THE FALCON Issue 5 Volume 75 | April 22, 2022
PLUS!
From Kinkaid to the big screen pg. 24
senioritis
Every year, students fight similar symptoms ahead of graduation
FROM THE EDITOR JAISAL KALAPATAPU EDITOR IN CHIEF
Dear Reader, These past few months, I’ve witnessed senioritis — from afar. As a junior, I’ve watched the motivation of my senior peers slowly evaporate, and to be honest, it’s hard to blame them. After years of hard work, a break may be in order. As the seniors have begun to transition out, I’m starting to realize that my senior year is close to beginning. Plans for next year are being made, with leadership positions announced, courses selected, and expectations set. It’s a bit surreal. Sometimes, I still feel like the wide-eyed freshman who I was almost three years ago, overwhelmed by a new school with new opportunities. Especially because of the pandemic, my high school experience has flown by.
Anywhere, Anytime thefalcon.kinkaid.org @thekinkaidfalcon
Though it feels like high school has gone by fast, I feel prepared for my final year. Now that I know how fast time flies, I’m going to enjoy every moment. Every “last.” I’m also prepared to lead by example, just like the seniors who I knew as a freshman. I know my fellow almost-seniors will do the same. Best, Jaisal Kalapatapu
Contents
TABLE OF
Alum TV Writer Returns to Kinkaid A young African American girl sees her mother work as one of few female computer programmers in the 1960s, leaver her job...
Senioritis “My whole high school career, everything was to get into college. So after I got into Wake Forest, I had no real purpose”...
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Dedication Behind the Curtain ...technical theatre as a place where “students learn by being active participants in the building of scenery for all productions at Kinkaid...
Seniors Look Back “As I walk around to see the work of my fellow artists, I am struck by the level of personality present in their sections”...
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Campus
Bennett Jones 12th Grade President
Your GovCo
Jones
Morenz
Hope Morenz 12th Grade Representative
Ayoade
Karkowsky
Lindsey Karkowsky 11th Grade Representative
Carlson
Kristopher Carlson 10th Grade Representative
Shade Ayoade 11th Grade President
2022-23 Class Leaders
Maddy Billipp 10th Grade President
Houston Cruse Treasurer
Billipp
Cruse
Heath
Helena Heath Parliamentarian
Student
Leaders
By Shaan Dhutia, staff writer
Mia Price, a junior, has served on the Governing Council as freshman class president, sophomore class representative, junior class representative and sustainability committee chair. Price was elected to serve as the 2022-23 governing council vice president. “My goal for the Governing Council next year is to address every idea that is brought to us. While that means implementing as many as we can, it is not possible to implement them all. However, I would still like to investigate every idea and give a response as to why they are not possible. We often discuss ideas and don’t come to a conclusion, and then we move on and the same problem gets brought up again later. Instead, I would like to make sure that every time we discuss an idea or Falcon Forum response, a council member is assigned to investigate it and return with an answer.”
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Student Athletic Advisory Council President: Claire Nockolds The Mission: to enhance the Kinkaid student-athlete experience by teaching and cultivating leadership opportunities, promoting awareness of Kinkaid athletics, providing insight into the student-athlete experience and contributing feedback for athletics policies, programs and culture. Her Vision: for Student Athletic Advisory Council to engage the student body of both athletes and non-athletes, and elevate Kinkaid athletics from within.
Honor Council Presidents: Samantha Fowler, Gardner Watson Their Mission: to uphold Kinkaid’s core value of honesty in the community, specifically to not lie, cheat or steal to ensure that The Kinkaid School remains a safe place full of integrity and trust. Their Vision: to be a voice for the student body, keep the process for every student as confidential as possible, and be transparent about the scope of the Honor Code. They will also work to educate students on the importance of the Honor Code, especially in upholding the core values.
Peer Mentors Leaders: Alex Jinnette, Jaisal Kalapatapu, George Kinder, Audrey Lobb, Harper Paddock The Mission: Peer Mentors plan and implement programming throughout the year on topics to help navigate Upper School.Their Vision: to foster healthy relationships between freshmen and Peer Mentors, to guide them through their first year of Upper School and to be positive role models who are approachable for discussions.
Community Service Leadership Council President: Chanee Woo Her Mission: to get Kinkaid students out into the community and to serve those who need help. They serve a variety of communities from refugee farmers to neurologically divergent children and adults to underprivileged communities, and students will definitely be able to find a community they enjoy serving. Her Vision: for students to be more engaged with the service program and use it as a resource to help the greater good and expand their horizons.
Fine Arts Leadership Board Presidents: Adam Behr, Taylor McMullen, Jayden Taylor The Mission: To give students learning experiences in fine arts that encourage them to enjoy a lifelong commitment to the arts, value their importance and develop the ability to pursue independent projects. Their Vision: to encourage students to take creative risks, develop independent thought and develop an authentic, original “voice.”
Photos by David Shutts
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Campus
SPRING EVENTS ROCK KINKAID By Camron Baldwin, assistant news editor, and Matthew Berman, staff writer
As the sun pokes through the cloudy sky and the weather shifts from doom and gloom to a warm and sunny spring’s arrival is obvious. But beyond the weather, the season is welcomed on campus by a multitude of events bringing together artists, heritages, and students from across grade levels.
Sophomore Charlie Schmidt enjoyed the festivities, especially Basmati Beats’ performance. “The group blended their culture beautifully with the American pop songs to create a surreal performance,” Schmidt said.
COFFEEHOUSE The first spring event was Coffeehouse, a gathering of musicians and students on March 26. The event, put together annually by the Fine Arts Leadership Board, provided coffee, pastries, and Patrick Solcher’s legendary hot chocolate while students and faculty performed music. Some highlights of the night included Monkey Mind, a band formed by sophomores Jack Denechaud, Evelyn Mach and Patrick Reilly. The band performed a cover of “Just Like Heaven” by the Cure and the trio of seniors Walker Ball, Daniel Leibman and Ali Yousuf sang “I Want it That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. Ceramics club members also made their presence known at Coffeehouse (as well as another spring event, Culture Fest), where they sold mugs at both events raising money for the Houston Food Bank. “For every $10 raised, we feed 30 people,” visual arts teacher Ms. Luiza Grandchamp said. From Coffeehouse alone, the ceramics club raised $395.
Walker Ball (12), Daniel Liebman (12) and Ali Yousuf (12) perform “I Want it That Way.”
HOLI-BASANT The Holi-Basant festival was held March 27. Students gathered on the Falcon Green for Holi and Basant, a celebration of the coming of spring along with kiting. Rice University’s Basmati Beats acapella group, featuring a group of Kinkaid alumni, performed for the community. The group mixes Indian and Western songs.
