May 2017 | The Pine Needle by St. Christopher's School

The Pine Needle St. Christopher’s School ● Richmond, Virginia ● Volume C1 ● Issue 4

The Pine Needle is the magazine of St. Christopher’s School. It is run, written, edited and designed by students in grades nine through twelve.

Cover Art and Masthead by Dylan Gibbs ’17

Table of Contents 1 Budget

X-Term Photo Contest

Graduate Programs

Teachers Play Video Games

Musicians of the LLC

Depression and Anxiety

5 Ampersand

26 Vaping

Monty Hannaford

Career Day

A Call for Volunteers

Humans of St. Christopher’s

Lecky’s First Year

Humans of St. Christopher’s

Boat Building

Humans of St. Christopher’s

11 Patagonia

College Sports Commits

13 Greece

College List

15 Cuba

Leaders in Action

Rollercoasters/March Madness

Journos Do Yoga

Virginia Wildlife

Oak Needle

19 Rome

The Pine Needle Staff Co-Editors-in-Chief William Rodriguez ’18

Kinloch Nelson ’18

Senior Editor Ricky Stockel ’17

Staff Dylan Gibbs ’17 Will Bird ’18 Jack Franko ’18 Thurston Moore ’18 Henry Rodriguez ’18 Henry Barden ’19 Hunter Gardner ’19 Tabb Gardner ’19 Neal Dhar ’20 Connor Maloney ’20

Faculty Advisor Mrs. Kathleen Thomas

Photo/Art Credits Dylan Gibbs ’17

Masthead by Dylan Gibbs ’17

Contributors Tanner Hood ’17 Grant Mistr ’17 Durk Steed ’17 Jack Anderson ’18 Jonathan Phares ’20

The Pine Needle

Where is Tuition Going? Budget details offer insight on how school’s money is spent By Neal Dhar

Freshman Staff Writer

Cries filled with fervor pierce the routine morning conversation. You see your parents holding a ripped-open letter from St. Christopher’s School. Inquisition follows outrage. Your father wonders aloud if the seemingly insurmountable price includes the daily breakfasts a certain someone had after already eating at home. Few of us are able to avoid those fateful days when the tuition bill sparks outrage among the elderly. But where does all that money go in sustaining the school? To answer that question, one important aspect of St. Christopher’s foundation must

clearly be understood. “We are a peopledriven organization,” said Head of School Mason Lecky. The goal of collecting the tuition bills is not to make profit, but to provide for those who are the life of the campus: the faculty. As indicated in the provided figure, 71 percent of the money is spent on faculty and staff. Forty eight percent is geared towards salaries while the other 23 percent is used on benefits, which encompasses faculty members’ health insurance, retirement and other benefits. The overall amount of income received from student tuition only accounts for 76 percent of the school’s expenses, leaving a

gap. That gap is covered by other funding sources such as endowments and annual giving. So next time you aren’t able to obtain a certain want from the school, remember that your $25,000 tuition isn’t meant to give you everything you desire at St. Christopher’s. It only accounts for all that you need. However, if you are unable to restrain yourself from exerting your pent-up rage over tuition hikes, just remember where the money is going.

Teachers Go Back to School By Hunter Gardner

Sophomore Staff Writer

Spanish Department Head Suzanne Varner is both excited and terrified to return to school this summer. After graduating from University of Virginia as a Spanish major, Mrs. Varner started out in a master’s program involving literature but realized when she entered she had no interest in pursuing it. She has been wanting to go back to enter a program centered around Spanish. “Now that my kids are independent and drive, this is a perfect time for me to be able to do it and not feel like I am shortchanging anyone in my home,” she said. The reason she is terrified lies in a challenge every student faces daily, the balance of time and energy. Mrs. Varner will begin a program that focuses on the Spanish language and culture to earn her master’s degree in education this summer at James Madison University. The program partners with Salamanca University in Spain and both schools share faculty to keep the international experience. She knows she will have a lot of extra responsibility to handle. At St. Christopher’s, Mrs. Varner often meets with students who need extra help before and after school. She has also just taken on a new volunteer role as an AP test grader. The following summer Mrs. Varner will go to Salamanca University for the next half of the program. Prior to this she took numerous summer courses at U.Va. Some of those courses include Women Writers of Latin America, The Story of Spanish (linguistics) and Spanish Film. One of Mrs. Varner’s goals is to experience and learn from the Spanish culture. “Because the world is chang-

ing at such a rapid rate, having some recent experience in Spain and Latin America can only enrich my classroom teaching,” she said. Many other teachers along with Mrs. Varner are involved in graduate programs, including Stuart Ferguson, who just started a master’s program in educational leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University; Daniel Fisher, who is finishing up his Ph.D. in chemistry also at VCU; and Chris Whalen, who is working towards his master of arts at the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English. Others Upper School faculty applying include Bucka Watson, who is going for his master’s in educational leadership in the same program as Mr. Ferguson. Scott Van Arsdale is applying to the University of Richmond for a master’s in public history and Josh Thomas will be applying for either educational leadership or something in the field of history. All of them greatly appreciate how

helpful St. Christopher’s is and the opportunity to continue their studies. Mr. Watson said, “It’s great. The school encourages profession development that furthers their employees’ abilities.” What many students don’t know is that the school provides funding for teachers taking graduate programs. “We do this because the continuing education of our faculty is of primary and vital importance to our mission to provide our students with the best, most well trained and up-to-date faculty as possible,” said Upper School Head Tony Szymendera. “As for the faculty currently beginning graduate work, it means that they see themselves as lifelong learners who, no matter their years of experience, want to grow and develop as people and educators. It says they are not content with what they learned yesterday but want to build on that. It says they are the kind of people who we want teaching our boys.”

The Pine Needle

By Tabb Gardner

Sophomore Staff Writer

It’s your free period in the Luck Leadership Center and a feeling of dread sweeps over you with a long assignment ahead of you, but the relaxing sound of a guitar riff down the hall gives you some hope. For most, the LLC is a place for a mix of study and socializing, but for some, it’s a place for playing music and furthering creativity. According to Jazz Band Advisor John Winn, the instruments in the 2010 Cafe are for Jazz Band practices, but he encourages students to play whenever they have a chance. The musicians made it clear that playing music is a great way to express their emotions and escape the worries of school.

Junior Spencer Cox, who plays guitar and mandolin, can often be seen jamming near the art room or in the 2010 Cafe. Cox enjoys playing the music of John Mayer. He started playing because his mother was a guitarist and he thought that he should give it a shot. He took to it, and excelled. Cox said, “I don’t think I will ever be able to stop.” Senior Kannon Noble has been strumming guitars since fifth grade and wanted to try it out because he thought he “would get girls.” Since then, he has become an experienced guitar player who has also dabbled in playing bass, drums and piano. Noble also made an album during X-Term

with fellow seniors Ruslan Thomas playing guitar and James Armstrong singing. Noble usually plays in the LLC and enjoys playing the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ music the most. Junior Harrison Rice began learning guitar just last summer and already can play a wide variety of music. Rice wanted to play some songs he liked so he gave it a shot. He now shreds his prized custom Fender Stratocaster guitar. The Beatles and other classic rock bands are among his favorites. Rice said that he will definitely continue playing guitar in the future and maybe join a band with some of his friends. He can be found playing guitar

outside the playhouse and sometimes with St.Christopher’s new Digital Communications Specialist Paul Evans, who graduated from St. Christopher’s in 2001. Mr. Evans took to guitar at age 12 and also plays quite a bit of the piano. He was inspired after seeing the vintage cowboy star Gene Autry on TV playing guitar and wanted to be like him. Even after college, the aspiring musician played keyboard in a band. He loves listening to the Grateful Dead and Sturgill Simpson. Since Mr. Evans started working at St.Christopher’s in the fall, he has jammed with a few students and really hopes to teach music in the future.

