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The Bishop’s School || February
TOWER Issue 06 MMXIX
The Details Contributors Editors-in-Chief Sara Michael Isabelle Kenagy Amy Carlyle Copy Editor Leah Parsons Sports Editor Alyssa Huynh Graphics Assistants Olivia Ralph Carly Phoon Faculty Advisor Ms. Laine Remignanti Staff Writers Kendall Forte Lucie Edwards Harper White Sophie Pilarski Alex Cotton Kyle Berlage Sariah Hossain Alexandra Midler Contact The Bishop’s School 7607 La Jolla Boulevard La Jolla, CA 92037 Email thetower@bishops.com
Colophon The Tower is printed by Streeter Printing Company in Mira Mesa, CA. For this issue’s layout, the Staff used Adobe InDesign, Adobe CC (CS9), and Photoshop CC (CS9) to arrange photographs and graphics. We printed and distributed 500 copies of Issue 06 to the Bishop’s community. Typefaces included Eskapade on our cover, Cochin Italic for our headlines and covers, and Minion Pro for our body text. Issue 06 and previous issues of The Tower are available digitally on issuu.com/thebishopstower. Philosophy The Tower is a high school student-run publication at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, CA. Writers and editors work together to enhance the Bishop’s community and stimulate meaningful conversation through the collection and distribution of news and other information. The Tower aims to educate The Bishop’s community about issues that pertain to the experience of young adults. Sections of The Tower include Academic, Sports, Arts, Culture, Local, Beyond, Opinion, and The Bell. Policy All materials featured in The Tower are student-done and/or from the Bishop’s community. All articles reflect The Tower’s philosophy and goal to deliver relevant content to the Bishop’s community. The Tower works with the administration by communicating about sensitive topics to ensure the safety of Bishop’s students and to confirm all topics are approached in an appropriate manner. The Tower does not engage in prior review of its entire issues, and maintains the right to publish anonymous quotes when the privacy of the individual is a concern.
Socials TBS The Tower @thebishopstower @thebishopstower
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Issue 06 • February 2019 • The Tower
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A couple thousand miles away, the polar vortex has been freezing the country. Chicago experienced antarctic temperatures, something called a “snow devil” hit New Mexico, and Minnesota has broken numerous records for extreme weather. Even California has felt the effects of the winter — the Los Angeles Times predicts that a “rare mega storm” will ravage L.A. county, and even right here in San Diego, I think I’ve been rained on more in the last three weeks than I have in my entire life. While the gutters overflow outside and water droplets gather on windows, the depth and thoughtfulness of conversations bring warmth and connectedness indoors. February 21 brought a Town Hall to the Manchester Board Room, in which students discussed recent speaker Dr. Jamila Lyscott’s message. Just outside, students hung out and dried off from the storm while eating delicious bowls of steaming phở. Issue 06 shares in this same warmand-fuzzy spirit. Lucie Edwards (‘21) and Alex Cotton (‘21) in collaboration reported on the student spaces we take refuge in. In our cover stories, Sariah Hossain (‘22) and Sara Michael (‘19) each wrote about the discussions that fill our classrooms. Although the weather has been rather bleak, our school is still warm and welcoming on the inside. I hope Issue 06 brings you the same sensation.
----Amy Carlyle (‘20)
Issue 06 06 •• February February 2019 2019 •• The The Tower Tower Issue
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Academic Learn to L.E.A.D Harper White
Out in the Open Amy Carlyle
School’s Out Alexandra Midler
Sports In Good Season Alyssa Huynh and Carly Phoon
Arts
Doodling All Along Alyssa Huynh
Shorts Spread
Cover Stories Bishop’s Declassified Politics Survival Guide Sariah Hossain
No Bounds to Education Sara Michael
Culture Notes from the Author Leah Parsons
Laws of Communication Isabelle Kenagy
Opinion
Student S p a c e Alex Cotton and Lucie Edwards
The Bell Top Ten
Wordsearch Issue 06 • February 2019 • The Tower
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ACADEMIC LEARN TO L.E.A.D. Harper White
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he classroom is set up in the now-familiar Harkness style. Seven students sit around half of the table, all facing the front of the room. A question is asked, the students respond, and the conversation develops from there. Welcome to L.E.A.D. L.E.A.D, which stands for Leadership Exploration and Development, is Bishop’s newest class. The course is primarily focused on leadership, currently teaching seven students about three main branches of leadership: self-leadership, the leadership of others, and learning how to be led. Its atypically small class size and twice-aweek meetings are a deviation from the
usually more academic-learning classes Bishop’s has to offer. The class focuses less on textbook material and more on self-awareness and community skills. Assistant Director of Athletics Mr. Shane Walton (‘98) developed the content of the course through behavioral work with families and athletic leadership. He is both the instructor and creator of L.E.A.D. This is Mr. Walton’s first year at Bishop’s, but the material for the course has been around ten years in the making. He said, “I’m taking all the stuff I’ve learned and applied that to Bishop’s life, school, academics, and social life,” Mr. Walton spoke about his previous work experiences and how
these have has influenced his class:“For the past ten years, the company I was working with has done stuff with human behavior - why we believe what we believe, why we fear what we fear, why we’re angry, what to do with that anger, how do we get to that point, how do we deal with it productively or unproductively.” Initially, after Mr. Walton brought the idea to Director of Athletics Mr. Joel Allen, the course was primarily intended for captains of the various athletic teams across campus. “The original thought was we’re putting students in a position of leadership, and we’re not teaching them how to
From left to right sit Charlie Mossy (’20), Clarence Freeman (’20), Graham Cartwright (‘19), JJ Tian (’21), Chris Rose (’19), Zach Tempel (’19), and Anya Adjroud (’20), the current members of Mr. Walton’s course L.E.AD.
