The Review November 2019 Issue

VOL. 71. ISSUE 2 NOVEMBER 20, 2019

THE REVIEW ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL 2401 CLAREMONT LANE HOUSTON, TX 77019 WWW.SJSREVIEW.COM

2

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Insensitive behavior highlights need for PRISM

By Abigail Poag and Sophia Jazaeri

M

atthew Yekell was attending the freshman retreat as a counselor in August when he overheard a group of incoming freshmen using insensitive slurs and phrases like "that's so gay" and "no homo."

Yekell, a board member of PRISM, the School's group for LGBTQ+ students and allies, notified PRISM co-sponsor Clay Guinn, who informed Head of Upper School Hollis Amley.

That night, as the freshmen were preparing to leave the dining hall after dinner, Amley told the students to return to their seats. She told them that rude and insensitive comments about members of the LGBTQ+ community have no place at the retreat, let alone at St. John's.

For Yekell and other LGBTQ+ students, these offhand comments are a small portion of what they endure on a daily basis.

Guinn, who graduated from St. John's in 1992, found these comments particularly troubling. He recalls how many of his queer friends did not come out until after they had graduated high school, so when he joined the English Department in 2015, it was important to him that LGBTQ+ students and allies have a safe environment.

"PRISM is one of the most important things I get to do here," Guinn said.

Guinn stresses the importance of being vigilant about one's language since words can carry different meanings for different people.

"Call your friends out, call your frenemies out, call the

people who sit next to you in class out," Guinn said. "To say 'that's so gay' or 'no homo' is a way to make a joke that someone is 'less than.' It hurts the target, but it also hurts anyone who identifies with or loves someone of LGBTQ+ status."

Senior PRISM board member Jordan Fullen said that such comments can be a setback for students who have been working to accept their queer identities.

"Most people like me have spent years, long days and nights, trying to deal with the fact that society doesn't necessarily want people like us to exist," Fullen said.

"People don't understand how long it takes for someone to be comfortable with themselves. It took me forever to be able to look at myself in the mirror and be like, 'I'm gay' without feeling disgusted or upset."

PRISM's mission statement states that "PRISM, as a community, serves to provide a supportive space for LGBTQ+ students and allies, to educate and create awareness about LGBTQ+ issues and to ensure equity in all aspects of campus life."

A freshman, who asked to remain anonymous, describes PRISM as an environment in which she can escape judgement and be open about her sexuality.

PRISM is not always taken seriously. Students attending Club Fair have been known to sign up their classmates for the group as a joke.

While PRISM members acknowledge that most people do not mean any harm, some worry that non-allies who join PRISM may "out" queer students or reveal their

identity to others.

PRISM is concerned with maintaining the privacy of its members, so any possibility of revealing the identities of its members is a serious issue.

"It's a joke until something bad happens," sophomore board member Liv Rubenstein said. "If they signed up as a joke, what's going to stop them from sharing the member list as a joke?"

In order to protect the identities of students in PRISM, the board uses an email list that hides the names and addresses of recipients. The board also posts flyers around campus printed with the PRISM email address, offering students an anonymous way to sign up for the group.

Even with PRISM doing its part to support queer students, Rubenstein emphasizes that it is vital that other students be good allies, such as by not overreacting if a friend is dating someone of the same gender.

Fullen has seen fewer incidences of students stigmatizing PRISM members since coming to the Upper School.

Board members hope that by serving as role models for other members, they can continue this positivity.

"We love who we are, and we want the other members to feel that way, whether they're part of the LGBTQ+ community or they're allies," Fullen said. "It means a lot to me that people feel comfortable being in this loving, shared space."

If you are interested in joining PRISM anonymously, email PRISMatSJS@gmail.com.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

News ash: We are not the enemy, we are journalists

D

ear Readers, Typically, our Letter from the Editors appears near the end of the paper, but this time, we are doing things differently. This month's issue covers some sensitive topics, and we would like to preface it with a few things.

On Nov. 13, 2019, President Trump's former Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke at Northwestern University.

In response, student protesters trampled each other to push through the back door of the lecture hall and ended up clashing with police.

Colin Boyle, a photographer for The Daily Northwestern, documented the chaos with the click of his camera.

Boyle posted the photos of the demonstration on social media. Then came the backlash from the students in the photos. They were upset to see themselves portrayed in this light and feared that the photos would hinder their future job searches or get them in trouble with administrators. After Boyle took down the photos, the publication sent out an apology. Then came a new wave of criticism from professional journalists.

Boyle was doing his job. If we censor what news we choose to highlight, how can we document the truth? If protesters descend upon a public speech, should journalists not cover it? All news should be reported, even if it's not pretty, pleasant or what we want to hear.

The incident at Northwestern illustrates the scrutiny that journalists face today. With phrases like "fake news" and "the enemy of the people" infiltrating the commen-

tary around newspapers, being a journalist is becoming increasingly difficult. Journalists everywhere face resistance for simply doing their job — reporting the news.

Although the topics we choose to cover in the Review will not encompass everyone's interests or align with all opinions, we, as journalists, have a responsibility to report the stories that impact our community. We do not select articles based on political views or personal preferences; instead, we focus on topics that are important to our audience.

Our goal is to simply share what's going on, highlight the accomplishments of our students and be the "engine of discourse" within the St. John's community.

As you read this issue, please bear in mind that we are not the enemy. We are journalists.

Sincerely,

Izzy Andrews

Mia Fares

Sophia Lima

Leila Pulaski

Photo by Grace Randall

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

THE REVIEW

Zen Zone helps students relax

3

Inclusion committees promote diversity

By Julia Smith

I

Laurel Williamson and Alexa Addison color in the Zen Zone to de-stress between classes.

By Ella Chen

L

ying outside with her eyes closed, senior Louisa Sarofim listens to nature with chakra stones resting on her knees. She is totally relaxed, and her mind is blank despite the college applications and classwork that awaits.

Thanks to a new initiative by Sarofim and fellow prefect Will Jackson, students will have the opportunity to meditate and take a moment for themselves whenever they have time.

The Zen Zone, located in the back of the Academic Commons, is a dedicated space where students can quietly meditate without distractions.

Inspired by family members, Jackson and Sarofim decided to try meditation to help reduce stress and found it helpful.

"In such an academically rigorous school, I've often struggled with being wound up too tight," Jackson said. "I started trying meditation myself and integrating breathing techniques into my routine.

I've felt much more comfortable and less stressed."

Sarofim and Jackson originally hosted a guided meditation event in the Atrium, but they found it difficult to focus with all the background noises and chattering.

"There's a stigma behind meditation, so it's hard to focus and practice meditation when there are lots of people poking their heads in and laughing," Jackson said.

Meanwhile, Upper School head librarian Suzanne Webb and Director of Clinical Services Tesa Stark had a plan in the works to create a meditation room.

They reached out to Jackson and Sarofim and gave the Zen Zone a home in the Academic Commons.

"I hope that people are genuinely able to use it as a way to begin working on being more present in their daily lives

Photos by Claire Seinsheimer and are able to do that in the middle of the school day and not associate school with a place of stress," Sarofim said.

Filled with pillows, coloring books and iPads with guided meditation practices, the room offers a place for students to wind down.

"We all need to find what meditation works for us," Webb said. "It's not one size fits all."

After observing stress patterns throughout the school year, Stark says the Zen Zone will help students learn to manage and even lower their stress.

"Stress can be good because it motivates us, but it's also good to learn how to manage it wisely, especially when students' schedules are hectic," Stark said. "They just need a quiet place to quiet their brains."

The Zen Zone is an easy step toward increasing awareness and acceptance of a wide variety of mental health struggles.

"A lot of people struggle with mental health issues, so this is a pretty easy and healthy practice that you can implement," Jackson said. "The hard part has been finding a place to do it, so making a dedicated room for mental health is a natural progression."

Although some students have been caught napping or playing on their phones in the Zen Zone, the room is not meant for either. When used as intended, it will help promote self-care and positive thinking.

"We all need to be reminded to take care of ourselves," Webb said. "The Zen Zone can be the nudge everyone needs to slow down and be good to yourself."

n 2018, St. John's unveiled its statement on Community and Inclusion, setting a goal to "sustain a caring and welcoming culture for all." As part of this mission, the School created a Strategic Plan for Community and Inclusion.

Two committees, the faculty associate and parent groups, were created in the 2018-2019 school year to implement this plan.

"It was time that we had more leadership involved in supporting the statement and the plan," Director of Community and Inclusion Gene Batiste said.

These committees aim to educate and engage parents, faculty and staff at St. John's.

The faculty committee includes seven members: two from Lower School, two from Middle School and three from Upper School. Each member works with Batiste and their respective division head to implement every aspect of the diversity plan.

"Our role is to educate ourselves on the practice of diversity and inclusion and to take that education and share that information and knowledge with other faculty members," Upper School history teacher Russell Hardin said.

The teacher committee members began preparing for their new positions over the summer, attending institutes, workshops and conferences to learn about the importance of inclusion.

The teachers also attend retreats twice a year to plan activities and forums for each division. The group has already led two information sessions with all faculty members, from maintenance staff to business officers.

Before the school year began, the associates led a forum for each division in which they disucussed training and their role as a member of the committee. They also led a forum on the use of the n-word and updated School policy on the word.

While the faculty committee focuses on diversity and inclusion education among school staff, the parent committee works to involve the entire parent community.