Musicians of the LLC

The Pine Needle

The Matchmaker By Connor Maloney Freshman Staff Writer

Spring plays are often overlooked by the Saints community, and perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The biggest difference from the much larger fall play is that the spring play isn’t a musical. This play isn’t designed to attract large crowds, given its lack of numbers and set pieces that could be shown off with a larger cast. However, this smaller scale tends to work in character driven plays such as The Matchmaker, the play we were given this year. Leading up to its run, it was marketed as a comedy, but most of the humor comes less from any dialogue or wit so much as the absurd setup. The play is set around the antics set up by the titular matchmaker, Ms. Dolly Levi, played by Kate Oelkers ’17, a woman who was hired by a selfish, arrogant retail tycoon Horace Vandergelder, played by Hollis Cobb ’19, to find a suitable wife for him. Instead, she decides to orchestrate a series of relationships between his niece

and a less wealthy artist he dismisses as a worthless fool, two of his employees ditching their posts for a day in the city with two female hatmakers (one of whom plans to marry Horace), and ultimately between Horace and herself. The play introduces characters haphazardly and rapidly shifts between story arcs. The entirely separate stories become increasingly, seemingly coincidentally connected, all being brought to the same locations in New York despite half the cast’s motivations to get as far away from each other as possible. If anything, this actually makes the play more entertaining, but any farcical comedy risks putting suspension of disbelief under strain. The conclusion, however, falls into place a little bizarrely. Once everyone ends up in the same place again, and understandings have been made Ms. Levi shifts into a monologue about “rejoining humanity.” She somehow accomplishes this by marrying an Ebenezer Scrooge knockoff for his

money. To avoid loose ends, every other key character gets engaged as well, most of which, unlike the title would suggest, didn’t appear planned on her part. To conclude this series of events, the play ends in a monologue about being adventurous. The sheer confusion can always be knocked off, in some amount, by values dissonance. It was written in the 1950s about the 1880s, so the morals aren’t entirely the same, but the plot and humor can feel incomprehensible regardless of the time period. The absurdity is almost intangible, but so is the fact that the play somehow still can come together, though often when looking backwards. Needless to say, it was an incredibly hard play to pull off, but the cast’s expressiveness and the ability to just remember the sheer amount of lines made it a worthwhile experience to anyone who went there to watch.

Director Rusty Wilson

The Pine Needle

Back Down Under By Hunter Gardner

Sophomore Staff Writer

As the school year comes to end, so will Monty Hannaford ’18’s yearlong exchange program with St. Christopher’s. Hannaford has been a part of the varsity soccer team and even wrote for The Pine Needle’s first issue of this year. Over his stay he has forged many relationships and will be thoroughly bummed to say goodbye. “I’ve made some great friends here so it will be sad seeing them off,” he said. Hannaford will also miss how popular school sports are and how involved students are with school life. “I think people are generally really involved in school life, it’s part of their life— not just somewhere they come to do work,” he said. Hannaford was suprised at the unique sports culture in America. He said that even though Australia loves its sports, America has a real connection because of how popular college sports are. He noticed that there was always a sport to watch on TV and always a game to go to after

school. Another thing that surprised Hannaford was the car culture. At his school in Sydney, Australia most students use the bus because the location is fairly close to the city. Hannaford attends the Trinity Grammar School, which he says is much larger and more bureaucratic then St. Christo-

pher’s. He appreciates the tight knit community and much less formal interactions here. He does not know what he is going to do with all of the T-shirts and casual clothing he has acquired during his stay with required uniforms at his school in Australia. The uniform consists of knee-high wool socks, khaki pants and a khaki shirt. “It’s not the best look,” Hannaford said. This trip for him has been a fantastic way to experience a different culture. With the exchange program Hannaford has had a less rigorous academic schedule and workload. “Being here and being able to relax a bit more from my academic work has kind of let me enjoy the moment and just step back and enjoy what is happening at the time,” he said. Hannaford recommends students go on an exchange program and said that this trip has been an incredibly valuable experience. He doesn’t know where he would like to go to college yet and will look at going to college in the United States. Monty is very grateful to his host family and the community for such an enjoyable trip. “I want to thank the St. Christopher’s community for being so welcoming to my arrival and providing such a memorable experience,” he said.

Striking a Chord A call for volunteers

By Tanner Hood

Senior Contributor

I spend an hour every Tuesday changing lives. If you have ever taught anything to anyone and seen it strike a chord--when their soul lights up through their eyes--you know how it feels to make this kind of difference. For the past nine months, I’ve been in the business of striking chords (literally). I started a guitar program with United Methodist Family Services, where I teach about three to six students at a time for an hour after school. I said I spent that hour changing lives, and I believe it wholeheartedly. UMFS is a care center for high-risk children; they address emotional and behavioral issues and help the kids find foster families. These children are prone to self-destructive behavior, depression and a plethora of other issues, so even something as simple as learning guitar can provide an outlet, a distraction or even a passion for someone who could easily find a drastically different path. I cannot name any children specifically because of their complicated family situations, but I can speak generally. Because many of the children have learning or

behavioral issues, keeping the focus of six kids is no easy task, but their attention does not reflect their interest. The kids are always eager to learn as much as they can, and I have received several reports relaying how much the kids enjoy and appreciate the guitar lessons. Several of my students have been musically gifted, and teaching the lessons is always a fun time for everyone involved. Depending on the skill level of the students, I teach either the basics or more complicated skills, and many times the kids give me a song they like and we all learn it together. I have acquired several important achievements: being a high school All-American and getting accepted to Brown University, but I still hold this guitar program as one of the most meaningful things I have ever done. This brings me to my reason for writing this article: since I will be attending college out of state, the guitar program will be discontinued unless someone (or several people) takes my place teaching the classes. Being a part of St. Christopher’s is an amazing experience—every single person working at the school has devoted his life to bettering the lives of the students. How-

ever, participating in the guitar program has been a breath of fresh air; I believe it’s important to experience different environments. To anyone who is interested in taking over one of these classes, the hard work has already been done. All you need is a quick background check from the UMFS, and then they will connect you with a counselor—you talk with him to schedule your classes for whatever time works for you. UMFS is located just 15 minutes away from St. Christopher’s. Also, you can contact me with any questions you have about how to get involved, the address, or anything else. Honestly, this is an amazing opportunity to help kids who have come from and are still in difficult places. Giving them a healthy hobby is simple but overwhelmingly fulfilling. It would be a terrible shame and loss if no one is able to pick up the mantle and carry on what has become a tradition with these foster kids. With more people helping and more guitars this could expand into something fantastic. I hope to see several new guitar heroes out of St. Christopher’s in the near future.

The Pine Needle

Is Lecky to Blame? By Will Bird

Junior Staff Writer

Although replacing the Game Room for a cafe is an actual option being explored by He won’t allow music during SAC. the administration, it likely won’t happen He got rid of senior assassin. due to costs upward of $200,000, along He stopped updating the weight lifting board. with the challenges of providing plumbThey’re trying to take the game room away. ing to the new space. The tradition of St. Christopher’s is becoming soft. Senior Assassin, a water-gun game played The man referred to as “he” is Head by seniors, was ended as a joint decision of School Mason Lecky, just finishing his between St. Catherine’s and St. Christofirst year here at St. Christopher’s. These pher’s due to safety concerns. The phrase phrases have been commonly used to St. Christopher’s is becoming soft is merely describe changes Mr. Lecky may or may an opinion. not have enacted in the St. Christopher’s Unfortunately for Mr. Lecky, his first community. year at St. Christopher’s Living in a world The discomfort felt is not has been riddled with where unreliable sources due to radical changes but rumors and misinformaand alternative facts are tion. instead a natural readily available, it is Presuming the human reflex. imperative that one has spreading of this misinthe ability to distinguish formation at St. Christobetween the truth and rumors with no pher’s isn’t malicious or the result of some evidential support. For the majority of the sinister plot to overthrow Mr. Lecky, the year, most students, including me, believed next logical question is why this misinforthese rumors to be the truth. mation continues to spread. To keep things clear about what is true Upper School Instructional Technologist and what is false, here are the facts from Carey Pohanka said, “Having Mr. Lecky reliable sources. The weight lifting boards come in at the end of [the student’s] time were not changed due to any opinion or here is like having a stepdad replacing Mr. objection by Mr. Lecky, nor was he responStillwell. ‘You’re not the boss of me. You sible for the stoppage of pump-up music. can’t tell me what to do.’”

The reason for students’ dissatisfaction thus far likely isn’t a result of their dislike of Mr. Lecky, but instead stems from human nature’s resistance to change, or in this case perceived change. Although most would rather not undergo these growing pains, it is helpful to know that the discomfort felt is not due to radical changes but instead a natural human reflex. Mr. Lecky himself admits that St. Christopher’s is a “place of rhythm and continuity” and that part of his objective being new is trying “to not make this year be a year of change.” Likewise, Ms. Pohanka admits that it likely will “take time to gain that trust” from the students. One area that could be improved under Mr. Lecky and his administration is their ability to communicate with students about what is being changed and what isn’t. The students should not have to rely on some obscure email hidden on their computer or an article from The Pine Needle to find out the truth: it should come directly from the source.

