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Volume 30, Issue 7 140 Brandeis Road Newton Centre, MA 02459

Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper · Newton, MA · Established 1984 · April 30, 2014

Scott to retire from South Nathaniel Bolter & Wilson Chen

Sr. News Editor, News Contributor

PUSHING THE BOUNDS South enrollment is expected to increase by over 200 students in the next four years, which will bring about changes in scheduling and funding

photo by Max Baker

Carter Howe & Bhavik Nagda

News Reporter, News Editor Next year, South is expected to be the largest it has ever been. By 2018, according to the “Enrollment Planning & Class Size Report” released in early January 2014, the student body is projected to increase by 222 students.

Growing enrollment, has proved to be more complicated than a few numbers on a spreadsheet.

As the South student body steadily increases, administrators and students have found that both difficulties and benefits arise from a growth in enrollment.

According to Superintendent David Fleishman, growth in enrollment begins in younger grades.

“We’ve had larger kindergarten classes

coming in this past year. We had the largest since 1975, and the [way] you get growing enrollment is you have larger kindergarten classes than you do senior classes leaving,” he said.

These larger classes, Fleishman said, have come as a result of various factors, from an increase in birth rates to more families moving into the Newton Public Schools (NPS) system.

“This year we had 132 more high school students. Within the next five we will have an increase of 431 high school students,” Fleishman said. “We’re supposed to have 209 at Newton North [and] 222 at Newton South.

Those are big increases.”

In light of both the growing enrollment and the recent suicides at the high schools, Fleishman’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2015 allocates money to pay for new student support positions at the high schools.

“We’re adding a .2 of a psychologist at Newton South, which is like [someone who works] one day a week ... We certainly want to make sure we have extra adults to support students ... and have reasonable class sizes so the teachers can really get to know their students,” Fleishman said. “We want to have enough adults so students feel connected to at least one adult in the school.”

Sophomore Kalena Wang said that, because of large enrollment, student relationships with guidance counselors are particularly lacking.

“I think that we really initiate interaction with [the guidance counselors] and they don’t really — I’m not saying that all the guidance counselors are like this — but [some] feel unreachable, almost, because there are so many kids that they are in charge of,” she said.

ENROLLMENT, 2

‘97 graduate BJ Novak fundraises for Southside Parisa Siddiqui Editor-in-Chief

On April 16 at 7:30 p.m, actor and alumnus BJ Novak, Class of ‘97, came to South to participate in a fundraiser for Southside, a program that provides a structured learning environment for students in need of support. Novak said that he wanted to help raise money for the program because his mother works there, and he appreciates that the program provides opportunities for all students.

“I’m really inspired by the fact that Southside does a really good job about making sure everyone gets these really high

expectations out of South and to make sure that everyone gets the benefits of this really outstanding school,” he said.

In addition to promoting Southside, Novak read aloud from his recently published collection of short stories, "One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories.” “I specifically wanted to write it to be the opposite of homework, something that people put aside their homework for because they really want to read,” he said.

Junior Cameron Walsh said that Novak was friendly toward the audience, which appreciated the event. “He definitely was very nice and down to earth,” Walsh said. “The auditorium was packed … the atmosphere was great, and everyone was happy.

[The fundraiser] definitely achieved its goal.”

Former family and consumer sciences department head Melissa Hammel was worried about the schedule for the 1998-99 school year. A new teacher at the time, Hammel was concerned that the new schedule would not leave room for her early childhood program.

So, in what became a typical course of action for teachers dealing with a problem, Hammel went to see Vice Principal Mary Scott.

“I went to her, and I said, ‘Wow, if the proposed schedule that you are working on goes through, I don’t photo by Alexa Rhynd think that we are going to be able to run the early childhood program.’ I didn’t really even know her at that point.” Hammel said. “I remember her saying, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so glad you came to me. This is so important ... thank you, thank you, thank you.’ It wasn’t like, ‘why didn’t you tell me this before,’ or ‘why didn’t someone come to me.’ It was really affirming for me as a new teacher in the building.”

Hammel left the meeting feeling reassured. “You don’t walk away from the table thinking, ‘wow nobody ever listens to me,’ because Mary listens,” she said.

This was the beginning of a long working relationship between the two women that continues up to the present day. But after 47 years in education, 41 of those years in the Newton Public Schools system and 27 years at South, Scott has decided to retire after the 2013-14 school year, leaving South without an essential and devoted member, according to students and faculty alike.

“47 years — it’s time. I have really enjoyed tremendously working at Newton South. I have been blessed with working with the most talented group of teachers and dedicated loyal administrators, especially these last five years, working with Mr. Stembridge,” Scott said. “The administration team we have now — the housemasters, the department heads — they’re amazing. So it’s been a joy.”

In addition to the administrative duties of a vice principal, one of Scott’s primary responsibilities — and, according to Scott, one of the responsibilities she cares most about SCOTT, 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Guess who?

Students and faculty voice their opinions on anonymity online.

page

12

The Finish Line Senior Jonah Kan completed the 2014 Boston Marathon.

page

17

Recruitment

Junior Meaghan McDonald meets with college scouts for crew.

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20

NEWS 2 GLOBAL 5 EDITORIALS 6 OPINIONS 9 CENTERFOLD 12 FEATURES 15 SPORTS 20

page 2|April 30, 2014|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

News

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Students in the senior Film Studies class will be displaying their original short films at the Student Directing Festival, which takes place tonight through May 2 and begins at 7:30 p.m. in the lab theatre.

“Much Ado About Nothing” Students from North and South will be performing this year’s annual spring Shakespeare production, “Much Ado About Nothing,” at Newton North from May 8 through May 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Acafest The Newtones, the South a capella group, will hold their annual concert festival on May 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $7 when bought online at www.acafest2014. eventbrite.com and $8 when bought at the door. Profits will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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A growth in enrollment at South has forced administrators to balance the difficulties and the benefits that accompany it

compiled by Roar editors

Student Directing Festival

MAry Scott to leave south next year

Growing Pains

News@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 30, ISSUE 7

SOUTH SPOTS

Taking care of business: FBLA exceeds expectations

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The Ups and Downs of Enrollment The “Enrollment Planning & Class Size Report,” which lists the total enrollment at South since 2004, projects that enrollment will continue increasing until 2018, when 2,000 students will be enrolled at South.

According to Superintendent David Fleishman, the jump in enrollment is due to various factors, such as an increase in the birth rate and more families moving to Newon.

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ENROLLMENT, from 1 Another issue that stems from growing enrollment is space. In 2013, the NPS passed a $11.4 million property tax override, part of which provided funds for new buildings for the Angier and Cabot elementary schools, which were becoming too small to effectively support their students.

Much of the rest of the override funds went to hiring teachers at schools like South, where space is more of an issue for teachers rather than for students, according to Vice Principal Mary Scott.

“We don’t have enough rooms so that every full-time teacher has a room, and it’s going to get harder and harder. We have enough rooms, but it just means more teachers are going to have to share rooms and float between rooms,” she said.

A more pressing issue of the growth in enrollment, however, is a commensurate growth in class sizes. The trend of increasing class sizes, first reported in Volume 29, Issue 3 of The Roar, already concerns Scott.

“What bothered me this year about this year’s schedule was that the [size of] ninth grade math classes [was] higher than they should be. The science classes were averaging around 25, and the math classes were quite high.”

These large classes can get in the way of the learning process, according to junior

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Pat Mahoney.

“Smaller class sizes and more personal time with the teacher is beneficial in a lot of ways. When the class sizes just get too big then it’s a lot harder to learn,” he said.

To keep up with the growing enrollment and larger class sizes, the superintendent’s March 13 budget proposal also allots $1.9 million to hire the equivalent of 32.5 new employees for the NPS. Twelve of the

“You know when a place has young families that are moving in, that shows that Newton is a dynamic place to live.”

- David Fleishman, superintendent 32.5 new spots would be reserved for the two high schools, which have seen and will continue to see the largest jumps in enrollment in the NPS. According to Scott, these new spots are filled by adding more Full-time Equivalents (FTEs). An FTE is a full-time teacher or a combination of part-time teachers who do work equal to the work done by a full-time teacher.

“The high schools were given a little

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more than 10 FTEs combined — that translates to 10 teachers (or 20 half-time teachers, etc). They were also given a 1.0 for each high school for a person who will build the master schedule and does data analysis for the school,” Scott said in an email. “So I think that is what they mean when they say 12 teachers although the last 2.0 are not technically teachers.”

Junior Shiri Pagliuso, however, said that despite growing class sizes, large enrollment is a part of what makes South great.

“What I like about South is that there are all sorts of people you can be friends with ... and you can linger from group to group.

You don’t necessarily have to stay with people, and I actually like that there are people coming in from all different parts of the country, all different parts of the state,” she said. “If that’s at the cost of [going from] an A to an A[because of a larger class] maybe sometimes it is worth it because your experiences with people are what will get you far in life. An A in Spanish rather than an A- won’t really make a difference.”

Fleishman agreed that growing enrollment involves a trade-off.

“You know when a place has young families that are moving in, that shows that Newton is a dynamic place to live,” he said, “But it means that we have to also embrace the challenges that that come with enrollment growth.”

April 30, 2014|page 3

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

AP Biology to become a second year course Anisha Dam & Bella Ehrlich News Reporter, Sr. News Editor

AP Biology will become a second year course as of the 2014-15 school year.

This policy change affects rising juniors who will now be required to take a prerequisite course to AP Biology, such as Advanced College Prep or honors biology.

The purpose of the policy is to give students a better foundation in the subject and to foster a more engaged learning environment, according to science department head Gerard Gagnon. “[What] I was struck by was the number of students who very early on in the year, probably October, were moving from AP Biology to honors biology … It’s just an awful lot of knowledge to learn a foundation of bio and then also to learn at the college level simultaneously,” Gangon said. “I see [the policy change] as an opportunity to give kids a nice, rich, manageable foundation knowledge in biology and then, keeping with changes that the bio curriculum has undergone recently, that they would be able to get to a greater depth of understanding and application of that knowledge in the second year.”

The science department attempted to make this policy change last year. A dozen parents, however, confronted the department to prevent the implementation of this policy.

The department therefore adjusted the policy to make either an independent study or a four-day summer course a prerequisite to the class for juniors.

Despite the department’s effort to make AP Biology a senior course, a majority of current AP Biology students are juniors; only four seniors are enrolled in the course.

Department members, however, felt that these changes did not successfully provide the base for students in biology they were looking to build. “It was valuable learning, [but] the results didn’t really match what I

was hoping they would do,” Gagnon said.

The policy change is meant to address the new AP test standards, according to Michelle Mischke, a biology instructor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology who helped to rewrite the exam.

“All of the College Board exams [will now require] ... less memorization and more application and synthesis,” she said. “It is the recommendation of the College Board that the AP Biology class is a second year course, and Newton South is just mimicking what the College Board is recommending.”

Some students, however, took a different perspective on the necessity of this policy.

“It’s just an awful lot of knowledge to learn a foundation of bio and then also to learn at the college level simultaneously.”

- Gerard Gagnon, science dept. head According to junior Ian Paul, there is little difference between the material in AP Biology and honors biology.

“Honors bio is basically the same curriculum as AP Bio, but they just don’t cover metabiosis ... There’s less busy work involved in AP Bio,” he said. “I think that AP Bio isn’t too hard for students. I don’t see any reason for it to be cancelled.”

Sophomore Jason Ma agreed with Paul. “I feel like [the change] is unnecessary because people would like to take AP Bio instead of honors bio ... There are many juniors right now who are taking AP Bio, and they are doing well,” Ma said.

According to sophomore Suyoung Choi, the policy change inhibits students from appropriately challenging themselves.

“[Students] have their ability to act for themselves, and students who are able to take AP Bio should take AP Bio,” she said.

The majority of teachers, however, said that the policy change will benefit students.

According to chemistry teacher Marianne McChesney, requiring an introductory course prior to taking AP Chemistry has only enhanced the learning experience for students.

“Teachers, especially within the chemistry domain, are very comfortable with that idea because that is how the chemistry first year and AP courses have been run for a long time. And it just seems like a natural progression,” she said. “[To succeed on the AP Exam and] to do that effectively and safely, students have to have a very strong foundation, which you can get from a previous biology course.”

Current AP Biology teacher Jordan Kraus has reservations about the policy change, Gagnon said. “Dr. Kraus is incredibly reflective, and she has been doing this for a long time. I’m hopeful that we’ll both agree in two to three years that it was a positive change,” he said.

