The Lion's Roar 33-1

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R AR

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Boston, MA Permit No. 54523

Volume 33, Issue 1 140 Brandeis Road Newton Centre, MA 02459

Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper · Newton, MA · Established 1984 · June 9, 2016

We Recycle!* *Well, sort of.

Field time sacrificed for States

Brian Liu & Thomas Patti Sports Reporter, Sr. Sports Editor

By Michelle Cheng & Hope Zhu

As the spring season drew to a close, things only heated up for a number of South’s varsity squads preparing for the Dual County League (DCL) and state tournaments. Players and coaches made a final push before the postseason action, but despite hours spent on the practice field, many teams sacrificed playing time for their less impactful players.

Captains, role players and coaches of Newton South’s contending programs described how they reconciled winning games and benching players.

South’s varsity softball team sat at 4-8, needing five more wins to qualify for the DCL tournament. Their allocation of playing time, however, did not change; they still attempted to distribute time more or less equally among all the players, senior captain Monica Cipriano said.

“Just imagine everyday, everything … that you put in your recycle bin is ultimately not getting recycled,” junior Rhea Dudani said. But Dudani did not have to imagine this: After staying late at South for a speech practice, she noticed the custodians putting trash and recycling into the same bin.

“I was like, ‘That’s kind of odd, how are they going to recycle it, it’s all in the same bin.’

And so I talked to them,” Dudani said. When Dudani met with the custodial staff, science teacher and recycling head Sally Rosen and Principal Joel Stembridge, she found many problems with the current recycling system.

“It’s a combination of students, faculty and the janitors,” Dudani said.

PLAYING TIME, 20

RECYCLING, 4

Red Cross Protest page 5

Reider, ‘12, creates dorm room restaurant in NYC Andrea Lirio Managing Editor

When Jonah Reider’s dorm room restaurant, Pith, was shut down by Columbia University officials earlier this year, he had to cancel over 1,000 reservations of four people each, all interested in the renegade’s culinary creativity. Reider, who graduated from South in 2012, has gained publicity for his unique culinary project over the past year, even appearing on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Jonah and I spoke on the phone just a few days after his graduation from Columbia.

I’ve always wondered what life is really like after high school, so I was excited to speak with someone who challenges the notion that a college degree is the singular ticket to success — despite the fact that he attended an Ivy League university, Jonah’s life at and after South has been anything but ordinary.

Before the interview, Jonah started by asking me a few questions of his own.

“What grade are you in? Have you thought about college yet?” he asked. “Well,

wait, you’re a junior, so don’t worry. This is a total throwback.”

Curious about what kind of throwback this really was, I asked Jonah what he was like in high school.

“I was the dopest South student ever.

I won class clown in the yearbook, which I was pissed about — I wanted to win funniest, not class clown. But whatever ... all good, over it,” he said.

Unsurprisingly, Jonah’s slate of extracurriculars was far from average. “I was the founder and president of the Newton

South High School Kazoo Quartet. I was the founder and president of the Newton South High School Grilling Club, which got shut down by the fire department. I was the president of Newton South’s Cockapella, an all-male a capella [group],” he said. “I’m pretty sure there was one more ridiculous thing but I forget. ... Oh yeah, I was the founder and president of Sports Sunday, where we just chilled with balls, and we played at Weeks Field every other Sunday.”

REIDER, 15

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

zika

The mosquito-based virus grips the globe, causing political turmoil.

9

holi

Suspended South students and faculty reflect on punishments’ effectiveness.

12

SASA hosts annual festival of colors on June 5 in the parking lot

17

NEWS 2 EDITORIALS 6 OPINIONS 8 CENTERFOLD 12 FEATURES 15 FUn page 19 SPORTS 21

NEWS page 2|JUNE 9, 2015|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

NEWS@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 1

this month in

review

Talking About Race With the help of Ms. Linder, Mr.Turner and Ms. Sumner, Students for Political Action (SPA) and the Black Students Union (BSU) has created a curriculum entitled Courageous Conversations to open up student-led dialogue about race and other underdiscussed issues. This month, SPA and BSUthe curriculum in seven sophomore advisories. “The basic idea is that through our discussions on this we realize that we don’t talk about race at South and we should,” SPA founder and senior Nathaniel Bolter said.

Turner departing after 10 years Mona Baloch Editor-in-Chief

This year, Wheeler guidance counselor Homer Turner will be departing from South after completing his tenth year at South.

This decision came after his wife accepted a position as vice provost for admissions at Washington University in St. Louis, beginning next year.

Turner began his career as a biology teacher in Chicago , where he taught students who often came from families that couldn’t afford college or learn about the importance of a college education. With the support of his principal, Turner eventually shifted his focus to become a counselor.

This past teaching experience, according to senior Hannah Lynch, has played a large role in his ability to understand students in different contexts.

“I appreciate that he prioritized me as

TechnoLIONS wins On May 25, a team of girls from South’s TechnoLIONS, were honored at the State House for their achievements in technology and entrepreneurship.

Teams were given the task of building a mobile app that addresses a problem in their community. The TechnoLIONS developed Homework Helper, an app that connects students to peer tutors. The team won second place at the all-girls Technovation Challenge. “We eventually plan to have our app implemented at Newton South and then other high schools,” President and sophomore Hannah Cole said, “We really hope that it benefits the school and the students.”

a person, rather than as a student on a piece of paper,” she said. “I never felt like he just wanted to do his job and then go on with his day,” senior Daniel Cohen said.

Turner has always made an effort to connect with each of his students both inside and outside of his office, freshman Brandon Lee added. “He’s always got a smile on his face,” he said. “His personality helps him to be very welcoming and easy to talk to.”

Currently, Turner is the only guidance counselor of color at South. Guidance department chair Dan Rubin said that his departure is a “huge loss” for the department. “We value diversity — It’s a priority for us as an institution; it’s a priority for us as a district,” he said. “One of the things that we strive for is that the adults in the building are reflective of the student body.”

Turner’s racial identity allows him to help find solutions for race-related issues, Rubin added. “Mr. Turner’s status as a person

photo by Kiana Lee

of color gives him an opportunity to identify with the experiences of another segment of our population [while] other counselors — no matter how empathetic they are or how experienced they are — may never be able to truly identify with that experience,” he said.

Junior Kaelyn Brown agreed. “There are certain obstacles that people of color do have to experience,” she said. “I think him just having a general understanding of what those things are, and why it might be harder for a person of color in a community such as Newton to succeed, really sets him apart from the other guidance counselors.”

When she had an issue with a teacher making racial remarks in class, Brown said, Turner reached out to her before she even approached him.

“He just heard from other people, and automatically thought to check and see if that was okay,” she said. This past year, Turner has been running a program for first-generation college students.

“That’s going to be important for the next 10 years if it keeps creating the momentum that it has,” Turner said. He said he plans to continue working as a guidance counselor at the high school level in St. Louis, despite offers to work at Washington University.

While Lynch said she wishes Turner the best in St. Louis, she said that his departure will leave a gap in the South community, especially for current juniors.

“He definitely was a really big presence in my high school experience and Newton South community as well,” she said. “He will definitely be missed.”

Rubin agreed. “We’re really happy for him, and at the same time sad for us.”

Additional reporting by Aidan Bassett

1S1B program replaced by 1S1Q Kimia Tabatabaei & Rachel Gu

Sr. News Editor, News Editor When One School, One Book (1S1B) was conceived eight years ago, it began as a classroom activity where English teachers would read and discuss a book with their class.

Since then, it has evolved into a day of guest speakers and discussion panels for the entire student body.

Next year, the program is changing once again, adopting the title One School, One Question (1S1Q) and incorporating five choices of text that relate to one central question.

Each year, a committee of teachers and librarians conduct surveys asking students and faculty members to provide feedback about the program.

These surveys have been used to improve 1S1B, but the committee has always struggled to find one book that pleases everyone, according to English department head and co-head of the 1S1Q committee Brian Baron.

“I’d like try something new,” he said. “I think it’s the kind of thing that needs to be a

little bit different for every year in order for it to have energy and be exciting for people.”

He added that the idea of using a question came from a response to last year’s survey.

In the past, committee members found that students often chose not to read the ISIB at all because it did not appeal to them, he said.

The committee first began by brainstorming a question that could be approached by different angles. After weeks of votes, the committee decided on this year’s question: “Who has power in America’s Democracy?”

Presidential elections are turning points that determine America’s future, and as Baron said.

“I think questions have been raised about how healthy things are in this country, sort of fundamental questions that we’re not used to having in presidential elections.”

He said that this year’s question is perfect to open up thoughtful discussions.

Librarian Margaret Schoen said, “just from what I hear from what students are talking about in the library … there’s a lot of talk about the election and what’s going on. I’m actually so impressed with these kids; they’re

all talking about it, and they’re so involved.”

Schoen said she hopes that students will enjoy discussing the question.

“It’s really, really great that we’re diversifying how you can approach the issue,” sophomore Elijah Lawrence said. Now that the program has transitioned to 1S1Q, Elijah said he can see how it was a little restrictive before.

The committee attempted to choose books based on the key topics of debate in this year’s election, including Islamophobia, police brutality and feminism, Baron said.

Librarian Jennifer Dimmick said that the committee members wanted to select books that would appeal to students who are diverse in age, gender, race, cultural background and reading ability. The criteria included various reading level, genres, formats (graphic novel, play) and perspectives.

“Originally we were going to do four, but we had trouble narrowing it down, so I stretched it out to five,” Dimmick said.

History teacher Deborah Linder said she hopes that the new change will inspire people to get involved. “It opens up the possibilities, it opens up the discussions,” she said, “It’s as much about the book as it is about the discussion afterwards.”

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|NEWS

Student-organized walkout shut down Noy Alon & Carina Ramos

[those] are things kids could do here that disrupt the environment and that could lead to a suspension.”

“If you can’t be loud and you can’t be Vicars said that Blocker outlined disruptive and you can’t demonstrate to the noise, route and media coverage restricfull extent that you want to, then you’re not tions that undermined the purpose of the going to make a difference,” senior Talia entire event.

Vicars said, commenting on administrators’ “I don’t think [Blocker’s response] response to a walkout she planned with fellow was intentionally malicious; I think it was seniors Angel Senfuma and Marissa Gram. more like protecting … the school’s image,” To support the Boston Public Schools Vicars said. “In my opinion, and like other (BPS) in their extensive protest against school kids I have talked to, they think it would budget cuts, Vicars, Senfuma and Gram look good [for] South, that they’re letting planned the walkout to occur at the same time their students protest and have a voice.” as the BPS walkout on May 17. BPS students Whalen, who planned on participatwalked out of their respective schools to Bosing in the walkout, said that South should ton City Hall at 1 p.m. to gather outside a 2 adopt this policy of allowance for student p.m. budget hearing. While Vicars, Senfuma protest. “We all need to learn that you need and Gram planned the right to protest Sure, you might find an idea that you like, but unless you do the event to stand in any way as long in solidarity with as it’s peaceful.” something about it, you’re just BPS, the South Freshman Shaw another person with a voice who’s not using it. administration’s M i l l e r v oi c e d - Shaw Miller, Class of 2019 strict regulations, concerns about the communicated only walkout not being hours before the event, altered their plans and didn’t say that there couldn’t be a walkout.” the most effective way to supporting compelled them to cancel the event entirely.

They were concerned that this schools, but said that in any right, students Vicars originally came up with the idea event would be disruptive and because the should be able to demonstrate. to hold a demonstration in support of BPS administration wasn’t notified in advance, “It’s important kids have the right after she started working at Jobs with Justice, they were unable to work with the students. to have a voice and do something for an organization that advocates for workers’ “The timing wasn’t super convenient,” something they believe in because we are rights, for her WISE project. senior John Whalen said, “But ... what the ... the future,” Miller said. “Sure, you might “It’s not comfortable as a whole to look school is communicating back to the student find an idea that you like, but unless you at things that are bad ... or broken, and the body and the organizers of the event was a do something about it, you’re just another [BPS] system is one of those things that is bit … threatening.” person with a voice who’s not using it.” really broken,” she said. “It’s just not right.”

Senfuma also said she hoped for better The lack of communication that The walkout was an opportunity cooperation from administrators. stopped the event highlighted the imporfor Netwon students to support their less“I hope in the future … instead of tance of collaboration between students fortunate neighbors in Boston, Gram said. threatening the host, they could just come to and faculty.

