November 2016 Issue

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Special Election Section Review • St. John’s School • sjsreview.com

2401 Claremont Lane Houston, TX 77019 Vol. 68. Issue 2.

November 8, 2016

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News 2

Review | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

In Brief

7th grade goes to Utah

On Nov. 7, seventh grade students departed for Utah as a part of a renewed initiative for experiential education at SJS. After 15 years of traveling to Washington D.C., Director of Experimental Education Marty Thompson decided to try something new.

“It’s not easy to take 120 seventh graders anywhere, especially somewhere with as many urban distractions as D.C.,” Thompson said. “We felt it important to find a trip that cut out urban noise.”

The trip will feature hikes in Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park, as well as kayaking in Lake Powell, accompanied by discussions with members of the nearby Navajo nation.

By Eli Maierson

History Channel documents Hyperloop team Team Hyperlift, a group of six SJS students aiming to create a new mode of transportation, will be featured on a new History Channel show “Project Impossible” in June.

The episode will focus on engineering challenges that the Hyperlift team confronts in planning out a system of high-speed transport for people and goods. Team Hyperlift is made up of juniors Elizabeth Awad, Michael He and Robert Gottschalk and seniors Katie Malcolm and Jonathan Bloom. Senior Andrew Awad leads the team.

The team is designing and building a pod for the Hyperloop competition, held by SpaceX and created by Elon Musk, which travels through a tube and levitates on a thin boundary of air. The group was the only high school team out of 30 teams advancing to the final stage of the competition, which will take place in January in Hawthorne, California. Team Hyperlift will have its testing weekend on Nov. 17-18 to demonstrate that all of their systems are fully operational.

The team was filmed for “Project Impossible” buying parts and making their pod in October and will be filmed again at their January competition.

By Manar Ansari

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Nov. 18 Grandparents and Special Friends Day Visit sjsreview.com for daily news updates

-Jennifer Welch

FCD survey addresses perceptions By | Christian Maines

In December 2015, students completed a comprehensive survey on substance abuse designed to evaluate the extent of drug and alcohol usage by Middle and Upper School students. The results of that survey show a disparity between expectations and reality.

Speakers from Freedom from Chemical Dependency Prevention Works came to campus Oct. 21 to present the findings of the Student Attitudes and Behavior Survey.

An email sent out last year by then-Interim Dean of Students Elisa Inman stated that the survey was designed to measure “students’ actual attitudes and behavior with regard to alcohol and other drugs, as well as their perceptions of the behavior and attitudes of their peers.”

FCD delivered presentations to the upperclassmen and underclassmen separately. In the presentation to upperclassmen, FCD spokeswoman Stephanie Kootsikas Voyles suggested that students’ perceptions of substance abuse greatly overestimate the actual usage of drugs and alcohol by members of the Upper School commugrace sanders nity.

“The main takeaway was that exactly what we Rodney Poole, a spokesman for Freedom from Chemical Dependency Prevention expect to happen across the country happened Works, discusses findings from a 2015 survey of substance use in the Upper School. in our community,” Director of Wellness Jennifer The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports porting the trend of substance abuse increasing Welch said. “More kids believe that their peers that, in a nationwide 2016 survey, 21.3 percent among older students. are using than actually are.”

In her presentation, Voyles also emphasized According to the FCD survey, 39 percent of of 12th graders had used marijuana in the last month, and 35.3 percent had used alcohol, sugthe consequences of alcohol use by higher-risk current seniors believed their classmates typically gesting that substance abuse statistics at St. John’s drinkers.

At least once over the last 12 months, drink once a week or more, yet only five percent 85 percent got sick, vomited or had a hangover; of juniors reported drinking once a week or more fall far below national averages.

Welch is working with Upper School counselor 44 percent got into regrettable sexual situations at the time.

Kelly McCarty to take measures to limit the ex- and 30 percent were hurt or injured.

After FCD presented to parents on Oct. 20, In explaining the results of the survey, Voyles Welch observed that the adult audience came tent of the drug and alcohol usage by students in also shared her own battle with alcoholism and away from the presentation with doubts about all levels of the school community.

“We’re talking about utilizing peer leaders to her decision to quit using drugs and alcohol the validity of the survey. try to do peer mentoring,” Welch said, “increas- when she turned 21.

“Feedback that I have received from some par“I thought it was cool, I thought it made me ents indicates that they have some concerns,” ing the likelihood that people making healthy choices regarding substance use do talk about it.” fit in, and I thought it would get people to like Welch said. “They’re worried our kids are drinkNext semester, substance abuse prevention me,” Voyles said. “As a result of that process, I ing and using drugs more often than what’s indiefforts may include class-wide seminars. These developed the disease of alcoholism.” cated in the survey.”

Voyles left students with some advice about Welch stated that, according to FCD, if parents seminars may involve classes about awareness education regarding substances. the choice between using and avoiding drugs and expect that students are using drugs or alcohol Welch hopes that substance abuse prevention alcohol. more than they actually are, this perception will initiatives may continue through the new adviso“When you talk about making healthy choices with fuel actual substance abuse. ry program or assemblies after FCD prevention substances, I want you to be aware of the fact that “Kids respond to what their parents’ expectaspecialists return in January for intensive student you have a choice,” Voyles said. “It is your choice.” tions are,” Welch said. “If we have parents who believe we have a lot of kids drinking and using education.

Plans to address substance abuse by upperclassdrugs, I worry that it makes it more likely that men reflect Welch’s own findings, which revealed kids will.”

The FCD report stated that 16 percent of the that the number of seniors who had used drugs class of 2016 typically used marijuana once a or alcohol at home without their parents’ knowlmonth or more, whereas 70 percent believe their edge exceeded that of juniors and sophomores classmates typically use marijuana that often. combined.

Only 27 students were identified in the surFCD and Dr. Welch claim that these numbers vey as “higher-risk drinkers,” meaning that they support their conclusions. had consumed five or more drinks in one sit“Within this school community, most of the students don’t actually smoke marijuana,” Voyles ting during the last 30 days. Of those students, of students feel 19 were seniors at the time of the survey, supsaid.

79%

What percentage of students have used drugs or alcohol at home without a parent’s knowledge?

that SJS is making efforts to address substance abuse

90%

23% of juniors

10% of freshmen

Visit sjsreview.com for further coverage

Nov. 9-12 Review travels to Indianapolis

Kids respond to what their parents’ expectations are … If we have parents who believe we have a lot of kids drinking and using drugs, I worry that it makes it more likely that kids will.

13%

of sophomores

42%

of students feel valued as a person at SJS

of seniors

95% of students feel that teachers and school staff care about them Data from FCD Survey of St. John’s Upper and Middle School Graphics by Ashwini Bandi and Aileen Zhang

SJSREVIEW.COM | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

News 3

Trustees create ad hoc diversity committee

REYGAN JONES

Headmaster Mark Desjardins fields questions at an Oct. 20 African-American Affinity Group meeting. Desjardins and AAAG sponsor Kimberly Olan (’87) are both members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Community, which seeks to identify ways to ensure a school environment based on mutual respect and inclusion.

By | Irene Vazquez The Board of Trustees approved the formation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Community in response to separate incidents involving racially insensitive communications that offended many in the school community.

Dawn Hanson, a former trustee and parent of two St. John’s graduates, and Karen Lu, a trustee and parent of two alumni and a fifth grade student, have been appointed co-chairs of the committee, which also consists of former and current trustees, teachers, parents and Headmaster Mark Desjardins.

In an email sent to parents and faculty on Oct. 19, Desjardins described the committee’s mission as identifying “specific actions that will be taken to ensure that we have a school environment and community based on mutual respect, inclusion and diversity.”

Desjardins likened the group to a think tank.

The committee met for an introductory meeting Oct. 24. Desjardins envisions that the committee will try to understand the current tensions in the school and take initiative to learn from them.

According to Kimberly Olan (’87), committee member and African-American Affinity Group (AAAG) sponsor, the committee is still largely in the planning stages, so it does not have the concrete plans and details that many students desire.

“As an affinity group sponsor, responsible for so many students in two affinity groups, I’m wearing these two hats,” Olan said.

“You can’t speak for everybody; I can only speak for my experience.”

Olan added that she looks forward to the school bringing in experts on the subject of racial diversity to provide her with the needed skills for future affinity group dealings and possible racial issues.

As one of two African-American alumni serving on the committee, Olan hopes to promote a more open community than existed during her years at St. John’s (1981-1987), a time when the school mascot was still the Rebels and the school did not officially observe Martin Luther King Day. “Our parents’ motto was to just shut up and be glad you’re here,” Olan said. “You’re just taught how to pull up your bootstraps and deal with it.”

Since the committee’s first meeting, Desjardins and Hanson have met with AAAG in hopes of encouraging communication between the committee and students.

Hanson answered questions and took note of specific racially-charged incidents in the African-American community.

“You have been hearing these hurtful comments, and you have handled them with dignity. In all of this, do not lose sight of your ambitions,” Hanson said. “But we definitely plan for intentional ways of addressing these concerns and engaging our community in working toward a respectful and inclusive environment.”

Desjardins foresees student input in future committee action.

“I believe in student empowerment and student leadership,” Desjardins said. “I hope one of the outcomes of this committee is that if a situation like this happens again, the students can assume a greater leadership role.”

In the meantime, history teacher and East Asian Affinity Group sponsor Jack Soliman has more concrete goals in mind. According to Soliman, the new schedule limits meaningful affinity group discussions.

“We have to look at the schedule and see where we can accommodate opportunities to have that dialogue,” Soliman said.

“In the daVinci periods, students have commitments to fine arts,

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performing arts— that’s half our kids that can’t attend meetings, and we’re missing out.”

The committee seeks to better understand how to foster open and honest dialogue over controversial issues both inside and outside the classroom.

“Students generally know how to interact in the classroom respectfully and honestly,” Soliman said. “It’s how they interact outside the classroom where a lot of the tension grows.”

Soliman noted that this election cycle has not modeled respectful, open dialogue.

For Director or Spiritual Life Ned Mulligan, encouraging honest conversation is an essential part of his educational process as a history teacher. His courses, Justice and Inequity in the 21st Century and Religion and Politics in America, offer a space to discuss controversial issues in a classroom setting, and he tries to accommodate these conversations in respectful ways.

“That’s what education and critical thinking are all about,” Mulligan said.

As the school has become more diverse, these conversations become more prevalent.

Today, 35 percent of students self-identify as people of color, up from 15 percent just 10 years ago.

“If we’re going to grow the size of our Upper School and have a more diverse population, then we have to make sure we’re equipped to have all our community members feel included and valued,” Soliman said.

The next committee meeting is scheduled for Nov. 28.

“This isn’t just going to stop after this year ends,” Desjardins said. “It’ll keep up for as many years until we get it right.”

News 4

REVIEW | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Losing my religion: classes trump holidays

CAROLINE RAMIREZ

Faced with three tests on Rosh Hashanah, junior Katie Friedman decided to miss religious services in order to attend school. Other non-Christian students and faculty members face similar dilemmas during important religious holidays such as Yom Kippur and Eid.

By | Izzy Andrews and Natasha Faruqui To pray or not to pray, that is the question.

With the recent celebration of important non-Christian religious holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Eid, many students must decide if they will skip school to observe their faith or attend class instead.

Sophomore Warda Mohamed usually takes the day off for Eid, Islam’s most important holiday. This year was the first time she decided to go to school.

“I’m really scared of getting behind, even though it’s just one day,” Mohamed said.

Mohamed’s fear of missing out on schoolwork is echoed by many Jewish and Muslim students. Sophomore Sara Lichtarge missed school in the past to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, but for the past two years, she felt obliged to attend classes.

“When I did go to services instead of school, I found myself feeling the effects of the missed classes as much as a week later,” Lichtarge said.

This dilemma also creates conflict within families. The generation gap between parents and teenagers spurs different perspectives on the importance of religion.

“My dad and my grandfather expect me to go [to the mosque],” Mohamed said. “They get offended that I go to school instead of praying.”

Familial pressures can ultimately compel students to miss the day of school.

“My parents understand how tough missing school is, but they generally won’t budge when it comes to missing the High Holy Holidays,” sophomore Andie Kapiloff said, referring to the 10day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Despite the excessive make-up work, she does not regret her decision to take the day off.

“Knowing I fulfilled my duty as a Jew definitely overrides my stress,” Kapiloff said.

For some religions, attending school is against the fundamental

rules of a holiday. Junior Katie Friedman had three tests scheduled on Rosh Hashanah, and the Jewish ritual forbids work of any type beginning at sundown. Due to her assignments, she decided to leave her family dinner early and miss services the next day in order to attend school.

The new schedule has varying effects on students and teachers seeking to observe religious holidays. Some students feel that the schedule helps them mitigate the stress of missing school.

“On [Day 7], I have no ensemble of any kind and only three classes, limiting the amount of work I have to make up,” sophomore Jonah Pesikoff said.

Thanks to his light workload, Pesikoff took the day off for Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the most important day on the Jewish calendar.

“Had this fallen on a Day 1, when I have no free periods and an ensemble, my choice might be different,” Pesikoff said.

For other students, the new schedule has done more harm than help, citing increased difficulty with scheduling meetings with teachers.

The new schedule can also create difficulty for teachers who choose to take the day off. English Department Chair Rachel Weissenstein observes the Jewish High Holy Days by attending temple and has to arrange for a substitute to cover her classes on those days.

Other schools, including Kinkaid and the Houston Independent School District, solve the dilemma by providing a holiday on Yom Kippur, often dubbed Fall Holiday. In some states, including New York, public holidays for Yom Kippur and Eid are mandated.

“I know there’s such a small Muslim population here,” Mohamed said. “I understand why there’s not a whole day off.”

Some students claim that the school should attempt to encourage understanding and support of other religious beliefs. Mohamed attributes the difficulties faced by students during religous seasons to a lack of awareness of religious holidays.