According to Gangon, there has been limited opposition from students and parents to this year’s policy.

“I’ve heard from zero sophomores who are frustrated. I went into all five of the honors chem classes, who would have been the population who would be going on to AP Bio, explained the situation, explained the policy chance [and] explained the reasoning,” he said.

Some sophomores, however, said that this policy will create scheduling conflicts for their senior year.

“If I am not able to take AP Bio junior year, then I would have to take it senior year, so I cannot take [other] classes,” Ma said.

“I am still frustrated about it because juniors this year were able to take it, and this year we are not,” Choi agreed. “I am

not [going to take [AP Bio]. Senior year, I already have science courses to take like AP Physics or neurobiology … I was planning to take AP Bio junior year [because] I had a lot of things that I wanted to take senior year.”

Although McChesney recognizes students’ concerns, she said that teachers reached a consensus that building in an extra year of biology will create a more enjoyable and fulfilling experience for both juniors and seniors. “It’s just really meant to be a positive change and to build a richer, more effective experience for the students,” she said.

In an April 15 survey of 100 students, The Roar found that...

26% of sophomores plan to take AP Biology as seniors

57%

of students believe that AP Biology should be a first-year course

Recently founded FBLA succeeds at state level David Li

Sr. News Editor In one of its first events since its inception earlier this year, the South chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) had a strong showing at a statewide competition on April 14.

FBLA members finished first in several categories, including Business Law, Entrepreneurship and Public Speaking.

Students also placed second or third in five other categories.

Juniors Jae Lee and Sachin Srivastava founded the South chapter of FBLA in order to give students an opportunity to learn about business.

“We really felt that [Newton South’s] ... business education, the opportunities, the types of classes that were offered in that area weren’t up to par [compared to] what our friends from other schools had. Also we discovered that those classes weren’t taken as seriously as they should’ve,” Srivastava said. “So we did the only thing we could — we started a club.”

Despite its recent beginnings, FBLA has already attracted 22 members. At the club meetings, FBLA members learn about the different aspects of business as they prepare for upcoming competitions.

At the April 14 competition, freshmen Nikolas Lazar, Bhavik Nagda and James Rao were among the South students who placed first, which, according to Srivastava, bodes well for the club’s future.

“One of the important things for Jae and I was that … some of our freshmen ... did really well in a variety of events,” he said. “So that gives a lot of confidence in terms of sustaining FBLA past our graduation.”

Additional reporting by Daniel Sellers

Why did you decide to join FBLA?

Nikolas Lazar, Class of 2017 “There’s an education aspect of FLBA about learning about marketing, the stock market and ... the techniques regarding business.”

Crane Friedman, Class of 2016 “I’ve always been interested in business, and I saw [FBLA flyers] ... I thought, ‘Oh, that would be something interesting for me to try.’”

photos courtesy of Jae Lee

Co-presidents Jae Lee and Sachin Srivastava (left), along with other FBLA members (right), display their awards.

page 4|APRIL 30, 2014

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

Vice Principal Scott to leave after 27 years MARY SCOTT, from 1

— is building the master schedule. According to Principal Joel Stembridge, Scott dedicates much of her summer to the task. “[Scott] spends literally hundreds of hours every summer putting the schedule together. [Her work] is just not replicable.”

The time spent on the schedule makes it a success, according to cooking teacher Jonathan Orren, whose classes are often difficult to schedule as a result of limited space and overwhelming student demand.

“This is not something where you can just plug everybody’s schedule into a computer and have some algorithm figure out everyone’s schedule. There’s a real critical human component to it,” he said. “She is sort of the puppet master pulling the strings and finding ways to make schedules work.”

As a result of Scott’s scheduling expertise, the family and consumer sciences department has been able to add four classes over the past four years, including “Cooking is Chemistry” and “Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems.”

Scott will remain at South next year as a part-time advisor to help the new vice principal and scheduler. As she continues to work, Scott said her goal for the rest of the school year is to “just keep making a better schedule and making kids able to take courses that they want to take.”

According to Hammel, this devotion to students is extraordinary for an administrator. “For me, the best way to describe Mary Scott is that as an administrator, she’s an administrator for the whole school,” she said.

“She crunches a lot of numbers, she does a lot with scheduling but that being said, I have never met anyone who has such an uncanny ability to know what’s best for students. She can look at the big picture.”

Junior Jae Lee said Scott has impacted his time at South in both an administrative and personal capacity. “She is the person who oversees basically all the scheduling issues, so I just don’t know how the school will function without her,” he said. “But other than the academic level, I just think her departure as a person is going to be a loss for this [South] community just because she was such a caring

photo by Alexa Rhynd

Scott works on her computer where she builds the master schedule. Scott has been scheduling since her third year in education. and kind individual.”

Scott’s value for student experience directly correlates to her work as a scheduler, Stembridge said. “Her number one goal is to have both happy teachers and happy students,” he said. “The reason why she spends so many hours on the schedule is because she always believes that if she just tweaked it a little bit more, more students and more teachers could get all of the choices that they wanted. And it’s like a big math puzzle for her. That really matters. ... And I won’t ever forget ... how something that is so fundamentally structural can connect so deeply to the value that we have for our kids and for our teachers.”

Scott’s retirement will deprive students and teachers of not only a caring but also a vital staff member, according to Cutler Housemaster Donna Gordon, who described Scott as the person staff went to if they wanted to get things done.

“With administrators, faculty, students and parents, Ms. Scott has built a strong

reputation of honesty and integrity. And the important thing is this, is that you can count on her for doing the right thing, because she wouldn’t settle for anything less,” Gordon said.

Both Gordon and Goldrick Housemaster Marc Banks have headed up to the selection committee for Scott’s replacement.

According to Kathy Knight, a friend of Scott who was a Spanish teacher at South until ‘02, the school will face a major loss, for Scott has always been a fundamental part of the school.

“What makes Ms. Scott so important to Newton South is absolutely positively her caring, generosity of spirit and communication, communication, communication,” Knight said. “There is going to be a huge hole there that is going to be very difficult to fill. And we have been very, very lucky to have her as assistant principal and part of the staff for all these years.”

Stembridge said Scott’s guidance has also been crucial to him personally. “Simply

put, my only successes here have occurred when I’ve listened to Mary Scott, and the mistakes I’ve made is when I’ve disregarded her advice. It’s simply invaluable. I don’t know how someone could come into a school this complex without having a guide, and you know Mary Scott is in so many ways the heart and soul of this school,” he said. “It’s just hard to fathom Newton South without the amazing Mary Scott with us. It’s been truly one of the highlights of my educational career — to work with someone as smart, as dedicated, as passionate about South, as funny.”

Even Scott said herself that said she is having difficulty imagining herself retiring.

“Every time we have anything, like Back-To-School Night or the registration process, I always sit at the end of it and take notes: ‘Next year I’m going to do this.’ And I’m still doing that, and then I’m thinking, ‘But I’m not doing this next year,’” she said.

“It’s really hard for me to believe. I mean this really is my second family here.”

Two teachers reflect on Scott’s departure

photo by Katie Asch

Public Domain

Katani Sumner

Michael Welch

M

Former Principal

ary always has her finger on the pulse of the school.

She knows the teachers at South quite well, and she is able to provide critical insights on what is important to the functioning of the school and what is not. She focuses on what will really make a difference for kids and their education.

She always has an upbeat, positive demeanor and this rubs off on everyone around her. She also never forgets the needs of

faculty when they have issues going on outside of school. She understands the importance of taking care of the emotional needs of adults as well as kids and has been a champion of these needs every day for her entire career.

Her steady, constant and confident presence has been perhaps the most impactful influence by a person at Newton South over the past 15-20 years. Her absence will leave a void at the school and I still miss her wisdom.

W

Metco Counselor

hen I think about Mary Scott, I have the image of an unsung hero, an amazing person behind the scenes who is incredibly reliable and essential yet few people realize how much they do. I liken her to the skeletal structure that allows each of us to stand, which provides a base for muscles and sinew to flex but is never actually seen.

I personally know her as the brainchild behind the Harambee Gospel Choir. Mary had the vi-

sion to create a space for students of diverse backgrounds to celebrate and share musical expression. Before I joined the Newton South staff, vice principal Scott had already created the class and had recruited students to join. It has been an honor to work with a vice principal who has a sincere desire to celebrate diversity at Newton South and is not afraid to help create a space for inclusion to be demonstrated. She will definitely be sorely missed.

April 30, 2014|page 5

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

A Glimpse of the Globe Information compiled by Roar editors from CNN, The Economist, BBC, Al Jazeera, The New York Times, Twitter and the rest of the Internet.

The CAR: what is actually happening?

Of the Central African Republic’s seven transfers of power since its independence from France, five have been coups.

The most recent coup, led by the Muslim rebel coalition Seleka to depose President Francois Bozize, has caused the underdeveloped country to descend into religious sectarian violence that borders on ethnic cleansing.

The Central African Republic (CAR), formerly Ubangi-Chari, gained independence from France in 1960 but thereafter plunged into decades of chaos and instability. In 1965, the CAR’s first president, David Dacko, was overthrown by his cousin, military commander Jean-Bedel Bokassa.

Bokassa went on to declare himself president for life in 1972 and emperor in 1976. Dacko reclaimed the presidency in a 1979 French-backed coup, but by this time, Bokassa had succeeded in bankrupting the already impoverished nation.

The first fair elections occurred in 1993, in which politician Ange-Felix Patasse defeated military commander and incumbent president Andre Kobalinga.

Patasse, however, was ousted in a coup by then rebel leader Bozize in 2003.

Bozize made some progress toward stability over the course of his presidency, signing peace treaties with the three main rebel militias, but in December of 2012, the rebel coalition Seleka — which means “alliance” in Sango, the national language of the CAR — accused Bozize of violating an agreement of the peace accords that promised reintegration assistance for rebels who gave up fighting.

Seleka then seized the capital, Bangui, in March 2013, and Seleka leader Michel Djotodia dissolved the parliament and suspended the constitution. But Djotodia, who was sworn in as president in August 2013, found his rebel coalition hard to con-

trol: fighting between Seleka and Christian opposition abounded in the CAR, which is particularly susceptible to this kind of sectarian violence as it is rife with illegal and unregulated weapons.

In December 2013, Christian rebels formed an organized opposition group called the antibalaka, aimed at removing the Seleka from power, though the violence has not been limited to these two groups.

The bulk of the violence has been committed by either the Seleka or the anti-balaka against citizens of the opposite religion. As a result, hundreds of thousands of citizens have been displaced from their homes.

In November 2013, the United Nations (UN) reported that the situation in the CAR is in danger of becoming a genocide and that 1.1 million citizens of its 5.1 million population could be subject to severe hunger.

Over 100,000 citizens of Bangui, which has been engulfed

News this week

in rampant violence, have been forced to find refuge in a tent city outside the Bangui airport protected by French troops.

As the violence continues in the CAR, a country that is primarily Christian, Muslims citizens have faced increasing persecution: tens of thousands of Muslims have been killed or forced out of their homes by Christian militia, in what UN officials have called “de facto ethnic cleansing.” Few Muslim neighborhoods still exist.

The Seleka leader and President Miguel Djotodia, having failed to contain the violence, resigned in January 2014, and the non-partisan Catherine SambaPanza took over as the interim president. In an effort to protect civilians and bring law and order to the CAR, the UN Security Council approved a motion on April 10 to send 12,000 peacekeepers to the region to assist the African Union and French troops already there.

Pro-Russian separatists in Slovyansk, Ukraine, a city blockaded by the Ukrainian government, detained eight European military observers. The observers had been traveling with a Ukrainian delegation.

Astronomers have discovered the first Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone. Scientists speculate that the planet, called Kepler-186f, could support liquid water and even extraterrestrial life.

A South Korean ferry carrying 476 passengers and crew capsized on its way to the resort island Jeju. 325 of the 459 passengers were students from a high school outside Seoul who were heading off to Jeju island for a four-day field trip.

An Overview: The problem: After the Muslim rebel coalition called the Seleka took power in March 2013, the Central African Repubic has descended into religious-fueled sectarian violence.

The response: The United Nations, along with France and the African Union, have sent international troops to the region to protect civilians and to restore order.

Reuters

Nonsensical News:

Fun and informational.

Calling it in

Clawing his way out In a scene straight out of the second episode of the television show “How I Met Your Mother,” a 3-year-old boy was found safe inside an arcade claw machine in a bowling alley in Lincoln, Neb. on April 15.

