St. Luke’s Student Voice Since 1929
Inside this issue....
This Year in Timeline
Forget what happened in October? Flip to pages 4 and 5 for an awesomely laid out timeline of this school year.
St. Luke’s School
Ulrike’s Goodbye
Where Will Your Classmates Be?
Turn to page 3 to read a goodbye and thank you letter written by this year’s Assist student, Ulrike!
See page 3 to read all about the trips planned for the 2012 summer season.
377 North Wilton Road - New Canaan, CT - 06840
May 2012
Teacher Evalutions Move Online: Handwriting No Longer A Factor Nicole Bennett-Fite Editor
Mr. Gammill and Nils Berglund ‘14 participate in Upper school service day at the Stamford Nature Center
Big Changes At The Top:
The Search for a New Head of Upper-School Sebastian Bates Editor For as long as most St. Luke’s students can remember, the sight of Mr. Yavenditti sitting behind his desk in his cavernous office has been a fixture of school life. However, the time is fast approaching when there will be a new Head of Upper School sitting in the chair. Don’t worry - Mr. Yavenditti isn’t going anywhere: he is simply changing positions. As Mr. Davis, Head of School, announced to parents last week, Mr. Yavenditti will be taking up a new position as full-time Director of Studies in the 2013-2014 school year. The position of Director of Studies has been created because of the growing perception that Mr. Yavenditti and Mr. Bailey, Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning, have, in Mr. Davis’ words, “been doing the job of three people” between them. This new position will leave the incoming Head of Upper School free to focus on the executive side of running the ever-growing Upper School and Mr. Bailey with enough time to oversee his other areas of responsibility (for instance, faculty development). But what, one may ask, will the Director of Studies do, exactly? As Mr. Yavenditti ex-
This week in news.....
plained in an interview with the Sentinel, he will oversee a “pre-college counseling” program, working with Upper Schoolers and their parents to plot out their high school careers. In his new role, Mr. Yavenditti will work with rising ninth graders and new SLS students coming directly into the Upper School in order to facilitate their entrance into the rigorous and sometimes complicated high school curriculum. Indeed, he aims to meet with all new Upper Schoolers and their families at least once before the start of each school year. He will also be working with current Upper Schoolers (especially sophomores) to guide them through the process of plotting out their schedules. Helping students enter the so-called “Scholars Programs”- Global Scholars, STEM Scholars, and Classical Diplomates- will also be part of Mr. Yavenditti’s new job description. Overall, Mr. Yavenditti says that he hopes that by working with the College Counseling Office, the advisors, and Mr. Bailey, he can put together a “more robust academic advising team” to help students before Junior year, when college counseling starts in earnest. Indeed, he is confident cont. pg 3
- This just in, Seniors 2012 rule, rest of school drools - Seniors wreak havoc on the rest of school
The teacher evaluations that we have all grown so used to are about to undergo a renovation. The Academic Council, made up of department heads and miscellaneous administrators, has approved an additional evaluation in May (traditionally the evaluations are given in October and March.) The Council made the decision to give another evaluation in the spring because prior to this year, teachers never received feedback on their second semester curricula. However, not only will an additional evaluation be given in May, but, starting this year, all evaluations will be administered online via Survey Monkey. The format of the evaluation will be exactly the same as the paper version. In theory, when administered online, the results are much easier to compile, analyze, catalogue and compare. For students, this change will remedy the concern that written forms allow teachers to know which response belongs to which student. Often times, this concern prevents students from being totally honest in their responses, out of fear that a negative review will damage their relationship with a teacher. The online version offers an anonymous alternative, and for this reason the administration expects that responses will become more sincere. Many student may assume that this would worry teachers, as it is generally believed that negative feedback on a survey jeopardizes a teacher’s position. However, while excessive negative feedback does raise questions, generally speaking this is not the case. The surveys are a way for teachers to improve their classes, and to actively respond to the needs of their students. In fact, most teachers are less concerned about student responses, and more annoyed by the logistical difficulties of administering a digital survey during class time. St. Luke’s students are no strangers to “powerpoint lag,” the delay in class time that inevitably results from the use of technology. Therefore, students will be expected to complete the surveys either in class or at home. The issue then arises of making sure students complete the surveys. In class this is an easy task. Teachers simply allot the time, and students complete the surveys. Outside of class, teachers have no way of controlling whether or not students complete the survey, especially since they remain anonymous. Some kinks need to be worked out, but until then, students should normalize the idea of digital evaluations.
- Seniors graduate June 1st, be there or be square -It’s the week before Senior week
2
May 2012
HILLTOP NEWS
Mr. Sargent Goes Rogue
The Sentinel Staff
Ian Corbet
Staff Writer The ancient Mayan predictions of the end of the world have come true. No, Los Angeles has not fallen into a fiery pit of molten rock, something much worse has happened. Our beloved history teacher, Mr. Sargent, has decided to lessen his responsibilities in a favor of a different path to happiness. By the time the leaves fall from the trees, Mr. Sargent will be embarking on a noble quest for higher learning in a prestigious university, and the students he touched will be struggling to stay alive in a world filled with political manipulators and insidious New York Times contributors.