The school does take steps to ease students’ workload on their

important religious holidays. For the last few years, Rachel Weissenstein has sent an email to all faculty members detailing the Jewish holidays and their dates.

Many teachers try their best to ease the pressure on students who do not attend school for religious observances.

“The faculty works hard to be empathetic and concerned about students, and we are eager to help them make up any work they’ve missed,” Weissenstein said. “Since I also miss school in observance of Yom Kippur, I usually try to make it a light class day.”

Chemistry teacher Sarwat Jafry, a practicing Muslim who chooses not to take the day off for religious holidays, considers a student’s personal religious practices before assigning work and determining due dates for assignments.

“With some religious holidays, students do not have free time during the day at all,” Jafry said. “For that reason, the work and assignments have to be made up afterwards and the due dates have to be accommodating of the student’s schedule.”

Not all teachers change their activities for religious holidays.

“I did have one test moved off Rosh Hashanah, which was immensely helpful,” Kapiloff said. “Most teachers have other assignments pretty much set in stone. If there was some schoolwide policy about homework or tests on those dates, it would be a lot easier to miss school.”

Reverend Ned Mulligan sympathizes with students who feel hassled due to missing school.

“If we’re not doing enough, we should have a conversation,” he said. He also believes students play the main role in minimizing their personal stress.

“The real issue is whether they’ve actually talked to the teachers or whether they feel that they may get behind somehow,” Mulligan said. “Once the door is opened by a general conversation, they need to step up to the plate and ask for help.”

Some students are satisfied with the school’s efforts.

“As long as these missed days of school are considered excused, I think the school is doing all they can,” senior Shez Jafry said.

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SJSREVIEW.COM | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

News 5

Science Dept. experiments with longer classes By | Alexander Kim

For three years, senior Jillian Ticatch looked forward to building a massive trebuchet in Physics II Honors. After seeing the previous seniors launch projectiles across the Great Lawn, Ticatch planned to build her own. This year, with the changes made to the schedule, the third phase of the trebuchet project was cut.

For most teachers, the new schedule presented the challenge of teaching roughly the same number of class hours over fewer but longer class periods. Not so for the science department.

In previous years, science classes were afforded the most class time of all subjects with back-to-back 45-minute periods two days per week. With the new schedule, extra science lab periods no longer exist, resulting in a 27 percent decrease in science class time.

To compensate for the lost class time, science teachers have cut down on lectures while focusing more on the conceptual aspect of learning.

Their goal is to prepare students to apply concepts they learn in science class, not to memorize them. Director of Academic Programs Megan Henry emphasized that this process would be facilitated by the changes in class time.

“As a school, we are trying to promote deeper learning and more collaborative and inquiry-based learning,” Henry said. “Having a 60-minute period on a regular basis along with an 80-minute period is going to allow that kind of work to happen more successfully.”

In her chemistry classes, Jennifer Kuhl found that this type of learning requires removing certain lessons from the curriculum.

“We pared down some things that we thought were extraneous, and we focused more on application of information and dug deeper into the skills associated with that,” Kuhl said. “This actually meant that we slowed down a little bit, but we tried to go a little deeper into the thought process to help students develop more critical-thinking skills about the relationships in the chemistry class.”

The reduction in overall time has caused teachers to alter the labs and lessons, yet the average class time has increased. The 60- and 80-minute periods provide a major upgrade from the previous 45- and 90-minute periods because teachers can now consistently conduct labs in every period.

Susan Bigge, Science Department Chair, correlated the longer periods with more in-class productivity.

“Every period now can have some sort of a lab component,” Bigge said. “We used to have the 90-minute lab days, which worked great for labs, but the 45-minute periods were tough because no one wants to lecture for the entire 45 minutes, and no one can finish an entire lab in that time either.”

Biology teacher Carol Teeter agreed that the 60-minute periods were an improvement from the 45-minute periods.

“The new schedule allows us to move faster because with 60-minute classes, we no longer have to wait for a lab period to do lab work,” Teeter said. “This gives us the freedom to weave discussion throughout the period as lab work is being done, where it feels most natural, and helps us cover more content in less time.”

JARED MARGOLIS

Physics II (H) students Kyle Fullen and Justus Miles solder components of an AM radio during their free period.

Physics teachers, however, have reevaluated their entire curriculum.

“We’ve had to revamp pretty much everything,” Turk said.

“What we didn’t want to do was just get rid of 25 percent of our curriculum, so we reimagined the course.”

Turk said that the physics department had to integrate different topics together in order to include all the concepts.

“In Physics I, we’re doing things thematically, instead of the more traditional approach,” Physics teacher Erol Turk said.

According to Henry, the science classes are still allotted more overall time than the national average.

“Although there is certainly a reduction in the number of minutes from what we’ve had in the past, we still are statistically ahead of many of our peer schools,” Henry said.

Students have noticed that the science classes have been more active during class periods.

“We’ve still had to listen to lectures and lessons, but we’ve been able to put the lessons into use during a lab in that same period,” said junior Evan Hammerman, who takes Physics I Honors, AP Biology and Organic Chemistry.

Despite difficulties in planning classes, teachers acknowledge the positive effects of the schedule.

“We know that the schedule wasn’t designed against the science department,” Turk said. “It was designed for the greater good of the students.”

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Features 6

REVIEW | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

“

I have to have a lot of patience.

The majority of the kids are messy and don’t clean up after themselves.

P8 Katie McGee discusses ‘The Thousandth Floor’ P9 Students experiment with hair, explore identity

” Cleaning crew does the dirty work -Mareli Oliva

Visit sjsreview.com for more community profiles

JARED MARGOLIS

Melchor Juarez uses a 15-pound vacuum pack to clean a history classroom at night, long after students are gone. From 8 a.m. to midnight, four shifts of housekeepers monitor the school and keep it running. As the campus expands, the school may need to hire more employees or add more shifts.

By | Amy Liu

After every morning faculty meeting, dozens of chairs and tables disappear from the Chao Assembly Room and are stored in the basement. After every sports game, the fields always looks trim and clean before the athletes return.

This is not a magic act. Without much fanfare, the maintenance staff is always humming in the background to keep the school running. On Friday, Oct. 14, they cleared the Great Hall for Book Fair, fixed broken air conditioners, unclogged toilets, planned the set-up for PSATs and Homecoming and cleaned the football and field hockey fields.

“We have to work back-to-back and always be on our tails,” Event Coordinator Brenda Aquino said.

The staff cleans the entire campus every day. The Lower School, Mewbourne, the Science Building, the Quad, the VST and the Middle School are each assigned one housekeeper. Through four different shifts, from 8 a.m. to midnight, housekeepers monitor the school.

Carolina Sandoval, a Lower School housekeeper, cleans the Headmaster’s House every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Each day at 3:40 p.m., she rushes to the Lower School cafeteria and finishes sweeping promptly by 4:30.

On her off days from the Headmaster’s House, she is on call, ready to supply paper towels or soap to any classroom.

“I always have so much work to do,” Sandoval said. “But it is wonderful that everyone knows who I am. The kids always greet me and are very friendly. They even try to practice their Spanish with me.”

From noon to 8 p.m., Mareli Oliva cleans Flores Hall, the Frankel Mezzanine floor and all bathrooms in the Campus Center.

“The moment I arrive, everything has to move extremely quickly. I have a lot to do and not much time,” Oliva said.

Oliva constantly picks up trash. She even has to check the Plaza where students leave plates and food.

“I have to have a lot of patience. The majority of the kids are messy and don’t clean up after themselves, except some older students,” Oliva said. “I appreciate whenever a teacher tells students to clean up. That helps me a lot.”

The new schedule requires lunch to be served throughout the day. These changes have made work more hectic for the Campus Center housekeepers.

“Just be courteous and pick up after yourself. Nothing gets cleaned by itself. It’s nice to not have to bend down

every five minutes and pick up trash,” Facilities Supervisor Salvador Aquino said. “Be aware and be respectful. This is our little home.”

Maintenance has to adjust to a growing campus, especially to the new athletic fields. They are still learning how to maintain the newly renovated Finnegan Field, which opened Oct. 14. Once the new baseball field opens, the school may hire more people or add another shift in the evening.

“We realize you’re here to study,” Salvador said. “But it doesn’t cost anything to look out for small things that can help the facilities staff do a good job, especially with how big the campus has grown,” A major challenge is trying to work while students are still on campus. Salvador remembers one Friday afternoon when the staff set up tables and chairs at Big Red before a game. Soon after they finished, a group of students had cleared the entire setup so that they could play basketball.

The staff immediately had to redo their work while pressed under time.

“There’s a lot we do, but nobody sees it. Situations like that make things difficult,” Salvador said.

Spring break, winter holidays and summer are the busiest times for maintenance. The staff cleans the campus and collaborates with Security Coordinator Richard Still to brainstorm ideas for improvement.

“I like the everyday challenge,” Salvador said. “I like to be on top of things or to be working.”

The majority of staff members have maintenance experience elsewhere. For 12 years, Oliva has worked alongside her close friend Ana Prado, another Flores Hall housekeeper. Before coming to St. John’s, the two cleaned filtration machinery in a corporate building.

“I like it more here because I am getting better pay and employee benefits,” Oliva said. “The machines were much more difficult and delicate to handle.”

In search of better employment, Oliva emigrated from Honduras to the United States in 1995. She supports her children in Honduras, and keeps in touch with her two sisters who live in Florida and Louisiana.

“In Honduras, there were many people looking for jobs, but very few opportunities. A single spot could have hundreds of people competing,” Oliva said. “I moved here to

have a better life and to help my family.”

What Oliva misses most about Honduras is speaking her native language. Although she loves conversation, the language barrier at school makes that difficult.

“I want to talk and socialize, but very few people understand me. I usually only get a ‘hello,’ ” Oliva said. “That’s why it makes me very happy when some teachers talk in Spanish with me.”

Like Oliva, many maintenance members hope to become more connected with the rest of the school.

“I think of this as teamwork,” Salvador said. “From the housekeepers to the deans, we’re all one family.”

DAVID SEO

Mareli Oliva mops Flores Hall. Oliva emigrated from Honduras in 1995 for new employment.

Features 7

SJSReview.com | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Cannon resumes SJS journey as MS head

Josephine smith

Eric hang

More than two decades after graduating from St. John’s, Philip Cannon returns as Middle School Division Head. As a student, Cannon was a prefect and captain of the soccer team. His wife Eleanor teaches history in the Upper School and his father was headmaster from 1991 to 1998.

By | Maggie Ballard Philip Cannon may be the new Middle School Division Head, but in many ways, he is coming home.

Cannon attended St. John’s from third grade until he graduated in 1985. His mother Maurie graduated from St. John’s in 1961, and his father Philip was the chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1980 to 1983 and headmaster from 1991 to 1998.

Because his parents lived in the headmaster’s house on Claremont, when he returned home to visit, he came to St. John’s.

“I know my parents really enjoyed that opportunity [to live so close],” Cannon said. “There were many times that people would come and ask them to open the gate or to help them get in to get a book.”

In 1989, Cannon earned his BA in English from Princeton University where he played varsity soccer. Cannon had planned on going to business school after serving three-and-a-half years in the Marines, but he decided to give teaching a try first.

“Wanting to teach and being able to influence others and help them grow and learn was something I just identified with,” Cannon said. “Ultimately it was the call I answered.”

A few of the teachers who inspired Cannon to pursue education

Toni Atwell

Philip Cannon, Sr.

Sarah Cannon Underwood ’89

Philip Cannon, Jr. ’85

English Teacher 1987-2000

Cannon Family Tree

Headmaster 1991-98

Head of Middle School 2016-

Brock Cannon ’18

still teach in the Upper School.

The Cannons have two children in the Upper School, Brock Dwight Raulston taught Cannon in AP Biology his senior year (‘18) and Peter (‘20). and said he still resembles the teen he knew.

According to Cannon, St. John’s is a different place from what “He was very responsible, very polite, very thoughtful, some- he remembered growing up. what like he is now,” Raulston said.

The different age groups used to be much more integrated when Martha Childress, who taught Cannon in precalculus and wrote there were fewer buildings, he said. him a college recommendation letter, said “Now that there are three distinct divisions she was excited to hear about his return. of elementary, middle and high school, in“I was thrilled when he was asked to beSt. John’s has a tradition of teractions between different grade levels are come the Head of the Middle School,” Chilmore of a challenge,” Cannon said, “But it’s excellence that remains an been great the few times I’ve seen those indress said. “I have followed his career since he graduated from St. John’s, and I know the aspirational standard for teractions, like at All-School Convocation.”

Middle School is in very good hands.”

Cannon also notes the changes in tradiall of us in this community.

Childress lived next door to the Cannons tions such as Senior Tea. while they were in the headmaster’s house “Back in the day,” Cannon said, “it was and knows them well.

-Philip Cannon actually tea right outside the Headmaster’s “Here we are onto the next generation,” office where the fireplace is, which is far difChildress said. “And actually we are lookferent than what I think it’s become.” ing at three generations because his sons are here. It continues As a student, Cannon ran cross country and track and played the whole family tradition, and having Eleanor here as a History soccer. It has been “a kick” for him to see those teams thrive now, teacher is a real bonus.” he said.

His wife Eleanor Cannon has Cannon also held a variety of leadership positions, including been a St. John’s history teacher serving as prefect and captain of the soccer team. since 2011, but the Cannons Cannon attributes his understanding of the school’s values to have worked together before. his involvement in all levels of the community, from student to Maurie Cannon taught for four years parent to administrator.

Cannon ’61 at Episcopal High School, two “Perhaps that’s just because of the sense of mission that is still of which he spent teaching with around, which had influence on me as a young person, still speaks his wife. Ms. Cannon coached to me as an adult,” Cannon said. “It’s a good mission, and it’s servthe girls’ soccer team while he ing a good purpose. We are continuing to help young people grow coached the boys. and have influence not only in their own lives but also on others.”

