The Kinkaid Falcon - Issue 3, Vol. 70

News

Arts & Culture

Features

Forum

Entertainment

Sports

A GPA scale that favors students is critical for the college application process, but our current system is loaded with flaws and confuses admissions officers.

P2. Election Night at KHS

P4. Local Houston Artists

P8. Shake Shack Houston

P14. The fault in our GPA scale

P16. Best places to study

THE KINKAID FALCON

P19. Winter Sports Preview

Dec. 2, 2016 Volume 70, Issue 3

The Kinkaid School | 201 Kinkaid School Drive, Houston, TX 77024 | student.publications@kinkaid.org | http://thefalcon.kinkaid.org |

News .......................................2 Arts & Culture ....................4 Features ................................6 Forum....................................12 Entertainment .................16 Sports ..................................18

@thekinkaidfalcon

Socs Zavitsanos interviews Sryan refugees in a camp in Greece for his documentary. Socs and his brother, Dz, plan to submit their work to a film festival in early 2017. The brothers hope that they can show to Americans that the refugees are different from the media portrayals and stereotypes. Photo by Dz Zavitsanos.

Zavitsanos brothers seek to humanize refugee crisis

After visiting a refugee camp in Greece, the Kinkaid Juniors are working to produce a documentary and share the stories of these refugees with their local community

BY LACI KRÁNITZ

While local media attention has shifted off of the refugee crisis in Europe, the problem has not gone away.

Two Kinkaid students are utilizing their filmmaking

Debate Update

1st

Seniors Sam Richey and Sabrina Bajwa placed first in policy at the Taylor High School tournament

3rd

First year debater Shreya Mehta (9) placed third out of over fifty students

5th

Sam Richey received fifth overall speaker out of 340 people at the Glenbrooks tournament in Chicago

skills to shed light on the human side of the refugee situation in Europe through a documentary video of their experiences at a refugee camp in Greece last summer.

The unending wars and

terrorism in the Middle East, and the extreme poverty in Africa are the primary reasons why an estimated one million people have journeyed to Europe in hopes of finding a better future. Many hope

to reach welcoming countries like France and Germany, but those two nations can only accept so many people.

With some of these European countries closing their borders to refugees, the

situation within Greece has become especially challenging, as Greece has been the most popular gateway to Europe for refugees fleeing the Middle East and North Africa.

Continued on Page 13

Open gradebook pilot to roll out in spring semester

BY KIRK HACHIGIAN On Friday, Dec. 2, Head of Upper School principal Peter Behr unveiled plans for an open gradebook pilot starting the 2017 spring semester of this school year for ninth and tenth grade level courses. What this means is that students and their parents will be able to see grades the moment they are made available in the grade book.

Initially, the pilot will be for ninth and tenth grade level classes in English, mathematics, history and social studies, science, and

world language, although it may be expanded to include fine arts in the future. The pilot is starting with only the ninth and tenth grade levels to evaluate the results and see if any changes are needed. Eleventh and twelfth grade students could not be included in the pilot even if teachers wanted to participate, as “not all classes being open could cause a greater disparity in sections of the same course taught by different teachers,” Mr. Behr wrote in an email to faculty ahead of the official announcement.

Continued on Page 2

The girls cross country team gathers to hoist up the 2016 SPC Championship trophy after narrowly defeating the runner-up Greenhill School Hornets.

It takes a team: 2016 SPC Champs

BY FARAZ VIRANI “You have logged over 515 miles! (And that does NOT include summer mileage) – included in those miles were repeat miles, intervals including 1200’s, 1,000’s, 800’s, 600’s 400’s, up-tempo runs, hills, pace golf, 200’s – you get the idea! PLUS,

325 Strides Sprinted, core exercises, 88 kettlebells lifted, 92 weight bags squatted, 120 medicine balls twisted, and 84 ropes whipped!” Girls cross country Coach Cheryl Mitchell sent this message to the team prior to their SPC championship meet.

Continued on Page 18

NEWS

2 / The Kinkaid Falcon

NEWS IN BRIEF

900.2: Subject

Open gradebook pilot to roll out in spring semester

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Mr. Smith

Thu - Dec 01

Tues - Nov 28

Wed - Nov 14

Tues - Nov 13

Mon - Oct 24

Thu - Oct 18

Tues - Oct 10

Mon - Sept 21

Wed - Sept 17

Tues - Sept 09

Wed - Aug 23

BY KIRK HACHIGIAN The open gradebook will be available utilizing the Veracross Gradebook, and it allows for a smoother transition between grades and report cards and helps teachers to avoid reentering each grade in a different program.

Although Haiku outperforms Veracross as a teaching device, the Haiku Gradebook cannot link to Veracross, so it will not be used. Haiku will still be employed as it provides a more accessible and interactive platform for content delivery.

For some subjects, including math and world language, determining which classes will be open is going to be more difficult as many math and world language classes are mixed between grade levels.

Data

Above: A simulated mock-up of what the Veracross gradebook screen looks like.

While the open gradebook policy does increase access to students’ grades by parents or guardians, Mr. Behr stressed that parents should first ask their child to speak with teachers before reaching out, in order to “help students take ownership of the educational process.”

Additionally, access to “live” grades does not mean that assignments will be necessarily be graded faster.

“Our teachers take grading seriously and must balance the demands of preparing for class, grading assignments, and their own family time. As a result, our rule of thumb is a two-week window to complete the grading of assignments. Though some teachers and particular assignments will be graded at a greater or lesser frequency than that, the Upper School faculty believes that

this time frame will allow them to continue their high quality analysis and feedback of student work,” Mr. Behr explained.

Mr. Behr will be working closely with Head of Middle School Chelsea Collins, since the Middle School has also recently adopted the open gradebook. The switch to an entirely open gradebook for the Upper School is not definite, but faculty will meet

later in the semester to decide the gradebook plans for the 2017-18 school year.

This transition to “live” grades is expected to add more transparency and accountability into the grading process for students and their families.

The pilot is set to start the Spring Semester of 2017 for ninth and tenth grade level classes.

17 paddles

637 days

947 cups

1,048

are used in rotation by seniors that play ping-pong in the Student Center

between basketball games for Kirby Cravens due to a broken collarbone in the 2015 football season, which sidelined him for the 2015-16 basketball season

of caramel macchiato sold in the Dining Center’s coffee shop since the beginning of the school year

college applications submitted by the Class of 2016 as of Tuesday, November 29

As of 11/29/2016

Overheard in Assembly

Can all the senior girls stand up? ... If this school is a representation of South Sudan, only these senior girls would be able to read.

Skylar Steele (12), speaking at the Wednesday, Nov. 30 assembly.

Steele appeared before the Upper School student body to talk about the Amnesty International Club’s upcoming efforts to raise money for the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, which is trying to improve a school for girls in the war-torn region. There are 71 girls in the senior class, and 597 students in the Upper School.

The Roundup Creative Writing students delivery an evening of poetry in the Commons The fall Creative Writing reading, “A Night of Poetry,” took place at 7pm in the Commons on Monday, Nov 14. Nineteen students read a variety of poetry, including sonnets, villanelles, and odes, that ranged from humorous to sober. Here are excerpts from three students who shared their work at the reading.

Accolades

ATSSB honors band

Senior receives semi-finalist honor for research paper

On Saturday, Nov. 12, Kinkaid hosted a clinic and a performance by All-Region Band composed of students from all schools participating in the ATSSB Region 23/27 auditions who won chairs in the various instruments.

Seb Seager (10) was ranked 1st chair on flute; Jason Yang (12) received 2nd chair on oboe; TX Harris (11) 2nd chair bass clarinet; and Rorye Jones (10) placed 8th chair clarinet. Christine Kendrick (12) also placed high in the competitive flute section.

These students will advance to the ATSSB Area auditions in Waco, early 2017.

Vivian Liu (12) is a semi-finalist at the 2016 Siemens Competition; Math:Science:Technology.

Liu worked with Gina Chen, a senior at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, and Kyle Wang, a junior at Westlake High School in Austin, under the direction of Dr. Lucas Rusnak from Texas State University. The title of their submission was “A Generalization of Structural Degree of Imbalance and Complexity in Oriented Hypergraph.”

Lara Lin It’s a ferocious fire that traces / Itself down my throat / Running through my lungs / Breathing out: red ashes and roaring pain.

Left to right: Mr. Vogel, Jason Yang (12), Seb Seager (10), Rorye Jones (10), and TX Harris (11). Photo courtesy of Mr. Rawdon Seager.

Natalia González-Blanco Moving 40 miles per hour, / but not really going anywhere. / A flash of light seeps through / the crack at each platform’s passing, / making me wonder if it was ever really there.

Lara Lin (10), read from her Halloween poem, “Crimson Remains.” Her final stanza: “It’s impossible to stop now / Each morsel a brittle need. / The merciless torment of the / Flamin’ Hot Cheeto.”

Natalia González-Blanco (11), read her epiphany poem, “59th to W 4th street.”

Mitali Sharma

Come quick, she’s slipping / Her virtue, her worth, / is vanishing before our eyes. / Soon she’ll cease to exist.

Mitali Sharma (12), read from her five-stanza poem, “Can You Blame Us?” The poem is inspired by Roberto Fernández Ibáñez’s photograph, “El bretel,” translated as “The Strap.”

NEWS

Dec, 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

The Kinkaid Falcon / 3

Snapshots around School 1 On Oct. 29, eight students participated in the Social Motion Skills LASER TAG, a community service event organized by seniors Sarah Bass and Louise McCartney. “Each student left the project with a better understanding of autism and how to interact with these teens,” Mitali Sharma said.

1

2

2 Seniors Rob Lahourcade, Austin Karkowsky, Rahul Popat, and Will McLeroy treat the student body to Electric Lunch on Nov. 2 as part of the fall SPC send-off.

3

4

3 Colin Conway (12) peruses the faculty favorites—books recommended by teachers—at the annual Book Fair, which took place Nov. 7-8. Community authors this year included Sofia Bajwa (9) with a collection of various short stories: I Write: Stories by Kids. Visiting authors included Johnny Carrabba, who authored a cookbook.

5

4 Dr. Ed Harris’ AP US Government class spent a long night in the Student Center, watching the presidential election.

Students kept a running tally on their state by state predictions.

5

6

Sculpture teacher Mr. Anthony Suber visited the Student Center for the Senior/Faculty Breakfast on Nov. 10. “This is a good group of seniors, and I will miss them when they’re gone,” Mr. Suber said.

6 The Upper School Band perform their annual fall concert on Nov. 13. The band played selections including “Regenesis”, the Star Wars theme, and “Shadows Unleashed.”

Students feel real winter in Princeton Model UN Conference

BY ARMAN BADREI From Nov. 24-27, Kinkaid students flew to East Brunswick, New Jersey to represent Kinkaid at the Princeton Model UN Conference. Students from all grade levels took part in a debate-style extracurricular wherein high schoolers from around the country and even from other continents discuss and argue global issues while at the same time maintaining the stance of their assigned country. When they weren’t in committee session, Kinkaid students participated in a Princeton university tour, learning about the courses offered, the history of the campus, and the superstitions and traditions followed.

Inside each ballroom of the Hilton Hotel, representatives of Kinkaid pretended to be

Corrections.

members of real sub-groups of the United Nations: the United Nations Development Programme, the Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee, and the High Commissioner for Refugees.

When they were not proving points and winning arguments, students could be found hanging out in the lobby, waiting for their pizza deliveries, or on Saturday night, at the world famous Delegate Dance. As a way to meet and mingle with members from other schools, each delegate of the conference is encouraged to come and dance the night away. Alya Abbassian (11) even went on to say “the best part was getting to go to the Delegate Dance because all the delegates get really excited and hype.”

Students sit patiently and attentively as they prepare to hear a guest speaker during the Opening Ceremony. Photo

by Mrs. Angela Wainwright. For more photos from the MUN trip, visit the http://thefalcon.kinkaid.org for a slideshow.

Although, not everyone thought of the occasion so highly. Anna Thomas (11) claimed “the delegate dance was the opposite of lit.” All things considered, the Dance

was a great release from the at time tedious hours in conference.