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Students throw colored pigment during the Holi-Basant festival on the Falcon Green. Photo by David Shutts
CULTURE FEST A much-awaited celebration took place April 5 for the first time in two years: Culture Fest, a school tradition,
was back in full swing, complete with booths representing various countries, games, food, music, and lots of dancing all organized by students and clubs. For 2022, the theme of Culture Fest was “sustainability,” and many booths highlighted the climate issues and actions taken by their respective countries. “The ability to learn about new cultures and eat new foods was my favorite thing about Culture Fest,” said freshman Lyllian Walton. “It’s unique and expresses all the diversity we have at Kinkaid.”
CHOIR A rapid-fire succession of Kinkaid arts events dot the spring, among them the spring choir showcase. This year, Mr. Chip Colvin, choir and music director for the Upper School, selected the theme “Movie Magic” for the spring concert, featuring themes from movies from “Harry Potter” to “The Wizard of Oz.” “First of all, students need to want to sing the songs,” said Mr. Chip Colvin. “We also need to make sure the music is challenging enough to require some effort, and once I have some repertoire in mind, I think of a theme that fits what I have.” After Middle School performances and recognitions of Encore’s and Perfect Fifth’s — two musical groups within the choir — recent competition victories, the full Upper school choir took the stage to perform. “My favorite song to sing was ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’ ” said Catherine Moseley, a choir member. “As an alto, I feel like our section created some of the more interesting harmonies that really brought the whole song together.” After a performance of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, featuring sophomore Patrick Reilly for a bass solo, Mr. Colvin recognized the five seniors in the choir: Walker Ball, Carolyn Bivins, Cacie Chatman, Daniel Miner, Mary Eloise Searls and Mia Van de Mark. “It is so important to recognize seniors because they have put in so much time and energy by the time they graduate,” Mr. Colvin said. “Honoring that dedication and honoring
the art they helped create is an important part of community building.” For Bivins, senior recognition represents more than just the concert. “When we do senior recognition, I start thinking about my time at Kinkaid and choir as a whole,” she said. “It starts to become less about choir and more about my friends, my teachers, my art, and the transition I’m about to have.”
FIELD DAY For many, the hallmark event of the spring was the school’s “Fantastical Festival”— Field Day. Back in its fully realized form after two years on hiatus due to the pandemic, field day took place on April 22 to myriad fanfare. The Upper School’s day began in the Brown auditorium with a game of Family Feud featuring a team of teachers and administrators versus a team of students. The game was followed by performances featuring the electric lunch band and a band comprised of Mr. Olen Rambow, math teacher; Mr. Mark Sell, technical theatre director; Mr. Steve Kastner, orchestra director; and Mr. Chip Colvin, choir director. The “Kinkaid Film Festival,” a showcase of studentdirected films, featured short films with student actors and a hypnosis routine capped off the three-hour-long assembly. “It was a surprising yet funny choice for field day entertainment,” said Savannah Miller, a junior. Dodgeball tournament finals were played at noon and then all-school festivities began on Segal Field in Barnhart Stadium. Accompanied by Lower School buddies, Upper School students entered the field for four head-to-head games of tug of war. In all four competitions, the purple team came out victorious, leading them to become Upper School’s 2022 field day champs. “It felt great to have Field Day back,” said Patrick Reilly, a sophomore. “It brought back a lot of memories from Middle and Lower school.” Field Day was a welcome return for most students; however, for many freshmen, sophomores and even juniors, the event was their first. “I had a really great time for my first-ever Field Day,” said Samantha Fowler, a junior. “I especially liked getting to hang out with my kindergarten buddy. Shout out to Molly!” Katherine Zhang, junior, serves food at the Chinese booth during Culture Fest. Sophomores Chloe Wilson and London Norris enjoy a favorite treat at the carvinal. Jaivir Pande, a juniors, hits a dodgeball as part of a pep rally game at the start of Field Day. Photos by Kimetris Baltrip
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Alum TV Writer Returns to Kinkaid
Erika Green Swafford addresses a group of film and creative writing students at breakfast and later, Green Swafford meets freshman Irene Capitano, freshman Sloane Thompson and Italian foreign exchange student junior Maria Bruno. Photos by Eshaan Mani and Kimetris Baltrip
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Erika Green Swafford imparts wisdom about being a writer for television, Hollywood By Eshaan Mani, executive digital editor
“Make sure you are always you.” - Erika Green Swafford
Green Swafford is interviewed by sophomore Ava Winn during an Upper School assembly and she walks across the Quad with juniors Joycie Brass and Mia Abello.
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young African American girl sees her mother work as one of few female computer programmers in the 1960s, leave her job to pursue medical studies, leave her marriage to find new love and shift cities. Each challenge her mother overcame underscored the young girl’s desire to be a game-changer and changemaker, a voice in a space where people like her were far and few between. Decades later, the young girl — Erika Green Swafford — moved to Los Angeles and cemented a career for herself as a Hollywood television writer. Green Swafford appeared at Kinkaid as a part of the AJ Carothers/Patty Edwards Visiting Artist series to share why she holds Kinkaid dear to her heart. Green Swafford credits her successful career to her education at Kinkaid, where she was a three-sport varsity athlete and an active member in theatre. “Kinkaid’s theatre program was one of the first places I felt at home,” she said. “There weren’t too many people like me at school, and that was a community that let me be what I wanted to be and let my freak flag
fly.” Green Swafford addressed the community in a presentation on March 27 and was interviewed by sophomore Ava Winn at assembly on March 28, when she spoke about her journey from Kinkaid to Cornell University to the University of California, Los Angeles’ Anderson School of Management to, finally, Hollywood. “I thought I wanted to be in hospitality, opening a resort chain in the Caribbean and giving coconut oil massages; then I realized that I don’t like people,” Green Swafford joked. “I like glam. So I used my enrollment at UCLA as an excuse to do some recon in the entertainment space.” In Los Angeles, she performed improv on week nights and got a glimpse of the Hollywood scene. After college, she was accepted to the Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop, which she called the springboard of her career. Green Swafford has worked on several TV series, including “How to Get Away with Murder” and she is currently serving as producer and executive producer on “New
Amsterdam.” After reflecting on her experience working on “How to Get Away with Murder,” a show that she said is especially close to her heart, Green Swafford remarked that the actors made the experience all the more incredible. “The late, great Cicely Tyson is a queen,” she said, “Viola Davis is versatile and a queen, too, and she knows everyone. She brought Denzel on set for our table reads.” Green Swafford held masterclasses with Mr. Ryan Gillentine’s filmmaking classes and Ms. Angélique Jamail’s creative writing classes; the two groups also met with her for a breakfast discussion. Students in introductory, narrative and advanced film classes screened their favorite work from the semester and received feedback from her; creative writing students bounced around ideas for their screen plays. To all the filmmaking and creative writing students, she had just one piece of advice: to stay true to your initial vision while taking others’ inputs graciously. “Throughout the critique process, see yourself as
a running back,” Green Swafford said. “Make sure you take the football and run from one end of the field to the other, but at the end, don’t look down at the football...’ ” At the breakfast, students asked her questions about writers’ schedules during and after production on a show wraps, how much of a role internet culture plays in TV writing, and how truth is conveyed through fiction. A hot topic, Will Smith’s Oscar’s slap, was also discussed at the assembly and the breakfast meeting. “When a man can openhand slap another man and not be escorted out of an event, a negative message is conveyed not only about the Academy but about our world and our society,” Green Swafford said. Green Swafford said the next step in her career is seeing “New Amsterdam” through its season. She is looking for her next project. Green Swafford has written several TV show pitches and has had one approved by Peacock, but she recently withdrew it to try to get a better deal. Her words of wisdom for students? “Make sure you are always you,” she said.