“We even traveled to SPC toCertain traditions have remained at the forefront of Cannon’s gether,” Mr. Cannon said. mind.

Cannon jumped at the opporCannon said that, although there are high expectations, stutunity to opportunity to return. dents care about how they accomplish their goals more than simEleanor “I see my wife flourish here, ply achieving them. and it just seems like a good fit The mantra “Not Without Honor” is relatively new at SJS, but Cannon History Teacher for my family at this time,” he the idea has been around and is crucial to his philosophy.

2011said.

“Nothing is more important than acting honorably in all that we Ms. Cannon enjoyed working do,” Cannon said. “That tradition is one that has endured, and it with her husband at Episcopal, is a tradition of which we should all remain most proud.” where they also helped with disCannon said he appreciates the experiences he had before comciplinary and honor trials. ing back to St. John’s and said it is ultimately beneficial for him to “We used to laugh that if you have worked in different institutions. were talking to one of the Can“We are the sum of all our experiences,” he said. “I feel and hope nons, you were in big trouble,” that I can now bring a wider perspective instead of just a St. John’s Eleanor Cannon said. perspective to this school.”

Although the whole family is Peter at school every day, Ms. Cannon Cannon ’20 said that they have had many conversations coordinating who is driving whom to school.

“ ”

Stephen Kim

Features 8

review | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

McGee rises to No. 2 on YA Bestseller List By | Kate Habich

Katharine McGee (‘06) always knew she want- lives of five teenagers. The setting, a mega skyed to be an author, but it took several career scraper in New York City in the year 2118, was paths and college degrees before she made that inspired by a vertical urbanization project called dream happen.

Sky City.

McGee’s first novel, “The Thousandth Floor,” The book deviates from the typical dystopian shot to No. 2 on the New York Times Young genre that pervades futuristic young adult novels Adult Bestseller List the moment it was released such as “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent,” in August. genres that portray the future as a negative and “I have always wanted to write,” she said. Ev- dark place. erything I have done has been, in some way, in McGee offers a bright alternative. service to the goal of wanting to write.”

“This isn’t a story about the future. It’s a story Before intending to become an author, Mc- set in the future. The story is about the characGee’s writing abilities initially took her down a ters and the choices they make,” McGee said. “I slightly different path. She worked in television just couldn’t help wondering what it said about media and interned at CNN, Bloomberg News us as a society that all our visions of the future and a literary agency. were so dark. I wrote this to offer up some kind “In a strange way, this book is kind of the of different, possible vision of what the future amalgamation of all of my years of working in could look like.” publishing and then the freedom of having no McGee hosted a Q&A session on campus job,” McGee said. “It sort of all came together Oct. 17, to give a preview of her novel and talk in the right way.” about her journey. Some of her former teachers, Although the writing industry had appealed including English teachers David Nathan and to McGee ever since she was a young, avid read- Ruth Bellows made an appearance to show their er, she became frustrated with her job in pub- support and catch up with McGee. lishing.

“I had some fantastic English teachers here,” “I thought that I wanted my job to be sitting McGee said. all day and reading books,” McGee said. “BeHer teachers had high praise for her. cause I didn’t really, totally “She was excellent as a love my job, I did what a thoughtful, articulate, analytlot of lost souls do, which writer,” said Bellows, her I just couldn’t help ical was I applied to business advisor and senior English wondering what it said teacher. school.”

McGee attended Princabout us a society that At Book Fair, McGee was eton for her undergradbusy at her table eiall our visions of the constantly uate studies, majoring ther signing books for excited future were so dark. in English and minoring students or discussing it with in French. In 2014, she attendees. became an MBA candialready started reading -Katharine McGee it, “I’ve date at Stanford Business and it is mind-blowing,” School. said sixth grade student Eloise After her first year at Stanford, McGee found Chapman. the time to begin her first novel. Without the During high school, McGee earned a reputastress of a full-time job and inspired by living tion for her fashion sense and intellectual curiin the Silicon Valley area, McGee wrote “The osity.

Thousandth Floor.”

“She was noted for always having cute little “This is her dream come true,” said her cousin, purses,” Bellows said. “She must have had a milsenior Christina McGee. lion of them.”

“The Thousandth Floor” revolves around the Even faculty members who were not McGee’s

“

”

Caroline Ramirez

Katharine McGee (‘06) signed copies of her debut novel, “The Thousandth Floor,” for middle school students at Book Fair, Oct. 14. “The Thousandth Floor” shot to No. 2 on the New York Times Young Adult Bestseller List when it was released in August. teachers remember her fondly.

“Even at a school like SJS with so many strong, bright students, she stood out,” said Bryan Rutledge, former college counselor.

Her intelligence and warm personality left a lasting impression on many in the Upper School community.

“I have some distinct memories of Katie, and they are all good,” Rutledge said.

McGee’s book was optioned for development

by ABC. She was in California when she got the call.

“I basically dropped my phone,” McGee said.

Whether or not it makes it to the production stage is not definite at this point.

“Most studios option 100-200 things per year,” McGee said. “And of that they make three to four new TV shows, so there are a lot of odds stacked against it.”

McGee remains optimistic.

“I think that both because the [book’s] world is very big and very visual that it lends itself naturally to television,” McGee said. “It helps that there is such a large cast.”

Her main hope for an adaptation is that the producers remain as close to the book as possible.

During the chaotic writing and release of “The Thousandth Floor,” McGee was planning her own wedding. She got married shortly after the book launched.

McGee recently alerted her fans on Twitter that she completed the first draft of the sequel.

Scholastic anthology publishes winning essay

By | Iris Chen

As a senior last year, Amy Dong wrote a critical essay, “Hoping for Disaster,” for her English seminar. Three months later, her essay won a National Scholastic Gold Medal.

The good news did not end there. Over the summer, Dong learned that her essay had also been selected for publication in Scholastic’s “The Best Teen Writing of 2016” anthology, a collection of selected Gold Medal works.

“I was so humbled and absolutely thrilled,” Dong said.

“Writing has been a passion of mine for years, so receiving publication recognition for it served as encouragement to continue doing what I love.”

The National Scholastic Gold Medal is one of the most prestigious writing awards given to high school students.

Scholastic receives hundreds of thousands of entries every year. This year, Scholastic selected 784 winners and 70 works to be published in “The Best Teen Writing,” only five of which were critical essays.

“Hoping for Disaster” discusses society’s negative perception of the media’s focus on calamity. Dong argues that this phenomenon is a good thing, since it encourages the public to engage in constructive efforts to counteract these disasters.

The inspiration for “Hoping for Disaster” came from Don DeLillo’s novel “White Noise” and English teacher David Nathan.

“We were talking on the Quad one afternoon, and I was discussing with [Mr. Nathan] my ideas for my next paper,” Dong said. “He launched into a disaster story and ended it with: ‘We are programmed in our narratives to expect disaster.’ What a great one-liner, I thought, for an interesting paper.”

Dong wrote the essay over the course of two months in her creative writing class. Throughout that period, she compiled research from NPR, CBS News, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Pew Research Center to substantiate her argument.

“Hoping for Disaster” isn’t Dong’s only award-winning piece of writing. She also received a National Gold Medal in 2014 for her memoir about her relationship with her older sister, Elaine (’13).

“That was the first time I received national recognition for my writing,” Dong said. “It encouraged me to dive deeper into creative nonfiction and memoir writing, which are two of my favorite genres.”

Dong has since written memoir pieces about a variety of subjects, spanning from the passing away of a friend’s mother to her love of dance.

Although she is now a passionate writer, Dong didn’t pursue an interest in writing in Middle and Lower School. According to Dong, she only discovered her interest in writing gradually in Upper School.

“I’ve always been very sensitive, open with my emotions, and self-reflective, so memoirs came easiest to me,” she said.

“I never really got the hang of fiction.”

She cites English teachers Linda Carswell, Rachel Weissenstein and Warren Rawson as influences on her writing.

“They are the most wonderful people in the world and have helped me grow in so many ways as a writer, thinker and person,” Dong said.

Weissenstein, Dong’s creative writing teacher, praises Dong for her willingness to help others and her genuine desire for improvement.

“Amy is an amazing student: smart, creative, gracious and coachable,” Weissenstein said. “Her quiet discipline and perceptive mind make her an incredibly gifted writer.”

Weissenstein also commends Dong for her work ethic and desire for perfection.

“In everything Amy does, she is not satisfied with it until she has revised it several times and polished out all the rough spots,” she said.

Dong credits her friends and family as the inspiration and support system for her writing.

“My parents are very supportive of everything I do,” Dong said. “They are incredibly selfless and open-minded, and I am very grateful for that.”

Dong is studying at New York University’s Stern School of Business. She is taking two writing-based classes: Writing the Essay and Asian/Pacific/American Cultures.

She is currently working on a synthesis essay about John Berger’s “Toward a Small Theory of the Visible” and Salman Rushdie’s “Is Nothing Sacred?” as well as a critical essay about the identity of Asian Americans as “perpetual foreigners” using nineteenth century poetry by Chinese immigrants as well as contemporary sources.

“I hope to use writing as a way to connect people who have polarizing views,” Dong said. “The more you know about someone, the less likely you are to dislike them” Dong hopes to use her writing to bridge that gap.

“If I can write about as many people, places and things that are important to me as I can, I will hopefully be able to inspire cooperation and discussion on a broader human scale,” Dong said.

JAMES DONG

Amy Dong, an NYU freshman, displays a copy of “The Best Teen Writing of 2016”, which includes her essay “Hoping for Disaster.”

Features 9

SJSREVIEW.COM | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

SPLITTING

HAIRS

Students explore identity

PHOTO BY NYLA JENNINGS | DESIGN BY JARED MARGOLIS | MODEL KENNADIE JAKE-TURNER

By | Sophia Li The summer after seventh grade, seniors Emma Boehme and Nina Lahoti walked into Walgreens and purchased two boxes of cheap hair dye. Returning to Lahoti’s house, the two went upstairs and dyed their hair tips purple and pink. The process took 40 minutes, and as Boehme looked into the bathroom mirror, she thought, “This is awesome.”

Boehme has frequently changed hair color since then. It was red her freshman year and pink the summer after junior year. Acquiescing to her mother’s request, she returned to her natural brown for senior portraits.

Senior Keshav Krishnan wanted to change his hair color since sixth grade. The summer before eighth grade, he temporarily dyed his hair blue.

“Hair is a big form of expression,” Krishnan said. “It’s the accessory you always have on you. When I’m sporting a hairstyle that I like, I feel more confident. More like me.”

Hairstyle has become one way for students to express their identities. Sometimes these hairstyles clash with school rules.

According to Assistant Dean of Students Bailey Duncan, dyed hair must be of a natural color. When Boehme dyed her hair red, the shade was considered acceptable.

“The only time my hair color was really unnatural was during the summer, when it was pastel pink,” Boehme said. By the time she returned to school, her hair had faded to a platinum blonde.

“If I still had that pastel pink, I’m sure someone would’ve said something,” Boehme said.

The Student Handbook states that boys’ hair must be “above the collar (no ponytails) and above the eyebrows.” When Krishnan grew his hair out to shoulder length junior year, he received at least seven warnings from faculty. During second semester, he cut his hair after being told that he would receive a detention if he did not comply.

According to Krishnan, everyone in his family — except his mother — pleaded with him to cut his hair, especially his younger sister Jaya, a sophomore.

“She would constantly tell me how much better I looked with shorter hair,” Krishnan said.

Boehme’s family was less confrontational.

“My mom’s definitely not the biggest supporter of me dyeing my hair,” Boehme said. “She doesn’t hate it but would just rather I didn’t.”

For both Boehme and Krishnan, hair plays an important role in their identities.

“You feel more like the person that you are on the inside,” Boehme said. “There shouldn’t be a divide between the person you are and the person you show to others.”

Last year, junior Noël Madland read the Student Handbook and discovered that the rule regarding unnatural hair color had been removed. While the handbook stated no “extremes in hairstyle,” it omitted any mention of hair color. Believing that unnatural hair dye was allowed, Madland dyed her hair four different colors over Thanksgiving break.

“I said to myself, ‘I’ll do it,’ and if someone said anything, I’d dye it back,” Madland said. “No one said anything, and some teachers even complimented me, so this year, I assumed it would be the same.”

In July, Madland dyed her hair green. When she returned to school, she was asked to change it to a natural color.

“I wasn’t upset about it because it’s not a huge part of me,” Madland said. “Hair is one of the ways to express yourself. It’s a way to add your own style.”

Other students have faced pressure to alter their natural hair.

Junior Cameryn Burnette, who is African-American and wears her hair naturally curly, has received negative comments from

passers-by in public. According to Burnette, some people have even gone as far to say that her hairstyle was not “professional” or “neat.”

“It’s people who don’t have hair like mine trying to tell me what to do with it,” Burnette said. “I really don’t like that.”

Burnette notes a double standard in today’s media.

“When people like Kim Kardashian or Miley Cyrus wear their hair in box braids or dreadlocks, people think it’s cool and urban,” Burnette said. “But when black people appreciate their own hair, it gets called dirty and gross.”

A hair product commonly used by women in the African-American community is the relaxer, a chemical treatment that straightens curly hair.

Senior Maddie McZeal used to relax her hair as an underclassman. At the end of her sophomore year, she decided to have “the big chop,” a trend in which African American women cut off the chemically straightened ends of their hair when transitioning to natural hair.

“I used to think that straight hair meant beautiful hair,” McZeal said. “I’ve now realized that straightening my hair was a futile attempt to change who I am to fit other people’s standards of beauty.”

For McZeal, her hair serves as a political statement.

“I wear my hair natural, and I advocate for other black women to wear their hair natural because representation is important,” McZeal said. “Natural to me is a statement of self-love, as opposed to straight hair, which was my attempt to conform and be someone I wasn’t.”

