October 2023

the

REVIEW Oct. 12, 2023

St. John’s School

Vol. 75, No. 1

Excessive Heat Warning

Urgency: Take action immediately Severity: Life-threatening In effect: Indefinitely

THE WORLD IS ON FIRE What are we doing about it?

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Story by Lauren Baker Photo illustration by Serina Yan Design by Amanda Brantley & Serina Yan 2401 Claremont Lane

Houston, TX 77019

sjsreview.com

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SCOTUS guts Affirmative Action.

Why you should care.

Team Thane: Community rallies around injured alum

Mavs hold on for last-second victory over Knights

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Why SJS’s No. 1 Niche ranking does not matter

NEWS

Student responders aim to improve peer well-being

Story by Ellison Albright

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ver the last three years, St. John’s has yo-yoed up and down the Niche ranking of best high schools in the Houston area, leading many to question the validity of the system.

In 2021, the School ranked No. 1 among Houston area private high schools, but fell to No. 7 last year, only to reclaim the top spot in the city and state this year.

Not only did Niche rank St. John’s best in Texas, it also put the School fifth among private K-12 schools nationwide.

Niche — a website that annually releases school rankings from pre-K to graduate school — is well known among parents and students.

It is one of few national websites that rank primary and secondary schools.

In an email to The Review, Head of School Dan Alig wrote, “I question the very premise of such rankings — school communities are too complex to be reduced to single metrics — and, specifically, Niche’s methodology.”

Niche claims to consider parent, student and teacher reviews, as well as user-generated input and other data, to create their “report cards,” which give letter grades to aspects of student life. The grades are arrived at by taking the standard deviation of the standardized scores compiled from reviews and other data.

This year, St. John’s jumped from an A to an A+ in both the Clubs & Activities and Teacher categories, from a B to an A in Diversity and from a B+ to an A- in Sports.

Ever-Changing Niche Rankings

Infographic by Emily MatthewsEderington

2021 No. 1 Private High School in Houston + A 2022 No. 7 Private High School in Houston B2023 No. 1 Private High School in Texas A + No. 5 K-12 School Nationally Niche did not reveal why the SJS scores changed. Administrators suspected that some of the data was either erroneous, missing or outdated in determining last year’s rankings.

Alig credits Director of Admissions Courtney Burger and Director of Communications Susan Munson with giving Niche the proper information. “[They] went to great lengths to ensure that Niche stopped publishing inaccurate data about St. John’s,” Alig wrote.

One inccuracy involved data about the graduation rate. According to Burger, Niche “assumed since we didn’t report anything that we must not have a hundred percent graduation rate.”

For Burger, the Niche roller coaster was just another reminder of the subjectiveness and limited accuracy of rankings websites.

“Last year was proof that you live by rankings, you die by rankings,” Burger said.

Rankings are important for schools seeking to reach a broader audience and increase applications, and they can be a tool for students exploring schools — but they should not lead to any final decisions.

“I would encourage anyone looking at schools to go on those campuses yourself, ask the questions yourself, get your own information,” Burger said.

THUMBS UP On Aug. 18–19, Students Against Stigma peer responders attended a 10hour training.

Story by Aila Jiang Photo by Ashley Le Grange

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tarting next semester, more than The idea for the program originated from two dozen students will don white the nonprofit Stand UP Foundation that Le buttons with shamrock green letGrange founded in Florida, where students tering — identifying them as helpers for peers mentored their peers and hosted workshops in distress. on mental health.

Students Against Stigma’s Responders The initial class of SJS responders was program is training students to support their chosen from a group of students who expeers as they navigate the emotional turmoil pressed an interest in SAS leadership. Future of high school. responders will be selected through a formal “As someone who has struggled with application process. mental health myself, having peers who are All responders will be required to attend trained to support is so critical,” senior rethe training every year. sponder Mackenzie Rice said. “The program “It’s critical that peers are properly trained will help remove barriers in receiving mental because, developmentally, teenagers are just health treatment and support.” much more prone to listen to other teenagThe goal of the responders is not to serve ers,” Le Grange said. as therapists or counselors but to act as inResponders aim to reduce stigma by termediaries between mental health profesencouraging more frequent conversations sionals and students. Responders are bound between students about mental health. by confidentiality unless there is a concern “Stigma is the most isolating part of mental for the student’s safety. health,” SAS board member Ava Mostyn said.

Responders will be on standby throughout In the decade before the pandemic, perthe school day, especially when sistent sadness, hopelessness and counselors may be busy helpsuicidal thoughts and behaviors ing others. increased by 40% among “Whether students are adolescents, according to having a difficult time the Centers for Disease in class, experiencControl and Prevening a panic attack tion. or just need The faculty someone to talk sponsors, Kim to because of a Roquemore and bad day, respondRyan DePuit, are not ers are available for mental health profesthem,” senior SAS sionals, but they consider board member Gabby it important to learn more Saadia said. about mental health.

BUTTON OF HONOR Responders completed “It’s beautiful to see Once the responders complete 10 hours of training in teenagers caring about their training, they will wear the SAS mid-August discussing others, looking outside of Responder button topics ranging from how to themselves and sacrificdesigned by junior Kai Gomez. regulate emotions to dealing ing their own time and with academic perfectionism. Attendees personal pursuits to lift others up,” Roquelearned how to listen empathetically to peers more said. and identify who may need help and when to DePuit added, “It’s important for students refer them to a professional. and the community as a whole to realize that “This is a community effort,” Upper School all of their teachers are on their side and counselor Ashley Le Grange said. “I wanted here to help.” to cast as diverse a net as possible to recruit After the responders program is fully esstudents to be better responders.” tablished, leaders plan to expand it to other Attendees began with a breathing exercise, area schools. In September, SAS hosted a followed by a lesson on removing preconcep- panel discussion for parents and counselors tions before listening to peers. Responders from Houston-area private schools about the practiced real-world scenarios and have met role parents play in their children’s mental bimonthly to hone their skills. health.

“Our goal as leaders is to facilitate the “It’s a great opportunity for the community group and help them understand their role to be trained in mental health, knowing that through these meetings,” Saadia said. there are people readily available for others,” Rice, a leader of both WHEE and Unity Mostyn, a senior, said.

Council, understands the need for proper All responders will receive their buttons training. through a formal induction ceremony on “I feel really equipped to handle a multiDec. 15. tude of situations and a lot more prepared EDITOR’S NOTE for different topics that could come up,” Rice Aila Jiang is a SAS responder trainee. said.

NEWS

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The Review St. John’s School

Striking a deal: Writers Guild reaches 3-year agreement Actors remain on picket line, fighting for a share of streaming revenue, better pay Story by Lily Feather Design by Serina Yan

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reaching a deal, which was ratified arah Burkett (’10) is not on Oct. 9, for an estimated $233 a movie star — she is a million, up from the $86 million film and TV actress with that they offered initially. SAG-AFnine credits to her name. Her main TRA has not yet reached a deal. goal is “to have consistent opporThe agreement also includes tunities for jobs,” which is why she protections against AI and health has been on the picket line outside Paramount Studios for the past four care for each writer employed in the writers’ room. months.

Burkett hoped that the solidarity Burkett has put off joining of the writers and actors would be SAG-AFTRA because she cannot enough to sway the studios. afford to pay the union fees — an “It’s disappointing to see how initial $3,000, plus $231.96 annumuch the studios are relying on a ally and a work fee totaling 1.5% playbook that is decades old, and of yearly earnings. She does not they’re relying on a lack of solidarreceive money for her work being ity. That’s not happening on the rerun, known as residuals, because line,” Burkett said. “Despite it being her projects have been relativea terrifying and utterly enraging exly low-budget. Due to the strike, perience that we’re going through, she has been unable to promote every time I hit the line, it is more her upcoming film, “A Gettysburg re-energizing and reaffirms what Christmas.” we’re doing.”

The Writers Guild of America On a typical day, after a morning began striking on May 2, and the spent picketing in front of ParaScreen Actors Guild joined them mount, Burkett in mid July. works side gigs Writers in the afterand actors If this doesn’t go the right noons instead demanded way, this industry will of preparing higher pay, not be the same. for auditions. more people She works as a in writing This is make-or-break. home organizrooms, imSARAH BURKETT ‘10 er and a tutor proved health for private care and school admissions exams and genbetter protections against artificial eral academics. intelligence replacing them. While “We’re a scrappy bunch.” the strike was ongoing, they have She is still picketing. The studios discussed paltry residual checks on have been more reluctant to reach social media. a deal with the actors, who are The WGA proposal would have demanding 2% of total revenue cost major media companies like generated by streaming shows.

Disney less than one percent of “If this doesn’t go the right way, their annual revenue (an estimated this industry will not be the same,” $83.7 billion), yet the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Pro- she said. “This is make-or-break.”

When the WGA strike ended, ducers held out for 146 days before Movie Club co-President Ally Rodriguez was relieved.

“There’s always the idea that these people are not being paid what they should be paid,” Rodriguez said. “But when you see the writers or actors that are showing their residual checks — how does anyone see this and think this is sustainable?”

Rodriguez, who is working on a play, understands the importance of writers.

“Writers are integral to creating a story, and making a movie that you want to come back to and a movie 3. 5 –5 % in crea se in pa y & that you remember,” she said. re si du al ea rn in gs Rodriguez was disappointed A I-g en erated co when several of her favorite shows, ntent ca nn ot be co py including “Severance,” “The Last of ri ghte d Us” and “Saturday Night Live,” were At le ast 3 w ri te rs m ust be delayed. hi re d fo r a 6 -e pi so de sh ow “I’m worried about how some of my favorite programs are going to move forward,” she said.

“We are fighting for the middle class right now,” said Houston na-

KEY TERMS N EG OT IAT E D IN WGA D E A L

UNION IS PARAMOUNT Sarah Burkett (’10) walks the picket line in front of Paramount Studios in Hollywood.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Burkett

tive David Hornsby, 47, a writer and by turning to reality TV because their shows were typically more executive producer on “It’s Always affordable — but not this time. BeSunny in Philadelphia,” who also cause the studios tried to consoliexpressed concern about the future date their budgets before the strike, of Hollywood. they turned away pitches from Hornsby, who has a recurring role unscripted showrunners once the as homeless priest Rickety Cricket, strike began. is a member of all three major “It was like two tsunamis hitting guilds, including the Directors Los Angeles at the exact same Guild of America. “Hollywood is a time,” Brown said. town of unions,” he said.

Brown wonders if the larger world During the strikes, Hornsby of broadcast television and streampicketed regularly. Also an execuing platforms will have to change: tive producer, actor and writer for “Mythic Quest” on Apple TV, he had “What is the next model for getting content to people and getting eyebeen interviewing writers for the balls in front of TV?” show until the strike.

But Brown is optimistic from According to Hornsby, part of the what he has seen of the WGA deal: problem is that Hollywood, dazzled “It seems as if the deal meets the by streaming services, became immediate concerns of the writers, more concerned about profit conbut does little to address the larger, solidation. existential issues surrounding “It’s disruptive, which was the future of content delivery and exciting, because it brought in a consumption.” lot of new buyers to television and St. John’s parent and director expanded the television universe,” Vicky Wight was delighted by Hornsby said. “Perhaps too much.” the end of the WGA strike. Wight Hornsby says that the ones who adapted the novel “Happiness for suffer in the streaming era are the Beginners,” writers — TV written by show budgets Katherine stay big, but It was like two tsunamis Center (‘90), studios save hitting Los Angeles at the another St. money by exact same time.

John’s parent, consolidatinto a screening writers DAVID BROWN play. Wight also salaries. “TV directed the used to be Netflix film, released July 27. cheap and fast,” he said. “Now, TV Because Netflix anticipated a is lavish and expensive.” strike, its publicity team filmed Hornsby has received residuals promotional material, then refrom his many TV projects, but in leased it later to avoid having actors the age of streaming, he receives cross the picket line. significantly less.

“Nobody wanted to do anything According to Hornsby, there will be fewer shows produced and fewer to undermine the strike because everybody involved with the movie opportunities for writers to get a just wanted to support the writers,” stable job in the current landscape.

Center said.

