playing time.

“They hadn’t played a lot since they were on lower-level teams,” Baber said. “This year, those guys are some of our main contributors.”

Players have had to take on leadership roles within the program.

“As a captain, it was strange having plays run to me and needing to cope with being a leader for the team,” Labanowski said. “At the beginning of the season, we didn’t drive each other as much as we should, so the upperclassmen had to step up.”

Many underclassmen have joined the team, forcing them to adapt to the varsity game.

“With the amount of game experience that they have received, every player should now be aware of what it takes to be successful at this level,” Baber said. “Our freshmen aren’t really freshmen anymore and our sophomores aren’t really sophomores anymore.”

Upperclassmen have been impressed with the performance of the younger players.

“Seeing all of them grow has been incredible,” Labanowski said. “It’s cool to see how these underclassmen are coming in through the position that I was in when I started and learning to be contributors.”

The upperclassmen want the underclassmen to enjoy the same sense of achievement that they had received.

“I’ve come to respect and befriend all of them,” Labanowski said. “I hope that they will get a chance to feel as successful as we (the returning players) did after winning a championship.”

Even with the roster revamp, wins have been difficult to come by this season.

“We played a really hard out-of-conference schedule this season,” Strawn said. “We know we can win, but we’ve really had to stay together as a team in order to keep our confidence this year.”

Improvement has been a theme for the team during the course of the year.

“Getting better does not always result in getting wins,” Baber said. “Not winning too

many games doesn’t bother me.

The frustration comes from doing stuff in practice that we worked on extensively that we struggle with during gameplay, and we’re much better at our execution than we were at the start of the season.”

The coaching staff has focused on specifically helping the team progress as a whole rather than overcomplicating the players’ thought processes.

“We have tried to simplify things a little bit to give the guys a game plan,” Baber said. “For example, we used to watch an hour of the others team’s film to prepare for a game, but now we only watch 30 minutes or less in order to focus on ourselves.

Keying in on our own plays helps our more inexperienced players.”

Student support has remained high despite the obstacles this season.

“Our student section is great,” Strawn said. “Fan support helps the team greatly, and we hope that we can get even bigger crowds to help us out.”

Yet players want fans to be conscious of their expectations for the team.

“My hope is that everybody realizes that the record means nothing,” Labanowski said.

“People need to come out and be loud no matter what our numbers of wins and losses are.”

The team hopes to gain experience and looks forwards to achieving success in future seasons.

“We have shown glimpses of brilliance that we need to be more consistent with,” Baber said. “The majority of our guys are returning from this year’s varsity team. If we can execute, now having experience, then we become the program that we want to be.”

MATTHEW NEAL

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BEYOND

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SJSREVIEW.COM FEBRUARY 12, 2015

Bright Sky publisher follows dreams back home

by Christian Maines

Upon her graduation from The University of Virginia, Lucy Chambers (‘81) did not think that Houston was the place to launch her career in publishing. After five years in New York and a brief time in Los Angeles, Houston ended up being the very place to make her mark.

Chambers is the managing partner at Bright Sky Press, a publishing company based in the Rice Village that focuses on Texas and regional culture.

“I had these big dreams of being Max Perkins and doing something bigger than

I thought Houston was,” Chambers said, alluding to the illustrious editor behind F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe.

“When I graduated from UVA, I didn’t really know that much about publishing,” Chambers said.

Chambers interviewed at several publishing companies until she landed a job with the Junior Literary Guild where she read picture books.

“That was an awesome job, and my friends would call me up and laugh and ask what I was doing, and I would say, ‘oh, I’m reading about a vampire bunny.’”

COURTESY PHOTO

The Sky’s the Limit Lucy Chambers (‘81), right, runs Bright Sky Press, headquarted in the Rice Village. Bright Sky Press publishes books by Texans and regional authors.

Chambers heard about a job with be reminiscent of Chambers’ years as an Doubleday and Company and seized the editor. opportunity. Chambers became the edito“I realized when I was teaching that I rial assistant for a young editor who was was doing the same thing as when I was quickly promoted to editor in chief, which editing,” Chambers said. “I was helping turned out to be a boon for Chambers. people find their voices, and helping them “I got a lot of work very quickly. I to bring their voice to the highest level thought it was going to take me 12 years without influencing it with my own.” to become an editor, but it only took me After teaching at SJS, Chambers worked three.” at the preschool Pooh Corner for over six Chambers worked with years. While she was there, editors including David she received an offer she ‘ Gernert and Nan Talese, could not refuse. who acquired and edited “I knew Rue Judd, who I was helping authors including Margaret people find their was the founder of Bright Atwood and John GrishSky Press, and she had asked voices, and helping am. me before if I wanted to them to bring their Her career had taken work with her,” Chambers voice to the highest off, and Chambers had said. “Ellen Cregan and I resolved that she would worked so that I would do level without never come back to Texas influencing it with my the editing, she would do again, but she discovthe design, and Bright Sky own.” ered that something was would publish.” missing.

Chambers and Cregan “I realized that I wanted bought out the company and a family, and I wanted Lucy Chambers (’81) moved the office from Albaa house with a kitchen ny, Texas, to Houston. table, and I really wanted to have grass and “I didn’t want to keep talking about trees,” Chambers said. when I was in New York,” Chambers said.

New York began to lose its luster.

“I don’t like the idea of resting on my “I kind of wanted to leave,” Chambers laurels, and I wanted to be able to show said. “During the early 1990’s, New York people what I had done at Bright Sky.” was a very bloody place. They had opened Working as a teacher influenced Chamup the mental institutions, and they had bers’ understanding of the editing process. let a lot of people on the street.”

“I think that working as a teacher Chambers then went on to travel to the showed me how vulnerable people are west coast before coming back to Texas. when they show you their writing. If you “I first went to Los Angeles, thinking show them a safe environment in which that maybe there would be more of a they can talk about what they really want normal life there, but I realized that Los to do, you can help them do their best Angeles was the same as Houston, but work,” Chambers said. with movie stars.

Reading and critiquing students’ writing When Chambers decided to return to helped Chambers realize the stresses that Houston, she became an English teacher writers experience when having others read at SJS, where she met her future husband their work.

Sam (‘77), who now coaches lacrosse. SJS “When people feel judged or afraid, was a logical choice for Chambers, whose they’re going to hold back,” Chambers father, Fred Herring (‘57), and siblings all said. “If you can get them to let it all out attended school. Her daughters, Sallie and on paper, that’s when you find out what Alice, are now a sophomore and a junior, the core of what they want to say is.” respectively.