“It shows that we can recognize our privilege us and get a better understanding,” she said.

“I really respect when students want and kind of just help other people,” she said.

“We try to be as fair as we can be about to stand up for something that they believe Dean of Cutler Josepha Blocker, who every situation as it arises,” Blocker said. in strongly,” Blocker said. “We are here spoke with the students before they cancelled “When we hear that things are possibly going to help people do that … [and] make it the walkout, said that she was impressed by to happen without sort of having a frame … something that is feasible.”

News Editor, Denebola; Managing Editor

infographic by Michelle Cheng

their desire to invoke change.

“It was kind of cool that our students had ... taken an active role in an issue going on outside our four walls and in support of public education,” she said.

Vicars even said she was in contact with a BPS representative. “I was talking to … [a] coordinator from [BPS] ... and he was saying, ‘You guys have our support, we’re so happy that suburbs are getting involved,’” she said.

When Assistant Principal Candice Beerman found out about the girls’ plans through a Facebook post, she alerted their respective deans. Vicars said that Blocker then called her mother and she mentioned suspension as a possible consequence for any disruptive behavior, according to Vicars.

Blocker later said, “The administration

June 9, 2016|page 3

Increasing Representation DANIEL ABDULAH Class of 2018

South senate update With the return of spring comes the close of another Senate term. This year we’ve tackled several issues, and before the election season begins again, the Senate has points to discuss and bills to pass.

The first issue is student representation in faculty groups. Our educational system is run by councils and groups that modify school policies to better students’ experience. In addition to the Senate, the faculty council, consisting of adult staff, and the School Committee, consisting of adults and two student representatives, provide different perspectives. Presently, deans appoint student representatives whom they believe represent the student body and are invested in school-related issues. The first change we propose is the addition of a third student liaison to reflect our diverse student body. This may not solve the issue of insubstantial student representation, but it’s a step in the right direction.

The second change proposed is a change to the representative selection process. The Senate believes that students should decide who represents them in this committee. As of now, we will have senators elect the liaisons. This voting process can be expanded to include nonsenators as it gains more recognition.

The third proposal is that the student liaison work with senators so that student representatives are updated on relevant legislative issues. The position of School Committee liaison is open to any student in the school, so we encourage anyone interested to run.

Student stress is an epidemic that the school has inadequately alleviated.

Two proposals have been brought up addressing this serious issue. First is increased professional counseling specially focused on students’ mental health, which would allow more students to receive advice and help in coping with any difficulties they face. Secondly, the Senate is working to add to the mental health curriculum. The Stress and Mental Health Committee called for mental health days, which would be run like anti-bullying days; students would learn about coping with mental health issues and how to help others. Stress and mental health conditions are an imperative issue at our school, and the Senate will do all in its power to help raise awareness.

Additionally, there has been recent environmental interest in the Senate, and we are now seeking ways to make our school greener. In the past, the Senate has spearheaded green initiatives such as putting recycling bins in every classroom, looking into alternative materials to use in the cafeteria and promoting energy conservation in the computer labs. Now we’ve directed focus toward new work with the Green Team.

Another election season is here.

Candidates for senator, class officer and School Committee liaison are finalized, and we look forward to another great season of campaigning and voting to determine next year’s representatives. For those not running, you can still give ideas to any of your senators whose emails are posted in the hallway between the cafeteria and library.

page 4|June 9, 2016

News|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

Students revive schoolwide recycling plan RECYCLING, from 1 Recently, many students have expressed increasing concerns about South’s environmental impact, questioning the efficacy of the current recycling system and attributing inadequacy to students’ lack of awareness.

Many students are pushing for school and city action, particularly through the hiring of a sustainability coordinator that would organize and supervise environmental efforts throughout the district.

South currently has a single-stream recycling system where all recyclable materials are put in the same bins. Recycling bins can be found in classrooms and house offices, and their contents can be recycled as long as there is no contamination.

According to family and consumer science teacher Jonathan Orren, once there are unrecyclable materials in the recycling bin, all materials in that bin become “contaminated recycling,” and the custodians are forced to throw out the contents in that recycling bin along with the rest of the trash.

This happens more often than it should, according to senior custodian David Murphy.

“A lot of [students] just don’t have the education of … what’s recyclable and what’s not,” he said.

Freshman Katherine Armstrong agreed that the importance of recycling is insufficiently stressed at South.

“There’s always been recycling bins in classrooms. And for the most part, teachers would always tell you if it’s paper, if it’s plastic, put it in the recycling bin,” she said. “But I feel like now … it’s kind of just not being as emphasized.”

But education about this topic can be complicated, according to freshman Chase Levy.

“It’s hard to learn what you need to recycle and what you can’t recycle, so it’s easier to throw stuff in the trash,” he said.

A lack of easy access to recycle bins in the cafeteria makes recycling at school even less convenient, sophomore Caleb Fried added. Rosen, however, said that sometimes students make recycling in the cafeteria inconvenient for custodians.

“What’s been happening over the years is that students don’t clean off their materials from their table,” she said. “I can’t expect custodial staff or faculty members to clear up their table and recycle all the materials that students leave [there]. It’s a really arduous process.”

Orren said that in order to recycle, students need to respect the school building and grounds.

“Overall, Newton South has a little bit of a problem of students not really taking pride in the physical space,” Orren said. “If you just walk down the hallways toward the end of school, you’ll just see trash everywhere, that students don’t really feel like this place is their home, or they don’t feel like they’re responsible for the upkeep.”

Student-led programs are the most effective when it comes to making change, Stembridge said.

“If it becomes something that other students are advocating and supporting, then I think it gets heard in a different way.”

According to Dudani, custodians agreed to start recycling items from the bins starting on May 2 if they saw an improvement in practices. In order to raise awareness, Dudani posted on Facebook about the issue, put up signs about recycling and made announcements during advisory.

“Despite the fact that people actually started recycling more and people started being more environmentally conscious, the janitors still didn’t really do their part,” Dudani said. “Part of the reason for that is the city of Newton doesn’t pick up recycling as often as it picks up trash, so the janitors feel like they’re just taking up empty space.”

photo by Mona Baloch

Junior Rhea Dudani spoke about recycling at the School Committee meeting on May 23.

The size of South’s student body, however, makes it hard to consider a completely student-led movement, according to Orren.

“In order to really get recycling in the cafeteria going, we need someone higher up in the city to implement [new programs].”

Dudani, sophomore Kevin DamonCronmiller and others are working to do just that. In the past few months, a group of students, including Dudani and DamonCronmiller, have been advocating heavily for a sustainability coordinator.

For his Independent Study in Sustainability course, Damon-Cronmiller has been looking at other school districts with sustainability coordinators or energy advisers who focus on environmental issues.

Damon-Cronmiller believes that getting an NPS sustainability director would be ben-

eficial in helping with the recycling system throughout NPS. “In Cambridge, they have Kristen von Hoffmann [as Sustainability Manager] … and they now have school wide, including the cafeteria, recycling and composting for the entire Cambridge public school system, he said. “If they can do it, then we should be able to.”

According to Orren, this is a districtwide problem.

“It’s on all of us. It’s easy to say that the students are always throwing trash in the recycle bin, or the students can say that the teachers are never teaching us how to do this, so it’s very easy for people to point fingers at somebody else,” he said. “We all need to reflect and realize that we all have a role to play in this.”

Car canopy installation planned for summer Jake Rong

Sr. News Editor As part of a citywide effort to reduce carbon output by utilizing alternative energy systems, Newton’s department of Public Buildings will work with the private developer Ameresco to construct solar car canopies in two of South’s parking lots beginning this summer.

The canopies, to be located in the two parking lots on both sides of Brandeis road, will consist of 224 solar panels on the roofs of car ports.

The School Committee approved the plan at its February 25 meeting, and following equipment preparation the city plans to begin construction on July 1 and finish October 30.

“The city is looking at every public space to see if they can accommodate solar power, because we are trying to reduce our carbon footprint and save money at the same time, which solar allows us to do,” Newton’s Director of Sustainability, Andrew Savitz,

224

solar panels

infographic by Andrea Lirio

said. “We are trying to look at every potential rooftop, every parking lot; we’re doing it at the landfill, just to maximize this opportunity.”

In addition to those at South, the city plans to build more solar car canopies at the Eliot Street garage on Eliot Street. A similar proposal to build car ports at the Newton Free Library was rejected by the City Council on aesthetic grounds.

The solar car canopies at South, which would simultaneously protect parked vehicles from precipitation and absorb sunlight, are expected to generate 476,000 kw-h (kilowatt-hours) of energy per year. The school consumed a total of 3,400,000 kw-h in 2015.

Designed with convenience in mind, the canopies’ L-shape and 13 foot 6 inch clearance will both capture snow and rain, while not interfering with snow plowing. LED lights under the canopies also will enhance driver safety. “[The project] is a win-win for us,” Newton Public Schools Savitz said. “We both decarbonize our energy A projection of the panels’ placement in the parking lot, set to be installed this summer. supply and we save money.”

In 2015, South consumed

3,400,000 kilowatt-hours

Developed by

476,000 kilowatt-hours to be generated per year

June 9, 2016|page 5

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|NEWS

Boycott against Red Cross sees opposing views Michelle Cheng Sr. News Editor

The Red Cross’ blood donation policy, which only allows gay men who have been free from sexual contact for 12 months to donate blood, has sparked a protest from South’s Red Cross Club, prompting both support and backlash.

“I’ve always been aware that people who are gay and have been in contact with another male [cannot] donate, but it hasn’t really affected the drive because we haven’t really come across any problems until this past drive in the Spring,” senior and Red Cross Club president Ava Shaevel said.

World language teacher Ricardo Gessa, who identifies as gay, heard about the blood drive from Shaevel. But when he went to the drive, the officials rejected his blood.

In Dec. 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lifted a policy instituted in 1983 that prevented gay men from donating blood, a result of the HIV epidemic. With the lift of the ban, the FDA also announced a deferral policy stating that gay men must be abstinent for 12 months before blood donation. The Red Cross complies with the FDA’s policies.

Senior Sammy Greer said that her older brother, who is also openly gay, experienced similar rejection from the Red Cross when he attended a blood drive.

“It was his first real life experience with discrimination ... he just didn’t expect it,” Greer said. “Donating blood is such an amazing thing … And for my brother to go in and want to do something and want to help others and then be denied like that — it

shouldn’t be that way.”

“This is the 21st century, and the fact that people who are gay ... can’t donate blood I think is ridiculous, and I think it needs to be changed as soon as possible, and if it means going to extremes, like not supporting the Red Cross, then I think that needs to happen,” Shaevel said. “We told Red Cross that we would not be supporting them in blood drives going forward until that policy is removed.”

Recently, South students started a movement to show their support for the boycott of the Red Cross through pictures on social media, holding up signs that say, “I won’t give blood until a gay man can.”

Sophomore Michael Ryter, however, said he questioned the choice to boycott.

“People have very good intentions, and ... the policy they’re advocating for is worthy, but ... the way that they’re going about it is very irresponsible because blood drives and blood transfusions save millions of American lives every single year,” Ryter said.

Greer said protesting to change the policy is important because of the bias against gay men.

“People need to understand that both men and women can have HIV and have these diseases, and it’s not just one demographic of people,” Greer said. “No one should be turned away. ... Each pint of blood goes to get tested, so a woman could get her pint of blood rejected just as frequently as a man’s.”

According to senior Giulio Cataldo, protestors may not be seriously committed to the issue.

“If anyone that is holding up one of those signs gets in a car accident tomorrow, none of them will refuse blood because a gay

graphic by Charlene Ng

man can’t give it,” Cataldo said.

Shaevel, however, defended the boycott, saying that it is necessary to make a difference in the issue.

“If you want anything to change, you sometimes need to take it to an extreme in order to get your point across and for voices to be heard,” she said.

“It’s good [for] people [to understand] what is going on and how not everyone is treated equally even though they want to do a good thing for themselves and for the community,” Greer said.

While he acknowleged this fact, Ryter said that the boycott is unfair to those who benefit from the blood drives.

“These are people who need blood, who count on the millions of people who donate blood, and if people don’t donate, then other people don’t live.”