“At this point, we’ve realized that Even though the DGA was not on we can’t have the tech sector rejigstrike, Wight stopped taking meetger our industry,” he said. “They’ve ings as a director over the summer. turned it into a gig economy.”

“It felt like crossing a picket line Houston native David Brown, to some degree,” she said.

48, is a three-time Emmy-winning Though the actors are still on showrunner for unscripted shows, strike, Wight is getting back to work including “The Amazing Race,” which typically do not require a full and taking meetings with writers.

“Holding out for 146 days was the writing staff. right thing to do.”

According to Brown, when the WGA has gone on strike, the networks scrambled to fill screen time.

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NEWS

SCOTUS ruling guts affirmative action, effect on college admissions unclear Colleges can no longer use race as a factor in admissions; Court argues affirmative action discriminatory Story by Aleena Gilani & Elizabeth Hu Design by Serina Yan, Georgia Andrews, Amanda Brantley

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he air was heavy with the smell of smoke from the Canadian wildfires raging across the border, so Harvard sophomore Dian Yu (’22) donned a mask to shield her lungs. Some of her classmates wielded megaphones and posters.

The police had forced Yu’s group of 40 demonstrators to move towards the Capitol, where they began “herding people around us and getting them to hear and see what we were there for,” she said.

They convened to protest the decision made by the Supreme Court of the United States just a few hours earlier.

On the morning of June 29, the Court released its decision on the “Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard” case: 6-2 in SFFA’s favor, declaring that the use of affirmative action in college admissions was unconstitutional. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson abstained due to her membership on Harvard’s Board of Overseers.

“Everyone who showed up — from our side, at least — was very angry and frustrated,” Yu said. “It was just a frustrating moment that the Supreme Court yet again is taking steps backward instead of forwards.”

Not everyone gathered on the lawn was enraged by the decision. Across from the protesters was a crowd celebrating the ruling, cheering and waving balloons.

But the tension Yu felt that day between the groups was not new; the controversy around affirmative action has spanned decades. Edward Blum sued Harvard in 2014, starting the “Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard” challenging the constitutionality of affirmative action.

On Oct. 29, 2018, during the initial “SFFA v. Harvard” case before the Massachusetts District Court, Harvard sophomore Madison Trice (’16) entered a crowded Boston courtroom. As a member of Harvard’s Black Student Association and the Political Action Chair of the Association of Black Harvard Women, Trice was called to testify on the eleventh day of legal proceedings.

The attorney asked her, “Do you support the continued use of race as one of the factors in Harvard’s admissions process?”

Trice answered with a resolute “Yes.” Eleven months later, District Judge Allison D. Burroughs ruled in Harvard’s favor. Over the course of the next three years, SFFA appealed, and the case was brought before the nation’s highest court. On the same day that the Harvard decision was released, the Supreme Court announced its 6-3 ruling on “SFFA v. University of North Carolina,” in SFFA’s favor.

Since June 29, neither public nor private colleges and universities have been allowed to use race as a factor in admissions.

These two cases effectively overturned the 1978 and 2003 landmark cases, “Regents of the University of California v.

Bakke” and “Grutter v. Bollinger,” both of which supported race-conscious college admissions.

In 1980, over 80% of all U.S. college students were white. By 2020, it was 54%.

SOURCE Best Colleges “A History of Affirmative Action in College Admissions”

TAKING A STAND Madison Trice (’16), left, is interviewed after testifying that Harvard should continue using affirmative action in its 2018 court case against Students for Fair Admissions. ©2023 The Harvard Crimson, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. Taken by Naomi S. Castellon-Perez

“Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the 2023 majority opinion.

The opinion further states that the ruling on affirmative action is consistent with past Supreme Court decisions to abolish race-based discrimination. The ruling contradicts its 2016 landmark decision in “Fisher v. U.T.” that upheld affirmative action.

“I think it’s honestly a very good decision,” said Upper School student Payton, not their real name. “If you don’t base that system on merit, you’re setting people up later in life for results that are based on the color of their skin or out of their control.”

The decision applies to all public and private higher education institutions, except military academies. Junior Justin Wright, a vice-chair on Unity Council and board member of the African American Affinity Group, says this distinction “carries a lot of weight” in how the Supreme Court views people of color.

“It’s very interesting that the government is allowing people of color to die for this country, but withholding the access to higher education that many are entitled to,” Wright said.

Although she expected the ruling, Trice still worries about the future of higher education. Trice, who is Black, says that the dual Supreme Court decisions will be detrimental to schools like Harvard, which relied on affirmative action admissions policies to ensure diversity.

“We are the only people in classrooms who can speak to our own unique experiences,” Trice said during her 2018 testimony.

Trice noted that without the input of underrepresented groups, “the richness of Harvard and Harvard’s ability to create leaders who are really knowledgeable about the world and about different experiences and are really empathetic would be lost.”

OBSTACLES TO BELONGING

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uring her time in the Upper School, Trice said she felt representative of all Black Americans. As part of a dominantly white population, she believed every decision she made not only reflected on herself, but also on the way others perceived the Black community as a whole.

“I felt very limited in how I could construct and portray myself,” she said.

Trice’s high school experience was filled with microaggressions and even bullying. She recalls that until her senior year, the School still had a football spirit dress theme called Pots and Pans, where students used black

paint to cover their arms and torsos while banging loudly on kitchenware.

Trice endured insults about her academic performance, including insinuations from a classmate that she only performed well in an English class because her Black teacher favored Black students. It was not until a peer review session that they recognized her grades were a result of her skill.

“There would be people who would imply that I either had academic success or that Black people had admission into elite colleges because of race,” she said. “I constantly felt a burden to prove that I belonged.”

Trice remembers some of her friends being nervous about getting into trouble or making mistakes because they feared that the School would admit fewer Black students the next year, adding that the feeling was “really pervasive.”

“It was so much for a fifteen-year–old.”

While Trice treasures her high school friends and teachers as well as her time on the board of the African American Affinity Group and Unity Council, she has not forgotten the obstacles she faced as a result of her race.

Trice described her experience being bullied as “inextricable from my race” during her 2018 testimony. She grew up relatively affluent, but nevertheless felt marginalized due to her race.

“I don’t know if I would’ve been at Harvard if I wasn’t allowed to account for all of that. Not because I didn’t have great grades and great extracurriculars, but again, there was just so much stuff in my life that was related to that experience,” Trice said. “There were so many obstacles there that were related to being Black that it’s hard to think about.”

Junior Mateo Ramirez-Valentini says that, despite attending St. John’s, he has had fewer opportunities than his fellow students because of his Latino identity and his parents’ immigrant background.

“Going to a school like St. John’s and other aspects of my background make me more privileged than others in the college application process,” Ramirez-Valentini said. “But I still have facets of my identity that have hindered my opportunities.”

While Payton says that race-based admissions were once necessary, they believe that today, socioeconomic status is now the biggest barrier to higher education.

“The thing that determines your scores is income,” they said. “It’s not really based on race. If they’re going to do a system where they account for external factors like that, income makes the most sense.”

NEWS

THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING DIVERSITY

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rice’s enrollment at Harvard alleviated the pressure that came with being one of the few Black students at St. John’s. She was part of the first minority-majority class in Harvard history and had the opportunity to meet hundreds of Black students. Trice finally felt free to “figure out my own sort of Blackness and identity.”

“I could be my very optimistic, artsy, neurodivergent self because there were so many other kids who would bring in other elements of themselves and their experiences,” Trice said.

As part of Harvard’s SoulFood, a Black Christian community, and BlackC.A.S.T, a theater group dedicated to performance art from the African diaspora, Trice became more comfortable speaking out about her identity and the racism she faced because of it.

“I can be however I am and it’s not going to say anything about anyone else,” Trice said. “It’s not going to reflect on them or on my people.”

Since Trice graduated from Harvard in 2021, the number of Black students has grown — they constituted a record-breaking 15.2% of admitted students last year.

Harvard’s diversity is a stark contrast to that of California’s public universities, which have banned affirmative action since 1997. University of California, Berkeley has a Black student population of 4%. University of California, Los Angeles, is only a little bit higher at 6%. In 1995, before the universities were barred from using affirmative action, the population of underrepresented groups in California’s public universities was 20%. After the ban, these universities did not reach that percentage again until 2006 Yu worries that, in coming years, Harvard will experience “at least a marginal decrease in diversity. And that’s not only terrible for the efforts of making higher education more accessible, it also impacts the quality of learning that’s done here.”

While Yu says that the classes at Harvard are important, the community has had even more of an impact on her.

“Diversity is the most important part of anyone’s educational experience, especially at a world-class institution like Harvard,” Yu said. “Having a diversity of lived experiences, viewpoints and just people around you coming from all walks of life is the most valuable part of education in my opinion. I don’t think any level of professorial or institutional prestige can ever overshadow that.”

In her testimony, Trice mentioned a key moment that cemented her decision to choose Harvard: When she attended Visitas, Harvard’s admitted students weekend. At Visitas, a Black upperclassman was so overcome when she saw all the Black students walk into the activities fair that she started crying. Trice remembers the upperclassman saying, “it’s so beautiful seeing all of you.”

“Just feeling the love that was expressed in that statement and the warmth made me feel like I would be cared for within the Harvard community,” Trice said in her testimony. According to Trice, this sort of welcome was what set Harvard apart from other elite universities.

“It’s so hard to imagine a Harvard that is not what it was when I was there,” Trice said. “Because Harvard is really made up by the people.”

THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

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The Review St. John’s School

enley Turville, Director of College Counseling, says that while “it’s too early to tell” how the decision will impact the college application process, schools will still try to protect diversity on campus.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling hasn’t changed the college’s institutional priorities,” Turville said. “Many of those institutional priorities include enrolling diverse classes. It will just change the methods that they use to evaluate that.”

But Trice is skeptical.

“How do you create diversity if your main tool to create diversity has been taken away?”

This question has been the recent focus of many colleges and universities. Institutions have already begun exploring alternatives, including ensuring socioeconomic diversity by recruiting students from low-income communities and including identity-based supplemental responses.

Universities like Duke and Johns Hopkins have added new short-answer questions that ask applicants for a life experience or aspect of their identity that has shaped their character. Other schools, like Sarah Lawrence College, now explicitly ask their applicants to describe how the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision affects them. Natalie Garza, Senior Associate Director of College Counseling, explained in a Unity Council forum on Oct. 3 that the organizations and clubs a student is part of as well as letters of recommendation from affinity group or club sponsors can imply a student’s racial identity. As a result, Turville says college counseling has not changed their approach.

“We’ve always encouraged students to talk about their lived experience, and in reality for many students, race is a part of that,” Turville said. “We haven’t discouraged anybody from talking about that in some of those more qualitative factors on the application.”

Schools have also begun to put more emphasis on a student’s economic background as a means of ensuring diversity on campus. But Yu says that socioeconomic status is only “one piece out of a huge puzzle” when it comes to determining a student’s access to opportunity.

“The probability of a white student who is coming from a low-income community rising out of that and finding social mobility is much higher than that of a Black student coming from a low-income community,” Yu said. “That just comes with so many years of structural racism that we’re still trying to find ways to dismantle.”

In the wake of the decision, there has also been a large push for colleges to overturn legacy admissions — the practice of preferring applicants with relatives who attended the school — since the affirmative action decision in June.

Critics of legacy admissions argue that they largely favor the wealthy at the expense of underrepresented groups.

According to a report by Education Reform Now in 2022, 89% of college admissions directors did not support legacy admissions.

While many colleges and universities stopped implementing legacy admissions before June 2023, a number of schools, including Wesleyan, Johns Hopkins and MIT, have halted legacy consideration in response to the overturn. However, Ivy League universities still uphold legacy preferences, and Yu says, given the current state of the Supreme Court, a lawsuit to abolish the practice is unlikely to succeed.

“At this point, I wouldn’t place trust in the Court to move us towards meaningful social change,” Yu said.

Justin Wright says it is difficult to predict how his college application process will be affected by the decision, but remains optimistic.

“By the time we go through the admissions process, and even farther and farther down the line, colleges will have solidified a methodology and a process for identifying students that they want to be admitted,” he said.

