T he L og thelog@taboracademy.org
Tabor Academy’s Student Newspaper Volume 93, Number 4
January 2019
Why was break so late this year? Later departure, later return, same number of days by Ben Ackerman Gary Chen and Mr. DaSilva loading up the bus that will go to Logan on December 20. Photo courtesy Tracy Fang
At first glance of this year’s academic calendar, many students have been confused to see that Winter Break did not commence until later than they are accustomed. This year, classes finished on December 20, while last year, they ended on December 15. While it was a bit surprising to see the break start later than in years past, on closer examination, students did not return to class until January 7, five days later than the usual. The truth is that the break’s overall length, 18 days, remains unchanged. So, why the shift? According to Mrs. Salit, Tabor’s Associate Head for Faculty and School Affairs, the scheduling of Winter Break is decided by two variables: the day of the week that both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on, and suggestions from the Calendar Group. The placement of Christmas and New Year’s Day in the week is pivotal. The primary purpose of the Winter Break schedule is to relax, recharge, and return to school on a “meaningful note.” Most would agree that the value of the return week correlates directly with the length of that week, because a longer week allows students to settle in and refocus on academics. Last year, as Christmas and New Year’s Day fell on a Monday, the break began on Friday, December 15, 2017, and ran through January 2. This allowed the school to conduct a meaningful, albeit shortened, three-day return week of class. However, the same format would not work this year. If we had returned on Wednesday, January 2, classes would have begun on Thursday with only two academic days before the weekend. Therefore, from the concern of efficiency, it made more sense to return on January 7, enabling students to begin the academic week upon return after a weekend of rest. The concept of a “meaningful return week,” in relation to the date of New Year’s Day, was the central issue that the Calendar Group considered.
The Calendar Group consists of senior administrators, administrative assistants from all offices across the campus, and faculty, including Mrs. Salit, who meet to provide feedback on prior schedules, and to consider options for each upcoming academic year. This year, the group weighed the two potential end points for the break, January 2 and January 7. The seventh had greater appeal to the group for academic, cultural, travel and even financial reasons. Mrs. Salit explained that “it is more expensive
Please recycle this paper.
Clubs on p. 2 Featured Artist on p. 4
for students traveling by air to come back on the second versus the seventh” because flight costs decrease the farther the return date is from the holidays. She also added that members of the community “felt rushed” last year, as we returned almost immediately after the New Year’s Day. The group felt as though pushing the return date back allowed Tabor families to enjoy the break without an imminent return to academia looming. Overall, there are clear benefits to the 2018-19 winter break schedule. It provided an ideal relaxation period after a busy holiday season. It did not impact on athletics, because several, although not all, ISL schools took the same approach as Tabor. After considering feedback from last year’s schedule and the placement of New Year’s Day, this year’s schedule will act as a test run for schedules in years to come.
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Taking the Grim(m) out of fairy tales Winter drama revisits childhood stories
Photo by Tierney Haas
by Leah Kleinfeld
As we all anticipate Heathers, this year’s musical, another show waits in its wings. The Brothers Grimm (Un)Fairytales is a comedic drama, packed with quick wit and ridiculous characters. To those who went to Red a few years ago, (Un)Fairytales will feel familiar. The play is a comedic take on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, with all the famous characters told in different ways and ending differently from their Disney counterparts. The five main tales are directed by two eccentric narrators, who are taken on by several of the cast members at different points throughout the play. Each Tabor student on the cast tackles several roles from an expansive character list including such favorites as Rapunzel, Snow White, Little Red, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, several Princes, and, of course, a Swarm of Birds. Mr. Heavey, the director of the drama, said that he chose the show for the “built-in flexibility in casting” and because it “allows for cast creativity.” He hopes it will be a “lighthearted, fun night for the audience,” with something for everyone to enjoy. On her experiences as a part of the cast, Fiona Moore ’20 noted that she’s never been into the performing arts, but she’s “having a blast” acting with her friends.
The cast will perform their show Brothers Grimm (Un)Fairytales, February 21 to 23 in the Will Parker Black Box Theater.
Clubs: The unicorns of Tabor Academy?
Deans alter club designation and governance by Yujin Hong
In Urban Dictionary, a nationally known website that translates the English language into the American teen speak, part of the definition of Tabor Academy reads “Clubs are basically a joke and none of them meet (sic) after the first week.” The Log investigated how the school earned a reputation for having slacker clubs.