According to a Huffington Post article, the boy, who was reported missing by his mother, is suspected to have left his apartment through an unlocked door while his mother was in the bathroom.

The boy was found almost immediately, however, when bowlers at the nearby bowling alley saw him sitting in the claw machine. He was reunited with his mother without injury.

Oddly enough, incidents such as this one are hardly uncommon as children have found it relatively easy to climb into the machines through the prize chute.

President Barack Obama signed a law preventing Iranian diplomat Hamid Abutalebi from becoming an envoy to the United Nations because of his role as an interpreter for the militants in the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-1981.

Some make better use of the experience than others. An Australian child who got stuck in a claw machine in 2012 used the opportunity to hand out the toy prizes to passersby.

NBC

Most people will call 911 if they arebeing robbed, but two men in Maplewood, Minn. took this convention a step further when they called 911 as they were committing a robbery.

A burglar preparing to rob a localauto repair shop on April 1 accidently pocket-dialed 911 as he was discussing the details of the upcoming heist with his accomplice, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The calls were made using the phone’s emergency call feature.

The police dispatcher who answered the call overheard the criminal conversation and, since 911 calls reveal the caller’s location, was able to send police officers to intercept the men.

When the police arrived on the

scene, the men were found wearing dark clothing, carrying a television and a large box out of the building.

Ironically, when Apple they were overheard by the police dispatcher, the two men were worrying about where the police were and if they were going to be caught.

page 6|April 30, 2014|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

Editorials

Editor explains the importance of senior slump pAGE 7

SHELLEY FRIEDLAND poses for HER license photo pAGE 8

Editorials@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 30, ISSUE 7

The Cat’s

Meow All the news that’s fit to print ... and then some!

Overlap between AP exam and semi formal dance creates scheduling conflicts for juniors Several South students have complained about the timing of the junior semi formal dance, which takes place the morning of the AP United States History examination.

According to history teacher Eshley Alpern, United States History is the most common AP test for juniors to take.

The event’s scheduling is peculiar this year, taking place in the morning on a school day. The junior class officers cited the cost as the reason for booking the event for that morning.

“We wanted it somewhere great, better than something weird and a pain or ridiculous like Gillette Stadium,” junior Brad Timing said. “But the problem was the cost. So we got a deal that only required a different timing.”

Junior Toos Spacey said she isn’t sure yet about what her future plans are.

“On the one hand, semi is, like, so, like, amazing. But my parents are being, like, so annoying about APUSH,” she said. “Maybe I’ll try, like, to go to half of semi then show up for the second half of the test.

IDK.”

Wegmans opening brings about social unrest in community On April 27, Wegmans supermarket opened off route 9 in Chestnut Hill, causing several traffic jams, street closings and one riot during the day. A few students shared their stories with The Roar on that fateful Sunday.

Junior Baith Fergman said she waited in line for over 24 hours. “We started camping out the night before, bringing tents and the last of our Whole Foods groceries. I had to pee in a bottle. It was pretty crazy,” she said.

“You gotta do what you gotta do for Wegmans.”

Freshman Coldan Hangry said she has family members who are still waiting to get in.

“My mom left for Wegmans at about noon on Sunday, and she still hasn’t come back,” he said. “She ran out of food and water a couple of hours ago, but she just won’t give up.”

Since the store’s opening, a total of 411 absences have been called in, and over 90 percent of them are suspected to be Wegmans-related.

Small changes in grade transparency policy could reduce student stress One factor is almost completely responsible for the stress at South: grades.

Most students worry about their grades throughout all four years of high school. The simple task of keeping track of their grades, however, may lead to even more student stress, depending on the grade transparency policies of teachers.

The Roar believes that grade transparency does have its benefits; yet, too little or too much can lead unnecessary stress for students.

In a Roar meeting on April 14, where over 30 members were present, every student had both a teacher that did and did not use engrade.com, a website on which teachers can post every assignment of a term, allowing students to view how they did on each assignment as well as their overall grade for the term so far.

The Roar acknowledges that Engrade and other forms of grade transparency can be very useful for students. These forms of grade transparency can help them understand where specifically they need to improve or alert students to

missing work.

Also, a few members said Engrade helps them realize their teachers’ mistakes in inputting grades.

Yet, there are drawbacks to such a transparent system. Having such detailed outlines of grades can lead to obsession about grades.

Students can stop caring about learning the material and begin to worry about how each assignment will affect their grade, which causes more stress.

Very little grade transparency, however, is no better of an alternative. Roar staff members speculated about the opaque grading systems of some teachers, questioning the fairness of their grading methods.

Worrying about unknown grades also leads to unnecessary stress. On their own, students can get an overall impression of how they are doing in a class; however, if students are on the border between two grades, it can be very useful to know exactly what their grade is.

In an ideal world, all students would try their hardest in each class, take the time to calculate their grades for themselves and be

content with whatever grade they receive.

That, however, is not the reality at South.

Students usually juggle five or more classes, social lives and extra curricular activities. Sometimes, in the jumble of their lives, other activities take priority over homework and academics.

So it is important for students to know if they should be focusing a bit more on one class.

A more general, periodical grading system should be implemented at South, for all teachers. A few members suggested a system in which teachers give out progress reports twice a term — once at the middle of the term and once at the end.

Systems like these would prevent students from stressing over unknown grades, but would also prevent students from obsessing over their grades on individual assignments.

Some of the grading systems at South cause unnecessary stress, and eliminating them is an easy step that should be taken to help reduce stress among students.

Editorial Policy The Lion’s Roar, founded in 1984, is the student newspaper of Newton South High School, acting as a public forum for student views and attitudes.

The Lion’s Roar’s right to freedom of expression is protected by the Massachusetts Student Free Expression Law (Mass.

Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 71, Section 82). All content decisions are made by student editors, and the content of The Lion’s Roar in no way reflects the official policy of Newton South, its faculty, or its administration. Editorials are the official opinion of The Lion’s Roar, while opinions and letters are the personal viewpoints of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Lion’s Roar. The Lion’s Roar reserves the right to edit all submitted content, to reject advertising copy for resubmission of new copy that is deemed acceptable by student editors, and to make decisions regarding the submission of letters to the editors, which are welcomed.

The Lion’s Roar is printed by Seacoast Newspapers and published every four weeks by Newton South students. All funding comes from advertisers and subscriptions.

In-school distribution of The Lion’s Roar is free, but each copy of the paper shall cost one dollar for each copy more than ten (10) that is taken by any individual or by many individuals on behalf of a single individual. Violation of this policy shall constitute theft.

Join The Roar!

Monday J Block Room 1201

april 30, 2014|page 7

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

THE Editor rejects common criticisms of EDITOR’S senior slump, explains its importance DESK Kylie Walters Editor-in-Chief

Slump.

Many of us spend years waiting for and working toward the infamous “senior slump,” only to be told that we shouldn’t partake in the second semester alleviation of academic standards.

What is slump? Is it real? How does one slump responsibly? Can students in AP classes slump?

Slump is different for everyone, but as a self-proclaimed slump success story, I would love to share what I’ve learned.

There will be many, many people who tell you not to slump. I mean, to be fair, “slump” does sound like a lazy, gross thing. It, unfairly in many cases, suggests intellectual indifference and disregard for the educational opportunities provided at South.

But I urge the naysayers to consider that slump has the potential to be fulfilling and valuable beyond the implications of its name.

My approach to slump has been simple. I don’t hold myself to any strict rules about homework or studying; if I’m interested in or feel like studying for a test, I will. If I’m not, I won’t. I usually do my homework, but when I do, I don’t stress about the minute details or lose sleep over busywork. Most importantly, I get at least

eight or nine hours of sleep every weekyou truly understand how much it affected night. you.

Now, this isn’t to say that I have Life is about so much more than hours of free time I lacked before, but I’ve good grades and what adults expect of you been surprised by the value of the slump that it’s liberating to put your own ambiperspective. tions first. No student should leave South I stay at the dinner table with my thinking a single homework assignment parents until the conversation reaches its is more important than his or her health, natural end instead of leaving angrily to do which often means getting a full night of work like I did before. sleep.

Slump has allowed me to refocus I appreciate the fact that my upand appreciate my bringing and the friends and family; culture in Newton I am now able to schools has pushed “Slump hasn’t made me neglect me to high acaenjoy the current intersection of these demic standards. all responsibility or become parts of my life.

But these lazy; it has simply reminded T he s e i mstandards need to me to think about what would be personalized, mediate parts of make me happiest.” my world will soon and slump has shift drastically, and given me time for I know I’ll happy that. to be able to say For the past that I didn’t take them all for granted. four years, I’ve been depriving myself of It may be hard to believe, but slump a healthy balance between schoolwork, has really reminded me how to prioritize extracurriculars, family, friends and time myself in ways that I had forgotten how. for relaxation.

I had spent so much time stressing Slump hasn’t made me neglect all over the demands of my various classes responsibility or become lazy; it has simply and teachers that I left my own interests reminded me to think about what would and passions to wither. make me happiest.

It’s not to say that I wasn’t happy To all those who question the ability before slump, but only when you stop givof slump to be a meaningful period of selfing school such power over your life can reflection, I simply wish you could have a

Volume 30

time like slump in your own life.

It may sound clichéd, but I’ve actually felt a lot more like a high schooler in the past few months of slump. I feel younger, relaxed and engaged with life. I no longer work until I feel ready to collapse or wake up needing double the amount of sleep I just got.

I encourage those who oppose slump to consider what it means to be 17.

You wouldn’t want to be more narrowminded than Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg (“Young, Wild & Free”), who are admittedly unusual voices of reason on the subject.

So, seniors, whatever it is, put your wants ahead of the rules that have previously bound you. Hang out with friends on a week night, challenge the prompt and live a balanced life.

Underclassmen, know that however your college process shakes out, there are so many more things to life, and high school need not be a vortex of stress. Look forward to slump as a real time in your life that you will one day reach. And when you do reach it, make sure you maximize your experience and reflect on what matters before you embark on your post-South adventures.

I’m sure of one thing: If you didn’t get the chance to savor the first three and a half years of high school, don’t miss out on your chance to enjoy the last semester.

Volume 31

The Lion’s Roar

The Lion’s Roar

Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper

Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper

140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com

140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com

Editors-in-Chief

Yonatan Gazit

Editors-in-Chief

Kylie Walters

Hyunnew Choi Parisa Siddiqui

Managing Editor

Managing Editors

Dina Busaba

Business and Production

Sasha Kuznetsov Carly Meisel

Chief Copy Editor

Jordan Cohen-Kaplan

Julie Olesky

Charlotte Huth

Business and Production

Chief Copy Editor

Faith Bergman Julia Mount

Darren Trementozzi

Aazer Siddiqui

Section Editors Sr. News Editors Sasha Kuznetsov Nathaniel Bolter News editors David Li Amelia Stern

Sr. Centerfold Editors Faith Bergman Hyunnew Choi

Graphics Managers David Gorelik Olivia Hamilton

Section Editors Sr. Sports Editors

Sr. Features Editors Carly Meisel Parisa Siddiqui Features editors Sophia Fisher Maia Fefer Shelley Friedland

Advisers

Ashley Elpern Paul Estin Brian Baron

Jack McElduff Darren Trementozzi Sports editor Lizzie Fineman

Sr. News Editors Nathaniel Bolter Bella Ehrlich David Li News editors Bhavik Nagda

SR. OPINIONS EDITOR Veronica Podolny

Photo Managers Katie Asch Dylan Block Sofia Osorio

Aaron Edelstein

Sr. Centerfold Editors Shelley Friedland Veronica Podolny

Graphics Manager Sophie Galowitz

Sr. Sports Editors Sr. Features Editors

Helen Haskin David Kim Jack McElduff

Amelia Stern Nicole Yu

SR. OPINIONS EDITOR

Maia Fefer Sophia Fisher Features editors

Advisers

Ashley Elpern Paul Estin Brian Baron

Ariel Neumann

Photo Managers Katie Asch Max Baker Alexa Rhynd

page 8|April 30, 2014

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM Columns, rows and squares Each take a digit, falling Between one and nine.

ROSSWORD

bad haiku by Tony Vashevko & Rob Hass puzzles courtesy of sudokuoftheday.com

EASY: 7 1

8

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CHALLENGING: 5

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26 21

ACROSS:

1. One who gives in 8. Bird with a down-curved bill 10. Upward movement 12. Drink container 13. Photographic light metering system

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page 9|april 30, 2014|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

opinionS

sophomore advocates Raising the minimum wage pAGE 10

Students propose ways to reduce stress at South pAGE 11

opinions@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 30, ISSUE 7

Perspectives:

graphics by Sophie Galowitz

Should South regulate the way students dress in school?