At the conference’s end, the group then headed back to Houston, but not without

accolades. Noah Pintar (12) won an Honorable Mention and Zubair Mukhi (12) earned a Verbal Commendation.

The Falcon welcomes comments and suggestions. We seek to publish corrections and clarifications in the subsequent issue. Please email any corrections to our Assistant Editor, Arman Badrei, at arman.badrei@kinkaid.org. Corrections in Issue 2, published Oct. 28, 2016: In the article “Children’s Theatre prepares” on P4, it was incorrectly reported that one of the Tweedles photographed was Jake Hammer, instead of William Ison. In the Pop Culture Chart on P15, Hillary Clinton’s name was misspelled. In the article “Kinkaid looks to win“ on P17, Malcolm Hedgepeth’s name was misspelled. In the article “Overheard in assembly“ on P2, Taqi Hasnain’s name was misspelled. In the Illustrated Interview on P15, Jae LaDee’s answers were misplaced: He is afraid of snakes, his favorite movie is “Ratatouille,” and in 10 years, he sees himself playing basketball.

ARTS & CULTURE

4 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Independent ice cream shops are frosty

Despite popularity of chain brands, these three local shops offer delicious originality

68.2% prefer Marble Slab

BY EMMA CARR

Sure, Texans may not get to enjoy the red and orange leaves falling from trees, wearing jackets during November, or snow days where there is actual snow. But there is one thing that we get to enjoy yearround that people in the north completely forget about during the winter– ice cream! Due to our long summers, Houston is home to ice cream, yogurt, and popsicle stores galore. While the big name brands are a consistent favorite for people of all ages, we shouldn’t forget the local, hip ice cream stores that are increasingly inventive in offering something new to usual suspects.

Fat Cat Creamery, Amorino, and Creamistry are three ice cream and gelato places to hit the local food scene. While, according to a survey, students overwhelmingly prefer Marble Slab, Baskin Robbins, and Ben and Jerry’s, these three places just might contend with their lifelong favorites. All three places offer a wide variety of flavors and experiences for anyone looking to satisfy his or her sweet tooth.

Students’ Top 3 Favorite Flavors

Located in the Heights, Fat Cat Creamery is known for their unique and exciting flavors, such as Waterloo strawberry buttermilk, Amaya coffee and cream, and vegan favorite, Chai Tea Coconut. While the outside seems to blends in with the rest of the strip mall, the inside transports you into a trendy, cafe-like setting. Little touches such as the chalkboard menu, cat mural, and bar seating provide for a comfortable and inviting experience for ice cream lovers of all ages.

Made-from-scratch toppings, such as hot fudge, salted almond brittle, and meringue kisses, allow customers to customize each treat. From the fun atmosphere to the delicious ice cream, Fat Cat Creamery immediately became one of my favorite ice cream places to go to and to recommend to fellow Houstonians.

Creamistry, known for their inventive ice cream experience, is quickly becoming a favorite city-wide. After selecting a flavor, the cream is poured into a mixer and topped with liquid nitrogen to quickly freeze the cream, allowing customers to peer through the cloud of smoke and watch their ice cream about to be made right before their eyes. With an abundance of flavors, such as Fruity Pebbles, matcha green tea, or birthday cake, everyone is able to find a favorite flavor to enjoy. Although Creamistry offers a fun experience, the quality of the actual ice cream was not my favorite, as it had a strange texture. This could have been due to the process of making the ice cream so quickly. However, Creamistry is sure to be a fun addition to any food blog, Instagram feed, or Snapchat story.

Amorino is located in the newly developed River Oaks District, known for their high end stores and restaurants.

One thing that draws people into this is the unique flower-shaped gelato cones– a dream for food bloggers and photographers. Upon first glance, the store appears to be a coffee shop until you see the hazy glass covering the numerous gelato flavors at the front of the store. Amorino offers a wide range of flavors such as dulce de leche, lime basil, pistachio, or a twist on a classic favorite, vanilla bourbon. Although the gelato is delicious and makes for a great photo op, the price is very high for the amount that you get. Although I really enjoyed Amorino, it will definitely not become one of my new go-to ice cream places, but rather a place for special occasions.

38.8% prefer Baskin Robbins

32.2% prefer Ben and Jerry’s

Netflix originals compete with traditional networks Having already conquered the streaming world, Netflix moves to create its own fantastic content

BY ARMAN BADREI We all know the dreaded show hole: After finishing a fantastic show, you lose a small piece of your soul and your mind. With so much new time on your hands, you feel a little empty inside. You contemplate the emotional impact of that show on your life. You contemplate life itself. You desperately try to find another show to fill that void for you. But nothing works. How can this suffering be alleviated?

To stop you from desperately sifting through shows to watch, I’ve created a list of my favorite Netflix Original shows.

But a word to the wise: Don’t start these shows until finals have ended so you don’t accidentally lose your entire day to the latest season of Narcos and end up regretting your choices.

Narcos Centered on the merciless and extremely wealthy drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, “Narcosâ€? follows DEA agents Steve Murphy and Javier PeĂąa as they battle frustrations and obstacles in an attempt to capture the ever-elusive Escobar. The show also weaves in actual news footage and events into a partially embellished, beautifully rendered story that sometimes makes you root for the bad guy. Wagner Moura (Escobar) delivers chilling performances each episode and perfectly executes memorable mannerisms and famous quotes of the real Escobar.

Ever since the very first scene in the pilot, when Escobar coldly delivers his most famous line “plata o plomo� (silver or lead), I have kept my eyes glued to the screen. A+

House of Cards With the recent election finally over, your emotions probably ran high with fright, doubt, and curiosity. Maybe you wondered about the true nature of politics: the backroom deals, the ulterior motives, the lobbying, the corruption. Well, House of Cards dramatizes one of the darkest, dirtiest games in America. Scarily brought to life by world-class actor Kevin Spacey, Frank Underwood begins as an aspirational Democratic Majority Whip in the House of Representatives.

The show, which can seem too lengthy and meandering, takes you through his political ascent as he crushes any and all who stand in his way. The show earns such high marks for it is an analysis on the current state of American politics, perhaps a dramatic exaggeration at times, and for that alone, it’s a must-watch. AMaster of None Aziz Ansari’s smart show combines the storyline of an aspiring actor in New York with messages about dealing with family and finding your passion in life. While at times the show veers towards dating and relationship problems more suited to a mature audience, younger viewers can still find relatable humor in Ansari’s character Dev, who seems very similar to Ansari himself. Personally, I enjoyed the episodes “Parents� and “Indians on TV� the most, as the first provided a comical look at the plight of immigrant parents, and the second offered a different perspective on how Hollywood often typecasts

people of color into certain stereotypical roles. The show is currently only one season of ten 30-minute episodes. Put it on your watchlist. A Last Chance U Last Chance U is like “Friday Night Lights� minus the feel-good, relatable characters.

The television documentary brilliantly follows its own breed of relatable characters—players from East Mississippi Community College. The athletes, all on paths for redemption and big school offers, train hard in the tiny town of Scooba and simultaneously earn sympathy and respect from viewers, including myself. The team, led by the demanding yet successful Coach Buddy Stephens, shows the true meaning of dedicating yourself to a passion, against all odds.

For example, one of the central characters, defensive lineman Ronald Ollie, pushes through

his difficult past filled with family tragedy and with his likeable, silly personality, has you rooting for him the whole way through. In this first season of six hour-long episodes, it’s obvious how much these guys want to be successful but the show goes beyond their efforts on the field. At the same time, it consistently follows the athlete’s academic struggles at EMCC and even delves into their personal lives and difficult origins. What I found most fascinating however was how the showrunners were able to take this 100% true narrative and turn it into such a captivating program. Don’t expect predictable Hollywood outcomes in this real, gritty show. B+ Stranger Things If you’re looking for a review that praises the brilliant young actors, the exquisite special effects, the remarkable storyline,

and the nostalgic rendering of the 80s, well, this might not be the place. I decided to watch “Stranger Things� a week after the HUGE amount of hype surrounding it. But after watching the credits of episode eight, I closed the Netflix page on my computer and carried on with my day. No show hole, no pondering about the show.

Nothing. It was like getting the craziest, most explosive firework ever designed, lighting it, setting it down, and then watching it shine for a second and jump a foot in the air.

Anticlimactic, to say the least.

Now I’m not saying it was a bad show. It did have good actors, especially considering their age; the effects and set design were pretty top-notch; the story was interesting, and the plot didn’t stagnate at any point. But for me, the show did not live up to the hype I’d read.

Watch it if you must, but don’t set high expectations. B/B-

ARTS & CULTURE

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

The Kinkaid Falcon / 5

Local hidden treasures

Three art locations where space does’t matter

BY EMMA STOUT

Left: The living room of Cherryhurst House displays a 3 dementional painting of motercycle parts between rooms. Top Right: The outside view of Sewall Hall sculpture courtyard opens up to Matchbox Gallery enterence. Bottom Right: Blaffer Art Museum displays an industrial outside with a concrete and glass entrence. Photos by Emma Stout

“[Artists] look for projects that can dialogue within the Houston community but that can also dialogue in relevant issues outside of Houston,” said Cherryhurst House curator Barbara Levine. When we think of typical art cities, we think New York, Venice, or London; however, as Houston grows, its art scene grows with it. For those interested in enjoying Houston’s rich community of local artists’ work, there are over 100 spaces sprawled across the city. The Cherryhurst House, the Matchbox Gallery, and the Blaffer Art Museum are curating edgy and creative projects in a variety of unconventional spaces, from entire houses to closets.

Cherryhurst House is one of the newer spaces that has developed, following the recent growth of art in Houston. This 1920s bungalow is not characterized as a gallery, but as the renovated, private home of Dallas McNamara. Being the oldest house on Cherryhurst St., it was slated to be torn down and rebuilt, but Ms. McNamara, a documentary

photographer, couldn’t bear the renovation plans; she bought the house, and started on her vision to convert the home into a work of art in 2012.

If you walk through Cherryhurst House, one’s focus is instantly directed towards the art, given the open floor plan and minimal furniture of the current exhibition. Billowing with trees and flowers in the front and back yard, the house’s intimate environment is more inviting than a typical gallery or museum.

Artists who approach the Cherryhurst House work with Mrs. McNamara, Ms. Levine, and co-curator Paige Ramey to find a project that is suited for the space. Ms. McNamara’s original goal for the Cherryhurst House was to “express her appreciation for the value of arts and culture in our lives by allowing for, creating space for, and supporting an artist,” Levine said.

Unlike typical galleries, the Cherryhurst House has an artist in residency program: the artist works with Cherryhurst House members to “[find] what

would be a good fit for Cherryhurst house, what would be an interesting addition to the Houston community,” Levine said. They look for projects that can dialogue in the Houston communities and also relate to issues outside of Houston.

Current artist in residence, Heather Johnson, travelled by motorcycle throughout the Americas. She used photography, watercolor, and embroidery to portray domestic art forms throughout her journey. The Cherryhurst House allows artists to come and use the space to their advantage, to learn and to develop their work in a unique space unlike typical galleries. Johnson, for example, was looking to write on the walls, using paint to portray motorcycle gears across walls.

“The house becomes their canvas,” said Levine. The exhibit can be viewed by appointment or during open hours, listed on their website: cherryhursthouse.com.

Similar to the intimate feel of the Cherryhurst House, Rice student-run Matchbox Gallery promotes new forms

of creative craft and ironically, outside the box thinking. The cozy gallery is 1600 ft3 with room for just one artist; artists must apply to have their art shown at the gallery. It is open by appointment and the given showtimes on their website: matchbox.rice.edu.

Although it may take some exploring to find, the gallery is situated on the edge of a lovely secluded courtyard, just a minutes walk from the James Turrell Skyscape and Rice Coffeehouse. Matchbox Gallery is located in room 258, after entering into the Sewall Hall Sculpture courtyard at Rice.

Often, you can find Rice art students sculpting outside in the red brick courtyard.