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SHOE CULTURE By Read Liuzzi and Cooke Davis, staff writers
Shoes have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, dating back to around 7000 BCE with sandals made out of tree bark, as humans used shoes as a source of protection for their feet and nothing else. However, with the rise of consumer culture as well as the influence of famous celebrities such as Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Justin Timberlake and Kylie Jenner, a nationwide “shoe culture” has been established, even having an influence on students and faculty at school. Since such establishment, the
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term “sneakerhead” has been widely popularized and it is used to describe a person who collects sneakers as an enthusiast. There are many types of “sneakerheads,” including at Kinkaid. One of the prominent examples is Mr. Cushman Laurent, Upper School math teacher. Mr. Laurent has arguably one of the biggest shoe collections at the school, as he owns over
50 pairs. The majority of his shoes are sneakers from the brand of popular NBA player Paul George, as they “fit the best,” on his foot. He also rocks at least 15 purple and gold pairs of shoes to represent the Falcons. His passion for collecting shoes began as a kid. “My mom would always just buy me one pair of shoes, but I always wanted more,” Mr. Laurent said. Another faculty member with a substantial shoe collection is Mr. Andrew Stewart, strength and
My mom would always just buy me one pair of shoes, but I always wanted more.” – Mr. Cushman Laurant, math teacher
conditioning coach. He considers himself a sneakerhead, as he owns around 40 to 45 pairs of sneakers. Coach Stewart said his favorite pair of sneakers are his confetti Jordan 1’s, or as the first-grade students that he teaches like to call them his “funfetti shoes.” Jeffrey Jacobe, a sophomore, started collecting shoes with his dad. “I was just walking through the Galleria a couple of years ago, and my dad took me into Foot Locker,” Jacobe said, “I bought a pair of New Balance 990s and those have been my favorite shoes to date.” Harrison Lawrence, a junior, has a
particularly interesting choice of “lit” footwear. Lawrence owns limited edition Crocs that are based on the popular movie series, “Cars.” The shoes are bright red, light up, and have the face of the main character Lightning McQueen from the movie series on them. “I bought them because they are sick, and I would never pass up on an opportunity to buy Crocs as cool as these,” Lawrence said. Audrey Lobb, a junior, has an expansive shoe collection, most notably her Golden Goose Slide sneakers. Golden Gooses and Alexander
McQueens have become a staple among some girls at school over the past few years, and any room someone is in they are bound to see a couple of pairs. On the other hand, among the most common shoes at school for the male students are the Nike Air Maxes and the Adidas Ultraboost.
Photos by Read Liuzzi Design by Cooke Davis
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Technology
Dedication Behind the Curtain Technical Theatre is a community of artists building sets and keeping productions stable. They use advanced technology to further audience experience. By Rina Miriam Presley and Ford Montgomery
K
inkaid.org describes technical theatre as a place where “students learn by being active participants in the building of scenery for all productions at Kinkaid. Stateof-the-art facilities and equipment give students exposure to current theatrical lighting, sound and staging techniques.” While the most tech-heavy show at Kinkaid in recent history was “Carrie, The Musical,” the technical theatre department has been involved with practically everything on stage, all the way from Middle School plays to Upper School choreography projects. “There’s Broadway bound, there’s the Middle School musical, there’s the Upper School musical, student choreography projects, there’s the main dance show, children’s theatre has two plays, there are underground productions, there’s the Middle School play, there’s News Faces. There are a lot of theatrical productions tech
theatre needs to assist on,” Mr. Justin Dunford, assistant director of technical theatre, said. Technical theatre has a major emphasis on technical skills that students often do not already have. “Basically everything in the shop is something you need to be shown how to operate,” Dunford explained. Kinkaid’s technical facilities have plenty of gear. “The moving lights we have…I mean colleges would kill for this stuff…you guys have no idea how lucky you are,” Mr. Mark Sell, director of technical theatre, said.
In the spring, students in the class will have a chance to play around with technology and create a project of their own. “I’ve had some really interesting projects,” Mr. Sell said. “I’ve had one student who wants to make a gumball machine, a skateboard…whatever they can think up I want to help them make it happen.” Some aspects of the shop seem
Materials such as glue and paint in the shop are necessary for daily tasks.
Extensive equipment such as power drills and saws are safely organized.
Wood panels and paint-covered work tables line the shop.