YES, IT SHOULD P

by ariel Neumann

eople, understandably, don’t always like the idea of a school uniform or dress code because it can seem like an unnecessary limit on students’ selfexpression. In reality though, a uniform is both necessary and liberating.

There are several practical reasons to implement a dress code or uniform.

Having a predetermined set of school clothes means less money spent on clothing and less time spent shopping for clothes. You also don’t have to spend time worrying about an outfit for the next school day.

In the somewhat superficial world of high school, where people are often judged based on their appearances, uniforms can act as an equalizer, taking the issue of fashionable or unfashionable clothing out of the equation when it comes to social interactions.

Especially for lower-income students who may not be able to afford expensive clothing and for those who wish to be judged on their character rather than their appearence, uniforms provide a clear solution.

Uniforms remove money and fashion from the popularity equation, evening the playing field.

School uniforms can also even the standards for male and female students, since society expects girls to put more time and energy into their sartorial choices. Girls would no longer have to spend many more hours than boys do shopping for clothes.

As a result, uniforms would remove many of these social expectations that overwhelmingly affect girls.

Girls would also not have to put so much energy into their clothing, and female students would benefit from having one fewer thing to worry about.

Although this change would affect girls especially, all students would benefit from having extra time in the mornings to sleep without having to pick out an outfit for the day and not having to spend time shopping for more clothes on the weekends.

Many people treat clothing as a form of self-expression, and it can be, but it can also be a way of drawing clear lines between different groups of people.

Certain friend groups tend to dress certain ways, and when there is such a visible marker of status, people “know” who someone is at first glance.

If someone’s appearance identifies him or her as part of a different crowd, many people will not take the time to get to know each other because they will assume they will likely not be friends anyway.

Having everyone dress the same would get rid of the first impression, freeing people to get to know each other better based on personality rather than appearance and social standing.

Of course, uniforms would not get rid of cliques all together, but they could help to make it so that social groups don’t have such rigid edges.

South should consider adopting uniforms. In our busy lives, already over-scheduled and full of stress, having uniforms would allow for one fewer timeconsumer, one fewer competition and one fewer source of anxiety.

NO, it Shouldn’t I

by Victoria bergman

n the past, dress codes have primarily been used at private schools, but an increasing number of public schools have also taken the turn.

The controversy over creating a dress code for public schools is largely due to the fact that they are “meant for private schools.” I believe that there should definitely not be a uniform put into place at South, because it would have more detrimental effects to the community than positive ones.

Creating a dress code would take away students’ ability to express themselves through their clothing. By establishing uniforms, students will have to find other venues of self-expression.

People often think that a dress code can create a sense of unity and equality in a school, preventing cliques and judgement based on appearances. This may be true, but especially in high school, people want to be different from others and wish to express their individuality.

Furthermore, it is inevitable that in a high school environment peers will find something to criticize someone else for, whether or not there are uniforms.

Uniforms are a feeble attempt at solving a far too deeply embedded problem.

Having everyone wear the same style or outfit doesn’t help people break through cliques and social expectations — it encourages the idea that in order to get along, everyone needs to conform to a specific way of dressing.

A typical uniform for girls consists of a skirt, one specific style of pants, a shirt and the same shoes for everyone. For guys, a typical uniform also consists of one style

of pants, shoes and a shirt.

Why should everyone have to look alike in a diverse school where people come from all sorts of backgrounds? It simply makes no sense. What if a girl does not want to wear a skirt because she feels uncomfortable with the way she looks in it, or what if a guy does not want to look the same as every other guy?

I know that I would not want to wear the same clothing as everyone in my class; not because I don’t like the idea of equality, but because I like to voice myself through clothing.

In addition, the popular idea that dress codes make it easier for most families because they they would not have to purchase as much clothing is not entirely true.

At South, there are families of many different socioeconomic statuses. It probably would be cheaper and helpful to some families to have a uniform, but teenagers would also want and need to own clothing for outside of school.

This means that some families would actually be spending about the same amount of money because they would be purchasing both uniforms and clothing for outside of school.

Instead of introducing a dress code, South could implement rules that regulate student dress while keeping intact the freedom for students to wear what they want.

As high schoolers, we are constantly being told what we can and can’t do, how we can and can’t behave. Retaining this simple, harmless freedom of expression could go a long way.

page 10|April 30, 2014

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

Raise the Minimum Wage

BY Ben rabin

Whenever I’m at a restaurant, I always tip the person serving me.

I started doing this in sixth grade, when I was having lunch with my uncle.

When it was time to pay, I, using my stellar middle school math skills, noticed that we were giving the waitress a lot more than was required.

This confused me. Given that my uncle has a Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard, accurately calculating tip should not have been a problem for him.

After I pointed this out, he laughed and explained why he had given so much tip. He told me that waiters and waitresses make very little money, so even small tips can mean a great deal.

I then realized that although tips are not a big deal for restaurant customers like my uncle, it can be significant to the waiters or waitresses.

Perhaps if the same logic were used in determining the government’s policy towards the minimum wage, many lives could be changed for the better.

The minimum wage is the lowest possible amount of money that an employer is allowed to pay its workers, as mandated by the state or federal government.

Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Many politicians, however, have recently proposed raising it to $10.10 per hour.

According to Public Policy Polling, 56 percent of Americans support raising the minumum wage, and only 38 percent oppose it. Americans of almost all positions on the political spectrum are in favor of this reform, and such support is rare in this hyper-partisan era.

An increase of only $2.85 can seem like nothing on paper, but a boost like this can mean the difference between hunger and nourishment, between poverty and a secure home, between grief and happiness.

For people living in less affluent communities than Newton and those who are responsible for feeding and providing for large families, $7.25 per hour is not enough.

It is not enough and never will be for people struggling day and night to make a living.

It is time for us to get rid of an income policy that lets the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor.

In addition to the moral alone, there is a practical argument for increasing wages; higher wages increase productivity.

There is little motivation to do something you don’t enjoy if you don’t recieve an adequate reward.

If you were forced to sit in a factory all day installing nuts and bolts into gears, doing the same things again and again for almost 13 hours, which would provide a greater incentive — $94.25 or $131.30?

Obviously the latter is more enticing.

If a business wants to keep its workers and produce higher quality goods, then there needs to be some sort of incentive.

Raising the minimum wage would provide that incentive.

The benefits of raising the minimum wage are overwhelming. According to the Central Budget Office (CBO), raising the minimum wage would bring over 900,000 people out of poverty.

Contrary to popular myths, most people who are in poverty are not drunk and lazy leeches, but are actually decent,

hardworking Americans who are struggling to make ends meet.

The CBO statistic shows that raising the minimum wage is not only a compassionate thing to do, but is also a way to improve the economy.

This would not only make America a more prosperous country, but it would also show the world that we are kind toward the downtrodden.

It will show the world that we, as a country, care for the less fortunate among our citizens, and that we live in a sympathetic, loving place that people can admire.

While it is true that raising the minimum wage will result in some job losses, the net income for working and

middle class families would still increase.

According to the CBO, the accumulated income increase among middle class families (who do not make minimum wage) would be $19 billion.This also translates into a gain for our economy; this demonstrates that the benefits of increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 outweigh the detriments by a landslide.

Our wage system is inherently unfair.

It has created a huge income gap and has also made it so that those who work the most and struggle to provide for their families get paid the least.

The way to amend this situation is to raise the minimum wage — a small change for taxpayers, but a huge improvement for workers everywhere.

graphic by Melanie Wu

A Call for Freshman Honors

BY Clare Martin

I often find myself wondering how the leveling of freshman core courses at South compares to that of neighboring high schools: Acton-Boxborough, Brookline, Concord-Carlisle, Lexington, Lincoln-Sudbury, Newton North, Waltham, Wayland, Wellesley, Weston and Winchester.

While all 12 schools offer ninth grade math at the honors level, most also offer honors science and world language, and about half offer honors programs in English and history.

I boiled my results down to this: like every other school, South offers freshman math at the honors level. Unlike many schools, however, South does not offer honors levels in freshman science, English, history or world language.

Granted, these statistics are simplistic, as smaller schools cannot offer as many courses as larger schools can. We can, however, draw several conclusions from this data.

First, math is an exception because differentiated leveling

starts early on in middle school.

It makes sense to continue to divide students into levels in freshman year.

For the other subjects, however, I am frustrated with South’s current policy of limited leveling in ninth grade. I believe that ninth grade is the ideal year for experimentation with faster paced honors courses.

In sophomore year, grades begin to count towards a student’s GPA. In junior year, SAT testing commences. In senior year, all anyone can think about is college or what will come after graduation.

Sure, ninth grade marks a student’s entry into high school, introducing a host of new responsibilities. These extra strains are not unique to freshman year.

Every high school year presents its own obstacles.

Despite the unfamiliarity with high school that defines freshman year, this year is free of many of the stresses placed upon sophomores, juniors and seniors. Freshman year is the perfect time to expose students

interested in honors classes to the switch between classes if they offers freshman honors in Enghigh expectations and workload feel out of place. Even with lish, history, science and world of these courses. the current leveling system for language is that doing so gives inOne drawback to honors ninth graders, freshmen rear- clined students a taste of honors leveling in ninth grade is that it range their schedules every year. courses in their first year of high forces eighth graders to make deschool when the stakes are lower.

If freshmen have enough cisions without the advice of high responsibility and support to The recent discussions school teachers and experienced handle switching between classes about levelling for the fine, upperclassmen. now, they will also be able to deal performing and technical arts There is a big leap between demonstrate that students want with the challanges of choosing middle school and high school, to have input on course levelbetween different level courses. and incoming freshmen may find ing. The same is true with core Maybe the reason why the the decision of whether or not to courses. majority of schools I surveyed take honors daunting.

Freshmen, howe v e r, a r e capable of taught by active recording artist making these choic25 years of es. With the teaching experience help of guidance counserving all of newton selors and a will make housecalls sympathetic references available group of ninth grade All levels of expertise welcome teachers, freshmen sunnyleepiano@gmail.com should be allowed to

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april 30, 2014|page 11

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

UPGRADE

9 Semi this weekend

campus chatter The Lion’s Roar asked...

How can we reduce stress at South?

Next break is summer vacation

“I think by finding extracurricular activities you enjoy … something beyond academics.”

Warmer weather Easter candy is on sale Seniors’ last month of school begins Wegmans opening Facebook statuses about college decisions

- Laura Cotter, Class of 2014 “Less homework … I think teachers give a lot of homework. I don’t think they understand how it affects kids.”

- Herbie Floyd, Class of 2016 “Making it so you can make up tests after you filled in your answers … so, after you hand it in, you can go back and make up the answers to get a good grade.”

- Sally Jenks, Class of 2016 “I try and use my time wisely in school and out of school, which is why free blocks are helpful. South should let us have more [free blocks].”

- Tae Lee, Class of 2017

9

DOWNGRADE

photos by Alexa Rhynd

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

BY Parisa Siddiqui

Snow in April Vacation is over APs begin in one week The expenses of going to semi and/or prom Allergies Spring cleaning Postponement of the Avicii concert College waitlist season begins

As far as superhero movies go, Marvel Studios has the formula for success: classic comic book characters, clever dialogue, great special effects, big stars and fast-paced plots that always involve saving the world. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” has all of these elements and more.

This movie follows the events not of the first Captain America movie, which came out in 2011, but those of the highly acclaimed “The Avengers” (2012) that brought together many superheroes from the Marvel comics universe. Genetically-enhanced supersoldier Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans), Captain America himself, settles in DC after having been preserved in ice for decades.

After WWII era Nazi terrorist group HYDRA infiltrates S.H.I.E.L.D, the organization Rogers works for, he realizes that he faces a bigger threat than he previously thought.

The film touches on modern fears about national security, which are comparable to the fears of a Marxist takeover which plagued the nation in the 1940s, when Rogers was a symbol of hope for Americans in a time of war.

Although the movie touches on some serious themes, it offers just as many quips about Rogers’ romantic life and his 1940s modesty, which provide refreshing and necessary comic relief.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

Rogers (Chris Evans) and Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) prepare for a fight in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.”

Just like every other superhero movie, the film culminates in a battle, replete with flaming explosions, very loud and extensive gunplay and impressive fighting.