Matchbox Gallery exhibits art from local Houston artists and Rice students. It’s current exhibition, “Best of Zine Fest Houston,” features locally designed magazines and posters that were exhibited at Zine Fest Houston.

Unlike the informal, homey environments of the Cherryhurst House and Matchbox Gallery, the Blaffer Art

Monday through Wednesday Shellac.........................$30 Pedicure......................$30 Dipping powder..........$35

Museum evokes innovative thinking and provides a tabula rasa for the mind. As part of a public art program at the University of Houston, the Blaffer Art Museum was founded in 1966. Considering it has limited space with room for no more than two artists, the building has a contemporary and industrial outside with glass and concrete walls. The museum makes good use of the space by incorporating the building as part of the art.

Their current exhibitions include LA and New York artists, Analia Saban and Blake Rayne. Saban’s work uses monochromatic color schemes on a variety of mediums to portray her take on historic murder scenes. Similarly, Rayne uses a contemporary twist on multi media art and sculpture to represent his view on how art effects world issues.

Take a break from studying and go outside to explore new art; it is inspirational and opens your mind!

FEATURES

6 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Boutique v. Chain SoulCycle and Ryde compete to gain a loyal following in Houston

Photo and design by Ashley Pakzaban

BY ASHLEY PAKZABAN AND JULIA DAVIS The popularity of indoor cycling studios has undoubtedly spiked in the past few years.

This trend, emerging from LA’s cultish fitness scene, has branched out into America’s trend-setting hotspots–New York City, most of Southern California, Aspen, The Hamptons–and now Houston.

SoulCycle, the first to jump on this trendy cycling fad ten years ago in New York, continues to reign supreme in the cycling world, beating out competition in other smaller cycling studios. However, Houston-based cycling studio, Ryde, located in River Oaks Shopping Center, seems to be challenging Soul Cycle’s reign in Houston and stealing some of their potential customers.

Ryde’s more boutique approach

Soul Cycle Memorial is the 65th location.

to the cycling trend is appealing to many workout enthusiasts. Their improved amenities such as lavender scented towels, high-tech bike monitors, fantastic music, and a growing following may indicate that Ryde is beating SoulCycle at their own game.

Ryde came to Houston’s River Oaks Shopping Center in April 2015. On opening day, Ryde was the only “trendy” cycling studio in Houston.

Ryde’s very early and very late classes allow everyone to work a ride into their schedule. As a Ryde enthusiast, I love to start school days with a 5:30 a.m. cycling session.

Like SoulCycle, the entrance and the locker room are covered in shiny white plastic illuminated with natural and LED light. The blinding white atmosphere paired with blaring workout remixes, forces eyes and ears to wake up and prepare to “ryde” immediately upon arrival.

After selecting a locker to store a gym bag and tennis shoes, a cyclist enters the

bike room. The space starts off totally dark with music blaring and one neon-blue light radiating from a stage at the front of the room; this is where the instructor stands while he or she organizes a playlist and greets people as they walk in.

Newcomers may feel in-

Ryde is the only studio in Houston with monitors.

timidated while trying to find their assigned bike number in a totally dark room, but after a few classes it becomes a really exciting feeling to enter the bike room. Once all the riders have mounted and adjusted their bikes, the workout begins.

The 45-minute class begins and ends with high intensity workouts and taps into every major muscle group, with extra focus on the quads and biceps.

In addition to just using the bike itself, pushups and other upper body movements are incorporated to intensify the workout. Ashley Gooch, the co-founder of Ryde, invented a lot of these moves.

Ryde also always incorporates “tap back,” which means the rider is constantly sitting and pushing their body up from the bike seat to make the legs work harder. These movements are synced to the rhythm of the music, making it easier to execute. Near the end of the class, “Ryders” simultaneously lift weights while riding the bike.

Soul Cycle has ben open for 10 years.

“Ryders” can also track their progress throughout the workout by looking at how many calories they burn and the amount of resistance to the assigned bike. There is also a leaderboard for the class, which is all connected to an online account.

To end the workout, cool lavender scented towels are passed around the class during stretches. There are showers, towels, and toiletry products to use if customers are exercising before school or work. It is the perfect close to the hot, high-intensity workout.

On the other hand, SoulCycle shares many similarities with Ryde but doesn’t offer the same intense workout. SoulCycle keeps the rooms at very hot temperatures and pack the bikes uncomfortably close together. There aren’t any bike monitors, so customers can’t track calories burned after a SoulCycle session.

The physical appearance of both the Memorial and River Oaks SoulCycle locations closely resembles Ryde. The actual bike rooms are also very similar in appearance, except SoulCycle studios are smaller.

According to Nikki Storness, the manager of Memorial’s SoulCycle, the training process for instructors is unique to SoulCycle and by far the most rigorous training program compared to other studios.

Storness insists that through this training process,

SoulCycle can guarantee that “there is actually talent on the bike.”

Because SoulCycle instructors are randomly assigned to teach in Houston, SoulCycle is neither family-owned nor local, unlike Ryde which is. Ryde is also very integrated into the Houston community. They employ people from the University of Houston, and other local companies. Gooch admits that her Ryde employees “don’t need to work here”, but they enjoy coming in off the clock to pass out towels or to say hello to frequent customers.

Gooch also explains the very friendly relationship between

the employees and customers.

For example, Gooch always invites her classes to chat with her after class about anything, not just spinning.

Another way Ryde has built a relationship with their customers is their low prices, compared to other cycling studios. A class at Ryde is $24, or $30 for an unlimited amount of classes in a week, while SoulCycle is $30 a class or $145 for a week of 5 classes.

Ryde is certainly challenging SoulCycle’s dominance as the best cycling class in Houston!

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Rest in Peace, Vine

FEATURES

The Kinkaid Falcon / 7

A look back at the glory days of Vine

BY COLIN MONTEITH & EMMA GILLIAM Whether a singer, comedian, or sports player, people across the world have gained fame through six second videos on Vine. Since Jan. 2013, Vine has been a program where anyone can post six second videos. For a laugh, sports highlights, or current events, millions of people are drawn to this app. Almost four years later, Vine has announced that it will discontinue the mobile app, that, at its high point, boasted 200 million active users.

In June of 2012 Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusopov, and Colin Kroll launched Vine.

They wanted to make an app for sharing videos, but limited posts to six seconds and incorporated loops.

Four months later, Twitter bought the fledgling company for $30 million. The app became available for iPhone users in January 2013 and for Android six months later.

After only two months on the market for smartphone users, Vine became the most popular video-sharing app online. According to Medium Corporation, 40 million

users were registered online.

Looping videos were a feature that only Vine included, which attracted users as well as companies who looked to promote their products.

Many Kinkaid students jumped on that bandwagon.

Vine was great for experimenting. It was unique because its limitations forced people to be even more creative and experimental.

A lot of critics denounced Vine—just like they did when Twitter first launched—as a “fad” for a generation of millennials with decreasing attention spans.

Sophie Lipman (10) started using Vine in seventh grade to like and repost videos, but it wasn’t until ninth grade that she posted her own video. “Vine is just so iconic, so I’m sad that it’s leaving,” Lipman says. “So many of my friendships are surrounded by funny vines that [my friends and I] talk about all the time.”

On Oct. 27, 2016 Vine posted an announcement on the website Medium that it will no longer be available on mobile devices in the coming months. While the website will serve as an archive, no

new vines will be uploaded.

Many of the most popular viners phased away from Vine months ago.

Instagram added videos to their platform in 2013, so people could post both photos and videos. “Instagram is just so much easier because everything is in one place,” Gleith Cozby (10) said. The remaining creators are now seeking to establish themselves on other platforms such as Youtube and Facebook.

However, some popular creators remain loyal and continue to make content.

Comedian Chris Melberger discovered Vine three and a half years ago. It was 2 a.m. in his college apartment when he downloaded the app after seeing a tweet.

“The app encouraged people to post. [Vine] felt very film-like and was a great creative outlet,” Melberger said. He had previously filmed videos with friends on Youtube, but he decided to focus on his vines.

Even something as simple as someone forgetting their turn signal became an idea

for content.

Melberger said, “Seeing people laugh at my stupid jokes made me happy.” With frequent posts and original ideas, Melberger gained a large following. One of his first vines joked about taking free samples from Costco.

“It got hundreds of likes and I just kept on posting more

taught by Mr. Ryan Gillentine, or “Mr. G” as some students refer to him. In his classes, students put in hundreds of hours to create their films—even a short 5-minute film requires hours of preparation and work.

William Gage (12) described the film writing process: “The three phases of writing a film are preproduction, production, and post-production.”

Gage said, “In pre-production, everybody’s writing scripts, table read[ing] with the rest of class to try to figure out your dialogue, having someone else read your script, or you’re scheduling...

The production phase mostly takes place out of class. We get the gear and go out and

do the actual filming. Lastly, in the post-production everybody’s [just] in the classroom editing.”

Gage’s favorite phase is the post-production period.

“Really I like to edit as much as I can, as often as I can,” Gage said. “If I have a project that I’m editing, I’ll go during class, I’ll go during my free, I’ll go during lunch—I’ll go any spare moment I get.

I’ll be in the film room just messing around with sound and messing around with video. And that’s really how it is in class–everybody’s just tinkering around, and everybody’s watching everybody’s stuff and making suggestions and we’re all working on our pacing.”

Gage is one of many

fresh content.”

He thought, “if I stick with this, who knows what will happen.”

While many students dread Vine’s impending closing date, they look to Instagram and Facebook as a substitute.

Lights, Camera, Action!

A look into the process of filmmaking

BY HANA KELETA & ALI AMMONS As the director shoots the camera with his back hunched to get the perfect focus, on the other side of the camera are the actors playing their role as an ill patient in the hospital. Cole Vicknair (10) did everything he could to get the perfect location to film his current fall project called “Anger.”

“A mom at Kinkaid agreed to let me film at a 24-hour hospital, and she agreed to let her daughter be the sick sister in his film,’’ Vicknair said. The dedication that Vicknair took in creating his film is just one demonstration of how committed filmmakers are to their craft.

Filmmaking has undergone a new renaissance due to the availability of smart-

phone apps on the marketplace, which allow any amateur to experiment with becoming a videographer.

Alongside these apps, websites like YouTube and Vimeo allow creators to showcase their work. The advances in technology have helped film as a medium to thrive.

Kinkaid offers Narrative Filmmaking, Filmmaking I, Advanced Filmmaking,

Film is really important to young people because it is the number one type of consumed media that students at Kinkaid have.”

Stills from William Gage’s fall film, “Snaggletooth.” William Miner (11) as Quas, and Grace Manes (11) as Izzy.

Kinkaid students who have joined Filmmaking. The film program at Kinkaid started in 2000 and currently has 24 students enrolled, with six more students joining in the spring semester.

Mr. Gillentine previously taught at St. Mark’s School of Dallas, where he founded the school’s film class.

“Film is really important to young people because it is the number one type of consumed media that students at Kinkaid have,” Mr. Gillentine said.

The students are in the last stages of finishing their fall project that will be screening at various different events, including the Coffee House in February, ISAS festival, and Field Day in April.

FEATURES

8 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Shake Shack opens first location in Houston

Popular burger joint debuts on the Houston food scene with a new Galleria location

Left: Shake Shack opened in the Galleria on Westheimer. The line frequently reaches outside the store to the door of the mall. Right: The Shackburger with fries and a shake. Photos by Ella Morgan.

BY ELLA MORGAN After hearing many rumours of Shake Shack making its way to the Houston area, the wait is finally over. On Friday, Nov. 4, Shake Shack officially opened its first Hous- ton location in The Galleria.

Equipped with Shake Shack’s signature architectural design of natural elements with faux greenery along the interior and beautifully crafted food, the restaurant is inviting and gives off a very clean, relaxed vibe. There was a line wrapped around the corner on opening day, and even on weekdays there is still quite a bit of a wait to order, but the food is definitely worth it.

Shake Shack, originally just a hot dog cart in the middle of Madison Square Park in New York City, now has over 100 locations around the world like

England, Turkey, and even South Korea. The founder, Danny Meyers, created the first Shake Shack restaurant in July 2004 and is now known for offering quality fast food (especially milkshakes).