Ryter also said it would be more effective to protest on a “macro level in terms of within the state or within the country.”

Instead of eliminating the studentrun blood drive, connecting with other Red

Cross clubs in the area as well as spreading awareness can also be effective, junior Emily Duggan said.

Bringing attention to the issue can affect change, Shaevel agreed.

“Even if I personally can’t make a difference on my own, giving people knowledge to know, and then spread the word to people that they know is really important in this movement,” Shaevel said. “It ... just hasn’t received enough coverage in the news, and ... it’s an extremely outdated policy that should be changed. It takes individuals to step up and to change it, and if no one’s willing to, then I will.”

According to Gessa, it’s important to assess the organizations that South supports.

“On one side, [there was] the idea of doing something good, but ... we were, at the end of the day, supporting an organization that still stigmatized a group of the population … The energy that we are putting in or the students are putting in, what are [the organizations] doing with that?” he said. “Is that in consonance with our values and beliefs?”

DUMPLING HOUSE comes to Newton

Dumpling House 870 Walnut St, Newton, MA Our favorite dishes are the juicy Soup Dumpling, Sauteed Lobster from a live-lobster tank, Ma Po Tofu, Sliced Fish Fillet Szechuan, Twice Cooked Pork, Spicy Salt & Pepper Calamari, Braises Eggplant w. Basil & Shredded beef w. Longhorn Pepper

Taste of Real Chinese Food Beer, Wine and Liquor for dine-in are available Hours: 11 a.m. though 10p.m. (7 days) Dine-in, Takeout and online orders are welcome We deliver min. $15.00 per order within 4 miles Delivery charge $2 within 2 miles, $4 for 2 to 4 miles.

Over 4 miles please call us.

WE DELIVER

Tel: 617-969-2800, 617-969-6300 Website: dumplinghousenewton.com

EDITORIALS page 6|june 9, 2016|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

editorials@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 1

the CAT’S

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

Paid Cookie Fridays As athletic department funding dwindles, Free Cookie Fridays will become Paid Cookie Fridays starting next fall, each cookie costing a student between $1 and $3 depending on variety.

"I go at least five times every week," junior Kooki Munster said shamefully. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

A source close to the athletic director revealed that while the administration blames budget cuts, athletic director Becky Gee worries her athletes’ cookie consumption is beginning to affect their performance on the playing field.

“I'm shocked that they lost against A-B,” Gee told the source. “I blame the gingersnaps.”

Mouse Infestation Last week, students discovered a mouse infestation in the Goldrick Lab. “I was just in there using my laptop,” Qwer Ty said. “When I noticed the mice. I sprinted out of there as fast as I could.”

Exterminators reported that each computer had one mouse stuck to it. “We’re still trying to determine how they entered the school,” head custodian Jan Itor said. To deal with the outbreak, the exterminators decided to remove computers one at a time and then surgically remove the each mouse.

“We don’t really have any other options — we must crack down now,” technology head Ed Ginneerring said.

“I’m just so confused,” Ty said. “I thought they were extinct.”

Student and faculty collaboration needed for effective demonstration

When three seniors organized a South walkout on May 17, their motivation was genuine.

Admirable, even: they wanted to support Boston Public Schools (BPS) students, who had organized a walkout at 1 p.m. to protest proposed budget cuts for their school system. South’s walkout, however, was cancelled by organizers following threats from the South administration that students would be suspended had they disturbed nonparticipating students. The walkout drew criticism from administrators mainly because the organizers failed to notify them of their plans in advance, causing last-minute confusion and miscommunication.

While the organizers of the event were frustrated by the school’s decision, the school cited an overall lack of organization and purpose for the walkout. While South students should support BPS in its fight for quality public education, walking out of classes

battle, yet South students were not going to the rally in Boston; many aren't truly invested in BPS getting appropriate funding. The students didn't make the journey to Boston’s City Hall; they were just protesting from the sidelines.

A more effective form of protest would be a collaboration

South students didn't make the journey to Boston City Hall; they were just protesting true supporters on from the sidelines. tion, and before what it was even protesting. The walkout could give an opportunity for students uninterested in class to leave with an excuse. Although it was unintentional, the walkout promoted students disrupting their classes and taking away valuable learning time.

The walkout was even an example of slacktivism for many students. BPS is fighting an important

between students and faculty, either showing the entire school's support of BPS here in Newton, or having a well-organized plan to show up at a BPS rally. Before they can act, South students need to be informed, whether this means inviting BPS speakers to come to South and talk about the ongoing events, or just having discussions in class or advisory. South needs to show serious support.

Contribute to The Roar !

Monday J Block, Room 1201

photography Learn new techniques by shooting at sports games, school activities and local events

Jersey Time In order to promote an appreciation for athletics at South, Passing Time will now feature silent reflections on sports trophies from the past 60 years, and fashion shows of all of the hottest new uniforms.

“I’m just worried that my peers are forgetting that there’s more to life — more to success — than music,” junior El Bomb said.

According to administration, the word passing no longer refers to the time in between classes, but to passing balls on the field.

“If everything goes well, we might be looking to expand further to accommodate academic talents next year,” Principal Stole Jembridge said. “I’m envisioning plastering the halls with A+ tests.”

is not the most effective method of showing solidarity. A small-scale demonstration by students not affected by the budget cuts only makes a statement to NPS, rendering the walkout ineffective.

The was also a lack of knowledge among students pertaining to the walkout's time and loca-

graphics WRITING

Hone your writing skills by joining one of our five sections and working with our editors.

Draw or paint illustrations to supplement and display your work to a vast readership

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.

June 9, 2016|page 7

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|DESK

Figuring out how to write the EDITOR’S “perfect” desk: the eternal struggle DESK from the

Mona Baloch Editor-in-Chief

The first time I printed a newspaper, I was nine years old. Innovatively dubbed the Baloch News, my first publication consisted of news from family, friends and neighbors, book reviews, hand-drawn comics, word searches, gardening advice and a tribute to the most helpful family member of the month (reigning champ: my dad).

I hit many journalistic milestones as founder and editor of the Baloch News: my first time using up an entire cartridge of ink, my first time dealing with looming deadlines, my first letter to the editor. I spent hours interviewing, researching, writing, illustrating and designing.

Although my circulation was admittedly limited (four or five family members, depending on whether my sister and I were arguing that day), my hopes were high. The Baloch News was the next big thing for my family and for myself — the official start to my career as intrepid journalist.

Unfortunately, much like many of my other well-intentioned childhood endeavors (the cupcake delivery service, the puppet show dinner theater, the American Girl Doll hospital), the Baloch News did

not survive the trials of middle school. My journalistic streak, however, was far from over.

I marched into my first Roar meeting freshman year, ready to make the paper my “thing.” I was prepared to face any challenge that presented itself to me — and trust me, there was no shortage of challenges once I began to take on more responsibility. Chase down fake ID distributors? Done. Replicate a Monopoly board on InDesign? No problem.

desperately onto the floor how messy this process was going to be.

Even the pieces written about this very struggle — the quest to compose the perfect desk — seemed to have found the perfect balance of heartfelt, clever and insightful. I wondered if I had missed out on some sort of manual describing how to be, for lack of a better word, perfect. I couldn’t figure out which secret ingredient I was missing.

I began coming up with all kinds

Qualification is born out of enthusiasm and motivation.

If you really want something, you owe it to yourself to push through the hard times.

No problem, until now. Last month, I found myself face-to-face with the biggest challenge of my journalistic career: writing this editor’s desk.

At first, it didn’t seem too bad: fill half a page with writing, include some sort of life lesson and a degree of “profoundness” and call it a success.

As it turns out, crafting profound life lessons isn’t so easy to do. Panicking, I decided to find some inspiration from the black hole that is the Roar archives. I spent an entire afternoon leafing through old issues, realizing with each issue tossed

CONGRATS, VOLUME 32 SENIORS!

of crazy scenarios — What if one of these former editors-in-chief decided to look up their high school newspaper one day, and upon flipping to the editorials, gasped in shock: “What’s happened to the Roar??

Why is the editor’s desk just 50 lines of weeping?” For obvious reasons, the idea of my below-average desk causing that kind of horror for someone like B.J. Novak was too much to handle.

I decided that I wasn’t going to do it. Writing desk just wasn’t for me. Every volume makes changes to the paper, so Volume 33 would begin filling this space

with something else. Heck, even a white box would be fine — we’d let people fill it in themselves. All this just for the salvation of my image in the Roar bubble.

I bet you know the ending to this story — obviously, you’re not currently staring at an empty space. Here I am, almost at the end of this dreaded piece, and I haven’t even gotten to the life lesson yet (I think the profoundness will have to wait till next time).

Lying awake at night, I kept imagining how disappointed nine-year-old Mona would be if she found out I was letting my insecurities prevent me from doing what I love. Was I really going to let 800 words ruin everything?

We live in a world where it is too easy to compare ourselves to other people and decide that we’re not good enough to do something, but this isn’t the case.

Qualification is born out of enthusiasm and motivation. If you really want something, you owe it to yourself to push through the hard times. If you enjoy something, then stick with it rather than questioning whether or not you’re the best one to do it.

Besides, I’m sure B.J. has better things to do with his life than read this desk. But B.J., if you’re reading right now, please email me and let me know how I’m doing.

Volume XXXIII The Lion’s Roar Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper 140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com

Editor-in-Chief Mona Baloch

Managing Editors Andrea Lirio

Carina Ramos

Noah Shelton

Editors Features

Aviva Gershman Celine Yung

Centerfold Emily Belt Sophie Lu

Cassandra Luca Clare Martin

Aidan Bassett

News

Michelle Cheng Jake Rong Kimia Tabatabaei Rachel Gu

Thanks for an amazing volume. Good luck next year!

Opinions

Copy Editor

Business Managers Distribution Manager Nikolas Lazar Timmy Leong

Suzie Na

Graphics Managers

Faculty Advisers

Karina Aguilar Josh Finkel Eunice Kim

Ashley Elpern Ryan Normandin

Sports

Catherine Granfield Cam Miller Thomas Patti

Webmaster Katie Collins

Photo Managers Bailey Kroner Kiana Lee

OPINIONS page 8|june 9, 2016|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

Opinions@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 1

YES T

ILAN ROTBERG

he Founding Fathers knew that the Constitution would never be perfect. For this very reason, they made it possible for citizens to change the law.

At first, voting laws in the United States were unclear; thus, generations of activists fought for every American adult to have the right to vote regardless of race or sex.

The Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause asserts that “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States,” protecting all American citizens’ right to vote. While the Fourteenth Amendment put to rest the debate over whether minorities should be allowed to vote, more recent controversy has emerged regarding the voting rights of convicted felons. The only constitutional and democratic solution is to allow them to vote.

Barring convicted criminals the right to vote, or felon disenfranchisement, is not only unconstitutional, but it undermines the very spirit of democracy. Americans’ abundance of rights help make us special: the belief

that no matter your status, you have certain rights of which you cannot be deprived.

In some states, even after a criminal is no longer on parole, a felony conviction will deny them the right to vote for the rest of their life. But how can America have a democratic electoral system when some individuals are granted a voice in society while others are not?

Allowing felons to vote also crosses demographic lines; it’s important to take into consideration the racial divide that felon disenfranchisement creates.

In a 2010 study conducted by the Sentencing Project, a national nonprofit organization oriented toward criminal justice, of the nearly 6 million disenfranchised felons in all 50 states, more than 2 million were black.

These adults make up about eight percent of black adults

Now that we know that all humans can make mentally competent decisions, we should grant all adults the right to vote and allow them to assert their First Amendment right without judgement. Whether or not we agree with an ex-felon’s decision on the ballot, every individual is entitled to the freedom of speech.

Increasing voting rights for ex-felons works toward positive next steps after prison. Reintegration into society after incarceration is difficult enough, especially given that the overwhelming majority of inmates are poor.

Granting felons the opportunity to vote would reinforce their full membership in society. The last thing anyone wants is felon recidivism — a relapse into criminal behavior.

Moreover, ex-felons would begin value the law more once they experience it. By serving their sentence in jail, felons have paid their debt to society. There is nothing wrong with giving them a second chance. Allowing the same rights as everyone else will decrease the likelihood of their reincarceration, a worst case scenario for all parties.