“I was not the world’s best student,” Chambers said. “I was one of those people Scan to check out the Bright Sky who was always being told that I was not Press website living up to my full potential.”

This period of teaching turned out to

“

Catching up with

Girls’ basketball captains

Briana Williams (’13)

Lauren Lockett (‘13)

Sarah Gow (’14)

I’m a sophomore at the University of Virginia where I’m majoring in nanomedicine, which is in the School of Engineering.

I’m currently in the National Society of Black Engineers, on the ballroom dance team and on the club rugby team.

Rugby is great, and basketball really helps with footwork and some of the strategizing in the game. I also became pretty close with some of my teammates, and we started an intramural basketball team. We almost won the championship, but we were beaten by a really good team that actually had practices.

I’m a sophomore at Stanford, majoring in history with a concentration in American law. I’ve also gotten involved with the Stanford Gospel choir, writing for the Stanford Daily (with former Review editor Andrew Vogeley, actually) and I’m planning to study abroad in Madrid next spring. Although I’m not currently playing basketball, I still practice with the intramural team occasionally and get into pick-up games around campus.

My experiences with Maverick basketball have definitely influenced me in college. They were really important in teaching me how to be a positive, contributing member of a team or group and how to handle successes, failures or disappointments that come. I learned so much through basketball and made a ton of memories that helped shape the person I am today.

I am just beginning my second semester at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. My classes have been extremely interesting, and I am majoring in psychology and sports administration. I definitely miss basketball and team sports at St. John’s.

I joined a group at Pepperdine called “Riptide” that’s in charge of creating school spirit and cheering at sports games, so I get my sports fill through that.

Riptide and my sorority have been two fun organizations for me this year, but I’m looking forward to intramural basketball this semester.

8

THE REVIEW I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

EMMA ERWIN’S STEPS TOWARD RESILIENCE

IN FO

INTERSTATE Emma Erwin traversed the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail alone. Her trek from the Mexican border to Canada took 102 days.

Written by Megan Routbort Design by Chris Zimmerman

In November 2012, Emma Erwin (‘11) was trekking and successful life. She was a tri-varsity athlete, captain through the Patagonian wilderness, cutting steps in vegetaof the field hockey, soccer, and softball teams. She took tion as she forged a trail in ragged, snow-covered peaks dozmultivariable calculus with Dr. Raulston. Middlebury reens of feet above a turbulent river. As part of a course with cruited her to play for the Panthers, its Division III champithe National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Emma on field hockey team. And long before she hiked the Pacific was practicing her route-finding with three other students.

Crest Trail, she romanced the Great Outdoors.

She had built a platform for herself on the steep slope of a Her infatuation began when she travelled to Big Bend as mountain. When a teammate called her name, she turned an eighth grader. Two years later, she took it to the next level around and stepped on the trail she’d blazed. by exploring Colorado for a month with Outward Bound, And fell forty feet down. an outdoor education organization that guides people of all Into a raging river. ages through courses that inspire self-discovery.

Her companions screamed. A boy vomited from anxiety Although Emma originally planned to spend a month as he watched Emma slide between two boulders and disapmountaineering, her plans were scuttled when the course’s pear under the rushing water. A minute later she resurfaced, lead instructor was injured on the first day. screaming, “I’m okay!”

“It ended up being a crazy course, and we had to indeThey continued their trek, visibly shaken. And at night, pendently find our ways out of a couple sketchy circumnestled safely in their tent, they whisstances,” Emma said. “But it definitely made pered to her, “We’re glad you’re alive.” me realize that mountaineering was someIT TURNS OUT And she was too. At 19 years old, with thing I wanted to do more.”

THAT STAYING the Patagonian snow and sun on her Middlebury, which is positioned conveface, she was thankful for the chance to niently between the Green Mountains and HAPPY AND kayak rapids, breathe clear, heady air and Adirondack Park in rural Vermont, was HEALTHY TAKES A the simply take a break to enjoy life. the ideal location for Emma to continue her LOT OF ENERGY.” adventuring. It was here that she became But six months earlier, as she was coming home to Houston with a weighty involved in its thriving Outdoor Club and emotional load, this might not have been the case. climbed Mount Washington, dually famous for being the *** highest peak in the Northeast and for its dangerous, erratic Emma has conquered North America’s highest peak, hiked weather. It looked like her adventures were just beginning. over 2,500 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail and survived a *** sexual assault.

Everything changed in an instant.

But the hardest thing that Emma has ever done was leave While at Middlebury, Emma found a new best friend. a letter on her parents’ nightstand to ask for help with her “We got really close because we both had some things we depression. hadn’t really shared with other people before, and I was kind That was in June 2012. The clear-eyed blonde with the of her go-to,” she said. perpetually sunny disposition was flying home after finishing Her friend was hospitalized after a suicide attempt. Emma her freshman year at Middlebury College. But rather than was shocked and devastated. But the incident provided an reveling in the glory of a successful first year, Emma felt impetus for an important change in her own life. strange. So she penned a note. Supposed to leave the next “I was worried for my friend, but I was terrified because I day for a summer job, she revealed her most private secret: could also see myself in that situation.” that she was not the carefree, confident 19-year-old that she She flew into Houston the day before she was supposed to pretended to be. start working as a wilderness expert at camp. That night, she The morning after leaving her note, she woke to the sound left her parents the fateful letter. Emma spent the next three of her parents crying. And the next day, with their full supmonths in and out of psychologists’ offices. port, she enrolled in therapy. And the path to healing began.

“It turns out that staying happy and healthy takes a lot of *** energy,” she said.

A St. John’s “lifer,” Emma had an ostensibly wonderful ***

“

“I’m not coming back,” Emma told the Middlebury Dean in late July 2012, not yet fully prepared to face the mechanical milieu of school. He accepted her decision to take time off.

So Emma bought a plane ticket to Chile.

And then she told her parents. They reluctantly approved.

“It was a big detour from the normal life path,” Erwin said.

“But it turned out to be a good one.”

She spent a semester in Patagonia with NOLS. Her course was broken up into three components: mountaineering, kayaking and independent expedition.

It was on the independent expedition that Emma fell off the cliff. Two weeks later, her ragtag band reconvened with instructors.