The Houston location includes Texas-exclusive menu items like the Lockhard Link Burger, Vietnamese Coffee and Donuts from Morningstar, a local Houston restaurant, and my personal favorite, the Cup|cake Crunch (vanilla frozen custard, fudge sauce, devil’s food cake, and caramel buttercream). Stephanie*, the manager of the new location, said that the opening of the new “Shack” has “exceeded expectations.”

“Being in the Galleria brought us more business than we could have ever hoped for,”

Stephanie* said. She explained that it was only a matter of time before the company opened a location in Houston.

“Houston is our biggest market in Texas, and it’s so easy to get local produce here...Dallas and Austin have been great to us, and we know Houston is going to be amazing.”

The most popular menu item at the new Shake Shack is the original Shackburger™ (my personal favorite): a glorious collaboration of meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and the famous ShakeSauce™.

Other popular items include the delightfully crispy Chick’n Shack™(a chicken sandwich with lettuce, pickles, and mayo) and the mouthwatering SmokeShack™ (a cheeseburger with bacon, peppers, and Shacksauce™). If you’re a

Shake Shack started as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park for three summers in 2001-2003.

There is a 24hour live-feed of the Madison Square Park location online.

Shake Shack has a secret menu that includes items like grlled cheese, ice cream sandwiches, and a Quad burger (with four patties).

Shake Shack virgin, I recommend starting with the classic Shackburger, crinkle-cut fries, and a small shake (you can always go back for more). Every item on the menu is delicious in its own way, and there’s no wrong decision when it comes to Shake Shack.

Plans are in the making for a second Houston Shack, right in the heart of Rice Village.

The “Shack” is set to open in early 2017 and will be an ideal foodie spot for Rice University students to grab a quick bite.

The success of this restaurant is already incredible just after being open for a few weeks, and there’s no doubt the second location will have the same if not more success once it opens. *Only provided first name.

FEATURES

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Restaurateurs behind Adair Kitchen expand lineup of restaurants

BY KATIE ERIKSON Just a short drive down San Felipe from Kinkaid is Adair Kitchen, the popular breakout restaurant created by Katie Adair Barnhart and Nick Adair. Recently, the sibling team has introduced two new concepts, Eloise Nichols, a neighborhood eatery, and Bebidas, a coffee bar and juicery.

The siblings’ father, Gary Adair, owns the Mexican restaurant chain Los Tios and and the Skeeter’s. Both of the restaurants have multiple locations around the Houston area.

Although Adair did not start Los Tios, he grew up eating there and eventually bought it when the previous owner put it up for sale. Skeeters opened when Barnhart was five years old, and she often worked there while growing up.

Despite her family’s history in the restaurant business, Barnhart never thought she would open a restaurant of her own. Adair Kitchen came about through coincidental timing.

Their father was asked if he wanted to put a restaurant in the space off of San Felipe and Sage. He wasn’t interested in that location, but his children were. They had been thinking about a opening a restaurant, and thought the space would be a good fit.

“I still laugh [because] I don’t ever remember signing up to be in the restaurant business, but here I am,” Barnhart said. Their father is only a partner in Adair Kitchen, and for the most part the siblings stayed separate from his business.

“I always tell people that my dad owns Mexican food restaurants, and they’re always like ‘Oh, is he Hispanic, does he have any connection to Mexican food and the industry?’ and the answer is always no, he just always loved this restau-

I still laugh [because] I don’t ever remember signing up to be in the restaurant business, but here I am.” —Katie Adair Barnhart

rant,” Barnhart said. “Los Tios is unique. in fact, it’s a 45-yearold concept; the people who go there wanted to go there for what it was, not a new version.

I think that was an interesting lesson for my dad’s company to see that sometimes better isn’t always better.”

While Gary Adair set out to create chain restaurants, his children went a different route. “I think a big difference between what Nick and I are doing versus what my dad set out to do is that Nick and I really like the idea of individual concepts. It seems like in the last twenty years, [restaurant] chains have erupted everywhere, and everything just feels like a big mass-marketing machine sometimes. I think for us, the charm of Adair Kitchen was being able to tailor it specifically to the neighborhood it is in,” Barnhart said.

Because there is only one location, the siblings have been able to see first-hand what works and what doesn’t work.

They are also able to these changes improving the restaurant quickly because they only have one restaurant to make the changes in. The location of Adair Kitchen between a neighborhood and a commercial space has attracted many different types of people.

Eloise Nichols, the new restaurant named after the siblings grandmother, was always a concept the siblings wanted to create. Barnhart said, “We always had that notion to do something that is a little more upscale than Adair Kitchen that you could go in for a birthday dinner if you wanted, but you also aren’t priced out of going on a Tuesday.”

They wanted to create a space where people can come to enjoy a nice, long meal, but also a place where people can get in a out in a relatively short amount of time. “People want to have a place where they can sit down and enjoy themselves, but they also don’t want to have the longest meal ever. I think finding that balance has been tricky for us,” Barnhart said.

The Adair siblings tried to establish a unique environment for Eloise Nichols.

“We really wanted it to be something that wasn’t in the Houston market, in terms of it being a little bit young, but also not so young and modern

I think definitely the cornerstone of our restaurant group is making people feel comfortable.” that it matches everything you are seeing right now. The fact that it’s named after our grandmother really brought it all together for us,” Barnhart said.

Unlike Eloise Nichols, the Adair siblings’ newest project, Bebidas, which opened on November 30, was not in the siblings’ plans from the beginning.

“We always talked about how fun it would be to do a coffee shop in this specific building, but it was a bank at the time, and we never thought it would turn over. At the worst possible time, right before we were breaking ground on Eloise [Nichols], that building space [on the corner of Edloe and Westheimer] opened up,” Barnhart said.

Barnhart’s husband had gotten the Adairs into drinking juices, and they found that there were no places to get juice in that area. This prompted the idea of the juice bar.

From there the Adairs decided that it should serve coffee and small bites as well.

“I think our business model at Bebidas is that every item on the menu has to be something you can get quickly.

When we designed the menu, we worked backward. What can we produce in three or four minutes or less?” Barnhart said.

Throughout all three restaurants, the Adair and Barnhart put a lot of thought into cultivating the atmospheres of each. “I think definitely the cornerstone of our restaurant group is making people feel comfortable,” Barnhart said.

With Bebidas and Eloise Nichols having recently been added to the Adair lineup, there is no doubt their respective communities will be flooding in for the friendly environment and flavors only Adair restaurants can offer.

Above: The restaurant is open for brunch, lunch, and dinner. Right: Eloise Nichols serves up Southern-inspired dishes. Shown from the top are buttermillk biscuit benedict, chicken and dumplings, challah french toast, and Texas shrimp and grits.

The Kinkaid Falcon / 9

FEATURES

10 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

FEATURES

http://thefalcon.kinkaid.org

The Kinkaid Falcon / 11

Internet challenges:

what they are and where they came from Main: Students participate in the Mannequin Challenge, which took off in early November of this year. Photo by Ali Ammons.

BY ALLISON FAVALORO

If you walked into the student center on Friday, Nov. 4, here is what you would see: two seniors frozen in the heat of an intense ping pong rally, a group of people locked in place doing homework, and Jake Hammer (12) stuck mid-bite of his sandwich; the entire senior class was performing the Mannequin Challenge to the Rae Sremmurd hit song “Black Beatles.” The Mannequin Challenge is just the latest internet fad that will probably die out by the time midterms are over.

This is the most recent example of an internet challenge that requires a person or group of people recording a video of themselves performing a task to post on the internet. They share their video with the public, who can also participate and make their own video to post with the related hashtag. These challenges have spiked in popularity due to the pervasiveness of social media–when a new idea first gets posted, it spreads like wildfire through reposts and hashtags.

Many of these internet challenges originate from high school students. Teenagers are very active on social media outlets such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, so they tend to access the new trends before they take off. Many students actively seek to create these new trends hoping to get a laugh from their friends or for a shot at becoming “Insta-famous.”

The types of internet challenges can be divided into three categories: choreographed, stunts, and awareness-based.

Choreographed challenges are typically performed by big groups of people to a specific, catchy song. Examples include the Harlem Shake, the Running Man Challenge, and the recent Mannequin Challenge.

Stunt challenges typically involve a single person performing a risky task that could result in injuries and in some cases, even hospitalization. Examples of these sillier challenges include the Cinnamon Challenge and the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge.

Challenges that are aimed at raising awareness allow people to perform a relatively harmless task to boost the signal for certain causes, like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, the Running Man Challenge for Muscular Dystrophy, and the 25 push-up challenge for the plight of veterans.

The rise in popularity of these internet challenges reflects the dominating influence that social media has come to have on our society.

2012: Cinnamon Challenge One of the first challenges to take the internet by storm was the Cinnamon Challenge.

Cinnamon Challenge videos show people swallowing a tablespoon of cinnamon in under 60 seconds without any liquids or water.

Ironically, the Cinnamon Challenge Rules website advises people against trying the challenge. “It’s going to burn, you are going to cough, and regret you tried,” they said.

According to Knowyourmeme. com, the earliest documentation of the task was by Michael Buffington and Erik Goodlad in 2001.

Buffington challenged Goodlad to perform the almost impossible dare while at work; Buffington recorded the results on his blog.

The first Cinnamon Challenge video was posted on YouTube in 2006.

In early 2012, this fad resurfaced and became one of the most renowned internet trends.

Over 51,000 videos have been posted on YouTube, some gaining

millions of views. One featured comedian GloZell Green dumping an entire ladle full of cinnamon in her mouth; she received over 50 million views.

Even though it seemed like everyone was participating in the challenge at the time, that doesn’t mean that it’s a smart idea. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, the organization received 51 calls about the effects of the Cinnamon Challenge in 2011. In the first three months of 2012, this number tripled.

Cinnamon in large doses can be very harmful to the body. The Journal of Pediatrics published a report regarding the dangers of the Cinnamon Challenge saying, “Cinnamon inhalation can cause pulmonary inflammation, predisposing airways to epithelial lesions and scarring. Aspirated powder entering the upper airways can cause inflammation and, in more severe cases, aspiration pneumonia.”

2013: Harlem Shake At the beginning of a Harlem Shake video, one person is dancing to the song “Harlem Shake”

by Bauuer. Then, when the bass drops, the person is accompanied by friends–all dressed in costumes–spastically dancing.

The Harlem Shake originated in Harlem, New York more than than 30 years ago. The more recent videos of this challenge portray the dance as crazy and random movements, but according to The New York Times, the original version is a “much more raw, technical, fluid, and frenetic dance.” Its creator, Al. B., used to perform his unique dance during halftime of streetball games in

his local neighborhood in New York.

When the dance crew, Crazy Boyz, discovered Al. B.’s one-of-akind moves, they decided to add their own flavor to the movement.

“The Crazy Boyz said they combined their “shake”—spastic arm and chest movements—with Al. B.’s style to produce the Harlem Shake,” the New York Times reported.

When the Harlem Shake fad dominated the internet, Harlem locals quickly grew to consider the portrayal of their dance offensive.

2014: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Not many people will voluntarily pour a bucket of ice water all over themselves–unless it’s for charity.

In July 2014, golf instructor Jon Bullas challenged one of his students, professional golfer Chris Kennedy, to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge.

The task was simple: if a person was nominated for the Ice Bucket Challenge he or she had to douse him or herself with a bucket of ice water, post a video online within 24 hours of the nomination, and nominate three other friends.

If a person missed the 24-hour window, he or she was supposed to donate $100 to the charity of the nominator’s choice.

Kennedy decided to support the ALS Association, a charity dedicated to find the cure to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), because his wife’s cousin’s husband, Anthony Senerchia, was a victim of the disease.

From that point on, the Ice Bucket Challenge became linked to the ALS Association and over 17 million people

joined in on the viral challenge.

Celebrities like Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Leonardo DiCaprio participated. Even headmaster Dr. Andy Martire took on the freezing cold water during a dunking event at lunch where students and faculty could pay to dump a cup, bucket, or five-gallon cooler of ice water on him; all of the proceeds went go to ALS Association. Two coolers, six buckets, and a few cups later, Dr. Martire raised over $1,000.