Too awesome to caption
Like a young bird leaving its nest, Mr. Sargent is spreading his wings and flying across the Hudson and into the window of the NYU Department of Art History. The allure of one of the most prestigious art history and archaeological schools in the nation and the temptation of a change of scenery and pace have captivated Mr. Sargent and driven him to take the leap and apply. Mr. Sargent’s has had a love of art for many years and has traveled all over the world to visit cities renowned for their Museums. Mr. Sargent’s passion for art is not “ascetically driven” but is
instead based upon the fact that art and architecture, literally paint a picture of history. Any SLS student who has had the privilege to sit in one of his classes knows that he extensively uses art to describe history and historic events. From his bashing of early medieval religious artwork to the famed Renaissance test question (Spoiler Alert: it has to do with art), art makes up a large part of his course materials. While this evil “art” may be ripping Mr. Sargent away from us, let’s take solace in the fact that this move has caused as much pain and suffering for him as the college application process has caused our seniors. In fact, Mr. Sargent has grown sympathetic to seniors as he was forced to go through a Hunger Gamesesque application process during which he was forced to write an essay on an Australian artist, another essay on why he wanted to go back to college, and take the grueling GRE test. But it seems it was all worth it; he is going to a school some people can only dream of, in a city filled with the most beautiful museums in the world. Thankfully, there is no reason to break out that Cookie Dough Ice Cream or a Bridges of Madison County DVD, as Mr. Sargent will be returning next year to teach AP Euro and a second semester course of modern China as well as being the Boys Varsity Tennis coach. He cites his reason for staying as the impressive roster for next years AP Euro class. But for the unlucky majority of us whom he will not be teaching next year, try to dry away your tears from this portion of the article, as the only way we may prevent him from leaving is to reveal his secret identity R.D. Spraggou and the shocking incriminating story that goes along with it.
Editors in Chief Ben Klein Nicole Bennett-Fite Arts Editor Alex Robertson World News Editor Andrew Walker School News Editor Melanie Bow Staff Writers Ian Corbet Will Bloomer Ann Abbot Freeman Melanie Bow Britt Viergever Sebastian Bates Tommy Champion Alex Robertson Ben Decatur
Photographers Zach Batson Faculty Advisors Mr. Flachsbart Mr. Foley
Unschool... At School? Lexi Zargar Staff Writer There are four basic rules to holding a successful unconference: the people who come are the right people, it starts when it starts, it’s over when it’s over, and you are obliged to leave a session if you have either lost interest in the speaker or have stopped contributing to the intellectual content that is being discussed. After holding three unconferences for the St. Luke’s staff, Jim Foley decided to take one step further by holding the first annual SLS Unschool, an entire day devoted to educating students, teachers, and faculty alike on a variety of topics such as quakerism, Super Smash Brothers strategies, and the “amazing” life of Brian Scalabrine. Before the first of three sessions began, Mr. Foley and Mr. Bailey spoke to the entire upper school about how the day would proceed. Afterwards, students and teachers stated what or who their session would address and chose what room their discussion would be held in. Although we all feared that the “reset” button, a device that would send us back to our regular class schedule, would be pressed before 10 AM, the success of the first fifteen sessions diminished our worries and excited us for the talks that were to come. With this sense of exhilaration, the community participated in three different rounds of sessions that left everyone talking. One of the most popular and loved as-
pects of unschool was the twitter backchannel displayed in the fireplace commons, a slideshow that displayed every tweet that included #slsunschool for the entire school to see. Through social networking, the favorable outcome of the event was displayed quite clearly by both faculty and students, as demonstrated that afternoon on twitter: “#slsunschool was actually an enthralling event! Loved it! Congrats Foley!” -Emily Burnaman, Class of 2012 “#slsunschool Never thought I was much of a scifi person but seeing how passionate these girls are is making me think twice!” - Julia Gabriele, staff member “I had my doubts before but, #slsunschool was a success!” Blake Stroman, Class of 2013
Upon first hearing about unschool, the student body was inevitably unsure of what its outcome would be. Personally, I believed it would be an enormous failure; how could an entire day based off of an unfixed schedule be beneficial in any way? Fortunately, I was proved wrong. The first annual unschool day at St. Luke’s proved to be an insightful, fun and, for some, inspiring day event. I, along with the many others, sincerely hope that St. Luke’s will hold another one
Join The Sentinel Do you like to write? Take pictures? Then The Sentinel wants YOU. “Ask not what The Sentinel can do for you, but what you can do for The Sentinel.”- JFK
May 2012
HILLTOP NEWS
Ulrike’s Goodbye Ulrike Proske Our beloved exchange student The end of this year is coming. I am reminded of it everyday, either when people ask me when I am going back to Germany, or when I look at my calendar. The 8th of June, two days after school ends, I will be boarding a plane back to Germany. On the Monday afterwards I am going back to school, for one month, then six weeks of summer vacation, then school again, starting at the same time as here in America. When I start to think about the fact that my departure is only 4 weeks away now, I am at first excited. I will be able to see my family and friends again! It is impossible to tell how often I have gone over my first day back in school, or the ride back from the airport next to my mum in the backseat of the car with my dad driving and my grandma next to him, in my head. It makes me happy just to think about it!