Trice says she probably would have still applied to Harvard if affirmative action policies were not in place. She might not have gotten in. But even if she had, it would have been different.

“I probably wouldn’t have felt as at home at Harvard, and I wouldn’t have felt as hopeful about it and as excited about “DEFEND DIVERSITY” Harvard sophomore it,” Trice said. “And I am a hunDian Yu (’22), third from dred percent sure that if I had right, protests the June ended up going, I would have decision. liked it a lot less.”

A HISTORY OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION 1961

1971 DeFunis v. Odegaard SCOTUS rules that the University of Washington did not violate the Equal Protection clause when it rejected a white student with relatively high test scores.

1979 After DOJ sues San Francisco for discrimination, the city enacts an affirmative action plan for government employment. By 1985, the number of women in entry-level positions and the number of Black, Hispanic and Asian fire fighters had more than tripled.

President Kennedy signs an executive order requiring government contractors to “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed...without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin.”

1978 Regents of the University of California v. Bakke SCOTUS upholds affirmative action but rules that colleges cannot have racial quotas.

2003 Grutter v. Bollinger Affirmative action is upheld when, in a majority opinion, SCOTUS states that, because the admissions process of the school in question considered many factors, “no acceptance or rejection is based automatically on a variable such as race.”

2014 Students for Fair Admissions files lawsuits against Harvard and University of North Carolina, which make their way to the Supreme Court in 2022.

2019 SFFA v. Harvard The Massachussets District Court upholds affirmative action.

Photo courtesy of Dian Yu.

2020 SFFA petitions to appeal the Massachusetts District Court’s decision to the Supreme Court.

A survey finds that 29% of incoming freshmen at University of California schools are Hispanic, compared to 52% before California’s affirmative action ban.

2023 SFFA v. Harvard SCOTUS rules affirmative action unconstitutional, but colleges can still consider essays about a student’s racial discrimination.

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MAVERICKS

The return of Nuchtern Alum returns to helm Upper School Service Learning Story by Dalia Sandberg Photo by Kenzie Chu

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hen Claire Nuchtern (’11) was a senior at St. John’s, she and a friend started Slammin’ Sandwiches, a project in which students gather weekly to make sandwiches for homeless people. This year, Nuchtern is getting a new look at the iconic Comm Serve project as she starts her new role as Upper School Director of Service Learning.

Nuchtern helps students develop their ideas into fully formed projects, organizes meetings, trainings and orientations and sends information out to students each month.

“I’m excited to have a St. John’s alum back who has experience working with our community,” said Mackenzie Rice, a senior Community Service Officer. “I’m looking forward to seeing the impact of all the great initiatives and improvements she’s working on.”

In the upcoming year, Nuchtern plans to implement an approach known as “service learning” — integrating community service seamlessly into academic classrooms. She has already collaborated with teachers to develop tailored methods of service learning for each class.

Nuchtern aims to expand the scope of in-person and off-campus projects, and to ensure that students understand the context and significance of their work.

For Nuchtern, service involves two integral components: labor and learning — which she says work together to provide students with insight into both themselves and the world.

“Service gives students a better picture of what it means to be a person in the world — to be a good community member,” Nuchtern said.

“There are so many amazing relationships you can build through service.”

Nuchtern recalls being impressed with Bahr’s program.

“She had such an enthusiastic presence and really believed in championing students’ ideas for service,” Nuchtern said. “She inspired me to be creative and work harder.”

STILL SLAMMIN’ New Director of Service Learning Claire Nuchtern started Slammin Sandwiches when she was a senior at SJS.

As a senior, Nuchtern launched Slammin’ Sandwiches with her friend Jade Juzswik (’11). This initiative followed a summer spent volunteering at a homeless organization through Impact Boston.

There are so many amazing relationships you can build through service.

CLAIRE NUCHTERN Thirteen years later it is the longest running CommServe project at SJS. Students gather weekly to make sandwiches for SEARCH Homeless Services.

“When I found out that Ms. Nuchtern started Slammin’ Sandwiches, I had a fangirl moment because it is my favorite service project,” said Janie Boom, a senior Community Service Officer and Slammin’ project leader. “She has been super helpful this year, always encouraging us and getting us the supplies we need.”

Nuchtern also worked with Breakthrough Houston throughout high school and says the organization motivated her to become a teacher.

She tutored students every Saturday and partnered with the program again during her college summers.

Nuchtern’s favorite memories from Upper School were the “incredible, long-lasting” friend-

FEEDING OUR ST. JOHNS FRIENDS AND FAMILY FOR OVER 40 YEARS

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ships she made. She also fondly recalls English teacher Rachel Weissenstein and former English teacher Angela Flowers.

As an undergrad at Princeton, Nuchtern founded Sibs’ Journey, an organization devoted to serving siblings of individuals with disabilities.

Post-college, Nuchtern volunteered as a clinical research coordinator at Mount Sinai hospital in New York. Before returning to St. John’s, she also worked as a math teacher and provided tech training to teachers when they had to switch to online learning.

Heading up Community Service, Nuchtern said, “had been a dream of mine since I was in Upper School.”

“Now I get a chance to give back to the program that shaped my life in a lot of ways,” Nuchtern said.

Nuchtern has noticed some changes to the program. COVID affected and paused many out of school in-person projects, shifting the focus of CommServe to on-campus and “porch projects” — which students can take home, work on themselves, and turn back in. But the “ethos around service” is very similar. “Students are still very caring and want to give back, which is an awesome aspect of our community,” Nuchtern said.

“Students are very busy, and I think that can be a barrier to doing service. But doing service can really be a way to escape the stress of academics while doing something meaningful and enjoyable, too.”

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The Review St. John’s School

Alum faces long road to recovery Community rallies around Thane Stark, who suffered a spinal injury after July 4 diving accident Story by Eshna Das Photo by Tesa Stark Design by Willow Zerr

WHAT REALLY MATTERS Having just completed his freshman year of college before the accident, Thane said his time at home has brought him closer to his mother, former US nurse Tesa Stark.

A

fter watching a boat parade along Newport Beach, California, with his family and friends on the Fourth of July, Thane Stark (’22) jumped into the water — something he had done many times before — but this time was different.

Stark landed unexpectedly on a sandbar and suffered a C6 spinal cord fracture. One of Thane’s closest friends, Henry Fransen, noticed Thane was drowning, so he jumped in and rescued him. Lifeguards performed CPR as Elosie Lamb, another of Thane’s friends, called Thane’s mother, former Director of Clinical Services, Tesa Stark, who arrived in time to accompany Thane on an ambulance ride to the Intensive Care Unit.

“On the ride to the hospital, I kept saying that everything was okay because they were taking him to a hospital that was farther away,” she said.

When they arrived, a team of ten medics examined Thane’s condition and ushered him into an emergency room.

When we got to the ER, the security guard told me he was talking and breathing, so I truly thought he was fine.

TESA STARK

TEAM THANE Thane’s friends and family sport “Team Thane” t-shirts and display photos during a hospital visit.

“The security guard told me he was talking and breathing, so I truly thought he was fine,” she said.

Meanwhile, Tesa and her daughter Ciela (’19) were led to the Tranquility Room — a space with soothing sounds, dim light and aromatherapy.

“I looked at my daughter,” Tesa said with tears in her eyes, “and I told her this is where they take people when someone has passed away.”

Thane underwent his first surgery on July 5 — then the recovery process began. Over the next ten days, medical professionals administered heavy drugs that generated hallucinations.

“It took a while for me to realize the reality of what was happening,” Thane said. “My parents were trying to calm me down and say that the hallucinations weren’t real, but I didn’t believe them at first. It was probably one of the scariest things I’ve been through.”

Knowing that the medical expenses would be costly, Oliver Magdol (‘22) created a GoFundMe to help defray the cost of

CUTOUT

Thane’s treatment. As of October 6, it has raised almost $90,000.

Three weeks later, Thane was sent to a rehabilitation hospital where doctors told him that he was paralyzed from the neck down. For two months, he spent three hours a day exercising.

When he was not rehabbing, he had a lot of time to think.

“An injury like this will change your perspective on pretty much everything,” Thane said. “I was living in my brain, and it really forced me to think about things that not every 20-year-old kid would.”

Before the accident, Thane had completed his first year of studies at the University of Utah where he intended to major in finance. After the accident, he talks about moving into the medical field, aspiring to become a neurosurgeon.

Thane expresses gratitude for the little things.

After weeks of being given food and water through a feeding tube, Thane savored the luxury of drinking water and eating grapes once the tube was removed.

As Thane recovered, his mother created a profile on CaringBridge to keep friends and family updated. It also allowed people to send well wishes.

An injury like this will change your perspective on pretty much everything.

THANE STARK (‘22) “We all comment on the Caring Bridge site,” said Middle School Spanish teacher Evelyn Cantorna. “But it’s a very emotional process.”

Staci DeGregori, the former Middle School nurse and a close family friend, sold sweatshirts of her own design to help the family. They are available for purchase on the CaringBridge site.

To help Thane stay positive, Ciela hung a gratitude board in his hospital room. Most mornings, Thane would say what he was thankful for, and his mother or sister would write it down. Every time he regained the mobility of a muscle group, he put it on the board.

After weeks of hard work, Thane gained partial mobility in his arms and neck.

“His coaches always said he had a fire in him, and I think this is why,” Tesa said. “He had such a positive attitude. He reminded us he would get better, work hard — that everybody needed a little slap in the face once in a while.”

Throughout the weeks of hospital care, Thane had time to consider what is most important.

“I distanced myself from my family throughout freshman year in college. I was trying to figure out my life,” Thane

said. “This injury really made me come back home and get closer with my family.”

Visits from old friends bring joy. Cantorna, along with Spanish teacher Susan Scotty, were among the first to visit Thane. They recalled how much Thane’s humor always lit up their classrooms.

The biggest thing I want everyone to know is how grateful we all are.

TESA STARK “We hadn’t seen him in years, and he was genuinely grateful to see us,” Cantorna said.

“And he was so optimistic. I’ve never heard him as optimistic as I did there, lying on the bed and leaning into his reality.”

Virgil Campbell, Thane’s former advisor and the Director of Strength Training & Conditioning, also visited.

“Physical therapy is extremely difficult,” Thane said. “So I told Coach Campbell that he’s got to improve his workouts after what I’ve been going through here.”

On Sept 7, Thane was released from rehab.

Although his neurosurgeon said that Thane would not see much progress until December, he has already regained full control of both arms and wrists.

As he continues to recover, Thane is living at the home of a St. John’s family. He spends his time regaining mobility, connecting with nature, reading the news and taking time to think.

Thane plans on attending college classes online this spring and is hopeful he can return to in-person classes as soon as possible.

Throughout his recovery, Thane and Tesa expressed gratitude for the School community.

“The biggest thing I want everyone to know is how grateful we all are,” Tesa said. “If it wasn’t for the St. John’s community, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

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October 12, 2023 www.sjsreview.com

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DRUMMING UP A STORM After 43 years, Drum Corps is still the heartbeat of school spirit Story by Katharine Yao Photo by Horatio Wilcox Design by Amanda Brantley

THE BEAT GOES ON Drum Corps hypes up the student section during the EHS game.

F

DRUM CORPSE, REVIVED In 1980, nine students revived Drum Corps, playing at both home and away football games.

riday night home football games boast a number of off-field traditions — Lower School kids running around the playground, tiny wannabes fangirling the cheerleaders in front of the bleachers, Upper School fans clad in jungle- or fluorescent-themed outfits — and all of it to the drumbeats in the background, courtesy of the SJS Drum Corps.

The seven percussionists that make up the Drum Corps play for lunchtime Upper School pep rallies and home football games, where they sit at the top of the bleachers above the student section. Drum Corps captain Thomas Center said that drumming helps them feel more connected with the football games.

“When I’m in Drum Corps, I’m not just going to sit and watch this game,” Center said. “I’m going to spend time with my friends, do something that I like doing and watch this game.”

Drum Corps usually meets before school once or twice a week in the first-floor hallway of the science building, where the captains lead the crew to drum quietly on the carpet. They wait for pep rallies and actual games to haul the toms, snares and bass drum out of the drum closet.