However, this year, the deans are trying to change the way clubs are run, starting by eliminating the annual club fair. They also adopted requirements and regulations, which had not existed before. “What we want to see is a proof of concept,” says Mr. Millette. “Before you can make an announcement at All School, we want your club to have met a couple times and actually be working towards [a goal].” With stricter standards, fewer clubs have been announced this year.
Many faculty and students are excited about the change. Josephine Geraghty ’19 says, “Finally. This year, clubs are definitely more serious. We have fewer, but that’s almost better because they are more active and involved.” Still, a few long-standing clubs have survived. The Poetry club is one of the longest lasting clubs at Tabor. Mr. Heavey, the creator of this club, says, “I’ve been doing this for three to four years.” Most other clubs were created fairly recently. I Am That Girl, a club for women
Photo by Photo Pool
Mr. Millette explains why the club culture at Tabor was leaning towards neglect. “I think there were two different kinds of clubs: clubs that were actually active and clubs that never were,” he says. “Probably only ten percent of those clubs ever met.” Until last year, about thirty clubs were introduced in the annual club fair at the beginning of each school year, with only a few meeting in the following months. One student says, “My freshman year, I signed up for a few clubs in the club fair, but [the clubs] never even met or sent an email [afterwards].”
empowerment, has been active since it began in 2015. Emma Quirk ’20, the leader of IATG, says, “Last week, we just had a meeting [where] we donated 19 baskets to help women in need.” Unlike many clubs, IATG receives funding, but Emma clarifies that no funding comes from the school. “We get [funding] from donors outside of school that are passionate about the club,” she says.
A member of TechSeedz, a new community service club focusing on teaching STEM to minority children says, “We just had our first meeting with schools that need our help. We are arranging a STEM workshop next month and are excited to bring this opportunity to give back to the Tabor Community.” The Latin Club, Cycling Club, and Japanese Culture Club all launched this year. With the change in club culture, fewer students are creating clubs, but those who do hope that they will become both a significant and permanent part of life at Tabor.
The Thrill of Math: Think, compute, solve
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Math team excels at first math meet of the year by Gabby Bao
The competition mainly consists of Olympic math problems. Tommy Hu ’20, a member of the Math Team said, “Those problems are not difficult in concept but always require you to think outside of the box.” However, Daniel Chen, who has already accumulated much experience in math training, stated that “most of the problems are simple.” According to him, it was more challenging in the group rounds when the group members had to work on the problems together. “It was a new experience for me to coordinate as a team, especially trying to find the most effective way to arrange and distribute the problems to other team members,” he said. When asked about his interest in math, Daniel talked about his story in middle school. “I was trying to impress one of my female classmates one day,” he said, “but I later found myself attracted by both the math part as well as the girl.” He then decided to pursue this path, and has put in countless hours of practice since then. Less experienced with Olympic math problems, Tommy has found
Photo courtesy Mr. Voci
Seawolves came in strong in the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Contest for the 31st Annual Mathematics Meet. The team -- including Daniel Chen ’21, Brian Nam ’20, Zi Nean Teoh ’20, and Emma Wang ’19—came in fourth in the group round; Daniel Chen came in the second in the individual round. Mr. Voci, the Math Team advisor, revealed that he is very proud of them. “The Math Team has lain dormant for three or four years, but now it’s easy to restart with the talent,” he said.
that the weekly Math Team meetings help him to improve his performance. “Our problem-solving skills will be better over time,” he said. “[I’m] definitely becoming closer and closer to Daniel Chen.” With more opportunities including the upcoming AMC (American Mathematics Contest) and Math Madness competition, Tommy and the rest of the team is looking forward to the future Math Team events.
The Art of Argument: Think, reason, win
Debate Team is Tabor’s Newest Winter Co-curricular by Eari Nakano
The Debate Team is the newest winter co-curricular activity offered at Tabor. Tommy Hu ’20, the founder of this team not only leads his fellow classmates, but coaches them while preparing the team for tournaments and scrimmages against other schools. Prior to joining the Tabor community, Tommy was a part of the National High School Debate League of China (NHSDLC). As he won numerous tournaments, he gradually found his voice through debate. “I fell in love with the intensity of logical clashes of ideas, and the positive affirmation from the debating community. It’s not about winning all the time, but the people you will meet, and the things you learn from the intensive research,” he revealed.