Will It Float? By Will Bird

Junior Staff Writer

Every day for a week, nine students led by Upper School Biology Teacher Austin Sutten journeyed to Deltaville to embark on an impressive challenge: to build a boat without any prior experience. Although they had no woodworking or boatbuiling skills, they learned the basic skills necessary to assemble a 14-foot skiff under the guidance of couple of experienced boatmen from the Deltaville Maritime Museum. To understand the challenge, one must respect the storied history of Virginia boat building. Before the Industrial Revolution in the 1850s, Deltaville was a shipbuilding

hub for the Chesapeake Bay. The time and skill required to build a wooden boat by hand proved costly and inefficient for large scale production. As more and more boats were built in factories, the art of boat building was largely forgotten. The Deltaville Maritime Museum was built to help remember the work and craft of boat building in Virginia and the United States. The experienced boatmen divided the long process into clear steps in which the students could thrive. Step by step, the inexperienced students began their work. The first step is to assemble the frame. This

archaic process requires the use of ropes, which are used to bend the wood from a “V” shape into the shape of “U.” Once the frame is intact, the boat is flipped over for the rest of the process. Next the sideboards, bottom boards and seats are drilled onto the frame. Finally the the boat is painted, sanded and coated with one more layer of paint. Although not a flashy X-Term like trips to Patagonia or Rome, boatbuilding proved to a be a useful experience in terms of forming life skills like woodworking, boating and simple teamwork.

The Wild Winds of Patagonia By Jack Anderson ’18 and Dylan Gibbs ’17

Few places remain in the world that contain the pure and untamed wonders of the Patagonian backcountry. Over the course of a week and a half, 25 members of the St. Christopher’s community travelled to Bariloche, Argentina to hike the mountains of the Nahuel Huapi National Park. Having spent countless hours in the outdoors, Patagonia presented an opportunity we could not turn down. Kicking off the trip with 30 hours of travel time provided a substantial contrast to our living for the next week. Patagonia warmly welcomed us with sunny skies, and the 82-degree weather offered a nice break from the dreary Richmond conditions. We spent our first night in a folksy hostel in the outskirts of town before heading out the next day for the central adventure of the trip. The second day of hiking introduced us to the true beauty of Patagonia by revealing the Cerro Catedral, a group of mountains reaching heights of 7,890 feet—one of the best views of the trip. As we hiked inward, inching closer to the mountains, the tree line spread out, revealing more and more of the exquisite landscape. We set up camp in a heavily wooded area at the base of the mountain range. On the third day of hiking, we rose before the sun and began our most vertical hike of the trip. We ascended the mountains, and as we toppled over the ridgeline, the scenery expanded into something much more magnificent than any previous view. The valleys, blanketed with a rug of green trees, lay at the base of the mountains whose peaks shot out from the foliage below. From the rocky outcrops, shallow streams fell down the sides of the mountains, and where they collected lay a tributary transformed into a glacier lagoon. In the distance, across the valley of the mountains, a nearly invisible trail showed us our future path for the coming hours. We descended down the backside of the mountain and continued our hike towards the rising sun. We hiked up a new mountain as the strength of the wind began to grow. We reached the top of a hill and struggled through the whips of a brewing storm. We pushed on, past another frigid lagoon, onto a steep basin face to reach the top of the pass just as the bitter storm completely rolled in. As we climbed up the path, the wind ripped and the rain began to fall. Our hands became uncomfortably numb from the wind and glacier water falling down on us. We made our way up to a flat area known as “the soccer field,” a flat piece of land surrounded by cliffs on all sides. Due to the storm, the wind funneled itself through the mountains and shot at us as we passed by. With no time for caution, our guides discussed the situation and figured the best method to escape the wicked winds of the trapping vortex called for the group to form in the shape of a “V”, and struggle through the winds together. We passed through the natural funnel formed by the surrounding cliffs and made our way down the mountain. The group split in two, and after hiking down roughly 100 past the top of the mountain, the winds subsided and the temperature seemed to rise. The most vexatious and memorable experience of the trip, “the vortex” proved itself an allegorical symbol of the entire trip. After discomfort and hardship lay reward and success. Reaching the summit of any mountain on the trip seems much less important than the actual journey of getting there. Some might see leaving the daily comforts of home to explore the seemingly unknown as a completely irrational act. That makes those who went on the trip irrational. Oh well.

The Pine Needle

A Classical Adventure

By Kinloch Nelson

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Many Americans, especially those who have never been there, think of Greece as a country still reminiscing on past greatness, plagued by constant economic troubles, and they may be right. However, Greece is an incredible country with nice people, a beautiful countryside and a not-quitegleaming but still personality-filled capital city, Athens. Art, Math and Technology in Greece was an experience unlike anything I have ever done. We explored one of historyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

greatest cities, Athens, the seat of one of the most influential cultures in the world, cruised through some of Greeceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beautiful islands and visited Samos, the ancient island home of the renowned mathematician Pythagoras. We had a relatively uneventful plane ride to Athens, but once we got there, the trip started off strong. In antiquity, the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion was the first thing that sailors saw while coming into Athens, just as it was the first thing we saw.

This majestic cliffside temple was a great introduction to many of the other sites we visited. Our tour guide, Maria Psatha, somehow managed to lead 19 people who hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t slept in over 24 hours to the temple, but when we got there, the weariness seemed to fade away. The beautiful afternoon sky overlooking the glimmering Mediterranean Sea proved a worthy backdrop for our introduction to Greece. The Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion was only the beginning. Our time in Athens was highlighted by a visit to the Acropolis, home of the Parthenon, the temple dedicated to Athena that served as a fortress on a hill for the city. One of the most interesting aspects of Athens was the unique personality provided by some of the troubles that Greece

has had. The juxtaposition of beautiful ancient temples and anarchist graffiti was a constant reminder that Greece is a real place where real people live, and not just a tourist destination. The next part of the trip was a quick flight to the island of Samos. We made a quick stop at McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the airport to get a little taste of home, but then we were on our way. Samos is a 183-square-mile island separated from Turkey by only about a mile. The natural beauty of the island is compounded by some amazing archaeological sites, such as the Heraion temple and the Tunnel of Eupalinos, the second tunnel in history built methodically in from both sides. Samos was the home of many great figures in the history of mathematics,

astronomy and philosophy. Pythagoras, Aristarchus and Epicurus were all Samians, and Samos still reflects the influence of some of these great minds. At the end of the trip, we spent one more day in Athens. We got some delicious gyros and we went to the National Archaeological Museum. The gravity of the places that we visited was incredibly imposing. We visited the birthplace of democracy, the origin of classical art and architecture and one of the greatest cities of a nation that once stretched all the way from Greece to the Indus River.

The Pine Needle

On the Communist Island

By Thurston Moore

Junior Staff Wrier

Coming from a democratic upbringing and traveling to a communist country can seem daunting, but the Cuban people welcomed us with open arms. I have traveled to many countries around the world and met many kind-hearted people, but I have definitely encountered some resentment towards Americans. I was expecting to be faced with a fair amount of that in Cuba, but I was completely wrong. Since the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959, relations between the United States and the Republic of Cuba have been strained. However, in recent years, with the lifting of some of the sanctions placed on Cuba, it is much easier to visit the island nation. This year, wielding religious visas, a group of St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s students was able to visit Cuba. The main goal of the trip was to help Father Halbert, an Episcopal priest in Santiago de Cuba, in his project to rebuild a church that was destroyed by a hurricane before the revolution. Before doing our mission work in Santiago, we enjoyed several days in Havana. Spending time there in a more typical tour-

ist fashion, we walked around the city and visited several interesting sites including Old Havana, a section with many antique buildings, restaurants and souvenir shops. On the second to last day there, the group took a two-hour bus ride to Varadero, a popular beach resort town. We were treated to an all-inclusive resort with a beautiful beach and pool. After several hours of swimming, tanning and enjoying all the resort had to offer, we all got on the bus back to Havana. After our time in Havana, the group moved on to Santiago where we were greeted at the airport by Father Halbert. During our time in Santiago, we painted and cleaned San Pedro, the reconstructed Episcopal church, daily. Each night we stayed in the compound of San Lucas, Father Halbert’s main church, and attended an Ash Wednesday service there. Even though we were unable to understand much of the service, the congregation made us feel like a part of their church community. As our trip wrapped up, we finished painting the church. It was really wonderful looking at how it stood out among the run-down buildings of the surrounding neighborhood. The day after we left the

country, Father Halbert led the first service in the new church and finally gave a church to a community that has been waiting for one for over 30 years.