According to the ALS Association, over $115 million were donated in 2014 alone. 67 percent of the proceeds went towards funding research for ALS, 23 percent subsidized patient and community services, and the other ten percent was used for public and professional education as well as fundraising.

It may seem silly to post a video of a person getting drenched in a bucket of freezing water, but the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge actually managed to change the world, one nomination at a time.

2015: Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge One of Kylie Jenner’s most well-known attributes is her plump lips. In 2014, Jenner’s lips mysteriously appeared ever more ample than before. She claimed that she only used lip liner at first, but admitted to receiving temporary lip injections in 2015.

As a result of her famous pout, Jenner has created her own line of cosmetics, the Kylie Jenner Lip Kit. She also started a craze among teenagers to plump their own lips with a method known as the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge.

In the videos of people attempting to plump their lips, they place a shot glass to their lips and suck in for 60 seconds.

When they remove the shot glass, their lips are noticeably swollen.

Over 33,000 videos of the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge have been

posted on Instagram.

This challenge is obviously very dangerous and has resulted in bruising, scarring, and permanent disfigurement to lips after multiple attempts. Popsugar reported, “Sucking the air out of a shot glass creates friction.

However, because the glass obviously isn’t flexible the shot glass can break under all the pressure, causing serious injuries that require stitches to repair.”

The Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge lost popularity quickly after Jenner admitted to her lip injections. While its time in the limelight was limited, this internet challenge was one of the most popular in recent history.

2016: Running Man Challenge One day, high school student Kevin Vincent couldn’t cure his boredom in Finance class. All of the sudden, the song “My Boo”

by Ghost Town DJs played in his head, so he decided to sing out loud. His friend, Jeremiah Hall, heard Vincent singing the tune and began to dance along. Thus, the Running Man Challenge was born.

The challenge became a viral phenomenon after University of Maryland basketball players Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley took it on. The two discovered Vincent and Hall’s video on social media, and recreated it. Many celebrities including Chance the Rapper and Chris Brown took part in the trend as well. Last spring, the Kinkaid Falcon Instagram (@thekinkaidfalcon) posted a video of the girls varsity track and field team performing their own version of the dance.

The Running Man Challenge

has geared its popularity to try to improve the world as the organization has paired with charities dedicated to Muscular Dystrophy. Like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, the concept was to post a video of the dance and then challenge three friends to post their own video.

Lauren Rice (11) strongly supported this partnership because her younger brother, Jonathan Rice, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

“My family and I were so excited about the Running Man Challenge [partnership] because it raised both money and awareness for muscular dystrophy. These organizations really need more funding, and there is currently little awareness for muscular dystrophy, which is pressing because early diagnoses of these diseases is really important,” Rice said.

2016: Mannequin Challenge The most recent of the internet challenge sensation is “The Mannequin Challenge”. Participants pose as still as possible, while another person videos the scene. The trend started on Oct. 26, 2016 by @prvrity___ on Twitter; he posted a video with friends posing as still as possible in the locker room at Edward H. White High School in Jacksonville, Florida.

Teenagers from other schools across the country caught wind of this tweet and recreated it with their own scenarios.

Somehow, the videos began being performed with the song “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd.

College and professional athletic teams, as well as celebrities, have picked up on the Mannequin Challenge as well. On election day, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton posted a video of her and her campaign team doing the challenge in order to encourage voters to “not stand still” and “vote today.”

When some Kinkaid seniors caught wind of the Mannequin Challenge, they had to join in

on the fun. Rob Lahourcade (12) suggested the idea of participating in the challenge in the Student Center during lunch Nov. 4. “My brother sent me an Instagram video of a Mannequin Challenge [by @houseofhighlights] as proof of another stupid thing people were doing on the internet, but I thought it was pretty funny,” Lahourcade recalled. “The next day, I tried to do it at Kinkaid, and everyone [in the Student Center] bought in.”

In the video, seniors were studying, chatting, playing ping pong, and taking pictures while “Black Beatles” blasted in the background.

“We had to redo it because the first time we tried, Jake Hammer (12) walked in the door, and everyone yelled at him,” Lahourcade said.

Above: In fall 2014, Dr. Martire participated in the ice bucket challenge in the quad. Photo by Allison Favaloro.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED Results taken from a voluntary survey of 144 students

33 88 108 17 51 102

have participated in the Cinnamon Challenge

have participated in the Harlem Shake have participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

have participated in the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge have participated in the Running Man Challenge have participated in the Mannequin Challenge

FEATURES

12 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Nutcracker Market supports local small businesses The Limoges Lady continues 18 year tradition at annual shopping affair

BY KATHERINE BERMAN

Booth 345 at the Nutcracker Market has been home to the Limoges Lady for the past eighteen years. Photo by Katherine Berman.

“Each one has its own story,” my mother, Julie Templin Berman, tells the wide-eyed children as they peer into the glass case filled to the brim like a hoarder’s closet with collectible French hand-painted, hinged porcelain Limoges boxes.

Their hands press against the glass to get closer, and they gaze in wonder at the many different types of animals, fruits, landmarks, and other colorful objects in the display. Their parents offer soft smiles and nervous glances after realizing that their kids are leaning on glass, before swiftly moving away.

After they leave, my mother motions to me to grab the Windex, and I wipe off the grubby fingerprints yet again.

In the background, my dad explains the history of the boxes to another customer, repeating the facts that have been drilled into my brain. As he rambles on, my mother has already pulled out a box with a cat jumping into a fishbowl, and another box with a cat

lounging on a patch of grass: this customer wants the box to match exactly what their favorite pet looks like. This is the Nutcracker Market.

From Nov. 10-13, over 105,000 eager shoppers and 280 merchants filled the decked-out NRG Center. The shoppers thronged the plush red aisles (barely visible because of all the people) clutching shopping bags the size of small cars and shopped until they literally dropped. Ten percent of all the revenue from purchases goes to the Houston Ballet, the organization that puts on the Nutcracker Market; this contribution totals millions of dollars annually.

“As a merchant, I am happy to pay a percentage of my sales to the Houston Ballet, not only because I personally love the ballet, but because they do an incredible job running the most successful event of its kind,” my mother explained. “The Nutcracker Market brings a diverse crowd of people together for a common love of shopping and

giving back to the Houston arts community.”

The Nutcracker Market creates a win-win-win situation for the merchants, the Houston Ballet and the shoppers: merchants gain exposure and revenue; the ballet receives money to award scholarships to students in its Academy, bring arts education to thousands of Houstonian students and allow them the opportunity to see a ballet and interact with its dancers, and support national and international touring of Houston Ballet II. Shoppers benefit from the variety of merchants with unique goods from across the country all in one location. The Nutcracker Market’s mission statement on their website says that it allows customers’ shopping to “directly support a Houston arts nonprofit, and the money raised stays right here in Houston.”

Small businesses, like the one my parents own, have a chance to thrive at the Nutcracker Market because they

can display their merchandise to over 100,000 people. The merchants come from over 170 cities representing 35 states to sell their diverse goods ranging from tamales to pajamas to speakers. For my parents, this is the biggest show for their business, The Limoges Lady. They have been a part of the Nutcracker Market’s 35-year history for the past 18 years. “There is truly no show like the Nutcracker Market,” my mother said with a smile.

“We have traveled across the country to different shows for almost 20 years, and there is no comparison.”

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the shows, at least for my mom, is the people she has the opportunity to interact with: the customers. Over The Limoges Lady’s 18 year history, my mother has enjoyed getting to know her customers. She proudly gestured to the boxes and explained, “Although it is certainly not unique to our business, we have many repeat customers. One exam-

ple is a customer who comes to our booth every year for a Limoges box, and while this in and of itself is not uncommon, it is special because the first time she came, her daughter was a newborn. This year at the Nutcracker Market, she bought her 18th box to commemorate her daughter’s 18th birthday. Part of the joy of doing shows like the Nutcracker Market is the relationships we build with our customers. We have shared 18 years of memories with this family. Through our boxes, we are able to share in their life experiences. We have sold Limoges boxes at the Nutcracker Market to people from across the country, some of our Limoges have been sold to astronauts, actresses, country western singers, and politicians in the White House.”

The Nutcracker Market provides a wonderful atmosphere for shopping and fun, just in time for the holidays.

If you missed the Nutcracker Market this year, make sure to check it out next November!

Called to Serve Students answer call for service in annual holiday volunteering

BY COLIN CONWAY The sound of jingle bells is often heard during this time of the year, but they are not the only bells that can be heard. The Salvation Army, a Christian charity, has volunteers who ring bells in public to promote volunteering and giving to charity every holiday season. This urge to give is heard by many a store-goer and is followed through by some members of the Kinkaid community.

This holiday season has an increased participation in volunteering, and Kinkaid plays a part in this. Seniors Thomas Scheunaman and James Goette give back to our community in the holiday season by helping the less fortunate find meals.

Volunteering is not limited to the winter holiday season for Kinkaid students. Thomas Scheunaman (12) volunteers annually during the week of Thanksgiving at Kids Meals,

a charity that feeds underprivileged preschool students.

Scheuneman, whose father, Mr. Kyle Scheuneman, is on the board of directors at Kids Meals, has been volunteering for as long as he can remember.

“With my dad being one of the directors, my family has [volunteered] every Thanksgiving since I can remember, (Thanksgiving week) wouldn’t feel the same if we didn’t go and help out at Kids Meals,” Scheuneman said.

Scheuneman helps at Kids Meals year round, not only in the winter. He worked at Kids Meals this summer, doing inventory and stocking shelves in a warehouse. and said that he enjoyed every day of it no matter how long or grueling his work day was. “I think it is easy to take food and many other simple pleasures for granted. We can just walk and grab a snack out of our pantry

James Goettee (12) serves as a member of the Community Service Council this year.

or fridge at any time, but there are so many starving people in our community that when I give back, it reminds me of all that I am lucky to have.”

James Goette (12), a member of the Upper School community service council, has also volunteered at Kids Meals in the past. Goette has volunteered at a variety of different charities and events throughout his upper school career. Along with his volunteer work with Kids

Meals, Goette has worked at Kinkaid’s Bocce Ball tournament for Special Olympics, Kinkaid’s Habitat for Humanity project, and Salvation Army’s Harbor Light shelter and music camp. Goette said volunteering has grown on him over the past two years as he has grown to enjoy it more with each project he participates in.

“Knowing that the work I do can impact and help change someones life is a great experience,” said Goette. As a

part of Kinkaid’s community service committee, Goette led the Harbor Light projects in which students helped in the kitchen and served meals at the Harbor Light shelter.

During this season of holidays, which is becoming more and more materialistic, we should all follow the lead of Goette, Scheuneman, and the many other Kinkaid volunteers and give back to our community.

FEATURES

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

The Kinkaid Falcon / 13

Zavitsanos brothers seek to humanize refugee crisis After visiting a refugee camp in Greece, the Kinkaid Juniors are working to produce a documentary and share the stories of these refugees with their local community

Top: Hundreds live in this refugee camp in nortwest Greece in Filippiada. Bottom Left: Socs Zavitsanos playing games like Ninja with refugee children. He also showed them Snapchat, and they were really fascinated by the phone. Bottom Right: Refugee children get ready for their daily bath in the river. Socs described the river as “very cold, at least 15 feet deep.” Photos by Dz and Socs Zavitsanos.

BY LACI KRÁNITZ Continued from Page 1 Of the 57,000 refugees still living in Greece, 10,300 people live in temporary camps set up on the islands across from the Turkish coast. These people risked their lives, and often gave smugglers all of their money for passage to Greece.

The Greek camps however, are not big enough to welcome all of these refugees.

They need more space, food, clean water and volunteers.

Refugees must live in tents and empty buildings, often in places like abandoned airfields and even former Olympic sites. Initially, the refugees only stayed for a few nights on their journey northward, but now they must stay indefinitely.

People flock from all over the world to come help these refugees. Two Kinkaid juniors, brothers Dz and Socs Zavitsanos came as well.