Representatives from each division are currently coming together to brainstorm ideas for activities and events that will inform parents about the importance of diversity and inclusion.

Recently, four members of the parent council helped facilitate a book discussion on Ijeoma Oluo's New York Times Bestseller, "So You Want to Talk About Race."

"People were very open and honest in talking about it," parent committee member Angela Fullen said. "It was a breakthrough conversation."

Through these conversations, parents hope to engage more with each other and with their children, continuing the educational process at home.

The two committees are spreading awareness about the importance of inclusion and diversity to the entire St. John's community.

"This office of one person cannot effectively implement the plan and the statement without the engagement of other leaders," Batiste said. "[The committees are] an opportunity that we saw to go beyond just one person doing community and inclusion work."

2 Quad restrooms now gender-inclusive

By Indrani Maitra

I

n an effort to accomodate non-binary students, administrators have implemented gender-neutral restrooms by the Parents' Desk. Over the summer, "all-gender" signs were added to the restrooms that were previously for faculty only, making them available to everyone.

PRISM board member Matthew Yekell considers the bathrooms an effective and noncontroversial facilitator of inclusion.

The addition of the bathrooms is emblematic of the School's willingness to acknowledge the presence of LGBTQ+ students.

"The bathrooms are a really great example of how the whole St. John's administration is supporting queer students," Yekell said.

Gender-neutral bathrooms contribute to a safe climate for LGBTQ+ students. In a nationwide survey conducted by GLSEN, 80 percent of transgender students said they had avoided gender-specific bathrooms because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable, while 59 percent of transgender students responded that they had used a bathroom that did not match the gender that they identify as.

"We want there to be representation. We want to feel safe.

[Gender neutral bathrooms] need to be normalized on campus so it can be a safe space for queer people," Yekell said.

The gender-neutral bathrooms resulted from a collaboration between administrators and students, and similar implementations in the future would ensure a safer environment for LGBTQ+ students.

"There could be many more accommodations," Yekell said, "but progress will only be possible if students are willing to cooperate."

4

SJSREVIEW.COM

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Club flyers inundate halls, generate clutter

Photo and design by Grace Randall

By Max Beard

F

rom a Latinos Unidos potluck dinner to a Unity Council forum regarding Columbus Day, flyers promoting school events cover — and clutter — the walls of the Upper School.

This school year has seen an increase in flyers lining the hallways: clubs announce their meetings, Student Affairs Council advertises house games and Community Service promotes upcoming events.

The student handbook states that "signs, banners and notices may be posted only on designated bulletin boards and other areas designated by the Dean of Students and should be removed promptly after the event has taken place," yet violations of this rule are common.

Flyers have been posted in almost every location imaginable and are rarely taken down following the events.

According to Dean of Students Bailey Duncan, the Student Life Office reviews and approves posters, but it does not regulate the number of posters or their placement.

"With more than 100 student-run clubs, we regularly take down posters and flyers after event dates to keep the campus from getting too cluttered," Duncan said.

Despite their environmental impact and contribution to clutter, flyers are an effective way to create buzz.

SPEC leader Pierce Ederle said that posters are a great way to get the word out for their events and increase attendance. Other clubs use the flyers as a mechanism to bring awareness to their cause.

"A lot of people don't know much about PRISM, so the flyers definitely have helped with the visibility of the group," said sophomore PRISM board member Romit Kundagrami.

The flyers, which include PRISM's email address, help students who prefer to join PRISM confidentially.

"At Club Fair, a lot of people don't really want to come up to the PRISM booth and sign up for it because if they're not out, it's a vulnerable act," Kundagrami said.

SAC frequently uses flyers to promote house games.

Junior Emile Vlahos created posters for SAC's penalty shootout and quarterback challenge games, and she said that SAC tries to place them in frequented areas to increase visibility.

"Flyers in the hallway are super helpful to inform me about the happenings at SJS," senior Shelby Wilson said.

"They are pretty much unavoidable."

Vlahos says that flyers can be more effective than digital advertising. Although SAC emails the weekly in-

fographic and newsletters, students rarely check their emails, so posters and flyers promote events better than digital tools.

One concern with the proliferation of flyers is that the exact date of the event is often unclear ("Meeting this Friday!"), and they tend remain up long after the event has occurred. SAC has been working to remove posters to reduce clutter.

The environmental impact of the flyers also raises concerns. According to Environmental Coalition of Students leader Edward Chen, flyers create unnecessary paper waste, so he suggests that clubs and organizations use email and word of mouth to promote their events.

As club participation dwindles, club leaders are faced with a difficult choice: utilize more eco-friendly advertising methods or continue to put up more flyers.

While there are more environmentally-friendly options available, club leaders agree that posters and flyers are often the most effective way to ensure attendance.

"You can use digital advertising," Ederle said, "but flyers are still the best way to get the word out if you put them in high traffic areas."

Allergy station caters to dietary restrictions

By Ellie Monday

W

hen it comes to a lasting legacy, some students want to set an unbeatable sports record. Others may want to win a Maverick Award. Still others create clubs in hopes that their idea will flourish after they graduate. For senior Claire Huff, her legacy just might be a mini fridge.

Located in the servery, the Maverick Allergy-Free Zone offers keto-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free options.

Many students consider lunch their favorite part of the day, but it has been a challenge for Huff since eighth grade when she was diagnosed with celiac disease, a serious autoimmune condition in which the digestion of gluten causes damage to the small intestine.

"I brought my lunch to school because I didn't feel safe eating in the cafeteria. With celiac, everything has to be extremely regulated," Huff said. "I found it hard because when everyone would go line up in the cafeteria, I would have to wait for my friends."

As a junior, Huff wondered if Senior Tea would have any allergy protocols. She met with Director of Clinical

Services Tesa Stark about the issue, which led her to consider what else the School could add for students with dietary restrictions.

"Talking with Nurse Stark had a snowball effect," Huff said. "I started thinking about advisory lunch, concessions, the snack bar, everything on campus that involved food. It made me upset knowing that there were certain students who wouldn't feel like they were being taken care of."

Huff and five other students spoke with the Director of Food Services Alan Mallett about their concerns. Mallett was once the executive chef at Houston Methodist Hospital, which first opened his eyes to the importance of food allergies. An allergy station seemed to be the most effective way to address the issue.

"Those allergens were a big part of how we fed the staff and patients [at Methodist]," Mallett said. "When students and staff presented the idea, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to build something here similar to what we did in the hospital."

Food allergies have more than just a negative effect on a

student's health — they can affect academic performance too. A bad reaction to a meal once forced Huff to leave class halfway through a test, so her teacher wrote new questions, which was embarrassing and frustrating for Huff.

"It is important to me that the food [SJS has] is safe to keep our students healthy in the classroom," Huff said.

Previously, the cafeteria responded to dietary restrictions on a case-by-case basis, fulfilling special food requirements when requested. Now, other projects are underway, such as improving the online menu and adding allergen labels at each servery. Nurse Stark has also created a list of suitable restaurants so advisors can order advisory lunches that are inclusive of students with gluten-free diets.

Mallett and Huff agree that the Maverick Allergy-Free zone is a step in the right direction toward providing safe and healthy options for allergic and dietary-restricted students.

"With the station, I feel like I'm more a part of the community," Huff said.

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

5

QuestBridge program matches low-income students with colleges

A Breakthrough Houston student, Marcela Madrid was named a QuestBridge finalist on Oct. 16.

Photo by Claire Seinsheimer

By Noura Jabir

W

hile her classmates were learning about college finances and the importance of mindfulness on Oct. 16, senior Marcela Madrid was lying in bed, browsing a specialized forum about QuestBridge on Reddit. She had skipped Senior Skills Day, anxiously awaiting an email from QuestBridge, the competitive college match program.

That afternoon, Madrid would find out whether or not she was named a QuestBridge finalist.

Madrid is one of several SJS students who have utilized QuestBridge, a non-profit organization that connects low-income, academically gifted students with colleges and universities across the country. More than 40 schools are official partners of QuestBridge, all of which are either leading research universities or liberal arts colleges.

At 1:00 she was sitting on her bed when she received an email from QuestBridge that said there was an update to her account. She immediately clicked on it and was shocked to see "Congratulations, you are a finalist" on her computer screen. She went into the living room to relay the news to her father, who congratulated her and then asked in Spanish, "What is QuestBridge?"

QuestBridge features two tools that aid low-income students in the college admissions process. The College Prep Scholarship, available to qualifying high school juniors, offers awards such as paid campus visits to partner schools, personalized essay feedback and full scholarships to college summer programs.

According to the QuestBridge website, becoming a College Prep Scholar as a junior can benefit students as they enter the application process during their senior year. College Prep Scholars receive awards and opportunities that distinguish them from other candidates and help them share their "unique story."

The second of QuestBridge's offerings, the National College Match service, is a free application that helps students earn four-year scholarships at QuestBridge's partner colleges.

Madrid, a Breakthrough Houston student who continues to teach with the program, said that her Breakthrough college advisor encouraged her to look into QuestBridge last year. Initially, she dismissed the idea, certain that she would not qualify. Her Breakthrough advisor insisted, so Madrid began work on the application with SJS college counselor Natalie Garza.

Applications for the National College Match Service were due Sept. 26. In mid-October, applicants found out whether they were named finalists. Those who qualified had

their applications sent to their ranked schools for review.