“When we told them about my plunge, they immediately checked my spine,” she said. Emma was still in one piece, and stronger than ever, having learned several important lessons during her hiatus from college.

“When I told my friends I was leaving school, they accused me of running away from my problems,” Emma said. “There was a perception I wasn’t dealing with my feelings correctly, that I needed to confront the real world head on, that I was running away.”

But that assumption couldn’t have been further from the truth.

“Honestly, it’s harder to deal with things when you’re alone in the woods. It isn’t an escape,” she said. *** Emma returned to Houston right before the end of 2012.

After supporting her through the Patagonian expedition, her parents were ready for Emma to return to Middlebury.

“They had registered me for classes and everything,” she said.

But she still wasn’t ready.

“There were a lot of things I’d gotten in my head while I was in “NOTHING WE South America. It was a bucket ACCORDING TO list,” she said. “And I decided I PLAN, BUT NOT wanted to do them now.”

After spending two months in EVER DOES.” Houston working as a personal assistant, she travelled to Wyoming to enroll in a monthlong wilderness medicine class.

But she still had time on her hands. So she checked the bucket list.

“I’m going to go to Alaska,” she told her parents after

OCUS

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SJSREVIEW.COM I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

signing up to participate in World Wide Opportunities On didn’t want to spend any time in villages.

Organic Farms, an organization that facilitates placement of “I was alone, and I was a young girl,” she said. “Most of volunteers on organic farms. the bad things that could happen to me would be when I It was in Alaska that she would climb Mount McKinley was alone in towns, not in the wild.” with a group of NOLS alumni. It was in Alaska where she She hiked quickly, only stopping for an hour in Kennedy was supposed to work on her first farm. But there was no Meadows, a pack station where most hikers revel for days. farm.

She hiked upwards of 30 miles a day while “It was a couple of characters in Oregon.

“THE PCT CHANGES living in a shack. I babysat for their Emma wasn’t going to let the past dictate kids,” Emma said of the host she was YOU. YOU FEEL LIKE her future. matched with as a part of the program.

After being assaulted at school, Emma YOU CAN DO When the months turned hotter and struggled with the control issues typical of the days longer, she transferred to an ANYTHING.” a victim, occasionally feeling as if she were Alaskan flower farm. powerless. She cited this as a primary reason And then, over a year since she confessed her melancholy, for deciding to undertake the hike solo.

Emma was ready to go back to school.

“After being so out of control, I wanted to hike by myself, *** and be completely in control of the journey.” And even She flew to Vermont in the fall of 2013. With a smile on alone, she thrived. her face and plans to study abroad in Russia on the table, Emma completed her hike five days before Middlebury’s Emma was ready to return to normalcy. Things were looking fall semester began. In her first few days back in civilization, up. she had trouble readjusting.

And then she was sexually assaulted by a close male friend.

“I felt like I was still dirty and smelly,” she said. “And there After the attack, she no longer felt comfortable with the were way too many people around, even in Middle-of-Noprospect of being alone in a foreign country. But without where, Vermont.” Word of Emma’s expedition travelled studying abroad, Emma could not meet the requirements for quickly at Middlebury. She was frequently stopped in the a Russian major. So she changed her plans and re-declared as dining hall by curious strangers. She’d become something of a physics major. But she still craved adventure. a celebrity.

She decided to spend the summer of 2014 hiking the But this was only an incidental side effect of the journey.

Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Wary of their daughter tackling a After the hike, she was finally feeling better. long-distance hiking route spanning from Mexico to Cana“The PCT changes you,” she said. “You feel like you can da, her parents tried to say no. But Emma wouldn’t take no do anything.” for an answer. *** *** Emma is not the only woman who finds solace in the She hit the trail the day after finishing her wilderness. The Reese Witherspoon film “Wild” details the finals. Within five days, Emma was vomiting up true story of Cheryl Strayed, who coped with depression and ENT contaminated water in the Mojave Desert. drug addiction by hiking 1,100 miles on the PCT. Her feet bled for days. She still has scars on her “People gave me the nickname Cheryl, maybe because we O hips from the weight of the pack. But despite the both hiked alone, and maybe because we were both blonde,” THING hardships, she kept walking.

Emma said. She hiked over twice the distance that Strayed “Nothing went according to plan, but nothing did, continuing to the northern terminus of the trail instead ever does,” she said. of ceasing at the Bridge of the Gods in Oregon.

She had to keep going. To meet her goal of reaching CanaResearchers from the University of Michigan and Edge da and completing the entire length of the trail before school Hill University in England evaluated 1,991 participants in started in the fall, she needed to be faster and stronger than England’s walking for health program and discovered hiking the typical hiker, who usually spends one day per week resthad a positive impact on mental health. ing in towns. But wary of being taken advantage of, Emma “Walking in nature is a coping mechanism –the benefits

COURTESY PHOTOS

aren’t just physical,” Sarah Weber, a researcher, said.

In February of 2016, Emma will stay true to form, skiing down the Middlebury College Snow Bowl to receive her diploma. She hopes to pursue a career in outdoorsmanship.

She plans to hike the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand, a long-distance tramping route from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

“It’s time for me to work with other people and help them explore the outdoors,” Emma said. “I want to help them test their limits.”

Online Journaling Project Encourages Resilience Writing was an integral part of Emma’s healing process. From the Moleskine notebook in which she penned that first letter to her parents to the journal she carried as she hiked the PCT, Emma crafted narratives on each step of her journey.

Inspired by the cathartic experience of the writing she did while in Patagonia, Emma launched The Resilience Project at Middlebury.

The Resilience Project is a collective that poses one simple question to its members: What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?

Beginning with Emma’s autobiographical retelling of her battle with depression, entitled “Therapy,” The Resilience Project publishes autobiographical stories of surviving emotional trauma, rape and familial strife. The project has begun to spread beyond campus and features stories written by alumni of the school and students at other liberal arts colleges.

Beyond its electronic platform, the project features meetings on Middlebury’s campus where members join in solidarity to read their stories and bond with each other.

Discussions about the future of the project have centered around expanding the blog, hosting more storytelling events and perhaps bringing outside speakers and musicians to campus to help Middlebury students confront their demons.

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THE REVIEW I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

CULTURE

by Ashwini Bandi and Sukul Mittal

Chimpanzee playwrights, a woman 23 hours into labor and construction workers with secret identities were just a few performances in this year’s winter plays. This winter took a slight departure from past plays, with directors highlighting intimate performances.