Denying anyone the right to vote is not only constitutionally wrong, but morally wrong as well. If we begin to deny people’s rights now, we could become more comfortable denying other groups their rights with similarly arbitrary decisions.

The United States should protect everyone’s right to vote, regardless of legal position.

Ex-felons would begin to value the law more once they experience it. who would otherwise be allowed to vote. On the other hand, only two percent of white adults are disenfranchised.

Many who encourage stripping away ex-felons’ voting rights use the same logic as segregationists. Racism in the pre-civil rights era opposed granting voting eligibility to blacks because they didn’t believe that blacks could make mentally conscious and legitimate decisions about leaders.

PERSPECTIVES: SHOULD EX- FELONS BE ALLOWED TO VOTE?

photo illustration by Bailey Kroner

NO AIDAN BASSETT

F

undamentally, democracy works only when the government represents its constituents and serves their best interests. When examining democracy, it becomes essential to ask the questions: Who are these constituents? And what are their interests?

In the case of convicted felons, these constituents are lawbreakers, and their interests are manifestly destructive to society’s. Felons who participate in the democratic process are inherently disrespectful of that process. Clearly, criminals willingly violate the tenets of law and order when those principles do not suit them, yet by voting, they would attempt to shape policy which they apparently value little. Beyond flagrant disregard for the laws their suffrage would influence, felons have also transgressed the precepts that govern membership in organized, righteous society Truly, should lawbreakers have a hand in lawmaking? What kind of legislation would matter to those to whom legislation does not matter? Have criminals not forfeited their membership in the presiding polity?

In the end, criminals cannot and should not be de-

nied their humanity. In particular, white collar crime like tax evasion, embezzlement and fraud are insufficient basis for refuting a criminal’s basic humanity.

But suffrage is not the same as basic humanity; the right to vote is nothing less than democracy’s highest privilege. In America, adulthood now comes with suffrage, the free right endowed to all at an age that society has deemed sufficiently mature, yet felonies arguably constitute grounds for refuting said maturity.

Imagine the morally bankrupt bankers who brought about the 2008 financial crisis — people who exhibit contempt for the institutions that underpin the nation’s well being and disregard for the misery induced by their collapse. They don’t care whose homes are foreclosed; they don’t care whose jobs are lost. Their profound

and capable of substantial errors, but social order is only upheld when society’s great institutions are upheld.

Crucially, the right to vote is an advanced privilege, and there are myriad basic opportunities that matter more: the chance to find gainful employment, to own a home, to drive. In fact, the right to vote goes far beyond the functions of everyday life, beyond even the upper echelons of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualization can occur without suffrage, and the right to vote is hardly even taken seriously by those who have it: Only around 60 percent of Americans vote every four years in presidential election years, which have higher turnout rates than midterm elections.

Take Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Speaker of the House of Representatives and a serial child molester. He is exactly the kind of felon who should be deprived the right to vote, let alone the chance to hold elected office — he is unfit for social esteem and responsibility.

That’s the issue with felons: decisions should not be made by people who have proven to make atrocious decisions. If we were so comfortable with the behaviors and beliefs of criminals, we wouldn’t lock them away from society. Although the criminal justice system itself should certainly focus more on rehabilitation in place of punishment, the elimination of voting rights for most felons is one punishment that seems fitting and proper.

Frankly, my advice to someone who really cherishes their vote? Don’t break the law.

The right to vote is nothing less than democracy’s highest privilege. self-interest illustrates how little they care for the basic contracts of society. As criminals, who are they to be entrusted with the sacred duty of choosing laws and leaders in a nation they have betrayed?

Perhaps some criminals could be exempted from the ban on felon voting — those afflicted by punitive, overzealous mandatory minimums or those responsible for low-level nonviolent drug-related crimes. Certainly, the American criminal justice system is deeply flawed

june 9, 2016|page 9

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|opinions

More Than A Disease Zika virus underscores the often ignored fragility of Latin American governments

By Cassandra Luca

Z

ika began to dominate headlines late last year when it exploded in Latin America; the virus has since proliferated in poor countries across the Southern Hemisphere, particularly Brazil and adjacent countries.

The problems presented by Zika virus transcend the scientific community and have profound effects on Latin American governments: Their inept response to the mounting threat has made them complicit in the spread of disease and demonstrates pernicious corruption. Thousands will be forced to suffer the consequences of their governments’ failures.

In 1952, scientists detected the first human case of the Zika virus in Uganda.

According to a World Health Organization report, it spread from Africa to Asia without any reported deaths, eventually spanning most of the Southern Hemisphere.

Zika arrived in Brazil in early March 2015, but the report notes that connections to microcephaly, a condition where babies’ heads are significantly smaller than average, didn’t appear until in October.

By then, the virus had spread — a silent menace initially dismissed due to its mild symptoms. Now Zika has been linked to other diseases and complications, including Guillain-Barré syndrome, which attacks the human nervous system.

Two Latin American countries stand out as prime examples of institutional incompetence: Brazil and El Salvador.

Currently embroiled in one of its biggest crises in decades, Brazil faces the impossible task of eradicating the virus as it navigates extreme poverty, impeachment of its former president Dilma Rousseff and the

Summer Olympics in Rio. Poor sanitary conditions and a lack of infrastructure have led to a reported 1.5 million Zika cases as of February; worse still, the disease is sexually transmitted and can cause significant brain damage.

The Washington Post reports that more than 2,200 babies have been born with microcephaly as a result of the virus. As alarming new features surface, Brazil’s poorest suffer most, but Brazil’s leaders have yet to take concrete steps toward action; instead, they offload the problem onto local municipalities unable to cope with Zika’s magnitude and complexity.

To make matters worse, Brazil’s leaders choose to enrich themselves, choices that only make the problem worse for uneasy and infected population.

As the New York Times explains, newly-inaugurated president Michel Temer selected cabinet members to benefit himself, not his country; his advisors are primarily allied with the oil industry, the same industry that plunged Brazil into its current economic crisis. As a result, the government is decidedly uninterested in helping its people, preferring to line its own pockets at the expense of millions.

Corrupt as these government officials are, it comes as no surprise that this summer’s Olympics will proceed despite many repeated calls to cancel them. Unfortunately, the Games are still likely to proceed in the face of imminent danger and uncertainty.

Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa writes in the Harvard Public Health Review that the games are a public health disaster in the making: Rio is at the epicenter of the virus, and the risks of 500,000 people descending upon the city are astronomical.

Brazil is not, however, the only country completely unequipped to deal with the virus and its associated negative effects. Named the most violent

country in 2015 by InSight Crime, El Salvador has been hit hard by Zika. Gang violence has steadily increased since the 1980s, remnants of the El Salvadoran civil war. The New York Times explains that remilitarization in the slums has augmented the murder rates.

As El Salvador’s government copes with a decades-long struggle, the Zika virus swoops in, plunging the country into despair.

Yet unlike Brazil, El Salvador has produced a “plan,” issuing a statement that all women should postpone pregnancy until 2018. Immediately condemned worldwide, this proposal appears strange to the uninformed listener — and with good reason.This decision is uncprecedented: no country has ever issued such a decree, let alone attempted to enforce it.

In a country of where about half the population is of child-rearing age, the government’s strategy is absurd.

El Salvador’s reaction to the virus, which has already affected more 5,000 people in the nation, is as abysmal as Brazil’s preoccupation with everything but the virus itself. El Salvadoran officials place the onus of remaining healthy on the public despite the daily bloodshed, widespread poverty and dearth of child-planning services.

Many other countries affected by the virus face similar issues to a lesser extent.

The Zika virus has forced, however, the real governing problems of each country into the open.

Zika is the line in the sand: These establishments are no longer gambling with the economy; their governing methods must now answer for the corruption and incompetence that has permitted the virus’ spread.

Zika’s full effects remain a mystery, but the virus has had dire consequences for thousands. It is a shame and an outrage that Latin American governments have proven unwilling to aid those they should be leading.

48 Countries with reported active transmission (not shown: Cape Verde, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Papua New Guina, Fiji, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga and New Caledonia)

Currently no known vaccine or available cure

13 percent risk of acquiring microcephaly associated with Zika

26,000 suspected Zika virus cases in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Zika virus symptoms include

fever, rash, muscle pain, joint pain, headache, conjunctivitis infographic by Cassandra Luca graphics by Jasmine Chan sources of information: Centers for Disease Control, Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, The Guardian and World Health Organization

page 10|june 9, 2016

Opinions|THELIONROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR

Free Post-Secondary Education Is A Realistic Goal by daniel goldstein This election season, the issue of free college tuition has garnered lots of attention due to its unprecedented nature and role in Bernie Sanders’ platform. Many believe that our national budget cannot fund post-secondary education when we are so far in debt, while others see educating the American workforce as a critical investment in the future. To attempt to answer this topic of debate, I look at the issue in two ways: is free education economically viable, and is Bernie’s plan, in particular, economically viable?

When we talk about “free college,” we only refer to public colleges like the University of Massachusetts or Framingham State University and eliminating tuition from the cost. Room and board would still be charged, with normal scholarships still applicable to those costs. Accounting for the tuition of public colleges is estimated to cost $75 billion annually by the Sanders campaign. Such an undertaking is clearly not cheap; the debate lies in whether it would be a worthwhile investment.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, investing in education is the single most proven path to increasing productivity — represented by gross domestic product (GDP)— which is the largest determinant of wages. The correlation between a state’s productivity growth and

the amount it invests in education is 3-1.

That is, when the number of adults with a college degree increases by 1 percent in a state, that state’s GDP increases on average by 3 percent.

For every 4 percent the GDP increases, the median income in America increase by 1 percent. Through a little math we can see that the ratio comparing the increase in college degrees to a wage increase is 4-3, or every 4 percent that the amount of adults with a college degree increases in a state, the median wage

from the current 40 percent, leading to a 15 percent increase in wages using our ratio, or a median wage of about $68,000.

With the current income tax rates in this country, that means an increase in federal income tax of $3,000 per person or an increase of $1 trillion nationwide annually.

Some will argue more people with degrees doesn’t necessarily increase the amount of high paying jobs available.

There are two issues with that argument.

First, logically, if there are more people with diplomas, more people will be able

Many economists believe that investing in education is the nation’s number one priority increases by three percent.

The median wage in the United States, where 40 percent of adults have a college degree, is about $52,000. Making public college tuition-free would not mean that 100 percent of people would graduate college; many pursue military service, attend vocational school, get a job in the workforce or fail to graduate.

Let’s assume that 40 percent of the population falls into the category of not graduating college even when it is accessible. If 60 percent of people graduate, that implies a 20 percent increase in diplomas

to start businesses that have high paying jobs. Every business needs positions that require college degrees. Second, there are already millions of high paying jobs with no qualified people to fill them. According to CBS News and CNN, there are more than 5.8 million openings in the US, over 3 million of which are due to employers not being able to find qualified workers.

It’s pretty clear why many economists believe that investing in education is the nation’s number one priority. Even our conservative estimate projects the investment paying for itself 13 times over. In

other words, “free college” is economically viable. It’s sensible and intelligent.

What about Bernie’s plan? He promises that he would not divert income tax funds to cover the cost of his plan. He says that he will pay for it with a “tax on Wall Street speculation,” meaning that every time there is a trade in the market — the buying or selling stocks, bonds, etc. — the party completing the transaction must pay a fee. The fee is a fraction of a percent of the total cost of public college tuition, but the sheer volume of these transactions would lead to an estimated yield of around $340 billion according to an assessment made by over 1,000 economists.

There’s a catch. A tax on Wall Street may push some investors to trade overseas. You can buy a German bond in New York, Paris or Berlin, so nothing is keeping traders here. And while the $340 billion figure takes this fact into account, there is no real way of knowing what toll the tax would take on the economy.

All in all, Bernie’s plan is indeed economically viable, but it may not be the most secure way to achieve the intended goal of free tuition at public colleges.

Tuition free college is only beneficial, which explains why countries like Germany, Finland and Denmark (all countries that rank well above the United States in intelligence), already have it.

Why Is Asian Discrimination Accepted?

By Eu ro Wang When an Arabic boy made a clock for a project, his teacher called the police for suspicion of terror. Soon after, media platforms were swarmed with support for the boy and condemnation for the school.