The Pine Needle

Freshmen Coast Through X-Term By Connor Maloney Freshman Staff Writer

During X-Term, my group was given a daunting task. We had to build a working roller coaster. We didn’t have an instruction manual, so we did the next best thing; we visited Busch Gardens a few weeks before it opened. While it’s marketed as beautiful, the Williamsburg theme park is considerably less welcoming during the freezing offseason, under construction and through the employee entrance. After a short walk through a faux French town, presumably much less impressive than the real thing, we came upon Busch Gardens’ most nauseating attraction: the Gryphon. Unfortunately for most, but thankfully for me, it was still under extensive maintenance when we arrived, so there were no rides to be had. We did, however, get an impressive, and admittedly still stomach-churning view.

Middle School March Madness By Henry Barden

Sophomore Staff Writer

With just two minutes remaining in the grand finale, the champion remained unclear: the score had just been tied up at 14, and neither the University of Miami nor Ohio State University intended to back down. “As my teammate passed me the ball I saw the open shot,” said Ohio State player Charlie Knighton ’23. His three-pointer tied up the game and simultaneously drained the oxygen from the arena. Why wouldn’t everyone be breathless? The teams showed tremendous heart against fierce and formidable competition to reach the ultimate showdown of the league. Just as admirably, the coaches labored industriously for weeks to make the tournament a reality. Indeed, the cohort for the March Madness X-Term, led by Mr. Hamill Jones and Mr. John Green, designed everything from basic rules to league-exclusive tees from

We also got the treat of learning just how big the scope of the coaster is. The cars alone weigh about nine tons, can hold 30 people, have three rows of wheels, go fast enough to require hydraulic, magnetic and water brakes and can’t fall off the track short of active sabotage or a natural disaster. They ride on a track that took a million times more money, probably 100 times the people to build and was 80 times longer than the one our marble rides on. While anyone riding a modern day roller coaster should be pretty safe, the only

reason nobody has died riding ours is because the only person riding it is a marble. While the actual builders have to go through lengthy training and take extensive countermeasures for safety contingencies, our marble can easily roll along, be plucked out to be replaced on the track and comes with an inherent inability to die. While everything we built that week was very unimpressive next to Busch Gardens, I feel proud of what I could do, and frankly glad I don’t have to worry about everything the engineers do.

scratch, all the while reading and reporting on a choice book. Sixty students, forming 16 teams, had to compete and be separated into two separate league tournaments, all of which was to be completed in four days. The tall task was tackled with enthusiasm and creativity; the result? An excellent experience for both the players and the coaches, who formed lasting bonds. It was the coach’s job to mentor the players and to help them grow from a team experience. “It was a great experience watching my team grow as the tournament went on. Our team really came together and fed off each other’s strengths,” said Coach Charlie Boggs ’19 of Ohio State. Mr. Jones added, “It was great to see the coaches in our X-Term cohort develop positive relationships with the players on their sixth grade teams. One of my favorite parts about St. Christopher’s is the opportunity for interaction between older students and younger students, and this tournament provided another tremendous example.” Given the talent already witnessed in the opening days, tumult was as much expected as it was received in the tourneys:

in the winner’s bracket, the first seed and favorite, UCLA, was upset by eighth-seed Texas in just the first round, and Miami and Ohio State made their unexpected title game runs. However, before the closing ceremony could commence, the coaches had one last great effort to give— spending an afternoon setting up the women’s basketball tournament for the Atlantic 10 Conference, which included hanging banners and placing floor decals. At last, the final bout began on the hallowed battleground of Scott Gym. Now veteran coaches Boggs, of Ohio State and Cole Minetree ’19 of Miami tested their mettle and that of their teams in a game that came down to just two possessions. A surprise steal sealed the deal, and Miami emerged victorious as all the other teams looked on in wonder. The amount of madness this March entailed was equaled only by the hard work and determination it took to make it that mad.

Virginia Wildlife Resources

X-Term goes Far and Wide to Experience the Wild Side of Virginia By Tabb Gardner

Sophomore Staff Writer

As the small St.Christopher’s bus tore down the highway towards the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, students caught a nap before some intensive wilderness education. The Virginia Wildlife and Natural Resources X-Term began with a journey to the Mont Bella fish hatchery. The group helped the fishery stock local rivers with

trout alongside a large group of locals following the group for easy fishing. The X-Term continued with trips to an oyster farm, a lumber processing plant, a tree nursery and even to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. A rather interesting moment during the X Term was when Biology Teacher Billy McGuire discovered that the students consumed all of the Lay’s potato chips supplied by the dining hall before he could have a snack. The memory of the tense long silence after this incident would stay with the students long after. The culprit was never found. As the week passed, excitement grew for the main attraction of the cohort, a visit to the famous Chinese restaurant in Waynesboro: Ming’s Garden. The seemingly endless all you can eat “Chinese” buffet was the main highlight of the X-Term for many students as they ate a small village’s worth of delicious food in under an hour. A highly protested hike in the nearby mountains followed. After a week of long bus rides and copious amounts of learning, students were ready for spring break. It is safe to say that most left with a strong new appreciation for their state’s industry and wildlife.

The Pine Needle

Saints Visit the Eternal City By Ricky Stockel

Senior Editor

I emerged from an eight hour flight both groggy-eyed and awestruck as I realized that we had landed in the Eternal City— Rome. I’ll admit I felt overwhelmed as I realized that I was about to spend the next week exploring one of the largest and oldest cities in the world. At the airport, as we stepped onto our bus, we were introduced to our guide— a Roman-born man with a ponytail named Oshry. Oshry had vast knowledge of the city and could tell us basically any fact about every landmark in Rome. Quickly, we came across ancient ruins, architecture and cemeteries. At the end of our first day we took a trip to the Protestant Cemetery, home of the graves of famed poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley as well as the Pyramid of Cestius, an ancient pyramid modeled after the ones in Egypt.

Perhaps the greatest moment of our first day was discovering that our hotel was only a few hundred meters from Vatican City. In fact, I had a great view of St. Peter’s Basilica directly from the window in my room. The next week was probably the busiest of my life. We would leave the hotel every day at around 9 a.m. and would not arrive back at the hotel until as late as 10:30 p.m.. Each day was packed with unforgettable sights that dated all the way back to ancient times, but mostly churches– lots of churches. We spent hours inside the Colosseum appreciating the great architecture and history behind the world-famous amphitheatre. We went inside the Pantheon, admiring the incredible sculptures and massive dome. During our visit of the Vatican City, we felt the imposing presence the Sistine

Chapel and stared in awe at the incredible paintings of Michelangelo that decorated the holy room. We explored St. Peter’s Basilica and climbed to the top of the dome where we were greeted with a breathtaking view of the city. The most memorable part of the trip for me was seeing Pope Francis in Vatican City on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Roman Catholic Church. As a Catholic, I was so grateful for the opportunity to see him pass mere feet in front of me as he rode in his Popemobile. Our trip to Rome was incredible. Not only did I see one of the largest and most important cities in the world with my own eyes, I also became friends with so many new people in our community that I had never had the chance to talk to before. My time spent in Rome was one of the most amazing weeks of my life.

Features

X-Term Photo Contest

3 1 PEOPLE CATEGORY 1st Place: Dylan Gibbs ’17 in Patagonia 2nd Place: Charlotte Candler ’19 in Hong Kong 3rd Place: Carolyn Pratt ’19 in Rome

2 1 3 LANDSCAPE CATEGORY

1st Place: Dylan Gibbs ’17 in Patagonia 2nd Place: Charlotte McGraw ’18 in Patagonia 3rd Place: William Rodriguez ’18 in Cuba

1 1st Place: Dylan Gibbs ’17 in Patagonia

FOOD CATEGORY

X-term challenges students to explore and with exploration comes a wealth of new experiences they will treasure for a lifetime. Multimedia Arts Teacher Amanda Livick and sophomore Rosabel Zhang challenged St. Christopher’s and St. Catherine’s students to capture the most breathtaking or inspiring parts of their adventures and submit them under one of three categories. The winners were awarded gift cards to Starbucks and Libbie Market.