During an African American Affinity Group meeting, McZeal observed that all the upperclassmen had natural hair while all the underclassmen had straight hair.

“Everybody was laughing about it,” McZeal said.

C

Culture 10

Culture Briefs

‘America (Abridged)’ opens Nov. 16 Spanning from George Washington to Watergate, “The Complete History of America (Abridged)” is an out-of-order journey through U.S. history that will take to the Lowe Theater stage Nov. 16.

Each actor plays multiple roles in the show — big names in American history from James Madison to Abraham Lincoln.

According to sophomore Michaela Skaribas, despite her numerous roles in the show, learning the minute dates and facts of American history was the most challenging aspect of the play.

“I have to know the exact number of cents per acre Thomas Jefferson spent on the Louisiana Purchase,” Skaribas said. “You can’t get your facts wrong.”

“America (Abridged)” is B.J. Garmon’s second Upper School directing experience.

“The show is hilarious,” Garmon said. “As a director, it’s always funny when there’s some crude humor and you have to tell students, ‘Yes, you have to say that, it’s part of the joke’.”

By Sophie Gillard

One exhibit closes, another opens The Visual Arts Exhibit in the Glassell Gallery closed on Nov. 2 to make way for a multi-division exhibit for Grandparents’ Day. Last month’s exhibit displayed foam board sculptures, illustrations, block prints and an assortment of photos.

“Since I’m in 3D Art, I don’t usually get to see other classes’ work, so I loved seeing the studio and 2D art,” junior Cara Wolff said.

A spread of snacks attracted students from all grades to see their peers’ artwork on the last day of the art exhibit.

“You can see how much detail and effort the artists put into their work. It’s truly inspiring,” freshman Sam Lu said.

The Grandparent’s Day and Special Friends’ Exhibit will be displayed next in the Glassell Gallery. The exhibit will run from Nov. 9 to Dec. 4.

“It’s one of my favorite shows, because it’s one of the rare times that we get to see art from all the divisions,” art teacher Dan Havel said. “It’s always a fun show to see.”

By Will McKone

REVIEW | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

“

Nov. 19-27 Thanksgiving holiday

”

Visit sjsreview.com for more entertainment news

I use GroupMe for almost everything; I don’t really text anymore. GroupMe feels more inclusive and open — like I have access to more people.

Dec. 2 Student Choreography Showcase

-Alex Jones

GroupMe fosters community By | Claire Furse

When senior Katie Hasley wakes up, she is often greeted by notifications from her phone — not texts, but messages from the app GroupMe. As she goes through her daily routine, more messages pop up, often reaching 100 a day, which is typical for many GroupMe users.

From its creation in 2014, GroupMe has grown to dominate the realm of group texting. It boasts more casual and easier large-scale communication by allowing users to connect with people without needing their phone number.

GroupMe chats in the Upper School are typically formed for friend groups, classes, sports or clubs. The seniors, in particular, share a love for GroupMe. “I use GroupMe for almost everything; I don’t really text anymore. GroupMe feels more inclusive and open — like I have access to more people,” senior Alex Jones said. “Our grade has always been pretty inclusive, so it’s not far-fetched that we like to make big group chats and add lots of people.”

GroupMe fosters the creation of these large chats, since the app allows any member of a group to add as many of their friends as they want, regardless of who initially created the group.

The app’s popularity challenged the Apple and Android texting services, but in September, Apple updated their texting service to include many of GroupMe’s most beloved features, such as the ability to “like” messages, easily add images or gifs and remove or add members.

“Freshman year, I was in a bunch of group texts, and it was just the same people over and over again because you couldn’t add anyone,” Hasley said. “Now, it’s more casual and inclusive.”

This relaxed atmosphere makes it easier for GroupMe users to meet new people.

“I have 10 times more GroupMe contacts than phone contacts. They aren’t necessarily people that you talk to every day, but you get linked with people you might not know who share an interest with you,” said senior Samuel Samson-Williams.

“If you’re new and joining a sports team, you get to meet all of the players even if they’re on varsity or JV. For newer and younger kids, I think the app definitely helps out.”

GroupMe can also help to widen social circles.

“I had GroupMe’s for certain friend groups, but now we are starting to coalesce and I can add the groups together,” senior Jarrell Sims said.

“Through the app, I’ve started talking to people I’ve never talked to before, and now we’re really good friends.”

When groups are made, there is the possibility for exclusion.

“The casualness of GroupMe could make some people feel excluded or forgotten if a big group forms without them in it,” Jones said. “But that exclusion is unintentional, and all it takes is someone to add them.”

The sheer size of many large GroupMe chats can also lead to problems, since users may forget there are many group members who can see their messages, not just those in the immediate conversation.

“Having to think about whether someone will be able to see your statement later isn’t part of normal human interaction, so that precaution just naturally slips people’s mind,” senior Alex Ramzel said. “If you have a large group, there’s a high probability that someone is going to say something they shouldn’t. Since GroupMe typically involves big groups, it tends to get more rowdy.”

GroupMe can also give a false sense of anonymity to users.

“If you’re with like-minded people in a group, you feel like you can say whatever you want, but you don’t know who’s in that group chat, especially if it’s large,” Samson-Williams said. “I’ve seen so much divisiveness start on GroupMe.” In order to minimize conflict, some feel that GroupMe users should be more accepting of others’ opinions.

“It seems like there are people who literally go around GroupMe looking for things to get offended about. There are problems, but people

have to understand that diverse viewpoints are something good about the school,” Samson-Williams said. “There’s constructive criticism, and you can build on different views and ideas.

GroupMe is a forum to cultivate that.”

Due to past conflicts, some seniors advise against large GroupMe’s for other levels, but Jones feels that large GroupMe chats simply require a process of trial and error.

“The group chat is really chill right now, and we have a good atmosphere that’s very accepting,” Jones said. “If someone doesn’t agree with another person’s opinion, they don’t bash them for it.”

If done properly, the large GroupMe can function as a support system for many in the class.

“When it’s your birthday, or an event, or for a lot of people that have gotten into college recently, people can post congratulations in the GroupMe,” Hasley said. “It’s a great way to connect and interact with people you might not see every day, especially in the new schedule or if you don’t have classes with them.”

The growing reliance on GroupMe marks a broader shift from more public social media such as Facebook and Instagram to more private forms of social media, such as GroupMe, where students can choose their own group.

“For applying to colleges, a lot of us have the same questions, so it’s really helpful because people post college questions all the time,” Hasley said. “Back in the day, people would have posted it on Facebook and hoped people would comment, but now you can just post it on GroupMe and get tons of responses.”

GroupMe’s larger group chats can often lead to less privacy.

“I am always very cautious of what I say in the 102-person GroupMe because so many people are in it,” Hasley said. “I think people have gotten more private about social media in general because you can search almost anyone and look through their posts.”

Poll Results

How many active GroupMe chats are you in?

3%

None

16%

1-3

24%

4-6

57%

6+ ASHWINI BANDI

Data taken from a poll of 129 subjects on The Review Online.

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ELECTION 2016 Who’s going to clean up this mess?

Review | Special Section

S2

Review | SPECIAL SECTION

Watched all three presidential debates

Poli (in)ac

Made a video about consequences of global warming

Activism By | Ryan Chang

Kept yourself up-to-date on statewide elections

Voted early; slapped an ‘I Voted’ sticker onto shirt

Researched and wrote a newspaper editorial

Went to a battleground state to stump for a candidate

While many students follow politics on television, newspapers, or in clubs such as Young Political Organization, a few have taken a more active and direct approach to public affairs. Sophomores Lincoln Dow, Sebastian Varma, Sophie Gillard, and Clara Brotzen-Smith have all volunteered for the Ben Rose campaign for state representative.

Dow recruited Varma to volunteer at the organization over the summer. Varma has continued to work there throughout the first few months of school.

The Rose campaign provides an opportunity for students to begin their involvement in local politics.

“I’ve been interested in politics since middle school, and this campaign has really helped me get more involved with the community,” Dow said.

The sophomores have assisted the campaign by performing tasks like data entry and, on Sundays, block-walking.

“We went door to door handing out pamphlets and papers,” Varma said. “It was a cool experience to see different parts of the city and talk to people about current events.”

The students learned several lessons from their work for the campaign.

Dow improved his communication skills by going door-to-door and talking to different people.

Volunteering for the campaign provided insight into the American political system.

“I also learned a lot about local government and its significance,” Varma said. “It’s given me a better understanding of events that we learn about at school as well.”

After initially working as a volunteer, Dow was promoted to paid representative for Rose’s campaign.

“As a paid intern, I’ve done mostly the same work as I did as a volunteer,” Dow said. “However, a lot of my work is now more focused on event management and fundraising.”

Members of the Young Conservatives’ Club have volunteered for several Republican campaigns.

“Since this is the first time I’ll be able to vote, I’ve taken a much greater interest in political activism,” senior Matthew Garnett said. “Last year, I was able to score a volunteer spot at the GOP primary debate at UH.” Garnett volunteered alongside several college students at the primary, where they helped process tickets and show people to their seats.

Two years ago, YCC reached out to organizations like Harris County Republican Party and the Republican Party of Texas.

“We had people doing events and interning with them,” head of YCC Samuel Sampson said.

“They really liked the work we did, so they gave us a bunch of Republican National Committee contacts and encouraged us to continue volunteering.”

Initial work with the RNC led to several opportunities for students to begin working for political causes.

“If you’re interested in a particular cause, whether it’s politics or something else, there are a lot of resources available in the community to get involved,” Garnett said. “It’s really important for students to work for causes they believe in since it will have a major impact on the work we’ll be doing in a few years.”

St. John’s

Political Inv By the N

59

members of Junior State of America

66

members of both Young Conservatives Club and Young Liberals Organization

25

students registered to vote on campus Sept. 23

S3

Review | SPeCiAL SeCTiON

Watched all three SNL parody debates

itics ction Slacktivism

Shared Facebook videos about melting polar ice caps

By | Sadde Mohamed Social media has played an unprecedented role in this election (see Twitter).

Liking, sharing, commenting, posting — all of these functions on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook have made it possible for people to feel good about themselves and their support of an issue or candidate.

This is what they call slacktivism.

When tragedy strikes places like Paris or Orlando, Facebook gives users the option to symbolically frame their profile picture.

People have “checked in” to Standing Rock, North Dakota, on social media to show that they stand with those affected by the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Ellie Faraguna, who interns at Planned Parenthood says that, more often than not, this phenomenon of political slacktivism is not a substitute for actual political participation.

“Social media creates a false sense of change,” Faraguna said. “Ideas can be trending, but they don’t necessarily happen. It allows for someone to go ‘oh it’s just one click, and I’ve done my part,’ and that’s definitely not true.”

History teacher Barbara DiPaolo sees political slacktivism as personal expression more than anything else.

“When I like or share something, I see it more as a statement that I’m in agreement with it,” DiPaolo said. “I know I’m not really contributing to whatever movement or campaign in any way, shape or form.”

While volunteering for the Ted Cruz campaign, senior Cameron Cook mostly answered phone calls from citizens about Cruz’s policies.

Cook found that activism is more rewarding than political slacktivism.

“I could see how people would want to do both,

volvement Numbers

29.6

but with being active you’re acting on your own beliefs,” Cook said. “By being more passive on social media, you’re just supporting on what someone else posted.”

Some argue that political slacktivism can be beneficial.

“It can impact awareness about things,” Faraguna said. “But it can be harmful because people think they’re doing good when in reality they aren’t doing anything.”

Junior Katie Smith has interned since the summer for Ben Rose’s State Representative campaign.

Smith reached out for volunteers on the YLO Facebook page. While she got one member of the organization to come out and volunteer, Smith thinks that her efforts were better than not doing anything.

“Most people are usually busy and don’t have time to dedicate themselves to a campaign,” Smith said. “Political slacktivism helps in that it raises awareness, but I think the best way to make a difference is to actually go out and volunteer.”

A study by the University of British Columbia found that those who engage in slacktivism can engage more deeply in being active and contributing to a cause.

The determining factor of actual activism was concluded to be the extent to which one’s slacktivism was public or private.

“I have no problem with people sharing or liking things on sites like Facebook,” DiPaolo said.

“In fact, it’s pretty interesting to see people’s political views that I’m friends with, especially when they differ from my own.”

Kept yourself up-to-date with Trump’s Twitter feed

Ironically ‘liked’ a Facebook post about voting

Engaged in commentsection warfare

Texas percent of eligible Texas voters ages 18-29 who voted in 2012 Presidential election

977,279

early voters in Harris County for 2016 election

Tagged friends from battleground state in an Instagram post

Designed by Jared Margolis | Graphics by Ashwini Bandi and Stephen Kim Data from Harris County Clerk’s Office and U.S. Census Bureau

S4

REVIEW | SPECIAL SECTION

Staff Editorial

This is not an endorsement

What if we were to endorse Hillary?

Would you celebrate?

Would you stop reading?

Would you call it another classic example of bias in the liberal media? Would any of it make a difference?

To date, 228 newspapers, including the New York Times and the Houston Chronicle, have endorsed the democratic nominee. So far, Donald Trump has received the endorsement of a handful of newspapers including the National Enquirer and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, owned by Republican benefactor and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.

When Hillary Rodham Clinton became First Lady of the United States in 1993, she entered the White House as the only presidential spouse to have earned a postgraduate degree and the first to have her own professional career outside of public life. As Clinton campaign to enter the White House again, most major newspapers have decided that she is more than ready to take office.

To focus entirely on the Clinton’s opponent would fail to do her justice as a candidate and as an individual. To briefly summarize, the Republican candidate has bragged about sexual assault, insulted a Gold Star family and later denied them an apology, mocked a decorated veteran and prisoner of war and demonstrated a consistent lack of respect for women and minority groups.

He has made many other statements that would have ended the presidential prospects of any other candidate and, in so doing, has

made a mockery of the American electoral process.