“Drum Corps are the ones who make the most noise to hype students up,” sophomore Bianca Sieler said. “It adds an element that would definitely be missing if we didn’t have them, and it’s unique from other schools because they don’t have that as a part of a football game.”

A group of Upper School students with a shared love for percussion founded Drum Corps in 1980, a revival of the St. John’s Drum and Bugle Choir from the 1950s.

James Martin (’82) played for Drum Corps for

the first three years of its revival, practicing a few days a week after school and, once the program gained more traction, during PE in lieu of playing a sport. Martin likened his group to the irreverent Marching Owl Band at Rice University, known as the MOB. “We were essentially making noises — nothing polished, nothing together — just being goofs to try to get some spirit going,” Martin said.

“We were essentially making noises — nothing polished, nothing together — just being goofs” JAMES MARTIN (‘82) These casual get-togethers turned into a more integral part of school spirit. Before long, Drum Corps was attending football games and traveling to away games on the cheerleader bus.

In the 1980s, the drummers and cheerleaders did not run in the same social circles, yet everyone was willing to work together in the name of school spirit.

“We realized we were on the same team,” Martin said. “You do your thing, we’ll do ours, and we’ll work together.”

By the end of the 1980s, Drum Corps entered a kind of heyday.

“Mostly, we were all just playing the basic stuff,” former Drum Corps member Katherine Center (’90), mother of Thomas, said. “But then

the people who really knew what they were doing would throw in extra things and add to it, so it became this very rich, layered set.”

Students introduced hip-hop-inspired music to Drum Corps’ repertoire during this time.

“It felt like a sneaky way of bringing hiphop music to the mainstream at St. John’s football games,” said Gerard Choucroun (’89), who played for the local band Banana Blender Surprise with several other students on Drum Corps. “We were all very proud of that.”

Among the beats introduced during Choucroun’s time is Drum Corps staple “Tricky,” which originates from hip-hop group RunD.M.C.’s 1986 song “It’s Tricky.” This beat usually accompanies cheerleaders at pep rallies.

Choucroun was surprised to learn that “Tricky” was still part of the Drum Corps repertoire.

“It was just one of the songs that we were hearing in our heads and tapping to in class, and then we played it on the drums,” Choucroun said. “We’re very appreciative that it’s lasted.”

Choucroun never thought he was building an enduring legacy. His thought process was: “There’s a drum. I have a stick. I’m going to hit it.”

In the 1980s, even Middle School had a Drum Corps offshoot, run by math teacher Kim Keany, who had performed with her high school’s flag corps and the Rice University MOB. Keany was the sponsor from its founding in 1987 to its final year in 2006.

Drum Corps beats are passed down from year to year through the captains, who teach the beats to younger members.

“They’re still playing a lot of the same beats that we were playing back then,” Katherine Center said.

Center remembers plenty of songs that have been lost over time. The Center family recently borrowed drums from St. John’s to record videos of Katherine playing some beats. Thomas stood on a chair and held a phone over their mother’s head to get a bird’s-eye video of the song being played.

Thomas now has a collection of videos of slowed-down beats for new drummers to follow at home, which they hope to expand into a proper, continuously updated catalog so Drum Corps does not have to worry about songs being forgotten as captains graduate.

After being away from the drums for so long, Katherine was thankful for the opportunity to play again.

“Whenever I would hear them playing, I had to physically restrain myself from wanting to sit down in the stands and join them,” she said.

“There was something really special about Drum Corps — it was a really cool thing to be a part of.”

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The Review St. John’s School

A glaciologist’s quest for ‘cool places’ Emma Erwin (’11) travels to the ends of the Earth to find answers about climate change

GLACIER GLAM When Erwin studied Hercules Dome in Antarctica, it was so cold that she could only work in the field four hours a day.

Story by Ellison Albright Design by Amanda Brantley Photos courtesy of Emma Erwin

E

Additional reporting by Lee Monistere and Serina Yan

mma Erwin is no stranger to adventure.

Three years after graduating from St. John’s, she hiked alone from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail. Last winter, she conducted research in Antarctica as a glaciologist. Erwin (’11) has ventured between icy extremes for the past two years, conducting glacial geophysical surveys across Alaska and Canada to determine future ice-core drilling sites as part of her research regarding climate change.

While we were writing this article, Erwin was in the Yukon studying the Eclipse Icefield. She lacked access to Wi-Fi or cellular service from her remote base camp, so she answered our questions over email whenever she left the glacier.

Last year, Erwin received the Maverick Award in recognition of embodying the mission of St. John’s: to nurture students into “lifelong learners and leaders.”

As part of her PhD program at the University of Maine, Erwin is researching the physics of ice floes, which helps glaciochemical experts understand and analyze the air bubbles trapped within glaciers. Through ice core samples, scientists can see what the climate was like thousands of years ago, similar to how arborists decipher tree rings. She hopes to focus on how the environment has rebounded from past warming periods in an effort to see what the future holds.

Erwin uses radars and ice floe physics to determine where her research team should collect the ice cores. It is best to collect the cores from areas of the glacier that have a flat bottom to limit the amount of impurities and disruptions from seasonal melts. Through her research, Erwin is working to unlock long-dormant ecological secrets in the glaciers.

In August, Erwin discussed her environmental research with Marine Science and AP Environmental Science classes.

During her presentation, she talked about her work in Antarctica using radar technology to study ice from different time periods.

“It was really interesting to see how a student who went here has used her career to do something that can enact change in the world,” said Megan Lu, a senior in both Marine Science and AP Environmental Science.

Lu also appreciated how she drew attention to the other women she worked with.

Erwin has always had an intense passion for the outdoors. During the ritual eighth grade trip to Big Bend, Erwin would sneak out on additional hikes whenever she could.

Spending time outside has always brought me a sense of comfort and peace.

EMMA ERWIN (’11) “That was the first time I had been camping or hiking,” Erwin said. “I loved it!”

Erwin had such a good time on the trip that she signed up for another hiking trip that summer, led by former Head of Community Service Marci Bahr and current Director of Experiential Education Marty Thompson. They spent a week hiking the Olympic Coast in Washington, despite the rainy weather.

“Mr. T started calling me ‘super camper’ after that,” Erwin said. “I enjoyed being out in nature so much.”

Four years later, Erwin went on to attend Middlebury College, where she studied physics.

In her sophomore year, Erwin was sexually assaulted by someone close to her. She took time off from school and hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from the Canadian border in Washington to the Mexican border in California.

In a 2018 interview with PBS Hawai’i, Erwin said that hiking the trail alone helped her feel like she had control over her own body again.

“Spending time outside has always brought me a sense of comfort and peace,” Erwin said. “It helped me feel more

capable and strong in my own skin.”

The 2,650-mile journey reaffirmed her passion for the outdoors and left her with an even greater appreciation for the beauty of nature.

“Walking across the country gave me the space to experience a lot of new and beautiful things,” Erwin said.

After completing the trail, Erwin finished her degree at Middlebury and started working as a guide for the National Outdoor Leadership School, then as a teacher for Teach for America in Hawai’i. After a stint as a mountaineering instructor, Erwin realized her passion for glaciers and the environment, which drew her to the climate change research she does today.

For Erwin, the profession is incredibly rewarding. When out in the field, her team regularly sleeps in tents on the ice, where it can get close to -20°C at night. But, during her recent venture to the South Pole, there was a basketball court and individual, albeit small, rooms.

“Staying at the South Pole station was a lot of fun,” Erwin said. “It felt quite luxurious.”

During her presentation, Erwin encouraged students to look into unconventional careers, especially ones that focus on the future of the environment.

“My non-traditional career path has led to some pretty cool places,” she said. “Think about how you can help influence greater change in the world beyond your individual sphere.”

At her recent post in the Yukon, Erwin used radar technology in the Eclipse Icefield, near the Alaskan border, to find the right location for a future ice coring project. The ice she researches is melting rapidly, so she appreciates the opportunity to “help unlock records of past climate” in areas where ice melting may soon erase those records.

“I am comforted by the Earth’s ability to rebound from dramatic events over the billions of years of its history,” Erwin said. “And I’m really lucky that my research takes me to such wild and remote places. That’s part of why I love it!”

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SPOTL

October 12, 2023 www.sjsreview.com

THE WORLD IS ON FIRE

As the Earth heats up, communities across the nation endure fires, air pollution and extreme heat. And it’s only getting worse.

Story by Lauren Baker Design by Amanda Brantley, Serina Yan, Georgia Andrews

MAUI, HI

L

illian Poag ended her summer trying to escape a climate dystopia.

Poag, a deputy editor on The Review, travels to Maui every year to visit family, including her aunt, a native Hawaiian. Although Poag was just 20 miles from Lahaina, the epicenter of the firestorm, she was unaware of the crisis for nearly two days.

Maui sustained nearly $6 billion in damages, including over 2,000 burnt acres and at least 97 deaths. It is the deadliest fire in modern American history.

After her family’s condominium lost power, she had neither cell service nor access to any information. The next day, the local grocery store looked like a scene from “a zombie apocalypse,” as Poag put it. “We were terrified,” she said.

“We still had no idea what was happening.”

At the grocery store, locals informed her family that Lahaina was in ashes. Poag wanted to help evacuate her 85-year-old aunt, but a lack of resources limited their options. Because the only open road was one-way towards Lahaina, they would have no way to get home if they went to help. They couldn’t help the locals, and they couldn’t go home.

If we don’t do something about the climate crisis now, fires like this one are going to become the norm. Let’s not look back in 20 years and think there’s more we could have done.

LILLIAN POAG Poag’s family ventured about four miles east each day to an abandoned airport to get cell service, but they still could not check the news. Their only source of information was occasional calls to her grandparents in Tennessee, who read the headlines to them.

“The news stations were saying, if you don’t live here, get off, you’re taking our resources. But we couldn’t get a flight out,” Poag said. “The only way we could help was by giving away our canned goods and Oreos to nearby families when we left.”

They moved their flight up one day — the earliest they could.

Meanwhile, Poag’s aunt evacuated her house in Lahaina, taking only her phone and her purse.

The fires destroyed her house, and

she stayed at her church during the crisis. Now, the fires have forced her to relocate with relatives in California.

“She’s abandoning her home, and she’s one of the last of her generation to still live there. She grew up there with her family,” Poag said. “But her house is gone, and she needs people around her.”

On Sept. 13, Unity Council held a forum explaining how the fires tied into Maui’s history of colonialism. Much of Maui’s crop land has been taken for urban development, degraded or replanted with tall, flammable grasses — resulting in more fires.

The tourism industry has also caused a housing crisis in Hawaii because once-affordable housing is now bought and rented out by non-locals. The fires only made it worse.

“If we don’t do something about the climate crisis now, fires like this one are going to become the norm,” Poag said.

“Let’s not look back in 20 years and think there’s more we could have done.”

sensitive to air pollution.

Many residents chose to mask up, but it did little to filter out the smoke.

The worst effects were felt between June 6 and 9 when air quality reached up to 13 times more smoke micrograms than the EPA recommends for safe air quality.

Mejia went to her prom the night of June 8. In her pictures, the sky is ominous gray.

“We put on masks and ran in our prom dresses to avoid the smoke,” Mejia said. “It was dystopian.”

Three weeks later, the area was hit with another wave of smoke. Between June 5 and July 5, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation issued 15 air quality advisories concerning fine particle matter.

We put on masks and ran in our prom dresses to avoid the smoke.

It was dystopian.

MARÍA JOSÉ MEJIA

H NEW YORK CITY, NY

M

aría José Mejia, then a junior at Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, New Jersey, took her French III final exam in an auditorium full of orange smoke. The ceiling was vaguely visible through the haze, and air made her tear up during the test.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires traveled as far as Washington D.C. throughout early June.

Drivers on the Garden State Parkway struggled to see past the median. Thick fog obstructed the view of cars directly ahead — even with hazard lights on.

“At first, I thought it was someone’s barbeque or a building burning,” Mejia said. “When I found out what it was, it was very concerning because we’re far from the [Canadian] border.”