The final fight between Rogers, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson) and the newly introduced Sam Wilson/Falcon (played by Anthony Mackie) was particularly well done. The excellentlychoreographed hand-to-hand combat sequences prove that the Captain is more than

his shield.

Although all of the fighting adds to the intensity and excitement of the film, these violent scenes were a little too much to handle at times. For instance, the 10-minute car chase scene in which machine guns fire off and high-tech grenades explode left and right seemed excessive.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” leaves the door wide open for another sequel, which I eagerly anticipate.

BEHIND

THE SCREEN

photo by Neoreet Braha

Anonymous online pages grow in number on social media, creating a platform for bullying among students

O

By Shelley Friedland and Veronica Podolny

ne day during her freshman year, sophomore Kate Pozner decided to make an account on Ask.fm, an anonymous question and answer platform website, instead of doing her homework. Scrolling through her Facebook newsfeed, she noticed a growing trend among her friends, who all seemed to be making these accounts.

“When I first made [the page], I didn’t really know what it was. I just knew that all of my friends were doing it and I saw them answer[ing] questions,” she said.

Pozner said that soon after creating her account, she began recieving questions and comments each day, many of them positive.

“I’ve had very few mean messages ... There are a lot of nice things that people put, a lot of … fun things and friends put inside jokes.”

Pozner’s experience with anonymous online users mirrors that of other students who have been engaging in sites like Ask.fm.

Overall, students and adults of the South community said they have mixed feelings about anonymity on the internet. Many agreed that anonymity online can be harmful; however, some said that certain benefits come from remaining unidentified behind a screen.

According to Dr. Keith Maddox, associate professor of psychology at Tufts University, people feel more comfortable saying things online once they know there is no chance of being identified. “[Anonymity] will give you the context to say things that are socially undesirable, and usually [people] do it because it can’t necessarily be traced back to them,” he said. “Something that somebody wouldn’t say in person they would feel comfortable saying under the anonymity of these websites.”

Senior Tom Howe agreed with Maddox that anonymity provides users with a sense of security. “[People are] a lot meaner [anonymously], I would say … You feel comfortable saying

[something mean],” he said. that blatantly hurts people, that’s fine,” she said. “I Goldrick housemaster Marc Banks believes would definitely be against insults, but I don’t see a anonymity is never positive. problem with compliments and crushes.”

“I don’t know what benefits there would be Howe added that NSHS Crushes should not to being anonymous,” he said. “I feel like if you’re be taken seriously. doing something anonymously, you don’t want “I think [NSHS crushes is] a very light group your name attached to it, which means it probably in the sense that there’s not much heart or value isn’t something in the most positive light.” behind most of the crushes they post,” he said.

According to Howe, anonymity on the Maddox said that the Twitter account NSHS internet has come to the attention of the South Hookups is the most vicious of all of the pages, community in the form of Ask.fm users, Facebook and that he finds the concept troubling. pages such as NSHS Crushes and Twitter accounts “I really think it’s unfortunate. In some ways such as NSHS Hookups. Howe said he chose not to I think that you have to be a high school student make an Ask.fm account because of the website’s and you have to sort of grow up and go through trivial nature. all kinds of experiences and that time of your “I don’t agree with how they’re used in the life is highly focused of people and their social high school setting. I think that a lot of hate comes relationships … So it really makes me sad to know with them,” he said. that people are doing that,” he said.

Freshman Austin Burton agreed with Howe Banks agreed with Maddox and said that that Ask.fm although he pages are not would like to I worry about students who think they’re doing worth using. believe that things anonymously because nothing is ever really “I feel these pages are anonymous on the internet. that they are harmless, the us el e ss and negative effects if someone outweigh the - Marc Banks, Goldrick Housemaster wants to come few benefits of and ask me a question, they’re free to,” he said. the pages.

Pozner said that although anonymous pages can “I think [NSHS Hookups] is frustrating … adversely affect their owners, it is up to the account It’s hard to say. With teeangers, I think it’s all done creator to determine how others use the page. ... in a fun and games type way, but there are some “I think people kind of overreact when they people who don’t want their information out hear [about] anonymous questions, but it’s a choice there,” he said. to answer them ... if it’s used poorly, I think it can Howe said that people are typically unhappy be really bad,” she said. “I think it gets a lot of bad with the invasion of privacy from the account. press, but you just have to do what’s right for you.”

“I’ve heard of some nasty NSHS Hookups According to some students, the Facebook stories where people are really uncomfortable with pages, unlike Ask.fm, are a positive addition to their personal makeouts being broadcasted to South’s atmosphere. Pozner said that pages like the world,” he said. “NSHS Hookups does make a NSHS Crushes, to which students send in their point that if someone doesn’t like it, then they can crushes via chat, are acceptable. message them and get it removed which people “I think as long as there’s no insults page commonly do, but it’s still up there for a period of

time so it’s still publicized to a certain degree.”

According to Banks, there is a correlation between anonymous accounts and bullying. The anonymity factor, however, makes it harder to identify the aggressor.

“If we can find the student who is doing [the bullying], that person gets punished. I think that’s the hardest part, because I think a lot of it is done so anonymously, but certainly the housemasters follow up with students and with families, if we can figure out who is doing it,” he said.

Maddox said that anonymity encourages negative behavior because the harasser is difficult to find, which gives him or her an advantage to escape consequences.

“When you can say something in a public forum and not be accountable for it, then you’re much more likely to engage in actions that may not necessarily have consequences [online],” he said. “You can say something that is sexist or racist ... without anybody calling you out for it. So there are no repercussions at all.”

Banks, however, said he urges students to remember that the internet is a public place. “I worry about students who think they’re doing things anonymously because nothing is ever really anonymous on the internet,” he said.

Pozner said that owners of harmful anonymous accounts should be punished.

“They’re giving kids an outlet to be mean,” she said. “I think it should be treated the same way they treat regular bullying, which is pretty severe here. I think they should be punished. It’s not cool — it’s mean.”

According to Maddox, although there are benefits to anonymous online websites, students should be wary of potential consequences when using them.

“I think that kids sort of have to know a little bit about what the real world is like in order to navigate it, so I see some positives and some negatives to these kinds to sites,” he said.

On April 15, 2014 The Roar surveyed 112 students and found...

4 in every 10 students have used a question-asking website

17% have sent in messages to “NSHS Hookups” or “NSHS Crushes”

Students said that anonymous pages create an atmosphere at south that is...

49%

51%

positive negative

20% believe that South-affiliated anonymous pages should be shut down

infographic by Vernoica Podolny

The Roar asked students what they think of anonymous online pages... “[NSHS] Crushes is fine because [for] people who don’t have the courage to actually say it face to face, it’s fine to do it anonymously.”

“[NSHS Hookups] is very disturbing, and it shouldn’t be anybody’s business of who’s with who. It just causes drama and jealousy and gossip.”

- Nathan Strauss, Class of 2017

- Madison Hackel, Class of 2016

“[Online anonymity] is fine if you’re not hurting anyone’s feelings.”

- Tyler Ross, Class of 2015

“If you are allowing yourself to … put up the anonymous on your ask.fm, then you’re waiting for hate because that’s more or less what those [pages] are known for.”

- Serena Allegro, Class of 2015

page 14|April 30, 2014

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

CRUSHED BY ANONYMITY

Public Domain

Student and the creators of the Facebook page NSHS Crushes debate the nature of online anonymity Veronica Podolny Sr. Centerfold Editor

I spent years watching The CW’s “Gossip Girl” religiously. The idea of an anonymous site posting updates about Manhattan’s “it” high-schoolers was intriguing because it was so unlike anything I had ever experienced. In recent years, however, “Gossip Girl” has found its way to Newton.

I discovered anonymous websites in eighth grade when Formspring was on the rise. On Formspring, users can ask and answer questions either displaying their usernames or anonymously. It is not hard to see why Formspring was so attractive to a group of naive, 13-year-old gossips without the slightest clue of the consequences the internet bears.

If I didn’t know what the boy I liked thought of me, I could send him an anonymous message with a list of my name along with five others, asking for his response to each of the names. Likewise, I would receive several names a day and carefully respond to each since there was no way to know who the asker was.

Those were some of the “nicer” questions. As Formspring gained popularity, I received more messages, many of which told me I was “ugly” or “wearing too much eyeliner.”

Anonymous accounts like Newton Truths, where users could submit names and the owners would post the “truth” about them, began to appear.

With these accounts came drama, tears and torn friendships. Students pointed fingers in every direction, trying to identify the owners of the accounts and the askers.

As we matured by the end of middle school, however, we disabled our accounts, looking forward to high school, where, as we were told, no one cared about such trivial matters.

Somehow, anonymity made its way into the high school atmosphere. Last year, pages like NSHS Compliments and NSHS

Crushes began to pop up on Facebook.

They quickly gained popularity as people sent in funny compliments and crushes.

Recently, a new Twitter account has appeared — one that is just too similar to the anonymous site on the television show I followed for years. NSHS Hookups is Newton’s very own “Gossip Girl.” Users message the initials of people who have hooked up, which the owner then posts along with the grade each person is in.

Here’s the catch — the owner doesn’t care how true or false the initials sent in may be. A month ago, the owner of the account posted my initials, and when I called them out for posting a lie, the owner blocked me on Twitter without taking my initials down.

Anonymity has ruined the internet.

Hiding behind a screen and keyboard, one can say everything he or she wouldn’t say in person. When people don’t have to claim responibility for their words, they no longer have to censor themselves.

The owner of NSHS Hookups most likely would not have blocked me or left my initials up if not for the account’s anonymity because I would have been able to confront him or her.

I am not blaming just the account for its wrongdoings. Although it has had a negative effect on South’s social atmosphere, we are all as much a part of it as the account itself. The only reason the account is sustainable is because we continue to send in initials weekend after weekend.

Anonymity has helped spark change around the world, from Tahrir Square (where the Arab Spring started) to Maidan Square (where the uprising in Ukraine began).

South students, however, are abusing the privilege of online anonymity. We are just as much to blame as the owners of these pages because simply having a Facebook, Twitter or Formspring endorses these pages instead of eliminating them.

If we aren’t part of the solution, we’re part of the problem. Like Dan Humphrey said, “We’re all Gossip Girl.”

NSHS Crushes

Centerfold Contributor Ever since the release of NSHS Hookups, Ask.fm and other social media sites that allow users to post anonymously, the practice of posting anonymously has gotten a pretty bad reputation.

Many people now associate online anonymity with hateful messages and cyberbullying. We think, however, that it can be used for good.

We, NSHS Crushes, have faith in human nature and believe that the Newton South community is capable of handling anonymity.

By creating our page, we have provided an outlet through which students can send anonymous messages to one another without revealing their identity.

Having the option to remain anonymous allows students to express thoughts and feelings that they may be uncomfortable associating with themselves.

Yes, this can allow people to belittle one another without facing any personal consequences. This bold behavior, however, can also be positive.

Maybe some shy guy appreciated someone’s good qualities and wanted to express that without exposing himself.

Maybe someone really does have a crush to express and wants to avoid being put in a vulnerable position.

Maybe it is just a friend who wants to make someone feel better. Regardless, the end result is a warm feeling for whoever receives a compliment from NSHS Crushes.

There are, however, difficulties that come with running an anonymous site.

It can be difficult to distinguish the line between something that is supposed to be funny and something that is harmful.

We have had many crushes processed through our site, and some people have requested us to take a few down because the person for whom the crush was intended was uncomfortable.

Of course, when this happens, we

delete the post as soon as possible, but we cannot delete the post from the memories of those who saw it.

We apologize for that, but we also think that the mass benefit from all of the good outweighs the bad from the rare cases where someone becomes uncomfortable because of a crush.

Unlike many other sites that post whatever comes their way, we have a screening system in effect to limit the number of harmful crushes. Usually, we limit the negative effects of anonymity by catching insincere crushes with bad intentions and refraining from releasing them to the public.

Anonymity has more than just bad side effects. We are sure that we would have far fewer crushes if everyone had to attach his or her identity to his or her heartfelt messages.

We believe that with anonymity comes audacity, which can be dangerous, but is nonetheless important.

If it is boldness that encourages people to brighten others’ days, then so be it. Why not tell your friend that he or she dresses well and is really cool? Sometimes the anonymity can make that person appreciate the praise even more.

The ways that Ask.fm and NSHS Hookups use anonymity can be harmful, but anonymity does not need to be just a way to lower self esteem.

We hope to be a page that transforms those mean kids hiding behind their computers to kids with smiles on their faces, spreading love, happiness and crushes. We hope to inspire those kids to use their anonymity as a security blanket rather than a shield.