Clinton offers a viable alternative, having served as New York senator from 2001 to 2009 and Secretary of State from 2009 until 2013.

Even before then, Clinton demonstrated a remarkable degree of principled conviction, stating in Beijing, despite overwhelming pressure to do otherwise, that “human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.” In 1995, that same year, her current opponent filed a loss of $916 million on his tax returns and leveraged his disastrous business decisions to avoid paying income taxes for 18 years.

In 2005, while Clinton was visiting military installations in Iraq and Afghanistan, her opponent was on an Access Hollywood bus denigrating women with Billy Bush.

Endorsing Clinton at this point would not make a difference.

Most major publications have spoken. Instead, we will let readers decide for themselves.

At the end of her speech at the Democratic National Convention, Clinton said, “America’s destiny is ours to choose.”

The Editorial Board therefore encourages readers to reflect on our school’s Mission Statement, which centers on providing “future leadership for Houston and the country.”

With these words in mind, we should seriously consider which leaders we are choosing today.

Most major publications in the free world have already spoken.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AILEEEN ZHANG

Why you should care about Election 2016 In “Why You Should Care,” a teacher or student discusses one of today’s most pressing issues and makes the case for how it connects to SJS life.

By | Shelley Pannill Stein (‘88) The majority of Upper School students will not be voting in this most divisive of elections.

So why, indeed, should you care?

First, let me tell you why I care. Of the two candidates, one, as we know, is a career politician with some baggage. The other has built his empire upon the name of his brand, and believe me, as he would say, it’s a brand our country can do without.

Before I became a teacher, I paid the bills as a journalist and freelance writer. Sometimes I took dry, corporate writing jobs that paid well. Otherwise, I wrote newspaper or magazine features.

The lifestyle was solitary, the pay was mediocre, and the constant hawking of my wares was exhausting.

In 2006, my daughter was born, and I decided it was time for a break. Then I received an e-mail from an editor at the now defunct Trump Magazine, a glossy, luxury-drenched publication claiming a circulation of 200,000. A fellow magazine editor “gave me your name,” she wrote. “I am looking for a writer who can do a three-page feature on the Richmond Group for the fall issue of Trump magazine.”

I took the job despite the queasy feeling that this magazine was basically a vanity publication for its namesake offering up a bejeweled fantasy lifestyle that I found pretty offensive. I told my husband, just one last story, and then I’ll take a

EMMA SHEA

break. I figured we’d do something fun with the extra cash.

If you’ve been following this election, you probably know what happened next. I reported and wrote the story, filed 1,000 words by the deadline, saw the spread in print, invoiced the company and never got paid. In over a decade of professional writing, I had never once been stiffed until Trump.

Donald Trump did not own the magazine’s company, Premiere Publications. He licensed his name to the publication and appeared on covers and inside its pages it alongside glammed-out family members. But he marked up pre-publica-

tion pages with a Sharpie and made sure coverage was flattering to him and his family, according to Carey Purcell, a former Trump Magazine employee. He was involved.

Not getting my $1,250 dollars was nothing compared to what Purcell went through. In August, she wrote a tell-all for Politico.com that described how she clung to her Trump magazine job so she would not lose her health insurance after being diagnosed with cancer. (She did eventually lose her job and her coverage, but recovered from cancer.) Hundreds of others — including bartenders, dishwashers, cabinet makers and real estate brokers — say Trump’s compa-

nies never paid them for their work.

Knowing none of this at the time, I could not get over the principle of the thing. I consulted my dad, a lawyer. Typically, one would file a lawsuit for payment. But seriously, sue Donald Trump?

After seven months of harassing editorial, payroll, accounting, I started hearing from other writers and editors that they had not been paid either. And then in 2007, Premiere Publishing, just a few months after going public, went bankrupt. I moved to back to Houston and changed careers. I thought about drumming up some kind of class action lawsuit, but finally gave up on the idea of getting paid and moved on.

So why should you care? As a teacher, I think our delightfully diverse campus holds many answers. Donald Trump would like to ban Muslims from immigrating to the U.S. He insults Mexicans and rallies his troops around the idea of an exclusionary wall. He panders to alt-right groups, debases women and dismisses crude language about sexual assault as “locker room talk.”

But I share my story to give you yet another perspective on how this candidate’s laser focus on his own wealth and power does nothing but rob and dispossess others.

And that is not, I believe, who you are or who we are.

So long, Obama, and thanks for all the hope By | JaDa Johnson Now that we’ve lived through one of the most divisive and inflammatory campaign seasons in the electoral history of our country, it is time for some positivity.

Guest contributor JaDa Johnson points out highlights of Barack Obama’s embattled presidency. Rather than blaming Obama for every bounced check or every flat tire — it’s time to say thanks.

Dear President Obama, Thank you for giving my 82-year-old grandmother the chance to see a black man become president.

Thank you for that picture where a young boy is touching your hair.

Thank you for embodying the true American

melting pot with a background that spans from Kenya to Hawaii.

Thanks for letting love win.

Thanks for being the coolest president to have ever stepped foot in the oval office.

Thank you for keeping your composure and letting your anger translator Luther handle everything else.

Thank you for that confident, swanky walk.

Thanks for dropping the mic.

Thank you for your ginormous ears.

Thank you for pardoning turkeys.

Thanks for telling Sasha and Malia the most dad jokes a dad could tell.

Thank you for adoring Michelle for the amazing, beautiful, intelligent woman that she is. (#Michelle2020?)

Thanks for loving Kendrick Lamar just as much as the rest of us.

Thank you for everything you’ve ever done

with Jimmy Fallon.

Thanks for Barry-O and Joe. The Dynamic Duo. I don’t know what we’d do without those friendship bracelets.

Thank you for the setting the bar way too high for all future presidents and letting us all witness true greatness.

Thank you for being the change that so many young black children needed to see in the world.

Thank you for making me proud to be an American.

Generally, thanks Obama.

We will definitely miss you.

Yours truly, JaDa Johnson

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY EMMA SHEA

Culture 11

sjsReview.com | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Making Kinkaid Video a true group effort By | John Kennedy We started our process almost immediately after last year’s Kinkaid video. The group included me, Max Westmark, Sophie Worscheh, Jake Schick and Harrison Black. We collaborated organically to put together a cohesive video.

We wanted a diverse group that represented the multiple interests of the student body: one common sentiment we heard was that the video is only for the football players and that other groups were just put in to check a box.

In the end, our biggest strength ended up being our biggest obstacle. With everybody having their own vision for the final product, it was a struggle to write a script that everyone was happy with.

I think we did a decent job with it, but the video is a tradition that everybody wants to contribute to. Compromise is tough when you’re dealing with opinionated high school students.

Senior Max Westmark films the opening chase scene, where physics teacher Erol Turk chases senior Julian Peavy on motorcycle.

The filmmaking process was a weird jambalaya of fun and frustration.

The best parts were really fun: filming the scene at the Kinkaid Art History Laboratory was a great example of how passionate students can be about the process. Having a lot of seniors together to work on this big project demonstrated how much people care about the video and validated our effort.

The toughest part of the process was translating the script onto the screen. Each of us had a vision for the movie in our heads, and we struggled to definitively get that on film.

We threw away lines, even whole scenes, just because it didn’t work in real life, despite what we had thought. Overall the experience was very cool.

This was the first time I had been part of a filmmaking team, and to work with Max and Sophie, who have actual filmmaking experience, was a fascinating process.

Senior John Kennedy smirks at his own reflection while helping transport the filmmakers during the opening chase scene.

My favorite part of the process was filming the big scenes at “Kinkaid,” including the ‘Kinkaid Debate Team’ money fight and the ‘Kinkaid Hilltop Campus for Equestrian Excellence on a Global Stage’ (when Mr. Turk and Mrs. Steele fight the captains).

These scenes were when the enthusiasm that everybody has for the video really shone. When Mr. Turk volunteered his stage-fighting abilities and let Wheeler throw him to the ground, it reminded me that this is a big project.

I also loved the little details that we put in the final movie. I did all the music myself: everything was either an original composition or a curated song. Stupid discussions like “which Billy Ocean song should we use” or “how loud should the laser synth arpeggio be” defined the effort that we put into the film.

Mr. Turk waits at the starting line, preparing for his role as a motorcycle-riding villian.

Photos by Jared Margolis

Visit The Review Online for more behind-the-scenes coverage of the Kinkaid video.

Culture 12

REVIEW | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Johnnycake resurrects Coward’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ By | Eli Maierson and Andrew Duong

Halloween may be a faint memory, but ghost stories are still on tap for Johnnycake with its upcoming production of “Blithe Spirit.” Dead wives will be summoned and exorcisms enacted in Noel Coward’s comedic play, in which a writer, played by senior Hank Lasley, sets out to learn about the supernatural.

Played by senior Miranda Allegar, a clairvoyant holds a séance to communicate with a spirit but accidentally brings back the ghost of the writer’s deceased first wife.

Director of Fine Arts Bill McDonald helms the play, which will be performed on Nov. 11 and 12. at 7: 30 p.m. in the Lowe Theater.

“It’s a great ghost story,” McDonald said. “It’s a different style of play than we’ve ever done here. The kids are really working hard to develop the right physical and vocal style because it moves along pretty quickly.”

Junior Grace Vincent, who plays a maid, thinks the supernatural plot and extreme characters make the play exciting to perform.

“The play is a great way to bring people from all sorts of different friend groups together,” Vincent said. “All the characters are so different from each other, and they’re all a little bit crazy, which makes it really fun to act. Everybody is doing a really good job of adding that British integrity to the play and to their character.”

According to Senior Isabelle Paine, who plays the wife of a doctor, the play ties together many different groups at St. John’s and has formed a sense of community between the actors.

“This has been my first play in high school, and it’s good to get out of my comfort zone,” Paine said. “It’s really cool to get to know people in different grades and friend groups that you wouldn’t get to know otherwise.”

One of the challenges is that characters are required to speak in a British accent, either upper class or cockney based on their social status.

Dialect coach and assistant director Kat Cordes has worked with the theater department many times, including directing the recent One-Act plays. She is also directing the winter play “Black Comedy” and is helping teach Shakespeare in freshman and sophomore English classes.

“I’ve studied the phonetics of these dialects, so I can break down visually how they’re supposed to sound,” Cordes said. “We start by teaching basic vowel shifts and some stereotypical sound changes that happen – I teach those as a base level, then if there are words that are unique to the dialect, I teach those. After that, the actors start moving their mouth around and getting comfortable with the sound of the dialect.”

Even with Cordes’ coaching, maintaining the British elements of the play presents a significant challenge.

“They have to start thinking in a new way in addition to speaking in a new way,” Cordes said.

“Since we are just high school actors, it’s important to try to overdo the accents and try an idealized and exaggerated accent,” Allegar said. “Ms. Cordes has been super instructive and helpful, and she’s worked with all of us one-on-one. The flow is really good

GRACIE BLUE

Hank Lasley, Grace Vincent and Miranda Allegar rehearse a scene from “Blithe Spirit” in the Lowe Theater. Noel Coward’s comedic 1941 play features supernatural elements and zany characters. between the blocking, the accents and the dialogue. It seems that the more pieces we have to juggle the better it’s actually working, which seems counter-intuitive. If the show slows down, you’re done. You have you keep the energy high.”

Assistant stage manager Sareena Marshall helps out at rehearsals by prompting for lines and making sure there’s a master copy of the script with blocking on it.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Marshall said. “I’m so happy I got the chance to do it.”

Given the amount of accent work, “Blithe Spirit” requires extensive rehearsals for the actors.

“Rehearsal happens in a couple of different steps because there are a lot of different factors that go on in this play,” senior Hank Lasley said. “We have to practice accents, we have to figure out our blocking, and we have to learn the pace and tempo on top of memorizing our lines and figuring out the subtext of the play.”

According to Paine, McDonald has a very clear vision of what he wants to see out of each scene.

Lasley said the new school schedule allows him to better manage

his time.

“Thank God for the free periods,” Lasley said. “If I didn’t have those, I would not be able to manage academics on top of rehearsal on top of college counseling.”

Lasley added that portraying these characters is no easy task because they are so eccentric.

“My character is, for the most part, a jerk and not a nice guy,” Lasley said. “It’s a bit of a struggle that the whole cast goes through because we are playing extremely crude people.

Despite its supernatural bent, “Blithe Spirit” is a comedy.

“You’re playing someone who might not realize that he’s an awful person,” Lasley said, “That’s partly where the comedy comes into play.”

While the actors may have different motivations for deciding to perform in the play, Paine has a specific reason.

“I did a lot when I was younger, but then high school and sports took over,” Paine said. “Because I’m a senior this year, I thought it would be fun to do something I haven’t before.”

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SJSReview.com | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Art Teacher Dan Havel, left, presents his newest art project, “SHARP.” Havel Ruck Projects, founded in 1996, transforms abandoned houses into sculptures.

Culture 13

Chuy Benitez

Havel constructs ‘SHARP’ house sculpture By | Prithvi Krishnarao

Art teacher Dan Havel has again transformed ture in an abandoned house in 1996. living spaces with his latest creation, “SHARP,” “The seed of the idea was if museums won’t in west Houston. show your work, find someplace to make someHavel and his art partner Dean Ruck acquired thing happen,” Havel said. and built the sculpture in a burnt-out mid-cenThe house sculptures are torn down just weeks tury modern ranch house in Sharpstown. after they are opened to the public. “SHARP” Havel acquired the property will be demolished before from developer Mike Prentice the beginning of the new who was interested in giving year.

This isn’t something the house to an artist before “That kind of concept realtearing it down. ly fascinated us,” Havel said. you walk into; it’s an Parts of the house on the “We take something and object you see. property had suffered severe make it more unique before damage in a fire and were slatit disappears.” ed for demolition.

Havel and Ruck are often -Dan Havel asked Havel and Ruck invested why they invest so considerable personal time much time and effort into and money into “SHARP,” financing the whole something that disappears relatively quickly. project themselves and working without a com“A lot of it is our own driving curiosity of mission.