Ulrike with Amber Calhoune ‘14, before a dance
3
But then, when I have anticipated these nice scenes for a little bit, I grow sad. These exciting moments of reunion are also going to end the amazing year that I have had here. They are going to cut me off from my friends here, they are going to tear me from my new home. I know that after two weeks back in my old school I am going to miss St. Luke’s terribly. My whole year here has been so full, with so many great people around me. An exchange year is one of the best things you can do in your life. It was hard at first. In my entire life I had never stayed up for homework past nine o’clock, and that maybe twice. My first school weeks here I never went to bed before eleven. The homework seemed so unbelievably much and was so difficult. My first book in English class was Macbeth. I remember how my host mother slowly watched the movie with me, stopping after every scene to tell me what had happened and how I then carefully took on the book. The number of words that I didn’t know was unbelievable. In my first English Vocab Quiz (I had never heard of the fact, nor did I at first understand at all, why you would have Vocab Quizzes in your native language) the words had to be matched up with words with a similar meaning. And while I had studied the Vocab words, I had no idea what the words that had to be matched up with them meant. But my teachers here were always ready to help, and never did I have any reason to be afraid to ask. After those first weeks both the homework load decreased and my speed and understanding grew. The whole time I enjoyed my time in school. The best moments of course came out of new friendships and family life. Every time I asked somebody if we could hang out or do something on the weekend, I was first totally afraid, then a brave mood grabbed me, I asked, and my whole day was great if they said yes. Then of course we always had a great time, and soon I developed friendships. My host family, the Epprechts, was a great help, too. I feel so at home there. There are some especially great moments of course, but the most important ones are just in the normal routine. I am
so grateful that I am able to feel at home in their family and that I will be accepted no matter what. Leaving Germany was by no means as hard as it is to leave now. When I left last summer, I knew that I was going to see everybody again in a year, and that the months ahead of me would be full of excitement. These months are lying behind me now, and I still can’t believe that. I will carry my newly won friends and memories with me for sure. I am so happy and grateful to have had this year. Now I am able to feel truly at home at both places, in Germany and America. Thank you so much! Ulrike
Summer Travels Britt Viergever Staff Writer
St. Luke’s has gained dozens of international friends in the recent years, expanding our foreign horizons and cultural awareness. The 2012 summer promises the largest collection of SLS sojourns to date. Upper school French students will be traveling to Paris, France and the surrounding regions. They will be hosted by students from St. Michel de Picpus, St. Luke’s sister school. Upper School Spanish students will fly south to Buenos Aires, Argentina to stay with students from our other sister school, St. Martin in the Field. The French and Spanish students will be able to immerse themselves in their respective languages with native speakers and explore the regions. Junior Lauren Fenningdorf has expressed her enthusiasm, “I’m incredibly excited to see the culture, like the tango dancers and to spend time with kids who grew up in an incredibly different environment.”
A Letter From the Editors Nicole Bennett-Fite and Ben Klein Former Editors in Chief Dear Readers, As Co-Editor in Chief, It has been my great pleasure serving you this year. I am deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished here at the Sentinel in 2012. In creating the Sentinel’s online counterpart, we’ve brought you hundreds of additional articles, while still providing multiple print-editions. I feel that the quality of writing this year has been unparalleled, with our staff writers achieving levels of sophistication rarely found in student publications. I hope our efforts will only be improved upon next year and in the years to come, as I’m sure they will with our new Co-Editors, Alex Robertson and Sebastian Bates at the helm. Thank you for your eyes, ears, and keyboards. Sincerely, Ben Klein
Hello everyone. Here’s what I know: not much. I’m not
sure which social institutions are beneficial and which ones are detrimental. I don’t know which things are worth doing and which things aren’t. As I write this, the only thing I’m truly certain of is that, for better or for worse, I’ve dedicated a boat load of hours to The Sentinel. And whether or not anyone noticed, I tried my best to put some subtle jokes in it from time to time. So for those of you who caught them, cool and thanks. They say the most precious thing any of us has is time. At the end of the day, I believe the Sentinel was worth mine, and I hope we’ve made it worthy of yours. Love Always Nikki BF
Big Changes Continued Page 1
Last year’s Argentina exchange trip
Mr. Decatur will also be going to Argentina this summer for a teacher exchange program at the same school, St. Martin in the Field School in Buenos Aires. In return for exchange Mr. Decatur’s time in Argentina, an Argentine teacher may come to St. Luke’s within the next year.Mr. Decatur will be a teaching aid in middle and high school classes and will be “[giving back] with his knowledge of American literature like Edgar Allen Poe... and poems by Frost and Dickinson,” according to Mr. Decatur himself. Lastly St. Luke’s commitment to service will be going abroad, as 8 upper school students travel to Oaxaca, Mexico to serve the impoverished. They will be joined by students from New Zealand. As Junior Ana Graczyk says, “I’’m really looking forward to the experience to connect with the school in New Zealand to help the people in Oaxaca. It’s truly going to be something I never forget because we will be right there with the locals. I really hope to help these people deeply.” St. Luke’s students will be touching on three of our core values: expanding culturally, learning, and serving. These bold students will certainly come home with great stories of their travels.