That energy is what NSHS Crushes is about. We hope to share fun, goofy and nice compliments and crushes that students want to share with one another.

We do not have pitchforks, torches or initials ready to hurt anyone. Our goal is simply to foster a healthy environment in which people feel comfortable expressing positive thoughts about one another.

page 15|april 30, 2014|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

FEATURES

En Garde! sisters found fencing club

Senior JOnah Kan tackles boston marathon

pAGE 16

pAGE 17

FEATURES@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 30, ISSUE 7

Refining the Routine

By Nighat Ansari and Ilana Zeldin Students balance schoolwork, training and competitive ballroom dancing photo courtesy of Lisa Dubinsky

Freshman Justin Lin and sophomore Sasha Dubinsky placed first at the 2013 Empire Danceport Championships. They have been dancing together for two years.

W

hen sophomore Sasha Duincredibly competitive,” she said. “And it’s binsky was five years old, not just competitive when you go to comher mother brought her to a petitions. It’s competitive in the studio too ballroom dance class for the first time. Her … You and your partner are always pushfirst impression was far from positive. ing each other to get better and better.”

“I hated it,” Dubinsky said. “I stood For sophomore Vivienne Kogan, in front of the mirror the whole time and who competes up to four times per month, cried, but my mom kept taking me, in ballroom dancing’s competitive nature can hopes that I would somehow begin to like be overwhelming. it. And I did.”

“I would not want my children to Now, Dubinsky dances for over 20 ballroom dance … because it’ll hurt menhours per week, and recently placed sectally,” she said. “Relations between people ond in a national competition.

— they’re political when it comes to who A number of other students take ball- wins. Relations between partners [are] room dance at South, many of whom compete very difficult, [and] there’s unfair judging.” in tournaments like Dubinsky.

Kogan said that she has found some Although ballroom dance can be de- dancers at tournaments who try to make manding and competitive, some dancers said her perform worse. that its physical and mental rewards are well “I’ve gotten very threatening people worth the dedication and time it requires. trying to throw me off my game. Like, “It gets very difficult and I get tired,” ‘the floor’s very slippery,’ or ‘we just won she said, the round “but I before [Dance] demands a lot of your time, ... but I think absoand we’re that if you love it enough, it doesn’t matter. lutely competing - Natalie Shammay, Class of 2015 love again,’” she dance beyond words.” said.

Dubinsky said that she believes ballSome do not count ballroom dancroom dance’s creative element separates it ing as a sport, which a number of dancers from other sports. refute.

“Dancers need to master both “I think that [people] need to try athletic ability and artistic perfection,” she it before they talk about something they said. “It is one of the few sports that allows don’t know, because it’s a very athletic athletes to express their emotions artistisport in my opinion,” Shammay said. cally.”

“You really need to have a lot of muscle in Not only does ballroom dance allow order to do a lot of the routines … It’s very students to express themselves, it also demanding.” helps them manage stress, according to Ron Garber, a 2011 South alumnus junior Natalie Shammay. who placed fourth in December’s World “[Ballroom dancing] is a stress Championship, said that ballroom dance reliever. It’s … an escape,” she said. “You as a team sport. can kind of just leave school and whatever “You have to have really good comyou’re going through and just dance.” munication skills. You have to understand While ballroom dancing is an outlet the other person … Both of you have to do for Shammay, Dubinsky noted its comyour best in order to do well,” he said. petitive nature. “[Ballroom dancing] is so Kogan agreed with Garber that

ballroom dancing hones partners’ commu- her previous successes ultimately motivate nication. “Working with a partner is like a her to continue dance. “Self-motivation marriage, except harder at times. It teaches is extremely difficult, especially when it you communicative skills,” she said. comes to dance; to come every day and Since some students dance competi- motivate yourself in the studio,” Kogan tively, they often have to juggle academics said. “But having felt being first, you want with demanding dancing hours. Freshman to feel that feeling all the time and you Justin Lin, who is Dubinsky’s partner, gave want to know there’s no one better out up violin, soccer and piano for dance. there.”

“It’s an activity that I enjoy much more Shammay said that her teachers than others,” he said. “My partner and I continually motivate her. are completely motivating [to] each other “They have a way of pushing you every single day.” and making you realize why you love to Dubinsky has made dance,” she said. time-related sacrifices as Garber, who balances dance with well. “I can’t be in any a job and school, said that he is school clubs because happy to have conI don’t have time,” tinued dancing she said. “Straight after high after school I go to school. dance, and it “I also limits the wanted amount of to be world honors classes champion and I can take, I’m still motivated because I physiby that,” he said. “I am cally won’t have getting closer and closer, so it enough time.” feels like I should just push it Shammay gave a little more.” up tennis for dancAlthough many ing, but she said dancers struggle with the the sacrifice was obstacles that accompany worth it. “[Dance] the sport, Dubinsky said demands a lot that the feeling she gets of your time, when she competes motiespecially if you vates her to continue. want to reach “The reason that I your goals, but keep dancing, even when I think that times get hard and when if you love I get tired, is the feeling it enough, it that you get when you doesn’t matcompete. There’s absoter,” she lutely nothing that can said. bother you,” she said. photo courtesy of Ron Garber Ko“When you get to the 2011 alumnus Ron Garber and his partner floor, it’s amazing.” gan said

page 16|April 30, 2014

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

THE COMMONAPPLICATION The Roar followed four seniors throughout the college process. This issue, the remaining seniors’ identities and college decisions are revealed.

By Parisa Siddiqui

S

photo by Katie Asch

enior Emma Sander, previously known as “Allison,” has decided to attend UMass-Amherst, to which she was accepted in the Early Action process. She was also accepted to UVM, Clark University, Emerson College and Ithaca College. According to Sander, the tuition cost was a deciding factor. “The tuition is a lot lower at UMass-Amherst than it it at a lot of the other schools I applied to, but also it’s close to home, which is important,” she said. “The food is supposed to be one of the best in the country, the dorms are big for college dorms and the campus is beautiful, so I’m quite happy with [my decision].”

Sander said that once she was accepted to college, she decided that she would relax for the rest of the school year. “I’m not going to slump completely, but I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m a lot more relaxed, so I’m just going to enjoy the rest of the year and make the best of it,” she said. For the next month, Sander will be completing her WISE project, for which she is interning as an assistant teacher at Bowen elementary school.

S

photo courtesy of Anna Alsop

enior Anna Alsop, previously known as “Jennifer,” has not yet decided where she will attend college, but said she is strongly leaning toward Harvard University. She was also accepted to MIT in the Early Action process.

Alsop said that she will likely choose Harvard because it will allow her to consider a wider range of academics. “Harvard’s education is a lot broader,” she said. “I’d be able to explore more and not pigeonhole myself.”

Alsop intends to study either engineering or computer science, but said that she would like to keep her options open. “I might not be such a fan of designing and building when I try it out, so it might be better to have Harvard’s theoretical and academia aspect as a backup,” she said.

According to Alsop, she is excited to see how the numerous opportunities offered at Harvard will shape her future. “I look forward to exploring all the crazy options Harvard has to offer [like] the people, the classes,” she said. “The extracurricular and travel opportunities are a lot more accessible ... I’d emerge from Harvard a more well-rounded person.”

Sisters organize South’s first fencing club Amelia Stern & Nicole Yu Features Editors

Whenever sophomore YoElena Tkebuchava tells her peers that she fences, she said the most common reaction is of surprise or shock.

“Fencing isn’t your common sport.

It’s the only one that requires quick decision-making and instant execution of your actions, which continually change depending on the situation,” she said. “It’s a sport [that] makes you work both physically and mentally.”

YoElena and her sister, freshman Salome Tkebuchava, have recently expanded their shared interest in fencing by founding a fencing club.

The Tkebuchava sisters both began fencing at age 10, practicing on kitchen floors, wooden decks, or outside grass. In 2012, both joined West Roxbury’s International Fencing Club where they currently practice for eight hours each week.

According to YoElena, the South club’s vice president, the club will positively affect students’ physical wellness as well as academics. “A recent study showed that out of all athletes, fencers had the highest academic ratings,” she said.

The club will also enhance South by adding a co-ed, inclusive sport, club advisor and special education teacher Margaret Maher said. “It’s very exciting as a young female to see two other young women so interested in a sport that is primarily more

masculine,” she said. “It adds a different dimension to South.”

The sisters publicized the club by putting up flyers, and held an orientation outlining basic equipment and moves. The club currently has 10 members.

Freshman Jonathan Lee, who had informally learned fencing at camp, said he looks forward to honing his skills by participating in the club.

“I think the stuff we’ve done [is] interesting,” he said. “It was a good review, and I’ll probably be learning new things at upcoming meetings.”

Like Lee, sophomore Brandon Wong signed up for the club after seeing a flyer in the hallway. “As a child, I always thought swordplay was cool, so when I saw fencing club on a flyer, I figured that would be pretty cool to join just to learn more about the sport,” he said.

The uniqueness of fencing attracted sophomore Justin Kwan, who said he was intrigued by the sport’s lack of contact.

“It seems pretty different compared to everything else,” he said. “Everything else requires a lot more physical stuff. In fencing, it isn’t as physically intensive.

Because you’re using swords, you’re not hitting anyone ... there’s no actual contact.”

The sisters initially experienced difficulty finding an appropriate practice space for the club. “When I first got this crazy idea of starting a fencing club at our school, we had no idea where to start,” YoElena said. “One of the hardest parts

photo by Neoreet Braha

YoElena (left) and Salome (right) demonstrate techniques during a J block club meeting. was finding available space. With all the other sports going on, all the spacious places in the gym and the field house were filled.”

The club eventually found space to meet in the dance room during Thursday J blocks. Rather than charging club fees, the club plans to fundraise in order to buy equipment. “The equipment is a little costly, but nothing is going to come out of the members’ pockets,” YoElena said. “We applied for a grant from the PTSO and also hope to raise enough money through bake sales.”

According to Salome, the ultimate goal of the club is to raise awareness and educate people about fencing. “It’s just something that people don’t [know much about], and I just want them to know that fencing is such a wonderful sport that people should learn about,” she said.

YoElena agreed and said that she wants to inform the South community about the benefits of fencing.“Fencing is a unique and beautiful sport,” she said. “We just wanted to expose it to South students, who might have never had the opportunity to try it out.”

april 30, 2014|page 17

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

Relationships: The Most Important Factor

IN THE LONG RUN

EDITOR’S NOTE: Every issue, The Roar publishes a different anonymous student’s perspective on relationships. The views expressed in the “Relationships Column” do not reflect the official views of The Lion’s Roar, nor are they intended as a guide or source of advice for others.

By Feli Kuperwasser and Liza Sockwell

photo by Max Baker

Senior Jonah Kan trained with the Dreamfar team and participated in the 2014 Boston Marathon, finishing his third marathon

W

hile some of his peers may have slept in and relaxed over April break, senior Jonah Kan, a member of South’s Dreamfar team, ran as one of 36,000 participants in the Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon was Kan’s third marathon. He has run two others with Dreamfar, a marathon-training group that prepares students over the school year to run the Providence Marathon.

Although Kan trained with the Dreamfar team this year, he independently ran the Boston Marathon after forming an agreement with Second Step, a domestic violence charity, to raise $5,000 in exchange for participation in the marathon.

While preparing for the Boston Marathon, Kan said he hoped to complete the race in under five hours. Although he finished in five hours, 39 minutes and 40 seconds, he said he feels accomplished and accepts that certain outside factors affected his performance.

“The heat and the delayed start time were a factor. I had an injury throughout the run,” he said. “I think with all that in mind, finishing with a reasonable time is definitely awesome. My initial goal was just to finish and I think I definitely achieved that goal.”

Another factor was the “wall,” a term used to describe the mile at which runners run out of energy and have trouble continuing racing. Kan said that his wall came earlier than he had expected, but that, with the help of a mentor, he persisted and completed the race.

“I honestly thought I would quit right about mile 16,” he said. “I was ready to drop out, but I had an excellent mentor with me who I was running with, and I just took control and decided to finish.”

Kan, who has been a member of Dreamfar since his sophomore year, said he attributes his success in the marathon to his years of involvement with the team.

He said that the club creates a close community, which motivated him to stick with running, especially during his sophomore

year when he first ran the Providence Marathon.

“I told myself, ‘I [can] quit whenever I want,’” Kan said. “I wasn’t expecting to run a marathon, especially since I’m not really an athlete. But I made a lot of good friends ... I just had such a great time so I kept on doing it.”