This season, the team plans to participate in tournaments and scrimmages against schools such as Loomis Chaffee, Choate
Debate is a good alternative to the activities offered at Tabor, aside from traditional sports, providing students with an opportunity to be a part of a team. Regardless of prior experience in debate, students are encouraged to join the debate team. As Tommy suggested, “Often people say ‘I can’t debate,’ but I know that everyone has a debating side to them.”
Photo by Tierney Haas
While there was a Debate Club last year, the level of commitment was much lower, resulting in less team progress. Tommy used his debating skills to his advantage in order to convince Mr. Leary to approve of the Debate Team. It is currently a trial run for this winter trimester, with hopes it will eventually become a full year co-curricular. Tommy described his impression of the team so far: “At this point, everything is exciting, everyone is interested but new to debate (no prior experience). Everyone is learning and improving together as a team. I was surprised by the passion, and how engaged and interested people were in the art of rhetoric.”
Rosemary Hall, and St. Sebastian’s school. For many students, joining a debate team may sound daunting; however, Tommy countered that idea, saying, “The experience is rewarding, passionate, and even life changing. It enhances critical thinking skills, reasoning, while opening up perspectives.”
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Featured Artist Rosella Liu & Kyle Tabata
By Nina Sasakawa
This fall, five Tabor students auditioned for the Massachusetts Music Educators Southeastern Senior District Audition and successfully earned their position to perform in the Senior District Music Festival on Friday, January 11, and Saturday, January 12, at Canton High School. Rosella Liu ’20 (violin), Kyle Tabata ’20 (violin), Yaya Ma ’21 (clarinet), and Violet Southwick ’20 (cello) auditioned for the orchestra ensemble and Andrew Mottur ’21 (tenor) auditioned for the chorus ensemble. Out of these five students, four students: Rosella Liu, Kyle Tabata, Yaya Ma, and Andrew Mottur were recommended to audition for the Massachusetts Music Educators All-State honors ensemble. While all the students accomplished incredible achievements, Rosella Liu and Kyle Tabata completed their audition with outstanding results. Rosella Liu received the highest score out of over a hundred violinists and was seated the first chair, and will be the concertmistress of the Orchestra. Kyle Tabata, a point behind Rosella, received a second place and was seated the third chair in the orchestra. Rosella explained how nerve-wracking it was to play in front of such an intimidating group of musicians. Kyle also felt those same nerves, and lost track of his song and stopped playing for a moment. He saw the judges’ “cold eyes glaring at [him]” and immediately thought he had ruined his chance of placing. However, he said, “The judges were generous.” Even with the error, he was able
T he L og Co-Editors: Leah Kleinfeld Abby LaCasse Jack Marshall Owen Sughrue
The Tabor Log is the student produced newspaper of Tabor Academy. The Log is distributed to students, faculty and staff. The Tabor Log welcomes letters to the Editors. Please send submissions of fewer than three hundred fifty words to thelog@taboracademy.org. The Log reserves the right to edit submissions for space and/or clarity.
to place second.
Their accomplishments are due to the hard work they put into practice. Kyle says, “Before the audition, Rosella created a practice schedule for the days leading up to the audition to master the skill and fundamental pieces of her audition.” Similarly, Kyle practices in applied music every day to polish his skill.
Rosella started her journey as a violinist when her mother read her a book by Shinichi Suzuki. Even though “violin did not bring pleasure,” it has helped Rosella build up her background knowledge. On the other hand, Kyle started violin after watching the cartoon show, Tom and Jerry, but his time in Japan separated him from the violin. Thus, for both of them, Tabor was the place where they felt joy and passion for playing the violin. While their relationship as friends and rivals pushed them to be disciplined, they both agreed that Mr.Sanborn and their personal instructor, Mr.Wood, helped them to become better violinists.