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Issue 06 • February 2019 • The Tower
lead,” said Mr. Walton. But the course evolved past the point of purely being for captains. Mr. Walton believed that the course should be for everyone, not just captains, and that all students could benefit from and should have access to the skills taught. While said skills do seem to be easily explained by the mnemonic, the content actually goes far beyond basic leadership skills. The class generally revolves around the aforementioned three main branches of leadership, and within those branches are other layers of content. At the heart of the course is empathy: teaching the students how to be more empathetic for those around them and for themselves. For Mr. Walton, the highly-academic culture of Bishop’s can sometimes distract from learning skills like understanding, self-awareness, and empathy–which are all skills that are heavily focused on during the class. The key thing that drives the class is engagement from the students, which Mr. Walton works to draw out by asking a lot of questions and using examples that help the students understand the message that is communicated. “I tell stories about myself, I tell stories of kids I’ve worked with, I show videos, and maybe the message in the video is how to think about others before thinking about yourself or how to serve, or I’ll tell anecdotal stories,” said Mr. Walton. “Then I ask them why they think I showed them this video or based on the things we’re talking about, how is it pertinent.” Overall, the course is dedicated to focusing on and mastering five specific skills: self-understanding, self-awareness, understanding of others, goal accomplishment and relational skills. But, since the course is primarily discussion based and the content shifts depending on which way the conversation goes, the class doesn’t have a strict curriculum. “It’s not going to be a linear process,” Mr. Walton explained. “It’s re-
ally like an open forum and obviously I have a curriculum, but if it needs to go a different way, then that’s completely okay.” And, even with the five skills, there is a lot of flexibility regarding what will be focused on during class. “We’re learning those five main skills, and under those five skills are different umbrellas,” continued Mr. Walton, “but the overall main goal is just for people to truly understand themselves and others and to truly be able to empathize.” For Mr. Walton, learning how to empathize is one of the key skills that everyone can benefit from, especially coming from a community like Bishop’s “I think we do so much work academically and we don’t really truly know ourselves,” he said. “There’s not this self-awareness, there’s not that understanding of ourselves or an understanding of others. Often times, we don’t have the relational skills or empathy skills, and that’s all the stuff we’re gonna learn in this course.” Empathy in a workplace environment, such as a school like Bishop’s, is closely related to improved performance and a better connection between colleagues or students. A report done by the Global Education Institute states, “Our research shows that students with higher emotional intelligence are better prepared to manage their emotional lives so that they can focus, learn, and do their best in school,” while another done by Edutopia says that more empathy within a classroom can promote a stronger community and better prepare students for leadership roles. Furthermore, according to Paradigm Treatment Center, a lack of empathy can cause higher rates in bullying and academic dishonesty, as well as poorer mental health for teens. The course tackles the issue of teaching empathy and understanding by helping students to understand other’s perspectives. This connects with the idea that self-understanding and un-
Issue 06 • February 2019 • The Tower
derstanding of others are key parts of the course. “The students are all learning why people do the things that they do,” said Mr. Walton. By understanding the reasoning behind people’s behaviors, the students are then able to better understand where the person could be coming from or what problems they might be going through that would lead to that behavior. “If you just see a behavior that’s an aggressive one, most of our actions are to either get away from it or crush it and squash it or talk down on it,” he continues. “But if you truly understand why they are doing that behavior it allows you to have more empathy.” When asked what he hoped to get out of the class, Clarence Freeman (‘20) answered, “I hope to become a better leader.” Clarence was a captain on this year’s football team, and he discussed how he hoped the course would help him to be a better leader. “I really want to improve on being a captain, and in order to do that, I have to create relationships with everyone on the team, and I have to know who I am in order to be a great leader to others.” J.J. Tian (‘21) backed this sentiment of wanting to be a better leader, saying, “I was very intrigued by the idea of becoming better at being a leader and in general being more understanding of the people around me and how people behave the way they do.” He, like Clarence, sees L.E.A.D as an important course because of how much it focuses on understanding others. This goes back to the fundamentals of the course, as Mr. Walton discussed earlier. “If I understand what you need or what you desire or what you value, I can be a better friend, I can empathize more, I can do things for you, I can be more loving, our connection and our relationship can become a lot deeper than just a surface level one.”
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ACADEMIC OUT IN THE OPEN
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Amy Carlyle
ishop’s online assignment platform, Blackbaud, commonly known as its former name, Whipple Hill, can be a student’s safe haven. Don’t remember what problems your math teacher said to do? They’re posted online. Don’t understand what your history paper is supposed to be about? The directions are under the ‘Topics’ page. Don’t know if you’re doing well in your science class? The grades are listed in your open gradebook -- maybe. Open gradebooks are an online feature of Whipple Hill that display a student’s progress and grades on assignments. The gradebooks appear as a white, rectangular icon on the ‘Progress’ page next to each individual class. Teachers who use this system can input grades on tests, quizzes, homework, and more; Whipple Hill categorizes them into individualized grade break-
downs and creates a bar graph to illustrate student progress. However, it is unlikely that many students will see this icon next to all of their classes – open gradebooks are entirely optional, and their use is at the discretion of the teacher. For some, using open gradebooks can be a no-brainer: students need transparency in their grades to understand how to improve. French teacher Madame Rikke Sommer said, “I haven’t really noticed a difference in student stress [since starting to use open gradebooks], other than that there was no confusion or were no surprises when grades came out.” In addition, open gradebooks can help students prioritize. History and economics teacher Mrs. Emily Smith said, “I think open grade books are really useful for students who are scattered and disorganized and who
“I sometimes feel like numerical values hinder [the learning] process because students focus more on the fact that they got marked down rather than embracing feedback that is designed to make them better at a particular thing.” - Ms. Karri Woods, psychology teacher 8
Issue 06 • February 2019 • The Tower
maybe are missing assignments so they can log in and see what they are missing.” In the same way, open gradebooks can provide peace of mind to students that have all of their assignments completed; they can check their gradebooks and know they have done everything required of them. Maya Minagawa (‘20) said, “I am a big ball of stress all the time, so the open gradebooks help me calm down, look at all of my assignments, and get my priorities straight.” Kirra McColl (‘20) said that this is why she believes more teachers should use open gradebooks: “It’s only fair that we get to see how we are doing. If I can’t see how I’m doing, then how do I improve?” Other teachers, however, may find that open gradebooks detract from the learning experience. One concern about open gradebooks is that they encourage students to focus on their grades and not the material they learn. Madame Sommer, who uses open gradebooks in all of her classes, said, “Some kids are motivated only by the grade they get and not really the process of learning. I think that’s probably natural because of the way things function– not the school per se, but the way we are all evaluated constantly and the way [students] are getting ready for college.” Psychology teacher Ms. Karri Woods shared a similar sentiment: “Students are very attached to numbers. Fairly consistently, research shows that when a numerical value is paired with feedback, often times the feedback gets lost because students will see an eight out of ten and focus more on that than on narrative comments that are designed to help them grow.” Before teaching psychology, Ms. Woods taught English, a subject
ACADEMIC that is difficult to grade. “It’s hard to assign a number to a piece of writing,” she said. She continued her less number-based English approach to grading in her psychology classes. Students can check their progress in the class by talking with her– that way, she hopes to start more student-teacher communication. She said, “If my students want to talk with me about their grade, I try to steer the focus of these conversations to the skills themselves: discussion facilitation, writing, reading, and general content knowledge. I am basically their coach, and my job is to help my players build skills that will help them be more successful in upcoming games, and I have to be able to give clear, actionable feedback in order to do this well. I sometimes feel like numerical values hinder that process because students focus more on the fact that they got marked down rather than embracing feedback that is designed to make them better at a particular thing.” Because of this conflict between the advantages and disadvantages of open gradebooks, some faculty like Mrs. Smith struggle with deciding whether or not to use them. She said, “I simultaneously love them and hate them. I believe that the grade is the student’s grade, so what am I trying to hide? At the same time, it’s hard when I post something in the grade book and then I have students flood my classroom four minutes later because they’ve just been pressing the ‘Refresh’ button over and over again.” With all the differing opinions about open gradebooks, teachers are free to choose whether or not they display students’ grades online. Bishop’s
“They’re a blessing and a curse,” described history and economics teacher Mrs. Emily Smith regarding open gradebooks.
has no policy deciding whether or not open gradebooks are to be used and when. Mrs. Smith said, “This isn’t a conversation we have really begun to have. Because we are a school that encourages teacher prerogative very highly, I don’t think there’s going to be a movement towards all teachers using the open grade books or not using them. Right now open gradebooks seem to be on the periphery of these other larger discussions we are having.” Certainly there are advantages and disadvantages to using open grabooks, but despite different teachers’ different approaches, the faculty share
Issue 06 • February 2019 • The Tower
one common goal: bettering the students’ learning experience. As Mrs. Smith said, “I think everyone is just trying to do what they think is best for the students in terms of handling grades. Sometimes that’s open gradebooks, sometimes it’s not, and sometimes it’s an entirely new way of conveying progress to students.”
