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With growing concerns over the school’s environmental impact, members of the South community call for action By Sophie Goodman and Dorra Guermazi

Photo by Netta Dror

Newton South High School

· Newton, MA · Est. 1984 · June 7, 2018

NEWS page 2|June 7, 2018|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

News@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 35, ISSUE 1

Unified Track teammates do their victory pose after finding out they have qualified for Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Sectionals.

photo courtesy of Ms. Gonzalez

Unified track team wraps up season thriving Julian Fefer, Anais Mobarak & Kenji Walker

Sr. News Editor, News Contributors The torrential rain on May 22 didn’t stop the focus of athletes on the unified track team as they competed in Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Sectionals. They were having too much fun to notice the downpour, sophomore Matt Reinstein said. “It was cold and rainy but no one was complaining, so that’s sort of the mentality and sort of the atmosphere that we have built for ourselves. We are all so happy just to be with one another that even if its cold and rainy, we won’t complain,” he said. Senior track captain Noah Whiting was inspired to start the unified track team, which concluded its first season on May 16, after attending a track conference where he heard students from other schools mention their unified track teams. South’s unified track team currentlyconsists of seven students with special needs and nine without. Everyone on the team practices and competes together. Every event except the mile and javelin are offered on the team. Whiting said he hoped the team would allow students with physical or mental disabilities to have the same experiences as students on other sports teams. “I wanted to give them a chance to represent their school because I know it is something I love to do and take great pride in,” he said. “It has opened up a lot of opportunities for me and created a lot of friendships so I wanted them to be able to have the same experience.” After hearing Whiting’s idea, special education teachers Kevin Flynn and Alex

Strongin decided to start the team. “Kids want to be on a team where they could be included, and a kid can truly be a part of a team that can compete, they can get scores, they can have a winner and they can have a loser,” Strongin said. Junior Hannah Fitzpatrick, an athlete on the team, said that the team helps students with disabilities to better integrate with the South community. “It was started to give kids that have special needs a chance to participate in a school activity, especially a physical activity because a lot of [their] abilities are very different than the average kid at South,” she said. Strongin said that coaching the team has been an overwhelmingly rewarding experience.

making yourself look good, but more about making others look good.” Freshman Dan Doran said that apart from physical exercise, the opportunity to participate in a South sport has helped him socialize. “Not only is it very important to run and get your heart working, but you can [also] talk to your friends [on] the team and have fun,” he said. Stongin highlighted that one of the things that sets aside the unified track team from the traditional track team at South is its size. “We only have 19 kids. The track team is 154. We are much more personal. We all know each other,” he said. “It’s a small group so everyone gets re-

“What I bring to the team is different than what someone else brings to the team, so it’s really just understanding that different people have different strengths and can apply their strengths to a unified goal.” -Matt Reinstein ‘20 “The ability to [include] kids of all different backgrounds on one team really helped in getting each individual motivated. Every kid has a different goal ... and every kid’s individual goal has improved,” he said. Fitzpatrick agreed, and added that the team is very inclusive. “You get to hang out with people of different grades, and you get to hang out with the kids with special needs. They are all super nice and chill,” she said. Reinstein said that participating in the team has taught him leadership skills. “Something that it taught me is a way of leading by just allowing other people to do their own thing, rather than sort of helicoptering over people,” he said. “It’s not about

ally close,” freshman Solo Kotyk said. Reinstein said that the unique qualities of every team member differentiates the unified track team from the traditional track team. “What I bring to the team is different than what someone else brings to the team, so it’s really just understanding that different people have different strengths and can apply their strengths to a unified goal,” he said. Junior Vanessa Yee agreed, and said that the size of the unified track team creates strong bonds between athletes, which differs from experiences she has had on other bigger teams. “Compared to the other teams, unified track is so small that when we go to compete

and we do warm ups or something, we’re such a family and we bond so much,” she said. Freshman Sophie Blumberg added that the team’s size allows for more specialized coaching. While the traditional track team may often focus on ability and racing times, Fitzpatrick noted that the unified track team is less focused on winning, but more focused on having fun and forming an accepting community. “It is less about ability, but more about motivation for everyone on the team, not just the kids who have special needs. It’s about everyone doing their best and cheering each other on,” she said. The team holds informal practices on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to prepare for their meets. “We always start with some stretching. We then move on to what we need to practice on that day. Typically if we have kids who want to do a relay … for whatever reason, we work on the relay,” Strongin said. Reinstein said that the coaches consider all athletes’ boundaries. “Since it’s such a great program and such a great community, the [coaches] can sort of let the teammates ... shine on their own. That being said, [they] do a great job understanding people’s differences and working with that,” he said. Reinstein said he believes that the team worked hard at practices and performed very well all season, which ultimately allowed them to qualify for MIAA Sectionals, which he said was an impressive achievement for the team’s first year. Fitzpatrick added that, overall, the unified track team is a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. “Everyone is given the same chance to succeed, so I think it is a really good environment for everyone.”

June 7, 2018|page 3

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|news

Tardy students park illegally, risk towing Jennifer Wang Copy Editor

Too often, students who drive themselves to school park illegally, either without a parking pass or in spots designated for faculty, resulting in a their cars being reported and towed by the campus aids. Rushing to get to class on time, many students disregard the rules and park on campus without permission, according to campus aid Joan Waite. “They’re running late, and they just want to park and get to class. I don’t think they’re doing it to be mean. I think they’re genuinely arriving late and want to get [to school] as soon as possible, so they take the first available spot, and unfortunately sometimes that’s a staff parking [spot],” she said. Junior Rebecca Bojar said that the school administration should be more sympathetic to students before taking severe actions like towing the students’ cars. “Some people are running late, they got to park in the senior lot, ... so towing is an inconvenience. [The administra-

tion] shouldn’t charge so much money to get your car park,” she said. Noting the trouble and high cost of recovering a towed vehicle, junior John You agreed that towing is too harsh. “It takes the students time [to respond] because we’re in class, we don’t know if it’s going on, and also we have to call our parents to tell them that our car has been towed,” he said. On an administrative side, however, towing is fair, as students receive notices before their cars are towed, Waite said. “The cars that actually get towed have quite a few infractions. Parents have been notified. It’s not willy-nilly,” she said. “When you get a ticket on your car, we send something home to your parents to let you know you’ve gotten a ticket, so it’s not like you don’t know it’s coming. You’re just hoping that it’s not going to happen.” Senior Josh Kos agreed, adding that towing really come down to the students’ understanding of the parking rules. “People who have passes for a student spot are allowed to park in a student spot. People without passes aren’t, and those parked illegally, whether that be in a student spot without a pass or a teacher’s spot, will be towed, and they tell you that ahead of time,” he said. “That’s pretty fair, especially seeing

as those who paid for a parking pass paid a lot of money for them.” Despite the administration’s clear parking rules, junior Sam Arber said that towing is ineffective because students continue to park illegally in order to arrive to class on time. “If someone needs to get to class on time or if they need to get to school, then they’re going to need to do whatever they can to park,” Arber said. Kos said that the administration should move towards being more heavyhanded with issuing reports of inappropriately parked cars to avoid this problem. “They tow maybe once a week, and when they do tow, they tow one or two people, so people just play luck of the draw and hope they don’t get towed, and more than likely they’ll be perfectly fine,” he said. Towing, however, is South’s only option in controlling school parking, according to Vice Principal Steven Rattendi. Waite said that, as much as she dislikes towing, students are responsible for their cars and parking in legal spots warrants punishment.

“You feel bad [towing] because some of them have after-school jobs and they’re gonna be late, and for some of them, the parents have to come pick them up. … Of course, I think of all these things too ... but they parked in the wrong spots,” she said. Rattendi added that students should be held accountable for their actions and decisions on where to park. “They need to know that they need to make alternate plans and they can’t rely on parking on campus unless they have a permit,” he said. “We’re not towing to be mean, we’re towing so that we can give a spot to the people who paid for a spot or [are] staff,” Waite said. “If you don’t park there, you won’t get towed. If [students] think we’re not strict, and they want to take a chance, and they want to park [even if] they risk getting towed. It’s up to the student.”

graphic by Alice Zilberberg

Students learn at Newton-Wellesley Hospital Peri Barest, Shoshi Gordon & Simone Klein Sr. News Editor, News Reporters

Since March, science teacher Katherine Reppert has driven her Anatomy and Physiology class to Newton Wellesley Hospital. During the excursion, students are given the opportunity to work with hospital staff as well as train in the hospital’s simulation lab on a weekly basis. According to Julie Joyal, the executive director of Harvard Medical School (HMS) MEDscience, the collaborative program began in 2008 and runs for a semester. HMS MEDscience currently teaches students from 30 different schools. The Newton Wellesley Hospital location is a new addition to the program, which had previously been run only at Harvard Medical School, she said. Senior Alyssa Allen said that she has learned a lot about the medical field through the MEDscience program. “We get to train in the simulation labs that real doctors and nurses train in, so we learn how to do things like draw blood, put in an IV [and] give sutures and stitches,” Allen said. Joyal added that bringing students out of the typical classroom setting is part of what makes the program successful. “Our secret is getting kids out of school, out of the classroom, into a medical area, with real medical professionals, doing exactly what medical students do.” Joyal said. Reppert said the students are divided into two groups: one receives a case study and works together to diagnose an imaginary patient based on certain symptoms, while the other learns practical nursing skills. The rotations are designed to focus on a new bodily system every two weeks. According to Joyal, the mission of the program is to encourage students to use critical thinking skills to problem solve in a group setting while also learning hands on science curriculum.

According to science department head Gerard Gagnon, this program marks the first time that South has actively partnered with both Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Harvard Medical School. This unique experience is very important to a CP lescience elective, Reppert said, especially at South where much of the focus is on honors and AP level courses. “We want to make sure we give all students the opportunity to have enriching experiences in science. Students who ... learn best at the CP level are just as important as the kids who learn best at the honors or AP level,” Gagnon said. Reppert said the program might be incorporated into the ACP level class after enrollment for CP fell. “I’d love to keep the momentum going since students had such a great experience this year,” she added. Allen agreed, saying she thinks that future students will benefit from this program. Senior Ayuri Tarver said that the program provides an opportunity for students to see what working professionally in a hospital might look like. “If you have the chance to do it you should take [the class], especially if you want a job in the medical field. It will really impact your learning and make the transition a lot easier,” Tarver added. “It’s [a] very real-world application so everything that they’re learning in the classroom is directly applied [to working] It solidifies what they’re learning in class,” Reppert agreed. Joyal added that the program, while based around science, also provides real applications for math that students learn in school. “As a teacher you can teach how the blood flows to the heart ... or you could teach how glands secrete hormones and all these things, but if you now have a patient who is having a heart attack and can teach the kids through a hands-on case study about how the

photo courtesy of Katie Reppert

Anatomy and Physiology class operated on a mannequin at Newton-Wellesley Hospital blood flows to the heart, they will get those concepts and they’ll never forget it,” she said. “If you go to our simulation center and need math to figure out a medication dosage or the patient’s height and weight or BMI, it’s going to matter to the patient, it matters to you to learn it.” Reppert said that the interactive features of the mannequins makes the situation more realistic for students. The mannequins are connected to real medical equipment and are programmed to have different symptoms. Students have access to the heart rate, blood pressure readings, and breathing rate of the patient. Tarver said that the interactive approach is an easier way for her to learn. “I am more [of] a hands-on person, so when I get to use my hands, I really learn and I take on more information than watching a teacher do a powerpoint,” she said. Allen added that the program paired well with her audiovisual learning style. Reppert said that the respect and responsibility given to students helped them become more engaged in the lesson too. “They were being trusted to problem solve and come up with their own solutions rather than ... be passive recipients of knowl-

edge,” Reppert added. Tarver said that the program is not only a good insight into working in any medical field, but also really fun. Allen said that the nature of the program “It really made me want to consider changing my major... when we were drawing blood where I thought about how it would be really cool to help a patient,” Allen added. She said she hopes the program will become available to other students in other grades, as the program can help give students an idea of possible career paths. Joyal agreed that the program can help students become exposed to new careers within medicine. “We’re just trying to get them engaged to do these 21st century skills that universities want, employers want, but meanwhile trying to inspire them to love science because that’s where the jobs are,” she said. Reppert said that she wishes other programs similar to this one could be added to South’s curriculum. “I think that I’d really like to see our school commit to this type of learning because I feel it’s sort of the next step. It’s the future,” she said.