Mr. Sanborn said, “Both Rosella and Kyle will have a busy winter, playing in the District Orchestra, working on their audition for the All-State Orchestra and playing in the pit orchestra for Tabor Academy’s production of Heathers.” They will continue to work hard so they can achieve their dream of being successful at the All-State Audition in January. Editorial Board: Ben Ackerman Kelly Chang Harper McKerrow Eari Nakano Tayler Rogers Cat Shakin Photography: Tierney Haas Photo Pool Faculty Advisor: Helene Sughrue
A Day in the Life of a Heather
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Inside the process of creating this year’s musical by Tayler Rogers
For the cast of every winter musical, the show is life-consuming. Cast members spend ten hours every week in choral work, acting, dancing, and blocking, with an additional four hours on Saturday. Talk of the show carries on after rehearsal in the dorm and the dining hall. To put on a great show is a lot of work, but the cast and crew come back every day for a reason. Being in this year’s musical, Heathers, is truly a ton of fun.
party scene, “Big Fun,” and cast favorite, “Me Inside of Me.”
As for rehearsals, we begin every weekday in the chorus room where Dr. Zhou leads us through a vocal warmup, followed by an introduction to new songs and a review of ones we’ve already started to learn. We are currently working on the company numbers. These musical numbers include the whole cast singing and dancing to a particular song. Each one takes a great amount of work. In any musical, the numbers starring every cast member are the most memorable moments, and are what often make a show outstanding. As Kelsey Boch (playing Heather Chandler) puts it, “Without an ensemble, there is no show.” Be sure to look out for the opening number, “Beautiful,”
on a party scene.
After working with Dr. Zhou, we then spend the following hour on the lower level of Hoyt with director Mr. Howland or assistant director Ms. Hawley. Down there, the leads work on spoken scenes in the lobby, mapping out how they will say their lines, while the ensemble is on the main stage developing their roles. The ensemble actors have no definitive personalities, so they have the challenge Heathers stakes its name on the popular, name-sharing clique at of defining themselves. Geeks, new wavers, stoners, republicanettes, Westerburg High; however, the storyline follows Veronica Sawyer and preppy studs are just a few of the stereotypical high schoolers (played by Ellyn Cunningham), a wannabe Heather that gets her wish that the ensemble will play. It is interesting to understand how these only for it to be viciously torn away from her by the lead Heather, different types of people might have interacted in the 80’s. Heather Chandler (played by Kelsey Boch). She meets J.D., the new On Saturdays, we end the week strong, spending four hours with kid (played by Charlie Dineen) who turns her life on its end as a choreographer Ms. Williams to learn and solidify dances. The result. opening number is already choreographed and we are now working To end every day, we have a ritual that is a favorite moment for cast members Maya Yukselen ’19 and Lydia Baer ’21. Maya Yukselen, playing Ms. Flemming, says, “No matter where we are, chorus room or stage, we always get together at the end of every practice to do a cheer.” Lydia Baer adds, “Every day we cheer to a different word relevant to that day’s rehearsal. We always use the left hand because it’s closer to the heart!” More updates to come in the next issue of The Log.
Second Annual Photo Contest School offers travel opporunities A showcase for student talent Trips to Quebec, Italy, and France by Abigail Lacasse
The time has come: Will anyone dethrone Steven Walxim ’19 as the most award-winning photographer here at Tabor? This year is the second annual Tabor Academy Photography Contest -- one of the few opportunities to showcase personal photography talent. When asked what inspired Steven to start the contest with Tracy Fang ’21, Mr. Whitworth said, “I felt that the school lacked an aspect in identifying the student photographers.” Steven encourages all student photographers to submit images to the contest because all are capable of capturing the important features or moments at Tabor. The contest consists of four categories: street, landscape, portrait, and other. The “other” category is used in the contest because, according to Steven, “There are always other valuable aspects of photography that are not covered in portrait, landscape, and street.” With no experience or special equipment required, students can capture images on their smartphones or DSLRs. But one thing is essential: a vivid imagination. Steven said, “Life can be simple, yet a photographer’s goal is to find the idea of inspiration in those most boring daily routines.” A photo can be taken of someone studying in the library at night or of a casual walk down to the dining hall, but it should reflect an aspect of life at Tabor that is unique.