‘What if?’,” Havel said. “That drives me as an The installation is located at 6822 Rowan Lane artist to this day. It’s not because I’m going to in Sharpstown, where it can be viewed all day make money from these sculptures, but it’s an by the public. experience that I like to share, and public art al“We wanted you to be able to see the sculp- lows that.” ture when you drive by,” Havel said. “This isn’t Havel and Ruck gained considerable notoriety something you walk into; it’s an object you see.” for their house sculpture “Inversion,” an aban“SHARP” is one in a series of sculptures creat- doned house on Montrose Boulevard that the ed by Havel and Ruck, formally known as Havel artists converted into a tunnel sculpture.

Ruck Projects.

Havel and Ruck set up a company, Havel Ruck Ruck and Havel first collaborated on a sculp- Projects LLC, after “Inversion” gained recognition.

“

”

“We both have full-time jobs, but we do these time wisely. projects because we love doing them,” Havel said.

“We’ve both been in this kind of environment The artists have different skills that comple- doing large-scale installations for years, in both ment each other as they collaborate. our independent work and collaboratively, so we “I draw out my ideas and sometimes do a mod- have a pretty good idea of time,” Havel said. el,” Havel said. “Dean is very direct in his use Havel enjoys sharing his work in an unconvenof materials and ideas. We make a good team. tional public setting.

Dean and I have been part of a very collaborative “I get to interject a visual idea into somebody’s art community in Houston that supports that life that they may have never thought about kind of cross-pollination, which is very healthy.” before,” Havel said. “To do a house sculpture, Havel and Ruck base their sculptures on ex- you’re doing a major contemporary art instalisting features present in the original properties. lation in the middle of a neighborhood. That’s “We usually come to a project house with a lot kind of interesting for me that it goes beyond of ideas,” Havel said. “We look at visual clues in the barriers of fine art, and it’s public.” the house. The architecture To Havel, the public’s reaction is one of the key driving of the house normally tells forces for his projects. us what to do, after we look “SHARP” “The reactions that I get at it. We discuss our different ideas together, and then Built by Dan Havel and Dean are golden,” he said. “My we find a synthesis between energy is to hear others’ reRuck sponses.” the two of us.”

Open 24 hours a day Art Club visited “SHARP” One of the major issues is on Oct. 22. meeting deadlines.

Located at 6822 Rowan Lane “It was very unique in that “The biggest obstacle is in Sharpstown time,” Havel said. “Someit was in a residential area,” times these projects take a senior Sunnie Liu said. “You saw all of these houses that lot of time, and we have day jobs. We have to stop and think two or three looked more or less the same, and then you suddenly see this one anomaly of a house.” months out what we are going to do in stages.”

Havel and Ruck have learned to manage their

Bold strokes: Alum leaves Met to direct Menil By | Hrishabh Bhosale

After graduating from Smith College in 1988, Rebecca Rabinow (’84) volunteered at the newly opened Menil Collection for two months placing boxes of archives into plastic sleeves. She could not have predicted she would return 28 years later as the museum’s director.

“The Menil is a very special place,” Rabinow said.

Rabinow earned a Ph.D. in art history at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts.

She landed her first job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she became a modern art curator for the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center.

Earlier this year, after 26 years at the Met, Rabinow moved to Houston to start her new job.

“The Menil’s collection is really top notch,” Rabinow said. “It has a fantastic international reputation because of the quality of the collections, the innovative exhibitions and the thoughtfulness with which the buildings have been designed.”

AP Art History teacher and Head of Upper School Hollis Amley said that the Menil is a “significant collection,” and it is an honor for Rabinow to be named director.

Rabinow, who attended St. John’s from 9th to 12th grade, was exposed to art at a young age.

“My parents believe in the importance of art and culture,” she said. “On trips to Europe, we would always visit churches, architectural ruins, and museums.”

One Upper School teacher who encouraged Rabinow’s interest in art was Marion Vokey, who taught Rabinow during her junior year.

“She was an excellent teacher,” Rabinow said. “Several of her students became art professionals.”

With her son Myles Ringel at SJS in 8th grade, Rabinow is aware of the school’s academic rigor and the pressure on students to perform well. Rabinow said she worries that students have little time to pursue what is important to them.

“As a parent, I definitely notice it more,” Rabinow said. “The pressure to excel has intensified: teenagers have become so focused on college admission that they miss out on other opportunities.”

Rabinow hopes the Menil can be part of teenagers’ artistic awakening.

“The quality of the art is exceptional, and the fact that it is always free to the public is mission-critical,” Rabinow said.

Some of Rabinow’s plans for the near future include constructing the Menil Drawing Institute next fall, the Energy House and additional green space. Rabinow hopes passers-by will be more likely to notice the building on West Alabama and Richmond.

“What had been a hidden jewel is now going to be more visible,” Rabinow said. “We hope that members of our community visit as often as they like, whether they are Jared Margolis coming to enjoy the green Rebecca Rabinow returns to the Menil as director after 26 years as a modern art spaces, the art, or both.” curator at the Met in New York City. Rabinow plans to increase the Menil’s visibility.

Heiress to the fortune of Conrad Schlumberger, Dominique de Menil and her husband de Menils’ mission to make art available to the public will help John commissioned architect Renzo Piano to design a museum steer the museum into the 21st century, especially as art education to house their collection of art. Since its opening in 1987, the funding decreases in schools.

“The guiding light behind the Menil is to make art accessible collection has doubled in size and now houses a collection of approximately 17,000 works. The museum sits on a 30-acre tract of to everyone regardless of where they’re from or what their means are,” Rabinow said. land in a Montrose neighborhood.

“It was a precedent setter,” art teacher Dan Havel said. “In the “The visual arts speak to who we are as a civilization, to how we museum world, it was rare that a family who had their own collec- communicate with one another in day-to-day life and to how we share ideas across time and across geographical and political tion of art would decide to open their own museum.”

The de Menils were civil rights activists and believed in the boundaries. I see that the role of the Menil is to be the soul of importance of art and its global impact. Rabinow hopes that the the city.”

S

Sports 14

SPC Recap

REVIEW | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

“

Nov. 13 Cheerleading NCA Lone Star Classic Championship at NRG Stadium

Being part of such a large team, especially for incoming freshmen, is a great way to meet people you ordinarily wouldn’t talk to.

”

Visit @SJS_Review for breaking sport scores

-Jayan Hanson

Mavs win SPC, secure three-peat

Field Hockey

Field Hockey capped an undefeated season with a second consecutive SPC title.

The Mavs defeated Oakridge and Episcopal School of Dallas on their way to a 1-0 win in the championship game over Trinity Valley.

“I think that the team performed really well and showed how, when we play as a team and help each other focus and work together, we perform our best,” senior captain Reese Vogel said.

“We started out slow during the start of each game but improved throughout each game with the support of our teammates.”

Even distribution of playing time allowed the Mavs to recover and perform optimally.

“The depth of our team especially helped us to succeed because it allowed everyone to rest more,” Vogel said.

Girls’ XC

Girls’ cross country placed 4th in SPC after winning last season.

The Mavs lost seven of their top runners from last year, but were able to finish 4th at St. Andrews.

Senior Peyton Brown was the Mavs’ top finisher and third place overall. This was Brown‘s third consecutive AllSPC finish.

With only four seniors, the Mavs relied on strong races from underclassmen.

Freshmen Katherine Johnston and Catie Beck were AllSPC, finishing13th and 16th, respectively.

Volleyball Girls’ volleyball placed 9th in SPC after losing to Oakridge in the first round and then defeating Hockaday and All Saints.

The Mavs’ SPC performance was their best of the past five seasons.

“We haven’t been to SPC in four years, so just even going this year was an accomplishment,” junior Wallis Turley said. “We did really well by not playing with fear but with an all-out mentality.”

Boys’ volleyball defeated Trinity Valley in the first round but then dropped two matches to Casady and St. Mark’s en route to a 4th place finish.

“We had a young team after graduating 11 seniors last year so 4th place was a solid finish for this team,” senior captain Erik Andrade said

By Dani Yan and Alexander Kim

PHOTOS BY JARED MARGOLIS

Sean Jackson, left, and James Talbott run at the Maverick Ramble. After winning the Ramble and the South Zone Championship, the Mavs continued their winning ways by securing their third consecutvie SPC title at St. Andrew’s.

By | Izzy Andrews and Natasha Faruqui They say there is safety in numbers, and the SPC On the day of the race, some teammates’ spirits champions would agree. were high.

The boys cross-country team is the largest in “I was pretty confident that we would win gothe school’s history with 24 freshmen, 18 sopho- ing in, if we ran well and if everyone stepped up mores, 21 juniors and three senior captains. to make that happen,” junior Sean Jackson said.

On a rainy Saturday morning in Austin, the “During race day, I was just focused on running boys won for the third straight year, this time by my best and staying up with people I knew I could a wide margin, outdistancing rival St. Mark’s by stay with.”

43 points.

One of the challenges posed by increased team In cross-country meets, the numbers is practice space. The top five finishers from each coaches divided the runners Our team depth into two groups, which often school earn points. The fastest Mavericks were junior Drew in different locations, ended up saving practice Woodfolk (5th place overall), typically the track or nearby the day for us, as parks. The better runners are sophomore Sam Faraguna (12th), senior captain Jayan our score put us in a placed in Group 1.

Hanson (13th) and juniors “Group placement was position to win SPC based not just on times but Sean Jackson (15th) and Pearse Higgason (18th). even without our also on commitment and moThe cross-country team has tivation,” Mercado said. top two finishers. seen a surge in popularity due If slower runners show to its recent success. Winning enough dedication, they can strengthens the positive enerit into Group 1.

-Pearse Higgason make“We gy and excitement that surhave so many good rounds the program. runners that it’s hard to be at “It’s been a really close group and a really good the top,” freshman Douglas Parsley said. “If you group,” head coach Richie Mercado said. “I think really want to be in that top group, you have to that’s why a lot of people want to join.” work really hard.”

The runners manage to stay close in and out The team does not practice together as much of season despite the intense competition. The as in previous years, but better organization annual retreat, held this year in Aspen, Colorado, outweighs the disadvantages.

“It’s definitely better than having 70 provided an opportunity for the boys to weave a network of friends. people practice in the same place,” “Being part of such a large team, especially for junior Mark Laborde said.

Even with the logistical difincoming freshmen, is a great way to meet people you ordinarily wouldn’t talk to,” senior captain ficulties, most team members Jayan Hanson said. appreciate the expanded team, Having more runners has proved advantageous. because more teammates create If a teammate is out with an injury or illness, there more friendly competition.

“There is more team comare plenty of other runners available to take his place. petition, but it’s more help“We had a lot of trouble with injuries this year, ful than it is hurtful beso we knew we had to step up and run fast times at cause people don’t try to SPC because we had no idea how well our injured make each other go slower,” runners would compete,” junior Pearse Higgason Laborde said. “There’s only said. “Our team depth ended up saving the day more motivation to go fastfor us, as our score put us in a position to win SPC er.” even without our top two finishers.”

Some runners, such as

“

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freshman Charlie McGee, run for both JV and varsity.

“In-town meets are good because you have a chance to get a higher place,” McGee said. “But the out-of-town meets are better because everyone around you is faster, so it pushes you to go faster, too.”

Having many runners allows coaches to develop a better team on all levels.

“The coaches are all focused on helping each and every runner improve, regardless of whether he is on JV or varsity,” Hanson said.

There are only three senior captains, Jake Schick, Jayan Hanson, and Hayden Simmons, so leading a team of 66 runners can prove difficult. Juniors needed to step into leadership roles a year early in order to fill the gap.

“You don’t have to be a captain to be a leader,” Mercado said.

Despite the challenges involved in being a team leader, Hanson thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to run in his last SPC. “My final fall SPC was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget. Having run the St. Andrew’s course several times previously, I was excited to run it once more to finish my high school career,” Hanson said. “Due to hard work and some incredible breakout performances, we were able to win for the third year in a row.”

As senior players finished up their last season, many new players relished the opportunity to begin their cross country career.

“Cross country was a great way to stay in perfect shape,” freshman Isaac Blue said. “I enjoyed working hard with the team and getting better every day. The team captains really carried the team with their leadership.”

JARED MARGOLIS

Junior Ian Thakur races to the finish at the Maverick Ramble at T. C. Jester Park.

The Mavs won the Ramble, with junior Drew Woodfolk taking the overall title.

Sports 15

SJSReview.COM | November 8, 2016

Finnegan Field promotes fast-paced play By | Emily Chen and Gracie Blue

After a victorious 2015 season, there was only one way for the field hockey program to maintain their momentum: pump in new blood.

The plan worked, and the team secured the 2016 Southern Preparatory Conference Championship on Nov. 5 in Austin. The team went undefeated with a record of 18-0-1. The record for home games since 2007 is 75-0-1.

Eight underclassmen increased the team’s talent and depth. Accustomed to playing together, the seven sophomores and one freshman play together year-round for Texas Pride, a club team that competes across the nation.

“We have a really deep team, as in there’s a lot of talent; it’s not like anybody is on varsity for the sake of being there,” senior co-captain Sarah VanLoh said. “Everybody brings something to the team. We’re comfortable subbing in people in any game.”

Sophomore Jaya Krishnan found that the large number of sophomores was easily immersed into the team because they are accustomed to playing together outside of school.

“We all know each others’ playing styles so well that we are able to put the ball where we like it,” Krishnan said.

According to head coach Craig Chambers, the girls’ teamwork allowed them to set this team apart from those of previous years.

“We’ve always had good records, but this team is really strong,” Chambers said. “They play really well together, and all of them have a sense of working the field. They all, have really good skill, which contributes to playing well together.”

Chambers also notes the versatility of the team’s lineups.

“This team was more balanced than previous teams in terms of skill set,” Chambers said. “As a result we were able to put people in different combinations and different positions.”