Throughout November, colleges will select from the pool of QuestBridge applicants and will send a list of desired students to the organization, which will then match colleges and students. The program ultimately matches selected students with colleges based on each student's school rankings. In December, QuestBridge announces whether or not matched students will receive a College Match Scholarship, which covers the full cost of tuition, room and board and student fees.

Another senior, who chose to remain anonymous, applied for the National College Match Service but was not named a finalist. Nevertheless, utilizing the service benefits students regardless of whether or not they qualify as finalists.

"Right now, a lot of colleges are looking for regular kids," the student said. "So the fact that you even have that QuestBridge stamp is like a star on your application."

Madrid said that applying through QuestBridge offers students definite advantages, and while earning a College Match Scholarship is the ultimate goal, being named a finalist is enough to set her apart.

"It guarantees that my top schools are looking at me through my QuestBridge app, so they don't see me only through my personal statement on the Common App," Madrid said. "They get to know me better."

QuestBridge proves especially useful in environments like St. John's, where many students have ample resources to help with applications. QuestBridge alleviates some of the stress and introduces their applicants to the more competitive colleges that they might not be able to apply to.

Utilizing QuestBridge can be concerning for some students because there are differences between the Common App and the QuestBridge application. Madrid worried that if she did not qualify as a finalist, she would have to complete additional supplemental essays for her top schools.

When she received the email naming her a finalist, she was overcome with relief.

"I had been putting this unneeded weight and pressure on myself leading up to that day," Madrid said. "I kept wondering how I was going to apply to colleges, if I was going to use QuestBridge or the Common App." Madrid will find out if she ranked in the College Match Scholarship service on Dec. 2. She recommends the program to first-generation, low-income students, even if they do not see themselves as competitive applicants.

"I don't have the highest stats," Madrid said. "But I have a story, and I know that story isn't conveyed as well [through the Common App] as it is through QuestBridge."

6

SJSREVIEW.COM

13911 North Freeway, Houston |

indiGOautogroup.com

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

THE REVIEW

7

Senior's nonproďŹ t combats education disparity

Pranav Konduri visits Shearn Elementary to provide after-school snacks purchased with funds raised through his nonprofit organization, The Dream Initiative.

Photo by Siva Konduri

By Sara Doyle

D

uring a drive home from school two years ago, Pranav Konduri saw a boy crossing the street, desperately trying to keep his books from falling out of his torn backpack.

"Seeing that made me feel spoiled," Konduri said.

"I thought my life was hard and that my problems at school were devastating, but other kids don't even have the proper resources to educate themselves."

That was the trigger for Konduri, now a senior, who decided then and there to help underfunded schools in order to close the education disparity gap.

"I felt kind of gross paying $31,350 a year in tuition to go to an elite private school while some kids go to school and have to share a textbook which is falling apart," Konduri said.

Classmate Asher Moll met Konduri in second grade and has been a supporter of his charitable efforts ever since.

"He's always looked out for others," Moll said. "On countless occasions he's put the interests of others above his own."

Konduri first became interested in philanthropy when he watched a video of non-governmental organizations airdropping supplies to Sudan during a civil war in his freshman Global Issues in Historical Context class.

Konduri spent a lot of time researching what nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) did and how to establish one. Towards the end of his sophomore year, he registered The Dream Initiative as a nonprofit.

His request was approved the following summer.

Konduri encountered some difficulties setting up the website and planning events.

"I failed so many times," Konduri said.

"I had so many speed bumps in the road, but there is no better teacher than experience."

The Dream Initiative's website went public in the fall of 2018, so the next task was creating a business plan and contacting potential schools to see if a lack of educational resources was really an issue. It was.

Konduri wanted to begin helping schools as soon as possible. After putting $50 of his own money into the first project, Konduri raised a total of around $200 through his website and donations from friends.

His first project took place in September 2018.

Konduri donated snacks to the after school program at Shearn Elementary, located in the Willowbend area. As Konduri walked through the hallway, he stopped to talk to a young boy. Pointing at the snack cart, Konduri said, "That's all for you." Smiling, the elementary school child looked up at him excitedly.

"I finally felt like I was making a difference," Konduri said.

Konduri decided not to publicize The Dream Initiative during its early months because he could cover most of the work and volunteering himself, with the help of his family.

"I'm extremely passionate about this project," Konduri said. "Initially, I didn't want that to be skewed by people possibly thinking that I was doing it for college apps. It also hadn't been fully established yet, so I decided that waiting to tell people was better."

Konduri's recent projects have required him to reach out and ask friends for help.

A debate workshop held on Aug. 17 was the first project with a broader volunteer base. Konduri and six of his debate friends spent a day at Sri Ashtalakshmi temple in Sugarland teaching debate to 52 kids, ranging from third graders to high schoolers. The day ended with a mini tournament in each of the three age groups, with Konduri and his friends as judges. The workshop raised $1,700 through the entry fees and additional donations.

"Because of our experience, we could get

a big turnout, and that meant a lot of revenue for the nonprofit," Moll, Konduri's debate partner, said.

Forty percent of the profits from the debate workshop were given to their partner group, Volunteering Together for Service, which helped with the venue, to support their education outreach activities. The other 60 percent went to The Dream Initiative to fund future projects.

Konduri plans to widen the volunteer base with bigger projects and more debate workshops.

The Dream Initiative has raised around $2,000 so far, and Konduri intends for it to grow beyond Houston.

With the help of a friend in Orlando, he is looking to expand his efforts to Florida, where under-resourced schools are also a significant issue.

English teacher Kimberly Roquemore recalls how Konduri approached her with the idea of creating a nonprofit during his sophomore year.

"I'm not surprised that he followed through," Roquemore said. "He had big ideas, big dreams and lots of passion. He just wanted to get out there and help others."

Konduri encourages anyone who is passionate about a cause to get involved and take initiative.

"It's one thing to debate the merits of different solutions, and it's another to just implement them yourself," Konduri said. "If you don't, no one else will."

To donate or volunteer, visit thedreaminitiative.org.

Konduri, third from right, founded The Dream Initiative to bridge the education gap.

Along with debate partner Asher Moll, far right, they led a debate workshop in August.

Photo by Vanaja Konduri

8

SJSREVIEW.COM

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Senior receives recognition for LGBTQ+ initiatives

By Wenqing He

M

atthew Yekell has spent most of the fall visiting colleges, but on Oct. 25, he was in Los Angeles meeting Apple CEO Tim Cook and actress Octavia Spencer.

Yekell, a senior, also met Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke, YouTuber Connor Franta and actress Judith Light at the GLSEN Respect Awards.

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network is a national network of educators and students that focuses on ensuring a safe and supportive LGBTQ+ inclusive education.

As a board member of PRISM and Unity Council, Yekell is a proponent of LGBTQ+ rights.

Along with a dozen other students, Yekell was selected from an applicant pool of a few hundred students to be part of the national student council of GLSEN. The student advocates fly to seminars and leadership events around the nation and create resources and content such as a back-to-school guide.

"It was really cool meeting some of my role models," Yekell said. "I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to meet Tim Cook or Connor Franta."

Last May, the Riley's Way Foundation selected Yekell as one of their Call of Kindness recipients for his work with Tony's Place, a drop-in center focused on housing LGBTQ+ youth. Riley's Way promotes kindness and empathy among youth in order to create meaningful change.

At Tony's Place, Yekell leads two projects for those in need: he upcycles clothing donations given to Tony's Place with the aid of a clothing designer and helps provide over 1000 home-cooked meals. Every week or so, Yekell prepares food for Tony's Place.

"For a community that already feels thrown out, it's important for LGBTQ+ youth to know that their food wasn't just something that was bought from a restaurant," Yekell said. "I feel like that extra mile is what really helps show the youth at Tony's Place that they are worth more than they realize."

Yekell also writes blog posts for the Riley's Way Foun-

Matthew Yekell spoke at the GLSEN Respect Awards in Los Angeles on Oct. 25.

Photo courtesy of Matthew Yekell dation, covering the difficulties queer youth face when they are in unsupportive environments, which frequently lead to homelessness.

On June 27, the foundation published a piece written

by Yekell that discussed his work with Tony's Place and showed how to support queer homeless youth.

One of Yekell's articles will be published by Bustle, an online magazine.

As a student ambassador of Student Voice, a nationwide, student-run nonprofit committed to increasing and enhancing student movements and voices for equitable schools, Yekell is planning long-term projects. He wants to demystify the college process for LGBTQ+ and lower-income students, as well as people of color. This ambitious project stemmed from his college counseling meetings.

"I would have to ask if a place was LGBTQ-friendly or diverse, and there are so many statistics promoted by a university that don't actually tell you what their diversity looks like," Yekell said.

Vital statistics regarding the student body are not always made public. Yekell says that whether or not a college has a Gender and Sexuality Studies major is an indicator as to how "gay-friendly" the school is. "[The college] can throw money at a center, but that doesn't mean they are extremely supportive of a singifi-

FEEDING OUR ST. JOHN’S FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR OVER 30 YEARS

VISIT ANY OF OUR 12 HOUSTON LOCATIONS

cant gay population or if queer students will be accepted or if they have the resources they need," Yekell said.

The project aims to give people a more objective picture of what the diversity looks like and the experience of a queer person or a person of color going through the admissions process.

Sophomore Liv Rubenstein, a PRISM board member with Yekell, admires how passionate and hardworking Yekell is.

"Matthew is truly an incredible leader," Rubenstein said.