Have you ever dreamed of going to Italy or Quebec? Now is your chance. This year, the Tabor language department is holding two international trips: a summer trip to Italy and a trip to Quebec over Winter Weekend. Mr. Townsend and Mr. Sandefer wanted to create two cultural experiences where students can take what they learn in the classroom and immerse themselves into the culture of new and diverse places. Mr. Townsend’s Italy trip runs June 9–18. He emphasized that students do not have to take Latin to go on the trip and the cities are “100% worth seeing, especially with a Latin teacher.” The group will see several places across the Mediterranean— Pompeii, southern Italy, Sicily. Within these cities, a tour guide will take the group to an ancient Roman theater, Greek temples, medieval Norman churches, and beautiful natural surroundings. Mr. Townsend said, “This trip is undeniably Italian, with amazing food, stunning cathedrals, and a picture-perfect countryside.” It is perfect for anyone who has dreamed of being immersed in the culture of the Mediterranean.
Photo by Photo Pool
by Jack Marshall
On the other hand, the four day trip to Quebec planned by Mr. Sandefer is equally as exciting and picturesque. The chaperones jam pack each day with events to allow the students to fully experience the culture of the country. The first day will consist of gazing out on the panoramic views of Montreal at the top of Mount Royal and eating dinner at a French bistro. The second day, the students will head to Montreal and stay there for the rest of the trip. They will dog sled, swim in a brightly-lit heated pool overlooking the city, and eat croissants and drink hot chocolate at a traditional cafe. This trip is open to anyone, regardless of their experience with the French language. Both trips offer students a one-of-a-kind experience in two interesting countries. Whether students want to go to Italy or Quebec for the food, culture, or just to see a different part of the world, Mr. Townsend and Mr. Sandefer encourage everyone to consider signing up.
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Music Review: Anderson Paak’s Oxnard by Ben Ackerman
J. Cole, and Pusha-T. The project is more balanced with these stars rapping, providing lyrical components to Paak’s flowing choruses.
Cover art for Oxnard
Oxnard’s leading single is “Tints,” where Kendrick Lamar and Paak take the audience on a sunny-day drive through Southern California. In the song, Paak repeats the chorus “I need Tints!” referring to his newfound need to avoid the paparazzi while “flying down the 110,” a California interstate. The best stretch of the project comes towards the end: The consecutive songs “Anywhere,” “Trippy,” “Cheers,” and “Sweet Chick” provide a fantastic finale. “Cheers,” produced by Dr. Dre, features Q-Tip of the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. In the piece, Paak struggles with the loss of rapper Mac Miller, who had worked closely with Paak before passing away recently. He raps “Wishin’ I still had Mac wit’ me (Yes Lord!)” The elder Q-Tip responds that he copes with the loss of late Tribe member Phife-Dawg by “reflectin’’ on good times they shared, suggesting that comfort can be found Californian singer/rapper/producer Anderson Paak is one of the through appreciating the old days. most versatile musicians on the American music scene today. Paak’s Briefly, Paak falls short in the middle of Oxnard. On “6 Summers,” music styles range from G-Funk and R&B to Hip-Hop and Soul, all it feels as though he is unnecessarily reaching for a political voice featuring his signature high-pitched vocals. His impressive resume by suggesting President Trump has fathered a secret love-child. includes 2016 Grammy-nominated breakthrough album Malibu, and He stretches further by claiming that the song will “bang for six a nod in 2016 from hip-hop magazine XXL on the annual XXL Top 10 summers,” despite the fact that the song features a slightly irritating Freshman list, a highly regarded award given to the best new rappers chorus and forgettable verses. Another weak track is “Mansa Musa,” each year. Since the release of Malibu, both fans and music critics have characterized by a choppy Dr. Dre verse and overwhelming drums been craving more of Paak’s unique, soul/funk-driven sound. Oxnard that repeat until the the song ends. is titled after Paak’s hometown in Southern California, and includes Those who have enjoyed Anderson Paak’s music in the past will be both boyish stories of his teenage years as well as reflections on his impressed to see that he has improved on Oxnard. While there are a new life as a music industry star. The LP satisfies the listener with few weak spots in the middle of the LP, overall the highlights make classic Paak sounds while elevating his music into the mainstream. the project worth a listen. Oxnard is a great album for those who like The album has accrued much commercial success, reaching #11 on modern R&B, alternative hip-hop, jazz, and easy-going tracks. the US Billboard Top 100, largely thanks to Paak’s new label, the Aftermath. Oxnard boasts a star-studded featured-artist list, including hip hop Rating: 8/10 legends Dr. Dre and Q-Tip, as well as current icons Kendrick Lamar,