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ACADEMIC SCHOOL’S OUT Alexandra Midler
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he time had flown by. The four day ative Religion, The Prophetic Voice, and summer holiday was over before Visual Arts Studio. I knew it, and on June 3, 2018, I During the school year these awoke blearily to my regular weekday courses take a semester, but over the alarm with a severe case of deja vu, I and summer they are held for four hours headed back to school. Last year I was a day over a span of three weeks. Both joined by 438 other students who enrolled options still meet for 60 hours accordin the Bishop’s summer school program. ing to Ms. Zedalis, but the summer forAccording to the Bishop’s mat radically changes a class’s dynamics. website, the purpose of the summer Physical education teacher Ms. session is to provide students “with Meghan Carr, who teaches health during courses for preparation, review, [and] en- the year and over the summer, prefers the richment.” What are the strengths and more intensive format, claiming that it alweaknesses of these classes, and how do lows students to focus solely on the matethey prepare students for future success? rial and not get distracted by other classes. While the summer program “We don’t have that 70 minute limitation, does offer enrichment courses for ele- so it naturally lends itself to better class mentary and middle school participants, discussions. Kids can really dive deep into the majority of students are between grades nine through twelve. This past year 204 high schoolers took summer classes, of which only 39 enrolled in enrichment courses. Ms. Zedalis, who is a biology teacher and the director of the summer session explained, “It’s hard to fill classes for Upper School students because they want to take a course for credit. I wish students wanted to take a course because it’s just cool or interesting. However, by taking an academic course during the summer they can have one-on-one attention with the teacher and have more time to concentrate on their other studies Summer chemistry students are given roughly 1.5 hours of during the regular school year.” homework per night, over two hours less than they need to In the 2018 keep up with student homework standards. summer session, the two most popular courses were both for credit: Health certain topics.” In addition, it allows new with 86 students, and students to meet classmates and familiarBiblical Literature ize themselves with the campus. “They get with 75 students. into the rhythm of Bishop’s,” she added. Other for-credWhile the in-class time is equivit courses alent between the semester and summer included format, the amount of assigned homework Comvaries. According to the Bishop’s Student par- Handbook, regular upper school classes should have 45 minutes of homework per class per meeting. Each day of summer
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Issue 06 • February 2019 • The Tower
school is equivalent to just under three and a half regular class periods. If the homework standard were to be maintained, summer school students would be assigned over two and a half hours of homework per night. But according to Ms. Carr, Health students “may be given about an hour or so of homework each night during summer school.” Under these conditions, summer health students would do less than half the amount of homework required in the semester class. Julia Haymaker (‘22) who took the summer class was skeptical of these estimates, commenting, “I don’t remember having any homework. Or, sometimes there would be 15 minutes or so.” Religious Studies teacher Dr. Regina Ballard estimates that the summer Biblical Literature class gives approximately two hours of homework per night. This still falls short of the total semester standards by nearly nine hours. There is large variability in the time it takes students to complete homework, but despite the fluctuation, the drastic imbalance between academic year and summer courses is clear. With the lower homework requirement it seems impossible to adequately cover the same material taught during the semester. In the case of Biblical Literature, the shortened timespan forces the curriculum to be condensed. Focused on covering the same major topics, classes have less time to reflect on the reading material for more in depth understandings. “There tends to be a lot less discussion on the biblical text,” Dr. Ballard said. “All things being equal, I would tend towards recommending [students] taking the class during a regular semester.” In contrast, the Health course is, according to Ms. Carr, “less focused on homework and more on group learning.” She feels the large deficiency in independent studying is more than made up for by the greater opportunity for group work. “Part of being healthy is the ability to communicate and resolve conflict, so it is important for me to observe that in a group and
help the students mediate and navigate the situations when needed,” Ms. Carr added. Both Ms. Carr and Dr. Ballard agreed that the summer course option for their classes is a useful tool for Bishop’s students. While the lesson plans might be affected, the greater flexibility for schedules during the year is a valuable asset. “[The teachers] have to tweak their curriculum and teach courses differently when students are sitting in class for several hours per day. However, someone who enrolls in a semester class in the summer is still taking a valid course,” Ms. Zedalis said. She added later that year long courses taught over the summer were also valid. But at what point does the cost of class time restrictions outweigh the benefits of schedule flexibility? It’s one thing to condense 18 weeks into 4, but what about 36 in just 5? Included in the summer course catalogue are Biology and Chemistry: yearlong academic classes taught over the span of five weeks. These classes are not as popular as Health or Biblical Literature and usually run every other year. “We need seven or eight students for the class to pay for itself. But that’s really changed,” Mr. Torretti, who has taught the summer Chemistry class over the past 25 years recalled. “When we first started the program, we ran two full classes.” Interest in the summer chemistry course dropped after the administration changed the schedule from four hours a day for six weeks to six hours a day for almost five weeks. “By the end of the day, the students are pretty dead. I would never introduce a new topic in the middle of the afternoon because they’re not going to remember anything.” He laughed, “I mean, they’re in class for almost six hours; even I’m tired at the end of the day!” Alexis Rosen (‘20) took the summer chemistry course to allow her to focus on art during the school year. “I had a meeting with the academic dean, and
she suggested the summer option given that I didn’t like science, and it would be an easier course,” she said. In retrospect, Alexis thought she could have done better if she had taken the course during the year. “We were learning material so fast I didn’t have as much time to clarify things which would have helped me a lot,” she said. Each day, the summer science courses cover between one and a half to two weeks worth of material learned during the academic year. If a student is confused or falls behind, it can be difficult to catch up. In the regular course they could rely on extra help, but that tool is
Instead I try to build in time at the end of the day to have them start their assignments.” The time restrictions force the summer science classes to alter their curriculums. “We still try to hit all of the topics, but we can’t go into the same depth. There’s just no way,” Mr. Torretti said. “There’s no question, the ideal is to take the class during the school year, but there was a need among the student population for greater latitude in offering academic options. That’s what the administration asked of us, and the Science Department concurred.” Should schedule flexibility take priority over depth of study? To whose benefit are these courses if they fundamentally change the learning experience? These questions come down to what type of school Bishops wants to be. The mission statement reads that it is “an academic community pursuing intellectual, artistic, and athletic excellence.” If Bishops values academics, arts, and sports on an equal plane, then it is right to offer core classes over the summer, even if they are academically less comprehensive. It gives those uninterested in Science a way to complete the credit and focus on other interests. But the mission statement puts academics before anything else, leading one to interpret it as, most importantly, a strong academic school, but with diverse program options in the arts and athletic fields. If that is the identity Bishop’s wants to pursue, then should schedule conflicts be as important as maintaining academic standards?