"He is the kind that moves mountains. PRISM wouldn't be the same without him."

Rubenstein hopes that students understand PRISM's concept: bringing people together.

"Queer kids, we are here for you. You are not alone and as much as this is said, things do get better," she said. "A lot of times, being in the closet or even out can be a scary thing. Having a community of people who support you is crucial."

Rubenstein and Yekell said that they wish that people would learn and step up about the issues that matter to them, working to fix them in order to bring meaningful change. PRISM members said that they hope that everyone knows they are an active and powerful community that is available to everyone and wants to make the world a better place.

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

THE REVIEW

9

One year later: The Review remembers Will McKone

O

ne year later, Will is still in our hearts.

Will McKone (20012018) was a beloved member of the St. John's community. Whether editing videos for The Review, performing with Jazz Band or playing on the basketball court, Will exuded positivity and touched everyone with his friendliness. In ways, both big and small, he is still with us.

Will embodied the type of person St. John's hopes to cultivate. On this anniversary of his passing, our hearts are heavy with the loss of an irreplaceable friend and classmate.

His absence left us with a void, but it encourages us to preserve his legacy through kind acts. It's up to us to emulate his spirited devotion.

We continue to wear our "Where There's a Will There's a Way" shirts and wristbands as a reminder to live life with his optimistic outlook and unbridled enthusiasm. He inspires us to spread love, express gratitude and persevere—even through life's most difficult moments.

We miss his radiant smile, his infectious laugh and his persistent cheerfulness. We will always love and remember Will.

The Review

On Friday Nov. 22, all are welcome to wear their Will McKone shirts and wristbands in remembrance of his passing on Nov. 24, 2018.

Photos courtesy of Will McKone's family and friends

Alumni provide specialized internship opportunities

By Ethan Kinsella

A

fter passing through the metal detectors in the lobby of the Fort Bend County Jail, senior Soraya Stude was introduced to a young woman who greeted her enthusiastically. Stude was taken aback when she discovered the woman was once the head of a drug ring in south Texas.

"I was shocked to see someone, a criminal for such a high-profile crime, be so kind and genuine," Stude said.

This visit was part of Stude's summer internship through the St. John's alumni office. She spent two weeks shadowing criminal defense lawyer Todd Leffler ('95).

Over the summer, Stude and more than 60 classmates participated in the School's alumni summer internship program, spending two weeks gaining workplace experience. Available to all rising seniors, the program aims to acquaint students with potential professions and fields of academic study in real-world work environments.

The internship program assigns students to working alumni or relatives of alumni. When applying to the program, students rank their top three industries in order to find a good match. The program tries to match students with their first choice of industry but cannot guarantee placement because of the limited number of internships available.

Students participating in the program are required to attend one of three professionalism seminars in which Alumni Board President Allison Young Chavez ('03) discusses workplace etiquette.

"They did a good job of setting us up for success at the internship," senior Mackenzie Glanville said.

Glanville interned at the Schaffer Firm in downtown Houston with criminal defense attorneys Randy ('67) and Josh Schaffer ('95). Glanville worked closely with the lawyers, shadowing them through their daily routines.

She sat in on client meetings, discussed cases, conducted research and watched cases from the front row of the courtroom. Glanville was impressed by the fast pace and complexity of defense law.

"It gave me a look into what it's like to work in law, how busy the schedule is, how you're always on the move," Glanville said.

Senior Pranav Konduri interned at the developing probate law firm Strohmeyer Law. He worked with attorney John Strohmeyer ('97) and a paid intern from Rice University.

Konduri performed traditional internship tasks including document filing and scanning, but he also researched legal issues and gained valuable office experience with document formatting, editing and proofreading.

Though he primarily learned about the inner workings of the firm, Konduri says his observations in the courtroom were the most impactful. He was impressed to see that while other lawyers needed almost 20 minutes to present their cases, Strohmeyer took less than three minutes.

"It just felt cool working for easily the best lawyer in the room," Konduri said. "That was my favorite moment because I got to stand up and walk out with him."

Konduri's alumni internship experience helped him determine what specific areas of litigation he would like

to pursue.

"Understanding what you don't want to do is just as valuable as understanding what you want to do," Konduri said.

Leffler said the internship experience helps disprove misinterpretations of the legal profession.

"When I was in high school, much of what I knew about what lawyers do came from TV shows," Leffler said.

"Then I spent the summer interning for criminal defense lawyers downtown, and it gave me a much better frame of reference for what the practice of law is really like."

Senior Asher Moll interned at wealth management firm New Capital Management, working with founder and Chief Financial Advisor Leonard Golub ('84), who would often put his work aside to teach Moll about the business and give him tips about investments, marketing and client management.

"It sparked my interest in pursuing some kind of business-related career, or at least studying it in college," Moll said.

Applications for summer internships should be completed online by Dec. 2.

In addition to ranking their top three industry choices, applicants must write an essay about their first industry choice and provide a brief description of their interest in their second and third choices.

Applicants will be notified of their placement by Jan. 31.

11

10

RACE TO THE BOTTOM W

Story by Izzy Andrews and Ella West / Design by Leila Pulaski / Illustration by Celine Huang / Graphics by Matthew Hensel

e’ve overheard the conversation: “I have five assignments due tomorrow, one midterm project next Monday, three college essays and SPC is this weekend.”

“That’s rough. I have one paper, two tests, four interviews and a debate tournament in Dallas.”

“I also have a fever, but I’m here anyway.”

St. John’s students compete over just about anything — from who got what part in the musical to who is getting the most playing time to who got what grade on a major assignment.

Sometimes competition is healthy and can lead students to work harder, train longer and move closer to their goals.

But when competitions go too far, we develop problematic habits to remain on top. We stay up all night to finish history papers that we had put aside in order to study for our science test after practice or rehearsal.

In reality, the most prominent competition stems not from the desire for greatness but from an advanced case of Misery Loves Company.

Whoever has the worst life wins.

It’s a conundrum. While it may be cool to be stressed out — and we want to appear hardworking — we’re afraid of being labeled as a “try-hard.”

If we fail, then the worse the grade, the better — we don’t want anyone to know that hard work pays off.

It’s what we call the Race to the Bottom .

‘Hidden’ competition One way in which self-sabotage manifests itself is through sleep — or a lack thereof.

“Any first-period class, someone will tell you how much they slept,” senior Gabby Perkins said. “I hear it literally daily.”

When Candice Alfano, the director of the Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, spoke to the Upper School about how important sleep is for success in all aspects of life, most students agreed with her assertions, but many still felt that getting the recommended eight hours of sleep is unattainable as a St. John’s student.

Some students, like senior Ishan Shah, says he gets approximately five hours of sleep per night.

Socially, this unhealthy exhaustion seems to be a good thing.

“On the cross country team, we’re always comparing how much sleep we get because we’re all waking up really early and we all have work to do,” Shah said.

Shah and h i s

teammates will compare their levels of exhaustion. “In that moment, the winner is always who gets the least amount of sleep.”

Alfano also referenced a Challenge Success survey conducted last school year which reported that the average amount of sleep per night was 6.9 hours. The data was met with disbelief.

When the statistic was revealed, Perkins said, “the entire room rioted. People were screaming, ‘I got four!’”

Our desperation to win the lack-of-sleep competition provides an excuse to chat with friends, watch YouTube videos and find other ways to procrastinate. But the results of that procrastination lead to the other routes on our Race to the Bottom: who works the hardest, yet least efficiently, and who gets the worst grades?

“It’s like trying hard to do well is idolized, but doing well is not,” senior Colton Morgan said. “It doesn’t really make a lot of sense.”

We seem to strive for a specific image: put off work until the very last minute, then somehow complete it through generally unhealthy means, followed by a declaration of its poor quality.

“For a recent paper, a lot of people did not do it until the day of or the day before,” one sophomore said. “I know I wrote it in the car on the way to school.”

When discussing grades, students rarely address their successes. In fact, they are more willing to admit that they failed a test instead of saying they did well.

“When people do well, they don’t receive any praise,” Morgan said. “But when they do poorly and they share it, they get attention.”

We assume that nobody truly wants to fail. Perhaps the competition of D’s and F’s is a coping mechanism to eliminate the humiliation of a bad grade. No matter its origin, it has reached the point where it’s deemed “better” to receive a 45 on that physics quiz than an 80. Sometimes, we share tales of the worst grades we’ve ever gotten, reaching as far back as eighth grade to recall that 53 on an algebra test.

If the universe tends towards entropy, then high school students tend towards manufactured drama.

When life is going well, and we are succeeding, we hide it and reflect on the things that have gone wrong.

Nobody wants to hear about their peer’s great

night of sleep or the “A” they worked so hard for.

“No one wants to be supportive,” Morgan said. “It’s just hidden competition. If you talk about how well you did, people will feel like you’re trying too hard.”

In order to get rid of that mindset, we should embrace our failures and use them to fuel our future efforts, not perpetuate the vicious cycle. Why welcome the negativity and create a spiral defined by a lack of success? More importantly, why don’t we celebrate our successes and use them to remind us of our capabilities when we put forth our best efforts?

stress. They have discovered that high-achieving students and their parents tend to fall prey to a fairly limited definition of achievement.

“We see this misconception of a very narrow sense of success that entails talk like, ‘I have to get really good grades and do tons of extracurriculars because I have to get into a very prestigious college, and if I can do all that, I can get a good job and make a lot of money, and I’ll be successful and happy,’” Coté said.