The Pine Needle

Educators Embrace Electronic Entertainment By Hunter Gardner

Sophomore Staff Writer

Can you imagine Mr. Tune slaying dragons or going on an adventurous quest? How about Mr. Thomas cleansing the world of monsters and otherworldly beings or Mr. Ferguson conquering the world with diplomatic prowess? These three have been playing video games for much of their lives and continue to find enjoyment in them today. History Teacher Greg Tune has played countless hours of “The Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim,” History Teacher Josh Thomas has finished “The Witcher III” in its entirety and History Teacher Stuart Ferguson continues to wreak diplomatic havoc as Queen Elizabeth I of England in Sid Meier’s “Civilization V.” “It started when I was a kid when the first Atari came out,” said Mr. Tune. Some of his other favorite games recently include “Halo” and “Fable.” One of his favorite parts of playing video games is just chilling out. He said, “Well, my wife believes they are a total waste of time. I believe they can

be a waste of too much time, but on one hand I think it’s a wonderful way to relax and take your mind off things.” He enjoyed the decision making aspect of “Skyrim” and choosing who was good and who was bad. Mr. Tune’s favorite part of “Skyrim” was “just being able to chop people up,” specifically the bad guys. Mr. Tune also thinks that video games can be excessive. He feels that with some games people don’t remain true to themselves. He said, “So they will go in and be like, ‘Okay, I’m going to play ‘Skyrim’ and I am going to be totally evil.’ I find that disturbing. When I play the game, I play as me. I do the right thing in the video game every time.” He recently has not invested much time on his Xbox but instead in games on his iPad. He still cherishes his time playing “Skyrim’”as his Viking alter ego Andhrimnir Foehammer. Mr. Thomas, much like Mr. Tune, grew up playing video games. His favorites were “Final Fantasy” and “Legend of Zelda” but recently has finished “The Witcher III.”

He continues to enjoy playing video games because they still have the core aspects that they did during his childhood. “I started playing and it brought all the great things I loved about games growing up and took it to a whole new level,” he said. Mr. Thomas was pulled in by the amount of content and the storytelling which immersed him in the game. Even though he was playing a video game based in a fantasy world he said that there are issues going on that relate to our world. “If the story is told in the right way it helps a player build empathy for other people in different situations.” he said. In “The Witcher” series the player plays as a witch hunter who gets paid to rid the land of monsters and demons. The game often has the player questioning whether to take advantage of someone or lend a helping hand. Mr. Thomas tended to fall victim to the hero complex of assisting peasants free of charge or just helping people when he got the chance. His biggest beef with laying video games was the addiction factor.

“The drawback, and I have experienced this myself, is that you can get sucked in and all of a sudden you spend five to six hours in front of the television and that’s not good for anyone,” he said. Now during the busy school year Mr. Thomas plays a game of “FIFA” here and there and is waiting for a break to play the new “Battlefield I.” Mr.. Ferguson, much like the other two, has been playing games since his early age. Instead of magic and fantasy games he has been more interested in strategy games. In his youth Mr. Ferguson played “Age

of Empires” and now plays “Sid Meier’s Civilization V.” Recently his favorite civilization was the English as Elizabeth I. He continues to play on his own time and has yet to agree to a game against some of his students. “I want to be sure I can win before I go out there,” he said. Along with the other two teachers, Mr. Ferguson believes video games are good as long as moderation is used. “I think it’s good in moderation, the problem I have with ‘Civ 5’ is when I start to play I kind of dive down into the rabbit

hole of, like, that’s all I do with my free time for a week in a half, which is not good. My wife really doesn’t like that but if you can play it every once in a while I think it’s great,” he said. Even Mr. Ron Smith has dabbled in video games. Mr. Smith said that he doesn’t have an opinion on video games but did say that he does enjoy playing Wii. While video games can be distracting in a school environment, Andhrimnir Foehammer, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Ferguson all agree that they are a great way to just chill out.

Are You Anxious? By Henry Barden

Sophomore Staff Writer One student said, “[The future] is always there, looming over your head. Whenever Imagine having completed a tremenyou get a bad grade or something bad hapdously taxing exam. Sweat and tears pens, it grows a little bit, and it doesn’t go went into preparation, along with a heavy away. It really doesn’t help when people ask dosage of stress, and it’s finally complete. You should feel relieved and accomplished, about it. It makes you really stressed out, and the process repeats itself.” but something doesn’t feel right. Fears and He then discussed how some anxiety doubts about your performance that you can be invisible, and that it takes a certain had before the exam still pervade your perspicacity or personal relationship to exhausted mind, and worrying thoughts notice such distress. “There are people about the future join the party. The stress who laugh it off, and if you’re not careful, persists long into the next day. you could think they’re totally fine,” he Soon your inability to relax leaves you said. The student started feeling anxious irritable and unmotivated, even towards about school from a young age and that previous interests. Self-criticism and stress formed some subconscious blockages frustration lead to questions about largely toward school material. unrelated things: your sense of purpose or “I’ve seen a fair whether or not you’re “Whenever you get a bad amount of depression even a good friend to others. Scrambling grade or something bad and a high amount of for solace, you think, happens, it grows a little bit, anxiety,” said School Counselor Sazshy Valen“Where’s that sense of and it doesn’t go away” tine. “I think it’s comfulfillment I had anticimon in male teenagers, pated?” especially in an inability to motivate.” In the gauntlet of stress that is high She explained how anxiety mainly school, similar feelings and experiences manifests itself in boys via irritable moods, to those are realities for many St. Christoexcessive sleeping and a hard time getting pher’s students. As grades become more to school combined with a lackadaisical and more crucial to college admission sucattitude towards it. Meanwhile, girls expericess, more students are experiencing anxiety as an uncertain future weighs heavy. To ence self-criticism and immobilizing panic, some even a simple assignment can cause a according to local psychoanalyst Anthony Vitiello, Ph.D. breakdown.

So what’s causing the influx of adolescent anxiety, especially as it relates to St. Christopher’s, and what are potential solutions? “The biggest obstacle is people not wanting to talk,” said Dr. Vitiello. “Parents and kids have the pain but have a sense of shame in sharing it.” At its core, the shame people feel in revealing personal issues stems from an imagined scenario of prejudgement, he said. Dr. Vitiello encourages students to look past stereotypes and worries to stand up for the positives within themselves. “There are many people who won’t judge or negatively isolate you.” “Even second graders are starting to worry about friend issues, and third graders begin to become stressed about grades and the concept of perfection,” said Director of Health Services Ann Vanichkachorn. “It could have a Lower School start.” Though many variables come into play in the fight against depression, Dr. Vitiello stressed one viable form of assistance—to create communities in which people may engage in their strengths and reveal their natural talents. This way, everyone feels connected to a team that backs itself up. Find “the place,” he stressed, and help can begin there.

The War on Vaping

Are we doing enough? Can we do enough?

the students can see. The school needs to draw a red line, and once that line has been Vaping is undeniably a significant drawn, the rules need to be enforced. problem for St. Christopher’s and for teenThere are very few consequences that agers around the country. A lot of students could actually get students to stop. The have this idea that vaping is somehow only thing that would work is the most “safe.” Although it might not be cigarettes punitive option: expulsion. Expulsion for with their 33 percent fatality rate, if high vaping at school might seem extreme, but school students are getting nicotine addicstudents doing drugs on campus is a seritions at 14 or 15 years old, vaping could ous offense. It should be treated the same open the door to other dangerous diseases as if students were doing more dangerouslike alcoholism. Simply trying to get rid of drugs. Just because But regardless of the tobacco is legal dangers of vaping, it’s against opportunities to break the for adults doesn’t the rules and the school has rules by restricting student mean it’s not just as a duty to stop it. The school’s freedom goes against the significant of an iscurrent plan, to crack down spirit of St. Christopher’s. sue. Head of Upper on mid-day trips to vape in School Tony Syzthe parking lots and to stop mendera said he wasn’t ruling this measure students from going to the bathroom durout, but in my opinion it needs to happen ing class, won’t solve the problem. as soon as possible. There’s only one way to stop vaping: Apart from simply making their campus significant, permanent consequences that By Kinloch Nelson

Co-Editor-in-Chief

a safe place where students don’t regularly break the law, St. Christopher’s has a responsibility to give students help if they ask for it. Students who ask for help to quit should be given immunity from punishment for what they have confessed, but that’s the only time anyone should get a second chance. St. Christopher’s prides itself on “educating the whole boy,” and making sure that students have the maturity to follow the rules is essential to this mission. Making it hard to break the rules can be helpful, but if the school can’t trust their students, then it has failed. The vaping needs to stop, but simply trying to get rid of opportunities to break the rules by restricting student freedom goes against the spirit of St. Christopher’s. We need to have the responsibility to follow the rules, and the school needs the guts to enforce them.

The Pine Needle

On Friday April 21, the junior and senior classes gathered in the LLC for the annual Career Day. Four speakers headlined the event this year, and students sat down in small groups to hear them talk about their professions.