Generally, the media has shown support for the victim and condemnation for the oppressor.

The pernicious problem of racism still lingers in our society (see Donald Trump’s vulgar remarks toward Muslims and Mexicans). But while African Americans, Jews, Muslims, and Mexicans have made some progress in their fight against racial prejudice, Asian Americans’ progress has stagnated. Racism against Asian Americans is still alive and well, especially in media which purportedly combats it.

Asian faces are rare in the media.

According to a University of Southern California study which analyzed the race and ethnicity of more than 30,000 characters of 700 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2014, only 5.3 percent of the roles went to Asians.

Not only are there few Asian faces in movies and television, but the majority of acting parts written for Asian actors go to non-Asians. It was recently announced that Scarlett Johansson would play the lead role in the upcoming movie “Ghost in the Shell,” an adaption of an 1989 Japanese manga.

Many have spoken against this outrageous decision, such as the renowned comic writer, Jon Tsuei, who argued that “Ghost in the Shell” is inherently a Japanese story, not a universal one. …

You can ‘Westernize’ the story if you want, but at that point it is no longer “Ghost In The Shell” because the story is simply not “Western.”

To make matters worse, the already small percentage of Asians in Hollywood play humiliatingly stereotypical roles. In “The Hangover,” Korean-American Ken Jeong plays Leslie Chow, a Chinese crime boss who causes trouble for the protagonist and his friends.

In “Revenge of the Nerds,” JapaneseAmerican Brian Tochi plays Takashi Toshiro, a bullied Japanese nerd with no social life. In “Sixteen Candles,” JapaneseAmerican Gedde Watanabe plays Long Duk Dong, a sexually inept foreign exchange student from Asia.

These Asian actors are forced to portray caricatures instead of regular people.

Hollywood producers write roles that fit common Asian stereotypes, and rarely do Hollywood movies or TV shows have beloved Asian characters who are admired for being who themselves.

Hollywood, however, cannot fully take the blame for this growing problem.

Their goal is to maximize profit, and to do that, they have to produce the content the public demands.

Hollywood only produces such racist content because the American public perceives Asian jokes as normal.

This problem is also found in the world of sports media. Jeremy Lin, the only active Asian basketball player in the NBA, has been harassed by his opponents, the media and the NBA itself. Over the

past season, Lin has drawn zero technical fouls, yet some plays question that statistic.

After multiple hard blows to the head, one fan decided to speak against it, compiling the times when hard technical-foul-deserving blows were often uncalled.

The NBA responded to the viral video with a completely false official statement. Though Lin was harassed by his opponents and treated unfairly, no one spoke up – an accurate depiction of the kind of racism that exists today.

Lin’s situation epitomizes modern racism toward Asian-Americans, not because Lin was being harassed by his opponents and treated unfairly by the referees, but because no one in the media said anything.

No sports magazines or news networks openly opposed this injustice. The

media’s silence implicitly condones this racism, which is so pervasive that traditionally marginalized groups perpetrate it as well.

This year’s Academy Awards sparked controversy when no African American actors were nominated. During the show, host Chris Rock defended the controversy.

Later that evening, Rock joked that all Asians are intelligent accountants.

Clearly, racism against AsianAmericans is acceptable even today. Racial equality advocate Marissa Lee perfectly put it, “Hollywood is a reflection of our culture. Hollywood doesn’t put minorities in lead roles because our society rarely lets minorities take the lead.”

If we really want a world without racism, we have to speak up for all kinds of racial discrimination.

graphic by Eunice Kim

June 9, 2014|page 11

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|opinions

UPGRADE

9 NBA draft “Roots” revival “Finding Dory” Ice cream trucks Wearing flip flops to school Class outside More spaces in student parking lot Class office elections The end is in sight!

9

DOWNGRADE

U.S. women’s soccer team on wage strike Inconsistent air conditioning Different schedule (almost) every day Finding textbooks and library books Teachers cramming in new material Finals

campus chatter The Lion’s Roar asked...

Which event are you most looking forward to watching at the Rio 2016 Olympics?

“I really like the synchronized diving because it’s so amazing when they do exactly the same thing together. It’s impressive and the whole thing is really graceful.”

- Alana Axelrod-Freed, Class of 2019 “Gymnastics, because I used to do it and I think it’s really the most interesting sport to watch.”

- Andrea Tartaglia, Class of 2018 “I’m looking forward to seeing men’s volleyball both the sand court and the indoor court, because I love volleyball. It’s my favorite sport.”

- Timmy Hwang, Class of 2017 “Pretty much all the short track events, because they’re quite competitive and you can see who’s where in the race and who’s winning.”

- Wilson Chen, Class of 2016 photos by Kiana Lee

“Captain America: Civil War” by constantine foehl While I’m not a huge movie geek, I try to keep up to date with the biggest releases, so I decided to watch “Captain America: Civil War.” Since I do not follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe and have not seen “Avengers 2,” my review will be from a layman’s perspective. Despite the film’s distinguished acting, humor and characters, “Civil War” struggled to excite me due to its superficial plot.

The movie opens with an action scene of the Avengers battling Crossbones, a villain who seems to have no significance to the plot whatsoever. The creation of this villain seems to be an attempt by the filmmakers to create some excitement to draw the audience in, regardless of its relevance to the rest of the storyline.

Other than that opening scene, however, the beginning of the movie is fairly bland. Lots of talking occurs without much action or advancement of the plot line. Somewhere in there the main conflict develops — the government wants to take control of the Avengers to make them a more structured, monitored group that abides by the law.

This movie is more like an “Avengers 3” than a Captain America movie. Although Captain America is technically the main character, his motivation is thoroughly underdeveloped.

His goal — which the audience must infer — is to rebel against the government and free the

“Captain America: Civil War”

Captain America (Chris Evans) fights for the Avengers at Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany.

Avengers from the law’s constraint.

When the audience feels no connection to the protagonist, they cannot feel his motivation and the plot is lost. As a result, the entire premise of the movie — the Avengers breaking up and fighting, some for and some against the law — comes off as unjustified and overly dramatic.

The movie does, however, have redeeming qualities. Although I find the storyline confusing, it is comprehensible enough for me to understand the main plot and to appreciate the ending. I also think the acting is fairly good.

On top of that, the screenwriters slip in lots of

comedic byplay. The audience enjoys an abundance of all of the snarky, quick-witted remarks they would expect from the characters in the Avengers. The comedy, action and fascination with the diverse characters make the movie worthwhile for me.

Overall, if you’re really into the Avengers or Captain America, you’ll probably enjoy this movie, and even if you just like to keep up with the Captain America series, “Civil War” is worth watching. If neither description applies to you and you’re just looking for an interesting movie, you’re better off with “Deadpool.”

Suspension Rates by Place

Complications with

Consequences

What causes a suspension?

The intended severity of detentions and suspensions is not always reflected in their impact

By Emily Belt and Sophie Lu

Newton

Massachusetts

United States source of information: The Center for Civil Rights Remedies at schooldisciplinedata.org

graphic by Ellen Deng

“I

didn’t know what to expect,” senior Mason* said. “But after I went through it said. “It was ... free time.”

According Gordon, however, out-of-school suspensions are implemented with once, I was like, ‘It’s pointless; it’s a waste of time.’” Mason was referring to his other students’ safety in mind. “Out-of-school suspensions are mandatory suspensions, first suspension from South. He initially received this in-school suspension and that’s a district-wide policy; that’s because the offense is very serious,” Gordon said. for stealing test questions from a teacher. During this suspension period, “The student is putting themselves or maybe other people in danger … versus the inhowever, administrators caught him smoking on school property, which was grounds for school suspension, which may be because a student was acting up in class.” a second suspension.

While sophomore Jocelyn Rodenstein agreed that out-of-school suspensions seem “They zoomed in [on the security cameras] and saw that it wasn’t regular paper, like just a day off, she added that their effectiveness really depends on parental presence but rolling paper,” Mason said. “They were like, ‘Oh, this is weed,’ and I was like, ‘No, it’s and discipline.

“I think the effectiveness really comes down to the parents and whether tobacco,’” Mason said. “They didn’t believe me, so I got … a double suspension.” the parents of that individual see the suspension as a big thing,” she said. “They can While serious consequences, including detention and suspension, naturally punish or ground [the student], but if the parents are just okay … that just means you’re accompany infractions like Mason’s, many recipients of these punishments said that they going to get to sleep in. ” were largely ineffective.

There are downfalls to out-of-school suspensions, though, South psychologist According to junior Kaavya Chaparala, one component of the detention policy’s Andrew Aspel said. For example, some students might dislike the idea of missing out on inadequacy lies in its lack of consistency. Two deans’ interpretations of a single rule led to school-related activities. “There’s more in the school community other than academics,” a detention for her, but an exemption for her equally guilty friend.

Aspel said. “[My friend], like, squealed really loudly [in the hallway] and a teacher came out “They’re missing out on that because school is such a big part of their life.” and … sent us to our [deans],” Chaparala said. “[My dean said] the rule is if a teacher According to campus aid Chris Bender, students often repeat offenses after single sends you to your [dean], then they have to give you detention, [but] … my friend who punishments.

“If they repeat it, they haven’t learned their lesson … or they haven’t had also gotten sent to her [dean] … didn’t.” understood why these are important issues,” he said.

Rachel*, a South parent, agreed that the detention system does not treat students There are better substitutes to the current system, Rodenstein said — community fairly. “The school gave my child a detention for skipping class, but she was there,” Rachel service and anger management classes, for example. “If this person was in the real world, said. “If a kid doesn’t do something wrong, and it’s the school’s mistake, then that’s really this is [what] they’ d face, ” she said. poor behavior. I think the school should double check before granting a detention.”

Support should be valued as a method of responding to certain behaviors because Many students added that issues continue beyond the administration of detentions. it forms a better connection between staff member and student, Chaparala added. “If you Once a student gets a detention, sophomore Abby Bernstein said, enforcement stops are always late to class [and teachers] try to [understand] ... why you’re late, it would be a there. Oftentimes if you don’t show up to detention, there is no further punishment. lot more successful and generally better received because you can’t dislike someone who According to freshman Johnny Baker, students who do attend detention can break is trying to talk to you and figure out what’s the rules — no phones, no talking, no wrong,” she said. “[It would seem] like they bathroom breaks — without consequence.

I think the support that comes after the suspension is actually care about you, [while] it’s really easy “Honestly, I thought detentions would be a to dislike someone who seems to have it out effective — not the suspension itself. lot worse … in reality, you just have to stay for you.” for J block and … do homework,” he said.

- Joel Stembridge, Principal Rachel agreed that students might “They say you can’t use your phone, but need help from administrators, rather than you can just use it under the table; it’s not that hard.” punishment.

“Somebody who is getting a suspension might be acting out and trying to The disregard of rules makes South’s punishments unsuccessful, he added. “If they work through some pain — rebelling and seeking attention, potentially,” she said. “[It] were effective, then I wouldn’t be getting detentions or suspensions anymore,” he said. would be nice for them to get extra help ... to work through their issues as opposed to Chaparala, however, said that her detention helped her correct her mistake, but facing danger or getting suspended. ” . acknowledged that this might not be the case for everyone. “Sometimes, when South does have special programs to offer this support, according to Gordon. “We I am being kind of loud in the hallways, I will ... quiet down because I don’t have programs like South Side, which is a behavioral management program,” she said. want to get a detention,” she said. “I guess I am grudgingly admitting that Principal Joel Stembridge added that South faculty members can be valuable it was kind of effective, [but] just because I am a rule-follower.” resources to struggling students, especially after punishments like suspensions. “One In addition to detentions, South also utilizes both out-of-school of the things we have [is] our counselors on site … [such as] the risk and prevention and in-school suspensions as punishments. During an in-school counselor, who we often have work with students in the aftermath of some poor decision suspension, students usually sit in their house office and complete making, ” he said.

“Sometimes the issue is related to something else — sometimes it’s work throughout the day, according to Wheeler house dean Donna an emotional issue … so sometimes we’ll have the school psychologist talking with the Gordon. During an out-of-school suspension, students stay home, person …

I think the support that comes after the suspension is effective — not the and oftentimes when they return to school, other restrictions suspension itself. ” are put in place, such as not being able to access openAt Lexington High School, according to Principal Lisa Lasa, the discipline system campus. has been adapted to better meet students’ needs.