page 4|June 7, 2018

News|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR

Veteran teachers depart from South

Peri Barest & Rachael Wei

at South for some time next year to help at this school and did his best to improve plan the Tertulia celebration, which she has the school community. I would also like to been helping with since the show began in leave behind … a reminder that if [stu2000. dents] want to make change in the school As the school year comes to a close, Davison said his goals as a teacher community that it’s up to them. It’s not many teachers have announced that they will wrap up their time at South after dedi- have evolved with his experiences at South. something they should ask the administra“My goal when I first came here was tion to do; it’s something that they should cating themselves to students’ success and just to be a good teacher. Every first year ask of themselves,” he said. South’s core values for several years. teacher has the experience of just trying Watkins said that when she first After teaching at South for 37 years, Spanish teacher Viviana Planine is retiring to figure out what you’re doing and trying arrived at South, she wanted to increase to spend time with her family in California to figure out what the best way to teach is. student efficiency and interest in learning. In the second-half of my time at South, it “I wanted to move students around and Italy. became a goal to be a positive and active more proficiently, more speedily, but I Spanish teacher Marla Wiener, who member in the school community,” Davithink students nowadays have so many has taught at South for 25 years, is retiring son said. outside interests that it’s very difficult,” but said she will be helping out with the Similarly, Linder said that one of her Watkins said. “I wanted to make Latin WISE program for one hour a week from goals at South was to make everyone feel more fun.” January to May in the coming year. Linder said her involvement in French teacher Catherine Foster will like they are a part of the school community. school events and programs helped her feel return to Acton-Boxborough Regional “One thing that I always wanted to more connected to the South community. High School, where she taught before comdo at South is to make everyone part of “For years I got to meet kids who ing to South six years ago, saying that the the community [by] being friendly with were never going to be in my classroom. It location is more practical for her family. History teacher Deborah Linder, who everyone, getting to know everyone [and] helped me feel more connected just be part letting everybody know that they matter,” of it,” she said. “This place has a lot of really has been at South for nearly 16 years, is moving to Chicago since her husband recently got a new job there. “I hope to leave behind a memory of a person who really History teacher Corey Davison enjoyed teaching at this school and did his best to improve said he will continue his teaching career the school community” in Pennsylvania after spending five years at South. - Corey Davison, history teacher Health teacher Bill Fagen, who has taught at South for 19 years, is retiring, but great hidden treasures and it makes you will continue coaching the wrestling team. she said. She added that she encouraged appreciate it and love it all the more.” He said he plans to visit national parks and students to enjoy learning and act as Wiener said that she is grateful that spend time with his wife, when he is not constructive citizens within their comSouth is a school where everyone’s voices running his summer pool service. munities. are heard and valued, especially within the After teaching at South for the past “My goal is to be the best teacher LGBTQ+ community. year and previously at Brown Middle that I can be, but more importantly, to im“I’ve learned that we are very School, Latin teacher Myrna Watkins said pact the most people in a positive way. If I privileged at South,” she said. “We are very that she is retiring so that she can pursue interests and activities for which she previ- can make kids love learning and be curious lucky to be able to be in a place that allows and if I can get kids to want to be positive for voicing of opinions or looking at things ously did not have the time, and explore citizens in their community, that would that are difficult. … We are able to deal new activities. be great, but it never ends … you’re just with so many other things that we didn’t “I’m going to go back to doing crafts even think about [in the past].” [and to reading] a lot of books that I haven’t constantly working at it,” Linder said. Wiener said that when she began Watkins said she has appreciated had time for, and I’m going to visit my teaching at South, her main goal was to South’s emphasis on helping students perchildren.” she said. enjoy the work that she was doing. form at their absolute best. Wiener agreed, adding that leaving “I feel like my goals were to like what “I think that [South’s] goal of meetteaching will enable her to pursue some of I did,” she said. “I have had a successful ing students’ needs so that everybody can her own interests. career in teaching. I have had so many reach their potential, is a very good one. … “I’ve … applied to do this certificate students and am still in touch with some I hope that the students aren’t [feeling] too program at Hebrew College. ... There are a students that have had an impact on my much pressure … and I’m glad the school lot of things I want to do so I’m grateful to is recognizing [and] trying to do somebe able to have some time to do it. I love to life as well.” Davison agreed, adding that he thing about that,” Watkins said. bike, I love to knit [and] I’ll now have time Planine said South has taught her to read, ... I’m going to be working on some hopes he has inspired students to enact that everyone should be given a fresh start volunteering and seeing how I can be help- change within the school. “I hope to leave behind a memory every day. ful,” she said. of a person who really enjoyed teaching “I think high school, especially, Planine added that she will be back Sr. News Editor, News Reporter

should be a place where, if you make a mistake or mess up sometimes, you always have the opportunity to try again,” she said Linder said that South has taught her that there is more to Newton than people often assume. “It’s not all about getting the best grades, it’s not all about wearing the right stuff, there are a lot of people here who really want to make a positive change in society and impact [it] in a really great way,” Linder added. While the teachers have each made a unique mark during their time at South, they said that they will also miss the memories they made and the people they met. “I have dozens of happy memories. … Probably the happiest moment of my life was actually last year during graduation when the senior class officers invited me up on the stage to thank me in front of the whole school and in front of the parents. That was probably the most gratitude I’ve ever gotten for anything, and the most humble I have ever been,” Davison said. Planine added that every day interactions with students can often be the most special moments. “Every day, I learn something from my students: they tell me something, they share something from their lives, and there’s a moment that we communicate,” she said. “When there are those moments of sharing life in Spanish, to me, that is the happiest.” Watkins said that some of her personal favorite moments at South happened when a student had a breakthrough in understanding the material. “I enjoyed the surprised students, who in the beginning didn’t think [they] would be good Latin students. I love it when you struggle through a year and all of a sudden a light goes on and somebody says ‘I get it, that’s not hard! Why did I think it was so hard?’” “I love my advisory,” Wiener added. “I get joy from being in my classes, I get joy when I see the WISE project presentations at the end of the year and see kids who really have done something so creative and have flourished and have done amazing work. I just feel like I’ve had so many wonderful times at South with my colleagues. There are just so many moments.” Left to right: Deborah Linder, Corey Davison, Viviana Planine and Marla Wiener

Photos by Netta Dror, Kate Esbenshade, and Sophie Goodman

June 7, 2018|page 5

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|News

BYSO student musicians tour Germany Julian Fefer Sr. News Editor

On June 3, the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) began their nine-day tour of Leipzig, Germany. While there, the 50 musicians, including six South students, partook in the 2018 Bach Festival. “It’s a really big event where a lot of musicians from all around Germany and around the world come to play music of the greatest composers who were predominantly working at Leipzig,” junior cellist Katie Chuang said. Senior bassoonist Matthew Li said that BYSO partnered with the Leipzig-based Gewandhaus Youth Choir. The two groups performed a joint concert with BYSO at Boston Symphony Hall on Apr. 29 and will perform together again in Germany. Chuang said that BYSO has prepared works by native Leipzig composers for the tour, namely Mendelssohn, Bach and Beethoven. Their repertoire includes the Bach Magnificat, to be performed with the choir at the Leipzig Marketplace in front of thousands of people, eighth-grader violinist Sava Thurber said.The musicians feel excited but anxious for the performances, sophomore violinist Lucy Chae said. “We’re all sort of nervous because we’re going to Leipzig, which is basically the musical capital of classical music, and we’ll be playing music by Mendelssohn and Bach, [who] were music directors there,” she said.

“We really want to get it right.” The trip will include performances at renowned venues such as the Chateau of Altenburg the Gewandhaus. “I’m really excited because I’ve never been to Germany, much less Leipzig,” Li said. “It’ll be really cool to see the Gewandhaus because it’s really historical.” According Chae, musicians stay in homes of Leipzig locals. Chuang said, however, that not everyone in the BYSO was chosen to go. “We are taking roughly half the orches-

because of the city’s musical significance. Li said that he hopes BYSO members will grow closer throughout the duration of the trip. “Touring is really another opportunity for people to really connect over making music together,” he said. Chuang said she believes that the trip will be fun in part because she will be able to tour around Leipzig with her friends. “I’m really excited to go with my friends [and] explore a new country,” she said. “I am sure we’ll learn a lot of new things and have a lot of fun.”

“Touring is really another opportunity for people to really connect over making music together.” - Matthew Li, ‘18 tra, and it’s mostly composed of people who have been in BYSO longer,” she said. Li said that the Leipzig trip will be the orchestra’s first tour in five years. Senior violinist Claire Deng said she believes that the collaboration with the choir allowed them to go this year. “It has a lot to do with the timing of the collaboration [that] was right,” she said. When not performing and rehearsing, BYSO will tour Leipzig, Deng added. “We will be in homestays with some of the choir people. We will be living with them, and I think the idea is that we will be staying mostly around Leipzig,” she said. “We will visit some probably important musical sites.” Deng said that she is excited for the trip

Violin coach John Holland said that it’s important for student musicians to be able to understand European culture. “Another angle that’s really important is ... for people of a certain young age to be able to go see other parts of the world, other communities, other cultures … and particularly European cultures because most of the music that we play has its origins there,” he said. Senior trumpeter Caleb Fried said that he is also looking forward to spending time with his friends in the symphony. “I’m definitely looking forward to it, partly because of the whole musical experience and getting to travel ... but also because I really like the other people in BYSO so I’m looking forward to spending a good amount

of time with friends in this big trip,” he said. “You’re actually traveling together and sort of immediately dependent on each other just minute by minute as you go from one place to the other,” Holland said. “There’s more down time that you’re spending time together so it’s really good for the relationships within the orchestra.” Chuang said that being in the symphony is rewarding because of the enthusiastic and supportive community of musicians. “[It’s] a really great community of student where you can meet a lot of people who are just like you and the same age as you and you all share a similar passion for music and it’s really fun to meet people that are passionate about the same thing and you can work together to create beautiful things,” she said. Holland added that he enjoys being the violin coach of BYSO because it allows him to continue learning from the young musicians in the symphony. “What’s best about my life is that it still feels like I’m learning. It’s a job where there is always things to explore and the people are the most important part of that, because everyone [has] their own unique way of thinking,” he said. Li added that he is proud of the group and their accomplishments. “I really enjoy the music that we’re able to play,” he said. “Having a lot of other talented people with me to push myself to a higher standard is something that I am really proud to be a part of.”

1S1Q books shift focus to student happiness

photos by Netta Dror

Hope Zhu

Sr. News Editor Last month, English department head Brian Baron announced the books and questions for the One School One Question program. Five different books — “Under the Lights and In the Dark: Untold Stories of Women’s Soccer” by Gwendolyn Oxenham, “Hyperbole and a Half ” by Allie Brosh, “The Sun Is Also A Star” by Nicola Yoon, “Happier” by Tal Ben-Shahar and “The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo — aim to answer the question “What gives us joy?”. A committee of teachers and librarians chose the books, beginning the process by brainstorming, Baron said. “We spent a couple of months trying to find something that would be interesting,” he said. “What we kind of came down to was, the last couple of years have been pretty heavy questions, one about power in our democracy and how you can make a difference. There was a sense that something a little bit lighter could be helpful.”

English teacher Kelly Henderson, a member of the seven-person committee, said that this lighter topic will help the community. “I am really excited about 1S1Q this year because the question is often something that makes us think about a topic that is serious, so the day ends up being very serious, which isn’t a bad thing but sometimes I think we need to be un-serious,” she said. “This topic, joy, is something that I think is so important and that is so desperately needed in all of our lives at this time — really, at all times.” Concerns of students’ mental health helped guide the decision process as well, Baron added. “I feel like people are kind of caught up in the rat race here,” he said. “I think it’s important to take a step back and think what is actually making us happy.” Junior Gavi Azoff, a co-president of AWARE, a club that works to raise awareness for mental health and decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness, said that the topic will help assuage the often tense culture at South.

“It’s very obvious that everyone’s stressed and [that’s] a really big component of South compared to other high schools,” Azoff said. “I think a whole day dedicated to joy will show people that even though school is a really stressful place, it can be fun. … The school does care about us to an extent and [cares about] our genuine happiness.” Librarian Jennifer Dimmick agreed that the question is important. “We’re really happy with the question ‘What brings you joy?’ because we think that it’s been a difficult environment socially, and [it reminds] people that there are lots of opportunities to find joy in everyday life.” The committee picked books that would be appealing to students of all reading levels and personal interests, Dimmick said. “Particularly when it comes to summer, a time of relaxation and rejuvenation, we want to make sure that the titles are things that students really enjoy, and [that students] don’t feel that they’re being forced to read something that they don’t want to read,” she said. “Also, we have a large and diverse stu-

dent body. [We are] trying to feel like there’s something for everyone on this list — it’s hard with only five [titles] but I feel like we did a decent job of spreading across our student population.” Junior Fernanda Valadares, a foreign exchange student from Brazil, is participating in 1S1Q for the first time this year. “I think it’s a really good idea. At my old school, the school didn’t really push people to read, so people didn’t read at all,” Valadares said. “ I think it’s a nice way to give incentive for people to read because reading is important.” Ultimately, the event’s goal is to encourage students to read and promote happiness, Henderson said. “I’m most looking forward to the intersection of a reading experience and an actual lived experience that makes people happy because I really want to associate reading with joy,” Henderson said. “I’m really looking forward to the school feeling like a really active, vibrant, joyful place for a whole day. And who knows — maybe it will last.”