By William Rodriguez Co-Editor-in-Chief

As a child, Rob Long ’06 noticed all the local bowling alleys had bad food, dingy facilities and seedy atmospheres. He began to visualize his dream bowling establishment when he was working a job at BB&T Bank. “In your late twenties, you’re at the right age to invest in something risky,” Mr. Long said. Though he was making decent money in investment banking, he decided to take a chance and quit his job to pursue his dreams. This dream is River City Roll, Mr. Long’s idea of a modern bowling alley where “millennials can eat, drink and be entertained.” After obtaining $3 million from local Richmond businessmen looking to invest in startups, Mr. Long began to draw up the floor plans and layout for his future magnum opus. Once built, River City Roll will have 20 lanes for bowlers to vent out their fury on the pins, but will also upend traditional ideas about bowling alleys. The location will also sport a kitchen and bar where

bowlers can get good food (a rare sight at the typical alley) such as pizza from a wood-fired oven. As a final touch, a DJ station and stage will serve as a place for local musicians to entertain. Mr. Long told the audience of juniors and seniors that he’d based his modernized idea off of popular spots like Las Vegas’s Brooklyn Bowl, and that he’d contracted local artists from VCU to design the logo through a contest. He also talked about how he hired a local muralist to decorate his building. Finally, Mr. Long offered advice to any students who want to start their own small business. He stressed the importance of doing well in college, saying, “If you go to any school and excel, doors will open up for you.” He also vouched for the freedoms of living under your own terms rather than slaving at a 9-5 job. “Today I played golf in the morning, ate lunch and then got to come over and talk to you guys. How cool is that?”

Rob Long (right) and his business partner Ben Eubanks

Photo courtesy of Richmond BizSense

By Thurston Moore

Junior Staff Writer

People are often defined by their profession, but according to James Hoffman ’05, who you are means more than what you do. This is one view Mr. Hoffman passed along to juniors and seniors on Career Day to talk about his journey to his current career as government relations consultant and lessons he learned along the way. After graduating from St. Christopher’s, Mr. Hoffman continued to Hampden-Sydney College where he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in government. Hoffman talked about his time interning under Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and his current position at KVCF Solutions LLC, a subsidiary of Richmond law firm Kaplan Voekler Cunningham & Frank PLC. His job involves lobbying, economic development and regulatory affairs. Mr. Hoffman shared some insightful views challenging the general public’s view of one’s career. He said that who you are should determine what you do, but it is okay if your passion and profession do not perfectly align. He talked about the importance of having mentors, faith and “lots of coffee.” He advised boys that all you have is your reputation. He said, “If you don’t want it on the front page of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, don’t do it.”

28 By Henry Rodriguez

Junior Staff Writer

Today, Richmond is a city in renewal. Gone are the days of “the murder capital of the world” — people are moving back in, both from the suburbs and from larger cities all over the East Coast. With them come entrepreneurs who are attracted to Richmond’s “Renaissance” and contribute to it; people like Taylor Williams ’96. Mr. Williams is a real estate developer whose company, Spy Rock Real Estate Group, owns and leases apartment complexes and commercial space in Richmond and Virginia Beach. In total, Spy Rock rents about 1,900 apartments. Currently, the company owns a building containing 194 apartments in Scott’s Addition. As many urbanites might know, a common trend in developing there is to build inside old factories from Richmond’s departed manufacturing days. Housing has sprung up in stove works, bakeries and cookie factories. Spy Rock’s new property takes up the inside of an old Coca-Cola bottling plant. According to Mr. Williams, the strategy is pretty simple: “find a piece of land we

By Kinloch Nelson

Co-Editor-in-Chief

Nate Casey is a walking embodiment of startup culture. He went against the grain to do what he loved and turned it into staggering success. He loves to spend time with people from blue chip tech firms like Google and Amazon, and he’s not afraid to talk about how he “hacked life.” Mr. Casey graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a degree in tuba performance. After a few years of playing tuba in Germany, he heard a story about how lucrative the songwriting business can be and wanted to get in on the action. However, Mr. Casey is not a songwriter. He’s an entrepreneur. His interest in business began while he was working on a

like... think, would someone like [St. Christopher’s students], flashed five to 10 years in the future, want to live there?” At the same time, his company balances this with “value engineering”, taking a look at every project and figuring out if, in the big picture, it will pay for itself. Finally, Spy Rock includes communal spaces and hosts events to bring residents together and “make people feel like part of a community.” Long before his entry into real estate, however, Mr. Williams’ life was on a different track. During his youth, he narrowed his career choices to doctor or sports agent. After entering the University of Virginia he majored in history, but still wanted a life in the sports industry. Mr. Williams moved to Sydney, Australia to work for NBC at the 2000 Summer Olympics. It was there that, after carrying around cameras and driving vans, he realized that he’d rather be a sports fan than work in the industry. Many famous athletes and celebrities he saw were “a lot more interesting on TV.” After that, he entered Washington, D.C. real estate but didn’t like the monotony.

Mr. Williams realized that he wanted to return to Richmond to raise a family and “be my own boss...do different things [in my job] on a daily basis.” He returned to UVA to get an MBA and then co-founded Spy Rock. Now back in Richmond, Mr. Williams sees a bright future. He remembers 10 years ago when “rage was building” in Short Pump for its mixed-use living and shopping space. Eventually, however, people realized that “this was Anywhere, USA” and wanted somewhere “real [and] authentic” that didn’t cost as much as Washington, New York City or San Francisco. For those who think of that place as Richmond, Va., Taylor Williams is here to help.

farm owned by an executive at Visa, and in 2009, he launched Blazetrak, a website that lets songwriters and musicians submit their work directly to industry professionals, and he has been in entrepreneurship ever since. He believes that the most successful people are ones who have found a niche doing something they love and have found a way to make money off it. “My whole thing with life is that you’ve got to figure out your zone of genius,” he said. “Find a way to hack it.” The ideas of “hacking life” and the “zone of genius” were central themes in Mr. Casey’s presentation. He said that one of his main concerns was that people get too focused on stability and they never think outside the box. “You guys are in the middle of the rise of the creative class,” he said. The way that Mr. Casey learned business is possibly the most impressive part of

his story. Instead of a few years at business school, Casey taught himself with nothing but a library card and time. “I basically gave myself an MBA,” he said. His other strategy is to make sure he’s always in the conversation with the people he expects to be successful. “I plan my life around putting myself in the room with the smartest people I know,” he said. Mr. Casey is also the chief operating officer for entrepreneurship at startup company 80amps, and he works in operations for Digital ReLab, a digital asset management company that works with groups like the Bob Dylan Music Company and the New York Philharmonic. He focused on how the flexibility that consistent income from Blazetrak provides has allowed him to work on other projects, and emphasized that students should be creative and think outside the box.

The Pine Needle

Humans of St. Christopher’s Brandon Stanton, founder of Humans of New York, said the idea began as a photography project in 2010. The initial goal was to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the street and “create an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants.” After an overwhelmingly positive response, Stanton expanded his population to more than 20 countries. By displaying a picture of the person followed by a quotation corresponding to a significant moment in their life, the collection effectively generated a platform where people of diverse backgrounds can have their stories heard. Oftentimes, the stories symbolize greater issues and conflicts to which others can relate. In the spirit of Humans of New York, The Pine Needle attempts to share stories of individuals in the St. Christopher’s community, including faculty, students and coaches. Our goal is to humanize individuals by telling specific stories to create a greater sense of community and understanding. – Will Bird ’18

30 “The most significant moment of my life thus far was holding my best friend’s hand as she was dying. She was terminally ill for three years, and she and I went through the process together of her life ending. We talked about the future, and what it would be like for her to die. We were both 30, and as she was in the process of dying, I conceived Mike, who was born about six months before she died. I felt so guilty that I had this life starting within me while hers was leaving. She made me feel at ease about it, and she seemed to find joy in Mike’s arrival. She was really amazing and graceful, and she passed away and that changed me forever. Not a day has gone by when I don’t think about the gift I have right now.”

“A couple of years ago, I was at a party in the West End and I was grabbing a plate of food when I overheard a group of older men talking behind me. I overheard one of them use a very ugly racial slur. It was one of those moments when you think about what you would do in that moment. Would you do the thing that you’ve always been told is the right thing to do? Would you actually take the opportunity to be courageous? Would you do what you always hoped you would do? In that moment I did none of those things. I froze. I pretended that I didn’t hear. I quietly got the rest of my food and walked away. It’s something that I actually think about most days. The thing that I always wonder is if that situation comes up again will I act any differently? Will I step up and say something or will I react in the same way that I did this time? I would like to think that I would do what I believe to be the right thing. But I truthfully don’t know what I would do, and all evidence from the past would suggest that I would not do the right thing.”