The Zavitsanos, twins, go to Greece every summer for several weeks to see family.

This year, they wanted to

take advantage of their location by visiting the refugee camps; they were interested in this situation they had heard so much about and saw it as a good opportunity to get more insight. In July, Socs found the Facebook page for a relief group called Aid for Refugees, which listed the group’s contact information.

He called the number listed. Shortly after, he and his brother drove up to the camp.

They visited a camp in Filippiada, located in Northwest Greece. The camp opened in March 2016, and is now the “home” to over 600 Syrian and Afghan refugees.

Half of the population in the camp is under 18 years of age.

“We wanted to go to experience the whole refugee situation. We wanted to see them in real life, and it’s also community service work that we could do over the summer,” Dz said.

The media sometimes portrays the refugees as aggressive and unfriendly, but the brothers had a very different impression.

“The first thing I saw was

a group of little kids coming up to me and giving me hugs.

The people were all very friendly,” Socs added.

The camp was filled with tents surrounding a central area where the children could play soccer. Hygiene is a challenging issue. If a lake or river is near the camp, people can wash there, otherwise camp staff tries to set up mobile showers at the back of the camp. The mainland camp they visited was very fortunate in that there was a river running through the

They ate lunch with the refugees, and though the food was not particularly flavorful— mostly “very simple food: rice, tofu, eggs, potatoes”—it is enough for the refugees to survive.

back of the area.

The brothers spent three days in the camp. While there, their daily lives were very busy. In the mornings, they handed out packs of water to families and helped serve breakfast. They ate lunch with the refugees, and though the food was not particularly flavorful—mostly “very simple food: rice, tofu, eggs that were mushy and blocky, potatoes”—it is enough for these refugees to survive. Every afternoon at 5:00 p.m., the parents and kids would compete in a soccer game. “It was good to see people with smiles on their faces during the games,” Dz recalled.

Dz and Socs took lots of photos and interviewed several refugees. They are combining their film and photo footage to create a documentary for their Narrative Filmmaking class with teacher Mr. Ryan Gillentine.

One of their unforgettable encounters was with a 21-year-old Syrian refugee named Abad. He told the Zavitsanos about his escape from Syria.

“He [talked] about how ISIS dominates Syria, how he had to escape without them knowing, and his experience coming to Greece,” Socs said.

“It was a pretty fascinating story.”

Abad knew some English, but the brothers also successfully used Google Translate to communicate with him.

The Zavitsanos brothers plan to submit their film to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in hopes to accomplishing their biggest goal: “to help people in America relate to these refugees and the adversity that they face on a daily basis.”

Socs added that they would like to help spread awareness and motivate viewers to get involved by contributing to the relief efforts. “There are a lot of support groups out there at completely rely on donations from other people,” Socs said.

Socs and Dz hope that by the time they return to Greece next summer, their refugee friends will all have found permanent homes somewhere in Europe.

FORUM

14 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

OP-ED

The fault in our GPA scale It’s time to reevalue the system

BY CALEIGH DORAN As Ms. Quenby Mott sat at her desk at the University of Pennsylvania, a transcript for a student from The Kinkaid School rolled across her desk.

She had worked at UPenn for 15 years, and covered Texas for 6-7 of those years. She had seen Kinkaid’s 11.0 GPA scale before, but it still took her time to understand the abnormalities, time she could have spent focusing on the other more important aspects of the transcript.

The GPA scale is one of the most confusing parts of Kinkaid. Why our school has a 11.0 point scale rather than the standard 4.0 point scale is not clear. A GPA scale that favors students is critical for the college application process, but our current system is loaded with flaws and confuses many college admissions officers.

The scale significantly favors students who have a passion and aptitude for math or science, rather than English

or history. As a freshman, there is an Honors Geometry class and an Honors Biology class, but there is no honors class for history or English. In fact, AP English is not offered until senior year. The English Department elects to not offer any Honors/AP Classes until senior year so stronger English students can work with students with different skill sets. This is all very magnanimous, except that students who excel in math and science end their freshman year with two 0.6 bumps added on to two of their classes, while the stronger English and history students have not been offered the same benefit.

The current GPA scale also favors students in the Performing Arts. Members of Dance Company and Theatre Company receive a grade for both the class during the school day, and the after-school activity. Therefore, they have an extra class factored into their GPA, while

athletes and debaters receive no form of grade for hours of extracurricular commitment.

According to Ms. Mott, now the the Lead Upper School Dean, the logic behind this decision is that students in Dance Company and Theatre Company have academic work. However, are these two after-school classes truly comparable to a regular Kinkaid course and its associated homework?

Not only is our scale skewed toward certain students, but from a college standpoint, Ms. Mott described the scale as “crazy and confusing.� She also noted, “I spent more time with studying the transcript and trying to figure out what that cumulative GPA meant than I did other transcripts.� The most common GPA scales are the 4.0 scale and the 100.0 scale.

While Kinkaid is not the only school that uses this scale, we are definitely in the minority.

While our GPA scale has its flaws, it does offer two advantages to our students. First and foremost, rather than both semesters being shown on the transcript, we only have end-of-year grades. For

example, a student might get a B+ first semester and an Asecond semester, and colleges will never know about the B+ as the two round up to an A-.

Ms. Mott described another advantage: “We have more deviations than a 4.0 scale.�

This means on a 4.0 scale, going from a B- to a B+, the overall GPA does not change that significantly. While on a 11.0 scale like ours, the GPA changes significantly because there are many more deviations between the two grades.

So, why is our GPA scale the way it is? Well, it has been that way for a long time and has never been reexamined.

Ms. Mott didn’t propose any considerably large changes to our scale now, but she did suggest “teachers should give grades based on the scale. The transcript can be confusing because it has a number grade, a letter grade, and the GPA.�

Ms. Mott essentially recommended that if a student has a B+ in a class, they should not be given a B+ on their report card, but instead a 9.0.

This would not only further Kinkaid students’ understanding, but college admission officers’ as well.

Perhaps if the administration reevaluates the effectiveness of the 11.0 GPA scale, they could also review some of the inequities regarding the components of the GPA. While I think Ms. Mott’s proposal is something that could definitely limit the confusion among the students and possibly colleges, I propose that honors classes should also be given more weight in the scale. In my experience, honors classes and AP classes are not that different in difficulty. Giving honors classes a higher weight in our scale not only makes sense, but will also encourage more students to take these classes.

Additionally, I believe there should be an honors class for every core class starting freshman year. I don’t think Dance and Theatre Company should receive an extra grade for their after-school commitment unless athletes and debaters are offered the same opportunity. While I think it is unrealistic to completely change our scale, these subtle changes could make a significant difference for the benefit of all the students.

Ota. On the Starbucks website, Schultz explained that the intention was “to create a symbol of unity as a reminder of our shared values.�

Can you believe that? How dare they create a cup that’s not solely based on Christmas.

I mean, I know there are hundreds of other religions around the world that don’t celebrate Christmas, but we have to con-

stantly shove red and green in people’s faces!

Thousands of Americans are outraged and what better way to take out your anger than tweeting Starbucks. On twitter, users have shunned Starbucks saying things like “WHY DO YOU STILL HATE CHRISTMAS?� and “this is political brainwashing.� Of course, Starbucks replied in

a timely and calm manner, responding to haters with messages of positivity and holiday spirit.

Next time you go to Starbucks and receive this disgraceful green cup, make sure you create a huge scene in front of all the studying college kids who don’t care about your opinion, because this is America, and you can.

SATIRE

Starbucks lets America down...again Controversial cups wreak havoc on holiday season

BY ELLA MORGAN BREAKING NEWS: Starbucks has officially released another coffee cup that is even more offensive than last years! Due to the backlash they received for their “Holiday Red Cups� last year, the popular coffee shop chain has decided to switch up 2016’s holiday edition cup. This year, instead of red, they’re—wait for it—GREEN! How deeply

disrespectful! How utterly offensive! It’s almost as if Starbucks is trying to make a cup for not just Christmas, but every holiday. The sheer gall.

Chairman and CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, announced the new cups on Nov. 1. The green cup features a mosaic design of more than 100 people drawn in one continuous stroke by artist Shogo

.

voice and feedback. Please email student.publications@kinkaid. org or use the Contact form at http://thefalcon.kinkaid.org.

Corrections will be addressed on our website and published in the subsequent issue. Please direct The Kinkaid Falcon’s mission is to be an accurate advertising inquiries to colin. monteith@kinkaid.org. and reliable source of information for the Kinkaid community by informing readers about The opinions expressed in The topics that are interesting, thought-provoking, Kinkaid Falcon belong solely to the and impactful from the school, local Houston writer and are not a reflection or area and Texas, as well as other parts of the representation of the opinions of world. the school or its administrators.

Questions or comments? We welcome your

Masthead

Editor-in-Chief Kirk Hachigian

Arts & Culture Editor Katie Erikson

Associate Editors Sarah Bass Ella Morgan Faraz Virani

Entertainment Editor Katherine Berman

Assistant Editor Arman Badrei Features Editor Allison Favaloro Forum Editor Nia Caldwell

Web Editor Julia Davis Business Manager Colin Monteith Staff Ali Ammons Madi Babine Brady Brazda

Emma Carr Colin Conway Caleigh Doran Sterling Elias Mac Friday Emma Gilliam Jordan Jafarnia Hana Keleta Laszlo Kranitz Anna Leon-Amtmann Megha Neelapu Marley Orange Sarah Kate Padon Ashley Pazkaban William Scott Emma Stout

Adviser LiAnn Yim

The Kinkaid Falcon is published six times a school year. 700 print copies are distributed for free to 597 Upper School students and 93 faculty members, and 220 copies are mailed to subscribers.

The Kinkaid Falcon is a member of the CSPA and NSPA.

FORUM

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

The Kinkaid Falcon / 15

Screening the screeners

The “security theater” of the TSA and why it is a waste of time and money

BY MEGHA NEELAPU A woman impatiently taps her heel. A guy with a Trenta-sized iced coffee twiddles his thumbs. A baby wails in the background: Welcome to airport security. This holiday season, millions of Americans are traveling all around the world, but not before going through the torturous lines of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). But the TSA is not just annoying: It eats up billions of dollars while doing nothing to protect us and instead spends time unnecessarily racially profiling people.

Bruce Schneier, internationally renowned security expert at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, invented a term called “security theater,” that perfectly describes the TSA. The TSA only creates the illusion of safety, as he explains on the show “Adam Ruins Everything” on truTV. “As far as screening goes, what he had before September 11 is actually quite adequate––taking your shoes off and putting your liquids

in a separate bag doesn’t actually make you safer; it just makes you feel safer,” Mr. Schneier said. “The illusion of safety isn’t worth it; you have to give up essential freedoms and privacies to get it. And secondly, it’s dangerous to present the illusion of security when the system is actually quite vulnerable to terrorist attacks.”

In June 2015, ABC News reported that Department of Homeland Security officials tested the TSA by trying to smuggle weapons through security. Out of the 70 tests, 67 failed. The TSA is not expected to be perfect, but a 96 percent failure rate is abysmal.

The TSA released a plan in response to these tests with goals like “to ensure leadership accountability” and “improve alarm resolution.” But none of it would make us safer because the very nature of the TSA is flawed. Good security is always changing, and the procedures of the TSA are mostly fixed. Once a terrorist figures out how the TSA

works, they can devise a way to get past it. Indeed, the TSA has never stopped an attack; that was the work of reinforced cockpit doors, the thousands of added air marshals, intelligence agencies, and even mere passengers.1 This information may frustrate people such as Zubair Mukhi (12), who travels frequently. “I personally feel a little less safe here than I did beforehand,” Mukhi said–– and he should.

Mukhi does still appreciates the amount of work that the TSA has to do. “Frankly, I respect the TSA because they have to go out there and screen literally [millions] of people,” he said, “but there needs to be a better solution.”

And there is one. Instead of spending $7.6 billion of taxpayer money on a system that doesn’t stop terrorists, racially profiles people, and wastes passenger’s and employee’s time, spend it on things that work.