While he said he does not mind “When something’s gone awry, the first thing the student has to do is write a selfdetentions, Baker added that he prefers outreflection [that says] ... ‘Here’s what happened from my viewpoint,’ and the first thing of-school suspensions, which are considered the deans say is ‘when you read that, [write] what you could have done differently,’” she to be harsher punishments.“[Out-of-school] said.

“Sometimes that’s the learning moment — the conversation with their dean. The suspensions would be really cool because you reflection gives the student time to process what happened with the teacher or other get to not go to school,” he said. educator and to organize his or her thoughts prior to meeting with the dean.”

Regardless of actual punishment This communication is key, Aspel agreed. severity, in-school suspensions feel stricter “I think it’s important that at least there be some good dialogue and problem than out-of-school suspensions, Mason agreed. solving that goes on between the student and whatever adult … needs to be involved,” he He said that during in-school suspensions, said. students are not allowed to use electronics, leave Gordon added that high school is a time for learning from mistakes. the room to get lunch or use the bathroom for “Failure is the mother to success,” she said. “So if you fail, just dust yourself off and more than one five-minute trip. His out-of-school plow ahead. ” suspension experience was very different. ”When I got an out-of-school [suspension], I straight-up *Names changed to protect students’ identities went to my friend’s house and we just hung out,” he

Possession, sale or use of

illegal drugs Setting

FIRE in school

HELLO MY NAME IS Failure to identify one’s self truthfully when asked by a school official

Use of a

knife

as a WEAPON

Use or possession of

FIREARMS in school

BULLYING another student

HAZING

the act of forcing fellow students to act in a dangerous or embarrassing way in order to join a club Being under the influence of

illegal drugs or alcohol

Enacting physical violence on a TEACHER or another STUDENT results

Sounding the

fire alarm

without a cause or altering

defibrillators

source of information: Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook 2015-2016

page 14|june 9, 2016

Q&A with

centerfold|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR

Josepha Blocker Cutler dean reveals how her job extends beyond discipline

Q A Q A Q A

Is it hard to balance discipline and building bonds with students?

There’s a phrase in Latin that’s in a lot of laws for schools, and it’s says we act in loco parentis, meaning in lieu of your parents. ... That has always stuck with me because I think it’s similar to how parents form a connection with their kids, in that you can be firm and clear and kind at the same time. ... Kids make mistakes [as a] part of adolescence — it’s part of growing, and so we try to use those [mistakes] as vehicles of learning.

How do you hope students view you?

I hope students see me as a resource, as someone they trust if they need help [or] if they need somebody to give them thoughts on a situation they’re going through, if it’s not working out with the things that they’re doing. I hope students see me as fair and willing to listen, and I hope that even if situations were hard, that they learn things from the interactions.

How do you advise students trying to move beyond their mistakes?

We try not to suspend kids unless we absolutely have to because we want kids to be here, accessing learning.

But if their mistake was large enough that we have them miss school for a while, when they come back, we make it a point to say that this mistake is not how we’re defining you and you should not define yourself that way either. ... We try to also set students up with whatever resources they need if that mistake indicates, for example, that let’s say a student gets in trouble for drug use, we try to help them get counseling for drug use.

FEATURES page 15|June 9, 2016|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

FEATURES@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 1

Campus Cuisine

South alumnus Jonah Reider pursues his passions, diverging from the expected path

By Andrea Lirio Reider preparing one of his many culinary creations in his dorm room restaurant.

REIDER, from 1

photos courtesy of Jonah Reider

The most exciting part of life after South, Jonah said, was the newfound freedom to explore more of his passions.

“The first couple years of college, I took a ton of classes and was doing all of the academic sh*t you have to do to graduate,” he said. “The last year-and-ahalf or so, I made sure that I had a lot of time to explore extracurricular projects that were interesting to me.”

During the interview, Jonah made one thing very clear: There are different paths to success. Fresh out of his college graduation, he said that the sense of freedom he felt four years ago had been renewed.

“I guess that I’m excited now, that I have graduated, that I can pursue what I want to do. I have a million projects that I’m working on,” he said. “I think a lot of people after college try to find a job that they’re going to show up in the morning and leave at night so they can compartmentalize that and be like, ‘I need a job; I want to make money.’ But for me, what’s exciting is that I feel like I should do what I have already been doing, just a little bit better. … Graduating is like one less thing off my plate, symbolically.”

I prompted Jonah to speak more about his current and future projects.

“I hope to have [a TV show] and then [I am] working on some plans for a line of cannabis-infused cooking products that’s going to be tight,” he said. “I feel like I’m going to have just the most dopest, coolest show, like I’m just going to be a f*cking hilarious visionaire creating interesting events and getting people excited about cuisine. It’s exciting for sure, but it is a lot of anxiety.”

When I asked him what his greatest takeaway from his time at Columbia was, Jonah laughed.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Do your own thing — that’s number one. Don’t feel obliged to prescribe to the conventional or predominant definition of success.”

At first, I found his advice to be completely cliché — of course I’ll do what I want to do. But after a few seconds, he

clarified.

“There’s a very predominant perception of success, and it’s important not to let that deter someone from pursuing the things they’re excited about. ... I really mean it in the context of — everyone’s telling you that a successful life means this kind of lifestyle — it’s just not how it is.”

During our phone call, Jonah was at a market in New York, taste-testing foods.

Every few seconds I heard a muffled, “Thank you. This is so good,” or “Oh, no it’s okay. I already have that.”

“When I’m cooking more dishes, I check out the farmer’s market. There are a lot of dope dishes there, [and] I just pick things up that [give me a] feeling and [are] exciting,” he said.

Jonah and I went on to discuss Pith, the project that catapulted him into the media’s attention.

“It just began because I was cooking so much in school and cooking dinner for people. It kind of unfolded into having people over for meals, and more and more folks started to sign up for it,” he said. “It kind of exploded, largely as sort of a viral internet dumb thing where people are like ‘Oh, this is hilarious — this guy is cooking out of his dorm room.’”

This attention, he said, has not necessarily been positive for him. “I felt like it was hard to show people that I’m not a frivolous joke …. but this serious about cuisine and about cooking and about social improvisation,” he said. “A dingy dorm room is one way to do that.”

Since being evicted, Jonah has begun to branch off, creating a new vista in Chelsea.

“I’m probably not going to call it Pith,” he said. “But I love the name — I spent a lot of time cultivating it as a brand and an idea.”

Overall, Jonah had a simple message to share: “It’s not a good move to have long-term, fabulous dreams. [You should make] more, like, short-term goals,” he said. “I want to open up an incredible stage for dining; I want to have a hilariously amazing, inspiring food show to really push people to think about cooking in a different way. That’s the goal.”

page 16|june 9, 2016

Features|THELionsRoar.com|THE LION’S ROAR

By Celine Yung

graphic by Rachel Honigsberg

A look at some of the classes cancelled for the 2016-2017 school year due to low enrollment

By Celine Yung CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY JEWELRY MAKING WOMEN IN LITERATURE OF FOOD AND COOKING

A

fter the administration announced that Women in Literature was not set to run, rising seniors advocating for the course went to the English department in an attempt to overrule the decision.

“I went with [a friend] to Mr. Baron a couple of weeks ago,” junior Jessie Shiner said. “He was really understanding about [our concerns], and he was talking about how he’s trying to incorporate more female-centric literature into [South’s] curriculum.”

The under representation of women in South’s literature courses inspired the creation of the course, English teacher Kelly Henderson said.

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we had a feminist literature course?’” she said.

Junior Katie Collins agreed that the class would have rounded out the English curriculum by encouraging people to talk about gender issues and opening the door for more female-written works in other classes.

She added that publicity was another issue that prevented the course from running.

“I think there wasn’t a lot of publicity about it. It’s a new course, whereas courses like AP Lang and AP Lit are more well known, so people would know to sign up for those classes,” she said.

Shiner, along with a few other students, worked to get the word out about the course by posting on Facebook, but they had little success.

Both Baron and Henderson agreed that Women in Literature’s ACP course level partially caused its cancellation.

“People that would be naturally interested in taking Women in Literature would also be naturally interested in taking an honors class,” Baron said.

Sensing this issue, Shiner said that some students hoped to open up the option of a mixed level course.

“We also put a poll in our grade’s Facebook group ... and we got more people to say that they would be more interested in taking it honors,” she said. “[But] we went to Mr. Baron, who basically said it was too late,” she said. Baron later said that the abundance of honors senior electives made this impossible.

Henderson said that courses like Women in Literature could help promote general awareness about important issues.

“The more you pay attention to the reality of being female in the world, in the United States in particular, the more you will realize that this course is needed,” she said.

W

hile Chemistry and Biochemistry of Food and Cooking has been offered for several years, recurring issues with enrollment have led to multiple cancellations.

According to the Program of Studies, the course focuses on the chemical processes that play a part in culinary arts.

Chemistry teacher Alan Crosby and family and consumer sciences teacher Jonathan Orren have previously taught the course together. Crosby said he believes that the course is an enriching experience for all students.

“Face it — most of us like food, so kids who took this class had an interest in food, but also had an interest in understanding why food is what it is and why it has such an appeal and what makes it more appealing,” he said. “Everybody learns something, and it was because you’re personally involved in the experience.”

Sophomore Jake Freudberg, one of Crosby’s current students, signed up to take the class next year.

“My sister took it the first year that it ran, which was four or five years ago. She said it was fun,” he said. “I remember she said they would make bread, and each recipe would leave out an ingredient to see what it would taste like without it, and most of the stuff which they made tasted terrible because of that. But she said it was fun to see how chemistry affects different kinds of food.”

Crosby also attributed cancellation to a lack of public advertisement about the course. He added that this year, South offered an overwhelming number of courses.

“We have the issue of a lot of different electives, particularly in science, that I think compete with each other,” he said.

According to Crosby, enrollment requirements for running classes changed this year.

“The budget is a little bit tight, so the courses are going to be needing higher subscriptions,” he said. “They’re looking for probably about 40 kids, and we didn’t make it.”

In order to emphasize the science focus of the class, South changed the name from “Cooking in Chemistry” a few years ago. Crosby said that this may have had an effect on prospective students’ view of the course.

“I just didn’t have time in my schedule for another heavy academic class,” sophomore Elizabeth Szanton said. “Yes, it’s a science course but it’s the implemenation of science.”

T

he 2016-17 school year marks one of the first years that Jewelry Making has been cancelled due to low enrollment.

Junior Wingyee Huang took the course this year and said that she enjoyed it.

“I really liked that the class wasn’t just drawing and that it let me explore different sections of the art department,” she said. “The course pretty much didn’t have a strict curriculum, you could just make whatever you feel like you wanted to make.”

Jewelry Making was both rewarding and flexible, sophomore Stephanie Lok said.

“I think people should sign up if they want creative freedom,” she said. “I could honestly do homework and then do some other project I wanted to work on. I didn’t always have to do jewelry,” she said.

Courses like Jewelry Making are valuable sources of stress relief for students, sophomore Jackson Fyfe added.

“I think that taking mixed media courses such as Jewelry Making helps with just getting some time in the day to wind down — it’s always good to have time to relax during the day after ... high school pressure,” he said.

Jewelry Making’s historically female-heavy roster has proven to cause enrollment issues, students said.

“I think boys shouldn’t be afraid to take Jewelry Making if that’s something they’re interested in,” Fyfe said. “They shouldn’t feel pressure to have to opt out of the program.”

Additionally, Lok said that some students are worried about how the course might look on their transcripts.

“The course is great, but having Jewelry Making on your transcript may not be the best thing,” she said.

Lok added that often, art courses are pushed to the bottom of students’ wishlists.

“You might want to spend that elective time on other electives — especially if there’s another class that might look better on a transcript [and] has the same amount of blocks — which might cause a bit more pressure to take that class instead of jewelry,” she said.

Transcripts, however, are not the most important aspect of course selection, Fyfe said.

“It’s really unfortunate that Jewelry Making got cancelled because it’s a super interesting course that a lot of people enjoy.”