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by Owen Sugrue
Food wise, Marion’s surrounding area is known mainly for its seafood, understandably. But there are other restaurants, too — Santoro’s, Brick, Rose and Vicki’s, Marc Anthony’s, and Nick’s. All of these restaurants serve pizza, a favorite of high school students almost universally. To try to give an idea of some local restaurants and suggest what might be the best options, I traveled to each place to try some of their pizza. Here are my thoughts on each. Santoro’s: Santoro’s (Marion) pizza is good. My biggest problem is how heavy it is. I’m not a fan of grease or lots of cheese; Santoro’s pizza has both of those at times. The best part of the pizza is the crust. You might only want to have a couple of pieces. It’s best for the “we just went on break and don’t have sports for a few weeks” moments. Again, not a bad tasting pizza, just heavy. I recommend the Pepperoni pizza: 7/10
Brick:
Light and delicious, Brick’s (Fairhaven and New Bedford) pizza is a hidden gem of the area. One of the best parts is the atmosphere; right as you walk in, you see the big brick oven pizza (where they cook the pizza for only 90 seconds!) and the nice people who make it. The pizza itself is excellent. I recommend the Margherita and barbeque chicken pizzas: 9.5/10
Rose and Vicki’s:
Similar to Santoro’s in style but different in taste, Rose and Vicki’s pizza in Marion comes closer to achieving the ideal taste to being able to move after ratio. One of the best parts of Rose and Vicki’s pizza is the size; these things are not small. A large pizza really should be good for two or three hungry teenagers, or six not as hungry people. While Rose and Vicki’s sells subs as well, the pizza is the restaurant’s best part, and certainly worth a try. I recommend the Cheese and buffalo chicken pizzas: 8/10
Marc Anthony’s:
Marc Anthony’s in Onset is one of the pizza restaurants around here you really have to go to; it’s not nearly as good when eaten as take-out. Certainly, getting to Marc Anthony’s can be tricky for a Tabor student. But, if you get the chance, it is worth it. You’ll walk in and see Chucky spinning pizza doughs and a guy taking phone orders past the bar. It’s the type of pizza place that everyone either has or wants to have. The pizza is delicious—not particularly light, but a great special treat. I recommend the Cheese and Hawaiian pizzas: 9.5/10
Nick’s:
I recommend the Cheese and veggie pizzas: 9/10
Not too many Tabor students know of Nick’s in Mattapoisett, but those who do know how good it is. The pizza is in a Greek style. Like Santoro’s, the crust is the best part of Nick’s pizzas. But in this case, that simply emphasizes how good the crust truly is, because everything else is good, too. Not too heavy (not especially light), Nick’s is great to share with friends, or enjoy alone!
Breaking through the barrier of stereotype
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Liz Seero ’19 wrestling team’s first female captain Photo by Photo Pool
by Abby LaCasse
Liz Seero ’19 has made history as the first female captain for Tabor’s Varsity Wrestling team in the 2018-2019 season. Some people may be impressed and congratulate her repeatedly, but Liz does not seem to feel the gravity of this accomplishment. Before she came to Tabor, Liz has wrestled with girls only. She started to wrestle because she liked the sport and not because she wanted to break any stereotypes about girls in co-ed sports. And when she came to Tabor, where no girl in her weight class wrestles, Liz said “I really didn’t notice the difference.” For her, wrestling is a “genderless and authentically co-ed sport,” and once she gets onto the mat to wrestle, it does not matter if she is facing a girl or a boy, to her; they are just competitors.
Yet off the mat, Liz did say that she felt a bit of a gender divide because she could not go to the locker room with her team and debrief the day. Sometimes even at tournaments, her fellow opponents and her coaches would go out of their way to congratulate her on wins. Once after a meet, one of her competitors told her, “thank you for giving me the opportunity to wrestle a girl.” “I don’t want to be different, but at the end of the day I am,” Liz said.
In a photo from last winter, Roberta Fisher ’19, Cara Jackson ‘19, and Liz Seero ’19, all members of wrestling team.