that the new position will be a success. “I’m definitely looking forward to it,” he said. “I think it will be a very interesting challenge. It is a necessary position, and on a personal note, it will be fun to work on a one-to-one basis with the students.” In the meantime, the School has already started searching for Mr. Yav’s successor. The Board of Trustees and the Administration have both briefed the teachers about the upcoming changes and created a faculty search committee, chaired by Mr. Davis, to review the applications. Furthermore, the School has hired consulting firm Carney, Sandoe & Associates to oversee the search, which will be conducted on a national level. Just last week two representatives of the firm met with faculty and student groups to get initial input. Mr. Yavenditti is confident that the dynamic of the Upper School will not change radically. He notes that while the “size and role of the Upper School has increased dramatically,” the “essential qualities” required in a school administrator (good humor, patience, tact) have not changed. Ultimately, as Mr. Davis noted in his letter announcing these changes to the parents, SLS has “successfully managed substantial growth and change” several times in the past few years. The new administrative structure, he said, will be no exception.
4
May 2012
TIMELINE January
by Melanie Bow
Hurricane Irene
The anticipation, hype, or for some anxiety of the first day of school was delayed this year for the first time due to Hurricane Irene. An event many of us deemed insignificant or satireworthy, Irene was quite the contrary and caused severe damage to many Connecticut homes and to all of New England as a whole. Irene was the first in the United States hurricane season and as a category 3 hurricane brought the US an estimate of $15.6 billion in damages. A few members of the St. Luke’s community reaped devastating effects on their homes and neighborhoods, and all of us experienced power outages lasting up to two weeks. • •
November
September
2011-2012 School Year Timeline
CFL Launches 10th Anniversary of 9/11/01
GVS Wins New Englands For the
first time since 2006, the SLS Girls Varsity Soccer team accomplished something high school teams rarely do, winning three outstanding titles in one season. As the FAA tournament champions, FAA league champions, and winner of the WEINER championship, the team proved their dominance on the field and reinforced the already strong reputation of the SLS Girls Varsity Soccer program. With a superb lineup on both offense and defense including 5 seniors, led by captains Kelly Seaver and Hannah Butman, the team finished the stellar season with an overall record of 16-2-1. With the leading scorers and goalie retuning next year, the 2012 season holds great potential. •
Mr. Luke’s Pageant
This January, SLS held the first ever Mr. Luke’s Pageant. Hosted by Jackson Prince ‘13 Mr. Luke’s was a contest of poise, talent, elegance and overall inner and outer beauty between the best and the brightest senior boys. First the contestants showed a video directed and starring themselves that answered the question “Why should I be the first Mr. Luke’s?” Next came the talent portion of the competition where these exquisite young men battled ruthlessly for the crown demonstrating such skills as interpretive dance, freestyle rapping and let’s not forget Jon Demosthene’s extreme ironing. The last part of this gladiator-esque clash was the Q and A; it clearly separated the standout contestants as all were forced to think on their feet and answer such difficult questions such as “If you could only bring one person on a desert island who would it be?” Although the competition was strong, it was ultimately Luke Costello who took home the crown, due to his wonderful poetic display and his “godgiven” dancing ability. • •
Brown Model UN competition
Children Online Global Scholars and Relgious Studies classes visit 9/11 memorial
2011 Snowstorm Postpones Halloween
Perhaps the strangest and most astounding occurrence this year was the enormous snowstorm during October. Many families experienced major power-outages for the second time in 2011 after the destruction of hurricane Irene. The most bizarre consequence of this storm however was the postponement of Halloween. As the snow storm hit Saturday the 29th, two days before the holiday, numerous local governments actually pushed back the designated day of trick-or-treating back an entire week in fear of the danger posed by fallen power lines. This occurrence, to the children of Connecticut, was devastating on a “Christmas is cancelled this year” level as they had to wait an unthinkable 5 days to experience the long-awaited sugar coma that usually marks the end of October. French Exchange students visit SLS sweeps Homecoming Spirit Week....