Authorities primarily recommended avoiding outdoor activities, but smoke infiltrated indoor spaces through ventilation systems, causing inescapable discomfort for people

ouston has been in extreme drought since July 25, as reported by US Drought Monitor. In previous years, Harris County averaged 4.84 inches of rain in August and 42 inches between Jan. and Sept., but in 2023, it has received less than two inches of precipitation in August and 26 inches as of Oct. 1.

Extreme heat poses the deadliest natural hazard in the US, especially for children, people with underlying health risks and adults over the age of 65. In Harris County, the heat led to the deaths of 15 people this summer, including 67-yearold Victor Ramos, who died from heat stroke because he could not afford to fix his air conditioning.

For science teacher Gaby Del Bosque-Hernandez, the heat meant that she could not participate in many of her favorite activities, including visiting the Houston Arboretum, out of concern for her kids.

Each day before athletics practices, Director of Sports Medicine J.J. Roton uses a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature meter to measure the expected heat stress on the human body. Unlike the heat index, which only measures humidity and temperature, a WBGT measurement combines temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and solar radiation to produce one comprehensive value.

As the WBGT rises, the athletics department takes greater precautions to protect athletes.

The School bases its heat policy on WBGT readings, requiring longer rest breaks and shorter practice times on days with higher

LIGHT

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readings.

The School prohibits conditioning above a WBGT reading of 90 (typical measures are between 75 and 87 in the fall) and outdoor workouts. Anything above 92 would put unsafe levels of stress on athletes. For accuracy, Roton and other athletic trainers record the WBGT on each field, since materials like turf, grass and rubber attract different levels of sunlight.

While most varsity sports practice after the peak of the heat, Middle School athletics take place between 2:30 and 3:30, in direct sunlight.

“It was extremely hot and it drained your energy,” said Class 8 student Wyatt Greenberg, who takes Strengthening and Conditioning. “The football people were struggling because they had to be in full pads in the heat.”

The Middle School football team could not have practiced during their preseason or early season if not for Lamar Tower, which shaded the grass field where they practiced. The difference in the WBGT reading between the field, which was directly in the sun, and the shaded field area allowed them to practice.

While most varsity games occurred late enough in the day to avoid heat-related issues, JV coaches coordinated frequent water breaks with game officials and opposing coaches. Teams often took a break in the middle of a quarter to recover and hydrate.

“Everybody’s in the same situation,” Roton said. “They know it’s really hot, and they don’t want to do anything unsafe for the students.”

Across the athletic fields, the athletic department distributes troughs full of ice to chill drinking water, cold ice chests and wooden water bottle stations that were repurposed from the pandemic.

Roton noted that this is the first time extreme temperatures have significantly impacted fall sports, but it is nothing the athletics department is not prepared for. With military-grade technology and guidelines in accordance with the National Federation of State High School Associations, the sports medicine office is equipped to prevent heat-related illnesses.

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HOUSTON, TX

T

he City of Bellaire is protecting its residents with weekly updates. Through Bellaire’s emergency notification system, the National Weather Service distributed information daily. They also made

The Review St. John’s School

general information posts to social media about personal protection from the heat and water conservation, as well as recommending services to track water usage.

According to Cheryl Bright, Bellaire’s Community Relations Administrator, Bellaire activated Stage Two of the Drought Contingency Plan in August, asking residents to “voluntarily limit the irrigation of landscaped areas.”

Bright and Roton both said that they will evolve their protocols if further heat-related issues emerge.

A heat dome is caused by warm ocean water, which surrounds Houston with high-pressure heat. In order to end the heat dome, Houston needed a low-pressure weather event that would push away the humid air. Higher temperature water intensifies climate events, so hurricanes will cause more damage to coastal areas and fires can dry out soil and vegetation, inflicting agricultural damage.

On Sept. 14, Houston experienced its first rainstorm since July 31. Despite the precipitation, Houston is still categorized as in extreme drought, and a third of Texas and portions of Louisiana and Mississippi are all currently in extreme or exceptional drought.

TOO HOT TO HANDLE:

Anything that deals with the environment should not be political at all.

87.98°

GABY DEL BOSQUE-HERNANDEZ

Wildfires have burned 120,000 acres of Texas land during the summer. In order to end the drought, Houston needs 18 inches of rain over a 30-day period.

The drought has also caused water shortages and harmed the state’s agriculture production. Central Texas reservoirs have reduced levels, like Lake Travis, which was 36% full in comparison to the standard 49% in August.

Farmers have experienced two consecutive rough years, as cotton farmers reported $2 billion in crop losses in 2022.

Livestock experienced dire conditions, and dry heat reduced both crop and livestock yields.

Despite the stress of the heat, a law that taxes EV owners went into effect Sept. 1. For junior Mateo Ramirez-Valentini, this is just one example of how Texas is failing its citizens.

“There’s a big prioritization of oil and gas over the environment,” said Ramirez-Valentini, a co-president of ECOS, “The burning of fossil fuels is definitely a big issue here.”

Similarly, Del Bosque-Hernandez says the politicization of environmental issues only exacerbates the problem. Instead, politicians should promote funding for environmental conservation and protective measures against natural disasters.

“Anything that deals with the environment should not be political at all,” she said. “If we rely on science to prepare for the future, it will save a lot of money in the long term.

Houston informs citizens on how to prepare for incoming natural catastrophes, but with more crises than ever, the city is ill prepared for its future as a hotspot for high temperatures and environmental disasters.

“There have already been so many once in a lifetime climate crises in my lifetime,” Mejia said. “It’s the new normal.”

Maui photo courtesy of The U.S. Coast Guard Houston photo courtesy of Creative Commons New York photo coutesy of Creative Commons

A summer of record highs

109° Hottest recorded temperature in Houston history, August 23

Average summer temperature, the hottest in Houston’s history

39 Number of days this year with triple-digit temperatures

84° Highest daily low this year, recorded August 22, 2023

18 Longest streak of days in Houston that reached over 100° and number of all-time highs set in 2023

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October 12, 2023 www.sjsreview.com

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School organist recovering from stroke Donald Doucet retired from his role as accompanist. Now, he is working to regain his strength.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC Donald Doucet played the organ during every Chapel for 20 years.

Story by Eshna Das

O

ne day last fall, full-time accompanist and Chapel organist Donald Doucet left school feeling light-headed.

Thinking nothing of it, he drove home and began practicing for Upper School musical auditions.

Suddenly, Doucet lost function of the right side of his body, and his wife rushed him to the hospital.

Doucet received the news that threatened his future as a musician — the right side of his body was completely paralyzed. The stroke may have ended his career, but not his passion for music.

Doucet’s dream has always been to fill the world with music, and for the past 20 years at St. John’s, he has has done just that.

“My dad taught me notes before I could read,” Doucet said, “so I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in music.”

After years of piano practice, Doucet earned a degree in accompaniment at the University of Cincinnati. He has also worked as a staff accompanist at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and a part-time organist at Southminster Church in Missouri City.

One day at church, Doucet met Scott Bonasso, Middle and Upper School choir director. They formed a fast friendship, and Bonasso came to admire his friend’s talent.

“He was born to do music,” Bonasso said.

“He had perfect pitch, could transcribe music and could hum any song instantly. He is truly a musical genius.”

In 2001, when both the school’s former accompanist and organist retired, the Fine Arts department committee sought to consolidate both roles into one position. Bonasso immediately knew that Doucet was the perfect candidate.

In the fall of 2004, both St. John’s and the

Photo by Jared Margolis, The Review

Houston Ballet offered Doucet a position.

“When I was deciding, I was very impressed by the level of musicianship that was already going on at St. John’s,” Doucet said. “There was a nice ethic of learning and striving for excellence.”

After careful consideration, Doucet accepted the offer at St. John’s.

The first time Doucet played at Chapel, students and faculty quickly recognized his talent.

Doucet soon became involved in every aspect of Fine Arts life. He played performances, concerts and Chapels, accompanied student musicians and even taught students how to sing during his free time.

“He played with his heart,” Director of Spiritual Life Ned Mulligan said. “And so much energy came from how fabulous he was.”

Doucet’s stroke sparked immediate concern from his colleagues.

“It was really scary,” Bonasso said. “When we got the news, we were very worried about him.”

Doucet spent 11 days in the hospital and three weeks in a rehabilitation facility, where doctors told him he would have to work extremely hard to regain full muscle mobility.

Back at home, Doucet practiced his physical therapy with the same zeal that he had when he practiced music. He had one goal in mind: to play the piano again.

As Doucet regains his strength, he is prioritizing his mental well-being. He has decided to

spend most of his time at his daughter’s ranch in Cypress, enjoying the scenic view and spending time with his three horses. While in Cypress, Doucet has also made progress regaining mobility.

“The fortunate thing is the wheelchair is less a necessity than it is a convenience now,” Doucet said. “It’s just that my arms haven’t gotten with the program yet.”

Despite his hard work retraining his hands, Doucet will never have the muscle control he once did, doctors say.

To honor Doucet, the School has dedicated a Johnnycake plaque in his name, and all choir students wrote cards to him to show their gratitude.

“Doucet loved what he did and was unfailing in his excellence,” Bonasso said. “We were spoiled for many years.”

As Doucet transitions from his role at St. John’s, he appreciates the impact he had on students.

“I hope I demonstrated the kind of excellence that it takes to excel,” he said. “Because if I wasn’t going to strive for excellence, playing was not worth doing.”

CULTURE

13

The Review St. John’s School

HAIRY STYLES

CULTURAL COMMENTARY

Five terrible words: What are you listening to?

Mullets and buzzcuts grow in popularity Story by Lucy Walker Photos by Katie Czelusta & Lucy Walker Design by Serina Yan

J

ason Han never liked getting haircuts. His mom had always cut his hair at home and cropped it a little shorter than he liked, and she did the same for his older brother. When Han was 14, his brother went off to college and grew his hair out past his shoulders. So Han, now a junior, ditched the buzz — he has not gotten more than a trim in three years.

“It’s not like my mom can say anything,” Han said. “It’s just stupid teenage rebellion.”

For students, standing out isn’t the only reason to go long. Fourth grader Joey Knysh sports a mullet to match members of his club lacrosse team.

The mullet is fun.

Let people rock it.

Usually, the affected are men, but Pate says that the buzz is not binary. Celebrities like Florence Pugh and Kristen Stewart have championed the recent buzz cut boom.

“I could never rock the buzz cut — you gotta have a good shaped head. But they’re so cool when people bleach it or do fun stuff with them,” Pate said. “I see these things bleeding between genders.”

Conventionally feminine trends, too, are becoming more popular among masculine audiences. Men are less accessory-averse and wear more jewelry. And, Pate says, “more skirts.”

The masses may still be up in arms about the mullet and bitter about the buzz, but Han and Pate can agree on one thing: the middle part is here to stay.

LILLIAN PATE “It’s just our style,” Knysh said. “I like it because it’s out of my face.”

Beyond his team, though, Knysh doesn’t know anybody else with a mullet. His friends either have cropped and combed hair or long curls, but no one rocks the party in the back like he does.

The mullet first made its appearance in the late 1970s, when fashion-forward Frenchman Henri Mollet trademarked the style. From there, the name was anglicized and became the Eighties staple that we all know, and to some degree, love. Mullets are admittedly polarizing.

Han is of the opinion that “nobody can pull off a mullet.

Nobody.” Yet senior Lillian Pate is a little more partial after giving herself one freshman year. The mullet was revived during lockdown, so it is to be expected that some DIY cuts were a little haggard; Pate says that if done right, a mullet can be used for good.

“The mullet is fun,” she said. “Let people rock it.”

Discriminating based on hair, Pate says, is “silly.” Unconventional hairstyles are already becoming more common in the workplace, as are tattoos and piercings. Pate predicts that soon any presentation will be acceptable so long as employees are hygienic.

“People want to express themselves with art on their bodies.

I don’t think it’s something that you need to hide,” Pate said. “There’s an idea that people want to preserve a clean image, but if you are actually clean, it doesn’t really matter.”

Being totally clean-shaven is even more prevalent in teens than the mullet, especially in the hot summer months. In October, we are reaping the fruits of “buzz cut season.”