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“About 10 years ago over Thanksgiving break my parents were up in New Jersey, and I was living with a few of my friends from college here in Richmond. Everyone had gone home but I had to stay behind because my football team had made it to the playoffs, so I had to stay behind for a game. I got up and I was all excited to be on my own for Thanksgiving, but within about three hours I started feeling kind of homesick. I didn’t have a girlfriend. I didn’t have anywhere to go. I was in those early years of my career where I wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing. I decided to make myself dinner. I went out to the grocery store, got everything I needed, came back and ate, and I was feeling a little better, sitting there watching football. Then I got a wave of insecurity and I decided to go for a run. I wasn’t too far from Monroe Park when I noticed a bunch of people waiting in a line outside a church or a community center, and I realized they were waiting to get inside for Thanksgiving dinner. I saw some of the staff working in the back and asked if they needed volunteers. They told me I could give out coats. A young girl came in, probably 7 or 8 years old, and asked me what I was doing. She said that she needed a coat and would love to have one, and so I spent the next 20 minutes talking to this little girl to help her pick out a coat. Afterwards she came up and gave me a hug and said it meant a lot to her. At that moment I was struck about how two hours earlier I was feeling bad for myself, unsure about my future, feeling sad and having angst that I was away from home. Then I met her and saw how thankful she was for that jacket. The final kicker was that as the family left I noticed that her sister was actually wearing it. I thought I was picking the coat out for her the whole time, and she was actually getting it for her sister. So from here on out on Thanksgiving I never take what I have for granted.”

32 “It was before wrestling season. I just had this little harmless bump on the back of my neck. I didn’t really think much about it. Around the third tournament or so the thing had made a golf-ball sized lump. I had no idea what it was but it was growing so large that it was breaking through my skin. It was bleeding. I was having to tape it up constantly. I went to the doctor and he told me, ‘It’s probably just a cyst, a bunch of harmless skin cells. I can just cut it out. No problem.’ I went in and had surgery and I thought that was that; that it was done. The next week my coach tried to convince me to wrestle. So I did. The stitches ended up getting ripped open in one of the matches so I had to medical forfeit out, but I ended up placing sixth anyway because I won my first three matches. The doctor called me when I was at the tournament and told me they had biopsied whatever it was, and it was highly suspicious of cancer. At this point I wasn’t sure what to do. He said he would send it around to different medical schools. The doctor said I needed surgery to get better margins, but I decided to put it off until the end of the season and just hope it didn’t kill me until then. Because there was a chance it wasn’t cancer, I wanted to keep wrestling. Meanwhile the doctor sent the biopsy to William & Mary and UVA. Both said, ‘Well it’s highly suspicious; we don’t know what it is though.’ Then they sent it to the Mayo Clinic to have one of the leading doctors in the world look at this thing. The doctor called a couple weeks before National Preps after I thought I had cancer for over a month. He said, ‘Okay hey, this thing actually isn’t technically cancer. It’s still a tumor. It’s still probably doing to grow back if you didn’t get all of it out. Because it’ll grow back you need to have another surgery.’ So right after the end of National Preps, after my incision had finally healed and I was just getting used to moving my head again, I had to go back in. This time he took a big margin, like a chunk and I got a lot more stitches this time and more internal stitches. That happened leading into exams so I missed a couple weeks of school. Anyone who met me at school knew I was high out of my mind on whatever pain meds he gave me. But I’m back now.”

The Pine Needle

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that one of the things that I struggle with as a human is that ostensibly I am an extrovert when I am at school, so somebody might expect me to be extroverted all the time. Except I am actually quite the opposite. I am an introvert and I am always looking for enough time alone with myself. So when I go to my shop and I work, I essentially like being alone and I hate it when the phone rings or the text message goes off or anything that takes me away from my aloneness and my creative side actually trying to make something, craft something, fix a broken engine or just exercise those creative juices when I can be all by myself. So balancing the alone time that is required for somebody like me is a real struggle.â&#x20AC;?

Class of 2017 College Athletes Ameer Bennett - Basketball - Delaware State University Thomas Branch - Swimming- Virginia Military Institute John Damgard - Football- Sewanee: The University of the South Jackson Deal - Lacrosse - Christopher Newport University Simon Fitch - Soccer - George Washington University Jack Gillenwater - Lacrosse - Sewanee: The University of the South Tanner Hood - Wrestling - Brown University Gareth Mancini - Swimming - University of Mary Washington Hayden Mitchell - Football - University of Virginia Allan Pedin - Track and Field - Christopher Newport University Alexander Petrie - Basketball - Lafayette College Skyler Petrie - Baseball - Muhlenberg College Sheldon Towell - Football - Hampden-Sydney College Drake Wielar - Swimming - Davidson College Rosser Williams - Track and Field - Sewanee: The University of the South

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Senior College Decisions University of Virginia Gunther Abbot Edward Anderson Jackson Barkstrom Dylan Gibbs Hunter Greenwood Thomas Kehoe Garrett Levy Trent Levy Connor Liggan Hayden Mitchell Kannon Noble Ruslan Thomas Paul Thompson Drew Vanichkachorn Townes West James Madison University Josh Craig Berkeley Galstan Mason Glasco Stenzler Green Darby Hatcher Rob Jessee Virginia Tech Chris Hull Brent Mistr Alex Rowe Shelton Moss Will Thomas College of William & Mary Christian Longood Spencer Seward Ricky Stockel Eric Thompson

Sewanee: The University of the South Jack Gillenwater Rosser Williams John Damgard Hampden-Sydney College Jackson Southworth Sheldon Towell Billy Wilson University of Georgia Sid Caravati Davis Evans Whit Sprinkle University of South Carolina Graham Mauck Taylor Merritt Morehouse College Fabian Hillman C Jenkins Virginia Military Institute Thomas Branch Luke Parry Christopher Newport University Jackson Deal Allan Pedin Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Zane Buono Geordie Tate University of Mary Washington Sky Horne Gareth Mancini

36 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Durk Steed Bo Williamson Middlebury College Austin Cashwell UNC at Asheville TrĂŠ Cloud Texas A&M University Neil Dwivedi Furman University Holden Adams University of Richmond Robert Allen Worcester Polytechnic Institute DT Badley Princeton University James Armstrong University of Tennessee Jackson Begley University of Mississippi Jack Essex Wake Forest University Willy Bemiss Delaware State University Ameer Bennett George Washington University Simon Fitch

Tulane University Griffin Gayne Loyola University Richard Herrera Bucknell University Colin Hodgson Brown University Tanner Hood Villanova University Jalen Maurice Virginia Commonwealth University Grant Mistr Southern Methodist University Gordon Mitchell Lafayette College Alexander Petrie Muhlenberg College Skyler Petrie High Point University Jacob Vath Davidson College Drake Wielar Washington and Lee University Frost Wood

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Leaders in Action

New Course Planned for St. Christopher’s Seniors “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.” -Benjamin Franklin By Connor Maloney Freshman Staff Writer

For as long as the student body can remember, they’ve only had one option for the senior year history elective. Recently however, teachers have been working on a new course called Leaders in Action, which focuses on leadership, communities, communication and service. It was created both to provide an alternate option for senior electives, and more importantly, to fulfil the 2nd century initiative, by creating a course central to what St Christopher’s teaches. Such an idea is a daunting task, with leadership being an incredibly broad and vague idea. Even so, the curriculum is coming together, built around the school’s idea “that is accessible to all students,” in Mr. Szymendera’s words, of making a positive difference in others’ lives. While conventional homework and tests are present, field experiences, texts, and reflective presentations will be the focus. Headed by Dr. Andy Smith and Mr. Stuart Ferguson, the class will draw from various essays, novels and other texts to provide context alongside the curriculum. Works being scoped by Mr. Ferguson include the novel The Call of the Wild by Jack London, about a dog whose tumultuous life takes him through numerous different owners, before eventually leading a pack of wolves, as well as Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Journey by Alfred Lansing, a book about an explorer who led his shipwrecked crew through the Antarctic for four years. Both offer wildly different perspectives on leadership, its importance and how it appears in different people. “Yeah, you can learn plenty of things by reading books and articles, we’re gonna do plenty of that, but I think the hands on ex-

for the school to hear. “They’re going to perience is gonna be the most meaningful write an action plan about the skills they part of the class. I think you’ll remember learned that they can use in the field in the that,” said Mr. Ferguson. future,” said Mr. Ferguson,“which I think During this time, students will forgo is a pretty valuable takeaway for someone’s other classes to travel out for various prosenior year in high school.” grams, applying the knowledge they have and turning it into skills. Dr. Smith will work with a Richmond nonprofit called Project Homes to help low income, senior citizens keep their homes and keep them in good conditions. Mr. Ferguson will bring students to national and state parks to study wilderness ethics. “We’ll be doing different leadership exercises; the students will be in charge of pretty much the entire trip,” Mr. Ferguson said. “I’ll be there for risk management reasons, but we’re gonna let them do the pacing: they’re gonna choose where we go, they’ll cook the meals, they’ll pick where the tents go up.” The final project will be to create a presentation reflecting on what they’ve learned. It will lay out their knowledge and skills in leadership. They will present in front of an as of yet undetermined number A drawing based on The Call of the Wild, of teachers and faculty, a book that will be used for the new course. laying out their ideas