“By the end of the day, the students are pretty dead. I would never introduce a new topic in the middle of the afternoon because they’re not going to remember anything.” - Mr. Theodore Torretti, science teacher not available after every hour of the summer course. Students complete a new lab every day and take tests every third day. “Teachers might recommend this class to someone who has a bit more trouble with science, but really that works againt them,” Mr. Torretti said. “If you find science difficult to begin with, it’s going to be a really challenging. It’s just too much material being presented in too short a time frame.” In addition to the challenging intensive format, the summer science courses also struggle to cover the same curriculum taught during the year. Since each class is equivalent to over four regular meetings during the year, if homework standards were maintained students would be assigned almost four hours of homework per night. But according to Mr. Torretti, summer chemistry students are given approximately one and a half hours of homework per night. Mr. Torretti was aware of the deficit, commenting, “I can’t give them that much homework. They’d burn out so fast.
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S E Season. CTION In Good TITLE GOESHuynh HERE By Alyssa and Carly Phoon Author
Boys’ Varsity Soccer
Flashback to the beginning of the season: The Boys’ Varsity Soccer team was preparing for a competitive season. Regarding the team’s capability, Mohamed Samb (‘20) said, “Our team has players who can dribble, pass well, defend, make runs and more things that every team would be looking for.” Alonso Garcia (‘20) [2] also spoke to the spirit of the team: “We have a very hardworking team that won’t give up even when things get tough. We also have a great coaching staff that knows how to get the best out of the players.” Senior captain Ben Serdy was excited to see what was in store for the team: “My favorite thing about the team is how motivated we are as a group. Everyone is focused and willing to work and sacrifice for each other. Our goals this year are to win all of our rivalry games and make CIF.”
1. Harsha Kenchareddy (‘19)
Flashforward to present day: The Bishop’s Boys’ Varsity Soccer team has had big wins against Francis Parker, La Jolla Country Day, and San Diego Jewish Academy. According to Ben, the team struggled with communication in the beginning, but now they are much more fluid. “I’d much rather have a team that needs to relax to play well than one that never even gets into the game,” he said. “Seeing the team’s cumulative determination each game pushes myself and my teammates to work even harder for the duration of the season.”
Boys’ Varsity Basketball
3. Team huddle
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5. Captain Chris Rose (‘19)
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Flashback to the beginning of the season: The Boys’ Varsity Basketball team was pumped. Zach White (‘20) [4] predicted that the team’s biggest strength would be their chemistry: “We’ve been doing a lot of pre-season work, and have spent a lot of time with each other. The team is full of a good group of guys who enjoy playing with each other. It’ll be a fun group to play with and it’ll be interesting to see how we gel together.” Zach said, “This year is one of the most competitive years to be in the Coastal League, and we want to prove everyone who underestimates us wrong. We just want to have fun and try to win as much as possible.” Flashforward to present day: The Bishop’s Boys’ Varsity Basketball team currently holds a record of 14-10. They began their season with big wins against schools like Scripps Ranch and Hoover, and tight losses like with Poway, which resulted in a final score of 55-53. The Knights are ranked 211th in the state.
Girls’ Varsity Basketball
Flashback to the beginning of the season: Senior captains Madi Chang and Bri Delatorre [6] proudly lead the Bishop’s Girls’ Varsity Basketball team this season. Madi said the team’s biggest strengths would be “our freshmen and our closeness. Our three freshmen —Angie [7], Renee, and Natalia— have been working immensely hard since before the school year started. Their willingness to learn and determination to improve make them excellent additions to the team. Along with the freshman, our overall closeness improves every aspect of our performance. We play better as a team and we work harder when we remember who we are getting better for: each other.” The team set short-term and long-term goals. “On a daily level, our goal is to become smarter basketball players… Many games come down to making the right pass, committing the ideal foul, and adapting a last minute play. Over this season, our goal is to 7. execute our plays and make smart decisions in every game,” said Madi.
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Flashforward to present day: The Bishop’s Girls’ Varsity Basketball team has an overall record of 15-8 and are ranked 65th in the state and 408th in the nation. Bri, who is nominated for the 2019 McDonald’s All-American Games, said about the team dynamic, “At practice we’re competitive and constantly pushing each other to get better, and at the end of the day we have each other’s backs. That really shows on the court.” The team is led in points by freshmen Angie Robles (399 points) and Renee Chong (380).
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2. (left to right) Alonso Garcia (‘20) and Julen Givelber (‘20) in a home game vs. Francis Parker where the Knights won 2-1.
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Varsity Surf
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Flashback to the beginning of the season: The Bishop’s Surf team, led by senior captains Maile Gaarder-Feingold (‘19) [10] and Connor Noon (‘19) [9], was excited for a fun season. According to Maile, “We have a lot of returning members on the team who have strong bonds with each other and are used to the stress of competitions.” TITLE GOES HERE Senior Jake Stenger said a goal this season was “to win division five, so we can move back up to division four. We’re worried less about the individual rankings and Author more about winning as a team.”
9. Captain Connor Noon (‘19) 9. Captain Maile Gaarder-Feingold (‘19)
Flashforward to present day: Senior Connor Noon is currently 10th in the division for men’s shortboarding. Maile currently holds 3rd in women’s shortboarding and 3rd in women’s longboarding. The Surf Team is 3-1 right now, most recently defeating La Jolla Country Day School, and 3rd in the division.
Girls’ Varsity Soccer Flashback to the beginning of the season: The Girls’ Varsity Soccer team was as strong as ever, lead by four captains this year: Seniors Caroline Alleyne and Sheila Kaiser, and juniors Alyssa Huynh and Julia Chen. According to Julia, the team’s goal was to “go undefeated in league for the fourth year.” Flashforward to present day: The Bishop’s Girls’ Varsity Soccer team has an overall record of 11-5-1 and is ranked 163rd in the state. The team did not go undefeated, but nevertheless, “we’ve still had a really great season so far and we’re looking forward to playoffs. I’m really proud of our team for pushing through all the injuries, rain games, and tough losses. The best part of the season was either winning the Jubilee tournament in penalty kicks or beating Escondido Charter 2-0 in a really physical, hard-fought game,” said Julia.
Girls’ Varsity Water Polo
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Flashback to the beginning of the season: The Girls’ Varsity Water Polo team was training intensely every day. Sierra Martin (‘20) 13. [15] said, “[the team’s strength is that] we’re really close and a really tight knit group. Most of us played together last year, so we have a lot of cohesion and we’re pretty experienced in knowing what each other wants.” Senior captain Paige Geary agreed: “Everyone is focused and willing to work and sacrifice for each other.” She added, “Our goals this year are to win all of our rivalry games and make CIF.”
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16. Maggie Johnson (‘22)
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Flashforward to present day: The Girls’ Varsity Water Polo team, having won Open Division CIF Championship for seven consecutive years, is 14-6-1 and undefeated in league. The Lady Knights have consistently dominated top schools like Cathedral, La Jolla, and Torrey Pines.