Tabor Madmen: The tradition continues This year’s version of “New England’s Greatest Fan Section” by Cat Shakin
So far, the Madmen have appeared in great number at multiple sporting events, including the Boys’ Varsity Hockey Game against Pomfret Academy on December 1. Later this season, the Madmen will revisit previous events like Silent Night, Bananaland, Blackout, and possible other themes. The Madmen invite any and all Tabor fans to join them in creating “New England’s greatest fan section” and having a great winter season at Tabor.
Photo by Photo Pool
The Tabor Madmen, founded by Michael Collins ’18 in the winter of 2017, was created for the purpose of rivaling Milton Academy’s Centre Street Hooligans. What started as a small group of Michael and his friends quickly blossomed into something much greater. Students at Tabor saw the ‘Madmen’ everywhere from All School announcements to school-wide videos. As Michael carried the Madmen into his senior year, they continued to be known for their notable zeal, as well as the costumes that they would wear to every game. One of the greatest events of 2018, and arguably in Tabor’s recent history, was the Boys’ Varsity Basketball game against St. Andrew’s School in the late winter of last year. Michael had predicted it to be the “largest spectator event [Tabor students] will attend in [their] high school career[s],” and, for many, it truly was. Hundreds of Tabor students gathered in the Stone Gym to support the basketball team in what ended up being a nail-biter. Sadly, Tabor lost by one point, but fought valiantly until the end. The Madmen were there the entire time, cheering and getting rowdy, all while in costume. In preparation for the game, Michael told the student body, “There has never been a more important game to be in theme.”
The true spirit of the Madmen, as exhibited by the Tabor/St. Andrew’s game, is to bring to all Tabor sporting events an energy unparalleled by any other opposing school. Since Michael’s graduation, he has passed down the organization to seniors Blake Bartell and Jack Corbett. In a recent announcement at all school, Jack told the school that he and Blake would be “carrying out Michael’s legacy by running the Greatest Fan Section in New England.”
Michael Collins ’18 and the other Madmen at a game last winter.
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523 Getting to know Phoebe…
Who is Phoebe Dias? by Harper McKerrow
Phoebe Dias is a senior from Norfolk, Massachusetts, or as she calls it, “the greatest town in America.” When Phoebe, proud representative of the Lillard South East Side Proctors, is not busy battling the South Side Proctors for ultimate control of her dorm, she can be found advocating for the student body in TASC meetings. However, Phoebe would like to believe that she can be known for more than her three-year female class president status, and proctor ranking. To find out more about Phoebe, read her responses below.
Q: What secret conspiracy would you like to start? A: Ms. Barker lowkey runs the school…?
Q: What is your most treasured possession? A: My roommate, Mo.
Q: What weird food combinations do you really enjoy?
A: French fries in a shake and goldfish and ice cream (not a real goldfish though, the orange snack kind). Q: What are some red flags to watch out for in daily life?
A: People who do not like to have their backs to the door…
Q: If you were given a PhD degree, but had no more knowledge of the subject of the degree besides what you have now, what degree would you want to be given to you? A: Chemistry. I feel like I know everything that I need to know about chemistry. Q: What’s something people don’t worry about but really should?
A: The length of Mr. Quirk’s tie… I don’t know how long it is, but no one talks about it. Q: Favorite movie and actor/actress? A: Grosse Pointe Blank, Hugh Grant. Q: What is your secret talent?
A: I know like fifty digits of pie, “no big deal” (Dabbing motion in a really subtle but cool manner.) Q: What’s a holiday that doesn’t exist that you’d like to create?
A: A holiday to take the day off from school or work to eat your favorite foods, which are all easily accessible and free: It would be called “Snack Day.”
You say you want a resolution... by Abby LaCasse
1. Chris Picard:
a.) Stop online shopping. b.) Spend more time doing things that make me genuinely happy. c.) Don’t have one. d.) Learn how to cook. e.) Be a better proctor. f.) To get into college. g.) Continue to not drink soda.
2. Kellie Navarro: 3. Quentin Doggett: 4. Grace Ryan: 5. Sam Cohen: 6. John Collins: 7. Abby LaCasse:
January Shoutouts by Eari Nakano
Mr. Sandefer: For getting us to think about leadership roles and our values. The dining hall staff: For the delicious holiday breakfast! Dr. Zhou: For carrying on the Lessons and Carols festival tradition at Tabor. Charlie Dineen: For delivering an incredible, inspiring chapel speech. The community service board: For helping students give back to the community.