CAN’T CUT THIS Jason Han has been growing his hair since he was 14, when his brother grew shoulder-length locks while away at college.

MULL IT OVER Fourth grader Joey Kynsh is the only kid in his grade sporting a mullet.

THE CUTTING EDGE Lillian Pate gave herself a mullet in ninth grade, and says that anyone can rock the polarizing hairstyle.

Story by Lucy Walker Photo by Virginia Carolyn Crawford

I

hate Spotify Wrapped. I despise Receiptify, Apple Music Replay and last.fm. Specifically, the shame they make people feel.

Ever since Doc Martens and black nail polish stopped being unironic, the fear of stylistic basicity has made casual music listeners cower every time they hear those five terrible words: What are you listening to?

People obsess over individuality. We have a fear that, deep down, we’re not as special as we’ve been told. In a school like St. John’s, achievement is a baseline, so even sophomores in BC Calc can feel like slackers. And since nobody here is a proverbial poetic nihilist, we’ve got to stop kidding ourselves: we all try. I enjoy punk as much as the next girl, but I’ve never become an iconic pariah like Johnny Rotten. I’m a little too academically conscious — and too American.

A few years ago, the alt movement of the Nineties came back. “It all starts on TikTok,” says the social media behemoth.

Historically, people our age latch onto the alt movement as a form of individuality when we feel lost or unheard, so a few well-placed fads started the independent resurgence.

Teens looking for a place to belong found a community beyond Lucy Walker the loop in spaces where artists were free to do and write whatever they wanted. A medium as accessible as music made it easy to connect over shared emotions and experiences that are largely untapped by popular movements. It’s a shame that a celebration of our differences has become weaponized.

The concept of indie has gotten out of hand.

People who scoff and tell you Coldplay is a part of the consumerist agenda that plagues the music industry aren’t as deep as they think. If they really thought about the power we give music, they would understand that its purpose is to connect, not divide. Underground circles cropping up among radical youth claim to be all about inclusion, but shunning everybody who doesn’t listen to death metal is no way to make friends. In a backwards kind of way, these people try to solidify their “nobody understands me” facade by listening to underground music they don’t actually enjoy. Please don’t do that. Nobody is wearing your headphones but you.

People who know me are sometimes surprised that my No. 1 artist on Apple Music is Taylor Swift. Apparently, some of you think I don’t “seem” like a Swiftie. Generally speaking, most of what I listen to is obscure rock or old dad music, but I love a good sing-along.

Music is more fun when we enjoy it together.

What makes my friends happy makes me happy, so it doesn’t matter if they want to listen to mainstream or indie music. Don’t forget, even Taylor had her woodsy, all-lowercase phase.

So when annual stats come out this December, don’t judge. Don’t shame or over-analyze people’s tastes. Don’t feel ashamed to post your listening trends — even if your top track is “I Like to Move It, Move It.” Who knows: maybe you’ll make a new friend who shares your love of Zoo EDM.

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October 12, 2023 www.sjsreview.com

CULTURE

WGA strike cannot curb ‘Happiness’ Lack of a red carpet doesn’t spoil second Netflix collaboration between SJS director, novelist Story by Kate Johnson Design by Amanda Brantley

F

ilmmaker-writer duo Vicky Wight and Katherine Center never seem to get their red carpet moment. Back in 2020, the two Upper School moms were set to attend the Los Angeles premiere of “The Lost Husband,” directed by Wight and based on Center’s popular novel, when COVID-19 hit and plans were canceled.

In July, they were excited to promote Wight’s adaptation of Center’s bestselling novel “Happiness for Beginners,” but the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actor strike rules prevented screenwriters and actors from promoting the film in any way. (See “Writer’s Strike, p.3) Those speed bumps have not kept Wight’s films from achieving streaming success. “Happiness for Beginners,” released on July 27, held a top-10 spot for three weeks in America and an even longer spot in 83 countries around the world.

Wight’s adaptation of “The Lost Husband” held Netflix’s number one spot for a week, then remained in the top 10 for a month. Attaining one of these spots on Netflix requires a viewership consisting of around 25 million people.

Center says her books feed off this success.

“The movie brought a spotlight onto my book in this beautiful way that I’m just endlessly grateful for,” Center said. “I have nothing but massive love and gratitude for Vicky Wight and her beautiful adaptations of my books.”

In the end, Wight and Center were able to host a no-press screening and Q&A in the Museum of Fine Arts Brown Auditorium on July 26.

“We would have loved for the actors to be present for the screening, but the Screen Actors Guild strike rules prevented it,” Wight said. “None of them have been able to post about it on social media,

tional Outdoor Leadership School either.” hiking trip she took in Wyoming Wight is a triple-threat in the film during college. industry as a director, writer and “I was the person who cut her producer, and has written and/or directed four feature-length films in knee on the very first day of hiking and who got blisters because I the past decade. didn’t tend to my hotspots, just like Wight’s daughter Lyall, a senior, Helen was in the movie. Sadly, I did says being on both the writing and not get to have Luke Grimes tenderdirecting side of film takes a great ly bandaging my wounds like she amount of motivation and determidid,” Center nation, which said. her mother Wight brings to every The movie brought a worked hard to project she spotlight onto my book in recreate Centakes on. this beautiful way that I’m ter’s book in a “My mom is way that would so, so driven. endlessly grateful for. appeal to fans When she sets KATHERINE of the book as her mind to CENTER (‘90) well as a wider something, audience, just she’s really as she had done before with “The going to see it through,” Lyall said.

Lost Husband.”

“Happiness” had to overcome “There is a lot of pressure on many obstacles to make it to the adaptations because there’s already screen. a built-in audience for the book First, it was filmed during the or the novel,” Wight said. “Those height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strict health protocols that included fans really expect to see everything they’ve read and loved in the novel bi-weekly tests and masks on set were a factor Wight had to consider and it’s impossible, because we have to take the essence of the story in the film’s budget as a producer. and try to create something new.”

“If a director isn’t involved The “sneak peek” allowed 230 in some aspects of producing, friends and family members to elements such as the budget can view the movie before its official get out of control,” Wight said. “I release and learn more about the feel that I’m a director who has a filmmaking process. producer’s brain because I need to “I know how much work Ms. know my financial limits.”

Wight and everyone who was a Working with the actors on part of the movie put into it, so it “Happiness” was a highlight for was just so exciting to see such Wight. The film’s star-studded cast a successful final product,” said included actors Ellie Kemper (“The Lyall’s friend Noa Granoff, a senior, Office”), Luke Grimes (“Yellowwho attended the museum event. stone”), Nico Santos (“Crazy Rich Asians”) and Blythe Danner (“Amer- “I could tell everyone was so happy there and it was such a loving comican Gods”). munity of close family and friends.”

“I’ve always wanted to work with Granoff said she “loved the Ellie Kemper,” Wight said. “I think light-hearted, feel good” final prodshe has so much talent as far as uct, which was exactly what Wight her comedy, but she has a specific wanted. drama in her — I can see it in all “I hope this movie brings people her work. She also happens to be a little escape. Thanks to Katherine just the nicest and creative human Center’s source material I think it’s being to walk the face of the earth.” really easy to fall in love with these Throughout the course of the characters,” Wight said. “They’re movie, Kemper’s character, Helen, sweet and fun, like ice cream — alencounters many different people, most everyone likes ice cream.” experiences and injuries — including a few that actually happened to Happiness for Beginners is Center. currently streaming on Netflix.

Center’s fictional book is loosely based on “crazy, grand adventure” moments she experienced on a Na-

DIRECTOR’S CUT Director Vicki Wight discusses a scene with lead actor Ellie Kemper.

Photo by Barbara Nitke

SPORTS

15

The Review St. John’s School

Mavs beat No. 1 team Field hockey returns from Pennsylvania after facing off against Hill School, other top teams Story by Ella Piper Claffy & Annie Jones Photo by Katie Czelusta

GAME ONE On Sept. 22, Maverick field hockey beat the No. 1 team in the nation.

In the final quarter, the game against the Hill School was locked in a scoreless tie. The Mavs steeled themselves for the possibility of overtime. Then, with just under 10 minutes left, senior forward Kristina Johnson tipped a lateral pass from junior Eliza Perrin towards the goal, where it bumped softly against the backboard.

Spectators and players who had traveled all day to be there held their breath and leaned in, trying to see whether the ball had made it into the goal.

“And then everyone exploded,” head coach Becky Elliott said.

The day had begun at 4 a.m., when the team boarded a plane to the MAX FH Invitational tournament at Villanova University outside Philadelphia.

“The atmosphere was restless and anxious,” manager and Review design editor Willow Zerr said. “But once the game started, the energy on the bench was really high. Everyone was screaming whenever our team touched the ball.”

For a game more than 1,500 miles away from home, the Mavs boasted an impressive fanbase.

Zerr said that parents brought signs and rang cowbells until “you could barely hear yourself think.” In the final seconds of the game, when it became apparent that the Mavs would take home the win, the crowd gathered at the sideline, ready to rush the field.

“That was one of those moments where you’re just proud to be part of a team,” senior goalie Juliana Boon said.

“It felt like we had just won the Super Bowl of field hockey,” Elliott said.

EYES ON THE PRIZE Sophomore Montgomery Ferguson races after the ball.

GAME TWO

GAME THREE

The next day, the team woke up to the sound of thunder. By the time they arrived to warm up, the turf field was saturated.

“The balls were barely moving through that muck,” Zerr said. The wet field was a far cry from the self-draining turf at Finnegan Field. The state of the field, coupled with the exhaustion of the previous day, put the Mavs at a disadvantage.

“We played an incredibly intense game,” Elliott said. “The fatigue definitely hit us on Saturday morning.”

Their next opponent was Philadelphia area school Notre Dame de Namur. The Mavs found themselves down 1—0 within five minutes. A few minutes later the Mavs almost evened the score, but the shot bounced off the crossbar and struck Johnson, taking her out of the game.

“If that goal had been an inch in a different direction, it would have shifted the energy,” Elliott said. After that, “the wheels came off.”

The Mavs lost 3—0, a disappointing follow-up after a momentous victory the day before.

“Going into that second game, we were playing for the wrong reasons,” Boon said. “We were thinking, ‘We can’t lose now.’ And that messed us up.”

The third game was closer. The rain was still relentless, but the most faithful fans remained with rain jackets and makeshift ponchos fashioned out of trash bags.

Camden Catholic from New Jersey scored first, and the Mavs worked hard to tie up the game in the fourth quarter. Camden scored in overtime, clinching a 2–1 victory.

“We were the better team,” Elliott said. “We should have won that game in regulation.”

Maverick field hockey still remains undefeated in conference play, with key victories over Kinkaid in an SPC Championship rematch and a 9-0 rout of Episcopal. For the rest of the season, they plan to enjoy their reputation as the team that beat the No. 1 school in the country, but they are also aware of the pitfalls that kept them from sweeping the tournament.

“Losses are as important as wins in that you can learn a lot from them,” Elliott said.

Despite losing to lower-ranked teams, the victory over The Hill School put the Mavs, and Texas field hockey, on the map.

SPORTS COMMENTARY

Goals of women’s soccer transcend the final score Don’t jump off the bandwagon just because of one bad tournament Story by Lee Monistere Photo by Katie Czelusta

I

have sported a U.S. Women’s National Team soccer jersey since I was eight. Playing club soccer, my love for the program grew alongside my love for the sport. My family followed the team around the country, collecting black signatures that slowly covered my red, white and blue jersey. I knew the team’s roster better than I knew my multiplication tables.

In 2015, my family gathered every night to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup. I watched the USWNT assert its dominance with every game, culminating in a 5–2 revenge victory over Japan, the team that had beaten them in the prior World Cup Final. They slaughtered their competitors in the 2019 World Cup. Picking off elite competition game by game, the U.S. advanced to the final against the Netherlands and beat them 2–0.

The team used the influence it gained from its glory to raise awareness for inequity in women’s sports. In 2016, a year after its third World Cup victory, five players demanded compensation equal to the men’s team. Following its fourth World Cup title, the USWNT sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for gender discrimination, arguing that its players served the same role as their male counterparts Lee Monistere while significantly outperforming them in their respective competition. After a six-year legal battle, the U.S. Soccer Federation promised to equalize pay, improve working conditions and standardize bonuses for all games.