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quite scary to learn. “Welding is very specific because it’s prescribed; you’ve gotta have a helmet, you’ve gotta have gloves, and you’ve gotta have a fire proof jacket on,” Mr. Sell explained. Besides the shop, working in the Brown Auditorium has its dangers as well. “The fly system can be a deadly thing,” Mr. Sell said. “There’s a lot of heavy stuff, which can literally kill somebody,” The show “Carrie” had a major essence of technicality. “Especially being a two-story set, we had to learn how to navigate the stairs,” Mr. Sell said. “There were a lot of details with all the special effects.” “Carrie” was certainly a huge undertaking for technical theatre
students, but it clearly paid off. “Certainly ‘Carrie’ was at the top of my list,” Mr. Sell said. “This one was spectacular in its execution and its overall impact to the audience.” Although many focus on productions and possibly the technical side, there is much more to concentrate on. “Tech theatre is not just about putting on the show,” Mr. Dunford said. “It’s about learning life skills, how to organize things, how to put a plan in action, and how to see something come from your mind to actual reality.” A major aspect of technical theatre is collaboration because every project cannot be individual. Technical theatre has many sections working together at one time. “I don’t think people realize how complex everything is, and how everything has to go swimmingly to
have a production,” Mr. Dunford said. Setting up a production takes instant dedication. “When we have a show to put up there’s not a lot of time to let them figure it out,” Mr. Sell said. “We gotta get on it.” After this year’s successful show, Mr. Scott Lambert, director of Visual and Performing Arts, and Mr. Sell have already begun planning for next year’s major show. “We have already picked another show and it will be released very soon,” Mr. Sell said. “We’re definitely already planning for next year.” Left: The fly system controls scenery, lights and the curtain. Photos by Ford Montgomery
Junior loves working to keep scenes in check
Adam Behr, junior, works on the sound for Coffeehouse. Photo by Kimetris Baltrip
Teachers are awed by junior Adam Behr’s work in technical theatre. He stands out as one of a kind. “Adam is very dedicated; he is the most dedicated I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Mr. Dunford said, “He’s just very up for any kind of learning experience in theatre; he just wants to get his hands on everything.” Behr’s love for stage managing is notable because it transfers through his successful jobs. “Stage managing is a very difficult job that doesn’t get a lot of attention, but he’s calling every single thing that happens from sound to light to people going on and off the stage,” Mr. Dunford explained. Behr was the stage manager of the Upper School production of “Carrie.” “Adam did a phenomenal job,” Mr. Dunford said. “I mean there were no stutters. His work on that is commendable.” Carrie was a huge undertaking. “I started working on Carrie in November,” Behr said. “Mr. Sell and I
in technical theatre so far. “I did ‘The Wolves,’ which was the underground play,” Behr said. He is also designing the lights for One Acts this year. During interim term this January, he helped with the Middle School musical, “Matilda.” “I worked all three weeks on that and it was a big deal,” Behr said. Many lessons can be learned through tech theatre, and Behr explained how he has learned many leadership skills. “I definitely try and help people, especially ninth graders, just get the hang of things cause it’s definitely a learning curve,” Behr explained. “They look up to me when I’m leading a project.” In terms of his future, he said he is thinking about further education related to his management in tech theatre. “Stage management is what I’m looking at right now, but I’m thinking about BA and BFA,” Behr said. “I’m trying to hit it all and see what I really want to do.”
sat down, and we just talked about the set and talked about what we wanted to do, and then we planned it out on our 3D design program.” As stage manager, Behr calls every cue for three main areas: sound, light, and stage scene. Behr has extensive experience in the skill of light design. “It’s a lot of just trial and error,” Behr said. “I started light designing in the summer of seventh grade.” Behr has worked on a number of productions throughout his five years
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r e i s s n o iti By Trace St. Julian, news dditor Designed by Sarah Xu, deputy art director
“My whole high school career, everything was to get into college. So after I got into Wake Forest, I had no real purpose,” senior Clayton Rice said with a laugh, “That sounds wrong, but it’s just how it is.” Rice is far from alone in feeling this way. Every year, high school seniors at Kinkaid and across the country suffer from similar symptoms of so-called “senioritis.” According to Upper School head dean Mrs. Quenby Mott, senioritis is when second semester seniors see the finish line and begin to lose motivation.
“And with a loss of motivation, they tend to then float towards graduation, rather than continue with the determination and motivation they had in previous semesters,” she said. This lack of motivation is displayed through less engagement in class, less time spent studying for assessments, more tardies, missing classes, missing assignments and more.” Despite the frustration deans feel when seniors decide to coast during their final semester at Kinkaid, Mrs. Mott said that she sees the justification for seniors wanting to take their foot off the gas. But even so, senioritis can have negative implications. According to Mrs. Mott, worst-case scenarios of senioritis include not being able to walk at graduation, having to take summer classes to fulfill high school credits, and even having college acceptances revoked because of grade slips. However, these consequences rarely occur, if at all, at Kinkaid. The most impactful repercussions of senioritis, though, are faced by those who teach seniors.
As the teacher of AP Calculus (a course filled with almost all seniors), math teacher Mr. Michael Vischak finds himself facing senioritis head-on every spring.
Although many of the students in his class stay engaged with course material, which he notes is likely because he teaches seniors who have self-selected to take an AP class, Mr. Vischak has found that getting seniors to come to class in the first place is more challenging in the second semester: “The last year I kept track, in 2019, students were averaging missing five classes during the spring semester,” he said. “It sounds hard to believe – only the spring semester. We probably only have 50 classes total.” To Mr. Vischak, however, falling victim to senioritis isn’t the seniors’ fault. He recognizes that seniors have to deal with a lot of emotions during their last months at Kinkaid. If anything, Mr. Vischak believes a display of senioritis is actually a display of growth. “Let’s say you’re a senior, it’s 11 o’clock at night, you have a test tomorrow, and you haven’t really studied…You have to make the decision to study another hour or just watch an episode of TV and go to bed,” Mr. Vischak said. “A lot of seniors at this point would probably choose the second option. I don’t see that as senioritis; I see that as maturity. Consciously or subconsciously, you’ve realized that there’s no added value in staying up late to prepare. You’re better off - you’d be better prepared - if you just go to bed or do something to relax yourself.” Regardless, Mr. Vischak has to adapt his teaching style to accommodate the seniors who lose motivation.
Every year, high school seniors at Kinkaid and across the country suffer from similar symptoms of so-called “senioritis.”
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The biggest way Mr. Vischak does this is through his mastery grading system, where scores are given based on how much course content a student demonstrates mastery of rather than on their performance on assignments and assessments. “I give students more agency,” he said. “The way I grade gives space to students who aren’t experiencing senioritis by trying to reward students who are in that place… [But] if there is a student that is having a hard time, I’m going to do what I can to try to encourage them. It will come out in their grades, but in a different way.” Beyond this, Mr. Vischak uses anecdotes to appeal to his students’ sense of motivation. For example, he relates his students’ experience to that of a senior who is committed to play sports in college: after finishing their high school career, they don’t just stop training but rather keep pushing themselves to prepare for college. He then encourages his students to adopt a similar mentality with regards to their academics. “There’s still value in doing well at the end of your senior year,” he emphasized. But to Mr. Vischak, senioritis is a display of a larger concern, which could be burnout. “There’s an expectation that if you’re a student at Kinkaid, you are going to not just be a good student, you’re also going to get exposed to the arts, be a good athlete, and go to things like Coffeehouse,” Mr. Vischak said. All these activities can simply bring too much stress into the lives of students. “For a while we have been dealing with the stress after the fact,” Mr. Vischak said. And while he is “totally in favor” of initiatives such as lowering the daily homework caps for classes and introducing homework-free weekends, he thinks there are long-term issues that have to be addressed. “If you have a student who’s taking six or seven classes, and they’re feeling stressed
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out, one way to reduce their load is to take fewer classes,” he said. ”The expectation that students have to have six or seven classes to get into college, I’m not sure that’s entirely true…[School] is going to be stressful; it has to be stressful. But I don’t want to overly stress my students,” Mr. Vischak said. When it comes to the causes of senior burnout, Dr. Laura Lomax-Bream, the Upper School counseling psychologist, can point to multiple factors. “If you are approaching your education as ‘I need to make certain grades to get into certain colleges’ and now that is over, the contingencies maintaining that behavior are gone because you’re into a college. There’s nothing to sustain or motivate you to continue doing the work,” Dr. Lomax-Bream said. Additionally, Dr. Lomax-Bream pointed out that, despite all the “hype” around the difficulty of students’ junior year, the first semester of one’s senior year is often the most stressful part of high school; on top of activities that carry over from their junior year, seniors have to deal with college applications and leadership roles. Beyond this, seniors are simply looking forward to college.