Dartmouth Aires In the year of One
December
October
• • •
Direction and boy band nostalgia, it is no surprise that the Dartmouth Aires visit to SLS was received with the enthusiasm and intensity of a die-hard Justin Timberlake fangirl. The Aires, who had recently finished up a season in second place on NBC’s The Sing Off, took a break from their life of high-profile performances to come pay us a visit and serenade the swooning laddies of SLS. After their performance which included renditions of 500 Miles, Animal and Shamma Lamma Ding Dong (the classic from the film Animal House,) the acapella group held a workshop for the junior and senior chorale. The Dartmouth Aires definitely earn the top spot on the charts when it comes to SLS guests this year! • • •
Holiday Boutique No Snow, SOPA/PIPA comes in front of the House
May 2012
TIMELINE May
March
5
Switch To Google Apps In 2012 St. Luke’s ended its lengthy and often fickle relationship with “First Class” and switched over to Google Mail. With Gmail as the server for our inter-school communications, there has certainly been a rise in student participation and productivity pertaining to emails and organizations. Clubs and classes now regularly uses Google Docs as a means for communication and collaboration on projects. The access to a calender due to the switch to Google has also proved beneficial as it offers convenient ways for students to keep track of assignments or events or, in the case of the sentinel, organize the due dates of articles. Overall the switch to Google Apps has helped keep students and teachers organized and in constant communication. • • • •
Unschool Day
Earlier this month, the SLS Upper School had the privilege of participating in the “UnSchool Day.” Students and faculty alike were able to teach others about subjects that are not usually discussed in the classroom. The administration has, in part, taken this idea for a new type of school day from the “UnConference”: “a day where [according to the FAQ Mr. Foley circulated prior to the event] the content of the sessions are created and managed by the participants, rather than by one or more organizers ahead of time.” SLS community members were encouraged to bring forward some of their own personal knowledge, ideas, projects, and experiences to help the progression of the day. Though at first skepticism abound, the day was met with extreme enthusiasm. Needless to say, the community at large is hopeful that “UnSchool” days, will become a tradition and a staple at St. Luke’s. • •
Model UN goes to the UN In school Pops Concert
Mr. Henson goes to Botswana Mr. Flachsbart goes to the Domican Republic Middle school trip to Spain Special Olympics
2012 This year, the fireplace commons was home to the very first annual St. Luke’s Life and Style Fashion Show. Junior Chrisitie Kuehner laboured for almost a year to put together an extensive fashion show to benefit Insprica in Stamford, an organization committed to housing and aiding the homeless. More than forty students were involved in the logisitcal planning. The event was highlighted by the fashion show, but also featured raffles and refreshments. Ultimately the show raised upwards of $3,700. Kuehner presented the check to the CEO of Insprica at an assembly in the PAC. She hopes to continue the effort next year, and make it an annual tradition. • • •
Rube Goldberg Challenge
This spring many eager students and teachers strapped on their thinking caps and donned the mindset of an engineer or inventor in an effort to complete the Rube Goldberg challenge. The task, created by the CFL and Science Department, was originally to ring the SLS bell. Eventually, this proved too complicated and the goal was changed to the ringing of any bell. The high amount of participation was no doubt partially a result of the prize, four iPads for the winning team! (one for each member) Students and teachers alike worked tirelessly for weeks thinking of an innovative and unique way to build a bell-ringing contraption and came up with many creative solutions. Themes of the Rube Goldberg machines included Ancient Rome, Discovery Channel and Star Wars. At the end of the day on the Friday of “Springfest” the teams assembled their prized contraptions and the rest of the community was able to review the hard work of their fellow peers. Ultimately the judges, including head of the science department Mr. Mitchell, chose the Star Wars themed Rube Goldberg designed by Seniors Colin McIntire and Kyle Deviney along with teachers Mr. Luger and Ms. Welsh as the first annual winning SLS Rube Goldberg machine.
Peter Buffet speaks Midnight Run February 29th
April
February
St. Luke’s Life and Style Fashion Show
• • • • •
Shakespeare and Company performs South African exchange students arrive Spring Weekend of the Arts Global Scholars Symposium Aidan Stone and Mr. Holyfirld’s staring contest
6
May 2012
FEATURES Spring One Acts: Review Melanie Bow Staff Writer
To stand in the spotlight, in front of your peers, portraying a nun, a pilgrim or a peanut with the sole objective of making your audience laugh is not an easy task. Actor Edmund Gween put it best when he said; “Dying is easy. Comedy is difficult.” However true this statement is, the SLS upper school student actors and directors of the Spring One Acts made comedy look effortless. During their two performances, one on Friday may 11th and the other Saturday may 12th, the cast and crew demonstrated their hard work and natural talent to the community with stellar performances of five witty one acts. The first of which was A Stye of the Eye, directed by Mr. Griffa, told the story of a man with split personality disorder, played by the exceptionally convincing and comical Sam Posner ’12, and his exceedingly dysfunctional family life. All actors were incredibly funny and surprisingly believable in their roles as semi-psychotic, rural southerners with artichoke obsessions, such as Anisa Fortt ’14 and Augie Barringer ’15. One of the most impressionable; notably for the multitude of laughs he coax out of the audience, was Patrick Quinn ’13. His portrayal of Sam’s aspiring-actress wife whose lead role in a play was a mentally unstable, crab-walking and vulgarity-screaming nun was definitely one to leave an impression.