The girls who played on Texas Pride benefitted from the transition to the new wet-turf Finnegan Field because of their prior experience on similar fields.

“The girls who play club are very used to playing on turf, while the girls who don’t play club had to take some time to adjust,” Krishnan said.

The field was completed only two days before their match against St. Andrews, Oct. 14.

The wet-turf field, primarily used by college teams, is the only one of its kind in Texas.

“The new field has been something we’ve all been waiting for a long time, but it was finally finished.

We played on it for the first time on Senior Night, which was awesome,” VanLoh said. “It was very surreal playing on it for the first time.”

The new field has required the team to adapt to a higher playing speed.

“The game was just so much more fast paced,” VanLoh said. “It just makes passing a lot smoother and a lot more precise.”

The girls awaited the field’s inaugural game with excitement.

“We watched the construction on the field every day from practice on Jared Margolis Caven,” sophomore Avery Midfielder Amélie Perrier runs the ball down the field in a 2-0 victory against Greenhill. The team Morris said. won SPC for the second year in a row to complete their undefeated system.

“The moment we stepped competitive as we would like them to be,” Wilon the field, we knew the son said. wait was worth it.”

An out-of-state game was a conscious choice While last year’s team also claimed the SPC title, according to senior co-captain Grace Wil- made by the coaching staff in an effort to adson, this team is different. A non-counter game vance the girls’ skills.

The Mavs emphasized fitness in order to gain against Kinkaid was the first indication of iman edge over their opponents. provement “We’ve been focusing a lot on conditioning,” “Kinkaid is usually our hardest game,” Wilson said. “In prior seasons, we’ve lost to them in the VanLoh said. “We’ve had Coach Campbell come since the start of the season, which is really hard, non-counter.” but I think it’s good for us.”

This year, the Mavs defeated Kinkaid 3-0.

The culmination of their efforts was a second “We haven’t done that in the three years I’ve consecutive SPC title. been on the team,” Wilson said.

“The team performed really well and showed The Mavs traveled to Kansas City for the first time in team history, where they experienced how when we play as a team and help each other focus and work together,” Senior captain Reese elite competition.

“It was fun to play against such good teams Vogel said. “We perform our best and we were because a lot of the teams in Texas are not as able to succeed throughout the tournament.”

Field Hockey By the Numbers Season record

18-0-1

Consecutive SPC Wins

2

Home Record Since 2007

Mavs break three-way tie to qualify for SPC

75-0-1

Photos by NYLA Jennings

Left: Divya Jain sets the ball for Jillian Ticatch. Right: Kennadie Jake-Turner practices her spike. Despite losing the final game of the season, 3-2, to Kinkaid, the volleyball team qualified for SPC for the first time since 2013. A three-way tie allowed the Mavs to advance and kept the Falcons at home.

By | Mia Guien Though girls’ volleyball lost by two points in the fifth set against Kinkaid on Oct. 27, they were ultimately victorious: the team broke a three-way tie to earn a spot in the Southwest Preparatory Conference championship bracket.

Girls’ volleyball has not competed in SPC since 2013.

The Mavericks ended up in a tie with St. Andrew’s and Kinkaid for the last two spots. In order to break the tie, the team that has won the most sets will enter the higher seeded position for SPC. Winning a total of five sets, three from defeating St. Andrew’s and two from the match with Kinkaid, the Mavericks placed above St. Andrew’s, who won a total of three sets, and Kinkaid, who won two sets. The girls earned the fifth seed in SPC. “We didn’t think we would qualify at first,” sophomore Caitlin Ellithorpe said. “We thought when we lost to Kinkaid on Thursday that was our last chance to qualify.”

From the beginning, coach Karen Morgan told the team that if they could not beat Kinkaid, they would not make it to SPC. After they fell behind 2-0, they found a way to win the next two sets.

“It was really intense,” senior Laura Huang said. “We had nothing left to lose.”

The Mavericks persevered and forced a pivotal final fifth set.

Entering this final segment of the match, the girls were fixated on fighting for every point. Though they played with determination, the Mavericks lost 15-13. They assumed all chances of reaching SPC were lost.

“We were all together and we were crying,” junior Wallis Turley said. “It’s been a good season, and we’ve worked our hardest.”

Athletic Director Vince Arduini approached the team shortly after the game and told them the good news — ­ they were going to SPC.

“We just lost it,” Turley said. “I was crying so hard because I saw my seniors crying.”

“I’m excited to experience SPC with the team,” sophomore Stephanie Sarkar said. “Going this year is a well-deserved prize for the team’s efforts.”

Though many players regret the loss against Kinkaid, Turley emphasizes the importance of the fact that the team competed in SPC. “We lost to Kinkaid but we still made it to SPC, and that’s what really matters,” Turley said.

Sports 16

Review | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Gow upholds family quarterback tradition

By | Dani Yan

As starting quarterback, sophomore Wesley Gow is heir to a Maverick football dynasty. His older brothers Lawson (’08) and Chris (’12), were football captains and two-year varsity starters while their father, David Sr., also wore No. 10 for the Mavericks.

Gow is the youngest of five children to attend St. John’s and the only one in his family to start at quarterback as a sophomore.

Under the Maverick’s new spread offense, Gow has had more opportunities to utilize his passing abilities than in the run-oriented veer system.

“If we were still running the veer, the starting quarterback there would be the bigger, stronger guy,” Gow said. “The new offense is what gave me the opportunity to start.”

The spread offense affords Gow more time to make decisions and more opportunities to throw the ball. Gow finished with 2230 combined yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

“The system is really good at using all of our athletes to stretch the defense and put certain defenders in impossible situations,” Gow said. “Our receivers are doing a great job of getting yards after each catch.”

Head Football Coach Steve Gleaves connects much of Gow’s early success with his knowledge of the new offense.

“He was already studying the offense when it was first introduced and was much farther along than I expected,” Gleaves said. “This offense really fits his mental capacity and physical attributes.”

Although Gow’s overall performance at the starting quarterback position exceeds that of many of his predecessors, his first season was not free of setbacks.

“I knew the transition was going to be difficult,” Gow said.

“But we’re only going to get more comfortable with the offense as we go.”

Gow has been playing quarterback since the fourth grade and has garnered a reputation amongst his teammates and coaches for his integrity, work ethic and football acumen.

“He is an honorable, sportsmanlike and hardworking quarterback,” sophomore running back Malcolm Sturgis said. “He is a good player on the field and a good guy off the field.”

From Southwest Football League’s youth program to varsity games, Gow has always put pressure on himself to perform to high standards.

“There are a lot of butterflies but also a lot of excitement,” Gow said. “I always get a little nervous; sometimes I even throw up before games.”

Coaches and teammates note Gow’s dedication to football.

“Wesley really cares about the team,” captain Josh Thomas said.

“He’s a no-funny-business kind of guy. He’s always focused.”

According to Gleaves, Gow’s commitment to the sport is shown through his confidence and willingness to confront all challenges will full effort.

“He has a confidence about himself that he’s going to give it all he’s got all the time,” Gleaves said. “He’s not going to sit back and

Nyla Jennings

Sophomore quarterback Wesley Gow converses with coach Virgil Campbell during the Episcopal game, Oct. 14. Gow accounted for 1,618 passing yards, 612 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns in his first year as a starter. wait for anything; he’s going to go get it and put a lot into it.”

Gow’s dedication has established him as a team leader.

“He’s not a real vocal guy, but he’s able to lead through example,” Gleaves said. “Everyone looks at him and sees someone who just keeps going and won’t stop.”

Gow’s offseason efforts have facilitated his development. Gow has enlisted a private quarterback coach since ninth grade and put emphasis on weight training this past offseason to build on his six-foot-one frame. According to Gow, his arm strength and precision have improved, and he has gained almost 25 pounds of muscle since last season.

“It’s a whole different level from JV to Varsity,” Gow said. “To be able to play at a higher level, I needed to gain certain physical attributes.”

According to Gleaves, Gow works harder and has been able to mature quickly by following the example of his brothers.

“He’s a little bit farther along because he’s been able to watch and take notes,” Gleaves said. “Much of his hard work and dedication stems from his having two brothers. They’ve both had a lot of success, so he’s got that motivation to do as well or better as his brothers.”

Lawson played one season at Williams College before getting injured, and Chris was a captain at Amherst College.

Wesley also hopes to play at the collegiate level.

Gow’s first season as starting quarterback did not end in an SPC championship for the Mavericks, but it was enough to make fans hopeful for the future.

“I could definitely see flashes of greatness both from the team and from Wes.” Lawson said. “Given the implementation of a new offense and that they are relatively young team, I was really impressed with Wes’ season. He’s going to have an awesome career.”

Sixth grade football undefeated in first season By | Henry Still and Eli Desjardins

After years of attempting to increase athletic involvement in the Middle School, changes to the daily schedule have made it possible for sixth-grade football to become a reality.

On signup day, enough players joined the program that a full sixth grade team could be formed, rather than a combined sixth and seventh grade team.

“Our goal was always to have a sixth grade only team and avoid having to do a JV and Varsity,” Head Athletic Director Vince Arduini said. “It has worked out really well so far.”

The ultimate mission is to help the players grow as individuals, but the athletic department notes the benefits a sixth grade team will have on the whole football program.

“An extra year of organized athletics only lends itself to developing and making them better players in the future,” Arduini said. “But at the end of the day, we hope the students have fun playing.”

According to varsity football player Thomas Carpenter, the extra year of St. John’s football will provide the sixth grade athletes more opportunities to improve.

“I played football in the Southwest Football League as a sixth grader, but I don’t think that helped nearly as much as playing with St. John’s would have,” Carpenter said. “You are one year ahead in terms of team chemistry, plays and skill.”

Having only sixth grade athletes on the team has given starting opportunities to players who might not have gotten much playing time otherwise. The team has 14 players for offense and 13 for defense.

“There isn’t a big gap between any two players,” Head Coach Bond Millard said. “That has helped us get everyone on the field and still play well.”

The sixth grade experiment has gone well, considering that the team finished undefeated and nearly unscored upon.

“We are winning all our games, so everyone is having fun,” quarterback Cale Skinner said. “The coaches aren’t super strict, and they let us have fun during practice.”

The young team has shown considerable maturity.

“I’ve been coaching a long time, and this one of the most unselfish teams I have ever seen,” Millard said.

Varsity football coaches have helped coach the sixth grade athletes, including Head Varsity Coach Steve Gleaves.

“They come out before their practice to help us,” Millard said.

“They are the reason we are doing so well.”

The athletic department envisions the sixth grade team as a

Angela Perry

The 27-player sixth grade football team remained undefeated and almost unscored upon throughout their first season. Schedule changes over the last year have made athletics more accessible to the sixth grade. platform for the young players to begin learning important offfield lessons.

“It’s an opportunity for kids to dedicate themselves, to be a part of a team and to learn the educational piece beyond the classroom,” Arduini said.

Despite the success of the experiment, the team has dealt with some minor problems during the year. Scheduling has been difficult because many middle schools have combined sixth and seventh grade teams.

“It’s been hard for us to get other sixth-grade-only teams to

play,” Millard said. “We only had four games this year because of that.”

The issues have not subtracted from the experience, since both coaches and players have deemed the season a success. The team has surpassed its original expectations, and the combination of onfield achievement and off-field lessons contributed to a memorable season.

“This is one of the most fun years I have ever had,” Millard said,” “not just because we have won all our games but because of this group of kids. It’s been fantastic.”

O

SJSREVIEW.COM | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

ON POINT

OFF TARGET

Christmas starts as soon as Halloween ends

Four-year Kinkaid Game losing streak

Senior sign-outs finally granted

80 degree days in November

PRO | CON

By | Christian Maines The modern news media is not bad for democracy. In fact, it may be our only hope.

It’s pointless to argue that news outlets do not have their own individual biases. To understand why our news outlets seem so polarized and to figure out what we ought to do about it, we should take a look at the history of multimedia journalism.

Let’s turn the clock back to 1949. The “Fairness Doctrine,” adopted that year by the Federal Communications Commission, introduced a set of well-intentioned but ill-advised regulations requiring media outlets to provide balance in the reporting of current events. The initial principle rested on providing adequate variety of opinions on a limited broadcasting spectrum.

So, what happened? Why do we have anchors on both sides of the spectrum making a mockery of journalism (see Brian Williams on the left, Sean Hannity on the right and Nancy Grace stuck somewhere in the Twilight Zone)?

The Fairness Doctrine was abolished in 1987 after Supreme Court cases Red Lion Broadcasting v. FCC and FCC v. League of Women Voters of California caused the FCC to reexamine its policy on fair coverage. Many have cited the end of the Fairness Doctrine as the beginning of a renaissance of media bias.

I am not calling for the revival of the Fairness Doctrine. It was unconstitutional.

Rather, it might help to take the news outlets out of the picture and reexamine the role of the viewer.

There are a couple of principles that could help in this examination. The first is called “narrowcasting,” a term in communication research that refers to media specifically targeted towards a given audience, defined by shared ideology or demographics. The second is called “selective exposure theory,” also known as “confirmation bias, a process by which individuals reinforce their beliefs by only listening to information that confirms those beliefs.

In examining the devolution of television journalism, there’s plenty of blame to go around. The news outlets themselves must take some share of the culpability for rather obviously favoring certain political stances. More importantly, the American public ought to take a long, hard look in the mirror — news outlets can’t fund themselves, and it only makes sense for stations to target specific audiences to secure advertising revenue. We’re playing right into their hands, and that’s our fault.

Aside from the fact that a majority of Americans are relatively ill-informed and need all the help they can get (according to Pew Research, only one third of Americans know how many women currently serve on the Supreme Court), the media provides a remarkable example of how polarized our country is and how important it is to find common ground.