Journos Do Yoga By Kinloch Nelson and William Rodriguez

Co-Editors-in-Chief

Picture this: seven intrepid journalists, seven assorted towels and mats and one DVD copy of Rodney Yee’s Moving Toward Balance. In an attempt to fulfill their athletic requirement on Tuesdays and Fridays, several Pine Needle and Raps and Taps staff members chose the nuclear option: intensive after-school yoga. Hesitant at first, the desperate journos tried a variety of activities to satisfy the athletic department’s demands, such as 3:45 tennis sessions on the St. Catherine’s courts. Initially recreational tennis was a welcome replacement for a real sport, but when the girls’ middle school tennis team

started to need courts, the journalists were forced to channel their inner JJ and break out the yoga mats. Unfortunately, there were not enough yoga mats available, but the students overcame this hardship with incredible resilience, using beach towels to help cushion the hard floors of the Luck Leadership Center Playhouse. Day one proved a challenge, as St. Christopher’s journalists don’t tend to be particularly flexible. The aspiring yogis flopped across their mats at every “Chaturanga” (Four-Limb Staff Pose) and “Tadasana” (Mountain Pose). Gradually over the next few days, the students began to improve. Their down-

ward dogs and mountain poses slowly started to look more and more like Rodney Yee’s impeccable stances. Soon, however, the journalists’ burning chakras began to fizzle out. They tried to galvanize themselves with some yoga swag like St. Catherine’s Varsity Yoga’s jackets, but their efforts were to no avail. With the prospect of yoga gear having vanished, all enthusiasm for any kind of yogic experience dissipated and the students returned to more mundane athletic activities. After the yoga adventures had ended, all of the students in the program agreed that their favorite position was “constructive rest.”

The Pine Needle

The Oak Needle St. Christopher’s Finest News Source

Stress Day Saves Students By Kinloch Nelson

Co-Editor-In-Chief

After a delightful afternoon of stress-free Jenga and playing with some adorable dogs, the St. Christopher’s student body had all of their worries and concerns cured. This mental panacea managed to fix literally everyone’s problems through the almost-magical effects of hula-hoops combined with cornhole. “I just can’t believe it! It feels like the weight of the world has been lifted off of my shoulders, and I know that

Faculty Boxing Ring Uncovered By Tabb Gardner ∆ Sophomore Staff Writer

Both faculty and students have been seen around campus brandishing large bruises after scheduled visits to the Lecky household. When asked about them, they usually only comment on Mrs. Lecky’s delicious casserole. The Pine Needle hid a small camera on the tie of an unsuspecting Mr. John Burke to give us an idea of what goes on in these meetings. This particular faculty meeting was at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night. St. Christopher’s Road was lined with cars as faculty flooded into the Lecky home. The Burke-cam showed that all the faculty ignored the home itself and went straight to the basement. A total of 10 flights of stairs led to a massive underground stadium around a full regulation-size boxing ring. Faculty were wearing T-shirts and even holding up cardboard cutouts featuring their colleagues. The camera showed a bracket of the night’s

everything is going to be okay,” said one sophomore. He especially thought that the snow cones helped to relieve all of the stress. This event was the culmination of weeks of mental health programming, but all of the buildup was nothing compared to the hour of “free time” on a beautiful Thursday in April. As this paper was sent to press, a gaggle of grinning freshmen were seen frolicking through a field.

matches projected onto large screens hanging from the concrete ceiling. Mr. Burke walked past the cheering teachers and into the front row of the stands, providing a full view of the arena. Mr. Johns walked through the stands taking bets on the night’s matches as Mr. McGuire prepared pyrotechnics over the locker room exit. On the opposite side of the arena sat a large balcony with Mason Lecky sitting in a fleur-de-lis throne with two sharply dressed guards on either side. He gave Mr. Britton a nod. Mr. Britton raised his sleeves and cleared his voice. He grabbed a vintage metal microphone and began listing the night’s matchups, featuring Ross “Cheese Nip” Gitomer, Tony “The Tiger” Szymendera, Billy “Raspy” Abbott, Stuart “Lumberjack” Ferguson, Jon “Animal Cracker” Waite and Greg “The Law” Tune. Right before the first match began, the camera began to malfunction. As “The Law” Tune and “Animal Cracker” Waite climbed into the ring, the camera cut out.

Arcadian Photo Quality Upgraded to “Identifiable”

E-Sports Club Holds Meeting on Cafeteria Computer, Abbott Outraged STC Supervillian “The Mad Vaper” Foils Faculty, Disappears in Puff of Smoke

Plan Unveiled to Renovate J-Lot into E-Cigarette Rehab Facility

Local Celebrity Will Bird ’18 Mobbed by Crazed “Weekly Inquiry” Fans

Latest Anderson Biking Compilation Met with Mixed Reviews

Bucka Watson’s Hairline Reduction Velocity Increases 40% since last quarter

∆ denotes membership in International Journalism Society Troupe 225

39 National Guard Called in After Unapproved Dress Down Days

Possible Russian Interference Suspected in Controversial PAC Election

Coach Hamill Jones Gives Birth to Healthy Baby Basketball

Moving Boys Forward Speaker Series With much excitement and glee, Dr. Hudson announced next year’s list of speakers for the Moving Boys Forward Speaker Series. The impressive list of renowned speakers is below:

Lance Armstrong Bernie Madoff Martin Shkreli Brian Williams Paula Deen Michael Vick Oscar Pistorius

Exploring McVey Backstage, the area could only be described as “unsafe.” Live electrical wires, piles of debris and open fires covFor decades, students at St. Christopher’s have wondered about the dark ered the whole theater, which had just finished a production of The Matchsecrets lying in the depths of McVey maker. After the three-day run of the Theatre. Most outside Ampersand are play had come to an end, the faulty old aware that generations of theater kids building had sprung a thousand new have made “improvements” on the anleaks, busted a hundred gaskets and cient building, from rigging elaborate systems of lights and props (often with a good portion of the stage had simply rotted away. little regard for fire safety) to digging Before we were whisked away out crawl spaces and hidey-holes to to work deep inside the cavernous help things function more smoothly. But how deep does it all really go? The structure of McVey theater, an actor lamented to us that it was hard for the Pine Needle’s investigative journalism duo took an undercover trip to find out. performers to go five minutes without chunks of important structural support Getting inside, of course, was the easy part. We quickly found that posing falling to pieces around them. Then it was off to the tunnels. as two of the vast horde of unskilled We readily found out that Ampercarpenters could gain us quick and unfettered access beyond the curtain. Two sand’s infrastructure extended much deeper than anything ever before, even shifty-eyed freshman guards unlocked the gate around the back of the theater Mr. Lecky’s secret underground boxing ring. As we descended level after slopfor us after a brief inspection, and we ing level into the dark bowels, passing were in.

By Henry Rodriguez and William Rodriguez

Junior Staff Writer Co-Editor-In-Chief

groups of hunched carpenters, eerily silent technicians and the occasional wandering actor, the secrets of McVey Theatre were revealed. The first few levels were full of relatively benign stuff; mostly storage rooms and stray pill bottles. Soon, after making our way past dozens of dusty costumes and skeleton “props,” we realized that perhaps these two intrepid journos had gone too deep. As we entered battle with an orange-clad Flippenbeast, any hope of leaving alive began to slip away from us. Thankfully, a well-timed cave-in buried the beast and its pack of slavish techies beneath 10 tons of rubble. After days of digging, we surfaced through the floor of the Arcadian’s office, alive to tell this tale.

The Matchmaker p. 5

College List p. 35

Back Down Under p. 7

Musicians of LLC p. 3