WINTER PLAY

15 minutes Sophomore Sophie Clayton performed one of the eleven monologues featured in “Talking With...”

Clayton played an actress preparing for a show.

Eleven different characters, ranging from a crazy actress to a religious snake handler, took the stage for “Talking With…” by Jane Martin.

Performed on Jan. 29 and 30, the play featured a collection of eleven monologues by an entirely female cast. Each monologue was five to six minutes long.

“All of the characters are so different and have different quirks about themselves. I think it’s really cool that [the show] goes under the surface,” said sophomore Sophie Clayton, who plays a young actress.

While the characters may seem eccentric, all of their actions are driven by desperation. “Talking With…” showcases each of the characters in a vulnerable state where they have an honest conversation with the audience.

“Every character is obsessed with one thing, which seems kind of silly, but at the end of the monologue you realize that there’s a deeper meaning behind it,” freshman Katy Shafer said.

Instead of suggesting a clear, unifying theme, the play is open to many different interpretations.

“There’s not necessarily one thing that connects all the characters. When you come see it, you develop your own thread as an audience member,” director Avital Stolar (‘08) said.

The nature of the play resulted in less interaction between cast members.

“It’s kind of like jumping into the deep end,” sophomore Frances Hellums said. “When you have someone else who you are interacting with, it’s more about reacting. When you’re in a monologue, you’re by yourself. It’s all on you.”

Hellums plays a woman in labor who is giving birth to a deformed child.

“My monologue is leading up to giving birth and dealing with the situation and talking through it,” Hellums said.

Despite the pressure of performing solo, the actresses appreciated the positive aspects of performing monologues.

“You control whatever’s going on.

If you mess up, no one will know,” Clayton said.

Clayton also believes that the play was a valuable learning experience.

“It’s a really good skill to have. You have to be able to be in a monologue and not depend on anyone else in order to go further,” she said. “I do enjoy being in musicals, but I think this was a good experience.”

MARISA MURILLO

Winter season features diverse one-acts, monologues

Monkey business Senior Zoe Margolis, junior Kyra Link and freshman Will Rippeto portray monkeys in the play “Words, Words, Words,” by David Ives.

WINTER ONE-ACTS

The one-acts consisted of two 10-minute plays performed in the Black Box Theater, Jan. 9.

According to Fine Arts Director Bill McDonald, an excess of eager actors and actresses lead to the addition of winter one-acts.

In the first play, “Words, Words, Words” by David Ives, actors portrayed chimpanzees being forced by a mysterious scientist to write a classic English play.

“It’s nerve-wracking, but also very nice, to have the opportunity to be in the play and eventually the musical,” said freshman Will Rippeto,

who played a chimpanzee. The only freshman in the cast, Rippeto has been acting since he was young and will perform in the musical later this spring.

Students also played three New Jersey construction workers who believe they had famous secret identities in “Mere Mortals.”

“I really enjoyed the cast that I was working with, and I also enjoyed getting to put a beard on my face,” said sophomore Emma Boehme, who played a construction worker along with junior Gabe Malek and sophomore Matthew Walsh.

CULTURE

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SJSREVIEW.COM I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

Videographer predicts Academy Award victories, travesties

by Emma Gobillot

Awards season is upon us. As expected, the glitz, glamour and gowns provide fodder for tabloids and Fashion Police, but something much more important has taken the spotlight: diversity in the film industry.

This year’s Academy Award nominations have been criticized for a lack of diversity. The acting nominees are all white, and no women were nominated for director or screenplay.

Most notably, “Selma,” a biopic exploring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous march from Selma to Montgomery, was mostly snubbed, receiving nominations only for Best Picture and Original Song. By failing to recognize director Ava DuVernay, the Academy missed a historic opportunity to nominate the first female African-American director.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” directed by Wes Anderson (‘87), and “Birdman,” starring Michael Keaton, each garnered nine nominations.

“Boyhood,” directed by Bellaire High School grad and prominent Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater (1979), nabbed six nominations.

The Oscars will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 22.

BEST PICTURE

The Nominees: “American Sniper”; “Boyhood”; “Birdman”; “The Grand Budapest Hotel”; “The Imitation Game”; “Selma”; “The Theory of Everything”; and “Whiplash” Will Win: Boyhood Could Win: Selma Should Win: Boyhood Snubbed: “Interstellar”

“Boyhood” will win (and should) because of its innovative and intimate examination of one boy’s adolescence filmed annually for a few weeks over 12 years.

BEST DIRECTOR

The Nominees: Alejandro González Iñárritu (“Birdman”), Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”), Bennett Miller (“Foxcatcher”), Wes Anderson (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”) and Morten Tydlum (“The Imitation Game”) Will Win: Linklater Could Win: Iñárritu Should Win: Linklater Snubbed: Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) Do not confuse Best Director with Best Picture; this award goes to the director who is most innovative and effective in bringing his or her story to the screen. This year, Linklater’s grand vision and revolutionary execution of “Boyhood” make him the likely winner.

Each actor gave a great performance, but Redmayne separates himself with his mesmerizing portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the “Theory of Everything.”

He deserves the Oscar because he embodied both Hawking’s brilliance and his tragic physical degeneration due to ALS.

wife, an Alzheimer’s patient, a psychopath, and a recovering addict. Moore will definitely win this award because her performance was phenomenal, and the Academy tends to vote for roles that involve a terminal illness.

BEST ACTRESS

The Nominees: “Birdman”; “Boyhood”; “Foxcatcher”; “The Grand Budapest Hotel”; and “Nightcrawler” Will Win: “The Grand Budapest Hotel” Could Win: “Birdman” Should Win: “Nightcrawler” Snubbed: “Gone Girl” and “Interstellar” Anderson’s screenplay, the only comedy in the category, will win because of its peculiar, irreverent story.

The Nominees: Marion Cotillard, Felicity Jones, Julianne Moore, Rosamund Pike and Reese Witherspoon Will Win: Moore Could Win: Pike Should Win: Moore Snubbed: Cotillard, but for “The Immigrant” instead of “Two Days, One Night” Best Actress presents the most diverse group of performances: an average woman, a loving

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Which Wes Anderson films have you seen?