EDITORIALS page 6|june 7, 2018|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

editorials@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 35, Issue 1

South traditions like Assassins must remain student planned to build school spirit and unity Spring marks a weird time at South. The weather is warm. Sports have ended. Students are slumping. And amid all the changes, seniors arm themselves with water guns and soak each other in the streets. Assassins, a game the senior class officers organize every year, has become an integral part of the senior year experience. The rules are simple: pay $5 for an assigned senior target, and then attempt to soak that target via water gun or other weapon during the four designated rounds. After the deed is done, the student reports the eliminated victim to the class officers. The last four seniors standing collect money from the registration pool. Unlike most South traditions, Assassins remains largely unregulated by the administration. The rulebook, a public file shared among the participants, specifies safe zones (including libraries, churches and houses) and free ranges (including parking lots, driveways and

Brandeis Road). The rulebook warns seniors to use common sense in order to avoid “RUIN[ING] THE REPUTATION OF OUR CLASS.” With these clear and capitalized warnings, the rulebook differentiates Assassins from South-sanctioned activities. It calls upon seniors to use their

Students should not have to wait until the closing months of senior year to organize their own activities and exercise common sense. judgement and introduces an element of trust. Students should not have to wait until the closing months of senior year to organize their own activities and exercise common sense. Year after year, the administration has seized supposedly studentsanctioned activities, from the banishment of Powderpuff in 2013 to the takeover of

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the walkout this past March. The administration has seemingly left only Assassins to student discretion, an activity that has built school spirit and unity among fourth-term seniors while leaving the rest of South behind. To encourage students to participate

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Conduct interImprove your technique by shooting views, report on at sports games, compelling topschool events and ics or write about staged photos. your own opinions.

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in school activities throughout their time at South, the administration must leave organization of said events to the students. Essentially, students are more receptive to other peer guidance than having the larger authority oversee all activities. The administration, for its part, seems to grasp this concept in theory — during the walkout, for instance, they kept

student speakers as the public faces of the protest, while pulling the strings from backstage. Students often see through this quasi-independence, turning them against the activities. Of course, the administration’s biggest concern for student-led activities is its liability in case anything goes wrong. Yet, Assassins proves that even when an activity holds an inevitable risk, most students will act responsibly, and those who do not will face consequences. Assassins allows students to choose their own course, a choice that the administration denies students when it takes over other student run-activities. Assassins has seen success because of its genuinely student-run nature. If the administration allows other student activities to hold the same independence, students will be able to foster unity and school spirit prior to their final term at South.

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

Editors-in-Chief Catherine Granfield

Ilan Rotberg

Managing Editors Eu Ro Wang

Dina Zeldin

Section Editors Message The-Lion’s Roar on Facebook or email srstaff@thelionsroar.com for more information check out issuu.com/thelionsroar.

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.

Features

Opinions

Sophie Lewis Carrie Ryter

Chunyu He Caleb Lazar

Centerfold

News

Peri Barest Julian Fefer Hope Zhu

Sophie Goodman Dorra Guermazi

Sports Aron Korsunsky Jackson Slater

Graphics Managers

Copy Editor

Photo Manager

Ellen Deng Alice Zilberberg

Jennifer Wang

Netta Dror

Business Manager Javid Kasraie

Faculty Advisers Ashley Chapman Faye Cassell

June 7, 2018|page 7

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|DESK

Inspiring myself to have a meaningEDITOR’S ful senior year experience (sort of) DESK from the

Ilan Rotberg Editor-in-Chief

On a humid September morning, I walked into South for the first time as a naive, unknowing freshman. I remember how huge I thought the school really was, intimidated by the four years ahead of me. Now that June is upon us, it’s surreal to me that I’m turning the corner from the end of junior year into the final hurrah of my four-fold high school adventure. Following my 17th birthday this past April, it struck me that with one year left until adulthood, I hover in that awkward phase of life where I’m kind of a mutant creature: part child, part adult. In all seriousness, after completing the much dreaded trainwreck we call junior year, I told myself that the last thing I wanted do is dive headfirst into the college application process. Now, while I certainly will go on to do the inevitable whilst trying not to drown in test prep and Common App supplements, I’m excited for a bittersweet senior year not because it symbolizes my departure from South, but because I look forward to the capstone of my K-12 learning. We use the term all the time, but what does it mean to really learn? Cer-

tainly, meaningful learning can’t simply be the experience of frantically copying down terms from the APUSH textbook or binge watching Sal Khan’s explanations of derivatives … right? When I was younger, I always thought that learning was a direct result of heavy brain function. To a degree, that’s true. But more and more, I’ve found that the way we learn best is by pushing our other body functions to the limit: using our eyes, ears, nose, mouth and limbs to

doesn’t happen on a day-to-day basis in the classroom. The reason I’m looking forward to senior year is not necessarily because I’ll have more engaging classes that I had the freedom to choose myself, but because this unique time lends itself to reflection. Next year, I won’t just be learning for the sake of getting good grades and making it to the next year of high school, but because I want to squeeze all the juice I can get out of the year, both in and out of school.

I no longer want to learn in search of grades; I want to see the greater perspective. observe. For 12 years, I’ve been sitting in classrooms doing just that, trying to absorb the most information possible all so I can get a good grade on the test, only to repeat the cycle. I’m convinced that true learning, however, comes when we discover how to direct ourselves to the different learning points. The problem is that the reality of the routine too often overshadows our ideal learning. (If you’ve ever sat in a class with me you’d know I’m a big fan of in-class power naps. Sorry Dr. Kraus.) Essentially, long term learning

I no longer want to learn in search of grades; I want to see the greater perspective. Rising seniors will be in a unique position: we’ll be the eldest students, but still less wise than our teachers. As I said, we’re in that interesting place that exists between childhood and adulthood, which is why it’s ever more important to learn to have the prudence to be humble. Why humility? Because in order to crane our necks to look up, down, left and right to other fountains of knowledge, it’s crucial to comprehend the smallness of our being. As the reality of losing touch with

seniors draws near, I’ve naturally begun to make an effort to spend time with some of my close friends. It’s scary to see some of my best friends leave the nest, but the slapping realization of seeing them go has allowed me to truly value their impact. Some of these people have been my mentors for years, in and out of the classroom. Over these last months, knowing the older kids will be gone next year, I’ve begun asking questions. Yes, I’ve had to try to strip myself of my pride to accept that my older friends probably know and have experienced more than I have. But honestly, who cares? Rising seniors, next year it’ll be our responsibility to be the oldest, the example. And graduates, it’s your turn to leave your mark. Your legacy at South will only be so much as what you pass on to your younger peers. Now, as I embark on the final chapter of the high school journey, I can say definitively that every regret comes with a longing to do better. Now that I’ve found my purpose — capping off the high school experience by putting my learning into perspective — I have no more excuses to not have a meaningfully educational year. That is, even if I can’t promise my teachers I won’t from time-to-time “close my eyes” in class. Oops.

OPINIONS page 8|JUNE 7, 2018|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

FEATURES@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 35, ISSUE 1

are service trips effective tools for community service?

rom walkouts to women’s rights marches, it seems like this year has been ripe with activism. Now, with an increasing number of students participating in service trips, feeling like you’re making a difference is only a paycheck away. Though the advertised benefits of the service trip industry are exaggerated, the real effects of service trips include progress toward lasting infrastructure as well as more awareness for underprivileged communities. Service trips offer feel-good experiences that make volunteers feel like benefactors. In short, making charity donations can’t really go on your Instagram; while an artsy vacation is not the most ethical motivator, it is much more effective than other moral obligations. Essentially, accomplishing something through service trips is better than having no impact at all. The purpose of service trips is to build institutions like schools, hospitals and water pumps. Service trips provide disadvantaged communities with basic necessities and open a new path to self-sufficiency. By providing clean water and proper medical facilities, service trips have the potential to drastically reduce disease rates and create more sustainable communities. These added benefits bring a new way of life in the communities, too. The service economy in desperate areas adapts to accommodate those who visit to volunteer, resulting in more tourism as a whole. The UN Agency on Tourism reports that the new jobs tourism provides are “particularly suited to women, young people and disadvantaged groups such as ethnic minority populations,” and are “quite accessible to the poor as they require relatively few skills and little investment.” These new jobs include tour guides, restaurant workers and even artisans. According to the Botswana Journal of Economics, “empirical evidence confirmed the importance of tourism to economic activities … a one percent rise in tourism related investment resulted in a 0.29 percent increase in GDP per capita.” In the short term, service trips look to solve existing infrastructure problems. In the long term, however, new revenue streams put an end to entrenched poverty. The money introduced to local developing economies can be put to good use expanding new industries by allowing job growth that does not rely solely on tourism. Money aside, participating in voluntourism helps make voluntourism itself better. As with many industries, a self regu-

YES

By michael lezhnin

By Caleb lazar

lating free market will improve the quality of the market over time. This is especially true in industries such as service trips that rely on proving their self worth, such as those focused on reducing poverty. Greater competition in a growing market will prevent problems that could arise from these trips from happening again in the future, especially since people want to choose the company that has the best PR record. Even better, the aid from service trips does not end upon arrival to the airport, but rather continues through expanded awareness. In fact, the social media aspect of t h e s e

expeditions actually benefits the cause by bringing more attention to impoverished living conditions around the globe and how much more needs to be done to achieve equality. If nothing else, seeing the photos of another’s trip and hearing about a life-changing experience encourages more people to consider taking part in a service trip themselves. All in all, helping others while getting more likes is a win-win situation. At the end of the day, everyone loves a nice vacation — you might as well spend yours helping people.

f you want to show what a thoughtful, worldly person you are by posting artsy pictures on social media, voluntourism is for you! At the low cost of glorifying poverty, preventing local people from obtaining jobs and padding the pockets of travel tycoons, you can build an unsustainable school in a developing country. Though certainly tongue-in-cheek, what I just described is not too far from the truth of service trips, the modern version of mission trips. Unlike mission trips, however, which only attempted to convert people, now you

can also convert your guilt into empty promises of infrastructure and cash injections. These salvation sabbaticals are normalizing an unfortunate new trend — the glorification of poverty and its effects. Journalists have glorified poverty for decades (just look at any piece on any African country in the past 50 years), but more recently, this glorification has evolved into a social media trend too. Unfortunately, the glorification of poverty causes a reduction in the number of people helping out. Oversimplifications

stemming from the glorification of impoverished people, statements like “they’re just poor,” are why answers like “don’t be poor” have become common in politics. In reality, poverty is a complex social and economic issue that can’t just be solved by throwing money at it. We can’t always clearly tell what constitutes the glorification of poverty, but service trips clearly overstep the line. In general, the service trip volunteers go on the trips for reasons other than just service. This neglect means that poverty becomes just as ignored as it always has been. The real allure of a service trip is not the service, but the trip. The opportunity to travel to a new place and do something “selfless” calls many travellers, but the stark reality is that other people could perform the service trip jobs much more effectively than the volunteers. Not only do voluntourists lack the expertise to properly build new structures, but they also take away such jobs from local people, who could actually benefit. Instead of bussing in people who go on service trips, we should instead aim to create higher quality jobs for the local people living in poverty. Construction, as well as the production of materials, would open up new, productive opportunities to boost the general economy. Of course, these communities struggle to achieve this on their own, but if people are willing to spend money to pretend to help, why not use the money to build lasting enterprises? Service trips do offer new cash flow, but this capital goes to companies focused on turning a profit rather than making a positive difference in impoverished people’s lives. Large travel corporations and small local agencies alike both know that the wealthy are willing to fork over fortunes to go on service trips and won’t pay much attention to the final destination of their money. A study by Leeds Metropolitan University finds that the most expensive trips do more harm than good because they prioritize pleasing tourists and maximizing profit over the needs of the communities they claim to help. Wanting to make a positive difference in the world is always a good thing, but the means of achieving this goal are not always admirable. Instead of falling for the empty promises of service trips, people should take the time to research who actually benefits from their contributions. If we truly want to make a difference, we must find ways to volunteer that do more than rake in likes on social media.

page 9|June 7, 2018

opinions|THELIONsROAR.com|THE lION’S ROAR

What Now?

The quest to find yourself continues beyond high school By Cassandra Luca

ongratulations on making it to the end of senior year, regardless of whether you’re headed to college, a gap year, full-time work or elsewhere in the fall. I know not everyone is going to college, and while some of what I write won’t be completely applicable to what you might encounter, hopefully there are nuggets here and there that you can still keep at the back of your mind. Originally, I was going to format what follows as a letter, but that kind of writing inevitably lends itself to preaching—of which high school seniors are always a target. Somehow everyone else seems to have an opinion on your chosen plans or your major. My favorite line is still “oh, you’ll change your mind. You’ll see.” For me, that was the most frustrating thing to hear from friends, counselors, teachers and parents alike. On one hand, they are likely right; I know very few people who have not changed their plans since they started college, myself included. On the other hand, it would be nice for others to support you in whatever your current hopes might be, even if they will change. It might have been annoying to hear people tell me that they knew more about my possible trajectory than I did, but I wish that I hadn’t left South with all my plans proverbially etched in stone. Of course, the environment makes that rather difficult—South’s culture, to which all of us contribute, makes it tough to think about what comes after you earn your diploma. This may be the case at other similar high schools, so I am not singling out South in particular. We do, however, spend a great deal of time preparing to get into college or planning our life after high school, that we forget what

that life will actually be like. This phenomenon is problematic because it leads us to ask questions like “Is college hard? What’s the workload like?” (Both of these questions are perfectly valid, but you’ll find that when you have access to dozens, if not hundreds, of courses, you’ll be motivated to do whatever professors throw at you.) Instead, I wish I had thought more about what the adjustment would be like. I spent much of my fall semester either worrying that staying in to study was going to make it difficult to make friends,

pointless, since there was nothing I could do about it. But I had never thought about either of these things, and while it would have been difficult to “prepare” to make friends or adjust to few, weighty assignments, it would have been nice to talk to people who had already finished one year away from South and who could give me some insights beyond the commonlyasked questions to which I had limited myself. Another phenomenon no one really talks about — among the myriad other

Despite all this interaction, I did not feel as though I could actually talk to people about my stresses and worries. or wondering why my Spanish professor had not returned a paper that I had written two months before. The former was tough to handle because, if you ask yourself honestly, when was the last time you had to actually put in effort to make friends? Obviously it is not easy at any stage, but friendships spring up organically when you and another person share two classes and see each other every day. I essentially realized that if I wanted to see someone, I had to either study with them at night or schedule them into my Google calendar for lunch. (Yes, this is real.) The latter problem, of course, was the result of always-activated Schoology notifications and daily assignments from teachers. It took until final exams that worrying about a grade on a paper was literally

taboos we hide under the rug — is loneliness. For much of my time on campus, if not nearly all, I was never alone: I ate three meals a day with people I had recently met, studied with them, went to class with dozens of strangers and struggled to find a moment when I could truly be by myself. Yet despite all this interaction, I did not feel as though I could actually talk to people about my stresses and worries, a feeling that did not disappear until the end of my first semester. This may not be everyone’s experience, but I know I am not the only one who felt this way: every phone conversation or iMessage thread with friends at other colleges felt like an echo of what I dealt with on a daily basis. Being lonely might be a bleak thing to write about amid the excitement of starting life in a new place, but the most difficult

part about it is its unexpectedness. Had I known, I would have been more prepared to deal with it — because, yes, I think it would have happened no matter what. It makes sense too: I was away from everything familiar. In retrospect, it seems almost inevitable, but the most important thing to know is that it can happen to anyone. Being lonely does not mean you are bad at socializing; it is a symptom of adjusting to new people and a new life. Then there are the questions of extracurriculars (do I start all at once or ease into it?), courses (if I’m pre-med and pre-law should I take double organic chemistry and two international relations classes? Answer: No.), and social life (is it lame if I do not want to party every Saturday?). People tried to give me the right answers and the same thing will happen to you, even if their right answers are not necessarily yours. I have never been a big fan of inspirational quotes, simply because it is tougher to remember than to actually do what they say. Now, though, I tell myself often that it is difficult to say “always” or “never” in the greater context of my life.I never thought I would decide to major in English and abandon my childhood plans to attend medical school, but that’s exactly what happened. My choices, despite my past stubbornness, showed that all those people who said “you’ll change your mind” were right. Of course, my graduation date is three years away; my plans will probably change. Looking back, I wish I had thought more about what I believed in, what I wanted and what I wanted to do — all the while allowing serendipity and the unexpected to take their course.

page 10|june 7, 2018

Opinions|THELIONROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR

The Root of the STEM Dilemma by Isabel Flessas

Even though it’s been a few years since those distant middle school days, one of the most memorable classes I’ve ever been a part of was my eighth grade math class. Maybe I found it so memorable was because we finally discovered the “wonders” of algebra, or because I made some of my best friends there, but perhaps the class was the first class I took that had a clear skill level divide in school courses. I remember having those muchdreaded chats with my middle school math teachers about what level that they would place me in the upcoming school year. We discussed topics like effort, behavior and, of course, aptitude. Initially, my teachers told me that I did not display the rigor or attention span required for an eighth grade advanced placement. After another conversation with my teachers and parents, however, I was allowed to join an advanced class, much to the pleasure of my little overachiever self. I’ve never been intrested in math. I’m an avid reader and writer, and I tend to focus on the humanities academically. Until recently, however, I never understood why. When I entered eighth grade, I soon understood what a math-centric world we live in. These days, society puts a big emphasis on STEM fields. Adults always come into school and talk about their careers as scientists or engineers, but I realized that I’ve never heard anyone talk about careers in language arts and the

humanities. At South, the science and robotics teams are notable fixtures in the community; they go to competitions, compete and win prizes. Who doesn’t like prizes? Even more present is South’s multitude of mathrelated classes. South

ty. Students who are enrolled in freshman honors math have the privilege of taking an honors class early on, while anyone who has strengths in other subjects must wait to live up to their potential, which, in some cases, leads them to believe that their skill sets are less valuable. Is this disproportionate emphasis on STEM education solely a result of the increasing demand for STEM, or is it

because of the taboo that surrounds liberal and fine arts in general? I believe that itis primarily the latter that creates such a mathcentric atmosphere. The neglect of the humanities links back to the common

offers four different math levels to freshmen alone, so why aren’t there as many for history or English? Students who excel at math are provided with an environment to flex their abilities, while students who have a skill set in the humanities are denied this opportuni-

graphic by Libby Jin

narrative surrounding modern art. Sure, looking at a bunch of monochromatic shapes might make you think to yourself, “Even I could do that,” but when it comes to writing, the general population tends to underestimate the skill level involved in the process. As a society, we generally tend to devalue the arts because, frankly, compared to astrophysics or neurosurgery, they seem a lot more approachable. Being approachable, however, should not be conflated with being simple or easy. Developing artistic talent goes beyond the creativity-based method taught in elementary and middle school. In fact, mastering a musical instrument or developing a writing style takes a lot more than just practice — it takes a lot of heart. With the rapidly expanding presence of an automated workforce in so many fields, however, non-STEM jobs may soon become some of the most valued. I believe that the uniqueness and creativity that comes with many arts fields should be celebrated and respected just as much as the abilities required to excel at math or science. I hope that, someday, students who thrive in arts and social sciences can feel just as valued by society for their talents and powerful ideas as the kids who are able to understand the complexities behind math and science. After all, the world wouldn’t be where it is today without the contributions of both.

Eating Disorders Becoming a Global Health Issue By Chunyu He & Anya Lefkowitz This April, we attended the VISION Global Helath Conference at Harvard. The study of global health prioritizes on achieving equity in health for all people worldwide. In sum, we were curious about what serious medical issues are affecting the population at large. The conference focused on certain individuals’ initiatives to improve international health. One speaker, Anne Becker, was intriguing from the very start of her lecture; she started by asking the audience what they thought were mankind’s most deadly diseases. While many people responded with HIV or malaria, no one mentioned any type of mental illness. Yet, Becker’s presentation focused on eating disorders, sharing how the media changes the way we think about ourselves and others. Beauty standards in Fiji favored larger, more robust bodies, she noticed. Yet, according to Becker, once Fijians were introduced to more accessible TV, the rate of citizens with eating disorders increased by 12 percent. The problem doesn’t stop there. All kinds of media perpetuate unrealistic standards, so, when Fiji was introduced to modern technology that projected these modern slim figures, the images immediately drew people to the body-image beliefs and the Fijian people wanted to be just like the people in the media they now had access to.

Numerous studies have corroborated that, during the time of the TV introduction, the average weight in Fiji dropped significantly. Becker later found out that

many people, especially teenage girls and women, had developed eating

graphic by Alice Zeng

ultimately achievethe new “ideal” body. While we don’t learn about global health in school, these issues impact people worldwide. Sure, students might be aware of some health issues here in dis- America, but they simply are not aware orders is others that’s currentlyhappening around the world. as a result Especially regarding health and of the introducwellness, we need to be more conscientious tion. As they were not of these global problems and try to solve being informed of the dangers them as best we can. of improper weight loss, As technology begins to take up Fijians consequently more of our time, we get an increasturned to herbs ing amount of our information from the and other internet. Although we may not always be medicareceiving good information, the informations and tion we do receive affects our decision thus devel- making, leading us to subconsciously oped question ourselves and change the way we think and look. All in all, if we acknowledge global health problems for example eating disorders. Raising awareness is an important tool to prevent illnesses like these from expanding, and South students should take action to share this important information. If we’re informed about global health issues, we can expect to see a decrease in those who suffer from deadly mental deathly health issues. Overall, we believe that with more eating involvement, we will see improved health disorders not only in America, but on a larger, interthat helped national scale. them purge and

campus chatter June 7, 2018|page 11

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|opinions

UPGRADE

9 Graduation Summer

The Lion’s Roar asked ...

What is the first thing you will do after school ends?

Sleeping in

“I am going to a national fencing competition.”

- Deika Albert, Class of 2018

Senior Assassins Soccer Bowl 2018

“I’m going to attend a psychology program at Yale.”

Pride Month

- Keren Bobilev, Class of 2019

National Hug Your Cat Day

“I am going to prepare for my audition at Berklee for their summer performance program.”

Senior Commons coup d’état

- Daniel Sivachenko, Class of 2020

Warm weather Prom

“I am going to be a counselor at a tennis club in the mornings and I will get to play tennis [for] free in the afternoons.”

- Maya Zeldin, Class of 2021

DOWNGRADE

Ice Cream Review by Dina Zeldin White Mountain Creamery

Finals Celtics playoff elimination Saying goodbye Teachers leaving Humidity Allergy season Semi functional building AC MCAS ic ph gra yX Am by

Last Roar issue of the year

iao

To put it simply: White Mountain Creamery’s ice cream is delicious and served in a homey environment. The shop contrasts the new and the old: framed black and white photos face college football posters and sprinkles in Container Store tupperwares are poured onto ice cream made from decade-old recipes. The tables and chairs are scuffed in just the right places so the place seems comfortably familiar even on the first visit. But who am I kidding — the ice cream is the best part! I recommend their Cookie Monster flavor. Unlike normal cookie dough flavors, White Mountain Creamery stuffs the vanilla ice cream with an unexaggerably huge amount of cookie dough and brownie batter. It’s picturesque and casual — a true homage to my family’s favorite vacation destination.

Cabot’s Ice Cream and Restaurant

Yogurt Beach

There’s only one way to describe Cabot’s: unassumingly whopping. Come to Cabot’s Ice Cream and Restaurant in Newton to be served scoops on top of scoops of ice cream, but be careful not to get jealous from the scent of burgers and fries wafting from their diner’s kitchen. My chocolate and raspberry ice cream arrived promptly and creamy as ever, albeit a little melted on the bottom. It was overall incredible, but rumor has it the ice cream is actually from Rancatore’s Ice Cream and Yogurt. It’s tasty either way. The portion sizes run very large, but don’t be afraid to try even bigger formats for your ice cream! Cabots serves their interesting flavors and innumerable toppings in unique formats: ice cream floats with bubbling ginger-ale, sundaes oozing with fudge, banana splits covered in sprinkles, and much, much more. While the location is a bit out of the way, I found the bustling retro diner to be perfect for Sunday-morning brunch with old friends or a Friday-night out with new ones, followed, of course, by a boat-load of ice cream.

I’m not typically a fan of frozen yogurt, but I would definitely come back to Yogurt Beach if I was. It’s is a funky fro-yo paradise hidden in a Newtonville cornershop. The fro-yo, toppings and sauces are completely self-serve; my sister and I ran around the counters putting together a cookies and cream, blueberry and hot fudge masterpiece in two minutes. While the shop offers nearly endless toppings — cereal, brownie bites, berries, candy, hot fudge, strawberry sauce — I was surprised by the relatively low selection of frozen yogurt flavors. That being said, we managed to fill our large cup to the brim. Like Newton Center’s late Sweet Tart used to do, the price was determined by the weight of the fro-yo in our cup. Be prepared to pay more than you expected. The fro-yo itself was delicious and smooth. We ate quickly so it wouldn’t melt in the sun, where we sat. There are plenty of tropically decorated tables and chairs inside the building, but I found the interior to be too colorful. Anyways, everyone knows ice cream is best outside on a warm day.

What C n We do?

graphic by Alice Zilberberg

Despite South’s considerable carbon footprint, students and teachers alike work toward environmental awareness By Sophie Goodman and Dorra Guermazi

outh uses approximately 5 million sheets of paper every year, the equivalent of 2,500 pieces per student and three and a half trees per day. Senior David Patkin said he monitored South’s paper usage in his sustainability class, and after realizing the extent of the school’s paper usage, provided alternatives with the help of his peers. “We tried to bring students and teachers [together] to figure out ways to reduce their own paper usage, like printing double sided and scanning sheets so students can look at it online or use Schoology and other websites more often,” he said. Although Patkin worked to bring awareness to environmental issues, with tests, homework and extracurriculars, many students find themselves too busy to be actively mindful of their environmental footprints, even despite their knowledge of human activity’s ramifications on the environment.

Change is DAUNTING Students often underestimate their power to make changes to the environment, senior Niamh Bayliss said. “I think it’s really hard to make a difference … people think it’s really hard,” she said. “If you are just one person, then a lot of people don’t see that you can, as one person, make a change.” Sophomore Skye Tausig said that concentrating on the large-scale impacts of activism often buries the significant impact of small actions. “As a society, [we] are very focused on the big impacts of our activism, which is great, but in thinking about the big picture, we also don’t remember that the

small details make up the big picture, and those [small actions] are what can contribute to large-scale change.”

it won’t happen to me According to Patkin, many students think human-induced environmental damage won’t affect their lives in the near future. “[Environmental destruction] is seen as an issue that will affect us far in the future, and it is, but it affects us now as well,” he said. Science teacher Sally Rosen added that people struggle to see climate change as an issue that will affect them personally. “Most students care about what happens to our future, but I think sometimes it’s difficult to put yourself in that future [and] to think ‘that might actually be me. I might be the one suffering repercussions from whatever we have done 20 years ago,’” she said. Patkin said that climate change is one of today’s most consequential issues. “It’s one of the most important things facing, not just our community, but the world,” he said. “It’s really the decisions we make over the next couple decades that [will] affect whether or not we still have a planet to live on.” : Education Classes such as conservation and environmental science, sustainabilty and marine biology aim to help students understand both the reality of climate change and the steps they can take to lessen both the school’s

and their own carbon footprint, sustainability teacher Andrew Thompson said. “The intent of the course is to have students consistently thinking about how their own lifestyles connect to environmental or other social trends,” he said. Sustainability teacher Michael Kozuch said that the class strives to give students an understanding of sustainability through the intersection of economics, environment and culture. “You can’t help to solve the problem of climate change without understanding the energy issue, and the energy issue is not understood without understanding economic issues because all of us have to pay for energy,” he said. “How do we interweave both this notion of economics and environmental sustainability?” Thompson added that some students believe the school should require environmental education courses. “Every year, there are students in my sustainability

class who say ‘everyone should have to take a class like this so that they can be aware of what is going in the world’” he said. Environmental education can start at the most rudimentary level, conservation and environmental science teacher Madhumita Bhattacharya said. “We should have classes where we teach students to recycle well,” she said. “We should have stricter policies on these [issues] and bring it up, but not bring it up in a way that students feel, oh we have to do it so they don’t want to do it, but make them care about it and show them the reasons behind it and that way we can do much more.” Bhattacharya added that teachers must ensure students learn to gather reliable information, especially regarding global warming and environmental issues. “We want to teach students how to parse out the facts and figure out what is real, which are the trusted journals, where we get out data from [and] which

institutions we can trust,” Bhattacharya said. “Scientific literacy has never been more important because of the situation we’re in now with climate change,” Rosen said. Science teachers not the only ones that help educate students about environmental protection, according to French teacher Catherine Foster. “We’re very lucky in language [classes] that our responsibility is to teach about language and culture,” she said. “Every culture is affected by climate change. I think that language certainly lends itself to talking about social issues [and] political issues.” Bayliss added that even though the efforts teachers make to help students become more environmentally conscious are beneficial, students’ self-motivated involvement is far more powerful. “I think there’s always more to be done, but I do appreciate that there’s a sustainability class and an environmental science class,” she said. “Those are Continued on next page

Key Global WarminG Developments

Sources: The City of Newton, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO) Timeline is not to scale.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at 280 parts per million

First calculation links carbon dioxide emissions to global warming

1712 Early 1700s Invention of the steam engine opens the doors for rapid global industrialization

United Nations (UN) holds first environment-focused conference to discuss chemical pollution, forming the UN Environment Programme

1988

1971 1896

Global carbon emissions reach 6 billion tons per year

1972 Newton becomes the first city in Mass. to institute a newspaper recycling program

Climate change predicted to be responsible for 250,000 deaths annually

Sea levels projected to rise 1-4 feet

2015 1989

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change formed

2030 Concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reaches over 400 parts per million

2100

What C n We do?

graphic by Alice Zilberberg

Despite South’s considerable carbon footprint, students and teachers alike work toward environmental awareness By Sophie Goodman and Dorra Guermazi

small details make up the big picture, and those [small actions] are what can contribute to large-scale change.”

Key Global WarminG Developments

Sources: The City of Newton, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO) Timeline is not to scale.

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at 280 parts per million

First calculation links carbon dioxide emissions to global warming

1712 Early 1700s Invention of the steam engine opens the doors for rapid global industrialization

United Nations (UN) holds first environment-focused conference to discuss chemical pollution, forming the UN Environment Programme

1988

1971 1896

Global carbon emissions reach 6 billion tons per year

1972 Newton becomes the first city in Mass. to institute a newspaper recycling program

Climate change predicted to be responsible for 250,000 deaths annually

Sea levels projected to rise 1-4 feet

2015 1989

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change formed

2030 Concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reaches over 400 parts per million

2100

page 14|June 7, 2018 Continued from previous page good steps to educate people, but I think, of course, the more we talk about it, the higher the chances that things will actually change.” Senior Hannah Gonzalez agreed, adding that student to student communication is especially effective. “There is a different effect when it’s one of your friends trying to get you to think about something, versus your teacher or another [part of the] administration,” she said. “I think the [peer] support is the best way that we can work with [the administration], because it’s our ideas and their power that are able to make it happen.”

the administration Sophomore Izzy Klein said that students should start with small steps when dealing with environmental issues. “I don’t think that there is a lot of regard for the resources that we are using,” she said. “You’ll go into parts of the school that aren’t being used, or classrooms that aren’t being used, and the lights are still on.” Klein said that it is the administration’s responsibility to stay conscious of South’s environmental impact. “There are a lot of other problems they need to focus on, like the budget … and changing start times, but I also think that, being a large building and using a lot of natural resources, we do have some kind of responsibility to the environment,” she said. Junior Ronit Glasgow said that the administration should equip students with resources to take action to tackle important environmental challenges. “The administration should be providing a way for students to act because I think the biggest way to make a difference is [through] legislation and policy, and that is a totally different skill set and passion.” Infrastructural changes can also help reduce South’s environmental footprint, Bhattacharya said. “We should have solar panels, we should have more charging stations so people who have hybrid cars or plug in vehicles can plug in, we should have students encouraged to take bikes, some people do, but not enough [do],” she said.

centerfold|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR

fakecycling South’s biggest problem, according to Bhattacharya, is that items put into the recycling bins do not reach their advertised final destinations. “We kind of pretend we are recycling, but we don’t actually recycle. We should have a solid recycling policy, and we should implement it right in the cafeteria for every meal,” she said. Thompson said that some of his sustainability students studied the recycling process for a project and found surprising results. “Very little, if any, of the recycling we are attempting to do at South is actually getting recycled,” he said. “They were learning about the flaws in the system from what we as students and faculty put in the recycling bins to how they get processed on the way out of the school.” After speaking to custodians, observing the recycling process at school and visiting the recycling plant itself, sustainability student senior Chloe Frantzis said she learned that South’s recycling process has an obvious flaw. “Everything is just dumped into bins and then the bins are tied up into plastic bags and thrown into a bigger bin. From visiting the recycling plant, we discovered that anything put in plastic bags is immediately thrown out, no matter if its all full of paper,” she said. “South just does not recycle at all and what’s even worse is that we create the illusion that we recycle.” After the same visit, senior John Floros said he was shocked by the findings. “We can say definitively: we do not recycle at Newton South, everything that we think we are recycling ... is not being recycled. We are living a lie,” he said. Senior Dennis Angjeli said that the issue does not stem from malevolence, but South’s choice to take the easier path. “The main issue is [people are doing] what’s more convenient. It’s convenient for [the custodians] to just put it in a bag and just throw it,” he said. “We have to do this as a community. Everyone has to pitch in and recycle.” “There are really two steps here: one is changing the culture around the school

surrounding recycling, and then also fixing the actual delivery system,” Floros said. According to Frantzis, the solution to the latter step is simple. “When they collect everything in those big grey barrels you see in the halls, instead of tying them up and throwing the plastic bags into the big dumpsters you see out there, they could just dump everything or [use] recyclable plastic bags that are made of a different material,” she said. The school would benefit financially from fixing the current recycling system, Angjeli added. “The more trash you have, the more money you pay. And recycling is free in Newton,” he said. “Right now, [South] just throws it in the trash, so we are spending more money. We’d save money on plastic bags, and we’d save money on waste because we would be recycling more than we would be throwing out.”

PoliTICALIZATION Another issue, Bhattacharya said, is that many try to ignore the data that proves the grim reality of climate change. “The fact that a certain party or a certain section of people don’t want to look at the facts because it doesn’t suit their politics, that’s such a shame because it drags people downwards,” she said. “When it comes to the climate, why don’t we follow the scientists who know best?” Thompson agreed, adding that he started a project with students and teachers in Sweden on climate change’s effect on the arctic and the rest of the world. “When we were meeting with the Swedes, we talked about just how different our cultures are,” he said. “It’s just not a question that climate change is happening. ... They are far more science bound, and it allows them to make more progress.” “Our current political system is spreading falsehoods about whether climate change is real or not. That, as a scientist, is really frustrating to me. It demeans and devalues science,” Rosen agreed. Kozuch said that the solutions to climate change do not need to be associated with one political party. “There are solutions out there that

are ... efficient, and efficiency doesn’t have a political persuasion. Saving money shouldn’t have a political persuasion. If we spend less on energy, that’s not about politics. Protecting people’s health from emissions shouldn’t be political,” he said. “It is an everybody issue, so it shouldn’t be divided based on your political stance,” Gonzalez said.

student action Gonzalez said that her da Vinci year-long project gave her the chance to start a long endeavor of eliminating her carbon footprint. “I really wanted to see how much of an impact I could make as an individual, … so I took this chance to explore what I could do personally, see how hard it actually was and what the different things were that I could do,” she said. Her ambition, she said, was to reduce her waste production. “[I was] not filling more than one of those disposable-wipes containers with trash for the whole term,” she said. “It was surprisingly easier than I thought, so I wanted to see what else I could do. I started walking to and from school, … and I realized that it really was very doable.” Gonzalez said she wanted to to see how much of an impact her endeavor could have on others, so she created a website based off her reading of The Genius of Earth Day by Adam Rome. On the site, she summarized both the book and her project, while giving suggestions for waste reduction. “I did a quick summary of [the book], and then about my project, and what I personally was doing.Then I split it up into really easy-to-follow areas where people could improve. There’s a waste page, an energy page, food, water and transportation” she said. “There [are] little things that you can do in each of your own lives that take no effort at all, so ... everybody can feel like they are making a difference.” According to Gonzalez, student-initiated environmental activism is key to change. “I think the really incredible thing is that, at least this year, all the steps that have been taken [for environmental awareness] have been started by students.”

“[We need to start] focusing on conserving the resources that we have and not investing in new resources that could potentially damage our environment, especially in the area around us.” - Izzy Klein, ‘20 “It would be amazing if [students] would actually carpool to school. ... We wouldn’t have kids fighting over parking spots anymore.” - Sally Rosen, science teacher “Being really mindful about the choices people make [and] thinking about their daily consumptions can be extremely important for a lot of these issues.” - Andrew Thompson, sustainability teacher

FEATURES One Tap Away page 15|June 7, 2018|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

FEATURES@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 35, ISSUE 1

South students seek a break from the stress and pressures of social media By Claire Slack

said. “And then we do a lot of communication through debate. I just get a lot of school information on Facebook.” Sophomore Kat Wagner said that the driving force in her decision to quit social media was the stress it was causing her. “Snapchat … added more stress to my life than I needed,” she said. “I would be so focused on social media that I wouldn’t be focused on school and, as a result, my grades went [down].” “Instagram caused me stress,” Harlow agreed. “Last year I was in a completely different place in terms of my confidence in myself, so I really think that Instagram had a lot to do with that.” According to senior Analise Castillo, more people quitting social media would benefit the South community. “I think that we would be, ironically, more closely connected to each other if we didn’t have social media,” she said. “We would make sure to always check in with each other in person [and] make sure everyone was doing okay.” Yang, however, said she feels that some aspects of social media are helpful. “Social media is just a really easy way to make connections and to familiarize yourself with people,” she said. “There are ways to express yourself online that you can’t really do in real life, and I think that taking a break would sort of just be me shutting myself back out again,” she added. Guidance counselor Chris Hardiman said that quitting social media can be good for students’ mental health. “I think it’s a good thing to implement [a break] even if just to give the student the sense of what it’s like … because we are so attached to our phones in general,” he said. According to a 2012 study by Pew Research Center, 81 percent of teens use social networking sites, and 73 percent of 14-17 year olds do so daily. Hardiman said this potential addiction is a real concern. “The impression I get is that it’s a problem, and societally, when I read articles, it seems like it’s an increasing problem in terms of distractibility and addiction,” he said. Social media also has negative psychological and social graphic by Eric Troung

ired of social media’s pressure to constantly look and act a certain way, junior Talia Harlow decided to give up Instagram last summer. Now, she said she is grateful that she made the change. “Deleting Instagram has definitely increased my confidence,” she said. “I completely do not regret that decision. It made me happier.” While social media is becoming increasingly popular among teens, some students have decided to take a break from certain platforms or quit altogether. Whether it’s to avoid the pressure to project perfection or to prioritize spending time in different ways, students like Harlow said their social media cleanses created a positive change and that they encouraged others to make the same choice. Senior Gil Alon, like Harlow, said she chose to take a break from Instagram and Snapchat because of the pressure the platforms created. “It felt like I was constantly using [Instagram] to ... look at other people’s pictures,” she said. “I kind of just went into this wormhole of always comparing myself [to others].” Harlow added that Instagram, in particular, felt ingenuine. “I got ... annoyed and sad [after] seeing these … obviously fake photos, whether they were filtered or photoshopped,” she said. Harlow said that how people present on social media reflects the way people try to act in person. “I just feel … that it’s a little artificial. [It] has a lot to do with the way people want to present themselves in real life too,” she added. Freshman Ellen Yang, who said she is an avid social media user, agreed. “Everyone wants to be liked by other people, but then on Instagram … that notion [is] physical and viewable by a lot of people,” she said. Beyond the social pressure, many activities at South nearly require students to have Facebook accounts. Even some classes, such as Global Communities, have student-led Facebook groups. According to freshman Lucy Dutton, who has never had a social media account, these groups can leave those without an account out of the loop. “I did ski team, and there is a Facebook [group], and I wasn’t as in touch with people,” she said. Alon added that despite taking a break from Instagram and Snapchat, she was never able to leave Facebook because it was necessary for school-related activities. “I don’t want to be that one annoying kid in the group project that [makes] you have to get everyone’s numbers,” she

effects, Castillo said. “[Social media] promotes this idea of a perfect image, or perfection in general,” she said. “It allows people who don’t fit that mold to really easily be criticized.” Hardiman agreed that social media can leave people feeling inferior to their peers. “It can create this feeling that you’re not good enough, that you don’t have the best life that some of these other people have, even though some of those other people are crafting only the best parts of their own lives on these social media sites,” he said. Similarly, ‘17 graduate Rhea Dudani, who used to run a photography Instagram account with over 80,000 followers, said that social media can alter the way a person presents themself.

“People want to portray happiness and things that are positive on their account because negativity is looked at as a pejorative thing, even though negativity [and] imperfection [are] normal,” Dudani added. Yang agreed that social media affects the way people present themselves, but she said that this is a positive effect. “If you’re willing to express yourself online, then you have an easier time expressing yourself out loud too, because you realize that you have a voice and you get to say what you want, even if that doesn’t mean that everyone is going to listen.” Harlow said, nonetheless, that she views quitting social media as a positive way to reassess society’s interconnectedness. “People have almost forgotten how to interact with people in person,” she said. “[If they quit] people would just get along more and learn how to communicate with other people better and … maybe be kinder to each other.” Additional Reporting by Carrie Ryter

Delete “Instagram”? Deleting this app will also delete its data and social pressures.

page 16|June 7, 2018

Features|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR

Senior Jackson Fyfe, a potter since age two, leads a ceramics career that continues to reap tremendous achievements

Jac photos courtesy of

kson Fyfe

Sculpting Success B

efore senior Jackson Fyfe became a Gold Key winner for the arts and a two-time second-place winner at the National Ceramics Conference, his grandmother instilled in him a love for ceramics, introducing him to the art at age two, he said. “My grandma taught me when I was very young. … we went to visit her, and I found her pottery wheel and asked if I could use it. She gave me this really groggy, rough red clay,” he said. “He loved to work with his hands [and] he liked the feel of clay,” Haven Fyfe Kiernan, Fyfe’s mother, said. Fyfe said that he learned from his grandma until age eight, and otherwise is an entirely self-taught potter. He credits his success to those childhood lessons. “[Ceramics] is like learning a language,” he said. “It’s much easier to do when you’re young.” Although Fyfe has spent time with other art forms, he said he always returns to ceramics. “That’s just what I was exposed to first, I’m the most familiar with it, it’s the art form that sort of clicked with me the best. [In] glass blowing, I know the basics but I’m not very fluent in the techniques. [With] ceramics, if I want to make something, I know exactly how to do it and what to do to make it,” he said. For Fyfe, art has been more than just a hobby, he said. After developing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe anxiety following his father’s passing in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Fyfe said he turned to art to cope with the tragedy. “Art is basically therapy for me,” he said. “I’ve never been much of a talker, [so] conventional therapy hasn’t really worked well for me. Art is a way that I can express my feelings in my work and have something to show for it.” Fyfe added that ceramics has helped him cope with the stresses from school too. “Ceramics is like meditation. When you’re sitting down at the wheel and the wheel is spinning, you can kind of just zone out and it’s a really good way to calm yourself down,” he said. “He has developed so much [as] an artist,” Fyfe Kiernan said. “I’m very proud ... watching him do his art as a way to help himself to feel strong and confident.” Fyfe added that his perfectionist attitude when it comes to creating pottery has allowed ceramics to serve as an escape

By Sophie Lewis, Iris Yang and Ellen Zhen from exterior events and distractions. “I’ve had a lot of disorder in my life, [and] I try to add some order in my pottery. I always obsess over the small details [and] make everything super crisp, and I like everything to be on center,” he said. “I just like the piece to look as perfect as possible.” Fyfe said he mixes his own crystalline glazes in his garage. “It’s very challenging. There’s always more stuff to learn from it, [but] I was getting bored with just the flat colors,” he said. “I [am] always experimenting to find different things.” Fyfe said that he usually applies a thick layer of crystalline glaze to his pieces to allow the glaze to drip off into a catcher at the bottom of the piece, which enables the zinc and silica in the remaining layer to combine and create crystals that appear as a different color than the base. “I use at least eight ingredients in my glazes, and by adjusting those in one to two gram increments, you can adjust the colors and the crystal growth, so there’s always constant experiments,” he said. He added that his experiments with new materials can be difficult and time consuming, noting that one glaze in

particular took 15 tries before he perfected it. “Crystalline glaze is very complicated and very hard to get right, and so ... it’s very challenging to pull off,” senior Abby Bernstein, fellow potter and a friend of Fyfe’s, said. Ceramics teacher Karen SobinJonash added that this difficult process causes the final product to sometimes yield surprising results. “It’s hard to know what the end result is going to look like in terms of how many crystals are going to break around the piece, how big the crystals are going to be, what they’re going to look like [and] the exact color,” she said. Due to the intricate and complex nature of his process, each piece requires weeks of dedication to complete, Fyfe said. “I can get a piece done in four weeks, but it’s not constant work. There’s a lot of drying and firing time,” he said. Fyfe said he devotes about four hours every day to his work, spread between school and home. He said,

however, that balancing ceramics with his school work has been a challenge. “Because school has to come first, I just don’t do pottery some days,” he said. “But I’m super excited for the summer when I can actually get back into it.” During his sophomore year, Fyfe said that as he became a more serious potter, he created his ceramics Instagram account, @jacksonfyfeceramics, which drew more attention to his work in the ceramcis community. Now, with more than 20,000 followers, Fyfe Kiernan said the account has inspired people to try ceramics. “He really invites people into watching how he makes it and watching the process of how a piece of pottery comes to be, and I think that’s really fun for people to watch,” she said. Fyfe said that he has become involved in collaborations, giveaways and charity events with fellow ceramicists on the platform. Earlier this school year, Fyfe said he raised over $1,000 for victims of Hurricane Maria victims in Puerto Rico. Fyfe added that he has relied on other potters for gaining followers and popularity. “There was this one video that I posted of me throwing … a big vase from a low angle so it made it look bigger than it was, and it got posted around some bigger ceramics accounts,” he said. “I got a whole bunch of followers.” In the fall, Fyfe plans to attend Massachusetts College of Art and Design and said he hopes to later become a selfemployed potter, something he has started working on already by selling pieces on Etsy and by making some commissioned works. “I hope he can make that dream come true, and I know he can. I would like to see him be able to earn a living on his artwork because I think it’s such a valuable thing,” Fyfe Kiernan said. “I want him to be able to do that for the rest of his life.” Overall, Bernstein said that she is proud of Fyfe’s success and how he has remained humble despite his increasing popularity. “He is very talented and deserves every bit of credit that he gets,” she said. “He doesn’t seem to realize how amazing it is that he’s at over 20,000 followers, and [that] all these people are enjoying his work. He still does it for him and just loves making art for art.”

photo by Netta Dror

June 7, 2018|page 17

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|Features

Mind the G a p Seniors take a year off from school to expand their horizons before college By Sophie Lewis and Carrie Ryter

enior Seanna McGraw had no doubt that taking a gap year before starting college was the right choice for her. “I’m hoping to travel and hopefully volunteer or intern at a nonprofit,” she said. “I think it’s really important to go against the grain and see what else is out there.” McGraw is not alone. According to College and Career Center counselor Kathleen Sabet, the number of students who take a gap year has increased in recent years, a trend she said she attributes to growing awareness of the option. A gap year is a unique opportunity to travel, work or pursue any other interests that aren’t available on a college campus, and is a choice that senior Adi Shneorson, like McGraw, said she is excited to pursue. Shneorson will be participating in a program called Workaways, which will set her up to travel and volunteer in countries all around the world, including Guatemala, Peru, India and New Zealand. “[I] want to learn from the world around me before it’s [in] textbooks,” she said. Senior Ariel Fine said he plans to spend his gap year at a program in Israel, which will allow him to volunteer and complete service projects in a tight-knit community. “You live in this living community and you’re together learning, maturing, travelling the country, doing community service [and] volunteer work,” he said. Fine added that he hopes to grow as a person through his experiences next year. “I … want to mature more in the sense that I want to learn how to live independently,” he said. “Being forced to step out of my comfort zone and get in this awkward situation [is] something that is important to me.” Fine said that South’s stressful environment was a factor in his decision to take a gap year. “I always felt like … South [had] such a tunnel vision where the light at the end of the tunnel was doing your best, getting the greatest grade you can, going to the best school possible

[and] being one of the highest [ranked students] you can, so I think that definitely did play a role in my decision,” he said. Senior Max Asuaje Solon agreed, adding that he chose to take a gap year because he felt unprepared to embark on his college experience. “I felt like I needed a break,” Asuaje Solon said. “I just want to be prepared in case … some curveball is thrown at me and I’m not ready for it.” Sabet said that gap years provide breaks for students to breathe before they continue onto the rest of their lives. “It just gives them a chance to reflect on who they are, their place in the world [and] what their values are,” she said. Shneorson said that hearing about friends’ positive gap year experiences encouraged her to take one herself. “I saw that [my friends] were successful, and I saw that they came out of it with life lessons that they wouldn’t get from [being a] freshman … in college, so it definitely impacted me to know that I’m not crazy for dreaming those kind of things because it is possible,” she said. Fine agreed that his friends, who participated in the same program he plans to attend, inspired him. Sabet said that making the decision to take a gap year can be

difficult without knowing someone who took one. “[A] lot of parents that are asking about it either know someone who has done a gap year or they have a child or sibling who did it, so they’re more informed,” she said. Shneorson added, however, that parents, can be unsupportive of gap year plans. “It is hard, in many cases, to convince parents of gap years … for financial reasons and for those crazy ideas that if [their] kid goes on a gap year, they won’t come back to study,” Shneorson said. Sabet added, however, that

graphics by Dina Kats

seeing public figures take a gap year has caused the option to be held in higher regard. “It’s become more of a buzzword … since Obama’s daughter took one before she went to Harvard,” Sabet said. Fine said, however, that taking a gap year is still a risk. “You’re not really sure what it’s going to be like,” he said. “It creates some kind of uncertainty, it could drive your mind away from what you want to do.” Another risk is being in an awkward social situation at school the following year, Shneorson said. “At first I was scared of being a grade behind because I would be a freshman when [members of] my graduating class are sophomores, but then it really doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of things because everyone’s a student [on] their own academic path,” she said. “I’m hoping I’ll come back mature and I’ll come back with a bigger view of things.” Despite the opportunity to expand one’s horizons, Sabet said that taking a gap year is not financially feasible for all students. “It could be difficult because it could interrupt … their chance to start making a good living … in the near future,” she said. Fine said, nonetheless, that his decision was easy. “In this society that we live in nowadays, things are so routine. You go straight into elementary education, you go through 13 years of schooling in your city and then … the first thing that you’re expected to do is get sent off to college and continue the same studying pattern,” he said. “I chose to take a gap year because I knew I really just needed something different.”

page 18|June 7, 2018

Features|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR

THE

COMMON

APPLICATION

The Roar follows one remaining senior as she navigates the college application process, revealing her identity and college plans

photo by Kate Espenshade

By Dina Zeldin

riana Bakhtyari, previously known as Anabel, committed to Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. The final decision lay between Queen’s and the University of Toronto, she said. “I realized that my mental health at University of Toronto would be awful [because] all they care about is work, while Queen’s cares more about who you are as a person,” she said. The school’s secluded location and close-knit community also helped Bakhtyari decide, she said. “Physically, it’s in the middle of nowhere, [which] is a good thing,” she said. “It’s more of a community. It’s its own little town that’s just the school.” She said she is excited for freshman orientation week, when she will get to

meet her peers. “It’s just fun games, and … you get to meet everyone and socialize,” she said. She plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering, as the school finally accepted her online chemistry course, she said. Though she previously struggled to find an area of interest, Bakhtyari said that her teachers helped steer her in the right direction. “I talked to [my teachers,] and they were like, ‘Ariana, you like math and physics, so do engineering; it’ll be perfect for you,’” she said. She said, however, that high school is quickly drawing to a bittersweet close. “I’m actually kind of sad, which is surprising, and it’s sad that it’s surprising. I’ll miss South because [even though] I always wanted to get out as soon as pos-

sible, … now I’m going to miss all of the teachers and all of the resources I have,” she said. “On the other hand, I’m excited for my own adventure, and this is the beginning of my [own] life. It’s the time where you get to experiment with your independence. There’s no one there to tell you what to do and [nobody to] spoonfeed you.” Bakhtyari said she hopes other students find purpose through seemingly never-ending, though finite, high school days. “High school is it’s own thing. … It’s an experience that everyone has to have, because you learn so much socially and academically, even though some of it might not stick with you,” she said. “It’s worth it in the end. It’s all just fun. I’m enjoying the last days of school and enjoying life.”

LigerBots robotics team excels at Worlds

Linda Chang & Haiyi Jiang

Features Reporters

espite engineering all throughout middle school, senior Arushi Singh said that as a freshman, she was too intimidated to join the LigerBots. She said, however, that she later decided to give the combined North and South robotics team another try. “I came back my sophomore year and I was determined to stay,” she said. “I came initially because my mom wanted me to go, but I stayed because I made friends.” Having overcome her discomfort of being one of the few girls on the team, Singh is now a captain and build leader of the LigerBots team. The team placed sixth at the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition (FRC) World Championships in Detroit, MI this past April. North sophomore Douglass Williams credited the team’s success to the countless hours of hard work that team members contributed. Despite their success, Singh added that the team receives neither the attention, nor the respect that it deserves from the school communities, despite their sizable achievement. “I would compare [LigerBots] to sports because we put in the same hours they do. During build season, we meet every single day [for] three hours ... and six hours on Fridays and Saturdays — it’s hardcore,” she said. “The school definitely does need to give academic teams more recognition than they’re getting right now.” North senior Cam Mastoras, a chief technical officer for the team, agreed. “I don’t think there needs to be a war between the nerds and the jocks,” he said. “I just want people to have an understand-

ing that this is way more than they might think it is.” South freshman Daniel Feng said that the efforts of team members who are not involved in the engineering process are even more under-valuded, and added that the skills these members learn can be more valuable than building skills. “In my opinion, the people that come to the team not for robotics, but [for] the business or technical [sides] come out with probably more than the people who come in for the technical,” he said. The robot build season is an intensive six-week period when the robot is assembled to be able to play a game determined by the FRC. This year’s game relied heavily on strategy, according to Feng. “Cubes are placed around the field [and] the robot can pick them up and put them either in the lower scale or the high scale. You get points based on whether or not the scales are tilted toward your side,” he said. Singh said that community members don’t seem to recognize the magnitude of the robot’s size. “We’re building a robot that weighs more than me, and it’s larger than I am. Whenever people think [about] the robotics team, they think small robots [and] don’t understand that it’s actually a huge robot. You’re against other robots [and] you’re hitting other robots, it’s actually pretty sick.” Singh was a build leader for the chassis of the robot, but said her role extended beyond this duty — with training and leading responsibilities. Before qualifying for Worlds, the team had to do well in the general competition season, Williams said. After placing in the top 10 in a local competition, the team moved to the New England Districts competition, where a top 10 finish secured

their place at Worlds. Despite the long hours, South sophomore Samy Rosenthal said she has not found it an issue to manage her time between school and LigerBots. “It’s really not that difficult to balance because people are willing to help you,” she said. Singh said that asking for building help, however, was more difficult as one of the team’s few female members. “I didn’t feel comfort- able asking how to do things. ... I didn’t want to seem like I didn’t know what was happening because it was a room of all guys,” she said. Mastoras said he recognized the gender disparity as an issue for the team, but added that he was unsure as to how the problem could be solved. “I’m not entirely sure how to fix it, but what I do know is that putting women in leadership roles can only help. … There’s a girl as the head machinist and all [of] a sudden, [the] majority of the machiners [on the] team are girls.” Rosenthal, however, maintained that gender was not a factor on the team. “If you have an interest, you’re more than welcome to pursue it on the team, so there’s not really a big impact of what your gender is,” she said. Williams added that the team’s goals surpass just building an excellent robot. “We do our best to encourage the mindset that everything you can do to help the team is valued equally,” Wil-

liams said. “How hard … you work when you show up [is] what really defines your success on the team,” he added. South freshman Asa Zeren said that their tangible success thus far has not overshadowed their notable achievements. “We [had] a successful season robot-wise … but also that’s not what defines our success. The mission of LigerBots is to become a recognized leader of projectbased learning in Newton,” he said. Rosenthal added that a combination of North and South students is an asset to the team. “Our schools are supposed to be rivals, but at the robotics team we are not — we’re just friends, [and] we just want to work together [to] make the best possible robots we can,” she said. “It seems like we are just building robots, but we are really a family and we are building connections to a better future.”

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June 7, 2018|page 19

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|Fun Page

Embarrassing Roar Staff Photo Montage of the Month:

He, sipping in the glory, glares at his haters.

Overheard at SOUTH Korsunsky moves with the majestic vibes of the match.

Yes, we heard you say that. Loving Teacher: “You have something between your ears. It’s called a brain. Use it.”

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Moral Compass: “Friends don’t help other friends cheat.” Scammer: “Good thing we’re not friends.” Inquisitive Student: “What’s your favorite way to eat pasta?” Realist: “With a fork.” Foodie: “I love vodka sauce. I could chug vodka sauce.” Test question judge: “Why are the instructions so long? They make the question scary.”

Today's Roaroscope Look to the stars!

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your soulmate sits behind you in A Block. Follow your heart and confess your love.

Gemini (May 21- June 20): Enjoy hanging out and eating guac with your friends, but watch out for food poisoning.

Libra (Sept. 23- Oct. 22): You go, Glen Coco. Just keep doing you.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20): Beware the speckled man of Goldrick. He is not who he seems.

Cancer (June 21- July 22): Cancelled E Block! Don’t show up.

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 21): Be bold. Be daring. Use the bathroom in the 4000s.

Aries (March 21-April 19): A fistfight awaits you. Square up.

Leo (July 23- Aug. 22): A thief has stolen your seat in history. Take back what is rightfully yours.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22- Dec. 21): Keep your eyes open, for the slump shall wreak havoc upon you.

Taurus (April 20-May 20): Study for your science class. A pop quiz may *pop* into your future.

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22): [Juniors only] GO GO GO!!! THEY’RE TOWING YOUR CAR!!! RIGHT NOW.

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 19): Don’t study those extra 15 minutes during lunch. You’ll fail anyway.

SPORTS page 20|June 7, 2018|THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM

Sports@thelionsroar.com|VOLUME 35, ISSUE 1

All Pain, No Game Strenuous practices overwhelm athletes’ bodies, prevent them from their passsions

ophomore hockey and lacrosse player Emily Autor said she lives for ports. “Sports play a huge role in my life. ... All year round I am always playing sports, I love skating, I love running, I love scoring goals. I just love it,” Autor said. Coming off an exciting hockey season, Autor said she was looking forward to trading in her skates for cleats and playing lacrosse. Her plan, however, was ruined by stress fractures in her shins, which stemmed from transitioning from skating to running. Autor’s injury has kept her off the field for the entirety of the spring season. “It’s really disappointing because I tried really hard … and to not be able to participate in [lacrosse] is really awful,” she said. Near daily practices, for up to three seasons per year, may overwhelm the bodies of athletes, preventing them from pursuing their passions. Sophomore lacrosse player Claire Olson said she was looking forward to lacrosse season, but was unable to play because of her shin splints. “Sports and working out are my go to things for stress relief and good mental health, but sports also are one of the things that make me feel the happiest,” she said. “[Missing time] sucked and was really annoying.” Olson and Autor, like many studentatheltes, agreed that being withheld from playing their sports was worse thatn the physical pain of their injruies.

By Zach Iwatuski and Cam Parsons Sophomore rock climber Maggie Mixer said she spent almost all of her free time in the rock climbing gym before her injury took her out. “It was definitely really rough, … especially during the end my time off,” Mixer said. “I wanted to climb but couldn’t, which was super frustrating.” Olson added that not being able to play took a toll on her mentally. “It has an impact on myself mentally and physically because I get stressed, and I don’t feel happy when I sit out,” she said. Earlier this year, sophomore runner

hampering his ability to lead the team as a captain. “It was really frustrating because I was not able to lead by example like I had been able to earlier in the season,” he said. “It was definitely harder to make guys work harder if I’m not doing the work myself,” he said. Senior wrestling captain Eli Beutel, who tore his ACL and fractured his tibia this season, agreed that his injury made his role as a captain much more difficult. “As a captain, you are supposed to be an example for the rest of the group and show them what it looks like to perform well in that sport,” Beutel said.

“Athletes should listen to their bodies and not push through workouts. Taking a week off is better than pushing and then taking a season off.” - Maggie Mixer, class of 2020 Ethan Jacunski strained his iliotibial (IT) band due to muscle overuse. Jacunski also struggled with a growth plate injury in his hips, forcing him to sit out the entirety of the indoor track season and most of the outdoor track season this year. “I hated having to go home and sit on my couch because I couldn’t run for three months ... I couldn’t do what I love with my friends,” he said. Senior boys basketball captain Lucas Nathanson, who suffered from a partiallytorn MCL, said that in addition to keeping him from playing basketball, his injury negatively impacted his teammates by

While injuries will never be fully preventable, athletic trainer Patrick Jordan-Quern said that schools can do more to prevent injuries from impacting players. Jordan-Quern said that small adjustments such as ensuring that fields are properly cleared and that athletes wear proper equipment would be easy first steps to help lower injury rates. “[We should make] sure equipment is off the field to avoid accidents. Proper footwear is important especially with injuries from the hip down. Improper footwear can affect athletes because if they

step thousands of times on bad footwear, that could shoot bad stress up their leg,” Jordan-Quern said. Mixer, who suffers from tendon injuries on both ring fingers, said that preventing injuries starts with knowing when to stop. Her injuries have caused her to miss nearly a year and a half of rock climbing. “My injury came from overuse, and [I] remember specific days that, if I had stopped climbing, I wouldn’t have had to take as much time off,” she said. “Athletes should listen to their bodies and not push through workouts. Taking a week off is better than pushing and then taking a season off.” Olson and Autor agreed that the lacrosse team would benefit from having a longer stretching period before practices and games. “Teams could maybe spend some more time on injury prevention like stretching. [Basketball] could use some more calisthenic stuff and that would definitely help in order to not get injured during practice,” he said. Jacunski said that teams must address basic injury risk. Although injuries are dehibilitatiing in multiple ways, Olson believes that an injury can act as both a lesson and a motivator. “Coming back from an injury will give [athletes] more motivation to get stronger and better at a given sport.” Olson said. “Injuries may not always be preventable, but coming back strong and learning is the most important part.”

graphic by Alice Zilberg

June 7, 2018|page 21

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|SPorts

swinging into states

South boys tennis team advances to the state playoffs with an 8-6 record By Austin Chen and Jackson Slater

After undergoing multiple losing streaks and finishing with a modest 8-6 record, the boys tennis team remains optimistic, anticipating more success as the state tournament begins, coach Patrick McFarland said. “The record doesn’t represent the team at all; we’ve had a number of players that have been out [and] we’ve had some very close matches that haven’t gone our way,” he said. “[Adjustments because of injuries] restructured the team.” “[The season] hasn’t been as smooth due to a few injuries, but everyone should be back pretty soon,” senior captain Ben Kurland said. “We’ve had a few injuries which have affected our performance, but overall we are a very solid team,” agreed junior captain Gabe Nissenbaum. Although injuries have prevented the team from reaching their full potential, the talent is clearly present, McFarland said. “This is probably one of the best teams that I’ve coached since I’ve been here,” McFarland said. “I like our chances, really against just about anybody.” Senior captain Levi Shlyankevich said that the team is both talented and full of varsity-level players this season. “We have good talent [and] good skill on the team. We use our practices wisely, and we train well and we get better,” he said. “We [have] a bunch of good players and we’re pretty deep in our lineup … I think we’re a really good team; we’re super

photo by Netta Dror

Sophomore Nick Whitman hits a serve in preparation for a match against Concord-Carlisle.

competitive in the league.” Kurland added that the team’s talent is not just concentrated in a few players. “I think in our lineup we have solid players in every position that can really play tough and always fight till the end,” Nissenbaum agreed. “There’s some very strong freshmen that came up this year, including Zach Schwartz, who is playing number one singles,” Kurland added. “[He’s] a very good player ... he’s one of the best players in the DCL. Anytime you have a player at the top who does

well, it helps in more than [one] way,” McFarland said. “They’re doing well at the top, but also, it makes matches easier for everybody else.” The players and the coach, however, have differing outlooks on what the deciding factor for the team’s future success is. “The key for us is our health as a team,” Kurland said. “I’ve been out some matches with a shoulder injury,” he said. “When [everyone] gets back, I think the team will be hard to stop.” Kurland added that in addition to physical health, the right mentality is es-

sential for the team’s success. “I think our mental toughness will be our biggest X-factor.” Kurland said. “We have had some tough 3-2 matches, some of which have gone our way, others that have not, but we’ve always fought really hard.” Shlyankevich said that the team’s success will likely be decided by the depth of the team, and that the third singles player and second doubles team play would be crucial. “They’ve had a lot of tight matches this season and they’ve won some, they’ve lost some.” he said. “I think if they can continue putting in the work throughout the season and make sure they’re getting better... they can pull off some good wins that we need.” McFarland said that while the team is already quite skilled, more hard work in practice is necessary to have a competitive edge. “There’s a lot of talent [and] there’s a lot of willingness to work, so if we get a little bit better every time we go out there, that’s the key for us: [to] not waste time in practice, and [to] get better every time we go and play a match,” he said. Shlyankevich said he hopes that hard work will pay off at the state tournament. “We have a good team and I’m ready for it; it’s going to be exciting,” he said. “If we continue to play smart as a team and stay healthy then there is totally a shot of us making a run,” Nissenbaum added.

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page 22|June 7, 2018

Sports|THELIONsROAR.com|THE LION’S ROAR

Dreaming far, running farther South students from Dreamfar Marathon team ran the Providence Marathon on May 6 By Shaw Miller

photo courtesy of Reebok

From left: A mentor gives a thumbs up beside senior Benji Canton, senior Karen Kwan keeps up her pace. The two seniors ran the Providence Marathon with 8 other South students.

very Dreamfar run begins with a call and response. “26.2,” one person shouts, and the team responds, “together!” At practices, depending on where members are in their training, they run anywhere between one and 26.2 miles. At the end, the whole cohort waits for the last person to finish. Holly Kee, a Southside teacher, said that the team’s community inspired her to become a Dreamfar co-leader. “It really is special to be running next to students and not just telling them, ‘this is how you need to run,’” she said. “The same pain, the same accomplishments, the same goals — we’re all doing it together, and that makes a huge difference when you’re training for a marathon.” Dreamfar consists of 10 South students and more from surrounding schools such as North, Needham High, Arlington High and others. Together, the athletes train from October to May, concluding the season by running the Providence Marathon on May 6. Dreamfar co-captain and junior Claire Fong, said she believes that without this community, running the Providence Marathon would not have been possible for her. “Everyone runs in what we call families. You get assigned [to] other people who are around your pace, and running with the family makes me want to keep up with

them so much more,” she said. “If I were running alone, I would probably stop and walk a lot, but running with a group just motivates you to keep going and not fall behind even when you’re hurting.” Junior Seffi Shestopal, who ran his second Dreamfar marathon this year, said that the community has helped him overcome some of the mental challenges. “It’s really motivating to run with people, even if [they’re] not your best friend,” he said. “You really have to battle your head because it will try to get you to stop, and once you get those first miles in, you just have to push yourself to keep going because the finish is getting closer and closer.” Willpower isn’t the only preparation necessary for a marathon, according to senior Benji Canton, who completed his second Dreamfar season. Building up the necessary physical strength requires months of dedicated training, he said “We run Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays [for] three or four miles. Saturdays are our long runs. Our first long run was four miles, our last one was 20 miles, and in between we keep increasing every week,” Canton said. During their Saturday runs, Dreamfar members meet with other high school runners, as well as adult mentors from the Brookline Teen Center. The mentors are runners from the community at large, rather than teachers from participating

schools. Most of the adults are professional runners, some with dozens of marathons under their belts, Canton added. “These mentors … get separated into little groups. So if you and I are about the same pace, I would run with you, and you’re called my [Dreamfar] family, and I’m going to take care of you, and we’re all going to do this together,” Kee said. “And sometimes you’re not even talking when you’re running, but it’s nice to know that somebody is just there with you.” Similar to other South sports teams, the Dreamfar team has captains in addition to co-leaders and mentors, senior Karen Kwan, the team co-captain, said. Her position entrusts her with an important role, she added. “[The] captains are like the glue between the teachers and the other students. We make announcements, we organize [outings] to [get] ice cream after the marathon and we also design apparel because that’s what other teams at South do,” Kwan said. Compared to other teams at South, Dreamfar’s season is much longer. The program’s full seven month season generally keeps enrollment relatively small. Sophomore Gemma Hill said that although she wasn’t sure if she wanted to join the team at first, she plans to continue next year. “I started mainly because my brother

did [Dreamfar,] and he roped me into it,” she said. “I am definitely going to do [It] next year, because I consider it necessary to stay healthy and I have a lot of friends who still do it,” she said. Fong said that she also joined because of a sibling. “Initially, my sister forced me to do it, because she did it her sophomore through senior years, and when she was a senior, she said ‘it’s really cool, you should do it.’ It was really out of my comfort zone at first but I grew to really like it, so I stayed even after she graduated,” she added. Hill said that Dreamfar accomplishes a truly remarkable feat: taking high school students of all athletic abilities and training them to complete one of mankind’s ultimate tests of endurance and willpower. “[Dreamfar has] definitely made me think that other marathons are possible in my future. After high school, I might go and do other marathons on my own,” she said. “The Boston Marathon is something I’ve considered,” Kee said she felt particularly inspired to continue running. After running her first marathon with Dreamfar five years ago, she said she set a goal to run 10 marathons before she turned 40. “This year, just a week and a half ago, Providence was my tenth marathon. I did almost five in one year,” she said. “There is no way I would have been able to do any of this without Dreamfar.”

June 7, 2018|page 23

THE LION’S ROAR|THELIONSROAR.COM|SPorts

Sports Spotlights

Girls SPORTLacrosse NO. 1

Photos by Netta Dror

The JV girls lacrosse team raises their sticks in a huddle before a home game against Westford Academy on April 7.

We’ve beat some teams that we haven’t beat in the past, like CC, AB, and North, which is all very exciting for us it. It shows how we’ve progressed as a team these past couple years.” Jordan Briney, ‘18. girls lacrosse captain

Freshman Grace Pennna (left) and sophomore Emma Carlson (right).

Girls Tennis

Sophomore Dorra Guermazi lines up to take a strike.

Softball

Senior Brianna Weissel awaits an incoming pitch.

A lot of sophomores and freshman are really stepping up their game this season, and I’m excited about that ... it means we have a lot of potential”

We all get along, and I think we’ve grown a lot. ... [The coaches ] have helped us a lot with different skills and helped the team grow together.”

Sam Smith, ‘18. girls tennis Captain

Catherine Patti, ‘18, softball captain

No Days Off

ALEX CLAPES

Sports Contributer

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.

March 17 is Saint Patrick’s Day for most, but for me, it’s the day I temporarily hang up my hockey skates and lace up my cleats for baseball season. The majority of my high school memories include my participation on both the hockey and baseball varsity teams. I have only played hockey for five years, but I’ve played baseball for most of my life. Playing on both varsity teams has been a trasnformative experience. Firstly, and most importantly, both varsity teams have become another family. Being with a great group of teammates every day, whether its on the field or the rink, always makes me feel good; I know that the people who surround me truly care about me will lift me up at any moment. It’s reassuring to know that these teammates are lifelong friends, with whom I know I’ll keep close touch throughout most of my life. I look forward to hockey season team dinners with my teammates, which build camaraderie and affect the our play on the field. The friendships between the playes on our team helps us gain confidence as a unit and work together as one team.As for the athletics, I have to work hard every day to continue playing at the highest level, as that very work ethic will lead me and my team to hopefully win the state championship. My work does not stop when the season ends. The words of my hockey coach, “the most improvement happens in the off-season,” ring true. Because my teammates and I want to play at the next level, we continue our training by going to the gym or getting on the ice year- round. I want to improve my game all around to reach my team’s goals of playing well and making states. Being part of the high school varsity teams was a huge jump from many of the other teams that I played for on in the past. For both hockey and baseball, I had to make adjustments, especially as I entered the varsity hockey team straight out of middle school. The biggest adjustment was the speed of the game. As a freshman, I played with seniors who were several years older. I needed to keep up with the play around me, and I also needed to make adjustments to my schedule to be able to practice every day. Playing two varsity sports is a huge commitment. My life revolves around athletics, but, as a student athlete, I still need to keep up with my academics. People involved in any team or club are representing more than just themselves. I represent myself, my team, South, and the sport as a whole. Finally, one of the most important aspects that defines a successful season are the coaches. The coaches for both hockey and baseball know their sports, and are genuine in their desire to coach, teach, and mentor. I wear my blue and orange with pride.