Sophomore Abigail Belozerova, another member of Dreamfar, said she has also benefited from the friendships and the close community of the team. “Some days are harder than others, but you have your close group of friends running with you, so to know that we’re in this together makes it easier,” she said.

The shared difficulty of the activ-

“I wasn’t expecting to run a marathon, especially since I’m not really an athlete ... I just had such a great time ... so I kept doing it.”

- Jonah Kan, Class of 2014 ity allows the runners to bond, according to world language department head and Dreamfar coach Suzanne Murphy-Ferguson. “They are really all struggling together to achieve a huge goal,” she said. “It’s just a really rewarding and deep kind of experience for all of us.”

Although running a marathon is a challenge, Kan said that it can hone a runner’s discipline and foster independence in an individual.

“Running a marathon is the hardest thing I’ve ever done for sure. After the marathon, you know your limits, and you know how much you can do and how much you can persevere on your own because no one can help you run a marathon,” he said. “It’s something you have to do on your own completely.”

Despite the bombings that occurred last year at the Boston Marathon, Kan said that he had no qualms about participating. “[I was] absolutely not [worried about safety]. The rules were a lot stricter this year, and they had cameras everywhere,” he said.

Kan’s mother Mithra Merryman said that she, too, was not concerned because of the additional safety measures that were implemented in light of last year’s events.

“It’s very sad what happened last year, but I [thought] that their safety this year [was] going to be extra tight, so I [was] not concerned about him running,” she said.

Although Kan has run two other marathons, he said that running the Boston Marathon was very different from his prior experienes.

“There were so many people on the road,” he said. “The roads were filled with people on the sidelines all the way through into Boston. They were really rooting for me, and it just gave me that extra encouragement I needed to finish.”

Kan said that the presence of his friends and peers along the course was unique and especially motivating.

“I had friends at mile 12, Dreamfar was at 13 [and] a lot of people were between 17 and 21 which was really amazing,” he said.

Merryman agreed and said that she hopes Kan will always cherish the experience of running the Boston Marathon.

“I think it’s a real special thing to be able to do in your own hometown,” she said. “I just want him to soak everything in, the excitement of it and just really have a good time.”

Kan has accepted the many challenges of running the marathon and said that he was very happy to complete it.

“Knowing that I just finished the Boston Marathon is just an incredible feeling, and I am glad I did it,” he said. “Once you get to the [finish line,] it’s just relief, satisfaction ... [and] pride. It’s all that at once.”

Some people seem to overanalyze relationships. They think that relationships are some sort of complicated phenomena that require years and years to fully understand. In some ways they’re right; relationships can be very complex.

At the end of the day, however, the most important part of a relationship is quite simple.

It’s not about how attractive, smart or athletic your partner is. All of these are qualities that you may initially look for in a person, but they are not the most significant ones in the long run.

The most important part of any relationship is whether your partner makes you happy.

Picture the classic “star couple.”

Both individuals are attractive, popular, funny and smart. Everyone seems to think of them as the perfect couple.

Yet when they walk down the hallway together, holding hands, they look absolutely miserable. If they’re so unhappy together, how can they be the perfect couple?

The problem is that because people in relationships keep telling themselves that they’re perfect for each other, they believe it.

If neither of them is happy, then there is no way that anything good will ever come of the relationship. If they would stop and ask themselves how they truly feel around each other, they would realize that ending the relationship would be best for both of them.

At the same time, the opposite scenario is also possible.

Have you ever wondered why there are always couples that seem completely mismatched? Never in a million years would you have thought that the two would end up together.

Yet there they are, always walking together and smiling. Their relationship works they both feel happy together. To them it doesn’t matter what other people think or what their partner’s shortcomings may be. They love being with one another.

Simply being in each other’s company makes them cheerful, excited and glad.

A person who always seems to brighten your day has an extremely rare and valuable quality. It’s the quality that everyone seeking true love wishes he or she could find, and it’s the quality that separates good relationships from bad ones.

If you do find that quality in a person one day, never let him or her go.

And if you’re already in a relationship and wonder if you’re making the right decision by staying with your partner, ask yourself this. Do you make each other happy?

If the answer is yes, then forget about everything else, because all of your doubts and fears will go away with time.

In the end, you’ll be left with pure and simple happiness.

page 18|april 30, 2014

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

A Poem From...

John Lawless

John Lawless, Custodian and Poet

now serving smoothies! present this ad for 20% off your purchase 749 Beacon St. Newton Centre, MA 02459 617-332-TART (8278)

Many Miles Away The rumbling thunder said the rain was many miles away.

The dry fields ached for the slightest hint of moisture.

Everything that could be done, had been done, the plowing, the planting, the weeding, the irrigation. Then the rain had stopped. The irrigation ditches dried and cracked, leaving those dependent upon them to bake in the unforgiving sun.

Hot, dry wind blew sandy soil across the exposed roots of a failing crop, dust limited the visibility to one’s own situation.

The questions came, as they always did, echoing from many miles away, through many generations, passing through today. The whys and why nots.

The curses followed, of the land, the heat, the drought, the failing crop. The prayers came, passing over dried lips, uttered by swollen tongues, mumbled in failing hope. And still the thunder rumbled, the water laden clouds roiled and taunted, the warm moist wind blew across the fields, a promise too many miles away.

April 30, 2014|page 19

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

Naomi Honig is...

Every issue, The Roar randomly selects a student and explores what makes him or her unique.

g n i c n a l Ba

Acts

photo by Sophia Fisher photo courtesy of Naomi Honig

photo by Sophia Fisher

Naomi, pictured above participating in South Stage productions, decided to attend South in part because of its theater program. Naomi has already taken part in three productions.

Freshman Naomi Honig strives to balance her passions for theater and other performing arts

I

t was midnight on an island in Greece, and Naomi Honig and her family were waiting for a ferry that would not arrive until 3 a.m. Nine-year-old Naomi did not cry or complain as other kids her age might have. Instead, she pushed her family’s luggage together into a pile and lay down on her creation, calling it the “Street Sleeper 3000.”

According to Naomi’s father, Michael Whinston, “this quirky, creative side” is one of Naomi’s defining characteristics.

Now a freshman, Naomi is able to express this side of her through a variety of activities, but particularly through her engagement in South Stage.

Whinston said that Naomi’s enthusiasm for theater stemmed from her early interest in Broadway and performance.

“She has always really loved going to Broadway musicals, whether watching them on stage or on film,” he said. “Then also when she was younger, she was in a circus troupe, so she was doing that kind of performance ... I think those two things are what got her interested in drama.”

Naomi, who recently moved to Newton from Chicago, said that she chose to attend South over other schools primarily because of its academics and its theater program. “[In South Stage], there are 10 shows a year that you could audition for. That is just incredible. I mean, I never had that opportunity with theater before,” she said.

“Most people would be like ‘It is overwhelming,’ and I’m just like ‘It is amazing!’”

According to freshman Bimini

By Maia Fefer and Sophia Fisher

Horstmann, Naomi displayed a lot of confidence on the first day at South despite the unfamiliar setting. “My first impression of her was [that] she’s really funny and really outgoing,” she said. “She wasn’t afraid to raise her hand or talk out the first day, which is pretty impressive because she didn’t know anyone.”

Over the course of the year, Naomi has played Lara in the freshman play “PG13,” an ensemble member in February’s musical “Into the Woods” and Clareece in “Am I Blue?” at the Student Directing Festival.

Theatre arts teacher Jeff Knoedler, who teaches Naomi’s Introduction to Acting class, agreed that Naomi has a unique personality. “She’s high-energy, and she has a love of life that I really appreciate in a student,” he said.

Over the years, Naomi has engaged in various other performing arts. She has taught herself to play the guitar and has taken instruction in piano, dance and acting.

While Naomi also enjoys skiing and plays on the golf team, she said acting continues to be a passion. “I love theater

[In South Stage], there are 10 shows a year that you could audition for. That is just incredible. I mean, I never had that opportunity with theater before ... I’m just like ‘It is amazing!’”

- Naomi Honig, Class of 2017 Director of “Am I Blue?” senior Stephanie Seiden said that Naomi makes herself heard when working in a group.

“She is not afraid to speak her mind and she is not afraid to be herself. She has a confidence that is usually hard to find in younger actors,” Seiden said. “She really is lovely to watch on stage. Your eyes kind of get drawn to her.”

Senior Peter Walsh, another actor in Seiden’s show, said that Naomi uses her creativity to add depth to her characters.

“She’s very creative. She made up a whole backstory for her character, and it was very strong and very sincere and honest. Her acting is very honest and genuine,” he said.

so much,” she said. “It is the one thing that makes me feel like ‘Yes, I can get through math today because I have rehearsal.’”

Despite her many commitments, Naomi completes all of her responsibilities without complaint, according to Whinston.

“Somehow she manages to kind of do it all, which I think is pretty impressive,” he said. “She’s very organized, gets her work done and doesn’t complain about it.”

Knoedler agreed that Naomi displays an exceptional work ethic and said that it fuels her success in theatre. “I think upperclassmen appreciate … not only

her performance skills, but also her ability to have fun when it’s appropriate and work hard when it’s appropriate,” he said.

“Sometimes freshmen don’t know that line, and they’ll goof around when it’s time to work.”

Naomi said her busy schedule is worth the effort. “Sometimes I will have four hours of acting to do after school, so I will have two hours for homework, and it will be pretty hectic,” she said. “But, I mean, when you are doing something you love to do, it’s okay.”

Naomi manages to maintain a positive outlook in whatever she does, Horstmann said.

“She stays up late doing work [and] does not have that much free time, but she’s always in a good mood when she comes to school,” she said. “I think she dives into it and works hard ... I know she puts her best effort into everything.”

Seiden said that Naomi can apply this attitude to all aspects of her life. “She is a really hard worker and really determined,” Seiden said. “If she does what she does with skiing and theater with everything else in her life ... then she is definitely doing something right.”

It is this determination and this mindset, Knoedler said, that will allow Naomi to have success in anything she chooses to pursue.

“Whatever she puts her mind to, she’ll be able to go far,” he said. “I think she’s very flexible and has a lot of the foundational skills to make it in a variety of fields — the people skills, the work ethic, the grit that it takes to be a success.”

page 20|April 30, 2014|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

sports

south community refects on Boston marathon

Volleyball captain speaks with the roar

page 22

page 23

sports@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 30, ISSUE 7

ROWING UP

Junior offers her insight into the world of rowing, discusses the stress and excitement that stems from college recruitment

Junior Meaghan McDonald (center) rows with teammates on the Charles River. McDonald has been rowing with Community Rowing for two years and plans to continue rowing college.

A

lthough seniors typically attract the attention of college recruiters, junior Meaghan McDonald is making early strides in the race towards collegiate athletics.

She is currently speaking to scouts from schools across the country about rowing crew in college.

McDonald, who rows at Community Rowing in Brighton, said she took up rowing because she wanted to follow the footsteps of her older sister, who has committed to Boston College for rowing for the upcoming year.

Initially, rowing took a back seat to McDonald’s other commitments. “[It was just] something that I did after school,” she said.

As time went on, however, McDonald became more involved in the sport. “[It’s] something I feel really passionate about,” she said.

She said she has enjoyed the excitement of the recruiting process, but that the process brings about challenges. “A lot of people don’t think it’s as hard as it is,” she said.

The recruitment process requires athletes to look carefully at various criteria, McDonald said.

“You’re not only looking for a school,” she said. “You’re looking for the school and the program that you’ll fit best into.”

McDonald attributes her success in rowing to her work ethic and perseverance, both of which she considers to be essential for the sport. “[It’s] a lot of work and time and frustration,” she said. “But as soon as you

By Omry Meirav and Cyd Villavicencio get out on the [water] on race day it’s all worth it. You know that everything you’ve been working for and all those things you had to miss and all the times you weren’t able to hang out with your friends [were worth it].”

McDonald’s current rowing program includes a demanding schedule, which she said helps prepare her for collegiate rowing.

“We do a lot of training now — almost 20 hours a week,” she said. “But the NCAA cap is 20 hours anyway, so it’s not really going to be a different shift in the time I separate for it.”

These hours of training, McDonald said, adequately prepare the team for its competitive races, which demand focus and energy from each member of the team.

“There’s no substitutions and no time outs when you row, and you’re up at the starting line and they say go,” she said.

“That’s the last breath of air you have.”

McDonald said that this aspect of the sport often tests both her physical and mental strength.