79% 66%

BEST ACTOR

59%

The Nominees: Steve Carell, Bradley Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Keaton and Eddie Redmayne Will Win: Redmayne Could Win: Keaton Should Win: Redmayne Snubbed: David Oyelowo (“Selma”)

54%

Rushmore

MATTHEW NEAL

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Moonrise Kingdom

Results taken from Review Online poll of 97 people REBECCA CHEN

‘Into the Woods’ explores darker side of fairytales

by Irene Vazquez

Reminiscent of the Grimm Brothers’ original fairy tales, “Into the Woods” paints a darker image than Disney’s typical story.

Directed by Rob Marshall, “Into the Woods” tells the tale of a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) who have been cursed by a witch (Meryl Streep) to be childless forever. To reverse the curse, the baker and his wife must find a milkwhite cow, hair as yellow as corn, a cape as red as blood and a slipper as pure as gold.

Their story intertwines classic fairy tales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood. All the characters must venture into the woods to get what they want: for Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), the ability to go to the Prince’s festival; for the baker and his wife, a child; for Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), money to feed his family; and for Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), a visit to her grandmother. Like most other Stephen Sondheim musicals, though many characters seem to have received happy endings, everything goes to pieces after the first act.

The movie is studded with stars from many genres with big names

like Johnny Depp and Chris Pine.

Huttlestone may be familiar for playing Gavroche in “Les Miserables.”

Though many theater fans were worried that Marshall would prioritize acting over singing ability in his casting, the actors all rose to the occasion. Pine in particular exuded charm as Cinderella’s prince. In “Agony,” Cinderella’s prince and Rapunzel’s prince (Billy Magnussen) compare the misery of their respective, unobtainable loves, each trying to outdo the other. The dramatic, over-the-top parody of the typical prince’s fate left many giddy women (and some men) applauding like mad.

Streep’s voice has improved since her last movie musical adaptation, “Mamma Mia,” in 2008, and Streep was even nominated for both a Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Blunt was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical as well. Anna Kendrick is the current darling of the movie-musical world, with four films featuring her singing in the last three years, most notably in “Pitch Perfect.”

Kendrick was nominated for a Tony Award at the age of 12, so anything less than the best from her would have been disappointing.

In order to achieve a PG rating,

some of the darker elements of the musical were taken out, including Rapunzel’s death. Marshall, who also directed “Chicago” and “Nine,” ensured that the show did not descend into sugar-coated Disney magic, and the film was even nominated for Best Motion Picture— Musical or Comedy in the Golden Globes.

In order to get the film down to two hours, Marshall cut several musical numbers, including one of my personal favorites, the reprise of “Agony,” which features a more dramatic turn as the princes lament their dissatisfaction with their respective marriages, longing after newfound loves. The role of the narrator, an integral member of the cast in the stage version, was also omitted.

Despite these understandable constraints the movie stayed true to its story and messages. Achieving one’s goals comes at a cost, great and small. Regardless of the witch’s best intentions, children don’t always listen. People aren’t always good or nice, but they may be right. Even though a story’s conclusion may not seem happy for ever after, it is possible to move on with one’s life.

“Into the Woods” is an intriguing story. Its songs are catchy. Even if I weren’t reviewing it, I’d see it again.

‘INTO THE WOODS’ SHORTLIST MPAA RATING: PG for thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material DIRECTOR: Rob Marshall MAIN CAST: Emily Blunt, James Corden, Johnny Depp, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine and Meryl Streep RUN TIME: 124 minutes

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OPINIONS

THE REVIEW I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

‘Je suis Charlie:’ attacks reveal nuances in free speech

2015

BROOKE KUSHWAHA

1920

LIMITATIONS ON FREE SPEECH

by Gabe Malek

Je suis Charlie. Je ne suis pas Charlie.

No, I am not indifferent to the recent terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo publication in Paris, far from it; however, I will not align myself with either distinct group in fear of oversimplifying a complicated and multifaceted topic.

The Je Suis Charlie popular movement arose as an act of solidarity following the murder of 12 staffers at the office of satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

One misconception is that anyone opposing the Je Suis Charlie movement therefore supports the extremists responsible for the murders. A clear middle ground exists between backing free speech and siding with religious militants; one can support limiting the right to expression without believing that force is necessary to implement this limitation.

Some think that those who agree with Je Suis Charlie support the alleged racism of the satirical cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. In actuality, those who align more with this side of the debate are advocates of general free speech rather than the cartoons’ content.

While I personally might have not have chosen to print the inflammatory cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, I adamantly support the right to publish them, even those deemed offensive. To the argument that these images were crossing a line of appropriateness, I would counter

that our society should not have a line that can or cannot be crossed in the first place.

The offensiveness of artwork, cartoons or any published materials is relative to the viewer; I did not find the cartoon of Muhammad offensive, but I can understand why a large group of people did.

Laws dictating what type of expression is allowed are downright dangerous.

If given the power to censor and regulate the media, government officials could filter out anything that they consider a threat to their power or the stability of their countries. This extreme scenario unfortunately exists today in countries like North Korea, Myanmar and Belarus. In 2009, the North Korean government imprisoned two American journalists for entering the country without visas and then sentenced them to 12 years of hard labor. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 221 journalists were imprisoned worldwide in 2014, with China alone detaining 44 reporters.

If Americans want to live in a society where we are allowed to say what we want but silence racist and hateful voices, we must do so by exercising our own freedom of speech. New York Times columnist David Brooks points out “healthy societies[...] don’t suppress speech, but they do grant different standing to different sorts of people.” His opinions piece on the Charlie Hebdo attack added that people “who want to be heard attentively have to earn it through their conduct.”

As much as I would like to sensor groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church for spewing homophobic rhetoric at the funerals of dead soldiers, I recognize that we cannot respond to these people by limiting their right to voice their beliefs.

Instead, we must ignore these members of our society to the point where their voices are muted; yes, they will still have the same rights as other citizens to say what they wish, but their words will speak for themselves, and their opinions will be so disregarded that their rhetoric will become meaningless.

One roadblock to free speech is hypocrisy. Some people are in favor of uncensored media until they find speech targeting themselves. Universal freedom of expression cannot be achieved while this glaring contradiction exists. As Americans, we must support uncensored dialogue for all people and organizations, even those that we would not align with otherwise.

Instead of retaliating with censorship towards certain individuals or groups, Americans must raise their voices and use their own right to free speech to counter the wrongheaded notions that they feel others are preaching. In most situations, the louder and more reasonable voice will prevail, or at least one hopes.