Hawley, Kip. “Why Airport Security Is Broken -- And How To Fix It.” Editorial. Wall Street Journal [New York] 15 Apr. 2012, Saturday Essay ed.: n. pag. Web.

1

Art by Priscilla Mach

Goodbye, Mr. Obama

Hello, Mr. Trump

BY NIA CALDWELL

BY KATHERINE BERMAN

Dear President Obama, At eight years old, stuffed into a horrid polka dot dress and donning messy cornrows adorned with beads at the ends, my crush on you began in a crowded Dallas conference room. At the time, I didn’t know much about your policies or your aptitude as our president, but I knew your skin resembled mine, something I had never seen in a presidential candidate. Unaware of the magnitude of the moment, I saw you from across the room, standing tall and proud. As soon as your signature, stuttering voice ceased booming, your speech finished, my dad quickly prepared me to meet you.

Like a scene out of Exodus, you parted the sea of wealthy donors and rambling press just to greet me and my father.

You, the Democratic nominee, walked towards me, and looked at me like I was the most important person in the room.

When you approached my dad, smiling that wide toothy smile, my heart melted.

“Hey, Pastor,” you warmly greeted him, and there I was beaming, my face frozen in a bold grin. In a moment I believe was “love at first sight,” we locked eyes for an instant.

You embraced me in a side hug and after you promised me I could meet your daughters, who I’m obsessed with to this day. Finally, we posed for a candid.

A photo I have hanging in my room today, with a duplicate hanging in a hallway leading up the staircase. My prized possession. One I proudly have posted on my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Also, you probably don’t remember,

Dear Mr. Trump, After a long and tiresome election season, I am pleased to say that you are now my president.

Although many people are distraught about the election results, I am excited to see what the next four years with you as president will hold. While I do not agree with everything you have said and done, I agree that it is time for a change in America.

Your candidness and honest opinions are a breath of fresh air for the leadership in our country. I admire the way you have gone about your campaign like no one else before. You say things how they are and are not afraid to step on anyone’s toes. Hopefully, you will do what needs to be done the same way, without hesitation.

Change is an important thing and a necessity; we grow stronger with fresh perspectives and different ideas. I believe that you offer these two beliefs.

Your charge to keep and create jobs for Americans embodies the American spirit and dream, which is something I admire. I hope that with you in charge, America will become an even greater country that will prosper and thrive.

The most important thing for our country right now is to unite. With you, Mr. Trump, at the helm of

Nia Caldwell (11) poses with Barack Obama and her father in Dallas.

but you laughed at something I said (see picture). No big deal.

Even now, at 17 years old, without cornrows, excess fat and a bit more opinionated, I am just as awestruck by you as I was in that hope-filled ballroom eight years ago.

Except now, you’ve given me so much more to be proud of than just the color of your skin. Not only am I proud of your historic gains and wins, I am proud of your resiliency and career as President.

Your strong family values while being president have shown America a positive black family image, for which I thank you. Your dedication to being a great father while balancing the country’s well-being is outstanding. All the times you shared personal stories about raising your daughters resonated with me because it felt like my relationship with my own dad. When you would tell heartfelt stories about your girls in front of the whole world, I was reminded of how my dad tells stories of me in front of our entire church.

With “My Brother’s Keeper,” an initiative you started to invest time and money into minorities in order help combat discrimination and build their

futures, you have strengthened my trust in the state of black boys in America. I know that my president cares about my two black brothers and is truly interested in whether they succeed.

When the shooting of Trayvon Martin occurred, I grieved for his family left with no son because of a person’s prejudice.

What comforted me during this time of sadness was you: your personal monologue that you delivered in front of the whole world. “Trayvon Martin could have been me,” you said with tears in your eyes, “There are very few African-American men in this country who have not had the experience of being followed when they are shopping at a department store.

And that includes me.” You empathized with not only me, who experienced that with my brothers in our local grocery store, but the millions of people hurting across the country.

The way you embraced me that day in Dallas and have connected with me these eight years in office have changed my life forever.

Your biggest fan, Nia Caldwell

Donald Trump shares a thumbs up sign while campaigning for the 2016 election.

Photo by Mandel Ngan.

America’s future, it is your responsibility and duty to bring together all people of all different races, genders, and sexual orientations.

We are one America despite what people have said about this one election. The election is over, and it is time to put aside our differences.

This is not a war between two sides. We are one nation, and we need to stand together in order to be indestructible. I believe that you can make us one again.

Your passion for this country and for the presidency is what makes me excited to have you as our 45th president. I look forward to seeing what you will do to make America the best it can be! I wish you the best of luck as you endeavor to America great again!

ENTERTAINMENT

16 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Prepare for midterms at the perfect place

BY SARAH KATE PADON As the fall semester comes to a close, many high school students escape distractions found at home and cram for midterms at their favorite study spots. Some students prefer studying at home or at school where they can force themselves to focus, while others depend on the working environment of

coffee shops and libraries to get their work done. The Kinkaid favorite is, of course, Starbucks, which is helpful when students need an extra cup of coffee to get them through their studying.

“I like Starbucks because there is coffee, and the white noise helps me study,” Nicholas Límon (10) said.

Grace Manes (11) also enjoys Starbucks because of its productive enviornemnt.

“Other people working forces me to be productive,” she said.

However, many students prefer the quiet atmosphere of a bookstore, a park, or even the deserted hallways here at Kinkaid, where

they can focus on their work without their normal distractions. Ryan Vu (12) enjoys sprawling out on the second floor of the Student Life Building. Vu said, “I get less distracted because most of my friends are in the library,” Vu said.

Other students like to work at grocery store cafes––

yet another place where they can get a good caffeine boost.

“I love studying at Whole Foods because there are booths and coffee,” Emma Gilliam (10) said.

Here are the best study spots near Kinkaid where students can study for their upcoming midterms.

Tanglewood Park. Photo by TK Images.

Upstairs at Whole Foods on Post Oak. Photo by Emma Gilliam.

Upstairs of the Student Life Building.

Photo by Sarah Kate Padon.

Starbucks on Voss. Photo by Emma Gilliam.

Table 57 at HEB on San Felipe.

Photo by Kim Coffman.

Barnes and Noble on Westheimer.

Photo by Emma Gilliam.

What The Falcon staff approves of, and what they don’t

Mini Crossword by Katherine Berman 1

6

7

8

9

Approval Index

ACROSS: Thanksgiving Break

1 President-elect 2 Type of explosive board

2

3 State known for growing potatoes 4 Prefix before “tweet” or “gram”

Cold Weather

5 Italian for “sweet”

SPC Results

DOWN:

3

1 Before you run home 6 A February Houston tradition

The week before finals

7 University in the Rolling Stone defamation lawsuit

4

8 A sound that implies a lack of interest 9 Opposite of poetry

5

Want to contribute a mini crossword or comic for the newspaper? Please contact student. publications@kinkaid.org for details.

Answers available at http:// thefalcon.kinkaid.org 12/5/2016.

Finals

ENTERTAINMENT

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

The Kinkaid Falcon / 17

POP CULTURE CHART CHART

Reporting & design by Madi Babine, Sterling Elias, & Jordan Jafarnia

“Dove wrapped in bacon.”

“I got lost in the jungle in Mexico during Thanksgiving break.”

—Nicolas Contreras (10)

“An hour before the Thanksgiving meal, our black lab ate the turkey.”

—Katie Taylor (9)

The Pop Culture Chart: Where we get to know the Kinkaidian tastes and takes on what’s the talk around campus.

—Bennett Wagnon (9)

“I got a bean bag in a giant bag for Christmas and I thought Santa left his sack at my house.”

what is your funniest holiday memory?

“Mr. Gordon’s juicy pork tenderloin.”

—Kate Carmain (10)

What is your favorite holiday dish?

—Buddy Friedman (11)

“Chinese moon cakes.”

“Brussel Sprouts.”

—Marie Atmar (12)

“On Christmas my mom burned our turkey, so we went out and ate Chinese food.”

—Eloise Detmering (12)

“The new WDG250 panini machine because I love paninis.”

—Dalton Nevins (9)

“A kidz bop album.”

What is at the top of your wishlist this holiday season?

“Girls dig bath bombs.”

—Mac Friday (11)

—Robert Hamilton (11)

“A free tardy pass from Mr. Ramey.”

—DZ Zavitzanos (11) “The Morell’s card from two years ago because Smth is shirtless.”

—Beckett Toussaint (10)

“The Rome’s because of the letter they write.”

—Drake Greenwood (12)

—Brian Xu (9)

“Socks because I need to start wearing them. The XC team thinks my feet smell bad.”

—Sophia Sole (12)

What is the best gift to give under $10?

“Salman’s poetry.”

—Oscar Melendez (12)

“Callie Rosenthal’s photography project.”

—Sarah Grace Carr (10)

“Nolan D’Souza.”

—Antonio Castro (10)

“Wilson Kelsey’s because they have chickens on it.”

What Kinkaid family sends out the best holiday card and why?

—Charles Garrison (9)

“The Friedman’s because Buddy’s mom is so sweet.”

—Jae Le Dee (11)

The Illustrated Interview with Jason Gordon (10) and Cheyenne Dawley (10) Jason Gordon

Please draw what you look like.

What is your favorite food?

What is your biggest pet peeve?

What is your favorite song?

What animal represents you?

What is your favorite food?

What is your biggest pet peeve?

What is your favorite Song?

What animal represents you?

Cheyenne Dawley

Please draw what you look like.

SPORTS

18 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

College signings as of December Although the season for signings isn’t over yet, these four students have already committed to take their athletic prowess to the college level next year.

Alexis Johnson Johnson committed to play basketball at Indiana University.

Chinaza Ndee Ndee committed to play volleyball at the University of Pittsburgh.

Drake Greenwood Greenwood signed to play baseball at the University of Missouri.

Falcons sprint through the finish line The 2016 SPC champions persevere through grueling start and win it all No one ever said winning it all was supposed to be easy. But the hours and miles of running paid off with the girls cross country team finishing the 2016 season at the top of the mountain.

The team attributes part of their success to their daily grind and routine. After a ten minute warm up everyday on the track, mobility exercises, along with different drills and slides started off practice.

From there, the team ran between two to seven miles daily.

To diversify their runs and provide the team with new landscapes and environments, some of their practices took place at either Memorial Park or Spotts Park, the most challenging trail for everyone.

“There was not one practice at Spotts Park that I didn’t doubt being able to make it all the way through. Finishing a Spotts Park workout was always the most

rewarding,” Mitali Sharma (12) said.

The girls this year, led by experienced and prepared upperclassmen, still stumbled out of the gates at start off the season. With only one top three finish before the championship meet, emotions were running high and it became more and more difficult for the team as a whole to keep their composure.

“As the season progressed, the workouts intensified, which in turn led to the mentality being intensified,” Marie Parra (12) said.

Although the team had won the South Zone meet two weeks prior to the SPC race, they refused to be caught up in the moment.

“We had a lot of high points this season, but one of the most exciting ones was when we crushed St. John’s at South Zone and knew we were ready for SPC,” Margaret Durning (12) said.

The bus ride to Austin did not help in putting the team in the winning spirit.

Pitch dark on the road when they headed towards St. Andrew’s Episcopal School early in the morning. With each runner on edge, the team participated in their

last jam-out session together, before anxiously approaching the start line on the cool and crisp November day.

“Some people put in headphones and keep to themselves while other people do as much work as they can to get psyched up.

Everyone was on edge before the race. You could tell we really wanted it,” Sharma explained.

Greenhill School in Dallas posed the biggest threat to their first place aspirations in the race. But with all the other schools ready and able to compete with the Falcons, the team believed the only team that could beat them was themselves.

“During the race, it was clear runners were in pain.

Their legs were covered in mud and they were trudging up the hill, trying to pass up other opponents,” Parra said.

Trying to catch their breath again, the Falcons looked disappointed in themselves as they waited on the official results of the meet. The race was too close for confidence. Then, it happened.