Varsity Squash
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Flashback to the beginning of the season: Senior captain Samy Hamdy saw a lot of potential for the future of the Squash team. “There’s a lot of opportunity for new players to understand the game. A lot of them are in the 9th or 10th grade, so there’s more opportunity for them to continue playing squash in the future. It shows that squash is going to continue after I leave.” The team planned on competing in the Squash League. Samy said, “Our goal is to just improve in squash and fitness, but mostly to learn the game, learn how to play. Because a lot of people are new, we want to make sure that they know what they’re doing, so that they have a good foundation for the future and so they can be leaders of squash when they graduate.” Flashforward to present day: The squash team has wrapped up a memorable season. The team has earned the Sportsmanship Award at the Southern California High School League Championship Tournament. Highlights of the season include Samy Hamdy making it to the individual semi-finals and Logan Johnson (‘22) [17] winning the title in the tournament.
12. Gabby Scott (‘21) in a home game vs. Francis Parker. 13. Christie Linnard (‘20) in a game vs. Mt. Carmel where the Lady Knights won 1-0.
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SENIOR ART EXHIBIT
By Alyssa Huynh
Layla Khazeni’s senior art exhibition opened on January 23 in the library. Visual Arts Department Chair Ms. Elizabeth Wepsic commented, “Layla Khazeni has always had her own sense of art. She works from personal expression and vision. Her work balances both happiness and sorrow in life, bringing the viewer to a grounded place that relates more deeply to the work. Her art does not necessarily reflect her own feelings but shows how emotions can be hidden in the world but shown in art. Each piece is unique and demonstrates her sincerity and approach to creativity.” What does art mean to you? I have been doodling as long as I can remember, and really got into my drawing once I was in middle school. However, I didn’t take a real art class or start using media besides my pencil and paper until my Drawing and Painting I class with Ms. Wepsic in my freshman year. I rushed through the Bishop’s art program, finishing AP Art in my sophomore year. Because of this, I took a break from art as a junior and only restarted recently, although I’ve been doodling all along. What is your favorite medium? My favorite medium to work with is still pencil and paper, partially because of how comfortable I am with it and partially because of how easy it is to correct mistakes. I couldn’t do it if my life depended on it, but thanks to Ms. Wepsic I also learned how to use acrylic, which I like for its flexibility. Mostly I prefer mediums that allow room for error, as I am a person of many mistakes. What do you consider when you are creating? Like my writing, I need to have an idea before I start. This is
why I work so poorly with assignments with a deadline; if I feel pressured to create something meaningful, it feels artificial and absent of inspiration. My more conceptual art is created on the spot, or evolved from a random sketch I scribbled in the middle of doing something else. This is why I believe my mood changes and phases are so reflected in the diversity of themes in my exhibition.
“
...I can put the pictures, words, and colors in my head onto canvas, making what I can’t completely formulate through language tangible... Is there a common theme or message in your art? I would say there are common themes, plural. My art is less cohesive as a single project than sectioned into multiple parts. It’s a mixture of old and new art, with some acrylics from my art class days and drawings from more recent years.
Left, top: This piece is part of a collection, all inspired by East Asian art. It reflects Layla’s admiration for the wide calligraphy brush strokes. Left, middle: This piece is one of the largest in her exhibition, created with acrylic paint. Left, bottom: This piece was inspired by Layla’s deep analysis of life: how and why we are literally tethered to the world and our lives. It expresses her frustrations with her unanswered questions with themes of vulnerability and the resulting anxiety. Right, bottom: This piece represents Layla’s fear of being surrounded by something dangerous in all directions.
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“
One section is obviously darker than the rest, while one section is focused on one color. The only homogeneous part of my exhibition is its reflection of my fluctuating mindsets. Mostly, I want people to take what they make of it, as art is as much the job of the interpreter as it is the artist.
A visual of a picture taken in San Diego.
How do you hope your art is interpreted by viewers? I hope my art is interpreted subjectively and looked at not for its reflection on me as much as it is on the individual themselves. I don’t want people to assume there is a correct answer to any of my pieces, or that any of my pieces are a direct product of myself. Another thing that often bothers me is the expectation that a piece of mine is about something or someone specific. My art is often either abstracted or derived from an idea, not an event. In all, I hope for my art to be interpreted to whatever best benefits the viewer.
What does art mean to you? To me, art means proving to myself that I can put the pictures, words, and colors in my head onto canvas, making what I can’t completely formulate through language tangible through art. Sometimes, however, it’s just about painting something I think will look good with my bedspread, or reviving a doodle I found in my seventh-grade math notebook. Most of all, however, art is a manifestation of the creativity everyone has, and is one of my ways of utilizing it therapeutically and recreationally.
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This portrait of a girl was created with a mixture ofwatercolor and paint.
The only homogeneous part of my exhibition is its reflection of my fluctuating mindsets.
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How do you interpret your art? Besides the ideas that actually go into my art, looking back on my completed works is less of a thoughtful procedure than it is an acknowledgment that I can successfully materialize what I couldn’t otherwise express (despite how esoteric it may be).
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(from left to right) Neal Mehta (‘21), Sofia Rubio (‘19), and Dhruvi Banerjee (‘21) perform in the short called “Talgo con Destino a Murcia,” directed by Dra. Rose and performed entirely in Spanish.
(from left to right) Hannah Robbins (‘19) and Joseph Aguilar (‘22) perform in the last short, “Detective Sketches.”
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Shorts Festival 2019. (from left to right) Gabe Worstell (‘20), Mauricio Burgos (‘19), and Esha Kashyap (‘19) performed in “Poor Bob.”
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OPINION
BISHOP’S DECLASSIFIED POLITICS SURVIVAL GUIDE Sariah Hossain
THE GOLDEN-TICKET WORD IS
I
s she supposed to be saying that?” A friend leaned over to me, speaking with a hushed voice and narrowed eyes. Our reading had brought up something political, and my teacher was, that day, an avid discussion participant. Her words felt, if I put it simply, charged. I shrugged, a little pained, and looked around the classroom. I noted that my class was separated into three distinct groups. The first consisted of students with wider-than-normal, blank eyes nodding along to the teacher’s words. They reminded me vaguely of a sponge filling up, absorbing all the information they were hearing. The second type of student was attentive, maintaining eye contact, but had slightly clenched jaws or slightly clenched fists. I saw myself in a third group, which was made up of students looking back and forth, at each other and the teacher. I think they sensed an amount of tension in the air as well. The experience was strange and scary in the sense that I felt so many possible effects, on myself and the people around me. Were my friends eating it up, taking the teacher’s opinion now as their own? Were they feeling uncomfortable, targeted, unsafe? Did they feel stuck in a bad situation? Almost powerless, like I did? I couldn’t tell. And perhaps that frustration stemmed from a sense of deja vu— this was not the first time a teacher’s political opinions had made their way into the classroom. It felt like there wasn’t anything I could do to address the problem. Talking about sensitive issues like political happenings anywhere in this day and age takes a certain strength of mind to separate oneself from their opinion, or else the conversation could very easily end up disastrous. There’s such a fine line between addressing a topic and inserting an
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opinion on said topic, as unintentional as it may be. Does it cross the line between appropriate and unethical? At first glance, the answer is yes. It could sway a kid’s opinion. Teachers shouldn’t influence students like that, one could say. And that’s absolutely right. An authoritative figure shouldn’t press their opinion on a student – and should never be the intention of a teacher. History teacher Mr. Matthew Valji instead brought this to mind: “It’s a challenge, obviously because we want to create a space where students feel comfortable regardless of personal political positions. That being said, we can’t not talk about politics. We have to talk about complicated issues or else we would just be shielding our students from the most interesting and important parts of history.” So that’s not to say that polarizing topics like political ones have no place in a learning environment. The golden-ticket word is ‘discretion.’ “There’s a very clear distinction between a teacher discussing a view and a teacher trying to push his or her own view,” Harvard professor Mr. David Cutler wrote in a Huffington Post article. “It is well within our realm of capability to share multiple sides of an issue.” The very same concept applies to Bishop’s. We are all capable of talking about controversial issues politely, thoughtfully. Further, forming a proper, well-informed opinion can be a daunting task. But, if a teacher serves as an aid to guide students toward full understanding of an issue, the student from then on can grapple with several viewpoints in hopes of forming their own. Isn’t that what the Harkness method and the core of Bishop’s approach to teaching is about?