People often disregard the important voice of the satirist because some publicized satirical pieces are crude and senseless, yet when satire is clever and well thought-out, it can be influential in expos-

ing flaws in culture and government that we would otherwise overlook.

As much as we hate to be the butt of a joke or the target of satire, we should recognize that there is some value in being offended.

People often enclose themselves in their own personal bubbles of superiority. According to Brooks, satirists help reveal “our weaknesses and vanity when we’re feeling proud” and “expose those who are incapable of laughing at themselves and teach the rest of us that we probably should.”

Without satirists and comedians poking fun at our flaws, we would be lulled into a false sense of perfection.

While most American students feel that their freedom of speech is secure, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education found that sixty-two percent of American universities have speech codes that restrict speech protected by the First Amendment.

Living in a country where citizens are guaranteed the fundamental right to freely express themselves, we can easily become complacent about censorship. Yet we, as citizens, should remain vigilant about our rights. The unfettered ability to express our opinions and voice our concerns is one of the most valuable things we have.

Perhaps French philosopher Voltaire said it best, “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”

OPINIONS

SJSREVIEW.COM I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

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Affinity groups should highlight culture, not ethnicity

by Sophia Li

Ask any student how many friends they have of a certain ethnic background, and I guarantee they will not have an answer for the following reasons: 1) They have never kept count. 2) They never intend to.

Ask me to talk about myself, I would offer a variety of details: My pet guinea pig is named Ham (which is short for Mahogany) or I have no idea how to make brown from primary colors or I was so excited when I reached the last tile on 2048 that I almost threw my phone at a freshman passer-by.

Saying that I am East Asian would never occur to me. I am not ashamed of my heritage, but my ethnic background represents such a small piece of who I am.

My relative lack of interest in my ethnicity notwithstanding, I have come to realize the importance of affinity groups in the Upper School.

Recently, I was rehearsing for the East Asian Affinity Group (EAAG) chapel when one of my friends said something in Chinese, and half the room fell down and started laughing in response. When I tried to translate the meaning to the people still standing up, they looked at me with a befuddled gaze and proceeded to back away two feet.

I could relate to their reaction because this joke is hilarious in Chinese but makes no sense at all in English.

A friend once invited me to her family’s

Hanukkah party. Fifteen minutes in, I failed to laugh at almost all the Jewish references her grandmother made, and I also referred to the latkes as circular hash browns. Then I somehow managed to

we both play Grand Theft Auto, but when it comes to culture, we are so different that it’s almost scary.

Culture will spread and blend with other traditions, but even if you go to Paris, or to Fiji, to Mars, you will take a small part of your culture with you.

Affinity groups allow us to maintain the core values of our heritage no matter where we travel.

I came to the United States when I was three years old. I consider myself a full-fledged American.

I believe that chicken McNuggets are actually made of chicken. I constantly complain about our government while doing nothing about it.

But I still remember the old Chinese fables my grandmother used to tell me at bedtime. And I get the Chinese jokes.

Affinity groups are essential to our community because the United States is replete with so many different beliefs, traditions and religions. EAAG is important to me because I can relate to its members in a way I cannot with people DESIGN BY CHRIS ZIMMERMAN from other cultures.

PHOTO BY COLLINS YEATES Some people may think that affinity groups create fractures break the top off a dreidel. within our school community. This is not I had never felt more embarrassed in my true. The bonds that unite us are deeper life. than the color of our skin.

My friend and I have many similar interests. We both write short stories, and

You only live once, so focus on happiness over grades

JARED MARGOLIS

Why so serious? Although happiness can seem hard to attain at times, students should work hard to focus on maintaining emotional wellbeing as well as academic success. Every now and then, remember to put on a smile and concentrate on life’s simple pleasures.

by Alexander Kim

The pursuit of happiness. Many philosophers and great minds have racked their brains for an understanding of the ideal highlighted in works from the Declaration of Independence to Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness.”

What is happiness?

For some, happiness is listening to Pharrell Williams’ incredibly repetitive song.

For others, not so much. Whatever the case, happiness is the fleeting sensation we keep chasing like a cat and a laser pointer.

One catchphrase, YOLO (you only live once) emerged in the summer of 2014 and inspired poorly-conceived daredevil

stunts for way too long. The phrase’s core tenet is to live life to the fullest and be the happiest you can because, as the phrase indicates, we only have one lifetime to do the things we love. (Unless you love riding motorcycles off rooftops).

Although I do not believe that YOLO should be interpreted as a free pass to do whatever I want, I still admit that the phrase carries some truth. YOLO encourages us to live spontaneously and break out of routine.

There are other ways to live happily without referencing Pharrell. Doing something you love, spending time with loved ones, binge-watching Netflix. Each person has their own activities that make

them happy. Enjoy spending time with my pet dog to remain happy throughout the school week. Others prefer playing video games or watching internet cat videos.

Even though these small acts may not impact people’s lives in a critical way, they provide a sense of contentment and satisfaction.

Being happy does not require good grades or awards, even though they can help placate parents. Getting a 99 on a history essay feels great, but is it truly happiness? Some students will break out into celebration after a successful test, but they may also cry about a failed bio lab.

Why tie your happiness to a number?

The student with a 55 on a math test has

every right to feel disappointed, but he or she should always remember that there are more tests to come, a time spent moping about a bad grade, a lost election or a failed experiment is time that can never be recovered.

Happiness does not come easily, and many people live their whole lives with only glimpses of happiness. Many have a warped perception that happiness will accompany perfect grades or great wealth, but happiness can come in many different forms. Being with loved ones, meeting friends, or seeing your waiter bring your food to the table are just a few things you can do to be happy.

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OPINIONS

THE REVIEW I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

STAFF EDITORIAL

Maintain proportion in the face of global outrage There is perhaps no greater unifying force than outrage.

This fact became remarkably apparent in the weeks following the Jan. 7 attack on French satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo,” a publication that sparked controversy after publishing provocative cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.

“Je suis Charlie” posts filled up Instagram feeds, crowded Facebook pages and launched astronomical Twitter trends. The “Je Suis Charlie” movement itself—three simple words, intended to demonstrate solidarity with the French people and attack victims, even from oceans away—brimmed with tense subtext.

“Je,” in French, means “I.” This pronoun grew and grew in significance until it encompassed not just individuals, but arguably all of Western culture.