Additional reporting by Aviva Gershman

HOLI 2016 THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|Features

June 9, 2016|page 17

By Bailey Kroner & Suzie Na

page 18|june 9, 2016

THE

Features|THELionsRoar.com|THE LION’S ROAR

COMMON APPLICATION The Roar unveils the remaining student profiled throughout the year

By Andrea Lirio

graphic by Celine Yung

photo by Juliana Brenner

Akira Taylor, previously referred to as “Sydney,” has committed to attending the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) next year. Reflecting on senior year, Akira said she will miss her classes and friends the most.

“Looking back, [senior year] was pretty good. Like any other year you have your bumps in the road, but in general, everything was pretty good. It definitely could have been worse and could have been better,” she said. “I think it’s also a great way to start adulthood.”

While debating which college she wanted to attend, Akira mainly focused on comparing costs up until she visited MCLA. “It’s in a very nice area and the campus is beautiful. ... I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, I think this is going to be good because it’s different from South,” she said. “I got into a bunch of programs that I wouldn’t have gotten into anywhere else.”

All in all, Akira said she has fond memories of high school and senior year despite various challenges.

“Senior year is a lot. It will test all limits, all boundaries, all friendships and all work. You will definitely get lazy and you’ll get lazy, and start to slack, but as long as you don’t have an, ‘I don’t really care,’ type of attitude, you’ll be fine,” she said.

For Akira, the biggest challenge is figuring out the perfect balance between work and slumping, she said.

“In fourth term, a lot of teachers cut back on all the work. But then, finally, at the end of the year they have all these projects and presentations,” she said. “I think the hardest part is all the work at the end because you get frustrated because you feel like teachers shouldn’t be giving you that much work. The amount that one teacher gives you is not a lot, but the total is, especially during the last couple weeks.”

In addition to taking enjoyable courses, Akira noted that senior year is the best time to experience new things and make new memories.

“Senior year, definitely talk to people ... you aren’t really friends with. Talk to teachers; go to a new place,” she said. “Do new things where you surprise yourself. The outcomes might surprise you, too, because that is definitely what happened this year. So new things definitely define senior year.”

June 9, 2016|page 19

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|fun page

School Post-Seniors

South Crime Watch

COREY SAMUELS sr. fun editor

Editors’ Note: Individuals are presumed guilty until proven innocent.

MISSING PERSONS May 23, Newton South One fourth of the student body was reported missing from South. An anonymous tip pointed to a nearby beach, where red solo cups were scattered on the sand.

LARCENCY May 20, Room 2105 After not winning best dressed superlative, an anonymous teacher was seen donning only an Eleanor Roosevelt poster.

RIOTING June 2, L-Bench What started as friendly protests soon broke out into riots as sophomores were frustrated that the “L17” juniors had taken over both the L bench and senior commons. The sophomores were last seen visiting the nurses’ office.

FORGERY June 5, Denebola A freshman was caught forging a signature for an R-rated movie. It was entitled, “50 Shades of Grey.”

THEFT May 31, Mr. Lee’s room Mechanical pencil.

graphic by Sophie Galowitz

Overheard at SOUTH Yes, we heard you say that.

Angsty teen: “It’s just so hard to be emo in the summer. Skinny jeans and sweating just don’t work together.”

Lululemon lover: “I can’t believe my mom won’t bring my leggings to school. I can’t wear my yoga pants all day.”

Dedicated freshman: “School is basically just my Slither.io time.”

Exasperated junior girl: “Every time a sophomore boy talks, an angel dies.”

Embarrassing Roar Staff Photo of the Month:

Kroner gives a mighty “Boo.”

Embarrassing Roar Adviser Photo of the Month:

Normandin blocks all of the haters with his glossy emerald shades.

bffls & bad puns

I

lazily veer into the Wheeler parking lot as radio jockeys yammer away about Cam Newton’s creepy voicemail when the sudden copiousness of available faculty parking spaces shocks my eyes wide open.“Is it a Saturday?” I wonder. “… Am I still asleep? Is this a dream?” My puzzled brain searches for plausible explanations.

Then, a gasp — “Did I miss out on the rapture?” Not possible. Hema Roychowdhury’s car is still here.

I glance slowly around the parking lot, my eye fruitlessly foraging for the sight of Max Baker’s white BMW or Katie Summers’ (Summers’s? Summerses’? I need more coffee stat) red Honda.

Nowhere to be seen.

My car glides into a spot, unobstructed by stray, intruding bumpers.

The door slam reverberates majestically across the sea of open space.

Inside the school, something is different. Without any bodies to absorb the sound, the noise of the my heels scuffling on the floor dances off of the walls and peters out as it ascends the stairwell. I reach down to crumple up and throw away a sign proclaiming a long-past May deadline for Prom tickets; the crunch of the flier carries to Cutler.

Then, like the third cup of coffee to my digestive system, it hits me with a rippling tremor: the seniors are gone.

I peer into the squalid destitution of the Wheeler Commons in awe.

A large banner, blaring that “SEN16RS RE16N!”, slips from its adhesive, tragically fluttering to the cold linoleum floor. Errant psychology textbooks lay strewn across tables, accompanied by crinkled notebooks that lay untouched since Slump arrived. The television hums its solitary song of static.

The lack of indignant joie de vivre is palpable. I wipe a thin layer of Doritos crumbs off of a chair and slide it over to the table. With a shallow sigh, I tear a sheet from a BC problem set, its existence forgotten weeks ago, and prepare my farewells to the class of 2016: “To the departed seniors: Rejoice.

To the teachers of seniors: Rejoice and frolic.

To the parents: Rejoice, but with caution.

To the juniors: You have all summer to brush up on your Mario Kart and FIFA ‘08 skills.

To Janice Ingemi, the Wheeler House secretary who combats a mass of teenage delinquency with every attempt to leave her office, and to the campus aides, who no longer have to patrol the parking lots and place warning notices under windshield wipers: Rest up.

Autumn is coming.”

I deposit the memo, a flickering light in the desert of empty abandonment, on the table. I exit just as the L-Bench Juniors ooze down the hallway and install themselves into this forsaken space.

My heart is at peace as I move onto the copy room to prepare for my first class.

It needs toner.

SPORTS page 20|June 9, 2016|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

sports@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 1

VAR-SITTING Sports programs walk line between winning games and playing athletes

photo illustration by Bailey Kroner

PLAYING TIME, from 1 According to senior captain Monica Cipriano, the squad’s six seniors and abundance of talented underclassmen allows every player to receive ample playing time while still looking out for the program’s future. Playing to win this year, she said, did not depend on reassigning playing time, but on continuing to strengthen the team collectively.

“I think [head coach Ginny Walsh probably kept] the playing time about the same, because with her, the focus for each game really isn’t winning,” Cipriano said.

“Obviously, that’s something we want to do, and we’re fighting towards that, but that’s not the do-or-die situation. A lot of it’s more focused about making our team better and more cohesive as a unit, and the winning’s kind of a product of that.”

After bringing home the DCL title on May 18, boys track had high hopes for the rest of the season, including divisionals and the state championship, according to junior runner Gal Fudim. He said these aspirations have made the program opt for a different approach to managing who competes, as compared to softball. Fudim added that he values a balance between giving everyone on the varsity team opportunities and performing well in more important meets.

“For smaller meets, I think it’s important to let everyone have a chance at some point, and it’s a good time to test people out in new events,” Fudim said.

“But for bigger meets, when everything is at stake, and we are one of the top teams in the state, we want to win.”

Fudim said that head coach Ted Norton gives all varsity runners a chance to run, while preparing to achieve the team’s postseason goals.

“Winning meets is definitely something [Norton] values, but these [DCL] meets aren’t as important as bigger state meets,” he said. “[For] those we focus on winning, but in these smaller meets he puts emphasis on having strong races and doing a good workout.”

chance to play a great deal of tennis. Also, varsity girls who are not seniors often play in the JV match to gain match experience.”

Following success in recent years, boys volleyball makes no promises to its players regarding playing time, according to head coach Todd Elwell.

Although the team clinched a spot in the state tournament with a win against Acton-Boxborough on May 11, Elwell said he continued to keep up the pressure as playoff seeding and homecourt advantage remained undecided. Equitable playing time is unrealistic for any successful varsity

You want to put together the best possible scenario for your team to be successful, and sometimes that’s not about playing time.

- Todd Elwell, Volleyball coach Girls tennis has performed well this spring, boasting an 11-5 record and hoping to battle the best teams in the state tournament, head coach Bob Jampol said.

According to Jampol, all players receive plenty of opportunities to play in practice and with the JV squad, if not in varsity matches. While he has played every varsity player in at least one varsity match, the program prioritizes winning over perfectly equitable distribution of playing time, he said.

“Part of being on the team is participating in practice and competing there as well,” Jampol said. “Everyone has gotten the

team, he added.

“Especially the varsity level — strategically, that wouldn’t work out because of positions and abilities. You want to put together the best possible scenario for your team to be successful, and sometimes that’s not about playing time.”

Elwell noted the delicacy of the team’s dynamic and said that equal playing time for everyone would mar the team’s chemistry. “[A team’s] like a house — you’ve got to build a foundation first and then from there whatever you put on top of that foundation is going to hold,” Elwell said.

“But if you start saying, ‘Oh, playing time, playing time, playing time,’ then all of a sudden you’re going to lose track of the foundation. We earn our playing time. ...

It’s not a gift.”

Varsity volleyball player junior Ruslan Crosby said that he plays in no more than one or two of five sets in any match.

Despite his lack of playing time, Crosby noted his satisfaction with his role on the team.

“I’m happy with what I’m doing right now,” he said. “It’s a team effort. I understand coach’s reason for playing certain players. I guess I want to be playing more, but only if I feel and coach feels that that is what gives our team the best chance to win.”

According to Crosby, the distribution of playing time for each individual player is overshadowed by the team’s overall prospects.

“Once you’re on varsity, it’s the best players a hundred percent of the time,” Crosby added. “You can play everybody, but if everybody’s not up to speed and up to par, you may not get into the tournament, may not win the state championship, which is our goal. Truthfully I feel that if there is a player on our team who is really unhappy with their playing time, they’ll be completely okay with a state championship.

It will be worth it. Everyone will love the state championship, and that’s what they’ll remember for the rest of their life.”

Additional reporting by Kevin Granfield

June 9, 2016|page 21

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|SPorts

IN

YEAR REVIEW As the 2015-2016 school year draws to a close, so do its three seasons of South Athletics. Here are some of this year’s biggest moments in sports

Recruited

The Roar’s Catherine Granfield met with students who plan to continue athletic careers in college

By Cameron Miller “We were really excited because I think we had a really good shot at winning, and everyone knew that, I think.”

-Nathan Mark, class of 2017 (boys outdoor track)

OCT. Nov. 14:

Girls crosscounty wins DCL championship

Nov. 26:

Football team beats Lincoln Sudbury

SEPT. Oct. 7:

Girls soccer qualifies for playoffs with victory over Weston

NOV. DEC. JAN.

Jan. 26:

Boys and girls alpine Ski place 2 out of 8 at Nashoba race

Jan. 31:

Boys indoor track wins DCL championship

Feb. 3:

Abby Smith scores hat trick in Girls hockey game vs. Newton North

Feb. 7:

Boys gymnastics wins DCL

Feb. 10:

Girls gymnastics wins DCL

Phil Batler

Brown University Track and Field

In freshman year, Emily Chang earned a spot as a guard on South’s varsity basketball team.

Throughout her South career, she has totaled 1,379 points, making her the school’s second alltime girls leading scorer. Of those points, 906 came from three point shots. “I definitely take a lot of pride in my threes and my shooting, and I work a lot on that,” she said. In addition, Chang has played on a number of club teams outside of South, including the Bay State Jaguars. For Chang, the recruiting process has been long.

“Starting freshman year, [my club team] went to major tournaments and showcases where college coaches could come [and recuit] during live periods,” she said.

FEB.

MARCH

Joey Carleo

Dartmouth College Rowing

APRIL

May 18:

Boys and Girls Outdoor Track win DCL Titles

MAY

May 18:

“Everyone was screaming after [the game that got us into the DCL tournament], jumping around, and we took lots of pictures.”

-Estelle Cadrain, class of 2017 (girls lacrosse)

Volleyball coach Todd Elwell gets 300th win at South

JUNE

Phil Batler ran indoor and outdoor track for all four years at South and trained with the Waltham Track club since seventh grade.