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COVER STORY
scretion . Our focus is on educated, independent thinking. Independent thought is tough enough to achieve, what with some philosophers theorizing that it’s impossible to have a truly distinct thought. “Thinking is necessarily, thoroughly, and wonderfully social,” wrote psychologist Dr. Alan Jacobs in his book How to Think. “Everything you think is a response to what someone else has thought and said.” Everything we think is a response to our environment. Hearing the political views of teachers, the ones from whom we learn information, it could be impossible not to absorb it. The words “in my opinion” carry so much weight. It’s difficult to maneuver others’ point of view in conjunction with our own, especially today, when everyone seems to have thoughts about everything. Our school’s job is to prepare us to do good in the world after we leave: prepare us to be good people, productive workers, and respectful learners. You can’t evade politics – not today, and likely not in the future. Discussing these issues, in passing or in depth, is both necessary and unavoidable. This is how we learn to do it right.
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OPINION NO BOUNDS TO EDUCATION Sara Michael
Immigrant students --whether undocumented or not-- help enrich the community by swapping their ideas and stories.
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remember clutching my mother’s hand as I stepped out of the Honda Accord rental and tiptoed toward the front door. My brother peeled the welcome mat off the tiled floor and picked up the spare key. As the door clicked open and the smell of old wood flooded my nose, I remember thinking to myself, “This is it; this is California. We’re no longer in Beijing.” It was summer of 2012; the trees were heavy with oranges, the mossy rocks were wet from where the tide had been, and my life would never be the same. There are millions of children around the nation who have narratives similar to mine. Last year, the Center for American Progress published a study saying that nearly six million U.S citizen children live in mixed-citizenship households, where at least one family member is an immigrant. The Trump Administration’s approach to enforcing immigration, which includes rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, has been devastating because there are so many mixed-citizenship house-
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holds, especially when it comes to students with an immigrant background. A recent University of California Los Angeles Civil Rights study showed that 57.4 % of teachers surveyed reported that when students were concerned about immigration enforcement regarding their family, there was an increase in absenteeism at school. It is especially crucial in this political climate for our community to recognize that immigrant students -- whether they are documented or not -- enrich and enlighten the community. They have narratives characterized by struggle and sacrifice, and decision and determination. The importance of including students of all backgrounds is that there’s greater opportunity for the exchanging of ideas. Senior Adam Naboulsi moved to San Diego from Saudi Arabia at the beginning of his sophomore year so that he could receive a better education in the U.S. He described the importance of a bicultural classroom: “The advantage of having a bicultural classroom is that students are granted the
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COVER STORY opportunity to work with others who have different points of view. This builds interpersonal skills and enhances the collaborative effort in a classroom. It also teaches students to appreciate other cultures and diverse backgrounds. This love to engage with people of all backgrounds can take decades of traveling to attain for most individuals. To have the opportunity of working within a multicultural classroom is priceless.” Sofia Rubio (‘19) also emphasized the significance of a diversified classroom. She said, “It’s important to learn with a group of people who were raised with different mindsets and values because in the real world, we are going to be exposed to an infinite amount of perspectives and not being open minded can render us unsuccessful.” Having a diverse classroom means that students with different experiences can, as a group, redefine dedication and sacrifice. Multicultural classrooms like these introduce life lessons that will set students up for success in the future. They fight complacency and narrow-mindedness through encouraging students to hear different sides to a story. Our English classes at Bishop’s have been a forum for discussion about immigration. Just this year in my Advanced Honors English class, we read Atticus Lish’s Preparation for the Next Life, a story that explores the relationship between an undocumented immigrant woman from China and an American war veteran. The novel tracks the persistence and determination that grows out of the repeated and quotidian
struggle that the woman, Zou Lei, faces. When reading this novel, I noticed that many of the values that are associated with this country -- duty, dedication, revival, and opportunity -- were present in Zou Lei’s life. It’s important to remember that despite the miles that might distance our birthplaces, there are shared principles that link all of humanity together.
“The advantage of having a bicultural classroom is that students are granted the opportunity to work with others who have different points of view.” ---- Adam Naboulsi (‘19)
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CULTURE NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR Leah Parsons
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n the weeks leading up to Tuesday, January 15, you may have been asked to think about some tough questions. You may have sat in your English classroom, attempting to answer these questions with your peers. You may have even been frustrated with the woman, Ms. Eula Biss, who posed these questions in the first place. But, this is Ms. Biss’s style: for her, writing is never “safe.” The author and professor at Northwestern University visited campus for three days through the Bishop’s Endowed Scholar-in-Residence Program. She began the residency with a community lecture, and although it was her first night, a new audience caused her no hesitation. Gesturing with her uncapped pen and marking her paper as she went, she read aloud her first essay from Notes from No Man’s Land (her book that addresses race issues), titled “Time and Distance Overcome.” In front of her crowd, she contemplated complex themes such as how the term “identity politics” is redundant, how oftentimes people act as they are perceived, or the question of what it means to be white in today’s society. Her grounded manner of speaking about the topics of race and identity might have evoked a perception of ease, but the opposite is actually true: When an audience member asked her how she became comfortable speaking on these topics, she simply replied that she hasn’t yet, but that she’s “made the decision to live with [the discomfort].” Although, she did not make this decision until later on in her life; she began her education at Hampshire College
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believing that she would major in visual art. “I have friends who are visual artists and I think of us as being in the same general pursuit of art making, but visual art just turned out not to be my professional area,” she said. She ended her four years with a bachelor’s degree in non-fiction writing and moved on to complete her MFA in the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program. During her final year at Hampshire College, at age 21, Ms. Biss published her first book, The Balloonists, which explores the different relationships between her family members. Her second book, Notes from No Man’s Land, developed over the course of the next seven years. Five years after its publication she released her third book, On Immunity: An Inoculation. Her writing process involves drawing from her own journal, where she writes down striking experiences, as well as meticulous research and around 20 to 30 drafts. Because all three of her books tackle difficult yet prevalent topics, Ms. Biss is accustomed to prompting strong reactions in her readers. One form these responses can take is hate mail. “There is such a thing as too much feedback,” she said, explaining why she stopped reading the livid notes. But, she also shared words from a mentor who helped her through the criticism: “If you’re really talking about race in the way that you should, you’re going to make people angry and hostile.” Another, more constructive, response to Ms. Biss’s work is one that elicits discussion. Because Ms. Biss spoke individually to much of the upper school (through lectures to different English