“It’s a little bit stressful, because you’re lining up against all the other crews you’re trying to beat and you can look out of the boat to see where you were,” she said.

According to McDonald, team morale is a high priority in such a stressful sport. “A bad team culture could ruin a team. You’re less likely to succeed if the team doesn’t want to be there,” she said.

“One of the most important things is that everyone wants to be there.”

Despite her current focus on racing,

McDonald said that the competitiveness of a college’s team will not be a major factor in her decision.

“I’m basing [my decision] off if I like the team, and if I like the school,” she said.

Veronika Platzer, McDonald’s coach, said McDonald’s leadership is one of the many assets that sets her apart from other athletes looking to row in college.

“A lot of times I refer to her as my quarterback,” Platzer said. “You just put the ball in her hands, and you know that she is going to execute when it counts the most.”

Senior Grace Smith, one of McDonald’s teammates and friends, agreed with Platzer and said that McDonald’s leadership skills will not only aid her in the recruitment process, but will also benefit the team next year, as many members of the team will be graduating this year.

“Meaghan has become a leader, even though we have so many older girls on our team,” Smith said. “She has taken on the leadership role as a junior, which will be really great next year.”

McDonald added that despite her focus on athletics, her academic performance does not go unnoticed by college recruiters.

“A lot of people think I don’t have to do the work at school,” she said. “I have to do [my schoolwork] to get into the schools I want to get into.”

McDonald said she looks forward to continuing to commit to the sport despite its challenges. “[Rowing is] probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, but I would never trade the feeling [I get when rowing],” she said.

WHERE SHE'S LOOKING CLOSE

UP

McDonald is being recruited by six of the top rowing programs in the country

Cornell University ‘12-’13 team finished 16th in the NCAA

Dartmouth College

information unavailable online

College of the Holy Cross currently ranked 3rd in the Patriot League

Fordham University

won first event at Head of the Charles in school’s history this year

Duke University

information unavailable online

University of California, San Diego

currently ranked 17th in the NCAA

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

Rugby club draws few spectators Kate Brandel & Noah Shelton Sports Contributors

Every week, South’s boys’ and girls’ rugby club teams travel to various schools across the state to participate in games. Although rugby is not an MIAA sanctioned high school sport, South’s co-ed rugby team, in which girls and boys practice together but play separate games, take part in weekly competitions.

Unlike many of the official sports teams at South, the rugby team draws smaller crowds to its games.

Junior Tiffany Balram, who has been on the team for three years, said that the lack of attention is likely due to the inaccessibility of the games.

“It’s not as popular as most varsity sports. We don’t play at South, so it’s hard for some kids to attend,” she said. The players rely on one another for support from the sidelines, according to Balram.

“We support each other. The girls cheer on the guys, and the guys cheer on the girls,” she said. “We support and motivate each other, running along the sidelines, screaming chants, yelling each others names during plays just to push us those few extra yards.”

Some players said that it does attract students who are looking to engage in a different kind of sport. “It’s actually got popularity [from athletes]. I’d say a lot of [athletes] probably prefer it over football,” Conor Boyce, a junior who has been playing rugby since elementary school, said.

Junior Miles Welbourn agreed and

On an April 15 survey of 140 students, The Roar found that...

93% of students have never been to a South rugby game said that “the boundless adrenaline” of the sport appeals to athletes.

Some athletes, however, are drawn to the team because of its atmosphere, which is more relaxed than that of other team sports.

“Rugby’s a club. Rugby practices are a little more fun. They’re more social and less competitive,” junior Alec Sugrue, who has played since his sophomore year, said.

Welbourn said that although practice schedules are less strict, the team members are committed to regular practices because of their passion for the sport.

“It’s a club so it’s less regulated, but people try to come whenever possible because it’s something people go to because

they love it,” he said.

Hosting the games at South would help draw student spectators to cheer on their peers on the team, according to freshman Alex Grandi.

“It would be much more convenient for me, and it would be great for the school to experience a sport like rugby.”

Balram agreed and said that she hopes more students attend the games and participate in the sport, despite its unofficial status.

“We have some off the most underappreciated teams in the state, which are composed of elite athletes,” she said. “It’s just as credible as a sport as all of the other varsity teams at South.”

South Scoreboard ***All information is as of 8:30 p.m. on April 28, 2014***

Next Game/Meet

Record

April 30: Home against Boston Latin April 30: Home against Boston Latin May 1: Away against Bedford April 30: Away against Weston May 2: Away against Concord-Carlisle May 1: Away against Medford April 30: Away against Arlington

0-4

12-0

Win over Concord-Carlisle

May 1: Home against Acton-Boxborough

5-1

Win over Concord-Carlisle

May 1: Home against Acton-Boxborough

6-0

Team

Last Game/Meet

Boys Tennis

Loss to Concord-Carlisle

Girls Tennis

Loss to Concord-Carlisle

Softball

Win over Westford Academy

Baseball

Win over Boston Latin

Boys Lacrosse

Win over Brookline

Girls Lacrosse

Loss to Belmont

Boys Volleyball

Win over Wayland

Boys Outdoor Track Girls Outdoor Track

7-2 6-2 5-2 4-5 3-6

April 30, 2014|page 21

spirit over homework Brendan Duggan I’d like to begin by apologizing for my last column, in which I pointed out South’s lack of school spirit. At the time, I was frustrated by the low number of fans present at athletic events.

As the playoffs came around this year, however, both the boys’ hockey and basketball teams garnered a lot of support from students of all grades. The basketball team was able to beat Marshfield at an away game, and then they faced the number one seed North Quincy, to which they lost by only one point.

A week later, the hockey team faced Dracut up in Chelmsford on a Thursday night.

When I asked my friends if they were going, some of them said yes, but many others said they were too busy with homework.

I knew I was going to be up late doing homework if I went, but I wanted to support the hockey team in their playoff games, especially after their impressive regular season.

Entering the arena, I noticed a large number of South students gathered behind our team’s bench. Although the students were eager at the start of the game, the excitement dwindled after we found ourselves losing by three points. Soon, the fan section once again became vociferous as South rallied back and won the game in overtime when Griffin Connolly scored his third goal of the game. Words cannot describe the energy that flowed throughout the crowd, as a pig pile of overjoyed hockey players formed on the ice. It was one of the most exciting games I have ever been to.

We were all fired up as we left the arena and hopped back onto the fan bus.

My friends and I got home just before midnight. Some of us still had another hour or two of homework. But who really cares? We had just witnessed our fellow classmates pull off a crazy come-frombehind playoff win. That’s part of the high school experience, and I hope other students realize that.

Students often fail to recognize the importance of supporting your school, especially during the playoffs. In college, students will have the chance to support their athletic teams, but the players will not be close friends with the spectators, like they are in high school.

Yes, the competition might not be as intense in high school, but why should that matter? Supporting one another is the important part.

Maybe I’m biased because I play sports, but can you think of a better way for the Red Sox to finish the season after the Boston Marathon bombings shook Boston last April? The city came together to watch its beloved team bring home a World Series trophy. Sports have the ability to alter a city and take precedence over any other event in a community.

The hockey team winning its playoff game may not have been as thrilling as an Olympic game and may not have attracted the whole city of Boston.

But the idea of school spirit is important. The idea of sports making a positive impact on the community is the bigger picture, and I was extremely happy to see it take place right before my eyes.

page 22|APRIL 30, 2014

Working It Out

Step Up

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

STRONGER SOLES

Sumit Hariawala & Andy Wang

At a certain point in everyone’s lifting career, there comes a time to change up their routine. Unlike the novice exercises we described in the previous issue, this routine will be for those who have surpassed the “beginner” stage. It typically takes six months to a year for a novice to reach the intermediate lifting level, at which strength level reaches consistent plateaus for long durations of time. The following workout routine consists of two parts: one directed towards the upper body muscles and the other towards the lower body muscles. Each part will consist of a “heavy day,” focused on maximum strength increase, and a “light day,” intended to allow the central nervous system to recover. The lighter day will focus on practicing good form to improve motor patterns, which is critical to building muscle.

Lower Body The heavy day includes exercises that increase the strength of the back and the legs. An adequate heavy workout routine consists of three to five sets.

Each set includes six to eight reps of back squats, deadlifts, leg presses, leg raises and calf raises. For each new day, one should increase the total amount of work done from that of the previous day, either by weight or volume. The weight progressions should be gradual, like five-pound increments every week. The lighter days consist of similar workouts but with fewer sets of repetitions. One should also use lighter weights for these exercises. An ideal lighter day includes two sets, each consisting of 12 to 15 reps of back squats, lunges, hamstring curls, leg curls and calf raises.

Upper Body Although a similar strength progression should be used for the upper body, weight increase should be more gradual due to the smaller muscle groups present in the upper body. A typical heavy workout routine should include three sets (each set made up of five to eight reps) of barbell bench press, barbell row, pull up/chin up, bicep curls and tricep extensions. This routine will properly develop strengths in the essential parts of the upper body: the chest, shoulder, upper back, triceps and biceps. The lighter days should be comprised of variations of the heavy upper body exercises using lighter weights.

Lighter days should include three sets (each set with eight to 12 reps) of overhead press, lat pulldown, dumbbell flies, dumbbell curls and tricep pulldown. These light days have three purposes: to allow better hypertrophy for muscles, to develop better form and to recover from the heavy day workout.

Repeating this two-day lifting sequence for both the upper and lower body will gradually build muscle mass by increasing one’s lifting weight over time and improving one’s form, both of which are critical for maintaining a workout routine. In addition, the alternating two-day routine will not only help one’s commitment to exercising consistently, but will also help one to push past the “beginner” stage of lifting weights.

Public Domain

Students and teacher reflect on the 2014 Boston Marathon, which included security changes following last year’s bombings

By David Kim and Jack McElduff

O

n Monday April 21, 36,000 marathon participants completed the 2014 Boston Marathon, running the 26.2-mile route from Hopkinton to Copley Square.

To some, this year’s marathon felt the same as ones from previous years. The memories of

the bombings last year and the large police force present at the event, however, made others worried and nervous.

Four members of the South community reflected on the emotions they felt while watching the event.

Lily Eng Shine History Teacher

The spirit of Boston was strong, and I think people wanted to make a point that they’ll keep on going.

Danny Teich Class of 2014

Virgil Wong Class of 2015

The police presence was a bit intimidating at first because of its magnitude, but it still was fun and inspiring to watch.

I think its exhilirating energy made us all proud and more motivated to do better in our own activities.

Many people were swept up in the ‘Boston Strong’ spirit, resulting in fervent cheers and participation. It was as if last year never happened.

Alex Christensen Class of 2016

photos by Katie Asch

april 30, 2014|page 23

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

UNDER THE NET WITH

JONATHAN LEE

KILLS:17 digs: 25 aces: 8 serve percentage: 92.3% photo by Katie Asch

Q A

The Roar’s Yu-En Chang spoke with boys volleyball junior captain Jonathan Lee about his role as captain and his volleyball career What does it mean to be a team captain?

Q A

What is your favorite part of volleyball?

There are more responsibilities being a capThe best moments in volleyball are not just tain, like making sure people know what winning the games; winning is just a bothey are doing and making sure there are not nus. The best moments are when everyone any conflicts between players. Also, there’s a need for is having fun, smiling and laughing, enjoying playmore contribution as a captain because teammates ing the sport with friends, even if we are losing. are looking to me to know how to solve things and know what to do.

What is the most interesting thing that has happened to you as a captain?

What expectations do you have for yourself?

Something that is interesting, however not My expectation is to be a role model, mainly too surprising, is that some players do not to the younger players — freshmen and soph- listen to the captains. It could be to help clean up omores — but also to new players and old the gym, to help set up the nets or chairs or to grab players no matter what grade they are in. a ball on the ground. You would think that people would do it to help out, but some kids do not.

Q A

Q A

Q A

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a volleyball player?

One strength is that I’ve been playing for a few years, so I know about the sport and have a good “volleyball IQ,” and I talk a lot on the court. It is always good to have players on the court who constantly talk because it helps us be organized and know what to do and when to do it. A weakness is that sometimes I cannot see things a captain— or a teammate needs to see. Whether it is trying to lift up someone’s head when they’ve made a mistake or trying to help other players if they do not know what they are doing, everyone has room for improvement.

photo by Katie Asch

Lee prepares for a set during a home game on Tuesday, April 15.

Q A

Do you plan on playing volleyball after high school?

I intend to play volleyball until I die. There are leagues where adults can play, and there are leagues where some senior citizens play.