“Everybody at school is stressed, sad and tired. People want to stand out.” freshman Patrick Farmer

Success in its narrowest definition It seems we’re always stressed. Politics, climate change and other current events provide an ever-present backdrop of tension. Struggles with meeting elevated academic requirements and the perpetual pressure for a successful college admissions process add fuel to the fire.

Our Race to the Bottom only heightens the fervor.

“Positivity builds positivity and negativity builds negativity,” Upper School Counselor Ashley Le Grange said. “The bottom line is that people are seeking connection, and there is a visible fear. If I share something positive about myself or how I feel, you may perceive me as conceited or bragging. This makes it feel more comfortable, or even ‘safer,’ to say something negative to connect with you. But doing this just breeds more competition and negativity.”

Much of the anxiety that defines the St. John’s experience surrounds junior year. Eleventh grade is rumored to be riddled with poor grades, college stress and overextension as we strive to fill our resumes with impressive activities and accolades.

It’s true: being a junior is challenging. Juniors have an immense amount of work. They feel more pressure to engage in extracurricular activities and clubs, and they are increasingly focused on college admissions. But competing with one another over who is experiencing the most stress benefits no one.

“Rather than blaming your junior year, consider identifying the specific reasons behind your issues, not just some made-up concept that older kids, teachers and maybe even your parents have fed to you for years,” Online Editor-in-Chief SJ Lasley wrote on Sept. 4 for the Review Online.

Studies show that stress can, at times, be beneficial.

Stress stretches our boundaries and allows us to accomplish things we could not normally. Stress can even boost memory. But when stress develops from nothing other than drama or leads to bad habits like staying up all night, it’s time to take a step back.

Perhaps the worst outcome of the competition surrounding stress is that it prohibits sincere engagement for those who are genuinely affected by it. We lose the chance to have genuine conversations in which we can form connections and offer and receive empathy. As it stands, when stress is truly debilitating for someone, and they express their concerns, it is often written off as something that is experienced by all students.

Last year, St. John’s began a partnership with Challenge Success, a program that focuses on improving engagement and redefining success in order to limit the stress that students face while still maintaining a rigorous curriculum. Challenge Success looks at each school and tries to figure out possible solutions for improving the health, well-being and engagement of students. In order for Challenge Success to understand the culture of St. John’s and gather data, students took a survey that addressed topics such as sleep, stress and cheating.

On Nov. 7, Jennifer Coté, the School Program Director of Challenge Success, visited campus to introduce their mission, share data from the survey and discuss with faculty and parents how to address stress and handle it in the healthiest manner.

One of the main goals of Challenge Success is to change the narrative a r o u n d

In their own words: Why do students race to the bottom?

“It’s pretty comical to compete on how bad we can do in a place that’s pretty achievement-oriented. The humor helps people push through a bad day.” junior Katina Christensen

This dialogue makes us stress out over inconsequential things like a test that will hold little relevance to us in six months. We can limit our stress by not getting caught up in a constant cycle of trying to check off an endless list of accomplishments that we must complete in order to succeed in its narrowest definition.

Stress also impacts our community through cheating. We tend to pride ourselves on the Honor Code, but according to the data collected by Challenge Success, over 61% of students at St. John’s had cheated in the month before the survey was conducted.

The most significant type of cheating was when students worked together after being asked to work alone, but students said they viewed such infractions as a means of survival and not as “legitimate” cheating.

According to Challenge Success, cheating speaks to a “constellation” of underlying stressors. Perhaps with less pressure and more sleep, the amount of cheating would decline.

According to Challenge Success, one of the leading causes of stress is lack of sleep.

“Health, mental well-being and the amount of sleep students get should get priority over everything else in their lives,” Coté said. “You have to develop practices where you can reset — for example, meditating or exercising.

Even just having play time, down time, and family time can make a huge difference and really improve mental health and well-being.”

While St. John’s students get an average of 6.9 hours of sleep a night, the recommended amount of sleep for teenagers is 8 to 10 hours. When SJS parents were asked how much they think students sleep, their guess was a little bit higher than the reality.

“Sleep is like a magic pill, if we consistently get eight to ten hours,” Coté said. “So many issues will just clear right up.”

The three words students most often used to describe St. John’s in the Challenge Success survey were “fun,” “challenging” and “stressful.” Fundamentally, our school is a place where we enjoy doing what we love on a daily basis, but it’s also difficult.

We are expected to do things that sometimes feel impossible to achieve, like developing a screen adaptation of “Macbeth” or building a musical instrument out of a cardboard box. But these challenges allow us to build character, develop resilience and learn how to take life in stride.

Undoubtedly, life can be stressful, and that pressure can be debilitating, so we need to discern the difference between stress from assignments or obligations and stress that results from our desire to compete. Ask yourself if you are truly stressed or are simply caught up in the drama of your peers. Be thoughtful about what can you do to improve your situation. Don’t join the Race to the Bottom.

“People always want some kind of sympathy, so they get that by complaining about stress and trying to out-complain someone else.” sophomore Ava Hicks “People associate stress and sleep deprivation with hard work and rigor, so people exaggerate to make it seem like their academic load is harder.” junior Pierce Ederle “People at St. John’s will compete over literally anything — like there’s something in the water. I think people are trying to one-up each other in an ‘I put more effort into school than you’ type of thing.” senior Gabby Perkins “We feel like we have to prove ourselves to everyone else — to show people that we’re smart. Then it becomes an idea of fitting in, how you have to be struggling in order to be like everyone else, who seem like they’re working with too little sleep and still doing extremely well.” senior William Goodgame “It’s so easy to feel lonely and isolated in this world, and no one wants to feel alone when it comes to struggles in school. If you see that others are struggling too, it makes you feel better because you’re not the only one.” senior Luke Venus

12

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Community stance on popular CBD products proves mixed

By Indrani Maitra

C

BD, also known as cannabidiol, has reached the apex of the natural remedy movement, currently reigning as the top-selling herbal supplement in natural and health sales. Promoted as a cure-all, CBD products inundate the homeopathic aisles of stores.

Only a few years ago, CBD was a little-known substitute for marijuana, so the recent furor is somewhat unprecedented.

CBD is the second most prevalent compound of cannabis.

Referred to colloquially as "marijuana's straitlaced cousin," the hemp-derived plant lacks high concentrations of THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana that produces the drug's characteristic euphoric high.

CBD has established itself as a popular treatment for an assortment of health-related issues. Several prominent health professionals consider CBD an effective alternative to pharmaceutical medications, lauding its plethora of medicinal benefits.

Despite the craze, many are still skeptical.

CBD interacts with CB1 receptors in the brain, one of two cannabinoid receptors of the nervous system. CB1 receptors supposedly modulate brain activity in a way that can alleviate anxiety symptoms, reduce pain and inflammation, regulate movement and posture control and improve cognitive function.

CBD products are sold mainly for conditions including anxiety, acne, epilepsy and inflammation management — many of which are rampant among teenagers.

60% of CBD consumers use the supplement to treat anxiety

Source: The New York Times Sophomore wrestler William Suttle first tried CBD oil after a rotator cuff sprain. He was suffering from moderate shoulder pain when his father decided to try CBD oil on him.

"It just relaxes muscles a little," Suttle said. "It temporarily felt better, but overall, it didn't really improve."

Medical Director Scott Dorfman takes a pragmatic approach to the CBD craze. As a physician, he prefers products that are corroborated by research and data.

Several clinical trials have examined CBD as a treatment.

Even with minimal sample sizes, Dorfman does not doubt the research studies.

"They have tested small numbers, but the results are significant," he said.

According to Dorfman, the trials demonstrated notable improvements in three conditions with CBD treatment: social anxiety disorder, insomnia and chronic pain.

"Just because it hasn't been proven scientifically doesn't mean that it hasn't helped people," Dorfman said. "We just have to see what the research says."

Dorfman is wary of claims that CBD cures other psychiatric disorders or even cancer.

The CBD market is particularly thriving in suburban Houston. House Bill 1325, passed in June by Texas lawmakers, authorizes the regulated production and sale of hemp and hemp-derived products across the state.

Speciality CBD stores are popping up everywhere, including in Rice Village, Upper Kirby and the Heights. Sacred Leaf Wellness in Rice Village serves adults and adolescents. CBD Apothecary on Kirby Drive acts as both a CBD store and an alternative coffee shop, serving the increasingly popular CBD-infused beverage.

The growing popularity of CBD can also be attributed to its ability to adapt to consumer preferences. Since the herbal supplement comes in so many forms, including lotions, balms, oils, creams and even gummy bears, it appeals to a wide audience.

Kroger recently began selling CBD products, emblematic of their increasingly mainstream appeal. The CBD industry is highly unregulated, according to Dorfman. Its lack of FDA approval and status as a vitamin supplement increases the likelihood of dangerous claims by CBD companies and a greater risk of undeclared contaminants.

"The market is unregulated, so the advertising is unregulated," Dorfman said. "Vendors can put whatever they want on a label, so when you buy something off the shelf, you might not be getting what you think you are."

Although CBD is on the rise, many professionals still doubt the new supplement.

Director of Clinical Services Tesa Stark adheres to the official stance of the American Association of Pediatrics, which advises parents to be cautious of the medical claims surrounding CBD. "I just don't think there's enough scientific evidence to back up these claims," she said.