“I don’t even know what happened afterwards. In the moment when they announced runner-up —

Greenhill — we all in unison started jumping up and down and screaming at the top of our lungs and embracing each other. We may not have won the sportsmanship award, but we won SPC and we were too excited to care,” Parra recalled.

The core of the girls cross country program is set for the future with thirteen underclassmen already involved. The young runners put their potential on display after Camila Vicens (9), Alexandra Blake (9), and Mikela McCauley (10) all finished in the top ten in the race.

When asked for advice for the younger members of this years team that will look to repeat as SPC champions next fall, Sharma said, “Stay positive and keep reaching higher because this is just the beginning. Always set impossible goals because by the end of the season, they won’t be so impossible anymore.”

As the senior captains hand over their SPC championship winning girls cross country program to future Falcons, they take with them the pride of another dominant year and the memories of an unforgettable season.

Mr. Lambert and Mr. Behr, along with senior captains, cheering on runners nearing the finish line.

Upper School teachers Mr. Conner, Mrs. Lambert, Ms. Mitchell, and Dr. Hardie coached the team this season.

After a grueling and well-deserved victory, the girls cross country team heads home with their new hardware.

Mikela McCauley (10) sprinting towards the end of the race. She was the second fastest Falcon in the SPC chapionship.

BY FARAZ VIRANI Continued from Page 1

Fall SPC Recap

Kaylie Mings Mings signed to play field hockey for the Crimson at Stanford University.

Boys Cross-Country Dz Zavitsanos (11) led the Falcon cross country team to a 6th place finish at SPC. Dz finished third overall at 16:31.3.

Field Hockey The field hockey team lost 3-2 to Greenhill on ten penalty strokes to finish sixth overall at SPC. The Falcons finished the season second in the South Zone only behind St. John’s.

SPORTS

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Winter sports look ahead

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BY ELLA MORGAN & SARAH BASS

With the coming of colder weather and the end of fall, students began a new season of winter sports.

Players on the basketball, wrestling, soccer, and swim teams participated in grueling pre-seasons that began on Oct. 31 to get ready for upcoming games and meets.

The teams officially began forming teams on Nov. 7 and players were placed on either JV or varsity by the end of that week.

Swimming

The Kinkaid Falcon / 19

“At times preseason was so exhausting, but I definitely think it got our team in a basketball mindset since most of the girls on the team were coming from volleyball,” said Johnson. This year the varsity team added three new additions, Nakeeya McCardell (9), Trinity Curry (9), and Chloe Hunter (10).

“I’m most excited about building our chemistry, we are already a pretty skilled team so I think when we all learn how to play with each other we will be really good,” Johnson said. The whole team is working on layups and getting better to secure their goal of winning first place in this years SPC tournament.

Points scored by the team this season, against CHSA-Christian Homeschool Athletics on Nov. 11.

Soccer The swim team has started the season strong with a team of 39 members trying out for places on varsity or JV. The boys and girls’ varsity teams will be lead by captains William Gage (12) and Mary Helen Burt (12).

As captains, both seniors lead the team in many ways. Twice a week during practice, the captains get to chose a drill or a game that the whole team takes part in.

“We play a lot of sharks and minnows. I hosted a cannonball contest last week so, we usually do activities that aren’t too hard,” Burt explained.

The captains also work with managers to organize the creation of locker signs and boost team spirit. The girls team placed second in SPC last year and hopes for first this year.

“We have a lot of really good freshmen and sophomores that have been swimming year round,” Burt said.

The girls’ team is hopeful for a great season and the boys and girls’ teams will have their first meet of the season on Dec. 2.

Basketball Boys and girls varsity basketball have also been working hard this season. The boys came in fifth last year and the girls came in second in the SPC tournament. The boys team is lead by captain Jake Shaper (12) and the captains of the girls team are Chinaza Ndee (12), Jasmine Smith (11), and Alexis Johnson (12).

“This year we are looking to have great teamwork and to work together,” Zachary Bell (11), a shooting guard on the boys varsity team, said. The boys team faced Emery Weiner on Nov. 15 in their first home game and won 85-45.

The girls team has won five games and only lost once to Incarnate Word high school (San Antonio).

Diving team resurrected with two new freshmen

BY MARLEY ORANGE Freshmen Kate Riley and Eliana Estes will be the first students to form the Kinkaid diving team since 2013, when the program ended, because there were no more participants. The swimming and diving season began Nov. 7, and will end with the SPC championship on Feb. 11.

Riley and Estes dive around 10

With new coaches and players, the soccer teams have worked hard to prepare themselves for this season. Losing six seniors last year, the boys team has had to quickly adjust, but with four freshman and four juniors added this year, they are already showing signs of success. In their first game on Nov. 18, the team came together and showed they’re ready for a successful season, beating St. Pius 4-0, with goals by Phin Sprague (12), Mitchell Roberts (11), Ace Nicolao (12), and Willy Ducharme (12).

“Our goal is to win the SPC Championship this year,” Ducharme said.

“We are going to train hard everyday in practice to get that done.”

The girls soccer team has already seen success in their first game against Incarnate Word Acadamey, winning 8-1.

“I am excited to compete in SPC,” said first time varsity player, Laine Woelfel (9). The girls are looking forward to an exciting and successful season.

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Four members of the boy’s varsity basketball team made the alltournament team in the Aldine ISD Tournament.

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Seven freshman made the girl’s varsity soccer team this season, the same amount as last year’s team.

Wrestling The wrestling team has seen success in their first meet by winning three out of four matches.

“We were down a couple guys, but it was definitely a good way to start off the year,” said Noah Chan (11). Chan hopes to win prep nationals this year and win prep state with the team.

Multiple athletes are injured this year, but Max Mannetti (11) is optimistic for the season.

hours a week, outside of school. The girls practice at the Spring Branch Natatorium. Estes and Riley train monday through Thursday, and on Saturdays, and practices range from an hour and a half to two hours.

“We usually start off with simple jumps, like front jumps and back jumps off the board, and then we will work our way to harder dives. There is also a lot of dryland, like push ups and stretching; it’s basically conditioning,” Estes said, describing diving practices.

The girls do not have to attend school practices because they dive so often outside of school.

“Basically we are an outside credit, but we compete for the school,” Estes explained.

At diving competitions, no team can win, but a single person can win. Based on the difficulty of the dive and the performance, divers are scored after each dive from one through ten. There are two major kinds of dives, dives

“Once we get all these guys back we will be good to go,” Mannetti said.

“We’re going to have a real good season this year.”

off of a three-meter high board, and a one-meter high board. If the dive a diver is supposed to perform is incomplete, it will recieve a zero.

The divers recieve a number of dives they need to perform, and then at diving practice they plan and train for their dives. The diving meets are generally on completely seperate days from swim meets, while they are at the same location.

The last diver in 2013, Presley Wilson (class of ‘14), was the only diver on the team, and placed 7th at SPC, with a score of 228.6 on her dives.

Starting tonight and concluding tomorrow, the Tomball BigCat Invitational will take place at Tomball ISD natatorium. The diving competition is tonight. Warmups start at 4 p.m., and the competition begins at 5 p.m. Tomorrow will be the swimming portion of the meet, swimmers will be at the school to board the bus at 6:15 a.m., and will begin the official meet at 10 a.m.

Kate Riley (9) jumps into the water after doing a backflip at Spring Branch Natatorium.

SPORTS

20 / The Kinkaid Falcon

Dec. 2, 2016 / Vol. 70, Issue 3

Week 14 College Football Playoff predictions

BY KIRK HACHIGIAN After a wild weekend of college football that saw No. 2 Ohio State take down then No. 4 Michigan in an epic double overtime duel, No. 1 Alabama dominate No. 14 Auburn in the Iron Bowl, and No. 12 Florida State pummel No. 15 Florida for the fourth straight year, the College Football Playoff picture is beginning to take shape.

However, the committee still may have some tough choices to make after the conference championship games this weekend.

The most important decision of this college football season could boil down to just three words: strength of schedule. In the process to determine which teams will meet in the College Football Playoff, who you play, where you play them, and when you play them can make all the difference.

Realistically, eight teams still have a chance to make the Playoff, and two of them (Alabama and Ohio State) are essentially secured. The remaining teams, Clemson, Washington, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, and Colorado, need either a win

this weekend or losses by the other teams to make their way into the College Football Playoffs.

In the SEC Championship Game, 12-0 Alabama will face off against 8-3 Florida.

Even if Alabama does not win, they would at worst be the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide and their stifling defense led by Senior linebacker Reuben Foster have

been head and shoulders above the rest of the college football field this season, and are heavy favorites going into the postseason.

The Big Ten could potentially see three teams make it into the Playoff this year.

Ohio State is all but guaranteed to be in after beating Michigan last weekend, Wisconsin or Penn State will be crowned as Big Ten Champions this weekend and could

make it in if either Clemson or Washington lose, and Michigan only if both Clemson and Washington lose.

A loss by Clemson or Washington in their respective championship games would certainly complicate things for the selection committee. If Colorado does manage to pull off the upset against Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game, the case for Michigan (who

has beaten Colorado, Penn State, and Wisconsin) is certainly strengthened. The Big Ten Champion, either Wisconsin or Penn State, will have played a tougher schedule than Colorado, which is very important in the eyes of the selection committee.

The Buffaloes could also take the final spot in the Playoff depending upon how decisive each victory is in the conference championship games.

Crystal clear, right?

Of course, if the 11-1 Washington Huskies, led by quarterback Jake Browning and receiver John Ross, and the 11-1 Clemson Tigers, led by Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson, both win this weekend, there will most likely not be any changes to the current College Football Playoff standings. This is the most likely scenario, and would certainly simplify the selection committee’s job.

This is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable and entertaining seasons of college football in recent history, and that will undoubtedly continue with eight teams still in the mix for a Playoff berth. It should be a fun weekend.

Harden launches Rockets to an explosive start

BY MAC FRIDAY After the departure of Dwight Howard, the addition of new head coach, Mike D’Antoni, and the re-signing to a long term deal with James Harden, the new-look Houston Rockets have secured their spot as one of the best offensive teams in the league.

With a strong start and by having one of the top five offenses in the league, look for the Rockets to sneak their way to the top of the Western Conference among super teams like the Golden State Warriors.

The team’s shining star and floor general, James Harden, is having a historic season thus far. The Beard leads the team in points and assists and is close to averaging a triple-double through the first quarter of the season.

Harden is tied for second in the league for triple doubles with 4 through 18 games, behind Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder who leads the league with 8. In his fifth season for the Rockets, Harden is chasing down Hall of Famer, Hakeem Olajuwon, for the franchise record in triple doubles. By the end of the season, The Beard will most likely shatter the franchise’s record with his recent success.

The main reason Harden has been so successful is D’Antoni’s decision to move the four-time All-Star from shooting guard to point guard. The switch gives him more touches and opportunities to support the team’s offensive production. D’Antoni’s

offensive schemes seem to rely on Harden immensely when you look at the team’s productivity with and without him.

issue for Houston. With D’Antoni’s schemes almost fully relying on Harden, any injury or disruption in Harden’s play

Photo courtesy of Yi-Chin Lee

James Harden walks the ball up the court to initiate a play in a 106-100 loss against the Spurs on Nov. 12.

With Harden on the floor, the team averages 117 points per 100 possessions, in comparison to only 97 points when he is on the bench. This has the potential to become a major

could cripple the team.

Despite the team’s historic production on offense, the defense has been subpar.

Harden is known for his history with turnovers and

it’s not uncommon for him to lose the ball multiple times during a game.

In the fourth quarter lackadaisical defense and mistakes tend to come about. In garbage time last Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers, the team seemed make mistake after mistake, leaving shooters wide open and not giving solid effort against opposing screens and plays.

While their performance is slightly below average, look for it to improve with the progressive return of Patrick Beverley, who is finally working his way back into the lineup and will certainly help the defense when he is fully healthy.

As long as the defense continues to improve and the offense keeps producing at a historic rate, you can expect Houston to blast off into the upper ranks of the entire league while setting historic numbers for the record books.

Name: James Harden Points: 28.7 ASSISTS: 11.9 Rebounds: 7.2 Field Goal %: .452 Steals: 1.28

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale