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Volume 33, Issue 5 140 Brandeis Road Newton Centre, MA 02459
Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper · Newton, MA · Established 1984 · January 20, 2017
THIS DAY IN HISTORY South reflects on Trump's inauguration
Mona Baloch & Carina Ramos Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor Eight years ago, history teacher Jamie Rinaldi recalled, students spilled out of Goldrick Commons, where a single television broadcasted President Barack Obama's first inauguration. “That day was remarkable,” Rinaldi said. “The crowd literally ran down the hallway, up the stairwell — students standing in Goldrick house, people listening on radios wherever they could because in 2008, most students didn’t have iPhones. … Underneath the sound of the television, you could hear the sound of students [and teachers] weeping tears of joy. For the community to have that kind of collective sense of both joy and vulnerability is so rare.” Rinaldi said Obama’s election disproved assumptions about race relations in America. “A black man was being sworn in as president of the United States — something that almost all of us had grown up believing probably wouldn’t happen in our lifetime. … We were witnessing something of incredible magnitude, a moment that a century from now, people will look back on in U.S. history as a historic day, as a historic first.” “There was excitement and there was hope,” science teacher Patrick McFarland said. “That’s very different from what people are feeling [now], at least at South.” graphic by Eunice Kim
INAUGURATION, 5
Custodians file complaints with community support Michelle Cheng Sr. News Editor
As contract negotiations remain stalled, the Newton Public School Custodians’ Association (NPSCA) has filed complaints with the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations (DLR) amidst an outpouring of student and teacher support. The custodians have been without a contract for almost three years, according to NPSCA President Tim Curry. The delay in
negotiations began when the School Committee requested to remove the previous contract’s clause preventing the outsourcing of custodial staff, and the NPSCA and the School Committee have yet to reach an agreement. “The morale of the custodians is really low; it’s the worst I’ve ever seen it, and I’ve been [here for] 34 years,” Curry said. NPSCA Vice President Ernie Peltier, who has worked at South for almost 60 years, said that the School Committee has recently
turned to partial privatization. “[The School Committee’s] last offer was that they only want to privatize some of us, and they want to pick and choose who they can keep and who they can’t, and under our [last] contract, they can’t do that,” Peltier said. “We’ve offered some cost-saving measures, [but] they’ve really just wanted outsourcing,” Curry added. The School Committee’s insistence on outsourcing without a readiness to compro-
mise is uncommon, according to NPSCA attorney Alan McDonald. The Mass. DLR is now involved with the negotiations. “We have filed unfair labor practices against the Committee ... including bad faith bargaining and retaliation against the custodians in the form of outsourcing as the penalty for filing grievances, which they have the right to do under contract and law,” McDonald said. “The Department of CUSTODIANS, 2
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
"Hidden figures"
The Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monáe and Octavia Spencer blockbuster receives four stars.
11
To boston and back Students reflect on their time in the Beijing Jingshan School Exchange Program.
15
In the zone
South athletes tell how they prepare individually and in groups before competitions.
21
NEWS 2 EDITORIALS 6 OPINIONS 8 CENTERFOLD 12 FEATURES 15 FUn page 19 SPORTS 20
NEWS page 2|January 20, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
news@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 5
this month in
Custodians’ Association pursues legal action
review Hate Speech Lessons English classes continue to complete the second round of lessons in the anti-hate speech curriculum. Students reflected on changes they noticed at South since the first round of lessons, which took place in history classes in Oct. 2016. The anti-hate speech curriculum, which South implemented after reported incidents of hate speech last school year, replaced the anti-bullying curriculum originally taught in advisories.
Solar Canopy Finished Ameresco has finished the solar canopy project in the Wheeler House parking and senior lots this past month, opening up many previously blocked parking spots. Student parking remains an issue, however, as students adjust to the closure of temporary Brandeis Rd. parking spots opened to offset spots blocked by construction.
New FBLA School Store South’s Future Business Leaders of America club (FBLA) opened a school store in which they sell pencils, notebooks and other school supplies. The store is located near the faculty dining room and opens during lunches.
photo illustration by Kiana Lee
CUSTODIANS, from 1
people all on board with a particular cause,” he said. “In this case with the custodians, a lot of people went to school in Newton and still know their custodians — they know how important they are, they know that they’re not just a cleaning service [and] they’re people [who] are important to the kids.”” According to history teacher Jamie Rinaldi, the School Committee’s bargaining position is unreasonable. “What upsets me the most is that at this point, the School Committee seems more committed to simply winning this battle than to actually bringing about a resolution that’s good for this school system,” he said.
to see the community’s support. “It’s great that there is a sense that the Labor Relations is now involved with the community in Newton, not just the students, negotiations. but the Newton community, won’t stand for “We have filed unfair labor practices something like this,” Foster said. against the Committee ... including bad faith Moving forward, students should conbargaining and retaliation against the custoditinue to use their voices and actively support ans in the form of outsourcing as the penalty the custodians, Fitzgibbons said. for filing grievances, which they have the right “High schoolers are allowed to be activto do under contract and law,” McDonald ists on issues impacting the schools in whatsaid. “The Department of Labor Relations at ever way is appropriate,” he said. “The School the state level has investigated them and has Committee needs to hear from everybody.” found probable cause to charge the School Foster acknowledged that gaining Committee with unlawful behavior in six public support for the custodians can be different areas.” “hard because with local politics, people just Filing grievdon’t really know the A lot of people went to school in Newton and still know their ances, complaints details of what’s goabout the violation custodians – ... they know that they’re not just a cleaning service ing on.” of a contract, is the Senior Lau[and] they’re people [who] are important to the kids. custodians’ legal ren Miller shadowed right and responsibilcustodian Paul Rush for Shawn Fitzgibbons, Newton Democratic Committee Chair ity, Newton Teacher’s an AP Language and Association (NTA) President Michael Zilles “They’re playing politics, and that’s not their Composition project, which allowed her to said. purpose; their purpose is to help guide the more clearly see the custodians’ integral role “The custodians have claimed that part school system.” in the school community. of what they keep getting told by the Chief In the months following initial news of “They each have their individual part of Operations is that they file way too many negotiations and attempts to privatize, many that they play, and I don’t think that we could grievances and that the attempt to outsource students and faculty members displayed their get that with any alternative other than [them] is a retaliation saying ‘We can’t work with you support for the custodians by carrying pins being in the school, doing the job that they because you filed so many grievances,’ [which reading “No outsourcing Newton custodians” are doing now,” she said. “People don’t really would be] a violation,” he said. or shirts with the same message, according to realize it at first glance, but ... they’re just as Chief of Operations Michael Cronin junior Kevin Damon-Cronmiller. much a part of [South] as teachers.” declined an interview. South teachers have been particularly Rinaldi agreed and added that the The School Committee makes deci- affected by the conflict, reflected in their School Committee must acknowledge the sions with the district’s interests in mind, support for the custodians, English teacher custodians’ importance in order to move School Committee Chair Matt Hills said. Kelly Henderson added forward. “We are always looking to do what “The Teachers Union believes strongly “They provide a really essential service. we think is best for the school system,” he that breaking up any union is a threat to every They’re valuable members of our community,” said. “We have gotten a range of reactions, union, and so we are absolutely supportive he said. “It’s really frustrating for the educators as we always do in any collective bargaining of their efforts,” she said. “They’re also our in this system to see that go unrecognized agreement, from positive, negative, neutral colleagues — we talk to them in the halls, we by the School Committee, for the School and just curiosity.” know them, we know their families. ... The Committee not to recognize how valued Newton Democratic Committee Chair School Committee is attacking our friends the custodians are … by teachers, students Shawn Fitzgibbons, however, said he has seen and colleagues and so we’re going to come [and] parents.” almost universal support for the custodians. to their defense.” “It’s hard to get a hundred percent of Senior Aaron Foster said that he is glad Additional reporting by Mona Baloch
january 20, 2017|page 3
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|news
Enforcing Policies
DANIEL ABDULAH Class of 2018
South Senate Update
NPS budget deficit caused by unexpected spending
N
By Rachel Gu and Kimia Tabatabaei
ewton Public Schools (NPS) ended the city to reduce the deficit by conserving Education programs because there’s a big each of the past two school years funds this school year. cut there.” with a surplus large enough to justify World language department head SuTeachers will also receive less fundconsiderable technology purchases at the end zanne Murphy Ferguson said that in her 17 ing for additional educational opportuniof the year. This year’s mid-year fiscal and years with NPS, “we’ve been asked at different ties outside of school. “We have a pool for operational NPS update, however, revealed a points to be conservative in our budget and professional development — that budget is budget deficit of $1,375,000 caused by several conservative in our funding,” she said. getting shortened, so not as many teachers unanticipated expenses. According to Fleishman, this year’s will have access,” Stembridge said. At the beginning of each fiscal year, the budget cuts intend to make up for one half Most departments do not feel a city of Newton determines budgets for all its of the overall deficit. “It’s not easy in educa- large impact because the main office is departments. NPS then allocates its overall tion because it’s not like you can cancel third responsible for the largest expenditures. budget of approximately $211 million to sup- grade in the middle of the year,” he added. Because the largest costs result from port students and both current and retired “We don’t have a lot of flexibility.” making copies and using toner, though, school employees. English department head Brian Baron Stembridge asked teachers to refrain from “We always budget for some unantici- said one cost-reducing measure is the school’s printing or copying unnecessary amounts pated expenses but this year they just hap- “freeze” on purchasing: Stembridge asked of paper, especially if those papers could be pened to be more significant,” Superintendent department heads to refrain from spending substituted for online or existing resources. David Fleishman According It has nothing to do with personnel, facilities, custodians or food to math teacher said. “We had some unpredictable services. ... We’ll still have all the experiments in science and all Hayley Teich, the building, operamath department the materials that we need. tional and health relies on paper in care expenses.” its courses that do Joel Stembridge, Principal Most of the unnot use textbooks. anticipated expenses arose over the summer any money for a 45 day period. NPS has also “I’m not sure it’s feasible for us to and moved into the 2016 fiscal year. Lead asked South to return $9,000, of the total make fewer copies since we don’t have plumbing remediation to fix water con- $180,000 per-pupil budget, covering the cost textbooks,” Teich said. “There is the postamination at Burr, a rise in electricity costs of supplies and some maintenance, back to sibility of thinking about making more and high health insurance costs for active the district. stuff available online, but then there’s the employees contributed to pushing the NPS’s Both Stembridge and Fleishman said access issue.” expenses over budget. there will be no cuts directly impacting stuLibrarian Margaret Schoen said Principal Joel Stembridge said he hadn’t dent experience. the library tries to save its money to buy seen a deficit as large as this year’s in his eight “It has nothing to do with personnel, books throughout the year. “A cut for this years as principal. facilities, custodians or food services. … I year will affect our on-the-fly and future He said that charging city building don’t think students are going to notice at purchases,” she said. costs like plumbing and electricity to NPS all,” Stembridge said. “We’ll still have all the Fleishman said that it’s too soon now was somewhat unfair, though the money did experiments in science and all the materials to predict how next year’s budget will be have to come from somewhere within the that we need.” altered or impacted by the current deficit. city’s budget. “If [city officials] give more to Junior and student advisor to the School For now, “it’s all a balancing act,” he the schools that comes from somewhere too. Committee Michael Ryter agreed and said said. “What we always try to do is provide There’s this domino effect,” he said. that changes will have minimal impact on the best education to students and also be To minimize the consequences of this most students. “The biggest thing might be as efficient as possible in managing our effect, NPS said it is open to working with for people who rely on Newton Community resources.”
source of information: FY17 Fiscal and Operational Update
Over the past month, South Senate has shifted its focus from drafting new policies to implementing systems for their enforcement. There are many rules, such as homework-free weekends and homework time limits, that go unnoticed by teachers. These policies are crucial for giving students a reasonable workload to prevent stress, so the Senate has created complaint forms to hold teachers more accountable. Department heads will review the forms and pass them on to the teacher if the comments are relevant and appropriate. When officially implemented, forms will be available in house offices, the Senate bulletin board and potentially online. In addition to the policies already in place, similar forms can be used to enforce the Grades Committee’s new initiatives. In order to allow students to truly relax over vacations, we plan to instate more homework-free breaks as opposed to just weekends. The committee has also bolstered efforts to improve grade transparency. Ideally, teachers should be able to tell students how they are doing in a class at any given moment and all students should know their projected grade for a term, excluding last-minute assignments, at least two or three weeks before a term’s end. Just as before, we are working to lower the weight of the final exam grade, ensuring that grades accurately reflect a student’s understanding of a subject. Some proposed that this percentage should be higher for students with lower grades, so they can use the final as an opportunity to boost their grade. This proposal risks overemphasizing the importance of grades and potentially alienating students; however, from a strategic standpoint, it could be academically beneficial overall. The Infrastructure Committee has been working to improve the cleanliness of our school. Newly installed hand dryers with water collecting trays, have proven unsanitary: the dirty water from people’s hands can combine with hot air to breed dangerous bacteria. The committee has run tests proving this water to be positive for coliform bacteria, which can act as a host for more detrimental organisms and signals the presence of sewage. To fix this, the Senate will either fund the installment of new hand dryers or the repair of the current ones. Aside from committee work, the Senate is trying to fix the current tardy system. If a student is late to his or her A block even by a mere five minutes, teachers often give students unexcused tardies even though this tardiness is likely due to uncontrollable circumstances. Furthermore, if a student is called out by a parent and shows up to school after first or second period they still get an unexcused absence. While this is meant to deter students from sleeping in, students end up skipping school later in the day during third or fourth period when their absences will be excused. The Senate aims to make our tardiness policies more understanding of students’ home circumstances to prevent such unfairness from persisting.
page 4|January 20, 2017
News|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
South launches program to confront race Mona Baloch & Jake Rong Editor-in-Chief, Sr. News Editor
This past Tuesday, groups of upperclassmen visited select sophomore advisories for the kickoff session of this year’s Courageous Conversations on Race program. Covering three groups of sophomore advisories, the program’s student facilitators will lead discussions during three Tuesdays a month — one in January, one in late February and early March, and one in late March and early April. The initiative aims to spread awareness about racial issues through student-led conversations. The program began more than two years ago when a group of seniors decided to initiate a conversation about race among peers following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown. History teacher Deborah Linder, one of Courageous Conversations’ organizers, said after meeting with the students, she was inspired to expand the conversation to a broader audience. “They had this big conversation, and I looked and said, ‘We need to do this in the faculty too,’” she said. “[After meeting with other teachers,] we said, ‘Let’s start talking about race at school.’” Integral to the program are students’ roles as both founders and facilitators, Linder said. Courageous Conversations differs from other initiatives like Signs of Suicide or the new hate speech curriculum by allowing for more natural and engaging discussions. Additionally, Courageous Conversations’ curriculum was originally written primarily by students, with help from Linder. “It’s really important [that] this is coming from kids,” Linder said. “The teacher is really just there to be the adult in the room.” One of the three student facilitators going to each advisory will be a student of color. Courageous Conversations is not intended to be color-blind, Linder noted,
photo by Bailey Kroner
History teacher Deborah Linder talks to senior facilitator Noah Gans and others during a meeting on Jan. 9. but instead “color-brave”— confronting race rather than neglecting it. Junior facilitator Bennett Walkes said that he hopes the program will help students better understand each other. “I don’t think a lot of people understand the sort of privileges that come inherently with being white,” he said. “Having conversations about this topic is a really productive way to open up people’s perspectives.” “Going into becoming a facilitator in advisories, I need to understand that I am a privileged white person, and I don’t want to feel like I’m being condescending or I feel above anyone else because of my privilege,” senior facilitator Marisa Cohen said. “[We should] understand where we’re at and be conscious and respectful of anyone else.” Several Courageous Conversations fa-
cilitators participated in an exchange program between Boston’s New Mission High School and South in November. While Courageous Conversations is not explicitly part of the program, many student facilitators applied for the exchange. Senior facilitator Gio Vargas, who met with students visiting from New Mission, said that the exchange helped reinforce the ideas Courageous Conversations addresses. “South is different from many schools in Boston. Everyone’s in their own world. They said to us that students were too into themselves; they didn’t make much interaction with other students,” Vargas said. “I think [undoing] that is key to building relationships.” Senior facilitator Amber Lee said that she hopes the program will eliminate the
taboo surrounding race at South. “We know it’s there, but we don’t talk about it in necessarily the healthiest ways that encourages positive behavior.” In the future, program organizer and METCO counselor Katani Sumner said the program could tackle new issues beyond race. “It can start now as real conversations about race, but it can be real conversations about gender identity, it can be real conversations about sexual orientation. It’s about creating an environment where people can feel comfortable to talk about different things. Once you create [that] format ... you can change the topic,” she said. Sumner said that she hopes the conversations will continue indefinitely. “We’re not trying to solve racism,” she said. “This is a marathon; it’s not a sprint.”
Gamble named special education department head Sophie Goodman & Hope Zhu News Contributor, News Reporter
Former assistant special education department head Melissa Gamble replaced Kathleen Farnsworth as the special education department head on Jan. 3. Farnsworth said that she originally came to South because of its acclaimed special education program. “[Newton] was an attractive district to come to because of the support by the district and building programs. [It offered] so many different possibilities for kids with disabilities,” she said. Special education teacher Eric Hawkes said that he will miss Farnsworth. “She gave me the opportunity here at Newton South, and I’m grateful for that,” he said. “I wish her luck in her retirement.” According to Gamble, she came to appreciate the quality of South’s special education curriculum, and added that she was still impressed by the diversity among educators and the care they expressed toward students. “I just was really taken by how many people were from different places and [how] everyone loved working here,” she said. “They really enjoyed their jobs and working with the students here, and I wanted to be a part of that as well.” Because Gamble already works at South, her job transition has been smooth, she added.
“Usually someone new is coming in and they’re not able to crossover,” she said. “We [were] able to just hand stuff off.” Special education department secretary Susan Carbone said that she is excited for Gamble. “She was [Farnsworth’s] assistant, and I think it’s a great fit,” she said, “We all get along, and we’re all great to work with as a team.” Sophomore special education student Adrianne Goodfriend said said she expected only positive changes from the transition. Hawkes added that he is looking forward to the changes Gamble may make, given her background as a lawyer. “She might have more of an efficient way and better outlook on … the way the rules are changing within the special ed world,” he said. “She’s very well read on those things, so I think those are some changes that might happen and I think it would be changes for the better. Overall, I think it will be a good transition.” Gamble said she plans to continue to help integrate students into general education classes. “I want to continue to build on [having] more students being supported in ACP classes, higher level classes, and truly making a fully inclusive environment where we’re not worried about levels anymore, we’re just worried about what is the best way to support students within the general education environment,” she said.
photo by Kiana Lee
New special education department head Melissa Gamble in her Goodwin office. Goodfriend said that she has benefited in the past from the special education department’s help with teacher support and her Independent Educational Plan. “So far they’ve given me a lot of help with my whole high school experience, which has been short, so I feel like my whole high school career’s going to be better because of their help,” she said. Although Farnsworth will no longer be working at South, she said that she hopes
inclusivity will remain a priority for the special education department indefinitely under her successor. “I’d like to imagine a world where there’s no special education. It’s just good teaching for all kids, and that’s what happens when no one has that label. Eventually, that would be the best world for all kids,” Farnsworth said. “It’s all about how we meet this broad need in a classroom. … It’s a lot of hard work, but I think we’ve got terrific teachers.”
January 20, 2017|page 5
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|News
The
WINTER WARMER
The Newtones’ winter concert featuring the Latonics, DS Al Coda and Perfect Pitch By Samuel Lee and Rebecca Levy
The Latonics
The Newtones
Perfect Pitch
The Newtones
DS Al Coda
The Latonics
The Newtones
The Newtones
South divided over inauguration broadcasting INAUGURATION, from 1
Following Trump’s election, students treated him differently from other presidents-elect, senior Jessie Shiner said. “We’re still analyzing all of [Trump’s] actions as if he’s still up for the position,” she said. “I think a lot less of just waiting for the inauguration, it’s a lot more of an active process of still trying to figure out what it’s gonna be like.” Rinaldi added that Trump “still seemed to be conducting himself as a candidate on the campaign trail.” The nature of the election preceding this inauguration makes for a very different day than eight years ago; further, whether the inauguration should be screened is not as obvious, Rinaldi said. As of Tuesday, South had no official plans to screen the inauguration school-wide. “[The history department] has no one policy of how to do the inauguration. Teachers have a lot of flexibility,” history department head Jennifer Morrill added. “We [have] a curriculum about the past, but we also believe that we need to teach kids to interact with things in the present and to interpret the current political world — to be able to make decisions as citizens. So it’s always a balancing act between teaching the past and acknowledging the present.” According to sophomore Bobby Lovett, however, South too frequently looks exclusively to the history department to tackle discussions on current events. “History teachers aren’t the only people at this school who know how politics work or are aware of how real life works,” he said. “I feel like discussions like these should be spread out [throughout departments].” Not every teacher wishes to discuss topics as divisive as this year’s election, however; McFarland said he saw no real benefit to screening the inauguration “other than to see how it’s done.” Spanish teacher Viviana Planine said that she was debating on whether or not to show it in her classes, as she “can’t stand the president because he’s mean.” “How can I watch a president that I would kick out of my classes?” Planine said. “That kind of behavior translates
all over.” The president-elect’s influence over Americans, however, is exactly why students should experience Trump’s inaugural address first-hand, according to junior Alec Liberman. “It’s a major political event that might shape the rest of our lives,” he said. “[By watching, students] would get a sense of the president, or his first speech as president, rather than [relying on hearsay] from their friends or the internet.” Sophomore Luke Ito agreed and said that inaugurations happen only once every four years, and such, should be treated as extremely significant. Inaugurations are not about “pushing a political agenda,” but rather about “watching a historical moment,” senior Niki Samtani said. “I think we need to look. Of course if we turn away, ... we’ve lost something essential in our society, which is common decency, respect for law and tradition and a basic awareness of how our political system operates,” Rinaldi said. Encouraging students to acknowledge viewpoints opposing their own is important, junior Windley Knowlton said. “You’re never going to get what you want if you’re only thinking about your own ideas.” Senior Anna Neumann, however, said screenings would only make sense in American government-focused classes. “I don’t think there’s one right way to deal with the inauguration or to deal with the election,” Shiner said. “It can be a very overwhelming thing for people.” She added, though, that a whole-school viewing could build community in a unique way. A community focus, sophomore Clara Boberg agreed, would help students process the event, as students watching the inauguration together during school allows for discussion between peers or in classrooms. Senior Matthew Martignoni suggested that administrators offer an inauguration-viewing field trip in the auditorium to give students the opportunity to watch if they so please. Senior Alana Bojar disagreed, however, and said students
would attend the screening to skip class rather than to witness history. Even if viewed in classrooms, she said, students may not take the event seriously. “Many people — including myself sometimes — we laugh at [Trump], turn away and focus on what we believe in,” Bojar said. “If we were to screen it in front of the entire school, we’d have the kids who were watching … but we’d also have the kids who were … laughing.” President Barack Obama’s farewell address, by contrast, resonated with disappointed Americans, including some South students, Martignoni said. “Obama’s speech … was really a call to action for a lot of citizens saying that it’s up to us to make change in America,” he said. “If we disagree with something, we really have to act.” Knowlton said she wished she were available to participate in the Jan. 21 Women’s March in defense of women’s rights. “Being part of a group and raising your voice — there’s nothing like it,” she said. “It doesn’t matter that I’m two years below the voting line, that still means that I have a brain and I have a heart and I know that [a violation of rights is] not something that I’m okay with happening in my country.” When junior Elizabeth Rochon told a teacher she would be missing school to attend the Women’s March, she said she received a high five. While McFarland said he could not, as a teacher, support skipping school for a rally, he said this election has inspired “students and people across the nation to really start standing up for what they believe in.” Shiner, who is also attending the Women’s March, said that it is important to be active and aware as these major changes take place. Despite her frustrations with the results of the election, she said missing out on the inauguration would be a loss. “This is an event that isn’t going to happen again for a couple more years and it’s never going to happen again with this president-elect for the first time,” she said. “It’s pretty historic [and it’s] an important way to keep students invested in our country and our politics.”
EDITORIALS page 6|January 20, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
editorials@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 5
the CAT’S
MEOW All the news that’s fit to print ... and then some!
College essays outsourced Last week, the College and Career center discovered a parent advertisement offering “college essay services” on the PTSO’s black market website, coolsouthmommies.net. For just $60 apiece, students can pay a group of mothers to write their essays — any length between 50 and 1,000 words on any topic. “The service was really phenomenal,” senior Cole Edgeboi said. “I got into all three of my EA schools, even though I forgot to submit my recommendations to one of them!” “Applying to college is so simple these days,” senior Reddi Toslump added. “Like, I can go get my tan did, get my hair did, get my nails did, then get my college essays did all in two free blocks.” Administrators announced that they stand behind the Students Writing Their Own Essays (SWTOE) initiative.
Waterfall sounds replace bells In yet another attempt to eliminate student stress, the South House of Representatives announced that they convinced school officials to change the traditional bell noise to the soothing sound of a flowing waterfall. “The House has been working really hard for four years now to make this change,” Speaker of the House Pow Arfool said. Principal Stole Jembridge, however, expressed concerns that too many students would be rushing to the bathrooms during passing times. “Due to budget cuts, we just don’t have the resources to keep up with that,” he said.
Senior superlative upset Seniors spilled out of the Commons in outrage on Friday when senior Dee Techtív, upon closer examination of the Senior Superlative Nominations Facebook group, found that junior Alec Tostudee was nominated for Most Likely To Succeed. “I know our grade has major issues, but this is a huge slap in the face,” Techtív said. According to Regulus, their staff discussed the nomination at great length and eventually decided that to remove Tostudee — who is the captain of four sports teams, a national Jenga champion and started his own sneaker business — from the pool of applicants would compromise their integrity. “There’s no denying his stellar resume,” Editor-in-Chief Penny Shovener said. “Frankly, I’m not surprised,” guidance counselor Boo Radley added. “It’s true.”
South is responsible for exposing students to major world events
As the world looks on, Donald Trump is about to officially assume the presidency. While many had hoped for an event more historic event — the inauguration of the nation’s first female president — the start of the Trump administration is monumental itself, illuminating massive divisions within the American populace. In the weeks since his election, Trump has ceaselessly vocalized his beliefs, however unclear they may be, and Trump-centric coverage continues to clog media outlets. South, on the other hand, has sustained minimal school-wide conversations about the impending administration. An emotional community response to the election seems to have convinced many that it is best to move on without dwelling on Trump’s inauguration. While the sheer divisiveness of Trump’s campaign combined with the school’s newfound focus on school unity may validate these
intentions, South cannot ignore this inauguration. Undeniably, these past few months have been characterized by fear and uncertainty for many at South. Though it may be hard to digest for some, Trump’s presidency will shape American lives; students and faculty alike witnessing the dawn of this era from its official
For a school that champions the importance of preparing citizens for the real world, South does not devote enough time to discussing real-world events, allowing the Newton “bubble” to isolate the school from the surrounding world. Student activism plays a powerful role in effecting salient change; motivation to advocate arises only from
The words Donald Trump shares today do not simply constitute another vociferous campaign speech — they will dictate the rest of his presidency. commencement is critical. The words Donald Trump shares today do not simply constitute another vociferous campaign speech — they will dictate the rest of his presidency, directly impacting lives across the nation and negating the option to ignore his words. Citizens have a responsibility to enter his presidency with a clear idea of his intentions, undistorted by secondhand sources.
a focus on current events. Beyond today’s inauguration, South permits complacency by failing to acknowledge major world events. Many students rely on teachers to help them understand the world they live in. Current events have an equal — if not greater — impact on students’ education as other topics taught at South, an impact South cannot ignore.
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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.
January 20, 2017|page 7
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|DESK
My compulsive need to organize EDITOR’S everything out of my control DESK
from the
Andrea Lirio Managing Editor
For me, over organizing has always been a sign of excessive worrying. When I was in elementary school, I would always find something to organize, from the boxes containing my art supplies to the stuffed animals in my toy chest. In middle school, I established a color-coded closet in which all articles of clothing needed to be folded evenly and equally as if they were taken right off the shelf at a store. In high school, I found a love for keeping a monthly calendar and using different colored pens to transcribe extremely precise class notes. My idiosyncrasy of constantly organizing was a trick I used to relieve my obsessive worrying. The issue, however, was that my organization proved ineffective. I’ve been hardest on myself during my time at South. Nothing I ever do is ever good enough when measured against the hardest standard of all, my own. The greatest thing I’ve had to overcome is my fight against myself, which, to be honest, I’m not entirely over. Whenever I don’t reach my expectations, I blame myself. I tell myself I could’ve done better. I tell myself if I try harder, I will be better. But also I tell myself that anything I do is useless. I tell myself that I’m not good
enough. Similar to many, I always compare myself to my peers. How come they seem to be more successful? Why don’t they have the same insecurities? I’ve always felt isolated in my struggle to prove my worth to myself. Being in my tiny, “teenager bubble,” I have always been under the impression that I’m alone. I tell myself that I’m the only one having to go through this, especially when I want to beat myself up. The
myself. I scored well, but not well enough for my own standards. The second time, I told myself I would fail. I told myself I wouldn’t do well because last time I wasn’t able to reach or exceed my own expectations. I left with a score lower than my first. The last time, I told myself I could do it. I told myself that I had it in the bag, and I finally earned a score that fit my own standards. ***
I organize things when I worry because I enjoy the impression that I am in control of my life. I’ve come to understand, though, ... that I can’t control everything. truth is, I’m not. I’m not the only one who has to endure hardship and doubt. From a short-term perspective, beating myself up about not being able to accomplish my goals doesn’t help. Instead, it affects me internally and emotionally. From a long-term perspective, however, I’ve found that doubting myself eventually makes me work harder because I aim to prove myself wrong. *** I took the ACTs three times. The first time, I told myself I might do well, but I didn’t have complete confidence in
Small moments have taken a great toll on my life. In my head, I’m under the impression that I always fall short and that anything I do is not good enough, but I’ve gotten better. When I was creating my list of colleges, I took time to mentally record places I knew I couldn’t get into. I convinced myself that I wasn’t good enough and to even try would be to fail myself. I set sights on a school that I believed was perfect for me. I organized times to visit the campus, people to contact and times to interview all over the
summer, in hopes that I could convince the school that I was the perfect candidate for admittance. In the fall, I applied early but to no avail; I was deferred. This time, I only let myself mourn over the loss of my potential acceptance for a short period of time. While not being initially accepted was painful, I had to keep moving forward. Although slim, I still had a chance; I contacted alums for recommendations and spoke with people for advice right away. At least I could say that I tried my best. At least I could say that I did everything in my power to solidify my acceptance. *** I organize things when I worry because I enjoy the impression that I am in control of my life. I’ve come to understand, though, that no matter what I do sometimes, I can’t control everything. Some things remain in my power, though others are subject to others’ arbitrary decisions. For college, all I can do is put myself out there and hope that someone within the admissions board believes I would fit into the community. For the ACTs, however, I had the power change my own performance and own outcome. While I can’t always achieve what I want, it’s always important to do the best that I can in any circumstance; all I can do is try.
Volume XXXIII The Lion’s Roar Newton South High School’s Student Newspaper 140 Brandeis Road Newton, MA 02459 srstaff@thelionsroar.com
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Carina Ramos
Noah Shelton
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News
Aviva Gershman Celine Yung
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Centerfold
Copy Editor
Emily Belt Sophie Lu
Graphics Managers Karina Aguilar Josh Finkel Eunice Kim
Opinions
Cassandra Luca Clare Martin
Rachel Gu Kimia Tabatabaei
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Suzie Na
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Catherine Granfield Cam Miller Thomas Patti
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OPINIONS page 8|january 20, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
opinions@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 5
perspectives: SHOULD STUDENTS RECEIVE PARTICIPATION AWARDS? graphic by Rachel Honigsberg
THEY SHOULD
THEY SHOULDN'T
FINN O’ROURKE
P
articipating in an extracurricular activity requires personal sacrifice and sincere effort, both of which should be recognized. Many argue that participation trophies leave children ill-prepared for life’s hardships and that only the most talented participants deserve awards. Participation trophies, however, should be awarded because they celebrate important work and commitment. Students have especially busy schedules, so signing up for a sport happens at the expense of time for schoolwork. Most high school activities require participants to attend practices, meetings or rehearsals at least five days of the week. Many students prefer hanging out with friends or relaxing on Fridays; when their activity requires them to stay after school at the end of the week, they may not be motivated to do so. For those who put in the effort to engage in activities despite the drawbacks, a trophy acknowledges their dedication. Alfie Kohn, author of “The Myth of the Spoiled Child,” attributes anti-participation trophy beliefs to the “Better Get Used to It” principle. This principle centers on the idea that children must experience failure when they are young in order to prepare themselves for the hardships of adult life. On paper, this idea makes sense, but taking away participation trophies does not achieve this goal. Kenneth Barish, associate professor of psychology at Cornell University, argues that participation trophies do not negatively impact children. Barish based his conlusion on the results of a study conducted by Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck. A group of 400 fifth graders took a test, after which half were praised for their hard work and half were praised for their intelligence. The fifth graders then took another
test. This time they could choose between an easy test and a more challenging one. Ninety-two percent of kids praised for their effort chose the difficult test, while 67 percent of kids praised for their intelligence chose the easier one. These results suggest that rewarding effort encourages children to take on challenges in the future. Participation trophies represent commitment and hard work, qualities more meaningful than talent. Recognition of these qualities motivates children to continue to perform in the future. Receiving a trophy might, in addition, remind such participants that their work does not match those of their peers, causing them to work harder in the future. Though they should not earn trophies given out for talent or placing in a competition, earning a participation award might be the difference between trying harder in the future or quitting an activity. Although some argue that only the exceptionally talented deserve awards, the less-accomplished equally deserve praise for their effort. Awarding only the most talented will make earnest, yet less-gifted participants feel underappreciated. The basketball player who always pushes himself or herself at practice merits just as much respect as the hotshot who makes 3-pointers and dunks. We should value hard work the same way we value talent. Participation trophies should exist because they recognize the time and effort put into an activity. Those who oppose participation trophies have no proof that they negatively impact children. Everyone should receive a participation trophy because this recognition would reward hard workers and motivate slackers to work harder. These kinds of trophies serve to remind those to step up their game perform better in the future.
Participation trophies represent commitment and hard work, qualities more meaningful than talent.
RACHEL HONIGSBERG
A
month ago, I asked my mom how well I could sing. She told me, “Rachel, when you were in kindergarten, you were average at singing, but you really have not improved since then.” While this response seems harsh, her honesty helped teach me what my strengths and weaknesses are. In American culture, children often receive a participation trophy at the conclusion of a sports season or after a performance. Awarding everyone a trophy is like my mother telling me that I can win “The Voice” — it’s a lie. Instead, reserving trophies for deserving individuals may help others learn how to improve themselves, an important life skill. Trophies symbolize achievement, but if everyone receives one, then its value diminishes. This idea is similar to the notion that if gold were abundant, a golden necklace wouldn’t represent luxury or expense. If everyone received a medal in the Olympics, then Michael Phelps’s record of 28 Olympic medals would mean nothing. When trophies have value, they motivate people to strive for improvement, usually in the form of higher ranking. For example, a team may strive to place in the top 10, top five or top three teams in a competition. If you know you will receive a trophy regardless of performance, what motivates you to win? While some are naturally motivated to improve, most require the prospect of a trophy to push them. Failure to earn a trophy also teaches kids how to face reality. It is hard to accept that you aren’t the best at something and losing a game for which you practiced is disheartening. Learning to move on from a disappointing outcome and make a positive change — by setting goals or acknowledging that you have other strengths — is a skill applicable to everyday life. A well-earned trophy reminds you
of how hard you have worked to achieve your goal. Moreover, participation trophies harm the environment and pillage our pockets. According to a New York Times article, a branch of the American Youth Soccer Organization in Southern California distributes 3,500 trophies each season. Imagine the plastic and energy wasted on manufacturing these trophies alone. As a nation, the trophy and award industry is worth an estimated $3 billion dollars, as cited by the same article. This money should go to charities that give away sports equipment to those who need it. That we waste so much money and material on boosting children’s egos is inexcusable. A misconception about trophies is that they do not reward less talented people for their hard work. But the reward system at Ultimate Frisbee tournaments, for example, manages to champion both talent and hard work. In addition to the first, second and third place trophies, a spirit trophy recognizes those who maintain high spirits and demonstrate sportsmanship. Any team has a chance of receiving this trophy, as it is awarded without regard to a team’s performance. Winning does not mean you are a better person than someone who loses. When my mom told me that I can’t sing, she wasn’t saying that my future isn’t bright; she was merely suggesting an area of improvement. Sports, for example, shouldn’t be about winning and losing. They should be about self-improvement and awarding those who went above and beyond what was expected. Rather than handing out participation trophies to everyone, activities should award a trophy to the team or individual with the most talent and a trophy to the team or individual with the most spirit.
If you know you will receive a trophy regardless of performance, what motivates you to win?
l
JUST DO IT
january 20, 2017|page 9
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|opinions
TOMORROW... Active procrastination provides unlikely benefits By Eu Ro Wang
T
im Urban, one of the internet’s most popular bloggers, described procrastination as a process in which an “Instant Gratification Monkey” takes over the human brain and steers a person away from a task. Over the years, teachers and parents have berated this monkey, but as the year of the monkey comes to an end this February, I will take an oath to appreciate its constant presence as I try to complete all of my homework assignments. Joseph Ferrari, professor of psychology at DePaul University, found that over 85 percent of college students and 20 percent of adults procrastinate. Students should accept and embrace procrastination as a virtue. Our brains incubate problems, subconsciously generating new solutions even when we move on to other tasks. We cannot rush creativity: by delaying a project until the last minute, the mind is free to think at its own pace and produce a wide spectrum of ideas. NPS teaches its students to avoid procrastination, but many successful figures are chronic procrastinators. Steve Jobs was notorious for always delaying tasks until the last minute. Martin Luther King Jr. edited speeches moments before delivering them. Leonardo da Vinci refused to finish the Mona Lisa for 16 years, but his study of light and optics allowed him to then create one of the greatest paintings ever. Jihae Shin, an assistant professor at the Wisconsin School of Business, conducted an experiment in which she asked subjects to come up with entrepreneurial ideas. Some were allowed to play a simple computer game for a few minutes before
presenting their ideas while others were not. Independent evaluators reported that the procrastinators — those who played the game — had ideas that were 28 percent more creative. Such diversions from tasks at hand allow the brain to generate unusual ideas. Those who complete the task early finish it with limited perspective. Once the task is finished, the brain stops allocating resources to it, but when the task is incom-
plete, it stays active in the mind. Procrastination not only effectively boosts creativity, but also acts as a boon for productivity. There are two types of procrastination: active and passive. Passive procrastination, the type worthy of censure, occurs when someone is paralyzed by indecision and misses a deadline. It impairs productivity, creativity and stress management. In addition to Shin’s findings, Fuschia Sirois, psychology professor at Bishop’s University, found that passive procrastinators are more likely to have eating disorders, anxiety and severe clinical
depression. Active procrastination, by contrast, had more positive side effects. Columbia University professor Angela Hsin Chun Chu and Seoul National University professor Jin Nam Choi wrote that active procrastination occurs when people “prefer to work under pressure, and make deliberate decisions to procrastinate.” In their study, they found that active procrastinators excelled in purposeful and controlled use of time, self-efficacy belief and coping styles. Instead of avoiding work, active procrastinators finish other tasks when they wish to stop working, while incubating ideas for the project they have set aside. Choi also published a 2009 article with McGill University graduate Sarah Moran, which said that active procrastination correlates positively with polychronicity, a process in which individuals engage in multiple tasks simultaneously and adapt their schedules to meet multiple deadlines in a timely manner. When a task graphic by Robin Acosta proves taxing or difficult and our brains need a break, our desire to procrastinate grows, but our desire to complete a task, even a simple one, grows as well. Performing simpler tasks first can decrease stress about the main task. We should all strive to become active procrastinators and avoid becoming passive ones. Although some degree of procrastination is rewarding, we should honor deadlines and remember that even deliberate procrastination is only useful for complex tasks. Much to our dismay, it won’t yield positive results for simple activities that require little creativity.
page 10|january 20, 2017
Opinions|THELIONROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR
The Stigma Surrounding Free Trade By benjamin anderson-krim The United States has elected a president the Wall Street Journal labeled “the most protectionist candidate since Herbert Hoover.” Simply mentioning Donald Trump in the same vein is deeply troubling, for President Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, raising taxes on imported goods. This legislation, coupled with other poor economic policies of the time, magnified the destructive impacts of the Great Depression. We have seen a particularly strong anti-trade sentiment on both the Left and the Right during this election. Republicans, who typically support free trade, nominated a man who championed tariffs and other trade barriers. The Democrats saw a major challenge to Hillary Clinton’s center-left candidacy from Senator Bernie Sanders, who frequently railed at trade deals’ destruction of the middle class. Free trade is the idea that the government should not restrict the flow of products between countries. Protectionists, however, believe the government should protect domestic jobs and companies by creating barriers to free trade. People support protectionism in the interest of purportedly protecting American jobs and manufacturers. While this reasoning is popular political rhetoric, empirical economic analysis reveals that trade barriers do quite the opposite. An excellent test of this principle came when President Barack Obama imposed a 2009 tariff on Chinese tire manu-
expired. As an empirical review from the facturing to protect the American tire Council on Economic Policy Research industry. A 2012 study from the Peterson points out, domestic firms are actually Institute for International Economdamaged by protectionism due to increasics found this policy saved, by the most ingly globalized supply chains spanning generous estimates, approximately 1,200 numerous countries. American jobs. These jobs, however, came Campaign rhetoric claimed that the at an incredibly high cost for American global elite use free trade as a tool to enconsumers, as each U.S. job kept cost rich themselves at the expense of poorer consumers an additional $900,000 every Americans, but this statement year. Moreover, the study points ignores the reality: poorer out that only 5 percent of this Americans usucost actually ally spend benefited a larger Ameripercentcan age of workers, their with earnings the on basic rest goods than of the the wealthy. A money 2014 study from going to American the National Buand non-Chinese reau of Economic foreign firms. Research found that Not only that, but in the United States over 3,700 jobs were lost in graphic by Isabella Xie those with the lowest 10% other industries as a result of of earnings gained over half of their this policy. This makes sense: consumpurchasing power, which expresses how ers had to spend more on tires and thus much a person can use of their income to had less to spend on other goods and pay for goods and consumption, from inservices. The policy had a net cost of over ternational trade. Countries often import 2,500 jobs and hurt American consumers foreign goods because they are cheaper as prices rose. than American alternatives. While some Others argue that protectionism can afford to pay more in support of benefits domestic firms and companies, American manufacturers, not everyone allowing them to be more competitive. has that luxury. This once-valid argument, however, has
This is not to say that there is no detriment to international trade. Another study by the Peterson Institute for International Economics estimates that trade expansion since the end of World War II costs the U.S. economy $50 billion each year. The annual benefit to the American economy, however, is approximately $1 trillion, benefitting households approximately $10,000 annually. Trade also decreases the likelihood of war because economic interdependence leads to greater democratic freedoms for more people, while also reducing international poverty and decreasing the gender wage gap. A survey of the American Economic Association found that 87.5 percent of economists agree that “the U.S. should eliminate remaining tariffs and other barriers to trade.” S outh students would consider it ridiculous for someone to side with the three percent of climate scientists denying climate change, yet we don’t see nearly the same public support for free trade despite broad academic agreement, Americans are easily swept up by emotional arguments or powerful rhetoric. If we want a society that holds the public good above special interests, then economic policies must be grounded in data and empirical analysis. If we examine the two sides of the free trade argument, data supports that free trade is the correct choice to make for the United States.
Rethinking Pointless Protests by ilan rotberg Following the 2016 presidential election, thousands of people across the country took to the streets to protest Donald Trump’s triumph. For the most part, the demonstrations were peaceful; some called for Mr. Trump’s impeachment while others blatantly denied the outcome of the election by chanting “Not my president.” These protests lasted for almost two weeks, displaying America’s true polarization. Meanwhile, I stood on the sidelines as a teenager with neither an interest in either candidate, nor the ability to vote in the election. After multiple recount efforts have proven that Trump won the election fairly, I’m wondering why one would partake in a protest that promotes the idea that Trump is not going to be the President of the United States. To put it simply, it seems like a waste of everyone’s time. Civil disobedience can be a powerful tool for change. Martin Luther King Jr., for instance, peacefully protested racism and systemic inequality in the Civil Rights Movement. After a long fight, his protests gradually led to legislative equality. Though there are many historic examples in which protests secured actual justice in the face of major societal problems, recent election protests will not do the same. I am certainly not a Trump supporter, but he did win the election fairly:
saying that he is not our president is false. By protesting the outcome of the election simply because you dislike the candidate who won, you are participating in a collective temper tantrum. This holds true no matter the election or the candidates — no matter who wins or loses. America prides itself on its peaceful elections — particularly, the notion that the losing side will accept the results even if they strongly disagree with opposing viewpoints. When the losing side fails to accept loss, it turn its back on the spirit of free and fair elections.
200,000
people likely to attend the Jan. 21 Women’s March on Washington
11,000
people attending the Inauguration Day ANSWER Coalition protest infographic by Cassandra Luca Sources of information: bustle.com, house.gov, Google Images
In this particular case, those who deny electoral results are especially hypocritical. During the final presidential debate between Clinton and Trump, the latter avoided promising to accept the election’s outcome. Many took their concerns to the media, calling his comments “un-American” and wrong. The day before the election, Huffington Post writer Julia Craven, who typically leans left, wrote that “Trump refusing to concede would flip the bird to a long American tradition of accepting a loss in a presidential election.”
Alternative Methods of “Protest” • find your Congressman on the US Representatives website
• organize a boycott of nationwide retailers
All of these critiques were valid. Many of these same people, however, remain silent as thousands of Clinton supporters flood the streets with the same denials that the Left criticized so harshly before. Moreover, these demonstrations occurred mostly in large cities like New York, Portland and Philadelphia. By protesting, this mass of people further divides the nation and weakens its stance on actual policy. Why would Trump take opposing viewpoints into account when the people promoting them undermine his elected office? Frankly, Trump doesn’t care what people yell on the streets. He does, however, care about his policy goals as the President of the United States. Instead of trying to delegitimize his status by carrying a sign outside and chanting “Not my president,” why not spend that time lobbying your congressperson on issues that are actually important? Americans have the freedom to speak and demonstrate as they please, and I do not condemn peaceful protest. Nevertheless, demonstrations that deny the outcome of the 2016 presidential election are simply unproductive. As the kindergarten saying goes, “You get what you get and you don’t get upset.” My advice to those who want Trump gone from the presidency: wait four more years and take your protest to the ballot box.
january 20, 2017|page 11
campus chatter
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|opinions
UPGRADE
9 Winter Warmer
The Lion’s Roar asked...
What is your New Year’s resolution?
Return of “Scandal” and “Sherlock” School year half over Giants eliminated from the playoffs
“I’d love to become more efficient with my time, more efficient with my work and more active in my classes. I’d love to become more involved in the school and ... spend more time with my family.”
- Isaac-John Enelamah, Class of 2020 “I want to start exercising, and I want to get organized in general, like [in] life, get more sleep [and] get my grades together.” - Ghena Bakir, Class of 2019
College apps almost done
“I want to ... get all my stuff together, my life together, I guess, and really start working toward doing better in school and focusing more on that college stuff.”
End of 2016
- Isabella Xie, Class of 2018
#JoeBama Announcement of Oscar nominations
9
DOWNGRADE
Warm winter Term two grades Spotty school WiFi Brown snow and salt-covered floors California floods Return of “Celebrity Apprentice” No snow days yet Applying to summer programs
“Trying not to slump as much as we’re expected to because I can already feel the urge to not work just setting in, so I’m trying to mitigate that, just not cause too much damage to the grades.”
- Thomas Materday, Class of 2017
photos by Layla Alvarez
Movie Review: “Hidden Figures” by ben reinstein The fascinating thing about “Hidden Figures” is that it tells a complex story through simple film techniques — it shows only what is necessary instead of trying to embellish the facts like most biographical films. Entering the theater, I was apprehensive that “Hidden Figures” would be just another pre-Oscar nominations racial-equality booster film. I was pleasantly surprised, however, that it wasn’t as much of a racial-equality film as it was an equality-empowerment film. Set in the early 1960s, “Hidden Figures” follows three black women: Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), a persistent “numbers gal” who works in a pool of black women for the West Area Computers (yes, these women were referred to as computers); Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), the group’s supervisor who just wants her job to be permanent; and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), a mechanics engineer who desperately aches to work alongside bigleague NASA fellows. “Hidden Figures” is different from usual empowerment films because as its characters face racial profiling and mistreatment, they don’t ask to be treated differently. Instead, they ask for acknowledgment of their intelligence, education and work ethic. I wondered why these women didn’t expect to be treated similarly to the white, male characters and eventually
“Hidden Figures”
From left, Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), and Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) celebrate their achievements upon earning promotions from NASA. understood that they were aware of their social standing at the time these events took place. I applaud the film for presenting important issues in a both nuanced and logical way. Granted, the film has some flaws. One issue is its length; the scenes in which the film explores the women’s personal lives were bland and boring. I eagerly waited for the scenes depicting the characters’ involvement with the race against the Soviets. The extra scenes made
the film seem longer than it actually was. Johnson’s love interest feels forced and unnecessary. Although I definitely enjoyed watching the film, I can’t imagine myself watching it again; the main purpose of the movie is to educate the audience about a historical event with which I am now familiar. Overall, “Hidden Figures” contains an important message about perseverance, and its storyline is compelling and empowering for audiences of all ages.
First Time Voting
108 Years Later
The Social Game By Philipp Guettler When Pokémon Go first came out in July, I made a New Zealand Apple ID which would grant me access to the game 18 hours before its American release. Later that day, I tirelessly looked for Pokémon. Finally, a rattata popped up on my phone’s screen. I quickly clicked on the purple, rat-like creature and began throwing the virtual balls at the Pokémon. Immediately after, I wanted to catch more Pokémon and build up a collection. My friends and I played in the Boston Commons, a popular spot for players. I don’t
like talking to strangers, but I could easily engage in conversation with new people when everyone around me was playing the same game as I was. Pokémon Go had its issues: the game crashed often and was frustrating when trying to maintain a gym, a virtual arena to battle other players. Despite the flaws, however, Pokémon Go was a great trend. The game encouraged people to go outside and explore, and many times, the game led me to face-to-face social interactions with fellow players — a rarity in modern gaming.
By Holden Kodish
By Sophia Guan
I remember screaming, mouth wide open, unable to contain my smile, as I saw the Chicago Cubs players hold the World Series trophy high above their heads for the first time since 1908. Not every moment that night was quite so celebratory. In fact, I was a nervous wreck most of the night as I watched the Cubs play the Cleveland Indians in the seventh game of the series. That night, my whole family squished onto our living room couch, all fighting for the spot with the best view of the TV. As the game progressed, I felt a little more nervous about the possibilities. I thought I jinxed the game when the Indians gained three more runs after the Cubs switched their pitcher. The night was getting later, and the Cubs still had not clinched a lead. The score was tied: six to six. Then, finally, around 12:30 a.m., at the top of the 10th inning with the bases loaded, Miguel Montero’s single won the Cubs two more runs. We all jumped and cheered louder than ever as we watched the players run to home base. The Cubs’s win shows how determination and perseverance through challenging times pay off, making the win worth the wait.
On the morning of Nov. 8, 2016, my dad and I went to my old elementary school to vote. I was excited to vote for the first time, but mainly because I was able to convince both my parents to vote as well. Even though my parents have been United States citizens for about 30 years, they have never been politically involved. My parents and I wanted to make an informed decision for our first election. After watching the debates and researching the candidates, I voted for Clinton and assumed that she was going to win based on news coverage. I would be lying, however, if I said I was not curious to see what would happen if Trump won. When he did win, bitter, hypocritical comments floated around the community: people disparaged Trump and proclaimed that he deserved to die. I myself was very disappointed by the results of the election, but what is done is done. We should now focus on how to move forward as a more unified country and how to understand our fellow citizens’ varying perspective and identities.
2016 Fighting Against Racism By Marcus Williams Racial oppression has been commonplace in the United States for centuries. Specifically, the black community has been discriminated against in schools, in the prison pipeline and in the war on drugs. Like many other minorities at South, I often feel pushed to the side. For example, when one of my peers said the N-word to me during my freshman year, I did not know what to do. I was not aware of any school policies dealing with racism, so I just ignored the hateful word. After several other racist experiences at South, I felt as if no one was fighting for issues that affected me within my school community or within the wider nation. Fortunately, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement became the group that fought for my issues and empowered me to take action
against racism. BLM has brought attention to frequent racial oppression and especially to the issue of police brutality. Just this year, BLM has brought light to the murders of three unarmed black people (Philando Castile, Tanisha Anderson and Alfred Olango) and has challenged the injustice that they faced in the legal system. Like any movement, however, BLM faces challenges. Race being such a personal issue for many people, emotions often run high. Some protesters become so angry at injustice that they revert to violence. While violence rarely occurs, the media often over-broadcasts these situations, hurting the reputation of the overall movement. The separation between a few violent individuals and a largely peaceful movement is a privilege not afforded to Black Lives Matter.
Wave Our Flag By Jasmin Rotem I woke up on the morning of June 13, 2016 to my phone buzzing, receiving text after text. Still drowsy-eyed, I leaned over to look at the messages, and immediately, a deep rock settled in my throat: a mass shooting had taken place at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. 49 people were killed and 53 were injured by Omar Mateen’s bullets. I saw media outlets report on the hate crime, focusing on Mateen’s ties to ISIS. While the terrorist implications provide important insight, I felt that a large aspect of the crime was ignored: Pulse was a gay club.
a year in review
This act was just another in a larger series of hate crimes. Although the country has made progress towards equality in the past few years, the shooting stands as a frightening reminder that our struggle is not over. The Orlando shooting is a direct product of this oppressive speech and a wider global culture that condones that homophobia. What Mateen and others do not realize, however, is that the LGBT+ community is strong: when ignorance and hate are thrown our way, we just unite and fight harder. We stay vocal and wave our flag higher.
The Roar’s Top Eight Moments in News and Culture Graphics by Jasmine Chan
Free the Syrian Refugees
More Than a Show
By Anika Sridhar
By John Stembridge
I first found out about the Syrian refugee crisis during the summer after seventh grade. Back then, I thought that this problem was a tragic but manageable battle that would soon be solved. Unfortunately, that assumption was incorrect. In ninth grade, I learned to what extent I was wrong when I was forced to dive deeper into the issue for a debate topic that questioned whether governments should prioritize their national interests or the needs of refugees in crisis. I learned about what the refugees faced in Syria, from the illegal smuggling of humans to the tactics ISIS uses to recruit the impoverished. I can only hope for an end to this incredibly long power struggle and the liberation of these tormented people. Until we see the day that Syria is free, we need to assist refugees. Developed countries cannot justifiably ignore an entire group of people suffering in a violent and destructive
Inspiration in Rio By Daniel Alber I will never forget watching the women’s 200 backstroke of the 2016 Rio Olympics with my entire swim team. The team was excited about the races, despite having watched the American swim team’s many losses over the past year, but once again, the U.S proved themselves to be the fastest team in the pool. The women’s 200 backstroke, in particular, exemplifies the U.S. success at the Olympic games. We expected the defending world champion of the event, Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu, to win easily. The United States’ Maya Dirado had lower expectations. The Rio Olympics were Dirado’s first Olympics, and she had already decided that it would be her last. Dirado, however, out of nowhere, began to inch up on Hosszu during the last 50 meters of the race. My teammates and I
were suddenly stripped of our poor assumptions. We began to scream as Dirado continued to close the gap. We watched her hit the edge of the pool just 0.06 seconds before Hosszu. My teammates and I jumped into the air, mirroring the ecstatic United States swim team from the side of the pool. The race and Dirado’s underdog win were particularly inspiring for my swim team. To us, these Olympic victories demonstrate the product of years of hard work, hours of determination and a lot of focus. The Rio Olympics also exemplified the world coming together, regardless of the controversies surrounding the games (specifically the incomplete facilities and Zika threat) and past differences and disagreements between countries, to celebrate the spirit of human achievement.
I didn’t know anything about “Hamilton” when I settled into my seat at the Richard Rogers theater last spring. I expected “Hamilton” to be a history lesson or something along the lines of Schoolhouse Rock. Instead, “Hamilton” centered around the political achievements and personal failures of the immigrant and first United States Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton. After the show, my mind played the music on repeat for months. I ended up spreading my love of the show like a disease among my friends. Led by creator, writer and star actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, the show and its cast went on to win 11 Tony awards, with 16 total nominations. One of the reasons why the show was and is still so popular is because Alexander Hamilton’s story is presented not as a history lesson but as an energetic, contemporary story with a diverse cast. The story exposes how much an immigrant can impact our society through an ingenious medium that makes it memorable and catchy.
page 14|January 20, 2017
CenterFold|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
A 2016 recap and 2017 prediction of highlights in TV, film and music
Jan. 10 Beloved singer David Bowie dies at 69 years old
Feb. 26 “Fuller House,” reboot of the 90’s hit, premieres on Netflix
May 6 2016 highest-grossing film, “Captain America: Civil War,” premieres worldwide
Aug. 23 Beyonce releases “Lemonade,” later voted Billboard’s best album of 2016
Sept. 22 Rae Sremmurd releases “Black Beatles,” beginning the Mannequin Challenge
Feb. 28 Leonardo Dicaprio wins first Oscar after five nominations
July 15 Summer hit, “Stranger Things,” premieres on Netflix
Sept. 14 Grace Vanderwaal wins “America’s Got Talent” at only 12 years old
Jan. 13 Jan. 27 Train releases its 10th album, “A Girl, a Bottle, a Boat”
Feb. 19 “Crashing,” director Judd Apatow’s new comedy, premieres on HBO
March 15 Disney’s re-vamped “Beauty and the Beast” premieres worldwide
Dec. 15 The popular science fiction series returns with “Star Wars: Episode VIII”
TV adaptation of the popular book, “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” premieres on Netflix
Jan. 28 The successful science series, “Planet Earth,” returns to BBC America
March 3 After a one-year hiatus, Ed Sheeran releases his third album, “÷”
June 2 “Wonder Woman,” the new DC Comics movie, premieres worldwide
FEATURES page 15|January 20, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
FEATURES@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 5
to S
ence Jingshan teaching styles in order to Participants’ required weekly meetouth recently bid farewell to Chicompare them with her own. ings, Zhang said, seem unnecessary and nese students in the 2016 Newton“My perspective on education has detract from the program. He described Jingshan School Exchange Program, changed. The philosophies of education in students’ disinterest in Chinese students’ an almost 40-year partnership between China are very different from the philosoweekly presentations. NPS and Beijing’s Jingshan school. Since phies of education in the United States,” “For Chinese people, there is noth1979, the program has allowed Chinese she said. “After having the very positive ing we can gain from this. As for the students to spend the fall semester with classroom experience with the Chinese Americans, no one is listening. When the Newton host families. Later that school students at Jingshan School, it is eye-openpresenters are speaking, the Americans are year, students from both North and South ing to see the things that work in both chatting among themselves,” he said. have the opportunity to spend the spring systems and the things that do not work in Pratt agreed that he does not get semester with host families and attend both systems. ” much out of meetings as they currently classes in Beijing, accompanied by teacher Despite its learning opportunioperate. chaperones. Aside from meetMany students ings, participants said I always believe that the more understanding said they found the the program serves an program to be a there is between countries and cultures, the more important purpose in culturally immersive peace and effectiveness we will have as a planet. today’s society. experience. North Sophomore Grace sophomore Lucas Pratt, Stephanie Pavao, world language teacher Honig, who will attend who will go to Beijing the Jingshan school this spring, said the later this month, said he joined to gain a ties, the exchange poses challenges for its program is “building bridges between wider global perspective. participants. Students and chaperones can countries and cultures especially in a time “I hope to learn about Chinese culfind immersion in a new culture difficult, like this, where we’re kind of slowly closing ture, and I think living in somebody else's Zhou said, having struggled with language ourselves off from people that are differshoes is really appealing,” he said. “It will and conversations among English-speakent from us.” Honig said that “these high help me a lot later in life.” ing students. school programs are essential in just makJingshan student Victor Zhang, who “When I am with Chinese people, I ing sure that these bridges stay open.” attended North as a sophomore for the sedo not need to search for topics, but [we] “I always believe that the more unmester, said he joined for the same reason. can still talk for a long time, ” he said. “I derstanding there is between countries and “I wanted to learn about America. need to find a topic to start or continue cultures, the more peace and effectiveness After all, this is a different culture. I hosted a conversation when I am talking to an we will have as a planet,” Pavao said. 18 months ago … [and] lot of very interAmerican. ” Despite their criticisms, participants esting things happened,” he said. “Coming History teacher and Spring 2017 here is another experience.” chaperone Faye Cassell said she anticipates In addition to offering cultural exdifficulties with understanding her host posure, the exchange program challenges family’s culture. students’ foreign language skills, sopho“The biggest challenge will probably more David Zhou said. be living with a host family and wanting Many students value this experience to respect their rules and their customs, because it allows them to add a unique things they do everyday that may seem story to their college application, demvery foreign to me,” she said. onstrating their new perspective on the world and skills they have learned, according to Zhang. He added that the program can be especially helpful for Jingshan students hoping to attend college in the United States. Participants were often surprised by what they learned in their host countries, according to world language teacher Stephanie Pavao, who chaperoned the Spring 2016 trip. Pavao said that upon departing for Beijing, she hoped to experi-
Students from South and the Jinshan school in Beijing get a taste of life in another country By Zoe Golub And Maggie Kenslea
said they returned from the Newton-Jingshan school exchange program with a new perspective, thankful for the experience. “I really like the program,” Zhang said. “It has lasted for more than twenty years, and because it has been 20 years, both the American side and the Chinese side value this friendship, making the past three months very smooth for us.” Additional reporting by Rayna Song
photos courtesy of Rayna Song
page 16|january 20, 2017
Features|THELionsRoar.com|THE LION’S ROAR
Holiday Ballet South students share their dancing experiences in Boston Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” By Lanie McLeod and Dina Zeldin
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ithin six years, freshman Emma Sondergaard-Jensen played an angel, a mouse, a reindeer, a page and a tea soldier in various productions of “The Nutcracker.” Last December was SondergaardJensen’s first time dancing in Boston Ballet’s version of the show. “[Compared to previous years,] I actually got to a part of the production, not [just] the background,” she said. For many Boston Ballet students, participating in “The Nutcracker” is an opportunity to gain professional experience by watching adult professionals. Behind the scenes, students see more than what the show presents to its audiences, freshman Rachael Wei said. “You can see all of the professionals stretching once they’re done with the show,” she said. “[On stage], they don’t seem like they’re tired at all, but backstage, they’re all panting.” According to junior Min Park, who danced in “The Nutcracker” twice, being backstage was an unforgettable experience. “You get to know all the company members, and they’re always warming up,” she said. “When you’re little and you want to be a ballerina, that’s your dream, so it’s almost like meeting your idol backstage.” While performances are tiring, SondergaardJensen said, performing before an audience is especially rewarding for the dancers, as the show attracts audience members from far and wide with its unique culture. The atmosphere of the holiday season also makes “The
Nutcracker” special, Park agreed. She added that the production is a hallmark Boston tradition. “When you go out to Boston and watch the show you get into the holiday mood,” she said. According to Sondergaard-Jensen, dancers are also motivated by the magical spirit of the show. Despite feeling pain in her foot prior to her performance, she said she thrived on stage. “It gives me adrenaline,” she said. “I [had] to bring it up to the plate.” Alexandra Koltun, SondergaardJensen’s coach and the artistic director of Koltun Ballet Boston, said that the stage environment plays an important role in honing Sondergaard-Jensen’s technique. “I think it brought different emotions [for Sondergaard-Jensen], seeing very professional dancers around her,” she said. “Being together with professionals … allowed [students to be] more responsible in their own steps.” Park said that other companies that come to watch Boston Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker”
also add to the pressure to perform well. “You are representing Boston Ballet in a way, so you want to make sure that other companies think that it is an exceptional dance school,” she said. Rehearsal for the show was demanding on a student’s schedule, according to Wei: the dancers rehearsed almost every day for three months. Park added that rehearsals are mandatory for all the performers. “Because I was so young, I had a very small part in ‘The Nutcracker,’ but I still had to go to all the rehearsals on weekdays and on weekends,” she said. “Schedule-wise, it was annoying, but I also feel like if you are a student, and you get to perform with company members, that within itself is a really big honor.” Koltun said that while her students look forward to opportunities that challenge them as both dancers and students, validation for their hard work is important. “[The applause gives] us a joy and audience understanding that there’s
such an incredible performance that was put together with enormous strength,” she said. Koltun also said the performers have a responsibility to make their dance look as seamless as possible. “When audience[s] [come to watch], they’re supposed to have fun watching the dancers or musicians for any kind of performance,” she said. Freshman Kasey Lee agreed and said that the pressure to perform well on stage sharpens her focus. “On stage, everyone’s watching you,” she said. “They always say that class is the time to mess up, but in performance, you have to do certain things, and you concentrate more.” According to Lee, both performing in and seeing “The Nutcracker” are equally enjoyable, especially for those who have yet to see it. “It’s a tradition to see [‘The Nutcracker’] — at least once in your lifetime.” Sondergaard-Jensen added that being in “The Nutcracker” is a privilege. “It’s all about the magic of backstage,” she said. “[Behind the scenes,] it’s such a different story. You have a whole new appreciation for [the show.]”
photos courtesy of Emma Sondergaard-Jensen and Alexandra Koltun
January 20, 2017|page 17
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|Features
THE
COMMONAPPLICATION
The Roar follows four seniors with different interests as they navigate the college application process and will reveal their identities and college plans as they make their decisions
By Celine Yung
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ate was accepted to the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Massachuetts and was deferred from Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Amherst. He decided to apply to Cornell University and Yale University for Regular Decision rather than apply Early Action. “It was tough seeing the deferrals, but what can you do?” he said. “Some were reach schools that I knew I wouldn’t have too much of a chance of getting into.” For regular decision, he also applied to Tufts University, Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania. “I chose them because they are science-based and have ... decent programs in biomedical engineering,” he said. Though Nate said the application process was a testing experience, he said he believes he gave it his best effort. “I’m going to try to enjoy the rest of senior year,” he said. “College will be an adventure. Back to being a freshmen again, which will be interesting.”
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llie Kissin, previously referred to as Eleanor, was accepted Early Decision to Boston University (BU). “All of the work I put into BU, specifically, worked out,” she said. “It feels like I narrowly escaped jinxing myself.” While Kissin said she is excited to stay in Boston, she doesn’t know if she is prepared for life at BU. “I’m nervous that I’m living away from home for the first time in my life and that I won’t make friends and that classes will be too hard or that it’ll be too overwhelming,” she said. Despite her worries, Kissin has already begun to browse through the BU course catalog. “I’m going to do the pre-med requirement, but I’m also looking at the interview requirement because that’s a skill that doctors need,” she said. Kissin said that she is grateful that she had the opportunity to take classes at BU over the summer because not everyone had the privileges she had in preparation for the application process.
Dumpling House 870 Walnut St., Newton 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 and Pepper Calamari, Braised Eggplant w. Basil & Shredded beef w. Longhorn
Taste of Real Chinese Food
Beer, Wine and Liquor for dine-in are available Hours: 11 a.m. though 10 p.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
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graphics by Celine Yung
ufus was accepted Early Action to Fordham University and Tulane University. He said he wants to hear back from his Regular Decision schools before making a final decision. “I recently got an email from Tulane,” he said. “They’re paying for me to go down there, which is pretty cool, so I might not hold out depending on how that goes.” Wesleyan College and Colgate University, he said, are his top prospects for regular decision. “I like Wesleyan because it is pretty liberal,” he said. “I like Colgate because it has good [financial] aid, and it’s in the middle of nowhere, which is kind of growing on me.” Rufus said his admittance to both his Early Action schools altered his regular decision application list. “The fact that I applied early and heard back from some schools definitely made me make some major reaches,” he said. “I’ve already gotten into two schools, so why not?”
Y
photos by Kiana Lee and Suzie Na
uval Dinoor, previously referred to as Georgina, was accepted Early Decision to Barnard University. To assimilate herself with her future peers, she joined a Barnard 2021 Facebook group and group chat, which she said has been both exciting, and overwhelming. “[Some of them have] started charities and businesses, and they’re only 17 years old,’” she said. “I keep having a sense of ‘There’s no way I’m actually their equal and [can] survive classes just like them.’” Dinoor said that her nerves also stem from Barnard’s reputation for rigorous academics and its partnership with Columbia University. “At the end of the day, I’m going to Columbia University — I never saw that happening to me,” she said. “There’s no way the academics are going to be easy.” Dinoor said that she encourages South students to step out of their comfort zones and explore nontraditional universities, like she did with Minerva College. *Names changed to protect students’ identities
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January 20, 2017|page 19
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|FUN PAGE
South Crime Watch Editors’ Note: Individuals are presumed guilty until proven innocent.
HATE CRIME Dec. 10, North ACT proctors reported that their tires had been slashed following the December ACT at North. Sources say that the math section motivated the criminals.
graphic by Sophie Galowitz
SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY Jan. 10, Main Office The integrity of the IT department was called into question following a series of WiFi crashes last week. Students wondered what the IT department actually does for the school.
IMPERSONATION Jan. 13, Wheeler A student was found making phone calls from the 9000s bathroom, posing as Superintendent David Fleishman and declaring a half-day due to sun. “It’s just too bright,” he said.
THEFT Dec. 18, Nonantum Fleishman reported that climate change had stolen all the snow days this year. He has been called in for questioning for proposing what the President-elect has called “a hoax.”
ILLEGAL TRAFFICKING Dec. 3, Wheeler Entrance Students were seen selling pencils stolen from various South classrooms outside the SATs for a dollar each, or two for ones that still had erasers. Dixon Ticonderogas® went at a premium.
Overheard at SOUTH Yes, we heard you say that.
Environmentally friendly sophomore: “The only thing I recycle are my jokes.” Cynical Sweet-tooth: “Candy corn is the Nickleback of candy.” Futureless freshman: “OMG, it’s so unfair! I was trying to do my horoscope, but then my computer died.” Scared Boy: “I’m just scared of them. I’m egg-o-phobic.” Dog-dayed senior: “I’d say about 30 percent of my motivation to get up every day is to check Doug the Pug’s insta.”
Embarrassing Roar Staff Photo of the Month:
STAFF NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN AD. WE JUST REALLY LIKE PANERA. GO THERE.
Miller rocks his favorite hairstyle, “The Used Mop.”
Real Ass News COREY SAMUELS
sr. fun editors
bffls & bad puns
E
ven in this post-truth age, some facts are incontrovertible. In the opinion of this author, one of them is the following: the world needs hardnosed, brutally honest, courageous, factfinding journalism more than ever. In light of this reality, the following stories have been presented for the preservation of truth, in lieu of the commentary that has heretofore occupied this space in The Roar. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely intentional, as is the purpose of all journalism worth a damn. **** Alumnus Declares Unironically That College Is, In Fact, More Difficult Than High School. Recent graduate Griffin Lewis, a freshman at Washington University at St. Louis, has returned to South for winter break with whatever is the opposite of a sobering message: high school is not as difficult as college. “After taking Mr. Lee’s AP Lang class last year, I was sure that this was the greatest challenge I’d have to face in my life, at least until global warming becomes a thing,” Lewis confessed to The Roar. “But Macro 101 really kicked my butt this semester. The tests were actually pretty hard.” Sources close to Lewis reported that he had not done any of the reading, as it was not checked regularly by the professor. Still, that final was a real doozy; I heard, like, most people got C’s. **** Fan of Relatively Unknown Rock-n-Roll Band Revels in Music Made For And By White People, Finally For sophomore Steve Flynn, the musical landscape of the past 15 years hasn’t offered much for his taste. “I mean, Chance is cool,” says Flynn, “But, let’s be honest, it’s not for people like me.” Flynn is white. **** Senior Displays Startling Lack of Empathy Upon Breaking Two-Year Snap Streak Claiming a simple lapse in reciprocation, senior Noah Levine-Brandford casually noted the sudden disappearance of the orange flame emoji that occupied the space next to “YASSSteph” for 792 consecutive days. Levine-Brandford reportedly supplied “Oh, I guess I just forgot” with a shrug when questioned by his peers on behalf of Stephanie Geller. An unverified dossier collected on the controversy also claims that he may have continued with, “Whatever. It’s not that big a deal. Chill.” Authorities have been alerted, and Levine-Brandford has been taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for immediate evaluation of his hippocampus. **** Grandmother, Nearing 70th Wedding Anniversary Celebration, Reassures 30 Year-Old Single Grandson That Love Will Find Him When He Least Expects t, Feeds Him Dinner Against His Will Reports indicate that it was some kind of mashed turnip thing.
SPORTS page 20|January 20, 2017|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM
Inspired sports@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 33, ISSUE 5
South athletes look to professional Boston sports teams’ recent success for inspiration
e graphic by Eunic
Kim
By Brian Liu and Thomas Patti On Dec. 4, the Patriot’s Tom Brady surpassed Peyton Manning’s league-record of 200 career wins to claim the distinction of all-time winningest quarterback. The Patriots, however, are just one of several Boston sports teams that have dominated the past two decades, amassing four Super Bowl victories, three World Series titles, one Stanley Cup and one NBA championship. According to many South athletes, success can seem more like a given than a possibility every year — for better or for worse. Players and coaches alike acknowledged the impact of the city’s wins on their passion for and approach to their sports. Football head coach Ted Dalicandro, a selfdescribed “lunatic Boston fan,” said success on the pro sports scene has correlated with increased athletic participation in local high schools. “When you’re successful, more people want to participate,” he said. “One of the things I did see is that when the Red Sox became a little more successful, more kids started to play baseball. I think you have that with hockey; you definitely have that with basketball. Growing up, the Celtics were hugely successful — every kid wanted to play basketball. Every kid thought they were Larry Bird. Everybody thought they were Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Dennis Johnson — you just sort of wanted to be them, and I think that sort of holds true now. I think kids want to emulate their sports heroes.” Junior Mia Calderone agreed that local sports stars have inspired many athletes to pursue athletics beyond high school. “For those who want to play in college and want to play at higher levels, they look to these people as . . . where [they] need to be in life,” she said. According to senior football and basketball captain Sasha Hoban, his admiration for the players he saw on television led him to push himself athletically. “I got into [football and basketball] when I was really young because my dad would watch the Celtics and Patriots when they played,” he said. “I idolized them while I was playing. I tried to play like Kevin Garnett and Rob Gronkowski when I was in the back yard or driveway, as well as during games.”
“I remember watching the 2007-2008 Celtics win the NBA championship, and I became a Celtics fan as well as a fan of the game,” senior basketball captain Sarah King said. Senior football, ski and baseball captain Dylan Meehan also credited watching Boston sports as a kid to his early passion for sports. “Baseball was the first sport I understood when I was really young. I loved watching it on TV and started playing when I was in second grade,” he said. “I don’t know if I would have started these sports as early as I did if it weren’t for watching a lot of Boston sports on TV.” “When I watch [the Red Sox] play, I watch how they play,” sophomore Brandon Lee added. “It inspires me to be just like them [and] to work harder so I can reach the next level, which is my ultimate dream: going to the MLB.” King noted that South athletes can grow from studying any of their sport’s top professional players, whether from Boston or not. “Having a role model in any sport can only help. I know tons of people who don’t plan on going pro or don’t plan on playing in college, but adore players like Steph Curry because of his energy, his attitude and how he’s changing the game with his shooting,” she said. “Watching a player make an impact like he has undoubtedly lends confidence to younger players that they can make it one day too.” Dalicandro added, however, that Boston’s athletic dominance has blurred students’ views of success. “Kids nowadays say, ‘Well, if we can’t win, we stink; it’s not worth it,’ and they don’t see that you can’t get to the success of winning without putting in the work first ... because we’re just seeing success,” he said. “I don’t think enough is done to show how important it is for the Patriots and the Bruins and on some level the Red Sox, [to have] integrity. . . and work ethic — what it takes to win at that level or to win at any level. I think that we just see the championships.” According to Lee, the school’s lack of focus on athletics spoils athletes’ advantage of growing up in a community whose identity rests heavily on sports. “Here at South, I don’t think there is a large amount of people who are actually inspired to reach that next level,” he said. “So I don’t think that we’re watching the sports to strive to be as good as them.” “In New England, especially Boston, I think [people] identify with [the sports culture]; it gives them a chance to sort of break free from the reality of every day and it gives them the sense of being part of something special,” Dalicandro agreed. “I wish South had that same feeling towards athletics. … It’s something I think is part of the everyday fabric of life, and I wish we would get that here at South. But right now we just don’t.”
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|SPorts
IN THE ZONE South athletes employ rituals and routines to prepare for competition
Jake Freudberg & Dorra Guermazi Sports Reporters Before every basketball game, junior Emily Diamond puts on her sneakers. Unlike for most people, however, order matters. “I don’t consider myself a big superstitious person,” she said. “But … before every game, I always put on my right shoe before I put on my left shoe.” With her shoes laced up, Diamond said she then listens to music and eats a nutritious snack to prepare for opening tip-off. Pregame rituals like Diamond’s are routine for many South athletes, who utilize various techniques in the hours and days leading up to competition to perform their best come game time. Athletes often incorporate music into their pregame routines, according to volleyball head coach Todd Elwell. Elwell acknowledged that this trend varies from sport to sport, though, because of music’s effect on mood. “[For] some sports, you want to get pumped up, but you don’t want to get too pumped up for when you’re playing golf, [for example],” Elwell said. “There has to be a way to stay in your optimum focus zone.” Freshman Danny Collins said he listens to music up until the moment of competition at track and field meets. “I watch some inspirational YouTube videos and listen to music right before or as long as I can before I have to jump,” he said. Sophomore Willa Frantzis, who plays soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse, said she prefers to prepare mentally for competition by visualizing her performance before every game. According to senior baseball captain and football player Ben Alexander, some of his teammates turn to prayer leading up to games. “I think the people that ... make it a habit to get on their knees and pray before the game … will maybe [have] that upper edge,” he said. “A nonhuman figure is looking out after them during the game.” While Alexander does not participate, he said, he supports his teammates as long as they allow him to prepare independently. “As long as the person on my team isn’t ... doing prayers in my face and disrupting me before the game, I have no issue with it,” he said. “It gets kind of excessive when teammates of mine will base everything around religion and praying before the game. But I support it. Religion’s a big part of a lot of people’s lives and that’s something a lot of people are proud of — and they should be.” While many athletes incorporate
graphic by Ellen Deng
individual rituals into their competition preparation, South’s cross country team mentally readies itself as a whole group prior to every meet. The whole-group exercise can help individuals on the team as well as the group as a whole, Katie Collins said. “Five minutes before our race, we all huddle up and say positive things to each other [in an exercise] called ‘light the fire,’” she said. “Right beforehand, you might be really nervous, and [the exercise] gathers the team together. … If there’s a hard course and you’re thinking about it, we try to think how we’re going to attack the course and be really positive and focused.” Runners will also touch each other’s spikes together while in this circle, Katie Collins added. “It’s a little strange, but it just shows unity,” she said. The girls hockey team also prepares itself for game time as a group, freshman hockey player Emily Autor said. “An hour before the game starts, [we] warm up together,” she said. “We jog, we stretch, and we’re all just kind of there having fun because we’re all together. And then we go back into the locker room and get dressed, and then a couple of minutes
before we go on to the ice, we say our goals — a personal goal and then a team goal.” “Pregame rituals are important because not only do you want to prepare for yourself, but you want to be ready for your teammates as well,” Frantzis said. “Mentally preparing also helps your confidence during a game and that’s really important for when you’re competing.” Freshman swimmer Dylan Suckerman, on the other hand, said that not all athletes need rituals for enhanced performance. “If you’re someone who needs a pregame ritual for mental assurance, then [they are important],” he said. “But if you’re someone who just goes with the flow, then you don’t really need one.” Elwell noted that the school’s top athletes have an ability to separate themselves from the pack through their physical and mental preparation for competition. “There’s a big difference between … the freshmen athletes and … the varsity athletes in the way that they’re able to switch gears and compete and focus,” he said. “It has a lot to do with their ability to take advantage of their time before they get into a competition.”
January 20, 2017|page 21
The State of the NCAA
NATHAN ELBAUM & NOAH SHELTON
Stealing Second
This issue, we were going to discuss Collective Bargaining Agreements — the frameworks of the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL. Only we, however, would derive any entertainment from breaking down these documents, so instead, we opted to do something everyone loves to do: hate Duke. So here we are, ready to discuss the nation’s most infamous college athlete: Duke’s Grayson Allen. We figure that more people root against Duke basketball on a nightly basis than brush their teeth. Allen perfectly embodies Duke basketball — he’s whiny and fraudulent, yet he still manages to get all the calls. He and his knack for tripping opponents will soon find themselves sitting on an NBA bench before relegation to the D-League and ultimately to China. Putting our contempt for Allen aside, he nicely represents the NCAA’s broken punishment system. Star players are given mere slaps on the wrist for behavioral infractions, while fringe players are dismissed by coaches on account of their “unforgivable” behavior and, our personal favorite, how they “struggled to live up to necessary obligations.” Rasheed Sulaimon, the first player kicked off of Duke basketball by Coach K, was dismissed for just that — nothing more. Rumors accused Sulaimon of sexual assault, but no such claims were ever confirmed. In truth, rat-face simply needed to dump Sulaimon, an All-ACC player as a freshman, in order to create room for another basketball scholarship. Allen was suspended indefinitely by Duke following his third time blatantly tripping an opponent during a game. That “indefinite” suspension ended after just one game, a loss to Virginia Tech. Had the team dominated for the rest of the season, Allen might not have seen the floor until next year. Apparently, in the eyes of Duke basketball, Allen’s unquestionable talent as a player far outweighs his extrememly questionable character as a man. This upside-down system is the one that allowed Brock Turner to rape an intoxicated woman but go free due to his status as an elite swimmer. The “Famous” (or infamous) Jameis Winston sexually assaulted another student and received a pass from Florida State University for similar reasons. Winston was only later suspended for yelling profanity at a student gathering, and even then, for only half a game. While the NFL can levy seemingly harsh penalties at times, at least it goes the full nine yards; the NCAA, meanwhile, barely takes the first step. If Division I college athletes, some of the nation’s most recognizable figures, never face the consequences of their poor decisions, what does that teach the young people who look up to them? Kids watching college sports today could justifiably conclude that winning matters more than virtue, that being a good person means nothing and that talent does beat hard work, regardless of work ethic. The NCAA needs to address these problems ASAP; failure to do so would be to reject its responsibilities as an influential organization in this country.
page 22|January 20, 2017
Sports|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR
Alpine ski welcomes new coach Alex Khan Kevin Granfield & Andrew Mei Sports Reporters
photo by Kiana Lee
South’s alpine ski team faced a challenging surprise when the team’s coach, Carol Hesson, announced that she would be unable to coach during the 2016-17 season for personal reasons. The team quickly found new leadership, however, when parent Alex Khan offered to serve as the team’s new head coach. Led by Alex Khan and senior captains Dylan Meehan, Katie Goldstein, Julia Cohen and Alex Khan’s son, junior Chace Khan, many skiers said the team hopes to have a successful season on the slopes amid the changes. “Two years ago, we had two coaches,” junior Adam Hurwitz said. “It was nice to have two different perspectives. Then, last year it was just [Hesson], so that was a little bit tough because she had a lot more responsibility, and we could only see her perspective. A lot of people didn’t like how strict she was as a coach, so that provided some problems.” Even though they succeeded competitively, junior Sam Canavan agreed that the team struggled under Hesson’s leadership. “Even though she was a very good skier, it was hard for her to teach varsity about racing because she had no experience,” Canavan said. “She was good at teaching the kids the basics of skiing.” Cohen concurred with Canavan and Hurwitz’s remarks. “[Hesson] could not always come to practices, but when she did come, she was pretty good,” she said. “I will say that for
ski team, the captains help out a lot with the coaching.” According to Meehan, Alex Khan has redefined the role of the alpine coach by improving communications. “Alex has been very hands-on — he ... has kept things organized; it’s been a huge help,” Meehan said. Cohen agreed with Meehan about the positive change Alex Khan has brought to the team so far this season, lauding the new coach’s skill in managing the team. “He’s a really good skier and has been helping [us] out . . . so much,” Cohen said. “We’ve had our first two practices at the mountain already, which has never happened for as long as I have been on [the team].” Cohen said that the captains are optimistic about the team’s odds this year. “We have some really strong contenders for states,” she said. “We definitely have a few boys and girls who will qualify.” Chace Khan said he has high hopes for his father’s leadership. “He used to race at Waterville. When he was little, he skied at Nashoba. [He has skied] for the past five years at the adult race league, so he knows racing pretty well,” he said. “He’s coached sports of mine since I was five, so he knows how to handle kids.” Hurwitz added that Alex Khan’s personality adds to the team’s positive environment. “He’s just a really fun guy who gets along with people really well,” he said. “So he’s doing a great job combining coaching with having a good time during practice.”
Boys hockey achieves success early in season Catherine Granfield & Cam Miller
the team’s early season success. “Our head coach knows the game really well, ” Bovarnick said. “[He] prepares us well for Sr. Sports Editors every game and every practice.” Pratt and Bovarnick agreed that offense is Following last year’s loss to East Boston in the team’s focus and strength. While an offensethe first round of the playoffs, the boys hockey heavy attack has its benefits, they said, it can also team has rebounded with early success this sealeave the team vulnerable at times. son. “We definitely need to improve on our With two early shutouts, including a 3-0 breakout throughout the neutral zone, gaining win on Dec. 13 against a Haverhill program one speed and whatnot,” Pratt said. “But once we’re in division higher than South, players said they are the offensive zone, that’s where our strength is.” looking to build on their hot start to the season. Despite holes in their defense, according “We’ve already reached our goal from three to Feldstein, senior goalie Arnon Goldberg often seasons ago of making the state tournament,” steps up with impressive performances to shut junior center Andrew Pratt said. “Now we have a goal of trying to win the state tournament, and we down the opponent’s offensive scheme. “[Goldberg] is a total stud out there,” Feldhave good matchups this year.” stein said. “We’ve been to the tournament now, so Although the team had great success, Feinwe know we can play at that level,” sophomore stein continued, access to a sufficient ice rink for forward Jared Rishikof added. practice and competition has proved problematic The team fell to Cambridge, last year’s state for the whole program. champions, however, on Dec. 17. The team has been forced to look outside “[Cambridge is] very well-coached and disciplined,” assistant coach Gabriel Feldstein said. the city for solutions, currently practicing at a Cleveland Circle rink. “They just came ready to play.” “Finding ice time is a big challenge,” he “Last year they shut us out for the season series,” Rishikof said. “So it’s definitely a team that said. “We don’t have a rink in Newton, so it’s been tough to try to schedule games and stuff like that, we want to beat in the future.” and the logistics are always tougher than other As of Saturday, the team had gained 11 sports where you have a gymnasium.” of the 20 points needed to clinch a berth to the Pratt said that despite the varsity squad’s tournament. impressive play thus far, there is still room for According to Pratt, the players are set on a improvement. deep playoff run. “We got big wins against teams “The first few games, we came out a little that we [weren’t expected] to do as well as we did, so that was very good to get points there,” he said. flat,” he said. “We ended up tying in a game we should’ve won. Hopefully, we are not looking back Senior captain Cole Bovarnick credited on that.” head coach Chris Ryberg as a key contributor to
photos by Netta Dror
The boys hockey team practices at the Cleveland Circle Rink on Jan. 9.
THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|SPorts
Coach’s Corner The Roar’s Catherine Granfield asked diving coach Michael Kennedy for a season update
Q A Q A Q A
Michael Kennedy Diving coach What’s your biggest goal for the upcoming season? Each of the divers has a goal sheet, and I’ve been helping them organize concretely what it is that they hope to accomplish not just at practice every day — and with every dive in every meet — but long-term goals for the season. As a coach, I want to see them all improve their understanding of dives, because [diving] really is the physics of motion.
How is diving unique? It’s a completely different muscle set, a completely different muscle coordination. A swimmer has to think in terms of grueling endurance. [Swimming] is an anaerobic sport. [Diving is] aerobic, and it’s ballistic and it’s happening in the air in order to enter the water well.
What’s a diver’s greatest challenge? Coaching diving is really about coaching fear. Every diver — regardless of how long they’ve been diving, no matter how experienced they are — they still have a relationship with fear. When you’re doing a reverse dive, you’re leaving the board in a forward position, and then you’re diving back towards the board. That’s blind; you can’t see where the board is. So you have to rely on your knowledge of body position and the board and hope that you’re always accurate with that assessment, so that you’ve cleared the diving board when you come down.
SOUTH SCOREBOARD
***All information is as of 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 16, 2017***
Team
Next Game/ Meet
Record (W/L/T)
Boys Basketball
January 20 vs Westford
4-5-0
Girls Basketball
January 20 vs Westford
8-2-0
Boys Swimming
January 27 vs Cambridge R&L
5-3-0
Girls Swimming
January 27 vs Cambridge R&L
1-6-0
Wrestling
January 25 vs Westford
1-12-0
Boys Gymnastics
January 20 at Burlington
3-0-0
Girls Gymnastics
January 26 vs A-B
2-0-0
Boys Hockey
January 25 at Cambridge R&L
6-3-1
Girls Hockey
January 23 at Melrose
1-4-3
Boys Track
January 22 at Reggie Lewis
1-2-0
Girls Track
January 22 at Reggie Lewis
4-0-0
january 20, 2017|page 23
A Difficult Routine EMILY GOETZLER
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. Gymnastics can be frustrating. You spend hundreds of hours training, practicing and perfecting routines that last a minute-and-a-half-at most. That short period of time can either showcase your hard work in a perfect routine or invalidate your efforts with one or two mistakes. All gymnasts have had moments after unsatisfactory routines when they think, “If only I had fought harder on that landing,” or “I can’t believe I messed up the skill I’ve worked so hard on all week.” It’s in these moments when I often doubt whether all the time spent practicing is worth it in a sport that demands unattainable perfection. In my opinion, that’s the beauty of it all. We spend so much time perfecting the smallest of details, and granted, we sometimes fall— quite literally — flat on our faces. But that only makes the days we hit our routines that much sweeter. I have competed for my club gymnastics team since I was 10, but I wasn’t able to compete for school gymnastics until freshman year. South gymnastics is different from club gymnastics because it is based almost entirely on team performance. I was initially apprehensive to join the team, as I knew I would have to adjust to brand new coaches and routines. I quickly realized the benefits of team competition, though. Every time I stepped up to the mat for my routine, I knew that I was competing not only for myself, but for my entire team. Gymnastics can often be unforgiving. Last year, our team was determined to qualify for states. During the sectional competition, however, nothing seemed to click. It seemed like everyone had slipped into the same puddle of bad luck, and many of us missed or fell on skills that we normally hit. Despite performing well below our expectations for ourselves, we kept a positive spirit heading into the awards ceremony. We still had a chance: we needed to place in the top four to qualify for states. As the announcer slowly called eighth, seventh and sixth place, we held our breaths. Finally, he announced fifth place: “Newton South.” We shared a sigh of frustration. We had been so close. Just a week earlier, we’d had our best meet of the season at the DCL championships. On this one day of exhausting competition, however, our skills had fallen just short. In retrospect, you cannot always control what happens on competition day, but the hard work, dedication and tough days will always shape you into a stronger and more driven athlete, regardless of any judge’s scorecard. The only way to prevent painful little mistakes is through persistent hard work — and even then, you can never completely control the outcome. I can only hope that this year, our hard work will show on the right day.
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