He raced the 55- and 60-meter dashes in the winter and the 100-meter race in the spring, but in both seasons, he mainly focused on the 200 meter race. Batler finished second at the New England Championships in the 300-meter during the indoor season of his junior year. Batler said his goal for next year would be to score at Heps, the Ivy League Track championships.

“By the time I’m an upperclassman, hopefully [I’ll be] winning,” he said.

Emily Chang

Williams College Basketball

Joey Carleo began competitively rowing with Community Rowing Incorporated in eighth grade. He found almost immediate success, finishing in fourth at the Youth Nationals in an eight-person lightweight boat. They placed third at Nationals in Florida and this October when they raced in the Head of the Charles Regatta.

Carleo typically rows in the eighth seat. While he said the power of the boat is directed toward the middle, the stroke seat is crucial during races. “It’s a rhythm setting seat,” Carleo said. He also said that he would like to continue rowing eighth seat at Dartmouth, but acknowledged that it could be difficult. “I’m going to have to try to outcompete some people to get in there,” he said.

William Rhatigan has cross country skied competitively since seventh grade. This March, he placed sixth at Nationals, when he traveled to Wisconsin as one of the top six skiers from New England. Although he skied for South this winter, Rhatigan has mainly trained and competed with the Cambridge Sports Union. While he said he did not plan on skiing in college, Rhatigan said he changed his mind during his junior year, when he showed progressive improvement from year to year. He said he hopes to keep up this momentum throughout his time at college. “I want to be as good as I can,” Rhatigan said. “I just want to keep improving.”

Will Rhatigan

Harvard University Cross Country Skiing

page 22|june 9, 2016

Sports|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR

Stealing Second: Number on the Back How jersey numbers differ between sports and the meanings they hold for the athletes who wear them Nathan Elbaum & Noah Shelton

Sports Columnist, Managing Editor “A player by another number would play the same.” — Shakespeare Okay, that’s not how the quote goes, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true, right?

Well, not exactly. The world of sports and jersey numbers go hand in hand. By conventional thinking, a factor like jersey number should not affect playing performance at all. But does it?

Basketball Just look at Kobe Bryant.

Ten seasons with #8 and ten with #24. Three titles, eight All-Star appearances and eight All-NBA selections with #8.

Once he switched to #24, he racked up two more titles, while appearing in nine All-Star

games and being selected to seven All-NBA teams.

If that’s not consistency, we don’t know what is. #23 is basketball’s eternal glory. Michael Jordan, basketball’s G.O.A.T., wore it and amassed six NBA titles, 13 All-Star appearances and 32,000 points. Lebron James, arguably the best player in the NBA right now, dons #23 as well.

The Black Mamba honors #24. He led his middle school team to the state championship bearing #24 and felt the need to honor his old number halfway through his Hall of Fame career.

Of course, rumors fly that he brought back #24 to prove that he is one better than Jordan, but Kobe would be much more outright about it if that were the case; he is not one to hide his feelings.

Basketball is unique because #0 on a jersey is not uncommon. The Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, the Pistons’ Andre Drummond and the Celtics’ Avery Bradley all wear #0; however, only one All-Star has ever worn double zeros: The Chief, Robert Parish.

The other unique part of basketball’s number system is that, due to teams’ limited rosters, many numbers go unused.

There are 21 numbers in basketball that have never been worn by NBA or ABA players, including #01, #58 and #97.

Basketball is also the only major sport to feature athletes wearing #3and #03 in the same season.

Baseball

Soccer

Numbers in baseball take on a different sort of meaning. MLB teams’ expanded roster size warrant most players to choose their number, provided that it’s not retired by a team or the league. No one wears #42 anymore because the MLB retired it for Jackie Robinson in honor of breaking baseball’s color barrier.

Players who wore #42 before it was retired were allowed to continue to wear it, which is why the Yankees became the first team to retire a number twice when they retired it again in honor of Mariano Rivera.

The Yankees also have every single-digit number retired.

This stems from the old-time process of assigning numbers in the same order as batting order. Because the Yankees had such monstrous lineups in the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s, all of the players who wore single digits had their respective numbers retired.

Most notably, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig wore #3 and #4 when they constituted the greatest middle of the order in history. Billy Martin (#1), Joe Dimaggio (#5), Mickey Mantle (#7), Yogi Berra and Bill Dickey (#8) and Roger Maris (#9) all had their numbers retired before 1985.

When Derek Jeter joined the Yankees 10 years later, he wanted a single digit and chose #2. With Joe Torre wearing #6 while he managed the team, all the single digits were taken.

Baseball also exhibits some of the most superstitious people ever, and the numbers surely reflect that.

Robinson Cano chose #24 because his first name is Jackie Robinson’s last name, and as a result, he flipped his Herald Sun number from Robinson’s #42. Koji Uehara wears #19 so he never forgets how far he has come since he was that age, striving for a baseball career in Japan.

Lastly, baseball numbers sometimes just happen to fit. Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive games played.

He wore number #8 — an infinity sign flipped on its side, as a coincidental indication that he could play forever.

Soccer is another sport with institutionalized number assignment. In the early days, numbers were assigned on a gameby-game basis, based on position for that game. Goalies were given #1.

Outside defenders donned #2 and #3. Inside defenders sported #4-6 (this was back when every team used five defenders).

Then, going across the midfield and strikers, #7-11 were used.

Once teams started assigning numbers for the whole season, these classifications held for where players mostly played. This is why goalkeepers often take #1, and strikers often have #7-11 with a center forward using #9 (the number he would be assigned under the old system) and skilled midfielders getting #10. Once the best players kept those numbers for themselves, everyone else wanted them.

On any youth soccer team, kids scramble for #10, as they hope it can channel the likes of Pele, Messi, Landon Donovan and Carli Lloyd.

There have also been instances of manipulating numbers to obtain the desired position number.

When Inter Milan signed the Brazilian Ronaldo, they gave him #9 despite Ivan Zamorano already having #9. Zamorano instead wore #18, to which he added an addition sign to make 1+8 because he wanted #9.

Football Football is currently the only major sport to have jersey limitations based on what position the athlete plays.

Peyton Manning, the old man himself, decided to wear #18 because of his older brother, Cooper Manning, who was diagnosed with a career-ending spinal condition.

Football players are also infamous for paying large sums of money to get specific numbers. When Darrelle Revis signed with the Buccaneers, he was unable to get #21, which he had worn his entire career. He elected to Reddit

pay Mark Barron $50,000 to relinquish the jersey to him.

There was a similar incident with Deion Sanders when he signed to play for the Dallas Cowboys. Alundis Brice, a rookie at the time, had the number #21, which Sanders had been known to bear.

Conveniently, Sanders later ran into Brice at a car dealership and bought him a new BMW in exchange for #21.

Hockey Similar to baseball, hockey players have traditionally chosen their numbers for personal reasons as opposed

CBS Sports

to a systematic assignment.

Some players wear a number to reflect their birthday. This is why Patrick Kane wears #88; he was born in 1988.

Others choose numbers based on an important year in their life, or their native country’s history. Jaromir Jagr wears #68 for Prague Spring (1968), during which his grandfather died.

Players in the 1990s often chose a number in honor of their draft year. Some Soviet players chose the number of the year they left their homeland.

Players also chose numbers for a personal story. Gordie Howe wore #9 when he played. Everyone wanted to emulate him, but one Wayne Gretzky was unable to get #9 on his youth team. He instead took #99 and sported it all throughout his NHL career.

Connor McDavid, the NHL’s new wonderkid, took #97 because he was told that there was only one #99 on a youth team. Mario Lemieux took Gretzky’s #99 and flipped it to make #66. Ray Bourque wore #7 for the Bruins but switched to #77 upon his previous number’s retirement in honor of Phil Esposito.

There are many other instances of players opting for whatever reason to switch from their single-digit number to its corresponding double-digit number or vice versa.

Our favorite stories are when players wear numbers based on their name. Jordin Tootoo wore #22; just say his last name aloud and you’ll get it. Steve Heinze wore #57 in recognition of the 57 varieties of Heinz ketchup.

In the end, it does not matter what number you wear. No number will give you extra abilities or championships. Yet if you believe it will, maybe it will work just the same.

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|SPorts

Coach’s Corner The Roar’s Catherine Granfield asked boys tennis coach Patrick McFarland for a season update

Q A Q A Q A

Patrick McFarland boys tennis coach Are you happy with how the team did this season?

Well, you know, it’s not in wins and losses. It’s about how much progress we’ve made and how much better we’ve gotten. We’ve been making some progress, but we have a very unique chance because we managed to finish our matches early because we got lucky with the weather. It’s going to allow us to really practice between now and the tournament, so we’re really looking forward to that.

What has been the biggest challenge this season?

The last couple of years, the injuries have really, really created some challenges.

Tennis is a very physical sport. People don’t realize it, but at a higher level, there is a lot of running, a lot of starting and stopping. There’s a lot of strain on the body, so you really have to be in great shape to compete at a high level. And [the team plays] a lot of tennis, so we’ve had problems with injuries. But we’re pretty healthy right now, or we’re getting there. I think by the time the tournament rolls around, we should be at full strength.

In what ways has this been the strongest team you’ve coached?

In terms of just their skill level. And the Dual County League that we’re in is — in tennis, it’s kind of the best league in the state. The state champions frequently come out of the DCL. It’s really fun. It’s really fun to be part of because we get lots of great matches and high level tennis.

South Scoreboard

***All information is updated as of 7 p.m. on Monday, June 6, 2016***

Team

Next Game/ Meet

Record (W/L/T)

Baseball

N/A

3-17

Boys Lacrosse Girls Lacrosse Boys Track

N/A

5-11

N/A Regionals: June 11

11-7 4-2

Girls Track

Regionals: June 11

5-1

Softball

N/A

7-11

Boys Tennis

N/A

8-6

Girls Tennis

N/A

10-7

Boys Volleyball

N/A

13-5

june 9, 2016|page 23

From Stranger to State Champ ELI BRAGINSKY

sports contributor

Floating Column EDITOR’S NOTE: Every issue, The Roar publishes a different athlete’s perspective from his or her position on a sports team.

Contact srstaff@thelionsroar.com if you are interested in writing this column.

Before the spring of my freshman year, I wanted to pick up a new sport.

Eventually, I narrowed down my choices to running track or playing volleyball.

Why did I choose volleyball? The team’s stellar acumen (eight straight sectional championship appearances) impressed me, and Coach Elwell’s promise that I’d be able to dunk a basketball by the end of the season was the icing on the cake.

I played an active role on the freshman volleyball team and began to understand the inner workings of a sport with which I was still unfamiliar. To better understand the game, I watched the varsity team’s matches intently, inspired by the high level of play. The following winter, in order to feed my ever-increasing passion for the game and better my chance at eventually contributing to the varsity team, I decided to try out for my local club team. In the spring, I made South’s varsity team that went a perfect 25-0 and won a state championship.

Being a part of the volleyball program was by no means an easy task.

Historically dominant play leads to high expectations, and a 47-1 record over two years does not happen by accident; working in the offseason, practicing diligently and being mindful of every detail allowed the team to succeed. Even players that spent very little time actually on the court — myself included — eventually came to understand that each team member is integral to success. We benchwarmers were able to find new ways to contribute — by cheering on teammates, we could lift spirits, thus raising the level of play.

The team’s remarkable depth also allowed us to run up-tempo, high-level drills, which translated to preparedness for games. We pushed each other to be the best we could be, and in the end, our motivation allowed us to grow as a team and win a state championship.

Now, in the spring of my senior year, I can look back fondly at four varsity seasons and three club seasons and see how my sport has helped shape me as an athlete, as a teammate and as a person.

This spring, I was team captain, and I worked to build on the program’s success; I’ve come a long way from the freshman that just wanted to dunk. My time as an athlete at South helped me understand that individual effort is infinitely more rewarding when it contributes to a group endeavor. Through embracing this mentality, individuals can elevate peers to unprecedented new heights, allowing their teams to experience immense success.

The memories I’ve made with teammates have cultivated camaraderie and brotherhood, and experiences with my favorite sport have helped me build character and work ethic. Volleyball has shaped the person I have grown to become over the last four years, and, looking back, I would not change a single moment of my career here at South.

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