From L-R: Olivia Foley, Nikita Singh, Megan Evershed Craig Gibson
The second play was Butterfinger a James Bond parody directed by self proclaimed and widely recognized Bond enthusiast, senior Colin McEntire. What made this play really impressionable and successful is the dedication the actors had to playing their roles authentically as if they actually were characters in a bond movie despite having the names like Marsha Mellow and Her She Kisses. Much of the credit for this play’s triumph is due to the directorial successes of Colin McEntire for turning a play that could potentially have been overly-satirical into a witty and slightly subtle piece. This direction allowed for some of the more boisterous and absurd characters like criminal mastermind K. Andy Bars (Alex Robertson ’13) and sweet and senseless Cara Mellow (Clare Livingston ’14) to generate loads of laughs yet not steal the show and take away the cleaver jabs of other characters such as the lead James Bon Bon played by Sam Posner. The third play, The Book of Liz, written by brother and sister writers and humorists David and Amy Sedaris, was directed by Emily Bergmann ‘12, who did a fantastic job of bringing together the potentially dodgy subjects of immigrants, pilgrims and recovering alcoholics. Memorable aspects of this production include sophomore Riley Vaske who lived my life-long dream by dressing up as Mr. Peanut and Colin McEntire who played her husband, and channeled a stupendous Ricky Gervaisesq accent and demeanor in his performance. Each character had an absurd back story, such as Mea-
gan Maguire ’14’s role as an alcoholic waitress at a pilgrim, but in the end they were wound together artfully and tastefully by the comedic talents of Emily Bergmann.
Senior Charlotte Bergmann as the mother in A Stye of the Eye
Mac and Beth, a parody of, you guessed it, Shakespeare’s Othello, was the fourth one act performed. Directed by Shakespeare devotee Zoe Smock ’12, this satirical adaptation left the audience wishing this comedic “brief candle” was not extinguished so soon. Sam Levy and Craig Gibson, both seniors, portrayed the title characters with humor and creativity as they brought up to date and evolved two of the most infamous characters in theatrical history. Even if you had not read or seen Macbeth, the hilarity in Mac and Beth is understandable to all. Whether your since of humor entails acute literary references or posters displaying Nicholas Cage’s face, Zoe Smock and her cast did a fantastic job covering all comedic bases in the difficult game of satire. It seems the best was saved for last when the entire ensemble performed Everyplay written and directed by SLS’s witty and astute duo Nikita Singh and Sam Posner. As a satire of both the traditional medieval theatrical genre of “Manner Plays” (you might want to check if this is what the satire was of with sam or nikita, I think it was just not entirely sure I can’t really remember fully) (plots where morals were often tested in social situations) and today’s traditional “Rom Coms” where everything just so happens to work out in the end; Everyplay was sure to be creative and insightful. As soon as the play opened up with the spotlight on Junior Lexi Zargar screeching out a purposefully horrendous minstrel type solo on the recorder, the audience knew what they were in for. With the superb talents of veteran actresses Charlotte Bergmann and Olivia Foley playing an angel and the devil in Everyplay the wit of the two writers was brought to life. However it seemed to me that Colin McEntire and Emily Bergmann playing Mr. Griffa and Mrs. Doran stole the show and shook the stage with laughter.
The whole cast practicing curtain call
The Spring One Acts were another wonderful example of the talent SLS students possess and demonstrated that with hard work and natural talent, a well acted/written/directed comedy can be just as funny as a poorly-executed drama.
Book Review: Unlikely Disciples Mac Zech Staff Writer When first immersed in an unfamiliar culture or social environment, one may be hit by a sudden feeling of disorientation and anxiety, known as culture shock. In the book The Unlikely Disciple, author Kevin Roose tells the story of how he, a secular Quaker from Brown University, spent a semester enrolled at Liberty University, where he underwent a rigorous four-month process of cultural electrocution. Like a child sticking a metal fork into an open wall socket, Kevin Roose, a sophomore working as a writer’s assistant at Brown University (renowned as the hipster and leftist capital of the academic world) decided that he would enroll in the “training ground for America’s conservative Christian youth,” the so-called “Big Bible Bootcamp,” and the “world’s largest evangelical university”: Liberty University. Although Roose originally went to Liberty with the intention of researching the young evangelicals of America and highlighting their ideological flaws, along the way, he starts to question his own set of beliefs and eventually reaches a new level of spiritual awareness.