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courses as well as a writing workshop), many English classes dedicated time for discussion of her materials. “Anything that provokes discourse is important, and her being an unexpected writer on race is something that might be unfamiliar and therefore educational,” said Mr. Gary Hendrickson, Chair of the English Department. In order to prepare for these class discussions, an English department team that included Mr. Rickey Fayne, Mr. Hendrickson, Ms. Cresence Birder (‘07), and Mr. Adam Davis assembled. They first worked to choose Ms. Biss out of a list of candidates for this year’s Scholar-in-Residence program, and then they communicated with her to examine how she wanted to introduce her work to the community. The entire process of selecting a scholar takes one year of planning and research. But, the time is worth it; Ms. Cathy Morrison, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications and one of the main people who worked behind-the-scenes to coordinate the visit, said, “Alumni can come, the local community can come, so [the Scholar-in-Residence program] is a way to get people on campus, keep them engaged, and give them something of value while they’re here.” Ms. Birder observed the conversations her students participated in after reading Ms. Biss’s work. “What I’ve noticed is that because she’s so thorough and detailed and courageous in what she’s constructing on the page, it elevates our discussion. It’s really gotten me and my students to think more deeply about things, even if we’re not able to come up with a conclusion,”
CULTURE she said. Ms. Birder, a Northwestern alumna who participated in Ms. Biss’s creative writing class at the university, also shared one of her greatest takeaways from her time as Ms. Biss’s student: “She told me to think harder on the page.” In addition to speaking with specific classes, Ms. Biss generated discussion within the entire community through an all-school presentation. During the enrichment, she spoke about lessons she has learned and follows while writing about race, such as how she does not have to be the hero of her own story because “looking good is not literature,” or how it’s necessary to bring an awareness of history to the page, because there’s always a bigger context. Liz Szymanski (‘19) explained an effect that she noted due to the assembly: “I think the most interesting response I saw took place in my choir class. Directly following the all-school assembly, we had a conversation in Bishop’s Singers about how she presented, what we liked and disliked, and how her on-page persona compared to her in-person disposition. Not only was it an engaging discussion (especially for a “non-academic” class), but it also showed that Ms. Biss’s ideas struck many of the students to the point that they were inspired to talk about her ideas outside of an English class.” Complex themes result in different takeaways for each individual person, but a universal outcome is discussion. As Ms. Biss explained in her all-school assembly, a writer (and by extension a reader) should not be afraid of taking risks.
What does the word ‘racism’ mean in different contexts? 2019 Endowed Scholar-in-Residence Ms. Eula Biss, a professor and essayist, spoke on this subject during an all-school assembly on January 17.
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CULTURE LAWS OF COMMUNICATION Isabelle Kenagy
“Without the help of the marketing and communications crew at Bishops, I don’t think I could’ve ever shown my passion to this school and even have the ability to gain this much experience” ----Cam Ezeir (‘19)
E
ver had @the_bishops_school pop up on your Instagram explore page? Each encounter with this account results in viewing a slew of pictures of students doing fabulous activities that one may have never known they were doing. It’s informative yet curious. Who runs this page and how do they learn this information? And, most importantly, how does this work involve students? The communications department at Bishop’s is comprised of Director of Marketing and Communications Ms. Keri Peckham, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Ms. Cathy Morrison, and Marketing and Communications Specialist Ms. Jen Hiesel. They handle everything from the news that appears on the Bishop’s website to the various social media outlets, including Facebook, Instagram, and Flickr, representing Bishop’s. Their institutional priority, as Ms. Peckham said is, “to use our communications experience and expertise
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to share the stories that make Bishop’s such a special place. Bishop’s means something different to everyone, but weaving together these stories, you get a sense of our community and the great work we all do here, together.” In order to write about the school, the communications department works with a lot of students. These students are chosen when, as Ms. Peckham said, “we’re less familiar with a certain area of the school and want to feature something they’re working on. We’ll ask that activity’s advisor or coach to suggest students we should talk to. Sometimes that’s the ‘leader’ of particular group, other times it’s someone who would enjoy being part of the story process, be it writing or video. We try to highlight students with varying interests.” The department also aims to represent the values of the school and respect the hard work students do on and off campus. “Each of us made a deliberate choice to work in education
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communications because we like kids, and we believe in the work Bishop’s does with students. I see amazing students everywhere – on the field, on the stage, in the art studio and beyond. I want anyone who is curious about Bishop’s to see them, too,” said Ms. Peckham. One example of this student is Dom Haley (‘19) who is about to be a part of the “Day in the Life” Instagram feature led by the communications department. Dom is a tri-sport varsity athlete who enjoys studying history and economics. He said that, “I felt honored to be chosen and was glad to be representing my school.” Graham Cartwright (‘19), another senior athlete, has also been chosen for several social media projects. He also feels confident that he is representing his community, although he said, “I do feel nervous and slightly pressured to present myself and my school in the right way. I definitely don’t want to say anything controver-
CULTURE
(Left to right) Ms. Jen Heisel, Ms. Keri Peckham, and Ms. Cathy Morrison make up the communications department which runs Bishop’s social media, online news, and media relations. Recently the department has focused on creating Instagram features including one “Day in The Life” video with athlete Dom Haley (‘19).
sial or wrong.” Another student involved with the department is Cam Ezeir (‘19) who runs a sports-focused media page called Cam Cast Sports. Cam has been actively working with the communications department with his contributions to the The Locker Room, another publication the department manages. He said, “Having the ability to work with Ms. Heisel and Ms. Peckham has truly been an honor. They’ve not
only allowed me to broadcast for the school, but they’ve provided a platform and the necessary equipment that I’ve needed to put together videos and play by play commentary. Without the help of the marketing and communications crew at Bishops, I don’t think I could’ve ever shown my passion to this school or even have the ability to gain this much experience.” Regarding student involvement, the communication department is always
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looking for more. As Ms. Peckham says, “We welcome student involvement! I feel lucky that our students are so articulate and passionate about their interests. It makes our jobs easier.”