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ass l c n ti n e m age g ng i n e y s d tu les s t n speents e m i lesrsatssessm fo dies r a t more sses a l c ing ts s n s i e m nm g i s s ga n i s s mi
“Senioritis is inevitable, it will affect everyone.”
- senior Sam Pitts
“Psychologically, you’re not here anymore. Once you turn your attention to where you’re going to be in the fall, it’s just hard to be all the way present at Kinkaid,” she said.
Whether it’s spending time with friends or checking items off a pre-college bucket list, breaks from schoolwork can help seniors get through the final push before graduation.
Dr. Lomax-Bream thinks that one’s perspective and goals must be taken into consideration when it comes to personally justifying senioritis.
From the deans’ perspective, maintaining a good state of mind and habits can help, too.
“If really what you want to do is get the bare minimum, then I think the best advice is to be realistic about what your bare minimum is,” Dr. Lomax-Bream said., “Ask yourself, ‘What do I miss out on if I don’t engage? Is there stuff I’m not going to be prepared for? Am I going to ruin my relationship with a teacher or the people that I’m working with in a group project?’ ” When it comes to combating senior burnout, she said rewarding one’s self is key. “You need to have some things that are fun. You’ve got to take time to do things that are really rewarding to you,” she stated.
“Keep a positive attitude. Positivity goes super far,” Mrs. Mott said, “Try to keep some of the structures that you have put in place in the past three years in place. It’s when those structures begin crumbling that bad habits set in.” But regardless of attempts to resist senioritis, nearly every high schoolers can experience it as they finish their senior year. “Senioritis is inevitable,” senior Sam Pitts said, “It will affect everyone.” And so, as the Class of 2022 wraps up its time at Kinkaid, senioritis has run rampant through the grade. But hope still exists. On the horizon is the cure: graduation.
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Opinion
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Junior Elliott Crantz, sophomore Chris Kositprapa, junior Ana Susman, and sophomore Carter Pitts work on assignments while wearing college merchandise, an approved element of the school dress code. Photo by Abby Johnson, staff writer
I feel like there are so many constant reminders of college. It makes me so focused on the future and forget to live in the moment. - junior Nick Bhasin
18///Opinion
Success should not be equated with just college admission It’s not hard to tell that Kinkaid is a college preparatory school. Every day, the Upper School hallways are flooded with students repping college T-shirts. Students walk from one AP class to another, stressing about the next test that they will take and how it will affect their GPA. Dean meetings are regularly scheduled to strategize for the college admissions process. It’s no doubt that Kinkaid prepares its students fantastically to not only thrive academically at the college level but also to be able to decide where to take their academic talents. However, as a community, Kinkaidians have become too focused on college, to the point where it hinders students’ learning and high school experience. First, certain Kinkaid policies might unintentionally reinforce the focus on attending an elite college. For example, every Field Day, seniors are to wear the shirt of whichever college they have committed to attend. Now, seniors have earned the right to be proud of their accomplishments in the college admissions process; they worked hard over the course of four years to set themselves up for success in their future, and they should feel proud of the
culmination of their work. However, wearing a college shirt may further the notion that admission to college determines a student’s success. When looking at the sea of elite schools repped by the seniors, it is hard for underclassmen not to feel the need to measure up. It also doesn’t help that a centerpiece of the dress code is college merchandise. These shirts, which quickly fill up an Upper Schooler’s closet, serve as daily reminders of the end goal — not learning or self-growth but admission to college. “I feel like there are so many constant reminders of college,” junior Nick Bhasin said. “It makes me so focused on the future and forget to live in the moment.” Beyond institutional policies, the community centers around college acceptances. @Kinkaidseniors2022, an Instagram page, highlights seniors and their college acceptances regularly. This page was created with good intentions and hopes of good outcomes because, again, seniors deserve to be honored after years of hard work. However, similarly to wearing college shirts on Field Day, the posts reinforce the idea that a consensus of people in the community believe that
college acceptance determines success. For those browsing through the page, it is hard not to feel a sense of anxiety over the future if that future is not yet clear. Additionally, talk about college seems to dominate discussions, especially among juniors. Whether planning with deans or discussing with peers, Upper Schoolers have become so preoccupied with the future that they are sometimes neglecting the present. And this isn’t just an Upper School issue. Students around the country are feeling pressure to get into elite schools. According to “The WashingtonPost,” in 2019, 66% of high school students around the country reported feeling “often or always worried about being accepted in their chosen college.” “The college admissions process is stressful,” junior Canaan Estes said. “Between standardized testing, grades, and extracurriculars, I just need a break from it.” To be clear, this stance does not necessarily advocate for the removal of aforementioned policies or less strategic guidance for students in the admissions process. However, we feel that as a community, we can do a better job of helping students measure what it means to be successful.
Design by David Liu, staff writer
19///Opinion
OPINION
By Jaisal Kalapatapu, editor-in-chief
Photos by Kimetris Baltrip
Freshman Isaac Ly leads the tug-of-war gold team for his class, while sophomore Chisom Nwabudike leads the purple team in tug-of war for his class. Each class in the Upper School, divided by gold and purple teams, participated in the competition. The purple team won each tug-of-war high school match.
Photo by
The ent heads t Day, wh commu represe Mr. Jon the Upp
20///Opinion
Return of Field Day demonstrates importance of uniting the community By Jaisal Kalapatapu. editor-in-chief
Photo by Kimetris Baltrip
The entire student body heads to Segal Field for Field Day, which brings the whole community together to represent, “One Kinkaid,” said Mr. Jonathan Eades, head of the Upper School.