“Charlie” too loomed larger in the public psyche, becoming inexorably tangled up in notions of Western values and traditions like free speech. As the attacks and the af-

termath unfolded in Paris, the whole world was watching, but it was the western world that was seething. And the Charlie Hebdo attacks quickly sparked a massive outcry from people near and far.

The problem, then, is one of proportion.

United in anger and strengthened by sheer numbers, the western world lept to the defense of “Charlie Hebdo.” But did the magazine really deserve the vehement support it was offered? Is this really the peg upon which we wish to hang our free speech hat?

We must consider the possibility that a great deal of cultural momentum was wasted upon a soap box that cannot bear our weight. “Charlie Hebdo” is not a universally banned work of literature. It is not

an underground newsletter, geared towards dismantling an empire.

“Charlie Hebdo” is a cross between “The Onion” and a comic book, and it often relies on pure shock value and vulgarity to create humor. Yes, “Charlie Hebdo” has the right to generate and publish whatever content

they deem fit; that is what free speech means. But this magazine is not well suited to be the foundation of a broader freespeech movement.

None of this excuses the horrific loss of life during the January attack. That too was an extreme overreaction to a publication with benign, if immature, intentions and proclivities.

So, in this time of outrage, of discussion concerning free speech about culturally sensitive content, the Editorial Board urges mindful media consumption. Being informed about global events is important, but so too is maintaining perspective about the sources of this information and the broader significance of the events. Outrage may seem easy. In the heat of the moment, it may even seem right. But we shouldn’t let anger deprive us of rationality.

ASHWINI BANDI

From the editor

Find personal coping mechanisms JARED MARGOLIS

Dear Readers, I’m crouched at the top of a chilly mountain peak in the Sierra Nevadas, every inch of my body shivering as my father fiddles with a camping stove, attempting to heat water for me to cradle between numb fingertips.

“Shoot,” he mutters, as he fails to light the flame for the fourth time. “It won’t work. Should we keep going?”

Through the sound of my chattering teeth, I muster a yes. But I’m still utterly befuddled; how did a bookworm like me end up carting a forty-pound pack through the Stanislaus National Forest?

Flashback to March 1, 2012. I’m sitting in Ms. Sloan’s World History class, doodling notes and hearts in my dogeared copy of Sundiata. When the classroom phone rings, I don’t think anything of it. But within 15 minutes, I’m curled up between my mother and sister in the backseat of our family’s sedan, driving my father to the airport where he’ll travel to Chicago to mourn the death of his father, my Opa. What followed was the most challenging year of my life. Death is something we’re trained to expect: through religion, the media, great literature and the oft-told tales of our parents. We’re taught that death is inevitable and that we shall eventually overcome the havoc it wreaks on

our lives. But what we are not taught is how to cope with the deluge of emotions that is unleashed after a great loss.

And for me, it was impossible to understand what to do.

Catharsis didn’t come until a year and a half later, when my father decided to recreate the backpacking trip he’d taken with Opa on the Pacific Crest Trail. Somehow, despite the extreme physical conditions and discomfort, the strangeness of spending an extended period of time with nobody to keep me company but my father (who is a wonderful man but a textbook introvert), the wind, and my perpetually frozen fingers, I felt at total peace for the first time since Opa’s passing.

When I interviewed Emma Erwin (check In Focus on page 8) one thing she said stood out to me above all else.

As we sat outside of a Starbucks on a nippy December night, exchanging tales of our adventures, she shared an epiphany she had experienced while hiking in Patagonia.

Following a summer spent coping with depression, she took a semester off of college to scale mountains, lead hikes and ford rivers. Friends accused her of running away from her problems.

Smiling, she’d tell them, “I am dealing with them. If you can’t find the answers to your problems while alone in the great outdoors, you’re not going to be able to cope with

them anywhere else.”

Emma and I cope with tragedy in similar ways, but not everyone reading this can, or wants to, climb a mountain in the Lone Star State.

Amidst the maelstrom of feelings that are unleashed while studying at St. John’s, from inferiority complexes to stress to occasional triumph, I believe that for each of you, there is something that will make you feel at peace.

It may not be conventional. But as you approach the remainder of the semester and the many peaks and valleys it will inevitably bring, I urge you to embrace your coping mechanisms and devote time to them.

Go cuddle your puppy. Play a video game. Bake some fatty chocolate chip muffins. Don’t stop until you have rediscovered a sense of wonder. Know that you are not obligated to follow any one path. Remember, not all those who wander are lost. And wandering is where the magic begins.

Best wishes,

Megan Routbort

The Review · St. John’s School · 2401 Claremont, Houston, TX 77019 · review.sjs@gmail.com · 713-850-0222 sjsreview.com · Facebook SJS Review · Twitter @SJS_Review · Instagram @_thereview Member Columbia Scholastic Press Assn.–Silver Crown 2014, Gold Medalist 2012 & 2013 · National Scholastic Press Assn.–4th Place Best of Show (2014), 1st Class 2012 & 2013 · All-American 2014 Editors-in-Chief Rebecca Chen, Megan Routbort Deputy Editor Iris Cronin Senior Design Editor Jessica Lee Online Editor Cara Maines Assignment Editors Brooke Kushwaha, Oliver Ruhl, Megan Shen Design Editors Matthew Neal, Tiffany Yue, Christopher Zimmerman Photography Editor Jared Margolis Video Editor Emma Gobillot Copy Editors Gabe Malek, Matthew Neal, Irene Vazquez Asst. Online Editor Amy Liu Social Media Editor Inaara Malick

Business Manager Gabe Malek Asst. Business Manager Lucy Elkins Staff Grace Amandes, Ashwini Bandi, Anna Cauthorn, Emily Chen, Lin Guo, Alexander Kim, Sophia Li, Christian Maines, Sukul Mittal, Sadde Mohamed, Marisa Murillo, Emily Ragauss, Michael VerMeulen, Max Westmark, Dani Yan, Collins Yeates, Austin Zhang, Olivia Zhang Advisers David Nathan, Shelley Stein (‘88)

Mission Statement The Review strives to report on issues with honor, to recognize the assiduous efforts of all, and to serve as an engine of discourse within the St. John’s community.

Publication Info The Review is published eight times a school year. We distribute 1,000 copies each issue, most of which are given for free to the Upper School community of 583 students and 80 faculty.