The Unlikely Disciple is a surprisingly entertaining read. In fact, I vividly remember laughing out loud when I reached Roose’s description of his first day at Liberty. This is not to say that the entire book is nothing more than an attempt to cast a negative light on Liberty University or evangelism in the United States. Instead, Roose masterfully conveys his initial incomprehension and anxiety upon his arrival and his subsequent epiphanies, insights, and overall acceptance of the “Liberty way” as a respectable alternate lifestyle to his own. As a student enrolled in a secular school myself, I too felt the pangs of culture shock as I steadily grew more immersed in The Unlikely Disciple. While I in no way can compare St. Luke’s to Brown University, one cannot argue that we live in a part of the world more socially progressive than, say, Birmingham, Alabama and that, due to our environment, we at St. Luke’s would be speechless if one day Mr. Davis decided that St. Luke’s new goal was to “train champions of Christ” (Liberty University’s official mission statement). As Roose delves deeper into LU’s academic and social scene by attending Friday night Bible studies and classes like “Christianity 101” and “Modern Creationism,” he is constantly presented with new ideas that challenge his old understanding of Evangelism and the arch-conservative right. Besides being a thought-provoking piece on evangelism in America, The Unlikely Disciple proved to be, for me at least, a window into college life. While Liberty doesn’t exactly offer the typical college experience (In Liberty there is a fifty-dollar fine for possession of an R-rated movie), Roose’s narrative still leaves the reader with the question, what do I want my college experience to be like? Overall, The Unlikely Disciple is probably not as entertaining as Harry Potter. Nevertheless, I would recommend it to any SLS student or teachers looking for a fun, easy read.
May 2012
JUST FOR FUNZIES
Graduation is Coming
Call Me Maybe
Top Ten Signs
SONG OF THE MONTH
10. Zumbachs hires extra staff between the hours of 10-2
by
9. Senior parking lot is so empty that Juniors can now park on campus
Carly Rae Jepsen
7
8. Seniors can suddenly identify Mr. Hirx (Director of Alumni Relations)
(Yes, again.)
7. Classes become optional
Horoscopes courtesy of my 6 year old brother
6. Mr. Yavenditti can’t see out of his office windows anymore due to a bunch of multi-colored paper triangles
Aries (March 21- April 19): I want to sit a million miles away from you at dinner.
5. Junior and Senior girls turn a mysterious shade of orange
Taurus (21 April-21 May): No one loves you, especially not me.
4. Math classes spend the majority of class time debating whether .5 rounds up or down
Gemini (22 May-22 June): Why do you look so weird? Cancer (23 June-23 July) : You have strange eyebrows they are ugly. Leo (24 July-23 August): You will be hit you if you come within reach of my fists.
3. Faculty subscriptions to Netflix spike
Virgo (24 August-23 September): My foot is bigger than your will to live.
2. Students ponder which awards to throw out to make room for this year’s crop
Libra (24 September-23 October) : Stop doing that, you look pathetic. Scorpio (24 October-22 November): I will never believe you when you say you have friends.
1. Horoscopes are the same as last issue. Catch you later SLS, Much Love -NBF
Sagittarius (23 November-22 December): When I grow up I want to be the opposite of you. Capricorn (23 December-19 January): You have been warned, you creep. Aquarius (20 January-19 February):You are fat and I’m going to tell everyone. Pisces (20 February-20 March): I hope this is goodbye for always.
Top of the Hilltop
Website: www.digitalsentinel.org Band: Wonder Bear
Last minute advice from your lovely Seniors
“If you look too far into the future it’ll come really quick.”- Collin Hill
“Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”
“Don’t do anything that will make you look back and say ‘Wow, that was lame’” - Emily Bergmann
“Get involved”- Brett Conors
“Call me maybe.”- Charlie Schlinkert
“Get ruthless.”- You Know Who
Video Game: Draw TV Show: Summer Heights High Movie: The Room Sport: Puking College: South Harmon Institute for Technology Illness: Being Born Person: You!
Did You Know? You just lost the game...again. Winning,.not.
8
May 2012
SPORTS S: Does the team have any rituals or traditions?
Lax to the Max:
A Chat with Mack Dowling
MD: Our team has a lot of inside jokes. Aside from this, our team follows two rituals on game days: every member wears a blazer during the school day and we wear our customized shooting shirts under our jersey every game.
Ann Abbot Freeman Contributing Writer
The Sentinel recently interviewed Mack Dowling, a well-known lacrosse guru, about the current SLS varsity lacrosse team, its standing, and his role on the team. As the spring season draws to a close- bringing many senior careers to a close as well- Mack and fellow team members know how special this season will be. Sentinel: So Mack, to get things started here, could you describe yourself in one word?
MD: All of the seniors have been great teammates. I don’t think there has been a better group of guys to get our entire team motivated to play every single day. Every one of them could have been a captain, as the entire team looks up to them.
Morgan Simmonds ‘14 Pitches a No-Hitter Benjamin Decatur Staff Writer
MD: We are doing really well this year. Before the season started, our team had a new coach as well as a new group of players. We were able to overcome this adversity and develop a lot of chemistry [as a team]. S: And would you remind us of your position on the team? MD: I am a midfielder, I also faceoff for the team. S: So can you tell us what each of the lacrosse coaches bring to the table, in terms of shaping the team? MD: Coach Gammill has a wealth of knowledge about lacrosse. This is his first year as the head coach and he is doing a great job with it. He is our main offensive coach, usually creating plays and choosing personnel. Coach Buck Burnaman is our team’s defensive coach this year. He is very qualified for this position, having played long stick defense at Harvard. At practice he works with the defense and poles. Coach Lebris and Mitchell serve as our teams Assistant Coaches; both [are] doing great jobs, especially with making witty comments during practice.