As the sun beat down over the Kinkaid campus, food, festivities, and fun were enjoyed by Kinkaidians of all ages. One thing was clear — Field Day was back. After going virtual in 2020 and being adapted to fit COVID protocols in 2021, Field Day 2022 was a much-needed return to a fantastic Kinkaid tradition. The 97th anniversary of the event, the day was filled with competition, showcases, guest speakers (including a hypnotist for Upper Schoolers) and allaround fun. And, of course, the Purple team won (go purple!). Since I entered Kinkaid in the fall of 2019, I had never experienced a full Field Day before. The playful “animosity” between Purple and Gold always confused me. I didn’t understand why this day was so great other than purely because it was a break from school. However, I now understand the hype. From watching a hypnotist hypnotize my peers to winning the tug-of-war game, walking around with my firstgrade buddy to eating rainbowflavored snow cones, it was a day to remember. Afterwards, I realized that the return of Field Day expressed a greater theme: the importance of community. All throughout the day, we celebrated ourselves
and our peers. We cheered for performers, competitors, and anyone wearing our color. Upper Schoolers bonded with Lower School buddies, and while we may have only spent an hour together, we know we will always remember our buddies and they will remember us. While the “Purple vs. Gold” rivalry caused good-natured contention, at the end of the day, everyone joined back together to peruse the Falcon Green, having fun and playing games such as Bingo. Field Day is one of the few days where the entire school, not just the Upper, Middle, or Lower School, joins together in celebration of each other. This interbonding across grades reminds us of the community that we have, which is so important. “I loved hanging out with my second-grade buddy,” sophomore Pierce Markowitz said. “I took him from his class over to Segal Field for his race — it was a lot of fun to talk to him and see him excited.” Overall, a valuable lesson can be learned from Field Day. In the midst of our busy lives, taking time to celebrate things like community — whether at school, with friends and family, or in other manners — is vital. I look forward to next year where I can enjoy all of these things and, of course, watch the Purple team win again.
Performers carry balloons representing team gold and team purple. In a friendly community-wide competition, team purple dominated Field Day games. Photos by Kimetris Baltrip
21///Opinion
TECHNOLOGY
Mobile games create ways to collaborate with friends By Harrison Larence, staff writer Designed by Cooper Buck, photo editor
You walk into the library during the lunch period and you see 20 kids all sitting on their phones, intensely focused. They appear to be doing something together, and they are. They are playing a mobile game together. Not only are these games a fun way to kill time, but they also bring groups of people together. With that being said, what games are popular? How do these games work? What is the appeal to them? ] Staff Writer Harrison Lawrence took on the task of finding out.
Audrey Lobb and Preston Herleth playing games on their mobile phones between classes. Photo Illustration by Cooper Buck, photo editor
22///Technology
Players enjoy popular ‘conversation starter’ The game Wordle took off in popularity with among students in the school. For those who do not know, Wordle is a game that “The New York Times” bought Jan. 31 for over a million dollars. There is a five-letter word that changes every day; players have the same word. Players guess five-letter words as they try to guess the word of the day. Each letter of their guessed word will light up either yellow (if the letter is in the word of the day but not in the right place) or green (if the letter is in the word of the day and in the right spot). A gray letter indicates that the letter is not in the word. Buzz about Wordle and
the word of the day can be heard far and wide. One of the people at Kinkaid who plays Wordle is statistics teacher Ms. Carolyn Clancy. She said her favorite part of Wordle is “talking about it with people after they play.”
Wordle can bring students together and create conversation. “It is a conversation starter,” Clancy said. George Kunetka mentioned how excited he was that he figured out a puzzle in three guesses.
Sides clash in fun battle Other games that can bring people together are Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. They were both created and by the same company, Supercell. Clash of Clans is a game where players have a town,
build ways to defend it and train armies to raid other people’s bases. Clash Royale is a more active version of Clash of Clans in that it is head to head attacking, where both sides have towers that they must defend. The reason these games
are able to bring people together are because of the clan features in both games. Players can create clans and invite your friends to join them so that they are able to team up with each other and play together. “When I was younger my friends and I all had a clan,” said junior Bennett Jones. “We would fight battles together and collaborate to give each other resources. We used its chat room to communicate
with each other when we were not together in person.” Similarly Clash Royale also allows players to team up with their friends. “Clash Royale promotes social interaction by allowing you to play against or team up with your friends. The most fun part, though, is that I get to absolutely dominate my friends,” senior Connor Doan said.
23///Techonology
Arts
Thinking Outside the Pot By Mia Price, assistant features editor and Abby Johnson, staff writer
After hours of sculpting, crafting and creating, students who dedicate their time to going above and beyond class expectations in the ceramics program are now able to be rewarded for their extra effort. Starting in the 2020-21 school year, the most gifted and driven arts students can be commended for their creativity by earning an honors credit. The nine students in the program must produce three extra pieces, enter three competitions and host their own exhibits, totaling 20 hours of work outside of class. However, since the students in the program are so dedicated, they enjoy spending their free time in the studio. “I already was putting in a lot of work and extra hours, so when I heard about the honors ceramics program I knew I wanted to do it because I wanted to get credit for my efforts,” junior Helen Wexler said. Wexler has logged 50-60 hours in the studio each semester, far exceeding the honors requirement. Most students exceed the requirement though given the timeconsuming nature of ceramics. “The clay will inevitably harden, so working on one project for weeks at a time is not an option,” Evelyn Mach, sophomore, said. “Once you start a project, you are dedicating possibly all of your free time that week to get it ready for the kiln before it dries.” The students’ time and hard work pay off, though, as they produce creative and unique pieces that show off their skills. “Their projects are very ambitious and have excellent craftsmanship,” Ms. Luiza Grandchamp, ceramics teacher, said. “I see students exploring different areas because they develop their own thesis.” For example, last year, junior Sana Ghauri was inspired by nature and some of her pieces included vases inspired by the ocean and bowls inspired by flowers.
24///Arts
“I wanted to go past that this year because I wanted more on my building techniques, so I decided that textures, shapes, and overall form would be my theme this year,” Ghauri said. “I’m more focused on abstract pieces right now.” Ghauri’s favorite piece that she has made this year is a lantern about the Favelas in Brazil. She hand-built it for an honors project based on architecture.
Junior Claire Wexler works on her vase in class. Photo by Abby Johnson
“I decided to do the Favelas because they are architecture that isn’t often talked about,” Ghauri said. The students’ love of exploration cultivates a more innovative classroom experience. “My passion for ceramics is even stronger when I am working with the students who share the same passion,” Ms. Grandchamp said. Through this nurturing and creative environment, the honors students have developed a desire to continue their practice with ceramics.