Surprisingly, the 2023 World Cup team barely advanced from the group stage before getting eliminated by Sweden in the Round of 16 on penalty kicks. It was the worst finish in program history, dashing all hopes for a three-peat.

Watching the team play this summer disappointed me. I felt hurt as I witnessed the team I had cheered on and stood by for almost a decade struggling to tie teams it had destroyed in previous years.

Critics argued that USWNT Coach Vlatko Andonovski’s attempts to blend

the older players’ styles with the younger players’ technique hindered the team’s success. The starting lineup’s age gap affected team chemistry. The players lacked their trademark intensity. Others argued that they lost sight of playing for a cause bigger than themselves. One loser on TikTok even claimed that because they did not meet fans’ expectations for this World Cup, they were the “biggest frauds in America.”

The critics will insult the team and its players whether they win or lose, ignoring the big picture when they evaluate a team’s achievements. But one tournament should never define the overall success of a program.

I realized that it was unfair of me to judge the whole team based on its performance this year. I grew up watching and cheering for those players, and I am ready to support them as they figure out their issues.

As much as we like to pretend winning is the most important thing a team can do for its fans, it is not. The best teams are the ones that work hard to advocate for their fans and use their platform to promote worthwhile causes. In some cases, winning can destroy a soccer program — just look at Spain, the 2023 Women’s World Cup champions; after their victory, the president of the Spanish soccer federation assaulted a player, and the entire team threatened to quit.

We hold athletes to unfair standards. We love the surge of pride we get when they represent us as champions, but we turn on them the moment their performance falters. It is an impossible balancing act. It is better to stick with your team through its highs and lows than to hop on the bandwagon the moment the program reaches a winning streak.

Even though I no longer play club soccer, the USWNT still matters to me. Watching them play when I was a child inspired me on the field. As I watch the USWNT eight years later, I know that their impact goes beyond a final score.

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October 12, 2023 www.sjsreview.com

SPORTS

Mavs hold the line, take down Knights 33-32 Goal line stand on a 2-point conversion attempt preserves narrow win in game against long-time rival

Quarterback Stephen Gill runs unimpeded for a 29-yard game-winning touchdown against Episcopal.

Story by Ella Piper Claffy Photo by Horatio Wilcox

H

uddled behind the “Not Without Honor” run-through sign before the game, the Mavs were getting angry.

In the air that night hung both the memory of a 24–20 victory two years ago on Skip Lee Field and a 41–7 beatdown last year.

Heading into their Oct. 6 battle against the perennial SPC title contenders, the team had something to prove. They were up against the Knights, an undefeated team averaging more than 43 points a game.

No one was giving the Mavs much of a chance, especially on the Texas Private School Football podcast in which a recent Kinkaid alum predicted that “Episcopal gets it done by at least two touchdowns.”

Senior wide receiver Logan Donley had a different opinion.

“Nobody here believes in you! They don’t think you’re good enough,” he said. “You take that personal — get mad!

You do not get an opportunity like this one often. Take it.”

The much-maligned Maverick defense, which surrendered 63 points in the first game of the season against St. Thomas, was showing signs improvement.

Defensive coordinator Blake Mackay has emphasized gang-tackling and communication.

As it happened, the deciding play of the game hinged on the defense’s ability to do just that.

Late in the game, senior quarterback Stephen Gill scored on a 29-yard touchdown run, scrambling through a hole in the pocket. Kicker Matías Adrogué made the extra point, and the score was 33–26.

But there were still 51 seconds left.

The Knight offense marched down the field and scored a touchdown with 8 seconds remaining. With his team trailing by one point, Knights head coach Steve Leisz, had a tough decision to make: kick the extra point and go to overtime or try for the two-point conversion.

The Knights kicker had already missed two extra points, so they went for the win.

Episcopal handed the ball off to star running back Brandon Thomas, who was the key to a rushing attack that totaled 5 rushing touchdowns.

Thomas ran it up the middle and was met by a crowd of Maverick defenders.

After an agonizing several seconds, officials indicated that the attempt was no good.

“Everything slowed down,” senior nickelback Barrett Mossman said. “All I could think about was making sure they didn’t cross that line.”

The sidelines were complete pandemonium.

Throughout the game, the Mavs fed off the boisterous crowd in the bleachers. After every Maverick touchdown, the student section sprayed water all over the stands.

While the Episcopal student section revisited their traditional chants like “Do Your Homework,” the Maverick bunch kept things light. Before the game, seniors handed Dean of Students Bailey Duncan a custom-made sign that read “Cheer or D-Hall.”

The normally late-arriving student section was there in full force at kickoff, clad in camouflage and ready for action. When the Mavs first ran on the field, the stands erupted with cowbells ringing and students screaming.

After the Mavs went three-and-out on their first possession, Episcopal marched down the field in less than five minutes.

“After their first touchdown, I knew we had to step up our game,” senior wide receiver Michael Murphy said. “We had to show them we weren’t going to put up with another game like last year.”

The Mavs tightened things up in the second quarter when Gill’s 11-yard pass to senior Will Haufrect put them at the 1-yard line. Junior running back Cole Allen finished the drive with a 1-yard TD run of his own. A botched extra point attempt left the Mavs down 7–6.

On their next possession, faced with a fourthand-4 on their own 27, head coach Kevin Veltri decided to go for a first down — he got much

more. Allen took off down the field for a 73-yard touchdown.

The Knights answered with a 9-yard run straight up the middle. A missed extra point made the score 13–12 at halftime.

The Mavs returned from the locker room with a renewed commitment and a vow to leaving it all on the field. Coaches emphasized that the defense had to change its coverage schemes to match the Knights’ game plan.

EHS began the second half with a touchdown and a failed two-point conversion, bringing the score to 19–12. With the Mavs playing from behind, junior Owen Sherril’s 38-yard run set up a 5-yard touchdown.

EHS took the lead again, until SJS tied the score at 26 with seven minutes to play.

Although the Knights outgained the Mavs 257 to 31 through the air, it was the Mavs 384 rushing yards that proved decisive When the clock hit triple-zero, the student section sprinted onto the field and kneeled with the team while Veltri congratulated them.

The win brings the Mavs to 6–1 overall (2-0 in SPC). If the Mavs defeat Episcopal School of Dallas on Oct 20, it could set up a de facto SPC championship game against Kinkaid.

For the crosstown-rival Falcons, captain Michael Murphy has only two words.

“Be ready.”

SPORTS

17

The Review St. John’s School

Vander-built from the ground up Senior outside hitter Reese Animashaun will be in the first recruiting class of the Vandy volleyball team.

Story by Aien Du and Lee Monistere Photos by Horatio Wilcox Design by Willow Zerr

M

SWITCHING IT UP Animashaun’s change from setter to outside hitter was the right play.

onths into the athletic recruiting process, senior volleyball player Reese Animashaun was at a standstill.

She had several offers on the table, but something kept her from committing. Then a college without a volleyball team reached out.

“I was struggling with the decision between two schools, but then Vanderbilt came onto the scene,” Animashaun said. “I really wasn’t expecting to commit there, but I just took a chance.”

This leap of faith will make her one of the first six players to compete in Vanderbilt’s resurrected National Collegiate Athletics Association volleyball program.

Vanderbilt had a short-lived volleyball program in 1979-80, which disbanded after they went 23–16.

“I get to define Vanderbilt volleyball for the future,” Animashaun said.

Before he was the Vanderbilt Head Coach, Nelson Anders noticed Animashaun’s talent and recognized her potential while coaching in Kentucky.

“We are really looking for competitive athletes, the courageous ones who are willing to build a new team, grow and improve,” Anders said.

Animashaun’s playing style fit with what Vanderbilt was looking for. The volleyball coaching staff scouted thousands of players to round out the first recruiting class. Each player was carefully selected based on their personality, skill and teamwork to form a cohesive unit.

Animashaun and five of her teammates will spend their first year training as Vanderbilt builds the program from the ground up. The following year, six more girls will join the team, which will compete in the Southeastern Conference. Vanderbilt offered Animashaun the option of playing for an extra year to make up for the year of training.

“I’m going to live like a normal student for my first year,” Animashaun said, “something I haven’t actually done since elementary school.”

For Animashaun, playing in college was always the plan, but not at the expense of her school’s academic rigor.

“I knew I wanted to go to a high academic institution, so when I started the recruiting process, I made sure to express that in my interests,” Animashaun said.

Animashaun followed up on her promise and visited the campus in February, where she fell in love with the program and the people.

SET TO SUCCEED Animashaun is a role model and “second coach” to her teammates.

She met with the athletic directors and coaches to discuss her potential future at Vanderbilt.

“Even though you could say Vanderbilt is behind because they don’t have a program, you can tell that everyone within the establishment is so excited to start something new,” Animashaun said. “It’s hard not to be excited.”

Animashaun viewed this opportunity as one she should not take for granted. Part of her decision to commit to Vanderbilt was because of the excitement, the honor and, most importantly, the risk.

“This decision definitely isn’t something everyone would do because it’s a huge risk,” Animashaun said. “But the thought of being able to leave a legacy and getting to be the first is just so cool.”

THE SEASON SO FAR

This year the Mavs are 16–8. Animashaun recently surpassed 1,500 assists and is averaging a hit rate of 41.1% this season. Anything over 30% is considered excellent “She’s not afraid to share her opinions, which is what makes her such a strong volleyball player,” said Shelbi Irvin, girls’ volleyball head coach. “She knows what she wants out of her teammates and out of herself.”

A four-year varsity starter, Animashaun has experienced a variety of team dynamics, and she knows what works and what does not in terms of team leadership.

“I want to hold myself at a high standard so that the younger girls can see what that looks like,” Animashaun said.

Sophomore Kiran Rio, an outside hitter on the volleyball team, sees Animashaun as a role model, a friend and a second coach.

“She definitely has the most influence out of everyone on the team,” Rio said. “Whenever we’re not doing well, she’s the person to lift us up and hold us accountable for our actions. She’s inspired me to be more of a leader on the team and on the court.”

Senior Sophia Hung, a defensive specialist and co-captain, notes that Animashaun’s determination and strength inspires her to be a better player and leader.

“She’s the glue of the team,” Hung said. “She’s one of the best players on the team, but she’s also a great friend. Having a balance of both is good for the success of our team.”

ORIGIN STORY

Animashaun’s milestone commitment has been a long time coming. Her interest in volleyball started with her mother Shenequa, a fourtime letter-winner and Southland Conference Player of the year in 2000 for Texas State. Shenequa was invited to play professionally in Europe, but ultimately decided her career abroad would take her farther from home than she wanted.

“She’s definitely the biggest reason why I started to play,” Animashaun said. “She’s my biggest motivator, and since she’s done it before, I can follow her footsteps and say ‘I did that, too.’”

Before officially joining a club team, she worked and trained with Irvin in third grade.

Animashaun began playing with the Houston Juniors Volleyball Club when she was eight, and she “immediately fell in love with the sport.”

Encouraged by Irvin, who knew that the high academic and athletic standards at St. John’s would make the school a good fit for her, Animashaun came to St. John’s in sixth grade. She switched to the more competitive club team Houston Skyline in eighth grade.

Halfway through her sophomore season, Animashaun became a hitter, which requires her to assist, attack and authorize plays. She plans on continuing to play as an outside hitter in college.

Irvin initially thought of transitioning Animashaun to an outside hitter a few years ago when she was facing a deficit of strong hitters on the team. She had Animashaun try it out — a move for which she initially felt unprepared.

“I’m not super tall in the volleyball world,” said Animashaun, who is listed at 5-foot-11. “Actually, I’m undersized compared to a lot of the other girls playing my position.”

She suddenly found herself at the net, competing against girls who had been playing the position for years. Animashaun worried that her inexperience would set her back in the college recruiting process but, as it turned out, colleges were impressed by her versatility.

“She just holds herself and her teammates to such a high standard,” Irvin said. “If you want to be great, you have to go about it a certain way— and she is the epitome of that, for sure.”