Dowling in the game against King
S: Do you see the makings of team leaders for next year in any players? MD: Absolutely, while we are graduating a great class of seniors, most of whom have been starters since their freshman year, the team is in great hands. The current group of Juniors and Sophomores is very dedicated to the team and leaders will emerge from that group.
Althetes of the Month ‘11-’12 September
Sabrina Herbert ‘12
Varsity Cross Country
Noel Thomas ‘13
Varsity Football
October
Caroline Parsons ‘13
Varsity Girls Soccer
Gareth Fancher ‘12
Varsity Boys Soccer
Ann Abbot Freeman Staff Writer
S: Care to give a shout out or message to the graduating seniors on the team now?
Mack Dowling: Assiduous (adj. constant in application or effort; working diligently at a task; persevering) S: How would you say the lacrosse team is doing this year?
.
the.. t A k A Loo Team Golf
From L-R, Senior Evan Kenagy and Junior Jackson Kleinert
This year’s Varsity Golf team represented St. Luke’s beautifully on the golf course. With Mitchell Murphy, an avid golfer himself, as head coach, the team showed great determination and a strong work ethic all season. Seniors Luke Costello and Evan Kenagy led the team with pride and passion throughout the spring. Defeating rivals like Green’s Farms Academy, Rye Country Day, and King Low Heywood, varsity golf demonstrated it deserved some recognition. It was a team of winners on the course with multiple players earning multiple honors throughout the season; Evan Kenagy and Jacob Henny earned Medalist Honors and All-League Honors while Jake Hamill earned Honorable Mention, to name a few. The team’s latest impressive record stands at 8-4. Juniors Jake Hamill, Alex Kamisher Jacob Henny, Michael Kochanski, Jackson Kleinert, Jackson Prince, Simmonds pitching during the aforementioned no-hitter and Willy Young, along with Sophomore Jack Goodman and Freshmen Jay Van Elslander, Bennett Newman, and On a Wednesday afternoon in late April, the St. Ryan Adams all played well and contributed to the team’s Luke’s Storm bats were on fire, but Morgan Simmonds notable stats. was the topic of conversation. Simmonds, a sophomore and rookie Varsity player, threw a five-inning no-hitter against Greens Farms Academy, tallying eight strikeouts. Along with the no-hitter, Morgan contributed a solo home run, as the Storm cruised to a 12-0 victory. When asked about his dominant start, the modest Simmonds replied, “After the last out was made, I did not immediately realize what I had just accomplished. Yes, I threw a no-hitter, but certainly did not do it alone. I was Junior Jacob Henny during a tournament backed up by some great defense and my run support was This season, St. Luke’s Golf hosted the FAA pretty good too.” Championship at their home course at The Country Club The offense heated up when co-captain and star of New Canaan. While the 5-time 2nd placers hoped it shortstop, Brett Connors, smacked a homerun, and senior would be their time to be # 1 on the course, it is clear the 3rd baseman Joe Bonnaddio hit three singles. Second baseteam had a fantastic season and did earn the 2nd place FAA man, Gareth Fancher also added two doubles, as the game title for 2012. Always pushing to be the best, the boys still ended in five innings due to the mercy rule. expressed frustration with their lack of a 1st place trophy. The win was the third consecutive victory for St. Luke’s, and they currently stand at an 8-6 record at the end Luke Costello stated, “To represent this team for my entire of the regular season. Confident with where the team is high school career and come up just short each time really heading, Simmonds stated after the game, “Heading into hurts. I may never forgive myself for failing to bring an f the FAAs, I know every single player on the team wants double a championship trophy back to the hilltop.” A parthe championship, and we are not going to go down with- ticularly bright star, Jacob Henny, said, “As a program we out a fight.” The victory and no-hitter has gotten St. Luke’s have been able to keep a consistent and good level of play excited about baseball again, and maybe this is the year we all of these years, but its slightly frustrating that we just haven’t been able to get over that hurdle”. The team should will finally storm the baseball field. be truly proud of their season and the work they did.
Congratulations
November
December
Salma Anastasio ‘14
Kathleen (KC) Kelly ‘13
Varsity Girls Soccer
Charlie Nelson ‘13
Varsity Football
Varsity Basketball
Christian Walsh ‘13
Varsity Boys Squash
January
Phoebe Long ‘15
Varsity Basketball
Clay D’Alessandro ‘15
Varsity Ice Hockey
February/March
Lindsay Bralower ‘13
Varsity Cross Country
Adam Connolly ‘12
Varsity Basketball
April
Marissa Ruschili ‘15
Varsity Softball
Morgan Simmonds ‘14
Varsity Baseball