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OPINION STUDENT S P A C E
Alex Cotton and Lucie Edwards
T
his past school year, both students and faculty engaged in a long overdue conversation about student spaces on campus. Students received a barrage of emails regarding the litter covering the terrace tables and speculations about the future of our campus have been brought up in various administrative meetings. There is an undeniable issue with student spaces on campus. A student space to be any place where students work or hang out without a teacher or instruction of any kind. This includes the library, the student center, the senior rec room, and the quad. As the interview transcripts piled up, a common theme was excavated. And, much like discovering buried treasure in the middle of the desert, we found the root of our conundrum. Actually, we found two roots. The first involves spatial designation; many places on campus are not used in the way they are intended. It is no secret that students flock in great quantities to certain spaces on campus, while others are left completely abandoned. The second problem is the mistreatment of the campus by students. Measures have been taken as a way to deal with student’s neglect to return their used dishes to dish drop, and to prevent eating in strictly “no-food” zones. Both of these roots seem to tangle around the lack of a Student Center– at least, the lack of an effective one. The student center is like a fishbowl– the students are encircled by administrative offices. Neal Mehta (‘21) mentions that the reason for avoiding
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this space is that “there are literally administrators surrounding the student center.”Assistant to the Dean of Students Mrs. Melissa Kirchberg agrees, “maybe people are intimidated by Mr. Beamer’s office, but they shouldn’t be. He’s very approachable and Hatch is there!” Furthermore, the furniture provided isn’t doing the space any favors. A few sad and deflated beanbags sit amidst a poorly cushioned sectional, and awkward circular couches. Head of Upper School Mr. Brian Ogden talked about the furniture situation in the student center, saying that he thinks “we need to regularly evaluate our spaces like the Student Center - to ensure our furniture choices are inviting, functional, and can stand up to heavy student use.” Students are starving for a space to hang out without the intimidation of being surrounded by administrators. No matter how friendly these administrators are, their jobs put them out of the friendly seat and into the authoritative seat. In a hasty attempt to fill the void left by the ineffective student center, students turn to other spaces on campus. This same hastiness has led students to gather in classrooms. Kirra McColl (‘20) often finds herself in history and social science teacher Mrs. Emily Smith’s room, as it is “a better place to hang out than the library or the student center.” Mrs. Smith jokingly attributes the popularity of her classroom to “the couch.” This couch is large and cushy– the sort of couch you fall and sink into. It takes up around a fourth of her room and sits atop a fuzzy area
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rug. She has tried to foster a laid-back environment for students to relax and unwind. “I’ve set up my classroom so that there is a space for students.” Other students retreat to the library. Ms. Brandt attributes its appeal to its convenience. “The library is a common space. You’re bound to run into somebody you expected to see.” Colin Fagan (‘23) prefers the library over other spaces because “it’s a little bit more secluded.” Because the library acts as the student center, many students find that the only space used exclusively for studying is the upper level. Director of The Learning Center Mr. Ken Chep notes, “ideally, [the upper level] is “silent study,” and that means not even whispering.” Lila Chitayat (‘21) adds, “The upper level of the library is the only space on campus where I can get work done.” The limited studying space elsewhere on campus leads students to pack into the upper-level of the library like sardines in a tin. Lila agrees, “the upper level is a great space to get homework done and study… the problem is, it is always too crowded and difficult to find a seat.” With the library loud and overcrowded, it becomes hard for librarians to balance study space with hang-out space. Trash is everywhere around campus, even in unlikely spots, like shoved in the study room electrical outlets. Assistant Librarian Mr. Shaun Mcgraw spoke on this, saying he would “love to see some more respect for the space.” In some places, litter is substituted for ear-splitting noise levels, which cause students to pop in headphones. This
OPINION seemingly unimportant action, however, could cost you a trip to the dean’s office, or at least a firm reprimanding from the librarians. Similar behavior can be seen on other parts of campus. Throughout the year actions have been taken encouraging students to return used dishes to dish drop. Announcements were made. Emails were received. And many students f a c e d consequences. Among t h e s e c o n s e quences was the r e moval of the terrace tables. Wes Spieker (‘21) feels strongly about the tables being taken, saying that the punishment was “justified for a couple days– yes– but for two weeks– no.” Mr. Ogden notes, “I think it is important that students take care of our campus and those tables we have such a beautiful campus and we show our appreciation to those who care for it by doing our part.” In the end, whether or not the punishment was justified becomes irrelevant in the face of the student’s disrespect. These behavior patterns are carbon copies of events happening just one year prior. 2018 brought us a modern tragedy: the benches on the quad were taken due to the heaps of trash left not only on the tables and benches but also in the hundred feet of grass surrounding this area. Director of Facilities Mr. Brian Williams (‘81) says, “I would love to put benches back out there, but we end up finding plates there every day. It’s frustrating.” As obvious as it seems, when more and more student spaces get tak-
en away, students have fewer spaces on campus. This only exacerbates the existing problem. Plain and simple, students need an effective student center. It should be expected that students are going to relax on campus, they just need a place in which to do so. Many faculty members suggest a common solution. Ms. Brandt suggests, “the rest of the students need a space like the senior rec room.” Mr. Ogden agrees, “I would love for students other than the seniors to
level of the library may be happening in the foreseeable future too. Ms. Brandt spoke about a potential new proposal to “replace the bookcases with study carrels– making individual desks to focus.” We believe that the brightest plan for the future for The Bishop’s School’s campus contains a useful and enjoyable student center for all of the students to use. Mrs. Smith mentioned that “there are underutilized spaces.” We agree with the point Mrs. Smith brings up; many of these underutilized spaces would be perfect candidates for a new, more secluded, student center.
The student center is like a fishbowl surrounded by the administration.
have [more] places where they can go to.” Mrs. Smith notices a trend, saying “it’s telling that very few seniors hang out [in my classroom], because they have a space.” The administrators we interviewed offered up a plethora of solutions to our campus queries. Mrs. Kirchberg spoke about a possible new addition to the student center: “It would be nice to have a copy machine in here.” Improvements to the silent
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The Bell N
estled inside the Bishop Johnson Tower is a bell. Though tucked away from view and hardly ever rung, everyone knows it is there. The bell has become a prize to find — students have attempted to reach the top of the tower for decades. Needless to say, the bell is a much sought-after icon on the Bishop’s campus. The Tower has its very own bell; though not mysterious and more easily accessible, it aims to stir the same excitement as the physical bell. Home to lighter news and satire alike— such as Top Ten, Bachelor/Bachelorette, and Who Wore it Better—the Bell intends to serve as a relief from the depth of the magazine and bring joy to the Bishop’s community.
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TOP TEN BRANDS WE WISH EXISTED
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Boy Scout Cookies
6. 24 and You British Girl Dolls
7.
Pear
8.
Lands’ Beginning
9.
Unlucky Charms
Rural Outfitters
Herman Melville
Forever 42
10.
Victoria’s Public Knowledge
Word Search By Alex Cotton
Words to look for: lead, gradebook, summer school, winter sports, shorts festival, classroom politics, immigrant students, Eula Biss, communication, student spaces
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ACADEMIC Who Wants to be a Leader? ---- Page 6, PC: Harper White (‘21) Out in the Open ---- Page 9, Art by Amy Carlyle (‘20) School’s Out ---- Page 10, Art by Alexandra Midler (‘22) SPORTS Winter Sports ---- Pages 12-13, Photos Courtesy of Mr. Andy Koczon, Mr. John Nagler, Cameron Ezeir (‘19), The Locker Room, and bishops.com ARTS Doodling All Along ---- Pages 14-15, Art by Layla Khazeni (‘19) Shorts Spread ---- Pages 16-17, PC: Kyle Berlage (‘22) COVER STORY No Bounds to Education ---- Page 20, Art by Carly Phoon (‘20) CULTURE Notes from the Author ---- Page 23, PC: Ms. Cathy Morrison Laws of Communication ---- Page 25, Photo courtesy of Ms. Keri Peckham Student S p a c e ---- Page 27, Art by Lucie Edwards (‘21) THE BELL The Bell Cover ---- Page 28, Art by Layla Khazeni (‘19) Word Search ---- Page 30, Art by Sariah Hossain (‘22) Front cover thanks to Amy Carlyle (‘20)
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