Ceramics keeps standout busy “I do think I will continue ceramics after high school,” Mach said. “It’s my favorite class and because it’s so calming, it doesn’t feel like work. It’s relaxing and expressive, and I feel so lucky to have access to the facilities that are available at Kinkaid.”
Junior Sana Ghauri’s lantern inspired by the Favelas. Photo courtesy of Sana Ghauri
In addition to the ceramics skills that the students have gained at Kinkaid, they have learned important life lessons and values that will help them succeed both in and out of the studio. “Sometimes things explode inside the kiln and they have to start over,” Grandchamp said. “They have to be resilient. Not everything is successful.” With the current success of the honors ceramics program, Ms. Grandchamp is optimistic that the program will continue to grow and improve. “My vision is that I will get more students wanting to develop their craft in ceramics,” Grandchamp said. “Ceramics is used in engineering, so I would like to involve that in my class and use more technology.” Senior Carolyn Bivins’ flower teapot that she created for her independent study during Interim Term. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Bivins
Bivins helps junior Elena Loya with her technique on her flower pot piece.
Senior Carolyn Bivins has always had a love for ceramics. Before ever stepping into ceramics teacher Ms. Luiza Grandchamp’s studio, Bivins knew at a young age that this was something she wanted to spend her time doing. “When I was 10, my mom got me a pottery lesson for my birthday in some random guy’s garage,” Bivins said. “He taught me how to throw on the wheel, and I thought, ‘Wow, that was fun. I really want to do that more.’” Though she’s always had a passion for working and sculpting with clay, Bivins explained that ceramics is no easy hobby. “What you have to understand is that nothing about ceramics is intuitive,” Bivins said. “So when you start out everyone is terrible; you have to practice.” After years of practice and growth, once Bivins got to high school, she only wanted to spend more time at the wheel. “I probably spend more time in the ceramics room than I do at my own home,” Bivins said. “But I love it. Over quarantine, I got a wheel for my house, and that’s all I did.” As Bivins got older, her dedication and skill became obvious to the class. Bivins explained that she often serves as a “second teacher” for her class. Whenever Mrs. Grandchamp is out, the other students come to Bivins with their questions. Ceramics is an integral part of Bivins’ life that she is not ready to give up. “I seriously don’t think I could live without ceramics,” Bivins said. “It keeps me sane.” Bivins plans on minoring in ceramics at the University of Colorado Boulder next year.
Photo by Mia Price
25///Arts
Arts
Looking Back Students reflect on the art projects they’ve done in their four years of high school through the Senioritis exhibit Story and page design by Madison Burba
Patrick Solcher’s mixed media self portrait. All photos by Madison Burba
C
ollages, paintings, handmade ball gowns and ceramic mugs lined the Student Life Building’s hallway, each representative of the talented and creative seniors. Whether these projects reflected moving forward onto the next phase in life, remaining connected to one’s childhood while getting older, or an artist’s triumph in the face of a challenge, all encapsulate the spirit of the Kinkaid senior class’ creativity, hopes and dreams for the future. “Senioritis” is a culmination of the various projects seniors have been working on throughout their four years of art classes. The event showcases a variety of unique exhibits from graphic design, AP studio art, Advanced portfolio development, ceramics and more. “As I walk around to see the work of my fellow artists, I am struck by
26///Arts
the level of personality present in their sections,” said senior Patrick Solcher. This is especially true for senior Mallory Sikes. For her display, Sikes blended each of her projects from graphic design over the years into one cohesive piece that represented her innate creativity. Sikes even made her project interactive by adding stickers for people to take and a Spotify link. She said she decided to do this because she felt interactive exhibits allowed the viewer to be part of the piece rather than just a passive observer. Sikes also went above and beyond for her project by making one of her graphic designs of a cereal box into a 3D model. “The cereal box I made was the most challenging part,” Sikes said. “Earlier this year in graphic design, we had a cereal box design project but never actually made the cereal box. I decided for my exhibit it could be a cool idea to make the box I designed physically.” Sikes even put cereal inside to make it as realistic as possible. She credits Mr. Anthony Suber, graphic design teacher, for helping her refine her craft with his welltrained eye for design. Solcher also participated in the event and presented several paintings, ink drawings and collages in his exhibit. “The sources of inspiration for each piece are different,” Solcher said. “Some are from vacations, some are from my AP art portfolio exploring childhood and some are just random or for various projects.” Out of the 10 pieces in his exhibit, Solcher said his favorite was the self-portrait collage he created this year.
Solcher said his goal was to create something he could be proud of that reflected the end of his four years at Kinkaid. To do this, he made a collage that explored the concepts of coming of age and leaving one’s childhood behind to face the adult world. He reflected on the six months he spent creating this piece. “The tangible nature of watercolor collage, in pouring over each detail to manifest it in tedious paper cutting and gluing, is my way of never forgetting,” he said. For senior Sofia Liu, a lifelong artist, participating in Senioritis seemed like a logical step. Like Solcher, Liu drew her inspiration from the idea of capturing the magic of childhood through daydreaming in her paintings. Liu also said her exhibit reflected her future aspirations and her dream to pursue art in college through her sculpture, “Surface Noise.” While making “Surface Noise,” Liu decided to take a step away from her usual method of painting to try something new as she prepared to take a step into her new future. “The ‘Surface Noise’ sculpture is my favorite piece in the exhibit because I don’t normally work with laser-cut pieces and it was interesting to combine the class I’m taking with art,” Liu said when asked about the piece inspired by her economics class. “I think it’s fun to look back on the work you’ve created and look at other people’s progression throughout the
Sophia Liu’s painting reflecting on the magic of childhood.
years,” Liu said. Senior Mary Blake Williams agreed. “Growing up looking at the show each year, it’s crazy that my work is now being displayed, but it is also our thank you to Kinkaid Arts for all of the help, time, and effort that they dedicate to all of their students,” Williams said. Williams went all out for her project and hand-made a ball gown from fabric given to her by science teacher Dr. Adam Capitano from a dinner party he attended. Williams said her creative process usually begins after assessing the materials she had on hand and then seeing what sparks her interest. She used the striking red fabric to create a ballgown inspired by celestial objects and her religion. The project required days of hands-on attention. Williams stayed up sewing the dress until 4 a.m. so she could paint it at school. Williams said the countless hours of time and effort were worth it. “Senioritis has always been the big and final goodbye for seniors that I got to see growing up,” Williams said. “I have been at Kinkaid since my kindergarten year and have visited the exhibition every year, so I knew that if I got the chance to help plan the event and be a part of it I wouldn’t miss that opportunity.”
A close up of Mallory Sikes’ graphic design piece for her Senioritis collage.