Upper School Counselor and former Freedom from Chemical Dependency counselor Ashley Le Grange also doubts the validity of CBD. "I think it's bogus," Le Grange said.

One of the many percieved appeals of CBD is its low risk of addiction, due to minimal concentrations of THC. Le Grange worries that this notion is misconceived.

"It is a derivative of marijuana, which is the most addictive drug," she said. "It's so new, so we don't know how dangerous it could be."

Adolescents taking CBD should be cautious when it comes to drug testing.

"There is a possibility that with CBD use, you could test positive on a drug test for marijuana because there are small traces of THC," Dorfman said. "But CBD could also be a scapegoat for those actually consuming illegal cannabis."

CBD use in adolescents could also be harmful due to lack of information regarding long-term effects.

"We don't have enough information with CBD — if you take it when you are 12, we don't know what will happen when you are 60," Dorfman said.

While Dorfman does not consider CBD inherently harmful, he is concerned that people with diagnosed illnesses might attempt to self-medicate.

"That's what I would really worry about — people with anxiety, depression, maybe to some extent with epilepsy, neglecting the proven therapies for those issues," he said. "You don't want those illnesses to go unchecked in people who are just focusing on CBD as a panacea."

For some, CBD is just an easy fix for problems that companies attempt to cash in on.

"It's just part of our capitalist society," Dorfman said.

$16 billion projected value of CBD industry by 2025

Source: Forbes

Photo illustration and design by Leila Pulaski

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Alumni authors release new books A new slate from SJS writers ranges from a ghost story to a biography to an A-Z picture book about Broadway

THE REVIEW

Katherine Center ('90) wrote her first novel in sixth grade, but her writing has evolved from that early Duran Duran fanfiction. Center now focuses on struggle, resilience and finding ways to savor moments of grace while implementing a hopeful, comedic tone. After winning a creative writing scholarship from St. John's, she attended Vassar College, where she majored in creative writing and won the Vassar Fiction Prize. She published her first novel, "The Bright Side of Disaster," in 2007. She has published six more novels, including "How to Walk Away" (2018) and "Things You Save in a Fire" (2019), both of which made the New York Times bestseller list. "Things You Save in a Fire" tells the story of a female firefighter who returns to her hometown of Boston to be with her ailing mother. In her new firehouse, she encounters sexism and must learn the value of strength, vulnerability, forgiveness and courage. Center's 2013 novel, "The Lost Husband," has been adapted into a feature film starring Josh Duhamel and Leslie Bibb, and her new novel, "What You Wish For," is slated for release in July 2020.

13

Ben Moser ('94) graduated from Brown University in 1998 with a degree in history and went on to Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where he received his MA and PhD. Moser worked as a literary columnist for Harper's Magazine and The New York Times Book Review. He has also written for The New Yorker, CondĂŠ Nast Traveler and The New York Review of Books. As a writer, editor and translator, Moser wrote about Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector in "Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector," as well as "The Works of Clarice Lispector in English Translation." The Brazilian government awarded him the first State Prize in Cultural Diplomacy for promoting Lispector's work around the world. With a talent for biographies, Moser most recently released "Sontag: Her Life and Work," exploring the life of American writer Susan Sontag. Moser spoke at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston on Oct. 7 to discuss his latest novel.

By Sophia Lima Design by Mira Thakur

John Allman ('09), whose father was headmaster of St. John's from 1998 to 2009, did not devote his career to writing. Allman attended Northwestern University, where he studied communications, film and media, and art history. He worked at NBC Universal for three years and then received his MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business. Still living in New York City, Allman now works for HBO as a manager of digital and social media marketing. With a passion for theater, he wrote as more of a hobby. His first book "A is for Audra" is an A-Z book about leading ladies on Broadway and is illustrated by Peter Emmerich. The book was released on Nov. 12.

After graduating from St. John's, New York Times best-selling young adult author Katharine McGee ('06) studied English and French literature at Princeton, later completing her MBA at Stanford. During her undergraduate years, McGee contemplated the idea of "castle envy," a notion that "the American psyche is missing out on something because Americans don't have a royal family of their own." Castle envy was the inspiration for her latest novel, "American Royals," the first book of her newest series in which George Washington accepts the offer to become king after the Revolutionary War. The novel takes place 250 years later, when the House of Washington still holds the throne. "American Royals" was McGee's follow-up to her hugely successful "The Thousandth Floor" trilogy. "American Royals" was recently voted a Goodreads Choice Award finalist.

Katherine Arden ('06), who was in the same Upper School advisory as fellow writer Katharine McGee, also drew literary inspiration from her college days. Arden graduated from Middlebury in 2011 with a degree in French and Russian, and she later lived in Moscow.

Combining her knowledge of icy climates and Russian literature, Arden, also a New York Times best-selling author, wrote her first series, the "Winternight" trilogy, which takes place in Moscow on the edge of the Russian wilderness. The female protagonist, Vasya, has the power to communicate with the mythological creatures of tales she was told about as a child. In 2018, Arden released "Small Spaces," a ghost story for middle grade readers. Its follow-up novel, "Dead Voices," was released in August.

14

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Intense ďŹ eld hockey victory caps SPC weekend

An emotional girls' field hockey team celebrates their SPC victory. Their SPC winning streak culminated in an intense standoff against Kinkaid. The scoreless game went into double overtime, and the girls finally clutched the trophy after scoring 3 penalty shots during the 1v1 shootout. Photo by Filo Castore

Emmanuel Sgourous, left, and captain Davis Thames sprint to the finish line at SPC, held in Spring Creek. The boys' cross country team finished in second place. Photo by Ray Reza

Captain Nova Manning celebrates the team's victory over Fort Worth Country Day. After a difficult struggle against Episcopal High School, the girls' volleyball team finished with a five-set win over John Cooper for third place. Photo by Caroline Pressler

From left, captains Catie Beck and Julia Jones, Caroline Thames, Nora Doughty and Natalie Boquist start their 5K race. The girls' cross country team seized third place at SPC, surpassing last year's seventh place. Photo by Ray Reza

Jules Nunn and Jackson Peakes jump high during the volleyball game against the Casady School. Boys' volleyball lost to Casady in straight sets in their opener and finished with a 3-1 win over Kinkaid for fifth place. Photo by Lucy Cai Lu

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

THE REVIEW

15

TRUE RIVAL? Knights threaten longstanding tradition Story by Megan Chang Illustrations by Gabe de la Cruz and Angela Xu

T

hey are the biggest games of the year, in any sport, especially when an SPC title is on the line. But who is our true rival, Episcopal or Kinkaid?

Kinkaid has been St. John's rival, both academically and athletically, since 1946.

Nearly forty years later, Episocpal High School was founded and began to challenge Kinkaid's spot as St. John's true rival.

Dwight Raulston ('71), who started as a student at St. John's in second grade, has been a faculty member since 1982. During his time as a student, Kinkaid was our only rival simply because Episcopal (established in 1983) didn't exist yet.

According to Raulston, St. John's and Kinkaid were the two largest private schools in Houston for a long time. Parents would regularly compete to see whose kids could gain admission at the preeminent schools in the area.

"When there are only two [schools] that dominate, they are naturally going to be rivals," Raulston said.

For older alumni, Kinkaid is the true rival, and their intense feelings about this rivalry persist. The longstanding tradition of Kinkaid Week and the annual game held at Rice Stadium since 1979 is a de facto reunion for alumni from both schools.

The large crowds contribute to the energy of the big game. This year's game drew a crowd that appeared larger than the college football game between Rice and Marshall that was played the next day.

Kinkaid is also viewed as our true rival by students in grades K-8. Episcopal only has a high school, so Lower School and Middle School teams do not have an Episcopal counterpart.

This year, the Kinkaid Game had added importance because it determined which team would advance to the SPC championship game.

"We can always bounce back from the Episcopal Game, but the Kinkaid Game ends the season," senior captain Stuart Wallace said.

Sentiments differ in the Upper School, where athletes and recent alumni regard Episcopal as a bigger rival.

Football captains cite Episcopal and Episcopal School of Dallas as their two biggest rivals, but Kinkaid is more of a traditional rival, and there is a mutual feeling of respect among the players. The captains said that games against Episcopal and ESD have an added "chippiness" that games against Kinkaid lack.

Raulston said that in the early 2000's, the rivalry

between Episcopal and St. John's began to grow due to increased interaction between students from both schools. Over the last decade, students have indicated that they feel the competition against Episcopal more intensely, and they get more emotional because of the overlapping friend groups.

"It's more personal," Raulston said. "It's like a grudge match."

Football players is not the only athletes that consider Episcopal their true rival.

"The team is always so excited to play against Episcopal," girls' volleyball captain Nova Manning said. "There is always a lot of good intensity, and whenever we win a point, everyone goes crazy."

Raulston says that Kinkaid Week is more about tradition and inertia.

"If kids have an excuse to go nuts for a week, they are not going to give that up," Raulston said. "So what you see instead is more buildup around some of the Episcopal games."

According to coach and P.E. instructor Stobie Whitmore ('68), when Episcopal entered the rivalry picture in 1984, our spirited, friendly rivalry with Kinkaid changed.

"Both St. John's and Kinkaid took on a kind of brotherhood or sisterhood, and then Episcopal took on the role of the new kid on the block," Whitmore said.

"When you do that, it creates this spirit of our school wanting to beat a long-time rival of Kinkaid, but also not wanting to lose to the new kid."