What we have here is not the failure of the news media to communicate with its audience, but rather to the failure of progressives and conservatives to generate constructive dialogue instead of yelling into the echo chamber. As young people comprise an increasingly important political demographic, now is the ideal time to reach across the aisle.

Perhaps it is unfair to ask a CNN devotee to spend a night watching Fox News or a Breitbart reader to pick up the New York Times. On either side of the spectrum, it is unbelievably easy to pick out the biases in the opposing side’s reporting, and in recognizing those biases, it is conceivable that we will be able to hold media outlets more accountable. The news media, in its current state, might just be the perfect tool to recognize the divisiveness growing in our political climate and to begin bridging the gap.

By | Sophie Caldwell Since the very inception of our nation, strong opinions have defined news media, whether they stem from ideology, political party or simply personal preference. The seditious stories printed in Benjamin Harris’s 1690 newspaper Publick Occurences, Both Foreign and Domestick, caused him to flee to America.

As political parties began to form out of the revolutionary ether, polemics flew from both sides. Bias has defined the American media since before America was America. Media bias is a natural tendency, but one that we need to resist for the sake of democracy.

True, the proportion of regular news readers has dropped since the 1700s, but the media still has significant influence over the political climate whether the general population knows it or not. And that’s one of the first problems with media bias: not everyone can tell when they are being influenced by the media.

Some say that the fault then lies with the American public, who should think more critically about what media they choose to absorb. But we should put the onus on the news media to abide by journalistic ethics and strive to present impartial information. True, there is no such thing as a completely objective point of view, but by thoroughly researching both sides, journalists can contribute in a meaningful way to the national conversation instead of furthering their own agendas.

This is not to say that opinions have no place in news. In fact, they have a very specific place: the opAILEEN ZHANG ed, a section devoted to commentary.

Journalists can, and should, have a space to present their own opinions, since they are often some of the best-informed people. But as Voltaire and Spider-Man’s uncle are known to say, with great power comes great responsibility.

Opinions should be presented as such, and a good journalist will frame their narrative as fairly as possible.

This election has been characterized by open vitriol from both sides. Recently, the staff of the Arizona Republic received death threats for endorsing Hillary Clinton. I have gotten some nasty looks for my “I’m With Her” campaign button. Certainly, some of the blame for the blatant ad hominem attacks lies with the campaigns’ strategies. But the media coverage has been a mess, with glaring bias, gleeful takedowns of the candidates and wildly imbalanced reporting in a dash to secure the most buzz-worthy stories. And the American public suffers because of it.

America should demand fair and accurate news reporting.

Without the cooperation of reporters, the general public has no way of finding out the truth about what goes on in our country, and whether a Democrat or Republican, that affects us all. We should strive to make the best, most informed choices we can regarding the future of this country, and in an election cycle like this, the information presented in the news matters more than ever.

Bias doesn’t always announce itself as clearly as a “Hillary for Prison” bumper sticker. As repulsive as such a concept is, it clearly indicates the views of that car owner. Bias can be as subtle as word choice, and while some may notice and receive the information accordingly, others absorb the information and the hidden bias unknowingly.

Part of the solution is to call on Americans to be more enlightened consumers, but the media has a duty to present the facts in a way most conducive to allowing people to make informed choices.

R

Opinions 17

Review St. John’s School 2401 Claremont Lane Houston, TX 77019

sjsreview.com Facebook SJS Review Twitter @SJS_Review Instagram @_thereview Snapchat sjsreview

Member Columbia Scholastic Press Assn.: Gold Crown 2015, Silver Crown 2014, 2016, Crown Finalist 2017

National Scholastic Press Assn.: Pacemaker 2015 4th Place Best of Show, All-American 2013-14, 2014-15 Editors-in-Chief Christian Maines and Irene Vazquez Managing Editor Sophia Li Creative Director Jared Margolis Senior Assignments Editor Sadde Mohamed Assignments Editors Gracie Blue, Claire Furse, Dani Yan Design Editor Ashwini Bandi Assistant Design Editors Stephen Kim, Prithvi Krishnarao Photography Editor Nyla Jennings Copy Editors Sophie Caldwell, Iris Chen, Alexander Kim Business Manager Grace Amandes Assistant Business Manager Sukul Mittal Online Editor-in-Chief Amy Liu Online Editor Emily Chen Video Editor Max Westmark Social Media Editor Emma Shea Online Copy Editor Ryan Chang Staff

Izzy Andrews, Manar Ansari, Maggie Ballard, Hrishabh Bhosale, Gwendelyn Butler, Eli Desjardins, Andrew Duong, Jackson Edwards, Mia Fares, Natasha Faruqui, Sam Foshee, Lilah Gaber, Sophie Gillard, Thomas Grannen, Mia Guien, Kate Habich, Eric Hang, Shani Israel, Clyde Johnson, Reygan Jones, Sophia Kontos, Sophia Lima, Eli Maierson, Will McKone, Sinclair Mott, Saswat Pati, Robert Rae, Caroline Ramirez, Grace Sanders, Louisa Sarofim, David Seo, Jack Shea, Henry Still, Soraya Stude, Alex Tinkham, Aileen Zhang

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 six times during the school year.

We distribute at least 1,000 copies of each issue, most of which are given for free to the Upper School community of 631 students and 80 faculty members.

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 an editor or adviser in the Review room (Q210).

Opinions 18

REVIEW | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Political correctness a necessity, not luxury By | Lilah Gaber

Club Fair was bittersweet.

At PRISM’s booth I was pleasantly surprised by how many students were showing interest.

But I witnessed two troubling moments. First, some students were not willing to sign up for fear that their friends might see and shame them.

And then a pair of boys passed by. They first tapped the other and pointed to our poster and said, “You should sign up for that club.” This statement was followed by mocking laughter from both boys.

Both disheartening moments made me realize why the teachers who passed by the PRISM booth thanked the board members or told them how brave they were. It does take bravery to be yourself because we’ve unintentionally fostered an environment that doesn’t allow students to accept their identity.

In case you think students don’t have bigoted conversations, let me break one down: it usually starts with talking about someone’s weekend and a student is named dropped. Next, someone will say something like, “She’s such a [insert misogynistic comment]!” or “He’s such a [insert homophobic slur]!”

In these seemingly harmless conversations, there exists a larger social effect that promotes misogyny and homophobia as commonplace.

While one would hope someone — anyone — would shut these conversations down, they are usually met with laughs and general agreement.

In trying to figure out why no one, myself included, steps up in these instances after being lectured for years about not being a bystander, I have come to one conclusion: there are immediate negative social consequences for perceived political correctness.

The stigma surrounding political correctness makes it more embarrassing to point out someone’s use of bigoted or derogatory speech than it

EMMA SHEA

is to say the offensive slur. I can’t fully blame students for falling into this trap. Saying the right thing is hard.

We see this same attitude toward political correctness reflected on our national stage. During this election cycle we’ve seen the rise of “politicians against political correctness,” which is essentially a group of self-serving politicians who don’t want to try to say the right thing because, somehow, being empathetic is harder than spreading careless bigotry.

The result is a national dialogue that has become unapologetic, insensitive and quite harmful. This boycott of political correctness has normalized hate speech and validated people who can’t see how harmful their conversations have

become.

In our quest for free speech is it necessary to completely abandon our courtesy and empathy?

To those who say: “Well, I’m sure it’s not that bad!” or, “I’m sure it happens at other schools as well!”

It is that bad.

Too often we allow our peers to get away with transphobic, racist, Islamophobic or other offensive comments on the basis that it was just a joke. Calling something “locker room talk” isn’t an excuse either. They’re both just ways of disguising bigotry and regressive ideas so that no one gets confronted because anyone offended just needs to learn how to take a joke.

When confronted as a group, we collective-

ly agree that jokes at the expense of others are wrong, so why does our demeanor change in personal conversations? Joking with friends doesn’t justify bigotry. It desensitizes people to it, and quite frankly, those jokes are never as funny as intended.

Consider the recent suspension of the Harvard men’s soccer team. It was revealed that the players had been keeping a document that rated players on the women’s team in sexually explicit ways. Instead of dismissing this as a boys-willbe-boys situation, the athletic director almost immediately made the decision to cancel the rest of the men’s season. This should be the standard for dealing with all similar offenses. The choice to have a respectful community over a successful sports team may seem obvious, but too many times incidents like these are brushed off.

I don’t think it is wrong for me to hold our school to a higher standard. Just because we have come far in being accepting and understanding doesn’t mean we should just stop trying. Until everyone feels safe, our work is not done.

When someone tells me a word or phrase is offensive or makes them uncomfortable, it costs me absolutely nothing to stop using it. I know what it feels like to have offensive and hurtful things said about my religion and gender and to say nothing for fear of being mocked. I listen and learn from others and take responsibility for any unintentional insensitivity.

Political correctness isn’t censorship, and it isn’t oversensitivity. It is simply a set of principles that provide a basic foundation for common decency. And no, I’m not “triggered,” I’m just tired of having to fight to be taken as seriously as my male peers. I’m tired of having to fight to be treated respectfully because it’s exhausting.

Letter From the Online Editor

Review Online presents different voices, experiences Dear Reader, In the last hour, you’ve probably read something on the internet. Chances are you’ve clicked on content from Buzzfeed, Refinery29, the Atlantic... the list goes on.

In light of the 2016 presidential election, digital news is more crucial than ever. Media is loud, incessant and inescapable, but to some degree, it is also addictive. I hear adults discuss online election polls; I watch my peers react to one-liners from Trump or Clinton, fresh off their Snapchat news feed; I see powerful editorials skyrocket on Facebook and trickle into English class discussions.

For me, these situations happen on a daily basis, and they show just how much people rely on online news to keep themselves informed and educated.

That impact is amazing, but also frightening. I am the Review Online Editor-in-Chief, and even though we can’t begin to compare our site to global news conglomerates, we try to hold ourselves to the same high standards as professional journalists. These professionals are pressured to disseminate information by the second, but they are criticized for being invasive and pushy. Jour-

nalists are expected to excite readers and “dish the dirt,” but then they are dismissed as sensationalist. They must express thoughtful and provocative opinions but remain as impartial as possible. This balancing act is more difficult than you can imagine.

Even more challenging for online publications is that everyone expects news to be free, requiring those publications to worry constantly about generating revenue. Any grander mission becomes shortsighted.

So when you read anything from the Review, realize that what professional journalists experience applies to us. Our online team works nonstop to publish content virtually every day and report the news in the most timely manner possible. We’ve covered the election in many ways, from an analysis of the candidates’ taste in music to a podcast with Young Political Organization. We have brainstormed, collected and fact-checked information, scrapped ideas and modified them for months before Election Day. So much has led to this point.

Now that the election is almost over, you can move on from the political divisiveness and hear some good news for a change.

Check out sjsreview.com to watch behind-the-scenes footage of

ERIC HANG

the Kinkaid Video or read Sophia Kontos’ column about hosting a foreign exchange student. Get updates on SPC championships and learn about Tautology Club.

Look around you. Life will go on after the election.

The Review Online does more than just inform our readers. We want to express voices and personal experiences that people will not otherwise encounter.

Love,

Amy Liu

O &E

Odds & Ends 19

SJSREVIEW.COM | NOVEMBER 8, 2016

Art School Rejects

By | Aileen Zhang

60 Seconds with Jillian Ticatch

grade 12 (heck ya) state of mind dude, gnarly dude, totally known for being really hecka loud all the dang time color blue-gray hate to love Head Prefect Cameron Cook love to hate Stella happiness when I successfully use Mathematica for something misery Mathematica, usually dream date the sun guilty pleasure Glee cafeteria food I’m too lazy to pack my own lunch comfort food hummus place to live any room with a view is one with you in it anthem I Blame Cam

i wish I could just get it together for one minute and finish my college apps treasured possession my self-esteem spirit animal a little bird zoo animal los elefantes! hero myself B-) superpower time travel fictional character Billy Bibbit book (see above) tv show Gilmore Girls movie once I tried to encrypt the entirety of the Bee Movie script in Mathematica stress reliever “ya I’m fine I’m just cryin” i am doing my best i’d rather be doing my bester follow us? no follow JIL_lab_forever

“This is why we can’t have nice things.”

Word for Word “

“

I’m going to make such a good radio that Radio Shack’s going to make me their CEO.

Some people are dog people. Some people are cat people. I am a plant people.

- Senior Matthew Garnett

- Senior Maddie McZeal

”

”

“

“

We all have chameleons in our houses it’s just most of us don’t know it.

I don’t know what a sick burn is, but I think that was one of them.”

- Senior Julian Peavy

English teacher Warren Rawson

”

”

Charted: Computers 101 By | Aileen Zhang

wrongness incarnate

NSA portal

lightbox

404 - Page Not Found

wrong

err err err err err err err

MAKE IT STOP‼ MAKE IT STOP‼

drink holders portholes

pointy

holes to let evil spirits in

also wrong snakes

space heater

dANGIT

clicker rolling clicker

keyholder launch button press these together to escape the mortal coil

rat

Photostory 20

Review | november 8, 2016

Spirit Week

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Spirit Week is a tradition that spans generations.

From an all-school pep rally to seniors dressing like Kinkaid students to the annual Kinkaid Game at Rice Stadium, Spirit Week fosters school camaraderie and friendly competition.

The St. John’s mascot Maverick cheers alongside seniors at the All-School Pep Rally (photo 1). Senior Ethan Wang shows off his DressLike-Kinkaid-Day outfit, donning purple and gold (2). Varsity football players and Head Coach Steve Gleaves gather in a team huddle at the All-School Pep Rally (3). Wide receiver Jiries Ganim gets tackled

by Kinkaid’s defensive line at Rice Stadium (4). Varsity cheerleader Victoria Lima leads the chant for the Mavs at the Oct. 28 football game (5).

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Visit The Review Online for further coverage of Spirit Week.

Story by Sophia Li | Photos by Caroline Ramirez (1, 3) Eric Hang (2) and Nyla Jennings (4, 5)