VANDERBILT VOLLEYBALL HISTORY BY THE NUMBERS 1979-1980 Went 23-16 before disbanding FALL 2025 As one of 17 Division I varsity sports, the Commodores will play in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) 6 Players in the initial recruiting class, including Reese Animashaun, SJS Captain Graphic by Emily Yen

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October 12, 2023 www.sjsreview.com

OPINIONS

Vote. Somebody’s next meal depends on it.

Story by Dalia Sandberg Editorial Cartoon by Elise Anderson

F

eeding people should not be a crime.

Yet the City of Houston is making it one, prohibiting volunteer organization Food Not Bombs from serving meals to homeless individuals in front of the Downtown Public Library.

Food Not Bombs shares healthy, vegetarian meals to homeless individuals in over 1,000 cities in 65 countries. The group distributes dinner four times a week.

I have devoted four years to this organization, standing among them, and discovered that what’s right often means challenging the law, potentially resulting in citations or arrest.

Volunteering with Food Not Bombs was the first time I had interacted face-to-face with people in need. Many of these individuals had not had a meal all day. They were primarily men, but there were a few women and children.

My father and I brought 100 pieces of roasted broccoli and cauliflower, anticipating that this amount would be sufficient. But soon, our tray was Dalia Sandberg empty, and it was clear that we had not brought enough vegetables for everyone in the line. We needed to bring more food, but it was too late.

When I got home, I cried into my pillow because I was so sad and angry about the injustice occurring in the world. I have volunteered with the organization weekly since then.

Houston has a problem. According to the City of Houston, there are 3,223 homeless individuals and approximately a million people hungry.

The group began to encounter opposition to their work in 2012 when the City of Houston enacted a policy ironically called the Charitable Feeding Ordinance. It prohibited bars, people and organizations from distributing food to five or more people in need on public or private property without approval from the property owner. However, former mayor Annise Parker (2010–2016) allowed Food Not Bombs to continue serving food in front of the Houston Public Library.

Eight months ago, a bombshell hit. The City of Houston announced that Food Not Bombs would no longer be allowed to serve at their downtown location. In Nov. 2022, Mayor Sylvester

announced in his State of the City address that the City was to “retake the Downtown Central Library to make it more wholesome and inviting to families and to kids” and that “we have a few too many homeless folk and feeding programs in front of Central Houston.” Mayor Turner, in multiple tweets, claims that congregating homeless people discourages visitors from going to the library. Critics claim that the timing was curious — since the City began enforcing the law weeks before it hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness Tournament.

In Feb. 2023, city workers placed a notice on the intersection of Smith and McKinney, stating that volunteers “run the risk of violating the law.” Houston Police Department designated a new location in front of the Houston Police Property Room on Riesner a couple blocks away, offering hand-washing stations, port-a-cans, trash receptacles, electrical outlets and volunteer parking.

Remember that voting has consequences.

DALIA SANDBERG The problem with moving to the new location was that, as volunteers pointed out, it might discourage homeless people from attending because they fear the police. After much discussion, volunteers decided to ignore the new ordinance and continue serving in front of the library.

On Mar. 1, the first night that Food Not Bombs violated the ordinance, a crowd of concerned citizens assembled to protest threats from the City.

Numerous video crews from local news stations documented the entire exchange. Volunteers arrived with signs bearing phrases such as “Out of sight, out of mind, huh?” Eventually, the crowd grew rowdy, yelling and cursing at the police. It was unclear if some would be arrested. Tensions were high.

That night, as she often did, my mother accompanied me, yet neither of us participated in serving. We kept moving closer to the action — a chance to witness civil disobedience firsthand.

As someone unfamiliar with such real-life scenarios, I grappled with the fear of potential consequences like arrest or citations. Would “inciting a riot” look bad on my college applications?

My mother is a full-time ophthalmologist, and I have aspirations of graduating high school without a rap sheet, so the thought of risking everything in the name of selfless service suddenly had me worried about myself, not others — and I became increasingly angry that aiding homeless people would lead to legal repercussions.

The Charitable Feeding Ordinance is unjustified. While I am willing to stand up for my beliefs, it was disheartening that external constraints limited my ability to contribute fully.

The police officers now know me on sight.

They are usually friendly to all the volunteers and do not interrupt the meal service in any way.

Their presence is more or less routine at this point. Like clockwork, as soon as we finish serving, they issue one citation, twice a week, for one of the volunteers to appear in court. As a minor, they have ignored me.

HPD has issued over 60 tickets to volunteers since February for violating the city’s Charitable Feeding Ordinance—and municipal court judges have ruled only one not guilty thus far. They have dismissed four, but these were immediately refiled by the City of Houston. The rest are still being tried.

Mayor Turner’s term is finishing this year. At a mayoral candidate forum in August hosted by Healthcare for the Homeless, eight candidates voiced their opinions and ideas to help tackle homelessness. State Sen. John Whitmire claims he would call a meeting with the owner of major sports teams such as the Rockets and Astros to make sure they’re helping address homelessness. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee declared she would ensure that Houston was able to get the maximum possible federal funds to fight homelessness.

On October 23, early voting will begin, and by November 7, voting will close. Soon after, the new mayor will be inaugurated and serve for up to eight years. Do your research – consider the mayors that care about important issues such as homelessness and food insecurity. And remember that voting has consequences.

OPINIONS

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The Review St. John’s School

the

REVIEW

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Did you miss it here? We did.

St. John's School 2401 Claremont Lane Houston, TX 77019 review.sjs@gmail.com www.sjsreview.com Facebook SJS Review Twitter @SJS_Review Instagram @sjsreview Member National Scholastic Press Assn.

Pacemaker 2015, 2018 Pacemaker Finalist 2019–2021, 2023 Best of Show Fall 2022, Spring 2021, Fall 2021

Member Columbia Scholastic Press Assn.

Gold Crown 2015, 2020–2022 Silver Crown 2014, 2016–2019

Writing Excellence 2022 First Place Editorial Leadership (PSJA) 2022

Photo by Katie Czelusta SNO Distinguished Site 2018–2023

Print Editors-in-Chief Ella Piper Claffy and Annie Jones Online Editors-in-Chief Dawson Chang and Aleena Gilani Executive Design Editor Georgia Andrews Assistant Online Editors-in-Chief Elizabeth Hu and Lucy Walker Deputy Editors Lauren Baker, Mia Hong, Richard Liang, Lillian Poag Managing Editor Lily Feather Copy Editors Ellison Albright and Riya Nimmagadda Design Editors Amanda Brantley, Serina Yan, Willow Zerr Multimedia Editors Virginia Carolyn Crawford (social media), Katie Czelusta (photo), Kenna Lee (video) Online Section Editors Eshna Das, Aien Du, Aila Jiang Production Managers Lee Monistere and Dalia Sandberg Staff Isabella Adachi, César Adrogué, Elise Anderson, Kenzie Chu, Sarah Clark, Bella Dodig, Pierce Downey, Genevieve Ederle, Turner Edwards, Maggie Hester, Ally Hong, Ella Hughes, Zain Imam, Kate Johnson, Mikail Khan, Shayan Khan, Nathan Kim, Lex Langlais, Annie Li, Yutia Li, William Liang, Jennifer Lin, Arjun Maitra, Emily MatthewsEderington, Lev Macpherson, Parker Moore, Isabella Muñoz, Suman Muppavarapu, Ethan Nguyen, Ava Oliver, Daniel Pan, Marin Pollock, Gabriel Pope, Dalia Sandberg, Nia Shetty, Horatio Wilcox, Evan Williams, Aaron Wu, Brandon Wu, Emily Yen, Katharine Yao, Amina Zegar, Alice Zhang, Journey Zulueta Advisers David Nathan, Shelley Stein ('88), Sam Abramson Mission Statement The Review strives to report on issues with integrity, recognize the assiduous efforts of all and serve as an engine of discourse within the St. John's community.

Publication Info We mail each issue of The Review, free of charge, to every Upper School household, with an additional 1,000 copies distributed on campus to our 697 students and 98 faculty.

Policies The Review provides a forum for student writing and opinion. The opinions and staff editorials contained herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Head of School 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 clarity, space, accuracy and taste. On occasion, we publish letters anonymously. We reserve the right not to print letters. Letters and guest columns can be emailed to review.sjs@gmail.com.

E

very student who comes through the Upper School is warned about October. It is the culmination of months of sports practices, paper drafts and, for us on the Review, article rewrites. If you walk around campus, it’s easy to spot the signs of tension, although they manifest in different ways for everyone. It’s easy to identify the upperclassman strolling to class two minutes after the end of passing period as an old pro, and we can’t help but sympathize with the freshmen when we see them sprint up the stairs to third floor Mewborne or flip frantically through textbooks on the plaza.

As seniors, the barrage of college applications has introduced us to a whole new version of this month. Teachers and recent graduates students have warned us about senior year October since we were freshmen, but nothing quite prepares you for it.

There’s no question that October is busy and stressful, but there’s something more in the air than just fatigue.

The campus pulsates with energy in a way that is difficult to ignore. It might be that the weather is finally changing, but we think it’s more than that. There’s something exciting about the frenzy — the school feeds off it.

And maybe that makes sense, because when we take a look around at what is making people busy, we find that it’s pretty cool stuff.

Take, for instance, Claire Nuchtern, our new Director of Service Learning: she is back sponsoring Slammin’ Sandwiches (along with many other projects), after founding it more than a decade ago as a student (Page 6).

Or look at senior Reese Animashaun, whose commitment to athletics gave her opportunities to forge new communities. She leaned into the discomfort and pressure that every high-caliber athlete must reckon with — and it worked out pretty well (Page 17).

Kristina Johnson and Stephen Gill certainly didn’t

regret tackling difficult tasks head-on when they executed the winning plays in games versus the top-ranked Hill School (Page 15) and archrival Episcopal (Page 16), respectively. And we have to commend the field hockey and football teams, who recently achieved extraordinary victories despite facing higher-ranked teams.

There’s no getting around it — October sucks. And we are often too bogged down by a steady stream of assignments to give each one our all. But we hope to lean into the thrum of nervous energy that permeates campus as best and as often as we can.

As your print Editors-in-Chief for the year, we are looking forward to nothing more than getting to work.

We hope that the rest of your signature SJS October is jam-packed and frantic and fulfilling because, facing our last one, we are sad to see it go. Life is short; high school is shorter. So get busy.

With love, Ella Piper Claffy

Annie Jones

20

REARVIEW

October 12, 2023 www.sjsreview.com

60 seconds REMY PHAN Doppelganger Rayna Kim Codename Remdog

Niche obsession Rom-coms

Comfort movie 27 Dresses Regretable trend Kiki Challenge

Save in a fire Ladybug Pillow Pet

Overrated Ketchup and hot dogs

Catchphrase “Ain’t no way”

Fav sidekick Fat Amy

Fav onomatopoeia Boom shakalaka

Scariest animal Shark

Best sandwich bread Country French Reality show you’d be on Wipeout

Fav drink Matcha

Best way to prepare eggs Over easy Motto Prove them wrong

Title of your autobigraphy The Life of an Overthinker

Fav holiday Christmas

1 album for all of time Lover

COLTON THOMPSON Doppelganger Danny DeVito Codename Osprey

Niche obsession Dungeons & Dragons

Save in a fire Nintendo Switch

Overrated Dark chocolate Fav onomatopoeia Whabam

Fav sidekick Ned Leeds

Fav drink Coke

Comfort show Gravity Falls Catchphrase “Radical”

Scariest animal Colossal Squid

Fav holiday Halloween

Best sandwich bread Rye. Fight me

Best way to prepare eggs Fried and in a sandwich

Reality show you’d be on Jeopardy!

Fav SJS jacket Johnnycake

Title of your autobigraphy Nerd is Word

Peak 8 th grade math

1 album for all of time Hadestown soundtrack Photos by Katie Czelusta

moment

The Phantom of the Opera

of

venn theater kid

by Annie Jones & Elizabeth Hu Page design by Amanda Brantley

into capes

Renaissance man Dr. Raulston

misunderstood criminal

musically inclined speaks French

bread enthusiast Jean Valjean