Whitmore, who played his last Kinkaid game in 1967, understands the true value of rivalry.

"Rivalries can make the joy of winning and the disappointment of losing more meaningful," Whitmore said. "There is more pressure, but the victory is sweeter."

Senior athletes sign at National Letter of Intent ceremony

By Sara Doyle and Indrani Maitra

W

hile it is almost always teeming with students during lunch, Senior Country was nearly vacant on Nov. 15 as seniors funneled into the Fine Arts Annex to support four of their fellow athletes.

On National Signing Day, students who have committed to Division I schools sign a binding National Letter of Intent, expressing that they will enter college as NCAA student athletes.

Seniors signed their official letters at home on Nov. 13.

National Signing Day was observed at school two days later.

"I felt really proud watching them sign," senior Asher Moll said. "It was awesome getting to see all of my friends' hard work pay off."

Beckett Vine, All-SPC in 2019, signed to play baseball at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Vine will join the Waves as a catcher.

Houston Chronicle's Girls Golfer of the Year Christine Wang committed to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles to play golf.

Mary VanLoh (University of Virginia) and Amelia Williams (University of Iowa), members of the back-to-back SPC champion field hockey team, will take their talents to the collegiate field hockey level. VanLoh will play as a forward and midfielder for the Cavaliers, and Williams will play goalie for the Hawkeyes.

The seniors were joined by friends, coaches and family to celebrate their accomplishments. Verbal commitments, typically made junior or early senior year, depending on the sport, display a level of athletic achievement and hard work.

Signing Day confirms this agreement.

"It was nice having all my friends and family there because they know how hard I've been working to reach that point," Vine said.

Beckett Vine (Pepperdine baseball), Mary VanLoh (Virginia field hockey), Amelia Williams (Iowa field hockey) and Christine Wang (USC golf) celebrate with family and friends on National Signing Day. Photo by Helen McDaniel

16

THE REVIEW

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Former Kinkaid football coach joins Mavericks

By Ashley Yen

T

he Mavericks and Falcons have been rivals for years, but it has been common for coaches to switch sides on the football field.

The past three Maverick Head Football Coaches have all come from Kinkaid, and Kevin Veltri is the latest, following Steve Gleaves and Lamar "Skip" Lee. Growing up in Kismet, Kansas, a town of approximately 300 people, Veltri always knew he wanted to coach at a small school similar to his high school.

After attending the University of Kansas, Veltri moved to Houston with his wife. He coached football for five years at Fort Bend Christian Academy and for another five years at Kinkaid before coming to St. John's.

"I loved my time at Kinkaid, but the whole time I was there, I said there would only be one other school I would coach at: St. John's," Veltri said. "In Houston, there's really only Kinkaid and St. John's that offer that family, hometown atmosphere."

Before fully committing to football, Veltri originally hoped to be both a music teacher and coach. After attending college and working for Kansas football, he "fell in love" with the sport.

The Mavericks finished their season undefeated at home on Skip Lee Field and 6-3 overall, placing second in their division. In his first season, Veltri worked on establishing a familial culture.

"We believe in love and sacrifice for each other," Veltri said. "I want everyone to feel like they're part of the program and that they're loved."

Veltri hopes that by creating a close team atmosphere, players can "recruit the hallways" to increase participation in football.

"We want people to feel like they're part of something greater than themselves," Veltri said.

College Counselor Kenley Turville, who worked at KHS as Upper School Dean for the past two years, was surprised to see the level of enthusiasm for football at St. John's.

"The thought is that football isn't a big deal here," Turville said, "but I have been impressed with the number of kids who plan their Friday evening around the football game."

Part of this perception stems from Kinkaid's admission policy, which prioritizes admissions for legacy families and children of faculty. As a result, Turville notes, Kinkaid families tend to value football tradition more

Head Coach Kevin Veltri addresses the team after the Kinkaid Game.

Veltri previously coached at Kinkaid for five years.

Photo by Grace Randall

than St. John's.

At Kinkaid, schedules are adjusted for the longer pep rallies so that all students are involved. Turville says this schedule change contributes to the students' enthusiasm.

Gleaves, who coached at Kinkaid for 11 years before coming to SJS, said that although Kinkaid emphasizes athletics more, both schools value rivalry and tradition. "[Kinkaid] Week has really always been the same even when I was on the other side at Kinkaid," Gleaves said.

"It's a neat deal to have a rivalry like that, and it's a special week."

Before coming to SJS in 2013, English teacher Warren Rawson, who taught at Kinkaid for 12 years, enjoyed the tradition of dressing up like the rival school. At Kinkaid, on "Mock the Mavericks" day, students don their "nerd" attire and tape their glasses, strolling through the hallways with rolling backpacks, pocket protectors and TI-84 calculators.

"St. John's' traditions are a little less extravagant and less over the top," Rawson said, "but it's just fun to pretend to be somebody else for a day."

Each year, Kinkaid's football team hosts a steak dinner with a guest speaker. The Mavs hosted a similar dinner on the Tuesday before the game.

According to Gleaves, Kinkaid Week can be a distraction for players, which requires finding a balance between football and social activities.

"You rock along all season, and then you get to the Kinkaid Week and throw all your routines out the window," Gleaves said.

Veltri and the team tried to maintain consistency and focus throughout the season.

"Playing in Rice Stadium is exciting for the players, but the field is still 100 yards long," Veltri said. "Just being out there and seeing the tall bleachers and big scoreboard is a different atmosphere."

On Friday, Nov. 1, The Mavs lost to the Falcons 41 to 7.

Despite the loss, Turville remains optimistic.

"A healthy rivalry is a fun way to boost school spirit," Turville said. "When you have a common enemy, your team becomes so much stronger."

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

17

Feminism ≠ extremism

How misconceptions skew the movement

St. John's School 2401 Claremont Lane Houston, TX 77019 review.sjs@gmail.com sjsreview.com SNO Distinguished Site 2018-2019 Facebook SJS Review Twitter @SJS_Review Instagram @sjsreview

Member National Scholastic Press Assn.

Pacemaker Finalist 2019 Pacemaker 2015, 2018

Member Columbia Scholastic Press Assn.

Crown Finalist 2020 Gold Crown 2015 Silver Crown 2014, 2016-2019

Blue and Gold Award 2019 Editors-in-Chief Izzy Andrews (Content), Mia Fares (Administrative), Sophia Lima (Managing), Leila Pulaski (Design) Online Editors-in-Chief SJ Lasley, Sinclair Mott

By Sara Doyle

"I

am not a feminist. I mean, I believe that men and women should have equal opportunities, but I wouldn't call myself a feminist."

I've heard similar sentiments, on TV, social media and even at school.

Too often people are misinformed or uninformed about feminism. Stripped down to its core, a feminist believes in the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.

I am a feminist because I shouldn't have to feel belittled simply due to my biological sex. I have two X chromosomes, so somehow I'm less qualified? I shouldn't have to work extra hard to prove that I belong or that I'm just as capable as a man.

In today's divisive climate, the term "feminist" has been stigmatized and is now synonymous with misandry, the contempt for or ingrained prejudice against men.

Extremists have painted feminists as angry women who burn bras and take offense to men who hold the door open or pay for a first date.

A few years ago, I would've been too scared to call myself a feminist — fearful of what people might assume. Sure, I believe in gender equality, I'd say, making sure to avoid the term "feminist."

Today, I am a proud feminist.

My discomfort with being categorized as a feminist was not the fault of the movement itself, but rather its perception.

I am a feminist, but I don't hate men, and I don't think I'm inherently better than men.

I'm what you could call stereotypically girly: I go shopping with friends, I love watching rom-coms and I get excited when I get the chance to dress up. My image doesn't fit what many people see as the typical feminist. Why should I have to defend my identity to anyone? Why does a single word, which only seeks to promote gender equality, hold so many negative connotations?

I recently spoke to a friend who said that the definition of feminism had shifted. "It no longer means that men and women are equal," he said. "Therefore, I am an equalist, and I refuse to be labeled as a feminist because of the negative connotations surrounding it."

I struggled with this same problem just two years ago, but it's important to remember that there are extremists in every movement. Some women call themselves feminists and also

Illustration by Celine Huang happen to believe that we should be living in a matriarchy, but that does not mean it's a common belief throughout the entire movement.

These misconceptions stem from a lack of awareness. There is no denying that this movement comes with a lot of baggage, but why do we let it? Progress will be dampened if people who do believe in equality of the sexes find reasons not to associate themselves with the movement. Instead of trying to escape the negative perception, we should be working to change it.

You don't have to label yourself as a feminist to truly believe in gender equality, but progress will happen much faster if people are unified and working together to make change happen.

The notion that men cannot be feminists is another common misconception.

"I don't think any guys can call themselves a feminist," one of my male peers said to me. His reasoning was that he will never understand what women go through because he cannot relate to our struggles, and thus he should not be part of the movement.

While I see where he is coming from, change cannot occur when only women have a seat at the table. Social change cannot happen without social acceptance and acknowledgment from both sexes. Feminism affects both men and women because strict gender norms inhibit individuals of both genders.

Everyone should be free to feel any way they want — whether that be feminine, masculine or anywhere in between or beyond.

Feminism is not about freezing men out or shoving "girl power" in their faces. It's about gender equality for everyone so that no one feels constrained to societal gender norms and everyone is given equal opportunities.