A dress, handmade by Mary Blake Williams A collage of Mallory Sikes graphic design projects through the years
27///Arts
Sports
Planning for the Future
How social media have shaped sports recruiting By Will Anderson, staff writer George Kinder, sports editor In today’s world, social media is used for everything. Over 82% of the U.S. population has some sort of social media, and it has turned into a way of communication that people rely on, allowing others to access what they may not have previously known. While social media usage may be concerning to many, it is helping athletes reach out to coaches and show off their many abilities and talents. Players make accounts on platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, posting their respective statistics and features that college coaches look for. For example, a baseball player may list his class, height, weight, batting average, throwing speed, 60-yard dash time,
28///Sports
position, and ranking (if ranked). Players also could post highlights for every few games and then make a large highlight reel at the end of the season. While emailing and writing letters to coaches is still used, players are now are resorting to direct messaging coaches on Instagram and Twitter, tagging them in posts. An athlete who relies on social media, Twitter in particular, for their recruitment is freshman Cooper Chambers, who plays third base in baseball and quarterback in football. “Twitter is very easy to use for those who aren’t great with technology and it is a great way to reach out to coaches and send and tweet their highlights. You can also tag coaches in tweets,
alerting them of your tweet,” Chambers said. Through Twitter, Chambers has been able to reach out to coaches and colleges, and even learn about new colleges he had never heard of before. Twitter has opened up a whole new experience and way of learning for Chambers as well. “Although I am still young, I have learned about ways and tactics of recruiting through watching others go about the process and watching them reach out to coaches,” Chambers said. Eian Lowe, a freshman basketball player, is looking to play college basketball. He resorts to Instagram to reach out to coaches, post highlights, and message coaches about his recruitment.
Eian recommends Instagram to new recruits looking for a way to reach out to coaches and highlight their performances. “Many people, players, and coaches see a lot that happens on this app, and your highlights can reach anyone through this form of social media,” Lowe said. Not only do players reach out to coaches through social media, but colleges also reach out to players, messaging them how they feel about their highlights, scheduling meetups and visits, and offering players. Social media have opened up whole new experiences and ideas to athletes, and they have turned into many athletes’ main sources for reaching coaches.
Photo by David Shutts
Freshman Eian Lowe drives to the basket.
Photo by David Shutts
Freshman Cooper Chambers throws a runner out.
29///Sports
Sports
Senior Athletic Commits Celebrating some of the school’s best
Allyn Stephens
Every day, students are surrounded by exceptional student athletes who compete in a wide array of sports. This year, the class of 2022 has 18 student athletes who have committed to playing their respective sport at the next level. From the pool to the courts to the fields, all 18 of these athletes have performed to earn a spot on a collegiate roster.
“I’ve been playing since around 8 years. I am most looking forward to just taking the next step towards my goal of playing professional golf and being around a team.”
Texas A&M University
By Richie Klosek and Preston Herleth, staff writers
Alex Lassoued
Ellington Whitaker Kennedi Poullard “I have been playing for 12 years. Looking forward to getting a new set of coaches.”
Columbia University
“I have been playing for about 10 years. I am looking forward to competing at a new level of competition and experiencing a different game atmosphere.”
Baylor University
Carter Kelsey “I have been playing baseball since I was 3. I am excited for competing against harder competition”
Washington University in St. Louis
Kolby Davis
University of Chicago
“I have been playing basketball for 6 years. I am most looking forward to using basketball as a break from the academic rigor as well as making new friends.”
Vassar College
Rashaad James
Connor Doan
“I’ve been playing since I was 4. I’m most looking forward to the nonstop grind.”
“I started when I was 5. I am excited to play against better competition.”
Blinn College
Babson College
30///Sports
“I started in eighth grade so 5 years. I am looking forward to dominate the next level.”
Kevriana Scott “I have been running Cross Country and Track & Field for 9 years now. I am most looking forward to being on a high spirited team at the collegiate level as well as being around a bunch of people that enjoy and are dedicated to the sport all around.”
Oklahoma State University
Braedon Arkless
Cameron Henry
Emmy Stubbs “I started playing 7 years ago. I look forward to getting to play at the next level and playing with my new teammates.”
“I’ve been playing my sport for 12 years up to this point. I look forward to playing in front of thousands of people every Saturday and having the ability to improve my skills on the football field.”
Northeastern University
Dillon Bell “I have been playing lacrosse since 3rd grade, so around 10 years. I am looking forward to a new level of competition and being able to compete at the highest level.”
St. Joseph’s University
“I have been playing my sport since age 5. I am looking forward to getting the best coaching to help me get into the NFL, playing in front of almost 100k fans on Saturdays, and showing the world my talents God gave me.”
Patricia Lynn “I have been playing for 10 years, and I look forward to the new memories and being able to continue the sport.”
University of Georgia
Odin Hicks Odin has commited to wrestle at Sacred Heart University.
Sacred Heart University
Avery Thompson “I was introduced to the game at 7 years old and started competing shortly after. I look forward to competing in college athletics, and meeting teammates who share the same golf experiences I have.”
William and Mary University
Harvard University
Karen Li “I’ve been swimming for 15 years. I’m most looking forward to training and competing with my new team.”
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Butler University
Aphrodite Papandreou “I have been riding since I was 5, so 13 years. I am looking forward to being part of a team when playing at the next level. Typically, riding is not a team sport, but in college, they make it one, so I am very excited.”
University of Georgia
31///Sports
This
OR
By Richie Klosek, Harrison Lawrence, and Preston Herleth staff writers
Hot Dog Subway
That Burger Jersey Mikes
The Falcon’s mission is to be an accurate and reliable source of information for the Kinkaid School community by informing readers about school-related topics.. Questions or comments? We welcome readers’ feedback. Please email student.publications@kinkaid.org or call (713) 2436591 or use the form at thefalcon.kinkaid.org. Letters can be sent to: The Kinkaid School, 201 Kinkaid School Dr., Houston, TX 77024 Please direct advertising inquires to nicole. fernandez@kinkaid.org. The opinions expressed in The Falcon belong solely to the writer and are not a reflection or representation of the opinions of the school. JAISAL KALAPATAPU Editor-in-Chief
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STAFF WRITERS Will Anderson Matthew Berman Madison Burba Cooke Davis Shaan Dhutia Camille Dunn Preston Herleth Ethan Jett Abby Johnson Richie Klosek Parker Kubitza Harrison Lawrence Jacqueline Landrith David Liu Read Liuzzi Ellie Mehta Ford Montgomery Carter Pitts Rina Miriam Presley Kaveen Shah Ana Susman Morgan Suman Josh Sweetland
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