Policies The Review provides a forum for student writing and opinion. The opinions and staff editorials contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Headmaster or the Board of Trustees of St. John’s School. Staff editorials represent the opinion of the entire

editorial board unless otherwise noted. Writers and photographers are credited with a byline.

Corrections, when necessary, can be found on the editorial pages. Running an advertisement does not imply endorsement by the school.

Submission Guidelines Letters to the editor and guest columnists are encouraged but are subject to editing for reasons of clarity, space, accuracy and good taste. On occasion, we will publish letters anonymously, provided the editor knows the author’s identity. The Review reserves the right not to print letters received. Either email letters and guest columns to review. sjs@gmail.com; give them to David Nathan in the Review Room (Q-210); or mail letters to The Review, 2401 Claremont, Houston, TX 77019.

ODDS & ENDS

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SJSREVIEW.COM I FEBRUARY 12, 2015

Sixty Seconds Name Kara Wollmers Grade 11 State of mind Just making it to spring break Known for Probably being loud Color Green Hate to love Listening to Christmas music in November Love to hate Sperrys Happiness Apple juice from Starbucks Misery Forgetting Chick-fil-a is closed on Sundays Sports team JJ Watt Olympic sport Half-pipe Dream date Somewhere with good food Relationship status Lol Comfort food Escalante’s

Guilty pleasure Buc-ee’s M&M fudge Cafeteria food We have a cafeteria?

Place to live Isabelle Metz’s house I wish Eminem, Iggy Azalea and Drake would make a song together Treasured possession My Nalgene The best thing Having your outfit complimented by Joseph Hanson Spirit animal Jonah Hill Zoo animal Platypus Hero Olivia Pope Superpower Invisibility Fictional character Katniss Everdeen Book The Hunger Games

Soundbites around campus Pure mathematicians are a rare breed because they don’t reproduce.

Mr. Friedman explains love in Partial Differential Equations

Validating Dr. Rawson’s life choices Emma Wertheimer: Yes, the character went insane because he felt trapped.

Dr. Bellows: If I were standing in a crowd at a football game, and I needed to go to the restroom, and I felt trapped, does that mean I could stab everybody?

Emma Wertheimer: Well, if you’ve gotta go, you’ve gotta go.

Discussing insanity in AP English



Snarknado

By Brooke Kushwaha

TV show Scandal Movie 21 Jump Street Video game Not FIFA (sorry!)

Phobia Not bringing your calculator on the first day of school two years in a row. Oh wait…

Stress reliever Spotify Motto Anything Drake says Anthem Till I Collapse Sing in the shower? Especially after a tough day Doppelganger Basically any other ginger I am afraid to admit I’ve never had tapioca tea I’d rather be P(h)unny Follow us? Sure!

Blast from the Past

Word for word Dr. Rawson: I used to be a lawyer, you know.

Sloan Rucker: Really?

Dr. Rawson: Yeah, I’m still a member of the Texas Bar. Sloan Rucker: But you escaped!

JARED MARGOLIS

with Kara Wollmers

Relive Jack Soliman’s unorthodox first date

In most respects, the fall of 1990 was an uneventful time for a 20-year-old, sports-crazed Baltimorean attending college in Nashville. There was no NFL team in Baltimore, and the Orioles had just completed a pathetic 76-85 season.

Little did I know that I would experience events that would have repercussions affecting the rest of my life.

As a young Filipino-American struggling to grasp the personal meaning of racial identity, I ventured into the depths of the Asian American Students Association (ASA). I hoped to lean on new friendships that would help me understand my own concept of identity, as well as find some female companionship, which I had been seriously lacking.

My friends at that time were not your stereotypical college partiers. On weekends, we hung out in the dorms, debating historical arguments, discussing philosophy and evaluating politicians and the different positions they espoused. After a night of arguing about the status of race relations in the US, one of my friends suggested we all go to Tennessee State University, a historically all-black college, to see Minister Louis Farrakhan speak.

Farrakhan was the spiritual leader of the Nation of Islam, the group most known for their self-help message to African-Americans and their aspirations for Black Separation. Throw in a measure of historical hatred for white people and you had all the makings of a great night out with the guys, only three of whom were African-American.

As the event approached, I summoned up the courage to talk with Joyce, a cute, smart girl from ASA. A lunch here and a coffee there, and the next thing I knew, we were hitting it off nicely.

I had overheard some of my friends talking about bringing dates to the Farrakhan visit, and naively thought this could be the perfect opportunity to ask this girl out for the first time. Yet on the day of the event, much to my chagrin, there was only one other girl attending.

As we entered the sold-out, 15,000-capacity arena where Farrakhan would talk, two things hit us: First, we were the only non-African Americans

COURTESY PHOTO

in attendance. And second, for security purposes, attendees were first separated by gender, frisked and sent through metal detectors.

Before I could say anything to Joyce and the other girl, we were lead in different directions. A few minutes later, we were reunited and moved on to our seats.

As Farrakhan’s message of Black Pride reverberated through the arena, urging the nation’s most talented African Americans to avoid places like Harvard and Vanderbilt in favor of institutions like Fisk and Howard, it was made clear that my friends and I, dressed in Commodore gear, probably weren’t appreciated that night.

Ironically, the organizers made us feel welcome. Whether it was the cordial greetings from the security guards or the warm smiles that met us following Farrakhan’s stated disapproval of African-American attendance at Vanderbilt, we were given every opportunity to listen and learn about a new perspective.

In retrospect, I could have very easily scared off a truly amazing girl, but instead we shared an invaluable experience together. Twenty-four years later, we laugh at the memory of our first date with the militant Black Separatist Minister Farrakhan, but we now know that night was just the beginning of our great journey and partnership. I guess you could say I was pretty lucky.

16

REARVIEW

Teachers’ pets 1.

3.

2.

Sorry, everyone. No matter how hard you work in class, you’ll never replace the fuzzy fellows that come first in the hearts of these teachers.

In numerical order: Spanish teacher Cara Henderson with Sally and Peanut; Chinese teacher Jing-Nan Gea with Charlie; Coach Richie Mercado and Tabby; history teacher Melinda Sloan with McKinley and Teddy; photography teacher Chuy Benitez with Sally and Ruby.

2.

4.

Photos by Jing Gea (2) Marisa Murillo (1, 3, 4) and Emily Ragauss (5) | Story by Megan Routbort

5.