Assistant Online Editors-in-Chief Laney Chang, Fareen Dhuka Assignment Editors Noura Jabir, Abigail Poag Online Section Editors Megan Chang, Ashley Yen Video Editor Ryan Doughty Design Editor Taylor Britton Photography Editor Claire Seinsheimer Visuals Editor Celine Huang Business Manager Mehak Batra Copy Editors Sara Doyle, Indrani Maitra, Ella West Staff

Maira Ansari, Aatiqah Aziz, Wilson Bailey, Mia Baumann, Max Beard, Katya Bigman, Kennedy Black, Natalie Boquist, Camille Carleton, Edward Chen, Ella Chen, Gabe de la Cruz, Olivia Doan, Cameron Ederle, Lydia Gafford, Diane Guo, Wenqing He, Matthew Hensel, Natasha Janssens, Sophia Jazaeri, Ethan Kinsella, Rahul Lal, Russell Li, Bailey Maierson, Afraaz Malick, Lily McCullough, Lizzie Mickiewicz, Hamzah Mir, Ellie Monday, Leonardo Morales, Sierra Ondo, Caroline Pressler, Davis Rae, Grace Randall, Jack Ringold, Rahul Rupani, Matthew Samson-Williams, Keval Shah, Maxx Shearod, Julia Smith, Gabrielle Solymosy, Mira Thakur, Angela Xu, Chloe Zhao

Advisers David Nathan, Shelley Stein ('88), Chuy Benitez Mission Statement The Review strives to report on issues with integrity, 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 five times during the school year. We mail each issue — free of charge — to every Upper School household with an additional 1,000 copies distributed on campus to our 694 students and 98 faculty.

I am shocked that there are still people who don't consider themselves feminists because they believe the movement is too "angry" or care too much about people's perception of them.

I should be able to call myself a feminist and advocate for my rights without feeling ashamed or miscategorized. Whether or not you consider yourself a feminist, though, everyone must work together to combat gender inequality that, unfortunately, still plagues our world.

You aren't wrong or immoral if you don't call yourself a feminist, but I do urge you to educate those around you who aren't fully aware of what feminism is truly fighting for.

If you believe in the equality of the sexes, I hope that you feel even a little bit more confident about calling yourself a feminist.

Feminism is not a tool with which women hope to drag men down. It's simply an idea of fairness and acceptance. It's the hope that everyone can express themselves, feel empowered and have the opportunity to do whatever they want.

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 columns are encouraged but are subject to editing for reasons of clarity, space, accuracy and taste. On occasion, we will publish letters anonymously.

The Review reserves the right not to print letters received. Letters and guest columns can be emailed to review.sjs@gmail.com or hand-delivered to the Review room (Q210).

18

SJSREVIEW.COM

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Learning new languages requires risks, passion

Illustration and design by Mia Fares

By Mia Fares

A

s Charlemagne once said, "To know two languages is to possess a second soul."

When I enrolled in Arabic classes in eighth grade in addition to Middle School French, I never thought I was gaining a new soul. Slowly, I recognized that my teacher opened a whole new world for me. She refused to give me grammar rules and instead insisted on training my ears to the sounds. She taught me the cool tricks of the language, like the logical nature of verb tenses and their noun counterparts. She played me Fairuz, a famous Lebanese singer, to practice my pronunciation. That was the first time I realized learning a language was more than grammar tenses and vocab sheets.

I visited my grandparents in Lebanon that summer and felt much more comfortable in my understanding and fluid in my speech. Before, I could understand the phrases my family said to me in Arabic, but I always responded in English. Now, I could partake in my grandparents' banter around the card table or conversations about politics in the Middle East. In subsequent summers, I took every chance to practice my Arabic and French, from ordering ice cream at a local parlor to explaining the #MeToo movement to a French friend.

As high school students, we easily lose sight of the beauty and importance of learning new languages. By fulfilling language requirements, we forget the goal of language-learning and the excitement of communicating with people. As Americans, we expect the rest of the world to speak English but do not always bother to learn the languages of others. Communicating with people in their native tongues opens up doors to understanding them and their cultures while serving as a sign of respect and appreciation. It humanizes people and their perspectives because they can express and communicate in their rawest form.

When we take vocab sheets and conjugation lists at face value, we hyper-dissect language, break it apart and focus too hard on finding the perfect verb tense at all times. We tend to forget that we are not seeking to memorize verbs but rather to speak.

There's a reason spoken languages have evolved; they tend to flow and change when spoken out loud. All the practice we do in school is getting us more experience.

Conventional wisdom says that kids learn language better than adults, but all is not lost for those seeking to learn a new language in their teen years. A study by MIT cognitive scientists revealed that adults have the capacity to achieve native-level mastery of a language as well as children, even though they achieve fluency at a slower pace. The likeliest possibility for this disparity stems from children being exposed to languages longer than adults dedicate to learning languages.

Children also do not hesitate to try to speak an imperfected tongue whereas teens and adults feel more self-conscious trying. It is impossible to get anything from new languages if you do not put yourself out there. Language learning requires you to be bold and passionate. You must speak without thinking through the perfect conjugation and allow your ears to guide you.

As students, our participation and enthusiasm in language classes is key to learning how to speak a language without planning each sentence. Go out on a limb and try speaking your mind without thinking too much about the words coming out. Take advantage of the opportunity to practice with a human translator and corrector. Your teacher is right there in class.

Stop looking at language as classes to be dropped as soon as you meet the graduation requirements. Take a risk and start that new language you've always wanted to learn.

We need to start looking at world language offerings for what they are: opportunities to learn something you may never have access to again. I have met a number of adults who have expressed regret for not sticking with Spanish in high school or stopping French in college.

We live in Houston, one of the most diverse cities in the country, where 48.13% of our population is multilingual. Houstonians speak over 145 languages combined, and only New York City and Los Angeles top that number in the US. Language is in our backyard, so you decide what statistic you want to fall under.

Language shouldn't just be about practicality either. If you are not genuinely excited about learning a language, it will be so much harder. Enroll in the languages you're enthusiastic to learn, even if your parents may not think it worthwhile.

When our attitude toward language learning changes, the possibilities will be endless. Imagine having more language offerings, perhaps Arabic or Japanese or Russian or Hindi or Portuguese. This could be possible if students were willing to put themselves out there and try something unfamiliar. I promise it will be worth it.

If you're wondering how you can get more passionate about the language you are currently taking, start by listening to music and watching movies or shows in that language. Perhaps explore idiomatic phrases; the roots of these expressions are truly fascinating.

Next time you talk with a non-native English speaker, pick up on the wording or structure of their sentences that sound a little off to your native English ears — it's probably because they are expressing their thoughts in the way that is most familiar to them. When I speak other languages, I become aware of my own English-derived structures and phrasings and how those may be expressed in other tongues.

If nothing else, learning languages opens up a whole new world of possibilities when searching for options on Netflix.

Data from worldpopulationreview.com and visithoustontexas.com

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

SJSREVIEW.COM

19

Portraits by Lizzie Mickiewicz

60 seconds with Jazzy Juniors

LILA CARY

Nickname Lila girl Dream job Veterinarian Weird hobby Tic-tac-toe Quirk Memorized entire Bible Theme song "There's Your Trouble" by The Dixie Chicks Love to hate Eggplant parmesan Hate to love Jeffree Star Relationship status Wouldn't you like to know...

Red carpet date David Dobrik Phobia People who chew gum really loud Doppleganger My siblings #onlychildproblems Known for My dad Book The Great Gatsby Slogan Sis Allergies E-boys Follow me? @lilacary_

WILL SCOTTY Nickname Scotty Dream job SoundCloud rapper Weird hobby Making rock operas Quirk My psychic prowess Theme song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Love to hate Rules Hate to love Grey's Anatomy Relationship status Married to the game Red carpet date Taylor Swift Phobia Tornadoes Doppleganger Post Malone Known for Peace and love Book The Very Hungry Caterpillar Slogan Slime Allergies Haters Follow me? @will.scotty

20

SJSREVIEW.COM

TRENDING ON

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

GRACE RANDALL

SJS vs. Kinkaid game: Photo Gallery Review photographers snapped close-up shots of game plays, cheerleading routines and spirited fans during the SJS vs. Kinkaid game on Nov. 1.

Photos by Grace Randall, Bailey Maierson

LANEY CHANG

Fall One Acts cast transforms into zombies From executing combat sequences to wearing fake skin, the Fall One Acts cast performed two shows on Oct. 20 in the Black Box Theater. Video editor Ryan Doughty goes behind the scenes in his video featuring footage of rehearsals, costuming and the set.

Filmed and edited by Ryan Doughty, story by Mia Baumann

THOMAS CHANG

Senior pursues singing, songwriting, performing Scotty Malcolm released his first EP over the summer, and his band performed at White Oak Music Hall on Sept. 29.

Produced by Ryan Doughty, edited by Keval Shah, story by SJ Lasley

SOPHIA JAZAERI

Freshmen participate in Day of Service, give back to community Freshmen volunteered at senior centers, grade schools and state parks on Oct. 16. This collection of stories details the experiences of Review staff writers.

Stories by Cameron Ederle, Alice Xu, Natalie Boquist, Jack Bray, Natasha Janssens

XIAOHUI LI

Cross-country teams compete at South Zone On Oct. 28, four members of the girls’ team were named AllSouth Zone medalists, and eight runners on the boys’ team finished in the top 20 during the South Zone meet.

Stories by Wilson Bailey, Natalie Boquist